Life in Vain: Jobless Reincarnation

An unexpected challenge from an unexpected enemy.

Pierre said he'd go give that dumbass godson of his a piece of his mind.

Orsted said that he would fight at my side.

Dad said he'd come along too and show that dumb snake what for.

And when my wives found out, they practically got up in arms and prepared to rush out then and there.

Especially Sylphy.

But I talked them all down.

Although unexpected, Perugius had issued a formal challenge instead of just bombarding Arcadia with <Chaos Breaker> or sending his spirits to wreak havoc.

I respected that. Since he showed at least that modicum of respect despite clearly being influenced by Being W, I could at least fight him by myself.

...Of course, I wasn't planning on fighting fair at all.

Especially since I had a feeling this would be a two-part fight with Perugius being the warm-up while Being W tagged him out right after without giving me any breathing room.

And the first step to tilt the odds in my favor was the set up the terrain.

The original plan was to use Zenithia as a floating castle like <Chaos Breaker>.

However, since my lovely daughters and son were still too young to move around, and my lovely wives were incapacitated, I couldn't risk that.

So instead, I went with Plan B, aka the Doom Island.

The Ringus Sea.

It was the body of water between the five major continents of this world, formed when the former singular supercontinent was split apart during the Second Great Human-Demon War.

And considering the implications of my fight with Being W, I figured it was a good place to set the stage.

Surveying the area, it was mostly just water, aquatic monsters, fish, and a dungeon hidden deep underground that was apparently already cleared.

At least, that was what I could see.

Not that it really mattered either way.

You see, if Perugius was going to act the part of a hero, I was going to completely play up the role of a villain.

I mean, that guy had a floating island that practically served as a fortress, so since I was his opponent, it was only fair that I had the same.

Not to mention this would be used against Being W as well, so...

I held out my hand and stared at the bottom of the ocean.

Mapping out useful areas, pieces of bedrock, and other places I could mold. Selecting useful monsters I could refashion to defense sentries... And then it was time to act.

"Arise."

A faint flash of light emerged from the depths of the sea. And then foam started to roil across the sea's surface as the land reformed.

"Mountains, forests, plains. Rivers, lakes, streams. Spirits, monsters, daemons..." I muttered to myself as I envisioned the place I wanted to create and molded the necessary features.

Mana roiled as magic formations flared to life, self-perpetuating through the logic Roxy taught me with her Dungeon Home.

Mana roiled again as countless spirits were birthed from monsters and combined to elevate their ranking and strength.

And mana roiled one last time as dark ocean bedrock was transmuted to dirt, plants, and other terrain.

It was a culmination of my experience and knowledge since the space-time distortion.

...Minus summoning magic. Didn't want something crazy to happen this far out like accidentally summoning my son Ares from the far future who had become a literal god of war or something.

Endless waterfalls fell from the floating landmass. Mist and fog naturally formed from the infinitely falling water, creating clouds that gave the illusion the island was being carried in the sky by those clouds.

It was mostly finished.

But there was one last touch left.

I descended on the island and walked to the highest point.

There, I built a castle- No, a fortress.

Considering this was 'Doom Island,' maybe I should call it the 'Fortress of Doom?'

Either way, I began building.

A poison swamp, a maze-like interior with warp areas leading deeper into the island and traps along the way, four guardian spirits (as a Demon Lord should have), and then a throne and a vast chamber for me at the very end for a climactic final battle.

When that was complete, I sat on my obsidian throne and pulled out the letter Perugius sent me.

Now, it was time to write a response.

---

I await you in the Fortress of Doom upon Doom Island above the Ringus Sea.

Since you paint me as a villain, I will act accordingly.

Can you breach its defenses and reach me, oh Dragon God?

Let us end it, one week hence.

---

"...That's formal enough, right?"

Just as I thought that, a response appeared beneath my scrawled note.

"Challenge accepted... Huh." I chuckled and said, "Well. I guess this should be fun?"

Now, this was a once in a lifetime experience.

Might as well go all out and make this a proper raid, complete with loot and all, right?

-SNG-

Stella was worried.

Onii-chan kept disappearing for most of the day, and nobody would tell her what was going on.

She thought it was because he was taking too much after their deadbeat dad at first, but that wasn't it.

After all, Onii-chan was a responsible adult. A bit... extreme at times, but definitely responsible.

So it was weird how he kept popping away from the palace and vanishing.

And it was also weird how all the adults were anxious.

Not only that... Stella felt weird.

It was a strange intuition. Like something 'final' was about to happen. Something big that would change everything.

And it bothered her that no one would tell her what was going on!

"...And that's why I think we should trap Onii-chan and force him to tell us." Stella looked around at her comrades and said, "What do you think?"

Silence.

Stella pursed her lips.

It was the little house at the foot of Rudy's tower.

