Just Another Reincarnation

IMPORTANT!!! This was NOT written by Einlion. Enjoy.
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MC POV:
'How can I deal with this barrier without wasting more time?' I thought, trying to analyze the barrier surrounding the old hat. For some reason, I could only break one layer at a time, and who knows how many there are? 'I can try blasting it with fire like I did the dragon, but if I hit Latifa, it's not worth it,' I thought. The barrier made it hard to detect the presence inside it, preventing me from pinpointing Latifa's exact position. 'What if I emulate the energy signature of that mage bastard?' I pondered. Assuredly, his barrier won't restrict him.
Everyone's energy signature is different, but that's primarily due to having different combinations of elemental affinities and the purity of the energy. Since Origin is the purest form of energy, I should be able to emulate other's energy signatures.
I placed my hand on the barrier and focused on matching its energy signature. As my energy changed, I could feel my body change as well. I grew taller, and my face seemed to resemble the mage more and more with each second passing. This process continued until, suddenly, my hand passed through the barrier completely unobstructed, with my body following suit.
I entered the old house and, after looking around while concealing my presence, I found stairs leading to the basement. As I descended the stairs, I heard the mage's voice. "Indeed. I used these ungrateful bastards as a sacrifice to summon the dragon! I wanted to unleash it on the kingdom and then offer to slay it in exchange for your hand! That would surely bring glory to our house, so they should be happy about being part of it!" the mage said in a voice tinged with insanity.
Shortly after, I heard Latifa. "How could you do that? Even if your whole family turned on you, surely your parents didn't. How could you sacrifice them?" she asked, sounding mortified. Hearing the sorrow in her voice, I quickened my descent.
As I entered the basement, the mage shouted, "They were the first to turn their back on me!!!" For a moment, he looked at Latifa as if wanting to strangle her. Then, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. After a moment, his face became stone cold again. "Enough chatter," the mage said, then blocked Latifa&rsquo;s mouth again with a cloth.
'Time to die, asshole!' I thought while moving behind the mage. "I couldn't agree more," I said while swinging my flame-covered katana at his neck, severing his head, and then stopped emulating his signature, making my body return to its normal albeit demonic state. There was no blood. The hot blade cauterized the wound and set his lifeless body ablaze on contact, making the scene slightly less gruesome since the flames didn't leave anything behind, not even smell.&nbsp;
However, this did not prevent Latifa from closing her eyes and turning away. "It's alright. I came to save you," I said reassuringly.
Hearing my voice, Latifa opened her eyes and looked back at me. "Arthur?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's me," I replied gently and proceeded to remove her bindings. Seeing the marks left behind by the ropes and the symbols painted all over her body, I cast healing and cleaning spells, causing Latifa to exclaim cutely, "Kya!"
"Sorry about that. I forgot that cleaning magic can feel weird," I said with a wry smile. "Here, cover yourself with this," I added while handing Latifa a tracksuit from my inventory.
"Thank you," Latifa replied and, with a slight blush, put the clothes on. Luckily, she was only a bit taller than me, even while being physically older by four years, so the loose tracksuit fit her well.
"Let's get out of here," I said, picking her into a princess carry, and we left toward the castle.
***
While on our way back to the castle, in the distance, we spotted an army of knights on horses traveling in the general direction where I fought the dragon. They were armed to the teeth. Even from this far away, I could feel their resolution to die in battle.
At the forefront, I spotted a few familiar faces, like Captain Lawrence, with whom I had sparred, Isuzuruha&rsquo;s father, and... Moffle? My surprise didn&rsquo;t come from just seeing him there. It was the fact he looked like a regular, albeit handsome, human.
&lsquo;They could transform? Does it mean Latifa also has another form?&rsquo; I thought. Such questions could wait. &ldquo;Hold on tight,&rdquo; I warned Latifa, whom I held in a princess carry, and sped up towards the knights.
&ldquo;Halt!!!&rdquo; Moffle exclaimed, seeing us fly towards them.
As soon as he did, the galloping army came to a stop.
