I Am The Game's Villain

[<That was quite the spectacle.>]

"You think?" I asked, a bit awkwardly.

[<Oh, definitely. But it was refreshing to see you let loose like that. You worry too much about what others think. You should do this more often. Doesn't it feel lighter already?>]

I pressed a hand against my chest.

Now that they mentioned it… yeah.

I actually felt better.

Beating someone up made me feel better?

Damn.

Shaking my head, I decided to leave before I ran into more annoyances. There was only one place where I could guarantee some peace.

The library. Specifically, the restricted section on the top floor.

When I arrived, my eyes instinctively scanned the room for Alicia. Normally, she'd be at her usual seat, buried in some ancient tome, but today… she wasn't there.

I shook my head exaggeratedly.

Probably too embarrassed to face me after sending that message. That had to be it—otherwise, she would have just come and spoken to me directly.

A shame.

Looked like it'd be another lonely reading session.

Sighing, I pulled out the book on the Vampire Witch once again and settled into my seat.

I had been reading about her a lot lately. Maybe it was Alicia's obsession rubbing off on me. Or maybe it was just my own desperate attempt to find a solution for Elizabeth. Not that I had much hope—House Tepes had undoubtedly exhausted every resource imaginable trying to cure her. If they hadn't found anything, what were the chances that I would?

Still, it didn't hurt to try.

After ten minutes of reading, I let out a quiet chuckle. "They sure know how to hype her up."

Every recorded witness from the Blood Moon War painted her as a monster—yet, without fail, they also praised her. Her overwhelming talent. The sheer terror she instilled. Her regal presence. And, of course, her captivating beauty.

Another illustration accompanied the text.

A woman with long, flowing dark hair, eyes gleaming crimson, with crimson marks adorning her body. She was floating above an army of vampires who hung onto her every word.

I kept reading until my eyelids grew heavy, the perfect combination of warmth, silence, and comfort lulling me into sleep.

…

…

"Senior."

"…."

"Senior."

A soft voice pulled me from my slumber, but I only groaned in response, reluctant to wake.

"Hmm…" I finally cracked open my eyes, and the first thing I saw was a pair of crimson irises staring down at me.

I blinked blearily. "Alicia…? What is it?" I mumbled, still groggy.

Honestly, I wished I could teleport straight to my suite and collapse onto my bed. A few more hours of sleep sounded far better than whatever awaited me in class.

"Lunchtime is over. We need to leave," Alicia informed me, arms folded as she watched me struggle to wake up.

"That's awfully kind of you to wait for me," I said, forcing a smile as I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

I really needed more sleep.

"We just happen to have the same class, that's all," Alicia replied dryly.

"What class?" I yawned, still half-asleep.

Alicia gave me a look that practically screamed, 'Are you serious?'

She was, without a doubt, dumbfounded by how little I cared about this academy anymore.

"Inter-Class Practical Training," she said flatly.

I groaned, already dreading it. "Oh no…"

I had no interest in watching a bunch of dull, predictable fights.

"I think I'll skip. Alicia, want to ditch with me?" I asked, glancing at her.

"You can skip alone, Senior," she said without hesitation, already turning on her heel to leave.

I sighed, dragging myself to my feet before lazily following her.

After a moment of silence, I asked, "Why did your brother call you yesterday?"

"He just asked me to come home," she replied.

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you know why?"

Alicia's brows knit together slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… do you think he just wants to keep you home because he's an overprotective big brother?" I said with a chuckle.

For some reason, that seemed to upset her.

"You still have two other brothers to spoil and pamper you, so there's no need to feel down about it," I added, smirking. "I can spoil you too, you know? As a good Senior figure, of course."

"I—I don't want to be spoiled or pampered!" Alicia snapped, shooting me a glare before quickening her pace.

[<What exactly are you trying to accomplish, Edward?>]

"I was trying to cheer her up. Looks like it backfired," I sighed, shaking my head.

[<Well, at the very least, I think you made her forget about her older brother, if only for a little while.>]

"Really? Then that's good," I said, quickening my pace as I neared the massive, circular stadium where the Inter-Year group battles would take place.

The groups remained unchanged, meaning I was still with Cyril, Celeste, Alicia, and Elizabeth. But my attention wasn't on my teammates—it was on the one overseeing the matches this time.

Gamir Teraquin was probably still imprisoned, and with the academy running short on staff, the role of overseer had fallen to someone else—Aerinwyn. I had known she was working part-time at the academy after her graduation, but it seemed they were now dragging her into duties beyond what should have been her concern.

