How to Survive as a Trash Extra Villain

Chapter 113

"…!"

"…!"

"…!"

My head buzzed. The ringing in my ears was annoying yet soothing.

I remembered being caught in the shockwave from the clash of the finest holy diamond bullet and Mana Cravass.

‘Did I lose?’

Lying flat on the ground meant Gilbert’s victory, didn’t it?

‘I lost again.’

To that damned hypocritical protagonist, of all people?

‘Of all times.’

In front of Lilac?

"Urgh…!"

Frustrating. Unfair. Utterly… humiliating.

‘Please.’

Let it not be too late. With that desperate wish.

‘Move!’

I forced my unresponsive head up.

I saw Gilbert. He wasn’t unscathed either. His cadet uniform was rags, his body bloodied. Yet he held his sword, still fighting.

Against a massive hound with its maw wide, as if to swallow the world!

‘Sebastian!’

Strength surged from somewhere. I raised my hand and slammed the ground. I forced myself up.

‘Barging into the arena without my permission…!’

Utterly impudent, but welcome!

Thanks to him! I! Hadn’t! Lost yet!

I turned to a spot in the stands. She was still there. Motionless. Lilac was watching me. Her hands clasped, fidgeting… I felt sorry for worrying her, but also grateful.

"…Lilac."

I turned to see Gilbert, urgently fending off Sebastian with his sword, glancing at me.

"Gilbert."

Duel assessment or not… I couldn’t lose. I wouldn’t. Not to Gilbert, not while Lilac watched!

I circulated stellar force through my body. The stellar force scattered from the diamond bullet’s explosion began absorbing into me.

[Grrrrrr!]

"Urk!"

As Sebastian swung his forepaw, Gilbert countered with his sword, deflecting it. When Sebastian opened his maw to swallow him, Gilbert leapt aside.

"Huff! Huff!"

Gilbert panted, but his swordsmanship remained flawless.

This exchange didn’t show Gilbert’s disadvantage. He was conserving strength, analyzing Sebastian’s patterns.

In 10 seconds, he’d crack Sebastian’s strategy.

But too late.

"Sebastian."

The 5-meter-tall hound froze, then leapt back, landing behind me with a boom, shaking the arena.

Despair flashed across Gilbert’s face.

"Too late…!"

I climbed atop Sebastian in one motion. Our height difference was striking. I must’ve looked like a fine villain. …Not bad, right?

"It’s not over."

"…Right."

Before resuming, we assessed each other. Reorganizing and analyzing the enemy was battle basics.

Distrust flickered in Gilbert’s eyes.

At the same time, I muttered.

"Lies…!"

"This is insane…!"

Gilbert saw fresh skin peeking through my torn cadet uniform.

And I…

The Fallen Crown Prince of the Cosmos Empire, Gilbert Offer Cosmos, has awakened stellar force due to protagonist correction and his lineage!

Likewise, I saw Gilbert’s body recovering.

"How far will you play the protagonist…!"

"What is this… stellar force! Just as my grandmother and mother told me… Martin, you really are one of ‘them’!"

I couldn’t deny it now. I was a Peacemaker, after all.

"What does it matter now? Raise your sword, Gilbert."

"Of course!"

I hated Gilbert’s bold laugh as he raised his sword. Infuriating. Did he think I was doing this to grant him a boon?

Or was he thrilled to overcome me, the trial, as the protagonist?!

"I’ll beat you…!"

How could I not be furious! My desperate final strike to defeat him only made him stronger!

"Sebastian! Move!"

[Woof!]

Sebastian surged forward at high speed. No need for commands. Sebastian and I shared senses and thoughts, including vision.

"Ah, oh!"

The crowd shouted. The referee seemed flustered.

Sebastian crossed into another arena, charging. Exactly what I wanted. With the duel in this state, who cared about rules?

Sebastian’s strength was speed. I excelled at long-range combat. That narrow arena was too disadvantageous.

So I’d change it. I shouted to Gilbert, who turned, sword in hand, never taking his eyes off me.

"Follow if you can."

This was a villain’s way.

"…Obviously…!"

Gilbert’s form exploded, wreathed in blue flames. Cloaked in blazing mana, he chased me, slashing with sword energy.

"Eek!"

"Cadet Gilbert?!"

Staff and fleeing cadets near the arena were knocked down by the shockwave.

But to Gilbert and me, nothing else mattered but each other.

‘Run, Sebastian! Don’t get caught!’

Brownish-black afterimages trailed where Sebastian ran. He wove through the arena at high speed, dodging Gilbert’s attacks.

I fired my shotgun repeatedly from atop him.

"That won’t work anymore!"

Deflecting every bullet, Gilbert charged straight at me without slowing.

Overheat, Mana Cravass—he should’ve collapsed long ago. But gaining stellar force restored him to peak condition.

I pulled out the Rosary and hung it around my neck. My control over stellar force surged instantly.

‘Come back!’

As the Rosary vibrated, the diamond bullet, fallen somewhere in the arena emitting stellar force, flew back like a magnet.

While rapid-charging the diamond bullet, I infused my shotgun with stellar force. A technique akin to a swordsman’s sword energy, learned from the Star Child’s teachings and the Nameless Revolutionary’s martial manual.

