Villain Origin : Every Crime I Commit Helps Me Level Up-Chapter 36: Moonlit Duel 3

André didn’t hesitate. With the real Victor identified, he launched himself from the ceiling beam, diving directly into the oncoming wave of lunar energy. It was a move that appeared suicidal—even reckless by André’s standards—but his Keen Instincts had spotted something else: minute fluctuations in the energy’s pattern, revealing narrow corridors where the destructive force was weakest.

The warehouse exploded in silver light as André plummeted through the energy wave, his body twisting through the invisible safe passages his instincts had detected. The moonlight seared his skin where it grazed him, but he avoided a direct hit that would have been fatal. The concrete floor cracked beneath him as he landed in a crouch, his eyes fixed on the Victor he now knew to be real.

"Impressive," the circle of Victors commented in unison, their synchronization perfect once again. "But ultimately futile."

[SYSTEM ALERT]

> HP: 58/130

> Warning: Energy Exposure – Healing Rate reduced by 30%

> Caution: Severe burn detected – Movement impaired by 18%

André’s eyes swept around the circle, careful not to linger on the real Victor. If he revealed his knowledge too soon, Victor would simply retreat and continue his range attacks. No, he needed to get closer—much closer.

The problem was distance. The Victors maintained a perfect thirty-foot circle around him, well beyond the range of his Nortic End—a devastating finishing move, but useless without close proximity. Somehow, he needed to bait the real Victor closer.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

> EP: 50/110

> Warning: Low Energy Reserves

André felt the drain on his energy reserves and knew he had to act quickly. The Nortic End would consume 40% of his remaining EP—leaving him with barely enough to maintain consciousness if he failed to connect properly. One shot was all he had.

Without warning, the circle of Victors raised their hands in perfect unison. The air around André charged with energy as dozens of moonlight spears materialized, hovering ominously before launching toward him from all directions.

André’s muscles tensed as his Keen Instincts activated. He dodged the first volley with inhuman speed, then spun to avoid the second. Three spears grazed his shoulder and leg, opening new wounds that leaked blood mixed with silver light. Despite the pain, André kept moving, his eyes calculating trajectories and finding the narrow gaps between deadly projectiles.

"You can’t keep this up forever," the Victors taunted, already forming another wave of attacks. "Your wounds slow you. Your energy drains. Soon, you’ll make a mistake."

"Maybe," André replied, his breath coming in controlled gasps. "Or maybe you’ll make one first."

To the Victors’ surprise, André suddenly charged forward, targeting one of the clones at random. His fist connected with the illusion, passing through it harmlessly as it dissipated into silver mist.

The real Victor laughed along with his remaining copies. "Is that your strategy? Process of elimination?"

André didn’t respond. He pivoted sharply, launching himself at another clone. Again, his fist passed through the illusion. He repeated this pattern, attacking clone after clone with simple, direct strikes. No special techniques, no flashy moves—just determined, methodical elimination.

The real Victor watched with growing amusement, clearly enjoying André’s apparent desperation. With each failed attack, André was taking more damage from the continuous barrage of moonlight projectiles that Victor maintained.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

> HP: 49/130

> Warning: Multiple wounds detected

> EP: 50/110

> Caution: Energy reserves declining

"I expected more from you—after everything you did just to earn my gaze," the Victors said in flawless unison, their synchronization eerily precise. "This is just pathetic." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

André wiped blood from his mouth, seemingly frustrated. "Stand still and fight me properly, you coward."

The taunt had its intended effect. The circle of Victors contracted slightly, moving within twenty feet of André.

"A coward?" the Victors said, genuine irritation in their identical voices. "I’m simply being efficient. Why risk close combat when I can destroy you from a distance?"

André lunged at another clone, his fist passing through harmlessly. "Because this isn’t a fight," he spat. "It’s pest control. And you’re treating me like an insect."

The circle contracted further, now just fifteen feet away. The real Victor’s pride was getting the better of him—exactly as André had planned.

"Very well," the Victors said. "Let me demonstrate true power at closer range."

The warehouse temperature plummeted as the Victors raised their hands in unison. The floor beneath André erupted into spikes of solid moonlight, forcing him to leap and twist frantically to avoid being impaled. As he landed, waves of crescent-shaped energy blades sliced through the air around him, leaving him barely enough room to maneuver.

André took several hits but kept moving, appearing increasingly desperate. Blood flowed freely from multiple wounds, yet his eyes remained focused, calculating.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

> HP: 42/130

> Warning: Critical injuries approaching

> EP: 50/110

> Nortic End requirements: 40% of current reserves (16.4 EP)

"Had enough?" the Victors asked, now just twelve feet away. "Or shall I continue your education?"

