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The Villainous Noble Who Kept Rewinding After Death: The Story Somehow Changed When I Committed Suicide

Chapter 159: Dreams and Reality

As I entered the training grounds with Fiera, I noticed a considerable number of adventurers gathered in the audience. It seemed that many had come to watch the exam, not just members of Olga’s clan.

“That’s a huge crowd.”

“Yeah. And those guys in black are probably from the Black Lion’s Judgment.”

Looking over the audience, I spotted a group of about 20 adventurers dressed in black uniforms, their gazes expressing jealousy, suspicion, and scrutiny regarding our abilities.

“Well, there’s no need to worry about their stares. Let’s just have fun like we usually do.”

“Yeah. Let’s do that.”

After checking our surroundings, we made our way to the center of the training area, where Olga noticed us while talking to a woman.

“You made it. Are you ready?”

“Yeah. No problem. How about you?”

“Right! We’re all set on this end. And let me introduce you. This lady here is Lushé, who will be our judge for today.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Lushé, the Vice Guildmaster of this Adventurers’ Guild. Today, I will serve as the judge for both of your promotion exams. Please treat me well.”

“I’m Eir. Thank you for today.”

“Fiera. Nice to meet you.”

Lushé was a tall woman with neatly tied brown hair, giving off a solid impression that she was quite capable.

“Today is your SS rank promotion exam, and you know the rules, right?”

“Yes. No killing or attacking after surrender. I’ve heard that anything else goes.”

“That’s correct. To add, if anyone loses consciousness or if I determine that continuing the fight is not feasible, I will stop the exam. Any questions?”

“What are your criteria for determining when it’s no longer feasible to continue?”

“Good question. The judgement relies on whether you can stand up or not. If you can’t stand, that’s essentially death. In that case, we’ll end the exam.”

“Got it.”

The standard for determining incapacity was straightforward and reasonable, so I didn’t ask anything further.

“Now, let’s begin the exam. Rai and Fiera, please stay here. Olga and Eir, please move to the wall.”

“Good luck, Fiera.”

“Yeah. I’ll do my best.”

Once Lushé confirmed we had moved aside, she positioned herself between Fiera and Rai.

“Now, let’s start the SS rank promotion exam. Challengers must show skills worthy of SS rank, and judges must demonstrate the pride and capabilities of an SS rank. Let’s begin!”

With the signal, Lushé moved away as Fiera’s and Rai’s exam commenced.

~side Fiera~

As soon as Lushé gave the start signal, Fiera quickly assumed a fighting stance, while Rai remained still, deeply hooded in his robe, without drawing a weapon.

“Aren’t you going to take off your robe?”

“No. If you’re curious, try to take it off with your own strength.”

“Understood.”

Fiera cautiously moved to the side, waiting for an opening from Rai, but there was simply no gap to exploit in any direction.

(Amazing. It feels like I’m up against El.)

Even just standing there, Rai exuded an aura that left no openings, reminiscent of training sessions with Lewis, and Fiera couldn’t help but smile from the thrill of the challenge.

“Hehe. The world really is vast.”

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“Yeah. It’s really fun. I appreciate being able to fight someone as strong as you.”

“I’m grateful too. Well, enough chit-chat. Come at me.”

“Got it.”

With her response ending their conversation, Fiera layered her fighting spirit and body enhancement and kicked off the ground, appearing right in front of Rai in the blink of an eye.

“Ha!”

Fiera threw a punch aimed at Rai, but it passed right through him like smoke, missing entirely.

In that moment, as Rai vanished, he reappeared behind her, brandishing a dagger he seemed to pull out from nowhere, aimed right at Fiera’s back.

Reacting quickly, Fiera bent low and placed her hand on the ground, kicking upward at Rai’s armed arm.

Rai evaded effortlessly, vanishing again like smoke and appearing a short distance away.

(My attacks aren’t landing. And disappearing from right where he was? It’s like… that white whale.)

Although she attacked, it felt futile, reminiscent of the struggle against the white whale in the underwater dwelling, leaving Fiera contemplating her next move.

(There are teleportation spells, but those should be limited to that kind. So how is he dodging? I need more information.)

If she didn’t understand, she had to gather information until she did. It was something Lewis had taught her, and the reason she had survived thus far by following him.

Fiera kept attacking through various means, but every effort was dodged by Rai’s abilities, even while transformed.

“Is this all you’ve got? If so, I’m a bit disappointed.”

Rai, unaffected and playfully feigning disappointment, appeared unscathed, even his robe remained spotless.

“Haah… Haah…”

However, Fiera was strangely out of breath, sporting cuts all over her body—on her face, arms, and legs—from Rai’s relentless assaults.

(Rai’s speed is impressive. But I’m faster. So why aren’t my attacks landing?)

No matter how much faster she moved or how many surprise angles she attacked from, her efforts were ineffective against someone who seemed to lack tangible form, and as time passed, Fiera became increasingly cornered.

“Haah…”

Feeling trapped in a quagmire of thoughts, Fiera took a big breath to clear her mind and took a glance towards Lewis.

(El…)

Her beloved seemed to have already recognized Rai’s abilities, watching him with keen interest.

