REINCARNATED AND REGRESSED VILLAIN - MAKE HEROINES BEG FOR FORGIVENESSC302: Chapter 302- Diana's plan
"R-Ryuk?" The High Priest, hearing Diana's words, repeated himself, not understanding or recalling any such person's name. Though it felt somewhat familiar, he rejected the notion that the saint she referred to was none other than Ryuk Devereaux, who had been in a coma for quite some time.
The High Priest only knew of one Ryuk, and he was someone belonging to Ardoros, considering that a few years ago, Alisia Devereaux had arrived in the sanctum in search of healing medicine for her son, who also shared the same name, Ryuk.
"Ryuk Devereaux, to be exact," Diana clarified, removing her fingers from over her lips. With a gentle smile, she opened her eyes and glanced at the expression of the High Priest, which soon turned into surprise and then shock.
"L-Lady Diana, isn't he crippled?" The High Priest, already aware of the unfavorability shared between the four major families, didn't hesitate to mention the well-known information he had about Ryuk Devereaux, who was in a coma, having lost all of his abilities due to his bloodline drawback.
'Should I kill this bastard?' For a brief second, Diana felt a wave of rage wash over her, her face going icy. But just as quickly, she forced a smile, managing to keep her anger in check.
She couldn't shake the thought that perhaps she should just eliminate this guy, especially after he had the nerve to call her beloved crippled.
"Due to the blessings of Goddess Fela, he has been healed and even awakened as a saint," Diana continued, stating the information she could share while seated in her place, not caring if they doubted her words.
She considered that she should just kill them and replace them with one of the Riantan members but remained patient, given how the High Priest possessed enormous divine energy, which could arouse suspicion since his copy would not be able to manifest that level of expertise.
"Ah, so that's how it is," the High Priest placed one hand on his chin, thanking deeply before forming a smile and lifting his other hand, clasped before praying. "My Goddess is truly merciful and the strongest to bestow such a gift on her apostle."
He prayed, and for a moment the divine energy increased inside the room, causing Diana to narrow her gaze. She felt that it could be bothersome if she killed this man here, prompting her to increase the limit of patience she had and see if, during this meeting, she would be able to convince this man to bring Ryuk Devereaux to the sanctum at all costs.
The reason? It was well known that no Tenebri were allowed to enter the sanctum or any place or territory belonging to the Holy Kingdom under Goddess Fela.
The information is not completely clear, but there is a widely known rumor among the Riantan family, which is very confidential, that the strongest in the present—Amayara Tenebri—held some unfavorable opinions of Goddess Fela.
The information was vague, but at least with this, Diana would be able to separate that golden-eyed leech from her beloved once he got captured on the Sanctum grounds.
Since no Tenebri were allowed to enter the Sanctum, no Esme Tenebri would be present beside her beloved.
"We will immediately contact the Devereaux family and inform them of the situation," the High Priest swiftly stood from his place, understanding that right now, before this information spread to other factions of the sanctum, he should secure that new strength for himself.
"Indeed, but why not go directly and meet him yourselves?" Diana was well aware of the situation in the Devereaux family, considering how most of the clan members and individuals were not even present there, and according to her information, Ryuk had left Titanora and gone to some other continent, which still was not known, given that the battleships which accompanied him were currently resting on a barren piece of land.
"Directly? Hm, but we don't know where we might find him?" The High Priest, hearing the suggestion from Diana, nodded, understanding that he should definitely try to find him himself. After all, he needed to confirm if it was true that he was a saint.
Being informed by Diana Riantan herself, they definitely valued her words, which is why they had decided to send some people from the sanctum to confirm if Ryuk Devereaux was a saint or not.
If he was, then they would immediately send more of their men to bring him to the continent.
"How would I know this?" Diana, with her eyes closed, smiled towards the High Priest, who felt slightly confused, questioning what he just heard.
"Pardon?" Due to thinking that maybe he didn't hear it clearly, the High Priest once again inquired.
"I said, is it my job to find out where he is?" Diana slowly blinked her eyes open, her face turning icy as she shot a hard look at the High Priest. It was clear she was annoyed that she was the one who mentioned Ryuk being a saint, and now he honestly expected her to go find him herself.
"N-no, we will do it, Lady Diana," with those words, both the High Priest and the knights who, unlike the others, bowed, following their etiquette before turning to leave the room, understanding that the information they had just received could be very precious and shouldn't fall into the hands of other factions.
"Alright, eliminate those knights and take their places. Follow the Priest around and tell me where Ryuk is," Diana folded her hands and instructed the two servants from Riantain family, who nodded before vanishing from their place with the intent to follow her orders.
Passing through the hallway, without being noticed by the priest, they replaced those two knights.
"Where are you~♡!" Diana's hands glided toward her cane. Gripping it tightly, she slowly rose from her seat as the servants hastened to clear the room, instinctively using their bloodline abilities to become blind, deaf, and even to stop their breath—desperate to avoid disturbing their master.
With the room now empty, Diana's fingers traced the length of her cane with a sensual elegance. Her eyes, half-lidded, suggested she was lost in her own thoughts. Gradually, she began to sway, twirling the cane like the hand of a lover, her feet moving with a fluidity that seemed almost otherworldly.
"My love~" A soft hum escaped her lips, deepening into a low, guttural song as her hips swayed seductively, initiating a slow circle. With each step, her movements turned more erratic, culminating in a sudden leap forward.
Now, the cane was an extension of her very being, twirling, dipping, and slicing through the air like the baton of a maestro. Each swing and turn was envisioned as a strike against anyone who dared to approach her beloved.
A dark smile curled on Diana's lips, her heart pounding with exhilaration as she murmured, "Soon... soon you'll be mine again. I will carve our names into the stars so that the world will know we are eternal. No priest, no knight, no Esme will stand in our way."
"Pfft, n-no one, hahahaHAHAHAHAHA, no one, no one!!!" As she released the cane from her grasp, she clasped her hands together, then covered her face, a deep crimson flush blooming on her cheeks. Her eyes took on a haggard appearance as she peered through the spaces between her fingers, the room echoing with her fits of giggles and laughter.
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REINCARNATED AND REGRESSED VILLAIN - MAKE HEROINES BEG FOR FORGIVENESSC303: Chapter 303- The Outer Pavilion's Massacre (2)
"Elder!" Several disciples gasped in horror as they watched their elder being slowly drained of energy by a dark, ominous dome. His skin began to tear, blood gushing from his wounds, and in a moment of desperation, one of the disciples swung his sword.
Infusing it with his Qi, the disciple unleashed a strike with enough force to slice through the elder's weapon.
The elder, unable to wield his own power or exert any control, found his sword did not resist the disciple's attack; it was too weakened by the energy drain for him to defend himself.
"Urgh?!", the elder grunted, shock coursing through him as his sword was cleaved in two. He felt the vise-like grip of the dark dome loosening its hold on his internal energy, but the relief was fleeting.
Instead, he was left feeling as if he had been cast onto a volcano, searing heat igniting from within him.
The energy that had been siphoned away through a single passage was now spreading across his body and rampaging through him, causing chaos.
"Kwackh!" Blood erupted from his mouth, and he lost the tenuous grip he had on his limbs as gravity took hold.
As he plummeted downward, the internal energy that had previously kept him buoyant now turned his body into a weighty anchor, dragging him down much faster than any of the disciples could react.
Desperation surged through the group as they scrambled to catch their elder before he met a terrible fate.
"Elder!" Some of the disciples cried out, calling the old man's name, but their voices were drowned out as his body struck the ground with a sickening thud, shattering a wooden structure beneath him.
THUD!
The sound reverberated through the air, and dust billowed up around the scene as dozens of disciples descended swiftly, rushing forward while swinging their swords in an attempt to clear the debris.
[Host, they are ignoring you O_o ]
'.....' Ryuk ignored the system's voice, which came across as uncaring. Despite its cold, mechanical tone, he exhaled slowly, allowing a sense of calm to wash over him after taking a very important decision right now.
He recalled the Devereaux member's guidance when they insisted he wear a black robe instead of his suit, as the Empress of the Jade Dominion had taken a disliking to that particular outfit.
However, after witnessing the Empress in her weakened state today, he felt that the requirement to don the robe had vanished. There was no longer a need for him to adhere to that expectation.
After the incident with Iliantara, who was able to detect the sound of his clothes fluttering, he kept thinking about it.
Although her ears were sharp, according to science, sound is also a form of energy.
So how was his ability to nullify energy not working on her?
The answer was his robe.
Naturally, this robe was creating problems for him, given that, unlike his suit—which was an artifact—it wasn't conducting his ability.
Without touching anything with his hands or skin, he was not able to nullify it until the energies penetrated his clothes and then touched his skin. Until then, he was vulnerable.
So, he just thought of a better way to get rid of this robe.
Rumble! Rumble!
He began to relinquish the tight control he held on the energy coursing through his body, which created a ripple in the surrounding air within a moment. Slowly, the land started to tremble beneath him as he surrendered all his control over his energy core.
SWOOOSH!
The barriers within him slowly crumbled, setting his energy free. A tsunami of ether burst out of his body, instantly spreading in all directions with him at the center.
"Kurghhh!—h-help!" One of the disciples, having just touched down, felt a searing pain erupt in his back, as though his skin were melting beneath the intense heat radiating from something glowing ominously in a vibrant orange hue.
"Aaarrggghhhh—wh-what is—Kughh!" The air around them surged with a catastrophic blast of energy that erupted like a tidal wave.
