Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 373

373

Counterattack

Boom!―

“···?”

Startled by the sudden explosion, Lucia turned her head.

Despite the pitch-black night, a flash of light burst from outside, piercing through the window like midday sun.

‘Those lunatics finally made their move.’

To avoid being outdone by other competitors, especially in terms of ‘appearance,’ self-care was essential.

With beast-kin, fairies, and a succubus queen as rivals, Lucia, a mere ‘human,’ had to dedicate herself even more to maintaining her looks.

And the most crucial aspect of that was getting enough sleep.

Even if it meant spending all day practicing magic and martial arts, Lucia avoided staying up all night to do so.

Wasn’t she being too lax?

Not at all. Lucia simply finished during work hours what others had to stay up all night to achieve.

“Nyaaang···!”

In contrast to Lucia, Ria, being nocturnal, seemed to be just waking up, yawning widely and stretching with an “Uuuuh!”

At the same time, claws sharper than any blade shot out from her hands. Ria examined them briefly before retracting them.

“Where did Trisha go?”

“She suddenly left a little while ago.

What did she say? Something about taking a walk south of the royal castle.

It seems she knew something like this would happen.”

“Nyaang.

She’s really trying hard to get ahead of us, isn’t she?”

“Think of it positively.

Thanks to her, we only need to worry about the opposite direction of those flames.”

While flames erupted in the south, the sounds of buildings collapsing echoed from the north.

How they managed it was unclear, but that was a question that would naturally be answered upon encountering those responsible for this madness.

“Shall we go?”

“Let’s hurry and clean this up.

If the damage gets any worse, we’ll get nothing but complaints from Ciel, no praise at all!”

Lucia, swayed by Ria’s quite reasonable suggestion, leaped out the window.

Following her, a cat-woman landed gracefully on the ground, and the two dashed towards the source of the explosions in the north.

“Lucia! There are soldiers lined up ahead!”

“Can we avoid them?”

“No.

There’s no other way through.

They’re blocking everything!”

“Then we have no choice.”

Lucia cast a pre-prepared spell and lightly kicked off the ground.

As if stepping on invisible stairs in the air, she ascended the building.

Ria, as expected of a Myo-eun [a cat-like beast-kin], effortlessly scaled the building with a few light jumps.

“It sounds like a battle is happening up ahead, is that right?”

“Yeah.

But the sound is decreasing exponentially, so either the crazy bastard causing this is already dead, or…”

“The opposite, I’d wager.

Surely they wouldn’t be causing such a ruckus in Hispaña’s royal castle with just that level of power.”

The Hispaña royal castle was perfectly protected by a defensive magic circle created by the kingdom’s most renowned mages.

It not only blocked magical attacks from the outside but also prevented excessive mana usage from within, acting as the castle’s ultimate shield and last line of defense.

Yet, with the defensive magic circle active, flames were flying, explosions were erupting, and buildings were collapsing.

Those unaware of the situation would likely be bewildered, but Lucia and Ria remained relatively calm.

After all, they had been sparring with a woman who could use incredible abilities rivaling magic without mana just moments before.

“Nyaang, Lucia, you said you fought someone similar to Trisha before, right? That pirate who was executed?”

“That’s right.

Captain, I think he was called.

But I was weak back then, and he was even weaker.

I hadn’t mastered my powers yet, and he wasn’t a threatening opponent.

But now…”

Kwaaaang!―

Another tremendous explosion caused a building to collapse.

At this rate, the royal palace would feel like it was on the verge of world’s end.

As if declaring their intent to destroy everything in the royal castle, Lucia clicked her tongue and quickened her pace towards the source of the explosions.

When the women finally arrived, they found knights of the royal castle guard engaged in battle with a woman.

‘…No, they aren’t fighting.

This is…’

She was just playing with them.

Simply humoring them.

For the knights of the royal castle guard, as opposed to the royal knights, it was impossible to overwhelm her, no matter how many of them there were.

They were being taken down one by one, while their attacks had no effect whatsoever.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

Even though it was just a bare hand colliding with armor, it sounded like a massive boulder slamming into a steel plate.

The knight who was sent flying seemed relatively unharmed but was unable to stand again.

“···Lucia, did you see that?”

“Yes.

That attack just now, the inside must be completely shattered.”

The knights’ plate armor was an excellent defense against blades.

Even attacks imbued with mana could be somewhat negated, making it a valuable item that ordinary citizens of the kingdom could only dream of owning.