Basically, Stella's childhood home.

Since the adults were being secretive and/or busy taking care of her new nieces and nephew, she was having a secret meeting of her own with her friends and allies.

...Or that was the plan.

But the only ones there with Stella were Fai, Wata, Wyn, Leo, and Miko.

Silence fell in the room, and then Miko said, "Um... I think we should just leave it be."

Wata nodded and said, "If Lord Rudy is working this hard when the babies were just born, something serious is happening."

Leo barked. "Wan. That's right. And that means Stella should just stay put until it's over. Wan."

Stella crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks. "I don't want to!" She looked at Leo and said, "I'm the hero, right, Leo? That means I have to save the day!"

Leo nodded. "That's right. But Stella is the hero for the future, not now. You are still small, like how I am still small. ...Wan."

Fai nodded. "What they said, Stella."

Stella glared at Fai and said, "You too, Fai?!"

Fai pursed her lips and said, "...Yeah. Me too." She shook her head and said, "The Primordial Spirits have told us all to stay put, so we couldn't go even if we wanted to."

Stella blinked. "Primordial Spirits? But didn't you guys level up into Spirit Kings already?"

Wata nodded. "Well, yeah. But we still have to listen to the Primordials until we beat them."

Stella frowned. "...Then that means I'd have to trap Onii-chan by myself?"

Leo barked. "I can help! Wan."

Stella looked up at Wyn, still sleeping on Stella's head as usual. "What about you, Wyn?"

Wyn yawned and then shook her head. "Just let your big brother play pretend Demon Lord and beat up the baddie, Stella. You can help beat up the boss later in the post-game."

Stella paused, processing Wyn's words. And then her eyes widened. "Wait! What do you mean-!"

-RNG-

"Win." I reached up to stretch and said, "That's all I gotta do now. Win twice, and then tie up loose ends."

The depths of the Fortress of Doom.

There I sat on my throne, waiting and watching as a hologram projected the outside surroundings to me.

And there, kneeling in front of me, were four spirits.

Well, calling them just 'spirits' wasn't being fair.

After all, they were primordial forces of nature bound in physical form.

I took a look at them.

The Primordial Flame, codename 'Prometheus.' He was a giant formed from magma, but right now he appeared as a red-haired middle-aged man clad in crimson armor.

Next to him, the Primordial Sea, codename 'Tiamat.' She was a dragon formed from the deepest waters of the world, but right now she appeared as a blue-haired ageless beauty clad in a flowing water dress.

Behind her, the Primordial Wind, codename 'Ventus.' He was a wistful breeze that traveled across the world, but had taken the form of a young boy in a bard's outfit.

And beside him, the Primordial Stone, codename 'Gaia.' Like Prometheus, she was a giant. Unlike him, she was formed from the stone deep in the core of this world. But now, she took the form of a lithe green-haired woman wearing a suit of emerald armor.

...This was technically cheating and breaking the power-scaling of the world since these sorts of spirits shouldn't exist.

From what I had read and gathered after talking with Nanahoshi and Perugius in that other timeline, Perugius's spirits were actually the top of the echelon when it came to spirits.

For example, Arumanfi was the lord of all light spirits, and there was a spirit that was the lord of all water spirits too.

But that was because those spirits were the oldest and strongest in age due to being created by Perugius centuries ago.

...Maybe it was a bad habit I'd picked up from fighting Being W, but if I saw my opponent do something, I wanted to do it better and beat the guy at his own game.

Anyway.

Prometheus raised his head and said, "Lord Rudeus. We have finished our preparations."

Tiamat nodded. "The seas will rise at your command."

Ventus smiled and said, "The wind shall be at your side."

Gaia smacked her chest and said, "And the earth shall tremble beneath your feet!"

...It seemed like these guys were itching to roleplay, huh?

Well, that was what this was all about, so...

I stood up and smirked. "Excellent. Then..." I shifted my gaze in the distance, staring past my fortress with Clairvoyance.

<Chaos Breaker> was approaching.

And on it were Perugius and his 11 familiars.

Since I'd been on and broken through <Chaos Breaker> before, it didn't take me long to slip past the defenses and stare at Perugius directly.

But unlike when I arrived in the other timeline, Perugius didn't let me pass unnoticed.

Garbed in a shimmering golden armor, he immediately met my gaze and smirked.

His words couldn't be heard.

Even so, I could read his lips.

'Shall we begin?'

Seeing that, I sat back down on my throne and waited. "Everyone, to your positions."

""""AS YOU WILL!""""

With a spirited (pun intended) shout, my newest allies scattered to take their places.

And with that...

"Time to be a real Demon Lord for once."

...I waited for my fated(?) challenger.

-LIV-

A clear blue sky above, and a deep blue sea below.

Superimposed between both was a floating island.

