Struggling as a Villain

"We can't fight something like this..." With his teeth clattering and legs shaking, the soldier muttered under his breath as he watched the shadow of death incarnate slaughtering every being in its path—devouring their bodies and draining their soul.

The flesh-eating monster appeared out of thin air and began to subdue any force that tried to fight against it. No spell, no weapon worked against this force of nature.

"T-This is not what we are trained for..." Another one who stood beside the previous speaker uttered in a horrified tone.

Before their eyes, their comrades were getting clawed and chewed upon while keeping their lives intact and their hearts pumping. The grotesque scene can even make the war-experienced soldiers feel nauseous.

Their eyes trembled as the silver-haired demon finally got done munching over its last prey and moved its eyes in their direction.

Its long white teeth were coated under a thick layer of blood and the innards of their comrades stuck between the small gaps.

"Ahhh!" One of them yelled, and after dropping his weapon, he tried to run away—however, before he could cover a few meters, long tentacles erupted from the back of the demon and instantly wrapped around the soldier's whole body.

The demon didn't possess any expression as it pulled its prey at an astonishing pace and kept his long, elongated nails prepared to pierce the man's chest.

"Ghuak!" Blood spilled out of his mouth as the soldier looked at the cause of his death in horror.

The other one shook violently in trepidation while tears streamed down his eyes. Clutching his spear with every ounce of strength he had left, he watched his comrade's head getting plucked off.

'I am dead...dead...dead...' The last soldier in the western post finally sunk to the ground with all hopes from his eyes, diminishing.

It was then,

"Don't cower away!" The booming voice of a lady resonated across the battlefield, urging the soldier to lift his eyes and gawk at the sight of a red-haired fairy standing there with a confident disposition.

The demon finally showed an expression for the first time. It was annoyed.

The white-haired demon lunged at Bellarine, throwing away its half-eaten meal. The ferocity of the beast held enough strength to make the fallen soldiers slide back in horror.

Bellarine held her ground and easily caught the beast with her left hand, before pinning it down on the ground.

**CRACK**

The demon was violently slammed into the ground, its body leaving a small crater in its wake. Dust and debris scattered from the impact, yet despite clearly overpowering the clone, Bellarine's expression remained tense, a deep frown etched across her face. Something about the encounter still troubled her, as if the victory wasn't quite as satisfying as it should have been.

'These pests are absorbing ether...' The more she was coming in contact with these clones, the more things she was discerning about them.

Expanding her palm she burned the demon and heard its agonizing cries echoing through the streets.

Until now she has noticed three things from these beings.

First, they possess the ability to flawlessly copy the fighting style and even replicate the spells of their opponent, unless their adversary is using bloodline-specific magic, which remains beyond their reach. Second, their regenerative abilities are unparalleled—they can fully heal and reform their body from even the smallest fragment.

Finally, they can siphon magic from their opponent during battle, gradually draining their enemy's power while augmenting their own strength.

'If something like this multiplies in numbers, this world would be done for...' Bellarine thought as she finished burning the life out of the clone.

Rising into the air, she began hearing loud chanting of soldiers and civilians whom she had saved. Everyone was looking in her direction and hailing her name. However, Bellarine's eyes were moving in all directions, trying to find that last clone she earlier spotted.

"Bella!" Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice that urged her to fly in his direction.

Richard was standing near the palace, with his skin slightly burned and hair disheveled.

She looked at him closely, inspecting his body as she asked, "What happened to you?! Did someone hurt you?! Was it from the palace? Come with me, I will-"

"I am fine, Mom. And these burns are something I inflicted on myself, so you don't need to punish anyone."

Bellarine heaved a sigh and began to take out a healing potion to feed him. However, Richard stopped her, making Bellarine frown.

"Uh...I already had one." Richard couldn't tell her that he took an overdose of potions today, or she would ask the reason and that would not end up well.

Bellarine widened her eyes before she looked at the skin again closely while she whispered, "How severe were those burns that even after a potion you look like this?"

At these times, she sounds nothing but like a mother to him. Caring and concerned.

Richard somehow assured her that he wasn't that hurt and he would visit a medic as soon as he could.

Bellarine nodded and while supporting her baby—he instantly rejected the idea of getting carried by his mother—she led him to the carriage.

-----------**----------

While Bellarine was patching up his wounds, Richard closed his eyes to relax for a moment.

Truth be told, he was currently feeling quite overwhelmed and nauseous because of the potion overdose. Lilia told him a few weeks ago, that taking potions over one's limit can create blockage in their etherflow.

While Richard knew that overdosing once wouldn't cause him much damage, he had to make sure that he didn't have to take this step once again. Today, if he didn't have the help of Elizabeth, he might have to switch his stats with Bella, but he was hesitant, given Richard had never practiced with those power boosters before.

That's why he has decided to become strong enough that he doesn't have to rely on others again.

And that includes his mother as well. Although he would ask for Bellarine's help when needed, demanding her presence for every incident, which he couldn't overcome because of a lack of skills, was unacceptable.

Today, after coming across those many high-ranking soldiers and observing the battlefield where the clones were literally slaughtering everything, he discerned he had a long way to go.

Although the Death God was the final boss, there were many difficult obstacles before that being, and the way Richard was treading, he had a feeling that he would be facing one of those entities as well.

'Talking about skills...System, tell me what notification you were flashing at that time?' With his eyes still closed Richard asked, as he felt his mother's soft hand applying ointment on his arm.

[Ding!]

[Hidden quest achieved!]

[The unexpected alliance: Team up with the one whom you dearly hate]

[Reward: 1. 100 stat points

2. Soul resonance

3. Flame Funnel- A-rank]

Without even reading the whole thing, he mentally tapped on 'Soul Resonance'

[Soul Resonance: This ability allows the host to reach out and call upon the dormant souls or wills of mythical equipment—ancient weapons, armor, and relics that have been passed down through the ages, infused with the lingering essence of their original wielders. These powerful items, once thought lost or untamable, now respond to the host's unique spiritual resonance.]

Richard instantly opened his eyes wide—startling Bellarine.

"Baby? Did I apply it hard?"

Richard shook his head hurriedly before assuring her, "I suddenly remembered something. It doesn't hurt."

Bellarine heaved a sigh and patted her chest, "You scared me."

Richard, with a smile, again closed his eyes before asking the system excitedly, 'What does it mean?'

[In simple words, those weapons/equipment that carry the soul of their original user can now be challenged by the host and completely gain dominance over the weapon/equipment.]

[For example, the staff that the host received from the system as a reward originally belonged to the money king. As such, the host needs to first defeat the fragment of Wukong's soul to gain complete authority over the staff.]

'Heeeeeehhhhh~the thing I have in my inventory is the legendary Ruyi?'

[Indeed, host.]

"----!!!!!" Although he remained expressionless from outwardly, inside his head he was jumping around and punching the air in excitement.

Not because he would be able to wield the legendary staff but because he would get to fight Wu Kong. It would be so freakin awesome!

'System, tell me when can I fight him?'

[Ding!]

[Host can choose to battle right away. Your consciousness would travel to the soul world while not even a second would pass in the real world.]

Richard's lips twitched as he said, 'Then send me!'

[Ding!]

[Command received!]

[Opponent: Monkey King, Sun WuKong]

[Rank: B->SSS]

'Wait...'

[Connection initiating...]

'No, wait! What the fuck with that ran-'

------------***---------

A/N:- Ahahahahah! It would be so fun! Well, on a side note, it would help Richard learn a few things and surely he wouldn't get just beaten down by every mythical deity he would meet.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.