Struggling as a Villain - Chapter 289

Chapter 289: Chapter 288- Unexpected arrival
Ethan stood atop the fortress, his eyes affixed on the battle taking place before him.

All the destruction, lives being sacrificed from both ends…it was all too chaotic.

He knew this was coming; he had seen this before as well, not on this stage, but he indeed had faced a war in the previous timeline, and because he failed to defeat the God of Death, it was happening all over again.

He couldn’t blame himself though, since Ethan still remembers vividly the strength of the Death God. If not for the fact that he was able to use Zulcriz’s scythe in the final showdown, then forget about sealing, Ethan wouldn’t even have inflicted a single wound on the opponent.

However, he was stronger this time, and he had the support of other races, too. The number of apostles supporting him was about twenty times more than in the previous itinerary.

And Ethan himself has the strength and experience from both timelines, so he knows for sure that even without the help of the scythe he would be able to do much more during their battle.

But the major problem now was someone else. A big hurdle against which Ethan doesn’t want to fight.

The only person other than his mother and Elizabeth who thought of Ethan’s betterment without anything demanding in return.

Richard.

However, he couldn’t falter here, since he has already taken the Oath to be with Light until the end and finish the war by either killing Zulcriz and…his successor.

“He is not winning against them like this…” Suddenly Ethan’s eyes went toward the battlefield where the three ladies, one his childhood friend, one his savior’s sister, and one his ex-lover(?) were fighting against a demi-god apparently.

However, Ethan knows that the black-haired boy is holding back for some reason. He didn’t know why but regardless of the reason, Ethan was not going to interfere again.

—-°°—-

Back on the battlefield, Bella continued to launch attacks one after another toward the boy.

James raised his mental barrier in retaliation before sending debris and broken metal materials in her way—which Emily easily defended against.

The most annoying and dangerous foe for James was the brown-haired woman.

He couldn’t remember when was the last time he met someone with such a faint presence and such unbelievable precision and agility.

*Slink*

He tilted backward to dodge the metal claw that brushed past his shirt, before throwing a knife in her direction using his psychokinesis.

James barely had time to react before Lilia struck again. She moved like a shadow, her dagger slicing through the air toward his throat. He jerked back, barely dodging, but she was relentless—each movement sharp, precise, and deadly.

He flung a chunk of metal at her with his telekinesis, but before it could reach, Emily’s barrier shimmered into existence, deflecting it effortlessly.

Annoying.

Then came the heat.

Bella’s fire roared toward him, a swirling inferno meant to burn him alive. James threw up a psychic barrier, gritting his teeth as the flames crashed against it. His shield held, but cracks ran through it like fragile glass.

Lilia used the distraction to close the gap. He sensed her a second too late.

Shink!

Her dagger tore through his sleeve, grazing his arm. A shallow wound—but enough to send a spike of pain up his nerves. James hissed, lashing out with a psychic blast to force her back. But Emily was faster—another barrier snapped into place, absorbing the shockwave.

James clenched his fists. The three of them were working too well together. Every move he made, they countered. Lilia kept him on edge, striking from the shadows. Emily made sure he couldn’t retaliate properly. And Bella—

BOOM!

A fireball erupted in front of him, forcing him to leap back as molten stone sprayed across the battlefield.

James’ breath came fast. His body ached, but worse than that—his frustration was boiling over.

They weren’t stronger than him. They couldn’t be.

Lilia darted in again. This time, James didn’t move.

The air around him cracked.

A pulse of raw, furious energy erupted outward. The ground split beneath his feet. Emily’s barriers flickered under the pressure. Bella stumbled back, the heat of her flames twisting wildly. And Lilia—so close, so confident—was blasted off her feet.

James stood there, eyes glowing with rage. His power surged, untamed, shaking the battlefield itself.

“No more.”

The battlefield changed.

The moment James unleashed his power, the air itself grew heavy. A deep, unnatural silence fell over the ruins. The dust that had been swirling from their battle suddenly froze midair. The ground trembled beneath his feet as if recognizing the presence of something far greater than human.

The sky darkened—not from clouds, not from smoke, but from something deeper. Shadows stretched unnaturally, twisting toward him like they were bowing.

Lilia, quick as she was, struggled to rise. The weight of his power pressed down on her like an unseen force, pinning her to the fractured earth.

Emily’s barriers flickered and shattered without him even touching them.

Bella, who had moments ago been launching flames without restraint, gasped as her fire wavered. The bright orange glow dimmed, twisting into something weaker—something afraid.

James exhaled slowly, his breath the only sound on the battlefield. When he lifted his head, his eyes gleamed—not just with fury, but with something divine. The raw power coursing through him wasn’t just magic. It wasn’t human.

“You thought you could keep up?” His voice was quiet, but it cut through the silence like a blade.

He raised his hand, and the broken battlefield answered. Shattered debris, bent steel, and loose stone all lifted at once, hovering in the air as if waiting for his command. The sheer force of his presence sent cracks splintering across the earth, stretching outward in jagged lines.

Each metal scrap and boulder was floating on his command and was facing the forces of the Dark side.

Every soldier, including Bella, Emily, and Lilia was at his target.

Richard narrowed his eyes as he switched to his elemental state, ready to land on the battlefield.

He didn’t know why James was holding back until now, but it seems he has lost his cool now.

‘They did what they could have but now-‘ However, his train of thought was broken as suddenly a figure emerged from the shadows.

A gust of black mist spiraled into existence, warping the space around it, twisting reality itself. From its depths, a figure emerged—no, a presence. Towering, monstrous, yet eerily human.

His hair, a stark, unnatural white, cascaded down his back like strands of frozen silk. His upper body, bare beneath the crimson-tinged sky, bore jagged, writhing marks—deep, dark sigils carved across his collar, pulsing with something far worse than magic.

A long, curved sword hung at his waist, its edge glistening—not with light, but with the endless abyss of the void itself.

Thick, writhing tendrils of darkness slithered from his skin, spilling onto the ground, and devouring the very earth beneath his feet. It twisted and churned like it was alive like it hungered. The battlefield trembled at his arrival, the air itself rejecting his presence, yet powerless to drive him away.

Ethan frowned as he found his magic reacting to the being and every fiber of his body ushering him to join the battlefield.

After all, The Demon General Vornyx has appeared on the battlefield.

°°°°°°

A/N:- Drop a comment.