The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

"Hmm… That was strong."

The High-Rank Demon muttered as he slowly stood up, rolling his shoulders.

A deep, dark imprint marred his cheek—a lingering trace of Ramiel’s devastating punch.

"Hmm...?"

He tilted his head, touching his face.

A faint tingling sensation lingered where the impact landed. Tiny crackles of residual electricity flickered on his skin before fading away.

And feeling that—

The demon smiled.

Excitement flickered in his crimson eyes.

And then, looking up at the arena—

"..."

He saw them.

Ramiel. Sariel. Charles.

The three professors stood at the edge of the platform, their auras flaring with overwhelming strength.

A suffocating force radiated from them, making the air feel heavy.

And sensing that—

"Hah…"

The demon smirked, his blood racing with anticipation.

Though, at that very moment—

FWOOOOOSH—!!!

A crushing presence suddenly descended upon the training ground!

It was not from the three nor from the demon!

"...!"

The demon’s smirk vanished.

His body stiffened.

A chill ran down his spine.

Fwish—

His eyes snapped to the side, his instincts screaming danger.

And there—

In the special spectator area—

"..."

He saw him.

Bryan.

The headmaster of Zion Academy sat comfortably in his seat, one leg crossed over the other.

But his gaze—

It was locked onto the demon.

Cold. Ruthless. Overflowing with murderous intent.

And staring back at him...

"...He’s mine."

The demon whispered, his lips curling into a sharp grin.

And then—

Opening his mouth again—

"SPREAD CHAOS!"

His voice boomed across the training ground!

And at the very next moment—

BOOM—!

BOOOOM—!

BAAAAM—!

Explosions erupted all around the place!

And from within the rising smoke—

-GRRRRRRGH...!

-GRAAAAA—!

-KEKEKEKEKE!!!

Countless shadows emerged—

Low-Rank to Mid-Rank demons.

Their twisted, grotesque forms tore through reality, their glowing red eyes gleaming with hunger.

They were nothing alike the noble-looking demon, they were straight up monsters!

"THERE ARE MORE OF THEM NOW!!!"

"DEMONS!!!"

The students panicked more at their appearance.

Fear.

Screams.

Chaos.

"?!"

Ramiel, Sariel, and Charles all tensed, their eyes narrowing as they assessed the sudden flood of enemies.

A coordinated assault—

This wasn’t just an attack.

It was a full-scale invasion.

They were confused, torn between fighting the strong demon in front of them or saving the students.

They couldn’t pick easily...

But then—

Swoosh~

A gust of wind stirred.

A voice—low and commanding—spoke behind them.

"Save the kids. Let me handle that bastard."

It was Bryan.

"...!"

The three professors turned, eyes widening.

His presence had appeared out of nowhere—not a single sound, not a single trace of movement before that moment.

But immediately—

"We got it."

They bowed their heads in unison, their voices firm.

And then—

FWISH—!

Their figures blurred—

And disappeared into the battlefield.

Now—

Only two remained.

Bryan.

And the High-Rank Demon.

The tension between them was palpable.

And then—

"Climb back up here, you fucking bitch."

Bryan’s voice was cold and unamused, his gaze bearing down on the demon like an executioner ready to strike.

Hearing that—

The demon let out a chuckle.

"What a vile word."

A sly grin spread across his face.

"And they call me a demon."

He said.

*****

...

Fwish—

Thud!

"Ugh...?!"

Raye landed outside the arena—his body completely unharmed.

And the hole that had been in his stomach... It was gone!

Even his once before ragged and bloodstained uniform was now pristine clean!

And seeing that—

’I’m lucky I was still inside the training dome when I got killed.’

Raye thought of that.

Cold sweat formed on his forehead.

If that demon had attacked just a second later—once he was out of the artifact’s effect area—he would’ve truly died.

A chilling thought.

But before he could dwell on it further—

"RAYE!!!"

A familiar voice rang out from above.

"...?"

Raye’s head snapped up, and there—

"Ah."

He saw Jerusha

She was hovering up in the air, her expression filled with worry.

And then—

FWOOSH—

She descended immediately, landing right beside him.

Kneeling down, Jerusha quickly scanned Raye’s body.

"Are you okay?! What about your wound?!"

She asked, her voice was desperate.

"I’m fine."

Raye reassured her.

"Just exhausted. My mana’s running low too."

He added.

And hearing that—

Rustle—

Jerusha reached into her spatial pouch, and there...

Fwip—

She pulled out a mana potion.

"Here, drink this."

Jerusha said, holding it out to Raye.

"..."

Raye hesitated.

He wasn’t used to receiving things, especially something as expensive as a mana potion.

Though—

BOOOOM—!!!

The situation didn’t leave room for him to choose.

"Haaa..."

So with a reluctant sigh—

Fwish—

Gulp- gulp—

Raye took the mana potion and he drank it.

And as he was swallowing the last drop—

"[Nature’s Miracle]"

Jerusha cast a spirit magic on him.

A soft green glow enveloped Raye.

Jerusha had cast a spell—restoring his stamina.

Raye blinked at her.

"...Thanks."

He muttered, a bit shy.

Jerusha just smiled, relieved.

"I’m just glad you’re okay."

She mumbled, her voice was trembling.

And then—

BAM!

A group landed near them.

It was Lycus, Devin, Leon, and Allen.

"Raye!"

"You alright?!"

"Can you stand?!"

"...?"

They asked as soon as they got there.

Raye looked at them.

For a second, he just stared.

He saw that they were genuinely worried.

And seeing that—

A small smile appeared on Raye’s face.

"...Haha. I’m fine."

He replied with a laugh, his voice carried warmth.

’I can’t believe the characters that I’ve admired before are this concerned about me now.’

Raye thought to himself.

But then—

Out of nowhere—

"Wait..."

A thought struck him like lightning.

Kyle.

Pyro.

Zephyrus.

And Old Man Rey...

"...!"

Raye’s entire body tensed as he remembered them.

And without wasting a second—

Fwish—!

Raye shot up to his feet.

And then—

BAM!

In the blink of an eye—

FWOOSH—!

He dashed out toward the exit of the training ground, his movements frantic and desperate!

"Huh?!"

Jerusha and the others froze, startled by his sudden reaction.

But then—

"...?"

Their eyes caught a glimpse of Raye’s expression.

A look of sheer urgency and desperation.

Seeing that, the five briefly looked at each other.

And without hesitation—

BAM!

FWOOSH—!

"Wait for us!"

"Where are you going?!"

Jerusha, Lycus, Leon, Allen, Devin—all of them immediately took off after him!

They know that something was wrong.

Meanwhile—

Raye’s mind was racing.

His pulse pounded in his ears.

His breath was sharp.

And as his feet carried him toward the town—

’This attack... it’s just a diversion!’

He clenched his fists.

’The demons’ real targets are the civilians!’

And at that moment—

Raye’s heart sank.

’Old Man Rey. Kyle. Pyro. Zephyrus.’

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With gritted teeth—

BAM!

FWOOSH—!

Raye pushed himself to run even faster!