I Am The Game's Villain

Chapter 615 615: Against Medusa

I followed Medusa through the hidden door, stepping into a narrow, dimly lit corridor that seemed to stretch endlessly ahead.

It was obvious she had prepared for just about any disaster. But now that sheʼd triggered the countdown, this whole place would be blowing sky-high any minute. She had no choice but to run–- just like me and Roda. If we didnʼt move fast, we were going to be buried alive.

I could hear Rodaʼs hurried footsteps echoing behind me. She was close, following my lead. But my attention was locked solely on Medusa.

I wasnʼt going to let this turn into another disaster like with Nora — that mess where John and I had failed to take her down. And because of that failure, she did something to Amelia.

I wouldnʼt let Medusa slip away like I did with Nora.

She was sprinting ahead, her silhouette flickering in the faint emergency lights, but I was gaining on her. Medusa glanced back at me over her shoulder, a smile on her lips.

”Iʼd rather you stay alive,” she said with a smirk. ”Itʼll piss off a lot of important people if you die here.”

Without wasting a second, I reached for khryselakatos slung across my back. I drew the bowstring all the way back and let an arrow fly—the shaft shimmering amber as it tore through the air toward her.

Medusa, sensing the danger closing in fast, yanked out a sword in a blur of movement. With a sweeping slash, she released a wave of mana that crackled down the corridor.

Instinct kicked in—I summoned Aegis just in time. The shield materialized absorbing the brunt of the impact. Still, the force was enough to rattle my bones.

The walls on either side of me instantly shifted color— dull gray stone spreading like a disease.

My eyes darted to my left hand.

The tips of my fingers had already started turning to stone, a creeping numbness spreading up my arm. I gritted my teeth, willing myself to keep moving.

She was petrifying everything she touched.

One wrong move and Iʼd be a statue.

I couldnʼt afford to be cautious. If I hesitated now, sheʼd slip right through my fingers.

”Fuck it,” I muttered under my breath.

Gripping Aegis tightly in front of me, I stomped the ground with all my strength, launching myself forward like a bullet. In a flash, I closed the distance between us.

Medusa reacted instantly. She stopped cold, raised her sword, and with a fluid motion, uncorked a small vial and poured its contents over the blade.

The moment she swung–

-BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted between us.

I skidded backward several meters, Aegis flaring brightly as it absorbed the blast. Smoke and dust billowed everywhere. Even with the shield, the shockwave rattled me.

But it wasnʼt just smoke.

There was something toxic in the air, clinging to my skin, making my lungs burn the moment I breathed it in.

My mana...

I stared down at my trembling hands, the fingers twitching uncontrollably.

Whatever Iʼd inhaled from that explosion — it was wreaking havoc inside me, screwing up my ability to control my mana. It felt like trying to catch smoke with bare hands.

Before I could gather myself, a figure blurred past me at incredible speed — a streak of white cutting through the smoke.

It was Roda.

She was fast. Way faster than me. I barely caught sight of her—just the faint glimpse of a white tail flicking behind her like a comet.

A scarf was wrapped tightly around her mouth, shielding her from the toxic fumes, and her usually bright eyes had gone ice-cold, locked with deadly focus onto Medusa.

For the first time, Medusaʼs smug grin faltered.

She realized—Roda was already right in front of her.

-BAM!

”Ugh!”

Medusa let out a pained sound as Rodaʼs clawed hand slashed in a deadly arc, tearing across Medusaʼs chest with enough force to send blood spraying into the air.

The impact lifted her off the ground and hurled her several meters back, slamming her into the corridor wall with a dull, meaty thud.

But Roda wasnʼt done.

Not even close.

Before Medusa could catch her breath, Roda blitzed forward again.

Medusa, to her credit, recovered quickly. She smirked, her lips curling up, her eyes flashing a poisonous green as the scales on her face shifted and shimmered.

But just as Medusa tried to pull something, Rodaʼs eyes suddenly flared bright white.

She squeezed them shut—almost instinctively and just in time to dodge a sword hurtling toward her out of nowhere.

”What...?” Medusa gasped, startled.

Honestly, I hadnʼt even seen the damn sword until it was too late.

But Roda had sensed it before it even fully entered the space thanks to her Prophetessʼs power.

Of course, Medusa was still under the impression that Celeste was the Prophetess.

She could have no idea that Roda was the Prophetess in another timeline.

Before Medusa could regroup, Roda was on her again.

She closed the distance in a blink, spun on her heel, and drove a brutal kick right into Medusaʼs stomach.

-BAM!

Medusaʼs eyes bulged as she coughed up a mouthful of blood, her body folding around the blow.

The sound of bones cracking echoed down the corridor as she was sent flying like a ragdoll, smashing into another heavy steel door at the far end.

