Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 58: Love
Chapter 58: Love
Rofus had been continuously casting wide-range magic detection since the wild bird incident.
However, despite these precautions, he still allowed Despia to attack. Even now, at this very moment, despite sensing its presence from a visible distance, he couldn’t detect its magic power.
“…There is no sign of interference with detection. Could it be magic suppression?”
“Despia can also use magic suppression. And invisibility magic too,” answered Riruka to Rofus’s question.
“…How do you know that? Did the wind god reveal it to you?”
“…? Despia used invisibility and magic suppression last time too, remember? I based my own concealment magic on Despia’s techniques.”
“I knew it could use invisibility, but magic suppression? There was no such information in my dreams…” Rofus spat out in frustration.
The amount of information Rofus gleaned from the story he saw in his dreams was vast. Even Rofus couldn’t immediately recall every line of dialogue or every detail. However, he vividly remembered the main characters and the enemies they faced in the story.
The main enemy of the first chapter of the story—the Four Beasts—was no exception. Naturally, Rofus had information about Despia, the Wing of Carnage. Despia was an enormous griffin that lived in the Sky City, capable of using advanced wind magic and controlling bird-type monsters.
Rofus’s knowledge from the story was vast but not complete. He had acquired information from the perspective of the protagonist, Abel. The issue was that it was strictly “Abel’s perspective.”
Abel was a versatile character who could wield both sword and magic, but he wasn’t particularly skilled in magic. The magic he could use often complemented his swordsmanship, making him more of a magic swordsman. Abel wasn’t proficient in magic detection, so he didn’t realize Despia was using magic suppression. Therefore, anything Abel didn’t recognize wouldn’t be conveyed to Rofus.
Rofus hadn’t considered this and was also curious about the mysterious whisper that had echoed in his mind earlier. However, with the current emergency of facing Despia, he shook off these doubts and refocused his thoughts. He fixed his gaze on Despia, hovering in the sky.
“…There are many things to be concerned about, but never mind. Despia… it’s already one of the Four Beasts.”
The giant Kraken—Strauff—encountered in the demon sea was in its pre-Four Beasts state. That was about two years ago, and with the story’s start approaching, it wouldn’t be surprising if it had already become one of the Four Beasts.
“…No, the Demon King might possess knowledge of the future. At this point, it’s too late to worry about that. This is a futile thought.”
Rofus organized the information in his mind while materializing the dark scythe, Dark Scythe, in his hand.
“Now, Despia, how strong are you? It would be nice if you were as easy as in the story.”
Rofus swung the enlarged blade of the Dark Scythe, powered by his own magic, and unleashed it towards Despia. A massive black slash followed by countless dark spheres, Dark Balls, assaulted Despia all at once. The vast expanse of dark magic dyed the sky black.
Despia couldn’t escape and was engulfed by the dark magic.
“Whoa… No mercy, huh,” muttered Riruka, slightly amazed.
Even a creature as formidable as the Four Beasts wouldn’t stand a chance against such a barrage of magic. It might even be fatal or worse, erasing it from existence.
As the darkness cleared, Riruka’s eyes widened in shock.
“No way…”
There stood Despia, enveloped in a semi-transparent membrane, completely unscathed. An incredibly tough magical barrier. Rofus recognized this and felt a sense of déjà vu. And then, Rofus completed his spell chant.
“—’The Scythe of the Reaper.'”
A pitch-black scythe, resembling the abyss, appeared in Rofus’s hand. It was a fully chanted ancient magic.
“If its barrier is as strong as the Demon Whale’s, what about its regenerative power?”
Without hesitation, Rofus swung the scythe, severing Despia’s neck. He then swung it three more times, slicing through both wings and the body. Though the strikes left traces, Despia’s body, supposed to be dismembered, remained intact. Emerald magic surged, healing Despia’s wounds as if time were being reversed.
“I expected its regeneration to be on par with the Demon Whale. What a ridiculous creature…”
“What is happening…?”
Rofus sighed deeply, already predicting this, while Riruka struggled to comprehend the situation. Despia glared at Rofus with fury, letting out a high-pitched roar. In response, the atmosphere raged, and countless wind blades assaulted the airship.
“Is it ‘Tempest of Twisting Rage’? Advanced wind annihilation magic. Your magic is fundamentally similar to Riruka’s… no, it’s Riruka who mimicked your technique.”
