Life Of A Nobody - as a Villain-Chapter 474: Rio and Devil -1

The way back home after the attack was filled with an eerie silence.

Rio hadn’t lied. As moments after Virgil vanished into blood and fog, the sky cracked open with the arrival of the Ravens—an overwhelming force that descended like a tidal wave of blades and discipline. An entourage big enough to be mistaken for an army battalion.

Rows upon rows of elite soldiers, trained assassins, and unseen sentries hidden within shadows and clouds were guarding the ship. Ensuring a smooth journey ahead.

Yet, even amidst that protection, a chill gripped the world outside.

Whispers had already begun to spiral across Arcadia, causing a mass wave of unease in everyone’s hearts.

Not only had Warzy—the world’s most despised terrorist syndicate—dared to strike again so soon after their last failure at the floating islands... they had done so while dragging the mighty Ravens directly into the fray.

To many, it no longer seemed like Warzy was a crumbling relic of the past. A rat hiding in holes to survive the strike of the sword saint. – No. It looked like they had never feared the world to begin with. Like they were willing to take on everyone all alone.

And what sent the world into further flames—were the videos.

Some shaky, some crystal clear, all spreading like wildfire through the black markets, underground forums, and blood-drenched trading hubs and hidden alleys.

Clips of Rio acquiring the legacy of a lost God. Amy erupting into the frenzy of chaos. Or Finn carving a battlefield with his domain, suppressing dozens of superior talents to his level and forcing them to submit.

Arcadia was trembling.

The strongest winds always seek out the tallest trees—and now the world saw House Blake and Ravens towering over the canopy.

The enemies of house Blake and Ravens fumed with hatred, jealous of the divine fortune poured into this new generation. While their rivals and political factions moved their pieces quicker. Unsheathing many secret plans and weapons ahead of time.

Conflicts broke out in many dungeons and towers, where members of Shade were besieged and butchered for various reasons. – making common folks fear that a great war was imminent.

Yet to their dismay, the Blake’s, who had always been known to act protective and passive aggressive, seemed to have gone into silence.

So much so, that there wasn’t even a threat response posted on social media, when an entire article containing the bounty order for Amelia hit the trending list, _ before being removed by orders of his majesty.

Some believed it was simply House Blake retreating to manage their losses, and not attract any more hatred. While others whispered that this peace was the silence before the storm.

But one thing that every living soul in Arcadia agreed upon today, — was that the future will never be the same.

....

And the man, who was probably at the center of all this hurricane?

He was now hiding away from the eyes of everyone in the ship.

Since the moment the Ravens appeared, Rio had locked himself inside his room. While a complex formation barrier sealed him in—blocking all sound, magic, and even divine perception.

Even when Amy woke from her chaos-induced trance, she had walked quietly to his door and knocked.

But there was no response.

"Come on, you saw how tired he was. I’m sure he must be sleeping." Becca tried to comfort Amy as she held her close. "Let’s go see your shadow, she’s awake now."

Amy looked once more at the closed door. Her hand hovered near the surface for a heartbeat longer. Then, silently, she followed Rebecca down the corridor with a lost look.

Though Rebecca carried herself as calm, she too felt the storm in her heart. Especially after she went through the messages from her parents.

(I hope I’m overthinking it.) She thought to herself, while glancing over the shoulder, at Rio’s door with a worried look.

She had a passive perception skill called ’A sense of water’ _ one which gave her the instincts same as water. The sense that showed which obstacles she could safely sail through, ignore, and/or surpass _ but looking at that room now - her senses were screaming, warning her for the unbridled Tsunami brewing within, which could drown her in a second.

....

Becca wasn’t aware that behind that door wasn’t just a tsunami, but a world of infinite darkness. One where light didn’t even dare to enter, or exist.

Rio was sitting on his bed with legs crossed and in a meditation position, had his consciousness floating freely in this dark realm.

It was his mindspace. The land where the system lived.

Yet unlike the last time where he left it with a shining vision of Asgard and the World Tree at the center _ in it’s place was just a golden throne, and an entity carved from the pitch black darkness itself, and forming a physical body.

With dark red pupils at the forefront which pulsed with an endless thirst and hunger– making this entire aura feel nothing but nightmarish.

Yet Rio glanced in those red eyes and only raised a brow in response.

Though the mysterious entity had a horrific aura, and a presence far more powerful than anything he ever felt _ Rio still spoke as if he was in control.

And maybe in a way he was.

"I didn’t think you’d show yourself. Figured you’d still hide." He spoke, calling to the entity parasitizing his brain.

"I never hid. You were just too weak to notice." The entity spoke, but with that murky mud-like form Rio couldn’t see any shape of a face.

"But it is you who surprised me." The entity spoke, and snapped it’s fingers.

Suddenly, the void between them collapsed, and they stood inches apart. . The close proximity causing Rio’s body to tremble and back to sweat buckets. But the entity ignored it, like it was nothing unusual.

As if it should be.

"I thought you’d still act stupid and pretend to ignore my existence as long as it didn’t interfere in your plans." novelbuddy-cσ๓

The answer made Rio frown, as he felt this mysterious entity may have known everything about him.

Cause he was right.

Ever since he got out of that dungeon months ago, he always had some doubts about the ’voice’ in his head.

The ’illusory’ persona which accompanied him in that crazy loneliness, constantly helping him challenge his limits and survive against the odds. Urging him to bite and claw at the cosmos.

But back outside, in the embrace of his loved ones, and the safety at home , he just tried to forget everything bad and tried to move on. – But this shell of convenience shattered once the nightmares started again after the academy began.

With every battle he faced, and every life he ended - he could feel the thirst inside him growing day by day. Making him no different from the Devil described in the original novel.

Which is why he chose to ignore this ’voice’ even more.

So when Aelthar’s soul tried to take over his body and failed miserably. He again tried to ’lie’ to himself that it was his system’s doing.

Only to wake up and see not a single point less in his status panel.

Cause if it really was the system, then surely the greedy AI would’ve stolen a lot for it’s efforts.

That realisation also broke the bubble and solidified the fact that something else, _ or rather someone else , had occupied his mind. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t deny it anymore.

He was actually planning to confront this entity after he reached home. Once he was at his best. When he had fused with Aelthar’s legacy, and the system finished leveling up, _ but with everything that followed _ he couldn’t avoid it any further.

"Well, things happened. And I had to face you someday, so..." Rio replied non-committingly without showing an ounce of the storm swirling within his heart.

"Hmmm. Things huh?" The entity nodded, "You mean the nasty mess the baggage you carry caused outside?"

"Mind your tongue. She’s my sister." Rio spoke with faint anger.

"It’s funny. How she ruined your life twice now, and you’re still giving her an easy pass. Pathetic." The entity mocked as it leaned closer, that voice low and cruel.

"....." Rio didn’t reply, but his aura began to crackle with suppressed rage.

"Ohh, was that supposed to be your little secret?" The entity chuckled with a mellow laugh seeing Rio’s face stiffen at the mention of his earth life, "But I know everything."

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