Medusa slumped against it, dazed and battered, barely managing to lift her head —

”Anathemaʼs Fire,” I muttered right after. Before Medusa could even register the words, a glowing sphere of purple fire came crashing into her chest.

-BOOM!!

The explosion roared through the hallway, the shockwave kicking up debris and smoke.

Medusaʼs figure was swallowed whole by the roaring purple flames, hurled like a broken doll through the shattered door.

Beyond it, I caught a glimpse of open sky.

The lab had been built under a forest canopy, hidden deep inside a small island.

But now, through the wreckage, Medusa was flung out into a clearing—a wide, open field lined with dense trees swaying in the sudden wind of the explosion.

I watched as Medusa burned in the purple flames, but then—

”Hyaaarghhh!!”

”Ugh…” I grimaced, clutching my ears as her sudden, piercing scream tore through the air. For Roda, it was even worse; she staggered mid-run, visibly affected.

Medusaʼs form began to change before my eyes. She grew taller, her entire body becoming covered in glistening green scales, and sharp horns jutted from her forehead.

This is bad.

The pressure of her mana kept growing, suffocating the air around us.

”Anathema—!” I tried to channel my mana, but my flow stuttered again.

I managed to force it through, although it felt like something was greedily siphoning away even more of my energy. Still, the obstruction remained, troubling my control.

Gritting my teeth, I snapped my gaze back toward Medusa.

The trees nearby were beginning to splinter and topple, blasted apart by the sheer force of her aura and her frenzied screams.

”Edward! Dodge it!”

Rodaʼs voice rang out from behind me.

She must have seen a vision.

Instinctively, I threw myself into a roll just as a massive spike ripped through the space I had just occupied, shattering several trees in its path.

But more spikes shot toward Roda and me.

Roda moved with unnatural grace, weaving between them as if she could predict every trajectory.

I prepared to dodge as well, but something in me shifted.

I clenched my fists—and charged forward.

”E–Edward?!” Roda gasped in disbelief.

But I kept my focus locked on the oncoming projectiles.

I summoned a barrier of mirrors in front of me—

-BOOM!

The spikes either exploded harmlessly against them or ricocheted back toward Medusa, interrupting whatever incantation or transformation she was undergoing.

Medusa stood there, her body still glowing an eerie green, but I knew—I had broken her momentum.

Without hesitation, I pushed my speed even higher.

Medusaʼs head snapped toward me, her eyes now fully, terrifyingly green.

An overwhelming sense of danger flooded my instincts, and I hastily summoned another mirror, ducking behind it just as her gaze landed.

I knew it.

Had I looked directly at her, I wouldʼve been turned to stone or at least a lot of my body would have.

-BOOOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the ground.

A colossal beam of pure white Prana blasted past me, slamming into Medusa with devastating force.

It was Roda.

Even weakened, she unleashed the most powerful Prana Breath I had ever witnessed.

The sheer magnitude of her attack left me breathless.

The beam of Prana roared through the air, searing everything in its path as it smashed violently into Medusa.

A shimmering barrier of mana flared to life around her, shielding her from the worst of it—yet Roda didnʼt falter.

-BOOOM!

The ground beneath us shattered and exploded from the force of the clash between Rodaʼs Prana Breath and Medusaʼs barrier.

Rodaʼs attack grew even larger, brighter, and fiercer, slowly forcing Medusa back step by step.

Rodaʼs eyes now shone with a pure white radiance, and strange, ethereal marks bloomed across her arms and face, amplifying her beauty to an almost divine level.

The slit in her eyes widened, making her seem even more otherworldly.

I didnʼt waste the moment.

Without hesitation, I turned and sprinted straight toward Medusa.

This was my chance.

I drew Trinity Nihil and summoned Fate.

White sands began swirling violently around Trinity Nihil, resonating with the weapon.

Sensing the impending danger, Medusa snapped her head toward me, her eerie green eyes locking onto mine.

But I was already moving.

I summoned Aegis, forming a luminous shield of mana, and leaped forward.

Throwing Aegis into the air mid-jump, I used it as a platform—propelling myself even faster—and in the blink of an eye, I passed Medusaʼs side.

With a clean swing, I slashed Trinity Nihil at her barrier.

-BOOOOM!

The cracks already formed by Rodaʼs attack spiderwebbed instantly across the barrierʼs surface and with a resounding shatter, the shield exploded outward in a burst of green light.

The shockwave knocked Trinity Nihil from my grasp, but I was ready.

Without a secondʼs pause, I summoned Perseus into my other hand.

”N–No—”

Medusaʼs broken voice trembled.

-Spurt!

The wet sound of steel cutting through flesh echoed through the field.

In one clean motion, Perseus sliced through her neck and Medusaʼs head flew through the air, trailing a graceful arc of blood before crashing to the ground.