I Became A Third-Rate Villain In The Hero Academy
chapter-280

In the central lobby of Ford Company, a fierce battle unfolded between Theo's comrades and the combined forces of Croc's paladins and a robot battalion.

The vanguard of paladins effortlessly subdued the robots.

Despite the robots' attempts at coordinated attacks, their efforts were clumsy.

Accustomed to maintaining formation and prioritizing threats in large-scale engagements, the paladins found the initial confrontation almost laughable.

"…What?"

However, as the battle progressed, the paladins sensed something was wrong.

"These things are forming ranks. Their ability to launch combined attacks has improved."

Where once a single paladin could easily take on two robots, they now found the task challenging, not due to fatigue—there was still plenty of strength and stamina to spare.

"These damn things… they're evolving during combat!"

The paladins, experienced in dispatching monsters across the continent, had never encountered an adversary like these robots.

Soon, a commander-like robot emerged, noticeably smaller than the others.

Like its counterparts, it was draped in black elastic fabric, with eyes that flashed light whenever it surveyed the battlefield.

Croc, the leader of the paladins, noticed the emergence of this commanding robot.

He raised his voice,

"Do not falter! Maintain formation! We are blessed by the grace of the divine Renimid! We have no reason to fear such vile entities! One final charge will end this!"

As he spoke, the priests in the rear lines mustered all their divine energy, bestowing various sacred buffs on the paladins, including spells to alleviate fear.

"Oh, ooooooh──!!"

The front-line paladins roared, draining every last bit of their strength and stamina in a fierce advance.

The robots' formation began to falter noticeably.

Theo's comrades seized the opportunity.

Jang Woohee, Amy, Eshild, Neike, Piel, Irene, and Taylor plunged into the fray, landing significant blows on the robots.

Aisha and Alice, wielding bows, swiftly took down robots that strayed from the main group.

Siena employed wind and earth spirits to continuously entangle the robots' feet.

Seria too used binding magic to restrict the robots' movements.

Alphs, providing divine buffs, protected those in the rear.

Their relentless assault turned the tide of battle.

The paladins' weapons, fueled by rage, mercilessly tore through the emotionless robots. They knew the robots' weak point was their upper neck, but they smashed through their torsos as well.

The original force of over 300 robots dwindled to fewer than 50.

"We're almost there! Push a little harder!"

Croc, lifting his mace high, boosted his troops' morale.

"Charge──!!"

"Let not a single demon in human guise remain!"

The exhilarated paladins swung their weapons with renewed vigor and strength, squeezing out every bit of energy they had left.

Finally, the end was in sight.

Only the commander robot remained, a solitary figure.

With a piercing shriek, Neike's spear penetrated the neck of the robot commander.

"Ha!"

With a vigorous shake left and right, Neike severed the head from the body of the robot commander.

A hiss of blue mana burst from the severed neck of the commander robot.

With a swift motion, Eshild mutilated the commander's head with his dagger, reducing it to dozens of pieces before it could even hit the ground.

Neike looked over at Eshild with a laugh.

"Hahaha, Eshild. Feeling better now? Your movements are back to normal."

Eshild shrugged with a smile.

"A man can't sulk till the end. These weren't humans. Plus, moving around this much after a while, I'm dead tired. I just want to rest now."

The others savored the sweetness of victory.

The paladins roared, and the priests knelt down, hands clasped, offering prayers of gratitude to their deity.

Croc, a competent commander, knew from experience the importance of properly unwinding after a battle.

"Everyone did well. It was a tough fight."

Though still in enemy territory, Croc gave a satisfied smile to his comrades.

Pressing the weary troops further could only harm their morale. Now was the time for rest and recovery.

About five minutes passed.

"Sir... Something is approaching."

"Heh. Heh-heh."

A pristine battalion of 300 robots appeared, the same number as initially.

Inside the command center of Ford Company, Thomas had been observing the situation through a crystal ball.

He asked one of his subordinates standing behind him with hands clasped,

"How much has the robot's combat learning reached compared to our target?"

"Currently, it's around 35%."

Before the intruders engaged in battle, it was at 30%.

Just one mass combat had increased it by 5%.

