I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

Since Cattleya's solution appeared to be the only viable path to defeating the monstrosity before them, Travis had no choice but to give everything he had to create an opening for her.

Gritting his teeth, he raised his sword and muttered a single word.

"Hydra."

A torrent of water burst forth, cascading like a roaring river, yet defying gravity as it swirled through the air. The streams coiled and twisted, forming serpentine shapes around Travis, like floating rivers imbued with life. Gin watched the spectacle with an unimpressed gaze.

But then, from one of the streams, a serpentine figure emerged—a long, sinuous dragon of water, its crystalline body glinting in the light. It lunged at Gin with razor-sharp fangs, striking him from behind with ferocity.

Gin staggered slightly from the impact, though it caused him little pain. He raised a hand and touched the watery dragon, his corruption seeping into it. The creature's body began to darken, its glowing form dissolving into droplets. Yet Gin's brow furrowed as he noticed something peculiar—it was taking significantly longer than usual to corrupt the water, even in his empowered demon form.

"This isn't ordinary water," he muttered, his red eyes narrowing.

Travis continued as twirled his sword in an arc. The rivers around him responded, surging into motion as three more dragons materialized from their depths. They coiled and roared, each one more massive and menacing than the last, their jaws snapping hungrily as they converged on Gin.

Gin scowled, raising his corrupted blade. In a blur of motion, he sliced through the head of one dragon with ease, then leapt onto the back of another, using its writhing form as leverage to propel himself toward Travis.
Enjoy new adventures from empire

Travis saw the blur racing toward him but stood his ground. He had prepared for such an attack. With a sweep of his sword, he called forth a downpour of pressurized water, the droplets striking Gin like countless tiny spears. The sheer force tore through Gin's skin, leaving trails of black ichor in their wake.

Yet Gin pressed on as he sneered. "Miserable human…"

"You'll be the miserable one," Travis shot back, a smirk on his lips. His gaze shifted behind Gin, where the three remaining water dragons loomed larger than before, their forms swelling with latent mana.

Gin scoffed almost angrily at being underestimated this much. "Don't underestimate me, human!"

With a roar, a pulse of black corruption exploded from Gin's body. The shockwave surged outward, obliterating the dragons in a single devastating wave. The rivers swirling around Travis collapsed, their liquid forms scattering into harmless droplets.

Gin didn't hesitate. His corrupted blade swung in a wide, vicious arc, the force of the strike so immense that it seemed to rend the air itself. The remnants of Travis's rivers fell to the ground in a lifeless cascade.

As the battlefield grew eerily still, Gin turned his gaze toward Travis, who hastily gulped down another vial of mana recovering his mana.

"It doesn't matter how much of that you drink," Gin growled."Your attacks are useless against me."

Travis couldn't deny the truth—the gap between their strength was a chasm too vast to bridge. No amount of skill or ingenuity could close it.

But he had bought himself enough time.

"Are you done?!" Travis asked.

"Not entirely, but it'll suffice," Cattleya muttered. Her sword glowed with an intense, radiant gold, casting an otherworldly illumination through the woods.

Gin's gaze was instantly drawn to the blade, the Anti-Demon attribute emanating from it causing a visceral reaction within him. Though it didn't touch him directly, its mere presence seemed to sear his very essence.

"This is a Sixth Rank Light Attribute Spell, bordering on Seventh," Cattleya said, her lips curling into a confident, almost arrogant smile. Yet, the beads of sweat trickling down her temple betrayed the immense strain the spell demanded of her. "You won't escape it."

Light surged around her sword, transforming it before their eyes. The blade elongated, reshaping itself into something divine—its new form a celestial weapon of awe-inspiring design.

"Radimiel's Sword!" Cattleya called as she swung the blade in a precise horizontal arc.

Gin's eyes narrowed. The attack was inevitable. Realizing there was no time to evade, he braced himself.

-BOOOOM!

A blinding flash of gold erupted, accompanied by a shockwave that tore through the forest, leaving splintered trees and scattered debris in its wake. The spell's brilliance swallowed the entire field.

