Life in Vain: Jobless Reincarnation

An explosion of force erupted, instantly turning the surrounding sea into steam.

I was standing at the bottom of the Ringus Sea, looking up at my opponent while surrounded by the suspended waves.

It was a scene that could have come straight from a manga panel.

Above, <Doom Island>, lit up with explosions and magical attacks.

Beyond that, <Chaos Breaker>, blocking out the sun.

A clear blue expanse framing it all.

And then Perugius floating in the air with his golden armor scratched while fragments of a rainbow barrier drifted past him.

Awe-inspiring... but also damned annoying.

I clicked my tongue when I saw that Perugius was unharmed.

Was it because of his skill in Barrier Magic? Or did he modify that armor to amplify its defensive abilities?

I had reflected the force from his attack right back on him, but he was unscathed.

It didn't seem to be physical immunity though.

Instead, he just had enough defense to tank it.

Perugius's eyes narrowed, observing me for a moment.

Water crashed around me as the sea began to fill in the gap we caused.

But before then, I thought about the next steps.

This would be hard.

The easiest thing to do here was just to kill Perugius.

...Well, I guess I should say the 'simplest' thing instead of 'easiest.'

Considering how he tanked that attack, and also considering the abilities he hadn't shown yet, I couldn't be sure it'd be an easy fight.

I'd love to talk him down, but his expression told me that he was in complete 'Defeat Demon Lord' mode. And considering that he might have had Being W whispering into his ear for a year or more at this point, that wasn't viable.

So I had to incapacitate him somehow.

But that might be impossible, all things considered.

...Still, might as well test it.

I exhaled and then kicked off the ground.

At the same time, the sea froze, turning into ice.

Perugius didn't wait for me to reach him.

Magic Circles flared around his limbs, and he suddenly flew towards me again. This time, a faint light flashed in his left hand.

I thought about letting it hit me and reflecting it. But my instincts screamed, and at the last moment, I dodged.

The moment I did, something flickered past me, and then an explosion of icy powder erupted as a line gouged out the frozen sea beneath me.

Was that not a physical attack then? Magic?

Perugius didn't give me time to think. Golden light emitted from his armor, along with magic circles. And then, in an instant, he was in front of me, swinging his arm. At the same time, a barrage of magic launched towards me.

I clicked my tongue and then pulled out a manatite sword from my pocket space, swinging it.

A ripple spread through the air, erasing the magic spells. At the same time, the manatite sword and golden armor clashed.

Sparks flew, and for a brief moment, thin silver lines spread all throughout Perugius's armor.

But then my sword exploded, turning into dust.

I used the force to clear some distance and think.

It seemed like Perugius's armor was definitely operating on his mana. Those silver lines looked like mana circuits, probably enhancing the golden armor. And considering the magic circles I saw him instantly use, the armor was a magical focus too.

I could also assume that the armor was multiplying Perugius's stats by at least a whole magnitude. Strength, speed, mana output, agility, endurance...

Although Perugius wasn't as strong as Orsted, the guy was still a Dragon King and a legendary hero.

In game terms, Orsted was an All-S character, while Perugius was an All-A character.

But with that armor equipped, Perugius became an All-SS character.

Probably the difference between Sup*r Saiy*n and Sup*r Saiy*n 2.

...No, maybe closer to the Legendary Sup*r Saiy*n.

Especially since Perugius seemed like he was just getting used to the armor still and was refining it.

I clicked my tongue and pulled out my Prototype Excalibur. After, I said, "Not even going to try to listen to a word I say-"

Another golden flash.

Perugius held out his hand and sent a blast of golden energy right at me.

It wasn't mana. At least not entirely.

Because of that, I couldn't just deflect it or manipulate it.

And it wasn't a pure physical attack either. There wasn't 'mass' behind it, so Rika's ring wouldn't trigger.

In that case...

I swung my sword, flooding it with mana.

Gold clashed against gold.

Perugius's armor shimmered, revealing silver lines and magic circles traced along its surface as he held his attack.

Meanwhile, hairlike cracks spread across the surface of my blade.

One second.

Two.

Three...

And then my blade shattered, along with my energy blast.

But Perguius's blast ended as well.

Unlike before, where the silver lines vanished, they were clearly visible now, along with a large magic circle over his chest.

And while Perugius's armor was still a bit hazy from the energy it emitted, there was also a lot of heat being emitted now too.

Seeing that, I chuckled. "Relying on borrowed power to defeat-"

A sonic boom.

