The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

-Come.

The boss monster said, its voice low and resonant, its crimson jewels eyes shone as it stared at Raye.

And Raye—

"Hmm, you want to finish this quickly, huh..."

He muttered that under his breath, a small smirk forming on his lips.

Fwish—

With a flick of his wrist, he took out [Nyx] from his spatial storage and gripped it tightly in his right hand.

"Me too."

Raye declared, voice calm and composed. And as he and the boss monster—[The Hollowed]—locked eyes...

FWOOSH~

Raye summoned [Celestria] into his left hand and swiftly transformed it into a gun, liquid-like mana swirling around the weapon.

And without wasting a moment—

"[Fuse]"

He muttered that.

-Meep!

SWOOSH—!

Pyro immediately responded, bursting into bright red orbs of light before merging into the gun, enhancing [Celestria] and transforming it into a blazing red firearm infused with Pyro's fiery essence.

And with his weapons ready...

"Assist me if you see me in trouble."

Raye instructed without turning around.

Then from behind him—

-Got it.

Zephyrus responded simply, his tone firm and prepared.

And while all of this unfolded...

-...

The Hollowed remained motionless—silent and patient.

It just stood there, staring at Raye, waiting for him to strike.

It decided to observe for now. And after confirming that Raye does plan on fighting him—

-Kehehe...

A weak laugh escaped him.

*****

"..."

Raye stood still, unmoving, just a few tens of meters away from the boss monster.

-...

The Hollowed remained in place as well, utterly motionless—still waiting for Raye to make the first move.

Swoosh~

The dim, eerie light that filtered through the cracks above made the atmosphere even more intense, casting long shadows on the mossy stone floor.

Silence wrapped the room like a heavy cloak—no wind, no footsteps, no breath.

Just stillness.

-...

Even Zephyrus was getting uncomfortable with the atmosphere.

Then, after a moment of focused thought.

Raye opened his mouth...

"[Flash]"

He muttered, voice low but clear.

And In the next instant—

BAM!

He kicked off the ground with explosive force!

SWOOSH—!

Raye's figure blurred, vanishing in a flash of light!

And then—

FWISH—

He reappeared behind The Hollowed with silent precision, like a phantom in the wind!

His sword was already raised high in the air, poised for a lethal strike.

So without hesitation—

SLASH—!

Raye swung [Nyx] downward with full strength, aiming for a decisive blow!

Though...

-Hm?

The boss monster sensed Raye's attack coming from behind him, and immediately—

He twisted his entire torso without restriction, as if he had no spine!

Fwish—!

His wooden arms warped and reshaped themselves, transforming into long, sharp wooden blades in an instant!

And with those—

TANG!

He parried Raye's strike with a loud metallic clang that echoed through the stone chamber!

Raye's eyes narrowed.

"Tch... Aren't you supposed to be made of wood?"

He grumbled.

And after that, without slowing down—

CLANG! CLANG! FWISH—!!

TING!

TUNK—!

Raye and The Hollowed exchanged a flurry of blows!

Raye's blade moved like a black streak through the air, trying to break through the Hollowed's defense, but the boss matched him blow for blow with inhuman flexibility!

Then suddenly—

BAM!

Raye jumped back, flipping midair as he extended his left arm!

And with his eyes locked onto the boss monster—

PSH!

He fired a shot from his transformed gun—[Celestria] blazing with Pyro's flames!

But—

FWOOSH—!!

B O O M!!

-...

The Hollowed bent backward at an impossible angle and dodged it cleanly, the shot hitting the far wall behind him and exploding in a fiery blast!

"Ugh, that guy's almost as fast as me..."

Tap-

Raye muttered, frowning as he lands lightly on his feet.

But before he could even ready himself—

CRACK—!

The Hollowed's legs suddenly thickened and split, reshaping into a whip-like coil of wooden tendrils!

And those tendrils—

BOOM!

They launched the boss monster forward like a spring!

F W O O O S H—!!!

The Hollowed charged in to Raye at terrifying speed!

"Fucker...!"

