The Villain Professor's Second Chance

The first of the three, a tall, imposing man with a stern face and piercing eyes, stepped forward. Amberine recognized him immediately—Professor Ardan, known for his mastery of light magic. His signature spell, the Light Spears, was infamous among students and professors alike. The spears moved at the speed of lightning and were nearly impossible to defend against.

He raised one hand, and a dozen spears of pure light materialized around him, crackling with energy.

The second professor, a slender man with a deceptively gentle appearance, was Professor Selric, the university\'s foremost expert on illusion magic. His illusions were not mere tricks of the mind—they were so powerful and detailed that they could cause real physical harm.

Amberine had heard stories of students caught in his illusions who had suffered real injuries, despite the spells being purely illusory.

The last of the three was Professor Ciril, a hulking figure with a bald head and a stony expression. His crystal magic was as unyielding as his demeanor, capable of creating barriers, weapons, and even entire fortresses made of unbreakable crystal. His presence alone was enough to make the air feel heavy, as if the very atmosphere was solidifying under the weight of his magic.

Amberine, Elara, and Maris exchanged horrified glances. These were not just any professors—they were members of the university\'s senate, the most powerful mages in the entire institution. If they had turned against the university, then the situation was far worse than they had imagined.

Professor Ardan\'s voice was cold and commanding as he addressed them. "The Magic Tower University is no longer what it once was," he declared, his eyes glowing with a fierce light. "This tower now serves a new purpose—one that will usher in a new era of power. You, students, are nothing more than fodder, sacrifices to fuel the birth of a new \'Demon King Castle.\'"

Amberine\'s blood ran cold. "Demon King Castle?" she echoed, her voice barely above a whisper. The implications of those words were terrifying. If the university was being transformed into a stronghold for dark forces, then everyone inside was in grave danger.

Professor Selric stepped forward, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Indeed. This entire tower will be remade in the image of the Demon King\'s Castle, a bastion of darkness and power. And you, my dear students, will have the honor of being the first to fall before its might."

He raised his hand, and the air around him shimmered as dozens of spectral soldiers appeared, their forms hazy and ethereal but unmistakably armed and dangerous. Unlike typical illusions, these soldiers had substance—they could inflict real harm. Amberine could see the malice in their eyes, the same dark energy that had corrupted Liadra, Jorn, and Senik.

Professor Ciril, his voice as gruff and unyielding as his magic, spoke last. "This is your fate. The tower belongs to us now, and there is nothing you can do to change that. Your resistance is futile."

Amberine felt a surge of despair, but she quickly forced it down. They couldn\'t give up, not now. They had faced impossible odds before, and they had survived. But now, they were up against not just their corrupted peers, but also their own professors—mages whose power far outstripped their own.

Facing the seniors alone are tough enough, but now, they now need to face their professors. They hasn\'t get any direct class from them, but they know about their strength.

"Elara," Amberine whispered, her voice tense. "We need to get out of here. We can\'t take them on—not like this."

Elara nodded, her expression grim. "Agreed. We need to regroup with the others and find a way to stop whatever they\'re planning. If they\'re really trying to turn the tower into a Demon King\'s Castle, we\'ll need more than just us to fight back."

Maris, her barrier still holding but visibly straining under the weight of the professors\' combined magic, glanced back at them. "But how do we escape? They\'ve got us cornered, and if that barrier falls…"

"We\'ll have to fight our way out," Amberine said, her voice resolute. "We can\'t stay here. If we do, we\'ll be picked off one by one."

As if on cue, Professor Ardan launched his attack. The light spears surrounding him shot forward with blinding speed, aimed directly at Maris\'s barrier. The impact was immediate and devastating—Maris cried out as the barrier buckled under the force of the attack, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.

"Maris!" Amberine shouted, rushing to her side. "Can you hold it?"

Maris gritted her teeth, her face pale with strain. "Not for long. We need to move, now!"

Amberine\'s mind raced as she tried to think of a way out. They were surrounded, outmatched, and outnumbered. But they couldn\'t afford to give in to despair. If they could just buy a few more seconds, they might be able to escape.

"Elara, hit them with everything you\'ve got," Amberine ordered, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her insides. "We need to create an opening."

Elara didn\'t hesitate. She summoned a massive wave of ice, her hands moving in fluid motions as she directed the freezing storm toward the professors. The ice surged forward, cold and unrelenting, aiming to encase the professors in a prison of frost.

