'Wh-what the...?' Ken's lips trembled. If Vianna was still in the capital, then who the hell was this?
Finished with his message, the ninja pressed a finger to his lips again, this time, eliciting a firm nod from the young man.
"Reivan~!" Vianna continued to try to coax Ken out with her beautiful voice while strolling and looking around. She was gradually getting closer to them. "Where are~ you~?"
The ninja moved his hand away from Ken's mouth — sure that the prince would now keep quiet — in favor of taking out three differently-colored marbles — one was black, another was dark-green, and the last one was bright purple — while a small vial of clear liquid appeared on his other hand. He promptly popped the cap off and poured the contents on his head. Once that was done, he signaled Ken with his fingers and his eyes to stay in here no matter what.
Ken's eyes shook in anxiety as he nodded firmly.
Smiling under his cloth mask, a black dagger manifested in the ninja's free hand. He watched the incoming Vianna with bated breath as the fist wrapped around the weapon's handle lightly trembled.
Was it due to fear? Anxiety? Or perhaps it was due to the anticipation he felt in facing a strong foe in battle?
Ken didn't know but he unconsciously gulped down a glob of spit as his forehead and his back dripped with cold sweat.
"Hello~!" Vianna called out with a troubled smile on her face as the wolf tail behind her swished from left and right. She took short, slow steps forward, walking gracefully amongst the trees. But when her feet had brought her to about twenty meters of the ninja's position...
Swish!
The ninja vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of Vianna.
Ken couldn't even follow the movement of the ninja's hand. When he'd looked, the ninja had already finished cutting his mother's throat.
'Wha—' His mind shook. Did that ninja make some sort of mistake? Maybe that really was the real Vianna? If so, then didn't he just accidentally kill her...?
"Dammit!" Despite his successful ambush, the ninja spat out a curse as he crushed the three marbles in his hand.
A dull explosion later, a plume of pitch-black smoke rapidly spread out from his previous position, instantly enveloping everything within ten feet. The smoke slowly spread outwards as the ninja jumped out of the cloud. His mask had been ripped off, showing the rugged face of a man in his late twenties.
"You're not human..." The ninja glanced at his dagger in disbelief. "There was no feeling of cutting flesh at all... What are you and how dare you impersonate Her Majesty!"
"Oh, my. I've been found out, hm?"
A gust of wind blew away all the smoke as Vianna's form was once again revealed. Only this time, there were a few changes.
First, there were purple splotches on her pearly white skin that hissed as they filled the air with an unpleasant odor; second, there was a pool of what looked like piss preventing her from moving away from her spot; third, there was undoubtedly a gash on her throat from when the ninja had sliced it open, but no blood flowed out.
And lastly, her face.
Her previously golden irises were gone; her eyes seemed like they were bottomless holes that formed downward-facing crescent moons.
And her smile.
The usual kind smile that Vianna frequently wore when they met was gone. What replaced it was an eerie smile that distorted her refined features as the corners of her lips reached the ears on the sides of her head. If one peeked inside, they would see the same abysmal emptiness as her eyes — her luscious lips, white teeth, and pink tongue had all vanished.
"Nightmare Spawn..." The ninja furiously clenched his teeth as he spat out his words, the hand gripping the dagger tightening.
"Ooo~! You're really scary when you're like that, you know? You should be like me~!" The scary-faced imitation of Vianna pointed to her creepy smile as she tilted her head. "Look how happy I am~!"
'Fuck...' Ken cursed inwardly, his face twisting in disgust as goosebumps erupted all over his body.
If the monster was trying to look adorable with its actions, then it was failing hard; her gestures only served to increase the feeling of dissonance that anyone who gazed at her would feel.
The man's grimace deepened, seemingly sharing the same feelings as Ken.
"Geez~!" The monster's brows wrinkled in mock annoyance but quickly reverted back to their previous form. She giggled in Vianna's voice as she spoke again, with a firmer tone this time. "That won't do. I told you, right? You should smile!"
'Huh...?'
Ken's eyes widened as his lips curled upward against his will. In fact, they were gradually stretching beyond their capacity. It was to the extent that Ken felt like his cheeks would be ripped apart as his smile tried to enlarge itself.
'Shit!'
Panicking, Ken held his cheeks in place with his hands, doing his best to prevent his grin from broadening.
