How to Survive as the Academy’s Villain

Chapter 207

In this world, there exists an inescapable fate, one that cannot be defied.

And this world was no different.

Every character moved, acted, and played their part according to a flow set by the so-called “god,” constructing a story.

And we, the readers, perceived it as nothing more than a novel.

“God, my ass… just a third-rate author hack,” I muttered briefly, glancing over at Kyle, the protagonist, who had finished preparing for battle.

I kept Kyle Perion, the character with the most overpowered abilities, close to me just in case things got out of hand.

If Anne Carson is destined to embody the Demon King, only Kyle can defeat her.

That was simply how the rules of this world worked.

“Kyle, remember—you have to land the final blow, no matter what. Got it?”

“Yeah, got it,” Kyle replied with a firm nod.

He grinned, his face radiating his usual carefree confidence. I couldn’t help but shake my head.

What the hell was going through that guy’s mind?

Boom! Boom!

Ahead, Jamie and Beatrice were locked in their fierce rematch against Anne Carson, but—

“Huff.”

“Phew.”

Judging by the strained expressions on Jamie and Beatrice’s faces, even the combined power of the tri-colored mages seemed insufficient to take down Anne Carson.

“Should I have summoned the Blue Mage too?” I muttered, dismissing the thought immediately.

“No, I’ll handle her myself.”

With Kamon Vade having restored all of my mana circuits, he’d also left me with knowledge of ancient magic in my mind.

Considering how Anne Carson had struggled against ancient magic before, I was confident that the spells Kamon had mastered would be enough to face her.

“Kyle, I’ll signal you when the opportunity arises. Be ready to strike.”

“Alright, I’ll be waiting.”

After one last instruction to Kyle, I charged toward the area where the intense shockwaves were emanating.

“Aether Fly!”

Using the spell Jamie had demonstrated earlier, I shot into the sky at high speed.

Then, without hesitation—

“Hellfire.”

I cast a high-level spell that was ordinarily too dangerous to use casually.

Fwoooosh!

Not just one or two, but hundreds of green flames erupted around me, filling the air.

“…Kamon?”

My sudden surge of mana must have drawn attention, as all three of them turned to look in my direction.

“What the… Kamon, when did you get so strong?” Beatrice, the Red Mage, asked, her eyes wide with shock.

I chuckled and replied lightly, “Just now.”

“What?”

“Someone I know shared his strength with me. Hup!”

With that, I turned my focus back to the massive shadow that had been relentlessly harassing Jamie and Beatrice.

Fwoosh, whooosh!

Hundreds of Hellfire orbs launched toward the dark mass, each one blazing with deadly green energy.

“Pointless.”

Anne Carson’s cold voice echoed through the battlefield, but I simply smirked and asked,

“Are you sure?”

“…?”

“Di Infinitum Gladis Sector Caelum.”

With a short incantation, thousands of massive swords of light materialized, all aimed at her.

And then—

“Heh, you’re truly my Disciple,” Jamie laughed, snapping his fingers.

Snap!

Fwoooosh!

An equal number of swords appeared alongside mine, filling the air.

The sheer number of light swords easily exceeded ten thousand, stretching across the entire sky and even covering the ground. There was nowhere for Anne Carson to escape.

“Let’s see how long you can keep up that magic.”

“Here we go, Kamon!”

Jamie and I locked eyes, then gestured in unison.

The thousands of light swords launched at once, hurtling toward their single target.

Shhhhhk!

“Where do you insects think you’re aiming?!”

Anne Carson’s face twisted in fury as she stretched her hands forward, chanting a spell.

“Clephaeus Coelestin!”

With her incantation, thousands of golden shields materialized, creating a massive barrier around her.

Ding! Crash! Clang!

The light swords and golden shields collided, exploding into a spectacle of destructive energy as they canceled each other out.

Meanwhile—

“…Good job, everyone. I’ll handle the shadow. Conversio Nigrum Filamentum!”

