A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

"But...this way, by the main gate."

"What do you care about the gate? This place is the middle of nowhere. Even if someone does come, they'll just be refugees. Are you worried they'll break down the city gate?" Sarkaz roared.

The gatekeepers agreed after hearing this and immediately rushed to put out the fire. While they were running through the fire, W secretly used Originium Arts to plant some bombs on them. By the time they arrived, they would probably be adding fuel to the fire instead of putting it out.

"Go, go open the door quickly!" W commanded.

Outside the camp, Hadley, Ines, Garson, and the others, who had already heard the commotion, were waiting for the camp gates to open. As soon as the gates opened, Garson, as the leader of the mercenary group, gave the first order: "Charge in! Slaughter all those Ursus bastards!"

A group of Sarkaz immediately emerged from the shadowy grass and charged straight into the camp. Amidst the roars of battle, these Sarkaz mercenaries, relying on their extensive combat experience and their natural racial advantage in Originium Arts, swept into the camp like dragons, slaughtering the scattered Ursus soldiers.

In the blink of an eye, they had already killed over two hundred men. The remaining few hundred Ursus soldiers finally realized that someone had attacked the camp. Several surviving centurions led their troops to fight against the Sarkaz mercenaries.

As expected of Ursus' regular army, which included many battle veterans, and with Ursus's warlike nature no less than that of the Sarkaz, their morale did not collapse in the face of such a crisis, but instead they began to unite as one.

"Brothers! A traitor has attacked our camp! Some have forgotten the former might and glory of the Fourth Army, daring to bully us like this! This shame must be washed away with blood! Let those villains see what the glory of Ursus is! Hurrah—!!"

"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"

The hundreds of Ursus soldiers shouted in unison and immediately engaged the Sarkaz mercenaries in battle. For a time, they managed to repel the Sarkaz's offensive by virtue of their numerical advantage.

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Enhancement of the Black Mist

“This is bad. Mercenaries excel at urban warfare, not head-on confrontations. If this continues, we'll suffer casualties sooner or later,” Hedley said after successfully killing an Ursus heavy infantryman in front of him.

"These guys...tch, they've got guts, huh? If it were a regular army or another race, this riot would have already routed them." W kept throwing explosives with his crossbow, but the Ursus shield guards, familiar with the trajectory, blocked them all. At this moment, the advantages of regular army tactics and the meat grinder of war were fully displayed.

"Tsk! Where are the rest of the Reunion Movement? Are we the only ones?" Garsen couldn't help but curse.

"Shhhhh-"

Just then, the sound of arrows cutting through the air rang out, and several arrows pierced the chests of several Ursus soldiers.

"Crossbowmen! Be on high alert! Snipers, locate those crossbowmen!"

"The reinforcements have arrived! Hang in there, everyone!"

Both sides began to respond accordingly. The Ursus began to determine the position of the crossbowmen and snipe them from the opposite direction, while the Sarkaz mercenaries, seeing reinforcements arrive, were greatly encouraged and swung their weapons even more forcefully.

However, this situation will not last long. The disadvantage in tactics and numbers has already left the soldiers on the front lines with wounds of varying degrees, and perhaps the first casualty is about to be born.

Unbeknownst to them, a thick black mist began to rise from beneath their feet, silently seeping into their bodies. Just as the Sarkaz's battle line began to falter, an Ursus soldier seized the opportunity, slashing a Sarkaz in the neck—the first casualty was born... or so it seemed.

"Huh?" The Sarkaz swordsman was stunned. He thought he was about to die, but he found that the other's sword was deflected and he was not dead.

"What the hell is this?!" The Sarkaz swordsman only then noticed a faint layer of black mist covering his body. Before he could even process it, his battle instincts immediately warned him of the approaching attack. In haste, the Sarkaz swordsman swung his sword to parry. "Clang—" The Ursus's greatsword was actually deflected by his own force, and the enemy stared at him in shock, clearly not expecting his strength to have suddenly increased so much.

"Could it be this black mist?!" The Sarkaz swordsman did not hesitate and immediately swung his longsword at the opponent. The heavy armor that he had been struggling to cut before was now being cut in half as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

"Hahahaha! Whose Originium Arts is this? The amplification ability is so strong." The Sarkaz swordsman was overjoyed, then looked cruelly at his next enemy.