André stumbled, seemingly at his limit. "You talk... too much."

With a burst of speed that caught the Victors off guard, André lunged directly toward the real Victor—ignoring all the clones completely. Victor’s eyes widened in shock, realizing his true identity had been discovered.

"How did you—" he began, hastily drawing a moonlight sword.

"Nortic—" André’s hand began to glow with deep purple energy that pulsed like a heartbeat, completely different from Victor’s silver moonlight.

Victor swung his blade in a desperate arc, but André maneuvered around it with fluid precision, his Keen Instincts guiding his movements despite his injuries.

"—End!" André completed the technique, his palm thrusting forward as a Violet surge concentrated to an impossibly dense point.

Victor frantically tried to erect a shield of moonlight armor, silver energy coalescing around his body in layers. "Die!" he shouted, pouring everything he had into his defense.

André’s attack connected with Victor’s chest despite the armor. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen—then a tiny crack appeared where André’s palm made contact. The crack spread rapidly, fracturing the moonlight armor as crimson energy burrowed through the defenses.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

> EP: 10.6/110

> Warning: Low Energy Reserves

> Nortic End: 85% complete

The Nortic End completed its work with surgical precision, punching through Victor’s final layer of protection and into his chest. There was no explosive impact, no shower of blood—just a perfect circular hole that appeared in Victor’s torso, its edges glowing with fading crimson light.

Victor stared down at the hole in disbelief. His illusions flickered and vanished as his concentration shattered. He opened his mouth but no sound came out.

Victor dropped to his knees, his face ashen.

"How... when..." Victor managed, his voice barely audible.

"When I was on the ceiling beam," André replied. "You thought I was retreating. I was identifying my target."

"I knew which one was you all along," André said quietly. "Your illusions are perfect, but they lack one thing—substance."

He smiled, satisfied. "You’re not the only one with tricks."

As Victor collapsed to the ground, his face contorted with disbelief, the moonlight throughout the warehouse began to wane. The silver glow that had filled every corner now retreated like an ebbing tide, leaving shadows to reclaim their territory. André stood over his fallen opponent, breathing heavily but triumphant.

Suddenly, a notification materialized before André’s eyes:

[SYSTEM ALERT]

> Level Up!

> Leader of Solar Shade defeated

> All injuries healed

> HP restored to 130/130

> EP restored to 110/110

> Reward available. Would you like to claim?

André felt a surge of vitality course through his body. The burns that had seared his skin closed instantly, leaving unmarked flesh behind. The deep wounds from the moonlight spears sealed themselves, and the bone-deep fatigue that had plagued him vanished. He stood taller, rejuvenated and whole once again.

As his finger hovered over the floating notification, preparing to claim his reward, a chilling sound echoed through the warehouse. Laughter—high, cold, and unmistakably familiar—reverberated off the concrete walls, seeming to come from everywhere at once.

l

André froze, his hand suspended in mid-air. Recognition flashed across his features, followed immediately by a wave of white-hot rage that surged through his newly healed body. His fists clenched instinctively, muscles tensing as adrenaline flooded his system once more.

The laughter continued, growing in volume and malice, mocking his moment of victory. André’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the warehouse, no longer interested in the reward notification that still hovered expectantly before him.

He knew that laugh. Had heard it on the worst day of his life.

"You," André whispered, the single word laden with years of pent-up fury.

---

On the far side of the warehouse, partially hidden behind stacked crates, Zaria crouched beside Marcus’s motionless form. Her hand pressed firmly against his chest, not to check for signs of life, but to confirm the absence of them. After a few seconds, she exhaled, satisfied—he was dead.

"Nice work dragging him over here," she whispered to Ken, who stood guard nearby, tense and alert. "André needs to see this."

Ken grunted in acknowledgment, his eyes never leaving the main floor where André confronted Victor. "Marcus’s men aren’t going to be happy when they find out what happened to their boss."

"Let them come," Zaria replied, a dangerous edged in her voice.

As if summoned by her words, the air around them seemed to ripple. Ken sensed the disturbance first, spinning around with surprising speed for someone his size. "We’ve got company," he growled.

A figure materialized from the darkness behind them—not stepping out of the shadows but forming from them. The silhouette solidified into a lithe form dressed in black, face obscured by a mask that revealed only piercing amber eyes.

"What the fuck is that?" she muttered, shifting into a combat stance. "It looks like a ninja of some sort... Are you seeing what I’m seeing Ken?"