I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 617 617: Jack Rengel, Eye of Xenos Arvatra

A tense, suffocating silence filled the air as Roda and I stared at the figure standing before us.

I loosened my grip on her arm, my body reacting before my mind could catch up. Every instinct I had was screaming—no, begging me to run. Now.

Whoever this guy was… he wasnʼt just strong.

He was a monster.

A terrifying, insurmountable presence pressed down on me like a mountain. Even if I used both the Sloth and Wrath Sins, even if I threw every trick I had at him, I wouldnʼt stand a chance. I felt that truth settle deep in my bones like frost.

Then he spoke.

”Well, well… I was wondering what happened to my dear little Medusa.”

His voice was odd—distorted and flat, like a recording played back on broken speakers. No emotion, no cadence. Just hollow words.

And then, slowly, he raised his hand.

In it dangled a head—Medusaʼs head—her eyes closed forever and her neck slick with blood that still dripped in slow, glistening trails onto the ground.

”Sheʼs dead, I see,” he muttered, gazing at the severed head with an air of mock melancholy. ”Such a shame.”

But even as he spoke those words, there was a twisted delight hidden behind them. He sounded almost… pleased.

And then his attention shifted. His gaze fell directly on us.

”Now then,” he said, ”who do we have here?”

Roda and I instinctively straightened, shoulders tight, spines stiff. Our instincts were in overdrive.

”Amael Idea Olphean,” he said, locking eyes with me. ”And… an intruder from a foreign timeline. Alone. And you managed to kill Medusa and destroy her lab all by yourself? Thatʼs impressive.”

He actually started clapping.

Slow claps that echoed far too loud in the stillness.

I didnʼt respond. My hand moved to my weapon by reflex, and Trinity Nihil gleamed as I drew it.

”Who the hell are you?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from trembling.

”Oh, where are my manners?” he replied with a soft chuckle. He brought one hand to his chest and offered a theatrical little bow. ”You may call me Jack Rengel. Iʼm one of the Eyes of the Great Lord Xenos Arvatra.”

My grip on Trinity Nihil tightened.

”Youʼre with the Iris Project, then?” I asked coldly.

”Indeed. I was saved—resurrected, in fact—by Lord Xenos three hundred years ago. A miracle of sorts. Sadly, he was later slain by that wretched King of Celesta by cowardly means.”

He pressed his palm to his forehead sorrowfully.

He was talking about the Third Great Holy War.

Behind me, Roda leaned in, grasping my arm as she whispered.

”Edward… heʼs one of the Iris Projectʼs leaders,” she muttered, eyes wide with fear. ”A monster made by Xenos an ʼEye,ʼ he called them. We need to leave—now.”

There was no mistaking the danger in her voice.

Jack Rengel. The name didnʼt ring any immediate bells—but the title ʼEyes of Xenosʼ did. I vaguely remembered it from the Third Game. Some late-game content maybe, one of the major antagonists of the Iris Project.

”What do you want?” I asked, forcing the words out even as every nerve in my body screamed at me to run.

Running wouldʼve been easy—maybe even smart. But something told me that if we bolted now, weʼd never make it out alive. So instead, I tried to stall, to get some answers. If I knew what he was after, maybe I could work with it—or around it.

Jack tilted his head slowly, his flickering barely visibly eyes staring at us.

”What do I want…?” He repeated, tapping a gloved finger to his chin. ”Well, this would be the perfect chance to get my hands on Samaelʼs Vessel… and the Sin of Wrath, of course. Oh! And recover the Sin of Sloth while weʼre at it—”

Suddenly, he froze mid-sentence.

His body jolted, and he stepped back sharply, his posture unraveling in an instant. His eyes widened, and for the first time, he looked… afraid.

”Hiii!!” He squealed, backing up like a cornered animal. ”That was scary… Very, very scary.”

He lifted both hands in surrender, wide-eyed and trembling—though the performance was so exaggerated, I couldnʼt tell if he was mocking someone or genuinely terrified. But then his gaze shifted back to me, and this time, there was respect in it. Fearful respect.

”I would never,” he said, ”offend a Princess of Khaos.”

Something—or someone—had just threatened him from inside me. But it wasnʼt Cleenah. She was oddly calm, silent, almost smug in a way that told me she knew Jack wouldnʼt lay a finger on me so it was the other one.

Still, the moment passed as quickly as it came.