The Sponsored Heroines Are Coming for Me

Chapter 284

An overwhelmingly powerful enemy.

No—

Even the word overwhelming fell short. It was an absolute existence.

The godlike being from the Void was enough to render everyone powerless.

There was no way to win. Even as they moved, everyone harbored that thought deep inside.

Yet no one turned their back to flee.

They didn’t.

Because standing at the forefront—was Ian.

Ian.

It was faith in him.

Therefore—

When Ian stepped into the Void Entity, all that remained for the others to do was pray.

The raging Void Entity fell still the moment he entered.

Time passed in the silence.

“Shouldn’t we be doing something, Sister?”

It was Elena who broke the silence, unable to bear it.

No—more accurately, she was visibly anxious about Ian.

“I’d like to, but…”

“I’m worried… nyah.”

Lina murmured with a downcast expression. Even her crimson lips were dried and cracked. Danya stood next to her in a similar state, her tail stiff with tension. Just as Silvia was about to speak, Emilia cut in. Her voice was louder than usual, as if she had been lost in thought before speaking up.

“No, we absolutely can’t. We need to watch carefully. If we make a wrong move, the people inside could get hurt. Something like this has never happened before—I want to observe it.”

Emilia’s murmuring.

Silvia, who had been nodding lightly until then, narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Something like this has never happened before? What do you mean, Miss Emilia?”

“Uh… well, a Blood Demon fighting someone isn’t that uncommon, right? You never know. If we mess with it, something might happen to Ian.”

Emilia had stumbled at first, but wrapped up her answer smoothly.

Her explanation left a faint sense of unease, but Silvia couldn’t continue her line of questioning.

“Something… it flashed!”

It was Aria, looking half-dead, who shouted.

Everyone’s gaze snapped to the divine entity.

— Flash!

A brief flicker of light shimmered within the belly of the once-still Void Entity.

“The battle has begun. The aura is heavy. That level of intensity… no wonder he’s the Blood Demon.”

Yerina nodded at the explanation from Sasha Asilia.

Even she could tell—whatever was happening inside was anything but ordinary.

The Void Entity.

To summon something of that scale—the Blood Witch’s accomplishments couldn’t be considered minor. A rare frown settled on Asilia’s icy blue lashes.

— Flash!

Another surge of light.

But this time, it wasn’t bright.

Instead, the sky darkened in an instant.

Dark energy stretched out like tendrils, cutting across the heavens.

“Wow…”

Gasps of awe followed.

But Asilia’s face turned grim in an instant.

“Everyone! Encase the entity in protective barriers!”

Snowflake-like petals poured from her sword, forming a dense wall in front of them.

There wasn’t even time for the others to question her order.

— Rrrrmmmmmmmm!

A sound like the warning tremor before an explosion rumbled from the core of the divine being.

It was the sound of everything being pulled inward.

Crack.

The divine entity was collapsing and compressing in on itself.

That alone was enough to trigger a sense of imminent danger in everyone.

If that exploded, not only would everyone here perish—even Lichten might vanish from the map.

Protective barriers and magical seals of all kinds surrounded the entity.

— Rmmmmm…

Then, sudden stillness.

A blink of confusion passed over their faces—just for a moment.

Then—

A single streak of light shot outward.

And with it—

— Kuwaaaaaaaaaaang!

An enormous explosion erupted.

The Void Entity, which had shrunken as if trying to contain the blast, was the first to be torn apart.

A crimson barrier created within it resisted for a moment—but only for a moment.

— Crackkkk!

The protective layers around it began to break down one by one.

Asilia drew her sword. Her disciple was in the heart of that explosion.

Until she found her disciple, she wouldn’t back down. She was ready to cut through whatever stood in her way.

Step.

She turned at the sound of footsteps.

Black hair. Red eyes. The woman her disciple once called the Blood Witch.

The Blood Witch’s lips parted.

“Can you really block our Ian’s Infinite Cataclysm with such a thin sword?”

“Our Ian…? Infinite Cataclysm?”

“Oh my, you two looked like such a close master-disciple pair, but you didn’t even know the name of your student’s ultimate technique? I had no idea.”

The Blood Witch spoke with a teasing tone, her eyes narrowing playfully.

Asilia responded calmly.

“I’d like to focus. If you want to argue, I’ll entertain you later.”

“Ahaha. As expected of the Snowflake Sword Master. Just as cold as the rumors say.”

“There are times when one must be.”

“Even so, no amount of focus will let that thin sword block an explosion like that.”

“You never know unless you try.”

“You’re so rigid. No wonder you and Richard never got along.”

Despite the provocation, Asilia didn’t so much as blink.

The Blood Witch’s eyes turned more serious.

“You knew I was part of the Bloodstone Cult, didn’t you? Don’t you hate them? How can you be so calm?”

Asilia met her gaze with unwavering composure.

“Because I trust him.”

“You trust… me?”

“No. I trust my student.”

“Hm?”

“It seems you and he have joined forces. I trust my disciple’s judgment. That’s all there is to it.”

The Blood Witch let out a soft chuckle as she studied Asilia.

“Is this… the power of love?”

“Love?”

“Sasha, it doesn’t seem like you and Ian share just a simple master-disciple bond. I’m starting to feel a bit jealous, you know?”

“…?”

“Ian belongs to me, after all.”