FWIP-!

Raye raised [Nyx] to block!

And in an instant—

TIIIIING—!!!

Sparks flew all around them as their blades collided violently!

"UGH...!"

Raye groaned as he felt the force behind the attack that was enhanced by the speed of the boss monster.

And not only that—

The Hollowed's arms split again, branching out like growing roots, forming multiple wooden tendrils tipped with jagged edges!

WHIP—!

They lashed out at Raye from every angle!

And seeing that—

"Shit."

Raye cursed out.

SWOOSH—

WHAP! SLASH! CRACK!

He moved like lightning, parrying two tendrils, dodging the third, and leaping back before the fourth could pierce his shoulder.

"Grgh...!"

Raye gritted his teeth.

"This guy's way more durable than it looks..."

He whispered to himself.

The Hollowed stood tall again, its body slowly shifting—now even its back reshaped into sharp spikes.

-...

The Hollowed didn't speak this time.

It only stared—expressionless, waiting for Raye to come again.

And Raye…

FWIP—

He tightened his grip on both weapons.

Tap—

Then the moment his two feet touched the ground...

BAM!

He kicked off with explosive force and dashed straight at the boss monster again!

And responding to that—

-...!!!

GRRRRRRR!!!

The Hollowed growled lowly and slammed its wooden hand into the ground!

CRACK—!

Suddenly, massive thick pillars of vines erupted from beneath the cracked floor, tearing through stone as they surged upward!

And with a powerful flick—

F W O O S H—!!!

The Hollowed extended its left arm and hurled the writhing vines at Raye like living spears!

They shot toward him with terrifying speed and force!

But Raye...

"..."

He didn't slow down.

His gaze was firm.

And just as he and the vines were about to collide—

"[Blaze]"

He muttered that.

SWAAAAAAAA—!!

And [Nyx] was immediately engulfed in wild, roaring flames!

The heat surged out, distorting the air around him.

And with it—

S L A S H—!!!

Raye cut straight through the vines with a blazing arc of fire!

"No matter how tough you are..."

He muttered under his breath as he advanced—

"Fire is still your weakness."

FWOOSH—!!

More vines whipped at him like angry beasts—but they were no match.

SLASH! FWISH! SWISH—!

Raye cleaved through them one after another, his momentum not slowing at all!

His feet barely touched the ground as he blitzed forward, closing the distance in mere seconds.

And seeing that—

-...!

The Hollowed's glowing red eyes shook ever so slightly.

It was caught off guard!

And not long after…

TAP!

Raye was just a few steps away from the boss monster!

Though—

WHOOSH~

The Hollowed quickly raised both arms and summoned a massive wall of thick, interwoven vines between them!

BAM!

Then it leapt back, retreating to gain distance.

-...

The Hollowed stared at the wall it conjured, imagining Raye just behind it.

It now considered him dangerous—especially with his fire-element attacks.

But as its glowing gaze remained fixed on the wall—

Slash-

A single, straight horizontal line suddenly appeared across the center of the vine wall.

-hm?

The Hollowed tilted its head in confusion.

And then, without warning—

SWAAAAAAASSHHH!!!

The wall split clean in half, torn apart and lit ablaze by searing fire!

-?!

The Hollowed flinched, clearly caught off guard.

And before it could even brace itself—

FWOOSH—

Raye stepped through the curtain of crimson flame, completely unfazed!

"..."

His calm eyes locked directly onto the boss monster.

His left arm was stretched forward, steady.

And with a low, clear voice—

"[Blaze]"

He muttered that.

BOOOOM—!!!

A piercing beam of fire burst forth!

The Hollowed barely had time to react.

It tilted its head at the last second—

But not fast enough.

SHHZZZK—!!!

Half of its wooden face was scorched and blown apart, one of its glowing red gem eyes shattering into sparks!

-?!

The Hollowed's body trembled for a moment as smoke rose from its head.

Its remaining eye flickered in disbelief.

And seeing that the boss had survived—

"Tsk."

Raye clicked his tongue, a trace of disappointment flashing across his face.