(I want you to look at me. Just me.)

That was Fiera’s possessiveness, a wish to be the only person in his line of sight.

But right now, Rai occupied his focus entirely, as if Fiera didn’t even exist.

“If I’m getting countered, I just need to prevent you from having the chance.”

Fiera said this, bending forward, placing her beast-like hands on the ground, resembling a true silver wolf.

“!!”

Now, with her hands and feet kicking off the ground, her speed surpassed anything from before, catching even Rai off-guard.

“Ugh!!!”

Fiera’s attacks transformed into a relentless barrage of clawing strikes and kicks, devoid of any recognizable form.

Rai managed to evade using his abilities while attempting to counterattack. It was almost like instinct for him as he dodged, unfortunately setting himself up to be hit by an unexpected strike from her tail.

With that tail strike peeling off Rai’s robe, his previously hidden face was finally revealed.

“…Half demon.”

Gray hair, sickly pale skin, and blood-red eyes marked a figure that was distinctly other than human.

“Correct. I am a half-breed born of a dream demon father and a human mother. How about that? Isn’t it unsettling?”

Half-demons are quite rare and are often persecuted since relationships between demon and human races aren’t good.

While treatment varied by region, many were treated like slaves, and at their worst, hunted for the entertainment of nobles.

“Not at all.”

“What?”

“I don’t judge people by their race. Enemies are enemies, and allies are allies. If you’re not an enemy, I hold no contempt or mockery towards you. Rather, I hold nothing but respect for your strength right now.”

“Pfft… Hahahaha!”

Unlike his usual cool demeanor, Rai laughed heartily as he wiped a tear from his eye, expressing gratitude to Fiera.

“Thank you, Fiera. It makes me very happy to hear that from you.”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it.”

“As a form of thanks, I’ll let you in on my abilities. Though, I think you can already guess.”

“Yeah. You’re probably using your abilities to erase your physical form from this world.”

“Correct. You’re sharp. To be precise, it’s more accurate to say I traverse between dreams and reality.”

Rai’s powers were derived from a dream demon’s ability to enter and manipulate others’ dreams, allowing him to move freely between dreams and reality.

Only those who could enter the same dream realm could strike at him while he escaped her attacks, using that power.

However, this ability had its downsides. First, to attack, one must possess a physical form in reality.

True dream demons are more like spiritual beings, existing solely within dreams.

Therefore, a dream demon can only attack while within a dream, but as a half-breed, Rai lacked the ability to influence people’s dreams, allowing him to attack only real entities.

The second downside is the range of effectiveness. Dreams lack the concept of distance; a dream demon could influence another’s dream even across continents, but Rai could only enter dreams within a 5-meter radius centered on himself.

As dreams usually occur when asleep, a dream demon can only act when the target is asleep.

Yet, the dream world mirrors the real world; as long as someone somewhere is asleep, the dream world exists.

Though incapable of entering the dreams of specific individuals, as a half-demon and human, Rai could freely traverse the broad landscape of the public dream world.

Within that dream world, his spiritual self existed, allowing him to switch bodies to move between dreams and reality.

“Now then, the reveal’s done, shall we settle this?”

With that, Rai gripped his daggers tightly, shifting his stance, with his right foot back and his body low, one dagger held backward at chest height and the other forward at his abdomen.

“An unconventional stance.”

“This is my own devised stance. I can offer you a more entertaining fight now.”

Having seen Rai’s stance, Fiera warily leaned forward and then lunged at him at full speed, claws ready to strike.

“!”

In response, Rai defended with the backward dagger while aiming the front dagger at the momentarily stopped Fiera’s abdomen.

Feeling the danger, Fiera quickly tried to evade. However, Rai’s left arm ensnared hers, hindering her attempts to escape further.

“Ugh!!”

She twisted to avoid the dagger stabbing her abdomen but couldn’t completely avoid the strike, and it sliced deeply into her side.

With a swift motion, Rai then smashed Fiera against the ground using the grip he still had on her arm.

“Cough!!”

“How’s that? My dream fighting technique—isn’t it a fine skill?”

What Rai created was a dream martial art that allowed him to instantly swap parts of his body between dreams and reality, slipping past defenses and landing attacks.

Fiera quickly stood and distanced herself, then kept launching attacks at him using her refined senses and freedom of movement. But nothing landed, and her defenses crumbled before his dream techniques, leading her to be thrown to the ground again and again.

“I… surrender.”

Not knowing how much time had passed, Fiera, worn from the limits of her stamina, murmured as she collapsed. Rai released her arm and took a step back.

“Match result! The winner is Rai!”

At the announcement from Lushé, the audience erupted in applause, celebrating the showdown they’d closely watched.

“Good job, Fiera.”

“Yeah. Thank you… very much.”

Taking Rai’s outstretched hand, Fiera stood up and bowed her head in gratitude.

“It was my pleasure. Thank you for the entertaining fight. As for the exam results, the practical portion is passed. Please give your best in the upcoming interview.”

“Okay. Got it.”

Fiera shook hands with Rai one last time, holding onto the regret of her loss as she returned to Lewis.

 

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