It wasn't just this Sarkaz swordsman; more and more Sarkaz noticed the changes in themselves. Not only were they impervious to blades and spears, but their combat power had also at least doubled. Now, they were killing these Ursus soldiers with far too much ease.

In an instant, the situation reversed, and the Ursus soldiers began to wail as one after another fell.

"Something's wrong! Pull the battle line back, tighten the formation, shield guards, push forward! Find the mages who cast the buffs on them! Mages, begin attacking them!" The Ursus centurion immediately noticed the sudden, unreasonable fighting power of the Sarkaz warriors and deduced that they had likely used some kind of battlefield magic to double their combat strength.

Unfortunately, their mission was destined to fail. They discovered that the people present were mostly melee warriors, with no war mages whatsoever. Their own mage team's spells were not only intercepted by the enemy's eerie black mist, but they were also ambushed by the crossbowmen, resulting in their deaths.

The enemy was impossible to kill, and their killing speed finally overwhelmed the Ursus soldiers who had managed to reunite. They were too afraid and began to scatter.

"Don't run! Don't retreat! If we scatter, we'll all die—uh!" As the centurion was still shouting, an arrow with a purple glow suddenly shot down from the sky, accurately piercing the centurion's breastplate and penetrating his heart, causing him to fall to the ground and die instantly.

"Well done, Faust. Your crossbow skills are getting better and better," a crossbowman praised Faust from the camp. Faust remained silent, simply drawing back the bowstring and beginning to move.

On the main battlefield, the centurion's death became the final straw that broke the spirit of the Ursus soldiers. They completely collapsed and began to scatter and flee. This scattering wiped out their previous advantage, and the battle instantly became one-sided.

The Sarkaz began reaping lives, and their leader, Garzan, was in a frenzy, laughing as he slaughtered, leading his men toward a seemingly stronger remnant force. He had his eye on the head of another centurion and wanted to claim it for himself.

"They actually turned the tide so easily? We, a hundred men, actually wiped out an Ursus regular army several times our size?" To be honest, Hadley was somewhat incredulous about the battle. Moreover, he also had the power of that black mist on his body, and he could clearly feel the enhancement that power brought to his physical abilities. In Hadley's eyes, only the heroes of Kazdel could do this.

"I told you long ago, once that person makes a move, it's practically foolproof," Ines said after slaying an Ursus soldier who was lying on the ground, completely devoid of fighting spirit.

"..." Although Hedley had to admit this, he felt no joy of victory. Instead, he became even more wary of the man named Wang Chong.

"I'm going to find Garson," W said, and headed in the direction of Garson.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you know what's going to happen next?" Ines frowned and stopped her.

"Ha~ Of course I know, but it's enough for Garsen to die." After saying that, W ran straight in the direction where Garsen disappeared.

"You mentioned before that I shouldn't get close to Garsen's group, what exactly happened?" Hedley asked.

“I told you before, he wants to control our Sarkaz mercenary group. And he looks down on Garzon… so you can imagine what will happen to Garzon and his gang. And this is a gift he’s given us,” Ines said.

Hadley felt a chill. A gift? He was afraid not. With Garsen dead, who knew how the royal court would view what had happened here?

……

Garsen was now like a rabid hunting dog, reaping the enemies before him. With his invulnerable body and strength more than doubled, Garsen felt incredibly high.

Logically, Garsen wasn't this kind of person, but for some reason, his bloodlust grew stronger and stronger, and he became increasingly insane. He even started relying on his invulnerability to weapons, not even dodging the knives aimed at him, and slaughtering his opponents at top speed.

Even his teammates behind him were held back, unable to rush forward immediately, and the distance between them and Garsen grew further and further. Although Garsen was getting closer and closer to his target, the centurion, he was completely unaware that he had been surrounded.

"Hahahaha—Die!" Garsen raised his greatsword and slashed at his only target—the centurion. To stop Garsen, countless blades slashed towards him from all sides.

"It's no use! Die—uh!!!"

Garsen's greatsword froze in mid-air as a sharp pain shot through his chest. The centurion, with a sinister smile, gripped his longsword and pierced Garsen's heart.