An orange light, shimmering and expansive, engulfed everything in its vicinity, causing the flooring of the entire outer pavilion to fracture and disintegrate, as if being consumed by heat.
At the center of this chaotic display stood a figure, luminous and humanoid, radiating an overwhelming aura of energy that threatened to obliterate all in its path.
"PREPARE FOR THE IMPAC—AARRGHHHH!" The disciples could do little more than cry out as they felt the rapidly spreading energy enveloping their bodies.
Those who noticed the intensity of the surge acted quickly, covering themselves in internal energy to brace for the impending impact.
However, their reactions were hampered by the overwhelming nature of the force that swept through the area, moving too rapidly for any of them to respond in time.
The energy surged like a violent storm, carrying a destructive power that reduced everything to dust.
It felt as if a massive cloud had exploded, so intense that they could feel their skin vibrate as if a sweet, ephemeral mist was forming around them.
ALERT!
[ Temperature is reaching 5,500 degrees Celsius ]
The source of this devastation was the orange light slowly enveloping the entire outer pavilion, emanating from Ryuk.
It spread relentlessly, engaging with its surroundings in a cataclysmic reaction akin to a nuclear bomb's detonation.
The potency of this phenomenon was staggering: a raw outburst of ether energy from Ryuk's body unleashed damage equivalent to that of a 5-kiloton nuclear explosion.
In that moment, Ryuk was not exerting control to modulate his strength. Instead, he simply released all the raw energy stored within his core, unleashing it in an effort to resolve the situation in an instant, eschewing the need for any physical exertion.
To put it simply, consider the analogy of a bullet.
When fired in a specific direction, it has the potential to inflict precise damage.
However, if the same bullet's internal components were removed and the gunpowder was ignited without restraint, it would create an explosion that disperses energy in all directions.
Additionally with what happened to the elder, whose energy was extracted within the confines of the conduit dome. Unlike internal energy that requires a medium—such as meridians or vines—for flow, the mana or ether within the Ryuk's body was in the form of aura, infused as a cohesive mass that didn't require a medium for movement.
Instead of discharging energy in a targeted manner to eliminate each disciple one by one, he ignited a small cartridge—more akin to a nuclear blast.
Given the unique nature of ether, which does not harmonize well with other forms of energy, it reacted violently, leading to a chain reaction.
The raw force and temperature escalated rapidly, reaching levels of approximately 6,000 degrees Celsius—a temperature comparable to that produced by a nuclear explosion.
In less than a second, this immense release of energy provided insufficient time for those within the outer pavilion to respond, despite their cultivation status being in the realms of the Golden Core or above.
They were confronted with a surge of unrestrained energy, so concentrated and intense that it generated heat reminiscent of the surface of Gaia itself.
Of course, it wasn't solely the raw potency of the ether that caused this chaos; Ryuk's ability to nullify other energies played a significant role.
It effectively negated the spiritual vines present within the outer pavilion, amplifying the explosive effect even further.
Indeed, there exists an energy source known as the spiritual vines, nestled within the mountain peak. Ryuk had already detected this from that green stone slab, which was able to withstand the punches of many people. He understood that it was the spiritual vine providing immense internal energy to the entire area, fortifying it and making it strong enough.
At present, standing and firmly connected to the ground, Ryuk's ability was making direct contact with the spiritual energy carried by those golden spiritual vines.
Instantly, his presence nullified it, rendering the very foundation of the Outer Pavilion utterly void. This was possible since his shoes were also burned, and being barefoot, he was connected to the ground.
With no internal energy left to sustain it, the ground and the upper levels of the mountain became vulnerable to a force born from nature itself—one that possessed ten times the strength of mana and a repulsive property.
This force was suppressed to such an extent that it approached a density capable of becoming liquid, were it not for its unique properties.
The result was nothing short of devastating when it found an escape route from Ryuk's body.
"ARRRRGHHHHHHHHHH!"
In mere seconds, everything came to an end; the once heavenly Outer Pavilion had vanished without a trace.
Only the anguished scream of a single individual echoed through the desolation where their body was burned, protected by Ryuk for their final moments of conversation.
Of course, three horses and an unconscious man were also unscathed due to his significant control.
The scream reverberated inside the place, which now appeared as if the ground had been struck by an asteroid.
A massive crater now marked the spot where the Outer Pavilion had stood proud, leaving behind a black dome that loomed ominously above the mountain peak.
Below, there was nothing but an empty, barren landscape, scorched and lifeless.
'Were you saying something?' Ryuk asked, standing at the center of the devastation.
Around him lay an eerie stillness; nothing remained of what had once been.
He glanced toward the rocks, noticing the black dome arching above and encasing the crater like a sphere. Ignoring the destruction, he inquired about the alert system that had triggered moments ago.
[ Nah, I was just saying you mistakenly burned your clothes and now you are naked (￣ヘ￣;) ]
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REINCARNATED AND REGRESSED VILLAIN - MAKE HEROINES BEG FOR FORGIVENESSC304: Chapter 304- System's issue
'Is that so?' Ryuk replied in a composed tone, the voice of the system echoing in his mind. As he opened his inventory, his clothes adhered to him due to an auto-wear feature, clinging tightly like a symbiote merging with his skin.
[Host, why do I feel like you just ignored me? (ー_ー゛) ]
'.....' Ryuk remained silent, choosing to disregard the system as he began to walk toward a lone survivor groaning in pain about ten meters away.
The individual lay on the charred ground, which bore no traces of blood, stark evidence of complete devastation where lifeblood had evaporated along with those who had been reduced to ash.
"Uurghhhh…! W-water…" Lin Feng cried out, sprawled on the scorched earth.
His clothes and upper body were entirely burned, his flesh beginning to fester from the lingering heat that had ravaged his form.
It was clear that his internal organs had suffered immense damage, likely to an extent that healing seemed impossible.
'Heal him,' Ryuk commanded inwardly as he approached Lin Feng. He looked down at the man's battered body, which seemed beyond recovery.
Yet, almost instantly, a green light enveloped Lin Feng, and Ryuk watched calmly as the flesh began to visibly regenerate.
The wounds closed, the burned skin restored, and soon enough, the man was completely healed—though now lying naked before him.
[Healing Process Complete]
The system successfully restored Lin Feng to his perfect state.
However, the damage had already been done.
After a week of ingesting human poop, his digestive system was irrevocably harmed, leading to multiple internal infections that the system did not heal.
While it could have solved these issues, it chose not to, considering it would be waste of it's efforts to make him eat poop for a week.
'!?'
Lin Feng's eyes widened as he instinctively darted his gaze toward a shadow looming over him.
Panic surged through him, and he quickly attempted to back away, but his frail body betrayed him, causing him to collapse onto his knees.
At that moment, the agony of his diarrhea paled in comparison to a searing heat coursing through him, a sensation worse than anything he had ever endured.
"Who are you?!" he managed to gasp, struggling to regain his composure.
Without wasting a moment, Ryuk, standing imposing and authoritative nearby, cut straight to the chase. "Tell me about Bella Iliyas."
Given that Lin Feng was the host of the Neolith Harem System and had been entrenched in the Jade Dominion from the very beginning, it was plausible he held valuable information regarding the whereabouts of both Jenny and Bella—information Ryuk sought.
"B-Bella!? N-no, is all of this for that woman?!" Lin Feng gasped upon hearing the name that had haunted him for months.
His mission had been to win her heart while burdened with the low status of an outer disciple, a position that scarcely afforded him the chance to meet her, let alone impress her.
He was constantly threatened by the system, which loomed ominously, ready to kill him if he failed.
Everything had been challenging, nearly impossible to endure until this moment.
Now, standing on the brink of death, he realized the entire outer pavilion was no more; everyone had been slaughtered by a mysterious figure who had come to take part in trial.
This figure was now demanding information about the same woman who had tortured Lin Feng's mind.
"Tell me where she and her friend Jenny are," Ryuk commanded, his tone leaving no room for defiance. He had at least gleaned that Bella and Jenny had forged some semblance of friendship during these few years.
While it wasn't a relationship built on unquestioning trust, he believed that if he could locate any of them, he might be able to extract vital information about Jenny's whereabouts.
"Wh-why are you searching for… the princess?" Lin Feng stammered, his eyes darting nervously between Ryuk and the cloth he wore.
The figure standing before him wore a strikingly foreign outfit—nothing like the attire he had seen in the Jade Dominion.
Clad in a black suit with detailed grey embroidery and sharp boots, Ryuk's golden eyes only heightened Lin Feng's confusion.
'Hm, not unexpected,' Ryuk mused as he listened to Lin Feng mention Jenny as a princess.
It became clear to him that she was likely the daughter of someone prominent within the main family of the Celestia Phoenix Order.
In that moment, he began to piece together the fragments of information he had gathered, coming to a solid understanding of the situation at hand.
From the very instant he arrived, making his way through the middle town and then ascending to the upper levels, he noted that the individuals he encountered did not pose any real challenge.
With one exception: the woman he had met in Heindal when he was five years old.
Now, as he stood in this place existing after upper town, it struck him that she should have to be also present here, yet he had yet to see her again.
His previous conversation with that woman had hinted at restrictions keeping her from arriving in Lower town at that time, the pieces fell into place in his mind.
He realized that this woman was none other than the matriarch of the Celestial Phoenix Order.
