Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 83.1: The Summit

Chapter 83.1: The Summit

Rofus’ body turned a deep, dark black.

It was a black like an abyss that swallowed light.

The High-End Demonization that Rofus and Raymond utilized was essentially a transformation of the human body into a demonic form.

Depending on the quality of the magic, the body could transform in various ways.

Wings might sprout, or the entire body might be covered in a shell as hard as ore.

The one common feature across these diverse forms was that they deviated significantly from the human figure.

However, Rofus’ demonization was different.

His human silhouette remained unchanged; his entire body was simply covered in a dark black.

Even the cloak he wore remained the same, with a featureless face devoid of a mouth and eyes that glowed pale blue.

He resembled the shadowy figure of a creature known as the Shadowman, which appeared on nighttime paths.

A harmless, low-risk creature that did not attack humans, only appearing suddenly.

But the creature in front of Raymond was clearly not that benign entity.

Raymond’s sharpened senses screamed of danger, and his instincts sounded a blaring alarm.

Noticing his unconscious hand trembling, Raymond let out a dry laugh.

“…Interesting.”

Raymond tried to put on a brave face in front of the monster before him.

Convincing himself that his shaking was due to excitement, he spread his arms wide and laughed.

“That’s more like it, Rofus. Indeed, you are the only one in this world who can fight me equally—”

Before he could finish speaking, Rofus’ abyssal hand gripped Raymond’s face.

It was a speed that even the highly enhanced senses of a demonized Raymond couldn’t react to.

“—!? “

The next moment, when Raymond realized it, he was already soaring through the sky, piercing through the clouds.

Rofus, in his demonized form, had grabbed Raymond’s head at an incredible speed and hurled him skyward.

It took Raymond a few seconds to comprehend this.

“Impossible… Even if demonized, such absurd strength…”

“Talking to yourself? Seems you have been given too much leeway.”

Rofus followed after the hurled Raymond, sighing in exasperation.

Particles of magical energy formed a mouth on Rofus’ black, featureless face, and he spoke.

The mouth, with corners curling up like a crescent moon, looked like a mocking clown sneering at the world—or like a devil laughing.

But Rofus had no interest in conversation.

Behind Rofus, countless dark spheres—Dark Balls—unfolded.

“…Tch!”

Raymond instinctively wrapped his body in his six wings, deploying multiple layers of light barriers.

What Rofus unleashed was a barrage of low-level magic.

And it was dark magic, disadvantageous against light.

Normally, there would be no need to defend against it, as it wouldn’t deal damage.

However, the pressure from the demonized Rofus forced Raymond into a full defensive stance.

But that was a bad move.

Attribute affinity is not always absolute.

Water in a mug can extinguish a candle’s flame but cannot quench a forest fire.

The output of the demonized Rofus’ barrage of low-level magic easily broke through Raymond’s light barriers.

Raymond lost four of his wings to the numerous magical explosions he received through his wings.

Thrown out by the blast, Raymond immediately flapped his remaining pair of wings to regain his stance.

But he had no time to do so, as Rofus, wielding a Dark Scythe, relentlessly pursued him.

“Dammit…!”

Raymond hastily conjured the Godray Spear and parried the oncoming Dark Scythe.

However, the light spear shattered without even a brief struggle.

Then, Raymond was engulfed by an abyssal slash that devoured light.

“…Is that all?”

Rofus muttered in disappointment.

Behind Rofus, with a convergence of light, Raymond appeared through teleportation.

Raymond had lost his left arm, and with his remaining right hand, he conjured the Godray Spear, pointing its tip at Rofus.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

With a scream close to a roar, Raymond unleashed the magical power of the Godray Spear.

At point-blank range to Rofus, a magical explosion with the power to easily obliterate a mountain was triggered.

A massive pillar of light shot up into the sky.

Breathing heavily, Raymond searched for where Rofus, engulfed in the light torrent, had gone.

“This shouldn’t kill him, but at least it should wound him…”

“Don’t your wings or arms regenerate?”

“What—?!”

It was Rofus, who had somehow teleported behind him using Shadow Move.

He was unscathed.

Rofus’ question startled Raymond, who turned around in a panic, only to be met with an abyssal kick imbued with dark magic to his abdomen.

