A Villain's Survival Guide

Alicia’s and Alora’s POV:

Down on the field, Leomaris and Lucius exchanged relentless blows, but each moved in a way that was entirely their own.

Leomaris’s body seemed to move on its own, dodging most attacks by the slimmest of margins, and yet Lucius’s attacks were too powerful.

The force behind each of Lucius’s attacks should have been enough to send Leomaris flying, even by a little. Yet, as though something had settled into him and made his body move like still water, calm and steady, he always redirected the force completely.

"What do you think about Leomaris’s movements? I can see them clearly, yet they still seem distorted somehow," Alora asked, her gaze drifting from the battlefield.

Alicia, however, kept watching. This was what she’d been waiting for. To see Leomaris in a situation that would lay bare his strength and show her just what he was capable of.

"If you remember correctly, Lucius looked baffled just moments ago. Even though Leomaris was standing before him, he seemed unable to pinpoint his location. I believe Leomaris possesses an ability that distorts his opponents’ perception, making his movements nearly impossible to read."

Alora frowned. She wasn’t even Leomaris’s opponent, so how come she couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was doing?

"Are you sure it only affects his opponents?"

Alicia shrugged. "I can’t be certain. But that’s the ability he’s using right now. Lucius is fighting like a veteran warrior. Since he can’t properly read Leomaris’s movements, he compensates by tracking his scent, breathing, and the vibrations he leaves in the ground.

The problem is that none of those methods are completely reliable. He’s still uncertain, and Leomaris knows it. That’s why he’s staying calm and redirecting every attack with ease."

Alicia’s violet eyes narrowed slightly as she fixed her attention on the fight. It wasn’t as flashy as the duel before it, but there was something here that Charlotte’s and Raine’s duel had been missing. Strategic thinking against experience.

The smile she’d carried throughout the examination had dropped away. Her face was flat now, devoid of everything but seriousness and determination.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to Leomaris’s movements. Something she couldn’t put her finger on. And that was exactly what she wanted to figure out.

Leomaris had been redirecting Lucius’s attacks for a while now. Each movement carried an intimidating, murderous presence, as though he could strike Lucius dead at any given moment. But not once had he attacked.

’What is he thinking?’ She thought.

Alora let out a sigh.

"Leomaris’s attacks are weaker than Lucius’s. Don’t you think he’s searching for a way to close the gap and fight Lucius as an equal?"

No sooner had the words left Alora than, almost on cue, Leomaris drove a powerful strike into Lucius’s gut and sent him crashing into the ground.

Lucius never made it to his feet. Leomaris was already on him, moving at a blistering pace in stark contrast to moments ago, and drove a powerful strike into his jaw.

Alora’s teeth gritted as sorry began to creep in for Lucius. She watched the poor cadet’s jaw twist as though it had been knocked clean out of place from the attack alone.

But her worries weren’t needed for long. Goosebumps crawled across her skin as she watched Lucius grab his jaw and force it back into place. Blood streamed freely down his nose, but he only smiled.

Alora shuddered, covering her eyes in the same breath. She couldn’t help but imagine the pain Lucius had just put himself through doing that.

But then, she furrowed her brow.

"Huh? He doesn’t appear injured at all. Why is that?"

Alicia leaned back in her seat. Truthfully, she hadn’t the faintest idea what was going on either. Somehow, mid-battle, Leomaris had gained enough strength to rival Lucius’s. Moments ago, a single attack from Lucius had been worth about five of Leomaris’s. How could someone close such a gap mid-fight?

’Not just his strength... his speed has increased as well. How is that possible? What kind of ability does Leomaris possess?’

Though her interest was firmly on Leomaris, she couldn’t shake the bizarreness surrounding Lucius either. She didn’t want the Apostle of Death posing a threat to her reputation, but Lucius was a puzzle in his own right.

"Do you think he has some kind of healing ability? Or maybe Divine Aura, just like Raine?" Alora asked, confused.