'Now, what should we do with you?' Ryuk narrowed his gaze as he contemplated the fate of Lin Feng.
The system had informed him that killing Lin Feng would trigger the release of the Neolith Harem System, which would likely seek a new host for itself.
This was the sole reason he chose not to kill Lin Feng outright.
Instead, he channeled the surging energy in a way that depleted all the internal energy stored in Lin Feng's reservoirs without killing him.
As he circled around Lin Feng, arriving behind him, Ryuk reached out and grabbed his neck from behind, slowly lifting him off the ground.
"Khuck?!... L...leave... me!" Lin Feng gasped, desperately struggling. Although his body had healed, he was left with no clothes due to the burns he had suffered.
His hair and eyebrows had been singed away, leaving his skin looking unnaturally smooth, rendering him a ghastly sight, reminiscent of a lifeless doll as he flailed helplessly in Ryuk's grasp.
[ Host, Beware (●´⌓`●) ]
'Why?' Ryuk asked, hearing the system sounding anxious. Lin feng was currently suspended in mid-air with his neck crapped by Ryuk.
[ What if he farted? (;ŏ﹏ŏ) ]
'....' Ryuk maintained an impassive expression, but the system's warning had caught his attention.
His eyes automatically drifted downward to a straight line of sight, where Lin Feng's butt was pointed squarely at Ryuk's chest level.
Given that Ryuk had lifted him by the neck, the position undeniably seemed precarious.
This realization prompted him to immediately hurl Lin Feng away, sending him rolling across the ground like a rag doll at a significant distance.
Of course, the true reason for throwing him was not the absurd warning from system; it was because Ryuk anticipated that the system would inevitably spout something ridiculous again.
[ Saved you (• ▽ •;) Imagine someone eating poop for a week farts while completely naked on your face? I bet even your aura can't protect—ERROR ]
'Have you been talking a lot more lately?' Ryuk had begun to notice that the system was becoming increasingly articulate and loquacious during their conversations, which was downright unsettling.
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REINCARNATED AND REGRESSED VILLAIN - MAKE HEROINES BEG FOR FORGIVENESSC305: Chapter 305 - A Mercy
The nonsensical nature of its comments often distracted him, and since it was embedded within his very being, Ryuk found himself unable to do much about it except try to suppress its incessant chatter from time to time.
However, that suppression was hardly a permanent solution; it was clear that he still lacked full control over *Shunya*.
This was particularly evident in his inability to completely nullify someone's life force, which also existed as a form of energy.
[Nope, I never talk too much ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ ]
'....'
[You don't trust me? Fine. If I lie, then the person reading this gets constipation. 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜]
'.....' Ryuk, seeing how the system had popped a message referring to constipation, felt personally targeted, prompting him to want to deal with this chatterbox now. But he decided to remain calm as he moved towards Lin Feng.
"Aaghh.... Wh-what is happening?" Lin Feng was not able to understand why someone was targeting him.
For anyone to use a system, they need to be strong enough.
But Lin Feng's system was different—it wasn't like the other systems that gave their host strength and then slowly drained their energy.
The Neolith Harem System, which Lin Feng had, was one of the oldest and greediest systems out there. It was almost like an old man who only cared about himself.
This system had a parasitic nature because it wanted to collect as many Depression Points or Death Points as possible.
Just like how some systems are helpful and work together with their host, others act as parasites, only taking without giving back anything.
But in the end, most systems have the same goal: to collect points from their host and level up.
To put it simply, a system is like a farmer, and the host is like the land.
The system plants seeds like Kill Points or Hate Points, and over time, these points grow into crops.
The system waits until the crops are ready, then harvests them, leaving the land (host) barren. With this, the system levels up.
Now, the Neolith Harem System is a bit different. It uses Depression Points to grow its strength.
Because of its greed, it gives Lin Feng tasks that push him into deep depression.
By collecting and cultivating these Depression Points, the system can either invest them to make Lin Feng stronger or just take all the points for itself, leaving him with nothing.
It was unfortunate for Lin Feng that the system was far too greedy to ever offer him the support he needed to grow stronger, instead only focusing on its own interests.
"You want to live?" Ryuk asked, hovering over Lin Feng, who once again found himself in a precarious situation. There he lay, writhing in pain, a victim of the system's incessant and pointless machinations.
"P-please... spare me," Lin Feng pleaded, his voice trembling as he felt the searing agony of his body being reduced to ashes.
After a brief moment of healing, he lay there, his mind a haze, flung away by Ryuk.
Desperate and terrified, he would say anything—anything at all—to survive this ordeal.
Ryuk, observing him closely, knelt down and extended his hand toward Lin Feng's head. He added, "Given your current state, I will show mercy and allow you to live."
Lin Feng, witnessing a dark semi-fluid gradually enveloping his body, felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude wash over him.
As shadows obscured Lin feng's vision and his heart filled with appreciation for this mercy, he closed his eyes and stammered, "Th-thank you for your generosity…"
.
.
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.
.
.
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Far away from the Jade Dominion, inside the Riantain family in Ardoros,
knock knock
'.....' After spending several hours in the guest room absorbed in her own activities, Diana was suddenly jolted by a knock at the door.
She glanced at it with a chilled gaze, irritation coursing through her as she realized her private moment had been intruded upon.
Her brow furrowed in annoyance, but she was acutely aware that no one would dare to interrupt her unless it was to convey truly important news.
With a deep breath to compose herself, she turned her attention to the already open door.
Without so much as waiting for permission, the door swung wide, revealing one of the servants from the Riantain family poised in the doorway.
While the initial breach of etiquette could irk anyone, this was simply the Riantain family's way of operating.
"What is it?" Diana's voice was sharp with impatience as she gripped her cane, bracing herself for whatever news awaited her.
Each passing second magnified her desire to silence the servant forever, yet she managed to hold her composure, hoping for something that might alleviate her rising annoyance.
"My Lady, we have just received a call from the Jade Dominion." The servant made a conscious effort to maintain eye contact, his expression impassive and devoid of emotion as he delivered the news he had just received.
"fufu~, it seems even fate is conspiring to bring us together, my love~♡!" Turning her gaze toward the expansive horizon, Diana spoke to herself, a grin lighting up her face. Her smile bloomed more radiantly as she allowed the cane to swing gently in her hand.
With a soft thud, she placed it on the floor, resting her palm on its handle, confident that she had finally uncovered the whereabouts of her beloved.
It was a moment of resolve and anticipation; the air around her felt charged with possibility.
The inevitable reunion had ignited a spark within her, fueling her determination as she imagined what lay ahead.
Some months ago, before heading to Heindal to address other pressing matters, Diana sought out Jenny first, recognizing that manipulating her would be easier compared to others.
Diana had tried to entice Jenny into her plans, but Jenny, unwilling to accept or believe Diana's words, firmly rejected her offer and even refused to believe that Ryuk was alive.
Despite this setback, Diana had been clear about one thing: should Ryuk make an appearance, Jenny was to reach out to her without hesitation.
Now, with the recent call weighing in her hands, it was apparent that her beloved, who had left her in solitude, was now within the confines of the Celestial Phoenix Order.
'If Jenny contacted me, then...' Diana thought, carefully controlling the thrill bubbling inside her, pondering the reasons that could have prompted Jenny to reach out.
Given Jenny's apparent ignorance regarding Ryuk's survival, it was evident that until he made his presence known or posed a threat, she would have no reason to seek Diana's help.
Considering the immense power wielded by the Celestial Phoenix Order, it seemed unlikely that Jenny would reach out merely upon sensing Ryuk within her homeland.
It clearly indicated that Ryuk must have either threatened her directly or given her some grave warning, demonstrating his intent to endanger her family.
This realization made Diana's breath quicken, and she instinctively raised her palm to cover her face in suppressed excitement.
"Hehe, what expression will you make when you can't find Jenny, hmm, my love?" Noticing her mind drifting toward something more tantalizing, Diana acknowledged that she couldn't assist Jenny directly at present due to the warning her sister had given her about going out of Ardoros for some time.
Consequently, instead of intervening herself, she focused on devising a strategy to confront Ryuk from a distance.
While Diana 'genuinely' desired to help Jenny, the circumstances presented an unexpected opportunity: if she could use Jenny as bait to lure Ryuk directly to her, it would significantly advance her plan.
With this in mind, she made the decision to kidnap Jenny, fully intending to draw Ryuk to her in pursuit of revenge.
In that moment, she couldn't help but feel like a princess waiting for her knight.
'Huh? Wait, WAIT!' Diana suddenly realized that she had informed Sanctum about Ryuk being considered a saint—wouldn't that lead them to capture him?
If they managed to isolate him in Sanctum, how would he ever reach Ardoros?
What would happen to her master plan then?
'No, calm down,' Diana urged herself, taking a deep breath to steady her racing heart, which thrilled at the prospect of finding a solution.
She even went so far as to contemplate the unthinkable—killing the high priest to bury this information and keep it from reaching Sanctum.
But then a troubling thought crossed her mind.
How could Ryuk possibly be labeled a saint in the first place?
'Sigh, No worries, though; once they discover he isn't truly a saint, they'll release him.' With that thought, Diana wiped the nonexistent sweat from her forehead and glanced at the vast, open sky for a fleeting moment.
But her consolation felt increasingly tenuous, making her lips tremble as she uttered it.
"R-Ryuk is definitely not a saint, right?"