"How... is this possible? I'm not immune to swords and spears...!!!" As his life came to an end, Garsen noticed that the black mist around him had begun to dissipate without him noticing. At the same time, the long swords around him began to slash into Garsen's flesh.

"Ughh ...

Chapter Thirty-Six: Subduing the Sarkaz (Part 1)

Those behind Garsen naturally saw their leader cut into several pieces and were filled with grief and anger, wanting to rush over for revenge. However, they couldn't break through the formation of those people and reach their position immediately.

"Huh?" At the same time, the centurion who delivered the first blow that killed Garsen suddenly stopped smiling, and then his eyes turned into a look of sudden realization, as he looked at the Sarkaz who had died by his blade with a puzzled expression.

"The black mist on those demons is gone!! Chop those demons into pieces!" Just then, an adjutant beside him suddenly shouted. The other Ursus soldiers also noticed this because of the adjutant's words. While they were afraid, they were also filled with anger. Why did they have such Originium Arts that could turn people into monsters that were invulnerable to blades and bullets?

If it weren't for these disgusting creatures, they would have already wiped out all these demons who dared to attack them. Therefore, after being warned, the Ursus immediately drew their swords and slashed at the isolated Sarkaz.

"BOOM!"

But at that moment, the Ursus soldiers who were charging towards the Sarkaz were suddenly hit by crossbow bolts, which exploded instantly, turning the Ursus soldiers into dust.

"You fools, you've gone too far! You've exceeded the range of the immortal black mist! Get back here now!" A woman's voice rang out from behind the Sarkaz. The Sarkaz mercenaries immediately retreated, and sure enough, the black mist that had made them impervious to blades and spears reappeared around them.

The Ursus soldiers who were still fighting the mercenaries immediately stopped and retreated when they saw that the mercenaries had regained their invulnerability, refusing to fight these invulnerable monsters.

"Go! They won't dare chase us! Go find the captain and report the situation here immediately!" The centurion, having realized the situation, made a decisive order. Upon hearing the centurion's command, the men retreated in an orderly fashion.

"Hmph! Trying to escape?" A figure with red "cockroach antennae" on her head leaped high into the air, firing repeatedly, reloading, firing again, hurling crossbow bolts imbued with her Originium Arts at the fleeing Ursus soldiers. The explosions rang out, killing many Ursus soldiers. But the shield bearers, wielding large shields, reacted quickly, raising their riot shields to cover the centurions' retreat.

"Tch, damn turtle shell, do you really think I can't kill you?" Upon seeing this, W immediately charged forward, intending to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the remaining Ursus soldiers.

When the Ursus soldiers saw that the other party had actually escaped the "black mist range," and that she was no longer enveloped in the black mist and was attacking alone, they decided to kill this arrogant girl.

"Splash splash splash—"

But a strange thing happened: those men couldn't catch a glimpse of W at all, and in the blink of an eye, three shield guards had their throats slit and died instantly. The defensive line was breached in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, W had already charged into the centurion's presence.

"Quick! Stop it—uh!" This time, for some reason, the centurion did not calmly and collectedly use his weapon to kill the attacking enemy as before. In the end, he was slit in the throat and fell into a pool of blood.

Seeing that their centurion was dead, the soldiers completely lost the will to continue fighting. They laid down their weapons and surrendered, no longer having the will to resist. W didn't care whether they surrendered or not, and directly aimed his crossbow at their heads.

"Those who surrender will not be killed." Suddenly, someone's voice rang in W's ear.

"Tsk... I don't have any rope to tie people up," W said irritably.

"Raise your hand," the voice continued.

W raised her right hand as instructed, and a wisp of black mist quickly flew out from her palm, binding the nearly 10 surrendered soldiers together.

"Behave yourselves and get back with me!" W roared, pointing at the heads of the Ursus soldiers.

……

Soon, only the Sarkaz mercenaries and some surrendered and captured soldiers remained alive in the entire camp. W reorganized Garzan's forces and brought them all to the assembly point. These were the only ones present at the moment; the crossbowmen who were supporting them headed up the mountain path to notify the main Reunion force to proceed.

"Dead?" Ines said, looking at Garsen's unrecognizable corpse.

“That goes without saying, it’s already like this,” W said with a smile.