So subtle that no one noticed—Asilia’s brow twitched ever so slightly.

“There’s no bond deeper than that of master and disciple.”

At the same time, a freezing aura burst from her blade.

The Blood Witch grinned slyly.

“A love rival to the Snowflake Sword Master, huh? I still have a long way to go.”

Asilia had no time to respond.

— Rmmmmm!

The explosion finally tore through the last barrier.

The earth surged into the air.

It was less an explosion and more a collapse of space itself.

The Blood Witch extended her hand toward Sasha.

“What is it?”

“Mana. Share it with me.”

“Mana…?”

“I’ll hold it back.”

Asilia’s eyes sharpened, as if asking are you serious?

The Blood Witch nodded earnestly.

“Trust your disciple’s judgment.”

Asilia took her hand.

Her vision wavered.

The Blood Witch absorbed her mana without hesitation.

At the same time, the surroundings turned blood red.

The expanding crimson domain spread precisely across the impact zone.

“It must cover Lichten too!”

Asilia shouted.

The Blood Witch’s brow furrowed.

The red field expanded instantly.

And the moment it engulfed the entire Academy—

— RUMMMMBBBBBLE!

A deafening roar echoed from beyond the domain.

Beyond the crimson veil, space itself was collapsing.

The sky was falling, the earth rising.

The Shadow Forest was no longer a forest but a plain, and the northern mountains had flattened completely.

Even the Void Entity had vanished without a trace.

Everything had been swept away.

In the silence that followed—

“… Over there!”

A desperate cry rang out—it was Danya’s voice.

Her gaze pointed toward empty air.

Where the Void Entity once stood, a rainbow-hued barrier was slowly descending.

Inside it, black hair fluttered.

It was Ian.

The barrier surrounding him faded.

Danya rushed forward and embraced him.

Relief flooded her—

But only for a moment.

Her eyes trembled faintly.

Sensitive as she was, she noticed right away.

His limbs, completely limp.

No sound of breathing.

A deathly pale face.

“Ian!”

Everyone rushed toward him.

◆

A hazy consciousness.

What woke me was the light.

Heavy eyelids.

A white glow seeped in through the gap.

A familiar light.

One I’d seen many times before.

I could more or less guess what kind of scene would greet me when I opened my eyes. I couldn’t picture it exactly, but it was enough to make me think, “Ah, it’s this again.” With that sense of familiarity, I forced my eyes open.

『 Press ESC to continue the game. 』

What came into view were the words written across a monitor.

“…Huh?”

A quiet sigh slipped out before I could stop it.

Something felt… off. I rubbed my eyes a few times and looked again.

Still there—just the same monitor.

I wasn’t sure why, but it was a scene that completely deviated from what I’d expected.

“Did I… fall asleep?”

My brain slowly began to turn its rusty gears.

As I looked around, I saw my familiar keyboard, mouse, and the bleak room around me.

“This is… where I live.”

No, wait.

What am I saying?

This isn’t where I used to live. This is my current home.

Why am I acting like I’m denying reality?

I shook my head to clear out the thoughts.

Maybe I just hadn’t fully woken up yet.

Did I fall asleep playing the game last night?

『 Press ESC to continue the game. 』

The familiar UI of Fantasy X Academy.

Wasn’t it usually touch-based? No, wait. This is a PC game—of course it’s not touch.

“Hmm.”

I hesitated.

Jumping straight into a game the moment I wake up…

Shouldn’t I be out running or swinging a stick at something instead?

…Nah. Since when was I that kind of guy?

Still half-asleep, I pressed the ESC key.

Whatever. It’s not like anyone’s around to nag me.

The UI covering the monitor vanished, replaced by a somber screen in deep black and red tones.

At its center stood a man with pure white hair.

“…Ah.”

My memories finally started coming back.

“I was fighting the final boss.”

That guy—he was the Blood Demon.

The final boss of this game.

It had taken every ounce of struggle just to reach this point. In fact, I was the first player ever to face him. That’s how absurdly hard Fantasy X Academy was.

My hands instinctively began to move the mouse and keyboard.

Clack, tap. TAP!

“God, why does he leave no openings?!”

Grumbling as I played—

And at last, I managed to bring him down.

…Was it always this easy?

I could’ve sworn he was supposed to use some ultimate move.

Then I realized my mistake.

This was my first time seeing him—how would I know what he’s supposed to do?

Something was really off with my head today.

“Whew.”

With a long breath, I moved past the screen.

Dodododo!

The heroines came running to greet me.

Lina, Sharon, Aria, Emilia.

“…Wait a sec.”

Why did this feel so… empty?

It felt like someone was missing.

I moved the mouse to rotate the camera.

And then—

— Where do you think you’re looking, Ian!

Boing!

With that sound effect, the screen was suddenly filled with bare skin peeking through an open dress shirt.

It was Emilia’s fanservice scene.

“They really put a risqué scene here, huh.”

Emilia Raymond.

The proudest, most high-maintenance heroine in the game.

Well, makes sense.

She’s the heiress of the continent’s most prestigious guild.

Getting a fanservice scene from her was practically a miracle.

— Ian… maybe you’ve gotten a little cooler?

Her silky voice purred.

She tilted her head slightly toward the inn room, then looked down shyly.

It was far too provocative to pretend not to notice.