Rebirth of the Ruined Noble



As the fight raged on, Zephyr and I desperately tried to hold our ground against the relentless onslaught of the demon. Every strike we made seemed futile, easily parried or dodged by the King of Oni's overwhelming strength and agility.

All my bullets had been exhausted, and I had long forsaken the magic-powered handgun. The sword in my hand lay tattered, a proof to the strength of the Oni demon. The air was heavy with the scent of sweat and blood.

My stamina was at rock bottom, as I found myself on my knees, gasping for breath, blood trickling down my forehead from a deep gash. Zephyr, too, was on the verge of collapse, his once-powerful stance reduced to a feeble struggle to stay on his feet. The half destroyed walls of the ruins cast eerie shadows, adding to the intensity of the moment.

The king of Oni, or as the scriptures named him, Suten Doji, still stood strong, with only a few light scratches on his body. It was a very terrible situation. The demon's piercing eyes glowed with a malevolent fire, his muscles bulging with unholy power. His breath came out in ragged snarls, filling the air with a menacing aura.

'If only I had prepared some poison!' I thought in desperation as none of my attacks were dealing any damage to it. My mind raced, searching for a strategy, but the exhaustion and pain clouded my thoughts. 

Despite our best efforts, the tide of the battle turned against us. Our bodies grew weary, battered by the demon's relentless attacks. Fatigue settled in, draining our strength, and pain coursed through every fiber of my being.

'How the hell did Zephyr clear this exile in my past life?'

I was still unable to find answers to that question!

'Or did my involvement change the exile?'

But pondering these questions now seemed futile and wasted precious energy.

I turned towards Zephyr, his labored breaths filling the tense silence. "Zephyrrrrrrr!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, catching the attention of both the demon and Zephyr. 

  "This is the last opening I can create for you," I said, standing up with the support of my tattered sword. My survival now relied on Zephyr's ability to seize this opportunity.

The truth was evident—I could not defeat the demon myself. My survival depended on Zephyr, his extraordinary abilities and unmatched swordsmanship. It was a gamble, a desperate wager on his prowess.

Clutching my sword tightly, I turned to face the demon, my resolve hardening.

Tightly gripping the sword in my hand, I turned towards the demon, a mix of fear and determination surging through me. "You better kill it," I muttered under my breath, an ultimatum to myself. 

That's the end of the conversation as I plunged at the demon. The worn-out muscles in my legs protested, but I ignored the pain, fueled by the adrenaline rushing through my veins.

An aura of magic power enveloped my sword, its glow illuminating the dark ruins of the chamber, giving a glimmer of hope.

To be able to use Aura! I had temporarily entered the stage of 3 -star in the movements of desperation, but I didn't have the time to rejoice.

The Oni was right in front of me, and I have to do something.

I tried to remember something that I could use at this movement. A skill, a technique or anything that could prove useful. But no matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing that could take me out of this situation.

'Think, think think!'

And it happened as my desperation overcame my consciousness.

[Abyssal greed for knowledge has been detected.]

[The forgotten god stirs in his slumber.]

[The desperation of his Apostle has reached the Forgotten God.]

[The Forgotten god, blesses his apostle]I think you should take a look at

[...]

I was too busy to read through the message but what I could notice was that an eerie black energy unlike anything I had seen before covered my sword blade.

The black energy it was very ominous, even more so that the power of the Oni demon in front of me.

The king of Oni's flinched seeing the black energy and froze for a second.

"...Ahh..My God....", He grumbled as he lowered his katana.

I don't know what was happening, but I had to take advantage of this movement.

I thought so, and swung my sword in a crescent moon motion, aiming at the Oni's head, but.....

But before I could even connect the attack, strength left my body, and I collapsed on the ground. 

My body couldn't handle the power that was bestowed upon me.

'No, no, no, no, no'

Desperation engulfed me as my consciousness faded, leaving behind a maelstrom of regrets. 

'Ahh....I don't want to die yet,' I thought as my mind raced. 

'I still haven't stopped the rampage of fire dragon, I still haven't saved my family, I was yet to meet my master....I can't die now.'

Even in the depths of despair, a small part of my consciousness held on, refusing to accept defeat. 

Through blurry vision, I witnessed Zephyr, driven by his own determination, attempting to sever the Oni's head. Yet, he too fell victim to the demon's relentless assault, receiving a fatal blow that sent him crashing to the ground, blood pooling around his lifeless form.

As hope seemed to fade into the abyss, I strained to hear Zephyr's weakened voice. "I wanted to avoid using this if possible... but... I don't have any choice it seems."

His words filled me with a mix of curiosity and anticipation, my fading consciousness clinging to the last flicker of possibility.

In an act of desperation, he clenched a pendant hanging around his neck, the sound of it shattering filling the air. 

Crrrack!

A blinding flash of mana burst forth, illuminating the ruins of the chamber with its brilliance.

As the light subsided, a dimensional gate materialized before us.

"I told you to not to get into any trouble in the academy, you brat."

And from it, an old man emerged.

---***---