"That's right~! That's the way to go~! Everybody should be happy, yes?" The monster's giggling intensified as she began to playfully skip closer to the ninja.
'H-hey!'
Ken wanted to alert the ninja, but his words couldn't escape his mind, much less his lips.
He'd completely lost the ability to speak.
In horror, Ken turned toward the ninja, only to further sink in despair when he saw the dazed look in the man's eyes and the beaming smile on his face.
Perhaps because the monster was focused on him, the effects were far more intense than it was on Ken.
'Wh-what the hell should I do...?'
Eventually, the monster reached the spot just in front of Ken's loyal guardian. She leaned forward, placing her deformed face a mere inch away from the tip of the ninja's nose before her head expanded to thrice its usual size, along with its gaping maw. In an instant, the monster sucked the ninja into the abyss that was her mouth.
"Yummy~!"
Ken's dread was immeasurable as he tried to cover his lips, lest a scream escape. Despite the nightmarish situation, the wide smile on his lips still wouldn't fall off.
"Now you can be happy forever~!" The monster stroked her somewhat bloated stomach as she giggled without end.
As his hands shook uncontrollably, Ken prayed to all the gods he knew for the monster to continue being unaware of him. And perhaps those gods saw fit to help him out because the monster turned away from him.
It seemed like she intended to leave.
Solace overcame him as he heaved a sigh of relief, but before he could even release all the air in his lungs...
"Hm?" The monster suddenly turned around and its holes for eyes stared at Ken's location.
'Oh, shit!'
Ken stuffed his fist inside his mouth to stifle a scream as he shivered in fear.
"Hmmm... I thought for sure the scent I followed was that black-clothed guy... but was I wrong...?" The smiling monster tilted her head as she reached inside her mouth and took out the ninja's clothes. She then began to sniff it repeatedly. "Yep, this is definitely the smell... huh?"
Ken watched as the monster brought the black cloth up to the light of the afternoon sun, her hollow eyes narrowed as it examined it.
Eventually, the monster's eyes widened before quickly returning to their crescent forms. "It's wet... so he used something to throw me off~? How naughty~! Does that mean there's someone else here~? Helloooo~?"
The thought that he was going to die now filled Ken's mind. And it was only at this moment that he learned that the fear of dying from a disease and the dread of dying to a monster was vastly different. He was used to the former, so he could somewhat handle it.
But the fear of being killed was new to him. And it froze him in place, akin to a deer in headlights.
"Reivan~! Are you there~? That's the spot the guy from earlier was hiding in, right~? So, you're there too, yes~?" The monster walked far slower than it usually did, most likely savoring the anxiety that she knew Ken was feeling. "Come out and talk to Mama~!"
"I'm his mother, bitch."
"Hm!?" The monster exclaimed as it rapidly jumped back, just in time to dodge a massive spear of ice that fell from above, crashing to the ground with a deafening bang. Crescent eyes narrowed as it looked toward the sky. "Who is it this time~?"
For the second time today, a white-haired warbeast woman descended from the heavens, landing atop the glacial spike. The naginata in her left hand glowed white while the katana on her right shone with icy blue radiance.
"Vianna Aizenwald. Rein's mother." Vianna cocked an eyebrow as disgust and indignation crossed her face. "And may I ask who gave you permission to impersonate me?"
'Mother!' Ken screamed joyfully in his heart, his eyes scanning his mother's heroic figure.
Although she wore the same clothes as the smiling monster, her hair looked so messy that it wouldn't be strange if a few birds had lived in it for a couple of months, laid eggs, then had a baby shower party in it before they all left. There was a smudge of blood below her nose and various wounds all over her body. Even the tail of lustrous fur was now a shadow of its past glory, with multiple spots appearing as if they were burned off.
Despite all this, she had never looked more beautiful in Ken's eyes.
The monster tilted her head. "Do I need permission?"
"Well." Vianna shrugged. "It certainly helps when you want to keep your head attached to your body."
"Oh, I don't need any help wi—"
Bang!
The monster didn't even get to finish her words before her entire upper torso vanished; a glowing white pole stuck out of the ground behind her.
Vianna pulled back her empty left hand and the naginata manifested in it again. "You were saying?"
For a moment, Ken wondered if Vianna had an edgy streak — talking to a dead opponent like that — but he quickly discovered that he was wrong.
The fight wasn't over yet.
