episode_0329

No, Ruan wasn’t the problem here. She simply wanted to fill that empty void within herself, no matter what. It was useless to repeat to herself that the other person was a criminal who had raped and threatened her. Currently, Ruan was her sole support, irreplaceable by anything else.

“Thank you. Thank you for saving me. Truly… thank you.”

Words she couldn’t bring herself to say last time. The sincerity, buried under feelings she couldn’t discern as pride or shame, now spilled effortlessly from her lips. At her gratitude, Ruan even seemed a little surprised, flinching for a moment.

“…If you’re thankful, then treat me better normally.”

“Okay.”

“And stop targeting Isis.”

“That…”

For Regina, who had lost even Damian, Isis was tantamount to everything. Giving that up was something she couldn’t accept, no matter how much Ruan asked. As she fell silent, Ruan wore a nonchalant expression, as if he’d expected it.

“You said thank you, but you can’t even do this?”

“…Sorry.”

“Why are you so obedient all of a sudden? It’s hard to get used to, so let’s just go back to normal.”

Although his words were harsh, it was clear that this was his way of offering comfort. Of course, it might just be her arbitrarily interpreting it positively because her image of Ruan had changed, but Regina wanted to believe that. So, even in a situation where she would normally have gotten angry, she quietly smiled. Ruan still seemed unused to it, displaying awkward gestures.

Just then, Damian stepped forward.

“Are you done talking? As if other women weren’t enough, now you’re trying to seduce my sister too, huh?”

“Well, I had no such intention. But what does it matter? Isn’t it better than a scumbag who tries to rape his own sister?”

“Puhaha! That’s not something for a guy who slept with his sister to say, is it? Huh?”

“Were you secretly watching that? How lewd of you.”

He didn’t know why a hidden camera had been installed, but he was certain the intention wasn’t good in any way. When Ruan shot him a contemptuous glare, Damian flared up and brought up an unexpected topic.

“You’re the lewd one. A complete stranger like you, boldly using Ruan Friuli’s body to deceive Isis. What do you think will happen when she learns the truth?”

“I’m sorry, but Isis already knows the truth. She loves me even knowing it. No matter what Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince does, you’ll never be able to snatch her away from me.”

There was no need to mention wealth, power, or charm; there was no chance Isis would leave him for Damian. Even seeing that tiny, pinky-sized dick would make any lingering affection vanish. However, contrary to his expectations, Damian, overflowing with self-confidence, began to spew out everything he shouldn’t and shouldn’t say.

“Khmhm! Absolute? There was a guy on Earth who said the same thing. Do you know what happened then? He knelt before me, begging me to give her back. No matter how stuck-up a woman is, it’s over once you drug her. Isis won’t be any different!”

“…You’re quite open about being a Transmigrator.”

“You’re the same, aren’t you? Was it Eunrang? How dare you inflict such humiliation on me? I’ll never let you die easily.”

Following Damian’s gaze, he saw Remian, half-mutated into a demon. He had thought she was completely transformed into a monster and dealt with in prison, but he didn’t know how this had happened.

‘Could it be because of the semen?’

He knew semen had healing effects, but he never imagined it could even suppress mutation. If the semen accumulated in her uterus hadn’t been removed to erase traces, Remian might have been perfectly fine. Of course, even then, she would still have been imprisoned and violated by Damian.

“I just had a good idea. After I rape all the women in front of you, I’ll send them to the Holy Order. They’ll live there, being tortured for the rest of their lives. How does that sound?”

“Unfortunately, I’m close with the Saintess-nim. So that won’t happen.”

He had already confirmed that the Pope had no intention of unconditionally executing Transmigrators. With the Saintess’s help and an explanation, he wouldn’t be tortured for life, at least. But Damian seemed confident.

“The Saintess? Kekekek! Do you think that’s enough to stop me?!”

He boldly shouted, then spewed out shocking information that Ruan hadn’t expected, yet couldn’t possibly ignore.

“Speaking of which, something from before I transmigrated comes to mind. I was having sex with a pretty decent woman, and there was a guy secretly peeping.”

“…Secretly peeping?”

“Yeah! It was pathetic, just peeping without any intention of reporting it. So what do you think I did?”

“…What did you do?”

“I framed that guy! It was so easy, bribing the judge and prosecutor. I didn’t even need to lift a finger myself. The Saintess is the same. If I just contact the Pope, that bitch won’t be able to help you at all!”

Squeeze!

His fist clenched involuntarily. The fury that seized his entire body was so intense it wouldn’t subside unless he smashed everything in front of him right then.

‘I’ve finally found him.’

The opportunity for revenge had come. His brain felt numb from an overwhelming surge of dopamine, and his vision wavered. Despite this, the reason he could stop himself from charging forward immediately was that something more important than revenge had come into his life.

Charging out rashly here was dangerous. If he were to be overcome by anger and end up defeated, his lovers would grieve. To avoid seeing their tears, he had to overcome this crisis as calmly and coolly as possible right now.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“Puhaha! You seem very angry. Why is that? Could it be that you’re *that* guy?”

“Yes.”

“Soon you’ll be just as… What did you say?”

