The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

"RAYE!!!"

Jerusha cried out, her hands tightly gripping Raye’s motionless body as his breathing grew weaker.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her heartbeat pounding like a war drum in her ears—

Thump- thump- thump—!

Her hands trembled.

Fear.

Worry.

Panic.

"RAYE...!"

They were all crashing down on her at once...

But then—

’No...!’

Jerusha suddenly shook her head violently, forcing herself to calm down.

This wasn’t the time to freeze.

This wasn’t the time to lose control.

And so, clenching her teeth and opening her mouth—

"[Divine Rejuvenation...!]"

Jerusha exclaimed that, casting a spell.

F W O O O S H—!

A golden glow burst from her hands—

This magic was spirit magic!

A high-rank healing spell that called upon the pure mana energy of spirits to mend the torn body of its target!

And with this—

’Hang in there, Raye...!’

Jerusha started healing Raye’s vitality and the big hole in his stomach!

Then, while she was doing that—

FWISH—

Jerusha swiftly put mana into her spatial ring, taking out a vial filled with a shimmering red liquid!

It was the last healing potion that she got from Sofia.

And without hesitation—

"Take this!"

Phub-!

Jerusha pressed the potion to Raye’s pale lips, tilting his head back slightly, forcing him to drink every last drop it.

Swaaa~

The potion took effect instantly.

Ssssshh—

Raye’s smaller wounds began closing one by one, his torn flesh knitting back together.

But—

His pulse.

thump... thump..... thu...mp...

It was still growing weaker.

"No...!"

Jerusha’s eyes widened in alarm.

"No, no, no...!"

She gritted her teeth and pressed her glowing hands against Raye’s chest harder, pouring even more mana into her spell!

S W O O O S H—

It didn’t matter to Jerusha if she run out of mana for the first time!

It didn’t matter if it hurts her body because of straining it!

She had to heal Raye!

"Urgh—!"

Jerusha’s vision blurred as exhaustion clawed at her, her own mana reserves rapidly draining.

After all—

Just maintaining her summoned spirits, especially the strongest ones, was already draining her every second!

And now—

SWOOOSH—!!!

A high-rank healing spell on top of it?!

What she was doing is reckless.

Jerusha was aware of this.

She felt it.

Her legs weakened.

Her head ached.

"Huff...!"

Her lungs struggled for breath.

But still—

"UGH!!!"

Jerusha didn’t stop.

She couldn’t stop.

"Raye...! You’re not dying here...!"

Jerusha muttered, sweat dripping from her forehead.

Drip-

Her arms shook violently, yet she refused to pull them away from Raye’s body.

Her mana was burning away like a wildfire.

But she still pushed forward.

"...!!!"

Even if her vision darkened.

Even if she collapsed afterward.

Because right now—

Raye’s life mattered more for her.

...

*****

On the other hand, while that was happening—

S W O O O S H—!!!

A razor-sharp wind blade tore through the air—

It was Phobos!

-Gurgh...!

SLASH—

The noble demon twisted his body, barely dodging as the attack sliced through the ground behind him, leaving a deep gash!

And before he could recover his balance—

SWOOSH—!!!

A giant stone fist came down from above!

-GRAAAAHHHH!!!

The golem spirit roared, its massive body shaking the battlefield as it tried to crush the demon!

-Tch—!

The noble demon clicked his tongue.

And then—

BAM—

He kicked off the ground!

BOOOOM—!!!

Dodging at the last second!

WHOOSH~!

The golem’s fist slammed into the ground, shattering the earth and leaving a massive crater, sending dust and debris exploding in all directions.

But even as the noble demon leaped away—

FWOOSH—

A serpentine water spirit lunged from his side!

-Hm?!

The water spirit’s crystal-clear body twisted violently, aiming to coil around him—

-SSSSTTT—!!!

Its sapphire eyes glowed as it prepared to squeeze the life out of the demon—

But—

-KEUK...!!

FWIP—!

The noble demon tilted his body, barely slipping past the spirit’s crushing grasp.

And with a flick of his wrist—

S W A A A A S H—!!!

A dark crescent slash erupted from his claws, severing the water spirit’s form in half!

-SSSTTT...!!!

The water spirit let out a screech, its liquid body reforming almost instantly.

But before the demon could follow up to stop its recovery—

FWOOOOOOOSH—!!!

A wave of searing heat surged toward him!

It was the fiery bird spirit!

FWAP—

SWAAAAA—!!

It flapped its blazing wings, sending a torrent of flames in the demon’s direction!

-Shit!

The noble demon gritted his teeth, sensing the immense heat closing in on him.

And in a split second—

FWISH—!!!

He vanished!

Then a moment later—

BOOOOOM—!!!

The flames erupted upon impact, engulfing the entire area in a blinding inferno!

SWOOOOOO~!!

The battlefield shook.

But even amidst the destruction— 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

FWOOOOOSH—!!!

The noble demon reappeared high above, wings spread wide, panting slightly.

-Haaaa...

His crimson eyes scanned the battlefield.

Spirits.

They were everywhere he looked!

Each one brimming with mana, ready to attack again.

More than thirty of them.

-Ugh, what a pain...

