Am I the Villain or Not?

In the dark and abyssal surroundings, those ghostly green snake eyes radiated a sharp sense of menace.

The pair of eyes gradually moved farther away from Viktor, the shrinking green glow trembling faintly.

Sephiroth's pale body was perfectly concealed within the dim darkness as her eyes slowly closed.

A gust stirred through the cave as her figure darted rapidly through it.

Very quickly, the air settled, and the entire cave fell into absolute silence.

The instant a droplet of water struck the rocky ground, Sephiroth lowered her body, the muscles in her bent legs tightening.

In the next second, Sephiroth opened those dangerous green eyes.

With a subtle push from beneath her feet, her entire body shot forward like a pale arrow tearing through the air straight toward Viktor.

Viktor's left hand was wrapped in wooden vines, and a wooden blade swiftly rose behind him to block.

Clang!

"Not bad. Your strength's improved."

Before the echo of his voice even faded, the blade swung toward the opposite side again.

Clang!

Another crisp metallic ring echoed out.

In the blink of an eye, the cave was filled with the sound of collisions.

Bright sparks burst out again and again, illuminating Sephiroth's pale figure and Viktor's black trench coat.

He focused on Sephiroth's suddenly appearing form, carefully listening to the direction her attacks came from.

Viktor calmly evaluated Sephiroth's assault, "Your speed's improved a lot too."

Even though the surroundings were pitch black, he always seemed able to clearly perceive where the attacks were coming from.

After another exchange of flashing blades and flying sparks, Viktor slowly spoke, "That's enough."

The moment his words fell, Viktor raised the wooden sword and knocked aside the cold gleam of Sephiroth's incoming blade.

Sephiroth leaned backward, and within those ghostly green snake eyes, a crimson light was reflected. Her slit pupils widened slightly as she sensed danger.

She instantly retreated, pulling back to a safe distance.

At the same time, flames ignited in Viktor's hand, like fire extracted straight from the depths of the rocky earth.

The flames spun in his palm, instantly lighting up the cave.

In the next second, the fire scattered outward and flew toward the surrounding rock walls.

The cave, once swallowed by darkness, became completely visible beneath the bright glow. Even the fine scratches on the rocks could be seen clearly.

Meanwhile, the green glow in Sephiroth's snake eyes gradually dimmed, her pale body fully exposed before Viktor.

She wore a tattered robe and held a long blade without a guard.

Her long hair draped down onto the stone floor like a silver river.

Her muscles bulged beneath her skin, the lines of her body clear and distinct, like a hollowed sculpture displaying both beauty and power.

Clear abdominal muscles could be seen across her tight stomach, and both arms were firm and strong.

Her legs were full and solid, displaying the strength forged through high-speed combat.

Yet there was no sign of exhaustion on her face.

Or rather, she displayed no emotion at all.

At that moment, Sephiroth pressed the long blade against her skin.

Her flesh wriggled as though alive, tearing open a slit of blood and tissue that swallowed the blade inside.

Only then did she slowly straighten her body and bow slightly toward Viktor.

"Yes."

Viktor's gaze moved over Sephiroth without restraint.

Because they had just crossed blades, he had seen Sephiroth's level.

[Lv45]

The last time he had seen her, she had only been level 41.

Looks like Halnarsen's training had worked very well.

When she wasn't in combat, Sephiroth resembled an exquisite doll.

She stood off to the side completely motionless.

Even if someone touched her right now, she probably wouldn't react.

Truthfully, Viktor had always been curious about Sephiroth's origins.

Even in the game's storyline, Sephiroth only had a single description.

The ultimate human weapon created by the Rayser family.

In the end, the Rayser family had been purged by Empress Aurelia, leaving even less information about Sephiroth behind.

So where exactly had Sephiroth come from?

Why was her body so advanced?

Even a legendary dwarven craftsman like Ryan Kent couldn't create a humanoid weapon like the Rayser family had.

Strictly speaking, Sephiroth already fell within the realm of biotechnology.

And technology like that actually existed in this world?

Although magic flourished here, and technology had advanced quite well with magical assistance, this kind of biotechnology still felt far too ahead of its time.

It could only be said that, as the final boss of Chapter Three, there were probably still countless secrets hidden within Sephiroth.

