Transmigrated as the Villain Between the Heroine and the Villainess

One day had passed since the arena fell.

The air still smelled of blood and burnt magic.

Higher authorities from Elarion had arrived. They walked through the ruins, their faces grim. They saw the half-rotten bodies of the demon followers. They saw the crushed, unrecognizable remains of Zagan's host.

They knew one thing for certain. The future was not safe.

In the academy's main hall, Headmistress Liliana zel Verdros sat at a long table. She was a vampire, mature and beautiful, with eyes that had seen empires rise and fall.

She was questioning the survivors.

Kaelen, Seraphina, and Elvara sat before her, their bodies still bruised, their expressions haunted.

They told her everything. The demons coming for Kaelen. The betrayal of Selvara, a demon hiding among them. The arrival of a far greater threat, demons in human form.

They told her how Azrael had lost control, how the sheer pressure of his power had become so immense that they had been forced to run for their lives.

Listening to it all, Liliana felt a strange, thrilling mix of fear and excitement.

She processed their words, her sharp gaze landing on Kaelen. "So, you are what they needed," she mused. "A demon invasion centered on acquiring a specific host. And a high-ranking demon capable of disguising herself as a student. This does not sound good."

Her gaze grew distant. "And that boy… Azrael. Isn't that Celestria's little brother? The one she begged us to watch over? This is his second direct involvement with them."

She smiled, a slow, dangerous stretching of her lips. "There are many things missing here. Many things to discover. I suppose I will find out when we meet. Speaking of which, where is he?"

A staff member stepped forward, bowing low. "Lady Celestria took him away this morning, Headmistress."

Liliana let out a soft, exasperated sigh.

Tssk.

"That girl," she muttered. "She hasn't changed a bit. Still thinking she is above the rules."

Azrael sat in a quiet, heavily warded room deep within the academy. He was looking at the rewards on his system screen.

[!! QUEST COMPLETE !!]

[Path Chosen: Path of Annihilation - SUCCESS]

[-> Reward: Additional Primary Affinity Slot Unlocked.]

[Path Chosen: Path of Survival - SUCCESS]

[-> Reward: Two-Sword Style Arts Acquired.]

The first reward was a simple confirmation. A new, empty slot appeared below his Thread Affinity. A blank slate. A world of possibility.

Then, he accepted the second reward.

It was not a gentle flow of information. It was a flood.

An entire lifetime of knowledge, of training, of muscle memory, was slammed directly into his brain. He saw the world through the eyes of a master swordsman. He felt the phantom weight of two blades in his hands.

He saw a thousand battles, a million different techniques, from the elegant dance of the Twin River Style to the brutal, efficient slaughter of the Reaver's Cleave.

His head throbbed, a sharp, splitting pain, as his mind struggled to contain the deluge of foreign knowledge.

He gritted his teeth, a low groan escaping his lips.

Clench.

"So, that's the story."

He looked up. Celestria was sitting in a chair across from him, her arms crossed, her expression a mix of annoyance and grudging respect.

"You got into another mess," she said, her voice sharp. "You stupidly fought a demon lord when you should have run. Then, you lost consciousness, and when your consciousness arrived, all you saw was a glimpse of you beating that monster to a pulp."

She shook her head. "A normal person would go insane after hearing a story like that. But as I have seen things with my own eyes… I believe you."

She leaned forward, her violet eyes narrowing. "But this other thing… a demon protected you. Died for you. And now you want me to help you accelerate her soul's restoration? A human, trying to resurrect a sinister demon?"

His face hardened. "She is not a sinister demon," he said, his voice a low, angry growl. "She is just like us. No, she's better than us. Don't you dare call her evil."

Celestria stared at him for a moment, then she burst out laughing.

Pss.

"I was just teasing," she said, wiping a tear of amusement from her eye. "Look at your face. Don't tell me you've actually fallen for her."

She laughed even harder.

"You really are something else, little brother. Your choice in women is the weirdest I have ever seen."

She leaned back, her voice dripping with playful scorn. "First that Seraphina girl, who you went completely crazy for. And now this demon girl. I'm warning you, don't come crying to me when your heart gets broken again."

He just looked at her, his gaze so cold and dangerous that her laughter died in her throat.