Saint Gunner’s Dual Pistols (Temporary) (Lv 1) admonishes that stellar force mastery is the foundation of all attacks.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The shotgun fired continuously. Gilbert, who’d taken bullets casually, grimaced and slowed. The bullets’ power had multiplied in an instant.

Thanks to Sebastian. With him handling evasion, I could focus solely on shooting.

‘How’s this!’

I fired at Gilbert’s heart. Having felt the bullets’ power, he’d surely swing his sword to deflect. I fired another, slightly delayed.

"It won’t work!"

Gilbert registered both bullets aimed at his heart with a time gap. He swung his sword.

But.

The second bullet caught up to the first, aimed at his heart, and ‘ricocheted’ it.

His sword sliced empty air. Gilbert’s eyes widened. The ricocheted bullets lodged in his forehead and abdomen.

"Urk?!"

Blood streamed from his forehead. He wiped it, and the wound vanished, healed by stellar force.

"Impressive as always, Martin. Always bringing such bizarre techniques…"

Gilbert looked up. Though healed, the bloodstains remained vivid.

"Huff, huff."

His breathing was slightly ragged. From the long chase.

"Direct confrontation won’t do."

Gilbert declared.

"I won’t be led by you anymore."

Changing tactics, he stopped chasing and stood rooted in the Great Training Ground’s center.

His sword burned with blue energy, like flickering flames. A prelude to a major technique.

"Haaah!"

With a battle cry, a barrage of strikes unleashed. Dozens, hundreds of burning sword energies swept the arena. The arena’s stone floor rippled and shattered like waves.

Gilbert, muscles twitching, veins bulging, roared as if spitting blood.

"I!"

The entire arena warped and twisted.

"Haven’t been idle!"

The hundreds of sword energies split into thousands, tens of thousands.

‘This is insane!’

A technique from the story’s late stages! Why! How! Now?!

Sebastian dodged, leaping off ground and walls, but took two or three hits near the end.

Writhing in pain, Sebastian collapsed. I tumbled to the ground.

"Argh…!"

My rolling body stopped. As if pinned. My leg was trapped under Sebastian’s massive frame. Suppressing fear of it breaking, I yanked it free. My body ached. Instead of standing, I leaned against Sebastian, infusing him with stellar force.

"Rest, Sebastian."

It wasn’t his fault. Mine. I’d avoided bringing him into combat. I didn’t want to drag him into my thorny path. With only one or two real battles, he’d held his own against Gilbert. He deserved praise.

"When we’re back, I’ll ask Lilac for a special meal."

[Whine…]

Sebastian’s withdrawal was a blow.

But it was fine. That technique was taxing for Gilbert too. He sweated profusely, breathed heavily, and his sword was melting, past its limit.

Yet he stared straight at me. I wanted to gouge out those defiant eyes.

"Huff…"

Gilbert, with a triumphant look, aimed his half-melted sword at me.

I barely raised my shotgun, leaning against Sebastian.

"Martin."

"Gilbert…"

Clang. Gilbert dropped his sword. It shattered pitifully on the ground. Instead, he clenched his still-steady fists.

Arrogantly, he waited for me. To stand, to fight the final battle. …Damn hypocrite. The protagonist to the end. Fine… let’s do this.

I slowly rose and took my stance. We locked eyes, then, as if by agreement, charged at each other.

Finest Holy Diamond Bullet’s charge exceeds 5%!

I thought of the diamond bullet loaded in my shotgun. The barrel was hot, but even if it melted, I had to beat Gilbert.

5%? Fine. Against this Gilbert, that was enough to knock him down!

I’d hit him head-on with the diamond bullet…!

"Martin!"

"Gilbert!"

We charged, certain this would decide the match, giving our all…

"Master!"

…Huh?

I turned and saw Lilac, wearing round glasses, running toward me from the stands. Her face looked on the verge of tears.

"Please, stop now! You don’t have to take first!"

Worry. Like a lover watching a runner who fell hard but kept running. Begging me to stop. Coming to make me stop.

"At least to me, to Lilac, you’re always the best…!"

‘Lilac…!’

I’d give her victory.

If I could just slam the diamond bullet into Gilbert…

Then, something irritating caught my eye. Guards from both sides were closing in on Lilac as she ran toward me.

‘Gilbert? Lilac?’

I examined my feelings for Gilbert. Rage greater than an erupting volcano. But thinking of Lilac, the heat subsided instantly.

No need to ponder.

‘Right, you.’

I turned the barrel. In a flash, I swapped the diamond bullet for a standard round.

A gunshot rang out, the bullet grazing past the two guards. They stumbled back in fright, and the outrageous act of touching Lilac was averted.

‘You.’

Gilbert’s fist, in slow motion, struck my defenseless self.

‘Win.’

If this was how I lost, I could accept it.

His steel fist slammed into my abdomen. Pain surged like electricity through my head.

"Urgh!"

My vision whitened. My head buzzed. I couldn’t breathe.

"Huh?!"

Surprised I’d allowed the hit so easily, Gilbert stepped back in panic.

I sank to my knees, curling forward. Soon, I felt someone embrace me, like the warm flutter of an angel’s wings.

As Lilac glared venomously at the flustered Gilbert, I lost consciousness.