The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

"[SUMMON!!!]"

Jerusha's voice rang through the battlefield, filled with desperation and determination.

And the moment those words left her lips—

F W O O O O S H—!!!

A colossal eruption of mana burst from her body, shaking the very air itself!

-Wha—?!

The noble demon's eyes widened.

He felt it.

The sheer pressure of Jerusha's mana pressed down on him like an overwhelming force—

It was strong.

Stronger than he had expected!

-'This is coming from a student?!'

Confusion flashed across the demon's face.

And before he could even react—

S W O O O S H—!!!

A powerful gust of wind surged across the battlefield!

And from within the swirling energy—

F W I S H—!
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Spirits emerged!

-GRRRRAAAHH—!!!

-Time to roll!

-Ah, action after so long—finally!

Countless voices echoed through the air.

-Huh…?!

The noble demon's gaze darted around—

He was slowly being surrounded from every direction by spirits!

And then—

A sinister hiss.

-SSSSSSTTT…

A massive serpentine creature slithered into view!

Its entire body was composed of crystal-clear water, flowing and shifting like a river, but its presence was anything but gentle.

Sharp sapphire eyes gleamed with intelligence as they locked onto the demon.

-A demon, huh…? SSSTTT—

Its voice was deep, reverberating through the air like the crashing of waves.

And another one—

-GRRRRRR…!

BOOM—

The ground trembled.

A towering stone golem stood tall, its moss-covered body cracked and aged, yet brimming with power.

Golden veins of energy pulsed through its hardened limbs, radiating strength.

SWISH—

-I'M READY TO ROCK THIS FIGHT!!!

It raised a massive fist, standing firm like an immovable mountain.

Then—

SWAAA~!

A flicker of flames.

And from it—

-KIEEEE—!!

A fiery bird burst forth!

SWOOSH—!

It soared high above, its wings ablaze with red and orange flames, leaving a trail of embers as it circled the demon.

Its piercing eyes burned with fury.

-I'm already fired up.

It crackled, its voice carrying the heat of a raging inferno.

These three—

They were the strongest High-Rank elemental spirits that were contracted to Jerusha!

And then, finally—

F W O O O S H—!!!

A powerful gust of wind erupted once more.

And from it—

FWIP—

A majestic figure descended.

Then with radiant white feathers and piercing golden eyes—

-GRAAAAAHHHH—!!

A Griffin emerged!

SWOOSH~!

SHIICK—

His wings flared wide, his talons gleaming like sharpened steel.

-?!

The noble demon's gaze snapped to the creature, his eyes widening.

And staring back at him—

-It's been a while since I fought a demon.

The Griffin—

Phobos.

THUD—

He landed with a forceful impact, the ground beneath him shaking under his weight.

His golden eyes locked onto the noble demon—

Burning with unforgiving fury.

Then, opening his sharp beak—

-I won't be showing you mercy.

Phobos declared that!

His voice was deep and commanding!

-Ugh, what a pain...

The noble demon grumbled, his expression twisting in annoyance as he scanned his surroundings.

Everywhere he looked—

There were spirits.

Dozens of them.

Their numbers easily exceeded thirty, and each one radiated an overwhelming amount of mana.

Even he, a noble demon, couldn't ignore their power.

-'So... What should I do now?'

The demon asked in his head.

But before he could even formulate a plan—

While she was hovering in the air—

"ATTACK!!!"

Jerusha exclaimed that!

Her voice boomed across the battlefield!

And at her command—

S W O O O S H—!!!

A violent storm of energy erupted!

Then—

-DIE!

-KIEEEEE!

-SSSSSTTT—!!!

-GRAAAAAHHHH!!!

B O O O O M—!!!

Phobos and all the other spirits charged at the noble demon at once!

-SHIT...!

The demon cursed, his frustration bubbling.

And with no other choice—

-FUCK OFF—!!!

S W I S H—!!!

His body blurred, charging at the spirits too!

And in an instant—

BAM!

The battle began.

FWAAAAA—!!!

A torrent of water came crashing down toward the demon from above!

-SSSSTTT~!

The serpentine spirit coiled mid-air, its translucent body undulating like a tidal wave.

And then—

WHOOSH—!!!

It surged downward, aiming to slam into the demon with the full force of a raging current!

But—

FWIP—!!

With a sharp twist of his body, the noble demon sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the impact!

SPLAAAAASH—!!!

The water serpent crashed into the ground instead—

BOOM—!!!

The sheer force of the impact sent shards of rock and debris flying, leaving behind a deep crater where the demon had just been standing!

And then—

SWISH—!

A razor-sharp gust of wind cut through the air—

It was Phobos' talons!

WHOOSH—!

They came swooping down at blinding speed, aiming straight for the demon's chest while he was mid-air!

And seeing that—

-Ugh...

FWOOSH—!!!

The demon opened his wings—

FWAP—!

—Then flapped them powerfully, thrusting himself backward!

FWISH—

The demon narrowly evaded Phobos' deadly strike!

SHICK!

The talons actually scraped past his chest.

And as a response to that—

-Tch...!

BAM—!!!

The demon thrust his right arm forward, sending a powerful shockwave of demonic energy straight at Phobos' body!

WHOOSH—

The Griffin just flew up and avoided it, unfazed.

And following that—

BOOM—!

-GRAAAHHH!!!

The stone golem lunged forward, its massive fist coming down like a meteor!

A direct hit from it would surely shatter anyone's bones.

But—

SWOOSH—!