"Fine, fine," she said, her expression turning serious. "Hear me out. When we go out there, you will not mention what happened between you and that demon, Zagan. You will not mention your… other self that killed him."

She stood up and began to pace. "You will go with the story they already believe. That Selvara, in her final moments, lent you her power. It solves two problems. It explains your sudden surge of strength, and it might even clear some of the charges against the Selvara girl, if she ever comes back. Hah."

She stopped in front of him. "Let's go. We've taken long enough. I was told that crazy Liliana would be here. Don't mess with her. She'll be your headmistress at the Nexus Academy, and she should be the last person you ever want to cross."

She paused, a strange, almost guilty look on her face. "She was my professor, back when she was newly appointed. Your sister and her… we had some issues. She has some grudges against me, but I think she might just be mature enough not to hold my grudges against you in the academy."

Azrael looked at her face. She was trying so hard to look innocent. He just sighed.

They walked out of the room and down the hall, to the chamber where the meeting was being held.

The moment Celestria and Azrael entered, the atmosphere in the room shifted.

Liliana looked up from her papers, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across her lips. "Celestria," she said, her voice a smooth, velvet purr. "I was wondering when you would grace us with your presence. Still think you're too important to follow a schedule?"

Celestria's own smile was just as sharp, just as cold. "Liliana. Still playing at being a professor? I thought you'd have gotten bored of scolding children by now."

"Oh, some children are more interesting than others," Liliana replied, her ancient, crimson eyes flicking to Azrael. "And yours seems to be the most interesting of all."

The tension between them was a physical thing, a silent battle of two apex predators.

Celestria presented their fabricated story. Liliana listened patiently, her expression unreadable.

When she was done, the Headmistress leaned back in her chair. "A final act of sacrifice, you say? How… poetic."

She looked at the students. "The world is changing. This invasion was not a random act of chaos. It was a declaration. We need stronger guardians."

Her gaze swept over them, Kaelen, Seraphina, Elvara, and finally, Azrael. "I will be taking all of you who fought against the demon lord with me to the Ethereal Nexus Academy. The world needs you. But you will have to prove yourselves worthy of the honor."

She then looked back at Celestria. "And as for your brother… there is a great mystery surrounding him. I intend to find the answer."

After a few more pointed remarks and thinly veiled threats, Liliana concluded the meeting and swept out of the room.

Azrael looked at Elvara. She seemed like she wanted to say something.

"So," he said, breaking the silence. "You're going to Elarion."

She nodded, her green eyes full of a new, quiet determination. "Headmistress Liliana said I will have to wait a year to enroll in the Nexus Academy. Because of my age and… my low rank. She said she will guide me personally, to help me get stronger."

"Good for you," he said simply, then turned and left.

He knew this was how it was supposed to be. The author wanted Elvara separated from Kaelen for a year, then Seraphina would be assigned other class than Kaelen, all this just to grow his harem. It was all just part of the script.

As he and Celestria were leaving the main hall, a figure appeared in front of them.

She looked at Celestria first, a shy, hesitant expression on her face. A complete and utter fake.

'Ah,' he thought, a sense of weariness washing over him. 'I almost forgot about her.'

Isolde.

She turned to him, her ice-blue eyes wide and full of a sad, innocent light. "Senior," she said, her voice a soft, trembling whisper. "Are you really leaving? I will miss you so much."

He just looked at her, his own face a blank mask.

She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "But don't worry, senior."

A genuine, cunning, and utterly terrifying smile flashed across her face for a single, fleeting moment.

"We will meet again next year. At the Nexus Academy."

And with that, she turned and glided away.

Azrael was confused next year did she really meant it did something change her mind?

Celestria stared after her, then looked at Azrael, her eyebrow raised. "Another crazy woman?"

"You have no idea," he muttered.

They walked out into the cool evening air.

"Brother," Celestria said, her voice losing its usual sharp edge. "It is time for our farewell as well. Try not to cause any more chaos."

"It's not like I want to," he said with a sigh.

"And," she added with a smirk, "don't cause trouble for your aunt in your new house."

He blinked and realization hit.

'Wait… fuck. That house. Another heroine. And a tsundere villainess.'