The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

The whole area went silent again as another head, cut off by Raye, hit the floor.

They couldn't dare to utter a word.

Everyone was looking at Christian's unmoving body on the floor.

And then, soon enough—

Fwoosh~

Christian's head and body started disintegrating.

Particles of light danced around his remains, vanishing into the air.

And just like what happened to Ace—

Fwish-

Thud!

"Ugh...?!"

He was thrown out of the arena, falling butt-first just inches away from the sulking Ace!

Christian looked up at the arena.

And there—

He saw Raye.

But Raye wasn't looking at him.

His gaze was fixed on Charles.

Cold and unwavering.

And at that moment—

"Winner, Raye!"

Charles loudly announced it.

His voice echoed throughout the arena.

And for the second time—

"WHOOOAAAAHH!!!"

"YOU'RE SO COOL, RAYE!!!"

"LET ME GIVE YOU A KISS!!!"

"My ears are still fine because of my earplugs, heh."

Cheers for Raye erupted from the crowd again!

Their excitement was palpable, their voices deafening.

Though...

"Tch—!"

The students and competitors from the other academies weren't happy, obviously.

They were all glaring at Raye with hatred in their eyes.

Their faces twisted in anger, jealousy burning in their gazes.

Raye was just ignoring them.

Their animosity meant nothing to him.

Anyway, just then...

"Tsk."

Rickrey left the training grounds, frustrated.

(Devin's opponent in the finals of the tournament before.)

His shoulders were tense, his fists clenched.

And with a frown on his face—

"Guess I'll go with his plan then."

He mumbled that and started walking away, avoiding everyone's eyes.

His figure disappeared into the distance, his mind clouded with thoughts.

*****

Meanwhile...

In the audience—

"...!"

Elias' eyes were wide with shock.

His mouth was slightly agape, his mind struggling to process what he had just witnessed in the last part of the duel.

"That... That was the second stage of aura, wasn't it...?"

He muttered under his breath, his voice trembling. He was talking about Raye's skill, [Blaze].

The second stage of aura is simply called [Elemental Aura]. It enhances the weapon's power much greater than early-stage auras.

And depending on your aura's element, fighting certain opponents could either give you an advantage or a disadvantage...

But—

"No... That wasn't it..."

Elias's brows furrowed as he concluded.

"Aura doesn't use mana... But the skill Raye just used... It was surging with mana..."

He added.

His heart was pounding, a deep frown appearing on his face.

'What was that...?'

Elias asked in his head.

Then—

Fwish-

His attention went back to Raye.

And, opening his mouth slightly...

"Is that really Raye...?"

He asked.

*****

On the other hand...

In his office—

Lucian watched the fight through a holographic projection.

His arms were crossed, his eyes sharp.

He observed everything in silence.

And then—

"Hmm..."

He tilted his head, a curious smile forming on his lips.

"Did he hit his head and change personality and stuff?"

His voice was light, playful even.

But his eyes were serious.

His gaze was focused on Raye.

Everything he knew about him...

It wasn't the same as before.

Raye was nothing like this just months ago.

'It was as if he was a completely different person.'

Lucian thought.

"Well... It's interesting..."

Then he just leaned back in his chair, a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"And that skill... Was it [Blaze]? That's pretty good. It could rival aura."

His smile widened.

"Did he make that himself? That's something you don't see every day."

Lucian's fingers tapped rhythmically on his armrest.

His mind was now fixated on Raye.

"Just what are you hiding, Raye...?"

His voice was soft, almost a whisper.

His curiosity was now burning.

And as the magic hologram continued to show Raye standing victoriously in the arena—

Lucian's smile deepened.

"I wonder if we'll ever meet again..."

He mumbled under his breath.

*****

(Raye's POV)

"Huff... haaaaa..."

I let out a heavy sigh as exhaustion caught up to me.

I'm kind of feeling sleepy now.

'I bet my face looks so serious right now. I'm tired as fuck.'

I thought.

Anyway...

I glanced down at the arena.

And there—

I saw the students from the other academies, frowning at me.

'Uwahh, they really hate me, huh.'

I immediately turned my head away from them.

I also caught a glimpse of Ace and the others, but I just ignored them.

And looking on the other side...

"Raye, win this thing!"

"You're so amazing!"

"WAAAAHHH!!!"

I saw my schoolmates cheering for me.

