The Villain Professor's Second Chance-Chapter 448: The Chain of Death

The group took their positions as Draven had laid out, each member of this makeshift alliance feeling the weight of what was to come. The tension in the air was thick, and for a moment, all the world seemed to hold its breath. Duchess Blackthorn glanced to her side at Count Valen, who stood beside her, golden mana flickering faintly from his staff. The two shared a brief nod, a silent acknowledgment of their years fighting together, knowing each other’s strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else.

"Ready for this, old friend?" Valen’s voice was low, almost a murmur lost in the vastness of the Arcane Influx chamber. The golden glow of his mana matched the determination etched on his face.

Duchess Blackthorn gave a faint smirk, her fan already glowing with a dark aura, wisps of shadow curling around her hands like restless serpents. "As ready as I’ll ever be," she replied, her gaze shifting to the front lines. "You just make sure you don’t slip up. We’ve come too far for you to make me look bad."

Valen chuckled, shaking his head. "The same goes for you, Blackthorn." There was no fear in his voice, only resolve—the kind of resolve that came from countless battles fought side by side.

Duke Lancefroz Icevern and Earl Roberta Laios Falken stood at the forefront, ready to engage The Chain Revenant directly. The chill emanating from Icevern’s blade was almost palpable, frosting over the stones beneath his feet. Falken’s hand rested lightly on her sword, her other hand tracing runes in the air as wind magic coiled around her form.

"A creature made of chains that devours souls," Falken muttered, her gaze fixed ahead. "Quite the foe, wouldn’t you say?"

Icevern’s eyes remained locked on the towering form of The Chain Revenant, spectral chains twisting and coiling like serpents. "It’s nothing we can’t handle," he replied, his voice steady. He turned his head just slightly, catching Falken’s eye. "But I have to admit—even I didn’t expect we’d be fighting something out of a horror story today."

Falken gave a short, dark laugh. "Just think of it as another good story to tell, should we survive."

Behind them, the chancellors took their positions, their bodyguards surrounding them in a tight formation. Lisanor’s fiery red hair glowed like embers in the dim light, her focus unbroken as she summoned her pyromancy to aid the protective barrier. "Remember," she called out to the others, "our duty is to maintain the barrier at all costs. We can’t afford to let the Arcane Influx be damaged."

Elysior nodded, her calm demeanor a stark contrast to the chaos around her. She moved her hands in slow, precise motions, guiding the flow of her chronomancy to reinforce the arcane shield. "It’s imperative we stabilize the ley lines," she added, her voice soft yet commanding. "If we lose control of the flow here, the entire fortress will collapse."

Balthus adjusted his glasses, his eyes darting from the ley lines to the form of the Chain Revenant. "And we don’t have much time," he muttered, a sense of urgency pressing his words. "That thing is feeding off the ley lines. We need to sever its link before it’s too late."

At the center of it all stood Draven, his gaze never wavering from The Chain Revenant. His expression was as stoic as ever, his sharp eyes calculating every possible outcome, every move he needed to make to ensure their success. He took a deep breath, steadying himself, and closed his eyes for a brief moment—a final moment of focus before the storm.

"Positions," he commanded, his voice calm, resonant, carrying authority without the need for volume.

As one, the group moved. There was no hesitation. No fear. Only purpose.

Duke Icevern and Earl Falken were the first to move, lunging forward with practiced precision. Icevern’s blade, coated in an icy chill, came down in a sweeping arc, summoning a thick wall of ice that shot up in front of them. The first lash of the spectral chains collided with the ice, shattering it into a thousand frozen shards. Falken wasted no time; she stepped into the opening, her sword glowing with wind magic as she swung it, sending currents of slicing wind towards the Revenant’s shifting mass of chains.

"Wind Cutter!" Falken yelled, her voice carrying over the din of battle. The chains recoiled, cut by the razor-sharp currents of air, but only for a moment before they surged forward again. The Revenant roared, its hollow eyes blazing as it lashed out at Falken, who leaped back with a swift, nimble movement, narrowly avoiding a strike.

"Persistent bastard, isn’t it?" Falken quipped, half-amused, half-exasperated.

Draven watched the two at work, a rare smile tugging at his lips—not of amusement, but of admiration. "As expected of the two strongest swordsmen on the continent," he muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Icevern’s blade came down again, coating the floor in frost. He was a picture of calm focus, each swing measured, each block precise. His breath misted in the air around him, his icy magic forming barriers to protect himself and Falken as they pushed the Revenant back.

"I can’t believe this thing still hasn’t gone down," Falken said, her voice strained as she deflected another strike. "Any chance we can get a break here, Icevern?"

Icevern grunted, his icy blue eyes flicking towards her for just a second. "You know me, Falken—never been one for taking breaks."

