Rise Of The Villain : In a World Ruled By Anomalies-Chapter 28 : Hopeless

The dagger flew straight toward Arthur’s head.

For a split second—

His mind went blank.

The air whistled sharply as the poisoned blade cut through it. The tip shone under the dungeon’s red light. There was no way to dodge. No time to block. No space to move aside.

Time seemed to slow down.

His photographic memory captured everything—the dagger’s path, Marco’s smug grin, Arlo’s eager expression, Atlas standing nearby.

Arthur’s body wanted to move his instincts screaming at him.

But he knew he was too late. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

So he used the only option left.

SCHLK!

The dagger stabbed straight through a head.

The blade pierced the forehead with a sickening crunch. It broke through bone, passed through the brain, and burst out the back of the skull in a spray of blood and shattered bone.

The body shook violently for a moment.

Then it went completely limp.

Warm blood poured from the wound, flowing thick and heavy onto the cracked stone floor. It spread outward, filling the cracks in the ground.

The corpse swayed for three seconds.

Then it fell face-first with a heavy thud. Blood splashed outward in all directions.

The remaining mutated hyena reacted immediately.

With a savage snarl that echoed through the empty street, it leaped toward the fresh body. Its jaws opened wide as its heavy paws smashed against the stone.

Its teeth sank into the face. Crunch. The eye socket broke. An eyeball burst. The nose collapsed under the pressure.

Its claws tore into the chest, ripping open flesh and breaking ribs. The stomach split open, and organs spilled onto the ground, steaming in the cold dungeon air.

The beast shook its head hard, tearing off a large chunk of shoulder along with pieces of spine. Blood sprayed across the broken street.

Arlo pumped his fist excitedly. "Bullseye!"

Marco laughed loudly, his chest rising and falling fast. "I have to admit, my aim really is perfect. It always has been."

Sweat shone on his forehead as he relaxed.

Arlo smirked. "And now, with the hyena eating him, no one will suspect we attacked him."

The hyena swallowed another mouthful with a wet sound.

"We’ll make up a good story," Arlo continued confidently. "We’ll say he got careless. Tried to act like a hero. The hyenas overwhelmed him."

Then a third voice spoke calmly behind them.

"Yes. That is a good plan. We will never get caught."

Marco nodded without thinking. "Exactly. We’re not idiots—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

Arlo’s smile slowly faded.

Both of them realized something.

That voice—

Was not Atlas.

Cold sweat formed on their necks. Their hearts began pounding.

They slowly turned around.

Arthur stood ten meters behind them.

Alive.

Breathing hard.

Huff.

Huff.

His black hoodie was stained with hyena blood. His dark hair was messy. His red eyes shone faintly with amusement.

A small smile rested on his lips.

"What’s wrong?" Arthur asked gently. "Aren’t you happy your junior is still alive?"

Marco stumbled backward, nearly losing his balance.

Arlo’s face turned pale. "T-That’s impossible..." he stuttered.

His eyes moved back and forth between Arthur and the torn body on the ground.

"How...?"

Marco suddenly turned toward the hyena.

"Where’s Atlas?" he whispered. "What did you do to him?"

The hyena crushed down again. Snap. Bones in the neck broke loudly. Blood sprayed into the air.

Arthur let out a slow breath.

"You two really are hopeless."

He pointed calmly at the hyena.

"He’s right there," Arthur said coldly. "Inside that monster. After Senior Marco stabbed him in the head."

Marco’s knees nearly gave out.

Arlo’s body froze completely.

Because the body being torn apart—

Was wearing Atlas’s clothes.

The same black leather vest. The same belt. The same worn boots.

Arthur kept pointing.

Slowly, Marco and Arlo turned their heads back to the corpse.

The hyena tore off an arm. Bones snapped easily. Blood splashed onto their boots.

Marco’s face went pale. "That... that can’t be..." he whispered. "He was standing next to us."

Arlo started breathing too fast. "When did he get there...?"

The hyena bit down again. Crunch. The ribs broke.

At that moment—

A transparent window appeared in front of Arthur.

════════════════════════════

[ Skill Description ]

════════════════════════════

Blink (B-Rank)

Description:

Instantly swap positions with a chosen target within 50 meters.

Rules:

• Target must be in line of sight

• Works on living or non-living targets

Uses Remaining: 1

Total Uses Per Cycle: 2

Cooldown: 5 minutes after both uses

════════════════════════════

Arthur let out a slow breath as his racing heart began to calm.

"That was close... very close," he whispered to himself.

His hands shook slightly from the fear of almost dying, but he forced them steady.

"I really thought I was going to die again."

A faint smile appeared.

"But this skill saved me."

The window disappeared.

The atmosphere suddenly filled with anger.

"You!" Marco shouted. "You killed him!"

His face turned red with rage.

Arlo’s eyes burned with fury. "You’re going to pay for this!"

Arthur blinked innocently.

"Me?" he asked softly. "What did I do?"

He pointed at them.

"You threw the dagger. It was meant to kill me."

His voice trembled on purpose.

"And Senior Atlas ran forward and took the hit for me."

He wiped at his eye like he was about to cry.

"He was so brave..."

He sniffed dramatically.

"I can’t believe his own teammates betrayed him..."

"STOP ACTING!" Marco screamed.

Arlo shouted angrily, "You used some kind of skill! We know you did!"

Marco’s teeth clenched. "You did something, didn’t you?"

His eyes were full of hatred.

"We’ll rip you apart!"

Marco pulled two daggers from his storage ring. The blades were coated in green poison and covered in glowing runes.

He spun them skillfully in his hands.

Arlo stepped back and pulled out his bow. The string tightened with a sharp sound.

An arrow appeared in his hand. Its tip glowed with poison.

He aimed straight at Arthur’s heart.

Arthur sighed.

He rested Isabella’s sword casually on his shoulder.

"And here I thought you two liked me."

His eyes turned cold.

"Even if you are hopeless fools."

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A/N:

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