However, even that steel plate couldn’t completely block the impact from reaching the body.

Weapons like maces or warhammers could completely ignore the armor’s defense and inflict fatal damage to the person inside.

‘And that woman is demonstrating that power with her fists and feet.’

No matter how you looked at it, the woman causing chaos was a martial artist.

A highly skilled one at that, and one who could wield special powers without using mana—a Saint, most likely.

“Nyaang, Lucia.”

“Yes, Ria.

What is it?”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?

You can’t use as much magic as you want here.”

“That’s right.

My father really did a good job with the magic circle.”

“Should I go first?

You never know.

I might be enough on my own.”

“Of course, that’s possible.

But what did Ciel say?”

Ria drooped her ears slightly at Lucia’s words.

She remembered Ciel’s words: no matter how easy the enemy seemed, never let your guard down and always go together.

―Lucia, and Ria.

What you two should pursue isn’t competition but harmony.

And certainty over challenge.

Even if the enemy seems weak, never let your guard down and always aim to subdue them together.

Why?

Because I don’t want to create any ‘what ifs.’

Whether it’s a trap or whatever, you two can crush it together, so don’t waste time, don’t show any weaknesses, and overwhelm them with force.

It’s better for two of you to show 70% each than for one to show everything.

―

Furthermore, Ciel made it clear that his heart would break if either Lucia or Ria got hurt, and he wanted to prevent that.

“I’m sure we’ll get scolded again if we fight well but get hurt.

I don’t want that, Ria.”

“Nyaang… Me neither.

Then, will you go first?”

“Yes, I’ll go first.

Ria, please do what you always do.”

At those words, Ria let out a small “Nyaang!” as if to say she understood and trusted her, before disappearing into the darkness in an instant.

Her movements were so fast that Lucia could barely follow them, and she couldn’t help but be amazed.

‘So, it’s true that Yoo Hyun-kyung was serious, even if it was just for a moment.

Really… When I see things like this, I can’t help but worry that I’m falling behind.’

Stealth and speed, talents that Lucia struggled to acquire no matter how hard she tried, Ria was freely using as if breathing.

If Kim Yoo-hyun was tense and serious even for a moment, then Lucia wouldn’t have even noticed her attack coming.

‘And what about Trisha…’

Lucia shook her head, stopping her thoughts.

Thinking about it here was meaningless, a foolish act that would only diminish herself.

Lucia lightly jumped off the building and used the surrounding debris as stairs to quickly descend to the ground. Aiming for the opponent who was still engrossed in toying with the knights, she charged forward.

“···Huh?”

The woman, who had been gleefully crushing the knights one by one, suddenly changed her expression and turned her head directly towards Lucia.

Then, with a smile even wider than before, she kicked off the ground just like Lucia and threw a punch.

‘Fast!’

Lucia decided to deflect the attack instead of trying to punch back.

As she had done before, she found an opening and slightly diverted the punch aimed at her, striking the inside of the arm.

Zhiiing―.

Lucia’s expression twisted, while the opponent’s face filled with mockery.

She had clearly deflected the attack completely and launched a counterattack, but the impact felt almost the same as blocking the attack head-on.

‘What is this…? I didn’t even guard, so how is the impact so strong?’

Biting her lip slightly, Lucia quickly retreated.

She had thought that the attacks were simply heavy, which was why the knights were being crushed so easily, but the woman in front of her was very different from ordinary martial artists.

“You should have been crushed and died instantly.

But you seem to have quite a knack for controlling mana!

The knights were sent flying with just one hit.”

“···So you’re saying you don’t use mana or control magic.”

“Oh, what kind of nonsense is that?”

“Stop the pathetic act.

It’s pointless to hide whether you’re using mana or wielding magic in front of a mage.”

Saying that, Lucia launched a real attack this time.

She pulled back her right hand, feigning an attack, causing the opponent to focus and prepare to defend and counter.

Seeing the opponent’s reaction, Lucia immediately retracted her right-hand attack and lightly thrust her left hand forward, as if preparing for a counterattack.

At the same time, the magic pre-cast on her left hand activated, and the strike and magic exploded sequentially on the enemy’s guard.

Tuwoong!

Kwaaaang!

“Ugh?”

The right-hand attack was a feint, so the incoming attack was the left hand, which was in an awkward position.

Therefore, Enri, a member of the Seven Wings [an elite group of warriors] and a Saint, who had expected the attack to do little damage, wore the same bewildered expression that Lucia had shown earlier.

