Reborn As Noble

Javier’s smirk widened, the wind whipping past as the drone hovered above the chaos below.

”We meet at last, old man... or should I call you... Trashtiel?” His tone dripped with mockery.

Edmund’s lips curled, but it wasn’t entirely his own voice that came out, it was deeper, layered with the hiss of the Celestial within.

”You dare... to mock me, a Fifth Stage!? You lowborn scum!”

Javier tilted his head, feigning confusion. ”Hmm? Where? Who? Fifth? What, ranked? Is there a scoreboard I missed?”

His grin sharpened as he leaned forward, voice teasing.

”Ooo~~ scary~~”

Javier jump and landed with a sharp thud, one knee bent, hand on the ground—a perfect, dramatic hero pose.

He froze for a second, then sighed.

”...Ah, why the hell am I landing like this? There’s no girl here... just an old man and some Trashtiel who smells like a sewer.”

Edmund’s face twisted with rage.

”You piece of shit, snotty brat!! I don’t care if you won against that Celestial from Gumarak—he was a weakling anyway! But now you dare challenge me? Fine!!! I’ll show you HELL, kiddo!”

Javier’s expression shifted instantly into exaggerated panic.

”Ah, ’MY LIEGE’,” he said, kneeling in an overly dramatic, mocking bow. ”Pardon this lowborn scum’s rudeness.”

He clasped his hands together, tilting his head like a begging servant.

”Please~ your majesty~ don’t punish this weak, lowborn little scum~”

A vein pulsed on Edmund’s forehead. ”I’LL TEAR THAT TONGUE OUT—”

Edmund’s form blurred, vanishing from sight.

In the next instant, he reappeared right in front of Javier, fist cocked back, dark aura swirling violently around it. The ground beneath his boots cracked from the force building in his punch.

But before it could land, Javier’s eyes went wide in fake terror. He leapt back, arms flailing dramatically.

”Eeekkk!!! Uwaaa!! Mama!!” Javier wailed, stumbling back with exaggerated steps. ”This grandpa is scary~!”

He sniffled loudly, wiping his face with the back of his hand before a string of snot shot out of his nose.

”Mama!! Uwaaa!! MAMAAAA!! This old man is scary!!” he sobbed, stomping his foot like a spoiled child.

Around them, Javier’s special operation puppet knights kept their relentless assault.

Mana rifles cracking from the rear, flanking fire tearing through Edmund’s soldiers from both left and right, explosions bursting across the battlefield without pause.

Edmund’s temple throbbed violently. ”STOP MOCKING ME, YOU BRAT!!”

Javier let out a long, bored sigh, tilting his head as if Edmund’s presence was a minor inconvenience.

”Man... this old man is boring. At least let me play around a bit, you know?”

Edmund’s eyes narrowed, his voice sharp with pride.

”You keep that arrogant tone with me, you filthy brat!? Do you even know who I am!? I am King Edmund! The ruler of the Human Kingdom! Even your precious Armand Region was supposed to be my vessel!”

Javier smirked lazily.

”Mm, yeah... before you decided to take in that filthy Celestial and let that trash control you.”

From deep within Edmund’s body, the Celestial’s voice hissed furiously.

”You fucking brat!!! I am Stage Five Celestial! Stronger than any raw Celestial and far beyond that pitiful Gumarak’s power! I will not let you look down on me again!!”

Javier simply shrugged, his hands still buried casually in his pockets.

”I don’t even need to mock you. You’re just a weakling compared to the last Celestial.”

Edmund’s expression twitched.

”Oh? Oho~ so you do know who holds that last special Celestial, hm? The one that would make me complete without even needing the sixth...”

”Yeah,” Javier said plainly, rocking back on his heels. ”I know exactly who it is. But I’m not telling.”

The Celestial inside Edmund’s voice grew more frenzied.

”Kill that brat and devour him, Edmund! If we consume him, we’ll get his memories—then we’ll know who has the last Celestial!!”

Of course,” Edmund muttered to the voice inside him, a cold smirk spreading across his face.

”I’m going to kill him... and I will find out who holds that last Celestial.”

His grin deepened, a twisted shadow crossing his face.

”We’ll make sure this brat suffers... slowly. I’ll kill him piece by piece, crush him until there’s nothing left.”

The Celestial’s tone was almost gleeful.

”Yes! And once you’ve broken him... let me enjoy devouring his body and soul. Slowly.”

Javier immediately pulled a face, pretending to gag.

”Eww! I’m not swinging that way!” He clutched at his backside dramatically, eyes wide in mock fear.

”The hell I wanna be pushed by an old man like you!?”

Edmund’s face twisted with rage.

”I’m also not that way, you brat!!!” he roared, his voice echoing across the battlefield.

But then, as if reeling in his temper, a slow, dangerous smirk curved his lips.

”You’re going to die for mocking me too much, kiddo.”

”Yeah, yeah~ talk, talk... bla bla bla...” Javier replied lazily, digging a finger into his nose and casually flicking the dirt onto the ground. He tilted his head toward Edmund with a mock-innocent expression.

”Did you both finish your little lover’s quarrel?”

A vein popped in Edmund’s temple, his killing intent flaring violently.

His dark aura erupted like a tidal wave, black miasma swirling thickly around him until the air itself seemed to warp. The ground beneath his feet cracked, and the oppressive pressure pushed outward in all directions.

Javier staggered back a step, clutching his throat with both hands as if the weight of that darkness was crushing him.

”Arrhhh! I... can’t... breathe... it’s... too...” He wheezed, eyes squinting in fake desperation.

Then his expression twisted into a grin.

”...Smelly~!”

Edmund blurred out of sight, reappearing behind Javier in an instant. His leg whipped forward like a steel beam, the heel smashing square into Javier’s face with bone-rattling force.

The impact sent Javier hurtling through the air, tearing past broken trees before slamming deep into the forest. The ground split beneath the force, dust and splinters exploding upward.

Edmund didn’t even pause. The moment his kick landed, his hands were already crackling with dark mana. He thrust them forward, unleashing a barrage of massive dark fireballs, each one burning with a sickly, corrupt flame.

They screamed through the air and slammed into the crash site one after another.

The forest lit up in bursts of black fire, shockwaves ripping through the trees. Leaves turned to ash, trunks splintered, and the air itself grew heavy with the stench of scorched earth.

But Edmund still didn’t stop. His eyes gleamed with murderous obsession as he kept firing, every explosion overlapping the last in a relentless attempt to erase Javier from existence.

( End Of Chapter )