Despia’s chantless magic was the same spell Riruka had previously used against Red Cap. However, its scale and destructive power were several levels above Riruka’s.
The airship had high maneuverability, but dodging countless wind blades was nearly impossible. Each wind blade was imbued with enormous magic power. If even one struck the ship, it would be devastating.
Faced with the impending onslaught of wind blades, Rofus spread his shadow across the deck. Four ocean dragons emerged from the shadow on the deck.
“Do it.”
At Rofus’s command, all four ocean dragons unleashed their dark breaths simultaneously, merging into one massive dark beam. The colossal dark beam swept across, obliterating Despia’s ‘Tempest of Twisting Rage.’
Despite taking the full force of the quadruple dark beam, Despia remained unscathed. Its magic barrier, constructed with high-density magic power, had blocked everything.
Despia let out a roar of fury, infuriated by the failed attack and counterattack. As it spread its mighty wings, emerald magic gathered within them. It was as if preparing for a massive attack. Rofus recalled the Demon Whale’s intense beam.
“…If small techniques don’t work, the next one will be a big one, huh? Your tactics are monotonous, just like the Demon Whale’s. In the end, you’re just a beast.”
Rofus knew the technique Despia was about to unleash from its stance. However, the density of its magic power and the palpable pressure suggested it would be far stronger than in the story.
If the incoming attack was indeed enhanced and possessed the power equivalent to the Demon Whale’s beam, there would be no escape for the airship.
“If you don’t want to be thrown off, stay low.”
“Wha—what are you…!?”
Rofus pulled Riruka close, crouched down, and cast a spell.
“—’World Without Light.'”
A massive cloud of dark mist enveloped the airship. At the same time, Despia’s wings, charged with emerald magic, swung down. The compressed atmosphere struck the dark mist and the surrounding mountains, turning the area into a wasteland.
* * *
“Celestial Smash”—a wide-area attack that compressed the atmosphere and slammed it into the ground. It was one of Despia’s unique abilities. In the story, it could devastate up to 100 meters of terrain. However, this time, Despia’s “Celestial Smash” was overwhelmingly powerful, leveling a vast area of mountainous terrain, spanning several kilometers.
The dark mist continued to drift, but the airship was nowhere to be seen. Despia, recognizing it had obliterated its target, let out a triumphant roar.
In its blind spot, within the shadow of a distant cloud, the airship emerged as if born from the shadow. It was Rofus’s Shadow Move, a short-range teleportation magic that transported shadows from one place to another. Normally, Shadow Move was for individual use, not for transporting multiple people, let alone an airship almost 100 meters long.
Yet, with his vast magic power and exceptional control, Rofus had achieved the impossible. However, even he had limits. The teleportation had drained his magic power and consumed unprecedented amounts of concentration and mental energy. This teleportation had pushed him to his absolute limit.
As soon as the teleportation ended, Rofus collapsed to his knees, drenched in sweat, breathing heavily.
“Ro—Rofus…!?”
Riruka quickly supported Rofus.
“Did you transfer…? Why did you do something so reckless…?”
Riruka looked up. The mountainous area, which had been reduced to a barren wasteland by Despia’s attack, caught her eye.
“…What?”
The scene was beyond Riruka’s comprehension. An enemy capable of such destruction… The only one she could think of was the Dark God who was revived in Chapter Five. Despia’s attacks shouldn’t be at this level. Even the magical exchange with Rofus earlier was strange. The unusually sturdy magical barrier, the rapid regeneration even after being cut to pieces—it was all beyond ordinary.
No matter how she thought about it, this wasn’t the Despia she knew. How could they possibly defeat such an enemy? Riruka’s magic alone would have a hard time breaking through Despia’s barrier.
“No… That thing is completely different from last time.”
The destructive power and attack range were extraordinary. Even after enduring Rofus’s magic barrage, Despia’s barrier remained unscathed. And its near-immortal recovery ability… This was an enemy unlike any they had faced before. Perhaps this Despia was even stronger than the Dark God from last time—at least that’s how it seemed to Riruka.
