Maybe I really am a Villian

Asher vanished from his spot.

All three immediately became alert, focusing on their surroundings.

A moment later, Asher appeared above them and launched three mana spears—one at each of them.

The three quickly summoned their swords and destroyed the spears aimed at them.

But before they could react further, Asher vanished again and appeared right behind Noah.

Noah noticed him instantly.

But Asher vanished again and reappeared in front of Adam, who was still looking toward Noah where Asher had just disappeared.

Before Adam could react to Asher’s presence, Asher punched him in the gut and then reappeared a short distance away.

"Don’t focus on attacking, focus on defending. Attack only when you see your opponents are distracted or when you’re sure it will hit them," said Asher with a smile on his face.

"I really hate your smile. You were better with that expressionless face," said Adam, who had just recovered from the attack.

Asher only smiled at his response and vanished.

Then, the place where Asher had been standing a moment ago was destroyed by a mana spear.

Asher then reappeared at some distance away and looked at his previous position. He said to Aria, who had fired the projectile,

"I could have died if that had hit me."

Aria remained indifferent and replied, "I was sure you would dodge, since you never let your guard down like someone else," as she glanced at Adam.

Adam could only stay silent at her comment, as it was his fault.

"So how long will you keep holding back? Your mana will run out before ours if you keep teleporting like that," said Aria in an indifferent tone.

Asher smiled at this, and soon a heavy wave of mana pressure was directed at all three of them.

The heavy mana pressure spread around them.

The air itself felt denser, like it was pressing against their bodies.

Adam narrowed his eyes. "So he was holding back that much..."

Aria’s expression didn’t change, but her tone turned a bit sharper. "Don’t underestimate him. Focus."

Noah tightened his grip on his weapon. "Yeah... I can feel it now."

Asher stood there calmly, still smiling faintly. The pressure coming from him didn’t weaken at all.

"Good," he said. "If you can’t handle this much, it’ll be over faster than I expected."

Then he vanished again.

All three of them reacted immediately this time, not trying to track him blindly anymore. They spread out slightly, ready to defend instead of chasing.

"Left!" Noah shouted.

Asher appeared where he pointed, but instead of attacking directly, he shifted his body and slipped past their timing, forcing them to adjust.

Aria clicked her tongue. "He’s breaking our rhythm..."

"And testing it at the same time," Adam said.

Asher reappeared at a distance again, still looking relaxed.

"Better," he said.

Asher then lunged toward Noah, who immediately focused on him, ready for any attack. Asher summoned his mana blade and slashed at him, but his movements became sluggish, allowing Noah to easily defend with his sword.

Asher retreated and glanced at Aria, saying, "Annoying."

At his reply, Aria looked amused.

Asher then became serious and lunged at Noah again, using mana to fully enhance his physical abilities as he clashed with him.

Noah was soon overwhelmed by Asher. A wind arrow then came from Adam’s side, but Asher used his free hand, coated it in mana, and destroyed the incoming attack. At the same time, his mind was being attacked by Aria.

Asher then vanished and reappeared behind Noah, who could not react in time. Before he could respond, he was met with Asher’s kick to his back, coated in mana, and was sent falling to the ground.

Without any pause, he appeared behind Adam and attacked him with a mana blade, which met Adam’s sword. But Asher then followed up with his free hand.

At that moment, Adam retreated, and Asher vanished again. Adam looked behind him, but Asher reappeared in front of him and punched him in the gut and then in the nose, causing Adam to faint.

Asher then turned toward Aria. She said, "It’s enough for training."

Asher stopped immediately, the mana pressure around him fading as quickly as it had appeared. The oppressive weight lifted, and the air returned to normal.

He looked at Adam for a moment, then shifted his gaze back to Aria. "He’s weaker than I expected."

Aria walked forward slightly, glancing at Adam before replying. "You didn’t hold back at all at the end."

Asher shrugged. "You told me not to waste time."

A short silence followed.

Noah slowly pushed himself up, wincing as he sat. "That last hit... was unnecessary."

Asher glanced at him. "You were still conscious."

Noah opened his mouth, then closed it again, unable to argue.

Aria then said, "You’re annoying. You intentionally fought at close range so the others couldn’t fire projectiles at you, since there was always a chance you would vanish and end up hitting your teammates instead."

Asher just smiled, then bent down and healed Adam’s bleeding nose.

Adam then opened his eyes, looked at them, and said, "Not this situation again... I hate this."

He then stood up.

Aria continued, ignoring Adam, and said, "Your battle style is more suited for fighting alone, but since you’re an assassin, that shouldn’t be a problem. But what about your healing capabilities?"

Asher then looked toward Noah’s arm.

Noah trembled when he noticed Asher’s gaze directed at it and quickly said, "Don’t even think about it."

"But I didn’t even say anything yet," said Asher with a smile.

"Whatever. I’m not getting my arm cut off," said Noah while hiding his arm behind him.

Asher then summoned a mana blade in one hand and cut off his other hand.

The severed hand floated in the air as Asher controlled it with mana. He then reattached it without any change in his expression.

"I can also regenerate it, but it takes more mana," Asher said while moving his hand to show that it was functioning perfectly.

Silence filled the area.

Noah stared at Asher’s hand with a horrified expression before slowly taking a step back.

"...What is wrong with you?"

Adam’s face twitched slightly. "You cut off your own hand just to explain it?"

Asher looked at him calmly. "You asked about my healing capabilities."

Meanwhile, Aria kept staring at Asher’s restored hand. Unlike the others, she wasn’t shocked by the gore itself, but by how casually he had done it.

"There wasn’t even hesitation..." she muttered.

Asher flexed his fingers once before the mana blade disappeared. "Hesitating would only make it hurt more."

"That is not the point," Noah said instantly.

Adam nodded in agreement. "For once, I agree with him."

Asher only tilted his head slightly at their reactions, as if he genuinely didn’t understand why they were disturbed.

"Why hesitate or fear it? It’s not like I would lose my hand."