Chapter 42: Rewind Level 0: Origin (Part 2)

[Name: Xavier Trigger.]

[Race: Fully Fledged Vampire.]

[New Quest Has Been Received.]

[Quest: Kill all 6 Vampire Nobles.]

With every step, Xavier swayed from left to right, getting closer and closer to the nobles. Dark shadows loomed over his face, and he had bulging red eyes.

[Status Update.]

[As a result of giving up the Chronos Race, the User has lost the ability to progress the Skill: Rewind.]

[Unintended side effect: The Skill - Rewind has reached its peak potential at it's current level of progression.]

[Additionally: Rewind Level 0 has been unlocked.]

[Repercussion: For as Long as the User remains solely a Vampire without the Chronos Race, the User may only use Rewind Level 1: Return once.]

[If the user Rewinds back to a point where the User is a Chronos again then the User may continue to use Rewind Level 1: Return however the User will not be able to use Rewind Level 0: Origin.]

Watching Xavier walk, Sangrea was speechless. 'What am... What am I witnessing right now? Just a second ago Xavier had certainly died...'

'Yet it was as if it had never happened... This is just like that time in the past...' She thought to herself.

"But wow, look at that expression... I guess those blood bags must have meant something to him, not that a low ranking Vampire Lord like me cares-"

*SLASH!*

In a moment of anger, Sangrea slashed off the head of the Restrained Vampire Lord. "Shut up..!!"

It was then that she turned to look at the six nobles who, while not trying to admit it, felt intimidated by Xavier's bloodlust.

"What are you guys doing!? Use your abilities or some shit! Just attack him!" Yelled out Arnold the Noble.

In response to their attack, Sangrea got ready to attack herself in order to stop them, but she halted as she felt a chill run down her spine.

"Stay there... They're mine." Xavier murmured.

He had a look on his face like she'd never seen before.

She sighed as she saw this.

"They're dead... I'm crazy for thinking he needed my help.."

[Acid Manipulation: Acid Burst.]

[Deep Fire Manipulation: Scorching End.]

[Psionic Manipulation: Psionic Blast.]

[Vine Manipulation: Thorn Coffin.]

[Stone Manipulation: Hardened Shard.]

There were countless elements in the attacks hurled at Xavier by the five nobles before him in an instant. Together, the force and magnitude of the attacks exceeded Sangrea's expectations.

He was bombarded with a wave of thorny vines mixed with shards of earth and acids that made them poisonous. A psionic wave was launched at Xavier from above these vines, propelled by giant balls of fiery flame.

Unlike regular vampires, these were attacks launched by nobles, even though they were low in rank.

Despite that, Xavier there was not a change to Xavier's expression.

"Rewind."

*VBOOOM!*

A loud explosion erupted as all the attacks collided with Xavier, cutting and slicing him into pieces, then burning him alive.

[Rewind Level 0: Origin.]

However, within a blink, everyone's eyes widened as they once again reverted to their previous positions.

The explosions and smoke cloud which were there a while ago had completely disappeared.

'What the fuck...!?'

'Didn't I just imagine it again!? How the hell is he standing here!?'

'My ability... I could have sworn I just launched-'

*Step*

In that moment, all the nobles felt it. Their spines tingled with dread as a well of bloodlust loomed over them as a footstep resounded right in front of them. Xavier, who had been countless steps away, was now in front of them.

Their faces were filled with confusion as they watched Xavier walk right past them before stopping at his mother's and sister's corpses.

They were so intimidated by Xavier's presence that they couldn't say a word or move a muscle.

The only Vampire Noble who could was the vine manipulator. He had swung his sword at Xavier's head as he crouched down to get closer to his mother and sister's corpse.

*SLASH!* *SPLATTER!*

In the following second, the Noble who had swung for Xavier had his entire head sliced cleanly off his neck and both arms holding the sword severed.

[You killed a Low-Ranking Vampire Noble!]

[Rank: Baron!]

[+180 XP!]

Xavier remained crouched down before Arnold, looking at the bodies of his mother and sister, without saying a word. Arnold's eyes twitched in fear.

Blood pooling beneath them, no rhythmic heartbeat pumping blood through their veins, it didn't seem real to him. However, it was.

After slowly raising their corpses, Xavier grabbed them and embraced them. Although it was only a bit cold, it felt as if he was being frozen. As tears poured down his face, his arms couldn't stop shaking.

"System... Use Origin to bring them back."

[Skill: Rewind Level 0 – Origin is unable to do that.]

[Rewind Level 0 – Origin allows the User to undo an event.]

[Reason for failure: Time since death exceed the point which an event can be undone.]

"I understand..." Xavier muttered as he lowered them to the ground.

Upon looking up, he saw five different sword swings coming towards him from above. He sighed.

*SLASH!*

[Rewind Level 0: Origin.]

[Energy: 170/220]

Their eyes widened as their positions had once again reverted to what they had been using previously, a position to swing their swords.

