The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Chapter 337: Rewarded

Unlike the times I rushed in thoughtlessly before, Shudo gazed at me as if he could see right through me, and the moment I blinked, he vanished.

“Second Form of Sunlit Swordsmanship…”

Before I knew it, Shudo was raising a holy sword wreathed in pure white flames right in front of me, and the flames were so beautiful that even I found myself captivated.

“‘Setting Sun’”

“Whoa.”

Still, it wouldn’t be funny if I got captivated and ended up dead, so I stepped back to avoid the diagonal downslash of the holy sword enveloped in white flames, taking one more step back to gain distance.

At that moment, a slash of white flames swept past where I just stood, scorching the ground of the training area.

“Seriously. Setting Sun is as troublesome as ever. If this were my first time, I’d absolutely be dead. Also, wasn’t this supposed to be a duel without killing?”

“Could it be? You know about Setting Sun?”

“Haha. Of course, I know. The Second Form of Sunlit Swordsmanship, ‘Setting Sun,’ sends out white flame slashes from a distance with a delay, right? There’s the tangible attack with the holy sword, and even if you dodge that, the second attack comes at you with the white flames. It’s a technique that’s merciless for first-timers.”

“How much do you know?”

I’d love to say everything… but that would be boring and not quite fitting for a villain.

So I simply laughed in response to Shudo’s question and prepared to attack.

“Ugh!!!”

“Ahaha! Show me how strong you’ve gotten with everyone’s support!”

“I don’t need you to tell me!!!”

My sword, wrapped in fighting spirit, had a strength beyond that of a normal sword, allowing it to clash head-on with Shudo’s holy sword without breaking. Unlike before, we exchanged blows of sword and magic continuously.

As the impact of our blades cracked the ground and the collisions of magic caused cracks in the walls of the training area, we didn’t stop, relentlessly assaulting each other with sword and magic.

“Hey, hey! What’s wrong, Hero? Is this all you’ve got even with your friends’ help?”

“Don’t underestimate me!!”

“Fuhaha. Just how many times do you need me to tell you not to underestimate me? If you don’t want to be looked down upon, you have to at least show some real power!!”

Ah, what is this feeling?

It’s something different from joy or excitement, a strange sensation rising from deep within me, like I was being stained black and viscous.

Yet, it’s not unpleasant; it feels almost comforting, like I was returning to a form that was meant to be.

Ah, it wouldn’t be so bad to be swallowed up like this…

“El!! Stay focused!!”

“…Huh?”

Just as I began to think being enveloped in this strange sensation wouldn’t be so bad, I heard a familiar voice from somewhere and looked for it.

Then, I caught eyes with Fiera, who was watching me from beyond a barrier that Sephiria had set up to protect the other students from our battle.

And in that instant, the dark haze that had been covering my mind seemed to burst apart, and my previously dim vision cleared, allowing me to see Fiera’s face clearly.

“Haha. What kind of face is that? It’s so unlike you. Well, I guess this time it’s my fault.”

Fiera, who usually has absolute trust in me, now showed a rare expression of worry, gazing at me with a hint of anxiety.

“Sigh. I thought I could play a bit longer, but at this rate, it’s getting a little dangerous.”

“What are you saying all alone!”

“No, it seems our little dog is worried about me, so for her sake, I think I should wrap this up sooner rather than later.”

Besides, something felt off about continuing to fight Shudo, so it wouldn’t be wise to waste any more time.

“Don’t say things that don’t make sense! I’m going to win!”

“Too bad, but I’m going to win this time, too.”

“Third Form of Sunlit Swordsmanship, ‘Brilliant Sunstrike’!!!”

“Composite Magic, ‘Sea Dragon of Thunder’!”

Thus, as the white flame flash unleashed by Shudo’s holy sword clashed with my Leviathan wrapped in a blend of water and thunder magic, a tremendous shockwave of magic rippled through the barrier, even destroying it.

However, thanks to that, the concentrated magical energy and the dust from the magical collision within the barrier were cleared, allowing us to check each other’s conditions without taking much time.

“Haa… haa… phew…”

“Fuh, we somehow endured.”

As the magical energy and dust cleared and my vision became clear again, I saw Shudo kneeling on the ground, using his holy sword for support. It seemed the explosive magic he had built up earlier was now gone, indicating the effect of the ‘Hero’ had worn off.

