The Villain Professor's Second Chance

Elandris managed to rise next to me, her normally vibrant, wild energy dimmed but not extinguished. Her expression was serious, the usual playfulness replaced by a quiet intensity. Even though she was just as drained as I was, there was still fight left in her.

Across from us, Armandra stood at the far end of the corridor, her form barely recognizable. She had given in to the darkness completely. Her skin, once pale and glowing with power, was now cracked and broken, barely holding together under the strain of the dungeon's corrupting energy. Her eyes, glowing with an eerie greenish light, stared at us with a mixture of fury and desperation.

The dungeon core was still pulsing behind us, held by the [Abyssal Seal], but I could feel it weakening. The seal wouldn't hold forever, not with the core still connected to Armandra. We had cut off most of her access to its power, but the tendrils of mana linking her to the dungeon remained strong. She was still feeding off its energy, even as her body deteriorated.

She raised her hands, summoning more dark magic, and I could see the desperation in her movements. This wasn't the calculated, manipulative Armandra we had faced earlier. This was a woman on the edge, willing to burn everything down with her.

"You still think you can stop me?" she hissed, her voice a rasping whisper. "You think cutting me off from the core will change anything? You're too late. The dungeon will consume us all."

Her words, once sharp and cutting, now felt like the ravings of someone who had lost control. Her mind, just like her body, was unraveling. But that didn't make her any less dangerous.

"We can stop this," I said coldly, stepping forward despite the exhaustion that gripped my body. "You don't have to destroy everything just because you couldn't control it. Step down, Armandra. We'll end this together."

For a moment, a flicker of hesitation crossed her face, as though she was weighing her options. But then, just as quickly, her expression hardened, her eyes narrowing with fury.

"End this?" she spat, her voice rising with manic energy. "You still don't understand, do you, Draven? The world's magic is crumbling. This dungeon—this tower—it's just the beginning! What I've done here is necessary. You're fools if you think you can rebuild what's already been lost."

I could see Elandris tensing beside me, her fingers twitching as she prepared to summon another spell. But I held out a hand, signaling for her to wait. We needed to be smart about this. Armandra was still dangerous, and if we rushed her, she could easily unleash a final attack that would take us all down with her.

"Enough!" I snapped, my voice cold and precise. "This ends now. You've destroyed enough in your blind pursuit of power. Stand down, or we will make sure you don't get the chance to cause any more harm."

Armandra's face twisted into a snarl, and I knew there was no reasoning with her anymore. Whatever humanity had been left in her was gone, consumed by her obsession and the dark mana coursing through her veins.

She raised her hands once more, and I felt the air around us grow heavy with dark energy. The walls trembled, and the ground beneath us cracked as the dungeon's unstable magic surged again. The corridor was filled with an oppressive force that made it hard to breathe.

Elandris stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with determination. "She's not going to stop, Draven. We have to end this."

I nodded. We didn't have any other choice.

I summoned what little mana I had left, drawing the pens back to me. The fire pen flared to life in front of me, its flames burning hotter than they had before, fueled by the desperation of the moment. The devil pen hovered beside it, its dark energy coiling around me like a shield. I could feel the weight of the power coursing through the pens, but I knew I was running on fumes.

I wouldn't be able to hold this for long.

Elandris, despite her own exhaustion, called upon her ancient magic once more. The ground beneath her shifted, and I watched as roots and vines erupted from the stone floor, twisting and curling around her like a protective barrier. The earth itself seemed to respond to her will, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Armandra's eyes gleamed with malice as she unleashed another wave of dark energy, the force of it crackling through the air like lightning. The shadows around her writhed and twisted, taking on monstrous forms as they surged toward us.

I sent the fire pen forward, its flames roaring through the air as they collided with the wave of darkness. The two forces clashed, the flames pushing back against the shadows, but it wasn't enough. The darkness was too strong, too overwhelming.

Elandris reacted quickly, sending her roots and vines surging forward to intercept the attack. The roots coiled around the shadows, tightening their grip as they fought to contain the dark energy. But Armandra wasn't done.

"[Aether Break]," she hissed, her hands glowing with raw, unstable mana.

I barely had time to register the spell before it hit. A shockwave of pure mana exploded from Armandra's hands, tearing through the corridor with the force of a hurricane. I was thrown backward, the air knocked from my lungs as I crashed into the stone wall behind me. Pain lanced through my body, and for a moment, I saw stars.

"Draven!" Elandris's voice cut through the ringing in my ears, and I forced myself to sit up, blinking through the haze of pain. She was still standing, her roots forming a protective cocoon around her, but I could see the strain on her face. She couldn't hold on much longer.

Armandra's form flickered as she stepped forward, her body barely holding together under the weight of the dark mana. She was a walking disaster, a storm of raw power and rage, and she was going to take us down with her if we didn't stop her now.

I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stand. The devil pen hovered beside me, its dark energy still pulsing, but I could feel the strain of my mana reserves hitting their limits. I didn't have much left, but I had enough for one final strike.

"Elandris," I called, my voice steady despite the pain. "We need to finish this."

She nodded, her face set in grim determination. "One last push."

Together, we prepared for the final assault. Elandris summoned the last of her strength, the roots and vines twisting around her like a living fortress. The ground beneath her feet shifted as she called upon the earth's power one last time.

I raised the devil pen, channeling what little mana I had left into its core. The dark energy coiled around me, thick and oppressive, but I welcomed it. This was the final move. We had to make it count.

Armandra let out a scream of rage, her hands glowing with dark, crackling energy as she prepared to unleash another devastating attack. The dungeon's energy surged around her, feeding her power, but I could see the cracks forming in her control. She was on the verge of collapse, just like the dungeon itself.

"Now!" I shouted, and Elandris didn't hesitate.

With a sharp motion, she sent the roots and vines surging forward, wrapping around Armandra's legs and arms, binding her in place. The dark mana crackled and hissed as it tried to fight back, but Elandris held firm, her ancient magic keeping the corrupted energy at bay.

I summoned the devil pen, its dark energy coiling into a single, focused point. I could feel the weight of the mana pressing against me, threatening to crush me under its intensity, but I forced myself to push through it. This was our only chance.

With a final, desperate motion, I sent the devil pen flying toward Armandra, aiming for the center of her mana core. The pen sliced through the air like a blade, its dark energy cutting through the layers of protective magic surrounding her.

Armandra's eyes widened in shock as the pen struck, embedding itself in her chest. For a brief moment, there was silence.

Then, with a deafening roar, Armandra's body convulsed as the dark energy within her imploded. The shadows that had twisted around her form unraveled, dissipating into the air like smoke. The ground beneath her cracked and shattered as the dungeon's energy finally broke free, spiraling into the air in a wild, chaotic surge.

I barely had time to react before the shockwave hit. The force of it sent me flying backward once more, and this time, I couldn't stop the darkness that crept into the edges of my vision. The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was the flickering light of the dungeon core, still pulsing faintly in the distance.

Everything went black.