MV – Chapter 179: The Infiltrating Minor Villain

Vapula’s massive body shook the ground as if an earthquake had struck, causing dust to fall from above. In the darkness, a distant explosion echoed, and someone lurking in the shadows smirked mischievously.

“It seems the rabbits did well with their diversion.”

A man’s voice whispered softly. A torch flickered to life, illuminating his surroundings, revealing a face that epitomized a minor villain. It was Lanpeach Kouza, who looked every bit the part of a thief sneaking in to plunder treasures. A huge rucksack  on his back would have completed the image.

“Right? I was worried we’d get caught, but we’re surprisingly in the clear.”

Floating just above Lanpeach’s shoulder in an ethereal form was Libra, a silver-haired twin-tailed devilish beauty. Once a support character, she was now a lively and adorable companion.

“…You were just thinking something weird, weren’t you? For the record, I’m an excellent support character for the elite Soldier!” (Libra)

Lately, she has developed a knack for reading people’s thoughts just by looking at their faces. It might be a sign of her growing camaraderie with Lanpeach.

“You should consider renaming yourself to ‘Advisor for Support Characters’. Or maybe just the ‘Convenient Female Fusion Partner’.” 

A voice joined in from the shadows, belonging to a black-haired maiden. Petite and clad in a long coat, her sharp gaze seemed at odds with the cheesecake she was munching on. The sight of her devouring it ruined her otherwise cool image. She was Mira, a true support character with a hearty appetite.

“Convenient fusion partner!? That makes me sound like some sketchy fanservice character! It’s like you’re calling me a girl who you can ‘do’ anytime!” (Libra)

“It’s just your imagination. But you know, fusing with a minor villain does sound kind of—ow!” (Mira)

Mira’s teasing smirk turned into laughter, only for Lanpeach to whack her lightly on the head, cutting her off.

“Quit messing with Libra. Let’s focus on moving forward instead.” (Lanpeach)

“Agreed. Our operation to infiltrate separately from the main force seems to be going smoothly.” 

Mira said with a nod. 

This mission involved a bit of strategy. Instead of directly confronting the enemy lying in wait, a decoy Lanpeach was deployed to lead the main force’s advance, while the real Lanpeach snuck in quietly.

“It looks like we haven’t been spotted yet… but the enemy is definitely waiting, aren’t they?” (Libra)

Libra, who stopped playing around with Mira, tilted her head curiously, so Lanpeach faced her with an ‘obviously’.

“Yeah. From what we’ve seen, Vapula’s absorbing energy to activate the Fire Temple. That means someone’s lurking inside, scheming to trap us, right?” (Lanpeach)

“It’s an obvious trap. Judging by the flow of elemental streams, the enemy is definitely taking action.” (Mira) 

“Then why not just attack the Lanpeach Complex directly? Wouldn’t that be simpler?” (Libra)

Libra asked a fair question, but the answer is evident.

“The enemy’s probably scared of suffering massive losses if they attack us head-on. Judging by their actions so far, their forces don’t seem particularly strong.” (Lanpeach)

“Got it. So they’re hoping to take us down at their own base. It does seem like there’s some kind of trap set up after all.” (Libra)

Libra looked convinced, but Mira frowned.

“Still, there’s something strange. Why make the trap so obvious? They could’ve just dragged us into a dimension of their own creation, like Botis did…” (Mira)

Mira voiced her doubts, but Lanpeach’s gaze sharpened, focusing ahead.

“It seems we don’t have time to think about that. We’ve got company.” (Lanpeach)

Footsteps echoed from the darkness ahead, and three massive demons emerged. Each stood around three meters tall, with purple skin, bat-like wings, and two sharp horns protruding from their heads. Their saber-like teeth gleamed ominously.

“These are not like the liches. Their mana is much greater. It seems the main force encountered mere underlings.” (Mira)

Mira lowered her stance and readied herself.

But Libra stepped forward with an air of confidence, pointing decisively at the demons.

“[Libra Eye~!]” (Libra)

[Greater Demon: Level 7.]

Libra did her analysis with a beeping sound and they learned their identities. While Level 7 was certainly formidable…it wasn’t beyond Lanpeach’s current abilities.

“Is what I think… What’s your opinion?” (Lanpeach)

However, the minor villain feeling a little hesitant isn’t unusual. This might be the first time encountering a demon who truly fits the title, so it’s only natural to be cautious.

“It can be discerned through the magic they use.” (Mira)

He was about to ask ‘you can tell with the magic?’, but…

The Greater Demon pointed directly at them.

[Turn to ash, O flames.]

With this incantation, flames burst forth from the Greater Demon’s fingertip. The fire heated the air and mercilessly turned the surrounding chunks of flesh to ash as it advanced.

“I see, so that’s what they call ‘Words of Power’! It doesn’t even feel that hot, yet the destructive force is immense!” (Lanpeach)

Unlike the kind of heat that seems to ignite the very air itself, these flames lacked overwhelming intensity. However, whatever the fire touched inevitably turned to ash, as though it were preordained.

