Narrator POV 

  

  

  

  

Kazue called out the name of the reincarnated monster. 

“KOBE YASUO!” <Kazue> 

She yelled at the monster. 

  

  

“What did you just say?” <Yasuo/Kobold General> 

When Kazue screamed a familiar name, the kobold flinched and stopped moving entirely. 

It could not ignore how the girl standing opposite him knew that name. 

Several reasons entered his mind. 

  

  

Meanwhile, Kazue noticed that the monster was disturbed by the words she roared. 

According to the mysterious information provided by the quest given to her by the god of Judgement, “Rites of Equinox”, the name she just yelled should be the name of the monster. 

Once again, Mizusawa Kazue closed her right eye while looking at the monster. 

  

--------------- 

Rites of Equinox 

Progress: 1/5 

  

TARGET 

Individual: Kobe Yasuo (Reincarnator) 

  

Race: Kobold 

  

The individual, Kobe Yasuo has cleared the condition to become a target for the “Rites of Equinox” 

✓ The entity must have self-awareness 

✓ The entity's overall stat must exceed your own by at least 50% 

✓ The entity must be judged evil by the God of Judgement. 

  

------------- 

  

These overlayed over her view once again. 

She wondered… 

[What if I try looking at this monster with my left eye closed?] 

It was just a random thought, but Kazue still tried it and with that, she made a surprising reaction. 

  

  

On the other hand, the monster called out for the girl. 

“You… how did you know that name.” <Yasuo> 

The monster asked Kazue. 

The monster was still pissed off but it could not leave the matter unresolved. 

The monster, Kobe Yasuo put aside his anger because he wanted to know how did the girl know of his former name. 

Kobe Yasuo, this name was his name before he died and reincarnated into this world. 

  

  

******** 

  

About a year ago. 

Kobe Yasuo was reborn into this world. 

  

  

The last thing he remembered before he was reincarnated was the moments before his death. 

He was lying on the ground while the rain was pouring down from heaven. 

He was bleeding from a bullet wound on his stomach, shoulder, and chest. 

A bullet had pierced through his heart. 

Around him were police officers who were speaking on the radio. 

  

  

He felt hot, maybe because of pain. 

His thoughts were getting jumbled and he was having a hard time understanding what was happening around him. 

He could only think of a strong feeling of regret. 

Kobe Yasuo thought as life was oozing out of his body. 

  

  

“I DON’T WANT TO DIE” <Yasuo> 

He keeps on repeating these words in his mind. 

His eyes felt heavy, he feels that breathing itself was demanding to do. 

Blood was pouring out of his mouth, it was clogging the path of air going to his lungs. 

Slowly but surely he became weaker, he was getting sleepy. 

The feeling of remorse and the feeling of wanting to "live on" became stronger with each passing moment. 

But it was too late for him. 

Soon he allowed his eyes to shut close. 

Darkness enveloped him, only the sirens of the police mobiles is echoing in his ears. 

His consciousness fade. 

Just like that he died. 

  

  

Later, he realized that he was conscious once again. 

For him, it was as if a long time had passed by, but at the same time, it did not. 

He opened his eyes and found himself in front of blank space. 

The ground was pitch black. 

The sky was also the same, a void of blackness. 

He looked around and all he saw was a space of pure darkness. 

“Is this hell?” <Yasuo> 

He said, half seriously. 

  

  

“Kobe Yasuo” <Female Voice> 

A voice called out his name. 

It was a female’s voice, a voice that sounded like she was singing, a voice that can only be described as angelic and called Kobe Yasuo’s name. 

He turned around and saw a figure lying on a thick cloud that looked like cotton. 

Atop that cloud was a pure white figure of a human lying over it like it was a bed. 

The figure looked at him with a pair of odd eyes, the left eye glowed in a purple color while the right eye glowed red. 

The pair of eyes were looking at him, observing him. 

For some reason, Yasuo knew that this pair of eyes watching him had seen through his entire being. 

