Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

Chapter 347  Progression

[One month later.] CLANG!!!! The sharp clash of metal against metal echoed through the training hall.

Rolling midair, I landed smoothly, eyes locked on Wilhlem.

He stood firm, blade in hand, while Aimar and Elijah watched from the sidelines, observing in silence.

"You rely too much on instinct," Wilhlem

 remarked, his gaze steady. "It's impressive, but still a mess."

"I can't control it." I replied, stretching my body. "I just do it."

Because mana itself tells me what to do.

He gave a soft nod.

Then—he vanished.

I flexed my fingers. Mana swirled into my palm, condensing into a jagged broadsword.

Wilhlem reappeared.

His blade sliced upward, a crescent arc of Ruah trailing behind it.

I parried, but the impact sent a sharp numbness through my arm.

"Faster."

He disappeared again.

I pivoted, morphing my broadsword into a chain-whip mid-swing.

The barbed links lashed at empty air.

But—

CLANG!!! Wilhelm's sword deflected the strike effortlessly.

Letting the chain disappear.

I conjured twin daggers, their edges flickering with unstable mana.

Wilhlem lunged, Ruah trailing like comet tails.

I ducked. He slashed. I rolled.

My blade grazed his ribs, just above his waist.

He didn't flinch.

His elbow struck my jaw.

Pain flared, vision blurred—I barely dodged his follow-up punch.

My palm hit the ground as I sent a pulse of mana—.

Boom! The pulse of mana exploded outward.

The ground erupted, forcing both of us back.

Mid-flight I willed mana in my hand, condensed into a bow.

Pulling the string I fired.

Mana arrows streaked—Wilhlem deflected each with Ruah-infused blade.

He vanished again.

I reacted instantly—hands twisting as I conjured twin long daggers, aligning them along my forearms.

His sword arced toward my face.

I caught the flat of his blade with mine, twisting it aside before slashing forward.

He leaned back, wrapping Ruah around his fist.

But—

Before he could strike—

I whispered.

"Disrupt."

For a heartbeat, Ruah flickered—then vanished.

His guard faltered.

My knee slammed into his stomach.

He grunted, skidding back.

Silence.

Wilhlem straightened, his glare crucifying me.

"Fucking monster."

I frowned. "Don't fucking abuse me."

"Shut up."

With a sigh, I collapsed onto the ground, rubbing my sore jaw.

Then I touched the gravity bracelet that was bound in my hand.

The value decreased from 600kg to 0kg.

My arms immediately felt better as the extra weight lifted.

"Can we fight once again?" Wilhlem asked, folding his hands. "We both are holding back too much."

"You want me to fight a Low Eternal?" I scoffed, looking at him. "I would die."

"Quite the contrary." Wilhlem said, walking toward me.

"Without the kingdom, I don't think you would have any problem killing one." "The kingdom is the problem." I replied, shrugging his words off.

 "No eternal would be stupid enough to fight without his kingdom."

Wilhlem gave a quiet nod. "Still, I wouldn't be surprised if you could kill a Peak Overlord without breaking a sweat."

"...."

I quietly looked down.

With my will, a status screen flickered to existence.

====================

Name: Azariah Noah Aljanah/Inder Sephtis.

[Merging:- 82%]

[Age:- 17]

[Rank: Low Overlord (23 layers)]

Stats:

[Strength: Peak-Overlord (23%)]

[Sensory: Mid-Overlord (78%)]

[Agility: Peak-Overlord (18%)]

[Stamina: Low-Overlord (30%)]

[Toughness: High-Overlord (97%)]

[Mental Power: Peak-Overlord (89%)]

* Bloodline: •Unawakened

* Origin Energy: •Neplh

•Muspelh

* Blessing: •Amun-Ra's Blessing

• Ismael's Blessing

• Inanna's blessing

* Spirit: • Willis

• Olivia

• Iffa

* Passive Status: •Runic Body.

•Sexually aroused.

* Traits • [??????]

• [Ansitisna's Avatar (Christina)]

• [Child Of Mana.]

===========================

A lot had changed in a month.

I have grown a lot, not in rank but in strength.

....my ranking is still the same.

[<Are you sure you can form more layers?>]

Inna's voice echoed in my mind.

'Yeah…' I don't think, I'm even halfway through it.

But.

'I could rank up right now.' The minimum requirement was 10 layers.

I had twice that amount.

'...'

Should I just do it?

[<Don't.>]

'Huh?' [<Forcing your growth will cripple your potential, Qais.>]

'But still—' [<Making an unstable foundation just to save a few months of time isn't worth it.>]

'....'

She's right.

I'm just being impatient.

Maybe I am just being pessimistic.

Overlord is the foundation.

I can't fuck it up.

[<You're doing something no one else has ever done. Your kingdom will be worth the wait.>]

I chuckled.

"How did you get so strong in one month?" Elijah asked, as he placed his knees on my back. "It's hard to believe."

I looked up at him.

Wilhlem smacked the back of his head. "You should train more as well."

Elijah scowled. "I am training."

"Not enough." Wilhlem snorted. "Both Aimar and Himmel have had explosive growth."

"…Yeah." Elijah rubbed his cheek. "They're good."

"Aimar is surprising," Wilhlem admitted, glancing at him. "We still don't know what he awakened."

I turned to Aimar.

His golden eyes met mine.

Something had changed in him.

He now has far more potential than before.

[<Horus' Divinity.>]

'Huh?' [<It's flooding his body, making him far more suitable for Ranking up.>]

'Why?' [<…I don't know. But something's off.>]

'What?' [<His divinity isn't whole. Like… half of it is missing.>]

'.....'