I even saw Jerusha and the others shouting something at me. I could hear them, but I couldn't understand their words. They were being drowned out by the noise in the crowd.

And then—

I saw Allen and Leon not far from the others.

The two of them were looking at me with complicated expressions on their faces.

And I think I know why...

They want to win this tournament, of course. So they were cheering for me.

But they were having conflicted feelings now about the fact that I took out half of the elite four.

"I bet they trained hard for this event. My bad, really..."

I mumbled before looking away from them.

'Don't worry, guys. I'm done showing off now.'

I said in my head, feeling happy.

My plan was to attract the attention of everyone in the tournament to gain fame and secure my future success.

And there's no easier way to do that than by defeating two of the elite four.

Still...

"My body feels light. I feel a lot stronger."

I didn't expect this to be this easy.

Moving on—

I decided not to think about that for now.

I was planning to step down from the arena and stop fighting. The fatigue and lack of mana were already making my body feel heavy.

"I did more than enough. I can stop now."

I mumbled to myself.

I left Elias alone because he's for Leon—the protagonist—to fight.

In the game's story, Leon defeated Elias, and that's what got him connected to the Alvah Dukedom, other than through Raye.

And so—

"What's your plan now?"

When Charles asked me that, I opened my mouth and was about to tell him that I'd stop here.

But before I could even let out a sound—

Fwoosh-

A bluish holographic system window appeared in front of my face.

"...?"

I was surprised by its sudden appearance.

This rarely happens.

I read what was written on the system window.

And upon reading it...

"Bruh."

I muttered that in disbelief.

=====

Sudden Quest: Blood versus Blood

Condition: Fight and win against your biological brother—Elias Alvah!

Rewards: +5 points to all stats

=====

The system was telling me to fight again!

I became silent, thinking to myself.

Charles was just standing in front of me, waiting for my response.

'I'm already tired, and if I accept this, I'll actively change the flow of the game story.'

I thought.

But still—@@novelbin@@

The reward looked good as fuck!

And so, after a slight pause—

'Fuck it.'

"I will continue fighting."

I declared that!

And hearing my words...

"WHOOAAAAAA!!!"

"WAAAAAHHHH!!!"

"RAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

"GAH?! SOMEONE BUMPED INTO ME AND MY EARPLUGS FELL! I CAN'T FIND THEM!!!"

The crowd went wild again.

*****

"That's enough."

Charles silenced the crowd, his authoritative voice cutting through the deafening cheers.

"..."

And after that...

Fwish—

He turned back to Raye.

"Who do you want to be your next opponent?"

Charles asked.

And without hesitation—

Fwip—

Raye moved.

His hands lifted.

His fingers pointed.

Then, with a calm expression on his face—

"I challenge Alvah."

Raye declared that, pointing directly at Elias!

And hearing his words—

"WHOOOOAAAAHHH!!!"

"WHAT?!!"

"IT'S BLOOD AGAINST BLOOD!"

"DUDE, THIS IS INSANE!"

"BROTHERS FIGHTING EACH OTHER?! IS THIS A DRAMA NOW?!"

"ACK! MY EARS!!!"

The crowd erupted once more, their voices colliding in chaotic excitement.

Some were thrilled.

Some were confused.

But all of them knew—

This was no ordinary match.

On the other hand—

"..."

Elias was speechless.

He blinked. Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire

His mind struggled to keep up with what had just happened.

Raye... was challenging him?

His own brother? The one that couldn't even properly look at him in the eyes before?

"..."

He couldn't believe it.

His body tensed, confusion washing over him.

But when he snapped out of his stupor—

His gaze locked onto Raye.

Raye was looking down at him.

Cold eyes.

Unwavering.

It was as if he was nothing more than an obstacle for him.

And seeing that—

Clench—

Elias clenched his fists.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

Then, immediately—

Fwip—

He stood up.

And with a deep breath—

"I accept the challenge."

He said that.

His voice was low, steady.

But his mind was racing.

This wasn't just any duel.

Raye wasn't just looking for a fight.

He was making a statement.

But why?

'Is he trying to prove something?'

Elias asked himself.

But whatever it was...

'I'm not just going to back down.'

He declared in his head, his determination settling in.

Fwoosh~

The atmosphere shifted.

The air felt heavier.

The crowd, once loud, fell into murmurs.

All eyes were on them now.

The tension crackled like electricity.

A fight between blood—

A battle between brothers—

It was about to begin.