  

  

“W-w-who are you?!” <Yasuo> 

Yasuo tried to talk to the figure. 

The pair of eyes squint at him in disgust. 

Kobe noticed this; the figure seemed to have purposely shown its displeasure at Yasuo. 

“Hmpff… to be honest, I don’t think you deserve a second chance... but since I am feeling good right now, I’ll allow it. I’m kinda sick of those disgusting Otakus’ who seemed to have expected this kind of reincarnation troupe to happen to them… You, on the other hand, seem to have no idea what is happening… and because of that I’ll give you a pass…” <Female Voice> 

“What are you talking about.” <Yasuo> 

Yasuo was confused, just as the figure said, he has no idea what was happening to him at the moment. 

It was not a surprise, Kobe Yasuo is neither an otaku nor a person who believes in “Reincarnation” much less a parallel universe. 

  

  

“What the hell is this?! Who are you?! Where am I?” <Yasuo> 

He yelled like he was angry; he was confused and did not know what is happening. 

“Argh…” <Female Voice> 

The figure growled in annoyance at the mortal. 

Out of nowhere, a release of an invisible force caused Kobe to stiffen up. 

The origin of this force was, of course, the white figure with purple and red eyes. 

“Be silent and listen… I will not allow you to ask a question. In the first place, you have no right to ask one. So, if you want to know what’s happening you better listen well.” <Female Voice> 

Yasuo could not reply, his body stiffens and he choked making him unable to talk back. 

Without waiting for Kobe Yasuo to confirm that he was going to listen to the figure, it continued to talk. 

It did not matter to her if Yasuo listens or not. 

What is important to the white figure is to explain the detail of what was going to happen from now on. 

  

  

“You will now be reborn in another world to pay for your sins, as such you will be reborn as a monster. You can do whatever you like in that world. You can live peacefully as a monster for the rest of your pathetic life or you can try to co-exist with others, your choice. The real purpose of this reincarnation is for you to have a “new life” so I suggest that you should live a life dedicated to good and not to evil.” <Female Voice> 

Kobe Yasuo was confused and could not understand the words of the white figure who kept on talking to him. 

She explained matters to him but he could not keep up with all the information. 

“---- That’s all…” <Female Voice> 

  

  

The white figure finished explaining everything to him after a while. 

The white figure made a deep sigh. 

It was a sign of someone who had just recited a pre-meditated speech that he or she had spoken a million times before and was sick of repeating it. 

“Ok, now I’ll reincarnate you.” <Female Voice> 

“Wait!” <Yasuo> 

Yasuo wanted to ask so many questions but the figure ignored him. 

With a snap of a finger, the black space started crumbling down like broken glass. 

At the same time, geometric lines and symbols appeared below his feet. 

  

  

Thus, he was reborn as a kobold. 

  

  

He opened his eyes and found himself alive once again. 

His body became that of a monster, a Kobold. 

Without knowing about the world he was able to survive by living inside the dungeon. 

He survived by killing other monsters, eating their flesh as sustenance. 

  

  

He soon realized that he was a special kind of monster. 

Unlike his kin, he has intelligence equal to humans and he used this advantage to hunt down monsters. 

He survived like this for a year and thus the present. 

  

  

******* 

  

“How did you know that name” <Yasuo> 

The monster, Kobe Yasuo asked the girl. 

  

  

Kazue was conflicted about how to answer his question. 

She did not know how to explain things to him and so she just simplified everything and replied. 

Kazue awkwardly scratched the side of her cheeks with her index finger as she replies. 

“Uh… God told me?” <Kazue> 

A lie... 

  

  

“Ka-“<Yasuo> 

“Ka?” <Kazue> 

“KAKAKAKAKAKA!” <Yasuo> 

The monster started laughing at Kazue’s reply. 

“He-hehe…” 

Kazue could only laugh in reply to the monster’s reaction to her words. 

After some thought, Kazue realized how stupid she sounded. 

She mocked herself for saying those words. 

