"If you don't wake up... I'll kill you!!" The high-pitched voice pierced Antares' mind like a direct punch to his eardrums.
His body was completely shattered. The pain was unbearable, as if a truck had run over him and kept hitting him repeatedly. Antares tried to open his eyes, the exhausting effort causing his head to throb. He couldn't focus, his mind was in chaos, but with an automatic movement, he raised his hand and punched the alarm clock, making the annoying sound cease abruptly.
"Live for me?" Antares growled, still dazed and angry. "Live for me? Hell no..." He cursed, struggling to get up. His muscles protested against the movement, and he felt as though every cell in his body had been drained of energy.
He looked at his stomach, and to his surprise, there was no sign of injury. His body was completely healed, as if the pain had never existed. "A dream... that damn dream, and that goddess's message made it clear," he muttered, feeling the rage bubble up inside him again.
A notification appeared on his retina, cutting through his thoughts.
[Mission Received! Go to Kuoh Academy and talk to your friends!]
"Friends?" Antares grunted, with a touch of disbelief. "What the hell are friends? Do I even have friends?" He fell silent, thinking. "Are the Monarchs here? No... they're more like subordinates..."
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his head, and he placed his hand on his forehead, feeling as if something was being forced into his mind. Memories began to surface, one by one, crushing him with their weight.
"Ugh... two damn perverts..." Antares murmured, referring to the recent memories of Issei, distorted by his new existence. He shook his head, trying to push the memories away, but something inside him stirred. Something was changing, and he wasn't exactly sure what it was.
The pain in his head subsided, but the discomfort lingered. He felt his mind being invaded by something strange, as if a part of his old life was blending with the new one. Reality was adjusting to his new body, and he didn't know how to deal with it. But one thing was clear: he didn't want to live like the old version. He was Antares, the Monarch of Destruction, and no stupid human body, no matter whose it was, would stop him from being who he truly was.
Antares left his house with a yawn, the exhaustion still hanging over him like a thick cloud. The morning sun felt like a sharp blade, cutting directly into his skin, forcing him to squint in effort. "Aaaaah... What a drag..." he muttered, feeling bothered by the intense brightness that seemed to invade his flesh.
It wasn't just uncomfortable; it felt like the sunlight was draining his energy. "Daylight... a torture," he thought, furrowing his brow.
"What the hell is happening to me?" he thought, feeling a growing frustration.
Something was wrong. He could feel a growing power inside of him, something that wasn't his, but now seemed to be taking control. The energy from Issei's memories was affecting his mind, and somehow, he felt that this was a force he couldn't ignore.
"It must be this damn system... if it's anything like what the Architect did, I'm becoming a vessel to be a Monarch again... just a matter of time," he murmured, trying to make sense of the situation.
[You have completed the mission, rewards will be distributed shortly.]
Antares walked through the halls of Kuoh Academy, the weight of frustration making each step harder. The sound of his shoes tapping against the wooden floor echoed, but his mind was far away, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts.
"Damn... this wasn't what I planned," he muttered to himself, not taking his eyes off the ground. "When I came here, I thought it would be easy. This body... this idiot never saw a real woman... now they throw me into a school full of girls?"
Kuoh Academy, a private school that was once exclusive to girls and had recently become co-ed, was a hard place to get into. In the second year, Issei's memories began to resurface more intensely.
Antares could feel that something inside him already knew: girls were still the majority, but the proportion of boys was increasing. More competition. And what did that mean? Issei had entered here with a single goal: to conquer girls. And while he tried to adjust to this idea, Antares wondered, "What the hell am I doing with this damn body?"
The idea of conquering women dragged through Antares' mind like an irritation, an obsession that didn't seem to be his but rather the body he now inhabited. It was ridiculous. He was a monarch, a destroyer, a Dragon King! How the hell was he letting himself be swept up by these thoughts?
"I'm invisible to them," he thought, gritting his teeth in anger. For a guy like him, that was a low blow.
The girls simply ignored him, as if he were a ghost. "Damn," he thought, forcing himself to swallow the frustration rising in his throat. It was an insult to his very existence. How was this possible? He was Antares, not some random kid!
"I'm a monarch! I'm NOT an idiot!" He screamed internally, stopping abruptly in the hallway.
"What happened to my life? Why did that damn goddess throw me into this idiot's body?" he thought, sitting down in the first chair he found, a long sigh escaping his lips. "Now I'm this guy, Issei, and there's no going back. Screw it. If this body wants women so badly, I'll handle it."
With his arms crossed on the desk, he looked around, trying to avoid the gazes of the girls, his mind boiling with the need to find a way to control the situation. 'Why am I thinking about this? AHHH!!! DAMNIT!' he screamed mentally.
It was an internal struggle. Part of him still wanted to believe he could turn things around. But another part was starting to wonder if he was just wasting his time.
At that moment, the annoying voice of Matsuda interrupted his thoughts.
"Hey, Issei! What's up, buddy? How was the porno movie I lent you? Pretty good, right?"
Antares turned his head with an exasperated sigh. Matsuda. The perverted friend. Always showing up with his stupid jokes and irritating behavior. A former athlete who, over time, traded the field for cameras and girls. His inappropriate behavior was a constant. "Bald pervert," "Creepy paparazzi"... the same old thing.
"Bald pervert, idiot number one, Issei's friend," Antares thought with disdain.
