I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

-BOOOOOM!

The moment Ludmila swung her sword, a devastating wave of Stigma crashed against the gates, sending shockwaves that threatened to tear down the walls instantly. But something stopped her attack.

Her eyes immediately caught sight of a shimmering barrier rippling from the impact. The walls remained untouched—shielded by a powerful defense.

Days of painstaking work culminated in the creation of a vast mana dome, encompassing all of Dreonah. This protective barrier, though not unbreakable, was intended to shield the city from the brunt of Gevurah's power.

The knights and hunters watching from inside let out a collective sigh of relief. If that attack had landed directly, they had no doubt the results would've been catastrophic. And they were right.

But for Ludmila, failure was not an option.

Without hesitation, she raised her sword again.

The air around her trembled violently as her Stigma surged, cracks forming in the very space around her blade. This time, the energy she gathered was even more intense—like a storm building up before the final strike.

Then, she swung.

-BOOOOOM!

A deafening explosion rang in front of the gates. Dust and debris shot up in waves, the ground beneath the barrier splitting apart from the sheer force of her attack. The impact sent shockwaves outward, and for a moment, it seemed like even the air itself was screaming.

The mana barrier and Ludmila's Stigma clashed in an intense struggle, sparks of energy crackling where they met. But she wasn't done. Her Stigma kept surging, growing stronger by the second, its oppressive presence pressing down on everything around her.

The barrier rippled wildly now, its solid form flickering, caving in at certain points.

"She's breaking it!" Someone shouted.

"Yeah! We have to do something!"

"Wait—are we helping her or stopping her?"

"Are we seriously just going to stand here and watch?!"

"Calm down."

A voice rang out behind the panicked voices.

A man stepped forward. He looked to be in his late thirties, neatly dressed, a pair of glasses resting on his sharp features.

An S-Rank Hunter.

"It's Anson!" Someone whispered in awe.

The hunters around him instinctively took a step back, watching him with admiration.

But Anson paid no mind to their reactions. His gaze was locked onto Ludmila. Her silver hair whipped violently in the wind, her entire form surrounded by the overwhelming force of her Stigma.

She was the most beautiful woman Anson had ever seen in his life.

Her pale skin contrasted beautifully with her pitch-black eyes, creating an otherworldly appearance that left an unforgettable impression. No one here had ever encountered someone like her before. It was as if they were looking at a woman from an entirely different species—something beyond human.

Yet, in this moment, none of that mattered.

No one had the luxury to admire her beauty when the overwhelming presence of her Stigma sent waves of terror through the air. The sheer pressure of it made the knights and hunters feel like their lungs were constricting.

"Will the barrier hold?" One of the Knights of Unadora asked nervously, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter than necessary.

"The point isn't to maintain the barrier indefinitely," Anson replied calmly. "It's going to break—eventually. But in the meantime, we need to observe them, exhaust them as much as possible, and—if we're lucky—find a way to beat them."

"Beat them?" The knight swallowed hard. "How are we even supposed to do that…? I can't even tell what Rank she is, and yet—I know I wouldn't last a second against her."

Anson adjusted his glasses, his gaze never resting on Ludmila.

"That's exactly what we're here to find out," he said before raising his hand.

As one of the Hunters entrusted with the defense of Dreonah, he had command over several airships. This battle was far from unwinnable for them. They just needed to gather enough data, force their enemies to reveal their weaknesses, and exploit any opening they could find.

At his signal, two airships disengaged from their formation within the barrier and soared into the sky.

One immediately set its course toward the Legion standing in formation, while the other locked onto Ludmila, preparing for a direct assault.

-BOOOM!

The first blast rang out, a deafening explosion that shook the battlefield. The airship targeting the Legion unleashed a relentless barrage from its dozen cannons, the fiery projectiles streaking through the sky like shooting stars of mana.

The Legion reacted instantly.

A shimmering barrier rose, hastily conjured to shield them from the devastating onslaught. But the sheer force behind the airship's assault was quite there. Several soldiers were struck before they could react, their bodies sent flying from the impact. Screams and panicked shouts filled the battlefield as the cannons continued their merciless barrage.

