Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

Chapter 268  [End] [He Who Shouldn't Exist] [Sacrifice]

"Huff…"

An exhausted breath escaped from a boy's lips.

His body leaned against the spear supporting his tired frame.

His golden eyes gazed down at his feet.

Fifty or so beasts lay dead there, shredded into pieces.

Their blood dripped from the corpses, slowly getting soaked into the ground.

"Fuck, where is he?"

Aimar groaned in frustration as he straightened his body.

His eyes, filled with anger and exhaustion, turned around, looking at the cave-like place he had been teleported to.

"Are you alright?"

Aimar turned to look back.

A group of frightened students stared at him.

A girl with orchid hair stood at the forefront alongside his brother.

"Yeah," Aimar replied to Miley before he walked forward toward the place that seemed to be the end of the cave. "Follow behind me."

A sudden sticky feeling crawled over his skin.

The atmosphere burst out, and in the next instant, he found himself in a different place.

"Hehehe."

And the first thing he heard was someone's eerie laughter.

His eyes adjusted to the light as he gazed forward.

And his blood froze at the gruesome sight.

A skinless man hung in the air with his limbs stretched by blackened hands.

His every muscle was visible, pulsating with every drop of rain falling on it.

Crack!

His gaze fell behind the man.

A silver-haired girl broke the ribs of the man from behind.

But it wasn't the first rib she broke.

A few of them were already torn out, placed in such a way that they resembled the wings of an eagle.

"Are you liking it, Bradyn?" Shyamal's delightful voice echoed in the rain.

"Huh?"

Only then did he notice something.

…The skinless man was breathing.

The students behind him started to vomit, some even fainting at the sight.

"Aimar?" Shyamal's confused voice echoed as her crimson eyes landed on him. "...What are you doing here?"

"...Who is he?"

Aimar asked, taking a step back as she walked toward him, soaked in blood.

"Some nobody that hurt Azariah," Shyamal replied as she looked at him. "Where is he?"

Athlea also walked toward him, a sickening look on her face.

"...I lost him," Aimar whispered softly as he glanced back. "Take care of them—"

"Let them die," Shyamal cut in, turning around. "We should help Azariah instead."

"..."

Aimar mentally sighed, rubbing his temples.

Even though he wanted to refute her words, the gruesome sight behind her made him hesitate.

Shyamal took his silence as agreement and turned around. "Let's go."

Rumble!

But her steps halted as the island quaked violently.

"Hide!"

Aimar yelled as a blinding ray of light engulfed everything in its path.

The rings on his hands moved forward, opening multiple portals.

The same happened behind them, forming a layer of protective barriers in front of everyone.

A silence loomed for a split second.

BOOM!!

An explosive shockwave erupted, uprooting the trees in its path.

The debris hurled inside the portal, rushing out of the other side.

The illusion covering the island was removed from existence.

"...Azariah."

Shyamal whispered quietly, concern clear in her voice as she looked back at Aimar.

A bronze tree at the epicenter of the island appeared, free from the fog of illusion.

Her body blurred the next instant, and Aimar followed behind her toward the center of the island.

***

***

[A few moments earlier.]

The name ripped from his throat, his voice echoing as Azariah prowled toward "Him."

"RAGNAR!!"

The blood beneath him flared up, forming a sword that became an extension of Azariah's hand.

An eerie aura that threatened to consume everything burst out of it.

Azariah leaped forward, swinging his sword down, aimed at "His" throat.

CLANG!!

Ragnar's hand blurred, sweeping Naraka upwards. Their weapons collided mid-air.

The collision illuminated the place with a bright light before a shockwave erupted.

Azariah's body flew back like a broken kite, cutting through the air.

"Arghh."

Ragnar's gaze turned back at the sound of someone groaning in pain.

His spiraled golden eyes looked down at Ethan.

Ethan looked up at him.

Ragnar kicked Ethan's face, knocking him unconscious.

"Pathetic pest," he spat, his deep voice laced with disgust.

His body blurred as he appeared mid-air beside Azariah, raising Naraka high.

Azariah bit his tongue hard enough for blood to leak from it.

Naraka descended at a threatening speed, ready to split him in half.

Azariah's body turned into a cluster of blood, falling down before vanishing into thin air.

The pool of blood spread on the ground flared up, and his body slowly emerged from it.

"Sekhmet," Azariah whispered shakily.

The eyes of the towering woman behind him glowed, staring at Ragnar.

Ragnar floated mid-air, gazing back at her.

A look of hesitation appeared in his eyes before a beautiful yet threatening marking emerged on his forehead.

The air around Ragnar grew heavy as the mark of the crimson sun on his forehead burned brightly, traditional tattoos of chains covering the rest.

"Absolute reversal."

Ragnar whispered softly.

Azariah's destiny changed.

"Haah!"

He gasped for breath as the surging power in his body slowly depleted, his left hand melting, returning to its original state.

The pool of blood slowly started to vanish along with the solitude of the woman behind him.

The next instant, Ragnar was on him.

"Urghh!"

A kick to his midsection sent Azariah's body flying back.

It crashed through the trees until his body halted abruptly.

"Azariah!?"

A concerned voice echoed in his bursting ears.

His spine felt like it was breaking apart while his eyes could barely open.

"Azariah!"

Someone helped him sit back up.

