The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

"Raye won!"

Charles announced after Elias fell to the ground, a pool of blood forming beneath him.

And hearing those words—

"..."

Leon was speechless.

He was watching from a different resting booth, not far from Jerusha and the others.

"..."

Allen, sitting beside him, was also silent.

The two of them had just witnessed Raye's fight—from the very start, when his opponent was Ace.

And now, after seeing Raye emerge victorious from three consecutive battles—

"What the fuck..."

Leon couldn't help but curse.

He was in shock.

"That guy is insane..."

Allen muttered, his eyes fixed on Raye standing in the arena.

Leon completely agreed with his words just now.

And then—

They replayed the final exchange in their minds.

They saw it.

The moment everything was decided.@@novelbin@@

FWOOSH—!

Raye and Elias kicked off the ground at the same time, dashing toward each other with all their remaining strength—

One final clash.

One last strike to end it all.

And when they entered each other's range—

FWOOSH—!

Both swords swung.

Elias brought his longsword down in a devastating vertical slash, putting everything into the strike.

While Raye swung [Nyx] horizontally, from right to left, aiming to cut through Elias.

And at that moment...

Leon and Allen saw it—

Elias' attack was going to land first!

His sword was descending too fast.

Raye was just too tired, his swing was too slow.

It was over—

Or so they thought—

TINGK—!!!

A sharp metallic ring echoed through the air at that moment.

Raye had blocked it!

With [Celestria] in his left hand, he caught Elias' powerful strike just inches from his head!

Shhhick—

The blade of Elias' longsword then slid across the smooth, polished surface of Raye's white sword, deflecting it off-course!

Elias's face twisted in shock.

His attack had missed.

And in that exact moment—

BAM—!

Raye lunged forward.

He didn't hesitate.

He didn't waste a single second.

And with [Nyx]—

SLASH—!

A clean, deep cut opened across Elias's stomach.

And the next thing they knew—

Elias was on the ground, defeated.

Neither of Leon and Allen could believe what they had just seen.

It was absurd.

It was ridiculous.

It was—

"Fucking insane..."

Leon muttered, his heart still racing.

Allen just nodded, still too shocked to speak.

They wanted to fight too—not the [Elite Four], but Raye!

They looked up at the arena again.

And there—

Tap— tap— tap—

They saw Raye casually walking away, using his elegant white staff as a walking stick.

They knew Raye was strong, but not this strong.

It had only been a couple of days since they last saw him.

But in that short amount of time—

"He got stronger again."

Leon and Allen had the same thought in unison, their expressions filled with disbelief and admiration.

How was he improving so fast?

Just how far could he go?

They had no answer.

And that made them even more eager to fight him.

*****

On the other hand...

"WAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Devin was shouting uncontrollably.

Watching Raye's fight had filled him with excitement—his blood was boiling, his heart racing.

He couldn't help but let out a roar, unable to contain the surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

His entire body was buzzing.

His fists clenched and unclenched, his legs restless.

He had to move. He had to fight!

"...!"

Lycus was standing too.

His fists were clenched tightly, his knuckles white.

He stared at Raye, still standing on the arena, and just like Allen and Leon—

'I want to fight him...'

A small smile tugged at his lips.

His heart was pounding wildly. His entire body felt electrified.

Just then—

"He took all the fun. This is basically our win now."

Lena declared with a smirk, arms crossed.

She looked at Raye again, watching him casually walk away from Elias.

'He's kinda cool up there.'

She admitted to herself.

Meanwhile—

'I knew he could do it!'

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Jerusha clenched her fists in excitement, practically bouncing in place.

She was relentless, beaming with happiness at Raye's victory.

And as she looked at him again—

"He's really cool..."

She whispered under her breath, her cheeks turning a rosy shade.

And then—

"Raye is slowly transitioning into a swordsman, huh?"

Sofia muttered, arms folded as she analyzed the fight.

"Except for his two skills, [Flash] and [Blaze], he hasn't really used any magic yet."

She added, her tone thoughtful.

And hearing her words—

"...?"

Jerusha and the others tilted their heads.

She was right.

Raye, who was a student in the magic course, had barely used any spells.

And realizing that—

"Haha..."

The group couldn't help but laugh.

'He's really a weirdo.'

They thought in unison.

*****

Sitting comfortably on a luxurious throne, soft pillows supporting his back and bottom…

"Hmm…"

Lucian smirked as he watched the holographic video floating before him.

Displayed on the shimmering screen—

Raye.

Bloodied. Exhausted. His body on the verge of collapse.

And yet—

His posture remained steady. His expression unwavering.

That confidence. That fire in his eyes.

Lucian's smirk deepened.

"Heh… He looks confident, huh?"

He muttered, resting his chin on his hand.

"He's really different from his past self."

