Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 81: Reincarnated Protagonist

Chapter 81: Reincarnated Protagonist

In the original story, Raymond’s combat style was that of a magic-specialized magic swordsman.

His combat skills were on par with Vallum, the Dragon Rider; his physical strength matched August, the Diamond; his magical skills were comparable to Anne, the Thorn; and his vast magical power and output were on the level of Rofus, the Shadow Wolf.

While his individual abilities might seem inferior to each of the Four Heavenly Kings, Raymond still possessed power comparable to them.

In terms of overall strength, no one surpassed Raymond.

However, Raymond’s true value did not lie in his excellent, versatile stats.

It was his ability to contract numerous monsters and use them as summoned beasts.

This unique power of the Galleon family was what made Raymond the strongest.

It provided him with numerous options, multiple means of attack, and the ability to counter any strategy.

In the original story, Raymond fought alone without using his summoned beasts.

Therefore, the reincarnator didn’t know Raymond’s true strength, and their assumptions were insufficient.

However, even while appearing nonchalant, Raymond was extremely cautious of the reincarnator.

After all, the reincarnator had neutralized Rofus in just two moves.

Despite catching Rofus off guard, the reincarnator managed to immobilize him using only magical tools.

Rofus was not so foolish as to be overcome by luck alone.

At least, in this world, there were very few who could achieve such a feat.

“Abel’s power came from the spirits. He must have originally had the blood of the spirits. It’s what’s called a reversion to an ancestor. It’s rare in modern times, but not entirely unheard of. The princess priestess of the Holy Dragon Kingdom is a typical example.”

Raymond spoke eloquently, spreading his arms as if revealing a secret.

“However, Abel is human by species. I thought we could suppress some of his abilities with Vine Wise, but to think it would turn out like this…”

Raymond concluded with a somewhat disappointed tone.

Abel, with a look of despair, gazed at Vine Wise floating cross-legged in the air and fearfully looked at Raymond.

“What happened to Abel?”

“As you can see, he’s inside Vine Wise’s belly.”

“No… so easily…”

“It’s not surprising. Last time, we were defeated by an overwhelming difference in power that couldn’t be bridged. The same thing happened again. I simply took measures against Abel, that’s all.”

As Abel’s face turned pale, Raymond continued.

“I believe you sent Rofus somewhere with a transfer crystal, didn’t you? You meddled unnecessarily… did you really think you could handle me without Rofus?”

Raymond spoke as if he had been watching Rofus and Abel’s interaction, tilting his head in disappointment.

Then, he created a ball of light in his hand.

In the next moment, the ball of light flew straight at Abel.

“Ugh…!”

Abel twisted his body, narrowly dodging it.

The ball of light struck the ground where Abel had been standing, exploding with magical power and vanishing.

Caught in the blast, Abel rolled clumsily.

Seeing this, Raymond looked down at Abel as if looking at dust.

“To be in such a state from a single low-level spell… it seems true that you have no combat ability. To think you could defeat me… what a fool. I don’t know what you are wearing Abel’s skin, but it seems you’re just a fool relying on others.”

Behind Raymond, numerous balls of light, similar to the one he had released earlier, were generated.

A barrage of light magic.

Of course, Abel couldn’t survive this barrage in his current state.

However, Abel quietly gazed at Vine Wise as if he didn’t care.

“What are you doing… Abel is part of the happy ending too…”

Raymond frowned at Abel’s murmur.

“What…?”

“It’s not over yet. If I deal with that tentacle monkey…”

“That’s a futile thought. You will die without even being able to dodge my next spell.”

Raymond’s words triggered the release of countless balls of light, forming a barrage.

Facing the incoming light, Abel screamed in frustration.

“Shut up! I’ll beat you, rip open that tentacle monkey’s belly, and save Abel! I’ll do it!”

Abel took several magic items—tarot card-like items with mirrors drawn on them—from his pouch and threw them around.

The cards floated in the air, emitting light, and each one formed a semi-transparent barrier that surrounded Abel, protecting him in all directions.

The barrage of light magic touched the semi-transparent barriers and, as if time had reversed, flew back towards Raymond.

Raymond frowned at the reflected barrage but didn’t even try to dodge. His ever-present magical barrier absorbed everything.

Raymond remained unharmed after taking his own magic barrage.

Narrowing his eyes at the unfamiliar magic items Abel used, Raymond spoke.

