How to Redeem a Trashy Side Villain

Chapter 91: Horde in the Hallway

"What should I call the two of you?"  I asked. "Do you both go by Arthurr?"

"I go by the very cool name Arthurr-Sun," the joyful orange-haired one answered, "or just Sun. Which is also cool."

"Arthurr-Moon," the edgy one replied, "or just Moon."

Sun and Moon. You might've started to notice but a lot of Arthurr Dragonpen's abilities and characterizations are based on space itself.

Sun playfully rested his arm on Moon's shoulder, but Moon stepped back, his expression cold. "Get your hands off me, you vermin," he snapped.

"Hahaha," Sun laughed, sending a ball of flames toward Moon's head. Moon swiftly dodged, and the fiery projectile struck a menacing monster closing in from behind.

Turning around, Moon extended his palm, drawing the burning monster toward him with spatial magic. In a synchronized display of power, both Arthurrs swung their sabers and sliced the monster into three parts.

I also leaped into action as the monsters from the other side of the hallway had arrived, dodging a flurry of flying needles. With a bolt of lightning, I struck the three-headed monster in all three heads, leaving it stunned.

Harnessing my lightning magic, I conjured an arcane bow. The string hummed with energy as I released three bolts, each piercing one of the monster's heads.

The condensed lightning left gaping holes in its form, revealing the other side.

"Hi," said Sun, waving his hand from the other end of the hole.

He clapped his hands, summoning a gust of powerful flames that pushed back a group of encroaching monsters.

Moon's saber sliced off a monstrous clawed arm that was littered with spikes. With a flick of his spatial magic, he sent the severed limb hurtling down the hallway, leaving destruction in its wake.

A monster lunged at Moon's head, but Sun intervened, blocking the attack with his saber. With a quick three-move combo, the monster quickly collapsed.

I, myself, was dealing with a slim, swift demonic monster.

Grabbing its wrist, I gathered an intense charge of lightning magic in my palm, stunning the creature. With it falling to the ground, I raised my foot high and then crushed its skull, sending brain matter scattering.

Immediately after, I leaned my body forward, dodging the monster arm that was just one large blade.

The three of us, Sun, Moon, and I found ourselves outnumbered tenfold by the relentless horde of demonic monsters. Despite our synergy and my seemingly bottomless mana reserves, the odds were rapidly stacked against us.

Woah... there are a lot more demonic monsters here than I expected.

The commotion of battle filled the air, drowning out any hope of a strategic advantage.

Our initial 10:1 disadvantage escalated quickly to a staggering 15:1 ratio. Each of us was now fending off twenty monstrous assailants, our teamwork strained by the overwhelming numbers.

The Arthurrs struggled to synchronize their movements, forced to rely on their individual skills to protect their vulnerable sides.

Surrounded by a sea of grotesque adversaries, I readied myself to employ Liona's dashing ability to escape imminent danger. But just as I was about to make my move, a cascade of icicles, each as large as a forearm, began raining down on the monsters, disrupting their formations and forcing them to retreat.

"Diana," I exclaimed.

"I'm here to lend a hand," she replied with a confident smile. Her fingers transformed into ice daggers, ready for battle.

I had expected her to join the fray because my connection was telling me that she was heading in my direction the whole time.

Occasionally, she stopped moving and I could only assume that she was dealing with demonic monsters.

Her school uniform was completely drenched in red, blue, purple, and black blood.

She lowered her body and dashed forward. A small group of monsters turned around to meet her.

She moved with fluidity and precision, evading the monsters' strikes with remarkable flexibility. In mere seconds, she reached my side, her demeanor surprisingly casual despite the chaotic battlefield.

"Hey," she greeted me casually as if we were meeting for a friendly chat rather than battling demonic monstrosities.

With swift agility, she grabbed my arms and lowered my body to the ground. Rolling onto my back, she used the spiked ice coating on her shoe to dispatch a flying monster.

"You're welcome," she quipped, winking at me.

I wanted to chuckle but settled for rolling my eyes in response.

I interlocked my fingers and, with a pull, summoned a net of crackling lightning. Widening the net, I ensnared three monsters within its electric grasp.

Diana clenched her fist, gathering mana with remarkable focus. When she opened her hand, a perfectly smooth ball of ice had formed. She hurled it at the net, and within moments, all three monsters had been transformed into ice statues.

Turning my attention to Sun and Moon, I observed their situation.

Despite the relentless onslaught, they held their ground, just barely keeping up with the pace they had to move to survive.

"HAHAHAHA!" Sun's laughter echoed through the chaotic battleground as he executed a gravity-defying somersault, landing on the ceiling with a graceful flip.

With a powerful push, he rocketed downward like a meteor, his velocity further amplified by Moon's quick magical assist before Moon resumed his own fierce combat.

