Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 381

381

Counterattack

“Kkeuaaaaaack!”

It would have been easy to kill them all with a single blow, causing minimal pain.

But Ekaterina, with her albinism, would never do that.

She only granted a quick, painless death to formidable opponents—those who posed a genuine threat to her life.

To her, death was a courtesy reserved for those who could potentially deliver it in return.

For the weak, those who couldn’t kill her even if they tried, Ekaterina had no intention of offering a clean, painless end.

“Aack!

Aack!”

“Save me, save me!”

She would deliberately sever limbs, one by one, or delve inside to tear out their entrails.

Ensuring they wouldn’t die instantly, but also ensuring they couldn’t survive.

To some, it might seem like the height of cruelty, but for Ekaterina, it was the only way to express her disappointment.

As if saying, ‘If you were strong, if you were worthy opponents who deserved my respect, if you could have given me the gift of death, I would have treated you accordingly.’

“How boring.”

To be precise, it was more that she felt no tension whatsoever.

Ekaterina had been sparring with Kim Yu-hyun whenever their bodies were in good condition.

For a race that thrived on fighting strong opponents and lived for the thrill it provided, fighting the strongest being in the world was like an addictive drug they could never quit.

To put it in extreme terms, it was like someone who had been enjoying wild sex parties suddenly going back to their first, awkward sexual encounter.

“…Ah, this is driving me crazy.”

She wanted to fight that man again, soon.

She craved the fight with his unbelievable power, to feel that tension and excitement again—the pounding heart and racing chest she hadn’t felt in a while.

She would do anything if that were possible.

She could tolerate listening to humans and doing as he wished, and she could deal with these ant-like creatures as much as necessary.

If it meant she could fight Kim Yu-hyun for longer, she would gladly do it.

“Haaah.”

Feeling as if her whole body was heating up, Ekaterina had to twist her body without realizing it.

If she didn’t keep her wits about her, she felt like she would run towards Kim Yu-hyun, who was cutting down fairies and celestials charging at him with a single, concise sword strike from afar.

“Kkeueueuk!”

Then, a new prey entered Ekaterina’s sight.

A celestial, and not a lower or mid-tier one, but an opponent with power that seemed to be high-ranking.

Although it was covered in wounds, none were severe enough to be fatal, meaning it was still in good condition to be devoured.

‘That one looks manageable.’

Thinking that, Ekaterina was about to move quickly to snatch it before Kim Yu-hyun could take that delicious prey.

“Aaaack!”

A sword was lodged in the stomach of Kiriel, the high-ranking celestial Ekaterina was targeting.

Kiriel struggled, flailing her arms in great pain.

Her attempts to escape this situation were pitiful enough to evoke sympathy, but unfortunately, the woman who was driving her into a corner was not one to have such thoughts.

“How disappointing.

Brother clearly warned me not to be complacent just because they’re high-ranking celestials.

How lazy have you been to become so weak?”

“Kkeueuk!

Kkeuheuk!

Sh, Shiel!

Why, why…!”

“I told you.

I found what I wanted.

What have we celestials been fighting for all this time?

We fought for the mission, right?

Then I should be allowed to fight for what I want, too.”

Crack!

Shiel smiled and grabbed the hilt, turning it half a circle.

As the sword twisted, it completely tore through Kiriel’s abdomen.

“Cough!

Keheok!”

Kiriel coughed up dark red, dead blood and pieces of her internal organs.

She had thought that as a fellow high-ranking celestial, she might be able to put up a fight, but she soon realized that it was purely her delusion.

There was a reason why Ru had given her a spear, and there was a reason why she was considered central even among the high-ranking celestials.

Although her words, tendencies, and thoughts were so unique that they were almost bizarre, her skills and practical experience were superior to anyone else.

Shiel.

By engaging in a life-or-death battle with her, not just a simple sparring match, Kiriel realized she could never defeat this woman.

If she dragged it out, she would only be defeated more miserably, and even if she tried to make a move, she would be defeated by that woman’s hidden trump card.

The only remaining option was to escape from here.

“Fool.

How many battles do you think I’ve fought against those trying to escape?”

“Kkeuheuk, kkeuheuk!”

“Conversely, how often do you think celestials have tried to escape?

Almost never.

We don’t know how to escape very well.

We’re not used to deceiving the enemy and breaking away.

I can see everything.”

Of course, Shiel’s physical condition wasn’t normal either.

