Reincarnated as a failed hero?! Watch me Defy Fate! - Chapter 200

Chapter 200: The Apocrypha of the Abyss
I had done it.

My katana had cleanly sliced Xir in half. His demonic body, now split into two grotesque pieces, collapsed limply onto the battlefield. The sheer impact of the attack had taken him completely off guard. It was a clean, decisive strike — one that even he didn’t realize had already sealed his fate.

Across the ruined battlefield, I saw King Aslan frozen in place. His eyes wide in disbelief, mouth agape as though he had just witnessed a miracle.

Of course he was shocked — the demon he and his knight-level warriors, even those at the esteemed EX-Rank, couldn’t bring down, I had felled with a single movement.

And I understood why.

This strength coursing through me… was beyond anything normal. I had transcended. I had achieved Limit Break, having surpassed Level 101. That alone pushed me beyond Knight Rank EX — I had entered an uncharted realm of power. My swordsmanship was now beyond even Legend Hero Swordmaster, and my magic rivaled the High Saint Mages of history.

The human kingdom’s metrics of strength could no longer measure me. My power had become… absurd. Illogical. Godlike.

I turned to King Aslan, smiled slightly, and spoke gently, “You should go to Arsene. Let him tend to your wounds — they’re deeper than you think.”

But the king didn’t move. He pointed toward Xir’s broken body with a look of dread still painted on his face.

“Is… is it over? Has the demon truly been slain? That can’t be… That monster wasn’t someone who could be defeated so easily…”

I shook my head solemnly. No, it wasn’t over. Not yet.

Because I hadn’t seen the System Notification — no confirmation of Xir’s defeat. That could only mean one thing:

He wasn’t dead.

Inside my mind, I could hear both Envi and Runa, warning me to stay alert. We didn’t know the true extent of Xir’s powers.

And then, King Aslan’s voice rang out, trembling with fear and fury.

“I knew it… Naoki, look out!! That monster… Xir… he can summon the other Demon Warlords—and worse, he’s immortal!”

As if on cue, Xir’s bisected body twitched… then began to reassemble.

But this time, something more horrifying happened.

From his back emerged four ghastly faces—twisted demonic visages I recognized immediately: Norx, Gorx, Vorx, and Zorx. Demon Warlords I had already slain in past battles.

With grotesque howls, the four faces tore away from Xir’s form and began to manifest full demonic bodies.

The battlefield trembled beneath their resurgence.

What… what kind of magic is this?

I narrowed my eyes, trying to analyze them. Their eyes… they were empty. Hollow. Lifeless.

“Aw, don’t look so surprised,” Xir cackled as he stood fully regenerated, his magic now billowing into the skies like a storm. “You were so cruel, Naoki — cutting me down so fast like that. But you underestimated me… again!”

His laughter was poisonous.

“You sick bastard…” I growled, fists clenched. “So you were the one reviving the Demon Warlords… the ones who fell in other battles?!”

“Exactly. These are my playthings,” he said, grinning like a maniac. “Thanks to his blessing, I can now test them again — like toys in a war game! Hahahaha!”

That was it. I snapped.

“You even turned your own kind into puppets… used their corpses for your amusement… I’ll never forgive you.”

Dark Magic surged around me, responding to my rage.

Envi and Runa’s voices returned — they warned me: This is dangerous. All five Demon Warlords at once? Even with your power, that’s a gamble…

But I had a plan.

I glanced toward King Aslan and signaled silently. He understood. He gave a nod of trust and quickly retreated, heading toward Arsene for treatment.

I turned back to the five abominations in front of me.

“Good,” I muttered, unsheathing my katana. “I’m glad you don’t die easily, Xir… because now I can enjoy tearing you apart slowly.”

Xir sneered. “Arrogant brat!”

All five Demon Warlords lunged toward me in unison.

I spoke calmly, “Envi, Runa. Ready?”

[Forbidden Dark Magic: Abyssal Wrath Mode — Activate!]

A rush of power surged through my veins. My hair turned silver-white, and my body pulsed with overwhelming Dark Magic. My presence darkened the very battlefield.

Then, I cast:

[Secret Dark Magic: Eternal Nightfall]

A shadowstorm erupted around us. A new dimension — a world swallowed in ruin, with a ghostly moon hanging overhead. In this realm, my enemies’ speed was cut in half. Mine was doubled.

The perfect killing field.

“Hah! Cheap illusions won’t save you!” Xir shouted.

The warlords attacked:

Norx unleashed a wave of mind-breaking slashes.

Gorx summoned bone spears from the earth.

Vorx used his signature invisible slash.

Zorx engulfed his sword in black fire.

And Xir, the ringleader, charged with a massive demon fist aimed to crush me.

But I had already anticipated everything.

[Trait: The Heir of the Darkness — Active!]Increases STR and AGI by 50% when in darkness.

I moved like shadow incarnate. Their attacks missed — I was too fast, too aware.

[Skill: Eclipse Foresight — Active!] Allows perception of movement, attack trajectories, and emotions.

Everything they planned, I saw before they even acted.

Now it was my turn.

[Trait: Phantom Executioner — Active!]Deals 50% more damage against demons and dark-element monsters.

Perfect.

I smiled.

“This ends now. Take this—”

[High Dark Magic: Nightmare Tempest — Hundred Shadows!]

My shadow clones exploded from my form — dozens of them, each one delivering countless Shadow Slashes. The warlords couldn’t dodge. My speed was beyond comprehension.

They fell. One by one. Bleeding. Crushed. Shattered.

Only Xir remained.

He was breathing hard, trembling.

“What… what are you…?! How did you become this strong?!”

I stared him down coldly.

“You think I’m strong?” I stepped forward. “No. The ones you resurrected — your pitiful puppets — they were weak. A disgrace to the legends they once were.”

