Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 265

Requiem

Whoosh—.

A land where everything has vanished, so desolate it defies description.

In the eerie silence, a woman walked with feather-light steps.

Chirp!

Cackle!

Monsters occasionally emerged, but upon meeting the woman’s blood-red eyes, they instantly bared their fangs, tucked their tails, and retreated.

They instinctively knew that any displeasure shown to her would result in their utter destruction, body and soul.

“It’s been a while since I’ve returned to my hometown.

It’s still the same.

To borrow a human phrase, should I say it’s awful? What do you think, Bahamut?”

The woman appeared to be walking alone, yet she spoke as if accompanied.

At first glance, she seemed merely a beautiful woman capable of arousing desire, but her true identity was Lilith, a high-ranking demon so alluring that even celestials found escape difficult once captivated.

“Still not talking?

Have you decided to bury your head and live like this simply because your wings were clipped?”

“···.”

“The others didn’t perish in the last war to see you reduced to this.”

“Shut up.

You were caught in a trap, sealed away, and barely escaped yourself.”

The voice came from the opposite direction of Lilith’s gaze.

There, a small girl with a sulky expression clutched a worn doll.

“Long time no see, shorty.”

“You’re home, you fucking whore.”

The exchange, teetering between greeting and challenge, hung in the air.

The few monsters still lingering, already wary, couldn’t endure the intensifying light emanating from the two women’s eyes and fled.

They seemed to know that even a moment’s delay would mean certain death.

“I heard you were released from your seal, and you look great.

Did you find a man in the meantime and drain him dry? I envy you.

Someone had their wings torn off and can’t even use their strength properly, while someone else is running around as soon as they’re released.”

“Hmm.

Drained him dry, you say?

That’s a bit harsh.

And it wasn’t that easy this time.”

“Bullshit.”

*It’s true*, Lilith thought, the words unspoken.

She had been freed from the seal, but the process had left her strength utterly depleted, and a single misstep would have reduced her to a demon driven only by instinct, as the celestials had intended.

She had barely managed to save herself by seeking refuge in Zion’s dream, only to end up bound by a contract of subordination to a human—a first for the Succubus Queen.

*I haven’t told them that yet, and there’s no need to.*

Unlike the celestials, who acted as each other’s spear and shield, the highest-ranking demons like themselves insisted on fighting based on individualism.

The result was the death of four of the seven highest-ranking demons.

Of course, the top-ranking celestials had suffered greatly as well, but ultimately, they had failed to eliminate the demons, marking a major defeat for the latter.

“Where’s Bel?”

“I don’t know.

That lazy bitch is probably sprawled out somewhere sleeping again.

She won’t lift a finger until the celestials come to claim her head.”

Bahamut spat in front of Lilith.

From Lilith’s perspective, it was an act of profound humiliation, warranting immediate retaliation, but Lilith remained uncharacteristically calm.

*Why is this bitch suddenly like this? Did she suck some man’s energy and go crazy from fullness?*

As Bahamut pondered this and prepared to provoke her further, unexpected words escaped Lilith’s lips.

“Bahamut, do you want to work with me on something?”

“···What?”

“I’m asking if you want to collaborate on something.”

“What kind of dogshit is that?”

It was utterly bizarre for Lilith, of all people, to suggest such a thing.

Bahamut scrutinized her with suspicion.

“It’s not dogshit, Bahamut.

How long are you going to live like this?”

“What?”

“How long will you remain buried in the ground, just as those celestial bastards want?

Shouldn’t we spread our wings again and breathe fire like we used to?”

“What the hell are you talking about···.”

“I can’t live like this.

Let’s go out and destroy those fucking pigeons [a derogatory term for celestials].”

Bahamut’s expression flickered.

It was a natural reaction to hear the words she had longed to hear, the actions she had yearned to take, from the woman she despised most.

“···What are you saying?

Do you think they’re as easy to deal with as they used to be just because you were lucky enough to escape your seal?

While we were trapped and suffering, those guys turned the entire continent against us.

If we leave here again like we used to, we’ll be fighting the whole world, not just the celestials, right?

Are you confident?

You’ll suffer even more terrible humiliation than you do now?”

“Don’t worry.

We only have to deal with the celestials and the fanatics who follow those bastards.”

“What nonsense are you talking about···.”