Though the attack wasn't overwhelming in sheer force, its lethality against demonic entities was there. It was the work of a true Exorcist—a devastatingly powerful, precision-crafted spell.

As the light faded, the spot where Gin had stood was empty, scorched clean.

Even Travis, who had been observing from the sidelines, couldn't hide his astonishment. Begrudgingly, he admitted to himself that Cattleya's reputation was well-earned. She was a stronger Exorcist than him—a genius among geniuses. Perhaps even the Order itself would recognize her talents.

Exhausted, Cattleya dropped to her knees, struggling to catch her breath.

"You did it," Travis muttered as he approached her.

"Obviously. Who do you think I am?" Cattleya replied, flicking her blonde hair back with an air of pride.

Travis grimaced but chose not to comment.

"Don't celebrate your victory so quickly, humans."

The chilling voice sent a shiver down their spines.

"No way..." Cattleya gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Gin stood before them, completely unscathed. But something was different—his form was larger, more imposing. His horns had grown, twisting upward in jagged arcs, and his towering figure now exceeded two meters in height.

Travis's gaze shifted to the lifeless body lying at Gin's feet. The charred remains of the vessel he had been possessing were blackened beyond recognition.

"He discarded the body," Travis muttered grimly. His voice dropped as he assessed the situation. "He shouldn't have much time left in this form."

Gin's laughter erupted—a dark sound that reverberated through the forest.

"Plenty of time," he sneered, his glowing crimson eyes locking onto them. "Plenty of time to take your body, boy. And as for you, little pest..." His gaze flicked to Cattleya, a sadistic grin stretching across his face. "I'll take your arms as punishment for daring to wound me."

"Shut up, you demon!" Cattleya snapped, reaching into her pouch and quickly downing another mana vial.

But this was her second vial in quick succession, and the recovery process was slower this time but she had no choices at this point.

"I'll make sure to kill you this time," Cattleya glared, her grip tightening around the hilt of her sword.

"Dangerous to toss light around like that. Nearly got blinded."

The sudden, nonchalant voice cut through the tense atmosphere.

Cattleya, Travis, and Gin all turned toward the source of the interruption.

A young man strolled into view, dressed in their practical class uniform—a hoodie and shirt—but neither Travis nor Cattleya recognized him. His messy blond hair, tied back in a haphazard fashion, framed piercing red eyes that gleamed with irritation. He seemed entirely unimpressed by the scene before him, though his gaze lingered on the remnants of Cattleya's attack as if it had personally offended him.

In his right hand, a bottle materialized, unmistakably filled with alcohol—rum, most likely.

"Who are you?" Gin asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

The young man smirked, raising the bottle and drinking deeply, his gulps echoing in the eerie quiet. After a few moments, he exhaled sharply, wiping his lips with the back of his hand.

Tossing the empty bottle aside, he casually tossed away his hoodie, rolled up his sleeves and undid the top buttons of his shirt.

"James Arnold Grayling. But you can call me Captain Grayling, if you like."

Travis frowned. "Whatever. We don't care who you are. He's a demon, and we just need to stall for time. So help us—"

-BAM!

Before Travis could finish his sentence, James moved.

The kick came out of nowhere, so fast that Travis didn't even see it coming. It struck his side with devastating force, the sound of breaking ribs echoing through the clearing.

"AGH!" Travis spat out a mouthful of blood as his body was hurled through the air like a ragdoll. He smashed through several trees, each impact sending splinters flying, before finally collapsing against the base of the last one, unconscious.

Cattleya froze, her mouth slightly open in stunned silence. She couldn't even process what she'd just witnessed.

James let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head. "Damn. My leg slipped," he said, his tone completely devoid of remorse.

But within, his red eyes glinted with something darker. The fragmented memories merging within him told him everything he needed to know—this was the man responsible for the deaths of those Ivan had cared for. And if those memories were his, then the pain and loss were his as well. That thought alone fueled his actions.

He had never been someone thinking before taking actions to begin with.

He turned back toward Cattleya and Gin, retrieving another bottle of rum from seemingly nowhere. He uncorked it with a flick of his thumb and took another swig before smirking at them both.

"Now. Tell me—what are you planning to offer me?"