Chapter 45 - I am... ②

A teacher walked into a classroom.

He was reading the list of students.

"Shiomiya."

"Present..."

"Shishigami."

"Shishigami."

The professor in a suit and with a big belly raised his eyebrow because of the student who didn't show up.

Instead who responded, it was the class delegate.

"Professor, Shishigami-kun came to class, but was pulled out by some students."

The professor's gaze strayed straight to a group of young men with tanned skin and unruly golden hair.

"You guys again..."

One of them apologized.

"Sorry professor, we took our good friend, Shishigami-kun to the bathroom as he wasn't feeling well. We asked him if it was okay to leave him here since classes were starting."

The teacher sighed.

"Whatever, Narunosuke."

"Present."

Sometime later, a student came running up and burst open the door.

He was soaking wet, his hair and eyes were black.

The teacher who was already finishing teaching said.

"You are late Shishigami, this is the fourth time in a week, but in a month it is already more than a dozen. Come to the teacher's room later as this behavior will bring bad name to the school if we don't do anything."

With those words, the teacher left.

The boy, Shishigami Naoto, was being bullied by several of his classmates.

Some girls asked him to borrow money to buy stickers for their cell phones, he refused and they threatened to report him as a rapist. That was possible because the laws that support women have become so rare that a woman can commit a crime and get away with it.

Of course, as long as it is to an average person and not an important man.

As for the boys who laughed at him. They were sons of men who are at the top of the country, they are in this expensive school and not an elite one because of their fathers.

A lot of trouble they would cause in one where their friends' children are, that's why they prefer this kind of school.

They also gave a generous amount of money to the school, so they were untouchable.

The boy entered the classroom smelling bad.

When he got to his desk, it was gone.

It had been thrown out the window.

He stood there until a teacher arrived and told him to sit down.

But since he had no way to do it. They sent him to see one in the warehouse.

During recess, he would sit by himself eating lunch on the stairs where the other popular boys and girls didn't go.

When recess was over, he found his new desk stained with offensive comments.

Everyone said the same thing, about how ugly he was and even more horrible things.

As time passed, the boy lost his life.

And no one in his classroom noticed or cared.

That boy was reincarnated and got a new name, and that was-

◇◇◇

"Aaaah!"

Razel and Astraea were clashing their fists.

A great strength and magical power filled the atmosphere.

Astraea was mercilessly punching Razel.

He would cover himself and then strike her without caring about taking blows.

Razel was thrown out of the tower, but returned quickly like lightning.

He approached Astraea and showered her with blows.

The blows moved just like thunder, generating a large amount of bright lights that impacted against her.

Razel screamed.

"That guy is dead, don't mention it anymore!"

The flurry of fists struck relentlessly, until... Razel's body began to show that it couldn't take much more.

As he threw his right fist, the muscle in his arm exploded.

Like a balloon, the muscle and bone exploded.

Razel watched as his arm was in flight.

But he didn't hesitate.

He grabbed his arm and pulled it back into place.

He joined the tendons and bone together using electricity.

Such a thing was absurd, but due to the intensity of the magical power in the environment, he could temporarily join his limb.

He resumed the blows.

Astraea was saying to him.

"Do you know why you were able to do that? It's simple. The moon is red because the atmospheric layer is filled with that poison expelled by the dragons."

"The dragons expelled a toxin when they died."

"That toxin is concentrated in quantities once every 500 years, the proof of that is up there. What you call as a magical phenomenon is actually watching your planet deteriorate at great speed."

"The only way to avoid that poisoning is to use that tree that they cared for. But it seems that some humans got hold of it."

"Too bad, you'll see your own end."

"Who cares, I won't live to see it anyway!"

Razel's power was increasing as his body took more damage.

His eyes were bloodshot.

His skin showed gaping wounds.

His muscles contracted to the point that cramps generated.

As he fell to the ground to jump back up, his calf bone and foot cracked.

Razel felt immense pain but didn't care.

"I'll end this this instant!"

Hearing him say that, Astraea rushed over and bit his right arm firmly.

Razel felt as if a very sharp knife was piercing him, she removed her teeth and raised her magic power.