Meanwhile, I had not knelt like Shudo, but the flash from ‘Brilliant Sunstrike’ that I couldn’t completely negate with the Sea Dragon left its mark. The right side of my upper body was severely burned and blistered.

“Thanks to that magic, I managed to divert it, so it only hit my right side. But if I had taken the full brunt, I’d be in the same state all over. Really, the destructive power of the Sun Wheel Magic is insane.”

The destructive power of Sun Wheel Magic far exceeded that of other attribute magics, so I never thought I could negate it.

Moreover, as its name suggests, the ‘Brilliant Sunstrike’ is a thrust technique that condenses the power of the white flames into a single point, greatly increasing its piercing ability and strength.

With such a focus on penetration and power, it was no wonder my normal attribute magic couldn’t negate it, but even so, the fact that I managed to deflect its trajectory, something I couldn’t do in the past, proved I had become stronger than I used to be.

“Haa. For now, I should fix my clothes and injuries.”

While I’d ideally want to linger a bit longer in this afterglow, my half-burned upper body was now bare, so after using recovery magic to heal the wounds from the holy sword, I pulled a spare uniform from a storage ring and put it on.

However, I still couldn’t button my uniform because I didn’t have full sensation in my right arm, ultimately leaving it just draped over me.

“Alright. About this duel, I’m standing while you’re kneeling. The outcome seems pretty clear, don’t you think?”

“Of course… I’m still… going…”

“What are you saying, you can’t even stand because you ran out of magic? If you want to win that badly, I could let you have it; why not just give up?”

“But then, Fiera and the others…”

“If you’re so worried about the brainwashing, you can have them check it with the headmaster on another day. You can witness it then; it’s a straightforward solution.”

“That’s…”

For him to hesitate after I’d already compromised so much…

Could it be, is he really just wanting to fight me?

“Alright, alright. That’s enough.”

As I contemplated slicing his mouth shut to silence him since he wouldn’t give up, Lime intervened between us with those words.

“This duel is clearly no longer possible to continue. So, it’s over. Besides, the training area is in ruins, and I can’t allow any more continuation. And as for the outcome, it’s clearly in favor of Louis, who is still standing.”

“But that means!!”

“Listen quietly until the end.”

Shudo looked unconvinced by Lime’s words, raising his voice as if to refute her, but with an icy glare that felt oddly detached from her usual demeanor, even Shudo fell silent.

“As I said earlier, Louis is the winner of this duel. But if you still can’t believe what Louis said about Fiera and the others not being brainwashed, why not have the headmaster confirm it in front of you? Louis, is that okay with you?”

“I don’t mind at all. To be honest, I’ve been saying that from the start. I’m not particularly interested in the outcome, and if that satisfies him, I’m fine with anything as long as it’s not further fighting.”

“So then, what will you do? By the way, if you wish to continue, I will end this duel forcibly under my authority, and you will end up losing.”

“… I understand. I will follow Lime’s words.”

Shudo seemingly reluctant to comply with my proposal stressed Lime’s words, standing up unsteadily with his holy sword for support.

“Then this duel ends here. You two, return to the classroom with the others first. If you need treatment, you can ask Sephiria.”

“What about you, teacher?”

“I have to fix this training ground that you broke. I’ll be sticking around here for a while.”

“Ah, I’m sorry about this.”

“Hmph. If you feel sorry, it’d be nice if you could help repair it, you know?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have much magic left, so I can’t.”

Lime sounded somewhat angry at my words, but I was genuinely left with little magic, so I didn’t have the luxury to repair the transformed training area.

“Sorry. I also have no magic left, so I can’t help. Plus, I’m not that good with earth magic.”

“I know. Your condition is clearly the symptom of running out of magic, so I wouldn’t ask Shudo to help. Now go on, you two, quickly. Otherwise, I might just bury you both in the wall.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“Understood. Good luck.”

I said that and turned away from Shudo, who was heading back to Ride and the others, quickly leaving the place to head towards Fiera and the others.

“Sigh. A lot happened, but it seems like the issue with the brainwashing might just work out. And also…”

For the first time, my normal elemental magic had an effect against the Sun Wheel Magic that had killed me countless times before.

That alone was a gain from this duel, and more than anything, at this very moment, I felt like all the me that had died to that special magic in the past were finally rewarded.

“Now then. Next, I need to do something about those guys.”

As I gazed ahead, I saw Fiera and the others still looking worriedly at me, and looking at them made me think that perhaps the real struggle was just beginning.

“Haha. Well, that doesn’t sound too bad right now.”