Reincarnated in a novel: I am the villain!-Chapter 294: Absolute Cinema

[Location: The Chrome Colosseum – The Exchange]

Time soon passed, and the day of the exchange finally arived

The arena didn’t smell of blood, rather It smelled of ozone and expensive polish.

The Chrome Colosseum floated above the city of Argentum like a halo, a massive ring of spinning silver and glass held aloft by magnetic ley-lines.

The audience seats were filled not with cheering masses, but with the elite. High Nobles from the lower layers, wealthy merchants with gemstone eyes, and Warlords draped in Abyss-silk.

With interest in their eyes, they observed, sipping mercury wine from crystal flutes, their faces masks of judgment.

In the center of the arena, five floating platforms hovered in a semi-circle.

The Five Dukes.

To the left sat Duke Ferro (Iron), a massive construct of rusted gears and steam. Next was Duke Aurum (Gold), a bloated demon whose skin was literally plated in gold leaf.

In the center, Duke Adamas (Diamond), a being of sharp, refracting angles who looked more like a prism than a person.

To the right, Duke Argent (Silver), a liquid-metal shapeshifter currently wearing the form of a beautiful, terrifying elf.

And above them all...

A massive holographic projection flickered into existence, towering over the stadium.

It was a face. Pale, beautiful, and utterly lifeless.

The Platinum Prince.

The Ruler of Layer 6 wasn’t physically present. He watched from his spire in the clouds.

His eyes were half-lidded, his chin resting on a hand the size of a building.

He looked bored. So bored that the very air around him seemed to stagnate.

"Welcome," the announcer, a floating drone made of brass, boomed.

"To the Centennial Exchange where the Prince demands Value. Show him what you are worth."

"Round One: The Appraisal."

Damien stood in the waiting tunnel, adjusting his cuffs.

"Nervous?" Ziriork rumbled beside him. The Ogre was sweating molten lead, his metal skin pinging with heat.

"No," Damien straightened his trench coat. "I’m just checking the lighting."

"You Newbies are always the same," Ziriork grunted. "Remember. Don’t fight. Sell."

Damien stepped out onto the glass floor of the arena.

He wasn’t alone. Ten other champions walked out with him. They were monsters of the highest caliber, a Void Stalker with blades for arms, a Magma Giant carrying a chest of rubies, a Siren floating in a bubble of water.

They all radiated power.

"Present your Value!" Duke Adamas commanded, his voice refracting like light.

The Iron Champion stepped forward first. He slammed a massive warhammer onto the ground.

"I present Star-Killer!" the Champion roared. "Forged from the core of a dying neutron star! It can shatter a mountain with one swing!"

The hammer glowed with terrifying gravity. The audience murmured in appreciation.

The Platinum Prince’s projection didn’t even blink. He yawned.

"Strength is common," the Prince’s voice boomed, sounding like distant thunder. "Pass. Barely."

Next was Argentus, the Champion of the Silver Faction.

The liquid-metal demon glided forward. He snapped his fingers, and a floating display case appeared.

Inside was a statue. But it wasn’t stone. It was made of living souls trapped in silver glass.

Their faces were contorted into expressions of exquisite, eternal agony.

"I present The Symphony of Screams," Argentus bowed elegantly.

"A sculpture that sings the song of despair forever. Art, derived from suffering."

Duke Argent smiled, clapping slowly.

"Beautiful fluidity."

The Platinum Prince opened one eye.

"Cruelty is mundane. But the craftsmanship is adequate. Pass."

The crowd cheered. Argentus smirked, casting a disdainful glance at Damien. "Top that, Solid."

Damien stepped forward.

The murmurs turned to boos.

"A Solid?" "Look at him, he has bones. Disgusting." "Go back to the Slag Heap!"

Damien ignored them.

He walked to the center of the arena neither bowing down to the Dukes nor did he bow to the Prince.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single, small crystal.

It wasn’t something special like his contract gem, neither was it some divine Artifact.

It was a standard Memory Crystal.

"A rock?" Duke Aurum laughed, his golden belly shaking.

"You want to offer a pebble to the Prince? Execution!"

"Wait," Damien said. His voice wasn’t loud, but he infused it with [Siren’s Chord], making the vibration carry to every ear in the stadium.

"The Abyss has Strength," Damien announced, looking up at the giant holographic face.

"It has Wealth and it has Cruelty."

He tossed the crystal into the air.

"But you have been alive for ten thousand years, Prince. You have seen every war. You have owned every treasure. You have tortured every enemy."

Damien smiled behind his mask.

"You aren’t hungry for power rather I think you’re starving for Novelty."

He snapped his fingers.

[Voss Art: Shadow Manipulation]

Playing the crystal, he used his mana to turn the air of the arena into a massive, three-dimensional screen.

ZOOM.

The lights in the stadium died.

A beam of light hit the darkness.

Music began to play, a low, rhythmic thrumming that sped up, mimicking a heartbeat.

Damien was showing them a Movie.

On the screen, a scene unfolded. It was edited, dramatized, and color-corrected.

It showed the Battle of the Void Shrine.

The audience gasped as a massive, cinematic shot of the Corrupted Buddha appeared, looming over the desert. They saw the "Hero" (Zero) flying through the air, his wings of gold and black spread wide.

They saw the explosion. They heard the dialogue, dubbed and enhanced for dramatic effect.

"Throughout Heaven and Earth... I alone am the Honored One."

The visual effects were unlike anything the Abyss had seen. Here, memories were just raw data.

Damien gave them Cinematography. Slow motion. Close-ups. A swelling orchestral score he generated with his own mana vibrations.

For five minutes, the Colosseum was silent.

The Nobles leaned forward, spilling their wine. The Warlords stopped polishing their weapons.

They were being entertained.

The scene ended with the Giga Full Counter, the screen fading to black right as the beam hit the camera.

Silence.

Damien caught the crystal as it fell back into his hand.

"This is called Cinema," Damien said to the stunned room. " Absolute Cinema to be exact!"

He looked up at the Platinum Prince.

The giant projection was no longer leaning back.

The Prince was sitting up. He was leaning forward, his massive face looming over the arena. His eyes were wide open, glowing with a terrifying intensity.

The boredom was gone.

"What..." the Prince whispered, his voice shaking the foundations of the city. "...happens next?"

Damien smirked.

"That," Damien pocketed the crystal, "is in the sequel."

The Prince slammed his hand down.

"PASS!" The Prince roared. "Highest Honors! Give him a seat! I want to see the rest!"

The crowd erupted. Not in boos, but in frantic, confused applause.

They didn’t understand what they had just seen, but if the Prince liked it, they loved it.

Duke Argent’s face twisted in fury. His "Art" had been upstaged by a magic trick.

"Cheap illusions!" Argentus hissed as Damien walked past him. "Get ready to pay for this solid"

Damien stopped. He looked at the liquid demon.

"Sure thing," Damien whispered. "However, you have ready to receive my payment."

He walked to the winner’s podium.

Round One was his.