  

  

“I see… so god told you huh…” <Yasuo> 

There was a moment of silence. 

The monster did not say any more words. 

The monster stopped moving and made a long moment of silence. 

Kazue decided to talk once again but she stopped. 

She stopped because she felt a strong pressure coming from the kobold general. 

This pressure was different from the pure “Anger” the monster was showing moments ago. 

Kazue felt “Killing intent” coming from the monster, it was a feeling that was different from before. 

The monster looked calm unlike before, but Kazue can tell that he had obvious killing intentions. 

  

  

“I see, so you’re related to those despicable gods who reincarnated me in this world… KIKIKI…” <Yasuo> 

The high-pitched voice of the monster sounded ominous. 

[Crap… did I just make things worse?] 

Kazue thought while looking at the monster. 

  

  

“Well, I guess trying to talk it out with you was impossible from the beginning…” <Kazue> 

At first, Kazue was hoping to talk it out with the monster. 

“I wanted to ask you to stop trying to chase after us but it seems… it will be impossible after all. As a fellow person from the same world, I wanted to at least talk it out…” <Kazue> 

“KIKIKI, I don’t need that… I will KILL YOU. AFTER YOU DIE, SAY TO THAT GOD OF YOURS THAT I AM THANKFUL FOR THE SECOND LIFE THEY GAVE ME. DO THAT AFTER MEETING THEM IN THE AFTERLIFE.” <Yasuo> 

  

  

Kazue was naïve, to think that by just talking it out with the monster she can avoid fighting and just leave it as is. 

But this was a mistake… 

If she knew that things would just end up like this, she should have not tried to do it in the first place. 

If she knew that this monster has no intention to let her go from the beginning, she would not have to provoke the monster. 

  

  

Right now, the monster was looking at Kazue with a crazed look in its eyes. 

It was the eyes of a wild beast excitedly looking at tasty prey. 

Kazue prepared her weapon and went into her stance. 

All this time she had her left eye closed. 

She was reading the details overlayed on her sights. 

And with that information, she knew that a fight can't be avoided. 

  

------ 

INFO: Kobe Yasuo 

  

A man who lived a life full of deception, stealing, violence, and depravity. 

Before his death, he assaulted an unsuspecting family living in peace for his entertainment. 

He murdered the mother, father, and two of the three children of the family, sparing the youngest daughter. 

He raped and tortured the 8-year-old child leaving her with a crippling trauma that will haunt the girl for the rest of her life. 

  

  

He was shot by the police after trying to fight his way to escape and ended up dead. 

He was given a chance to change his life after his reincarnation after his death, but he decided to continue his old ways without feeling remorse. 

After reincarnation, he killed his kin for fun. 

He killed for “Entertainment” not for survival. 

Despite obtaining a second chance, he failed to change his ways and continued to walk the path of evil. 

  

  

The God of Judgement judged the individual Kobe Yasuo as “EVIL”. 

JUDGEMENT: DEATH 

--------- 

  

  

“I guess this person deserved to die… Why the hell did the gods decided to give him a second chance…” <Kazue> 

Kazue looked at the monster with disgust. 

She even ridiculed the gods for giving such individuals a chance to live twice. 

She got annoyed and wished for this monster’s death with all her heart. 

  

  

But... 

Kazue is not a saint. 

She was not the type of person who is concerned with social justice issues or anything. 

She never intended to act as if she were a hero of justice. 

She was the type of person who would rather stay away from such topics, not unless she is affected personally, she will not care for it. 

It just so happens that this time around, she is affected personally. 

  

  

The quest, “rites of the equinox” is guiding her to judge the monster with “Death”. 

After knowing about what this monster did in its past, Kazue also thought that this person deserved to die. 

Despite this, this was not the main reason why she is willing to dispatch the monster. 

She just wanted to work on the “Rites of Equinox”, a quest that the god of Judgement tasked her to do. 

  

  

In some ways, Kazue was also conflicted. 

This person was a reincarnated person from their world. 