But Professor Selric was ready. With a flick of his wrist, he dispelled the illusionary soldiers and replaced them with a wall of fire, the flames roaring to life and colliding with Elara\'s ice in a furious explosion of steam and mist. The chamber was filled with a blinding fog, obscuring everything in a thick, impenetrable haze.

Amberine seized the opportunity. "Now! Move!"

She grabbed Maris\'s arm, pulling her away from the crumbling barrier as they dashed toward the nearest exit. Elara followed close behind, her gaze fixed on the swirling mist as she tried to keep track of the professors\' movements.

But just as they neared the door, the mist cleared, revealing Professor Ciril standing in their path. His expression was unreadable, his eyes cold as he raised one hand. In an instant, the ground beneath them rumbled, and massive crystal spikes erupted from the floor, blocking their escape.

"Did you really think you could run?" Professor Ciril\'s voice was low and menacing, his gaze piercing as he regarded them with disdain. "This tower is ours. There is no escape."

Amberine\'s heart pounded in her chest. They were trapped, cornered by three of the most powerful mages in the university. She could feel the weight of their magic pressing down on them, suffocating them with its intensity. If they didn\'t find a way out soon, they would be crushed by the sheer force of it.

But even as fear threatened to overwhelm her, Amberine felt a spark of defiance ignite within her. They might be outmatched, but they weren\'t defeated. Not yet. If they were going to go down, they would go down fighting.

"Elara, Maris," Amberine said, her voice filled with determination. "We\'re not going to let them take us without a fight. We\'ll break through their defenses, one way or another."

Elara nodded, her expression resolute. "We\'ll make them pay for every inch."

Maris, though visibly shaken, tightened her grip on her staff. "Let\'s show them what we\'ve got."

Amberine took a deep breath, channeling Ifrit\'s power as she prepared for the battle ahead. The flames in her hands burned brighter, hotter, fueled by her resolve. This was it—their last stand.

"On my mark," Amberine whispered, her eyes locked on Professor Ciril\'s towering form. "Now!"

Amberine unleashed a torrent of fire, the flames roaring to life as they surged toward Ciril. The intense heat made the air shimmer, distorting the view as the flames raced forward with unrelenting fury. But Ciril was ready. With a swift motion, he summoned a wall of gleaming crystal that shot up from the ground, intercepting the firestorm.

The flames crashed against the crystal, spreading out in all directions, but they couldn\'t penetrate the barrier.

"Elara, hit him from the side!" Amberine shouted, not giving up. They needed to keep the pressure on if they were going to find a way through.

Elara didn\'t hesitate. She pivoted to the left and launched a barrage of razor-sharp ice shards at Ciril, aiming to strike where his crystal barrier was weakest. The shards flew with deadly accuracy, slicing through the air with a cold hiss. But just as they were about to reach their target, another figure stepped forward—Professor Ardan.

With a flick of his wrist, Ardan summoned his Light Spears, the radiant weapons forming a protective arc in front of Ciril. The ice shards collided with the spears, shattering on impact. The light from the spears was blinding, each one crackling with energy as it effortlessly deflected Elara\'s attack.

"Pathetic," Ardan sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "Did you really think you could overpower us with such crude magic?"

Amberine gritted her teeth, refusing to let his words shake her. They had to keep pushing, no matter what. "Maris, we need another illusion! Something to distract them!"

Maris, already exhausted from maintaining the barrier and the earlier battle, nodded weakly. She focused her remaining energy, her hands trembling as she conjured a new illusion. The air around them shimmered, and suddenly, dozens of copies of Amberine, Elara, and Maris appeared, all charging toward the professors from different directions.

For a moment, it seemed to work. The professors hesitated, their eyes flickering between the illusions as they tried to determine which ones were real. Amberine took advantage of the confusion, rushing forward with a renewed burst of speed. She aimed for Ciril, hoping to catch him off guard before he could react.

But before she could reach him, the ground beneath her feet shifted. Amberine\'s eyes widened as crystal spikes erupted from the floor, forcing her to leap back to avoid being impaled. Ciril smirked, his hand outstretched as he controlled the crystals with precise movements.

"You\'re out of your depth," Ciril said, his voice calm and measured. "You can\'t hope to defeat us."