Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess - Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Chapter 262- Ancient being
Jimmy knew that the rumors weren’t all fake.

Without any facts or evidence people wouldn’t have been calling Austin the war hero.

And his attitude that day when he said his true Shard would have forced him to surrender…it was true as well.

After all, what he was witnessing right now was anything but normal.

More than one hundred demons have spawned at the beach in the short duration he went to the other side to find the Seniors.

The situation seemed dire since Senior Rhea and the others could no longer protect the students anymore on their own.

They needed reinforcement or everyone would have been killed.

And God, the reinforcement they received…it was a one-man army.

Descending like an enraged God, he instantly got every demon’s attention.

Some staggered, some retreated and a few foolish ones lunged at the being whose blade had tasted their master’s blood.

Result? Pure carnage.

“The skill of his blade ..is insane.” Averis, whom he came to help, couldn’t help but mutter what he was thinking inwardly.

The little Princess knew that her brother had gone through evolution recently. The same Shard he hated for how it appeared initially, has become an instrument of death.

And now, no one could deny the fact that Austin was indeed the one who ended the war a few weeks ago.

“What… is that ability?” Sheldon muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Austin stood in the middle of the battlefield, both arms wrapped securely around his lover. He wasn’t even holding a weapon—yet his blade floated around him on its own, moving with sharp, elegant precision.

The sword spun through the air like it had a mind of its own, slicing clean through anything that got too close. Enemies who dared to charge were cut down before they could even raise their weapons. Those who tried to flee didn’t get far—the moment they turned, their bodies crumbled into bare white bones, stripped clean in seconds.

Rhea had seen it before. She didn’t gasp or panic.

But still… the way the blade danced—flawless, silent, deadly—left her breathless every time.

There were no wasted moves. No blood on the ground.

Just silence… and the cold efficiency of a blade that didn’t need a master to kill.

“I think I understand now.” Annabelle, who once was their strategist, spoke, “See, those who are trying to run away are the only ones getting their flesh and blood ripped away from them.”

What she said was correct

Only the weaker demons who intended on rushing away or towards the water were suddenly met by a forcefield that ceased their existence in a blink.

“You mean to say those who have no will to fight him and have already accepted their defeat would get devoured by that blade?” Rhea asked, connecting the dots.

“Yes…and the horrifying part, Austin isn’t even actively using the weapon. He has left the judgment on the Shard while he is whispering things to Valerie.” Anna didn’t know whether she should feel shocked or smile at the couple who stood in the middle of the chaos yet didn’t fail to pay attention to each other.

Soon, the numbers started to dwindle and the blade became visible to others since it no longer needed to restlessly move around.

However, just as they believed that the disaster was taken care of,

*GUOOOOOO*

A deafening cry resonated across the lands, making everyone cover their ears, forgetting about their battles and grudges against their schoolmates and kneeling on the ground.

Anna and Sheldon also dropped low while Jimmy held Averis before taking cover behind the titan which was killed before.

Rhea groaned in pain while covering her ears as she glared at the sea.

From the ocean arose a huge being, towering over the whole crowd, and each step sent tremors through the lands.

It was a demonic turtle, crying at its full capacity to announce the grief of losing its master.

The huge shell on its back was bleeding, and lava-like flames bubbling from the crown.

The beast directed its glaring eyes at the humans before it, before settling over a certain blond who stood there without moving even an inch.

Austin narrowed his eyes…this was a thousand-year-old beast and could not be taken lightly.

He turned around and started walking—ignoring the beast for now.

He wanted to ensure Valerie’s safety, and the person he could trust her protection with was, “Rhea,”

The pink head nodded before she held Valerie in her arms and advanced toward the Titan, from where Jimmy was waving at her.

Just as Austin saw Rhea hide behind cover, he heard Sheldon’s voice tear through the chaos—

“Austin!”

He spun around. In an instant, his weapon shifted—its blade thickened, the handle stretched and rounded, molding into something built for impact.

From the demon turtle’s mouth, a glowing red orb began to form. It pulsed like a heartbeat, heat rising off it in waves.

The ground trembled. Water sizzled into steam around the beast’s feet. Then—dead silence.

TWOONG!

A blast of molten fire exploded out, racing straight for Austin like a river of lava.

Without hesitation, he slammed Shard into the ground—now a broad, gleaming shield—and braced himself behind it.

