I'm a villain within the hero's party-Chapter 12 - 11: Ren Restes, Hero of the Apocalypse

Commander Darius and Marshal Romeo surged forward, both cloaked in blurs of blue aura—but Darius proved to be faster.

He swung his great sword in a wide arc.

"Whoosh!"

Ren Restes dodged the deadly strike with a smooth twist and a sidestep, effortlessly evading the blow. His eyes narrowed as he prepared to cast a spell—but before he could, Marshal Romeo emerged from Darius's blind spot and lunged.

Ren thought to himself, "Duke's lapdog are resolving everything with brute force."

Romeo's blade thrust toward Ren's stomach, but the mage reacted just in time, leaping into a graceful butterfly flip to evade the strike.

Before Ren could land, Darius was already there—his greatsword crackling with aura, ready to strike.

Caught off guard, Ren extended his hand and muttered, "Oops."

"KRAK-TINK!"

Darius's great sword collided with Ren's hastily activated his magic barrier. Upon contact his barrier magic has been shattered like a glass. The impact sent Ren skidding backward across the chamber floor.

As he steadied himself and began to cast a retaliatory spell, a voice rang out from the distance. "Dispel." Allen's incantation, unraveled Ren's magic before it could even take form.

Commander Darius and Marshal Romeo pressed the attack.

Ren's thoughts raced. "A coordinated and relentless assault, supported by dispel magic that nullified my spellsbelow the sixth core. They're forcing me into a defensive stance. How troublesome... these youngsters."

Commander Darius narrowed his eyes, watching Ren Restes hold his ground against both him and Marshal Romeo. Despite the relentless assault, the mage remained standing without a scratch. Darius thought to himself, "He has my respect. A mage still standing after facing two sword masters... That's no ordinary feat. I need to build more momentum."

He raised his voice, commanding with authority, "Everyone! Charge!"

From a distance, Allen watched the chaos unfold—Darius and Romeo leading the charge, the knights following in tight formation charging at Ren. He clenched his fist and mused, "To think a mage could move like that... Just how powerful is the Hero of the Apocalypse? If only I could dispel his barrier magic... but I don't understand its mechanism. Without that, I'm useless in this fight."

The chamber roared with the armored boots as the elite knights surged forward, their formation was tight and disciplined. Commander Darius and Marshal Romeo were leading the charge, their blue auras blazing.

The first wave of five knights' broke formation, flanking from both sides. Ren casted a spell, but Allen's voice rang out, "Dispel!" and the spell fizzled.

Clang! Clang!

Ren parried two strikes with swift sweeps of his staff as it deflected the incoming swords. He ducked under a third strike, the edge of a spear whistling past his ear, and twisted away with a dancer's grace.

"Wham!"

The fourth knight which is Gareth charging with shield slammed into Ren's side, the force of the bash sending him stumbling backward.

"Arghhh" He grunted, planting the butt of his staff into the ground to steady himself, boots skidding across the stone floor. Ren thought to himself, "They're pushing me to my edge."

As ren maintained his distance. Romeo appeared. "Then- Clang!"

Romeo's blade met Ren's magic barrier. Crash!

Darius's great sword followed, hammering the barrier with brute force. Ren staggered back, his boots scraping against the stone floor.

He ran to the side, dodging the thrust, only to find Romeo already there, slashing upward. Ren ducked, rolled as he thought to himself, "I'm being cornered." 

Commander Darius screamed, "Everyone! Charge. Don't be afraid. He cannot cast a spell. So, continue pressing."

Ren gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his brow. He thought grimly, "I'm in a loop. Defend, cast, dispelled. Defend, dodge, repeat. They're forcing me into a cycle. I can't break free unless I escalate. This is bad. I will run out of stamina if this continue."

A knight lunged at him from the left, sword raised high.

Ren didn't dodge. Instead, he stepped in. freёweɓnovel.com

WHAM!

Ren activated his barrier magic but not as a shield, but as a gauntlet of pure force around his fist. He threw a jab at the knight's face.

The knight's helmet crumpled under the impact. The force of the blow launched him backward, crashing into two others behind him.

The formation faltered.

Commander Darius blurred forward while his aura is flaring. His blade gleamed with infused aura as he closed the distance in a heartbeat. Darius smirked, "Got you little bunny"

Ren pivoted just in time, his staff sweeping up to deflect the strike.

"KRAK-TINK!"

Darius strike was met by a staff coated by a magic barrier. Upon contact his barrier magic has been shattered like a glass. Darius pressed in, his strikes was a flurry of precision and power, forcing Ren to retreat step by step.

Then—a feint.

Darius vanished from Ren's sight for a split second, reappearing behind him with a downward slash aimed at his spine.

Ren's instincts screamed.

He twisted mid-air, narrowly avoiding the blade by inches. The sword carved through his wool, missing flesh—but just barely.

Ren muttered, "Too close..."

"SHUNK!"

Pain exploded in Ren's side.

An elite knight, one of the twenty. Had slipped through the chaos, crouched low and silent. As Ren dodged Darius's strike, the knight lunged from the blind spot, driving a short sword into Ren's ribs.

Ren grunted, "Gah—!"

Ren staggered, blood blooming from the wound. The knight yanked the blade free and retreated into the formation, vanishing behind shields before Ren could retaliate.

"Too close..." He muttered, clutching his side.

But there was no time to recover. A shadow leapt from the side, another elite knight in a mid-swing. Ren twisted to dodge, but with one hand pressed to his wound, his movement was sluggish.

"SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!"

A shallow cut opened across his shoulder. Another across his thigh. A third grazed his back as he stumbled away, teeth clenched in pain.

He knelt, blood dripping from his side, staining the stone floor beneath him. His breath came in ragged gasps, the pain pulsing with every heartbeat. He gritted his teeth and slammed his palm to the ground. He uttered, "Heal."

A soft glow began to form around his hand, the healing spell weaving itself into his body.

But then, "Dispel!" Allen's voice rang out like a gunshot.

The healing light flickered—then vanished. Ren's eyes widened in disbelief as the pain surged back, raw and unrelenting. "Damn it..." he hissed.

The knight lunged again, but this time Ren rolled aside, barely avoiding another cut. He pressed his back to a broken pillar, breathing hard, blood soaking through his robes.

From the edge of the battlefield, Allen's voice rang out—sharp, commanding, "Everyone, step aside!"

The knights obeyed instantly, scattering to the flanks. A massive magic circle flared to life above Ren, glowing with icy blue runes.

"Rain of Frost!" Allen incanted.

From the circle, a storm of ice daggers materialized—dozens, then hundreds—each one razor-sharp and glinting. They fell like a blizzard of blades, crashing down on Ren with terrifying speed. The sound was deafening

CRASH! CRACK! THUD!

A relentless barrage that shattered stone and sent shards flying.

A thick cloud of smoke and frost engulfed the area.

Then—silence.