The demon grumbled, shaking off the lingering embers clinging to his arm.

This mission of his wasn’t supposed to be this troublesome.

Then, not giving him a chance to recover—

-DIE!!!

-KIEEEEE!!!

-SSSSSTTT—!!!

-GRAAAAAAHHH—!!!

Phobos and the other spirits rushed in all at once again!

-Shit—!

The noble demon gritted his teeth, his body tense.

And with that—

-COME, YOU FUCKING BASTARDS—!!!

FWOOOSH—!!!

He dove forward, claws flashing, dark energy crackling around him—

The battle was far from over!

SWISH—!!

Phobos and the noble demon lunged at each other.

FWOOSH—!

Their claws were mere inches from colliding, raw power radiating from both sides!

SHIIIII—

The air between them crackled from the sheer force about to be unleashed—

But just before impact—

FWIP—!

Phobos suddenly vanished!

FWOOSH—!

-…Huh?!

The noble demon’s attack hit nothing but empty air!

His momentum carried him forward, his sharp claws slicing through where Phobos should have been—

But there was nothing.

His eyes widened, his body tensing in confusion.

-…!

The demon’s sharp gaze darted around, muscles tensed, expecting an ambush.

-’Did he teleport?! Is he trying to strike me from behind—?!’

He exclaimed in his head.

He barely had time to process before—

SWISH—!!!

The massive water serpent vanished too.

SWOOP—!

The blazing phoenix, gone.

SWAAAAA—!!

The towering golem disappeared into thin air.

And seeing this—

-What…?!

The demon’s mind raced. His instincts screamed at him to prepare for a follow-up attack, but—

SWISH—! SWISH—! SWISH—!

One by one, the spirits faded into nothingness!

The battle-hardened spirits, the swift elemental sprites, the spectral beasts— all vanishing as if they had never existed!

FWIP—

The noble demon clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together in confusion—

And then, in only a matter of seconds—

Fwooo~

-…

Silence.

Nothing.

The battlefield became empty.

...

Jerusha’s spirits were completely gone!

And there—

-What...?

The noble demon stood alone, his face frozen in shock. His claws twitched, still primed for battle, but there was no one left to fight.

But then—

-…Ah...

His lips curled into a smirk as realization struck.

-’The girl ran out of mana.’

The noble demon thought to himself, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement.

Fwish—

Turning his head toward where Raye was—

-…Haha.

The demon let out a low chuckle.

There she was.

Jerusha.

Kneeling beside Raye, her body trembling, her hands glowing faintly as she desperately tried to heal him.

Her mana—

It was completely unstable.

Shaking chaotically, flickering like a dying flame—

Which meant only one thing—

That was why her spirits had been unsummoned.

-GAHAHAHAHA—!!

The noble demon threw his head back, laughing maniacally.

-What luck...

He muttered.

This was it. The perfect moment.

He had been forced to fight against dozens of spirits, but now? Now, his biggest obstacle had vanished like smoke in the wind.

He had won.

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And so, lowering his gaze back down to the two, Jerusha and Raye—

-Then... looks like you two are dying today.

The noble demon mumbled that with a sly smirk.

Swoosh~

Then he condensed a ball of thick, crackling demonic energy in each of his hands.

Crack-!

The air around them vibrated from the sheer force packed within them, dark tendrils of power spiraling chaotically.

Tap- Tap- Tap—

The demon began walking forward.

His crimson eyes gleamed with hunger as he approached the two helpless prey before him.

Jerusha could hear and feel him getting near.

She knew.

She could feel the heavy footsteps behind her.

And yet—

"Ghh...! Gah...!"

She didn’t stop healing Raye.

Her hands remained firmly pressed against his broken body, golden light trembling as it mended his wounds little by little.

Her mana was burning out.

Her vision was dimming.

But Jerusha didn’t care!

Healing Raye was her priority.

’Raye...!’

Nothing else mattered.

And so—

Tap- Tap- Tap-

The demon walked leisurely.

Enjoying the moment.

The sight of Jerusha’s back, shaking yet refusing to give up, only made his grin widen.

He took his time.

And soon—

Tap—

He reached them.

Standing just a few feet away, looming over them.

A predator.

And then, without further ado—

-DIEEE—!!

The noble demon raised both hands, ready to bring them down upon them—

SWAAAAAA~!!

The orbs of demonic energy flared—!

The finishing blow was coming—

The noble demon was ready to end it there and then!

But then—

Before he could even swing down his hands—

"[Kneel]"

The noble demon heard a voice.

It was cold and commanding

And the next thing the demon knew—

BAM—!!

-G-GARGH?!!

He was slammed down onto his knee!

His body collapsed against his will!

Fwisss~

The orbs of demonic energy in his hands fizzled out and vanished!

-gurgh...?!

The demon’s crimson eyes widened in shock—

-’What the fuck is it now...?!’

The noble demon screamed in his head, frustrated—

Then, when he looked up to where he heard the voice—

"..."

The demon saw the headmaster of the Zion Academy.

"Leave the students alone."

It was Bryan Blackwood!

Fwish-

His eyes were glowing with blue mana, glaring at the demon.