Diana, creating a protective shield of ice to ward off projectiles, turned her attention to the spectacle. "Who are those two?" she softly shouted over the battle's clamor.

"That's Arthurr," I replied.

"Arthurr? The new transfer student?" Diana inquired, her voice tinged with curiosity.

She hadn't had the chance to meet Arthurr yet, because she had chosen to sit next to me instead of next to him as she had done so in the novel.

"Yeah," I confirmed.

"Why are there two of... him?" Diana questioned, her brow furrowing as she summoned ice spikes from the ground with an emphatic stomp.

"I don't exactly know," I answered, my words being completely lies. "He just split into two bodies."

"Does his strength also divide in half?" Diana probed, her interest piqued by the intricacies of Arthurr's ability.

"I don't know," I replied, "but it doesn't seem to matter, considering how formidable they are."

"...True," Diana acknowledged.

Turning to her, I made a request, "Diana, could you make me a spear?"

My lightning abilities couldn't conjure such a weapon at the moment. I didn't have the spell for it yet.

"Of course," she agreed. With a flick of her ice-daggered nails into a nearby monster's body and a subsequent clap of her hands, a slowly materializing ice spear took form as she pulled her hands apart.

While Diana created the weapon, I stood guard, protecting her from the relentless horde of monsters.

"Here you go," she said, handing me the completed spear, her eyes expecting a compliment from me.

"Good job," I said, fulfilling her desire. "Thank you."

"Hehehe."

Gripping the weapon firmly, I lunged toward the largest and most menacing of the demonic monsters within our midst. Diana followed closely, dispatching the smaller foes that attempted to obstruct my path.

As I approached the monster, which had stood motionless, observing its fallen allies, I halted a few meters away. Diana took up a defensive position behind me, offering her support.

"I'll cover your back so don't worry about any interference," she informed me.

"Thank you, Diana."

The monster, grotesquely ugly with ten eyes and four arms, had each eye independently tracking my movements.

It had very few blind spots.

With lightning speed, I maneuvered, dodging the first arm, weaving around the second, and using the spear's end to propel myself into the air to evade the sweeping attacks of the remaining two arms.

In mid-air, I executed a swift spin, slashing at two of the monster's eyes. The beast emitted a harrowing scream of agony.

"ARGHHHH!" it howled, swinging all four arms in a furious frenzy. Using the spear and my forearms, I managed to block one of the arms, harnessing its force to propel myself toward a nearby wall.

I executed a graceful kick off the wall, sliding deftly between the monster's legs.

As the monster spun to face me once more, I seized the opportunity to eliminate three more of its eyes using perfect timing to match when my spear tip would land and when his turn would be complete.

Five down. Five to go.

Dodging his movements that were negatively impacted by his anger, I stabbed my spear during an opening.

However, my momentary lapse in judgment allowed the monster to unleash a sudden burst of speed and reflex. Its top left arm struck my head with unexpected force, leaving me stunned and disoriented.

Rolling backward to gain some distance, I took a few seconds to focus on evading the monster's relentless attacks, all while attempting to regain my composure and clear my vision.

"Hey, you fat son of a bitch, is that all you got?" I taunted the monster.

In response, it let out a deafening roar, clenching all four of its massive fists and attempting to flatten me into a pancake with a ground-shaking strike. I skillfully evaded its assault, but the impact shattered the ground, sending broken tiles and a cloud of dust into the air.

Reaching into my back pocket, I retrieved my trusty overpowered glasses. Ignoring the swirling dust, I charged forward, my vision enhanced.

With precise strikes and nimble maneuvers, I systematically robbed the monster of its vision.

"How does it feel to be blind?" I teased. "It must be frustrating."

Deprived of this vital sense, I dispatched the creature with swift efficiency, severing its limbs and ultimately decapitating it as well as stabbing its heart, just to ensure it wouldn't rise again.

Diana joined my side, her back pressed against mine.

I turned around and helped her push back a relentless onslaught of monsters that had begun to overwhelm her with their sheer number.

With a little space between us and the monsters, she raised her hand.

I offered a nod of acknowledgment. "Good job."

"You too."

We exchanged a high-five, briefly celebrating our victory amid the chaos.

"Hehehe," she smiled and giggled.

Emerging from the hallway where the two Arthurrs were engaged in battle was Ichiko whom I had given a task.

Cradling the box in her arms, she dashed forward and avoided the monsters; as if she were a ballerina, she danced her way to where I was without a single finger touching her uniform.

"Here you go," she said, handing the box to me.

"Thank you," I told her.

She smiled and then turned to Diana.

The two of them had a brief moment of hostility before turning around to fend off the monsters that were closing the distance again.

At least they know when it's the right place and time to be feuding.

Opening the box, I grabbed the sword that was in it.

Gon, it's time for you and I to get to work again.

'Finally, master! I was starting to get rusty,' she replied with enthusiasm, eager to taste blood again.