A Regressed Villain: Heroines, Villainesses and Me?

Swish

'....' Naturally, everything unfolded too quickly for Avendial to see, let alone process it in its entirety.

He felt a sudden gust of wind rush toward him from the front, followed by another forceful breeze that swept past him, causing his clothes and hair to flutter in its wake.

BOOM!

A loud sound exploded from the same direction, bouncing off the walls of the auditorium.

As the noise echoed through the space, Avendial turned to see Leo, who had just unleashed a tremendous punch against a man nearly twice his size, doing his best to maintain his footing.

The evidence of the impact was clear, as tattered fabric floated in the air around them, remnants of shirts torn apart by the sheer force of the blow.

Bordy's claws clenched his fist tightly, his expression a volatile mix of rage and disbelief at being caught off guard by yet another 'bug.'

Even as he narrowly dodged the attack, he shot a glare back at Leo that radiated intensity.

'I could have been reduced to a bloody pulp,' Avendial mused, allowing himself a faint smirk as he slipped his hand into his pocket.

rumble rumble—

The ground beneath him shook violently, as though an earthquake was ravaging the very foundations of the auditorium.

He pressed forward, directing his gaze to the front row, where a young woman sat, her face frozen in shock as she met his gaze.

"P-profess..." Aria's lips parted, attempting to voice a word, but her voice faltered mid-sentence, betraying her disbelief.

Noticing Aria's expression, Avendial closed his eyes for a brief moment, exhaling deeply before opening them anew.

He took a step forward, clearly trying to convey to her just how vulnerable he was at this moment under the pressures from this cruel heroine beside him.

He turned to Leo and issued an order.

"Take him outside, or this building will collapse."

His voice was calm, yet strangely terrifying, especially considering the horror etched across the faces of everyone in the room—everyone except for him and Aecilia, who stood beside him with a serene demeanor, observing the chaos unfolding before her.

Surprisingly, she managed to remain composed even after witnessing an attack by an Empyreal.

The head of the Diego family lay unconscious amid the debris, while Billie, standing at the podium, scanned the turmoil in disbelief.

The clash between Leo and the man accompanying the head of the Diego family was no ordinary collision.

As she looked toward them, Billie sensed that the force they generated was far beyond anything she could muster, even with her physically enhanced physique bolstered by the secret herbs and training methodologies provided by the Sertsul family.

'It's the true power,' she thought, clenching her fist. Shifting her gaze to the side, she observed two non-humans wielding strength that defied any scientific explanation accessible to a human.

In that moment, she recognized the sheer magnitude of power before her. A flicker of jealousy mixed with a yearning to possess that strength ignited in her eyes.

However, deep down, she understood that despite her years of intense training aimed at acquiring such power, it was all in vain.

There was no hope for her to attain that otherworldly strength, the very strength she longed to feel coursing through her veins.

'Hm...' Avendial, who had already noticed a glimmer of jealousy in Billie's eyes the previous night when she had watched Leo, found himself in doubt.

Having encountered countless individuals in his time, he questioned whether her longing stemmed from a desire for that strength.

It seemed like jealousy borne from those who pushed their bodies to the breaking point in hopes of attaining what others had—like laboring tirelessly while striving to grasp something only achievable through sheer luck.

As he descended, his eyes shifted from Billie to Aria, and he spotted a clear opening.

He realized from their expressions that it would be considerably easier for him to initiate a double awakening for Aria and secure another awakened being in the near future.

Unaware of the narrowed gaze observing her with amusement, Billie kept looking in the direction of the two monsters engaged in battle.

She clenched her jaw, feeling helpless and useless for not being awakened like the others until now. She continued to watch as the huge man pulled back his foot after delivering a punch to Leo's abdomen.

BAM!

Crack!

"Ugh!" The sheer force behind the blow forced the air out of Leo's lungs, causing a mouthful of saliva to drip from his lips.

Yet, he managed to withstand the hit.

The impact reverberated through the ground, instantly shattering the floor beneath them, and cracks began to spider across the ceiling.

Though made of solid concrete, the power of their duel was so immense that it felt as if an earthquake of a magnitude seven had struck the entire auction house.

"I understand," Leo nodded resolutely after hearing the orders from his master, his gaze hardening as he glared at Bordy.

Realizing that his opponent was also an Empyreal—albeit a smaller one—Bordy felt a surge of confidence and a rush of feelings.

Unlike what he had expected, he would not easily crush the man without any fun; now he would have a chance to work out.

He returned Leo's glare, his expression fierce as he began to exert even more force against him.

Screech

With a powerful screech, he pushed back against Leo, cracking the concrete beneath his feet and sliding backward, as though Leo were trying to halt a runaway train.

The ground splintered under his immense strength.

"It doesn't matter if another bug has come!" Bordy roared, channeling more force into another punch.

Bam!

However, this time, Leo retaliated, throwing a punch of his own that created a shockwave upon impact.

The walls shook ominously, and rubble from the ceiling began tumbling down.

Miraculously, only the outer layer was breaking away—for now, at least.

The force exerted between them was reminiscent of two trains colliding at breakneck speed.

Though Leo found himself at a disadvantage, grappling with the overwhelming magnitude of Bordy's power, he felt his own strength steadily building with each passing moment.

It became clear that he had finally managed to halt his backward slide, his feet firmly planted as they dug into the ground, resisting Bordy's intensity.

Leo could sense his thighs becoming stronger, his muscles tightening, granting him enough force to maintain his position.

However, the pressure was too much for his shoes, which tore apart as he fought to hold his ground.

Both fighters were locked in a tense standoff: Leo's punch was halted by Bordy's formidable grip on his fist, while their other hands clashed in a struggle that rendered movement nearly impossible.

Standing there, Bordy towered over Leo like a mountain, his bulk surpassing that of a small truck, and palpable tension filled the air, thick enough to make the atmosphere feel electric, with beads of sweat trickling down Leo's forehead.

"M-Marquess?" The head of the William family, observing the scene unfold, felt a mix of awe and confusion.

He had never witnessed such a display of power—a mere grip strong enough to shatter concrete, and the sight of an individual with enough prowess to wreak havoc was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

Yet amidst his turmoil, he recalled the man who had just secured a staggering fifty billion imperial crowns.

But that seemed irrelevant now, especially since the head of the Diego family was already unconscious.