“My magic was reflected…? A talisman imbued with a magic formula… but I don’t recognize this magic. An ancient artifact?”

Sweating profusely from the close call, Abel smirked provocatively.

“…That’s a trade secret.”

“Hmm, well, there’s no point in revealing your hand unnecessarily.”

Raymond formed a divine trident in his hand.

It was an advanced light magic without incantation, “Godray.”

If thrown, it could cause an explosion powerful enough to obliterate a mountain, but Raymond intended to use it in close combat.

Raymond approached Abel with blinding speed, aiming to pierce through the magic reflection barrier with the light spear.

“So, can it reflect direct attacks too?”

“No, that’s impossible…”

The magic item— “Magic Card Reflect” could only reflect ranged magic.

Moreover, it wasn’t convenient enough to reflect all magic indiscriminately; it could only reflect intermediate-level magic at best.

Of course, Abel didn’t spill all this information, but regardless, he couldn’t defend against the advanced magic “Godray.”

Abel quickly took a spherical magic item— “Smoke Bomb” from his pouch and threw it to the ground.

The smoke, mixed with magical elements, enveloped Abel, hiding his figure.

This magic item had various functions such as recognition blocking and detection interference, allowing certain escape from enemies in the original game.

However, no matter the means, it was impossible to escape from boss battles in the original game.

This reality hadn’t changed even now.

Thanks to the smoke, Abel could avoid the direct hit from the advanced magic “Godray,” which pierced through the reflection barrier with ease.

However, he couldn’t completely evade the aftermath of the advanced magic.

Caught in a blast far greater than the previous light ball, Abel was battered and fell, crouching.

His body was wounded by debris, and there was some bleeding.

However, Abel’s body was resilient enough that this level of damage didn’t hinder him.

But for the reincarnated Abel, who had virtually no combat experience, the pain tolerance was low.

Holding back the urge to cry, tears welled up as the reincarnated Abel managed to stand up.

Raymond looked at him with slightly annoyed eyes.

“…Persistent.”

To Raymond, Abel was like a small ant that could be blown away or crushed underfoot.

Despite this, the man before him had survived three spells, using unfamiliar magic items, and had endured while getting battered.

“No matter how many times I crush you, you keep coming back. You’re like a rat or a fly.”

Despite the pain, the reincarnated Abel burst into laughter.

Raymond furrowed his brows at this.

“Hey, what’s with that cliché villain line? You’re supposed to be a bigger character. Maybe you’re getting too mentally corrupted?”

“Mental… corruption?”

Raymond narrowed his eyes, confused by Abel’s words.

Abel continued.

“…In the original game’s hidden elements, you could fight past enemies in the hardest dungeon, ‘The Tower of Records.’ If you defeated all the Four Heavenly Kings and Raymond’s shadow there, you would obtain ‘A Worn Diary’… your diary, Raymond.”

Raymond twitched at this.

“The contents were normal at first. But around the middle, after the entrance ceremony where Abel and Asteria were getting along, there were changes. Casual daily records turned into hate-filled scribbles about Abel and Asteria.”

Veins bulged on Raymond’s forehead as he glared, but Abel didn’t stop.

“It might look like a jealous guy driven by passion. But the change was too sudden, and some entries seemed like you were struggling against your negative emotions. The diary’s last entry was…”

“Stop.”

Raymond’s command fell on deaf ears as Abel continued.

“…The names of the Four Heavenly Kings and your friends. The last entry was the day you started the rebellion.”

“…”

“The official stance never confirmed it. But given the context, it’s almost certain. The unnatural emotional shifts in the diary and your emerald eyes… you’re being controlled by the ‘Dark God,’ aren’t you?”

Pointing at Raymond’s emerald eyes, Abel declared this.

Raymond was silent for a moment before laughing.

“To think you’d babble about such nonsense. The ‘Dark God’ controlling me? That’s—something I’ve always known.”

Raymond laughed ominously, causing Abel to break into a cold sweat.

After laughing for a while, Raymond glared at Abel with his emerald eyes.

“The game is over. A mere fool in Abel’s skin, who can barely use some magic tools— ‘Demon High-End— Holy Celestial Wing.'”

Raymond’s body was enveloped in divine light.

His skin became inorganic white like porcelain, and six wings spread from his back.

Numerous white rings chained together hovered above his head, forming a halo of light.

This was Raymond’s high-end demon form.

It significantly enhanced Raymond’s combat abilities, elevating all his magic to another level.