Just then, the black mist surrounding all the Sarkaz suddenly detached, gathering in the sky before their very eyes, forming a massive black mist. From within this mist, a figure slowly emerged, walking on air. The black mist swirled behind and beneath his feet, forming layers of steps. The man descended slowly to the ground. This mere entrance was enough to instill immense pressure in all the Sarkaz.

"Let me introduce myself, Wang Chong, just an ordinary person in the Reunion Movement. That's right, the black mist on you all comes from me," Wang Chong said calmly.

For a moment, the Sarkaz exchanged glances, their voices mingling. They had all heard some rumors about Wang Chong that day. The "Black Mist Demon," the ruthless man who devoured ten inner guards, was undoubtedly a figure worthy of respect in the eyes of the Sarkaz, a group that always revered the strong.

However, seeing is believing. Now that they have experienced the black mist, these Sarkaz have a direct understanding of the opponent's strength.

"Thank you for your help, sir. Is there anything else you wish to instruct us on?" Seeing the other party's imposing entrance, and considering what Ines and W had just said, as well as Garsen's death, Hedley knew very well that the other party intended to recruit them, the members of the Sarkaz mercenary group.

“Hmm… I think you have all witnessed my power. And in fact, this power is not something I can only lend to you, but can truly bestow upon you. Just like now—” Wang Chong glanced approvingly at Hedley who had chimed in, then casually waved his hand, and the black mist fell directly into Hedley’s body.

"Hmm!" Hedley felt an unprecedented sense of ease after the black mist entered his body. It was completely different from before when it only covered his body surface. It was genuinely changing his body, increasing his physique and strength.

Seeing this, Hedley gripped his sword and swung it towards a group of tents. A black slash cut through the ground, carving a deep trench, and the tents were blasted to pieces.

Upon witnessing this overwhelming power, a fiery glint flashed in the eyes of every Sarkaz. The black mist's ability to make them fearless against the Ursus soldiers' swords had already held immense appeal for them; how much more so now?

“Thank you for your life-saving grace, sir, but this favor is too heavy for us to repay. Moreover, this favor is probably not something that ordinary people can easily obtain from you. Are you saying this because you value our abilities?” Hedley sheathed his sword. He saw the fanaticism in the eyes of the Sarkaz and knew that it was only a matter of time before the other party subdued them. He might as well make a show of himself now.

“Indeed, it is precisely because of the potential of your Sarkaz Mercenary Group that I have seen your story. I have heard your tales, how you struggled to survive in the war-torn land of Kazdel. Others look down on you, considering you nothing more than executioners who lick blood from the blade, and even discriminate against you racially, calling you bloodthirsty demons, monsters, the source of all misfortune and evil,” Wang Chong said directly.

For a moment, the entire Sarkaz mercenary ranks fell silent, for what the other side said was undoubtedly true—the truth of the discrimination they had long suffered. Some of the more unbearable Sarkaz even clenched their fists in secret.

"Heh, but that's nothing but the prejudice of fools, the shortsightedness of the weak, and the deliberate slander of ambitious people. Every Sarkaz here has struggled from that hell to this day. You are strong warriors who have fought your way out of countless seas of blood. You are the lucky ones, the defenders of the Sarkaz's dignity. I admire your strength in fighting your way out of the sea of ​​blood, I admire your incredible luck in surviving countless deaths, and I admire even more your continued fighting to defend the dignity of your race."

Wang Chong's voice boomed, resonating deep within the hearts of every Sarkaz, causing a surge of patriotic fervor in them. Of course, not all Sarkaz felt this way. Having witnessed far too much war and the dark side of humanity, they were used to hearing such impassioned lines. How could they be sure that the other party truly meant it, or was merely using them for his own purposes?

"Of course, you've heard plenty of good and bad words, and you're probably tired of them by now. But there's one thing that those people can't give you. That is power, the kind of overwhelming power you just witnessed! And only power is the capital that allows you to survive the struggle; only power is the vessel of your good fortune; and only power is the only thing that can give you peace of mind and allow you to defend your dignity!"

"And now, I will give you this reliance. I only need one promise, a promise to be loyal to me and obey my commands! Whether you think I'm using you or you choose to believe me, all I need is this one promise! So—I'll only ask one last question: who agrees to be loyal to me? Who disagrees?"

