Villain's Valor: A Noble Fantasy Resurrection

Anthony let out a gut-wrenching groan as he felt Ezequiel's lance piercing through his torso, followed by a spurt of blood gushing from his mouth. His eyes grew even darker as he swung his sword, cleanly severing Ezequiel's right hand. A cruel smile formed on his face as he cut off the hand with which Ezequiel had attempted to touch Lysandra.

Ezequiel let out a groan of pain, forcefully pulled the lance tip out of Anthony's body, and staggered back, his breath irregular and his face showing deep cuts. Even one of his eyes had been brutally crushed, while his chest was filled with deep cuts from which blood freely flowed. Two of his four wings were brutally mutilated.

Ezequiel's expression was deadly. Despite his pitiful appearance, he noticed that Anthony was in worse condition. During the battle, he had watched as Anthony's skin turned black and peeled off his body, leaving chunks of flesh exposed. His skin color wasn't pale but slightly dark, indicating advanced deterioration.

Ignoring his own state completely, Ezequiel's body burst with mana, and a thin layer of golden aura surrounded him. Suddenly, the ground beneath him darkened, and a halo began to spin rapidly over his head. The entire island plunged into darkness, though not as dense as the one surrounding Anthony.

Ezequiel's lance gleamed intensely, and small stars emerged around him, dotting the space with their bright light. Ezequiel spat out another mouthful of blood as his body began to weaken. He gritted his teeth with determination, and his eyes glowed significantly. He felt as his last drops of mana drained from his body.

Anthony felt the flesh of his body horribly heating up before falling to the ground. He wrinkled his nose at the smell emanating from his own body, which was unbearable; the pieces of flesh that fell from his own body as they hit the ground burned. Parts of his body were red, and pus began to ooze from them; the pain was unbearable.

His own body was falling apart; he remembered the dragon's words: "Your body will rot and fall apart." He looked at his own body disapprovingly; even some fingers from his hands fell to the ground.

"It's as if I had leprosy," he thought internally. He watched as Ezequiel's body released a large amount of mana; the space around him turned dark, as if night had suddenly fallen. Anthony's darkness moved along the ground as if it were alive; it was a stark contrast, but suddenly small lights appeared in the place; it was a sea of stars, as if he were in the middle of space.

Small pulsations shone from the stars, which began to move freely; he felt a strong premonition of danger.

The lights grew larger. Anthony gritted his teeth as his dark and murky mana was released from his body. He felt his body heating up even more; blood began to gush from his mouth, and his mana began to take shape. The small stars shone even brighter, filling the place with an extremely bright light. Anthony gritted his teeth, knowing what technique Ezequiel was about to unleash.

It was the innate ability of his bloodline: "Supernova."

Mana flowed through his entire body. This would be his last move, just like his opponent's. His aura spread like a tidal wave, and the darkness from the ground began to rise from his feet. His whole being plunged into darkness. He closed his eyes, and his mana exploded. The whispers and desperate cries intensified, filling his ears with a deafening clamor.

His own darkness struggled to consume his mind. He clenched his fists, and his nails began to dig into the skin of his hands. His blood was dark, accompanied by a foul smell.

The stars gained an impressive size of 2 meters tall; they began to shake violently, shining, and a screech came out of them. Ezequiel could barely hold his body; his muscular body became extremely thin; he stood thanks to the lance in his hand; he closed his eyes in that second, the place became completely blank and total silence.

Seconds passed, and a huge explosion spread throughout the remaining land of the island; the light of the stars was confronted by the darkness that rose like a wall.

Anthony, in the midst of all the chaos, felt his flesh rotting and running through his entire body; both of his arms detached from his body and fell to the ground with a dull thud, followed by his legs literally beginning to melt, the bones of his legs and flesh melting away; he felt as if he were burning in lava; his body fell to the ground, dying on the spot.

The entire island was completely consumed, leaving only a large space in black; the event had ended; the only thing left in the place were the slight motes of light that lost their brightness, sinking into the eternal darkness. Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire

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All the citizens who watched remained silent, with their eyes fixed on the floating screen, totally dumbfounded. Not even a sigh could be heard.

"It's over! But who won?!" An excited shout from a child pulled everyone out of their stupor. The child raised his hand and began to jump for joy.

The minds of all those present joined in a loud ovation, raising their fists in the air and shouting at the top of their lungs.

"HOORAY!" "HOORAY!"

Enthusiasm swept over the entire empire. Although they didn't know who had won, their performance had been more than outstanding. Normally, adults would inform children that the students didn't really die; some began to cry upon hearing this.

"Anthony Von Valeriano has to win, there's no one more worthy than him," a proud shout resonated among the gathered crowd. Some children and adults nodded in agreement, showing their support for the young duke.

"No! Ezequiel, the representative of us, the commoners, has to win," another shout echoed in the place. Quickly, a debate ensued everywhere about who should get first place or who shouldn't.