Perugius closed the gap between us in an instant and threw a punch.

I let it hit me, reflecting the blow, and then I threw a punch at his head.

A magic circle flashed on Perugius's armor before something shattered. But he ignored it and continued attacking.

I was annoyed and continued blocking and counter-attacking.

But then I realized something was off.

Perugius was attacking, blocking, and counter-attacking my own counter-attacks. But his gaze wasn't matching his actions.

No, maybe it was better to say his 'intent' didn't match up?

Perugius was watching me closely, as if analyzing my fighting style. But not in the way that someone would if they were having to fight back at the same time.

It was like an outsider watching someone else fight.

And then I realized it.

To test, I dodged the next counter-attack and then quickly made a sword. With it, I kicked off the air and attacked with the Sword God style.

Perugius's eyes widened in surprised. But even as they did, his body moved into a Water God stance and deflected my attack.

A textbook counter. Not instincts, but an automatic response.

Seeing that, I clicked my tongue and said, "There really isn't anything new in this world, is there?"

It was an artificial intelligence. One that probably had millennia of combat data and counters for various techniques and styles stored within it.

As a result, even if Perugius wasn't a master close-combat fighter, he could fight and respond at the level of one because his armor was a master fighter.

Not only that, but from the magic circles I saw along with the mana circuit, it seemed like he had an artificial intelligence that automatically cast and supported him with magic too.

Basically, Roxy's <Magical Arrays> taken to the ultimate end, mixed with a matching version for fighting styles.

It was honestly impressive. Was that thing a divine armament or something? It definitely wasn't something that an average person could just make out of the blue...

Not only that, but it didn't seem to have any weaknesses either.

The only one I could think of it having was durability and power source.

But considering Perugius was a dragon just like Orsted, and his mana was about the same quality as far as I could tell...

It would be tough.

At least, fighting it the normal way.

...Unfortunately for Perugius, while artificial intelligence was a great tool, and something almost unthinkable in this world, it was practically a plague on Earth.

And we knew plenty about how much that tool could fail.

If this didn't work, I'd have to resort to some more shounen manga cliches. But hopefully it did.

And the first thing...

I quickly made a sword from mana and then started attacking.

First, Sword God style. Then, Water God, rapidly switching between the two.

Perugius narrowed his eyes and extended a golden energy blade from his arms and countered with it.

Slash, parry, stab, deflect...

Although I ramped up the intensity, Perugius- No, Perguius's armor knew the counters and easily responded.

Not only that, but its blows were getting heavier each time, making my arms shake from the clashes.

More signs that I couldn't drag it out too long.

But in that case...

I chucked my swords at Perugius's head.

He flinched and instinctively deflected it.

But I wasn't finished.

Back on Earth, it was a known fact that artificial intelligence couldn't respond well to new situations. While it was a powerful tool, especially if narrowly tailored, it was also brittle.

So, if I presented it with a new 'question' that it had never seen, it would malfunction trying to give me a proper 'answer.'

Then...

I made a pair of long swords and then started attacking again.

But I didn't use any of the known styles anymore.

Instead...

A cut to the left with my right sword, followed by an uppercut slash with my left and using the momentum to spin.

With that spin, a pair of cuts to the left with both swords.

A stomp on the ground to pivot, then a downward X-slash followed by an upward X-slash.

A brief combo half-remembered from a light novel I read once or twice in the past and actualized with my combat experience.

Sparks flew as Perugius blocked the attacks and then countered with a thrust.

Seeing that, I clicked my tongue.

Even though it wasn't standard, it seemed like it was still within the 'scope' of what the artificial intelligence could read and predict.

Then...

I stepped back and held the hilts of my swords together before fusing them into a double-sided blade, just like a certain Sith Lord.

With that, I spun the blades and deflected Perugius's thrust before starting my counter-attack.

A winding figure eight attack. An immediate barrage from overhand and underhand, spinning my weapon around to continually attack and using the force from deflections to speed up my attacks.

And like that, I noticed it.

A faint lag in his movements. Not only that, but slight silver sparks erupting from the thin lines on Perugius's armor.

He noticed as well and then activated a dozen magic circles to cast a spell while he countered.

But I pulled out a chunk of manatite armor from my pocket space and chucked it at him, disrupting the spells.

"You...!"

For the first time since he rudely interrupted me, Perugius spoke. But he quickly cut off his words and focused.

Danger.

I instinctively warped away just in time to see Perugius send out a golden wave of energy all around his body.

