Reincarnated as the Villain: The System Made Me Overpowered-Chapter 72: Throne of Ruin

The obsidian wind tore across the shattered plains as Valerian stood tall, his cloak snapping violently behind him. The ground beneath his feet was scorched glass, the aftershock of his last spell—a catastrophic burst of Abyssal Flame—still spiraling across the sky like writhing black dragons.

Bodies lay broken and burned in a jagged circle around him. Blood steamed against the heat, boiling on impact. From the ruptured horizon, more shadows began to rise—twenty... thirty... an entire battalion of Voidmarked Knights wearing the sigil of the Obsidian Conclave. Their armor was etched with runes of nullification. Their swords shimmered with anti-magic.

"Valerian," Kael growled from behind, stumbling as he caught his breath, armor torn open across the chest. "They keep coming."

Valerian’s crimson eyes narrowed. "Let them."

With a flick of his wrist, his System interface bled into view.

> [SYSTEM BOOST: WRATH UNCHAINED – 89% CORRUPTION]

Warning: Activation beyond this point may result in irreversible identity fracture.

He smiled bitterly. "Noted."

The Voidmarked came at him like a tidal wave—shields raised, formation perfect. Seraphina danced to his left, lightning arcing through her veins as her spear split the ground. She roared, eyes golden with rage, slicing into three at once, each blow charged with divine fury.

Selene descended from the air, her wings darkened by shadows, her silver-bladed staff spiraling through the necks of two captains. She landed beside Valerian, face pale but resolute.

"We’re outnumbered ten to one," she hissed, flicking ichor from her blade. "Your call, Valerian."

He didn’t respond with words. He raised his hand—and the sky answered.

A thunderous boom cracked the heavens as a new spell—Cradle of Ruin—tore reality open. A massive obsidian throne erupted behind him, burning with spectral fire. From its seat, spectral chains lashed outward like tendrils of a dying god. They grabbed soldiers mid-stride, pulling them screaming into the sky, their armor melting into dust before their bones did.

Kael’s eyes widened. "You... you’re manifesting domain authority."

"I’ve had enough of fighting on their terms," Valerian said. "They invaded my fate. Now I invade theirs."

Then the ground erupted—again.

A dome of inverted runes pulsed outward from the enemy’s rear line. The surviving Voidmarked fell to their knees in reverence as a new figure strode from the lightless portal at its center.

Seven feet tall. Jet-black armor with crimson trim. A helmet shaped like the maw of a dragon. The very air around him distorted—a High Executioner of the Conclave.

"VALERIAN MORROWS," the figure thundered, voice reverberating with the weight of a hundred executions. "You have been judged. Your soul belongs to the Abyss."

Valerian’s smile sharpened. "Then come take it."

He surged forward, lightning pulsing through his veins. The Executioner matched him step for step, each movement distorting space. Their first clash sent out a shockwave that cracked the mountainside behind them. Sword met greatsword in a spiral of flame and fury.

Selene tried to follow, but a barrier slammed down, trapping her with a dozen arcane archers. She spun her staff, forming a sphere of shadow to deflect the incoming barrage.

Seraphina howled, launching herself into a group of shieldbearers to carve a path toward Valerian. "Don’t die, bastard! We’re not done arguing!"

Kael turned, dragging Lira—wounded but conscious—behind a fallen obelisk. "We need to draw them away from the throne. That spell is tied to him. If it breaks—"

"He breaks," Lira whispered, eyes dim with vision magic. "That throne is his tether to sanity. If it’s shattered..."

Kael cursed. "Then we protect it."

Meanwhile, the duel intensified.

Valerian ducked low, then blinked behind the Executioner, striking with a reverse grip. But the greatsword spun inhumanly fast, catching the blade and hurling him into the ground. The Executioner descended like judgment, sword aimed for the heart.

Valerian snapped his fingers.

The ground erupted in a geyser of blue fire, throwing them both apart. He landed hard, blood pouring from his mouth, ribs broken. But he laughed.

"You’re strong," he coughed, eyes flickering. "But I’ve died before. This is nothing."

The Executioner approached slowly, his blade humming with Void Chant.

"You are not Valerian Morrows. You are a construct. A vessel. Your soul was marked for deletion the moment you were granted the System."

Valerian stood again, spitting blood. "Then let’s see if deletion bleeds."

He roared—and unleashed everything.

His aura exploded into a typhoon of entropy. Hair turned silver. The corrupted glyphs on his arms burned gold, then black. The throne behind him fused with his back, becoming a phantom cape of divine horror. The chains of the Cradle of Ruin lashed outward, dragging the Executioner toward him.

Their blades met again—this time not in steel, but in essence. Life-force versus deathmark. Divinity against anti-magic.

Time cracked.

Reality screamed.

The Executioner stumbled.

Valerian drove his hand into the armor’s chest and whispered, "Return to the silence you crawled from."

He activated Oblivion Pulse.

A burst of absolute null detonated between them—blinding white consuming everything.

When the light faded, Valerian stood alone, panting, covered in dust and scorched blood. The Executioner’s armor lay empty, crumbling into ash.

Selene burst through the barrier just as the last archer died. "You’re—"

"I’m fine," he rasped.

Seraphina reached him, covered in gashes, but grinning wide. "That was hot." Then she collapsed.

Valerian caught her with one arm. "Idiot."

Kael appeared next, dragging a half-conscious Lira, who looked at the Throne of Ruin... now cracking.

"Valerian," she murmured. "The spell’s failing."

The throne behind him groaned. The chains loosened. His pupils began to split into jagged lines.

"I can’t hold it much longer," Valerian said, more to himself than them. "The cost... it’s coming."

Selene stepped forward. "Then we stabilize you. We’ve come too far to lose you to the system now."

But Kael stiffened.

From the far end of the battlefield, where the Executioner had come, another portal flared open. Colder. Deeper. Wrong.

From it stepped a figure clad in gold—his features exactly like Valerian’s.

But his eyes... were dead.

"Hello, me," said the newcomer. "I’ve come to claim the rest of what’s mine."

The System interface glitched violently.

> [ERROR: DUPLICATE SOUL SIGNATURE DETECTED]

[WARNING: ROOT USER LOGGED IN]

[Welcome Back, Original Administrator: ALEXANDER.]

The throne shattered behind Valerian.

And he fell to his knees—choking on blood, as memories he had buried were forcefully unlocked.

Alex had returned.

And he had never left.

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