“When they were alive, I nearly died to beat them. But these husks? You dishonored them by turning them into jokes.”

I slashed.

A massive X-shaped gash split across his chest. Xir screamed in agony.

But he wasn’t done.

With fury and desperation, he vomited a swarm of twisted beasts — chimeras, each one more grotesque than the last.

Dozens of them.

He wanted to drown me in numbers.

Xir laughed like a madman, his voice echoing with twisted glee.

“Let’s see… how will you fare against this many chimeras?!” he cackled, eyes wild with insanity.

I didn’t flinch.

This wasn’t the first time I’d been outnumbered. During the Trial of the Hero, I had fought through a horde far larger than this — and I did it with my bare hands.

Just as I prepared to engage, Runa’s voice echoed gently in my mind.”Master… let me handle the chimeras. You focus on Xir.”

I paused, surprised by her offer — but I could sense her determination. Envi chimed in as well, “She can clear the path for you. Now’s your chance.”

I nodded silently.

Opening the Grimoire of Darkness, I summoned Runa from within.

The small cat that had once nestled on my shoulder began to shift. Her body expanded, fur bristling, and in seconds she transformed into a colossal twin-tailed shadow Nekomata, her presence radiating dread and strength.

As the chimeras lunged toward us, snarling and shrieking, Runa moved like a storm.

[Shadow Devour!]

Dark tendrils burst from her body, swallowing the monstrosities whole, protecting me from every angle.

“Now, Nao!” Envi shouted.

With a burst of speed, I vanished from my position and reappeared before Xir, blade already mid-swing.

Xir was caught off guard, barely raising his defenses.His eyes widened when he saw Runa.”No… that can’t be… That monster… It’s Canis! Why is she… a cat?! Why is she YOUR familiar?!”

I grinned. “Simple… Because now she’s mine.”

I unleashed a blow powered by my supreme-level aura: [Blackmore Katana Style: Inazuma]

The blade shimmered with crackling energy, and in a flash, it sliced through Xir once more — cleanly, powerfully.But this time… something changed.

Xir screamed in agony. He convulsed, clutching his chest.

So that’s it… The aura struck his core directly. Unlike Dark Magic — which he had adapted to — the pure aura attacked something deeper, something he couldn’t heal so easily.

I had found his weakness.

With no time to waste, I pressed the advantage. Blow after blow, I shredded through him. My rage — for Amelia, for everything he’d done — burned with every strike.

Seeing him writhe in pain was… satisfying.He deserved every second of it.

“YOU DAMNED HUMAN!! TAKE THIS!!” Xir roared.

Desperate, he summoned the Demon Warlords again — their bodies now partially healed — and hurled them at me like living shields.

I dodged. Effortlessly.

But then, he did something that caught even me off guard.

Xir laughed again… and one by one, he drove his claws through the chests of the Demon Warlords. His stomach split open into a massive, fanged mouth.

And he ate their cores.

“You forced me to use this…” he growled, his voice growing deeper. “You’ll regret everything…”

The moment he finished consuming them, his aura exploded in size.

“[Final Form: Apocrypha of the Abyss]”

Dark Magic surged like a tsunami. The air warped around him.

His body began to shift — grotesquely transforming.

His form grew to monstrous proportions.

Eight monstrous arms erupted from his back.

His white hair flowed down like rivers of silk.

His horns twisted into massive arcs, jagged and terrifying.

And his face… mutated into the horrific visage of a Luciferian goat, with six glowing eyes burning with hatred.

He let out a [Ultimate Dark Magic: Roar of the Calamity] that shattered the air itself — and my heart momentarily froze.

[Status Effect: FEAR, WEAKENED, ABSORBING MAGIC, MADNESS, DECREASING MAGIC DEFENSE, PARALYZED, BLEEDING, DEATH COUNT]

“This is an ultimate dark magic? All these bad statuses.. this is so bad Nao! Especially this death count… this is impossible… this is absolute death magic look there’s a countdown appearing on your head!” Envi said in panic.

I was still analyzing the situation calmly.

Xir’s presence was overwhelming — like staring into the abyss itself.

“I have ascended,” he said darkly. “Now, I possess the power of an Overlord. You… when that magic activates, you only have 10 seconds to live HAHAHA!”

I steadied my breath.

“An Overlord, huh? Funny… I just see an uglier goat. And 10 seconds? That’s enough to kill you..”

Inside my mind, Envi burst out laughing.”Pfft! You are insane Nao…even with this condition you still can roasting him..I mean, he does look like roasted goat meat!!”

“GRAAARGHH!! ENOUGH!! DIE!! [Destruction Howl!]”

He unleashed a deafening sonic blast, tearing through the terrain, threatening to destroy my magical domain entirely. It barreled toward me like a tidal wave of chaos.

But I didn’t move.

Instead… I embraced it.

“Then watch closely… I’ll show you my transformation.”

[Kagegiri Second Form: Yami no Shogun — Awaken!]

My katana pulsed with an ominous black light. A veil of shadow wrapped around me, engulfing my body. It wasn’t just armor—it was something ancient. Regal. Terrifying.

The shadows forged a dark samurai armor, sleek and deadly. My silver hair lengthened, and the very air trembled with my presence.

I had reached the state I first attained when battling Vaelgorath.

[Blessing of the Darkness — Active!]

Dark Magic surged through me, now calm, steady… powerful. I could control it with perfect clarity.

Xir’s face twisted in frustration as his attack failed to harm me.

“You’re done now,” I said coldly. “My next attack will end you.”

I raised my katana, shadows swirling around the blade like a maelstrom.

[Death countdown has been activated! You will die in 10 seconds!]

That’s quite a lot of time. I’ll give the final blow.

…

..