I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

"Come back here, you pervert!" Diana's voice rang through the forest.

"Lady Diana! Please wait for us!" The guards called, their hurried footsteps crunching against the forest floor as they scrambled to keep up. Their duty was clear after all: to protect her and Minerva at all costs.

Minerva, trailing behind, watched her sister chase after King with an uncharacteristic expression of a teenage girl, almost childish in its fervor. She couldn't help but smile warmly, charmed by Diana's rare display of unguarded emotion. Picking up her pace, she followed them eagerly.

"How is he so fast?" Diana muttered under her breath, her brows knitting in frustration. King wasn't merely outrunning her; his movements were mesmerizingly agile. Leaping effortlessly from branch to branch, he appeared less like a man and more like a creature born to the wild.

King, however, was no longer concerned with the pursuit. His sharp gaze scanned the forest ahead and darted to the shadows around him, his mind honed on a different game altogether.

It seemed his little ruse had worked perfectly. By drawing Diana forward and disrupting the guards' formation, he had unwittingly turned them into bait. Classic ambush material, he mused. But then again, who could blame them? Any skilled bandit would seize such an opportunity.

As King landed gracefully on a sturdy branch, he shifted his weight and kicked off, executing a flawless backward somersault. He landed directly in front of a startled Diana, with fluid movements. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, pulling her to the ground with him.

—Whoosh!

An arrow sliced through the air, missing Diana's chest by mere inches before embedding itself into the tree ahead with a dull thunk.

Diana's breath hitched, her eyes wide with shock.

King, however, remained calm, his gaze fixed on the arrow. The tip glowed faintly with an unfamiliar substance.

"Poison? Or maybe a sedative?" He muttered curiously. It wasn't his forte to identify such things. Adam would have figured it out instantly, but King's expertise lay elsewhere. He rarely relied on poisons in his line of work, and certainly not in this unfamiliar world.

—Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three more arrows whistled through the air, aimed squarely at King's back. Diana reacted swiftly, her sheathed sword slicing through the air, deflecting each projectile before they could find their mark.

"Impressive work, Lady Diana," King said with a grin looking at her.

Diana offered a polite smile in return, though it didn't reach her eyes. With a push on his chest, she disentangled herself from his hold, deftly removing his smart arm from her waist in the process.

King, quick on his feet, rolled to the side just as another volley of arrows rained down, each missing him by a hair's breadth.

"Where are they hiding?!" Diana asked standing up and unsheathing her sublime sword. Her eyes darted through the misty miasma, searching for their unseen assailants.

"They're in the trees," King replied without hesitation. "No doubt about it."

"King!"

"Diana!"

The others soon joined them, and the rest of the group caught up, their expressions turning immediately serious.

Mona reacted immediately, raising her staff high. A shimmering barrier of light expanded outward, shielding her companions. At the same time, Minerva drew her bow. Her three guards formed a protective circle around her, their swords slicing through the oncoming arrows with swift strikes.

"Diana! Fall back now!" Minerva shouted with a focused expression.

Her bowstring creaked as she pulled it taut, her greyish eyes locking onto what seemed to be an empty patch of forest. Yet she adjusted her aim, following an invisible target.

-Whoosh!

The arrow shot forward with a blinding speed.

"Ugh!" A pained groan followed as a man tumbled from the canopy, his body landing with a thud against the forest floor.

"Wow," King muttered, his tone filled with genuine admiration.

Beyond her extraordinary vision, Minerva's skill with a bow was nothing short of remarkable. With a single look, he could tell she was leagues ahead of anyone he had encountered, including Ludivine. The faint hum of mana emanating from her was even visible, a mana that could rival even seasoned B-Rank Hunters. At only nineteen, no less?

A prodigy, indeed. Not merely the Duchess's daughter, but a bona fide genius.

Lua, who was also archer sighed in awe. "I can't imagine ever being that good," she admitted, her gaze fixed on Minerva with a mix of envy and respect.

King chuckled and stepped forward. "How about you guys come out and face us like real men?" He called into the trees. Then, as though struck by sudden realization, he added with a smirk, "Ah, my apologies—I forgot you're nothing but lowly scumbags."

—Whoosh!

In response, another volley of arrows was unleashed, this time aimed squarely at King.