I rubbed my chin as I looked at him.

Why would this guy open up?

Wilhlem turned away. "You're free now. Do what you want."

With that, he left.

I looked at Aimar. "What are you doing now?"

"Elise is going shopping for the Asura wedding," he said, checking the time. "She wants me as a bodyguard."

"...."

That's the lamest excuse for a date I've ever heard.

"Dude," Elijah squinted. "Why the hell does she need a bodyguard?"

Aimar shrugged. "She's paying me. I don't care about other things."

I sighed, standing up. "Do whatever you want."

"Where are you going?"

Elijah's voice followed me as I turned away.

"Got stuff to do."

I glanced back at him.

"…And you're avoiding me because of Heather, aren't you?"

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "See you later."

I shook my head, walking toward Yenna's office.

****

"You want the Runic difference book, right?"

Zenith's question hung in the air as I sat at the table.

"Yeah, that one."

I replied, adjusting the spectra glass as I looked at the books opened in front of me.

Most of them had detailed histories of the Valentine family, while others focused on runes.

The sudden slam of books on the table made me look up.

"Here." Zenith plopped down beside me. "All the books you need."

"Thank you, my love." I replied, dragging them towards me.

"....."

A stunned silence filled the room.

Blinking, I turned to Zenith, who sat frozen, her mouth slightly open.

"What?" I tilted my head.

"W-what did you just call me?" she stammered, her face rapidly turning red.

"My love?" I echoed, still confused.

"W-why?"

"Why?" I smiled brightly. "Can't I call my daughter—"

I barely leaned back in time to dodge the slap that nearly met my cheek.

"Don't joke like that!" She yelled, glaring at me.

"Okay, okay, sorry."

She quickly covered her burning face with both hands.

I chuckled.

Can't believe this dumb-looking girl is [Oracle Of Future].

I don't know why or how.

Things were different in this world compared to the game.

In the game, Pasithea was the Oracle.

But here? It was Zenith.

The one capable of changing the future.

Inês's counterpart.

"What are you staring at?" Zenith glared at me as my gaze lingered too long.

"You look beautiful."

"Huh?"

"But not as much as Yenna—"

"Can you stop harassing her?"

A voice interrupted from across the room.

I turned to see a woman approaching—mature, poised, draped in a lab coat over a formal dress.

Her long white hair, tinged with a pink undertone, was tied neatly in a bun.

"I'm not harassing." I replied, smiling at Yennefer.

"You are!" Zenith yelled in my ear. "Mama, he always makes fun of me!"

She stood up and rushed into her mother's arms.

Yennefer hugged her tightly. "Aww, is my sweet daughter getting bullied?"

"Yeah," Zenith muttered, her voice muffled against her mother's chest. "I hate him."

"It's okay." Yennefer stroked her hair. "I'll take care of him."

After gently patting her daughter's head, she let go, then walked toward me.

Zenith huffed and stormed out of the office, leaving us alone.

I smiled. "You really love your daughter."

"I do." She whispered, her voice soft. "She is the only reason I am alive."

I nodded gently.

My gaze fell on the diagram of the ritual—the same one performed by the first head of the Valentine family.

"Are you sure you don't need my help?" Yennefer asked. "Not even a little?"

I shook my head. "I can handle it. I'm just researching it for fun."

"....."

She fell silent before sitting beside me.

I don't really need her help.

My spectra glass had already stored the original ritual without any damage.

'It's pretty amazing.' The Vital Flux Ritual had more than one function.

Yes, it balanced life energy between partners, but its primary function was far more astonishing—

Resurrection. By completing the ritual, one partner could bring the other back from death by using their own body as a medium.

It's so amazing that it's almost unbelievable.

I would've used it as it was, but there was a problem.

Both partners needed vampiric traits for the ritual to work.

So, I modified it.

I stripped out the vampiric elements.

That removed the resurrection function, but the rest remained intact.

"Hm?"

I turned to find Yennefer quietly watching me.

"Did something happen?" I tilted my head.

She smiled softly. "Just admiring you."

"Why?" I asked as she gently cupped my face with her hand.

"Can't I?" she murmured.

I nodded slightly. "Anyway, are you going to the wedding?"

"Yes," she replied. "Zenith and I were invited. We will depart tomorrow with everyone."

My eyes lit up as I fully turned towards her. "Then be my partner."

She chuckled, pinching my cheek. "Find someone your own age."

"But I want you," I whined, my voice coming out distorted from her pinch.

She laughed.

"You can't have everything." Then, standing up, she added, "Though, I wouldn't say no if someone asked me to dance."

She turned to leave. "Hopefully, someone does."

"...."

I watched her walk away.

[<Qais.>]

"Yeah?"

[<...With whom are you planning to perform this ritual?>]

"....."

I turned silent.

Truthfully, I had no idea.

Call me stupid, but I didn't want to do it with someone I cared about.

I couldn't stomach the thought of draining half of a loved one's life just to extend my own.

That kind of guilt would eat me alive.

"I sound like a hypocrite, don't I?" I chuckled at my own condition.

Maybe I was.

And I couldn't just pick a random woman, either.

I loathed both physical and mental connection.

That was my Sin. [<So, someone you hate but wouldn't mind sleeping with?>]

"Pretty much."

I leaned back in my chair.

"You can't even help me because too much life energy would kill me."

[<Bold of you to assume I'd sleep with you.>]

I laughed.

Staring at the ceiling.

Ting! A message notification.

I reached for my phone, checked the screen—

And instantly, my body tensed.

[<What happened?>]

I exhaled sharply.

"Mortis."

The name left my lips softly.

"He wants to meet me tomorrow."