Struggling as a Villain

The fight had been raging for what felt like an eternity. The moonlight barely cut through the fog that had settled over the battlefield, casting long shadows across the cracked cobblestones.

Ethan's breath came in ragged gasps, his body bruised and bloodied from the relentless exchanges with the man in the dog mask.

Ethan's hand shook as it reached for the dagger at his side—his last weapon, his last chance. The crowbars had done their damage, and the blood soaking his clothes was enough to slow him down, but he wasn't out yet.

The dog-masked man smirked, clearly amused at Ethan's feeble attempt to fight back. "Still want to play?" he mocked, stepping closer with a slow, deliberate pace.

With a growl, Ethan gripped the dagger tighter, forcing himself to his feet. The pain in his legs and ribs was unbearable, but he refused to give in. He staggered forward, the dagger raised in a shaky hand.

The other one groaned, "Man...you are annoying." Suddenly the masked being threw away his left crowbar and inserted his hand inside his coat.

Suddenly he pulled a Glock and pointed it to Ethan.

The silver head frowned...somehow this strange kind of weapon made him feel that it would be devastating to remain standing there.

"I am kinda tired and want to grab a bite before sleep."

The man put his finger on the trigger and before Ethan could react, the man shot at him.

Ethan's pupil dilated as the small thing was released from the gun and advanced at him at an undodgeable pace.

**DHAK**

The bullet struck into a body...but it didn't belong to Ethan.

The masked man frowned as he slowly raised his face and gazed at the pair of burning golden eyes that looked at him with nothing but burning agitation.

"Y-You....!!" The masked man was aware of the man's identity, however, before he could have said anything further, a hand pierced into his chest.

In a blink of an eye, Richard was standing before him with his hand stabbed inside the other one's chest; wrapping around his heart.

"Tell me where they have taken her, and I promise I will let you go." Richard gave him a chance, providing him with the Aembr to not lose consciousness even though blood continued to flow down.

The masked individual looked at Richard with utter fear before slowly whispering, "The island in the North-east...under two palm trees is a cave...".

Richard smiled before he tightened his grip around his heart and bid his farewell, "Good doggy."

**SQUELCH**

The man crumbled at Richard's feet and the scene made Ethan both frightened and relieved.

Breathing heavily Ethan pointed towards the front before saying, "Ruby...she went after them."

Richard nodded before he shot a fireball at the artifact that created this ether-restricting dome and handed Ethan a potion.

Turning into his elemental form, he launched toward the direction where Ethan pointed.

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Ruby didn't inform Eleanor about the kidnapping or she would have intervened and restricted her from going after those people. And Ruby didn't want that.

Not as an apostle but as a human being she wanted to save Bella if possible. As such, she continued to march toward the group, which was running at a pace that clearly defined that they were superhumans.

Thankfully, her skill allowed her to manipulate gravity to a decent extent, which allowed her to increase her speed while running.

'But why Richard's sister? Ransom?' This was the most probable hunch she could land upon.

Ruby was using an artifact to blend in her background to remain invisible to the group. She didn't know how strong they were and if she could defeat them. That's why she was assessing their skills as of now.

They were advancing towards a port about which she was completely unaware; she came here for the first time after all.

Suddenly one of the three men turned around and came to a halt.

Ruby frowned and while assuming that she was still not visible to them, she decided to cross the man that paused and follow the other two.

However, "Ehe~" A chilly grin extended the man's lips from behind the mask.

The monkey-masked individual suddenly summoned a pair of small hammers in his hand and threw one of them in Ruby's direction.

Her eyes trembled as she tilted her head just in the nick of time for the hammer to graze past her neck, leaving a blackish mark behind.

"Ah shoot~ I didn't think it would miss." The masked individual mocked as Ruby's figure finally became visible.

She soon winced; the small graze on her neck was burning furiously, urging her to take out a vial of potion and drop the liquid on the mark.

It must be his ability—she discerned.

He twirled two small hammers, their heads glowing with a sickly green hue.

"You can't outrun decay," he said, his voice muffled behind the mask. Without waiting, he lunged forward, hammers swinging in wide arcs.

Ruby's feet shifted subtly, and a pulse of energy radiated from her. The ground beneath the man's feet felt heavier, pulling him down mid-swing. His attack slowed, but he twisted sharply, slamming a hammer into the ground to launch himself sideways. The cursed energy hissed as it rotted the stone where it struck.

Ruby stepped forward, her hand cutting through the air. The gravity around the masked man shifted violently, yanking him toward her. He stumbled, but with impressive agility, spun his hammers to deflect her attempt.

"Too slow!" he shouted, the cursed glow intensifying. He hurled one of the hammers directly at her.

Ruby's eyes narrowed, and she focused. The hammer curved unnaturally, caught in an invisible force. It spiraled around her before crashing harmlessly to the ground.

The masked man closed the gap, his remaining hammer swinging at her ribs. Ruby leaned back just enough to avoid it, then kicked upward. The air itself seemed to assist her strike, propelling her leg faster. Her heel slammed into his wrist, sending the hammer flying.

But he didn't back down. His free hand shot out, grabbing her ankle. Ruby felt a burning sensation—his curse trying to take hold.

She gritted her teeth and snapped her fingers. The gravity around her shifted, and the man was yanked into the air, his grip breaking as he was flung upward.

'He is an Ambrobate!' She realized that this kind of skill could only be awakened by a Bate.

He twisted midair, somehow landing on his feet with cat-like grace. "You're annoying," he growled, summoning his second hammer back to his hand with a flick of cursed energy.

Ruby smirked, her fingers twitching. "Likewise."

The ground around her rippled as she slammed her foot down. Chunks of stone shot into the air, orbiting her like a shield. The man darted forward, trying to break through. His hammer came down, shattering one of the stones, but Ruby used the distraction.

She stepped in close, palm extended toward his chest. With a sharp pulse, gravity crushed down on him like an invisible hand, forcing him to his knees.

His mask tilted upward, his glowing hammers swinging wildly even from his kneeling position. One nearly grazed her, the cursed energy sizzling through the air.

Ruby leaned away just in time, her movements smooth and calculated. "Stay down," she hissed, her other hand drawing a circle in the air. The gravitational field around him intensified, pinning him to the ground.

The masked individual did his best to break free but to no avail. Ruby has a strong grip over the man.

She was about to step forward and lift his mask when suddenly, the other one shot his spit onto the same wound where Ruby was the held by him before.

"Aghhhh!!" She groaned in pain, and her hold on her ability shifted, allowing the masked individual to gain freedom.

He lunged into the air, his hand holding a sharp knife, aiming for Ruby's neck...however, he couldn't land the blow as suddenly a bone-breaking weight landed on him.

**BOOOOOM**

A large crater was formed as Ruby lost control over her skill and plunged the masked man twenty feet beneath the ground...and possibly, killed him.

"Oh my~did I kill him?" Ruby tilted her head and looked into the cave, wondering if she could do something about him.

"There is nothing you can do about him now." Richard suddenly landed beside her; startling Ruby.

She turned toward him and said, "Why are you stopping here? You should go after the others!"

Richard came to look after him because Ethan requested him. But now, it doesn't seem he needed to.

"Ethan is injured, go take care of him."

Ruby's eyes widened as she instantly nodded.

Richard's body was soon engulfed in flame and he ascended to the skies.

Whoever these guys were, they clearly were not from this world. However, that doesn't change the fact that Richard would slaughter each one of them.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop a comment.