A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Quickening (2)

The barrier clearly separated the interior from the exterior. Even with my Comprehension attribute, extracting useful information was difficult in such a situation. I walked through the barrier, tearing the small obstruction with my staff. Inside, the air was smoky and dark, as if the entire place were bathed in the light of red lanterns.

“Everyone, calm down,” a voice echoed from somewhere.

I followed it through the dormitory corridors until I reached the first-floor hall, where the dorm supervisor had gathered the children.

“Professor!” someone shouted as soon as they saw me.

They looked at me as if I were their savior, but I couldn’t afford to be friendly. The dense demonic energy inside the barrier was aggravating.

“We're saved! Professor, what should we—”

“Shut it.”

The commotion died down instantly. I observed the dorm supervisor, noticing her sharp glasses, wrinkled clothes, dusty shoulders, and torn nails. I also noted every detail about the other students, from the fibers on their robes and the wrinkles on their faces to the reflections in their pupils.

“Is everyone here?”

“There are still people upstairs,” the dorm supervisor stated.

I took the Wood Steel shurikens out of my briefcase. Ten of them floated up the stairs to the upper floors of the dormitory, while the remaining ten descended to the basement.

With my eyes closed, I listened to the resonance of the steel. This was a bonus of my properties—a special skill I developed with my cherished item through my connection with fire, earth, and metal.

The Wood Steel scoured each floor, relaying the presence of any living beings to me and mercilessly tearing apart any non-human creatures. The radar picked up four survivors on the fifth, sixth, ninth, and tenth floors. I directed the Wood Steel to guide them to our location.

“Wh-what is this? Hey, who are you?”

“Do you think it wants us to follow it?”

“B-but there are monsters outside...”

Despite their hesitation, my voice reached them through the vibrations of the Wood Steel.

“Follow.”

Hearing my voice, they quickly descended the stairs, following the guidance of the Wood Steel.

“... Ahhhh!”

Once they reached the first floor, they collapsed, gasping for breath. The dorm supervisor tried to soothe them.

“Will we be able to get out of here now?” the dorm supervisor asked.

“This barrier is expertly crafted. It is easy to enter but difficult to exit. The use of demonic energy makes it twice as troublesome as an ordinary barrier.”

While I could disassemble it through calculations, locating the core with my Sharp Eyesight would allow for immediate destruction. However, this would take more time than the mages already poisoned by the demonic energy could endure.

“Then...”

“Shh,” I commanded, pressing a finger to my lips.

Everyone froze in place. In the ensuing silence, I surveyed the robed mages, closely examining their condition and attire. A large-scale spell like this barrier could not be cast by one person alone; there had to be a caster who activated it. They showed no outward clues, their disguises perfect. Nevertheless, I activated my Telekinesis and used it to ruffle their hair.

“Hmph,” I murmured with a smirk, a sneer rising unbidden. I approached one of them with deliberate steps.

“People carry their history within their bodies. Even if they conceal their origins, the passage of time leaves deep traces.”

I reached out and touched the dorm supervisor's hair.

“Your hair... carries traces of ash.”

The response of the ash to my Telekinesis was unmistakable.

“Have you been residing in a volcanic wasteland, Child of the Ashes?”

Everyone stared at her in shock. She quietly adjusted her glasses and then peeled off the face mask. I wasn’t outwardly surprised; the main antagonist of this quest was, indeed, a named character.

“Nice deduction... but does it change anything? Are you aware?” she asked coldly, her eyes sharp. “The Children of the Ashes kill anyone who calls them by that name.”

I listened quietly, suppressing the rage bubbling within me. Blue veins rose on my neck as my mouth filled with curses, a side effect of the demonic energy.

“You deserve to die,” she muttered, as she activated her mana.

Hummmmm—

A surge of powerful mana rose from the ground. I focused on her spell and activated my Comprehension. Instantly, my vision expanded, making the world around me crystal clear. The mana flowing through my mind sped up my thoughts and enhanced my calculations.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. This heightened state made my whole body tingle. I understood her spell in an instant. With the core circuit visible through my Sharp Eyesight, I disrupted and dismantled it using my Comprehension.

Zzzzzzzt—!

The outcome of her painstaking spell was merely a single spark. _{ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com}

"You crazy bastard," she muttered, immediately attempting another spell. I dismantled it just by observing. This time, it was merely a snowball. "What is this...?"

Although this process rapidly consumed my mana, I purified and absorbed the external demonic energy just as quickly.

“How foolish.”

I observed the magic forming in the Phenomenal Realm, analyzing it perfectly and dismantling it precisely. Any attempt to cast a spell was futile. The magic would never be completed, not even a single thread of it, and I would ensure that.

Within this barrier thick with demonic energy, the combination of my Comprehension and Sharp Eyesight allowed me to see and interfere with nearly all magic without limit.

“... Damn it!”

Finally, she gave up trying to cast magic. A smirk crossed my lips.

“This is why...” I said, approaching her slowly and deliberately. “You are called the Ashes.”

Her eyes widened with a mix of fury and fear as I continued.

“Wretches unworthy of society, despised by all. Lacking the structure of a human, devoid of the charm of a beast, mere filth like maggots.”

She glared at me as I raised my finger to her forehead, severing the magic spell being cast behind her.

“Your only talent is writhing in the dirt, your base nature utterly irredeemable.”

“... Ha. You talk big. If you’re so great, why don’t you break the barrier and save the kids before they die? Are you afraid you can’t?” she sneered, looking up at me.

“Allow me to elucidate your error,” I replied, meeting her gaze with equal contempt. “Your profound stupidity lies in setting this barrier on a building, not the space around it.”

Ten of the Wood Steel shurikens saved the survivors, while the remaining ten descended into the basement. These shurikens attached themselves to the core supports of the dormitory's steel frame. They drilled into the underground rock and latched onto the pillars that supported the entire building.

“This highlights your profound lack of intelligence.”

The Wood Steel heated the core of the steel frame. The superheated steel itself became a potent explosive.

She finally grasped my intent and asked, "... Are you out of your mind? You intend to destroy the building to break the barrier?"

I sighed, feeling a flaw in my character boiling within. Leaning close to her ear, I whispered, “Arlos.”

She flinched at the sound of the name.

“Do not presume that I am unaware of your identity,” I declared, stepping back. Her eyes widened even further. “Know your enemy before you act.”

At that moment, the Wood Steel in the basement had heated enough to scorch the pillars.

Soon, flames erupted, triggering my Fire Control. A massive vibration shook the ground. The rapidly intensified fire mixed with the Wood Steel, causing an explosion. The collapse happened in an instant. The building, having lost its core supports, crumbled into a cloud of dust. The barrier surrounding the building also disintegrated.

Boooooom—!

Amid the chaos of debris raining down like a storm, I calmly looked down at her from the heart of the collapse.

“It is time for you to revert to your true form.”

At that moment, she looked even more surprised than when I had said her name. Soon, my Wood Steel pierced her neck, and the light in her eyes faded. She transformed into a mannequin. This was a form of specialized magic that emerged when manipulation and harmony were perfected—puppetry. It was Arlos's signature technique.

“Aaaaaaaaah!”

The mages screamed. I turned slightly to look behind me. The lights were shattered, and darkness enveloped everything, but there were no casualties. There couldn't have been any.

Cough, cough—

They were only coughing from the dust. After all, they were under the protection of my Telekinesis.

"Oh, oh, oh! It's collapsing!" someone shouted in alarm.

"Prof— Ow!" someone called out as they approached him.

“Hmm,” Arlos mused.