Raymond immediately regenerated his left arm and wings with emerald magic for defense, but he couldn’t fully absorb the impact and was sent flying.

The difference in power was overwhelming.

It was the embodiment of irrationality and despair.

The strength of the demonized Rofus seemed bottomless.

＊

A fierce battle between white and black was unfolding in the sky.

Darkness and light clashed, creating a bizarre spectacle as if day and night were intertwining.

The residents of the royal capital, protected by the knights, all looked up at the sky, and some even prayed to God, thinking it was the end of the world.

Amidst all this, a yellow gem was floating gently on the roof of the royal castle.

It was an entity that normally couldn’t be seen.

But due to the extraordinary magic battle between Rofus and Raymond, the density of magical elements in the atmosphere had temporarily increased.

It was akin to the density during the Age of the Gods, a thousand years ago when gods roamed the earth.

Hence, this temporary manifestation.

The yellow gem floated while watching the battle in the sky.

A blue gem appeared beside it.

Noticing the blue gem, the yellow gem greeted it casually.

“Hey, long time no see. It’s been a thousand years since we talked directly like this.”

“Yes, it’s been a long time. But they… fight so brutally. The small spirits are scared.”

“Oh… You can tell that… even in this state? Well, no wonder. This level of battle wasn’t common even a thousand years ago.”

The yellow gem looked at the battle in the sky with a fascinated expression.

The blue gem, however, seemed a bit exasperated.

“Does it remind you of something? Wind God Ririlala.”

“Yeah, it does… It’s very nostalgic. Like when the Light God Arthur and the Dark God Ace had a serious fight.”

“Yes, that did happen. At that time, Fire God Eliphas and I stopped them. Earth God Avalo was napping, and you were… cheering for Dark God Ace, weren’t you?”

Recalling the distant past, the blue gem seemed somewhat critical.

Was that so? The yellow gem deflected the topic as if to change the subject.

“…By the way, you know, right? That everyone is here in this royal capital now.”

“Of course. However, we were never particularly friendly, but it’s a bit lonely. It’s been a thousand years, and yet no one even tries to meet face to face.”

“I got along well with Dark God Ace.”

“That was… not mutual.”

“What!? That’s—”

Their conversation was interrupted by an especially fierce wave of magic from the sky.

“It’s about to be decided. I shall return to her… You should go to your chosen apostle, Wind God Ririlala.”

“…? Is something going to happen?”

“The outcome is clear. However, I do not believe that person will accept it.”

Leaving only those words, the blue gem disappeared.

“…The ‘Dark God,’ huh. What a hassle, just when it’s getting good.”

The yellow gem, left alone, murmured reluctantly but continued watching the battle in the sky for a bit longer.

Overlaying the figure of Rofus with that of Aleister Rei—the Dark God Ace, once known as the strongest.

＊

The waves of magic generated by Rofus’ demonization and the ensuing battle reverberated throughout the entire royal capital.

Rofus had decided to battle above the clouds, as the damage to the capital would be too great if he fought in his demonized state.

But even with that distance, the waves of magic descending to the ground were enough to make one shiver.

It was enough to frighten the elemental particles—the small spirits not fully established as spirits—floating around and even to halt the movements of knights, mages, and summoned beasts still fighting on the front lines.

Among those who felt awe, there was one who couldn’t help but smile out of nostalgia.

Fol—Faratiana Rougvbelt.

Feeling Rofus’ magic after a long time, Fol felt more nostalgia and joy than fear.

Three years ago, she had been a burden.

This time, she had trained desperately to become strong enough to fight alongside him.

And yet—

“I’m still not enough…”

Rofus had become incomparably stronger than he was three years ago.

She had poured everything into catching up, only to be left further behind.

With her heart ablaze, Fol cleaved a summoned beast in two with her cutlass.

“…Wait for me.”

She would catch up for sure.

With that determination, Fol continued to exterminate the summoned beasts.

To one day truly stand by Rofus’ side.

＊

Demonization dramatically enhances all abilities and even transitions magic to the next stage.

This means the use of magic beyond human capability becomes possible.

In Raymond’s case, his High-End Demonization, combined with his inherent high specs, possessed an overwhelmingly powerful force unmatched by others.

Moreover, receiving magical assistance from the “Dark God,” his abilities far surpassed the biological limits.

