I Am The Game's Villain

-BOOOOOOM!

A massive golden ray erupted from Alvara\'s sword, its light blinding as it shot out and engulfed Cylien entirely. The beam swallowed her whole, leaving nothing but the radiant glow of Alvara\'s destructive power in its wake.

Rodolf stood paralyzed, his body refusing to move as shock washed over him. He never truly believed that Alvara would go through with it. The sight before him, however, shattered any doubts.

"CYLIEN!!!" His voice broke with a worry as his face twisted in anguish. Without a second thought, he charged toward her, his heart pounding in his chest.

Alvara should have been wearing a triumphant smile, basking in her victory. But instead, an expression of irritation marred her features, as if the situation had not played out exactly to her liking.

Dentiel Elaryon stood protectively in front of his unconscious sister. Yet, the attack from Alvara had been so swift, so brutal, that even he, with all his skill, hadn\'t been able to defend himself fully. His entire right arm was smeared with blood, the deep red staining his clothes as his cold gaze fixed on Alvara.

"Why are you stopping the match? Do I need to remind you of the rules?" Alvara\'s voice dripped with disgust as she spoke, her eyes narrowing at the interference.

"The match has already been stopped," Dentiel replied as he cast a brief glance at Gamir\'s unconscious figure, lying motionless on the ground.

"Hah? You think you\'re the one who decides that?" Cylien\'s voice cut through the tension, sharp and icy. "You heard her, didn\'t you? She asked for no one to intervene. So leave her on the ground until I\'m done with her."

"You little bitch!"

From the left, a tremendous blast of prana shot toward Cylien, the air crackling with raw power. But Alvara\'s gaze shifted, and with a calm, almost bored motion, she raised her left hand.

-BOOOOM!

The prana ray dispersed in a spectacular explosion of golden particles, disintegrating harmlessly in the air.

Rodolf stood there, his face twisted in a furious snarl, eyes blazing with an unquenchable rage.

Alvara\'s lips curled into a cold, amused smile as she observed him. The sight of his fury only seemed to entertain her.

In a blur of motion, Rodolf launched himself off the ground, his clawed hand poised to strike. But before he could reach her, Lykhor appeared, intercepting Rodolf\'s attack with his sword.

"Ugh!" Lykhor grunted, his teeth gritted in pain as Rodolf\'s immense strength threatened to overwhelm him. It was a battle of pure power, and Lykhor was struggling to hold his ground.

"You\'re too close," Alvara said, her voice dangerously soft as she swung her hand to the left.

-BOOOM!

A violent golden explosion erupted, as if a massive force had struck both Lykhor and Rodolf simultaneously. The impact was so swift and powerful that it sent them hurtling across the stadium, their bodies crashing into the ground with bone-jarring force.

"Arghh!" Lykhor groaned in agony, his body wracked with pain, while Rodolf quickly jumped back to his feet, his murderous glare fixed on Alvara.

"I hate repeating myself. Hand her over to me," Alvara asked again.

"...!"

-BAM!

In an instant, Dentiel turned, shielding Cylien with his own body, but the force of the attack was too much. The blow struck him with brutal efficiency, sending him crashing away, his protective stance shattered by the sheer power of Alvara\'s strike. "Enough, Alvara!" Victor landed in front of her with a sharp stare. "You won, isn\'t that enough?!"

"Won?" Alvara repeated, covering her mouth with a delicate hand as a giggle escaped her lips, though it held no mirth. "I will only have truly won after I\'ve crippled her. She deserves that much, don\'t you think?"

"Alvara... you\'re not in your right mind..." Celeste stepped forward.

On the other side of the battlefield, Rodolf was about to unleash his full fury on Alvara. But before he could act, Roda stood in his path, stretching out her arms. "Uncle!"

"Move aside, Roda," Rodolf growled.

But Roda didn\'t back down. "Don\'t you think you have something better to do? You love her, don\'t you?!" Rodolf\'s gaze flicked to where Cylien was being treated by Dentiel and Sephira, their efforts frantic as they worked to heal her wounds. His jaw clenched, teeth grinding as he fought against the rage boiling inside him. With a final, reluctant glance toward Alvara, he turned and headed toward Cylien, who was being moved further away, out of Alvara\'s reach.

Alvara\'s attention shifted back to Celeste, her eyes narrowing with irritation. "You\'re such a nuisance, Celes. Why don\'t you just move out of the way?" With a flick of her wrist, Alvara swung her sword, its blade cutting through the air with lightning speed.

Even an awakened genius like Cylien would have struggled to follow such a swift strike, let alone someone like Celeste. But to Alvara\'s surprise, Celeste dodged the attack before the blade could even come close, her movements fluid and precise. Alvara\'s eyes widened, a rare moment of astonishment flashing across her face.

"Alvara... that could have seriously injured me..." Celeste muttered annoyed as her eyes faintly glowed with a soft, white light.

Alvara\'s surprise quickly morphed into a wide smile. "Celeste Indi Zestella… I\'m truly impressed." But she wasn\'t the only one taken aback. High above, Cyril watched the scene unfold with the calm detachment of a spectator at a theater. A faint smile played on his lips as he observed Celeste. \'As expected of you, Celes. You\'re slowly becoming the one you\'re meant to be,\' he thought, his eyes glinting with quiet satisfaction.

"Can you stop now?" Celeste asked as she tried to appeal to whatever remnants of reason might still linger within Alvara.

"Hmm? Stop?" Alvara mused aloud, her tone laced with mockery. "I wonder? I do need someone to replace Cylien... Would you, Celes?"

"Cut it out, Alvara! You\'ve done enough for today, don\'t you think?!" Celeste\'s voice trembled with anger.

She had enough.

Cylien wasn\'t just a classmate to her; she was a close friend. While Celeste could sympathize with Alvara\'s judging her loss, there were boundaries—lines that should never be crossed. And Alvara had obliterated them.

Alvara\'s eyes turned cold, the warmth in them vanishing like a candle snuffed out in the dark. Celeste suddenly felt something hurtling toward her at blinding speed, a lethal force that gave her barely a fraction of a second to react.

-BAM!

But just as the attack was about to connect, a shadow moved faster than her eyes could track. Strong arms wrapped around Celeste, pulling her into a protective embrace, while effortlessly parrying Alvara\'s strike. The sudden warmth that surrounded her was too familiar.

Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the scent that filled her senses, the one she had come to love over the past few months. "Amael?"