The pressure alone was enough to crush those nearby, and the magical energy waves felt like countless blades stabbing into his body.

Thanks to Abel’s magic-resistant body, his consciousness barely remained, but his complexion was pale, and he couldn’t stop sweating.

“I will offer your death as a tribute to my ally—the ‘Dark God.'”

A voice, no longer human, reverberated directly in the mind, spoken from Raymond’s mouth.

In the center of the halo above his head, aurora light began to converge.

Once released, it would vaporize everything in its path, a light of destruction.

An unstoppable, unavoidable power of despair.

“Now die, Ab—”

As Raymond was about to speak, a blade deeply pierced his shoulder.

Embedded in his shoulder was a simple chef’s knife.

A significant amount of damage.

Holding back the flowing blood, Raymond turned his gaze to Abel.

Abel grinned.

“I was waiting for you to transform into a demon. Provoking you paid off.”

It was as if Abel had intended for Raymond to undergo his demon transformation. Abel held several more chef’s knives taken from his pouch.

“It hurts, doesn’t it—’Toga’s Chef’s Knife’… an item that inflicts unavoidable, fixed damage of 1000.”

From Abel’s hand, five more chef’s knives were thrown.

The trajectory of the knives seemed unlikely to reach Raymond.

However, the five knives twisted unnaturally in the air, rapidly closing in on Raymond.

“…! What nonsense…!”

Raymond’s body, having transformed into Demon High-End, was no longer human.

His body was incredibly resilient, with skin so tough that even magic swords couldn’t scratch it.

Ordinary knives should never have been able to pierce him.

Yet, he was wounded, and the same knives were now closing in.

Realizing these were special magical tools, Raymond immediately adopted a defensive stance.

His six wings wrapped around him like a cocoon, surrounded by multiple layers of light barriers.

It was an almost excessive defense against mere knives.

However, Raymond did not let his guard down.

This fool wearing Abel’s skin had managed to temporarily seal Rofus using only magical tools.

He could not afford to be careless.

But the excessively thick defense was easily penetrated by the five chef’s knives, all embedding themselves into Raymond.

“…!”

The barriers and wings were pierced like paper, and the knives struck Raymond’s porcelain-like, inorganic skin.

In intense pain, Raymond quickly assessed the situation.

The knives, which had penetrated multiple barriers and his wings, did not pierce through his body.

Their penetrating power seemed to dissipate upon hitting his body?

No, it wasn’t that their penetration power was increased fundamentally.

They had a homing function that ensured they hit their target… or perhaps something more conceptual?

Raymond, thinking quickly, devised a countermeasure.

He pulled the knives from his body and ascended into the sky with a flap of his six wings.

“I’ll admit, fool in Abel’s skin. While you yourself are no threat, your magical tools are formidable.”

“Well, thanks for that. But don’t run away. I still have plenty of knives left.”

Abel took out more ‘Toga’s Chef’s Knives’ from his pouch and threw them haphazardly.

The countless thrown knives twisted their trajectories, their blades aimed at Raymond.

Raymond narrowed his eyes, appearing calm.

“It’s futile—devour, Gula Worm.”

From the summoning circle that appeared behind Raymond, a gigantic worm-like monster emerged.

The Gula Worm, characterized by its mouth full of needle-like teeth, swam through the air and swallowed the approaching knives in an instant.

“…What?”

Abel widened his eyes, seemingly unable to comprehend what had happened.

But he quickly shook his head and threw more ‘Toga’s Chef’s Knives’ from his pouch.

The Gula Worm swallowed those as well.

“The stomach of the Gula Worm connects to a subspace. Your precious knives are now likely wandering the interdimensional void.”

“What kind of summoned beast is that…! One after another!”

Abel took out a new magical item from his pouch and threw it at Raymond.

It was a transparent sphere, similar to a crystal ball.

Unlike ‘Toga’s Chef’s Knives,’ it had no homing ability, but Abel’s strong body allowed for a fast and accurate throw.

The ‘Dispersal Stone’ flew straight toward Raymond with precision.

The Gula Worm tried to devour it, but the sphere slipped through and flew towards Raymond.

“Next one after another… that’s my line…!”

Raymond cursed and dodged the sphere cautiously.

However, the sphere soon triggered a magical explosion, engulfing Raymond.

The sphere was a ‘Dispersal Stone.’

