Villain's Survival: SSS Class Infinite Copy Eyes

As she looked up, she saw him—

Liberated and rising, surrounded by apocalyptic storms, the sky cracking open above him.

"How…?" 

For a brief, haunting moment, Licht's form overlapped with a distant memory.

The figure of her brother.

And then, that voice echoed in her ears—a voice she hadn't heard in years:

Charlotte, you know… There was once a move, one so grand, it allowed us to stand tall and earn the respect of even the Eight Great Families.

It was lost due to our family's decline, but I managed to figure it out; it's called…

As his voice rang out from memory, Licht's figure began to ascend, glowing like a miniature sun made of pure, pulsating lightning.

And then he finally spoke:

『Rushing Thunder God — Gods Descent (S)』

That name—A technique she thought had died with her brother— Now echoed once more, burning itself into her heart with the roar of the storm.

-BOOM!

A cataclysmic explosion tore through the air, lightning tendrils arcing wildly, crackling with such intensity it felt like reality itself might split open.

Smoke billowed into the sky, cloaking the battlefield in a dense, choking fog.

For a moment, no one could see anything. Just silence—followed by the faint hiss of dissipating energy.

But when the smoke cleared, what they saw wasn't what anyone expected.

Licht was still standing—yes, But he didn't look like a victor.

No.

He looked more like a criminal cornered at the scene of a crime.

Three figures surrounded him, weapons drawn.

Licht calmed his breath, the residual lightning flickering off his skin fading slowly.

He wasn't surprised. He had gotten carried away when executing his newly-created move.

He knew someone would have to step in.

The instructor is fine 

'But why her?'

Standing directly in front of him, sword drawn, was a woman with chestnut-brown hair and piercing emerald eyes.

Melinda Belgrave.

Her massive greatsword was planted between them,

and with one arm she held up the limp, unconscious body of Charlotte.

Behind him, Licht felt the tip of a spear press against his back.

The sensation wasn't unfamiliar—but the presence was.

Oren Vask.

A noble, from a well-known family.

Irrelevant to Licht, a descendant of the Eight Great Families.

What mattered was something else.

'He's one of Melinda's admirers.'

And for the first time in a while, Licht found himself agreeing with the memories of his past self—

'This guy is fucking annoying.'

Surrounded on all sides, Licht's eyes scanned his supposed "captors"and asked plainly:

"What's the need for all this?"

Melinda stepped forward, scowling.

"What's the need? You really think I don't know the kind of person you are?" 

"If we hadn't intervened—Charlotte would be dead!"

Licht almost scoffed. He assumed it was her prejudice against the old him speaking.

But then—he looked at Charlotte.

She was unconscious.

Blood dripped from the corners of her mouth, her breathing faint. Her mana signature was flickering like a candle in a storm that could go out at any moment..

She was on the verge of death.

'Damn… I really did almost kill her.'  Thought Licht 

'But… maybe that's not such a bad thing.'

The sudden dark thought startled even Licht himself. But he couldnt be blamed. If Charlotte had won the fight, he doubted if his own situation would be much better

He was shocked at Charlotte's condition and he couldn't help glancing toward the instructor.

If Licht killed another cadet accidentally during a duel at most he would be expelled but for instructor, his career would be over 

Like Licht had guessed the instructor was sweating bullets right now 

He had managed to deflect Licht's final strike—but only barely.

And even then, the backlash had nearly killed a cadet right under his watch.

If Melinda hadn't jumped in… Charlotte would be gone along with his career 

But neither Charlotte nor the instructor could make Licht feel any guilt 

Just irritation.

These people, now flanking him like some band of self-righteous heroes,

were just another eyesore.

With a flick of his hand, he slapped the spear away from his back,

the force of it causing Oren to stumble slightly.

Licht's aura darkened, becoming something cold and dangerous

Melinda and Oren instinctively tensed.

If you're here to save people," Licht said, voice low and razor-sharp,

"then act like it."

"I don't take kindly to people pointing weapons at me."

He didn't need to say more.

Charlotte's blood-soaked body was already a testament.

But even if they came here thinking they were heroes…

They needed to understand—

Licht was no villain to be cornered.

After he finished speaking, Licht's aura quickly dimmed. With a tired grunt, he flung his now worn-out training sword across the ground. It clattered away as the cadets on either side instinctively stepped back, parting to make room for him.

Melinda and Oren believed they had managed to reason with Licht—that they'd convinced him to give up and walk away.

But was Licht really that kind?

Even if he wasn't as ruthless as his predecessor, he should have at least broken Oren's nose for pointing a spear at his back. 

But all of Licht's vindictive thoughts disappeared when he heard that notification 

The time limit for 「Infinite Copy Eyes (SSS)」 Level 1 has ended.

The second Licht heard the notification, he felt everything leave him.

Not only had he returned to his original state—he had regressed.

Damn it… maybe my body really is trash!

He realized then that he had jumped to conclusions too quickly. His body and mana veins had been sculpted to accommodate the overwhelming power of the 「Infinite Eyes」. When they were active, he had near godlike control over mana.

But without them?

He was barely above average.

His mana veins shriveled up the moment the eyes closed. Not completely—but enough that he couldn't hold a candle to his awakened self.

And the strain…

The strain his body was under now was unimaginable. Awakening the eyes had already pushed him to the edge. Using 『Rushing Thunder God — God's Descent (S)』 on top of that? That was basically suicide.

If not for his incredible mana control, he would have exploded from the violent, foreign mana that had surged back into his body.