A Villainess Should Be Strong

Silence ensued in the familiar outer realm of Eterna.

Just like usual, a silver-haired girl was sitting on the platform, concentrating on growing out her power.

[Yes.. Just like that...] Estelle was enraptured in the beauty of her own progress.

In total, she had failed three major tries. This was her fourth. The one thing that she noticed was that her development seemed too good to be true. It was amazing to see herself achieving this much in a short time.

Including rests and breaks, she had used a day worth of time. This would be considered a great wager in exchange for her ability.

At first, there was no visible progression. However, a lot of things did change internally and it made her happy. For example, she was now granted with the ability to utilize her mana itself as a weapon. After a lot of mixing with nothingness and Creation Magic, it was as if a variant type has been born.

Her mana could wield offensive abilities. If she needed a channel- like a spell, element, or enchantment in order to attack using her mana before, this time would be different. She could use her purest form of said mana as a proper weapon.

Of course, it wouldn't be strong. Her own spells were still much stronger. However, this meant that she had just created, or discovered a new method of offense. Outside of the elements she knew, outside of the spells she was taught.

This made Estelle aware of just how much she didn't know of the vast universe. Up until a few months ago, she considered the barriers within her own realm as everything. She was too tightened up.

She worked around things with the knowledge she already knew, assisted with ones she brought from her previous world. What she forgot to do was explore the uncovered things inside the realm itself. She considered the knowledge from her original world as sufficient supplements for her progress, but she was mistaken.

Estelle was now proceeding at a great rate. After understanding some concepts, she naturally got better at controlling herself. She was now able to relax to a certain degree when practicing.

Yes, practicing. Up until now, she hadn't managed to fully mix the three problematic elements yet. It was such a crazy training scheme. Chasing something that she didn't know anything about. The usage, the form, the element, she knew practically nothing about the final result, only guesses.

She predicted that it would be something that added a feature towards her Creation Magic.

Estelle found the Creation Magic to be extremely dominant. It would always overpower the other mixture, no matter how hard she tried to stabilize it.

If a complete mixture was indeed created, the Creation Magic would surely surpass the other two's influence and take over. She also comprehended that it would be something that 'aided' the Creation Magic and not change it in any way, shape, or form.

Because Creation Magic, in the purest essence of it, was a rigid element.

She was restricted to creating, creating, and doing nothing but creation. Just like the name suggests.

It was a confusing subject. Creation Magic obviously allowed her to surpass the laws of normality. She was creating things out of nothing whenever she utilized her Creation Magic. Yet, at the same time, it was restrictive.

After seeing how advanced and flexible Arayle's Destruction Magic could be, Estelle was led to believe that there was more to her magic. More than what meets the eye.

Estelle deductions were few on this matter since she had little material to work with, but she had an overall idea. It was the fact that Estelle still had seals placed on her.

The first time she met Yulia, these seals were seen by the woman. They hadn't been opened because there was simply no time to devote their attention to the difficult seal. They couldn't catch a long break that would suit their respective schedules.

Breaking each seal would definitely cost them a lot of time.

Estelle's point, however, was that one of these seals would probably be related to her Creation Magic.

Simply because of Heine's long-lived point of 'balance'. Just like she was the villainess and she possessed Creation Magic, Arayle would be her counterpart, possessing the Destruction Magic.

She didn't know whether Arayle also received a dream like she did back when she was an infant, the one that declared herself as the villainess, but up until this point, there was indeed a high chance that the girl was her counterpart.

The matter about Arayle being a heroine was not confirmed. She could be a completely different role.

Either way, Estelle had decided to steer herself out of her confinements and take her own path instead of following her predestined fate.

Today, she was trying things out like usual. Having gotten used to the first few hurdles, she passed them with ease and started to probe into the parts she failed in before.

She didn't expect to see immediate results. Her failures also brought her benefits, so she was a bit less worried.

Just then, when she hit the one hour mark, something cracked.

Not knowing whether it was a bad thing or otherwise, Estelle continued cultivating her case.

However, an unexpected hurdle came flying at her. If before, she only had to be overwhelmed with harsh concentration and focus, this time would be different.

Pain was included. Sharp pain that made her stagger.

It came every time her mana came in touch with the two elements. Before, they hadn't shown any signs of permanent mixing, but now it did.

They were mixing together, but they still repelled each other. This rejection was what caused the pain, because Estelle could sense that the injections of pain happened only when she tried to mix the elements.

Estelle couldn't help but grit her teeth to distract her from the immense pain.

[I'm alright. This is still fine. I have to.. pull through!] Estelle convinced herself and braced every single bit of the pain.

It was always like this, the detestable cycle that enveloped her. Every huge incident, she would be washed down by pain. It was almost like a ritual.

But one thing was for sure- after the pain ends, she would get something. A lesson. Valuable ones. Experience.

For that same reason, Estelle bore all the pain without giving up or breaking her concentration.

It felt like something was ripping her body apart from the inside. It was a disgusting feeling, comparable to none.

Estelle did develop a pain tolerance, but the pain that hit her periodically always increased in terms of strength. She was made to not be able to withstand all of it.

At the end, Estelle was once more at the brink of collapse.

[A villainess should be strong. Not like this, not like the current me.] Estelle constantly reminded herself.

That she would have to face Arayle eventually. That if she didn't go through all these efforts, she would lose out against Arayle's advantages. Be it time flow differences to the nature of their opposing elements, Arayle would beat her.

Then, Estelle had no choice but to defeat her through another way. Perhaps, the trials given to her were meant to be harsh in order to cultivate herself to become someone comparable to Arayle.

It was just that the methods worked against her desires. Force and even more force.

Of course, there would be no point if Estelle just continued withstanding the pain without doing anything. That would be a training for pain tolerance and not her power.

Estelle tried to maneuver what was left of her consciousness to operate her mana one more time.

Estelle felt like she was on the tip of a steep cliff, where her destination was being hung up high above her and she just had to make a way to get there.

Her destination seemed so close, yet so far and hard to get to.

Estelle opened her small mouth to allow easier breathing. She tried her best not to panic even amidst the bad conditions. Her worries constantly surfaced as the pain surged all over her body, but she bore it all.

Because it was a necessary procedure for her to grow.

Estelle wished for everything to be over quickly. Unfortunately, that would not happen.

As time ticked, seconds, minutes, hours had passed.

Estelle herself felt like death really was tailing her all the time, seeking for the perfect chance to tug her down at any given moment.

She was at the brink of collapse. And yet, she couldn't give up.

She was close. Terribly close to the ending.

And yet, she couldn't understand what would break this annoying bottleneck in her process.

The elements wouldn't become one. They weren't in unison.

The blockage that was always present. The wretched element that stopped her from attaining her goal.

The pain continued without stopping. The more she tried, the more it got worse.

Another change came, this time it was when she tried to probe the mixture harder.

A pain harsher than anything that came before elapsed over her.

"Ahh!" Not being able to hold it any longer, Estelle was repelled by her own force and fell onto the ground. Wincing in pain, Estelle's first priority was to check on her progress.

Her mixture had disappeared, but she wouldn't call it a failure. Something did happen. Something that wasn't a 'failure'.

She calmed herself down a little bit before feeling her power.

If nothing changed, then she truly suffered for nothing.

However, the moment she felt her magic course through her body, something did feel different.

A lot different.

"..This is?" Estelle felt the change within her unfold.