A black leftover with red edges manifested.

"I want to finish this too! Test my strongest attack!"

"Progenitor's Blood!"

As Razel said.

"Lightning Magic!"

He placed his hands together and the electrical and magical energy came together.

Every time he put pressure, his body showed more and more signs of destruction.

Even tumors began to show.

Astraea jumped for the moonlight to be her support.

"Blood Moon."

She said and from a magic circle millions of blood bullets came out forming a small moon.

While Razel said.

"Ragnarok!"

A beam of light shot out.

That beam of pure energy caused his right hand to begin to blacken.

Gradually his body was darkening due to the excess poisoning.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

They both shouted as their forces collided with each other.

The tower was being destroyed with intensity.

Razel didn't notice that the floor he was on was falling as the surroundings were destroyed.

Only seconds passed and the floor reached the first floor.

Astraea had the advantage, but her attack and Razel's were mysteriously evenly matched.

Then, a small meteor was coming straight towards her inside that beam of light.

She smiled.

Razel used his first attack to pierce her heart.

"Lightning Palm!"

Her chest was shattered in its entirety.

Then, they both fell.

Astraea fell first followed by Razel.

Razel watched as blood poured from his body, his end had come.

...

Or so he thought until he noticed something strange.

The pain was drastically decreasing, at the same time the damaged parts of his body were regenerating.

His black hand was returning to its original color.

His wounds were closing.

He didn't understand what happened until Astraea told him.

"Your resolve pleased me. You were willing to die to grant me my wish, you weren't going to do it for the 'plot' but because you really wanted to save me. right? That's why I gave you as a gift the Blut virus, but since you're not a vampire, you can only use maximum defensive status and regenerate wounds as increase your magic power without problems."

Razel didn't say anything.

She continued.

"I always longed to see what lay beyond that cell, but... the price of that was becoming a monster."

"Other children like me, I turned them into monsters, because my body possesses the original virus they created, is that there were other progenitors."

"They wanted to live, I didn't want to be alone, isn't that a bad deal isn't it?"

"As time went on we found that the humans who over saw the attack I caused created little states to live in called kingdoms."

"I killed innocents, I rejoiced in the evil way. I didn't care if others suffered. Maybe that's why my descendants believed vampires should be arrogant?"

"I tried everything life could offer, but then one day... my peers said they couldn't take it anymore."

"Unlike me, they didn't know the truth. Over the centuries they learned that living for more than a millennium was pointless."

"So, they stopped thinking. They became statues since they could not die. Something prevented them and they threw themselves into the sea."

"I was left alone. Then in order not to feel alone I created my children. Thanks to a human with whom I reproduced, I managed to create the superior vampires, and live in a small place."

"But the same thing happened to me as to my companions. I couldn't take it anymore."

Astraea slowly began to turn to ashes.

"Living knowing that the people you love will no longer be with you despite the fact that you can't die, is the real torment."

"What good does it do me to regenerate wounds when the pain in my heart won't heal?"

"What good does it do me to live for thousands of years when the person I loved only lived a flicker of my life?"

"Nothing. The real punishment of those who do not want to die and wish to live forever is that. The suffering of helplessness and the misery of regenerating."

"That is why, human transmigrator. I give you this advice... love your life."

"To live less than 100 years is the most beautiful thing you can have."

"The people you love will live with you. New people will come, they will see you die, they will be sad. Like you with your friends and lovers you will see them die. But you know? They will be with you."

"Their memories will live on in you and you will live on in others. That is true immortality. That's what I wanted to get, but I was wrong."

"My older sister died leaving me alone, and being an idiot and accepting its proposal was how it all ended badly for me."

"... Proposal?"

Razel said, but Astraea ignored him.

"But it seems my descendants misunderstood my wish and did the opposite."

"It was a good last talk no doubt."

Astraea's arms and legs were almost scattered in ashes.

Her hair and body were going through the same.

"The white moon is beautiful, isn't it?"

Razel looked at the moon, it was still red.

"Yes, it is." He muttered.

Astraea was smiling like a child in a candy store.