Beatrice, who had once studied under Anne Carson, chanted a spell similar to her former mentor’s, launching a final attack against the shadow that was suffering under the barrage of Hellfire.

Whoosh.

A small orb of light drilled into the shadow’s core.

In moments, the entire mass of darkness began to be absorbed into the tiny orb with a loud whirring sound.

It was like a black hole, sucking up every remnant of the shadow.

And finally—

Shwoop!

The last vestiges of the shadow vanished, completely absorbed, and Anne Carson’s magic dissipated entirely.

“…….”

Anne remained silent, standing behind her golden shields and watching us with a hardened expression.

I, along with Jamie and Beatrice, surrounded her in midair, shouting together.

“It’s over, Anne Carson.”

“With your age, isn’t it about time you took your final bow, senior?”

“Master, I’ll be the one to end this.”

Each of us taunted her, trying to provoke her.

Suddenly, Anne Carson started laughing.

“Heh… Haahaha!”

“…?”

The unexpected reaction put all three of us on high alert, preparing for her next attack.

But she didn’t cast any new spells. Instead, she looked at us with a scornful smile and said,

“Fine. I admit it… You’re not as weak as I thought.”

“What?”

“There’s a fate you can’t resist, no matter how hard you try. Let’s be real—this is just a nuisance for me. Sooner or later, you’ll all be dead anyway.”

Anne Carson’s words stung with condescension. And the worst part? She looked entirely unscathed.

Despite the intense magic attacks, the endless barrage of spells, and the grueling exchanges, there wasn’t a single hint of fatigue on her face. Her expression remained calm, her gaze steady, as if she had just taken a casual stroll.

On the other hand, Jamie and Beatrice were clearly struggling; their faces had lost color, evidence of their rapidly draining mana reserves.

And me?

‘…My mana is almost gone.’

Kamon Vade’s restoration of my mana circuits had let me unleash ancient magic and every unique spell I knew, but there was a limit to the amount of mana I could use. It wasn’t infinite.

Then Anne Carson spoke again, her voice laced with a hint of irritation.

“So, I’ve decided to end this once and for all. It’ll be easier if I just finish you off.”

“…What do you mean by that, Anne Carson?”

She chuckled at my question and looked over at Beatrice, her eyes glinting with dark amusement.

“My dear Beatrice. Do you remember the very first curse I taught you when I began mentoring you?”

“…!”

Beatrice’s eyes widened in horror, her face growing pale.

“What is it, Beatrice? Tell me!” I urged, my voice tense.

“Red thief cat, come on, what’s the damn curse she’s planning to use?” Jamie demanded, growing anxious.

“Damn it… Damn it all!” Beatrice bit her lip, glaring at Anne Carson as she answered.

“The Curse of Annihilation. It’s a spell worse than hell itself, one that drains the life from everything around it.”

“What?” I muttered in disbelief.

“The Curse of Annihilation?”

Beatrice’s explanation triggered a memory buried deep within the knowledge of Grand Mage Katryzin and the remnants of Kamon Vade’s memories.

The Curse of Annihilation.

A forbidden curse that manifests as a dark brown mist, consuming life around it to fuel its own spread. Any life form exposed to it would have its essence drained, strengthening the curse even further.

In the worst-case scenario, this curse could not only decimate the world but turn entire dimensions into lands of death—a forbidden spell feared for its sheer destructive potential.

Realizing the severity of the situation, Beatrice shouted urgently.

“Master! Don’t you remember what you told me when you taught me that spell? You said that using it could endanger the caster as well, and it should only be used as a last resort!”

Anne Carson smiled faintly, as if pleased by her pupil’s memory, before her expression turned stern.

“Yes, you remember well, my little Beatrice. But none of that matters now. Once I become the Demon King, I’ll be able to remove the curse’s consequences altogether…”

With a smirk, Anne Carson shifted her gaze toward me, her voice dripping with disdain.