<Doom Island>, where Rudy lay in wait deep within the center, beyond his <Fortress of Doom>.
 
And then above that, a castle emerged, blocking out the sun.

<Chaos Breaker>, the fortress that had been restored and repurposed by Armored Dragon King Perugius.

A peaceful silence filled the air, broken only by the sound of the water spilling from <Doom Island>.

But the moment that <Chaos Breaker> lined up with the center of <Doom Island>, that silence shattered.

Myriad magic circles filled the sky in an instant. And in the next, an endless stream of magic struck down on the island.

The sea evaporated, revealing the deep valleys below.

The air distorted from heat and the crackling energy of the bombardment.

But the island remained intact and completely undisturbed.

Not even a single blade of grass had been harmed.

Silence fell again.

But then thirteen figures emerged from the castle and landed on the island.

The first was a man with silver hair and a harsh expression. Shimmering golden armor wrapped his body and the air distorted with his every movement from the sheer energy emitting from him.

Beside him was a woman with black wings and a porcelain mask.

And beside those two were eleven others, arranged in a formation.

Perugius and his familiars.

The Armored Dragon King waited for a moment, observing the looming fortress in the distance. And then he laughed. "Confident, I see." After that, he looked around at the island and said, "But I suppose it is somewhat merited."

The woman with black wings raised her head and said, "Lord Perugius. How shall we attack?"

Perugius let out a cold smile. "Well. Let us see just how merited his actions are."

-LIV-

The War Council room in <Zenithia>, Arcadia's Imperial Palace.

There, Rudy's family had gathered to watch the battle, along with Orsted.

Hidden magic circles synchronized with the room displayed the island in real-time, allowing everything to be seen at once.

Orsted reacted first, staring at Perugius. "...Is he wearing the Fighting God Armor?"

Pierre let out a deep sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "This is what happens when there isn't a proper father figure to guide a child..."

Paul crossed his arms, staring at Perugius and his spirits splitting into two parties. "Just how tough are these guys, anyway?"

Rika spoke up and said, "Alone and without that armor, Perugius would be nothing to Rudy. But..."

Orsted hummed. "He should be a force to be reckoned with. The Fighting God Armor raises a person's combat ability to incredible lengths. Of course, it varies depending on the person... But Perugius is skilled enough in magic that he should be able to maximize it."

Pierre nodded. "Not just that, but it seems like he modified it." He narrowed his eyes and said, "I can't confirm it... but I wouldn't doubt it considering he got contacted by Being W."

At that time, Stella raised her hand.

Paul noticed and said, "You got something to say, Stella?"

"Yeah!" She crossed her arms and said, "Why isn't Onii-chan just fighting in the open? He's strong enough, right? And how come that Perugius guy's just walking into the big trap? Does he think he's a hero in a game or something?"

Sylphy laughed. "Well, Perugius IS an ancient hero. And Rudy also is a Demon Lord... it's fitting, isn't it?"

Stella frowned. "Even so, this is stupid. It's putting on a show for no reason."

Paul laughed. "Just sit back and watch, Stella. Rudy wouldn't do this without a good reason."

-RNG-

"...I should have thought this through a bit more."

I muttered under my breath as explosions and shockwaves reverberated through the surroundings.

From my throne, I could oversee the situation going on throughout the island.

Like a speedrunner who found an exploit, Perugius was easily rushing through the fortress, cutting down most of the traps and obstacles placed in his way.

Not only that, he was confident in fighting me alone, it seemed.

As he and his party came across each of my Primordial Elemental Lords, he sent off three of his familiars to fight the one that appeared before continuing on his way.

And sad to say, the guy's spirits were more combat-ready than the ones I just picked up.

It was expected though.

This was more just a show for Being W to think I was pulling out all the stops.

I mean, if it worked, it worked. But I wasn't too upset if Perugius broke through.

This whole place was one meant to break, and also to have a bit of fun.

It wasn't every day you got to play the part of a World-Ending Boss and fight the supposed Hero, you know?

Usually, it was the other way around.

But anyway, time was coming up.

I sat on my throne and waited, idly tapping on the armrests. And as I did, I considered what was going to happen next.

After Perugius, Being W didn't have any pawns left to throw at me, so he'd be stepping in personally.

And furthermore, my actions were to give him enough 'justification' to descend.

Although this was still his world, it was better to face him here than in the Void Realm where that guy had infinite time to prepare.

The first step then was beating Perugius.

I didn't anticipate a problem considering I had a good gauge of his abilities from visiting the other timeline. I had also planned to rope him in as an ally at some point, so I analyzed his strengths and weaknesses a bit.

In terms of magic, that guy was best at Summoning and Barrier magic, as evident by his feats of summoning those ancient spirits as his familiars, and also sealing Demon God Laplace away.

I don't think he was that skilled in combat though.