Damian, who had been speaking sarcastically, widened his eyes as if the answer was unimaginable. He activated all the artifacts he possessed.

“That’s me, you bastard.”

And using photonization, he surged forward at the speed of light, landing a blow on Damian.

Boom!

Thinking about it again, he was so pissed off he couldn’t hold back. He had to defeat him to get out of here alive anyway, so what was the point of holding back? Even if he got hurt, most injuries could be regenerated, so all he had to do was smash the enemy with all his might.

Unfortunately, however, the previous attack failed to inflict proper damage. It was like hitting a blunt wall the moment his fist connected. It was probably the power of an artifact.

Whoosh!

As if to prove it, dust scattered with the shockwave, revealing an unharmed Damian.

“Kekekek! Was what you just said true?”

“What if it was?”

“How absurd. That I would suffer such humiliation at the hands of some lowlife. Isis really has no taste.”

“And you’re a disabled idiot who can’t even get into *her* low standards. Right?”

“You son of a bitch!”

No matter what he said, he had the advantage in their verbal exchange. Because he already had the love of the woman Damian craved most: Isis.

It was truly ironic. Despite having everything—power, wealth, strength—he was superior for the sole reason that Damian lacked just one thing: Isis’s love. Before transmigration, he was unilaterally framed and couldn’t even properly resist, but now it was different.

The problem was that while he had the psychological advantage, he was physically at a disadvantage.

Clang!

He parried the sword striking from behind and retreated. The guard knight, Sir Gilbert, seemed completely uninterested in their conversation, focusing solely on the battle. Perhaps that was his way of navigating the situation. At least in combat, he had to be warier of Sir Gilbert than Damian. Damian also seemed to recognize this, dropping his stubbornness.

“Sir Gilbert. From now on, I will assist you. Take this.”

“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”

Damian handed over all artifacts to Sir Gilbert, except those with defensive capabilities. As a result, Damian’s combat power was reduced by more than half, but conversely, Sir Gilbert became much stronger.

Crash!

In the next clash, he was pushed back for the first time. Even his only advantage, physical strength, was now inferior to Sir Gilbert’s. With Damian’s follow-up harassment accompanying it, he was helplessly tossed about by their combined assault.

Clang! Clang-clang! Clang-clang-clang-clang!

More and more scratches appeared from the ceaseless sword strikes. Thanks to his regeneration, wounds healed immediately, but if this continued, he would be constantly pushed back and eventually die the moment the artifacts’ effects wore off.

‘Is there no other choice?’

It seemed he would have to make a risky gamble. As he watched for the optimal timing, a voice echoed in his mind.

-I’ll join in too.

It was Regina. He subtly turned his head to check and saw that the trembling in her legs had stopped, as if the shock had subsided. She also nodded firmly, as if she had been waiting for the moment to intervene.

-Are you sure you can move?

-I can move. It doesn’t matter if my legs don’t move anyway. All I need is to be able to shoot a bow. Will you believe me if I say that?

-I wasn’t doubting you. Then I’ll send a signal, so provide immediate suppressive fire. You just need to distract the Crown Prince for a moment.

-…Understood. Leave it to me.

Regina’s expression wasn’t good, perhaps bothered by the fact that she had to attack her own blood relative, even if he had betrayed her. He was a little uneasy, but he trusted her to do at least this much. If she failed, the punishment would be rape.

Thus, time flowed relentlessly in their wait, and finally, the opportunity arrived.

-Now!

Whoosh!

Simultaneously with the signal, an arrow tore through the air. Focusing on speed and timing, its power wasn’t overwhelmingly strong, but it was more than enough to pin Damian down.

“Damn it!”

Clang!

The sword energy he was about to unleash on Ruan struck the arrow away, and in that instant, Ruan focused all his power on Sir Gilbert.

Three Extremes Ring!

Three types of energy harmonized, then instantly repelled each other and exploded.

Boom!

“Ugh…!”

Flames of purity shattered his aura, and flames of destruction spread, incinerating his entire arm. Through that wound, demonic energy eroded, disrupting the flow of his mana. An unrecoverable blow.

“Tch!”

However, contrary to his expectations, the extent of the damage was minor. He had intended to end it with that single strike, but it only inflicted a severe injury. He immediately followed up with more attacks.

Crunch! Thud! Snap!

Because of the severe injury to his arm, Sir Gilbert’s swordsmanship level dropped, making him much easier to deal with. Effective blows kept landing.

The problem wasn’t Sir Gilbert, but Damian.

“That bitch!”

He lost his composure at the fact that Regina had attacked him and charged towards her.

“Oh no!”

He hastily tried to pursue him, but unfortunately, Sir Gilbert’s loyalty was beyond imagination.

“You cannot pass!”

“Let go of me! You crazy bastard!”

He received Ruan’s unleashed punch directly and clung to him, obstructing his movements. Meanwhile, Damian approached Regina moment by moment. Regina raised her bow, looking at Damian, but the string only trembled unsteadily.

In that instant, her eyes met his. They didn’t exchange a single word, yet they perfectly understood each other’s thoughts.

Finally, the bowstring was released.

Flames surged!

The arrow transformed into a giant phoenix, engulfing him and Sir Gilbert.