His gaze fluttered as he looked at the girl with white hair wearing a winged helmet.

Azariah's eyes widened as he recognized Arianell.

"Run!"

He yelled, pushing her aside and standing back up.

The tearing sound of wind made him look forward.

Naraka rushed at him with a low booming sound.

Without thinking, Azariah stood in front of Arianell, raising his hand.

Naraka turned into a cluster of crimson liquid before entering his arm.

"Hm?" n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The next instant, Ragnar appeared in front of them, standing a few yards away.

His confused gaze bore into Azariah, his lips parted. "Naraka chose you over me?"

Azariah straightened his back, glaring at him while Arianell tried to support him.

Ragnar's gaze shifted toward Arianell as well, his hand slowly rising.

"Move," he ordered as Azariah stood in front of her.

Azariah didn't budge.

"As you wish," Ragnar whispered, conjuring a magic circle.

But it didn't end there as multiple layers of circles overlapped the previous ones.

They all glowed simultaneously before a beam of white plasma rushed toward Azariah.

A golden sun disk conjured in front of him, engulfing the beam within it.

"Argh!"

Azariah's body was pushed back by the sheer force the beam generated.

Crack!

The sides of the sun disk cracked until the beam finally stopped.

Azariah knelt on one knee, struggling to breathe as the sun disk turned upside-down.

Boom!!!

A beam of light with twice the intensity rushed back at Ragnar.

He brought his index finger forward.

The beam of light touched his finger.

In the next instant, the threatening beam of light turned into thousands of harmless butterflies, spreading around.

"I sense Sabaoth's divinity from you," Ragnar mumbled softly, staring at him. "...And Anastasia's divinity as well."

"..."

Azariah bit his lower lip to keep himself awake as he glared at the man.

"...You seem important to Sabaoth," Ragnar said as he turned around, walking toward the gate of hell.

Arianell tried to rush toward him, but Azariah grabbed her wrist.

He shook his head, a pleading look on his face.

A tear trickled down her face as she smiled at him, gripping her sword tightly.

Boom!!!

But before she could even move, a branch entwined with the handle of the huge door lying on the ground.

"No!"

Arianell yelled, rushing toward him, but Azariah grabbed her tightly.

Creak!

The door creaked open with a roaring sound, the air immediately turning sinister.

A silence flowed through the place.

...Ragnar opened the first gate of hell.

"Now, how should I deal with you?" His body turned, red hair fluttering as he gazed back at Azariah.

"Stay out of my matter," Azariah growled, conjuring a blade in his hand. "...And I will do the same."

Ragnar smiled.

His body blurred, arriving in front of him.

CRACK!!!

A punch landed on Azariah's chest, breaking parts of his ribs and throwing his body back.

"Azariah!"

Arianell yelled before swinging her long sword at Ragnar.

But before it could reach him, a branch erupted from the ground, whipping her away.

Her body crashed hard into the thorne beside the bronze tree.

A cluster of white entered Azariah's body while he struggled to breathe.

[...Azariah.]

El's exhausted voice echoed in his head.

"Huff... Huff..."

But Azariah wasn't in any condition to reply, forcing his body to lean against a broken tree.

His gaze landed on his leg, where a bone was sticking out of it.

[...I am sorry.]

El whispered, his voice slowly growing distant.

"...Qais."

His blurry gaze focused on a girl, her blue eyes looking at him tenderly.

"Ch...ristina."

Azariah whispered shakily, trying to wrap his mind around what was happening.

She gently hugged his body, her soft sobbing consuming his mind.

"We meet again," Ragnar's voice echoed through the place, making Azariah turn toward him. "Esmeray."

A lady with platinum hair blocked his path.

Her hands clasped behind her back.

"Leave him alone," Esmeray said, looking at Ragnar.

"Why should I?" Ragnar replied, tilting his head. "He is an anomaly I do not wish to keep alive."

"Leave. Him. Alone," Esmeray repeated her words slowly.

Ragnar silently looked at her before his gaze landed on Christina, who was hugging Azariah.

"Only on one condition," Ragnar said, gazing back at Esmeray. "My daughter should be the only Avatar of Anastasia."

"..."

Esmeray thought about it for a moment before her body slowly moved aside.

Azariah's heart dropped to his stomach as Ragnar's hand rose.

"Run!"

He growled, pushing his broken body, but Christina didn't let him.

"Listen to me," she whispered softly, looking at him. "...Everything will be alright."

"Move!" Azariah yelled desperately, trying to push her aside.

A beam of light conjured in Ragnar's hand.

"Qais." An eight-pointed star shone brightly on both their chests.

Christina stood up, a graceful smile on her face as she softly whispered, "...I love you."

A beam of light hit her body.

...Her soul separated from her vanishing self.

It fell onto Azariah, embracing him before dispersing.

Azariah's world broke, time slowing down as he knelt on the ground.

Ragnar  vanished from the place.

Esmeray looked at Azariah for a fleeting moment before vanishing as well.

"...Az."

Arianell walked closer.

She knelt down beside him, hugging him tightly.

...Shyamal also arrived along with Aimar.

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at him.

Without a word, she rushed forward, quietly hugging him as well.

Ashlyn flew toward them.

And the moment she landed, teleportation portals emerged on the island.

The guards of the empire walked out of them.

Their weapons aimed at Azariah.