Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son-Chapter 421: Reason for War [5]

[Nosferatu Kingdom]

[The home of Vampires.]

[Lumina.]

"Do you like the place, Aimar?"

Elise’s excited voice echoed again, a bit too loud for the quiet corridors they stood in.

The boy beside her didn’t answer right away.

His golden eyes scanned the halls again, walls of dark stone, covered in ivy that somehow never withered.

The air was cold and dry.

The ceiling above them arched high like a cathedral, lit only by crimson lanterns that gave everything a reddish hue.

"It’s... definitely different," Oliver finally replied. "Feels like I should whisper."

Elise grinned. "That’s the charm of it!"

She spun around on her heel, her black hair flowing like silk behind her.

Her rapier clinked slightly against her thigh as she moved.

"Not many outsiders ever step foot in this kingdom, let alone the palace." She looked back at him, green eyes shining.

"But I had to show you around when you asked."

Oliver shoved his hands in his pockets, his usual bored expression returning. "Thanks for helping me."

"It’s nothing." she replied, turning serious for a moment. "And remember your promise, right?"

Oliver smiled slightly. "....Yeah."

Even though he felt a pang of guilt in his heart, he didn’t show it on his face.

’I am sorry to use your girlfriend like this, brother.’

Oliver politely thought as they began to walk.

With the help of Elise and her love for Aimar, Oliver had found a way to stay with the Vampires.

’Though, I don’t like when my sister-in-law is giving that look.’

[≤Are you having second thoughts?≥]

Lilith’s curious voice echoed in his head.

’Nah, not really.’

Even though Oliver didn’t like to use Elise, he had a vision.

A way to end the Von Casita bloodline and he would do anything for that.

Elise glanced at him. "What are you thinking?"

Oliver blinked, caught off guard for a second.

Elise was looking at him with a small tilt of her head, her green eyes searching his face for a clue.

"Hm?" he said, giving a faint smile. "Just... wondering things that I probably shouldn’t."

Elise narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You’re a terrible liar, you know."

Oliver laughed under his breath. "Yeah, I’ve been told."

She didn’t press further, though.

Instead, she turned her head forward, her expression softening.

"If you ever want to talk, you can. I know you don’t trust people easily... but I’m not people." freewebnσvel.cѳm

Oliver looked at her for a long moment.

She said it so genuinely, so... innocently.

His chest tightened just a little.

"I know," he muttered. "You’re not."

Elise smiled, seemingly satisfied with that.

They turned a corner and entered another long corridor.

At the end of it was a room where they were going.

"Are you really want to meet them?" Elise asked the same question for the tenth time. "You shouldn’t—"

"It’s fine." Oliver replied, smiling. "I want to talk with your parents as well."

Elise blushed a little at his confidence but didn’t say anything else.

"Just... don’t be surprised if my father isn’t very friendly."

"I figured," Oliver said, not breaking stride.

She opened the door and walked inside the empty room before turning towards him.

"Are you sure?" she asked again. "There’s no turning back now."

Oliver nodded. "I’m sure."

She gave him a look half worried and half proud.

"Wait for a while." she said, walking out of the room. "I will call them."

Oliver looked around the beautiful room before he sat down on a sofa.

He closed his eyes for a second.

’.....Yeah, I should call him too.’

He looked to his side and blinked.

A solitude of a boy began to form there who looked just like him.

Oliver smiled. "Yo, I am at Elise’s family—"

"I will kill you if you touch her!!!" Aimar barked, trying to slap him but his hand couldn’t touch him.

"Relax." Oliver said, smiling. "I won’t do anything to sister-in-law."

Aimar glared at him for a while before he let out a sigh.

He looked down at his translucent body. "The fuck you did to me?"

"It’s an ability I got after making a contract with Lilith."

Oliver replied, looking at him.

"It can allow me to form projections in others and in my own mind."

Aimar looked at him. "That’s kinda....cool."

Oliver grinned. "I know, right?"

Aimar looked around the room.

"How did you make a contract with her?" He asked. "Isn’t she like mother of all demons?"

"Oh, we kissed." Oliver replied, "and don’t call her mother, she made them by her blood, not give birth to them."

"...Lucky bastard."

"Come on." Oliver scoffed. "It was just a peck on the lips."

[≤You used tongue.≥]

’I swear, it was accidental.’

[≤Yeah. For two minutes straight?≥]

’...’

Oliver ignored her words as he looked at Aimar.

For a moment, his mind turned blank as he thought about protecting him.

’...I need to get stronger.’

Oliver was sure he would reach the Eternal rank within a year.

He would reach the pinnacle of Overlord rank a lot sooner, but it’s incredibly hard to form a kingdom.

Most people couldn’t do that and remained as Overlord all their life.

’A little help and I should be able to reach it.’

[≤I am here to help.≥]

’Thank you.’

Still, Oliver wondered something else.

’How long will it take for Azariah to reach Eternal?’

He wasn’t sure, but Oliver had a feeling it could be before him.