“Grrgh!” Austin growled, muscles straining as the wave of fire struck. The force was brutal, dragging his feet through the sand.

This thing… it wasn’t just strong. It was ancient. A beast from another time, radiating raw power.

“Barrier!” he shouted.

A green wall of light burst into place, flaring in front of him. The flames split on impact, fizzling out like dying embers.

Austin vanished.

In the blink of an eye, he reappeared high in the air, gripping a silver hammer that glinted under the smoke-filled sky.

Another barrier bloomed beneath his feet—his makeshift launchpad.

With a shout, he kicked off, soaring above the battlefield. The students and the demon both turned upward at once, catching sight of his falling form.

He raised the hammer.

Then brought it crashing down on the turtle’s head with everything he had.

DIIIIING!

A thunderous shockwave exploded from the impact. Sand blasted outward in all directions. The students threw their arms over their ears as the ringing filled the air.

The beach shook.

The demon staggered, shaking its head. A single crack split across the surface of its rocky skin—but that was all.

Austin landed hard, dust exploding beneath his boots. He barely had a second to breathe before the beast’s massive foot came crashing down where he’d been.

He leaped back just in time.

“Tch.” He clicked his tongue in frustration. That hit should’ve done more.

AGUOO!!

The demon howled, its voice deep and hollow like a dying volcano. Lowering its massive head, it began to glow. Then, with a sharp jolt, its shell flared—and a swarm of fiery embers shot out like missiles.

The sky darkened as the embers spread, raining down toward the beach in a deadly, burning wave.

Students screamed. Faces froze in horror. There was nowhere to run—no time to hide. The embers weren’t just fast—they were inescapable.

But just before the first ember could strike—

THOOM!

A massive green barrier surged into life, doming over the entire beach like a protective shell. The embers slammed into it, bursting into harmless sparks.

Six hundred students stood beneath it, unharmed. Safe—for now.

“This won’t do.”

Austin’s eyes narrowed. The demon wasn’t just attacking at random. It was after him—hurting the others was just a way to twist the knife deeper. A mental assault cloaked in destruction.

The Absolute Barrier would only last five more minutes. Meanwhile, the turtle showed no signs of stopping, hurling ember after ember like a volcano gone mad.

‘What do you say, system… should I try the second ring?’

[Host, it’s untested. And you still don’t know the creature’s weak point.]

Austin scoffed, a crooked grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Who cares? Let’s do this.”

With a burst of energy, he leaped over the glowing green dome that protected the students. In midair, he summoned Scar.

Shard shifted once more—its shape flowing into a sleek, predatory bow.

Austin pulled the string. There was no physical arrow. No drawn target.

Only pure pressure—raw intent.

As he drew it back, energy spiraled around him like a storm. The force ripped his sleeve apart, flames licking up his arm, scorching his skin.

He smiled.

The pain told him it was working.

Sensing danger, the demon halted its ember assault. With a trembling cry, it began retreating into its shell, the ground quaking beneath its weight.

But it was too late.

No shell. No stone. No barrier forged by nature or magic could stop what was coming.

“Here goes nothing.”

TWIING!

The bowstring released with a sharp crack—

And from it shot a blazing arrow, shaped like a raven wreathed in flame, screaming across the sky.

It wasn’t just an attack.

It was judgment.

BOOOOM!!

A violent explosion echoed across the beach as the arrow slammed into the top of the demon turtle’s skull.

For a moment, everything stood still—

Then came the rupture.

A gaping hole burst open in the center of its armored head. Bone shattered, flesh torn apart like wet paper. Chunks of charred skulls flew in every direction. The force was so great, it caved in the top of the creature’s cranium, steam and blood hissing into the air.

The demon’s body twitched violently. Its legs gave out. Its glowing eyes flickered—then dimmed.

From the smoldering hole in its head, black, tar-like blood poured out in thick streams, sizzling as it hit the sand.

The turtle let out one final, broken cry—

“Guohh…”

—and collapsed, half-buried in its own crater.

Austin heaved a sigh and removed the barrier before landing on the ground.

He glanced at his wife and found her starry eyes fixed on him.

He redirected his eyes toward the monster and muttered under his breath,

‘The ancient creature have started to appear…I need to strike before they charge at once.’

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.