Why Am I The Villain?! Reincarnated in My Favorite Novel-Chapter 46: Blood, Steel and Tentacles

But before she could counterattack, Constantin intervened. A fresh wave of energy swept through the clearing, hurling both Roman and Nereva backward. Roman crashed into a pile of debris, the air knocked from his lungs, while Nereva, more agile, landed on her tentacles, skimming the ground like a spider across its web.

"Constantin," Roman gasped, struggling to catch his breath. "I’m not your enemy. I want the same thing you do—protection. But we can’t do it by hiding. The Empire, the world... they won’t stop. They’ll come here, sooner or later."

Constantin clenched his jaw, his red eyes locked onto Roman. "You think I don’t know that?" he growled, his voice trembling with barely contained rage. "You think I haven’t seen what’s coming? The flames, the screams, the end of everything?"

He stepped forward, and the aura around him thickened, making the air nearly suffocating. "I’ve seen the future. And trust me, there are no heroes in this story. No victories. Only blood and ashes."

"Then why keep fighting?" Roman asked. "Why protect these people if everything’s doomed?"

Constantin stayed silent for a moment, his gaze lost in the distance. Then, quietly, he said, "Because it’s all I have left."

Nereva let out a mocking laugh. "Pathetic," she spat. "The great Prophet, reduced to babysitting a bunch of wretches. You disappoint me, Constantin."

She raised a hand, and new tentacles burst forth, thicker and faster. But this time, Constantin didn’t merely fend them off. He advanced, each heavy step making the ground tremble, and a wave of pure energy exploded from his body, obliterating the tentacles and slamming Nereva through a container, which collapsed with a metallic crash.

Half-buried under the rubble, Nereva coughed, blood trickling from her mouth. "You... you’re a monster," she whispered, though a twisted, sick smile already crept back onto her face. "I like that."

Six tentacles shot toward Constantin, their sharpened tips aiming to impale. Swoosh! He raised a hand. An invisible blast of energy shattered the tentacles into black fragments.

The tentacles reformed into a living shield around Nereva. Two lunged toward Constantin while three lashed at Roman.

Clang! Roman slashed through them, his blade gleaming under the pale light. He pivoted, dodged another strike, and sprinted toward Nereva.

Boom! A shockwave hit him squarely. Roman was thrown backward, crashing against a container. The metal groaned under the impact.

"Stay out of this!" roared Constantin.

Nereva laughed wildly. She lifted both hands, and a dozen tentacles erupted—some thick as tree trunks, others thin and whip-fast. They crashed down on Constantin, who didn’t move.

Vrrrm! A barrier of energy flared up around him, repelling the strikes. The tentacles smashed against the shield, twisting and exploding.

Roman pushed himself up, wiping blood from his temple. "So, no alliance then," he grunted. He charged again, targeting Nereva. His blade sliced through a tentacle aiming to skewer him. He leapt onto a container, pushed off, and dove toward her.

Slash! His blade grazed Nereva’s shoulder, making her stagger back.

A massive tentacle erupted from the ground, aiming for Roman. He dodged into a roll, but another slammed into his side.

Crack! He grimaced, feeling a rib give way, but he didn’t stop. He drove his blade into the tentacle, pinning it to the ground, and sprinted toward Nereva.

Meanwhile, Constantin closed in, relentless. Each step shook the earth. He reached out, and another wave of energy swept across the clearing.

Nereva’s tentacles disintegrated, and she was hurled into a wall of containers. The metal crumpled with a deafening crash.

Yet Nereva rose again, still laughing.

She snapped her fingers. A surge of tentacles erupted from everywhere—shadows, cracks, the ground itself. They wrapped around Constantin, trying to immobilize him. He growled, his aura intensifying. The tentacles shattered like glass, and a blast of energy devastated everything around him.

Roman seized the opening. He leapt from one container to another and plunged toward Nereva, blade first.

That’s when he felt it—burning heat searing through his body as black tentacles impaled him mid-air. The pain was blinding, but he stayed conscious, muscles frozen by the brutal force pinning him in place. He tried to move, to lift his blade, but his body refused. His eyes locked onto Nereva’s, who watched him with a twisted curiosity, a sick grin stretching her lips.

"You’re such a nuisance, dear sir," she purred, her voice disturbingly soft against her savage act. "You don’t belong in this little exchange."