Even if Kiriel was slightly inferior to her, she was still a high-ranking celestial.

Even if she lacked practical experience, she had similar power, so she could inflict enough damage, and Shiel focused on aiming for the best move while taking all of Kiriel’s counterattacks instead of evading them.

“It hurt, but, hmm.

How should I put it?

It’s not very good.

Not as good as that person.

No, is it strange to compare?

It’s like comparing a firefly to a full moon.”

“Wh, what are you… talking about…”

“Kiriel, you wouldn’t know.

Ah, how ecstatic it was.

That person’s appearance, relentlessly tormenting me without being swayed by the title or appearance of the Light’s Descendant, and that feeling!

Ah, why didn’t I know?

That not only is teaching enjoyable, but being taught can be just as enjoyable!”

Listening to Shiel’s words, Kiriel couldn’t hide her disbelief.

Where on earth did that look like a descendant of light, a celestial?

Even the demons didn’t go so crazy and rampage so purely for their desires.

How did that woman, who was said to be central even among the high-ranking celestials, become so corrupted?

“You can never… go to a new world…”

“Who cares?

Already here, by that person’s side, is a new world for me, Kiriel.”

After saying that, Shiel roughly pulled out her sword.

Blood gushed out like a fountain, and Kiriel’s body twisted grotesquely as her intestines flowed out.

Shiel stared at the sight as if appreciating it, then suddenly frowned.

“How unpleasant.”

As she said, Shiel was very upset.

The sight of Kiriel, a celestial woman not much different from herself, suffering as she died, felt like a reflection of herself, and the thought that she herself was being tormented by someone other than him made her truly irritated.

Without further hesitation, Shiel struck Kiriel’s neck with her sword in one blow.

The high-ranking celestial’s body collapsed, spewing hot blood and gradually cooling down.

“…”

Shiel had no reaction even as she looked at the corpse of her own kind.

Rather, she checked the wounds on her own body caused by her, and after checking the deepest-looking wound on her side, she slightly raised her hand and poked it with her finger.

“Ah!”

Soon, tremendous pain struck, and she felt a tingling sensation like an electric current.

‘Yes, this feeling.

It was definitely this kind of feeling.

But, but it’s different.’

Shiel muttered like that and looked at Kim Yu-hyun in the distance with a pitiful face.

No matter how she tried, she couldn’t replicate the humiliation and pain that man had inflicted on her.

Even if she could produce a similar intensity of pain, she didn’t have the atmosphere that only he could create, and there was no way she could follow his example, so she couldn’t get excited at all.

‘Hoo.

He told me not to interfere, so I can’t help it.’

The fire had already been lit, but she couldn’t put it out herself, so she thought that instead of being taught, she would grab others and teach them herself, and she was about to move her feet.

“Hey?

Pigeon?”

A very sharp voice, a woman’s voice.

Shiel turned her head and looked for the owner of the voice that had called her.

And soon, she exclaimed, ‘Heeh?’

“This is surprising.

If they had tolerated it, I would have ended my race’s lifeline with my own hands.

To think there was one female left.

Isn’t this almost an incredible discovery?”

“A discovery?

I came out on my own.

Well, if I had to say, it was thanks to Kim Yu-hyun that I came out on my own, so should I credit Kim Yu-hyun as the discoverer?”

“Ah.

So you’re the pet that Yu-hyun said was causing him a lot of trouble because it wouldn’t listen to him.

Dragon?”

“…Pet?”

“A pet, a creature you keep.”

“No, damn it, damn it!

I know what it means.

Did Kim Yu-hyun really say that?”

Shiel nodded as if it were obvious to Ekaterina’s question.

Of course, Kim Yu-hyun never specifically used such a word, as if he were crazy.

He had been following her from the south all the way here, asking her questions, and eventually Kim Yu-hyun, who was exhausted, thought that it wouldn’t hurt to tell her a little about Ekaterina, and that was all.

However, Shiel made a prediction based on that story, and she thought it would be strange to see them as colleagues or friends, and if they weren’t enemies, prisoners, or slaves, then maybe that would be the most appropriate thing to say.

‘No, is this human?

Even though I’ve been through so much, I still have the pride of a dragon.

A pet, what’s a pet?

Am I someone’s dog?’

It seemed that she had been too focused on fighting, which had made them underestimate her too much.