Alicia let out a heavy sigh. "I do not think so. What Lucius just did was not healing. Rather, it appears as though he is incapable of feeling pain."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, a subtle wind blowing her long dark hair behind her.

"But that still doesn’t explain the overwhelming strength he possesses. He is someone to monitor closely. In fact, I will place him, Raine, and Charlotte at the top with Leomaris, followed by Warner and Alfred. One mistake in overlooking anything could lead to my downfall."

Alora stared at Alicia a beat longer than usual. When the third years first arrived at the academy, Alicia had had her eyes on the strongest among them: Rosalith, Cassius, Cloud, and Arthur.

She’d done everything in her power to make sure not one of them posed a threat to her perfectly crafted reputation as the strongest. And she’d done it all with a smile.

When the second-years arrived, there wasn’t much to write home about, save for one worth her time: Leonor. She brought her down with a smile all the same.

And even today, the examination had started with a smile, but that was gone now. In over three years at the academy, this was the first time she’d so much as frowned at a cadet she wanted to bring down.

Truth be told, Alora hadn’t a clue what to expect from her right now.

After lingering on the fight a little longer, Alicia rose to her feet. Leomaris and Lucius were going at it blow for blow, and neither was willing to back down, but she’d seen enough.

"I’ve already seen what I came here for, Alora. We are leaving."

With one last look, Alicia got to her feet and followed her out of the arena.

—

Leomaris’s POV:

His entire body was screaming in agony, and yet, despite it all, Lucius wouldn’t stop smiling. He was clearly loving every second of it.

After realizing that he was at a disadvantage in physical strength, he’d used his ability, Solve, to create a new skill mid-fight, Hyper Boost. It didn’t just give him a considerable boost in physical strength by compressing the muscles in his body, it also helped with his endurance and stamina as well.

His eyes moved across the arena. He’d achieved what he wanted. The whole arena had gone quiet, everyone scrambling to make sense of what was happening. That alone told him his personality synchronization with Mystery was a success.

’This has gone on long enough... My muscles are screaming. If I continue any longer, I’ll tear them apart.’

He gritted his teeth, reading the unwavering determination in Lucius’s eyes. Lucius had activated his innate ability, Boundless Adaptation.

He could do this forever without burning through stamina, and his contractual cost had robbed him of all emotions and senses save for sight and hearing. Pain meant nothing to him.

’I need to end this now.’

Barely a moment after dodging a powerful attack from Lucius, Leomaris returned one of equal magnitude. But Lucius was just in time and caught it clean.

Leomaris could have gone in for another shot, but held back. Instead, he took a gamble, tightening the muscles in his gut and bracing himself for what was coming.

Lucius’s expression faltered for a moment.

Leomaris’s gamble failed. Lucius’s attack was already at his jaw before he could clock it, but Lucius’s smile returned just as suddenly. He turned it into a feint and drove a powerful kick straight into Leomaris’s gut, sending him crashing into the ground.

Pain coursed through Leomaris, but he managed a smile before sluggishly dragging himself back to his feet. Lucius closed the distance and, with a strike weaker than before, sent him crashing into the ground once more.

This time, Leomaris didn’t get back to his feet. Instead, he relaxed his muscles, letting all the pain wash over him.

"Arghh."

He let out a soft, agonizing scream.

With his muscles loosened, getting to his feet was out of the question. The officiator began the ten-count, but Leomaris hardly cared.

Lucius won.

Lucius didn’t celebrate his victory. He crossed over to Leomaris and held out a hand.

"That was an interesting fight, Leo," he said with a faint chuckle. "I didn’t know you could get stronger mid-battle."

Leomaris stared into his tragic blue eyes for a moment. "Thanks, Lucius."

Lucius kept him steady against his shoulder. "Don’t sweat it. I just needed to save my strength for the final anyway."

’Oh yeah. The final is between Raine and Lucius.’