If this was just a normal monster, Kazue will not hesitate to kill the monster. 

Just the fact that this monster was once a person, her felt unease. 

  

  

Will know that this monster was truly evil push Kazue to kill it without second thoughts? 

The answer was no, she is not the type of person who can just kill a person easily despite all the justifications. 

Deep inside, feels that she has no right to strike judgment toward this person. 

She is still hesitating, if it's not for the fact that this monster was evil, she would rather not kill this person to the end. 

But if she does not kill this monster then it will not be a surprise if she was killed in its stead. 

She gave up thinking and resolved herself. 

Kazue faced the monster, with a resolute purpose to kill. 

"ARHG! WHATEVER!" <Kazue> 

  

  

The monster lifted its sword once again and prepared to charge forward 

“KIIIIIIAAAHHH” <Yasuo> 

It screeched and dashed forward with its large sword in its hands held high. 

  

  

The kobold swung its large sword vertically downward at Kazue. 

Kazue did not react until the very last moment. 

She was relaxed since her (Concentration) skill was still activated. 

The attack was not particularly slow, but with her skill, Kazue easily dodged the attack by twisting her body to the side. 

She was aiming for a counter-attack. 

  

  

Kazue countered with a horizontal slash aimed at the monster’s legs. 

But the monster was able to react and jumped on his feed dodging Kazue’s attack. 

As it jumped in the air, the monster pulled the sword out of the ground with it. 

Before the kobold could even swing its sword once again, Kaori’s water ball flew toward the monster and struck true. 

Unfortunately, the power of Kaori’s water ball was not powerful enough to inflict significant damage on the kobold. 

Kazue knew this and so did the kobold. 

Despite that, it was enough to make the monster flinch when the magic hit its body. 

  

  

Kazue used that moment to push on her attacks. 

Her blade, clad with (Aura Blade) finally reached the kobold. 

Kazue was aiming for the kobold’s arm and her slash was able to land on the monster. 

When the attack did land, Kazue made an irked expression. 

“Tsk” <Kazue? 

  

  

The slash cleanly lands on the kobold’s arm. 

Kazue was expecting to see the kobold’s arm dismembered but she only made a slightly deep wound. 

If she wanted to cut off the kobold’s arm she would have to repeat the same attack in the same area several more times for her to cut it off. 

  

  

“its skin is tough” <Kazue> 

She said, immediately realizing that a normal attack enhanced with her aura blade skill will not be able to do much. 

It was the first time she saw such an opponent. 

  

  

[This guy is even stronger than the unique ghoul I faced back in Altus, but…] 

The monster continued to attack Kazue. 

Kazue, in turn, continued to skillfully dodge the attacks from the monster with enough leisure. 

The monster can’t land a clean hit on Kazue. 

  

  

Kazue, with the help of her equipment, is now faster than the time she faced the unique ghoul she encountered in Altus, she also had Kaori who was supporting her to fight the kobold. 

She was faster than the kobold and her attacks were lethal enough to call for all of the attention of the monster. 

The kobold could not afford to take off its attention away from Kazue. 

If he did, it might end up bad for him for she can inflict attacks that can become a problem for him. 

As a result, he endured receiving a constant bombardment of water magic from Kaori and focused all of his attention on Kazue. 

  

  

Despite all the efforts of the monster, it was incapable of landing a blow on Kazue. 

As long as the (Concentration) skill is active there is little to no chance that he will be able to catch her. 

Knowing that if Kazue was free to move around, she can easily dodge the attack of the kobold. 

He has to find a way to stop her movements in one way or another. 

To do this the kobold general, decided to try and use his hand to catch Kazue. 

So, the monster baits Kazue by purposely missing her with a slash and leaving his body to be attacked. 

Surely, the purpose of this action was to lure Kazue into him so he could easily grab onto her with his hands. 

  

  

Kazue smiled. 

This action was too obvious that Kazue discerned its purpose right away and simply stepped back to avoid getting caught. 