“Bahamut, do you know about the contract of subordination?”

Lilith abruptly changed the subject.

Bahamut was about to question her motives, but seeing the utter seriousness in Lilith’s eyes, she reluctantly answered.

“Roughly.

But why are you asking?”

“I made that contract.

With a human man.”

“···What?”

*What kind of novel bullshit is this?*

Bahamut knew Lilith all too well—a being of unimaginable cruelty, a truly insane bitch—and couldn’t fathom her being bound by a contract of subordination to a mere human.

“Don’t dismiss it as a cheap joke.

I’m serious.

More than that, aren’t you curious?

Why a crazy bitch like me is tied to a human man.

And why you’re so relaxed about it is strange.”

“···.”

“That man told me: Wouldn’t you like to tear off the wings of the celestials together and throw them to the ground?”

“What?”

*Did I hear wrong?*

*Yes, I must have heard wrong.*

How could a human, a race that harbored such animosity towards demons that they would incite holy wars at the mere mention of them, suddenly propose hunting celestials?

Bahamut shook her head, disbelief etched on her face.

Humans were more cunning than celestials and more annoying than fairies.

How could she believe anything such a race said?

The moment you reveal yourself as a demon, they grit their teeth and attack, chanting, ‘May the light burn you!’ That’s what humans do!

“I’ve been living with that human man since I was released from the seal.

And I found out that there are those who stand proudly in the shadows rather than hiding behind the light hypocritically.”

“You’re crazy.

You’re completely crazy.”

“Aren’t you crazy?

Aren’t you driven mad by your own helplessness, having lost your wings to the celestials, fallen to the ground, and forced to crawl?”

“···Shut up.”

“Either way, our demons are on borrowed time.

Look at the situation on the continent.

Do other races look kindly on us just because we’re hiding?

Rather, if the celestial underlings cause an incident and blame it on the demons, everyone shouts, ‘Ah, I see!’ and curses us?”

“···.”

“If we’re going to die anyway, shouldn’t we die on our own terms?

Since when have we been so cautious, worrying about the future?

If the kids who died first saw this, they would laugh so hard their stomachs would explode, saying we’re doing all sorts of things that don’t suit us.”

At those words, Bahamut glared at Lilith, demanding she stop.

There were crazy individuals still considered comrades, though only three remained now, down from seven.

Four had died in battle with the celestials, three had survived, and one had been sealed.

One had her wings torn off and fallen, and one had made a humiliating surrender.

Lilith was dredging up the humiliation and past that Bahamut desperately wanted to forget.

“So what are you going to do?

Do you have any brilliant ideas?”

“I told you: Let’s work together on something.

Do you still not understand what I’m trying to do?

Let’s give those nasty, disgusting white things [celestials] a good beating.

If those guys are trying to get rid of us all, we have to resist at least once.

You’re not thinking of just staying still as they want and eventually being torn to pieces and dying by trash like humans or fairies, are you?”

Lilith knew better than anyone the extent of Bahamut’s humiliation at the hands of the celestials.

She was whispering, deliberately stirring that humiliation, hoping Bahamut would succumb to her anger and initiate a conflict.

“···Fuck!

You’re making my shitty life even shittier, you bitch!”

―

Not long after, rumors spread of demons following those in Hispania [a region in Spain and Portugal].

A far more heinous story began to circulate indiscriminately, as if deliberately planted.

The demons huddled in the land of mortals attacked the Holy Prussen [likely a fictional, religiously significant location].

In the land guarded by the descendants of light, where the teachings of light had not spread, in the very land where only light was considered justice.

And as if in collusion, Nudia attacked Hispania.

The whispers of demon followers within Nudia were quickly forgotten.

Instead, the image of Nudia attacking Hispania to extinguish the light from the demons’ attack took hold.

It was only natural.

People are always drawn to more stimulating and sensational rumors.

They are more captivated by the most outrageous stories!

*Those who claimed to be on the side of light, calling for a holy war, turned out to be followers of evil! This is the real Bbooshung Bbashyung [Korean slang for ‘exposing the truth’], you guys!*

Zion chuckled evilly, contemplating Nudia’s attack, which had suddenly transformed them from a glorious expeditionary force for a holy war into an evil entity.

―――――――Author’s Note―――――――

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