“No...friggin’ way! I didn’t get reincarnated just to die here! And Shiro and Kuro aren’t dying either!”
Those words jolted me. The moment they hit my ears, my boiling rage suddenly went cold.
Reincarnated...? This boy... Is he a reincarnator too?
Wait, why am I grabbing his arm and shoulder? He’s covered in wounds. Of course he is—I did that.
Huh? I did this? What for?
Because I hated him. Because he and his group stole the dragon core from us.
But even so, this is— Wait, huh? What’s this...black stuff covering my body?
A repulsive mana, so vile it made me sick just looking at it, had taken on a physical, black form and was wrapped around me.
What...happened to me? I’m practically a monst—
The moment I froze, the boy slipped free of my grasp.
But he didn’t run. Rather, he charged straight at me.
He screamed, glaring at me with eyes full of rage and hatred. His throat and chest glowed red, and a red aura erupted around his entire body. The aura was both ominous and ferocious, as if his anger had taken shape.
The red flames writhing around him resembled horns and wings, like a red demon—a demon of wrath that had possessed him. It seemed like maybe he couldn’t control the power, because the clothes on his upper body were starting to burn away.
And then I saw his chest.
What’s that black mark? It’s like a bat—
“Graaaaggghhh!”
I stood there, dumbfounded. The boy lunged at me like a feral beast, and I felt his teeth tear through the skin on my neck and dig into my flesh. Blood spewed out from the wound, and the sheer ferocity and obsession behind his attack sent a chill racing down my spine. I tried to pry him off, but he only growled with murderous intent and kept biting. I couldn’t afford to go easy on him anymore.
I screamed, and the boy growled in response. Through brute strength, I forced him off.
But the boy didn’t stop. Mana surged inside him, and the next instant, a blast of bright red flames erupted from his mouth.
So is it really the heaven dragon’s core powering him? But how...? Is this his reincarnator cheat?
Agh, I’m burning! It’s so hot! My whole body’s burning!
I grunted, confused. Even when I tried to blow the flames away with mana, the red fire that wrapped around me didn’t weaken at all. Thanks to my super-regeneration and holy magic, I was still standing, but without them, I would’ve already fallen.
The god had given me a cheat called Demon King Slayer. If I defeated a Demon King and absorbed its mana stone and core, I gained part of its mana and abilities. That cheat had given me super-regeneration and body enhancement from the Werewolf Demon King. And the heaven dragon was also a Demon King.
If I’d absorbed its core, would I have gained the ability to breathe fire like this boy? No, this isn’t the time to be lost in thought. Focus!
I screamed as I released all my mana at once, blasting the flames away. The darkness covering my face peeled off, and the fire blocking my vision vanished.
The boy glared up at me from where he’d fallen, and our eyes met. In that instant, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu—no, of nostalgia. I’d felt this way before when I saw him...
Is it because I realized he’s a reincarnator like me? The feeling of nostalgia had only grown stronger now. Wait, is it really just because we’re from the same world? His face... I’ve seen it somewh—
The moment I tried to remember, a shock like lightning tore through my mind.
And then I remembered. I remembered that day...and the face of the person who’d died saving me.
It’s the man who saved me, smiling even while he was drenched in blood! There’s no mistake! This...is him! I ended up dying when I was twenty...but I lived wanting to be like him. Even after I was reincarnated...
“Why didn’t the god...say anything...?”
My bloodlust dulled—no, it vanished completely. Maybe because of—or thanks to—that, the black shadow wrapped around my body had disappeared without me noticing.
What was that thing? It felt like the moment that overwhelming power surged up, my hatred and bloodlust became uncontrollable. Or did I become like that because I’d harbored such a strong wish to kill? Either way, I have to stop fighting and save the boy and the girls. The girls are still alive. There’s still hope—
“Aaaaahhhhh!”
He can still move?!
A fireball erupted from his mouth again. It was sinister, as if it carried his desire to kill. I could feel his hatred, his wish to kill me.
“Gaaaaggghhh!”
I avoided a direct hit to the face, but my left shoulder was blown off, reducing my arm to ash.
This is bad.
Blood spurted from the charred stump like a fountain. That blast had gouged dangerously close to my heart. I tried to heal myself with mana, but the wound wouldn’t heal at all, maybe because the flames had carried the heaven dragon’s power. I’ve lost so much blood I’m starting to—
“Ugh...”
On the brink of unconsciousness, I activated teleportation magic—my trump card. It consumed a huge amount of mana and was too rare to let others know I could use it, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that.
My vision shifted to the room I had rented from the adventurer guild. It seemed I had teleported to the marker correctly. I’m so low...on mana...I can’t mov—
“Hey! Ares! You all right?!”
Ah... Gailland...
His room was next door, so he must have sensed something was wrong and rushed over.
“Yeah...”
“Stop! Don’t try to talk! I’ll get you a potion! Don’t you dare die on me!”
Are the kids...safe? Is that boy really...him?
“Ares! Stay with me!”
“Ugh...”