Struggling as a Villain

They landed on the shore and took all the supplies they had been carrying with them.

There was not much—just a few guns and tools which would be enough to blow up several buildings.

Chatting with Carl allowed Richard to know that there are several humans who still rely on weapons to deal with the zombies. Although every single one of them is under the influence of Aembr, not each one of them was able to awaken a strong ability.

As such, they remained old school and stuck to the very basic mode of self-defense.

"Several nations were brought to ruins and were united by big clans and guilds to form a better defense against the zombies and the beasts. There is no government back on Earth, and the Monarchical system is being reintroduced."

Ben notified the others.

Richard heaved a sigh; there was a time when he envisioned it.

When he was around, people were in quite a disarray, running around and caring about their survival and the people close to them.

The leaders of the major nations went underground, trying to take control of things from the shadows.

However, now that Ambrobates have caused massive changes and the concept of Aembr has allowed even a regular citizen to wield the power of an army at the tip of their finger, it was inevitable for such changes to appear.

"The gang we have to target has the support of the Asian Alliance. However, it would be highly unlikely for them to send troops if we rescue Rena in a single night."

Carl added; his voice laced with concern.

Richard heaved a sigh—until he doesn't see the situation, he can not say if rescuing in a single night would be possible.

Bella had a frown on her face as she asked, "The Alliance you just said…how many men are we talking about if they suddenly interfere?"

Ben responded with a grim expression, "It's not about quantity, sister. It's about quality."

Taking a pause, he added, "They have several units in the Alliance which look after different regions. And the commander of each region calls themselves Seven Shades. They all are above A-rank and someone who has faced numerous battles in the past. I remember how once one of the Generals was tricked into a bunker full of the opposing faction's men. At the end of the day, the General walked out leaving a heap of dead bodies behind."

Ben and the other three members recalled several incidents about the Generals which were quite known on Earth.

"The Asian Alliance is one of the top three strongest factions on Earth currently and Jin's gang is under their protection," Carl added.

Richard was taking note of everything but refused to make any comment as of now.

Emily, who was walking beside him, nervously asked, "Are you okay?"

Richard softly smiled at her, and assured the girl, "Yeah, don't worry."

They soon spotted something that brought a pause to their feet altogether.

Far in the east, they felt a sudden surge of Aembr distorting the space.

Richard narrowed his eyes as he saw the anomalous occurrence for the first time.

The air grew heavy, suffused with an unnatural chill. A faint hiss slithered through the clearing like a distant breath being drawn.

The ground trembled, soft at first, then stronger, as black smoke began to seep from the cracks between the stones. It coiled like a living serpent, gathering in the center of the space.

The smoke thickened, twisting and writhing as if struggling to take form. A deep, guttural rumble echoed, and the mass of darkness shot upward, spiraling into the air. It expanded rapidly, forming a towering, circular void that pulsed with a sinister glow.

Everyone watched with a frown as several two-legged monsters jumped from the other side—groaning as they steadied on their feet and looked around.

"Verlisept. The agile monsters with the camouflage ability." Ben muttered.

Bella stepped forward and raised her left hand.

The profound magical presence made the creatures alert as they hurriedly turned towards the source of such disturbance.

The air turned lighter as Bella summoned a massive serpent of flames, swirling in the air and hissing at the prey who dared stand in front of its master.

Bella's eyes turned soft as she glanced at her brother, asking for permission.

Richard gave her a faint nod before Bella shot the spell in the direction of the creatures—allowing the serpent to unfurl its massive body as it slithered through the air to approach the trembling monsters.

…

On the other side of the portal, several hooded men were preparing to jump out of the portal when suddenly they felt the red dots from the screen attached to their wrists disappearing.

"What the-where did those monsters go?!" One of them asked in irritation as they found the monsters going out of the radar's range.

"There is no way they traveled over ten miles this soon…t-that means…"

A cold shiver ran down their spines as realization dawned upon them—however before any of them could mutter a single word, a menacing presence suddenly landed from the other side.

None of them were able to even let a single muscle in their body move, except for the leader who took pride in being a B-rank.

"You…!!" He raised his assault rifle—ready to put several holes in his enemy.

However…he wasn't able to pull the trigger as the gun was split in half….or more like…the whole person was split in two.

**THUD**

"Aaaaahhhhhh!!" Seeing their leader falling, the other men began to load their guns and tried to attack Richard as well.

However, very calmly, Richard raised his index finger, and tentacles of flame erupted from the ground, pierced the soldiers, and lifted them off the ground.

Carl shivered upon seeing their condition as he thanked God that he revealed his identity to his big brother in time or one of those tentacles would have ended him yesterday as well.

One of them, who was holding a dagger in his trembling hands, was kept alive.

Lilia stepped forward and easily snatched the blade from him before suggesting, "Answer him honestly and you will live."

The man suddenly found an angel in Lilia as he hastily nodded.

Emily pulled a chair before Richard sat down and after crossing his leg, he asked the man,

"Tell me, soldier. Where can I find this dog called Jin."

----**----

Eleanor sat on her seat in the conference hall, surrounded by the other apostles.

She has heard things from her mole regarding Richard's recent movements.

Initially, she believed that the redhead was here to brainwash Ethan. After all, it couldn't be a coincidence for them to be in the same place and at the same time.

However, after the report she received from Lady Junisha, it seemed Richard was planning to move towards the land in the west for some reason.

Her eyes turned towards the vacant seat on her right before she asked, "Is Ethan in his room?"

Ruby notified her, "He is in the garden, practicing his blade swings."

A brief fond smile extended her lips, but she soon hid that and asked the girl across from her, "Jessica, did you find any trace of Tia?"

The short green-haired female shook her head, "I can't locate her at all."

Eleanor frowned; after that night when she….tried to drug Ethan, Tia disappeared from the mansion.

There were no traces of battle in the mansion, and since every member was mysteriously sleeping at that hour, no one knew where the blond elf had disappeared.

It didn't help that she was an outcast back in her tribe, leaving no option to find her through her people.

"I sensed Aembr that night…." Suddenly a very hesitant voice called out.

It was strange that the most confident and bold member had turned so meek.

Eleanor asked, "James? Do you know who it was?"

James had mostly remained locked up in his room for most of the time ever since he faced Richard in the battle.

And just after ending his hibernating period, he was showing his usefulness, "I-It was h-h-him…"

No one had to ask who this 'him' was since James only showed such great fear when the conversation was about a certain redhead.

Richard.

Theodore frowned, "Richard was in the mansion and none of us noticed?"

"Isn't it because you all were sleeping carelessly?" Jessica added, making Theodore growl. However, since she was right, no one retaliated.

Jessica was out of the mansion that day so she couldn't be blamed.

Eleanor remained silent for a long time, pondering upon what might have happened. Then suddenly she proposed,

"Track Nora. I have a feeling that she can help us find our comrade."

A deep silence ensued in the place before Jessica hesitantly relayed,

"The connection with her was severed two days ago, chief." Explore stories at mvl

Eleanor frowned, "You mean…."

Theodore bluntly stated, "She is an Ambrobate now."

Eleanor clenched her fist, but to say she didn't expect it would be a lie.

After remaining silent for another brief minute, she commanded, "Contact the elven chief. He shall know how his daughter has betrayed her makers."

—-------**--------

A/N:- Thanks for reading. I failed to notice it in the last chapter, but we have reached 200 chapters!!! Thanks for all the love and support!