A few meters away, Constantin clenched his fists. A wave of psychic energy erupted from him, stronger than ever, shaking the ground and cracking nearby containers. The air grew thick, almost unbearable. But just as the wave was about to strike, tentacles burst from the ground and portals, weaving a living dome around Roman and Nereva. Constantin’s energy slammed against it but barely made it shudder.

Nereva tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Fascinating, isn’t it?" she said, her gaze sliding back to Roman, still skewered. "Your body... it’s more resilient than I expected. Let’s see what else it hides."

A new tentacle, thinner and slicker, emerged from a portal just in front of Roman. Before he could react, it pierced his forehead, slipping through flesh and bone with terrifying precision. Sharp pain exploded in his skull—but strangely, he didn’t die. Instead, he felt something being pulled from him.

Nereva closed her eyes, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. The tentacles loosened slightly, just enough for Roman to breathe but not enough to break free. She opened her eyes again, her expression shifting from curiosity to a strange kind of recognition.

"Roman Lane, isn’t it? Fighting alongside the prey when we’re actually on the same side."

Roman, gasping for air, fought to speak. "What... are you talking about?"

Nereva chuckled, a sound that sent chills down his spine. "Your boss... let’s just say she has ambitions as ridiculous as a certain man’s. Crazy plans, if you ask me. And you, dear Roman, are a piece of that puzzle. Not that you realize it yet. Poor soul."

Roman strained against the tentacles, rage trembling in his voice. "Let me go," he growled.

Nereva lifted a hand in a soothing gesture. "Relax. I’m one of the leaders of the Dark Hand. You should be honored I’m taking an interest in you."

Roman’s eyes widened. The Dark Hand.

"Stay put," Nereva added, her voice low but firm. "Tell your boss the Dark Hand is already hunting the prey."

At that moment, a blast of energy tore through the clearing. Constantin, his eyes blazing with fury, raised both hands. A shockwave, mightier than any before, ripped through the air.

The tentacles shielding Nereva and Roman were pulverized, reduced to black fragments that dissolved like ash in the wind. The living dome collapsed, and the blast hurled Nereva against a container, flattening it with a metallic screech.

Still laughing, Nereva rose. Her tentacles, though decimated, began reforming, sprouting from flickering portals around her. She turned to Roman, and with surprising gentleness, lifted him with her remaining tentacles and laid him down in a sheltered corner of the clearing, away from the wreckage. Roman, too weak to resist, slumped against a wall, his sword slipping from his trembling hand.

Nereva stood up straight, her gaze falling back onto Constantin.

"And now, Prophet," she said, her voice dripping with manic excitement, "it’s just you and me. Shall we go all out?"

Constantin didn’t answer right away. His aura surged, the air around him vibrating with energy so dense it seemed to warp reality itself. Nearby containers buckled, the metal groaning. The ground cracked deeper under his feet, invisible lightning dancing in the air.

Nereva, undeterred, took a step forward. Dozens of portals opened around her, each vomiting tentacles of all shapes and sizes—some thick and pulsing like living trees, others thin and slicing through the air like whips. She lifted her hands, and the appendages converged on Constantin in a coordinated strike, aiming to crush, impale, and tear him apart.

But Constantin remained still. With a mere glance, he projected an energy barrier, a shimmering sphere that repelled the tentacles with unrelenting force. The appendages smashed against the shield, twisting and exploding into black fragments. A few, more resilient, managed to pierce the barrier—but Constantin clenched his fists, and another shockwave obliterated everything within a ten-meter radius.

Nereva stumbled back, genuinely rattled for the first time. "You’re... stronger than I expected," she admitted, wiping blood from her temple. But her grin returned, wider and more deranged. "That only makes it more fun."

She snapped her fingers, and the portals around her expanded. A flood of tentacles burst forth, not just from the portals but from the ground, the walls, the debris. They formed a living web, a sentient entity seeking to swallow Constantin whole. Some wrapped around his legs, others aimed for his chest, his face.

Constantin growled, his aura exploding once more. The tentacles shattered like brittle glass, and another shockwave blasted across the clearing, toppling containers and sending Nereva flying.

From his corner, Roman watched, struggling to gather his strength. Pain wracked his body, but his mind stayed sharp. Gritting his teeth, he picked up his sword and forced himself to his feet.

Nereva, half-buried under debris, pushed herself up, laughing. "Anything less would’ve been disappointing," she rasped, still defiant. "That man really does have a knack for finding rare gems. I wonder what he plans to do with you."