He had the vibe of someone who'd been through battlefields and trusted his body, but he didn't emit Orsted vibes in terms of combat strength.

Of course, that was when he wasn't wearing that golden armor.

I didn't know what it was, but I DID know it was an insane amplifier.

It gave off all sorts of secret post-game dungeon equipment vibes.

And from how he was speedrunning my dungeon, I couldn't take it lightly.

...I was glad that I was smart enough to not have the fight in Arcadia though.

Even if I had all sorts of countermeasure set up there, better that they were saved in case someone tried a desperation move on my family.

It would be a fight with a lot of variables, but I was used to winging it.

Not to mention I had more than a few variables of my own to pull out.

Benefits of befriending an otaku who apparently was a fan of powerscaling anime and video game characters.

But that aside, I could be sure that Being W would try something after Perugius was defeated.

Hopefully, he tried showboating in this world.

A 'friend' had given me a certain spell perfect to tie him down if I could catch him in this world. And I had long since devised a perfect spell to actually destroy the guy.

At least, in this timeline.

From what Nanahoshi said, it was likely we'd have to clean things up on her side too in order to prevent a timeloop paradox or Being W respawning somehow.

That would be easy though. Unlike my pal Being W, 'Hitogami' in that timeline wouldn't see me coming.

After all, 'Rudeus Greyrat' lived a full and great life in that time and was long gone.

That Rudeus Greyrat also hadn't been a ridiculous genius-type like me. Smart, yes. But coming up with countless asspulls, no.

And of course, there was a long line of people waiting to smack Being W around.

Probably couldn't happen in this timeline, but we could definitely jump him in Nanahoshi's time.

And then after that, I could retire from all this craziness and focus on having a happy slice-of-life time with my lovely wives and cute baby children-

An explosion erupted from nearby as the warp circle leading to my throne room overloaded and shattered.

Smoke filled the air, but then a figure emerged.

Gleaming silver hair and golden eyes. A stern expression and sharp gaze.

...And also regal golden armor emitting unthinkable power.

Not mana. Not Battle Aura.

Just raw POWER that distorted the air around it, making Perugius look hazy.

My eyes sharpened.

...Okay. Maybe I shouldn't take this that lightly.

Perugius looked at me and gave me a once over. And then he nodded. "You have completely absorbed and enhanced the Laplace Factor, assimilating at as your own strength."

"And you're quite rude." I stood up and said, "Challenging me out of the blue when we could have a peaceful-"

A golden blur.

A heavy impact that sent me flying.

Broken stone, rubble, and dirt.

And then I realized I was falling, blood, viscera, and other bits in my field of vision as a golden light rushed down on me again.

I clicked my tongue and focused.

*tick*

My vision was filled with a crimson haze. And as it was, I could make out the golden light.

It was Perugius, rushing towards me with an overhead two-hand hammerfist.

*tick*

Time was slowed to a crawl. Even so, he was moving at a normal speed and would reach me in a few more seconds.

And from what I could see drifting with me, I had taken a mortal wound with just a single blow, while the second was going to finish me off.

*tick*

...But if I died that easily, I would have surrendered to Being W a long time ago.

I'd have to apologize to my sisters and my wives later though. I'd also be getting an earful from my moms.

*crack*

Time began to speed up.

Perugius rushed towards me, slowly turning back into a golden beam of light.

Seeing that, I held out my left hand and focused on my ring finger.

Specifically, on a pair of rings I was wearing there.

The first was from my genius wife Roxy.

And the second was a late gift from my beloved Empress Rika who didn't want to be shown up.

Another heavy impact.

But.

"Hm?"

Perugius's eyes widened.

I smiled and lowered my left hand that caught his blow. "You know, it's rude to interrupt someone when they're talking."

It was an incredible strength and amplifier.

The regal golden armor that Perugius wore gave him enough raw strength to probably beat Orsted.

And this was before the guy even used any magic.

...But he wasn't the only one with amplifying magic equipment.

The ring from Roxy split apart into golden threads before spreading over my body, instantaneously weaving millions of magic circles together to protect, optimize, and amplify my mana flow.

At the same time, the ring from Rika emitted an ominous black haze.

If Dad or Pierre was here, they'd recognize it and laugh.

...You see, Rika was upset about not having worthy enough materials to make a ring for me. And she was also upset about being shown up by Roxy for a wedding ring.

She was stumped and at a loss of what to do for a while.

But then I told her about my fight with the hydra, and I showed her the drops I got from it.

And, while the scales themselves didn't have the property, when my beloved Empress used her magic eyes, magical knowledge, and an entire workforce of interns in Arcadia, she figured out how to recreate it.

As for what 'it' was...

Perugius's eyes widened and he tried to move away.

But it was too late.

"Eat <Repel Phys>, bastard."