A Villain's Guide to Saving the World-Chapter 55: The Great Villain! Ends the Fight Abruptly...?

Chapter 55: The Great Villain! Ends the Fight Abruptly...?

The entire volcanic crater was now drenched in blood, steam rising in great hissing plumes where crimson rain met molten rock. The battlefield had become an infernal vision—a canvas of fire, smoke, and gore, like the heart of hell itself had opened.

"Time to see how much power I’ve accumulated from that assassin fight, huh...?"

Lucian smiled, blood trickling down his cheek and dripping from his jawline, his face a mix of pain and exhilaration. He extended one arm forward, fingers twitching slightly with surging energy.

"System."

[Yes?]

"Auto-invest all points for me, will you?"

The system chimed—a soft, crystalline tone—and vanished just as quickly. There was no visible change. No grand transformation. But Lucian felt it in every fiber of his being—his muscles tensed with newfound strength, his magic coiled tighter and hotter within him, and his mind sharpened like a blade under pressure. Everything about him felt faster, harder, more dangerous.

"Let me join in the fun."

He smirked, taking a single, casual step forward—then burst into a full sprint, the blood underfoot coalescing into platforms that propelled him forward like crimson jet streams, each step faster than the last.

Across the crater, Ivan and the Champion clashed—a whirlwind of steel, fire, and raw power. Blade met spear with seismic force. The air trembled with every blow. And in that precise moment, Lucian reappeared just behind the Champion, his palm open and ready.

"Don’t just ignore me, eh?"

"You’ll regret it!"

He laughed, then drove his palm into the Champion’s back with deadly precision. The Champion, too focused on Ivan’s relentless assault, didn’t react in time. Blood surged from Lucian’s boots to his palm, delivering a vibrational shock that rippled through the Champion’s body like a quake of force.

The Champion shuddered visibly, his entire frame vibrating, armor rattling as if struck by thunder from within.

With a snarl, the Champion twisted, his face contorted in fury.

"Dishonorable gnat! I’ll make you pay for that!"

His spear clenched tight, he spun toward Lucian with terrifying speed, a blur of bronze and heat—fast enough to make even Lucian’s eyes widen for a split-second.

"If you were faster, I might actually have been in trouble..."

A massive barrier of blood surged up, forming a wall just in time to intercept the blow. The spear slammed into it with a wet, thunderous thud, but the wall held, absorbing the impact completely.

"Bastard!"

The Champion turned his wrath back toward Ivan—but never even caught sight of him before a blast of golden fire crashed into his side. Ivan’s sword collided with brutal force, sending the Champion hurtling across the battlefield like a cannonball.

He slammed into the crater wall, the rock shattering with a deafening crack. Blood spewed from his mouth in thick gouts, lost in the downpour of Lucian’s rain.

"I’ll make you pay for this insult!"

He staggered to his feet, then threw back his head in a furious roar. The very ground shook as his voice echoed like an erupting volcano.

Lucian stepped forward, planting himself firmly in front of Ivan. His smile was calm, almost smug.

"I can’t just let you get all the glory, can I?"

He raised his hands to chest height. The blood droplets in the air froze—suspended in place, glistening like crimson stars.

"Do us a favor and just die"

With a flick of both hands, the droplets sharpened into countless blades, all aimed directly at the Champion. In a moment they launched, a storm of blood-forged swords, each one trailing shadowed streaks as they rained down in volleys. The sky itself became a weapon, more blades forming as the rain continued—an endless cascade of death.

Ivan placed a steady hand on Lucian’s shoulder, grinning through the heat.

"How are you holding up using that much blood...?"

"That’s enough to fit in a hundred warriors, at least."

Lucian let out a short, amused laugh and ran a hand through his soaked hair, pushing it back from his face.

"Recycling." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He gave the answer plainly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Together, they stared down at the Champion, who now stood beneath the storm of blades, parrying desperately. His once-proud stance had twisted into something feral—rage etched deep into every line of his face. He was no longer being fought head-on. He was being toyed with, assaulted from every angle, smothered beneath the relentless downpour of blood and magic.

"Still want to fight, or should I end it already?"

Lucian asked coolly, his voice cutting through the hiss of steam and rain as he watched the Champion make steady, determined strides forward—undaunted, despite the relentless onslaught of blood-forged blades.

Ivan chuckled beside him, the flames on his dragonfire sword flickering once more before the blade dissolved into embers, vanishing with a faint sizzle.

"You say that as if he wasn’t even a challenge to you in the first place."

"Well..." Lucian’s eyes gleamed, a subtle smirk tugging at his lips. "I guess I had enough fun for today."

Ivan raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Had enough? I’m surprised. If I were you, I’d wish this would go on for a few more years."