Did he think he was V*geta or something?

A heat haze covered Perugius's body as he turned to look at me. Not only that, but his golden armor was a bit duller now, the bright light fading.

...Okay. A viable strategy then.

Perugius's spirits were still tied up, and he seemed to be out of tricks.

I hard-countered his spells because I had plenty of manatite laying around. I hard-countered his close combat because of <Repel Phys> and because I understood and could manipulate the response of his armor's combat AI. And while he could tank with Barrier Magic and his armor, it just kept draining his resources away.

In contrast, I was still good to go.

That was the result of using a tool to compensate for weaknesses. If it wasn't your power, someone who mastered theirs could beat you.

So...

I looked at Perugius and said, "It's over, Perugius. You can't win."

He stared back at me, his expression stern. And then he nodded. "You are correct. As it stands, I cannot defeat you."

"Right." I tossed my weapon aside and said, "So let's talk this-"

An explosion of golden light erupted from Perugius. At the same time, all traces of silver vanished.

My eyes widened.

What the heck?

Are we doing phase 2 now?

No, did he decide to do a forbidden jutsu or something and burn his life up to kill-

Six blows, a slash, and a bombardment of lightning.

Before I knew it, I was suddenly in the air above <Doom Island.>

How the hell did-

In one instant, a concentrated blast of mana equivalent to a nuclear explosion suddenly descended from the sky.

And in the next, <Chaos Breaker> fell at hypersonic speeds.

After that, my vision split apart and flooded with gold.

Pain.

The first I'd felt in a while.

I also felt both Rika's and Roxy's rings shatter.

And then I was on my back, staring at Perugius floating above me and glowing like a golden sun.

But just for an instant.

In the next, he appeared in front of me.

I felt I was in rough shape. In fact, I could be sure I looked horrible.

But I wasn't the only one.

Golden veins had pierced into Perugius's flesh, as if the armor was trying to merge with him. But as a result, he had gained immense power.

His silver hair had turned gold, and he was moving so fast his flesh was vaporizing with every move.

*tick*

Time slowed to a crawl.

I couldn't win like this.

*tick*

He was moving too fast for me to keep up while still holding back.

Not only that, but it seemed like the armor had gone into overdrive and was sucking in all the ambient mana to power itself, burning Perugius up in the process.

*tick*

Trying to overpower him wouldn't work. At least, not without erasing the entire Ringus Sea and probably parts of the other continent.

So...

*crack*

Time resumed and a golden light yet again rushed towards me at light speed.

It connected, and I was sent backwards towards the ground.

But I never struck it.

A portal opened up and caught both me and Perugius.

And as for the destination...

A black void, broken only by twinkling lights in the distance. A sheer cold, completely devoid of air. And harsh waves of raw energy spilling from the sun.

The momentum from my last blow sent me flying. But that was my intention.

Perugius tried to follow me, but he suddenly stumbled, clutching at his throat.

I smiled and started patching myself up. At the same time, I casually glanced below me.

...Huh. So the world actually WAS flat here? Weird...

And outer space wasn't actually the Void World.

Good to confirm that fact.

But back to the issue at hand.

Perugius glared at me from the distance and tried to close the gap. But he couldn't seem to get any purchase to reach me, instead just sending golden light everywhere.

Unfortunately, despite being disoriented, he didn't seem like he'd be going unconscious any time soon.

It would have been ideal if the lack of oxygen knocked him out, but that golden armor looked like it was forcibly healing him.

...No. Rather than 'healing,' it was 'replacing.'

Kind of like Metal Cool*r from Dr*gon B*ll.

But anyway, he was on a hard timer now.

Even if the armor tried to keep him moving and alive, it'd run out of energy soon enough.

I could already tell that Perugius was pretty much spent from those flashy attacks from earlier.

He must have planned to overdrive the armor and keep going like a perpetual motion machine with the ambient mana.

Unfortunately for him, there was no mana in outer space.

There was raw solar energy... but it seemed like that neither Perugius nor the artificial intelligence in the armor knew how to convert it into mana.

I did.

And I also knew a bunch of auxiliary spells to protect me from the cold, supply me air, and to move in zero gravity.

Perugius flung out his arms and let out a silent scream. But after that, golden jets of light erupted from his limbs, sending him flying towards me like I*on M*n.

I smiled and just casually turned, letting out a light punch.

Perugius immediately went into a wild spin. One that only accelerated as he kept blasting with that golden light to correct himself.