Two small gaping holes that looked as if they led to the depths of darkness appeared side by side on a nearby tree, then a smile opened up below them.
"You're strong~!" The eerily smiling face spoke in a spine-rattling voice that made Ken want to dig out his eardrums. "But your face looks scary! So smile!"
'Oh no!'
Ken's heart sank. The monster was doing the exact same thing it did to the ninja earlier.
"Hm?" Vianna's cheeks twitched. Her forehead wrinkled. "This is..."
Ken's face fell as the thought that it was all over crossed his mind. But it seemed he didn't give Aizen's queen enough credit.
"Ah. This is a mind degradation attack... Well, that's certainly somewhat troublesome. Now I know why the ninja died..." Vianna maintained a blank face as she raised an eyebrow. "Is this all?"
"Wha—"
Boom!
The monster's words were interrupted yet again when Vianna's right arm swung downward, bisecting the tree and the face right down the middle. The force behind her strike was so tremendous that a deep chasm was left in its wake.
"You really like talking, huh." Vianna scoffed as the ice pillar she was standing on shattered, scattering glittering dust in the air.
She gently landed on the ground right in front of Ken's hiding spot, her dependable back was a sight that would stay in his memories forever. He was sure this one scene would inspire him to write hundreds, if not thousands of pages worth of stories.
Vianna, the wolf-eared goddess of war, casually twirled the naginata in her left hand as she sighed. "I still have to return and help out with cleaning up the capital, so let's get this over with, hm?"
The smiling face reappeared on the surface of a boulder far from them. This time, however, it was no longer smiling — its twisted face now expressed its intense malice. "You're so annoying... why can't you just let me be happy!"
"What kind of nonsense is this bitch spouting now..." Vianna sneered as she rested the back of her katana on her shoulder.
The malevolent face disappeared, only to reappear somewhere else in Vianna's blind spot. A beam of blue-green light shot out from its mouth, heading straight for Vianna's back.
"Hmph." The war goddess turned around and deflected it with her naginata's handle.
The face monster didn't give up, however. It kept vanishing before Vianna could counter then it would attack her from a different angle.
Ken couldn't follow either's movements. Vianna's position would just change all of a sudden and a flash of blue-green light — which he also couldn't follow — would be deflected off to the side, where it would melt whatever it hit, causing acidic hissing sounds to fill the air. It was like watching a film with a horrible frame rate.
Vianna's frown got deeper as the battle continued even though she was never hit by the face's rays even once.
'Is she getting tired...?' Ken thought as he spectated behind her.
It was quickly revealed that he was wrong.
"This is so boring..." Vianna quietly grumbled in a voice only Ken could hear. She released her weapons, letting them float by her side as she closed her eyes and slapped her palms together, seemingly in prayer. Her face was a mask of annoyance as she muttered, "I held back a bit since I thought you had something special, but..."
The frowning face must've thought that it was the perfect chance to end the battle, it fired beams from its mouth and eyes.
"Mom!" Ken couldn't help but cry out in warning.
"Yes~ Mom's here!" Vianna smirked before her entire body flashed with frost blue light, blinding Ken momentarily.
When his sight recovered, Ken's eyes widened.
It was a world of ice as far as the eye could see. The trees, the ground, the rocks... and even the face monster were encased in a thick layer of ice. Ken's ragged breaths created thick plumes of white mist, but he strangely didn't feel all that cold.
"Well, that's that." Vianna grabbed her naginata and stabbed it on the ground with tremendous force before she twisted it, causing to cracks rapidly spread out from the spot she'd punctured.
Ken gawked at the sight of everything shattering, blowing clouds of tiny frozen particles into the sky. He was completely entranced by the beautiful sight of the sun's rays reflecting off of countless crystalline dust.
"Come on, let's go home—" Vianna held her hand out toward Ken, apparently unaffected by whatever hid him all this time. But then she suddenly stopped and frowned. "Nevermind. Guess I was too flashy..."
Ken followed her gaze toward the horizon, where he was treated to a sight that brought back nightmares of when he was a young boy back on Earth.
Rats.
Lots and lots of rats. How many? Ken wasn't at leisure to count.
Each one was the size of a small car. Two menacingly sharp fangs hung from the front of their upper jaw as their beady little eyes glowed with blue-green light. Their Shiny black fur glistened like obsidian under the light of twilight and the ears atop their head were blown back as their clawed feet propelled them across the snow-strewn forest floor.
