LOAD GAME: The Villian’s Second Chance

Chapter 2 - Reborn as Lord Virex

Alex didn’t move.

Twelve armored knights knelt before him, but their hands gripped their weapons like they were one heartbeat away from charging.

The throne room was massive. Cold stone floors. Torches flickering against high ceilings. Shadows crawled along the walls like snakes.

And he was standing in the center of it all, holding a sword so heavy it felt like lifting a car. Yet somehow, it didn’t feel unnatural. His muscles moved as if this body had always been his.

The knight in front stood slowly. His armor clanked as he removed his helmet. He was grizzled, scarred, and his eyes burned with judgment.

“Your Grace,” the knight said. “By order of the Grand Tribunal of the Black Throne, you are to be arrested for treason, blood magic, and endangering the fate of the realm.”

Alex blinked.

“Wait, what?”

The knight frowned. “Do not insult us with false innocence. You know what you’ve done. The ritual in the Forbidden Chasm. The death of High Oracle Vensha. The summoning of the Devourer Beast. Or did you believe your crimes would remain hidden forever?”

Alex just stared at him. That all sounded like… late-game lore. Stuff he used to skip past in dialogue scenes before raiding this very castle.

“I think you have the wrong guy,” he said cautiously.

The knights exchanged glances. One of them, a younger woman with dark braids under her helmet, muttered something to the others. Their leader held up a hand.

“You’ve lost your mind,” he said. “Or you’re playing games. Either way, it ends now.”

Alex looked around. No HUD. No minimap. No logout button.

This wasn’t VR.

This wasn’t just immersion.

This was real.

He had to make a choice—fast.

Try to run? Outnumbered twelve to one, and he didn’t know the layout of the place. Surrender? Maybe they’d talk. Maybe he could bluff his way out of this until he figured out the rules.

His hand loosened on the sword hilt. He took a breath.

“Fine. Let’s talk,” he said.

The leader stepped forward. “Surrender your blade, and we’ll escort you to the cell chambers.”

Alex reached out slowly, gripping the sword by the flat of the blade, lifting it up in both hands.

Then he did the only thing that made sense.

He hurled it at the wall.

The blade slammed into the stone and stuck there, deep and humming with power.

The knights jumped to their feet, blades drawn, spreading out to encircle him.

“You will pay for that insult,” the leader growled.

“I just threw a sword into a wall. Calm down, bro. I’m not exactly thinking straight here.”

“Seize him!”

They rushed forward.

Alex had seconds to react.

And that’s when it hit.

His body moved on instinct.

He ducked under the first swing, elbowed the attacker in the ribs, and twisted their sword from their hand in one smooth motion. The next knight came from behind, and Alex spun, catching the flat of the incoming blade and pushing off with a shoulder check.

It felt like muscle memory. Like this body knew how to fight even if his mind didn’t.

A system chime echoed in his head.

Combat Sync Level 1 Initiated. Lord Virex Core Skills Unlocked.

The air around him pulsed. A dark aura surged from his hands.

The knights froze.

“What sorcery is this?!”

Alex didn’t know either. But something inside told him—just lift your hand.

He did.

The room darkened.

A red circle appeared beneath his feet, spreading outward like wildfire. Black lightning sparked around him.

The knights staggered back, some dropping their weapons.

Skill Activated: Shadowbind

Chains of black energy erupted from the floor, grabbing the legs and arms of the nearest enemies, yanking them to the ground.

Alex blinked.

“Whoa…”

Then he grinned.

“Okay. That was awesome.”

The older knight roared and broke free of the chains through sheer force.

“I warned you, Virex!” he bellowed. “You leave us no choice!”

He charged with a glowing blade.

Alex braced for impact—until the wall to his left exploded.

Stone and fire rained down as a figure leapt through the rubble.

A woman in dark armor landed between him and the knight, twin daggers spinning in her hands. Her hood fell back to reveal sharp eyes, long black hair, and a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Step away from him,” she said coolly. “The Lord is not taking visitors.”

The knight growled. “Lyra. You traitorous snake.”

“Guilty,” she said. “But you’ve never been very good at keeping secrets. Or alive.”

She blurred forward in a flash of movement, blades clashing with the knight’s sword. Sparks flew as they fought.

