Never Die Villain

"Unlike you, I can’t throw myself through the sky like an idiot."

Tristan emerged from between the trees, looking noticeably worse than the last time most of the students had seen him.

His uniform was torn and stained with dirt, and although several people clearly wondered what had happened to him, nobody was stupid enough to ask.

"Huh..."

Solenne’s eyes widened at his arrival, and several other students reacted similarly.

Tristan Amaury de Bellacourt was considered one of the strongest first-years in the academy, and after watching the Basilisk tear through their numbers only moments earlier, seeing him enter the clearing was enough to restore their confidence immediately.

"Lord Tristan!"

"We can take it now!"

"Everyone, attack together!"

Magic circles began appearing throughout the clearing as the students prepared to join him, but Tristan turned toward them before anyone could release a spell.

"Move, and I’ll kill every single one of you."

The magic circles disappeared.

"...."

Even the students who had been preparing to rush forward stopped where they stood.

Tristan didn’t bother explaining himself, nor did he seem particularly concerned by the bewildered looks now directed at him.

His attention had already shifted away from them and toward the idiot standing several meters ahead.

"Ilya Belozersky."

Ilya looked over his shoulder.

Tristan pointed toward the Basilisk.

"Let’s settle the score. Whoever deals the final blow wins."

Ilya stared at him for a moment before a grin slowly appeared on his face.

"Loser."

"...."

The blizzard gathered.

Ilya disappeared.

"You fucking bastard!"

By the time Tristan realized what he meant, Ilya had launched himself across the clearing and reached the Basilisk, shamelessly taking the head start before Tristan had finished processing the insult.

Frost spread across Ilya’s arm as he twisted his body in midair, and the blizzard surged behind him at the exact moment he drove his fist into the creature’s already damaged head.

Boom——!

The Basilisk’s head snapped sideways as the force of the blow traveled through its enormous body, sending shards of ice scattering across the clearing.

Ilya used the recoil to throw himself away before the creature could retaliate, landing farther along its side as Tristan finally began constructing his spell.

"...."

For a moment, Tristan could only stare.

He had already experienced firsthand how much force Ilya could put behind those punches, but seeing the idiot use the exact same method against a Basilisk Tyrant was something else.

Most wizards would have taken one look at a creature several times their size and immediately tried to put as much distance between themselves and it as possible, yet Ilya’s first instinct had apparently been to fly straight toward its head and punch it.

"What kind of psycho..."

Tristan stopped himself.

There was no point questioning Ilya’s sanity now, especially after everything that had happened between them over the past hour.

More importantly, Ilya had already landed the first attack, and Tristan had no intention of standing there watching him steal the lead.

"Fine."

Several translucent planes appeared around the Basilisk as Tristan raised his hand, positioning themselves at different angles before a magic circle formed in front of his palm.

The creature had only just turned toward Ilya when Tristan released his spell, sending a concentrated lance of mana into the first plane and redirecting it across the clearing.

The attack changed direction again and again, passing through Tristan’s network until it struck from an angle the Basilisk couldn’t easily defend against.

It struck directly against one of the damaged sections along its back, driving through the weakened scales before exploding against the exposed flesh beneath.

Boom——!

The Basilisk roared as its body lurched forward.

Ilya glanced toward Tristan, who lowered his hand with a satisfied look on his face.

"You said I’m a better wizard, didn’t you?" Tristan gestured toward the damage he had just caused. "Well, that’s how a wizard fights."

Ilya looked at the wound, then back at him.

"Didn’t kill it."

"...."

"Neither did you—"

Before he could finish, an invisible force suddenly sent him hurtling away.

Tristan’s eyes widened as he rapidly flew farther away from the Basilisk. Whether it was telekinesis or whatever strange magic Ilya had been using throughout their fight, he didn’t care anymore.

All he knew was that Ilya had just launched him far across the forest so he could have the Basilisk to himself.

"You fucking bastaaaaaard!"

His voice faded into the distance.

Ilya didn’t even bother watching where Tristan went. The moment his competition disappeared beyond the trees, he turned back toward the Basilisk and launched himself into the air, several ice javelins already forming around him as the blizzard carried him above the creature.

"Now then."

The javelins came down at once.

Several shattered against the Basilisk’s armored scales, but Ilya concentrated the rest around the wounds that had already been opened across its body.

Ice drove into the exposed sections one after another, forcing the creature backward as Ilya circled above it and continued attacking from angles it struggled to follow.

For several seconds, the remaining students simply stared.

Then one of them seemed to remember something important.

"Wait..."

He looked at the Basilisk.

"It must be worth a hundred points..."

Everyone around him went quiet.

The student tightened his grip around his staff.

"Why the hell are we letting him have it?!"

That was all it took.

Magic circles immediately began appearing throughout the clearing as the students who had been standing back rushed into the fight again.

Whatever fear the Basilisk had beaten into them moments earlier suddenly became much easier to ignore now that it was injured, distracted, and being pressured by someone strong enough to keep most of its attention away from them.

"The last hit gets the points!"

"Don’t let Belozersky steal it!"

"Lady Elise, I’ll get the hundred points for you!"

Elise’s head snapped toward the voice.

"Why would you give them to me?!"

"Because you’re Lady Elise!"

Spells began flying before she could argue further.

Fireballs struck the Basilisk’s side as wind blades followed close behind, and another group concentrated their attacks around one of its damaged legs in an attempt to bring the creature down.

The Basilisk swung its tail through the clearing in response, forcing several students to scatter, but the moment its attention shifted toward them, Ilya dropped from above.

Frost gathered around his leg.

Boom——!

His heel crashed against the side of the Basilisk’s head with the blizzard accelerating the strike, knocking it toward the ground before Ilya immediately propelled himself away from its snapping jaws.

He barely gained any distance before lightning passed beside him and struck the creature directly in the neck.

"Fulmen!"

Ilya glanced toward Elise.

She lowered her hand.

"Hi... Ilya... but I’m not letting you take all the points either..."

"...."

Ilya only smiled.

At this point, nearly every student still capable of fighting had joined in, and whatever cooperation had existed against the Basilisk quickly became mixed with an increasingly shameless competition for the final blow.

They still covered one another whenever the creature attacked, but the moment an opening appeared, everyone seemed perfectly willing to throw their strongest spell into it regardless of who had created that opening in the first place.

"It’s weakening!"

"Move! That’s mine!"

"You missed!"

"Shut up!"

Solenne remained farther away from the madness, watching spell after spell crash into the Basilisk while wondering how quickly everyone had gone from desperately trying not to die to fighting over who got to kill it.

She had absolutely no intention of joining them at close range again, although that didn’t stop her from throwing the occasional spell whenever the creature turned away.

Then a familiar voice echoed from somewhere beyond the trees.

"Ilya Belozerskyyyyy!"

Ilya paused.

"Oh."

Someone was coming.

And they were coming fast.

———!

Several translucent planes appeared above the distant forest before a spell shot through them one after another, changing direction repeatedly as it crossed the remaining distance toward the clearing.

It passed over the students’ heads and came down directly onto the Basilisk, striking one of the open wounds across its back with enough force to drive the creature toward the ground.

Tristan appeared shortly afterward.

He looked rather furious.

Ilya raised a hand.

"Welcome back."

"...I am going to kill you."

"You’ll have to kill that first."

"...No, I’m going to kill you."

Tristan switched targets.