[≤It won’t be easy for him.≥]

Lilith commented, her voice strained.

’Why do you say so?’

[≤He is a special case....≥]

That’s all she said.

Oliver didn’t press but he asked. ’Will his kingdom be stronger than mine?’

[≤Oliver—≥]

’I won’t take it negatively, I promise.’

[≤.....Yes.≥]

’What about Adam’s kingdom?’

[≤....Still yes.≥]

’What about you—?’

[≤Oliver.≥]

Her voice echoed in his mind, making him silent.

[≤It won’t be easy for him but when he forms his kingdom... It will be the strongest to ever exist.≥]

Oliver smiled softly. ’Fucking cheat.’

"Oliver?"

"You have something to ask?" He said, looking at his brother.

Aimar met his gaze. "Why are you doing this?" He whispered. "Why are you here with the Vampires?"

Oliver smiled softly as he looked at his hand.

"When the elves are at their last breath, the vampires will attack them." He informed, his voice serious. "Edel will help them by sending his entire army as aid."

Aimar frowned in confusion. "But why—"

"I intend to kill his entire army and even him if possible." Oliver said, standing up.

"And the best way of doing it is infiltrating the rankings of the Vampires."

"How can you be so sure—"

"Because Edel confessed it to Gwenyra." Oliver interrupted his words. "He told everything to her."

"...."

Aimar blankly looked at his brother who fixed his clothes neatly.

"Don’t blame me for this, Aimar." Oliver whispered softly. "I am doing this to make a better world for all of us."

Aimar stared at his brother. "Are you really?"

Oliver met his eyes. "Yes."

The door of the room finally opened up. People barged in.

Oliver’s gaze fell on Elise’s mother, Vivienne, and her father, Andro.

Then...

His gaze finally fell on the twin sisters behind them.

He smiled gently. "A pleasure to meet you, my in-laws."

***

[Unknown Island.]

[Edge of the Pargoina Empire.]

A heavy rainfall burst around me as I walked down a makeshift pathway in the forest.

But not a single drop of water hit me as a layer of mana protected me.

The place didn’t feel the same as when I last visited it.

It felt like the grip of mana here was far less than anywhere else.

"I guess, having a gate to hell does affect the place." I mumbled to myself as I stretched my body.

I kept walking.

Trees swayed under the force of the rain and wind, their branches rattling like bones in the cold.

Up ahead, the ruins started to appear, those blackened stones swallowed by moss.

I stepped onto the worn steps of what once was a shrine.

Now, only two broken pillars and a cracked altar remained.

Only a few more steps and I finally arrived at the old and dried-up tree.

Just below my feet was an enormous gate, embedded in the ground.

Black mist spilled from the gate like blood from a wound, staining the ground and the air itself.

I looked around the place before I let out a sigh.

[<Are you sure you want to do it?>]

"I want a place to train." I replied, sitting down close to a rock. "And what’s the best place than hell itself?"

[<...>]

"I know you are worried." I said, smiling softly. "But I know what I am doing."

[<Why go down there?>]

"...Well." I mumbled softly. "We need to check the place out, don’t you think?"

[<It’s the gate of the first layer of hell. You won’t find any souls there.>]

"...I know." I replied. "But it’s still better to have a look."

I placed my hand gently on the stone beside the gate.

"I just want Christina back," I muttered. "And Oliver."

[<You only need a body to revive Christina.>]

"Yeah." I replied, with a sigh. "But I need more to revive Oliver."

[<...>]

My plan for now is simple.

To train for one month inside hell and return back to the surface.

And keep on repeating it.

I would keep on doing it until I reached Eternal rank.

’It shouldn’t take more than four or five months.’

The first level of hell, called Saqar, is the least dangerous place.

And from what I know, there is no God or goddess ruling the place, but a child of Tiamat.

’I wonder how strong that thing will be.’

I let out a sigh as I stood up from my place.

[<You sure? If you don’t remember you need to be—>]

"I understand, Inna." I mumbled, taking in a deep breath. "I need to be High Overlord rank, otherwise I would die from all the riot, miasma, and poison."

[<Then how—?>]

Her words died down as I extended my hand.

A sphere began to form above my hand.

Inside was the World Tree tainted by the hell energy.

I smiled. "Do your work."

The tree immediately trembled at my words as a branch shot out of it.

The branch, the width of an arm, began to greedily suck in all the hell energy from around me.

Black fog rushed toward it, pulled in like smoke to a vacuum.

[<It’s working.>]

"Of course it is," I said, stepping closer to the gate. "This thing isn’t called a world anchor for nothing."

I remember the World Tree once having its roots in both heaven and hell.

Having something like this to myself was definitely worthwhile.

The branch kept draining the poisonous mist, slowly using it to nourish itself.

I stepped forward.

[<This won’t protect you forever.>]

"It only needs to buy me enough time," I mumbled as I looked down.

"A little over fifteen days should be enough for me to reach High Overlord."

I stood and took a final breath of surface air.

Then I stepped into hell.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