I'm The Villain

A Fight To Remember

"What?..." Damien knew magic casters could sense magic but he had never seen Elizabeth this pale before.

"I must go see teacher!" Elizabeth stood up shakily,"I'll come with you!"

They rushed to Elizabeth's teacher.

"Teacher!" Elizabeth shouted, throwing the door open to the court appointed mage's room.

"It seems you have sensed it too." The old man said quietly.

Elizabeth couldn't confirm it but she sensed a slight waver in her teacher's voice.

"What...What in the world is using that magic?"

"I...Do not know. Whatever is out there...Will bring calamity should we anger it. Whatever it is...We must stop it!"

"How?!"

"I do not know, young one. I fear that if we do not attempt to appease those beings...We will be eradicated. Not just us, but this country as a whole will too. There will not be a war. Only a massacre."

The words sent chills down their backs.

If the kingdom's strongest magician said such words, such people would be practically invincible.

"I must hurry! The king has sent the order already!"

"I'll follow!"

"No!" Beow, her teacher shouted,"You are royalty! Harm must not come upon you!"

"I'm this generation's elite! If I don't come, the people will resent the king for forcing everyone but his daughter into this! Please!" Elizabeth pleaded.

Beow stood still for a moment.

They had no time to waste.

He sighed,"You can come...But stay behind me. Don't be brash, Elizabeth. Stubbornness here will get you killed."

Elizabeth nodded.

"Come! We must make haste! The professors are already gathering their weapons! We must make it to the stable for our horses!"

—

An hour later.

The tension amongst the magic casters was evident.

Whatever lurked out there would likely be hostile to them.

The ground tremors grew shakier, the claps of power striking like a sharp arrow that tried to turn their mana into a frenzy.

The pressure of the magic used was evident, pushing them back.

Even then, the people using such spells were still out of sight.

"We're close." Beow said.

"We are." Clifte, one of the professors added,"Prepare yourselves. If you lose grip on your power, turn back and recover. Don't push yourselves."

Elizabeth grit her teeth, keeping her mana under wraps.

She was absolutely petrified, but also curious.

Such was the mindset of magic casters who were on the endless search of higher magic.

Running steadfastly into problems, that was the way of the magic casters.

"I...I see them!" One of the professors shouted.

"Let's move closer..." Beow shouted, urging his horse to trod slowly,"Move with caution! Especially you, Eli."

Elizabeth nodded, turning to her side to make sure Damien was okay.

He had wanted to follow along.

Elizabeth squinted her eyes, five figures in the horizon.

Each one held monstrous power within them.

One shot black beams that seemed to obliterate everything in its path, carving holes in the sides of mountains.

Turning her head, she saw a distant mountain caving in on itself under the might of the beams.

One was a gigantic red knight that seemed to be made and moved by pure magic.

To form a small weapon from magic was already considered a grand feat for professors, and yet a suit of armour over six times as taller than them moved autonomously, forming weapons without a care for it's seemingly never-ending mana.

Then there were blood red creatures rampaging through the area, each one radiating bloodlust that could knock out an ordinary knight.

Damien seemed to manage to hold on, barely preventing himself from passing out.

Upon a closer look, Elizabeth saw cracks in the ground.

"Halt!" Beow thundered, the horse stopping,"Those cracks...They are an offensive magic. We have no magic strong enough to break through it."

"Tch. Monsters. What kind of spell is this?...How is it's range so far?" Clifte mumbled.

"We can only watch for now. We will retreat if necessary..." Beow said,"Prepare for the worst case scenario."

A dark cloud seemed to loom over the group, the fight in the distance a memory that forever etched itself into the spectators' minds.

"The spells...They are all stronger than any described  by my teacher..." Beow muttered just loud enough for Elizabeth to hear.

"Teacher...Where do you think these people are from?"

Beow shook his head,"Wherever they are from, we better pray to whatever god there is that that more don't come. Wait..." Beow dismounted and walked over to a few of the professors.

They chatted for a few moments before Beow walked grimly back.

"Teacher?..."

"I noticed something. Look at their faces, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth turned her head and squinted her eyes once more, focusing on the faces of a person shooting beams.

She was wearing a mask.

"A mask?...Why would they wear masks?..."

"It seems unlikely...But...Those people...May be from Elisia."

Elizabeth frowned,"Elisia? That place again?"

"Foolish girl. Do not underestimate the kingdom because of its age. These people...They are the Emperor's most trusted aides. The Masked Depravities." Beow shuddered,"They are the kingdom's cornerstones. Each one strong to an ungodly level."

Elizabeth couldn't believe it when Damien mentioned it.

But now that her own teacher had said such high praise, she was forced to.

"What do we do then?...And...Who are they fighting...?"

"It seems like an internal dispute...They have chosen this land as their fighting place. We can only sit back and watch unless we wish to be killed."

"We can't stop them?" Elizabeth asked.

"That crack right there." Beow pointed to a small crack in the ground,"That crack, is equal to one of me. Now look around."

A cold feeling engulfed Elizabeth, the definition of dread.

Surrounding the battlefield were thousands of cracks.

"Even if we wanted to interfere, we would be unable to." Beow answered simply,"We can only watch and hope to gleam something from these almighty powers being displayed before us. Look carefully, Elizabeth. This is the level you should aim for. It's what we all are aiming for."