Classless Reincarnation

55 The One Clad in Flames!

[A Certain Thunder Manifestation Is Quivering…]

The system announced the purple-haired girl's arrival. This message was her calling card, wasn't it? Except, Jack didn't want to meet her, not at all, in fact!

Yet, he had an opportunity. At the moment, she was on the other side of the Barrier, allowing him to see her as if standing behind a two-way mirror.,

Tch— As if he'd let her approach more! He had been taken by surprise by the soldiers, but this time he'd do something about it. That's when he rushed into the inferno.

"Flame Barrier, listen, and listen well! Rats are trying to invade our land, and they must be stopped! From now on, I want you to block even those with visitor tokens!"

[The Flame Barrier Protests!]

[It Will Not Go Against Its Mistress' Orders!]

"Are you sure? Do you not understand how serious the situation is?! If you refuse to cooperate, I'll have to—"

[The Flame Barrier Sternly Refuses To be Intimidated!]

[It Will Not Assist in a Crime This Time!]

Crime?! What was it even talking about? Then again, that didn't matter one bit at that moment. He had to convince it the girl was dangerous and— Or not?

"You're right, Flame Barrier. I'm sorry for even suggesting it. In fact, your accomplishment of protecting this place all those years should even be rewarded.

[A Flame Barrier is Confused but Agrees!]

"Foxes, give brother Barrier a massage!" Jack ordered, a strange scene soon appearing as the foxes started blasting the hell out of it with fireballs. How was this a massage?!

Yet, it proved extremely effective.

Good thing the Flame Barrier didn't have a mouth, or it would have been moaning at the moment. But mere seconds after having started, Jack ordered his foxes to stop.

"Brother Barrier, please help us! Without you, who knows how long I could possibly survive! Besides, all those silly foxes rely on me, need me, please have pity!"

By now, warm tears had already stained his face… and it was the same for his foxes as they pictured their Master dying. They had been swept in the drama!

"Woo! Woo!" (Please, brother Barrier! Have Mercy!)

[The Flame Barrier Refuses! It Has Impeccable Morals!]

But that's when Jack gestured to a certain fox to bring his trump card. "Bring me the big B!" The latter had been one of Lizzy's helpers before and understood instantly!

It hurriedly rushed away, quickly returning with an incredibly bright red power. The fox had gotten some because of how pretty it was, but that was about it.

"Barrier, if you help us, we'll reciprocate and help you too, look at this!" That's when Jack threw a bit of it in the fire, and…. BOOM! The "Big B" happened!

Now would begin the second round of negotiations! He'd ask the Barrier to help again and would even mix threats to it to—

But that's when a scream resounded from outside.

The poor girl who had been in the process of entering the Barrier has suddenly been thrown backward, the guest token in her hand shattering.

"What?! How? I just checked that token too…."

She couldn't understand why the Barrier had suddenly closed on her, but she wasn't about to accept that outcome! "Stupid barrier, I can't believe you destroyed my token!"

"Take this, you stupid Barrier!" By now, Lightning was already crackling around her fists as she punched the shit out of the Barrier.

Yet, even as it showed no sign of breaking, she kept going, trying her best to claw through the thing to no avail. Yet, even after failing lamentably, her spirit was still going strong.

"Hmph, fine! I'll do what needs to be done from here."

She took a deep inspiration, so deep that her face turned red… and then she unearthed all her grievances at once in one awe-striking shout.

"LISTEN UP, Flame Mansion!"

"I'll be damned if I marry that brat of yours!"

"I'm Lara Thunder Raven, and I won't stand getting stuck with a baby! If you think otherwise, you think wrong! I won't take this lying down, for I am Lightning!"

Her declaration was so powerful, yet her voice was so high-pitched. It made Jack think of a chihuahua making a war declaration… cute AF! But he shared her sentiments.

Heck, the Thunder Lord had probably just sent his minions to trick him, so the Flame Lord and his father never became a problem.

Good strategy, but the man clearly hadn't accounted for Jack being reincarnated and his granddaughter refusing it so much. But just as he thought everything was over…

— Rumble! Rumble! —

It came so late that Jack thought he had misunderstood.