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REINCARNATED AND REGRESSED VILLAIN - MAKE HEROINES BEG FOR FORGIVENESSC306: Chapter 306- Mistake (1)
Inside the middle pavilion, situated between the inner and outer pavilions, the air was thick with anticipation as candidates prepared to face the trials that would determine who could advance to the main peak of the Celestial Phoenix Order.
The crowd that once numbered in the hundreds had dwindled to a mere forty-six, a testament to the challenges they had encountered.
"Hm, has he failed?" Yao Lian remarked, drawing closer to Esme. Her gaze followed Esme's toward the portal through which the young master, who had tormented her mentally for so long, had yet to emerge. Yao Lian couldn't help but wonder if his absence signaled his failure in the trial.
"Express your concern for him once more, and I might just conclude that you have some feelings for my man," Esme replied, her tone impassive as she positioned herself toward the portal. Her white dress fluttered gently around her, reminiscent of butterfly wings, while her hair danced in the energy-infused breeze that enveloped the entire area.
Before them lay a dark forest, looming ominously, which they would need to traverse to access the second portal located on the far side.
Entering the middle pavilion made it abundantly clear that this was no ordinary test.
To succeed, they would have to navigate the dangers of the forest—a treacherous expanse stretching seven miles, filled with dense energy signatures that hinted at lurking monsters.
Esme could sense the imminent threats.
"What? What nonsense is this?!" Yao Lian stammered, directing a fierce glare towards Esme. Her clenched fists betrayed her deep dissatisfaction, fueled by the woman's outrageous implication that she had any interest in that uncivilized, manipulative, and prideful man.
To Yao Lian, those were the exact images that came to mind when she thought of Young Master Rui Ke: uncivilized because he had threatened her, and had even taken advantage of her by using her as a guide.
Moreover, he had manipulated everyone in the Wei family into treating him as the favored young master of the patriarch, despite the clear reality that he was stronger than the patriarch himself.
As for his pride, it was evident every time he looked at her—or rather, failed to look at her. His gaze seemed to pass right through her, as if she were completely inconsequential in his eyes.
"If it's rubbish, then keep your mouth shut," Esme said dismissively, gesturing with her hand.
Yao Lian felt her teeth grind in frustration; here was this woman humiliating her again, especially after demonstrating her incredible ability to break the trial slab into dust using her fire Qi. Despite that display of power, Yao Lian was still seen as little more than a beggar.
"Y-you!" Yao Lian felt a surge of determination to teach this woman a lesson, but she was acutely aware that she couldn't do anything just yet.
During the first trial, she had exhausted all her internal energy. With a resigned sigh, she turned away from the empty ground and moved to a secluded spot, where she sat cross-legged.
She began her breathing technique to recover her internal energy.
Rather than succumb to impatience, she understood that once she accumulated enough strength, she would likely be able to confront this woman, especially since her bodyguard was presumably disqualified.
"Phew~" Taking her seat, she slipped into a state of meditative breathing, allowing herself to fall into a trance.
Her senses became completely absorbed in the breathing technique, shutting out the sounds and feelings of her surroundings.
"What is she doing?" Ryuk inquired as he arrived beside Esme, glancing in Yao Lian's direction. Thanks to his ability, he remained unnoticed by the others. However, Esme, who had been looking at the portal, saw him enter but chose not to speak, noticing how Yao Lian was seated in her lotus position.
"Who knows? Should we just leave her?" Esme replied, averting her gaze and folding her hands. It was evident that she intended to move on, having realized that Yao Lian still needed to understand the harsh reality before even thinking about standing against her.
Esme's plan was straightforward: to navigate through this forest teeming with various monsters.
The presence of demonic energy was palpable, and flickering flames could be seen here and there, indicating that battles were already underway.
It was clear that individuals were engaged in battles—either with one another, which seemed unlikely given their precarious situations, or against some fearsome monsters lurking nearby.
"No, it's fine. We will wait," Ryuk declared as he approached a nearby stone and took a seat. Observing his actions, Esme followed suit, disregarding Yao Lian, who was engrossed in her breathing exercises. She settled onto the stone beside Ryuk.
"Was it Lucas?" Ryuk fixed his gaze in a particular direction, where a clear path stretched over a seven-mile distance.
The width of the path was ample enough for twelve people to move side by side.
In the far distance, a portal was visible, the ground scarred as if it had been struck by a massive cannon, the rocks around it seemingly melted.
"No, it was that fox woman," Esme replied, shaking her head as memories flooded back. She recalled how the fox woman had drawn her swords with such intensity that a single strike had carved out a ditch over seven miles, creating hills in its wake and obliterating every monster in the way.
Although she and Lucas had managed to pass through that path, other cultivators had hesitated to follow. Fearful of provoking the fox woman, they chose instead to walk through the forest, maintaining an air of pride as they avoided the shortcut.
"Hmm," Ryuk murmured, narrowing his gaze as he contemplated the melted trail. He could sense a clean sword intent lingering in the air, reminiscent of Regina's—a sharp sword intent that had flattened everything in its path, incinerating trees like a relentless, indestructible wall.
[Host, do you want to fight monsters too?]
'Why waste energy?' Ryuk thought decisively. He stood from his seat, despite initially planning to wait for Yao Lian.
Instead, he resolved to continue onward, leaving her to fend for herself. Given that she was still focused on her breathing, he figured that if a monster were to attack, she would likely find herself in dire straits anyway. Leaving her to her luck seemed the more prudent choice.
"Are we leaving her?" Esme asked, observing Ryuk's swift change of mind. It had barely been a minute since he had declared their intention to wait, and now he seemed ready to move on. Her curiosity bubbled up with questions:
Why was he late?
Why had the illusion she cast on the slab to allow him to pass broken?
And why was he dressed in a suit instead of his black robe?
'Analyze this area,' Ryuk instructed, ignoring Esme as he made his way towards that path. The main reason was that he had detected someone's presence nearby, and this presence seemed to hold the same energy and feeling as that woman he had met at the age of five.
It was most likely not possible for him to remember the energy signature of that woman.
However, the type of energy used by that woman contained a distinct feeling that was evident in this place right now.
This made it clear that whoever he was, it was either that woman herself or someone practicing the same technique as her.
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REINCARNATED AND REGRESSED VILLAIN - MAKE HEROINES BEG FOR FORGIVENESSC307: Chapter 307- Mistakes (2)
[Analyzing....]
[No one found]
"What?" Ryuk felt slightly confused as he saw Haldar blocking his path, standing and looking straight ahead. His senses could clearly hear multiple voices, individuals screaming, and the roar of a monster, yet the system detected no one else present—meaning that aside from Ryuk, Esme, and Yao Lian, there were no strangers with unknown energy signatures.
[ This appears to be a formation, Host ]
'I see,' Ryuk replied, standing still and gazing into the distance. Even the smallest details, from the bugs in the grass to the stars in the night sky, were vivid in his eyes.
However, despite all his senses, he could not clearly detect if this entire Trial 2 was indeed a formation.
It was certainly not a matter of Ryuk being weak, given that Esme's illusions were strong enough to confuse him, despite her being technically weaker than he was in strength. Thus, it was likely the type of energy used in this case. Noting the sword marks that cleared a section of the forest, it appeared Iliantara had attempted to break through the formation using brute force.
However, considering that Iliantara and Lucas were standing with their arms folded, looking toward the second portal, it was most likely that they had successfully broken through the formation and reached the other side but were now stuck due to some kind of restriction placed on the second portal.
It seemed probable that this restriction had something to do with either the others or the formation itself, preventing them from moving on to the third trial.
"Is something the matter?" Esme inquired, having just turned her attention away from Yao Lian after casting an illusion on her for safety, given that breathing in such an area could be lethal.
"...nothing. Can you feel anything in this place? Like an illusion or something?" Ryuk asked, glancing toward the dense forest, as night had already descended, enveloping the area in darkness.
"No, it feels normal," Esme responded, stating that she could not sense any energy disturbances in the area—similar to Ryuk, who also could not perceive anything amiss, apart from the system's alerts.
"What if..." Ryuk mused. He contemplated the possibility that the formation was written in a mechanical form, not emitting energy that Esme could detect. It could resemble the green slab, which utilized runes.
Naturally, he came to the conclusion that the formation possessed a runic architecture. He recalled memories of the Ardoros, where he had seen a lock inscribed in an ancient language outside his mother's room.
Most likely, at that time, he learned about artifacts with mechanical structures, drawing energy from another dimension, not specifically from the current location.
Clearly, those energies were manipulating the surrounding energy as fuel, with the main trigger residing within themselves.
"By the way, where are the horses?" Esme asked, seemingly unconcerned about the dire situation.
Unlike her usual self, her calmness suggested that her trust in Ryuk allowed her to feel safe, even amidst potential danger.
"Hold my hand," Ryuk said, not wanting to reveal that he had given three horses to Lin Feng and arrived here alone. He extended his hand, and Esme clasped it between her own, gripping tightly.
"Let's go." As he took her hand, he moved forward, automatically channeling his ability throughout his body, including a push that instantly nullified her energy.
"Uh-huh?" Esme looked blankly at him as she felt all her stored energy drain away, leaving her energy core empty.
She stared at him in confusion, but he continued calmly forward, pulling her along with him.
Without any issue, they passed through the barrier and onto the clear path forged by Iliantara, who had cut a straight line through the forest.
As he entered, Ryuk distinctly felt as though he had passed through an invisible wall, as something on his skin was nullified, including the push.
