The Otaku's Odyssey: Reincarnated with a Grand System

"I hate showoffs."

The mercenary leader muttered coldly as he withdrew his hand from the Novus's chest, heart in hand, before letting the shaman's body slump lifelessly to the ground. From thin air, a strange orb appeared in his other hand—larger than his palm, dull and colorless like mist trapped in glass.

'What the hell is that?!' Astrid thought, sweat trickling down his temple. A chill snaked down his spine as he stared at the orb. The aura it radiated was dark… ancient… hungry. Not even his father's brutal training had triggered this level of instinctual fear.

The cult leader began muttering incomprehensible words. The orb pulsed faintly, emitting a sickly gray light. His eyes glowed crimson as he crushed the Novus's heart in his fist, letting the blood pour over the orb. The moment the orb touched blood, it shimmered an ominous red.

A voice cried out from the hostages.

"I-It's… they're from the Scarlet Vein! They're cultists!"

That single scream sent panic through the group. People bolted in different directions, desperation overriding logic. But they didn't get far. The remaining cultists—two swordsmen and two mages—cut them down without mercy, harvesting hearts to feed the orb.

Astrid watched, horrified and furious. The Novus's sacrifice had at least reduced their numbers. Without him, they'd be facing all ten. Now there were four—wounded, but still powerful. That made things... possible.

He glanced at Leo.

Leo, of course, met his gaze dramatically, his eyes closed like a lovesick hero in a fairytale. "Fear not, my beloved. I shall protect you… for I am strong."

Astrid blinked.

Leo reached out and gently touched Astrid's cheek like a romance protagonist in the wrong genre. Then he stood and pointed at the cultists.

"Hey! You twisted maniacs! I'll stop you! Because the love of my life is watching!"

The cultists paused… then burst into laughter.

Astrid mentally face-palmed. 'This idiot is seriously going to get himself killed. Why do I feel like I'm trapped in a parody episode?'

One of the cultists scoffed and stepped forward. "Oh? And how exactly do you plan to stop us, Romeo?"

Leo grinned and held out his hand. A flash of light appeared—and with it, a long silver sword materialized in his grip. The sun-embossed hilt shimmered, and the orange gem in the center flared to life. A surge of heavy Aether flooded the room, startling even the cultists.

"Crap… He's from the Aracana family," the cult leader growled. "We need to end this—fast."

Astrid's eyes widened. 'Arcana… oh stars above. No wonder he's brainless. He's from the Prick Clan.' His expression twisted in silent agony. 'Even in the anime, characters from this family were always reckless weirdos with pretty swords and zero self-control. Hell, if not for their current Patriarch, they would've have died of long ago'

Meanwhile, Leo misread Astrid's reaction completely.

He puffed out his chest. 'She's impressed. I knew it! My heroic aura is irresistible.'

"I won't let you continue your evil deeds!" Leo declared boldly.

"Someone shut this idiot up," the cult leader said.

With a flicker of movement, one of the swordsmen appeared in front of Leo and lightly tapped his neck. Leo went limp and dropped like a sack of potatoes—face flat on the floor. The swordsman casually stepped over him, ignoring the glowing sword that clattered beside Leo's unconscious body.

A few meters away, Astrid crawled silently across the floor toward a fallen mercenary's blade—but his gaze shifted when he noticed the Arcana sword lying near Leo. His lips curled into a grin. 'Jackpot.'

As the cultists prepared to harvest more hostages, another voice broke through the chaos.

"Oiiii! Ugly cultists! Hope you're ready to get your butts kicked!"

The cultists turned, startled.

There stood Astrid. The thin Arcana blade clenched between his teeth. His gown was torn at the front, a makeshift strip now tying back his long blue hair into a high ponytail. His eyes gleamed with challenge. A wild, confident grin played across his face like he had been waiting for this moment his whole life.

The cultist leader blinked in disbelief. "What is with these insane brats today?" He pointed lazily. "You. Handle him."

One of the swordsmen nodded and stepped forward, blade gleaming, energy crackling faintly around his body.

Meanwhile, Astrid was crouched low, completely ignoring the growing threat. He muttered to himself, annoyed. "Stupid itchy gown. Seriously, who told Mom this was a good look? I feel like I'm fighting in curtains. If I trip and die because of this, I'm haunting her."

The swordsman approached quickly, his blade raised high. Sharp. Swift. Fatal.

He brought the sword down—hard.

But there was no impact.

The blade cleaved air.

The cultist froze, confused.

Where the hell did he go?

Then—just a whisper of movement.

The swordsman turned to his right—

Astrid was already there, one hand planted casually on the floor, legs mid-flip, the Arcana blade gripped tight in his other hand.

In one fluid motion, Astrid spun—and sliced.

The cultist's head sailed clean off.

Blood sprayed across the floor in a violent arc. The body crumpled, twitching. The head hit the marble, rolling slightly… before stopping right under Astrid's boot.

He exhaled, just a little winded, and placed the tip of the sword on his shoulder.

"Excuse you," he growled. "Don't interrupt a guy mid-rant. It's rude. And now you've got no head. See how that worked out for you?"

He stepped on the fallen head with a slight crunch, before turning back toward the rest of the cultists.

They stared at him in stunned silence.

And Astrid?

He flashed them a bright, borderline maniacal smile, his long hair swaying, his gown fluttering from the force of his spin.

"But hey…" he said cheerfully, "at least the rest of you idiots heard my wise words, right?"

Behind the cultists, the orb pulsed again—hungrier. Brighter. Its glow casting strange, flickering shadows on the walls.

Astrid's eyes locked onto them, his aura crackling faintly now.

His grin widened. "So? Who's next?"

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