I Became The Novel's Biggest Antagonist

Chapter 154 Adam Crane VS Krainel Salvador

"W–What the hell are you doing here?!" Lyanna's voice trembled with disbelief as she watched Adam stroll in like he had all the time in the world.

"It's too dangerous—you need to leave," Luna-Evelyn stepped forward.

"You again..." Krainel finally spoke, his oozing corruption making the air feel heavy.

"Adam." Luna-Evelyn called Adam once more.

The last time was a stroke of luck he got unscathed, it wouldn't happen again.

"I know how to beat him." Adam's voice was calm—too calm for someone standing before a rampaging demon. He extended his hand, and in a flash, a sleek black case materialized before him. "Just buy me some time."

Lyanna blinked, utterly dumbfounded. "You?! Have you completely lost your mind?!" She could hardly believe what she was seeing—Adam, casually kneeling down, flipping open vials, and beginning some kind of alchemical experiment... right in front of Krainel in his full demonic form.

Before she could even hear his response—

-BOOOOM!

Krainel lunged at them with terrifying speed. Dodging would have been easy... if Adam wasn't sitting there like he was mixing potions in a damn laboratory.

Cursing under her breath, Lyanna gripped her spear tight. With a quick thrust, she summoned a radiant barrier of light, shielding herself, Luna-Evelyn, and Adam just in time.

-BAM!@@@@

Krainel slammed into the barrier, the impact shaking the ground beneath them. But Lyanna wasn't finished. She adjusted her stance, twirling her spear as she summoned additional layers of light, enclosing Krainel in a glowing prison.

He snarled and immediately tried to break free, eyeing the only way out—up. But Luna-Evelyn was already there, hovering above. Her blade ignited, mana surging around her as she plunged downward.

-BOOOOM!

A torrent of fire crashed directly into Krainel's face.

"GAAARGHHHH!!!" A bloodcurdling, inhuman scream tore from his throat as he thrashed violently inside the glowing prison.

For a moment, it seemed like they had him. But then—

-CRACK

The prison of light trembled. Fissures ran through it as Krainel's corrupt energy began to spiral out of control, violently eating away at its confines.

Luna-Evelyn watched in stunned silence.

This wasn't just a monster.

This was Krainel.

The man she'd known. The one she'd spent years alongside.

She wanted to believe that he was just possessed, that the Book of Asmodeus had twisted him beyond recognition.

But deep down... she knew.

This was still him.

And that realization crushed her more than anything else.

"W–Why?"

Luna-Evelyn's voice trembled as she stared at Krainel's grotesque, writhing face. His features, once familiar, now twisted and unrecognizable.

Memories flooded her mind—his warm smile, the way he had treated her like a daughter, taking her to entertainment parks, buying her clothes, making sure she was happy.

Had it all been a lie?

Had he ever truly cared?

-BOOOOM!

The barriers of light shattered into countless shards, sending a brilliant glow scattering through the air. And then—Krainel lunged.

"Hey!" Lyanna's voice cut through Luna-Evelyn's daze. But Luna-Evelyn stood frozen, trapped in her own thoughts.

With no other choice, Lyanna acted. She rushed forward, her entire body igniting into a blinding aura of light. Her mana surged violently, wrapping around her like a holy light as she vanished in a streak of radiance—

And in the blink of an eye, she reappeared directly in front of Krainel, her spear driving forward with deadly force.

-BOOOOM!

A massive shockwave erupted as the spear clashed against Krainel's corrupted energy. The impact sent both of them flying backward at terrifying speed.

But Krainel recovered first. His clawed hands tore into the dirt, anchoring him as he skidded to a halt. Without wasting a second, he pushed off the ground, propelling himself straight toward Adam like a feral beast.

But this time—Luna-Evelyn had snapped out of it.

She appeared in front of Adam in an instant, her sword raised high. Mana swelled violently around her as she whispered.

"May fire purify your soul."

A massive circle of flames erupted in front of her, blazing hotter and hotter, twisting into the shape of a sacred fire.

This was it.

Her strongest Exorcist spell.

This would end him.

Krainel froze.

"For you."

Reaching into his satchel, Adam pulled out one last knife. His eyes flicked toward Lyanna, who was streaking through the sky like a falling star, her body burning with blinding light.

"Princess Lyanna."

Without hesitation, he threw the knife.

Lyanna snatched it mid-air.

The moment she grasped it, the blade transformed, elongating into a shimmering golden spike.

She didn't question it. She didn't hesitate.

She let go of her spear, clutching the weapon Adam had prepared. Her overwhelming Light Attribute surged into it—

The spike exploded into a radiant golden glow.

Krainel's entire body went rigid.

A deep fear slammed into him.

Just feeling that weapon's presence—he knew.

His instincts screamed.

He reached for his Book of Asmodeus.

But—

Nothing.

The Book wasn't there.

His lifeline—his power—was gone.

"H–How?!"

He couldn't understand as it had been constantly with him but then his gaze fell on Adam.

"..."

The man didn't answer.

He simply stared.

Expression calm.

And in that silence, Krainel understood.

Adam had already won.

"Who... are you?"

Those were Krainel's last words before Lyanna drove the spike into him with full force.

-BOOOOOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted, sending a shockwave of blinding light rippling outward.

Reacting instantly, Adam summoned a shimmering sphere and activated it, pulling Luna-Evelyn inside just before the shockwave could reach them. The protective barrier surrounded them completely, shielding them from the blast. The sphere spun and lurched from the impact, but thankfully, it had sturdy handles inside, which they gripped tightly to keep from tumbling around.

A minute passed. The tremors subsided.

Adam then deactivated the sphere with a swift motion. He kicked open the door, stepping out onto scorched earth. What had once been a vast, rolling field of green was now blackened and charred, following the aftermath of the explosion of light and corruption.

His gaze found Lyanna. She stood amidst the destruction, her chest rising and falling with labored breaths. At her feet lay Krainel Salvador—his bare torso exposed, arms sprawled wide, defeated but still breathing.

Adam turned back toward Luna-Evelyn, still inside the sphere. His expression was difficult to read, but beneath the surface, there was something—an unspoken sorrow.

"He's alive," Adam said.

Luna's head snapped up, her eyes flickered.

"I told him," he continued. "It was a cure. That doesn't change the fact that he's a man who deserves to die, but... I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

He paused, his brows drawing together as he noticed the glisten in Luna-Evelyn's eyes. She was holding herself together, keeping her usual cold and impassive mask intact, but her tears betrayed her.

Without thinking, Adam reached out his hand.

"You shouldn't waste your tears on him," he said.

Luna-Evelyn hesitated, her fingers trembling before they found his. Her grip was not strong, but the moment she grasped his hand, a warmth surrounded her—a rare, fleeting sense of safety.

Adam, however, felt something else entirely. Frustration. Bitterness.

She was crying over a man like Krainel Salvador.

The only reason he had gone through the trouble of creating a cure instead of a killing weapon was for her—to earn her trust for the future. That was all. Krainel was more useful alive than dead to him for now.

Maybe also because he thought she deserved it but he wouldn't admit as it would go against his policy of killing all Under-Values.

"The tears of a woman like you are precious," he muttered. "They shouldn't be wasted on—"

Before he could finish, Luna-Evelyn suddenly pulled him into an embrace.