The Villain's Apocalypse-Chapter 40: Timeover?

Chapter 40: Timeover?

A brilliant crescent arc of golden energy exploded forth from Genesis, tearing through the air like a shooting star. His body shimmered lightly and shot forward, dashing toward the drake with his sword held high.

BOOOM!

Cassian’s blade clashed against the abyssal-black claws of the Crimson Abyssal Drake, sending a burst of destructive energy rippling through the battlefield. Sparks danced mid-air as Genesis parried against the sheer brute force of the monstrous beast.

Cassian continued his offense by throwing a flurry of sword attacks, each mixed with the tiny specs of cosmic energy affected by the astronification. His attacks were powerful under the influence of the enhancement but, they still couldn’t pierce through the drake’s scales, proving to be quite futile.

woosh–!

The claws tore through the air, approaching his neck at a breathtaking speed but, it got intercepted instantly by the glassy sword.

[Flashlight]

Cassian swiftly activated a skill, using the blinding light as a cover to hide away his next move from the drake’s sight.

"Leon, come forward." His voice was quite soft and low but it still carried its usual weight. The shadow beneath his feet wriggled slightly, attempting to crawl up from the ground. From the shadowland, a dark creature slowly emerged–its body flickering grotesquely with a dark aura. Exiting the shadow, its body gained a proper form and swiftly knelt on one knee, bowing before Cassian, its master. The being looked like an exact replica of Cassian with only slight differences in skin tone and aura.

He narrated his entire plan to Leon through their mental link, highlighting his importance for both of their survival. The plan itself depended heavily on Leon and if something unknown were to happen to him during this time, then he would surely die here.

"You understand?"

Leon nodded solemnly, his face flickering with an unusual determination and firm resolve to save his master.

"Good, you may execute the plan immediately." Noticing the light dimming down, he clenched Genesis tightly and ordered Leon to retreat for now.

"Fifteen seconds..." His figure vanished from the ground and with a spark, it reappeared behind the drake holding Genesis tightly with a destructive lightning aura surrounding him.

"Hey System, How do I use this?!"

An illusory panel popped up before his eyes and written in it was a vague instruction for Astralis.

"Can’t you be more direct?" His voice was toned with irritation as he glared at the panel with righteous fury.

[Host is not a magus.]

haa

"Fine–!"

He followed the instructions and concentrated the lightning at a single point, using the staff’s boost to amplify the attack power further.

"DIE! FOOLISH BEAST–!" He swiftly directed the concentrated lightning toward the Drake, fueling it further with astronification’s amplification.

[Thunder Rupture]

An enormous beam of blue lightning surged forward and reached Drake’s body in an instant.

The Abyssal Drake, sensing the incoming attack growled with fury, and with a furious snarl, it twisted its massive body, swinging its tail in a wide arc.

WHAM!

The thunder beam crashed into its tail, causing sparks of pure lightning to scatter across the entire wasteland.

Cassian narrowed his eyes as he sensed a shift in the air around him.

His sharp senses alerted him of an immense danger heading his way, sadly, his body couldn’t react properly in time.

The Drake’s massive claws rustled through the air and struck his back, pounding him down with immense force.

His body crashed with a massive thud and created a few-meter-long hole in the ground.

Kukh–!

Immense pain coursed through his body causing him to blank out temporarily. His eyes turned completely white as a flurry of crimson blood trickled down the corner of his lips.

cough

cough

A series of continuous coughing bellowed down his throat, followed by spits of saliva and blood latching on the ground.

His breath was ragged, his entire body trembled from the force of that strike.

"What...what a powerful strike." His body shuddered as the Drake’s bloodlust bore down on him.

That single claw had left a grueling wound on his back, tracing down from his neck to the end of his spine. Even bending down felt like an impossible task.

"Broken spine, fractured ribs, and... possibly dislocated shoulders. Death feels so much more pleasing rather than living with such immense pain and constant wariness." For a second, he thought of just accepting the death and moving away from this fucking world.

As if his wish was coming true, the astronification too ended abruptly, causing his already weakened body to deteriorate further down, struggling in a fine line between life and death.

His vision blurred as he saw a beautiful paradise before his eyes...a dream once desired...a dream once forgotten...

’Lily...’ He saw a visage of someone, someone beautiful, one who shone brightly in his aimless life, walking him down the path of love–a word completely unfamiliar to himself.

"How are you doing, love?" she asked, her voice gentle as ever.

Just a simple smile on her face would brighten his entire day and it never felt boring.

sniffle

"I-I’m...doing fine, How about...you?" Soft tears trickled down his cheeks, his eyes longing for a moment with her.

She slowly bent down and matched his eyes, wiping the tears off his face with a gentle smile. "You were the one who taught me, that men never cry. Why are you crying now?"

He couldn’t hold himself down any longer, after hearing her words. He gently her hands with his and with his head bowed down, he whispered, "Men also cry, my love. They cry when they are sad, they cry when they are glad, they cry for their love and they cry..."

He lightly placed his hand on her cheek and stared at those eyes of hers, reminiscing about life.

"I-I’m sorry..."

The pain felt being unable to protect your love was heart-wrenching–a kind of pain unbearable even for a heartless fool like himself.

"Don’t be." she shook her head, her eyes shining brightly with pure affection. "I’m happy."

A soft smile graced his face, and his heart felt incredibly light, as if an overwhelming weight had suddenly vanished, letting him finally be free.

"I love you." He replied, leaning his head over her, "Now and forever."

"I love you too, dear." She smiled, gently cupping his cheeks. "Now go, go and live for yourself. Follow your heart, and who knows...it might lead you to another lady?" With a soft chuckle, she neared her face and gently kissed him.

[Ding! The burdens of reincarnation had been resolved...]

[Achieving Enlightenment...]

An enthreal glow shone down Cassian’s body, showering him with blessed golden snowflakes of pure energy. His body, broken and battered, hovered gently midair, silently absorbing the golden energy released from the Heavens.