The moment the opponent’s attack landed, the Saint suddenly went wild and sent a signal of danger, and immediately after, the attack magic that she had not prepared for directly struck her body.

Tududuk!

Duduk!

Enri, who had flown quite far back, barely regained her balance and looked down at her arm.

She had blocked the knights’ swords, soldiers’ spears, and arrows with her bare skin without a scratch, but the attack just now had turned her skin a fiery red, as if she had been burned.

“You… you’re quite an interesting woman?”

“You misspoke.

Not quite an interesting woman, but a very angry woman.”

If you’re going to attack the royal castle, do it during the day, afternoon, or at least in the evening!

Why the hell are you causing such a ruckus late at night and preventing me from getting proper sleep!

If my skin gets damaged because of this, and Ciel says, ‘Lucia, you don’t look so good?’ who’s going to take responsibility for that!

Tueoong!

Kwaaaang!

Lucia’s powerful middle kick, filled with anger, struck Enri’s torso.

Enri took a defensive stance as usual, but the impact that followed sent her flying into a half-collapsed building.

“Keuk!”

Enri, enduring the pain, smiled at the appearance of an opponent who was completely different from the knights she had been playing with, a martial artist who was also subtly different from herself.

Yes, a skilled person like this had to appear right away to make the trip from the Holy Prussen worthwhile.

“Not bad.

What exactly is that?

It looks like just a kick, but what’s that explosion that follows?”

“Let’s just say it’s a punishment for an uninvited guest causing trouble in the middle of the night.”

“Hahaha, you’re funny too.

Well, at that level, it might be fun to blow you up and kill you.”

Enri closed the distance in an instant, as if to say that it was just your imagination that she had taken a lot of damage. Lucia clicked her tongue and moved from her spot.

She wasn’t sure exactly, but she thought that the unique ability of the Saint was related to the attack that ignored her guard and dealt tremendous damage, so she thought it would be more advantageous to avoid all of the enemy’s attacks and find an opening rather than foolishly blocking them.

‘I’ve already landed two effective hits, and even if the opponent figures out my attack pattern, it doesn’t matter.

You’re not the only one who can ignore guards and deal damage.’

Thinking that, Lucia continued to step back.

At first glance, it seemed precarious, but Lucia herself comfortably evaded the opponent’s attacks.

If she gave the slightest opening with a hasty counterattack, an attack similar to her own would come flying, so Lucia used the space widely and waited for the opponent to tire and slow down first.

“Foolish, did you think I was just blindly throwing punches?”

“Huh?”

Tuwoong―.

But soon, Lucia had no choice but to be horrified.

It was clearly an open space, but her back hit something as if blocked by an invisible wall, and she found herself in a dead end.

‘T, this! Danger…’

Just as she was about to quickly duck down.

Lucia was directly exposed to Enri’s strike, which had reached her and punched her in the abdomen.

Peoeok!

“Keuheok!”

A merciless blow, as much as Kim Yoo-hyun’s attack.

Lucia was sent flying high, crashed into the partially destroyed building, and fell to the ground.

“Cook!

Cough!

Peuhak!”

The defensive magic prepared in her body was pierced in one go.

It was impossible unless she was a mage far superior to Lucia herself, but a woman who couldn’t even properly use mana, let alone magic, had shattered it in one blow.

‘W, what on earth…’

The attack was one thing, but what exactly was that thing that blocked her back just now?

Lucia spat out dead blood and reached out to feel something.

After a while, something translucent briefly appeared in the spot her hand touched before disappearing again.

“How is it?

It’s called ‘My Own Space.’

You can’t get out until you’re crushed to death by me.”

“What… such magic doesn’t even exist…”

“Because it’s not magic.

This is a special talent and a great gift that God has given me.

I will use it to destroy this rotten world and become a new being in a new world.

Becoming a spear that destroys this dirty world with the descendants of light and those who follow them.”

“Foolish, what’s so great about that!”

“Those who know nothing, the guilty sinners, always say that.

What’s wrong with a world that’s running perfectly fine?

That’s the problem.

The problem is you sinners who brainwash yourselves into thinking there’s no problem.”

Enri slowly moved towards Lucia.

And just as she was about to pull back her hand to finish her off as she had done before.

Pik!

“···?”

A strange sound brushed past her ear.

Shortly after, a long line of blood appeared on her arm, and red blood began to spurt out.