Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 25: Crimson Wind
Chapter 25: Crimson Wind
“The First Tomb,” First Level.
The members of the “Crimson Wind” engaged in fierce battles with countless black demons.
Blocking the attacking black two-headed tiger’s fangs with his sword was Sigil, the swordsman with red jacket and upright hair—the leader.
“Damn, this thing regenerated again!”
The two-headed tiger had already been slain twice.
However, over time, its wounds regenerated, bringing it back to life to attack once more.
It wasn’t just this two-headed tiger; all the black demons appearing in this tomb were creatures that revived no matter how many times they were killed.
When it comes to creatures that revive, undead come to mind.
The members of the “Crimson Wind,” skilled adventurers who had braved death in numerous ruins and dungeons, were well-versed in battling undead.
But… Hawk, the bald man with round sunglasses, shouted while firing his magic gun.
“No good! Holy water is ineffective too!”
Hawk, a skilled treasure hunter, always carried special items like holy water as a countermeasure against undead.
However, despite trying several times by splashing holy water, there was absolutely no effect.
Undead should suffer some degree of damage when in contact with holy water.
In other words, these black demons were not undead.
As the magazine of his magic gun ran out, Hawk switched to a short sword and looked at Sigil.
“What should we do, are we really retreating now!?”
“We can’t retreat! Hawk, are you planning to abandon Riruka!?”
Sigil yelled angrily, and Hawk calmly replied.
“I’m not abandoning her, you idiot. But we’ve been fighting non-stop since entering this tomb. At this rate, we’ll be wiped out.”
Hawk looked at two other members.
Kay, swinging his spear wildly with his long blonde hair.
Dan, a huge man with a shaved head, smashing black demons with his war hammer, were both facing demons coming from the opposite corridor.
They all bore visible wounds from the endless battle and seemed exhausted to the point where their concentration might falter at any moment.
Sigil clicked his tongue.
“Damn! We finally found the stairs…”
Ahead of Sigil and Hawk’s corridor, stairs leading to the second level were visible.
Riruka, caught in a teleportation trap, was likely deeper in the ruins, beyond those stairs.
Hawk said persuasively, “Riruka’s stealth skills are among the best in the group. She won’t make any mistakes that would get her caught immediately.”
“…”
Certainly, in the current situation, it was only a matter of time before they were wiped out.
If they were wiped out here, they couldn’t rescue Riruka.
That would be the worst outcome.
Sigil reluctantly nodded.
“Damn it…! Hawk, do we have any flash crystals?”
“We have a few left.”
“Alright… Kay, Dan! We’re retreating for now! We’ll regroup before rescuing Riruka!”
Following Sigil’s instructions, Kay, who was swinging his spear, showed an angry expression.
“What!? What are you saying, Sigil? Riruka is—Oh!?”
However, Dan silently lifted up struggling Kay.
“What! Let go, Dan!”
“Follow the leader’s orders.”
“Don’t mess around! I’m not done yet! Let me go!”
Ignoring the struggling Kay, Dan carried him away with his immense physical strength.
“You guys, keep your heads down.”
Hawk threw the flash crystal into the group of black demons.
The crystal shattered, filling the corridor with dazzling light.
The “Crimson Wind” had entered the tomb and used flash crystals more than once.
The principle was unknown, but when exposed to the flash, the black demons’ forms blurred as if affected by noise, rendering them immobile for a while.
Weak to light? Were they indeed undead? Or perhaps creatures of the dark?
Hawk pondered as he ran.
Next to him, Sigil, seeing the immobilized black demons, looked puzzled.
“Are they immobilized… are they weak to light after all?”
“It doesn’t seem like they’re just dizzy from the flash.”
Something like noise running through the black demons’ bodies.
It seemed as if their forms couldn’t be maintained under intense light, giving Hawk that impression.
“Let’s go back to the ship and bring as many flash crystals as possible. No matter how invincible and powerful these monsters are, if they can’t move, they’re not scary.”
“Yeah. Just wait, Riruka…!”
With renewed determination, the members of the “Scarlet Wind” headed for the exit of the tomb.
Sometimes using flash crystals, they ran to the exit.
And then, just before reaching the exit, they stopped in their tracks.
Sigil and Hawk, without a word, widened their eyes.
Dan, dropping the struggling Kay, also seemed surprised.