The Revenant roared again, its chains thrashing out wildly, one narrowly missing Icevern’s shoulder. The Duke’s expression remained focused, his jaw clenched against the strain. Even for someone of his skill, the creature was formidable—every strike, every block sapping more of his energy, the chill of his cryomancy biting into his own skin as he summoned more and more power.

Duchess Blackthorn and Count Valen, standing back from the front lines, exchanged a brief glance. Blackthorn raised her fan, her voice low but steady as she began her incantation. "Shadows of the abyss, heed my call," she murmured, dark energy swirling around her, coiling like snakes ready to strike. The tendrils reached out, wrapping around one of the chains, their energy biting into it, weakening its connection to the Revenant.

Count Valen stepped forward, his staff glowing brighter as he channeled his mana. "Golden radiance, sever the darkness," he intoned, his voice carrying a commanding resonance. The golden energy shot forth, striking the chain Duchess Blackthorn had weakened, shattering it with a resonating crack.

The backlash was immediate—a surge of energy rippled through the chamber, knocking both Valen and Blackthorn back a step. Valen steadied himself, his eyes flicking to Blackthorn, concern evident on his face.

She met his gaze, her eyes narrowed, giving a sharp nod. "I’m fine," she said curtly. "Focus on the next one."

Valen nodded, his gaze returning to the creature. "That guy," he muttered under his breath, watching as Draven made his move, "he’s getting more reckless with each passing day."

Draven leaped towards the chains, his movements quick, agile, each step calculated as he avoided the lashes that sought to strike him down. His psychokinesis pen floated beside him, glowing with a faint blue light, intercepting a chain that came dangerously close to his side. His eyes remained fixed on his goal, the core of The Chain Revenant—a pulsating nexus where the spectral chains converged, glowing with an eerie light.

Count Valen shook his head, his golden mana surging forward as he severed another chain, his voice carrying over the chaos. "He’s always been like this, hasn’t he? Reckless to a fault."

Duchess Blackthorn gave a slight smirk, her dark energy coiling around another chain. "It’s what makes him effective," she replied. "And dangerous."

Draven reached the core, pausing for the briefest of moments as he took in the intricate web of energy that surrounded it. His eyes sharpened, his focus narrowing to a single point. The psychokinesis pen glowed brighter, his mana surging into it as he raised it towards the core. His voice, calm and resonant, began the incantation.

"Veil of reality, shatter before me. Arcane Severance."

The air around him seemed to thrum with energy, the glow of the core flickering violently in response. The Chain Revenant sensed the threat, its chains thrashing with renewed fury, trying to dislodge Draven. Duke Icevern and Earl Falken intensified their assault, Icevern freezing entire sections of the creature while Falken’s wind blades sliced through the thrashing chains.

"Keep it busy!" Falken shouted, her voice strained as she deflected another lashing chain. "Draven’s almost there!" Read latest stories on novelbuddy

One of the chains broke through, hurtling towards Draven with deadly intent. Valen’s eyes widened, his golden mana surging forward, but Draven was already moving, twisting his body out of the way at the last possible moment. He didn’t pause, his focus unwavering, his voice rising as he continued the chant.

"Reckless fool," Duchess Blackthorn muttered, her dark magic lashing out, ensnaring the chain that had almost struck Draven. Her eyes were narrowed, her expression hard.

Draven’s incantation reached its crescendo, his psychokinesis pen glowing with a blinding light. He drove the energy into the core, the nexus pulsating violently as the arcane energy surged through it. The entire chamber shook, the chains losing their cohesion, the spectral energy dissipating in a burst of raw power.

The Chain Revenant let out a bone-chilling wail, its form unraveling, the chains falling away, disintegrating into nothingness as the connection was severed. The backlash was immediate—a wave of arcane energy exploded outward, the force of it sending Draven flying, his body slamming into the ground with a dull thud.

Duchess Blackthorn and Count Valen braced themselves, their magic forming a shield to protect the others from the blast. The chancellors tightened their barrier around the Arcane Influx, holding it steady as the energy dispersed, the air thick with the fading echoes of power.

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Draven groaned, his body aching as he pushed himself up, his gaze still fixed on the collapsing form of The Chain Revenant. The chains disintegrated, the creature’s wail fading into silence, leaving nothing but the flickering glow of the ley lines, slowly stabilizing.

For a moment, silence fell over the chamber, the echoes of the battle fading into the stillness. The tension that had gripped the room seemed to ease, the weight of their victory settling over them like a heavy, exhausted blanket.

But.

The battle wasn’t over yet. The remnants of the Devil Coffin forces were still out there, and the Arcane Influx needed to be secured. The time for rest would come later—for now, they had to finish what they started.

Then, Duke Icevern’s voice rang out, cutting through the silence, sharp and commanding.

"Now!"