"God, I hate rats..." Vianna grumbled as her face warped in disgust.
'You and me both, Mom...'
"Rein, stay here, okay?" She turned around, her stern gaze bore down on Ken. "This might be pretty tough, y'see..."
Ken nodded vigorously. "Got it."
"Good boy." Vianna ruffled his ash-colored hair before suddenly transforming into a white-furred wolf with golden eyes.
Despite her regular size compared to normal wolves — she was even smaller than some of his dogs back on earth! — Ken could practically feel the power that radiated from her. Her whip-like furry tail lightly swayed with the wind, but Ken had no doubt she could use it as a weapon if needed.
"Be right back!" Vianna's voice echoed in Ken's mind despite the lack of jaw movement from the wolf. Her long tail, which was about 2 meters long by Ken's estimates, wagged from side to side before she vanished from sight.
Soon, the pained squeals of rats reached Ken, who was quite far away from the battle. From this distance, he could only see a white streak of light going from here and there, leaving bits of rat flesh behind.
Ken heaved a sigh of relief, convinced of Vianna's victory. How could he not? When he'd just witnessed her valiant battle?
'Well... "witnessed" is a bit...' He thought with a wry smile. 'I couldn't really see much movement after all.'
----------------------------------------
Seconds turned into minutes, then minutes turned into an hour.
The battle was still raging on, swarms of rats relentlessly charging forth without regard for their lives. It seemed as if they were born just for the chance of inflicting harm on Vianna.
But Ken was still assured. She would surely triumph.
'Right?'
"Rein!" Vianna suddenly reappeared in front of him — leaving what seemed like cracks in space all around her — before unceremoniously picking him up. "We're getting out of here!"
"Wh-what happened to you!?" Ken cried out in panic.
Now that he could see her properly, he noticed that she had significantly more injuries than before; her tail was gone and so was one of her wolf ears, blood was leaking out of her eyes — whose whites were now crimson red — and her left arm was hanging limp.
"There was a transcendent rat. I somehow managed to injure and shake it off, but I had to use a trump card that takes a bunch of my life force and use master's space-severing aetherblade art to escape..." Vianna explained as they flew away. She smiled reassuringly. "How's that? Isn't your mom amazing? I am, right? Praise me~!"
He knew she was just trying to set his mind at ease, but her condition just looked too awful to work. Still, he tried to sound convinced as he asked, "So where are we going now...?"
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
"To the capital." Vianna nonchalantly spat out a bloody tooth before continuing. "The Saintess and Master working together somehow managed to take out most of the other transcendent nightmares. Since they're both there, it's the safest place to be in."
"I see..."
"We'll return there..." She bit her lip with a conflicted look on her face before heaving a sigh. "And you will be crowned as the new king of Aizen."
Ken felt like his head was hit by a hammer. "What... What do you mean..."
"..." Vianna silently flew with her expression hidden from Ken's gaze.
He gulped, fearing the hunches that crawled into his mind. "What about, Father? And wasn't brother suppos—"
Aizen's queen squeezed out her words through gritted teeth. "They're dead."
"Dead..." Ken's voice tremored as he exhaled the word out of his mouth. Then his lips shook as they curled up into a gloomy smile. "Y-you're joking... right? That's in bad taste..."
"I wish I was." Vianna shook her head, her voice was one of feigned composure. "The situation was too chaotic... and the Sword Star was too busy fending off more transcendents from making it through, but there were too many. Your brother and sister were caught up when that colossal monster forced its way in, while your Father... fought valiantly to the end."
"No..."
"Of course, I'll do my best to aid you." A sad smile crossed Vianna's face as she tried to comfort her son. "Female rulers aren't unheard of in Aizen's history, but that's if they were born into the line. I can't be the ruler in your stead... only you can be King."
"No!" Ken covered his ears as an excruciating pain invaded his head, before creeping into the rest of his body. But more than any of that, the ache he felt in his heart and soul was unbearable.
'This... can't be real. It's not real!'
The glimpse of eternity is shaking violently!
You must resist!
Warning!
Your resistance has intensified the ability's desire to consume you!
You must stay strong!