“What the!? Dan! What did you drop—”
Kay, dropped to the ground, looked up in annoyance—then his gaze rose higher than Dan’s towering figure.
“Huh?”
Kay uttered a foolish voice.
Blocking the exit of the tomb, a huge creature coiled up, raising numerous heads.
A multi-headed giant snake—the jet-black hydra was there.
Countless eyes on its numerous heads and on its entire body stared at the members of the “Crimson Wind” all at once.
The Hydra was a powerful creature that appeared as a floor boss or guardian beast in high-level ruins and dungeons, far surpassing the creatures that roamed similarly high-level dungeons.
Sigil and Hawk moved almost simultaneously.
To strike first was to win.
Hawk threw a flash crystal high above the black Hydra’s head and shot it with his magic gun.
In an instant of dazzling light filling the surroundings, Sigil leaped onto one of the Hydra’s heads and thrust his sword into its giant eye.
Perfect coordination, perfect ambush.
Their actions were flawless, without any mistakes.
However, what couldn’t be killed by that was simply a simple difference in power.
Even as a blade pierced its eye, the Hydra, without showing any signs of pain, stared back at Sigil as if annoyed.
And then, as if annoyed, it swiftly mowed down Sigil with its sharp, bladed heads.
Sigil was thrown away.
Dan caught him with his body.
“…Are you okay?”
“I’m okay… You’re too stiff… It feels like hitting a rock…”
“Don’t compliment me at a time like this. It’s embarrassing.”
“I’m not complimenting you…!”
Seeing Sigil protesting breathlessly, Kay and Hawk breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hawk, do we have any flash crystals left?”
Kay asked, but Hawk shook his head quietly.
“…We used them all up earlier.”
“…Seriously?”
“Dead serious.”
Kay chuckled dryly.
“This monster wasn’t here when we entered…!”
Even though it had been exposed to the flash crystal, the black Hydra did not become immobile like the other black demons.
With its tongue hanging out as if nothing had happened, it glared at the members of the Scarlet Wind.
Suddenly, the sword pierced into the Hydra’s eye fell out.
However, the Hydra’s eye regenerated in an instant.
A regeneration speed incomparable to other black demons.
The creatures that appeared on the first level were indeed powerful, but this Hydra was clearly on a different level.
The members of the “Scarlet Wind” were simply overwhelmed and began to retreat.
The Hydra slowly closed the distance, as if cornering and teasing its prey.
Suddenly, countless shadows were seen at the end of the corridor.
Countless black demons were approaching from there.
At the forefront was the figure of the black two-headed tiger that Sigil had fought earlier.
It seemed they were about to be caught in a pincer attack between the black Hydra and the demons from behind.
“The tiger at the front door and… what was it again at the back door?”
“Wolf, right? But this time it’s the Hydra…”
Sigil muttered, and Hawk replied.
They exchanged banter, but their faces were pale.
Kay stabbed his spear into the ground weakly, and Dan looked dumbfounded.
It was a desperate situation where death seemed imminent.
Someone muttered, “Is this the end?”
Without anyone denying it, everyone simply lowered their gaze, resigned.
Then, suddenly, a voice echoed in the corridor.
“—[Dark Area: Dark Carpet]”
At the same time, the floor, walls, and ceiling of the corridor were completely covered in darkness emanating from the depths of the corridor.
The already dark corridor was dyed in an even deeper darkness.
The feet of the black demons approaching from the depths of the corridor sank into the spreading darkness on the floor, and their movements slowed.
Another voice echoed.
“—[Wind Blade: Air Cutter]!”
Blades of wind sliced through the black demons.
“We did it! We hit it! We hit it, Rofus-kun!”
“Don’t make a fuss over just hitting a monster with a low-level spell.”
The corridor resounded with excited voices and a voice of exasperation.
“—Do it.”
Then, a cold voice quietly echoed, and immediately afterward—countless fish with heads sharpened like blades burst out from the walls, floor, and ceiling of the darkness, attacking and devouring the swarm of black demons.
The black demons were devoured in an instant, unable to maintain their forms against the darkness that filled their vision, the swarm of fish bursting forth from all directions, and the sudden attack.
The members of the “Crimson Wind” were dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.
“Big brother!”
A petite girl leaped into Sigil’s chest.
It was not a dream or a hallucination.
It was Riruka Skyfield.
“Riruka…?”
