Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

[Elijah's POV]

Was I good at anything?

I've always wondered about it.

Since I was a child, there hasn't been a single moment where I didn't feel like I was lacking.

Compared to everyone around me, I have nothing to boast or show.

I may be good at one thing, but there are thousands better than me.

"Since the start, I was your average man."

And I was happy with it.

Even though my mind wandered many times towards how I should take my revenge.

I still tried my best to stop myself from shedding the blood of my own.

"…Would killing change anything?"

Maybe.

Maybe I would feel better.

Experience happiness like never before.

Maybe it would all happen at once.

"…And that terrifies me."

I've convinced myself that I don't deserve too much power.

Would I be able to control myself if I had it?

What would stop me from committing a massacre?

Taking everything for myself?

And…

As I stared at the glowing orb in front of me, I couldn't help but wonder:

"…Would I lose myself if I wield this power?"

Become something I never wanted to be.

"I don't know."

The world around me started to crumble slowly.

My eyes still locked on the glowing orb.

Ah.

Am I thinking too much?

Everyone will die if I don't accept it now.

And—.

"I have a brother who will stop me if I go too far."

I slowly moved my hand toward the orb.

"I don't need to be doubtful to make excuses."

My hand started to submerge into the orb.

"Nor be arrogant to feel lost."

The world around me crumbled.

"I just need to be enough."

A surge of incredible power rushed through my body as if I had been reborn.

I blinked.

The scenery returned—nobles held hostage and the Asura looking down at me.

A cascade of voices rose up, murmurs from the nobles who had been staring at me.

"An—Avatar."

A voice echoed from the crowd, and soon more started to speak up.

I glanced down at my body, now wrapped in pure white traditional tattoos.

Strands of my hair had turned completely white, levitating in front of my eyes.

"Elyon is known for his love of innocence."

The white does suit his representation.

"Ho?"

The Asura raised his brow in amusement, tilting his head. "An Avatar?"

I willed my body to rise, and I started floating upwards.

Finally, I stopped—right in front of his face.

The Asura tilted his head slightly.

"Leave," I said, my voice booming through the space. "Or I will have to kill you."

The Asura—Khokan—chuckled softly, his voice filled with amusement. "And how are you going to do that?"

I yanked my hand downward, and a sword emerged in my grip, a purple gem embedded in the hilt.

Khokan stared at my weapon. "Where did you find this—?"

Gathering my power, I thrust the sword forward.

Khokan vanished from his place, reappearing several feet away.

"You want to fight, huh?"

He lowered his stance, compressing the air beneath his feet to use the atmosphere as foothold.

"You got it."

His body blurred.

Even with the Avatar powers, I could barely follow his movements.

Throwing myself back in the air, I moved away from his jab.

'Okay, he's underestimating me.'

I quickly formed a plan in my mind.

He appeared close the next instant, throwing a straight punch.

Once again, I tried to move—.

'Huh?'

The Asura's momentum shifted mid-strike, his form blurring and leaping inhumanly fast, too fast for me to react.

A sudden pain burned in my side, and I was hurtling down.

Before I could even hit the ground, my shoulder blade twisted.

A pair of wings fluttered from my back, pure white in color.

Gasps escaped from the mouths of the spectators, but I didn't think about them.

The air shimmered as I hovered in place, flapping once—twice.

Khokan raised his hands, cracking his knuckles with a lazy grin. "Now this is interesting."

I didn't reply.

Instead, I raised my free hand.

A white circle formed beneath him.

Khokan blinked—then narrowed his eyes. "What's that—?"

BOOM!

An explosion of light erupted from below, but Khokan twisted in time, covering his body with mana and shooting out of the blast like a cannonball.

'Damn it—he's fast.'

He came at me from the right, the pressure of his aura tearing the clouds apart.

I raised my sword to block—

And just before impact, I vanished.

I reappeared behind him mid-air, sword ready.

CLANG!

He blocked it with his forearm, then disappeared.

Tch.

I couldn't get my arms up in time, and his blow struck my chest, almost knocking me unconscious.

'I'm not used to this.'

Gritting my teeth, I focused on the man rushing me again.

This time, I didn't meet him head-on.

Instead, I let my body go limp for half a second—just long enough to avoid his punch by a hair's breadth.

The blow whistled past my ear, missing me by inches.

Then I twisted mid-air, using the force of my wings to whip around behind him.

Without a second thought, I moved to touch his face.

But—.

He twisted at the last second, and I touched his hand instead.

His hand melted instantly, taking him by surprise.

Khokan still didn't flinch as he threw a punch with his other hand.

I formed a shield of mana and simultaneously changed its properties.

Boom!!

The moment he punched, his hand shattered into hundreds of pieces.

Khokan quickly moved back, while I fell to my knees.

'It takes too much from me.'

He stared me down as both his hands began to heal.

I wanted to use this chance to finish him off, but my body felt unresponsive.

"Ah, the power of Grafting," Khokan mumbled, taking me by surprise. "Ragnar did tell me about Elyon's Avatar potentially having it."

'Fuck.'

I bit my lip and rushed toward him again—his hands hadn't healed yet.

Changing the property of the air, I broke the sound barrier.

I gripped my sword tight and brought it down on his neck.

And...

His head was sliced clean off, falling to the ground.

'.....'

I stood, dumbfounded, staring at the severed head.

My body relaxed in the next instant.