'Looks like I'll have to dig more things out of the Rayser family.'

As he thought that, light footsteps came from outside the cave.

They were so faint they sounded like the fluttering of a mosquito's wings, quieter even than the droplets falling inside the cave.

That tiny sound slipped silently through the air into Viktor's ears.

Yet he couldn't sense any aura at all.

If Viktor himself hadn't possessed such keen focus, reacting to even the slightest movement, even he might have overlooked this nearly undetectable intruder.

Meanwhile, Sephiroth still stood frozen in place like a puppet, unmoving.

Apparently, she hadn't noticed anyone approaching.

Viktor merely glanced lightly toward the source of the sound.

Only when a towering figure like a giant appeared before Sephiroth, blocking the faint flickering firelight, did she finally react.

Her green snake eyes narrowed vertically as they locked onto the massive body in front of her.

"You still failed to notice me."

A deep voice like a ringing bell resounded as a gigantic bearman appeared before Sephiroth, his imposing eyes fixed on her.

For the first time, a trace of seriousness appeared on Sephiroth's emotionless face, as though she had detected danger descending upon her.

The heavy pressure in the air even caused a tremor deep within her chest.

In Sephiroth's understanding, there was no such concept as master or teacher.

She only regarded the bearman before her as an enemy.

Because until she completely matured, the bearman would continue fighting her.

She had even clearly recorded the number of battles between them.

[99 Battles: 99 Losses, 0 Wins]

Across nearly a hundred battles, she had never defeated him even once.

Even when she fought with everything she had, using strength so extreme it nearly tore her body apart, even when she could feel herself growing stronger every time...

Every single time, he defeated her effortlessly.

At that moment, Halnarsen also gave Viktor a slight bow.

"Master."

"I've brought what you requested."

Viktor nodded, then said to Sephiroth, "I've arranged a battle for you."

Hearing Viktor's words, the guarded seriousness on Sephiroth's face shifted into confusion.

It was as though she were processing the information he had given her.

Viktor continued, "If you win today, I'll allow you to leave this place."

"You can go find whoever you want."

[Information successfully processed]

After a moment of thought, her eyes reflected the massive body of the bearman.

Then she lowered her head and spoke in a low voice, "But target entity: [Unbeatable]."

This was Sephiroth's final evaluation of Halnarsen after ninety-nine battles against him.

No matter how much stronger she became, the result was always the same.

Unbeatable.

This bearman was so powerful it was as if he had no limit.

But Viktor shook his head and slowly said, "Your opponent isn't him."

The instant his words fell, a powerful roar rang out from outside the cave.

Awooo!!!

A tiger's roar exploded through the air, the soundwaves even passing through the rocky tunnel and echoing throughout the cave.

Sephiroth's snake eyes instantly narrowed like a predator spotting prey. Her body lowered as terrifying strength burst from her flesh.

A pale blur shot forward as Sephiroth instantly realized that the long blade had pierced through her skin and appeared in her hand.

Bang!

The blade and tiger claws slammed against each other.

The two sides locked in stalemate as claws and blade collided repeatedly, sparks constantly grinding out between them.

In a pure contest of brute force, neither side was at a disadvantage.

Viktor watched the standoff between the tiger-man and Sephiroth, narrowing his eyes as he spoke with interest, "Who do you think will win?"

"My apologies, Master."

Halnarsen's deep voice rumbled with a trace of apology.

"Even an ant may trip an elephant."

"Until the dust settles, I will not declare Viktory for either side."

Viktor smiled faintly, "I like that answer. After all, you're the strongest martial master."

Halnarsen closed his eyes and slightly lowered his body, giving no further response.

His sturdy frame blocked the sunlight falling toward Viktor.

With both hands in his pockets, Viktor carefully observed the battle between the two before finally seeming to make a decision.

"Alright. Let them fight here for a while."

He turned and looked up at the enormous bearman.

"There are some things I still don't understand."

"Take me to the graveyard, Halnarsen."

Halnarsen opened his eyes, his imposing gaze meeting Viktor's.

That stern look appeared to Viktor like a heavily guarded wall towering high before him.

"There are some questions I want to ask him personally."

"That former patriarch."