Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!-Chapter 27 -: 26 Cillian Reeve.

Julius’s eyes darted around the moment the name echoed through the arena.

"Cillian Reeve... finally."

He leaned forward on the bench, scanning every corner of the waiting area and the edges of the platform.

First, Brawl Sin stepped up.

Just like his name, the guy was built like a wall.

Short but super bulky, flat face, thick neck, and arms that looked ready to crush rocks.

His muscles bulged so much that his uniform was stretched tight, it looked like it might rip if he flexed too hard.

"He looks like Mike Tyson when he was young." Julius muttered under his breath.

Brawl Sin walked calmly to the left side of the professor and stood there, arms crossed, breathing slow and steady.

But the other side? Empty.

Julius frowned. "Where are you... Cillian?"

He kept searching, left, right, up at the stands, even behind pillars.

Nothing. No sign of black hair, red eyes, or that handsome, mysterious vibe he remembered from TST.

The professor waited a full minute, then stepped forward again.

"Cillian Reeve!" His voice boomed so loud it probably reached outside the stadium.

No answer.

The professor’s tone stayed calm but firm.

"Cillian Reeve, if you do not appear within the next ten minutes, Brawl Sin will be declared the winner by default."

He stepped back and folded his arms.

The crowd started buzzing immediately.

"Hamph! Who does he think he is?" one student scoffed.

"Right? Is he scared? Avoiding the fight?" another laughed.

"I heard he’s super talented among first-years... but where is he now?"

Whispers turned into louder chatter. Some students looked annoyed, others excited at the drama.

Julius ignored them all. He clicked his tongue. "Tsk. These NPCs..."

In his head he grumbled, ’They talk so big, but they’re just background characters. None of them are even important in TST.’

’Meanwhile, Cillian was actually well-written. One of the best side characters on the hero’s side.’

’Cool, dumb, strong without being annoying about it. I was actually looking forward to seeing him in action...’

He sighed and rubbed his temple.

’But now he’s late? Or stuck somewhere? Come on, man... don’t tell me you are taking a dump.’

Julius glanced back at the empty spot on the platform.

The ten minutes ticked by slowly. The crowd grew restless, whispers turning into low grumbles.

The professor stepped forward one last time.

He scanned the entrance, then the waiting area, giving it a final check.

"Even after ten full minutes," he said, pausing so every word rang clear across the arena, "Cillian Reeve has not arrived."

A few disappointed sighs floated up from the students.

"So the first duel concludes with..."

"Sigh... I thought I’d see some real action today," one student muttered nearby.

"Tsk, unfortunate," another added. "I met him once. Didn’t think he’d be this cowardly. Tsk."

The professor ignored the chatter. He raised his hand to finish the announcement.

"The winner of the first duel by default is Brawl—"

"Wait!"

A clear voice cut through the noise from the entrance.

Julius’s head snapped toward the sound so fast it almost hurt.

His eyes lit up. A big, excited grin spread across his face before he could stop it.

’Here he is.’

A boy about the same age as Julius walked in quickly.

Normal build, just like Julius, not too bulky, not too skinny.

Black hair fell neatly over his forehead, and his red eyes caught the light and shone bright as he moved.

He hurried toward the arena with a silly, embarrassed smile on his face, rubbing the back of his neck like he knew he messed up.

The second Julius saw that smile, his heart slammed hard against his ribs.

A storm of thoughts rushed through his head all at once.

’That’s him. That’s exactly how he looked in TST.’

Julius kept his face calm on the outside, but inside he was buzzing with excitement.

Cillian stepped onto the platform, bowed deeply to the professor first.

"I’m extremely sorry for being late, sir."

Then he turned and bowed to Brawl Sin too.

"I apologize to you as well."

The professor gave a short, firm nod.

"It’s alright, but just this once. If you’re late again, you’ll be disqualified. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Cillian nodded quickly.

"Alright."

The professor stepped to the center between them, raised his arm high, and his voice boomed once more.

"The duel between Cillian Reeve and Brawl Sin begins now!"

The crowd erupted into cheers and excited shouts. The big glowing screen above flickered, and both names lit up in bright letters.