I blinked.

And—.

"He also told me how to win against it."

A voice echoed before my body felt a sudden shift.

The world seemed to turn upside down as I caught Khokan flashing toward me.

Crack!!

Something hit me, a breaking sound echoed.

My eyes flickered to the side—my arm was limp, barely attached to my body.

Khokan vanished from my view as pain burst through my back.

Before I could grasp the situation, something struck my other arm—breaking it as well.

"All I need—"

I caught a glimpse of him again. A kick to my stomach made me want to throw up.

"—is to beat you before you can move."

Blood spread as a deep hole opened in my left thigh.

And finally, all the pain surged into my brain at once.

Even though I was in incredible pain, I grabbed onto him—barely.

His hand melted again, giving me a chance to fight back.

My wings flickered as I readied myself but—.

'I can't last long.'

Neither strength nor mana remained to keep fighting.

'The only reason I'm alive is because of the divinity.'

It's truly infuriating.

'If only I were stronger.'

Khokan rushed at me again. I tightened my grip on the sword, slashing forward with my broken arms.

Khokan easily dodged it—but then paused.

A commotion rose from the ground, making me glance down.

"Huh?"

A surprised voice escaped my lips as I saw him—standing between fifty dead soldiers.

"H-Himmel?"

A sudden hit to my jaw sent me flying back before I could think.

I braced for impact.

But—.

It never came.

I opened my eyes—finding myself in someone's arms.

"H-Himmel?"

"Sorry, brother."

He smiled apologetically, placing his idle hand over my chest.

"Lend me some divinity."

My divinity drained at an alarming speed.

*****

"Huff…"

I let out a sigh as I felt an incredibly potent power filling every inch of my body.

It felt like soaking in a hot bath, calm and eerily familiar.

"What did you do?"

Elijah asked as I placed him down on the ground.

"Rest for a while."

I said, giving him a reassuring smile.

"I will take care of him."

He still had enough divinity to heal his body while I started to walk once again.

The Asura floated in the air, staring at me in confusion, but he quickly grinned again.

'I don't see Aimar.'

[<He is safe now. Someone helped him.>]

'I see.'

"Heir Himmel," he said, his voice filled with excitement. "I was eager to meet you."

"Why so?" I asked, feeling my body turning the excess divinity into my own.

"Of course, I would be happy to meet you," he replied, clapping his hands. "The so-called successor of Ragnar."

"Why?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion. "I don't have anything special in me."

"Well, I always wondered." His lips curled up into a sinister grin. "Would Ragnar be happy if I kill you?"

I nodded in response. "He should be. After all, you would be killing the one who is his bane."

He let out a laugh as if he heard something funny. "You think you can kill him?"

I shrugged. "I can."

Just as I spoke, I felt the entirety of the divinity become mine.

'That was fast.'

[<The stronger you get, the faster it will be.>]

'I see.'

I jumped up in the air, getting warmed up.

My hair turned into wheat-blonde while golden traditional markings covered my entire body.

"What are you—?"

Khokan's words immediately halted as I launched at him like a bolt of lightning.

BOOM!!!

A punch on his face made him crash hard on the ground.

I bolted at him once again, a blade of mana forming in my hand.

I glimpsed at my hand; now the traditional tattoo also had strings of white attached to it.

The world slowed down as I changed the property of my mana blade.

Integrating Neplh into the blade, I slashed at his chest.

"ARGH!!"

A deep cut formed on his chest as panic crept onto his face.

He caught my wrist before I could make the second strike.

I twisted, breaking his hold, then snapped a jab into his chin, letting off a blast of Muspelh directly into his face.

Changing the properties of air, I made it swallow the lingering Muspelh, leaving no traces.

'Huh?'

His arm coiled around mine as he moved back, using the momentum to pull me up off the ground, spin, and send me flying.

'How did he not die?'

I wondered, twisting my body mid-air.

Even though I don't see Vikoka anywhere around, he is still alive.

Khokan rushed at me with his fist aimed upward, using his body like a spear.

Taking in a deep breath, I waited for him to come closer.

Just when he was within reach, I made a blade of mana and swept it downward.

His fist hit my stomach, but I also sliced his face in half.

Yet—

I blinked.

And he was in perfect shape.

'Something doesn't add up.'

His punch sent me higher, but I changed the properties of the air, making it harder.

Using it as a foothold, I launched downward.

Khokan stood on the ground, still disoriented from before.

Just as I moved closer, he got a grip on himself and took out a purple trident.

Landing a few feet away from him, I rushed at him once again.

"RAHHH!!"

Khokan roared as he threw his hand back and hurled the trident towards me.

It rushed at me like a purple bolt of lightning.

I took a shallow sidestep to my left, letting it cut through the air less than an inch from my face.

Dispersing my blade, I grabbed the trident.

It almost dislocated my shoulder blades, but I made it stop and spun.

Khokan tried to move but—

"Rejection of Time."

The world slowed down for him.

BOOM!!

A thunderous sound erupted as I hurled the trident back at him.

Khokan could only stare as the trident pierced his chest and pinned him to the wall behind him.

"Huff…"

I exhaled a soft breath.

And—

Blinked.

Khokan returned to his original shape without any damage.

BOOM!!

Someone fell from the sky, landing just beside him.

"You seem to be in trouble, brother."

Vikoka said, staring dead into my eyes.