With this experience, he was able to understand it better. He finally understood why others, except for Iliantara and Lucas, had not gone through this path.
It was not due to pride, as Esme suggested, but rather because they were unable to see this route due to the formation.
"I felt something," Esme, now that she had entered the formation, felt a kind of energy within, making it clear that this formation was separate from all the planes present in this place, existing only inside the forest and separating it from other locations, making it appear like a separate dimension where the monsters that were killed could be resurrected.
Indeed, from the outside, everything appeared normal, but now as she entered, she could clearly feel the energy reacting vigorously; all the sounds and the explosions were much clearer as there was a fight going on in several places with those monsters getting disrupted by the fact that those energies which had scattered before were accumulating once again and creating that monster—a repetitive cycle.
Due to being much more sensitive to energy, and with her attribute being the creation of illusions, she was somewhat able to discern the mechanism of this formation, which was creating beasts or monsters one after another to fight with other people.
However, this did not seem to be their problem, given how the formation appeared to be cracked in this direction.
The outer walls had healed, but the mechanism was completely collapsed in the middle.
"Will no one be able to go through the formation?" Not feeling any energy or presence approaching them, Iliantara, who was looking in the direction of the portal, inquired of Lucas, who was also looking forward, where it was written that four to five people were needed at a minimum for the portal to open.
"Should I try to break through it?" Lucas, seated on a rock with his arms folded, felt the itch to pass through the portal while breaking the restriction. But it was also true that in doing so, he might close the portal, making them stay on this side forever.
"It needs five people?" Ryuk and Esme arrived without being noticed by Lucas and Iliantara, considering how both of them were surrounded by the energy of Sunya, which was nullifying everything, while also exhausting the yoke in the process—though, of course, it was not visible due to their physical strength.
".....You, have I met you before?" Lucas glanced in Ryuk's direction, narrowing his gaze as his folded hands slowly unfolded, before approaching him and stopping at a hand's distance, looking coldly toward him as he inquired.
"No," Ryuk replied in a nonchalant tone, uninterested in having a conversation with this guy who was strong but also suspicious due to his nonchalant attitude, given that he possessed that particular technique which even Ryuk felt was overwhelming his mind with dark thoughts.
Indeed, though it was not revealed or ever mentioned, after going through the Rakshasa technique and using it to control Lucas's puppet, Ryuk felt mentally burdened.
It was as if the technique was corrupting him, but his ability nullified the corruption.
"Hmm, you... why do you smell like someone I know?" Lucas narrowed his gaze as he slightly perked his nose, looking suspiciously at Ryuk. His nose twitched.
'This idiot,' Iliantara slapped her face in embarrassment, realizing that this guy had just uttered a misleading nonsense.
"You! Stay away from him!" Esme jumped in between Lucas and Ryuk as if trying to protect Ryuk from him, given how he just sniffed a man.
Technically, he didn't sniff; given how their enhanced senses were already far enough to let them know, but still, telling and instantly identifying someone through smell, especially of the same gender, was suspicious.
'Is he a dog?' Ryuk raised an eyebrow while feeling his mouth twitch at seeing Lucas, identifying him through his smell, even though he had done everything to hide his energy and change his eye color.
[Host, that guy is after your ability.]
'What?' Ryuk suddenly heard the system's voice interrupting in the middle of his thoughts. Where he expected it to joke in this moment, it seemed serious.
Indeed, when Ryuk was unconscious and in a coma, he detected an energy signature nearby filled with killing intent. However, it seems he is acting kindly now, which is suspicious.
Earlier, the system was unable to identify Lucas's energy signature from its puppet, but now that he is near Lucas, the system, which is in analyzing mode, has detected energy signatures that match those collected while in standby mode when it was gathering signatures around its host who had been in a coma for five years.
At that time, it noticed a malevolent energy signature, but it couldn't identify the person since it was in sleep mode.
"Nope, I am not what you think I am," Ryuk said with a blank expression, rejecting Lucas' doubts, to which Lucas nodded before taking his seat again, folding his hands and closing his eyes as if he completely believed what Ryuk just said.
'This idiot,' Iliantara thought as she stood by, having just heard Lucas mention useless things he had already discussed with several people.
Indeed, he doesn't have any scent recognition system, but upon seeing anyone strong enough to threaten him, he simply asks if they are Ryuk Devereaux.
"I apologize for his actions," Iliantara said, stepping forward to apologize. Realizing there was no time for further conversation, she added, "We need five people to cross the gate."
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REINCARNATED AND REGRESSED VILLAIN - MAKE HEROINES BEG FOR FORGIVENESSC308: Chapter 308- Jenny's Dilemma (1)
"Noooo! Leave me!—THUD!"
Ryuk tossed Yao Lian onto the ground, and she landed hard, feeling the unforgiving earth against her backside.
Rubbing her sore butt, she glanced around, realizing she had been brought to the far end of the forest she had attempted to cross alone. This man had forcibly lifted her and deposited her here.
"Owww, why—" Before she could finish her sentence, a portal leading to the third trial suddenly opened, revealing the entrance to the Inner Pavilion.
"Haah....was someone else already here?" A whisper—barely more than a breath—slipped through the air, reaching the ears of those attuned enough to catch such a sound from a distance.
Although the distance was great, Ryuk, Iliantara, and Lucas all heard the muffled voice of a woman hiding within the gnarled bark of a tree, glancing in their direction.
"Finally! It's the Inner Pavilion!" Yao Lian broke the silence, her excitement evident as she yelled toward the Inner Pavilion, which appeared hazy from their vantage point.
Yet, she could sense the overwhelming surge of internal energy emanating from within, making her feel as though she was on the cusp of finally attaining what she had long sought.
"...Why is she so excited?" Esme tilted her head in confusion, observing Yao Lian's eager demeanor. Though her stance exuded ambition rather than childlike enthusiasm, it prompted Esme to turn to Ryuk for clarification.
Unlike Yao Lian's palpable excitement, Esme sensed something unsettling about the Inner Pavilion. The concentration of internal energy felt too dense and overwhelmingly raw.
"Can you feel it?" Ryuk ignored the others and turned his attention to Esme, who stood beside him, gripping his hand. The touch drew his focus back to the forefront, and with his finely honed senses, he recognized that a battle was unfolding within the Inner Pavilion.
From his careful assessment, he deduced that since the members of the Devereaux family were stationed outside the Jade Dominion as gatekeepers, it was implausible for any external forces to breach this place and instigate a fight.
Therefore, it was more likely that a civil war was brewing.
However, given that he had just issued a threat to Jenny, promising to show her what true pain looked like, it became evident that this civil war could become a considerable inconvenience for him.
With that thought weighing on his mind, Ryuk turned his attention back toward the direction from which he had heard the woman's voice moments ago.
For a fleeting moment, looking in that direction and seeing how no one was coming, even from the tone of the voice, he was able to recognize it as belonging to none other than the Empress herself.
He again sifted his gaze toward Iliantara and Lucas, who appeared to be nonchalant about all these things.
'System, activate the conduit dome in that forest,' Ryuk thought, knowing very well that at the outer pavilion he had burned his energy just to get rid of the hassle needed to once again fill his energy core to rejuvenate his energy, given the situation from the portal didn't seem favorable.
Though of course, he was not fearing whatever problem or battle was occurring in front, he was cautious, given that right now there were three people in this place whom he needed to be aware of—Iliantara, Lucas, and Xiuying Fenghuang (Empress).
Naturally, he didn't trust any of these three people. Though everything seemed normal right now, there was no guarantee when they would attack. The Empress, due to her depleted strength as shown by the system, was easy to deal with, but the issue was that right now he was standing on the ground which was well known to her, giving her an advantage in her homeland.
So he didn't just discard her as a weakling.
[Host, 40 human lives detected in the forest. The force suction will kill them. Should I continue?]
'....Yes.' Hearing the system's thought and realizing that by activating the Conduit Dome he would most likely absorb the energy of the whole forest. No matter what kind of energy it is, the stronger it is, the faster the devouring process would occur. But it all comes down to the fact that in the process of suction, most probably the people inside the place and the monsters would also die.
And, naturally, sacrifices were inevitable.
Simply because he couldn't risk his own life just because of some strangers.
[Activating]
"Did you feel that?" Iliantara suddenly uttered, standing with her gaze fixed on the portal. She sensed the intense battle raging on the other side but felt the density of energy behind her steadily decreasing. It was as if the vibrant energy signatures of the candidates engaged in combat with the monsters had begun to wane in a troubling manner.
"Is there some kind of monster?" Lucas asked calmly, perched on a rock. He too felt the energy signatures slowly dissipating within the forest. It struck him that a creature of significant power must have appeared, rapidly eliminating the candidates, given how swiftly the energy was vanishing one by one.
Those trapped in this place were cultivators adept at inter-energy, and they were meeting a grim fate. Their life force was being forcefully drained, akin to a relentless siphoning, as their energy was sucked out through their own meridians—radiating from their bodies like an invasive bloom—damaging their circulatory systems in the process.
For those with stronger constitutions, boasting thick meridians and many Qi points open, the consequences were severe but not fatal; it merely damaged their foundation. However, in an environment teeming with monsters, having one's body crippled was akin to a death sentence.
Those who fell victim to this energy drain were essentially signing their own death warrants, as the monsters would soon follow, claiming them as prey once their foundations were shattered. The weaker candidates, tragically, were not even granted the chance to fight back—the forced extraction of their energy spelled their doom.