&ldquo;Arthur? Latifa?&rdquo; he questioned, visibly surprised to see me.
"Yes, it's me, uncle," Latifa said, slightly embarrassed due to her current position.
&ldquo;Do you know another guy this handsome?&rdquo; I replied. &ldquo;Anyway, you guys are slow. In the time it took you to mobilize your forces and get here, I already saved Latifa and killed both the mage and its black flying lizard,&rdquo; I added with a smug face.
&ldquo;You killed the Black Dragon?!?&rdquo; Isuzuruha&rsquo;s father exclaimed from behind Moffle, matching his bewildered expression. The same could be said about all the other knights, as most of their jaws nearly dropped.
&ldquo;Why are you making such a fuss? It was just a big flying lizard that could spit fire. I expected more from a threat that endangered the kingdom enough to promise the hand of its only princess as a reward,&rdquo; I explained. Alas, it only made them even more shocked.
&ldquo;What do you mean by &lsquo;just a big flying lizard that could spit fire'?! Its scales were hard and magic resistant beyond reason! Neither the spells nor the magical bullets we sent at it could pierce them!!!&rdquo; protested Moffle. &ldquo;Do you think I would allow my only niece to be treated like a trophy if it was so easy to kill it?!&rdquo; he added.
&lsquo;Damn, it seems my new transformation is far stronger than I expected,&rsquo; I thought.
&ldquo;What is important is that it's dead, just like its master,&rdquo; I replied, but then, I realized something. &ldquo;Oh, right. Don&rsquo;t look for the corpses since I burned them down,&rdquo; I added.
&ldquo;You burned down&hellip; a dragon?&rdquo; Moffle said, visibly lost for words. "No. It doesn't matter. I have enough surprises for today," he added, massaging his forehead. Then, he looked at Captain Lawrence and ordered, "Take fifteen knights with you and search through the mage's hideout," he said, apparently knowing its location.&nbsp;
'I guess they had their way to locate&nbsp;Latifa,' I thought.
"The rest of us will return to the capital. There is no need for all of us to go there if the enemy is already dead," Moffle said.
"Yes, sir!" Captain Lawrance replied.
After that, we split, and our group returned to the capital without further incidents.
***
"I am beaten..." I muttered to myself while lying in my bed.
After returning to the capital, we went straight to the king, where I explained what transpired during my rescue mission. It was followed by a ceremony where the king praised me for quickly resolving the problem and the knight for fulfilling their duty and rushing to fight the dragon despite the high likelihood of death.&nbsp;
All the guests of the banquet were still present to witness it. They were forced to stay to prevent chaos from spreading and because it was safer to stay within the magically reinforced castle walls rather than run away and risk being targeted.
With the enemy dead, everyone's mood became festive once again, and the abruptly ended banquet resumed, albeit without Latifa's presence since she was too mentally exhausted to attend.
As for me, I stayed there for a bit, but after getting tired of the attention, I excused myself and returned to my room.
*clank**creak*
Hearing the door to my room open, I directed my gaze at it, only to witness a visibly embarrassed Latifa in her nightgown.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, puzzled.
"I couldn't sleep..." Latifa muttered while avoiding my gaze.
"A nightmare?" I asked.
"Nn," Latifa nodded, her cheeks becoming more flushed.
"Won't it be a problem? It will cause a lot of chaos if the princess, right after getting abducted and saved, is found missing in her bedroom," I inquired.
"I left a notice on my bed..." Latifa replied while fidgeting.
"I see. Then come over here, or you will catch a cold," I said after seeing Latifa's bare feet.
Hearing that, Latifa quickly approached my bad and slipped under my blanket, then snuggled closer with her back against me. In response, I hugged her and muttered, "Good night."
"Good night," she replied and soon fell asleep.
Now, it was the time to enter the Orb and see what changes today's events caused to my Status.
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IMPORTANT!!! This was NOT written by Einlion. Enjoy. 
MC POV:
"You!?!" The mage exclaimed in surprise, his face contorted by hate.
"Yes, me," I replied and slashed at him.