"Rein!? What's wrong!?" Vianna stopped flying to focus all her attention on examining her precious son. Her forehead was creased with worry as her hands patted and squeezed Ken's body here and there, trying to find out what was causing him such anguish. "You're burning up!"
Not wasting any time, Vianna rocketed downward before instantly making a throne of ice and setting Ken down upon it. She then took out various medicines and splashed them on him.
But none of them worked.
"Why!?" She crushed an empty vial within her clenched fist to dust, her frustration climbing higher by the second. Making a snap decision, she made to grab Ken once again. "We'll just find something once we make it back. Hang on til we get th—"
Vianna didn't get to finish her words before her eyes widened as the corners of her lips turned upward.
Into a broad smile.
"You almost got me there~! You bitch!"
Pitch-black slime oozed out of the gaps in the ground before combining into a large floating blob of goo. Then, three holes that glowed with blue-green light opened up to form a face.
The face's "expression" twisted into a malevolent grin as it looked down on Vianna. "Too bad I can split myself into multiple parts! You almost had me there~!"
"And so...?" Vianna turned toward the monster, a katana manifesting in her only good arm while a naginata floated on her left. "Even with your mental degradation, I can still fight. Do you think you're enough, monster?"
"Aha~! I also think I can't do it~!" The monster's grin widened until it pretty much bisected the sphere of sludge in two. "But who said I have to fight you alone~?"
Suddenly, countless smiling faces appeared on the surface of every object all around the mother and child; the ground, tree trunks, rocks, leaves, and even on every blade of grass. Then, every single face opened its gaping mouth and...
Screamed.
The air shook with the sound of innumerable voices, shrieking madly.
Vianna's wolf ears twitched violently as they flattened themselves atop her head, all while her right hand formed various hand seals. After a moment, a transparent barrier shielded her and her son — only letting muffled sounds through.
"Mom..." Ken weakly cried out. Even though in the state he was in, he'd still managed to pay attention to everything that happened.
"Rein!" Vianna glanced behind her, a true smile on her face as she looked at her son. "Are you okay now?"
Ken didn't answer her question and forced out his words through the agony. "Just... go. Leave me, please..."
Even after years had passed, his feelings as the terminally ill young man back on earth still remained; he didn't want his loved ones to suffer on his account. He didn't want them to suffer when they saw him suffering, he didn't want them to grieve him when he was gone, and he definitely didn't want them to die because of him.
He was sure that Vianna could somehow escape on her own if she abandoned him.
As for himself, he didn't care anymore. He was supposed to die anyway. Even if death was scary...
It was just death. There were worse fates, he was sure.
"Like hell, I'll do that." Vianna turned away from Ken as dark veins started to cover her pearly skin. "Rein, there are worse things that can happen than just getting hurt and dying."
'That's...' Ken bit his lip, unable to think of a retort. 'Exactly what I just thought...'
Sometimes, he really couldn't help but feel that they were related.
The faces had only been screaming their heads off for no less than ten seconds, but it seemed that it had already achieved its goals since all of them stopped. "Enjoy~!"
Leaving those malicious words in the air, all of the faces around them disappeared as the lump of goop evaporated. However, the monster was quickly replaced by something much worse as space rippled in front of the two royals.
Soon, a black rat twice the size of any of the earlier ones stepped onto the ground with its clawed feet. The black fur covering its body was frosted over in a lot of places while dark green blood gushed out of multiple wounds.
Three pairs of beady little blue-green eyes focused on Vianna.
Almost immediately after its feet made contact with the earth, everything around the rat began to decay at a visible rate.
Ken's nose wrinkled as a putrid stench the likes of which he'd never known entered his nostrils. It was much worse than the one he'd smelled when he was ten years old back on Earth.
"I suppose this is where my story ends..." Vianna muttered under her breath, but Ken was still able to catch her words. Before he could say anything though, Vianna took out a red-white string with a spherical bell made out of silver attached to the end. She lightly tossed it toward Ken and as it sailed through the air in an arc, a smirk crossed her face. "Don't forget about me, okay?"
'What...' Ken's heart sunk at her words. He desperately wanted to call out to her but his mouth refused to release his words — it was too busy smiling widely. But even so, he tried to say something anyway. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets and his nails dug into his palms as he strained himself.
However, he was powerless to resist the monster's command to smile.
Jingle!
The bell collided with Ken's chest, and after a pleasant tinkling sound reverberated in his mind, his vision warped.