Meanwhile, in front of Ivan's ship, dozens of airships were still hammering down firepower, its shots raining like hellfire. Mikhail stood at the forefront, his Stigma flaring violently as he repelled every attack that came their way, cutting through the barrage with his Stigma alone

Dimitri, watching from the main ship, narrowed his eyes as he saw the airship targeting the Legion and Ludmila.

Without a moment's hesitation, he leaped from the deck, his figure vanishing into a blur as he shot toward the enemy ships at lightning speed.

He was going to take them down.

Dimitri set his sights on the airship targeting Ludmila.

From the outside, the ship appeared to be operating in an automated mode—there was no visible crew aboard, only its rotating cannons adjusting with unnatural precision. As soon as he approached, the ship reacted instantly. The cannons whirred, locked onto him, and within seconds, mana surged at their cores.

-BOOM!

A massive beam of condensed mana shot toward him at terrifying speed.

Dimitri didn't flinch.

Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire

With a flick of his wrist, his Stigma flared to life, forming into a long, jagged spike of pure black crackling energy. He grasped it tightly, then surged forward with blinding speed.

-BOOOOM!

The first few beams streaked past him as he wove through them, his movements nothing but a blur. But then—one came straight for him.

Without hesitation, he swung his Stigma spike downward.

-BOOOM!

The beam split apart in an instant, its energy scattering like shattered glass. But the sheer force behind the attack sent a powerful shockwave outward, pushing Dimitri back mid-air. He clicked his tongue, his expression turning ice-cold as he spotted another barrage already heading his way.

For anyone else, charging at a fully armed warship alone would've been suicidal.

But Dimitri wasn't just anyone.

Lifting his free hand, he unleashed his Stigma once more. A shimmering barrier materialized in front of him, similar to Mikhail's—though weaker, it was still strong enough to absorb the brunt of the incoming attacks. At the same time, he clenched his fist around his Stigma spike.

The weapon trembled, its jagged edges glowing dangerously as it pulsed with concentrated Stigma.

Then—he swung.

-BOOOOM!

A powerful wave of blade-like energy spikes erupted from the weapon, tearing through the mana beams with terrifying speed. The moment they made contact, the beams were swallowed whole, their power completely consumed.

Then—

-BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

One after another, the spikes struck the airship's cannons, shredding them to pieces. Each explosion triggered another, like a domino effect, as ruptured machinery sent shockwaves through the ship's frame. Chunks of metal and shattered weaponry rained from the sky, torn apart by Dimitri's Stigma assault.

Yet, despite the destruction, a few cannons remained intact, still locking onto him, still firing.

But now—with their numbers severely reduced—Dimitri had no trouble dodging.

Canceling his barrier in an instant, he twisted his body mid-air, narrowly avoiding another blast. Then, without wasting another second, he shot forward—ready to finish the job.

At this point, the airship's remaining cannons were firing in vain. Dimitri had already closed the distance—his speed too fast, his movements too precise for them to land a single hit.

Now only a few meters away, he tightened his grip around his Stigma spike. The weapon pulsed violently, vibrating under the sheer force of his Stigma. Then, with a sharp sigh, he raised it, his eyes locking onto the very center of the airship.

And then—he threw it.

The spike tore through the air with an ear-splitting whistle, its speed nearly impossible to track. In the blink of an eye, it struck the airship's hull, piercing straight through its reinforced metal plating as if it were nothing. Without resistance, it passed clean through the ship, vanishing into the darkness beyond.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—

-BOOOOOOOM!

A massive explosion of mana erupted from within the ship's core, the force so great that shockwaves rippled outward in every direction. The sky lit up in a brilliant flash, followed by a deafening blast. Fragments of twisted metal and shattered machinery were sent flying, raining down like deadly projectiles.

Dimitri remained completely still, watching the destruction unfold with cold, disinterested eyes.

And then, without hesitation, he turned—his gaze now fixed on the second airship, the one still attacking their Legion.