“‘Words of Power’ that distort the laws of the world. True magic like this operates on an entirely different level from the spells used by past enemies. That fire twists the very concept of what it touches. Countering it requires magic or Minor Villain Power.” (Mira)

“I always thought those long-winded chants were just edgy nonsense!” (Libra)

Mira’s serious explanation was met with Libra’s stupid remark. Honestly, even Lanpeach had once thought a single word should suffice to cast magic.

“That said, I’ll counter it with Minor Villain Power! I’ll think of a cooler name for it later.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach aligned his fingers into a knife-hand stance, raising his hand with precision. His cold gaze locked onto the approaching flames.

“There’s no denying our firepower surpasses theirs.” (Lanpeach)

A sharp line split through the air as his raised arm seemed to blur. The flames were neatly cleaved in two and dissipated into mist.

“Looks like a level 7 is already a weakling now.” (Lanpeach)

Drawing a katana from the Dimension Pouch, Mira ignored the vanished flames as though they were of no consequence and directed her blade at the Greater Demon, who had shifted into a defensive stance.

“So, there are three enemies and three of us. We can divide them up evenly.” (Mira)

And then, Mira voiced her ruthless logic. But it is pitiful, so stop teasing Libra. See, Libra is already…

“Take this! My powered-up kick!” (Libra)

Enthusiastically landing a kick on a Greater Demon. Her ethereal body allowed her to remain unnoticed while her teleportation ability ensured unparalleled mobility.

“Hiyah, take that, and another one!” (Libra)

With faint, almost pitiful sounds, Libra-san continued her relentless barrage of kicks and punches against the Greater Demon. Honestly, her determination was so touching it almost brought tears to Lanpeach’s eyes. Even the Greater Demon seemed perplexed.

“Great distraction! I’ll cover you.” (Mira)

Taking advantage of the comedic standoff, Mira slipped in close and delivered a clean horizontal slash. The Greater Demon, cut in two, fell to the ground with a stupefied expression.

Seeing their comrade fall, the remaining Greater Demons hurriedly began chanting…but bullets accurately pierced their mouths before they could finish, exploding their heads. Lanpeach had taken advantage of their distraction and shot with Haze to deliver precise shots.

“Yay! My ultimate Libra spin-kick split the enemy in two!” (Libra)

Libra cheered, oblivious to Mira’s swordplay, convinced of her critical contribution. 

(Well, if that makes her happy, who am I to argue?) (Lanpeach)

“…Something’s off. I expected them to swarm us like the liches, yet it ends here?” (Mira)

“Maybe defeating all the Greater Demons ruined it? You’re supposed to leave one alive for farming, you know.” (Lanpeach)

“Oh no, you’re right! Why did you kill them all, Pla-san?! That’s so horrible!” (Mira)

They let their guard down against these too-easy opponents, bantering as if they were in a comedy act again…

“Hmm?!”

Mira’s sharp instincts kicked in, and she retreated swiftly. Libra, still floating idly, found herself sliced in two like the Greater Demon.

“…See? Now we’re at the boss battle.” (Lanpeach)

“This is what happens when you kill all the Greater Demons. But back-to-back fights are tough. They’re not great for farming when death means restarting.” (Mira)

Lanpeach and Mira turned their gazes forward, and…

“Fumu… I was awakened because of the heightened alert level, but what’s going on here?” 

A deep, gravelly voice accompanied the appearance of a figure; a samurai with the head of a leopard. The air around him was charged with the presence of a master, his blade in hand.

“Is Vapula awakened? No, he’s still regenerating. Could you explain this situation?”

His beast-like eyes bore into them. He is clearly a monsters…no, a demon. But Lanpeach and the others remained silent, observing their foe. Taking this as a refusal to answer, the demon smirked and raised his blade.

“Seems you’re not interested in talking. Then, you’ll die by my blade like the shrine maiden I killed earlier.”

“Looks like I was defeated at some point in time! Anyway, let’s analyze this leopard demon~” (Libra)

[Ose: Level 10.]

“………”

Libra reappeared on Lanpeach’s shoulder and initiated an analysis without reading the room. The awkward tension was palpable.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. This guy’s level 10 too?” (Lanpeach)

“It’s likely that all well-trained demons are level 10.” (Mira)

The enemy power creep is getting ridiculous…

“What? I felt resistance earlier, but it was only a dummy?” (Ose)

“Hmhmph, that’s nothing for Libra-cha—!” (Libra)

Libra puffed out her chest in pride, and was promptly sliced in two once more.

“I don’t fully understand, but if it can’t be cut, I’ll just keep cutting until it does. The same goes for the rest of you.” (Ose)

Taking up an iai stance, Ose revealed his fangs, poised for battle.

Lanpeach and Mira readied themselves, sliding into a fighting stance. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed with Ose’s, the sound of metal ringing through the air.

“Impressive! To block my iai, you two must be formidable opponents!” (Ose)

In an instant, Ose displayed invisible, lightning-fast slashes, laughing as he charged forward. His battle-hungry expression showed his delight.

“Don’t complain about us ganging up on you, cat-man!” (Lanpeach)

“Let’s show him the strength of our teamwork.” (Mira)

Lanpeach and Mira drew their weapons, engaging Ose head-on. Thus began their fierce battle with the demon.

Previous Chapter l Next Chapter