----------------------------------------
Ken blinked once and now he was in an entirely different place altogether.
The trees around him were sparser than before, letting him see into the distance, where a towering mountain bathed in the moon's radiance.
'That's the Sword Star's mountain...'
He'd lived in the capital long enough to recognize the iconic landmark even with a casual glance. But despite finding the direction where he could find salvation, he felt no relief.
Ken's knees buckled as he fell to the ground, kneeling as he gnashed his teeth and slammed his fist on the soil. "God fucking dammit!"
'Why does this always happen!?'
Years after he'd suddenly woken up in this world as Reivan, Ken had started to adjust to life.
Even though he missed Kyouka, he was confident that she'd live fine without him. She was made of much stronger stuff than he was.
Reivan's family was nice, and every day Ken spent with them brought his heart closer and closer to them, even though the guilt gnawed away at him from the back of his mind. By now, Ken had already carved their names into his soul, accepting them all as his actual family.
Ken had wonderful friends here like Hector. He even had a career doing something he liked. Perhaps, within a few years, he'd find someone special to spend the rest of his life with — or so he'd hoped.
But all of that was gone now.
His entire family was quite possibly dead. As for his friend, Hector?
The valiant young knight had gone off to fight for his nation, his fate unknown.
'It's ruined...'
Yet again, the chessboard that was his life got flipped over just as he felt like he was winning. And yet again, he was powerless to stop it all, just like how a mantis couldn't stop the cart from moving forward.
'If only...' Ken hung his head with his eyes screwed shut as his trembling fingers plunged into the earth. 'If only I wasn't so fucking worthless...'
If only the one in this body wasn't him.
From what he understood, Reivan was a genius. Maybe if Ken hadn't butted into his life, everything wouldn't be as messed up as it was at the moment.
The guilt and regret weighed on him like a pile of bricks, crushing his spirit under their weight. It was just like old times when his mere existence hurt his loved ones. He'd always comforted himself by saying that they would be hurt more by seeing him gone...
But that wasn't the case this time; his loved ones had all died because of him.
This time, he couldn't make any excuses. Without a doubt, they would've been better off if he were never here.
Dazed, Ken looked up as a strange sound filled the surroundings.
In front of him, space distorted and the same rat as earlier stepped out once again. Except this time, it had two eyes missing while its left ear and right rear leg were gone.
And in its mouth, a pearly white arm that Ken would never fail to recognize was hanging out.
Ken's hollow eyes glowed golden while he gazed at the remnants of his mother. His breathing quickened as blood dripped down from his clenched fists. Heat surged through his veins like magma, and before he knew it, he was already charging at the monster as fast as his legs could carry him.
Before fear, before self-preservation, and before logic kicked in, what controlled Ken's mind was a simple, almost primordial emotion that man has harnessed since before time itself.
Rage.
He no longer cared for what came after. As the distance between man and monster shrunk, Ken was momentarily dazed by something filling up his vision.
You have succumbed to [Glimpse of Eternity]'s illussion!
[Glimpse of Eternity] has caused catastrophic damage to your soul!
...
Your soul is indestructible!
[Indomitable Willpower] has invalidated the damage!
[Glimpse of Eternity]'s attempt at assimilation has failed!
[Glimpse of Eternity] is forced into dormancy from the rebound.
Dormancy Period: 1 Year
Negative effects brought about by the assimilation attempt have been reverted.
'What...' Ken's eyes widened as memories he'd lost flooded back into his mind with unstoppable momentum.
But none of that mattered at the moment.
Whether he was Reivan or Ken, both wanted the exact same thing at the moment.
Their wills were unified in hatred of the creature in front of them.
Golden eyes glared at the beast as a sword manifested in his hand, causing his limbs to be filled with power.
The nameless Armenian is using [Armament Energy Manipulation]!
The energy courses through your soul's pathways!
The Armenian's Might stat is added to your own!
'It's not enough...'
[Beast Gate] has been activated.
Might +100%
'More...'
[Chaos Origin] has been activated!!!
You are now connected to the [Chaos Origin].
All of your essence is transformed into [Chaotic Energy]!
[Omni Resistance] and [Elemental Immunity] have been temporarily gained!
'More!'
Your overwhelming willpower has activated Sub-Skill #2 - [Intent]!
