The Genius Villain Dies Tomorrow

"H—"

"He—"

"Hey—!"

Rian slowly opened his eyes.

The rest of his body felt like he had been thrown straight through a brick wall. There wasn’t a single part of him that didn’t hurt.

"Where am I—?"

He instinctively said, but upon wiping away the grogginess from his eyes, Rian recognized his surroundings. He was still in the same cave, that was for sure.

Yet, there was something strange around him.

A dome of violently shifting wind surrounded him, obscuring everything beyond it. The currents rotated quickly enough to lift dust and fragments of crystal from the ground, creating a thin barrier.

"What is...?"

Before he could finish, Sylph’s face finally registered in his vision. Her tiny frame was blinking in and out of existence, like it was struggling to remain in this world.

"I’m so glad you’re okay!"

Rian tried to force himself upright, only for pain to immediately burst from his chest, so much so that it made him scrunch up in agony.

"Kughh—!"

"Don’t move!" Sylph flew toward him and pressed both hands uselessly against his forehead. "Your body is horribly damaged!"

"No kidding..."

Blood had soaked through most of his clothes. His injured hand had swollen to nearly twice its usual size, while every breath sent a sharp pain between his ribs.

A blue panel appeared beside him.

〔The following STATUS EFFECTS are currently active.〕

[Broken Bones Lv. 3]

[Hemorrhage Lv. 3]

[Mana Circulation Damage Lv. 1]

[Estimated Lifespan: 18 days, 7 hours, 41 minutes.]

’Still alive somehow.’

That alone felt miraculous.

Rian raised his head toward the wind surrounding them, turning to ask the small spirit by his side. "Did you make this?"

She nodded weakly. "When Leviathan forced itself through the gateway, the cavern began collapsing. Water flooded in from the other side, so I gathered enough wind to protect us."

"Water...?"

Rian reached toward the barrier, causing the wind currents to separate. Sylph was right, as dark water pressed against the barrier.

’This isn’t an open cavern, but a newly formed lake, huh?’

Broken machinery, fragments of mana crystal, and entire sections of stone drifted through the water beyond Sylph’s barrier. The enormous crystal containing Undyne remained upright in the distance, though countless cracks now covered its surface.

And a silhouette moved through the darkness—Felix.

He walked along the flooded cavern floor as though the water didn’t exist. The dark currents curled around his body, and he looked completely different.

Water had taken the shape of jagged spikes around his body, forming something between armor and an exoskeleton. His left eye had become an even more unnatural shade of dark blue, leaving almost nothing of the Felix that Rian once knew.

The man simply waited outside, threatening them. "You can’t stay in there forever, little brother! Eventually, you’ll have to come out!"

His voice felt layered, like someone else was using his voice as well. A deep and dark growl that felt like it came from the very depths.

’Shit...this is bad.’

Rian looked at his body again, trying to assess the situation. There was no way in hell he could continue fighting, and even escaping felt a little less successful than a coin toss.

Sylph’s body flickered again, flying in front of Rian to try and get his attention. She then placed both hands onto his cheek, forcing him to look directly at her.

"I can’t hold it much longer," she said. "There’s only one way for us to both accomplish what we want."

"You surviving, and me...saving Undyne."

The statement sparked a flicker of hope in Rian. He didn’t want to jinx it, but whatever Sylph had planned, it was already better than anything he could come up with in his current state.

"What do you want me to do?"

"...Make a contract with me."

"..."

For several seconds, the only sound inside the barrier was the violent wind keeping the surrounding water at bay.

Then an impact struck the dome.

BOOM—!

The currents bent inward before recovering, sending waves of compressed air across its surface. Rian barely managed to steady himself.

"Alright, let’s do it!"

Sylph flickered, her form becoming more transparent by the second. She shook her head at his answer. "It’s not that simple..."

"Why not?"

"The amount of mana you currently possess is not enough to make a contract with me."

Rian glanced toward the single Magic Circle inside his body. An ordinary spirit might be possible, but maybe Sylph really was a Lord-Class Spirit like she said?

"My true form remains within the Spirit World," she explained. "If you were to contract me, then your mana circulation would be exposed to my entire true form."

"And I’m guessing that’s not gonna go too well..."

"You’ll rupture and implode."

"Great. Glad we cleared that up before trying," Rian sighed. "Got any other bright ideas?"

Just outside, Felix placed one hand against the dome of wind. Dark water gathered around his fingers, probing the currents for a weakness.

"You’re running out of time!" he called. "How long do you think that little barrier will last?"

Sylph frowned deeply, continuing on. "There’s another form of contract. One that won’t connect you directly to my true body."

"And I’m guessing it comes with a catch."

"Two."

"Of course it does."

"It’s called an Assimilation Contract. Rather than connect two separate beings, my manifested fragment would become part of your body."

Sylph held her hands together.

"My power would no longer enter you all at once. It would pass through the part of your body where I reside, limiting it to an amount you can withstand."

"So you’d be using one of my organs as a filter."

"And as my sanctuary," Sylph added. "Once the assimilation is complete, this fragment of me will no longer be able to return freely to the Spirit World. If that part of your body is destroyed, I will be destroyed with it."

Rian’s expression turned serious. "Then you could lose a part of your actual existence..."

"Yes."

"And if you die while inside me?"

"The sanctuary would die as well."

"You...are willing to put that much faith in me?"

"I already have," Sylph gave him a faint smile. "You plan and scheme, even try to rationalize that your actions were for your own good. Yet, each and every time... It was for the sake of others."

"That’s when I knew—"

Sylph extended one tiny hand toward him.

"You were my destined partner."

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