The Villain Professor's Second Chance

"Draven!" she shrieked, her voice raw with a mixture of rage and desperation. Her body trembled as she tried to regain her footing, her mana unstable, flaring and flickering erratically.

"Keep her off balance!" I called to Elandris, sweat beading on my brow as I held the chain steady. "[Abyssal Chain] won't last long—she's too strong!"

Elandris nodded sharply, a wild gleam in her eyes as she raised her hands, summoning more of her ancient magic. The chamber groaned as the earth responded to her call, and I watched as massive boulders tore free from the walls and ceiling, hovering ominously above Armandra's head.

Vines twisted and curled around the rocks, hardening into iron-like tendrils as they encased the boulders, ready to crush her at a moment's notice.

"Don't worry, Draven," Elandris called back, laughing in a way that would have unnerved anyone unfamiliar with her eccentricity. "I've got this."

She made a sharp motion with her hand, and the boulders hurtled toward Armandra with terrifying speed. At the same time, thick roots erupted from the floor, snaking around Armandra's legs and arms, holding her in place as the earth-bound projectiles closed in.

Armandra's eyes widened, her pupils dilating with panic as she fought against the restraints. "[Infernal Burst]!" she screamed, and a pulse of demonic energy exploded from her body, shattering the vines that held her. The boulders crumbled in midair, reduced to dust by the sheer force of her blast.

But I wasn't about to let her recover.

"[Flame Barrage]!" I snapped, sending the fire pen into action. Flames roared forth, curling and twisting through the air as they converged on Armandra, engulfing her in a storm of fire. The chamber blazed with heat, the air shimmering as the fire raged.

For a moment, I thought we had her. The fire crackled and hissed, burning fiercely around her form. But then, through the flames, I saw her outline—blurred, but still standing. Her voice rang out, sharp and defiant.

"Do you think fire will stop me?!" she roared, and with a sweeping gesture, she summoned a barrier of light. "[Demonic Light Shield]!" she cried, and the flames parted as the shield formed around her, deflecting the fire's fury with ease.

I gritted my teeth, feeling the strain of holding the [Abyssal Chain]. Armandra's demonic magic pulsed against it, fighting back, and I could feel her starting to regain control of her mana. I needed to do something fast, or she'd break free entirely.

Elandris seemed to sense this too. Her eyes narrowed as she shifted her stance, her hands moving in fluid, almost dance-like motions. The ground beneath us trembled again, and this time, a massive tree burst from the floor, its roots sprawling outward like giant tendrils. "[Elderwood Embrace]," she murmured, and the tree's branches shot toward Armandra with blinding speed.

The branches wrapped around Armandra's body, their bark hardening like iron as they closed in on her, squeezing tightly. I could see Armandra's face twisted in frustration, her lips pulling back in a snarl as she struggled against the ancient magic. But even in her desperation, her eyes gleamed with dangerous intent.

"You think you've won?" she spat, her voice filled with venom. "[Demonic Aether Pulse]!"

The air in the chamber darkened, and a low, ominous hum filled the space as Armandra's body glowed with dark light. A sphere of black and violet energy formed around her, pulsing with raw, demonic power. I could feel the pressure building, the very fabric of the dungeon reacting to the unstable magic she was calling forth.

"Elandris, get back!" I shouted, recognizing the spell. "[Demonic Aether Pulse] is going to blow!"

But Elandris didn't flinch. Instead, she grinned widely, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Oh, I know!" she said, her voice lilting with amusement. "But this is too fun to stop now."

Her words were barely out of her mouth when the pulse exploded.

A wave of dark energy ripped through the chamber, sending debris flying in every direction. I braced myself, summoning a barrier of water with the elven-runed pen to shield myself from the blast. The water surged in front of me, forming a shimmering wall of protection that absorbed the impact, but the force of the explosion was enough to send me skidding back several feet.

When the dust cleared, I saw that Elandris had barely moved. The ground around her was scorched, and the tree she had summoned was reduced to charred remnants, but she stood unharmed, her eyes still gleaming with that unsettling delight.

"That was close!" she called over to me, flashing me a grin as if we were playing some kind of game. "You're lucky I love a good challenge!"

I shook my head, trying to stifle a groan. Elandris's reckless enthusiasm was both a blessing and a curse, but right now, I needed her unpredictability. Armandra wasn't someone we could beat through sheer power alone. We had to outmaneuver her.

Armandra, for her part, was struggling. Her body flickered between solid and ethereal, her form destabilizing as the dark energy continued to surge through her. Her connection to the dungeon was being severed, but she was still drawing on its power in a desperate attempt to maintain control.

"Enough!" she shrieked, her voice raw with fury. "[Abyssal Chains], [Elderwood Embrace], none of it matters!" Her eyes burned with malevolent light as she raised her hands, her mana spiking dangerously. "I am the future of magic, and I will not be stopped by you!"

Her hands came down, and the dungeon itself seemed to respond. The ground beneath us rumbled, and I felt a surge of demonic energy building beneath the surface.

"She's going to collapse the entire chamber!" I shouted, my heart racing. "We need to stop her now!"

Elandris didn't need further prompting. She thrust her hands forward, summoning another torrent of magic. "[Nature's Fury]," she cried, and the room erupted into chaos. Trees, vines, and roots surged from every direction, crashing toward Armandra in a storm of ancient magic.

Armandra met the attack with her own, summoning a vortex of demonic energy that tore through the chamber like a cyclone. "[Hellstorm]," she screamed, and the air filled with howling winds and crackling energy.

I watched as the two forces clashed in the center of the room, nature and demonic magic colliding in a furious storm of power. The ground shook violently, and cracks began to spiderweb across the floor as the sheer force of the battle tore the chamber apart.

But amidst the chaos, I saw an opening.

The [Abyssal Chain] was still attached to Armandra, and though she was siphoning mana from the dungeon, her connection was fraying. If I could sever it completely, we might have a chance to turn the tide.

With a sharp motion, I directed the psychokinesis pen forward, sending it flying toward Armandra's chest. The pen cut through the vortex of energy, slipping past the whirlwind of demonic magic and striking true.

Armandra gasped, her body jerking as the pen struck the center of her mana core. Her connection to the dungeon flickered, and for the first time, I saw panic flash across her face.

"Draven!" Elandris shouted, her voice filled with urgency. "Now!"

I didn't hesitate. The elven-runed water pen glowed brightly as I summoned its power, channeling it into a single, focused strike. Water surged forward, twisting and spiraling around Armandra's form, cutting through the demonic energy like a blade. The water coiled around her, binding her in place as the [Abyssal Chain] tightened, drawing her mana away from the dungeon.

Armandra screamed, her body flickering violently as the connection between her and the dungeon was severed. The ground beneath her cracked, and the demonic energy that had fueled her began to dissipate, leaving her form weakened and unstable.

But even as she faltered, her eyes burned with defiance.

"You… you think this will stop me?" she gasped, her voice weak but filled with venom. "This isn't over. Not by a long shot."

I stepped forward, my pens hovering protectively around me as I prepared for whatever final trick she had up her sleeve. But before I could speak, the ground beneath us rumbled again, this time with a different energy.

A new presence—dark, ancient, and overwhelmingly powerful—stirred beneath the surface.

Elandris's eyes widened, and for the first time, I saw genuine concern flicker across her face.

"Draven," she whispered, her voice uncharacteristically serious. "Something's waking up,"