The moment I laid eyes on her, my expression turned cold.

"We won't waste any time. The sparring matches will begin immediately," she announced. She lifted her gaze toward the massive screen above the arena, which shimmered for a moment before revealing two names.

"Dentiel Elaryon from Group H versus... Kane from Group B."

Dentiel glanced at his group before stepping forward, silently choosing to fight rather than handing the opportunity to someone else.

As for Kane, who was in my group...

"Good luck, Kane," one of his friends said, offering him a nod.

"Yeah, thanks. I'll do my best," Kane replied, flashing an uncharacteristically eager grin. "Trust me, guys, I'll put on a good show—huh?"

Before he could finish his little speech, I was already moving.

"I'm taking your place," I said.

"What? No—ah!"

I pushed him down onto his backside without hesitation, stepping past him without so much as a backward glance.

"I said, I'm taking his place," I repeated, my gaze locking onto Dentiel before flickering momentarily toward Aerinwyn.

Cyril, who was technically our group's leader, was the only one who could officially decide, but I had already made up my mind.

The others looked to him for confirmation, their eyes questioning.

Cyril simply smiled, clearly amused by the situation.

"Go ahead," he said.

Not that I was waiting for his permission anyway. I had already leaped down, landing smoothly on the arena floor.

Dentiel's expression shifted from casual surprise to something more serious as he realized who his opponent had just become.

Aerinwyn frowned, her disapproval evident, but she said nothing as she stepped back and raised her hand.

"Begin—"

-BAM!

Before she could even finish the word, I was already in front of Dentiel, my foot slamming into his side with brutal force.

His body shot backward crashing onto the ground and rolling several times before finally skidding to a stop.

"I didn't give the signal to start," Aerinwyn's cold, piercing gaze locked onto me.

I sneered at her. "If your weakling of a brother can't be ready without his big sister's signal, then I guess that confirms it—he really is the weakest of the Elaryon siblings."

-BOOM!

A violent surge of mana exploded from Dentiel's body, the sheer pressure sending ripples through the air. His eyes darkened as he glared at me.

"It's fine," he said. "I didn't get hurt anyway."

"That's more like it," I smirked.

-BAM!

Dentiel launched himself at me in an instant, a powerful gust of wind howling around him as his foot drove toward my side.

I barely had time to brace myself, shifting my shoulder to absorb the impact. The force of his kick still sent me flying, but I twisted midair, planting my feet against the stone wall behind me. Without missing a beat, I used the momentum to propel myself straight back toward him.

"Anathema's Fire."

Purple flames erupted from my body, their heat distorting the air in waves. The temperature in the arena spiked as my fire spread, licking hungrily at the ground beneath me.

Dentiel's expression hardened as he drew his sword, the blade glowing with an immense concentration of mana—pure, refined, and deadly.

I pushed forward, accelerating once more. Dentiel met me head-on.

-BOOM!

Our swords clashed, and in that instant, a violent explosion of fire and wind tore through the stadium. The sheer force of our collision sent shockwaves outward, causing the crowd to recoil. Even Aerinwyn had to shield herself as a thick cloud of dust billowed into the air.

This wasn't just a simple spar anymore.

"W–What?!" Dentiel's gaze snapped to his side, his eyes widening in disbelief.

A shimmering layer of amber ice coated part of his body. It spread in patterns, locking him in place.

I spun Perseus in my grip, a smirk tugging at my lips, before seamlessly switching to Khryselakatos.

The moment my fingers touched the bow, I called upon Vysindra's Fire.

A blaze of violet flames engulfed my arrows as I nocked them, the intense heat warping the air around me. Then, without hesitation—

I let them fly.

A storm of burning arrows tore through the sky, descending upon Dentiel with lethal precision.

In response, Dentiel swung his sword, a powerful gust of wind erupting from the blade as an enormous mana circle materialized before him.

-BOOM!

The impact sent a concussive blast through the arena, scattering embers and flames in every direction. My arrows were repelled, their blazing trails vanishing as they were swallowed by the violent storm of wind.

But when the mana circle dissipated—

Dentiel was nowhere to be seen.

-BOOOM!

A blade came slicing through the air, aiming straight for my back—a strike that would have done serious damage had it not been for the shimmering shield that materialized in an instant.

Aegis.

Dentiel's eyes widened as his sword clashed against the barrier, its edge halted completely. He had clearly expected his attack to land, but instead, the shield had absorbed the full brunt of his strike without so much as a crack.