Sigil, finally catching up with his thoughts, hugged Riruka tightly.
“Riruka! Are you alright?”
“Big brother Sigil! Zig, Kay, Dan, everyone, you’re all okay!”
Riruka smiled with tears in her eyes.
The others, who had been in despair, also gathered around Riruka with smiles on their faces.
“Riruka! I was really worried about you, you bastard!”
Kay messed up Riruka’s hair.
“…She seems fine.”
Dan smiled in relief.
“Hey guys! Aren’t you more beaten up than me!?”
Surprised and chattering, Riruka exclaimed.
Ignoring the noisy quartet, Hawk pushed up his sunglasses with a flick.
“Riruka, I’m glad you’re safe. But you guys, save the celebration for later. The Hydra is still here.”
At Hawk’s words, the others fell silent.
Riruka gasped, “What’s that, huge!”
The black Hydra remained motionless near the exit, gazing at the members of the Scarlet Wind.
It seemed it had no intention of letting them escape.
Also, Hawk looked towards the corridor, where all the black demons had been wiped out.
“Riruka, what happened? Those fish from earlier, and this black floor…”
In response to Hawk’s question, Riruka grinned and glanced towards the depths of the corridor.
“Yeah, that person helped us. Rofus-kun.”
Naturally, the other members’ gazes followed towards the depths of the corridor.
Walking towards them from the depths of the corridor was a small figure.
While the others gave skeptical looks, Hawk broke into a cold sweat.
The figure appeared to be a boy of the same age as Riruka, but his demeanor was completely different.
Dressed in a dark cloak like the darkened corridor, with jet-black hair and entirely shrouded in black, the boy’s emerald eyes in his mismatched left eye seemed to shine mysteriously like emeralds in the darkness.
When Hawk saw him, he intuitively sensed something.
This kid is dangerous.
The darkened corridor and the swarm of fish that eradicated the invincible black demons were likely the work of this boy.
Hawk became more cautious.
After all, the swarm of black fish from earlier seemed similar to the black demons wandering the ruins.
To command them like subordinates, appearing from the depths of the ruins… Could this boy be something like the master of this ancient ruin, a Dungeon Master?
Perhaps this boy’s appearance itself was a temporary disguise to conceal his true identity.
Unpleasant thoughts swirled in Hawk’s mind.
“What the heck, a kid? What’s he doing in a place like this, lost?”
Seeing the boy’s figure, Sigil approached without caution, and Hawk widened his eyes in alarm.
“Wait—”
Someone as dangerous as this, calmly strolling through such a perilous ruin couldn’t possibly be just a child—Hawk was about to shout in anger, but he stopped himself just in time.
Approaching Sigil casually, the boy in black—Rofus—glared at him with irritation.
“Ugh…”
Intimidated by Rofus’s glare, Sigil wilted.
Riruka elbowed Sigil’s side.
“Ouch! What’s with that kid!”
“Show some respect to Rofus-kun!”
Grumbling at Sigil’s wince, Riruka scolded him.
Ignoring their exchange, Rofus spoke dismissively.
“…You’re quite something too.”
Rofus ignored the other members of the Scarlet Wind and focused on the black Hydra blocking the exit.
“A gatekeeper to prevent intruders. The one who built this tomb seems to have quite the twisted sense of humor.”
Rofus sighed wearily and approached the Hydra slowly.
“Hey! Be careful!”
“Idiot, are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Sigil and Kay rushed to stop him in a panic.
Ignoring their attempts, Rofus continued without slowing down.
Rofus opened his mouth.
“Get out of the way, sink.”
In response to his command, a massive tentacle emerged from the darkness, surpassing the black Hydra in size.
It wrapped around the Hydra’s body with incredible force, trying to drag it into the darkness.
Naturally, the Hydra struggled to resist, but another tentacle appeared, and with even more force, the entirety of the Hydra’s massive body was dragged into the darkness.
It was a momentary event.
Rofus didn’t even slow down his pace and continued towards the exit.
The members of the Crimson Wind stood dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Only Riruka, who had been with Rofus all along, seemed unconcerned and followed him without any particular reaction.
“Come on, what are you guys standing around for? Let’s go!”
At Riruka’s call, the members of the Crimson Wind exchanged glances and followed after her.
The airship of the Crimson Wind, Ifrit.
This airship belonged not to the leader, Sigil, but strictly speaking to Iz, the sub-leader, who was currently bedridden.