King moved instantly, his body a blur of motion. He leaped backward, twisted to the side, and darted behind a tree, narrowly dodging each arrow. His movements were impossibly fluid.

"What in the world…" One of the Rosenwald guards murmured, watching King's feats with disbelief.

King, however, remained entirely focused. Concealing himself behind a sturdy tree trunk, his lips curled into a mischievous grin. He extended his hand, and with a flicker of light, a sword materialized in his grasp.

With a single, powerful swing, King cleaved the tree trunk in half.

The massive tree groaned and toppled, falling to the side. Perched precariously on one of its branches, a man attempted to leap away, but King was faster.

With frightening speed, he hurled his sword. The blade whistled through the air before piercing the man's chest, ending him instantly.

"One less!" King said with a triumphant grin as he sprinted along the length of the falling tree.

—Whoosh!

Another volley of arrows tore through the air, aimed squarely at him.

He braced to dodge, but before he could move, every single arrow was intercepted mid-flight. King glanced to his side and caught sight of Minerva, her bowstring snapping rhythmically as she loosed arrows with pinpoint accuracy. Each shot neutralized the oncoming threat with scary precision.
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"That was splendid, Lady Minerva!" King called out with a laugh.

Continuing his run, he reached the body of the bandit still hanging limply on a branch. With a swift yank, he retrieved his sword from the corpse's chest and continued his dash, leaping from branch to branch.

Minerva, meanwhile, continued to rain down cover fire, ensuring King's path remained clear. Her concentration was unshakable, and her aim, unparalleled. Watching her, one might wonder who among them was the most fearsome—the man charging headlong into danger, or the woman capable of orchestrating destruction with such grace.

The forest burst into small scale battle as ten figures clad in cliché bandit attire dropped from the trees, rushing toward Reynold and his group.

"Lua, Mona—fall back and cover us!" Reynold ordered. "Saya and I will handle the fight!"

"Yes!" Lua and Mona retreated to safer positions, preparing to provide spells and ranged support.

Reynold raised his sword high, its blade glinting as mana coursed through him. "Fourth-Tier Spell: Body Enhancement!" He roared. A surge of mana enveloped his form, sharpening his senses and boosting his physical prowess.

In a blur of motion, Reynold closed the distance to the nearest bandit, who barely had time to react before Reynold's sword cleaved through him with deadly.

On the other hand, Diana had turned her attention toward her sister, or rather, toward the group of bandits approaching Minerva from behind. Ten of them moved hoping to strike while Minerva was focused.

"Protect my sister from the front!" Diana asked her guards as she positioned herself behind Minerva, raising her sword in readiness.

Mana surged through her, animating the sword in her hand. Its blade erupted in a brilliant emerald glow, mirroring the unique red luminescence of her own eyes. In a blink, she vanished, reappearing behind the unsuspecting group. Two heads tumbled to the ground. With a graceful, almost balletic motion, Diana swung her sword towards the void, a swirling vortex of emerald energy erupting from its tip. This miniature cyclone of mana tore through the enemy ranks, scattering them like leaves in a gale.

-BOOM!

Meanwhile, Minerva remained in a trance-like state, her delicate features illuminated by her focus. Her movements were fluid, each arrow nocked and released with elegance that was nothing short of mesmerizing. Her forest green hair swayed gently with each shot, the sight would be enchanting to any man.

King, however, had no time to admire the spectacle unfortunately.

"One, five... a total of seven," he muttered, his keen eyes locking onto his next targets.

Leaping high into the trees, he made for a distant tree. At this range, Minerva's arrows could no longer shield him, but King's instincts and reflexes were more than enough. With deft precision, he swung his sword, deflecting each arrow that came his way.

Reaching his destination, King extended his hand, driving it clean through the trunk of the tree. His fingers found purchase on the neck of a bandit concealed within the foliage.

"Wha—!" The man gasped, but his protest was cut short as King snapped his neck ruthlessly.

—Whoosh!

Without sparing a glance, King deflected three more arrows coming from his left with a single, fluid wave of his sword.

"..."

Then turning slowly, his azure eyes locked onto the culprits. The smile that had played on his lips moments ago faded entirely.

The six men standing before him felt an involuntary shudder ripple through their spines at his gaze.