“Rofus… Let’s retreat. We can’t win against that… There’s no way…”
Riruka pleaded with the exhausted Rofus, having lost the will to fight. Rofus brushed her off, taking a revitalizing potion from his left prosthetic hand and drinking it in one gulp. He then released the magical energy stored in his left hand, replenishing his power. Though the forced transfer had consumed a lot of his magic, Rofus’s vast reserves meant it wasn’t a significant problem. The real issue was the mental fatigue from excessive magic use, but the potion had helped him recover.
Rofus, looking somewhat better, faced Riruka.
“What are you saying? The Sky City is right before us. If we retreat now, there’s no guarantee we’ll have another chance.”
The Sky City, which even the Scarlet Wind couldn’t find after two years… If they retreated now, there was no guarantee they could reach it again. With Despia on the move, their approach was likely already exposed despite their concealment magic. Even with the Saintess’s oracle, it wouldn’t be as straightforward as this time.
However, Riruka shook her head.
“Even so…! It’s better than getting wiped out here. And an attack of that scale—Rofus, even you can’t take that unscathed.”
“You think I’d fall to an attack like that? You greatly underestimate my power.”
Rofus shrugged, seemingly offended, while Riruka grabbed his coat with a tearful face.
“I would never underestimate your power, Rofus. I know how strong your magic is. But that Despia is clearly different. We can’t fight it without a plan.”
“Then you and the others should escape. I can handle it alone.”
“Don’t be stupid! I can’t leave you behind…!”
Riruka clung to him with a pained expression. Rofus narrowed his eyes, tilting his head.
“Why are you so concerned about me? Originally, we were enemies… Ah, if I die, I can’t treat Iz. I see, that would be undesirable for you.”
Riruka lowered her gaze, letting go of his coat. She spoke quietly.
“That’s right, Rofus. We were enemies. I killed you with my own hands last time.”
Riruka looked at her palm without emotion, continuing.
“I don’t regret killing you last time. If I hadn’t, Shadow Wolf Rofus wouldn’t have stopped. Your dark army wouldn’t have ceased as long as you lived.”
Rofus silently watched her speak.
“I don’t regret it, but…”
Riruka took a breath, looking at Rofus with wavering eyes.
“You were terrifying last time. You killed without hesitation for your goals…”
“And how am I different now? I’d still kill if necessary.”
Rofus’s words made Riruka smile a little.
“Yes, you can still do what needs to be done. But this time, you’ve been a bit kinder.”
Riruka emphasized “a bit.” Comparing him to the Rofus from before, Rofus couldn’t understand her intent and frowned.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I killed you before, so I’m your enemy. But…”
“But?”
“I know it’s selfish, but don’t risk your life for someone like me. Please.”
Riruka spoke earnestly. For Rofus, it was indeed a selfish request. He had only helped Riruka because it aligned with his own survival. Her words irritated him.
“Don’t push your guilt onto me. It’s annoying. And don’t tell me when to risk my life. I’ll decide that myself.”
Rofus’s harsh words made Riruka look ready to cry.
“But I don’t want you to die…”
It was an emotional outburst. Tears welled up in Riruka’s eyes. Rofus’s actions had indeed helped her and the Scarlet Wind. She had grown to feel a closeness to him.
Rofus released her and stepped back.
“We’ve been somewhat close, but I thought you were more calculating. Or is this an act?”
Riruka wiped her tears, glaring half-heartedly at Rofus.
“I told you before, what do you know about me?”
Rofus laughed a little.
“You’re right. No one truly knows another’s inner self. But I’ll take your words at face value for now. I thought you were a cunning woman, but you’re more emotional and foolish than I thought.”
“What a terrible evaluation,” Riruka said, laughing wearily.
Rofus gripped the railing, looking at Despia.
“Let’s end this talk. As I said, I have a plan.”
“Really? How can you beat that thing…?”
“I’ve fought similar creatures before.”
“What? There are others like that…!?”
“Oh, I haven’t shared that information with you.”
“That’s important! Why didn’t you say anything!?”
“It wasn’t necessary.”
Rofus’s casual remark made Riruka tremble with frustration.
“Do you trust me so little?”
“Of course. We were enemies. And you’re a good liar.”
“That’s true, but still…”
Riruka’s shoulders slumped. She tugged at Rofus’s coat.
“Can you really defeat it?”
“Without the airship, yes.”
Rofus hinted at going alone, and Riruka sighed in resignation.
“Tell me everything later. About Fran too.”
“Later.”
Rofus waved his hand, sinking into the shadows.