Taming The Villainesses novel Chapter 448

With the sound of layered glass shattering, the sky broke apart.

Claaash—!!!

It shattered—literally—into shards, cracking and breaking. Could the sky even be broken like that, physically?

Or was it because this place existed within Solomon’s mental world?

I had no way of knowing.

Tenth-Rank magic, Sky Breaker. What sort of ability it contained, what kind of outcome it would bring—I couldn’t even begin to guess.

But I had no time for contemplation. The Demon King, wielding that massive sword, had closed the distance in an instant and was charging at me.

His heavy sword arced high into the air.

Crackle-crackle—

Wreathed in black lightning, the blade came down. I hadn’t anticipated that a Tenth-Rank Demon King would actually engage in close combat—my footing faltered.

If I stayed still like this, I wouldn’t even be able to raise a mana shield!

Ka-ga-gak—!

At that moment, Solomon’s sword struck an invisible wall just in front of my head, unleashing a horrific crashing noise. As I came to my senses, I heard the paper spider Bael’s voice wailing from within me.

━Hyoooong...!

Bael! You saved me!

Before I could even react, Bael must have chanted the mana shield spell in my stead. If not for her, my life would’ve already been shredded to rags by that lightning blade.

━Krrrrng...!

I know! There’s no time for gratitude! Let’s counterattack!

“The wish becomes a bullet. A destruction without mercy or emotion.”

I stretched out my hand and pointed my index finger at the Demon King’s helmet, invoking the chant. Immediately, I felt huge quantities of mana gathering from within me, funneling to my fingertip.

━Hyoooong...!

Definitely more output than usual. Was it because we were inside the domain of the god of magic? Or because acquiring Agares had strengthened my chanting?

Either way, confidence surged through me. Maybe now—I might stand a chance even against a man called equal to a god.

“Black Bullet, Paimon!”

Fwsh—!

“Paimon. A physical-attack sorcery? Do you think a magic I designed would actually work on me?”

The Demon King’s demeanor was calm. Paimon had been his own invention—Solomon’s. He would know its weaknesses and limits intimately.

Swish.

He raised his hand and muttered, “Dispel—.”

But the black bullet slammed straight into Solomon’s helmet.

CLANG—!

With a sharp metallic impact, Solomon staggered violently.

“What...?”

Even under the helmet, I could feel his surprise. I only needed to shout confidently in response.

“I’m not like you. I’m better than you!”

According to Professor Balan, my potential exceeded even that of Demon King Solomon. Though I lacked experience and my Rank was slightly lower, I could still take him on at a comparable level.

But if I dragged this out, I’d lose the upper hand.

A drawn-out battle would favor him. A veteran like Solomon would exploit every opening, stretch the fight, and tear into my weaknesses.

If possible—make this short and sharp.

I needed to finish this in a flash.

I recalled my match against Ayra during the tournament. Back then, too, I’d devised a short-term blitz strategy to fight someone of a higher rank.

Tap into that sensation.

Goooooo—

My heart pounded as my blood surged. My body was igniting like an engine stuffed full of coal, quickly becoming a furnace of intense heat.

“You burn your life force. That only shortens your tomorrow.”

“If I die here, none of it matters anyway.”

Clang! Ka-ga-gak!

Solomon, now composed, struck my mana shield again. Even though Bael had helped reinforce it, the shock rattled the earth and sent stinging jolts through my skin.

This wasn’t an ordinary sword.

The mana wrapped around it—it wasn’t just energy. It was a spell of some kind. If this kept up, my shield would shatter.

As I prepared to retaliate—

CLANG—!

His sword smashed into my shield again. A surge of deadly intent roared into my mind like a tempest.

━Let’s call this new species... Imps.

A vision flashed before my eyes. A place I’d never seen. A moment unfamiliar—flickering, then vanishing.

“Can’t even spare energy to counterattack?”

The Demon King sneered, lifting his blade to strike again.

CLAAAANG—!!!

━The goal of the Imps is eternal life. Their tails are the essence. Everything else—garbage. Dispose of it.

“Urgh...!”

Foreign thoughts were seeping into me. I realized with each of Solomon’s attacks, shards of his memories were embedding themselves into me.

I stepped back a few paces and asked,

“...Did you say, Imps—are garbage without their tails?”

“You’ve read my memory? Yes. Imps... are failures. All of them. Eternal life is a lie.”

He drove his blade into the ground.

“But—I’ll admit this much. Your defensive magic is excellent. Tougher than anyone I’ve ever seen. But... glass can’t hold back the tide.”

—Tenth-Rank: Demonic Emanation.

A strange storm erupted from him, instantly sweeping away the flowers around us. The spell was called Demonic Emanation, and while the name was grim—

The principle was just mana discharge. Even novice mages could do it.

But when the caster was someone like Solomon, even a basic trick became a city-leveling weapon.

Clang! Clatter!

Bael’s layered shields shattered under the onslaught. Ten, nine, eight—no, too many to count, obliterated with ease.

“Ghkk...!”

I braced my legs against the ground so I wouldn’t be flung away. But even then, Solomon’s memories poured into my ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) head.

━Bring out the jar.

━HIEEEEEK...! Mercy, please...! Lord Demon King, have mercy...! I’ll scrub the floors, wash the windows—! I’ll eat less, sleep less—!

━Stuff the useless Imps into the jar.

━I won’t ask for honey candy anymore...! You can give me only leftovers—just let me live, please...!

━Nameless Imps. Be grateful you’ll be of some use to the Demon King.

Even though it hadn’t happened to me, rage rose in my chest. I felt like crying.

Just like the villainesses each had their own circumstances, their own sorrows—perhaps if I truly understood Solomon, I could sympathize with him too—

Once, I might’ve thought that way. But the more I saw, the more I realized—he was evil, beyond redemption.

I had never met something this utterly black. His memories contaminated me. With each new memory, my sense of self diminished.

No—this wasn’t just a feeling.

If I kept getting swallowed by Solomon’s mindscape, my existence would vanish into this flower field.

I couldn’t let that happen.

“Nghhh—!”

I clenched my teeth so hard I thought they’d crack. Then, I thrust forward Marmar’s heart-shaped tail, still wrapped around my wrist.

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