Chapter 1: Chapter 1 - A destined Villain
In the fading light of Gaia, the clouds stretched endlessly across the continent, lit only by the last glimmers on the Planet Blue star.
Below this celestial canopy, the dying sun tried to paint the land in a soft orange glow, but the earth's stubborn crimson resisted its touch.
Slowly, the light descended, carrying a metallic scent and the lingering dampness in the air. Its orange tint shifted to a deep red, reflecting off pools of liquid below.
In this changing light, a disturbing scene emerged, casting an eerie glow that revealed a violent tableau etched into the ground.
Thousands of bodies lay strewn across the blood-soaked earth, a chilling reminder of the ferocious conflict that had torn through this place.
"...h...e.l..p"
Groans of the wounded mingled with the stench of death, hanging heavily in the air.
The ground, once teeming with life, was now a canvas of horror, bearing witness to the darkest depths of human cruelty.
Seven figures, once vibrant with life, now lay broken and battered on the unforgiving ground.
Their bodies bore the scars of a brutal struggle, twisted limbs and oozing wounds painting a nightmarish picture.
The weariness etched on their faces echoed the exhaustion felt within, while the fading glimmer in their eyes hinted at their impending fate.
Blood seeped into the earth, mingling with the soil, painting it crimson, The air was thick with the metallic scent of their suffering.
Standing amidst the horror was a man, handsome yet bearing the marks of the relentless battle, His gaze was steely, unyielding, as if the agony around him was just a backdrop to his unshakable determination.
'It's been 26 years since I reincarnated in this world,' Ryuk thought, reflecting on his transformation from a typical software engineer in a peaceful society to his current state.
Coming from a society where notions of afterlife, including concepts like Transmigration and Reincarnation, were commonplace themes depicted in the novels, he swiftly recognized the idea of reincarnation upon his arrival in this new world.
His suspicions were solidified when he activated his system at the young age of four.
It didn't take him long to understand that the core of his system was rooted in fundamental qualities associated with a villain.
Even though he comprehended that he had been reincarnated as such, contrary to the typical antagonists portrayed in novels, he harbored no intention to cause harm or dominate heroines, much less engage with them.
His aspiration leaned more toward leading a peaceful life, one where he could detach himself from his predetermined destiny and progress towards a life brimming with fresh experiences and knowledge.
Yet, his ethical code seemed to inevitably bind him to the cruel fate that typically befalls those characters.
He couldn't stand idly by, knowing the suffering they would endure to become the sons of heavens and heroines.
He made it his mission to intervene and save them from their inevitable, brutal fate.
But now, everything felt like a colossal mistake.
He gazed at those seven individuals with his icy, amber-flecked eyes, intensified by the orange light rays, their cold glint betraying no emotion, not even a hint of sympathy on his face.
Those individual's bodies were a brutal mosaic of blood and agony, with broken limbs grotesquely mangled, revealing the excruciating suffering they had endured at the hands of the man looming over them.
One young man, defeated and humbled, lay under the weight of his foot, missing limbs was a stark display of dominance and a grim reminder of the clash that had unfolded.
"So, Diana, what's your excuse for betraying me?"
His amber glinted eyes bore into the woman with bloodied, broken blue hair, kneeling in complete disarray.
"....you're evil"
"Oh, so, looking out for all of you makes me evil?"
The man narrowed his eyes, contemplating the echoes of protagonist halos and heroine's mentality, starkly real now.
Coming from a world far removed from such grim reality, he had read about these personalities in novels, but experiencing their shortcomings firsthand was a different story.
"How am I evil?"
He looked down at his foot where a young man, limbless and crushed, lay in a state of complete brokenness, mustering the little strength he had left to utter some words.
"...y....you ba..stard, You killed millions"
Hearing these words, the man's internal amusement grew at the absurdity of these hypocritical people.
He had eradicated all the evil organizations within the Empire after ascending to his throne.
Wars were waged to crush rebellious kingdoms that stood against his Empire, uniting the entire Heidal Continent under one flag—the Selvius Empire.
He shifted his gaze towards another woman with pink hair, her body completely broken, supported by a rock to maintain a semblance of balance amidst the devastation.