The robots automatically shared combat data learned by each unit with all others.

Thomas tapped the side of his forehead, murmuring,

"The combat efficiency has noticeably increased. It took over half a year to reach 30%... Real combat is indeed the best. From what I see, victory seems unlikely with this batch. Do you agree?"

"I do. The researchers said it would be difficult with this batch. But it's expected to deal a significant blow. Perhaps the next batch will secure victory."

Thomas smiled, lifting one corner of his mouth.

"We should be thankful for the high level of our enemies. I hadn't expected the learning rate to increase this fast. How many robots do we have left?"

"A total of four battalions. 1,200 units remain. They are ready to be deployed immediately after this batch is defeated, on standby for engagement."

"Good. Spread the combatants throughout the base. Make sure not a single ant escapes."

"Yes, I'll take care of it immediately."

The gears of conflict continued to turn.

Thomas's subordinate exited the command center, leaving him to refocus on the crystal ball.

"Not bad at all. Actually, it's quite excellent."

This robot battalion, having absorbed the tactics and strategies of the paladins, was different.

As his subordinate mentioned, they were indeed dealing significant blows to the enemies.

For the first time, they managed to inflict casualties on the side of the paladins.

Paladins, armed with various holy spells, are notoriously resilient, almost like cockroaches in their tenacity to live.

With priests among them, they hardly die; even severe injuries like broken bones heal in no time, allowing them to return to the ranks.

Thus, the best strategy against paladins is to kill them outright—a feat easier said than done, well known to the paladins themselves.

Yet, this robot battalion achieved that formidable task.

"Good, good."

As Thomas was contentedly watching the crystal ball,

─An emergency situation, Thomas!

A voice echoed from one of the many communication crystals set beside him, a message from the direction of the main gate.

Thomas responded to the crystal.

─What's the matter?

─An intruder has appeared at the main gate! The gate has been breached, and they are heading towards the central lobby!

'The main gate should have the largest number of combatants. Should I send an additional robot battalion?'

Thomas asked.

─How many intruders are there?

─Well...

The employee on the other side of the crystal hesitated before continuing.

─...Just one.

Theo arrived at Ford Company.

Numerous combatants already in position attacked him with magic and arrows.

But Theo dodged every attack effortlessly.

He stormed through the main gate, taking less than five minutes to break through.

‘Huh, why is it so easy?’

He was surprised himself.

He hadn't used [Overload] or [Overrun].

Yet, his strength and speed had increased manifold.

‘Not [Overrun], but…’

It felt as if [Overload] had been activated.

It wasn't due to [Descendant of a Hero] either.

‘What on earth is this?’

The ease of his progress unnerved him; nothing had ever gone this smoothly before.

Then,

─Oh ho... This has become an opportunity to surpass your body's limits.

Nay finally responded to Theo's questions as he sprinted towards the central lobby.

─You've awakened again. You have no idea how desperately I've been searching for you, Nay.

─It's been a while since I exerted myself, hence the exhaustion. Judging by your condition, you've used something called an imitation panacea.

─That's right. I saved it for a time like this. But what do you mean by that?

─You must have seen the fate of the one contracted with Andros.

─Yes. Cut cleanly in half and dead. From what I know, it's said to be almost impossible to harm those who have undergone demonization.

─It's not just any hit that would have done it, but indeed, it was significantly weakened by your feeble body. Had it been my own body, even if he had fully merged with Andros, I would have easily sliced through him.

─Anyway, what do you mean by saying this has become an opportunity to surpass my body's limits, Nay?

─If we consider your maximum capability as 1, using that technique would require a minimum capability of 100. Think about it. What happens to people who face pain that is ordinarily insurmountable?

─Most likely, they'd break. Though rarely, some might overcome it.

─You catch on quickly. You belonged to the latter category. Normally, growth in martial prowess is supposed to be incremental. The reason is simple: most cannot withstand the pain and end up breaking. You, however, have leaped at least twenty steps in this instance.

As they conversed for a while,

Theo said to Nay,

─We must pause our conversation, Nay. It seems we're in a pressing situation.

─I was thinking the same, my boy.

Theo looked ahead.

He saw the rear of the robot battalion, engaged in battle with the paladins.