Zildra had lived through his long life by using his Unique Skill, Eternal Return, to transfer his consciousness into other bodies. No one knew what race Zildra originally was, nor how many hundreds or thousands of years he had walked this world. For Zildra, it didn’t matter. He likely possessed a natural talent for the perverse from the start, as he felt no hesitation in using this ability.
While it sounds simple to say he transfers his consciousness, this ability isn’t all-powerful. For one, the target must possess a certain level of intelligence. There’s also a required cooldown period after activation before he can use the ability again. But what Zildra found most unbearable was that his Status became completely dependent on the body he inhabited.
The sense of loss from losing his cultivated Status, and instead gaining an unfamiliar set of Skills. Even the extremely detached Zildra of today was deeply disappointed when he first started using his ability. The body he changed into via Eternal Return did not carry over the abilities he had built up. Only his memories, experiences, and raw combat techniques—bypassing Skills altogether—were maintained.
Even so, each time he changed bodies, two or three times over, he made the effort to cultivate that new body anew. When using his abilities again, he chose his bodies carefully to replicate his Status as much as possible. However, in the end, another person’s body is just that—another person’s. There was no body identical to his own Status. No matter how much he trained, no matter how much he leveled up, the sense of accomplishment dwindled with each passing day.
What purpose did he live for? Amidst this question, Zildra’s life had, coincidentally, chosen the path of self-cultivation and ascending to greater heights. Though fabricated, the Status that certainly grew with each body change hit a ceiling after a certain level. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how many strong enemies he fought, changing bodies caused his Status to decline, and eventually reached its limit as that body reached an equivalent level. He couldn’t reach the next stage like this. Something felt wrong. With his emotional fluctuations dulled, his days repeated merely as a task. He endured years that would drive an ordinary person mad, yet he continued to use his ability.
All that remained in Zildra’s heart was obsession. He repeated it over and over, believing that he would eventually break through that limit. How many lives had he sacrificed? On which iteration of his life did he suddenly think: Existing races have limits to their growth. If so, why not create a new race with his own hands?
Creating a high-dimensional race through human hands is an act that defies the gods. However, fortunately or unfortunately, Zildra lacked such ethics, and had an abundance of time. In these days, Zildra was still unlearned, and perhaps a bit shallow-minded, leaning more towards a martial approach. Nevertheless, he found a new joy in this choice.
The desire for knowledge, something he had never experienced through the lives he had sacrificed. Insatiably greedy for his own nourishment, Zildra voraciously read books, ending several lives with that alone. What pleased him during this time was the fact that, even if Status wasn’t inherited, knowledge from memories was. To his mind, which had only considered how to train his body and become stronger, this was like a drug, spreading a sense of happiness. He devoured books, words, and wisdom, expanding his horizons. He completely abandoned numerical Stats and instead became a person capable of achieving them.
Eventually, he took his first step towards his ambition with his accumulated knowledge. He utilized all places he deemed necessary: research facilities of major nations, the illegal underworld, cults that worshiped Evil Gods. He even utilized the technical development department of a certain Empire and the demise of a small nation when it was necessary. Unrealistic research that would be impossible in a hundred years became reality in a thousand. Knowledge never betrays. An idea was born from a chance encounter, and even the most incompetent person could become a hint. Zildra’s world was dark, but to him, it was a Shining life. His goal was within reach. Just a little more, just a little more—.
“You’re doing some interesting research. Is there anything I can help you with? …Also, do you believe in gods?”
This happened in the last few hundred years. An unexpected sponsor appeared before him. A woman, generally considered beautiful with silver hair, appeared in the research facility he had hidden for so long. Her words were so intriguing that Zildra sent a prototype machine he was creating towards the woman. “Then, please help me adjust this machine,” he said.
“Is that all that’s required? I possess knowledge and technology from other worlds, and arts that the gods forbid. Well, if that’s acceptable, I shall oblige.”
“Whoa, you made this yourself!? Two-legged robots are actually possible in reality~. I’m getting a sense of romance from this!”
“—This one, you see.”
From then on, Zildra experienced a dimension he had never witnessed even over his long existence. The white-haired girl was truly captivating, and if she were an enemy, he would have wanted to dismantle her and take her data. However, if she were to become a collaborator, that was another story. Zildra’s research, which had acquired knowledge that should have been out of reach, progressed at lightning speed.
Then, Zildra’s final order, his last mission, was issued. In the name of god, his wish was promised to be granted. However, this was a completely separate matter from his current battle with Gerard. At this moment, Zildra had to take other measures.
Zildra’s current body, Jin Dalva, vice-captain of Trisen’s Ironclad Knights, had been trained by his great father since childhood, possessing excellent Skills like S-Rank Swordsmanship, and a strong, well-trained physique. This was, of course, from a commoner’s perspective. Indeed, this body was excellent. It was enough to awaken the fighting spirit he had forgotten in the depths of his memory due to his intense focus on research.
But, could he fight Kelvin’s party with this body? No, in a direct confrontation, it wouldn’t even be a match. Someone with Jin’s skill level could be found anywhere among the world’s elite. Utilizing the advantage of fighting in his own workshop, equipment and elements that could maximize the use of this body and knowledge were absolutely essential.
On the other hand, Gerard’s movements were entirely different from before. As the magic power of his swirling Demonic Sword, a darkness that could be mistaken for miasma, entered his armor, he gained a speed that Zildra could barely recognize. The power of the Demonic Sword he wielded had increased to the point where it could deflect a bayonet in a single blow. Even the gunfire, which he had expected to deal some damage, was completely useless against Gerard’s armor. He vaguely recalled this gunfire intercepting Efil’s arrows, yet it left not a single scratch on his armor. His overwhelming offensive and defensive capabilities, which he had possessed originally, had further evolved, and to that was added a mobility that was incongruous with his full-body armor. That’s how it felt. Even judging by sheer speed alone, he was on par with Sera. In any case, Zildra had no chance of winning like this.
“I forgot to mention, my welcome isn’t just limited to that. Latest models ‘Claret Hangar’ and ‘Ivyde Lis’, come out.”
Responding to Zildra’s voice, a section of the workshop floor rose upwards. In the elevators, which appeared like a tower-style multi-story car park, were green and purple mechs, boasting a size equivalent to Cyanrayne and Dezez Gray—
“Then, I shall return them with rough handling.”
—They were instantly reduced to scrap. Huge sword marks remained on the chests of both machines, a feat accomplished in mere milliseconds before they could even take a step. Zildra couldn’t react to this attack at all. It felt like confronting Serge, and emotions that shouldn’t have existed welled up from the depths of his heart.
“You still have reserves…!”
“Rest assured, when I defeat you, I will go all out. Besides, I’ve thought of how to kill you.”
Gerard’s body swayed as if it had no solid form.
On Overlap’s HP, the frontispiece and a sample reading for Volume 5 have been released.
The frontispiece features a full-color illustration of Dahak, and the sample reading allows you to test-read up to [redacted] with Rion.
Please use this as a reference for your purchase.