Wang Chong pointed to the group of Sarkaz and spoke.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Subduing the Sarkaz (Part Two)

The Sarkaz mercenaries fell silent after hearing Wang Chong's words. If his previous impassioned speech could be attributed to empty words fueled by his own fervor, what Wang Chong was saying now was undoubtedly presenting them with a tempting offer they couldn't refuse.

As Wang Chong said, these Sarkaz, who have experienced far too much, no longer easily believe the promises of others. They only believe in the sword in their hands and their own strength, and firmly believe that only this strength can soothe their hearts.

If someone were to tell them they were willing to provide them with a life of plenty, free from discrimination and betrayal, a life like that of a family, they would undoubtedly scoff at that person. Even when the gentle Demon Lord Theresia of Kazdel once spoke the same words, they were only met with skepticism. This is how it is with the Sarkaz; their precious trust has been worn down by repeated disappointments.

On the contrary, Wang Chong's open and frank approach, offering the power they craved most in exchange, reassured them and made them willing to nominally pledge allegiance to him.

"We are willing to pledge our loyalty to Mr. Wang Chong," Hedley spoke first. After all, he had already accepted the feedback from that power, so it was a foregone conclusion that he would be the "guide." Ines, as a member of Hedley's mercenary team, also swore her loyalty at the appropriate time, followed by the other team members.

“My team and I are also willing to pledge our allegiance.” W chuckled and led her newly subdued Garsen followers to Wang Chong, submitting to his command.

"We are also willing to pledge our loyalty." Seeing that the two major mercenary forces had pledged their allegiance to Wang Chong, the other Sarkaz mercenaries no longer hesitated and also swore their loyalty.

"Very well, I guarantee this is the best decision you've ever made. However, I must make this clear from the start: since you've chosen to pledge allegiance to me, I don't care how you behave in your daily lives, but when I'm present, you must follow my instructions. Anyone who disobeys—"

"Boom!"

Before Wang Chong could finish speaking, a huge explosion suddenly rang out. The Sarkaz couldn't help but look in that direction. It seemed that an explosive device had come into contact with the flames still burning in the camp, resulting in a huge explosion.

Wang Chong merely sneered, then turned to look at the still-burning flames behind him and said, "Just like now, those flames and the deafening explosions defy my will and interrupt my words, so what awaits them is only—"

"Destruction!"

As soon as he finished speaking, black mist shot into the sky, forming a giant hand as tall as a mountain, which then slammed down directly.

"call--"

After the misty palm landed, the powerful airflow swept across the faces of every Sarkaz. Shock, awe… a multitude of emotions appeared in the eyes of these Sarkaz who had witnessed the power of that palm strike.

Even Hadley became more silent. He had finally witnessed the moment that being made a move; the power of that palm strike was comparable to that of a god. Just like those legendary figures he had only heard of in ancient tales. Was he now witnessing yet another living legend?

The black mist dissipated, the flames had long since died down, and everything returned to calm. Wang Chong turned around and said with a light laugh, "Then, I think everyone should understand my attitude towards traitors and disobedients."

The room fell silent; not a single Sarkaz member dared to oppose the new leader.

Wang Chong nodded in satisfaction and then said, "Now, I will bestow my grace upon you."

The black mist blew in and descended upon the bodies of every Sarkaz. Each Sarkaz felt the changes brought about by the black mist; it was a genuine increase in power, which filled them with immense joy.

But Wang Chong's next words made them even more fervent and restless: "This is just the beginning. The enhancement of the black mist is not a one-time thing. If you perform well in the future, you will receive a second and a third blessing. Those who perform exceptionally well will have more opportunities to receive blessings than others."

What?! It can even continue to increase its power? Such words undoubtedly made these Sarkaz even more excited and fanatical. In an instant, several Sarkaz had completely submitted to Wang Chong and were ready to become his full supporters. Using both kindness and severity has always been the best old trick to win people's hearts.

However, while some rejoiced, others were worried. Some far-sighted Sarkaz were already concerned about their future. Power could be obtained so easily—but what was the price? Was it really just as Wang Chong said, that loyalty and excellent performance were all that mattered?