The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

After decapitating Ace’s head off his shoulders...

Tap—

Raye turned away and walked back to his starting position, the right side of the arena.

His steps were calm, measured—unbothered. Not once did he glance back at Ace’s unmoving body.

"..."

The crowd was silent, their breaths held in stunned disbelief.

Then soon, as if the life was finally drained from it—

Fwooosh~

Ace’s body began to disintegrate!

Small particles of light broke away from his form, floating upward like glowing dust. They shimmered softly, beautiful and eerie, before fading into the air.

His head followed, dissolving just as silently, the empty eyes losing their luster before vanishing completely.

And after a few moments—

Fwish—

Ace’s body was gone. Not a single trace of blood or flesh remained!

The arena floor was spotless, cold, and indifferent.

Then—

Fwoop—

"Urgh?!"

Ace’s eyes snapped open.

His vision spun, his body tumbling as he was forcibly thrown out of the arena, landing on the ground with a loud sound!

Thud!

Ace was whole again!

His head was firmly attached to his shoulders, and his body was intact. Not a scar, not a single drop of blood. Even the minor cuts and bruises from earlier had vanished, leaving his skin unmarked!

The only thing that remained was the fatigue—the exhaustion that weighed on his limbs, the emptiness in his core. His mana was depleted, and his stamina was drained, but he was alive!

The dome artifact truly was miraculous.

A barrier that ensured the safety of every participant, no matter how brutal the battle.

It reversed death itself, restoring the body to a pristine state!

Though...

It didn’t restore one’s spirit.

Because even though his body was fine...

"..."

Ace couldn’t lift his head.

His eyes were glued to the ground, his fingers digging into the dirt beneath him. His shoulders trembled, his jaw clenched tight.

The crowd’s murmur reached his ears, the whispers of disbelief, of shock.

But not a single cheer.

Not a single voice praised his efforts. Not a single soul celebrated his perseverance.

Because he had lost.

So thoroughly—so mercilessly—

His pride... shattered.

His sword... meaningless.

His struggle, his hard work—

All of it was reduced to nothing.

He felt sick.

The emptiness grew, a hollow void eating away at his chest, threatening to swallow him whole.

His hands shook, his eyes stung, but no tears came.

The pain of absolute defeat.

"..."

Ace sat there, his head bowed, his spirit broken.

And on the other side of the arena—

Tap—

Raye stood in his spot, his eyes distant and confident.

And just then—

"Winner, Raye!"

Charles loudly announced that, breaking the silence!

And when the students of Zion heard that—

"WHOOOAAAAHH!!!"

"RAYE, YOU’RE AWESOME!!!"

"THAT WAS SO COOL!!!"

"I DIDN’T SEE THE LAST PART PROPERLY!!!"

"THAT WAS SO FAST!!!"

They started roaring and cheering!

"My ears don’t hurt anymore. I brought earplugs."

Raye’s match against Ace only lasted for five minutes.

*****

In a place away from the Zion Academy, sitting on his elegant throne behind his desk in his lavish office—

"Haha, he’s good."

Lucian mumbled that with a laugh.

He was watching the tournament through a communication crystal that projected a rectangular hologram before him.

He had witnessed Raye’s fight against Ace.

And after seeing that...

’I’m sure of it now.’

Lucian’s eyes narrowed, his gaze fixed on the hologram.

Then, opening his mouth again—

"That’s not Raye."

Lucian declared that, his voice low and cold, his piercing eyes locked on Raye’s calm figure through the hologram!

*****

Back to the tournament—

"..."

The students from the other academies were silent.

Especially Christian and Elias...

"..."

They both wore deep frowns on their faces.

Ace was undeniably one of the strongest four from the three academies.

But now—

Raye had already defeated two of the so called [Strongest Four]!

First was Ignis.

And now, Ace.

"Tch—"

Ignis clicked his tongue in annoyance, his jaw clenched as he watched Raye stand victorious.

Then, shifting his gaze to Ace—

"..."

Seeing him kneeling on the ground, head bowed in utter defeat—

’Pathetic.’

Ignis spat that word in his head.

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And turning his glare back to Raye—

"I’ll get my revenge on you soon, just wait..."

He mumbled that under his breath, his fists tightening.

...

Anyway, Elias...

"..."

His eyes were glued to Raye.

The way he fought, the way he moved...

’It was different.’

Elias thought.

The Raye now was far too different from how Elias used to remember him.

Back then, Raye couldn’t even wield a sword properly.