[Intent] has temporarily changed into [Killing Intent]!
[Formless Will] is momentarily enhanced!
A savage aura of malice surrounds you!
All weaker entities are paralyzed with fear!
Cold fury fills your bones!
Hesitation for inflicting harm upon others is nullified!
Your eyes glimmer with immense rage!
While in combat with the objects of your hatred:
Might +200%!
Your mind swims with thoughts of your enemy's demise!
[Malevolence] is temporarily unlocked!
'MORE!'
He charged in without regard for consequences, wishing — demanding more power.
And if he was the hero of an epic tale about good versus evil, perhaps he could get what he wanted — perhaps, in his moment of peril, he would tap into some unknown power sleeping within him, giving him everything he needed to triumph over his foe.
However, he wasn't a hero.
"Agh!" Reivan cried out as a tail came out of nowhere and skewered him from behind. Right after, his body was raised up as he struggled, sending his own blood and flesh all over the place.
The massive rat tilted its head as it looked up to survey the weakling that dared to think itself worthy. Its beady little eyes narrowed in crescents, as if they were mocking Reivan for even thinking of defying fate.
"Raaah!" Roaring in fury and humiliation, Reivan turned his sword into a spear and threw it with all his might. With the aid of his [Formless Will], the projectile struck with surprising force despite his lack of a foothold.
But even that was a futile endeavor.
The rat didn't even feel the need to dodge; the spear merely bounced off the fur that covered it. It let out a snicker before flicking its tail, sending Reivan flying.
Right into a tree branch.
"Argh!" Yet again, he exclaimed in agony as he was impaled in the thick, sharp branch. No matter how he floundered, he just couldn't get himself out. It was as if there was some sort of strange force preventing him from doing so.
In silence, the giant rat merely watched him hanging from the tree as the crimson water of life that flowed through his veins dripped down his dangling feet. When a sufficient puddle of blood had accumulated below him, the rat ripped off one of Reivan's legs before dipping it in the puddle.
It then started slowly nibbling on the limb together with Vianna's arm, letting out what seemed like a moan of pleasure as it savored the harmonic taste of mother and son.
"Haah... haaah..." Reivan panted heavily as he glowered at the monster. His eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, begging him to give up and close them. But even though his life was slowly draining out of him, the flame of anger inside him was burning brighter and brighter.
'I'm dying again...'
In his drowsy and wrath-muddled mind, Reivan thought of how different this death was from his first one.
Well, for one thing, he died before his loved ones. That was the biggest plus for him, honestly.
Compared to that, this was definitely a pretty shitty death, seeing as he had to watch a gourmet rat go to town on his and his mother's body parts. Just thinking about it made his blood boil hotter.
But even that would come to an end soon.
He'd lost too much blood by now. And the rat's powers must've been preventing him from healing, the same way it prevented Vianna from using any of her potions on herself.
Reivan closed his eyes, not due to fatigue, but because of regret and reluctance.
'Fuck.'
It had happened again.
'Fuck...'
Nothing had changed from his old life.
'Fuck!'
He was still helpless to do anything. Too weak to alleviate his loved ones of their burdens.
'FUCK!'
And too powerless to forge a future where everyone was together.
"Haah... haaah...." Reivan clenched his teeth — feeling angrier at himself than anything else — as he felt the familiar feeling of death's arms snaking around to embrace him.
Just before he completely lost consciousness, however, his body soared into the rat's grasp. It licked its teeth in preparation as it opened its mouth to do brain surgery on him.
'Did this bastard wait for me to slowly bleed out just so he could taste me when I'm just about to die...?'
Despite his impending doom, Reivan couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, wondering whether there really was a difference in taste.
'I hope I'm isekai'd again...'
----------------------------------------
"Hm!?" Reivan's eyes opened wide as he lay upon a floor that looked as if a thin and transparent film of glass was hovering above a bottomless pit. All around him was an expanse of twinkling stars, with strangely shaped galaxies dotting the scenery.
"There we go. Finally awake, Reivan?" Kyouka's impostor pulled back the finger she'd been jamming into his forehead, before straightening up and looking down at him. "Now that you're done with dreaming, we can finally have a proper conversation."
Ignoring Reivan's confusion, the fake stepped back and bowed deeply.
"Listen up. My name is Karuna, and I am the [Glimpse of Eternity]'s previous wielder."