Within mere moments, the once-vibrant forest had transformed into a silent graveyard, all without others being the wiser. A formation separated the deeper woods from the entrance point, shrouding the horrific massacre in isolation and ambiguity.
"A monster?" While standing next to Lucas, Iliantara glanced over at the man in the black suit. A little bit ago, he had seemed like a local from the Jade Dominion dressed in a robe, but now he was wearing a suit that made it obvious who he really was. This switch only raised her suspicions; ever since he changed into that suit, the sound around him was silenced.
All she had to sense his presence was her sharp eyesight.
"Lucas, what are you doing?" Iliantara thought about what she had just said moments ago. She suddenly noticed that Lucas was standing with his eyes fixed on that young master Rui Ke, as if he found something familiar.
"Nothing, just leaving this place." Lucas kept looking towards Ryuk, whom he had recognized a few moments earlier, but he refrained from pushing him further, given how it appeared that he himself didn't want to reveal his identity. Being cautious, he decided to also act uncaring.
Standing as he turned his gaze towards the inner pavilion's portal, before which his hands resting in his pockets moved forward, keeping his guard up since he was definitely interested in greetings, but not in a form of battle.
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REINCARNATED AND REGRESSED VILLAIN - MAKE HEROINES BEG FOR FORGIVENESSC309: Chapter 309- Jenny's Dilemma (2)
"Haah....Haaah...." a maid ran through the corridor, gasping for breath as her robe fluttered behind her.
Ahead of her, four figures moved swiftly, barely showing signs of exhaustion, their breathing steady despite the maid's own struggle.
They were cultivators, after all.
But something felt off.
Even with their abilities, their speed wasn't much faster than hers.
It was as if something had dampened their strength.
It was most likely a battle that exhausted their bodies and energy.
"My Lady!" she called out as she finally reached the door, bursting through without hesitation.
The guards who had been trailing her took their positions on either side of the door, their expressions tense as the maid's voice echoed through the room.
"Huh? Is he already here?" Jenny muttered, pulling her daggers out and sliding them into the sheaths on her outfit—a dark, sleek garment designed for swift movements.
She had already been preparing for the potential arrival of Ryuk at Jade Dominion, anticipating the battle that would follow if he dared interfere.
But seeing the maid's terrified face, and the bloodstains at the edge of her uniform, it was clear something had gone horribly wrong.
How had one person managed to breach all their defenses so easily?
Could Ryuk have grown even stronger than in his previous life?
These thoughts swirled in Jenny's mind as she glanced at the maid, who was visibly shaken.
"My Lady, this isn't the time for this! We need to leave now!" the maid stammered, her panic obvious.
Seeing her young mistress still preparing for battle, the maid couldn't understand what Jenny was thinking—this was no time to act brave or stubborn.
They were under attack.
"Childish? How dare—" Jenny started, her anger flaring at the maid's words.
booomm!
But before she could finish, a thunderous explosion rocked the building, shaking the ground beneath them.
Jenny's eyes widened, her heart pounding.
Gritting her teeth, she realized Ryuk had already infiltrated the estate—much faster than she had expected.
And there was no sign of Mahila, the one she had sent to stop him and kill him on the trial grounds.
"Damn you, Ryuk!" she growled, her frustration building as she turned to the window.
There wasn't time to wait for Diana to come to her aid.
She had to act now.
Without a second thought, Jenny channeled her internal energy, her body becoming weightless as she leapt through the window.
Her feet skimmed the air as she used wind steps, gliding effortlessly across the sky.
Her eyes scanned the scene below—chaos.
People from the Celestial Phoenix Order were clashing with Ryuk's forces, their Qi auras flaring with power as they fought.
"WHERE IS YOUR MASTER?!" Jenny yelled, her voice cutting through the battlefield.
She wasn't interested in their small skirmishes.
She knew Ryuk was behind this, hiding like a coward, sending others to fight in his place instead of facing her head-on.
Her anger only deepened.
She wouldn't stop until she found him.
Jenny's voice rang through the chaos like a sharp blade, cutting across the battlefield outside.
The mountaintop, where the Celestial Phoenix Order's palace stood, had turned into a battlefield of flashing auras and clashing weapons.
Cultivators from both sides were already engaged, their techniques lighting up the sky in bursts of flame and wind. The air was heavy with the pressure of internal energy being unleashed in every direction.
Far below, a group of cultivators in dark robes had been holding their own against the Phoenix guards. They looked up as Jenny's furious voice reached them, her silhouette outlined against the darkening sky.
One of them, a tall man with a cruel smirk, wiped a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes narrowing as he pointed up toward her.
"There she is!" he shouted, barely dodging a strike from one of the Phoenix Order guards. "She's trying to run away!"
"Catch her before she slips off!" another called out, arrogance dripping from his tone as he deflected a fireball, completely unfazed by the ongoing battle around him.
Jenny's mouth twitched.
Run away? 'They think I'm running away?'
The idea that they believed she was fleeing sent a surge of anger through her. Her grip on her daggers tightened, and her aura flared even more fiercely, wrapping around her like a storm.
"I AM NOT RUNNING AWAY, YOU BASTARDS!" Jenny's voice boomed over the clamor, her tone filled with fury. She wasn't going to let them walk away with the thought that she would ever retreat. "I'LL KILL YOU FIRST, THEN DEAL WITH THAT COWARD YOU CALL A LEADER!"
Her words sent a ripple of shock through the enemy cultivators, their faces losing a bit of their smugness. One of them opened his mouth to retort, but before he could get a word out, Jenny was already moving.
With her body still light as a feather from her wind technique, she shot downward, daggers gleaming in her hands as she aimed straight for the group.
"Damn it!" The cultivators below scrambled, but they weren't fast enough. Jenny's speed, boosted by her internal energy, was overwhelming.
She slammed into the ground in the center of them, the impact sending a shockwave through the earth.
Dust and debris flew up around her, but she was already in motion, her daggers spinning in a deadly dance as she struck at the first man who had pointed her out.
He barely managed to raise his sword in time, the force of her blow sending him skidding back several feet, his eyes wide with panic.
"You think I'm scared?" Jenny snarled, her eyes blazing as she pressed the attack. "I'll show you what it means to face me!"
Around her, the battle raged on, cultivators from both sides clashing in a frenzy of power and skill.
Flames roared, and blades clashed as the Celestial Phoenix guards fought to defend their palace.
But Jenny didn't care about any of that.
Her only focus was on these bastards—and finding Ryuk.
One of the dark-robed men tried to flank her, but Jenny spun on her heel, her dagger slicing through the air with deadly precision.
"Arghh!" He yelped in pain as the blade caught him across the arm, blood spraying into the air.
"Where's Ryuk?" Jenny growled, her voice low and dangerous as she stalked toward the next cultivator. "Where is he hiding?"
None of them answered. Instead, they backed up, their arrogance gone, replaced by the cold realization that Jenny wasn't just any opponent.
She was a threat—and she wasn't running from anything, given how their mission today was to get rid of her.
"Save the Young Lady!" The guards from the Phoenix Order looked towards the battlefield where the woman they were trying to protect was engaged in battle, and they all, motivated by determination, pushed back against the infiltrators attacking them.
They were not able to send any reinforcement signals to the other party.
It appeared as if a whole army had somehow infiltrated the ranks of their people and attacked the main peak of the Celestial Phoenix Order, prompting them to understand that these people were not coming from the side of the upper town but instead they came from the other side, which was the Capital Kingdom of the Jade Dominion.
Though they didn't know how they arrived here under the eyes of the Empress, they needed to protect the young lady, as these people seemed to be targeting her. In the absence of the matriarch, this whole battle was crucial.
"Ahh...Damn you!" Jenny, in a series of fluid movements, killed five people in a row as she slid through the battlefield like an untouchable butterfly, her body not receiving a single scratch as she continued killing them. Finally, beheading one man, his head flew off, her rage-filled blood splattering over her face as she declared, "Damn you, Ryuk!! YOU COWARD!"
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REINCARNATED AND REGRESSED VILLAIN - MAKE HEROINES BEG FOR FORGIVENESSC310: Chapter 310- Ryuk's Invite (1)
[Achoo! >.<, which dumbass cursed my Host?]
'Focus on work.' Ryuk stood calmly outside a portal, looking ahead while the system wasted his time again, as he had already done. He kept his gaze focused on the direction of the inner pavilion, clearly feeling the intense battle occurring.
Although this provided Ryuk with the opportunity to enter the main palace without any hassle, it also created a significant problem since Iliantara and Lucas were present.
Though a few moments ago Lucas tried to enter the portal, he halted for some reason and once again took his seat on the rock, as if he had changed his mood.
Even though the situation was in Ryuk's favor, he couldn't risk being entangled in a battle where he would have to deal with both of these flag bearers simultaneously.
[Scanning....]
[Host, each of them is two times stronger than you in stats.]
'....' Ryuk kept his gaze forward while not glancing in the direction of Iliantara or Lucas, who were doing the same, as if all were conscious of each other's presence. With a vague understanding, he ordered the system to compare their battle strength with his.
Although there were several variables, such as how he had Shunya, the Conduit Dome, and the sword inside his Kundalini, he couldn't ignore their advantages, like Lucas's Rakshasa technique and Iliantara's species' special abilities.
All these factors led Ryuk to reach a simple conclusion: this was definitely not the time to confront both of them.