It was a ship with wings on either side instead of sails, flying through the air, a crimson abnormality.
This ship, powered by magic, was an ancient artifact excavated by Iz’s grandfather from a remote ruin when he was a treasure hunter.
From then on, Iz’s grandfather named the flying ship Ifrit and traveled the skies with his comrades, exploring ruins across various lands.
Gradually, the group of treasure hunters led by Iz’s grandfather took the name Crimson Wind, derived from the color of the ship’s hull.
Thus began the era of the pirate crew Scarlet Wind.
Ifrit and the Scarlet Wind were passed down from generation to generation, and now they belonged to Iz.
The leader, Sigil, was childhood friends with Iz.
Sigil was the grandson of a man who was Iz’s grandfather’s partner during his days as a treasure hunter, and Sigil and Iz were born on Ifrit and raised there.
They were of similar age, both in their early twenties, more like siblings than lovers.
The other members, Hawk the cautious one, Kay the joker, Dan the strong one, and Elma, the eldest sister figure who didn’t participate in the tomb exploration this time, were all picked up orphans during the travels of the previous generation of the Scarlet Wind, led by Sigil and Iz’s parents.
They all grew up on Ifrit, and through the generational changes, they became members of the Crimson Wind.
The members of the Crimson Wind, who spent a long time together, were bound by a family-like bond.
Therefore, their leader Sigil would do anything, to protect what he deems as his family.
He would delve into dangerous ancient ruins and even risk his life.
…And of course, he would even grovel.
“I deeply apologize for trespassing on your territory…!”
In the large room inside Ifrit, Sigil was prostrating.
While Sigil rubbed his head against the floor, Rofus sat on a sofa, resting his chin on his hand, looking disinterested as he watched from above.
The other male members—Hawk, Kay, and Dan—stood lined up in a corner of the room.
By the way, the female members, including Riruka, summarized the situation briefly, and since sub-leader Iz was bedridden, they were waiting in another room.
When the members learned that the black-clothed boy they had rescued in the tomb was the legitimate son of the viscount from the Lightless family, they felt a chilling sensation down their spines.
Because the Crimson Wind had trespassed into the ruins on the Lightless territory without permission.
Everything within the territory belonged to its lord.
That naturally included ruins and dungeons.
Entering ruins or dungeons without the lord’s permission, and obtaining rare items, was no different from theft.
They called themselves pirates because they were aware they were outlaws.
However, despite claiming to be pirates, they never committed crimes.
They only stole items from ruins and dungeons.
Of course, they never stole from citizens, let alone plundered.
That’s because they took pride in being treasure hunters before they were outlaws.
So far, they had been fine.
Even if they were discovered by the police or knights after trespassing into ruins or dungeons without permission, they could easily escape as long as they had Ifrit.
Flying through the sky, they could easily escape to other territories, leaving their pursuers behind.
But this time was different.
Their opponent was Rofus Ray Lightless, the legitimate son of the dreaded dark nobles, the Lightless family.
The members of the Crimson Wind witnessed a glimpse of his incredible power, a power that made him seem almost inhuman.
They were convinced that no matter what miracle occurred, they couldn’t escape from this black-clothed boy.
Their escape was impossible.
Therefore, leader Sigil prostrated himself.
To somehow get forgiveness and not incur Rofus’s displeasure.
In the midst of the heavy atmosphere resembling a funeral, Riruka entered the room with a tray.
“Hey everyone, I made tea!”
As if breaking the tension of a funeral, Riruka, holding a tray, entered the room.
Riruka looked at Sigil and grimaced.
“Ugh, why are you prostrating, Sigil-nii…”
While Riruka was appalled, she showed no particular concern and approached Rofus.
“Rofus-kun, want some tea? I also have some snacks!”
“Don’t need it.”
Rofus declined without hesitation, and Riruka drooped her shoulders and approached the three members standing in the corner of the room.
“What about you guys?”
Asked by Riruka, the three felt no inclination to have tea and averted their gazes.
“…No, we’re fine.”
Representatively, Hawk replied, and Riruka drooped her shoulders further, saying, “Aww.”
“Even though I went through the trouble of making it…”
Turning away with a pouty face, Riruka glanced around the room and tilted her head.
“By the way, what’s with this hellish atmosphere?”
Riruka’s casual question echoed in the frozen room.