Made of a special substance close to a spirit body, it couldn’t be touched by anyone other than its owner. Upon impact, it would explode after a certain time.

But the explosion did not cause physical damage.

Raymond, hit by the explosion, began to fall.

The explosion had partially undone his Demon High-End transformation, reverting part of his body to its human form.

The ‘Dispersal Stone’s’ explosion had the effect of dispersing magical power.

In the original game, it had the effect of directly damaging the enemy’s MP.

And that power was still effective in reality.

Raymond, affected by the ‘Dispersal Stone’s’ explosion, had his magical power scattered, partially forcing him out of his Demon High-End form.

As he fell, Raymond quickly re-transformed his human parts back into a demon.

But Abel didn’t miss this opening.

He threw all the ‘Dispersal Stones’ he had at Raymond.

As soon as Raymond re-transformed, he was hit by another explosion.

Multiple ‘Dispersal Stone’ explosions overlapped.

Raymond, who had an immense amount of magical power second only to Rofus in the kingdom.

For someone like Raymond, with an enormous amount of magical power, a single ‘Dispersal Stone’ could only deplete a tiny fraction of it, and normally, this would not be enough to defeat him.

However, Demon High-End consumed an extraordinary amount of magical power both when transforming and when reverting.

Therefore, the forced cancellation of the demon form alone resulted in a significant depletion of magical power.

The ‘Dispersal Stone,’ which forced the dispersal of magical power, was a terrible match for Demon High-End.

It was one of the many magical items the reincarnated Abel had prepared as a countermeasure against demons.

The reincarnated Abel had spent three years collecting magical items in preparation for the eventual boss battles in the story.

This meant he had countermeasures for all enemies and bosses.

Demon transformation did not have a fixed magical power consumption like normal magic.

Because it reshaped the body according to one’s magical properties, the amount of magical power consumed was proportional to the maximum amount of magical power.

Two transformations, two forced cancellations of the demon form.

Since the demon form had only partially undone, he had quickly re-transformed the parts that had reverted, but that was a fatal mistake.

As a result, Raymond lost most of his magical power.

A third demon transformation—was impossible.

“This… can’t be…”

Moreover, he no longer had enough magical power to keep himself afloat.

He was on the verge of magical exhaustion, unable to cast even a single low-level spell.

Raymond continued to fall naturally.

From the roof of the academy.

Without magical reinforcement, his physical body couldn’t possibly survive the fall.

“Damn… you…”

Raymond bit his lip as he fell, but a glowing chain extended from the roof and wrapped around his body, stopping his fall just above the ground.

At the end of the glowing chain was Abel, who desperately tried to stop Raymond’s fall.

“…? Why…?”

Confused, Raymond frowned.

Abel was genuinely trying to save the person who had just tried to kill him.

With the glowing chain digging into his hand, Abel held on, blood oozing from his palm.

“I’m sorry, Abel…! I might get muscle pain later… Abel’s body, fight…!!”

With a roar like an athlete, Abel used all his strength to pull Raymond up.

Raymond, slowly pulled up to the roof, collapsed on his back.

Gasping for breath, Abel knelt, and Raymond frowned as he looked at him.

“Why did you save me…? I don’t understand your intention.”

“Huh…? Well, it wouldn’t… lead to Rofus’s happy ending…”

Abel answered, gasping for breath.

Raymond, still unable to understand, closed his eyes as if giving up.

In any case, on the verge of magical exhaustion, he couldn’t move his body, not even a finger.

“…Such sweetness.”

“Shut up… For the happy ending I’m aiming for, it’s essential. And oh, Abel!”

Catching his breath, Abel lifted his face and locked eyes with the monkey with tentacle-like hair—Vine Wise.

“You stupid monkey…! Stay quiet there—”

Before Abel could finish speaking, a blood-stained hand protruded from his chest.

“Ah…?”

An arm had pierced him from behind, creating a hole in his chest.

Blood splattered and flowed.

The arm that had impaled Abel from behind was soon enveloped in light, transforming into porcelain-like inorganic skin.

There was no mistaking it.

It was the arm of Raymond, in his Demon High-End form.

“Ah…”

Dark, thick blood began to flow from Abel’s mouth.

Blood pooled at Abel’s feet.

Raymond, now emitting an aura of emerald magic, spoke wearily.

“Unfortunately—the ‘Dark God’ does not permit my defeat here.”

With that, Raymond pulled his arm out of Abel.

Abel fell powerlessly to the ground.