But he knew he couldn't escape. Those two idiots were always around. Ignoring them, he tried to focus on his own frustrations, but Matsuda wouldn't stop talking.
"Mm, it was pretty windy today, huh? That's how I got a wonderful view of the girls' panties."
Antares shuddered with disgust. He looked at his friend but didn't reply. It was a true insult to his existence. And still, there wasn't much he could do about it.
The glasses-wearing guy trying to look cool was the second friend, Motohama. His glasses had the ability to display the measurements of any girl he looked at. His nicknames were "Four-Eyes Pervert" and "BCQ Calculator" (Bust, Waist, Hips). These two were my companions. Seriously, when I look at these guys around me, I feel like the biggest failure.
"I've got top-notch material," Matsuda said, pulling out a bunch of inappropriate magazines and DVDs from his bag and unceremoniously throwing them onto my desk.
"Heee!" a girl from the other side of the room squealed. Well, it was to be expected; we were messing with "this" early in the morning. After the scream, came the harsh comments from the other girls. "You're scum," "Kill yourselves, you disgusting animals!"
"What's with you, huh? With all these wonders in front of you and you're sitting there looking so bored?"
"Yeah... What's happened to you? You don't seem the same lately. You're acting really strange," Motohama commented, adjusting his glasses.
"I wish I could be excited about all this, but lately, I just don't have the energy to get excited." Antares spoke as if he were Issei from before. Thanks to the memories, it was easy for him to act this way.
"Did you catch some kind of disease? It can't be. The guy known as 'the embodiment of all kinds of carnal pleasures' can't be this down," Motohama teased. Seriously, this guy is so blunt.
'This idiot... I'm getting embarrassed...' Antares thought.
"Ah, could it be that? That hallucination you had about an imaginary girlfriend. It was Yuuma-chan, wasn't it? Could it be a side effect?"
"Good thing it was just imagination," Antares said, a bit irritated.
The two of them looked at him, confused by the response.
"You really don't seem okay... You should see a doctor," Matsuda said.
"Yeah... you're acting really weird..." Motohama added, with the same pitying expression.
"My friends, we're in the prime of youth, so it's normal for us to act this way. So, come over to my place after school. I'll show you some of my secret collection."
"Great idea, dear Matsuda-kun. Issei-kun should go, that's exactly what he needs."
"Of course, Motohama-kun. We are young and driven by our sexual appetites. It would be an insult to our parents who brought us into this world if we didn't do something to satisfy these depraved impulses."
The two of them were smiling. 'They really are perverts,' Antares thought. From any angle, they were nothing but disgusting degenerates. To Antares' dismay, he was one of them now, thanks to the goddess.
'I'd better accept Issei's persona and pretend to be him for now, there's no point in thinking about who I was... at least until I understand how this world works... I need to regain my power...' Antares thought before completely changing his attitude.
"Alright, it's settled. Today, no one's stopping us. We're getting drinks, snacks, and watching porn until the sun comes up!" Antares said, mimicking Issei.
"That's it! That's the Issei-kun we know!"
"That's the spirit. Let's celebrate the happiness of being born men."
Matsuda and Motohama were already pumped. Antares, on the other hand, decided to forget about everything for now. After all, he needed to have some fun once in a while. That day, he just wanted to dive into a world he had never known... maybe it could be fun!
It was then that something unexpected happened. After making plans for the afternoon, something caught his attention. A crimson red appeared before his eyes. From the classroom, he looked out the window and, in a glance, saw a girl walking across the school courtyard. Antares couldn't take his eyes off her as she approached the school building.
She had red hair and a supernatural beauty that seemed out of this world. Her slender figure didn't look like a typical Japanese girl, and everyone said she came from northern Europe. Anyone who witnessed her beauty would have their heart stolen. Her name was Rias Gremory, and she was, without a doubt, the goddess of the school. She was in her third year, making her a senior to Antares.
Antares noticed that everyone was watching her. Boys, girls, everyone seemed hypnotized by her presence. Even Matsuda and Motohama were fixated on her. This happened every day, it was a spectacle. When she walked by, people would stop what they were doing. Some even interrupted their conversations.
A gentle breeze moved her hair, creating an almost magical scene. Her hair, which reached down to her waist, was now lifted by the wind. The atmosphere around her seemed tinged with red, the same color as her hair.
Her skin, as white as snow, was breathtaking. "Breathtaking" was the word that best suited her.
Antares always stopped whatever he was doing when he looked at her. However, something had changed. He felt like his perception of her had transformed. She was beautiful, yes, but now her beauty seemed to be something that frightened him. Suddenly, he felt a bit intimidated by her presence.
He didn't know why, but since the reincarnation, something had been different. That was when her eyes shifted toward the building where he was, and for a moment, their eyes met. Antares felt as if his heart had been physically captured by her. It was the sensation of standing before someone superior. Rias' gaze shifted, and she gave a slight smile.
[Your master, 'Rias Gremory', shows interest in you.]
'I found you... the redhead who "saved me."' He thought, returning her smile. Her words echoed in his mind, just like the first time they had met...
"If you're dying, then I'll take you for myself. Your life means nothing. You'll live for me." Clear as water...
'Live for you?... no... I'm more the type where you live for me.' He thought about her words and let out a demonic smile while trying to hide his face.
'I am the Dragon King, nothing less than that. I serve no one but myself.'
[Mission: Tame Rias Gremory] [Deadline: Infinite]
[Reward: Love and Loyalty of the Princess of Crimson Ruin]