How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 121

“Of course. I don’t mind, but…”

 

Selene couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. Her expression seemed resigned, as if she had already given up.

Given how many times she had failed before, she likely thought it would be futile.

 

“I’d rather try something than just stay still.”

 

When she suggested that there was no real harm in trying, Selene seemed to agree.

 

‘Whew, I was worried she’d refuse, calling it a waste of time. Glad that wasn’t the case.’

 

Though she hadn’t been entirely honest with her, in theory, the chances of him successfully absorbing Huluppu’s divine power were high.

 

The only requirement for absorbing divine power was the permission of either the giver or the receiver’s god.

 

When Selene had attempted it, Nanna’s interference likely caused her to fail—but with him as the one performing the absorption, the subject would be different.

 

Even though the divine power resided in Selene’s body, it still belonged to Huluppu.

 

All that was needed for the transfer was the permission of Astarte and the god who had granted their blessing.

 

However, this assumption didn’t account for the variable of ‘Nanna’s interference.’

 

After all, that was something even she couldn’t predict. That’s why Laura deliberately avoided explaining the details to Selene.

 

‘If she got her hopes up, the disappointment would only be worse.’

 

Her mental state was already fragile, and she didn’t want to push her further. So Laura had carefully suggested it, acting as though it wasn’t a big deal.

 

“Alright.”

 

Selene nodded with a half-resigned expression and took his hand.

 

‘Her hand’s cold. Is she nervous?’

 

Even though she’d told her it was fine if it failed and to just take it lightly, she still seemed uneasy.

‘Rather than awkwardly trying to reassure her, it’s better to just get it over with quickly.’

 

Laura glanced down for a moment at Selene’s hand—much smaller and slimmer than Yves’—then closed her eyes.

 

For some reason, I was reminded of the first time I had absorbed Yves’ divine power.

 

‘Now that I think about it, Yves and Selene actually have a lot in common.’

 

From his beautiful appearance to his occasionally impulsive personality and the inexplicable urge not to leave him be—For a moment, my stream of consciousness strayed as Yves’ sudden thought crossed my mind, but I quickly shook off the distraction and began praying in earnest.

 

“If you are watching over us now, please help.”

 

I directed my plea to the god who had granted me divine favor and to the goddess Astarte, asking them to allow Huluppu’s divine power to flow into me.

 

“And may Selene’s regression end as soon as possible.”

 

I knew the regression wouldn’t end until Nanna’s goal was fulfilled, yet I still wished for her suffering to lessen.

 

May Selene endure even a little less pain. 

 

Perhaps because I closed my eyes and focused, I could feel a faint energy being absorbed into me.

 

It was a sensation similar to when I had absorbed Yves’ divine power.

 

“Did it work?”

 

Before I could even savor the exhilaration of finally extracting Huluppu’s divine power from Selene’s body, the slow trickle of divine energy being drawn into me gradually intensified.

 

“Ugh, I feel like I’m going to vomit.”

 

My mind grew hazy, and dizziness washed over me. But gripped by the overwhelming sense that I must not lose consciousness here, I desperately clung to my awareness.

 

“How on earth did Selene endure this?”

 

Truly befitting a being called the World Tree, the sheer volume of divine power was immense—enough to make me lose my mind if I relaxed even for a moment.

 

Still, I thought it was far more bearable than when I had absorbed Yves’ power. Just as the nausea subsided, an unfamiliar sensation arose.

 

Logically, air shouldn’t be something I could perceive with my five senses, yet strangely, I could now detect an alien energy lingering in the void.

 

“Is this divine power?”

 

It was an indescribable feeling—like floating in water, yet also as if I had merged with the wind itself.

 

Dazed by the mysterious phenomenon, I soon realized just how absurd the being before me—Selene—truly was.

 

Awakening to the sensation of divine power, I could now perceive the overwhelming energy she radiated.

 

‘No wonder Huluppu and Fenrir were suspected of being divine incarnations.’

 

Selene’s energy was immense, rivaling even the divine power of Huluppu currently flowing into my body. I finally understood why Fenrir, as seen on the screen, had called it a force far too great for a mere human to wield.