The professor stepped back and out of the arena, leaving only the two fighters under the blazing lights.

Brawl Sin clasped his massive hands together and bowed slightly, his voice deep and steady.

"My name is Brawl Sin, heir of the Sin family. I hope you fight fairly in this duel."

Cillian returned the bow with calm respect.

"Cillian Reeve, second son of the Reeve family. Let’s begin."

The words barely left his mouth before both of them moved.

They stepped back at the exact same instant, a silent signal that the duel had truly started.

Cillian kept his distance, feet light, eyes sharp and focused.

Brawl Sin? He had no interest in playing at range.

BOOM!

The stone floor cracked under his boots as he exploded forward like a cannon shot.

His short, bulldozer body moved with shocking speed for someone so bulky. Wind howled past him.

He closed the gap in two heartbeats.

His right fist pulled back, thick knuckles glowing white-hot as crackling lightning coiled around it like angry serpents.

"Infinite Cast: Thousand Thunder!!"

He roared the words and hurled the punch straight at Cillian’s chest.

The air itself screamed. Lightning arced off his fist in wild blue-white branches. The punch looked like a falling meteor wrapped in storm.

But Cillian didn’t flinch.

He took one smooth step back, voice calm and quiet.

"Infinite Cast: Perfect Counter."

The moment the words left his lips, a perfect golden triangle shimmered into existence right in front of him, edges sharp as blades of light.

BAM!!!

Brawl Sin’s thunder-charged fist slammed dead-center into the triangle.

For a split second the world froze. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Then, the triangle pulsed once.

And from its exact center burst an identical fist, same size, same lightning, same devastating force, rocketing straight back at Brawl Sin’s face.

Brawl’s eyes widened in pure shock.

He tried to duck.

Too late. Too close.

CRACK—BOOM!!!

The counter-punch smashed into his chin with the sound of breaking thunder.

Brawl Sin’s head snapped back.

His feet left the ground. His whole body flipped backward through the air like a ragdoll launched from a catapult.

The crowd gasped as one.

He crashed hard, skidding across the stone on his back, leaving a long smoking trail.

Cillian didn’t celebrate. He didn’t even smile.

He rose smoothly into the air, floating a few feet off the ground, black hair fluttering in the wind he created.

"Let’s finish this."

He closed his eyes for one calm heartbeat, then snapped them open.

Red pupils burned bright.

"Infinite Cast: Giant Fist."

The words were soft.

But the arena answered with violence.

RUMBLE—RUMBLE—RUMBLE!!!

The ground trembled like an earthquake had woken up.

High above the center of the ring, a massive green circle tore open in the air, edges crackling with raw mana.

Something enormous stepped through.

First a colossal foot, bigger than a carriage, slammed down, cracking the stone into spiderwebs.

Then a thick leg.

Then a torso.

No head. No face.

Just a towering, headless giant made of glowing emerald muscle and pure destructive power.

It towered twenty feet high, dwarfing both fighters.

The giant raised both arms high, hands the size of wagons, and clapped them together once.

The shockwave alone made every student in the stands grab their seats.

Then it moved.

It took one earth-shaking step forward.

The whole arena quaked.

Brawl Sin, still on the ground, blood trickling from his mouth, looked up.

His eyes went wide with something between fear and awe.

The giant pulled one massive fist back.

Mana swirled into it like a green-black storm.

The air screamed.

And then—

"BAMMMMMMMMM!!!"

The fist came down like the judgment of heaven.

The impact was deafening, a thunderclap so loud it rattled teeth and made hearts skip.

Dust exploded outward in a blinding wave.

The entire arena floor buckled and cratered.

When the dust finally began to settle...

The giant was already fading, dissolving back into green motes of light.

In the center of the crater lay Brawl Sin, flat on his back, eyes rolled up, completely unconscious.

Silence gripped the stadium for one long second.

Then the crowd exploded.

Cheers, screams, roars, it all crashed together like a tidal wave.

Up in the glass cabin, Professor Lucian let out a low whistle.

"...That was ruthless."

The Dean smiled slowly.

"Indeed."

Down below, Julius sat frozen on his bench.

His heart was hammering.

"Damn! He is good!"