The demon flew sideways, just narrowly avoiding it!

BAM—!!

The ground ruptured when the golem's fist hit it, sending debris flying in all directions!

And at the same time—

SWAAAAAA—!!!

A pillar of fire suddenly erupted from behind the demon!

The fiery bird had unleashed a hellish blaze—

The heat was enough to melt stone!

-Fuck...!

The noble demon clicked his tongue, realizing he was now caught between the golem and the flames!

But—

His expression didn't waver.

Instead—

SWISH—!!!

He flapped his wings hard and shot upward!

The pillar of fire didn't reach the demon, and now, he's out from the golem's range!

Though—

These four spirits aren't the only one gunning for him.

And at that moment—

SWISH—!

WHOOSH—

FWOOSH—!!

Dozens of elemental projectiles rained down from every direction, all targeted toward the noble demon!

Ice lances, fireballs, lightning bolts, wind blades!

Every single spirit there unleashed their strongest skills!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions rocked the battlefield!

SWAAAAAAAAA~!!!

Dust and smoke filled the air!

And for a moment—

...

Everything was obscured!

But then—

FWIP—!!!

A shadow shot through the smoke, unscathed.

And that shadow—

-Is that all...?

—Was the noble demon!

He stood tall, looking around with a playful smirk on his face.

His clothes were torn, his skin slightly burned, but—

His arrogance remained!

He had dodged and deflected every attack!

And shrugging his shoulders—

-'These guys are so predictable... Fighting that kid in his full strength would've been more fun than fighting these bastard spirits.'

The noble demon declared that internally, pertaining to Raye!

-Though, I could deal with this...

Then he mumbled that, grinning ear to ear.

...

*****

Meanwhile, as the spirits clashed against the noble demon, keeping him occupied—

FWOOSH~

A gust of wind followed as Jerusha soared through the air, rushing toward Raye's location.

"Raye!"

She called out, urgency laced in her voice.

TAP—

And upon landing in front of him—

Gasp!

Her breath caught in her throat.

"...!"

Her eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape—

She froze in place.

The sight before her was far worse than she had imagined.

Raye's body was a broken mess.

A gaping hole in his stomach, blood endlessly seeping out—

Deep, brutal gashes and slashes covered every inch of his body.

Some of his bones jutted out from beneath torn flesh, others were bent in unnatural angles—

His arms, his legs—

Almost every joint was dislocated.

His own blood drenched him, pooling beneath him in a sickening crimson.

And then, lastly—

"...!"

Jerusha's breath trembled.

Her gaze locked onto Raye's eyes…

His once fiery, defiant gaze—

Now dull.

Unfocused.

Almost lifeless.

Like he wasn't even there anymore.

Drip…

A tear slipped from Jerusha's eye.

She clenched her fists.

Her vision blurred.

Seeing Raye like this—

"..."

Her chest tightened.

Her entire body shook.

"Raye!"

Jerusha called out, her voice trembling with urgency.

No response.

She rushed toward him, her heart pounding in her chest—

THUD—

She dropped to her knees beside him and wrapped her arms around him, holding him gently but firmly.

And just then—

A weak sound.

"...huh...? w..ho...?"

Raye's voice barely came out, hoarse, dry, and shattered—

His lips cracked, his throat strained from all the blood he had lost.

"It's me, Jerusha!"

Jerusha exclaimed, leaning closer, her eyes desperately searching his.

"...hm..?"

Raye barely heard her—

But that voice…

He recognized it.

Slowly, a faint, weak smile formed on his face.

His head tilted up, eyes hazy yet soft—

"I'm... glad... you're o...kay..."

He mumbled those words, his lips curling into the smallest smile.

"Ah..."

Jerusha's breath hitched.

But then—

Something flashed in Raye's fading consciousness.

The noble demon.

His half-lidded eyes sharpened ever so slightly.

His weak fingers twitched.

And then—

"The... de..mon..."

Raye muttered, forcing his battered body to move.

His muscles screamed.

His bones felt like they would snap apart at any moment.

His wounds tore further open.

And realizing what was happening—

"STOP!"

Jerusha gripped his shoulders, her voice filled with desperation.

"I'm already taking care of it! You can rest now!"

She pleaded with him—

Trying to calm him down.

And hearing those words—

"Oh... is... that so..."

Raye whispered, his body relaxing slightly.

But his heart—

His soul—

Still burned with frustration.

"The... old man... and... the ot..hers..."

His voice wavered.

He couldn't fight anymore.

He couldn't protect them.

He failed.

But then—

Something unexpected.

Something that changed everything.

"They're fine!"

Jerusha exclaimed, her voice filled with warmth.

"They're not dead! They're safe now!"

"...!"

Raye's dull, lifeless eyes widened.

A sharp breath escaped his lips—

And then—

"Hah..."

A weak, breathy laugh.

A small, trembling smile.

His teary eyes glistened.

Relief washed over him like a gentle wave.

His head tilted slightly—

And with all the strength he had left—

"Thank... you..."

Raye whispered, his voice filled with genuine gratitude.

Tears welled up in Jerusha's eyes.

"Ah! No! It's nothing!"

She quickly shook her head, flustered.

But Raye—

He didn't hear her anymore.

Because in that moment—

'They're alive...'

That was his last thought.

That one truth filled his heart.

A final, peaceful smile spread across his lips.

And then—

"..."

He lost consciousness.

"Ah..."

"RAYE!!!"

Jerusha cried out, her hands gripping him tightly—

As his body went completely limp.