He hadn't, sadly.

After the girl's speech, Heaven started to rumble. It was as if it approved her message. Then it suddenly started reverberating across Dawn City, far more than it should have.

But that wasn't the worst. A second later, Lightning descended upon the World. Jack thought it would be a mere imitation of the Thunder Lord, but it was utterly different.

— SCREEE! SCREE! —

"What?!" A sharp bird cry came from the sky, the Lightning turning into a ginormous electric Raven, its wind eclipsing the City for an instant.

Yet, instead of doing anything extraordinary… all it did was stare at Jack. That's when he felt something primal resonating inside him, something that scared even him.

[A Certain Thunder Manifestation Is Searching For—]

Just when he was about to receive a godly offer, Jack threw himself deeper into the Flame Barrier! That's when the bird-thingy suddenly lost track of him. But would it give up that easily?

Its eyes shone in the darkness.

It was transfixed on Jack as if preparing to devour his soul. But that's when something strange happened. Smoke erupted from all around him, camouflaging him.

[A Certain Flame Barrier Understands Now…]

— SCREEE! SCREE! —

The lightning/creature screeched in regret as it disappeared from its summoner lacking Mana. The Lara girl was already leaving, meaning Jack had actually survived!

"Damn, that was a close call. Still, we'll have to be prepared. There's no way she won't attend the Flame Masquerade. We'll have to squash that drama ASAP!"

He had no desire to ruin his upcoming party with some unnecessary clashes. No, he had to figure out what this whole thing was about! "Foxes, spread out, get me news!"

It took him three fox scouts to understand the situation.

After hearing about a new promising Diviner, a certain renowned Oracle had left his house for the first time in forever. Many had their Fate read, including the Thunder Lord.

| Your granddaughter is destined for greatness. But there are dark clouds in her Fate, and she won't survive alone. She needs to seek the One Clad in Flames. |

That's when he had sent his subordinates, only to be ignored… twice! Still, even now, Jack couldn't understand why they had been so forceful, the whole thing madness in his eyes.

Jack didn't know how to react to this. Talk about a sham of an oracle! Why did it have to spew such misleading BS?! Luckily, he knew just the thing to do…. He'd crush the prophecy!

"Everyone, find me the One Clad in Flames! We need to find him before the Masquerade!" As for who that "him" was, he didn't care. This would only be part of the puzzle.

"Woo?!" (Clad in Flames? Isn't that you?!)

The foxes were utterly confused. Why did their Master seem so against the whole thing? What was wrong with taking one more concubine?

As far as they knew, many Emperors had harems in previous ages! As for why they knew that… it was all thanks to the picture books they had been secretly reading.

"Not my style!" Jack truthfully replied.

Of course, he had far more pragmatic reasons, but he wasn't about to start explaining them to furry foxes. He'd be fine as long as he could thwart that marriage plan.

"In the worst of cases, we can always create a fictive entity with this title, but it would be better to get a real person, so search for powerful fire mages!"

He was already thinking of how he could potentially turn this whole thing into an opportunity. What if they used rumors to exploit that Oracle?

"Hmm, should we corrupt the guy or stick to just rumors spreading?" He kept pondering so casually. In his tone, there was no trace of the reverence reserved for the powerful.

Thus he sent more foxes to scout. He especially wanted to know how the Old Patriarch of the Thunder Palace would react.

But that wasn't all. He also needed to ensure the Flame Lord wouldn't be tempted to meddle in his affairs. But just as he was lost in his thoughts…

"Woo! Woo!" (Master, Master, it's finally here!)

A fox came running, carrying a Masquerade invitation in its mouth. Soon, the invite apocalypse would begin. Oh, and it would be ego carnage…

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Jack Bright (Classless)

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BODY 20 (STR 7/ AGI 7 / RES 6)

SOUL 47 ( MAGIC 10 / SENSE 18 / WILL 19)

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(NEW!)

- One Clad In Flames! (?!) 🆕