The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

The second day of the competition.

---

Around 5 AM...

Raye is now done with his role of standing guard for ambushes and unexpected events.

It’s now time to wake up Leon because it’s his turn.

But because he’s not feeling tired or sleepy anyway...

"Meh, they could all just rest. They did most of the fighting, after all."

He decided not to wake him up and continued guarding on his own.

Though, suddenly...

"So you weren’t planning to wake me up, huh."

He heard a voice behind him.

"Hm?"

And when Raye turned his head...

"..."

He saw Leon standing casually.

"Morning."

Raye greeted.

"Hm, morning."

Leon greeted back and sat beside Raye.

They’re now both sitting on a fallen tree log.

"..."

An awkward silence fell upon them.

"..."

Then, out of boredom and curiosity...

"Why were you angry at me back then again?"

Raye asked that, breaking the silence!

And in doing so...

"...?"

Leon looked at him, frowning!

"Are you retarded?"

He asked.

And before Raye could even answer...

"You seriously forgot?"

He followed.

"Yeah, kind of."

Raye just casually answered!

"..."

Leon was silent hearing that. He was shocked and kind of annoyed at Raye at the moment that he could punch him in the face!

But seeing Raye looking at him seriously...

"Haaa..."

Leon just let out a defeated sigh and shook his head.

"I don’t really know what happened to you anymore."

He whispered under his breath.

Then, looking at Raye straight in the eyes...

"You made fun of my father for being a commoner farmer, and my mother for being a servant in some baron’s mansion."

He said that with a serious voice!

"Oh."

Raye muttered.

"And then, you hired some local thugs to destroy the crops my father had just harvested."

Then Leon suddenly added that!

"Ohhhhhhhhhh...!"

This time, Raye finally understood why Leon wanted him dead before.

’The original Raye was such a scum, huh.’

He thought.

Then, opening his mouth...

"Sorry about that. I wasn’t in my right mind back then."

Raye mumbled that.

"..."

Leon just stared at him silently, not showing any emotion.

But after a while...

"Whatever."

He shook his head.

"You’ve changed now, and although what you did back then annoyed me, I don’t really hate you right now anymore."

Then he declared that!

"I still don’t like you very much, though."

Leon added, frowning at Raye.

"Fair."

Raye responded.

And after that...

"..."

Silence fell upon them again.

But now, it’s not as awkward as before.

"Hmm..."

Raye started looking around...

’They should come soon.’

He thought to himself.

And with that...

He waited.

"..."

Leon just sat beside him, keeping guard too.

*****

Raye didn’t have to wait long.

Because just a few minutes after Leon joined him...

Rustle- rustle- rustle—

The two of them heard someone approaching their location!

And when they spread out their mana...

"...!"

They felt a lot of unfamiliar presences around them!

Their camp was surrounded!

"What the hell?"

Fwip-

Leon mumbled in surprise and immediately held his sword tightly.

"..."

Raye, on the other hand, had expected this already.

And so, calmly...

Fwish—

He took out [Nyx] from his spatial ring and held it in his right hand!

Swoosh—

Then he transformed [Celestria] from a ring into a beautiful white sword in his left hand!

And just then...

"Woah, you two are aggressive, huh."

Ignis came out from hiding. He was on their right side!

Fwish—

Raye and Leon immediately turned to him.

He was alone. Literally.

There was no presence coming from his side except him.

Instead...

They could feel a lot of people on the other side!

And sensing that...

"You face them and wake up the others."

Raye whispered that to Leon!

"What? Are you telling me to leave you to face him?"

Leon asked with a frown.

But with just a shrug...

"What? It’s not like he can defeat me."

Raye said that!

"..."

Leon was speechless at his confidence.

But after thinking about it for a second...

"Fine."

He finally agreed to Raye’s words!

"Just finish up here quickly, or we’ll defeat the others before you can even defeat this one."

Leon said.

And without waiting for Raye’s response...

Bam!

He dashed back to where their teammates were sleeping!

"Oh, did he get scared?"

Ignis asked Raye, seeing Leon run away.

"..."

Raye just looked at him.

And suddenly...

"Yeah, can’t blame him though. I almost ran away too when I saw you came out, I thought you were a demon or something, seeing your face."

He responded!

"..."

Ignis was silenced by his words.

*****

(Raye’s POV)

"..."

Ignis stood a few meters away from me in silence. He looked pissed.

Anyway...

I already expected his arrival.

After all, I know this from the game.

The second day of the competition...

’The other academies teamed up and hunted Zion Academy.’