The kobold realized this and reached out his left hand in desperation to catch Kazue. 

It left the kobold’s arm open and was free to be attacked. 

  

  

(Decapitation Slash) 

Her body moved to the side and executed a downward slash. 

The motion was so fast that the kobold could not react in time. 

He could only pull out his hand to avoid fatal damage. 

Despite this effort, it was a little too late. 

  

  

The attack this time managed to cut through the wrist of the kobold. 

Although it did not completely amputate the monster's hand, the attack managed to create a severe wound on the kobold’s wrist. 

The attack was severe enough to cut deep into the ligaments of the monster’s wrist rendering it useless. 

  

  

The original purpose of this attack was to see if the skill (Decapitation Slash) could do enough damage to end the fight. 

Seeing that she managed to cause significant damage to the monster's arm. 

She was reminded of Andrew's state before he left earlier. 

His arm was broken rendering him unable to fight. 

It naturally crossed Kazue’s mind. 

The damage she caused to the kobold’s arm reminded her of Andrew's broken arm from earlier. 

“I guess… that’s for breaking Andrew-san’s arm?” <Kazue> 

Kazue jokingly muttered. 

  

  

Deducing from the damage she managed to create on the monster's hand. 

Kazue formed a plan in her head. 

A way to finish the fight... 

  

  

[This monster wields weapon well but in comparison with the ghoul I fought before, this much is nothing… The ghoul was faster and was a better fighter than this kobold. Well… My experiences as an adventurer also helped a lot. My skills have a higher level compared to that time and I have significantly better equipment compared to back then. Oh, I also have Kaori supporting me from behind. Well, I guess if I am to fight this monster without Kaori here, this will not work this well.] 

The fight was going in Kazue’s favor. 

  

  

[Seriously, this monster… if only it did not bring a large number of kobolds with him from the start, Andrew-san and his party could have defeated this monster.] 

For some reason, Kazue's mood became sour. 

She was annoyed that this monster pushed Andrew's party into such a state. 

This was because Kazue lost to them before... 

She did not feel good seeing the people who defeated her end up in such a state. 

  

  

“KAHKKK MY ARM!!!” <Yasuo> 

The kobold general, Kobe Yasuo, screamed in pain; blood covered the fur on his arm. 

“UNFORGIVABLE! UNFORGIVABLE!” <Yasuo> 

Despite the blood-filled look of the monster directed at Kazue, she just faced the monster with a smug look on her face. 

Her confidence was through the roof. 

“Yep, I can win this one…” <Kazue> 

After assessing the situation, Kazue is now confident that she can win the fight. 

  

  

“YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS!!! RAHHHHHHH!!!” <Yasuo> 

The kobold screamed his lung out. 

The kobold dropped its sword and lost the light in its eyes. 

“What happened?” <Kazue> 

Kazue's gaze was fixed on the kobold. 

Her eyes went wide seeing a scene unraveling upon her. 

  

  

The kobold came into a sudden change. 

The monster undergoes a transformation right in front of Kazue's eyes. 

Kazue continues to calmly observe the situation by watching the Kobold with keen eyes. 

  

  

The wound all over the kobold started releasing “steam”. 

From those wounds, the light seemed to glow like embers of burning coal. 

It was as if intense heat was escaping from inside the kobold’s body through his wounds. 

  

  

“Uwah… this must be “That” right?” <Kazue> 

Kazue mockingly joked to herself, looking at the crazed-looking appearance of the kobold she was fighting from a while ago. 

“This is “that” right? The one when a boss or a mini-boss is about to get defeated… It will activate its “Berserk” state…?” <Kazue> 

  

  

The bipedal kobold from before is now standing on its four legs. 

It completely abandoned wielding its weapon. 

Saliva was dripping down from its mouth and was looking at Kazue with a crazed look on its face. 

The looks of intelligence the monster had from before were replaced by a feral animal that is ready to attack. 

A difficult expression was painted on Kazue’s face while looking at the monster. 

“This is bad...” <Kazue>