[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-reincarnated-as-the-final-villain-s-vessel":3,"chapter-reincarnated-as-the-final-villain-s-vessel-reincarnated-as-the-final-villain-s-vessel-chapter-7":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Reincarnated as the Final Villain's Vessel",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},699799,934,"Chapter 7: Because I wanted to","reincarnated-as-the-final-villain-s-vessel-chapter-7",7,"\u003Cp>Caius’ POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment I planted the bomb on the control room door, I turned back into the emergency tunnel and started descending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I went down, a powerful explosion echoed behind me. I didn’t care whether everyone inside lived or died. What mattered was that the room was destroyed. They wouldn’t be able to tell what I was going to do next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I moved at full speed toward the lowest level.The floor that housed the reactor... that place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last—after what felt like an eternity descending through the dark tunnel—I reached the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood before a door larger than all the others.Behind it lay the reactor’s core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned the massive wheel. With a harsh screech, I forced the door open and stepped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant my foot crossed the threshold, a strange sensation washed over me. It felt as if the essence in the air itself was losing control, behaving unnaturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There it was—right in front of me, at the center of a chamber made of reinforced metal—the reactor core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like a gigantic metallic sphere, suspended between two pillars: one descending from the ceiling, the other rising from the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside it, the density of essence was so overwhelming it made my head spin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ignored the sensation and walked toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pulled out the last bomb I had left.It really had been a day full of explosions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I calculated the time needed to reach the gate and deal with any obstacles along the way, then set the timer to forty minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I attached it directly to the core, took a deep breath, and thought:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it really comes down to this... either I escape, or I evaporate along with this place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pressed the activation button and sprinted off once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly... I’d run far too much today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near the Instant Transfer Gate\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mike and 02 stood waiting for Caius, while the others gathered along the corridors leading here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>02 leaned against the wall, her sword resting at her side, her thoughts far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is he doing? Does he really intend to escape?she wondered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She closed her eyes and sank into her memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These memories were from several years after 01 had once given her food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had been taken out of that room—but that didn’t mean their lives improved, or that the pain lessened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every day became hell. They were subjected to brutal experiments and procedures that altered the very structure of their bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were forced to fight one another to the death. Anyone who refused to kill the loser was tortured for an entire week.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day, it was her turn to fight 01. She fought with everything she had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, she lost miserably. Even now, the cold sensation of 01’s blade resting against her neck remained vivid in her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet that time, he refused to kill her. What followed was his disappearance for an entire week... and it wasn’t the last time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t like the others. He didn’t kill most of his opponents. Out of ten battles, he would kill only two—then endure the torture calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one could understand his strange behavior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day, after another battle—this time against a beast rather than a human—02 sat beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She remembered them sitting back to back, their shoulders pressed against the cold wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why are you like this?\" she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised an eyebrow. \"What do you mean, ’like this’?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smiled faintly. \"You’re kind, 01.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She received no answer. As usual, he ignored her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since they weren’t allowed to talk to each other or form relationships... not that they truly could, anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>02 opened her eyes and looked toward where the others were gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of them lived because of him... but now they’ll die by his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she heard the clash of metal against metal—the signal that the battle had begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>30 Minutes Until Explosion\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I kept track of the time in my head as I headed toward the gate. I had already reached the correct floor. Only a few corridors remained between me and my goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the control room destroyed, they wouldn’t know I’d planted a bomb in the reactor core—ensuring the explosion wouldn’t fail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I ran, numerous familiar presences entered my sensory range. I recognized every single one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To me, each soul was distinct from the others—like a code I could read instinctively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These souls belonged to people I had spent years with here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, I hadn’t spared them out of mercy or goodwill. I simply didn’t care. Pain meant nothing to me anymore; I had grown accustomed to it long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I drew my swords.\"Looks like I was only postponing their deaths.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rounded a corner and saw them—eleven people, all around my age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stopped running and began walking toward them. They noticed me and drew their weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled.\"Won’t you step aside? I’ll consider this repayment for all your debts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tall, heavily built young man stepped forward, gripping a spear.\"You know that isn’t an option, 01.\"His voice held no emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of them had lost that long ago, reduced to killing tools that carried out every order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You want to die?\" I said calmly. \"Then come to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I released my killing intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hesitated... remaining where they stood.But I didn’t have time to wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you won’t come to me... then I’ll come to you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Essence surged through my body, flooding every corner as I sharpened my senses to their limit—then I stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next instant, I was right in front of the spear wielder. He didn’t freeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He twisted his body and thrust at me, fast and powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I placed my blade in the path of the strike and tilted it slightly. Metal rang out as the spear was deflected, throwing him off balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They gave me no time. Two more attacked from both sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leaned away from one sword, blocked the other with my second blade, then twisted my body and drove a kick into his ribs. I heard bones shatter before he flew several meters away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned back to the one whose strike I’d avoided. He was already swinging again. This time, I didn’t dodge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My left hand moved, my blade knocking his weapon aside for a split second—more than enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My right-hand sword swept across his neck. I felt flesh part before his head hit the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It took only a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the spear wielder and two others were on me again. Their advantage was that no more than three could attack me at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I weaved between them, my swords deflecting their blows...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spear pierced my thigh, blood spilling freely—but in return?The spear wielder’s head rolled across the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through my senses, I felt something tear through the essence-filled air, racing toward me at terrifying speed—like an arrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I twisted and kicked the man attacking me, sending him directly into its path. The arrow pierced his back. It didn’t kill him—but my sword did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another body fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt an attack coming from behind. I tried to shift away, but failed. A blade tore across my side, opening another wound. It didn’t slow me down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fight continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time one fell, another took their place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until they stopped coming... and silence fell over the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only sound left was my breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood there, drenched in blood from head to toe—some of it mine, most of it theirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at the corpses of those I had spent years with. I felt nothing. Not even a trace of pity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, I ignored the grisly scene and moved on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>15 minutes remaining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, I reached my destination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive metallic frame shaped like a narrow arch stood before me. In its center shimmered a wall of distorted light—the instant transfer gate, my path out of this place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But standing between me and freedom were two people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was a man radiating oppressive pressure.The other was a girl leaning against the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recognized her. It was 02.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man stepped forward, passing her.\"01, this is where your advance ends. Come, 02.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gestured for her to follow. She obeyed and lifted her sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I began circulating essence through my body, preparing for another fight—when something strange caught my attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A smile I couldn’t describe. It looked both sad and happy at the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>02 walked closer to the man, then—in a single instant, before the chip could even react—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her sword pierced his back and burst out through his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood poured from his mouth.\"How...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was his final word before he collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>02 remained standing, looking at me with that same smile. Her face turned pale as blood dripped from her nose—the chip’s backlash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was in front of her in an instant, grabbing her by the collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why did you do that? Why didn’t you fight?\" I shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our eyes met. She tilted her head slightly, her smile deepening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because I wanted to.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1520,"2026-06-02T09:38:16.884Z",1,"novelbin.me","0c6982c2faa7cda39286ac96b69c8d2c2910994f117f2058295a5e0b4a353675","reincarnated-as-the-final-villain-s-vessel-chapter-8","reincarnated-as-the-final-villain-s-vessel-chapter-6",183,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Freincarnated-as-the-final-villain-s-vessel-cover.jpg"]