Due to the nature of restructuring the body, demonization has a limited duration.

Prolonged use risks being unable to return to the original form and consumes enormous amounts of magical power.

However, the intervention of the “Dark God” eliminated such restrictions.

The total power had already reached a level that could contend with gods, giving Raymond an unparalleled sense of omnipotence.

Even if the entire world became his enemy, he was confident he could crush them effortlessly—Raymond believed this without a doubt.

Currently, Raymond possessed the power to alter landscapes with a mere flick of magic, and if he willed it, he could annihilate a country in an instant.

Undoubtedly the world’s strongest—yet this certainty wavered before the demonized Rofus.

＊

“——[Star of Fallen Light]!”

“——[Lightless World — True Dark]”

In the sky, Raymond’s ancient magic clashed with Rofus’ advanced applied magic.

From far above the atmosphere, a divine, destructive light descended towards the ground.

The scale was vast and powerful enough to easily erase the entire capital.

The boost in strength from demonization and the endless supply of emerald magic from the “Dark God” made the activation of such ancient magic possible.

As the capital was enveloped in pure white aurora, the next moment, it was swallowed by an abyss where no light could reach.

In opposition to the descending light of destruction, an abyss-like darkness spread across the sky above the capital.

It was a supermassive [Lightless World] that covered the entire capital.

The magic, which had been infinitely enhanced by demonization and restructured through Rofus’ unique interpretation, created a vast abyss that blocked the descending light.

An extremely brief struggle between the light of destruction and the abyss.

The magical elements in the atmosphere burned away, and the clash of extraordinary powers distorted the space.

Soon, the abyss consumed all the light, swallowed it, and annihilated it.

What remained was silence.

A night without any moonlight.

Raymond, having his last trump card easily broken, stared up at the dark sky in a daze.

“What… such absurdity…”

Raymond muttered, looking at Rofus with undisguised fear in his eyes.

“I am receiving assistance from the ‘Dark God’… Rofus, what are you? How can you possess such power with mere individual demonization…!”

“…As I said earlier, that is your downfall. Don’t make me repeat it twice.”

Just like before, Rofus tapped his temple with his finger.

Hearing those words, Raymond felt a surge of anger and trembled.

“Demonization is not something that can be maintained for long. Although I receive power from the ‘Dark God,’ you—”

“Sharp. Indeed, there is an undeniable risk in maintaining demonization. By my sense, I have about five minutes left.”

However, Rofus continued.

“To crush you, whose spirit has already broken, I won’t need more than thirty seconds.”

An abyssal scythe materialized in Rofus’ hand.

Raymond sighed deeply as if resigning himself and raised his hands, releasing his demonization.

“…It seems no matter how hard I struggle, I can’t win in a contest of strength against you—I’ve lost.”

Floating in the air with magic, Raymond declared his defeat.

But to Rofus, Raymond didn’t seem to have given up.

Before Raymond could take any action, Rofus approached at a speed imperceptible to the eye and grabbed his throat.

At that moment, Raymond uttered a name.

“—Faratiana Rougvelt…”

“…What?”

Narrowing his eyes, Rofus instinctively stopped.

Raymond smirked and continued.

“You must have noticed. For some reason, they are in the capital. And, Riruka Skyfield… as well.”

“Is this a stalling tactic?”

“No, no. I just thought I’d let you know that they are in danger.”

“What nonsense—”

In that instant, Rofus’ keen magic detection sensed something.

Just now, two more summoned beasts were released into the capital.

And they were not mere fodder.

They possessed power comparable to the Azure Dragon, which the Elf King Baardel was currently suppressing within the thunderclouds.

These were exceptional creatures, correct in every sense.

A giant flaming bird, the Divine Bird Karura, flew alongside Rilka’s airship.

Meanwhile, a giant white tiger, the Divine Tiger Vayu, wrapped in a vacuum, appeared with a gust of wind beside Faratiana, Asteria, Meilin, and Carla.

Each of these was an ancient being living from ancient times, formidable opponents for Riruka and Faratiana at their current level.

“I never said that my current forces are the entirety of my strength. I still have more. The two just released are divine beasts comparable to the Divine Dragon Vriddra.”

Raymond laughed while watching the fierce battle unfolding in the thunderclouds.

