Transmigrated as the Villain Between the Heroine and the Villainess

The hooded man's voice carried over the broken arena.

"Selvara. What are you doing?"

His tone was sharp, full of anger and disbelief.

Selvara stood near the shattered wall. Black frost swirled in her hands, her pale eyes steady.

She looked at Azrael first. His violet eyes met hers. They held confusion, pain, and something else.

Then she glanced at Seraphina, Elvara, and the few students still on their feet. She looked back to the hooded man.

"I'm doing what I wanted," she said. Her voice was clear, steady. "What I should have done a long time ago. I'm choosing my own path."

The man tilted his head. His hood shifted, but his face stayed hidden.

"You betray us now? After all the power you were given?"

Selvara's jaw tightened. "I was never yours. I was never Zagan's. I was never a tool. I was too late to see it before, but now I know. I am not your cage."

The hooded man let out a sharp laugh.

Pss.

"You think a few brave words make you free? You're nothing, Selvara. You're half-blood trash. Weak. Pretending to be something more."

Selvara's pale eyes narrowed. "Then test me."

The ground cracked under both their feet as power surged.

The man's shadow aura spread wide, the sand darkening beneath him. The weight of it pressed down on the arena like a storm.

Selvara's frost spread in answer. The sand froze over in jagged spikes, mist curling in the air.

They moved at the same time.

The hooded man lashed out first. Black tendrils whipped forward, sharp and fast. Selvara raised walls of ice, blocking the first wave. The impact sent cracks across the frozen barrier, shards scattering into the air.

She countered, sending ice spears from the ground. The spears flew at him, sharp enough to cut stone.

He raised a dark shield. The spears shattered against it, breaking into dust.

Then he rushed. His shadow blade formed in his hand, cutting through the sand.

Selvara met him head-on. Frost climbed her arms, shaping claws of jagged ice. She swung hard, her strike colliding with his.

Clang! Sparks of black and blue lit the air.

They struck again and again. Shadow and frost clashed, each blow shaking the arena floor.

Students and teachers stared, too shocked to move. Even the demon followers at the edges stopped to watch.

Azrael stood in the middle of it all, his shoulder throbbing. His fists clenched tight.

'This is it,' he thought. 'The fight between the minor villain and the true villain of this arc. She won't lose. She can't lose. But when will she… show who she really is?'

The battle raged.

The hooded man pressed harder. His tendrils multiplied, whipping from every angle.

Selvara blocked as many as she could, frost walls forming and breaking. She gasped when one cut her leg. She staggered when another ripped through her defenses.

"You're weak," the man spat. His voice cut like a knife. "You hide behind tricks. You are nothing without the gifts given to you. Just a broken toy."

Selvara's breath came heavy. Her frost claw trembled as she lifted it again. Another whip slammed into her wall, breaking it apart.

The man stepped forward, his blade of shadow raised high.

"This ends now."

Selvara froze. For just a second, her eyes flicked to Azrael.

She looked sorry.

Then the world broke open.

Dark power burst from her body in a violent wave. Black smoke and frost poured from her skin. Her eyes turned pitch black, glowing rings of blue in their centers.

A horn pushed through her forehead. Sharp, curved, and small but real.

Her back split her clothes as black wings tore out, jagged and broken but full of power.

Gasps rippled through the arena.

Azrael's eyes widened. His heart hammered. 'Finally. Her real self.'

The hooded man stepped back, shock breaking his calm. "No… it can't be…"

Selvara raised her hand.

The black ice around her shifted, darker and denser than before. Smoke curled off it. The weight of her aura pressed on everyone. Students in the stands clutched their chests. Professors staggered. Even Azrael felt his knees shake.

The hooded man hesitated.

Then Selvara vanished.

One moment she stood still. The next, she was in front of him. Her ice claw smashed through his shield and slammed into his chest.

He flew back, coughing blood, sand tearing up beneath him.

Selvara landed quietly, her new wings spreading wide. Her eyes glowed cold.

"You called me nothing," she said. "Look at yourself now."

Pillars of frost erupted from the ground, surrounding the man. They closed in fast, trapping him in a cage of black ice.

He roared, shadows bursting out in every direction. But the ice held strong. His whips shattered against it, useless.

Selvara snapped her fingers.

Shards of black frost shot forward, cutting through his body. His screams filled the arena. Cuts and burns marked his skin.

"You called me weak?" Selvara said, walking closer. Her voice was sharp, steady. "You called me trash? Crawl now. Beg."

She stomped her foot. A wave of frost slammed him into the ground. His body shook under the weight of her magic.

He tried to rise, shadows lashing. But one of her wings struck him down again. His body bounced against the sand, blood spilling from his mouth.

Selvara walked to him, slow and calm.

She raised her hand one last time. Frost coiled around his body, freezing him in place. Only his face was left free. His eyes were wide, full of fear.

"You never deserved power," she said. "You never deserved to command me. Die knowing what you really are."

Her hand clenched.

The frost pierced him. His final scream echoed across the arena before his body shattered into frozen shards.

Silence fell.

Selvara stood tall, her horn sharp, her wings spread, smoke curling from her black frost.

She turned to Azrael.

Her lips trembled. "I'm sorry, Azrael, I—"

Her words cut off.

A new voice rang out, mocking and calm.

"Showing off your father's power on one of his own subordinates," the voice said. "How shameful."

Everyone froze.

A figure stepped into the arena, his presence heavier than the hooded man's had ever been.

The true threat had arrived.