"Are you all not coming inside?" Breaking him out of his thoughts was the voice of Yao Lian, who, arriving just a hand's length away from the portal, glanced in their direction, observing how, aside from her, everyone seemed reluctant to follow and enter the inner pavilion.
Naturally, she could somewhat understand that they were likely being cautious, considering what might exist on the other side, or maybe they were already aware of the danger in the inner pavilion, which was why they wanted her to enter first.
These thoughts kept Yao Lian caught between doubts about whether to enter or not. She wondered what she should do.
'Should I persuade her?' Yao Lian thought, seeing how those three people wearing black—Iliantara, Young Master Ruike, and Lucas—were not even giving her a glance. She decided to pursue the white-dressed one—Esme.
As she turned her gaze toward Esme, she received a blank look in return, as Esme ignored her and looked upward at the sky.
'These people are mocking me.' Yao Lian thought, seeing that all four were clearly showing their stubbornness and not even looking at her as if wanting to push her in front and use her as a meat shield. She took a step back and halted near Esme, glancing at her sideways, adding, "Unlike the previous time, I will remain here to help you all."
"...." Esme, who was holding Ryuk's hand while immersed in trying to copy his energy signatures, felt bothered by Yao Lian, who, instead of entering the inner pavilion, had come back and interrupted her after she finally got this chance.
Naturally, whenever she got a chance to hold his hand, he either nullified her ability or started to rub her palm, which seemed to be a very weak zone of her body. This was why, right now, when he wasn't trying to nullify her strength nor teasing her while focusing on the fox woman trying to copy his energy signatures, she felt the frustration grow.
After all, wouldn't it be great if she could somehow begin to create illusions of him?
[Host, you are getting yourself Xeroxed.]
'...I know,' hearing the system's voice, Ryuk just confessed that he was aware of Esme's trying to copy his energy signature, which he didn't care about right now, given the present situation was completely locked in.
Lucas, who had a few moments ago tried to enter the portal, had halted, with his gaze glued on the portal while Iliantara also seemed to sense something, which Ryuk also deed, and it was a whole army with martial experts filling the whole piece with internal energy.
Though it was possible for all three of them to deal with everyone, the issue was the sheer amount was too much. Even if an elephant is strong, if it gets into a track of thousands of bullet ends, then it would be an end. Given their body limit, they would soon exhaust themselves.
Ryuk, even though using the conduit tone and dealing with all of those people on the other side, can't deny the chance of both of these people attacking him from behind.
He was in a locked situation, where neither could he move into the inner pavilion to kill others nor move towards the Phoenix Order's main palace, nor could he remain for more than a certain time here, given that some struggle might occur among themselves.
[Host, a familiar energy signature detected approaching at a rapid speed.]
'.....who?' Ryuk, while vigilant on his position, keeping composed, suddenly heard a system notification as it informed about the arrival of someone unknown but still a familiar figure.
'Drishti?' Ryuk for a moment thought about the arrival of Drishti here, but he neglected this information. However, if it was Drishti, given her strength, it would most likely have already arrived here.
╔─━━━━━━━━━░★░━━━━━━━━━─╗
Energy signature belongs to
Regina Devereaux
Time until arrival = 7 minutes
╚─━━━━━━━━━░★░━━━━━━━━━─╝
'..This...' Ryuk somewhat mused, realizing that at a time when he really needed someone to keep these two—both flag bearers—in check, someone had finally arrived. As he had anticipated, it would still take some time, but seeing Regina's arrival made him feel somewhat assured as he took action, moving forward. "Let's go, Esme."
As he moved, prompting Esme, who held his hand to clasp it with both her hands, she nodded before moving forward. This caused Yao Lian, who was contemplating how to persuade these people to move forward and test themselves regarding what the problem was with the inner pavilion, to be slightly taken aback as she saw the young master and the woman herself moving toward the inner pavilion.
"W-wait, I am coming too," Yao Lian said. She had already seen how Lucas, the man with several tattoos sitting nonchalantly on a rock, had cracked the Green Judgement stone, and she worried that he might attack her if he found her alone. This thought urged her to proceed cautiously to follow behind Ryuk.
"....are you not going to follow me?" Ryuk halted midway as he spoke, causing Ilyantra and Lokus to look in his direction, thinking he was talking to them. However, ignoring their presence, Ryuk's eyes turned toward the forest ground, looking in the direction of a tree where, just moments ago, he had sensed the presence of someone. Not getting an answer, he added, "Fenghuang, I am talking to you.
Are you not going to follow me?"
'!?!'
'H-how?' A thin malnourished woman hiding behind a tree, which was the epicenter of the formation, felt her eyes widen visibly as she heard that man—who appeared the most suspicious among all these people she had seen—call her out using her name.
She felt a chill, causing her to instinctively take a step back, knowing that her present situation was not in her favor. Just now, she had been identified by that man, who knew she was the Empress of Jade Dominion.
Or, to be exact, an empress who lost her real body to a fake copy.
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REINCARNATED AND REGRESSED VILLAIN - MAKE HEROINES BEG FOR FORGIVENESSC311: Chapter 311 - Decisions
'What's with his clothes?' The woman, who had just caught herself addressed by the Ryuk, hidden inside the bark, looked with her exhausted and fatigued eyes towards him.
The moment she noticed him wearing a black suit, it brought back some ugly memories for her. If she had been perfectly fine, she would have definitely executed this man right there for wearing that black suit.
But knowing she was not in a state where she would be able to deal with this matter, she put it aside.
'How did he know about my identity?' The body of the Empress of the Jade Dominion, currently reformed, was slowly regaining its strength, but it was not strong enough to allow her to move easily or to be considered healthy compared to a normal human.
However, being trapped in the early phase of her regeneration, she was 100% sure that no one would be able to detect her.
Due to her special physique, where her soul was immortal and could regenerate over time, she had reached a state where her soul's spiritual strength had surpassed the threshold that not even the strongest being in the human zone could identify her, let alone this inferior young man.
With that confidence, it was already surprising to her that someone of that rank, holding the Devereaux bloodline with legendary-ranked strength but with a very weak soul, could recognize her.
The issue was not that the individual was weaker than her prime body, but rather that his soul was very weak.
Even though the artifact, which appeared as a black mask on his face, possessed properties that could heal his soul, it still wasn't enough to provide him with a sustainable soul enhancement.
His Kundalini was weak, and the artifact mask he was wearing was supplying a very small amount of essence to his soul.
So how, with all these factors and that soul strength, was he able to see through her soul's identity?
"Are you not going to reveal yourself?" Ryuk observed that no one was coming out of the tree bark, which, in truth, was the center formation and was most likely holding the property of stealth and camouflage to blend into the area.
Amusingly, it was more notable for Ryuk to understand that the Empress was aware of all the formations she had created in this place, given how she had used the formation's weak point, which was undetectable by everyone, including Ryuk, who had not been able to see it if it weren't for the system showing him her status window.
It was clear that she had secretly crossed the whole forest using some kind of shortcut only known to her and was hiding using the mechanism of the formation from them, which she thought of using as an opportunity.
Naturally, people like her, holding prestigious positions, especially royalty from such a powerful continent, have a pride that is impossible to break or approach. This made him seize the opportunity to have a direct conversation with her.
'Whom is he calling? Did he finally lose it?' Yao Lian mumbled, as being in the middle of her breathing, she was taken to this side, prompting her not to fully recover her internal energy.
While looking at the forest, she found no one, making her give a side-eye to Ryuk as she observed those nearby, clearly feeling that this was definitely a situation where she could enter the Inner Pavilion without being noticed.
However, she also noticed the sound coming from the other side again; entering it alone would be dangerous for her, prompting her to remain patient and stand still.
'!?'
Her eyes slightly widened as she saw the air in front of her trembling suddenly as a woman with a slight hunched back and a malnourished body inside a cloak, which still showed her appearance similar to a beggar, revealed herself from that place, causing Yao Lian to be slightly taken aback since she didn't feel the presence of anyone there.
But looking towards the woman approaching them, only one thought reverberated inside Yao Lian's mind as she was bewildered.
'She seems....weak.'
Indeed, Yao Lian couldn't help but notice how that woman seemed to be very weak, enough to be considered weaker than a simple average human.
Though she had seen that woman in the first trial, she thought this woman would die in this forest or be killed by some monsters, but she was still alive.
"Let's move," Ryuk turned towards the entrance as the woman kept approaching. He accompanied Yao Lian and Esme as they slowly moved into the portal entering the inner pavilion while, for the last time, he glanced in the direction of Lucas and Iliantra, who seemed uninterested in entering the inner pavilion as if they were thinking about something.
---
"What did you feel?" Iliantra, standing with closed eyes, slowly opened them, glancing beside her towards Lucas, who was seated on a rock, looking towards the portal as they observed others except for both of them leaving the place.
"Someone very strong is on the other side," Lucas added in a nonchalant tone as he stood stretching his hand as if preparing to leave this place, though their initial intentions were to enter the main palace and get the address of Ryuk Devereaux. However, it appeared Lucas had lost interest.
"Tell me the real reason," Iliantra said, not in the mood to just believe that Lucas was withdrawing simply because someone strong was on the other side. It was clearly impossible.
"I just got a message from that idiot Abernathy. He found him," Lucas replied, who had just received a message from Gabriel Abernathy, to whom the task of searching for Ryuk Devereaux was given. And just now, he contacted him using the flute artifact that found the whereabouts of Ryuk.