“And as for you, foreigner from another dimension… you’ll be completely eradicated by this curse. I hope you realize just how futile Kamon Vade’s resistance was.”

A dark, mocking laugh echoed from her lips as she uttered the incantation.

“Casién Extensio.”

With that brief invocation, a small wisp of dark brown mist began to form right in front of her.

But it didn’t stay small for long.

Whoooosh.

It started to absorb the wind, the air, and even the surrounding light, expanding rapidly in size.

“Now… I’ll end everything.”

Anne Carson quickly stepped back, moving out of the mist’s range as it spread.

Jamie and Beatrice immediately cast their own spells to escape.

“Aether Fly!”

“Fast Blink!”

But—

“…Kamon, what are you doing? Get over here, quick!” Jamie yelled.

“Hey, are you insane?!” Beatrice shouted.

I didn’t move. I just stood there, watching as the dark brown mist surged closer.

The Curse of Annihilation.

A forbidden spell that consumes all life.

But I had one trump card.

Well, not so much a weapon—more of a piece of knowledge.

The Life Force.

The last traces of Grand Mage Katryzin’s power, stored within the Orb and the ruby necklace. If I could channel that life force directly into the curse before it grew too strong, I might be able to destabilize it, forcing the spell to overload and explode.

‘Is this really possible?’

Yes, it was. Both the knowledge of the Grand Mage and the memories of Kamon Vade confirmed it.

The only problem was…

“Sigh… So it comes down to this.”

To pull this off, I’d have to dive into the curse myself, sacrificing my own safety.

Grit.

“Aether Fly!”

With my teeth clenched, I propelled myself straight toward the advancing dark brown mist.

Instead of retreating, I charged forward—an insane move.

“Kamon!”

“Kamon Vade!” Jamie and Beatrice’s voices rang out from behind me, but I didn’t look back.

Even Anne Carson seemed momentarily taken aback, watching me with a hint of shock.

“What kind of madman… What is he doing now?”

Ignoring their reactions, I focused entirely on drawing out the full power of Katryzin’s life energy from the Orb and the ruby necklace.

Gooooh.

A dark green aura began to envelop my entire body, pulsating with the life force I’d summoned.

It was the ancient magic from the bracelet I’d acquired back in the Vade family mansion.

Finally, the moment I collided with the mist—

Shiiiiing!

A brilliant teal light erupted from the center of my forehead, radiating outwards.

An overwhelming surge of energy blasted from me, directed straight at the dark brown mist of the Curse of Annihilation.

Whooooosh!

And just like a starving beast drawn to an irresistible feast, the mist began to hungrily absorb the teal life force.

Shiiik, whoooosh!

The teal light continued pouring out of me, and the curse eagerly devoured it, growing larger and more powerful with every ounce it consumed.

At the same time—

“Argh!”

My right hand and left leg, which had briefly touched the mist, began to wither and decay at an alarming rate.

The excruciating pain threatened to overwhelm me, but I kept forcing out the life energy.

“I can’t stop now!”

I maintained the exchange, letting the curse consume more and more of the life force.

Shhhhhh!

Ziiiiiing!

Whooooosh!

The dark brown mist ballooned in size, merging with the endless stream of teal life force until—

Boooooom!

The curse, unable to contain the massive influx of life energy, began to overload. The spell destabilized, and finally—

KA-BOOOOOM!

With a deafening explosion, the mist erupted, mixing with the teal light in a monstrous cloud that expanded outward in a wave, like a mushroom cloud from a nuclear blast.

The shockwave spread in every direction, reaching the academy grounds, nearby cities, and even part of the Empire.

And I—

Thud, thud!

“Kamon—no, Kang Hyunsoo! Are you alright?!”

Supported by Kyle Perion, who had rushed over, I let out a long, pained groan, feeling the weight of the intense agony I’d been holding back.