And it’s not just for us...

This is probably the situation in Set B too.

Moving on...

"Your tongue is really sharp, huh."

Ignis said that after staying silent for a while.

"But you wouldn’t be able to keep that smug attitude of yours for long."

Then he added confidently.

’Bruh, even if I’m not here, the main characters would’ve obliterated you and your team.’

I thought to myself.

Ignis then looked at my hands...

"...?"

A frown appeared on his face.

"Swords?"

He muttered in a questioning tone.

"I thought you were a magician?"

And he asked.

"..."

I didn’t say anything. I’m focusing, and I’m not obligated to answer anyway.

But seeing that I had no plan to respond...

"Did you try using swords to regain your place in your family? To make Duke Alvah proud and take you in again?"

"Hah, that’s so funny!"

Ignis exclaimed that, trying to provoke me.

He was starting to get annoying to listen to, so looking straight into his eyes and opening my mouth...

"Barking again? Why not try biting this time?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

I simply asked him that.

"Hah!"

Ignis let out a fake laugh, hearing my words.

"That’s a good suggestion."

He said.

And then, with a crazed smile on his face...

"Here then!"

He exclaimed that.

"[Fire Blast!]"

And he launched a Mid-Rank spell at me!

’Woah, he cast that one fast.’

I thought, seeing a fire the size of a pillar coming straight toward my face.

’[Blaze]’

I muttered in my head.

SWAAA—

And then [Nyx] was covered by a violent, raging fire!

And with it...

SWOOSH—

I swung vertically upward!

SLASH—!

And I cut through Ignis’ spell!

"Huh?"

Ignis was shocked seeing that.

And not missing that opportunity...

"[Bang]"

I shot at him with my left hand!

Swoosh—

A fast bullet made of fire flew straight toward his face!

"?!"

Ignis was taken aback by its speed!

"Ugh...!"

Fwish—

And so he ducked down by instinct to avoid it!

And just then...

"[Flash]"

I muttered that!

Fwoosh—

And suddenly...

’Surprise, fucker.’

I was literally in front of Ignis!

I couldn’t see his reaction because he was looking downward.

I don’t even know if he realized that I was already in front of him.

Nevertheless, I don’t actually care...

BAM-!

So I launched a left knee kick straight into his face!

"Urgh?!"

Ignis’ head was violently knocked back up!

And with my left foot still raised...

BAM!

I followed up with a front kick to his stomach!

Crack—

I heard a few bones cracking.

"KEUK?!"

Ignis groaned. He had a surprised and pained expression on his face!

Thud-

Then he fell on his back onto the ground!

And looking down at him...

"Oh, feel like laying down?"

I asked him that with a smile on my face.

*****

"Huh?"

Ignis muttered, confused.

His face and stomach hurt.

And he didn’t know why he was on the ground, looking up!

’All I remember is that I dodged his flimsy magic, and then the next thing I’m in this situation!’

Ignis exclaimed in his head.

And just then...

"Oh, feel like laying down?"

He heard Raye’s voice asking him that!

Ignis immediately turned to him...

And he saw Raye looking down at him with a smug smile on his face!

’This fucker!’

Ignis immediately realized that Raye was the one that put him in this situation.

And so silently and quickly...

’Die!’

"[Fire Vortex!]"

He cast a Stage-3 Mid-rank spell!

SWAAAAAAAAASHH—

"Huh?"

A big tornado made of fire was immediately summoned under Raye, and it swallowed him!

Bam!

Tap-

Ignis then jumped back up and landed on his feet!

SWAAAAAAAAAAH—!

And while looking at the giant fire tornado he had summoned, burning everything in its vicinity...

"Hah! How do you like that?!"

He shouted that with a villainous smile on his face!

Though, to his surprise...

"The spirits wouldn’t like this, you know?" Discover stories with freewebnovel

He received a reply!

"What?"

Ignis was shocked.

[Fire Vortex] is a 3rd-Stage Mid-rank magic. It’s just one step away from being a High-rank!

This was his signature move!

But then...

Tap-

"..."

Raye just casually walked out of the raging Fire Vortex!

He was unscratched and perfectly fine!

"No way..."

Ignis mumbled in disbelief, denying what he was currently seeing.

And following that...

SLASH—

Raye cut down his magic with his flaming [Celestria], canceling it completely!

"..."

Ignis was speechless seeing that.

"How?"

He asked, looking at Raye.

"Hm?"

Raye turned to him.

And just nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders...

"Fire doesn’t really work on me, you see."

He declared that!