 

Lost in this new sensation, I observed her divine power—only to suddenly notice something strange. The energy being drawn in felt subtly different in nature from Huluppu’s, which resembled a towering mountain.

 

What’s more, the amount of divine power flowing into me showed no signs of decreasing.

 

“…!”

 

Selene, too, seemed to have noticed this anomaly.

 

Though she said nothing, the shock in her sky-blue eyes as they met mine was unmistakable.

 

‘No… It’s not that she isn’t speaking—she can’t.’

 

Realizing the situation was taking a dangerous turn, I immediately tried to let go of her hand—yet, strangely, my body refused to obey.

 

Selene was likely in a similar state.

 

But the problem didn’t end there. 

 

Had I already reached the limit of divine power my body could contain? The pressure within me began to intensify.

 

‘This can’t go on.’

 

Gritting my teeth against the torrent of Selene’s divine power, I forced my still-functional mind to think.

 

Somehow, I feared that if I absorbed not just Huluppu’s power, but Selene’s as well, Laura’s body wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

 

If I let go of Selene’s hand, everything would be resolved. But since neither of them could move right now, he had to find another way.

 

‘Isn’t there some sharp, decisive way to break through this situation?’

 

The biggest problem was the excessive divine power, more than his body could handle. So, if stopping the absorption was impossible, he at least needed to release it.

 

‘Wait… could this work?’

 

Right now, Huluppu’s branch was wrapped around her wrist.

 

That meant, even in her current state where she couldn’t move a single finger, this was still possible.

 

‘If I transfer Huluppu’s divine power into the bracelet, I might at least put out the immediate fire.’

 

The issue was that if this failed, there was no way to predict what kind of aftereffects or side effects might occur.

 

But the situation was too urgent—she didn’t have the luxury of long deliberation. If she stayed still, Laura’s body might not withstand the divine power and burst.

 

She forced down his surging anxiety.

 

‘All or nothing—let’s go for it!’

 

No other suitable plan came to mind, and doing something was better than dying without trying.

 

Strangely, the words she had used earlier to persuade Selene now echoed back to her, solidifying her resolve.

 

‘Lady Astarte, I trust you’ll help me again this time!’

 

Inwardly, he made a vow—if he survived today, he would become a devout believer from now on.

 

But contrary to her hopes, her vision began to blur. She thought she had to endure desperately, yet her consciousness slipped away uncontrollably, faster than she could resist.

 

💫

 

It was dark.

 

So much so that I couldn’t even tell whether my eyes were open or closed.

 

‘Am I… dead?’

 

The thought of death came to me first, unbidden, because I recalled the scene of Selene’s regression I had seen through the screen.

 

I wanted to check if I could move my body, but I couldn’t feel anything.

 

Somehow, it felt like the space where I had watched the screen.

 

‘Even in dreams, I was in a semi-transparent, ghost-like state, so I couldn’t feel any tactile sensations.’

 

Then, out of nowhere, light appeared in the pitch-black space.

 

‘This is a bit different from the screen.’

 

Unlike the screen, which had completely seized my gaze, the light before me now was faint, as if it could vanish any moment.

As I moved toward the source of the light, I felt like I had seen it somewhere before. The closer I got, the clearer the soft blue hue shimmering through the silver became.

Bluish-gray or silver symbolized the goddess Astarte.

 

Because of that, similar light always flowed from Huluppu’s divine power and Yves’ sacred energy, so even now, it felt strangely familiar.

 

As I drew even nearer, a strangely blurred figure came into view.

 

‘Yves? Or is it Huluppu?’

 

Even when I got close enough to distinguish facial features, the figure remained oddly indistinct.

 

‘How do I put it… like low resolution… or rather, like my perception can’t keep up?’

 

It felt like witnessing beauty that couldn’t be captured on screen.

 

The figure resembled Yves and Huluppu, yet I couldn’t tell who it was. Perhaps it was an entirely new being, borrowing appearances from my memories.

 

Just as I was lost in thought—

 

[Thank you.]

 

The moment the voice resonated directly in my mind, I was startled by the unexpected turn.

 

Because the figure resembled Yves or Huluppu, I had assumed it was male—but the voice I heard was unmistakably a woman’s.