"That confirms it... This unexplained phenomenon that keeps happening... This is due to your ability..." Muttered Arnold nervously.

'But even if I know that it's him? What difference will it make? Do we run? No... That won't work. Or do we keep trying until he exhausts all of his energy and is unable to use it?

Xavier looked over at the corpses of his mother and sister, which were lying back on the ground.

"You... You, and you." Pointed Xavier at Arnold and the two nobles next to him.

Arnold was the one who had killed them and the two nobles were the ones who held them hostage. The one to Arnold's left had brown hair and the one to Arnold's right had dark hair.

"Don't listen to him, just attack and make him waste his energy!!!" Shouted Arnold.

Xavier continued speaking while the Vampires swung their swords. He pointed instead at Arnold.

"But mainly you... Do you have a family?" Xavier asked with a smile.

*SLASH!*

Xavier's arm and head were slashed off before he was burned and smoldered by the other abilities.

[Rewind Level 0: Origin.]

Their eyes widened as they had reverted back to their position only to be forced to try again.

Upon reverting, however, one of the vampires' eyes widened as the spot he had reverted to was now a spot with a blade in it. Prior to this, Xavier had moved it there, impaling the Vampire in the process.

"Wha- *Cough!* The vampire coughed out blood before groaning out in pain and having his body become mummified.

[You killed a Low-Ranking Vampire Noble!]

[Rank: Baron!]

[+170 XP!]

The other four Vampires looked at one another while taking a step back.

Xavier thrust his sword at the other vampire behind him, who was not one of the three he had pointed at. As he leapt backward, the vampire was easily able to dodge Xavier's thrust, but at that moment he felt shivers run down his spine as Xavier grinned.

[Rewind Level 0: Origin.]

-

"ARGH!! FU- *Cough!*" The Vampire groaned out in pain as in the next instant the blade had impaled his heart.

It was as if he had never dodged, he had been rewinded right onto it.

[You killed a Low-Ranking Vampire Noble!]

[Rank: Baron!]

[+190 XP!]

Xavier slowly turned back to the three vampires he'd originally pointed at, they were dumbfounded.

"Devour." Xavier muttered.

[Gluttony Level 1: Devour.]

In the air, piles of blood accumulated over the three dead nobles, creating an orb of blood over their bodies.

[Blood Orbs Extracted.]

Seeing Xavier manifest the three blood orbs, the Vampires knew it was over.

'He has another ability!?'

Arnold, along with the two others, turned away from Xavier before running to the door. They were forced to stop however as they found Sangrea leaning on it, blocking their paths while waiting for them.

[Rewind Level 0: Origin.]

An instant later, they found that their distance towards the door had increased. They were back where they had been standing.

"H-Hey... W-Why don't we stop here...? W-We got rid of the Vampire Lord like you wanted... W-We may not be strong but we're very important figures in the underworld... Unlike that low ranking Vampire lord, if you hurt us, our families will-"

Arnold was instantly interrupted by a surge of pain rushing through his body as the connection between his legs was severed.

With a grin, Xavier crouched beside him as both he and the other two nobles groaned in pain.

"So you have a family... Good."

Despite having just lost his mother and sister, Xavier's grin showed genuine joy, the noble could see it from his eyes.

"I'll kill them." Added Xavier with a blush before tilting his head to the side. "But before that... Let's start." Said Xavier with a grin.

Tear welled up in the other nobles eyes.

"W-We didn't hurt your family..."

"It wasn't us... It was him... We were only following orders..!!!"

Arnold was the only one who asked the question that mattered.

"S-Start what...?" He asked nervously as he held in the pain in his legs.

Sangrea let out a sigh before looking away.

Xavier didn't respond to his question, instead his arm seemed to blur for a second-

*Slash* *Slash*

All three of the Vampire Nobles eyes bulged out from the Pain as Xavier proceeded to slash off their remaining arms.

Xavier then positioned the edge of his blade over their hearts before suddenly-

*Pierce*

Piercing it.

"AAARGH!!!!" They yelled out in pain as their life left tehir eyes and their bodies mummified.

[Rewind Level 0: Origin.]

The Vampire Noble's eyes opened wide, once again only for him to feel the abnormal surge of pain piercing through his chest once more.

*Pierce* *Pierce* *Pierce*

They were all impaled.

But that wasn't the end of it.

[Rewind Level 0: Origin.]

Xavier undid the whole event, bringing them back with the pain still surging through their bodies.

"AA-AARGH...!! W-Wai-"

"We were forced-"

"Please sto-"

*Pierce* *Pierce* *Pierce*

[Rewind Level 0: Origin.]

"AAAAARGH!!!!"

With every rewind, the pain acumulated, it just hurt more and more. The Vampire Nobles grit their teeth and clenched their fists as the cycle began.

"Grit your teeth, there's still a long way to go." Said Xavier with a smile before thrusting the blades downwards once more.