Cruxius lay still, buried within the rock debris.
The world around him rang—a high-pitched whine, like a blade scraping glass.
Dust swirled above, moonlight hidden by the falling rocks piling up over his body. Everything hurt. His vision swam.
Then—
"CRUXIUS!!!"
Volta's scream pierced the haze.
"MASTER!!"
Darithi's voice followed, ragged with panic.
It really worked... His fingers twitched. Rubble shifted under his arm. Pain lanced through his leg—sharp, white-hot, nauseating. Fractured. Maybe worse.
He gritted his teeth, not from pain—he was already too familiar with it after dying so many times. Pain was the last thing he would ever react to.
The taste of blood coated his tongue.
"...Tch."
Slowly, he moved. First an elbow. Then his shoulder.
Each shift dragged agony through his body like broken glass under skin.
The moment he tried to put weight on his leg, it gave out—collapsing beneath him like wet paper.
"Fuck," he hissed, jaw tight.
System, show my status window, he thought, knowing he was currently immobile and aware of how soon those two girls would be taken out of this place. He focused on seeing the status, eager to find out what profit he gained from this risky investment.
---
[Status Window]
Name: Cruxius Blac
Rank: A
Role: Super Villain
Abilities:
[Heartsync] – Rank: SSS+
User may acquire the primary ability of any individual who falls in love with them.
– Instantly receives the target's base ability
– Strength multiplies or degrades in proportion to emotional depth (minimal scale in infatuation), e.g., +1x or -1x
– Targets remain unaware unless told
[Black Loop] – Rank: SS+
Upon death, user can rewind to any chosen moment within the past 24 hours.
– Only memories are retained
– Physical injuries and damage are reset
– Time point is chosen after death
– Activates automatically
– No cooldown; reactivation requires death
– Cannot carry physical objects or energy through loops
[Kino Control] – Rank: S
User can absorb, store, and release kinetic energy with extreme precision.
– Absorbs kinetic energy from any physical source
– Stored energy can be redirected into attacks or movement, boosting stats momentarily
– Storage has no time limit; release is voluntary
– Overuse causes muscular strain and temporary paralysis in a weak body
---
'Phew, now this is a worthwhile gain', he breathed, relaxing his body. He'd really put in the hard work to achieve it.
Now he just needed to keep acting and increase Volta's favorability toward him. Most likely, her Kino Control ability would be S+, maybe even SS by tomorrow.
A direct boost from S to SS in rank.
He rolled to his side, breath shallow, then planted one hand on a chunk of stone and pushed. Muscles screamed.
His spine cracked but then—like a switch—the stored kinetic energy from that punch surged through him.
He controlled it with a swift, small flick.
The whole mountain of debris exploded outward, like it had been shot by a cannon.
Though the ones above were surprised, as the moonlight filtered through the gap—now lying in the open—he saw Volta and Darithi looking at him.
Their eyes were clearly crystalline, about to get wet with tears any moment—something he did not expect from these beautiful and cold women. But what could he do?
It's natural for people to break character when they lose someone close to them.
"Come on, girls... don't let those precious tears fall just yet—I'd rather see you fall for me than fall apart."
"C-CRUXIUS..." Volta's voice was hesitant. Her body lunged toward him, arriving before Darithi, who also jumped down but was slower. Volta hugged him tightly, hastily checking his body. "Are you alright? You're not injured, right?"
Her voice was filled with concern, and a subtle glimmer of shock danced in her amethyst pupils as they contracted. Her gaze landed on his leg, which clearly had fractures—but at least, he was alive.
"I... am sorry, Ytrisia," Cruxius finally said, with most of those words aimed at manipulating her, though a minor part came from guilt.
In his past life, due to a series of monster outbreaks he himself had orchestrated as a villain, she had lost her life.
Technically, he had killed her out of his hatred for heroes.
So it was, at best, a minor apology—and mostly manipulation.
"What? F-for wha... I forgive you," Ytrisia said, for the first time being called by her real name instead of that superhero identity which had long become a part of her.
Maybe the emotional turmoil from witnessing him risk his life to save her broke her inner resolve.
Maybe, despite everything—even after being cheated on—she had lost to this man.
And now that he was even apologizing for what he'd done so far... maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't cheat again.
Maybe she should give their relationship another chance.
"Thank you, Ytrisia," Cruxius said, leaning solely on her as Darithi stood silently beside them. He kept glancing at Volta's lips, which were slightly damp—maybe from biting them. Instinctively, something flickered inside him as he leaned forward, catching her off guard with a kiss.
"Mhh—what are you doing?!" she gasped, instantly retreating halfway. In doing so, she unintentionally lifted him, making his body stumble. Darithi caught him from the side, still without any visible reaction.
"H-help me, Darithi," Cruxius muttered, despite the fact that she was already supporting him. He acted as if she hadn't, just to make Volta feel guilty.
And it worked—she stepped forward, flustered, and helped him again.
"S-sorry, I was just startled…" she said while clearly taken aback by the sudden kiss. She helped him walk, this time avoiding his gaze as a soft confusion lingered across her expression—along with a hint of bliss.
Her lips seemed to still feel the pressure from earlier—too unfamiliar, too new.
'Tch, tch. Can't even take a kiss… That's why we broke up', Cruxius thought, shaking his head as he recalled the reason they never worked.
Forget going to bed—whenever he even tried to kiss her, she pushed him away.
For a man like him, who was ten times as ambitious when it came to women, that constant denial had always left him hungry.
So, back then… he simply went around.
His younger days had been slightly too messed up.
But everything will be fine now. Now that he was back, he would make sure not to repeat the same mistakes.
He would choose women who are far more capable of keeping him satisfied; if not, then he will have multiple partners to balance them out.
After all, his libido stats were too good to be wasted, weren't they?