But eventually, he shut it off and stopped himself with a magic barrier.

By that time, he had moved over the world below.

A golden light above a blue star.

That was how Perugius appeared.

But that golden light was fading.

I could see it now.

Perugius's pale skin was turning violet from a lack of oxygen. Although golden veins had completely pierced through in an attempt to keep him going, he was fading.

Not only that, but the light on the golden armor was fading too.

Even so, he glared at me and tried saying something.

The words didn't come, but I could read what he said.

"You must perish for the sake of humanity, huh?"

...Man. He was really trying to make me feel like the bad guy here, huh?

Hm. I guess it was technically true. Considering I was the enemy of the 'Human God,' I *could* be considered the enemy of humanity.

Still, I was hurt.

I mean, I was just an ordinary guy, you know?

'Pft.'

...Okay. Even I couldn't say that with a straight face anymore.

But anyway, this should be it.

Ah, wait. I always wanted to try something.

The moon was pretty close by, and Perugius was lined up perfectly over the world.

In that case...

I warped over to the moon. Landing on it, I moved around to line myself up, and then I kicked off.

A cloud of dust exploded around me. At the same time, I started flying towards Perugius at a blinding speed with my arm outstretched.

A heavy impact, with the sensation of something shattering beneath my fist.

Rapidly increasing speed, and then burning heat as we re-entered the atmosphere.

Perugius screaming my name as we considered our descent.

And then impact.

I paused, kneeling on the ground over Perugius with my fist pressed against his chest.

He was alive.

The golden armor had shattered, leaving only a few pieces stuck to him that were embedded in his flesh.

His body was covered in burns, and pretty much every bone in his body was broken.

But he'd live.

Just in case though, I healed him up. Just enough to not die from his injuries.

When I did, Perugius coughed and stared at me, his eyes wide in disbelief. "What... are you...?"

I smiled. "I'm just a guy who wants to live happily ever after with my family."

And that was true.

If only a certain god would stop interfering in my life...

Perugius stared at me for a bit and then slowly reached up with his left hand. "No. You... will destroy the world." He tried reaching up to my neck. And as he did, a small magic circle started to form. "I cannot... allow...!"

"Enough."

A voice cut through the air.

I blinked and looked over.

It was a different voice and a different face. But I recognized his mana.

Pierre. Except he looked different.

He had grown, and his silver hair now had patches of green. There were a few scales on his body, and a pair of draconic wings on his back.

Perugius froze and then slowly turned his head. "Laplace...?"

Pierre walked over and gestured for me to move.

I did.

Pierre smiled and said, "Thanks for holding back, Rudy. I'll take it from here."

Was it from the shock? Or despair maybe seeing Laplace here ready to fight as well?

Either way, Perugius fainted.

Pierre scooped him up and then looked up at the sky.

I did as well.

Doom Island was gone. In fact, we were standing on its ruins after it fell from the sky, creating a small mountain in the sea.

With Perugius out cold, his spirits were gone as well... minus the woman with black wings.

She was unconscious off to the side and being watched over by Prometheus, Tiamat, Venti, and Gaia.

...And props to me for remembering their names.

Anyway, this fight was over.

I had shown my overwhelming strength after being on the backfoot for a bit, as well as pulled out a few different trump cards.

Was this enough?

Or-

A beam of light the size of the entire Central Continent fell from the sky.

Pierre was shocked and couldn't react.

But I was expecting some BS like this from the start.

*tick*

Time slowed to a crawl.

*tick*

I pulled out my crimson godslayer blade from my pocket space in the stalled time and held it in my right hand.

*tick*

I swung the blade, aiming right at the core of the beam of light.

*crack*

Time resumed.

And then white was burned away by crimson.

Silence.

But only for a moment.

As I straightened my body to get ready, a rippling portal appeared in the sky.

From that portal, someone emerged.

A man, shrouded by white mist. With his arms folded and descending from the portal, it looked like the heavens were opening up to reveal a divine figure.

And as he descended, a familiar theme song played.

[Play: One-Winged Angel - Advent Children]

Being W grinned a blank smile and said, "Well, well, well. It looks like I have to do it myself."

Pierre looked up at Being W and then blinked, confused. "Is that... music?"

I pointed my sword at Being W and said, "Yeah. And that bastard stole my theme song."

Being W...

No.

The <Human God> laughed and said, "It's good to finally see you in person, you bastard."

I smiled. "And it's good to see you too, Whitey."