"What a pretty color. It's totally different from that bench that only brought pain."

"There are things I want to ask you."

"Sorry to say, but the rest of it you'll have to figure out on your own, this world of game is not as you think it is, there are more hidden and sinister things than you think. Like your true enemy."

Razel reacted to hearing that. True enemy.

"My true enemy, who is it!!!?"

Astraea became more and more ashen.

"I can't say for sure, but... if it's who I think it is. It's Epstein without a doubt."

"Epstein?"

"That person was responsible for creating me and 'him'."

"Who is 'him'?"

"I don't know what identity he took, but I don't think he's still alive, it's been 2000 years since that day."

"But, this I can tell you..."

"The gods you pray to, especially Alexia..."

Astraea's mouth made Razel feel goose bumps.

"They are not what you think they are. Be careful of them and Epstein. If one day that person gets their wish to open the door, everything will undoubtedly be destroyed."

"Door? What door are you talking about?"

"Who knows... it may even be ramblings of a corpse, fufufu."

Astraea laughed one last time as she watched a portion of a wall collapse and slowly fall on her.

"One last thing kid... in your case, your real enemy lies in your head."

"...!"

"If you keep pretending to be a guardian among the shadows, you'll end up being swallowed by them."

The wall was inches away from her, from the bottom of her destroyed heart, she smiled like a child.

"Guys, I'm on my way to meet everyone now. Onee-chan, I have a lot to tell you."

The wall fell on her, turning her to ashes.

The remains of Astraea, the queen of vampires, one of the seven deadly sins.

She had died without a doubt.

Razel was watching the ashes dance as they rose into the sky.

He touched one and said.

"Why did it end like this? You could have lived a happy life if you were looking for one. Totally different from Shishigami Naoto's."

The last remnant of ash scattered and as he turned to leave.

"...Huh?"

He found Cid behind him.

Razel turned into a doodle at the sight of Cid.

He was looking for what to say, and when he opened his mouth.

"Stop!"

Cid's hand moved to silence him.

"I heard strange things, I have no idea what you were talking about and I don't want to know."

"I just want to know this... are you Licht?"

Razel looked at Cid and said with a smirk.

"Yes."

"Wrong."

"Huh?"

Razel said confused.

"You're not the criminal named Licht who is wanted in the empire. You are a weird guy named Razel Bartlet who is my friend who will be a duke. Do you understand?"

"I am... Razel."

"Yes. You're Razel, and there are some teachers who saw me, so they'll see you too. So you'd better change out of those weird clothes and lie around unconscious."

Cid turned around to leave.

"Cid... thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"I'll make you return this favor in spades, you hear?"

Razel smiled and Cid left to talk to the teachers.

It was all over.

But...

"Razel-sama..."

A voice came from behind him.

Razel shooed and looked at who was calling him.

"... Amy!?"

"What are you doing here!?"

She pinched his cheek.

"What are you talking about? It was you who asked me to come in the first place."

"Huh!?"

Razel was confused. Amy pulled a letter from between her breasts.

Razel read it and then...

"It's true!"

He remembered that he messed up pretty bad.

In the letter, Razel was asking Amy for help. It detailed everything he was to do.

Amy got the letter very late, she couldn't answer him in time, but she knew he would go.

The problem was that Razel was so excited that he forgot that.

(So... part of the trouble I went through was for nothing?)

If only he had waited for Amy for a few minutes, she would have taken out all the enemies with no problem.

"Masteeeeer!"

A girl came running straight at him.

It was Leila.

Razel was startled, as he had sparred with her several weeks ago.

He could see that Leila was stronger than him. That time he beat her was due to her being a bit numb.

Leila could simply beat him even if she wasn't serious.

Leila was rubbing her cheek intensely.

Amy was annoyed.

"Razel-sama, you said you wanted my help to get the evidence!"

"I did! But you put up a fight and ruined much of this place for the sake of it. I could have easily taken care of that woman like I did that weird guy."

Razel had two spoiled women near him and all he did was.

"Let me rest please!"

The battle against the vampire queen in the lawless city had ended with the background character's victory.