Lucian gave a soft snort, glancing toward the Champion, who now surged forward with growing momentum—each step faster, more focused, blades slicing his skin but failing to stop him.

"Save your energy," Lucian murmured, his voice low but confident. "I might even make it painless."

With a simple wave of his hand, a massive arcane codex materialized beside him—its spine bound in dark steel, pages fluttering open as if stirred by an invisible storm. The tome pulsed with raw energy, each unlocked page glowing brighter than the last.

"Let’s try another mix of everything, shall we?"

He chuckled, though his tone carried an undercurrent of anticipation. Sparks of blood magic, shadow essence, and ember-red fire began coiling around the codex in layered sigils.

Can’t believe I’m doing this... Why did I even name this attack like this?

"Hellfire Darkness Sanguine Collapse!"

Lucian shouted, the words echoing with mystic weight—even as his expression contorted into mild irritation at the ridiculous name. But whatever his feelings about the phrasing, the power it summoned was undeniable.

The Champion, still pushing through the aerial storm of blades, visibly shuddered, a tremor rolling down his armored spine. His instincts screamed danger—something ancient and overwhelming was about to be unleashed.

Ivan, for his part, briefly stifled a laugh, raising a hand to cover his mouth as he turned away.

Even a prince with snobbish titles is laughing at my old naming tastes...

"You... how dare you hold back against me...!"

The Champion roared, his voice raw with pride and rage. His speed surged once again—now bordering on reckless abandon, ignoring the cuts and slashes of blood-blades that sliced into him. His target was clear. He was going to take Lucian down—even if it cost him everything.

"Well..." Lucian replied, his tone casual but with a trace of mischief. "It wouldn’t be fun for my lord if I didn’t, would it?"

As he spoke, a massive portal tore open beside him—black at the edges, rimmed in ember-light and dark crimson veins. It pulsed like a second heart in the air, a gateway to devastation, humming with volatile power.

"Now then... goodbye."

He grinned wide, his hand making a final gesture as the portal surged. From its depths, a colossal beam erupted—a cataclysmic ray composed of all Lucian’s domains: blazing hellfire, suffocating shadows, and thick sanguine magic laced with entropy. It tore forward like a divine execution.

The Champion let out a primal scream, launching his spear directly into the incoming blast—his final act of defiance. But the weapon barely touched the beam before it melted on contact, disintegrating like wax in the sun.

He kept sprinting, refusing to stop—even as the attack consumed the ground beneath his feet.

The beam struck.

There was no explosion—only erasure. The moment it connected, the world went silent. The air itself seemed to vanish, sucked into the core of the attack. The Champion’s charge ended mid-stride, his outline silhouetted in the blinding light for a heartbeat... then nothing.

A wide crater carved itself through the volcanic stone in the attack’s wake, obsidian and magma torn aside like paper. Ash spiraled upward in a silent vortex. The only sound that followed was the faint hiss of steam as blood rain continued to fall, sizzling gently across the scorched battlefield.

Lucian lowered his hands, his codex dissolving into black mist beside him.

"Overkill," he muttered under his breath with a shake of his head. "But effective."

Ivan stepped forward slowly, eyes scanning the obliterated landscape, his expression unreadable for a moment before breaking into a grin.

"Well... that was dramatic."

"Could’ve done it with less flair," Lucian admitted, brushing blood-slicked hair back from his face. "But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel a little satisfying."

"No trace left..." Ivan mused aloud. "Do you think he’s actually gone?"

Lucian paused. His eyes narrowed as he raised a hand. The blood in the air briefly gathered at his palm, forming a small sphere. He studied it—waiting, sensing.

Then, after a few seconds, he nodded.

"Can’t sense any disturbance."

A long silence fell between the two warriors, broken only by the distant bubbling of lava and the rhythmic patter of blood rain finally starting to thin out.

Ivan exhaled deeply, cracking his neck. "Well, this was certainly something I never would have expected."

Lucian chuckled. "Let’s hope the next trial doesn’t get jealous and overcompensate."

The crater was now still. The fight was over. All that remained was ruin, scorched stone, and the remnants of power lingering in the air.

Lucian glanced up at the crimson clouds above, his voice quieter now.

"That’s the second trial down."

Ivan clapped him on the back, grinning with unshaken confidence.

"If it makes us any stronger then I don’t mind it at all."

Lucian smirked faintly, the firelight from the still-cooling battlefield reflecting in his eyes.

"Then let’s keep moving."

The two warriors turned from the smoldering crater and walked forward—through blood, ash, and shadow—toward the portal that shimmered in front of them, marking the end of the trial.

[Mission Complete]

[Rewards allocated: Ivan – Third Prince]