His voice was calm, but his eyes flickered with something unreadable.

Amusement? Interest? …Pride?

Lucian himself wasn't sure.

But one thing was clear—he was impressed.

'Why couldn't he be like this when he was still part of the family?'

He asked in his head, tapping a finger against the armrest.

And then, he let out a soft chuckle.

"If he'd been this capable back then, I might not have had to throw him away."

A joke—half-hearted, yet carrying a truth behind it.

Lucian's gaze lingered on Raye's image for a few moments longer.

Then, as if just realizing something—

"Oh, right. Elias was there too, wasn't he?"

He mused absentmindedly.

But his eyes never once drifted to the other figure in the video.

As if Elias didn't even exist.

Lucian didn't really care how good he did, because for him—

'It doesn't change the fact that he lost.'

Only the result matter.

*****

...

"Ugh...! Shit… My arms hurt…"

Raye grumbled as he stood in his corner of the arena, rolling his shoulders.

His entire body ached. His arms, especially, felt like they were made of lead.

Then, shifting his gaze toward the center of the platform—

Fwoosh~

He saw it.

Elias' body, slowly breaking apart into glowing fragments, fading into the air.

And soon enough—

FWISH—

Thud!

"Gah...?!"

Elias was sent out of the arena, landing with a dull thud.

Unharmed, yet utterly defeated.

His breath was heavy, his mind blank.

'I lost… huh…'

He stared at the ground beneath him, his hands clenched into fists.

Then, slowly, he turned his head.

And there—

"..."

"..."

He saw them.

Ace. Christian.

Standing just a few feet away, their arms crossed, their expressions dark.

Frustration.

Disappointment.

He could see it all in their eyes.

And feeling that—

"Fuck..."

Elias let out a low curse.

Because he understood.

He hated this feeling.

The three of them—Ace, Christian, and himself—all lost to Raye.

It stung.

Fwish—

Elias pushed himself up, shaking off his exhaustion.

Tap- tap- tap—

Without a word, he started walking toward Ace and Christian.

He wasn't in the mood to talk, but—

He'd rather be with them than sit alone with his defeat.

As he was walking—

He paused.

Elias eyes flickered back to the arena.

There, standing on top of the platform, Raye remained.

His white staff in hand, supporting him.

His figure tall.

Unshaken.

Then, with a determined glint in his eyes—

"I'll get my revenge someday."

Elias mumbled, clenching his fists.

Fwip-

Then he turned away.

...

...

Meanwhile, back on the arena—

Tap—

Charles approached Raye, his footsteps light against the stone floor.

"So, what do you plan to do next?"

He asked.

Raye blinked.

Then—

"Meh."

He let out a casual shrug.

And opening his mouth—

"I'm done now."

He declared.

Hearing his words.

"Okay."

Charles nodded, seemingly satisfied with the response.

Then, lowering his voice—

"Good work. And… sorry about before."

He whispered.

(Charles was sorry about what he did in chapter 74, when he tried to sabotage and fail Raye in the first part of the physical examination of the class placement re-evaluation.)

Moving on—

"..."

Raye's eyes widened.

He hadn't expected that.

Especially from someone as strict and uptight as Charles.

But after a few seconds of silence—

A small smile tugged at his lips.

And with that smile…

"Thanks. And no problem."

Raye replied, his voice light.

"..."

Charles smiled back at him.

And without another word—

Fwish-

He turned his back to Raye, facing the crowd instead.

Then, raising his hand—

"Raye has decided to stop fighting!"

Charles loudly announced.

And at his words—

Clap— clap— clap—!

The stadium erupted in applause.

At first, a few claps here and there.

But then—

"WOOOOOOHHHH!!!"

A wave of cheers followed.

"You were so good!"

"Raye, you rock!"

"You dominated this tournament!"

"You defeated the [Elite Four], you're so awesome, Raye!"

"I'm glad you're not a scumbag anymore!"

Laughter and excitement filled the air.

Some students chanted his name.

Some just screamed incoherent praises.

All of them were acknowledging him.

And seeing that—

'I could get used to this.'

Raye smirked.

It felt... strange.

All his life, he was either looked down upon or ignored.

But now...

People were celebrating him.

And he won't lie—

It felt good.

Really good.

With a satisfied sigh, Raye turned.

It was time to leave.

He took a step toward the stairs—

But before he could even lift his foot—

PHUCK—!!

"Keuk...?!"

His entire body jerked.

A sharp, unbearable pain exploded in his stomach.

It was cold.

Too cold.

And looking down on it—

"W-What... the fuck...?"

Raye saw a red hand with sharp black nails that seemed like claws!

It was dripping with his blood!

It had pierced through his body from behind!

"..."

The cheers in the arena—

Vanished.

Silence.

And then—

"RAYE!!!"

Jerusha's scream shattered the air.