The Villain Professor's Second Chance

The first move was mine. With a flick of my wrist, I sent the psychokinesis pen flying forward, its path swift and deadly. It sliced through the air, aimed directly at Armandra's heart. But she was fast, faster than I expected. With a sharp movement, she conjured a barrier of shimmering dark magic, deflecting the pen's attack effortlessly.

"You'll have to do better than that," Armandra taunted, her voice smooth and confident.

I watched as Armandra deflected my initial strike with a quick flick of her hand, her dark barrier shimmering briefly before fading into the dense atmosphere. Her smile widened, that same unsettling confidence oozing from her every movement. It was clear she expected this fight to be nothing more than a formality—a momentary amusement before the inevitable collapse of the tower.

But I wasn't here to amuse her.

With a quick mental command, I sent a pulse of mana through my pens, and the air around me crackled with energy. The fire pen flared, its flames dancing eagerly in response to my call, while the elven-runed water pen hummed with a low, steady resonance. I had no intention of holding back.

"Elandris," I said calmly, not taking my eyes off Armandra, "let's see how much of that 'old magic' you've still got."

Elandris gave a soft chuckle, stepping forward. Her confidence mirrored Armandra's, but hers came from a place of mastery, not madness. The ground beneath her feet trembled as she raised her hands, calling forth her ancient elvish magic. The stones of the chamber responded immediately, shifting and reshaping into jagged, twisting spires of earth that shot up around her like sentinels.

"Oh, don't worry, Draven," she said, her voice light and almost teasing, "I've been dying to stretch my legs."

She moved with grace, her hands weaving intricate patterns through the air as she commanded the very earth itself. Huge slabs of stone rose in response, forming a series of protective walls around us as her nature magic began to take hold. Vines and roots erupted from the cracks in the floor, twisting and growing at unnatural speeds, filling the room with the scent of damp earth and life.

The very air seemed to shift as Elandris's magic took hold, turning our battleground into her own domain.

Armandra, however, was far from intimidated. If anything, the smile on her lips grew wider.

"You think this old magic of yours is enough to stop me?" she taunted, her voice dripping with mockery. "I've already tapped into the dungeon's power. This tower belongs to me now."

She lifted her arms, and the dark aura surrounding her intensified. The ground at her feet cracked open, and from it, demonic creatures began to crawl—twisted, grotesque beings, their forms barely distinguishable as they clawed their way into the room. The dungeon had come alive, feeding her dark magic.

I gritted my teeth. "I'll keep her occupied. You deal with those things," I said, knowing Elandris would handle it without question.

With a swift motion, I sent the fire pen forward. Flames exploded from the tip, spiraling toward Armandra with ferocity. At the same time, I unleashed the elven-runed water pen, summoning a wave of shimmering blue mana that surged alongside the fire. The opposing elements clashed together in a violent explosion of steam and heat as they raced toward Armandra, but she was ready.

"[Demonic Veil]," she whispered, her voice calm but filled with power.

A shimmering dark veil of magic enveloped her, absorbing the combined elements with ease. The flames dissipated into nothing, while the water sizzled and evaporated against the dark barrier. She hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Is that the best you can do, Draven?" she sneered. "[Luminous Cascade]!"

Suddenly, blinding beams of light shot from her hands, each one laced with dark magic. They moved in erratic, unpredictable patterns, leaving scorching trails in the stone as they tore through the chamber. I barely managed to react in time, sending my psychokinesis pen flying forward to intercept the beams.

The pen shot through the air, slicing through the beams with surgical precision, but the sheer power of Armandra's magic was staggering.

"Careful!" I called to Elandris, who was laughing—laughing—as she danced through the chaos, her feet barely touching the ground as she dodged the beams with ease.

"Oh, Draven, you're too serious!" she called back, her voice filled with amusement. "[Nature's Wrath]!"

With a sweep of her hand, a massive tree erupted from the ground beneath her, its roots spreading out in all directions, slamming into the demonic creatures that Armandra had summoned. The demons screeched as the roots pierced their twisted bodies, dragging them into the earth and crushing them under the weight of nature's fury.

The tree's branches twisted and grew, forming a protective canopy over us as Elandris continued to weave her magic with ease, laughing all the while.

I shook my head, unable to help the small smile that crept onto my face. Even in the midst of battle, she was enjoying herself. But I didn't have time to dwell on it.

The minotaur devil servant I had summoned earlier thundered past me, its massive axe cleaving through a wave of dungeon creatures that had poured into the room. The undead goblin king followed close behind, swinging its club with brutal efficiency, smashing demons into the ground as it fought to protect us.

"Good," I muttered, my focus shifting back to Armandra. "Keep them busy."

Armandra's eyes narrowed as she watched her demonic forces being overrun by my summoned creatures and Elandris's nature magic. But she wasn't finished yet. Her hands began to glow with a sickly green light, and I immediately recognized the spell.

"[Devourer's Call]," I said under my breath, feeling the familiar chill run down my spine. She was siphoning mana directly from the dungeon's core. If she managed to absorb enough power, even Elandris's ancient magic wouldn't be able to hold her back.

"Draven!" Elandris called, her voice more serious now. "She's pulling mana from the dungeon!"

"I know!" I called back, my mind racing. I had to stop her, but if I wasn't careful, I could risk destabilizing the entire tower.

Armandra's body pulsed with dark energy, her form flickering as the mana from the dungeon flooded into her. She raised her hand, and a massive sphere of crackling light and darkness formed above her head, growing larger with each passing second.

"This ends now," she hissed, her voice low and dangerous.

Without hesitation, I sent my pens flying forward. The fire pen spiraled through the air, its flames burning hotter than ever as it shot toward Armandra's sphere of magic. The elven-runed water pen followed closely behind, its shimmering blue aura twisting around the fire in a perfect spiral. But I wasn't finished.

The psychokinesis pen flew above the others, and the devil pen coiled around my wrist, ready to strike.

Armandra's eyes widened as she saw the onslaught of magic heading her way, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she thrust her hand forward, and the sphere of magic erupted.

The impact was deafening. Flames and water collided with the sphere in a violent explosion of energy, sending shockwaves through the chamber. The walls trembled, and cracks spider-webbed across the floor as the force of the blast sent me skidding back, my pens barely managing to absorb the brunt of the impact.

"Draven!" Elandris called, her voice sharp with concern.

"I'm fine!" I shouted back, gritting my teeth as I steadied myself.

Armandra stood at the center of the chaos, her body flickering with unstable energy. She was struggling to maintain control, but the sheer power she had absorbed from the dungeon was overwhelming her. Her eyes, once filled with confidence, now glowed with an almost manic intensity.

"It's too late!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the chamber. "You can't stop it! The dungeon will consume everything!"

I clenched my fists, my pens hovering protectively around me. The battle wasn't over, but I could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on me. Armandra was right about one thing—this was no ordinary fight. The forces at play here were far older, far more dangerous than I had anticipated.

Elandris moved beside me, her smile gone now, replaced by a look of steely determination. "We have to stop her," she said quietly, her voice steady. "No matter what it takes."

I nodded, my eyes fixed on Armandra as she prepared for her next move. This battle wasn't over—not by a long shot.

And I wasn't about to let her win.

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