When I Cleared the Death Game World, I Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble Even if They Talk About Doom Flags, I'm Actually Immortal. - Chapter 37

The target had been decided.

Ren tightened her grip on her sword and sprang from the shadows of the abandoned house.

The village streets roared as fierce winds howled through them.

At the village’s edge, a tower of fire blazed, fed by bundles of straw.

Standing before the raging flames like a sentinel was the swordsman—now a monster.

“Oh? I thought you had abandoned your little sister and run away.”

“Do me a favor and stop joking. I was just figuring out how to kill you.”

“Women really are stupid. You still don’t understand the difference in our strength, do you? There’s no way you can kill me.”

“Then… let’s test that theory!!”

Ren kicked off the ground and dashed forward.

Even with her floating magic sealed, she was still an A-rank adventurer. She tore through the storm-ravaged village like a violent gale.

“I’ll crush that pathetic hope of yours!!”

The swordsman chose to wait.

He spread his arms wide as if welcoming Ren’s attack.

Perhaps he was overconfident in his regeneration, believing he could take the hit without consequence.

That arrogance would cost him dearly.

“…I’ll be borrowing Lior’s technique for this one.”

Ren swung her sword—but before the blade could reach its mark, a wind blade slashed forward.

It closely resembled Lior’s “Moon Veil” technique.

A surprise attack that unleashed a blade of mana from the sword without any movement.

However, unlike Lior’s technique, which completely concealed the presence of magic, Ren’s attack was purely wind magic.

Even so, the unexpected wind slash deviating from her sword’s motion was more than enough to catch the swordsman off guard.

“What!?”

The swordsman’s eyes widened in shock.

He hadn’t anticipated the attack.

The wind blade slipped past him—without being blocked.

“Hah! You missed! Trying to use a technique you’re not familiar with—”

“I wasn’t aiming for you.”

“…What!?”

The swordsman turned in alarm.

Behind him, the black flames raged, rising from the burning straw. The wind blade shot straight toward the inferno.

“You idiot! That won’t be enough to put out my flames!!”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think it might work.”

The wind blade sliced through the bundles of straw.

The severed straw scattered into the air—pulling the black flames apart with it.

“It’s a common mistake for novice mages. Since controlling magic purely through mana manipulation is difficult, they need a physical anchor. In your case, you used the burning straw as a medium so the flames wouldn’t go out even if your mana wavered.”

In reality, magical flames didn’t require fuel.

The mage among the swordsman’s allies had conjured black fire without using any.

The black flames that had encircled Lior had been sustained purely through magical control.

But the swordsman was no trained mage.

He had gained the power of black fire through a demonic pact, but his control over mana was crude at best.

That’s why he needed fuel—the straw—to keep the fire burning.

“If I tear apart your fuel source, you won’t be able to sustain your magic. Without a foundation, the flames will scatter and fade into the air. And once the fire dies down—this cursed wind will vanish as well.”

As the flames lost their intensity, the raging winds dissipated.

With the oppressive storm gone, Ren could fight at full strength again.

A familiar sensation returned—her floating magic was back.

“Looks like I just turned the tables on you.”

“Damn it! Damn it all!!”

With her floating magic restored, the swordsman’s attacks would never reach her.

He flailed his arms in frustration, but Ren effortlessly evaded each strike.

“Then I’ll just set everything ablaze again! This time, I’ll burn the entire village to the ground!!”

The swordsman raised both arms.

From his clenched fists, black flames erupted once more.

He intended to rekindle the fire and summon the storm again.

“Too bad. This time, you’re going to see my ultimate move.”

Ren glided across the ground, closing the distance between them.

“O raging whirlwind that slices all before it, O tempest that destroys all in its path—become my blade and strike down my enemy!”

As she lowered her stance, a fierce wind roared to life.

The violent gale gathered around her sword, forming an enormous blade.

“STORM BREAKER!!”

The colossal sword of wind cleaved through the swordsman.

Its countless wind slashes tore into his flesh like a relentless chainsaw.

“GAAAHHHH!! DAMN YOUUU!!”

SLASH!

His body split in two.

His upper half tumbled backward, while his lower half collapsed to its knees.

“Phew… Sorry for being too strong~☆”

Ren wiped the bl00d from her face and stuck out her tongue playfully.

His body had been severed completely.

No matter how powerful his regeneration was, he wouldn’t be coming back from this.

“Damn it… I won’t forgive you…”

“Wait, what!? You’re still alive!?”

His resilience was unbelievable.

Even after being split in half, he was still conscious.

But he no longer had the strength to move—he merely lay there, groaning.

“Well… I guess he’s not a threat anymore. More importantly, I hope Lior’s okay—”

“Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!”

“HELP MEEEEEE!!”

“What the hell is that screaming…?”

The panicked voices came from the forest.

Ren turned to see the scout and the mage fleeing from the trees.

They were in absolute terror.

Their faces were contorted beyond recognition, their bodies drenched in sweat and other fluids.

(Those two… are running away? Where’s Lior?)

A dreadful thought crossed her mind.

Had something happened to Lior?

Her heart pounded with anxiety—but her fears were quickly put to rest.

Chasing after the terrified duo, Lior emerged from the forest, unharmed.

The moment they saw him, the scout and the mage completely lost it.

“A-A MONSTER!!”

“P-Please, have mercy! I’ll do anything!!”

Despite being demons themselves, they reacted to Lior as if he were some kind of nightmare.

Ren could only gape in bewilderment.

“…What the hell just happened?”