“You can kill me if you want, but doing so will cause my summoned beasts to lose control. Alternatively, they might harm your precious people.”

“Are you using them as hostages? How low will you sink…”

The words Rofus uttered were filled with an emotion closer to disappointment and despair than anger.

Raymond smiled defiantly.

“Rofus, it’s true that I wanted to test my strength against you. But that was out of curiosity. I never wanted to be your enemy. After all, you are my dear friend. Even now, I want us to walk together—like we used to.”

Raymond extended his hand in a familiar gesture.

Rofus looked at Raymond with an expression of disbelief.

“Are you serious…?”

“Take my hand. If you do, I’ll immediately withdraw the summoned beasts from the capital. Your loved ones will not be harmed.”

Rofus felt a surge of anger from deep within, feeling as if the very essence of Raymond had been tainted by this proposal.

“Stop it, Raymond, don’t say another word…!”

Seeing Raymond’s face and hearing those disgraceful words coming from his mouth, Rofus brandished his Dark Scythe in fury.

At that moment, a crack appeared in the sky above.

With a creaking sound, as if the space could no longer bear the strain, a huge hole was torn open.

From the rift in the sky, golden lightning shot out and pierced the crimson Divine Bird Karura, which was targeting the airship.

It was a single, concentrated bolt of ten thousand lightning strikes.

From the rift in space, a golden dragon knight appeared, using the magical power of lightning as a foothold.

The golden dragon knight—Vallum in his demonized form—watched as the Divine Bird Karura he had just struck vanished into particles of light and murmured.

“That airship, if I remember correctly, belongs to Rofus’ companions. I saved them on my way out, but was it unnecessary?”

Speaking as if it was nothing, Vallum’s words left Rofus silent for a moment before he burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, what is this? You’re extremely late. Where have you been wandering until now?”

Contrary to the laughing Rofus, Raymond’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Vallum!? No way…! How are you alive!? Did you defeat the Eight Dragon Kings and the Five Superior Spirits? But how did you even escape? Magnifis was…!”

“Magnifis…? Ah, this thing?”

Varm tossed something he was holding towards Raymond.

It arced through the air and collided with the magical barrier surrounding Raymond.

A blackened, cracked sphere.

It was the remains of Magnifis, the Superior Spirit of Space-Time, who had imprisoned Vallum in a subspace.

As it struck the magical barrier, Magnifis disintegrated into particles of light and dissipated.

“By the way, Rofus, what’s with that weak-looking Shadowman form? Not a great choice, I must say.”

“What? You want to die, you gaudy gold armor freak?”

In response to Vallum’s cutting remark, Rofus retorted, half-angry.

Seeing the usual banter between the two, something snapped inside Raymond.

“Enough joking around…! Besides, the Divine Tiger Vayu is still here! After being humiliated this much, prepare for retribution—”

At that moment, the presence of the Divine Tiger Vayu vanished.

Before it could even make a move, the Divine Tiger Vayu had been split in half.

The cut was so sharp that the Divine Tiger Vayu seemed unaware it had been struck.

“What… what happened…!?”

Raymond shouted in confusion.

Rofus, sensing something, sighed with relief and readied his scythe.

“Are you out of options? Then this ends here.”

Raymond lowered his head, his eyes glowing emerald as he spoke.

“No—what ends here is you, Rofus…!”

Triggered by Raymond’s words, countless holes opened in the space around Rofus.

From those holes emerged the highest-ranking dragon species.

All at once, these dragons aimed their fully charged Dragon Breaths at Rofus, opening their mouths.

“How tenacious.”

As Rofus was about to swing his scythe to decapitate them all at once—streams of water, wind, and lightning swept through, wiping out the dragons.

These were ultra-high-pressure water streams from the ground, vacuum slashes from the airship, and golden lightning strikes from the sky.

Before Rofus could act, all the dragons summoned by Raymond were annihilated.

“A girl from the airship… and from the ground too. Seems you have quite the connection with women, Rofus.”

“Shut up. What a bunch of busybodies.”

Despite his words, Rofus’ demeanor seemed to soften slightly.

Having exhausted his summoned beasts, Raymond looked at Rofus in a daze.

“…Goodbye, ‘Second Demon King Raymond.'”

Rofus released his demonization and, with a blade he drew from his pocket, pierced Raymond’s heart.