However, to my surprise, the mage, instead of turning into a makeshift fountain of blood, shattered like glass and turned into motes of light.
"Are you surprised?" the mage's voice resounded in the room with him nowhere to be seen. "After carefully waiting so long, do you think I would put myself in danger by staying in the open?" he scoffed. "I am here only for two reasons. The first is to announce the end of this accursed kingdom, and the second..." he paused. "...is to claim my reward." he finished while appearing next to Latifa. The next moment, before I managed to do anything, they both disappeared in a flash of light.
The whole room fell silent.
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!" I shouted, my energy exploding outward like a giant flame, causing the floor to crack and the people around to panic.
'He got me! I was too cocky and tried to fight a magician in direct combat. Of course, he prepared precautions! Anyone in his place would do so!' I thought self-mockingly.
As my anger grew, I noticed something. My skin kept turning redder by the moment, and I felt a pair of horns sprout from my forehead. The [Body of Seven Sins] has triggered.
It was undoubtedly a good thing, but it wasn't at the forefront of my mind. Rescuing Latifa was far more crucial.
Not minding the commotion I caused and the people panicking around me, I rushed toward the balcony area, creating a strong wind draft, despite my decent control. I would probably cause a sonic boom, injuring everyone in the hall, if I didn't learn how to mitigate the effects moving at high speeds had on the environment.&nbsp;
After leaving the palace, I used [Telekinesis] to float and took in the surrounding area, looking for clues.
'Where is she?' I thought while trying to focus on the connection formed by the contract we made in the past.
Alas, focusing was made exponentially hard by the growing anger inside me. The only thing keeping me from getting overwhelmed by the rage was [Indomitable Will]. It helped me reign in the unbridled fury I felt without lessening it. Together with it, my body experienced even more changes, my hair turned into white flames, and I could feel it growing taller and bulkier.
"Found you!" I exclaimed after finally pining down Latifa's position.
Without hesitation, I flew toward her location, a forest north of the capital. There, I found an old rundown house and entered inside. Or at least I tried to, as several magical barriers barred my entry.
"Annoying bastard!" I exclaimed while smashing one barrier after another.
Finally, taking notice of my presence, a silhouette of the mage appeared outside the house, likely another hologram.
"You are that kid from earlier? How did you find me so fast?" the mage asked in astonishment. "Doesn't matter... I merely need to deal with you for good," he added afterward as his face turned into a cold mask. Then, a giant magic formation appeared in the sky, followed by a monstrous roar. From within, a humongous, more than a hundred meters long black dragon appeared and rushed toward the city.
"Aren't you going to chase it? If you don't deal with it, it will destroy the capital. Or do you not care?" the mage asked with a sadistic smirk.
*Crack**Crack**Crack**Crack**Crack*
"You!" the mage exclaimed as I continued to destroy his barriers. "Do you not care about all the innocents the dragon will kill!?!" he exclaimed in astonishment.
*Crack**Crack**Crack**Crack**Crack*
Instead of responding, I continued to destroy the barriers. They weren't that strong, but there were a lot of them, and for some reason, only one at a time broke.
*ROOOAAARRRR*
'As expected, a coward will prioritize his safety over revenge,' I thought after feeling the dragon getting closer.
Once it got close enough, it stopped in midair and, after a deep breath, shot a stream of condensed flames. The flames reached me in seconds and then spread in a five-hundred-meter radius, turning a big chunk of the forest into cinders.
"That's what you call a warm welcome! My turn!" I exclaimed once the flames died, exposing me and the rundown house, both unscathed.
Following my instinct, I gathered energy in my lungs while taking a deep breath, causing my chest to expand far more than it should, then exhaled, releasing a stream of dark reddish flames very similar to the one released by the dragon. What made them different was their effect on the enemy. As soon as they reached the target, they rapidly spread all over the dragon and caused the beast to roar in pain as they seemed to devour it alive. The front of its chest, which my flames impacted, now sported a deep wound, but the dark fire burned down even the blood, preventing it from gushing out.
'Is it weak, or am I too strong?' I pondered. That was, after all, the dragon that terrorized the whole Mapple Land to the point where the King agreed to marry his daughter to the dark mage.
