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 71: Growth

When the King Chimera appeared before Iris and the others, I kicked the rocky ground hard and, riding on that momentum, sent the King Chimera flying with a punch.

However, it wasn’t that I was trying to help Iris and the others; it was just a spontaneous reaction because I didn’t want my prey to be taken away.

As the King Chimera crashed into a rock, Iris and the guards looked at me, astonished by my sudden appearance.

Recognizing me immediately, Iris urged me in a flustered manner to run away, but running away was not an option for me.

So, I informed them that I would fight it, but now they were saying that I would die alone, so we should fight together.

(What are they talking about?)

There was no way Iris and the others could possibly match this creature; they’re just a hindrance. Annoyed by her underestimation of her own abilities, I unintentionally exuded some killing intent.

At that, both Iris and the guards trembled slightly, but the guards still raised their swords to protect Iris.

“Me die? Well, that’s fine by me. If I die, that’s just how it goes, right? Just please don’t take away the only enjoyment I have.”

“My lady! We will handle that monster! Please escape with the magician while we hold it off!”

I wanted to focus on the King Chimera, which was about to stand up, but the guards continued to shout, trying to ensure Iris’s escape.

“Were you even listening to me? That thing is my prey. Can you not interfere?”

I was so far beyond anger; I was simply exasperated that they wouldn’t listen to me, and the words slipped out with an air of annoyance.

Then, finally rising, the King Chimera glared at me with a face full of fury and bared its sharp fangs while growling.

“Hehe. Let’s test just how much I can do against you now.”

The malicious intent and rage radiating from the King Chimera sent a surge of excitement through me, and I couldn’t help but smile.

After my fight with Build, now faced with an S-rank monster yet again, I was unable to contain my thrill.

With the King Chimera focused on me, I drew Ignid from my waist and directed my attention solely on it.

(It’s not attacking right away; is it surprisingly cautious?)

As I watched for the King Chimera’s move for a while, it seemed like it was also waiting for an opening in me, glaring sharply.

The first to move was the King Chimera; it kicked the ground hard and shot toward me in an instant.

However, of course, I saw every move it made and effortlessly dodged its attack.

“Whoa.”

But just as I thought I had avoided it and was about to counter, the snake on its tail lunged at my neck.

I arched my body backward to avoid it and put a hand on the ground to push myself back.

“That snake moves independently too. That’s a bit of a hassle.”

However, knowing its movements made it manageable. If I could figure out what its racial magic was, I could handle it easily.

“Alright. Now it’s my turn.”

I channeled magic power into Ignid, wrapping it in flames, and instead of taking my usual stance, I stood naturally with my arms lowered.

The moment I took a slow step forward, I appeared right in front of the King Chimera and struck down with my sword.

“Graaah?!”

The King Chimera dodged my sword just in time, but the flames I had enveloped it with singed its lion’s mane slightly.

“Oh? You dodged. Looks like I still have adjustments to make.”

The King Chimera, previously brimming with confidence, now looked confused as it stared at me.

In response, I once again stood naturally without readying my sword, taking a slow step forward; in the next moment, I swung my sword sideways behind it.

It managed to avoid me just barely, probably due to its instincts as a monster, but the snake on its tail got nicked and bled a bit.

Maintaining distance, the King Chimera continued to watch me with vigilance, but what I was doing was quite simple.

I was just using physical enhancement to approach and attack the King Chimera.

Since my fight with Build, I had corrected all the martial arts I could use.

His strength came from eliminating every unnecessary move, acting naturally.

All living beings tend to have habits or unnecessary movements during a fight.

The opponent typically predicts your attack and reacts based on those movements.

However, Build’s movements were entirely natural, with not even a hint of any preemptive motions like habits or unnecessary movements.

It felt as if he belonged there, as if getting hit was only natural; that’s what made him so strong.

Natural behavior means blending into the natural flow without going against it.

Just as no one tries to dodge the rain falling from the sky, or considers the wind brushing against their skin unusual, or finds clouds drifting in the sky strange; it exists naturally, thus no one pays attention to it.

What happens when you can do that in a fight?

The answer is simple. No one will care if you get close, and even if you’re attacked, you won’t question it.

“Don’t be so scared now. The fight is just getting started, right?”

As I stepped closer, the King Chimera took a step back to create distance.

Then, just as it was about to attack again, a snake burst from the ground at my feet, trying to bite at my leg.

However, my danger-sensing ability, honed in the Underwater Dwelling, was well beyond the level required to detect such a simple ambush, and I kicked the side of the snake’s head to counterattack.

“You have quite the versatility. Show me what else you can do.”

Realizing that ambushes wouldn’t work, the King Chimera began to gather magical power around its body, likely preparing to use its racial magic.

“Nice. That’s how it should be.”

As I eagerly awaited what the King Chimera would do, its lion head opened wide, and magical power surged within.

“Graaah!!!”

As the lion roared with a great might, it transformed into a shockwave imbued with magical energy that charged toward me, tearing into the ground.

“This is a bit much to handle.”

Judging that I couldn’t face this shockwave head-on with my current power, I kicked the ground to create distance.

But, I didn’t notice how or when it had moved, but as I tried to dodge and get a look at the King Chimera, its goat head was right in front of me, its eyes glinting.

Of course, the area was set ablaze, and before me stood the protagonist and Iris.

(What is this?)

“You aren’t human! A human couldn’t possibly do this! For the peace of the world, you must die here!”

“If it weren’t for Lord Lewis, this wouldn’t have happened. You are evil and should not exist in this world.”

“You are a demon. You sought to destroy this nation and kill innocent people. You do not have the right to live in this world.”

“You are an enemy of the gods. There is no value in your life as an enemy of the gods. Die here.”

Somewhere, a familiar scene and phrases began to mercilessly crush my heart, and the protagonist readied their sword to deliver the final blow.

(Ah. This is an illusion.)

This illusion was likely the goat-headed beast’s racial magic, but unfortunately, this spell didn’t work on me.

(How ridiculous. There’s no way such a thing could affect my mental state at this point.)

I pressed a magic-forged knife to my burnt and voiceless throat, smirking at the protagonists as I slit my own neck.

Then, as I woke up, the King Chimera, which had been poised to deliver the final blow, came into my view, and I sliced off its leg with Ignid.

“Graaah?!”

The King Chimera wailed in shock, not expecting my consciousness to return, coupled with the pain of having its foreleg severed.

“Shut up! I was planning to play a bit longer, but thanks to that illusion, my mood is spoiled. Let’s just end it.”

Channeling more magical power into Ignid than before and adding White Thunder Raiment only to my legs, I slipped into the King Chimera’s space in an instant.

Then, I cut off its remaining leg, beheaded it, and then finally lopped off the remaining lion head.

In the fleeting moment, the King Chimera met its end, its massive body collapsing lifelessly onto the ground.

“Phew… Alright. Time to take my magic organ.”

Though I had been slightly irritated by the nostalgic memory earlier, I swiftly switched gears, pulled out my dissection knife, and sliced open the King Chimera’s belly to retrieve its magic organ.

“Okay, here I go.”

I’ve grown so accustomed to eating these magic organs raw lately that I now can do so without much thought.

After finishing the magic organ and instantly adapting the King Chimera’s magic to my own, I considered heading home when I turned around.

“…Huh?”

However, I noticed Iris, who for some reason didn’t run away but instead watched our battle to the end, eyes teary, along with the guards who were looking on in shock, and I felt a fatigue different from battle arising from the sense of impending trouble.