His stances were clumsy, his movements awkward.

Yet now—

His form was flawless. His strikes were sharp and precise.

Even his magic, specifically the [Flash]...

It was basic to medium at best, but he used it efficiently, complementing his swordsmanship perfectly!

Elias’ brows furrowed deeper.

Raye’s technique...

His sword movements...

’It’s not the Divine Swordsmanship...’

The swordsmanship of the Alvah Dukedom.

’What is that...?’

Elias questioned in his head.

’Where did he learn it?’

’Who taught him?’

’When did he even practice it?’

He added.

Then, most importantly...

"Why did he look so... different?"

Elias mumbled that!

The Raye that he saw today was not the same person that he knew just a few months ago!

Elias’ heart pounded, a chill running down his spine.

His instincts were screaming at him, a nagging feeling gnawing at his mind.

He knew Raye quite good, like how untalented he was or whatnot.

Or at least, he thought he did.

...

Meanwhile, just beside Elias, sitting in the special spectator’s booth—

Christian’s eyes were locked on Raye as well.

His usual laid-back demeanor was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating stare.

He had known Ace’s strength firsthand.

And Raye didn’t just win.

He dominated the fight.

Effortlessly.

’This... doesn’t make sense.’

Christian’s eyes narrowed.

The Raye he heard was a nuisance.

A disgrace to the great Alvah name.

Yet here he was...

Strong. Confident.

And wielding a strong swordsmanship to perfection!

’Every known information about him is useless now, they’re not true anymore for some reason... It’s time to update them.’

Christian decided in his head.

*****

Moving on, going back to Raye...

"So, according to the rules, what do you plan to do now?"

Charles asked him that, his voice echoing throughout the arena.

And hearing his question—

"..."

Everyone went silent.

Not just Raye.

The crowd held their breath, eyes wide and unblinking.

All of them were waiting for his response.

Raye had already defeated two of the strongest four.

He could stop now.

No one would question him if he did.

In fact, it would be the smartest choice.

He had already proven his strength, his dominance.

Continuing further would be foolish.

He was exhausted, his mana running low.

His body bore the signs of battle, hidden beneath his calm expression.

Yet—

"..."

Raye’s gaze remained steady.

His eyes were sharp, unwavering.

His posture was firm, no sign of hesitation.

Then, his lips parted—

"I’ll fight again."

And he declared that!

His words cut through the silence like a blade.

"...!"

The crowd erupted in shock!

"He’s going to fight again?!"

"Is he insane?! He already took down two of the strongest!"

"Does he even have any mana left?!"

"Who is he challenging next?!"

The arena buzzed with disbelief.

Even Charles’ eyes widened for a moment.

But he quickly composed himself.

"I see... You choose to continue."

Charles spoke, his tone monotone.

"Then, who will be your next opponent?"

The crowd fell silent once more when that question was asked, anticipation hanging heavy in the air.

Now, people are cheering for Raye!

This would’ve been unthinkable a few months back then!

Anyway, everyone watched Raye, waiting...

Everyone from the empire!

Then, finally—

Fwish—

Raye raised his hand.

His arm extended with confidence, his fingers pointing—

Straight at Christian!

And seeing that—

"...!"

Christian’s eyes widened in shock.

"Wha-?!"

The entire arena gasped.

Raye didn’t choose an easier opponent!

He didn’t choose someone weak or just an extra in the story.

No.

He chose Christian, one of the strongest contenders in the tournament, a named character in the game!

The one who hadn’t fought yet and was still at full strength!

The one who was known to be a prodigy!

"...This guy..."

Christian muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he smirked.

The tension in the air grew heavy, suffocating.

It felt as if time itself had stopped.

And in that frozen moment—

Raye’s voice rang out, clear and firm.

"Christian. I challenge you."

His serious expression showed no doubt.

No fear.

He was completely calm.

Even as the arena exploded into chaos—

"HE’S CHALLENGING CHRISTIAN?!"

"IS HE OUT OF HIS MIND?!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM?!"

"DOES HE THINK HE CAN BEAT ALL OF THE STRONGEST FOUR?!"

The disbelief was palpable.

The tension was electric.

And Christian just stood there, his expression unreadable.

A heavy silence settled between them, their gazes locked.

Then—

Christian’s lips curled even more.

"Heh... You really are interesting, Raye."

He spoke calmly, his tone laced with amusement.

"Very well... I accept."

The arena roared once more!

The next battle was set.

Raye versus Christian.