To put down the fire, the dragon landed and started desperately rolling on the ground, but soon, it seemed to realize that it did not affect the accursed flames. Enraged, it once again focused on me, the source of its pain, and slammed its tail against me.
Instead of dodging, I braced myself for the impact. Considering the difference in size, it should have sent me flying, but I had a different idea. I used [Telekinesis] to keep myself anchored in my current position while at the same time using Origin to create support under my feet. Once the tail hit me, I caught it with my hands.
"Got you!" I exclaimed, proceeding to slam the dragon against the ground, again and again, causing a small earthquake.
Even that didn't stop the dark flame from burning. After one final slam, I released its tail, pulled out my sword, and beheaded the now barely conscious dragon with a single slash.
Without wasting any more time, I turned back toward the old house.
***
Third Person POV:
In the basement of the rundown hut, in the middle of an intricate magic circle, sat Latifa strapped to a wooden chair. Bereft of any clothes excluding her underwear, she had to endure the mage's gaze and the brush he used to paint magical symbols all over her body.
Despite her dire state, her eyes were determined and full of hope. She didn't despair. She knew that Arthur would come for her.
She wasn't sure how strong he was, but his recent spar with one of the knights and the speed he demonstrated in the ballroom assured her that he was capable enough.
"Glare at me as much as you want. Once I finish the preparations, I will transfer all your Animus to myself. You know what that means," he said with a sadistic smile. "You will disappear, and no one, not even your annoying fiance and treacherous father, will remember you."
"*mmhm mmm mm*" came out of Latifa&rsquo;s blocked mouth.
"What was it?" the mage asked, removing the cloth covering Latifa's mouth.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" Latifa asked.
A powerful mage like him should be able to achieve whatever he wants. Latifa couldn't understand what made him use such despicable methods.
"Why?" the mage repeated after her in annoyance. "Of course, someone like you, someone that had everything from the moment they were born, wouldn't understand what it's like to be a part of a rundown magical family," he said, nearly growling as insanity flashed across his eyes. "Since I turned five, and my talent for magic got discovered, I have been forced to practice. Everyone praised me, 'You are the child of Oracle,' they said, and I believed them..." he stopped for a moment, turned around, and stepped away from Latifa. "It became my dream and obsession to learn every known magic, but ten years later, I hit a wall!" he exclaimed in a self-loathing tone, then turned back to Latifa. "No matter how much I studied, trained, and experimented, it was never enough! I was average at best in all the magic that could bring back the glory to our household. Once my family realized I wasn't the messiah they took me for, they turned their backs on me. Suddenly I became a parasite who wasted their money for ten years. Do you know how it feels? To be hated by everyone you held dear?" the mage questioned with an empty look. "So I came up with a plan. I would use my only specialties, dark magic, and summoning magic!" he said with a crazed smile.
Latifa's eyes trembled for a moment. To perform dark and summoning magic, a person required a catalyst and a lot of Animus. While the summoning magic used items like magical crystals and other precious materials that gathered Animus, the dark magic necessitated a living sacrifice and was widely seen as evil. There was only one way for him to combine these two.
"Indeed," the mage nodded, seeing Latifa's reaction. "I used these ungrateful bastards as a sacrifice to summon the dragon! I wanted to unleash it on the kingdom and then offer to slay it in exchange for your hand! That would surely bring glory to our house, so they should be happy about being able to take part in it!"
"How could you do that? Even if your whole family turned on you, surely your parents didn't. How could you sacrifice them as well?"&nbsp;
Latifa asked as tears started gathering in the corners of her eyes.
"They were the first to turn their back on me!!!" the mage shouted, looking at Latifa as if wanting to strangle her. Then he took a deep breath, and his face became stone cold again as he said, "Enough chatter," and once again blocked Latifa&rsquo;s mouth.
"I couldn't agree more," the mage heard from behind.
'Why is everything upside down?' the mage thought as his head fell and the darkness swallowed his conscience.

Chapter 27: Aftermath