".....," Hearing Lucas's words, Iliantra turned her gaze towards the portal, looking for a moment before closing her eyes as she contemplated something, before adding after thinking about something, "....Is corrosion really strong?"
"Yes," Lucas answered with a nonchalant gaze, having already been told why he was searching for Ryuk Devereaux by Iliantra.
Before both of them instantly vanished from there, their bodies shot in the direction outside the Jade Dominion, through the path they had arrived here.
Lucas was searching for Ryuk Devereaux, who held the solution for the mental corrosion, while Iliantra was also searching for Ryuk Devereaux to find out why he had proposed marriage to her, as informed to her by her grandfather.
---
'Two flagbearers!?', Regina, who had just entered the middle pavilion, observed that due to her speed, much faster than those two light streaks hurling towards the sky, she was able to hide her presence from them while also detecting their identity.
Given that her sword intent was very sharp, she was strong enough to keep herself undetected when moving at a rapid pace.
'Liege must have entered the Inner Pavilion,' Regina thought.
Of course, hurling rapidly, she moved swiftly towards the inner pavilion's portal, clearly sensing that there was a vast amount of internal energy filling that place, a clear evident sign of some kind of battle going on.
Due to her strength, she was able to pinpoint the strength of one behind all this, making her realize that this was not simply a matter of a small fight.
But now, this was a continent-level civil war.
Additionally, Regina could feel the matriarch of the Phoenix Order was not present right now, making everything more vulnerable.
Her greater concern was with the fact that her league was with Esme, making things more difficult given that if a strong enemy attacked him, it would be a disadvantageous battle since he needed to protect Esme while fighting.
So, she needed to arrive as soon as possible.
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REINCARNATED AND REGRESSED VILLAIN - MAKE HEROINES BEG FOR FORGIVENESSC312: Chapter 312- Massacre
As Ryuk stepped through the portal, the chaos of the battlefield hit him like a physical force.
"Attack!"
"Khwack!?"
The sounds of war filled the air—metal clashing against metal, the guttural grunts of exertion, the sharp cries of pain, and the constant, rhythmic roar of battle.
The sky above the pavilion was thick with energy as warriors slashed, kicked, and cast powerful techniques against each other.
A Celestial Phoenix Order disciple, his robes streaked with blood, parried an attack from an infiltrator dressed in black. His teeth were gritted as he shoved the man back, fire crackling from his palm as he unleashed a flame technique.
"Phoenix Strike!" he roared, sending a wave of blazing energy toward his opponent.
The infiltrator ducked, dodging the attack, and retaliated with a spinning slash that grazed the disciple's arm. Blood sprayed across the stone floor, and the disciple let out a strangled gasp of pain, but he didn't back down.
"Traitor!" the disciple spat, his voice thick with fury and betrayal. "You dare betray the Order?!"
The infiltrator sneered. "The Order? Your Order is dead. You're too blind to see it!"
They clashed again, swords flashing in the dim light, while above them, a group of rogue cultivators battled Celestial Phoenix Order disciples.
One warrior let out a primal scream as he plunged his spear into a disciple's chest, the sickening crunch of bone and flesh lost amidst the chaos.
Another disciple, her face streaked with dirt and blood, slashed at a pair of infiltrators, her sword spinning in wild arcs.
"For the Phoenix!" she screamed, her voice hoarse from the endless fighting. But even as she fought, a comrade turned on her, a blade sinking into her side.
"Aargghhh!?" Her scream of agony echoed, cut off as she collapsed to the ground, eyes wide with disbelief.
Above, lightning crackled through the air, followed by a bone-rattling roar.
Screams filled the air as the battle raged on. Warriors leapt from platform to platform, their bodies propelled by spiritual energy, their weapons leaving streaks of light as they clashed.
The sound of flesh being torn, the clang of steel on steel, and the occasional explosion from techniques reverberated through the pavilion.
The scent of smoke and burning flesh thickened the air, making every breath feel heavy and suffocating.
"Hold the line!" one of the Phoenix disciples screamed, his voice cracking with desperation. His hands trembled as he swung his sword, barely holding off two enemies at once.
"Hahaha," one rogue cultivator let out a mocking laugh, blood dripping from his lips as he blocked the disciple's strike.
"Your line is already broken!" the rogue shouted back, his sword slashing forward in a deadly arc.
The disciple barely dodged, only to find another blade slicing into his thigh. He screamed, collapsing to one knee.
The battlefield was pure chaos. Fighters grunted with effort, roared with fury, or screamed in agony as blood spilled onto the ground and bodies fell. The sounds of swords clashing echoed endlessly, drowning out all other noise.
Esme's brow furrowed slightly as she observed the battlefield below. Her gaze drifted across the chaos with a calm that contrasted sharply with the violence surrounding her.
"Should I help them?" she mused aloud, watching several Celestial Phoenix Order disciples clash with their comrades. Though she could see the desperation and confusion in their faces, it didn't stir much within her.
Yao Lian, standing beside her, squinted in disbelief. "Is this even a battle?" she muttered, her voice low and uncertain, mostly because she could see those wearing the same robes as the disciples of the main peak stabbing each other, clearly indicating that it was more of a betrayal than a battle based on cowardice.
Esme remained calm, her voice unshaken. "Though the number is big....," she said, acknowledging the reality without emotion. "But I can try using an illusion on them."
"There's no need," Ryuk interrupted, his voice calm, almost indifferent, as though the chaos swirling around them barely registered, looking toward the hundreds of people engaged in battle.
Given his past life filled with situations where he needed to deal with large armies as an emperor, he was clearly aware that in a situation where the numbers are too enormous and overwhelming, instead of using raw force, one needs to break their morale.
And amusingly, given some memories of the typical cultivation novels he read in his past world, he just knew what could break the morale of these cultivators.
Without hesitating, he raised his hand, fingers curling as if gripping something unseen.
The air around them stilled.
DING!
[System Initiating...]
[Locking energy signatures...]
[Target classifications = Metallic weapons]
Ryuk slowly let his power expand from his body, unseen but unmistakable, rippling across the battlefield like a wave.
It passed through the fighters unnoticed, embedding itself in the very fabric of the pavilion.
The fighting raged on, the warriors oblivious to the shift in energy that now bound them.
Overhead, cultivators battled on floating platforms, some mounted on spiritual beasts—fiery serpents, glowing eagles, and beasts made of pure energy.
Their clash filled the sky with explosions of light and power.
But suddenly, something changed.
A faint tremor coursed through the air, subtle yet pervasive.
The swords began to tremble.
"Wh-what?!" A warrior from the Phoenix Order, mid-parry, noticed his blade shaking uncontrollably.
"....This?" His opponent, a rogue cultivator cloaked in black, glanced at his own sword, which quivered violently as if rebelling.
"What... what's going on?" the rogue growled, his eyes narrowing as he tried to steady his weapon. "Why won't it obey?"
"What happened to my sword!?"
"Damn it!"
All across the battlefield, similar gasps of confusion rose from the warriors.
Swords, spears, and halberds shook in their wielders' hands, vibrating as though alive.
The warriors' grips faltered. One blade slipped free, then another, until the air was filled with the sound of weapons being wrenched from their masters.
"It's—moving on its own!" one disciple cried out, his voice tinged with panic as he struggled in vain to hold onto his sword.
Another cultivator shouted in frustration, "I can't control it!" His blade jerked free and spiraled into the sky like a shard of silver.
Then came the sound, a sharp, rising whistle. Hundreds of weapons—blades, spears, and staves—shot through the air, converging on a single point.
The warriors stopped fighting, their eyes wide in shock as they watched their weapons fly toward a direction.
A man in a black mask stood wearing foreign clothes rather than those of the Jade Dominion.
Ryuk stood unmoved as the storm of blades gathered behind him, hovering in perfect formation.
Each weapon gleamed in the dim lantern light of the pavilion, their sharp edges creating a deadly halo around him.
The battlefield, once filled with the sounds of combat, now fell into a stunned silence.
Every eye turned toward him, the spectacle rendering even the most hardened warriors speechless.
Yao Lian's lips parted, her gaze fixed on the weapons swirling behind Ryuk, her eyes trembling as a dead feeling slowly started to fill her mind as she began to collect all the pieces, realizing what he had just done was something impossible.
"S-sword... Qi Control?!"
A scarred cultivator near the edge of the pavilion stared at Ryuk, his voice barely a whisper. "How is he... controlling all of them!!"
All of them, hundreds of cultivators, were looking toward midair as all their weapons were shrouded in an orange aura hovering over the place, their sharp edges turning toward them, seemingly out of control, as if choosing that man in the black mask with golden eyes as their owner.
Ryuk, however, remained expressionless.
Before a mechanical voice displayed the upcoming intentions.
[Locking the targets....]
[10....34....60....178....407....897...]
[Total target locks 897]
One after another, several notifications started to revert inside Ryuk's mind as he remained calm. His hands stretched while covered in a dense orange aura.
His eyes slightly tilted as the enormous amount of ether, combined with the brain capacity of the system, had turned handheld metal weapons into weapons similar to arrows, missiles, or whatever one could call them.
'Kill them,' Ryuk commanded without a single hesitation.
[As you command Boss, here go super fast express deliveries ┏(＾0＾)┛]
SWISH SWISH
In an instant, hundreds of weapons shot forth like bullets all at once, streaking through the air with deadly precision, leaving trails of glinting steel aura in their wake as they converged on their targets.
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