The Villain Professor's Second Chance

I measured the distance between the core and the [Ebon Devourer]. The creature was feeding off it, but it wasn't an easy connection to sever. The dungeon's energy was pouring into it like a raging river, fueling its growth and making it more powerful with each passing moment. The dark tendrils of mana that connected the creature to the core were intertwined in ways that weren't immediately obvious.

The dungeon was intelligent—alive, in a way—and it had adapted, reinforcing the creature's connection to itself.

My mind raced through possibilities. A brute force approach wouldn't work. We'd already tried overwhelming it with magic, and that had only made things worse. The creature's ability to absorb and reflect mana meant we couldn't just throw spells at it. We needed to cut off its source, the core itself.

But the core was embedded deep beneath the chamber, its tendrils feeding into every part of the dungeon's structure. Severing one connection wouldn't be enough; we'd need to isolate the core, break its hold on the dungeon, and then strike at its weakest point.

I could feel my mana reserves depleting fast. Using [Comprehension]—the technique that allowed me to analyze the flow of magic—was taxing, especially in a situation like this where the magic was so complex, so interwoven. My head throbbed as I tried to keep up, the mental strain weighing heavily on me.

Each second I spent analyzing the dungeon's structure drained me further, and the weariness that settled into my bones was unmistakable.

I clenched my fists, pushing the exhaustion to the back of my mind. There was no time to indulge in fatigue. Elandris was holding the line, her earth and nature magic clashing against the beast's overwhelming power, but even she was starting to slow. We were running out of options.

I turned my attention back to the [Ebon Devourer], studying the way its body moved—fluid yet unnatural, its form a mass of shadows that twisted and reformed with each motion. Its core was still connected, but its movements were becoming erratic. It was trying to balance the massive influx of mana, and that was where its weakness lay.

"The core is destabilizing the creature," I muttered, half to myself. "It's taking in more energy than it can handle. If we push it over the edge, force it to absorb more than it can control, it will implode."

Elandris's eyes flicked toward me, understanding immediately. "So we overwhelm it with mana, make it feed faster than it can process?"

"Exactly," I said, the sharpness of my tone betraying my confidence in the plan. "But we'll have to be precise. One wrong move and we'll end up blowing ourselves up along with it."

Elandris grinned, a wild gleam in her eyes. "Sounds like fun."

I could feel my mana reserves dwindling, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on me like a heavy fog. [Comprehension] had taken its toll, and my control over the pens was slipping. But I couldn't stop now. I had to trust Elandris to keep the creature occupied while I focused on the next step.

The devil pen hovered beside me, its dark energy coiling around my wrist like a serpent waiting to strike. I could feel its hunger, its need to be unleashed, but I had to be careful. The wrong spell, the wrong timing, and everything would fall apart.

I closed my eyes briefly, focusing on the feel of the dungeon's mana, the way it ebbed and flowed like a living thing. I could sense the core beneath us, pulsing with ancient energy, and I knew that if we didn't act quickly, it would consume us all.

"We need to force a surge," I said, my voice low but determined. "Overload the creature with mana, and when it's on the verge of breaking, we sever the core's connection."

Elandris nodded, her grin fading as her focus sharpened. "Got it. Let me handle the surge."

I watched as she stepped forward, her hands moving in fluid motions as she summoned her magic. The ground beneath us trembled, and I could feel the raw power of her nature magic building, the air around her crackling with energy. She was pulling mana directly from the earth, channeling it into a single point, preparing to unleash it all at once.

"Get ready, Draven," she said, her voice steady but filled with anticipation. "When I let this go, you'll have a window—just a few seconds—to strike."

I nodded, my mind already calculating the timing. I could see the threads of magic connecting the [Ebon Devourer] to the core, each one pulsing with dark energy. I would need to cut them all at once, severing the creature's connection before it could recover.

Elandris raised her hands, her eyes glowing with the intensity of her magic. "Here we go."

With a sharp motion, she released the full force of her mana, sending it surging toward the creature in a massive wave of energy. The ground shook violently as the magic slammed into the [Ebon Devourer], forcing it to absorb more mana than it could handle. Its body flickered and writhed, the dark shadows that made up its form distorting as it struggled to maintain control.

"Now!" Elandris shouted, her voice strained from the effort.

I didn't hesitate. The devil pen shot forward, its dark energy slicing through the air like a blade. I directed it toward the tendrils of mana connecting the creature to the core, each one pulsing with raw power. With a precise flick of my wrist, I severed the first connection, and the creature let out a deafening roar, its body shuddering as it lost a portion of its strength.

I moved quickly, the psychokinesis pen following close behind, striking at the remaining tendrils with pinpoint accuracy. Each time a connection was severed, the creature's form flickered, its movements growing more erratic as it struggled to maintain its hold on the dungeon's mana.

"Keep going!" Elandris urged, her voice filled with urgency.

I pushed through the exhaustion, my focus narrowing to a single point—the core. The final connection was the strongest, the one that fed directly into the creature's heart. If I could sever that, it would collapse under the weight of its own power.

With a sharp motion, I sent the devil pen slicing through the last tendril. The connection snapped, and the [Ebon Devourer] let out a final, ear-splitting scream as its form began to collapse in on itself. The dark shadows that made up its body twisted and contorted, the creature's own mana turning against it as it was overwhelmed by the surge of energy.

For a brief moment, everything was still.

And then, with a thunderous explosion, the creature imploded, its body disintegrating into nothingness as the dungeon's energy was released in a violent burst of light and sound. The ground shook violently, and I barely had time to shield myself with the elven-runed water pen as the shockwave tore through the chamber.

When the dust finally settled, the creature was gone. The [Ebon Devourer] had been destroyed, its connection to the core severed. But the dungeon was still unstable, the core's energy spiraling out of control as it searched for something to latch onto.

"We need to stabilize the core!" I called to Elandris, my voice hoarse from the exertion. "If we don't, this whole place will collapse!"

Elandris nodded, her face pale but determined. "I'll hold the core. You need to close the rift."

I could barely think, my body trembling from the strain of maintaining my spells, but I knew she was right. If the rift wasn't sealed, the dungeon's energy would continue to spiral out of control, and there would be no saving the tower.

I directed the elven-runed water pen toward the core, summoning a barrier of shimmering blue light to contain the energy. The water swirled around the core, forming a protective shell that slowed the flow of mana, but it wouldn't hold for long.

"I've got it!" Elandris shouted, her hands glowing as she summoned more of her nature magic. The ground beneath us shifted, and I watched as roots and vines erupted from the floor, wrapping around the core in a tight embrace, anchoring it in place.

But the core was still unstable, the energy within it pulsing violently as it tried to break free.

"Draven!" Elandris's voice was filled with urgency. "You have to seal it now!"

I gritted my teeth, forcing my exhausted body to move. The devil pen hovered in front of me, its dark energy coiling around my wrist like a lifeline. With a deep breath, I channeled the last of my mana into the pen, feeling the weight of the magic as it built within me.

"[Abyssal Seal]," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

The pen pulsed with dark light, and a wave of shadowy energy shot toward the core, wrapping around it like chains. The energy coiled tighter and tighter, locking the core in place as the [Abyssal Seal] took hold.