"Hmm, so what about you, Karina? Wasn't your family about to be executed by the Aidiac Royal family? Is it wrong for me to have intervened?"
"You killed them without mercy, and although you saved my family, it was not worth it", she retorted, supported by a rock, struggling to maintain consciousness, her gaze heavy and fixed downward.
"I just saved—"
"It's bullshit. You could have solved everything peacefully without drawing so much blood."
His narrowed eyes revealed his struggle to comprehend her mindset.
Hearing all this, the man began to understand why those novels depicted these people as hypocritical and low in intelligence.
If he hadn't saved them, they would have suffered the most gruesome fate.
"Ryu—"
THUD
Just like that, another lifeless body soaked the ground once again.
His gaze shifted towards a woman, her body leaning on her sword for support, blood trickling from her mouth as she struggled to maintain her balance.
"Now, Miss Fiancée"
The woman's eyes, exhausted yet ablaze with anger, fixed on the man responsible for the deaths of her family, while her weak voice tried to protest,"Y-you killed them"
"How many times," he sighed, "I told you, they were just using you"
"Though, it doesn't matter now"
SCHLKT
His sword, now stained once more with blood, had reached a saturation point where even the ground refused to absorb another drop of the crimson liquid.
Turning towards another direction he moved towards a woman holding daggers, struggling to maintain her failing posture.
"Who would have thought, releasing a slave from her contract would lead to betrayal," he muttered in frustration.
He looked at the girl, anger consuming his mind.
He had saved her from a life of slavery, yet upon witnessing her family's demise, they began to perform a pathetic act of helplessness.
Despite his efforts to clear this misunderstanding, he found himself accused by her of murdering her dear family.
"You killed them even as they begged for mercy, their helplessness due to money..."
His gaze was blank as he looked at this woman before shifting it towards another woman with missing limbs—the worst one of them all.
drip
Blood trickling from her lips, staining the ground where her face laid.
"And finally you," he said coldly, "promising eternal love and all, dear bodyguard, and then betrayal"
The woman, with her dwindling breath, could only gaze at the man's foot and the blood staining the ground.
She felt helpless, unable to comprehend where she had gone wrong.
For her, everything had felt right until they all got influenced by a stranger.
She couldn't understand why she believed in that strange man and betrayed the man she had loved with all her heart.
Her eyes lost themselves in the encroaching darkness as consiouness faded.
"System, activate all the talisman," he intoned, his voice resonating with authority.
[ ?????????? - -» ?1% ?35% ?99% —? ???? 100% ]
WHOOSH
The air crackled with anticipation as ethereal energies surged.
A pulsating aura emanated from the talisman, casting a mesmerizing glow that spread like wildfire, bathing the world in a surreal light.
HUSH
The world around him froze, suspended in a moment of eerie stillness.
Colors muted and sounds dulled, giving way to an otherworldly quiet.
The world began to unravel, rewinding in a celestial dance, reversing the progression of events.
It was as if nature itself was rewinding a cosmic tapestry, threads of existence intertwining in reverse.
As the man watched, memories danced before his eyes - moments lost, actions undone, and wounds healed.
The very fabric of reality was being stitched back together, taking on the form of a past now rewritten.
Then Sudden Darkness —
.....
In the Selvius kingdom, a lavish palace stood as a monument to extravagance.
Within its grand halls, adorned with gilded arches and shimmering white walls, lay a room adorned with books and plush furnishings, fitting for the name — Ryuk von Selvius
As the first rays of dawn gently caressed the palace, casting a golden glow upon the regal chamber, a five-year-old boy stirred from slumber.
His eyes snapped open, revealing amber irises as he sat on the bed, gazing down at his small, child-sized hands.
Clenching his small fists, his blank amber eyes slowly lifted as he stared straight ahead, commanding,' System, activate the Villain aura'
His objective had become apparent.
In his past life, he had avoided using his system, refusing to adopt the persona of a villain.
His sole wish had been a peaceful life, aspiring to peacefully transition into the cycle of reincarnation.
But now, circumstances had changed.....