Alex backed up, still gripping the stolen sword, watching in disbelief.

Lyra? He recognized that name. She was one of the legendary rogue generals—an endgame boss with a reputation for switching sides mid-fight.

But she wasn’t supposed to be here. Not yet. Not until much later in the campaign.

Unless…

Unless his actions had changed the timeline already.

He ducked as another knight lunged, slashing wildly. Alex countered clumsily, managing to knock the blade aside.

The system voice spoke again.

Adaptive Combat Update: Style Analyzed – Dual-Wield Mastery at 15%

He glanced down. His movements were getting faster. Sharper.

As if the more he fought, the more the system filled in the blanks.

Lyra flipped over her opponent, landed behind the knight, and struck both daggers into his back.

He collapsed with a grunt.

The rest of the knights began retreating, dragging their injured with them.

“This isn’t over!” the young woman shouted before vanishing into the hallway.

The room fell silent again.

Dust floated in the air.

Alex looked at Lyra.

She was watching him closely.

“You really don’t remember anything, do you?” she asked softly.

He shook his head.

“I remember the game. I remember playing as a human. I wasn’t supposed to be here. I died… I think. And now I’m in his body.”

“Lord Virex,” she said slowly. “Warlord of Ash. The Crimson Tyrant. Last Boss of the Nine-Year War.”

“That’s… definitely not me.”

“Then you’re either lying,” she said, “or something bigger is happening.”

Alex sat down on the edge of the throne again.

“I’m not lying. I swear.”

She sheathed her daggers. “Then you’re in danger. Every faction in this world is gearing up to kill you. The players. The NPCs. Even your own armies.”

“Great,” Alex muttered. “Exactly how I imagined my reincarnation. As the guy everyone hates.”

Lyra tilted her head. “But you’re… different. The way you moved. The way you spoke. It’s not like before.”

“I don’t know what Virex was like,” Alex said. “But I’m not him. Not really.”

She stepped closer. Her gaze softened a little.

“Then maybe you have a chance.”

“At what?”

“At changing how this ends.”

Alex leaned forward. “Why are you helping me? You could’ve killed me with the others.”

Lyra hesitated. Then she looked away.

“Because the world is broken. And Virex… he tried to fix it. In his own way.”

Alex frowned. “He tried to fix it by becoming a bloodthirsty tyrant?”

“He wasn’t always that way,” she said quietly. “He made a deal. With the system. To protect us. And it changed him. Took pieces of him away. Bit by bit.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed.

“The system?”

She looked back at him. “You’ll see. If you survive long enough.”

He exhaled.

This was so far beyond anything he had expected. Winning the finals had been the highlight of his life. But now it felt like that win had triggered something. Like he’d pulled on a thread connected to something ancient and hidden.

He stood up and walked over to the sword embedded in the wall. With a grunt, he pulled it free.

The steel hummed in his grip.

His grip.

“Fine,” he muttered. “I’m Virex now. Whether I like it or not.”

Lyra nodded approvingly.

“Then your first step is staying alive. You have enemies everywhere.”

He turned to her.

“I need information. Who’s attacking next? Where are the faction armies? What triggers the final battle?”

She raised a brow.

“You think I know all that?”

“I do. Because I used to play this game. And if the world still follows the same logic, I know the chain of events that leads to the end. I just need the starting point.”

Lyra crossed her arms. “Then follow me. We need to get out of this castle. Now. Before the next group comes.”

“What about the rest of my… empire?”

She gave him a sideways look.

“Half of them want your crown. The other half want your head.”

Alex sighed.

“Of course they do.”

They moved quickly through the halls, torches guiding their way. Lyra moved with the silent grace of someone used to betrayal.

But Alex felt it—this body wasn’t weak. He wasn’t a background NPC. He was the final boss. The world feared him for a reason.

As they stepped out of the castle’s northern gate into the dead forest beyond, Lyra suddenly stopped.

“What is it?” he asked.

She didn’t answer.

Then he saw it.

A strange light—green and flickering—spreading in the sky like veins.

And a system message appeared in front of him again.

ALERT: World Event Initialized – Player Invasion Has Begun.

Alex's blood ran cold.

"Already?"

Lyra turned to him slowly, her face grim.

“They’re here.”