I moved fast, reaching out for him, but he twisted his body in an unnatural motion. His blade flashed, and before I could fully react—

-Spurt!

A sharp pain seared through my left arm. Blood splattered in thin arcs through the air, painting red circles across the shredded fabric of my sleeve.

Dentiel leapt back, landing lightly on his feet, watching me closely.

I remained silent, staring down at my arm as rivulets of blood trickled down my fingers, dripping onto the stone floor beneath me.

He had been close—dangerously close—to taking my entire arm off just now.

A moment of stillness passed until I slowly curled my fingers into a fist. Wrath crackled around it, dark purple flickering like embers, shifting and writhing as they coiled around my knuckles.

Dentiel tightened his grip on his sword.

And then—

He moved.

His speed surged to another level as he closed the distance in an instant, his sword raised high, the blade glowing with raw mana and compressed Ruah, condensed to its very limit.

With a cry then he swung.

But I didn't dodge.

Instead, my glowing hand caught the blade mid-swing, the impact shaking the air around us. Sparks flew as Wrath clashed against the mana-infused steel.

Dentiel barely had a second to react before my other fist crashed into his jaw.

-BAM!

"A—Arghh!" A choked cry tore from his lips as Wrath through the strike. His sword shattered the moment it made contact, the blade disintegrating into nothing. His body was sent flying, flipping through the air before he slammed into the ground.

But I didn't stop.

I followed.

Before he could even recover, my foot drove straight into his gut.

BOOM!

The force of the impact sent another shockwave tearing through the arena, his body hurtled across the field, crashing into the opposite wall with an echoing crack.

Dentiel's body slumped forward. Unconscious.

But I wasn't finished.

Raising my hand, I prepared to hit again—

Until a sudden gust of wind howled toward me. I leapt back just in time.

It was Aerinwyn.

She stood there, eyes cold, mana surging around her, ready to attack.

"It's a sparring match," she said icily, warning clear in her tone.

I held her gaze for a long moment before scoffing. Wrath flickered out, dissipating into the air as I let my hand fall back to my side.

"You all should be grateful to me," I said as my gaze swept across them.

I met their eyes, one by one.

"You're alive and not under Utopia's control because of me."

***

It felt like a distant dream.

No—more like a nightmare.

A nightmare she desperately wished wasn't real.

But the truth clung to her. The screams, the blood-soaked ground, the lifeless bodies. Among them were her people—her friends, her family.

All of them, gone.

A single tear slipped down her cheek as her groggy eyes fluttered open, revealing irises as pale white as moonlight.

The morning sky stretched above her, serene and endless. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if she had died and this was the afterlife.

With a soft groan, she pushed herself up. Her body ached, but she was alive. The light armor clinging to her frame was torn and bloodstained, yet her injuries seemed minor—at least physically.

"Where… am I?" She mumbled.

Her gaze wandered until it landed on a small child nearby—a human girl.

The sight of her, so bright and unharmed, brought the faintest smile to her lips. At least she was safe.

"You have white hair," the child pointed out, her tiny finger directed straight at her.

A quiet chuckle escaped the woman's lips. "Yes, I do," she said, running a hand through her long, silken strands.

The little girl's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "You're so pretty, big sister! Can I touch your ears? They look so fluffy!"

Before she could respond, a woman hurried over and gently grasped her daughter's hand. "Rina, that's not polite," she scolded before turning to the white-haired woman. "I'm so sorry about that."

The woman shook her head with a soft smile. "It's alright."

The mother hesitated, her expression shifting to concern as she took in the stranger's battered state. "Are you hurt? Do you need anything?"

She paused, glancing around once more before asking, "Where… exactly am I?"

The mother blinked before answering with a light chuckle. "You're in Central Vedelia."

"...!"

The white haired woman's eyes widened in shock.

She shot to her feet, eyes darting around in disbelief.

It was Central Vedelia—just as she remembered it. But this was impossible. The last time she had seen this place… it had been nothing but ruins.

Her final memory of Central Vedelia was one of devastation. The island, shattered. The towering white tree, reduced to splinters. And the laughter—his laughter.

That grey-haired monster.

But now…

The tree stood tall untouched by destruction.

"What… is happening?" She whispered, her hands curling into fists.

"Big sister?"

The tug on her sleeve pulled her from her spiraling thoughts. She looked down to see the little girl staring up at her expectantly.

"What's your name?" The child asked.

For a moment, the woman hesitated. Then, she crouched, gently ruffling the girl's hair before offering her a warm smile.

"Roda."