Of course, fighting comes before pride for a dragon, but as a race that is not inferior to celestials or demons, their pride in themselves was naturally higher than other races.

‘Tch.’

But then again, there’s no other way to express it.

Since she was following Kim Yu-hyun because she liked him and needed him, no matter what.

He was fine without her, but she would have quite a problem.

It was the moment when Ekaterina was wondering what to do, wondering if denying this would cause Kim Yu-hyun’s dissatisfaction.

“Nice to meet you.

To meet a comrade.”

“…What?”

“And Yu-hyun said that another crazy one had come in and he was going crazy.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hmm, how should I put it?

You’re the dragon, I’m the bird.

Should I say that we’re all people that Yu-hyun keeps by his side?

You get the pleasure of fighting from him, and I get the pleasure of pain, which is a little different.”

Ekaterina had to blink her eyes for a moment at Shiel’s words.

She wondered if this celestial was playing a joke, but no matter how she looked at it, she couldn’t see any signs of lying in her voice, expression, or eyes.

“…Ha?”

Suddenly, anger surged.

That man was entirely hers, and although there was another human woman, she thought that she could just ignore her and enjoy herself to the fullest because she would soon die anyway.

Suddenly, a strange pigeon popped out of nowhere and said, ‘Let’s share.’

“Hey, pigeon.

Don’t talk nonsense.

Do you know what I did to fight Kim Yu-hyun?

I’m the only one who can fight him.

I called dibs first.

He’s mine.”

“…What is this nonsense?

No, are you trying to monopolize him even though you’re a loser?”

“You’re a loser too, aren’t you?

And I have a goal of fighting and winning at the end.

What?

The pleasure of pain?

Is that what the noble descendant of light is saying?”

Then this time, Shiel frowned.

She didn’t care about anything else, but she felt really bad when her taste was directly sniped at.

She was even more angry because she was hearing sarcastic remarks from someone who was not much different from herself.

“Dragon, please respect my taste.”

“I respect your taste, but I can’t respect you taking Kim Yu-hyun’s time.

Except for the time he spends with the human woman, everything else is mine.

Until I die, or until I kill him.

Until then, Kim Yu-hyun has to deal with only me.

Do you understand?”

“That’s funny.

You’ll die right away if Yu-hyun just gestures once, even now.”

“…”

Shiel’s words were nothing but the truth.

In fact, each of the top-ranking celestials was an opponent that Ekaterina couldn’t be sure of winning against.

If she hadn’t met Kim Yu-hyun, she wouldn’t have been able to resist the temptation to fight the top-ranking celestials and would have rushed at them.

And she would have faced one of two futures: either she would die, or she would win and kill them.

‘Yes, to be honest, I’m weak and he’s strong.

But, but!’

It was quite annoying that this celestial was saying that, not someone else.

Ekaterina bared her fangs and immediately expressed her hostility, and Shiel twitched her eyebrows and picked up a soldier’s spear that was lying around right next to her.

“What are you doing?”

“Since you’re both out of your minds, I have to make a decision in a direction that’s not sane either.”

“So the decision you’ve made is that one of us will take it all?”

“Of course.

What’s the fun and taste if we share it?

I have to eat it all by myself.”

“…That’s true too.

If I fight you, you won’t be able to torment me as much as you want, and if you torment me, the time you spend fighting you will naturally decrease.

Wouldn’t that be bad for Yu-hyun too?”

Dragons are strong, definitely strong beings.

But Shiel was confident in her skills.

She had defeated even high-ranking celestials without difficulty.

She thought that she could handle anyone as long as they weren’t top-ranking celestials or Kim Yu-hyun.

“…”

The enemies in the area had already been swept away by the two women.

Thanks to that, a kind of arena for them had been created without any particular interference, and it was funny that those who didn’t know the situation saw it as a scene where a skilled person from Hispania was fighting a celestial from the Holy Prussian Empire, and of course, both forces didn’t intervene separately.

“Should we at least say hello before we fight?

I’m Shiel.”

“Ekaterina Dmitrievna Volkona.”

A dragon and a celestial, a celestial and a dragon.

Both were women who were crazy about fighting, and they were very similar in terms of practical experience and martial power.

If they fought, it would be a mutually destructive situation, and one of them would definitely die.

“Then…”

Just as they were smiling, anticipating the great battle that would soon take place,

A streak of blue light fell vertically from the sky.

Kwaaaang!―

“…?”

“…!”