Regnum Aetern: Dual Rebirth

Evangeline tried her best to remain calm, but internally, she was horrified.

She may have developed a level of tolerance for this kind of violence after everything she had gone through, but that didn’t mean that she was now fine with seeing blood and corpses.

Lilias tossed the man’s heart behind and began walking forward at an unhurried pace.

The entire atmosphere around her had changed. Chills ran down Evangeline’s spine as she looked into the girl’s turquoise eyes. Blood dripped from her hand,‌ drop after drop, creating a crimson trail as she walked forward.

Suddenly, Evangeline remembered the trail of blood she had seen in the previous loop. She finally understood how that trail had formed.

Trying her best to calm her wildly beating heart, Evangeline followed ‌Lilias.

She could hear footsteps ahead, growing louder with every passing moment. It seemed that several people were coming in this direction.

Lilias spoke in an indifferent tone without even looking at her.

"Don’t expect me to defend you. Well, you will wake up again in the next loop even if you die, so it doesn’t really matter."

Evangeline’s heart turned cold as she heard Lilias’s words.

Moments later, a group of people emerged from the corner and shouted as they spotted the two of them.

"Here she is! Found her!"

"Wait, there is someone else with her too!"

"Let’s just deal with both of them!"

All of them charged forward. Some were covering their fists in mana while others were using it to coat the various kinds of weapons in their hands.

Judging by the nature of their presence, it seemed that all of them were Phase Two. Their eyes were filled with an unknown resolve as they charged forward.

Meanwhile, Lilias tensed her muscles as the look in her eyes turned even more chilling.

Evangeline gritted her teeth.

’What are you all doing? Why are you attacking her? She is a Phase Four, and you are all only Phase Two.’

The gap between Phases was hard to overcome. More than three people of the same Phase were usually required in order to even have a chance at defeating a being who was a Phase higher. But here, the gap was two whole Phases high. There was no way they would even be able to do anything.

And as she had expected, the carnage unfolded before her eyes.

Lilias was too fast, dodging the incoming attacks and piercing their chests before they could understand what was happening. Blood was splattered across the walls and ground, painting the surroundings crimson.

Lilias’s black nightgown was smeared with blood, and corpses were piled on both sides of the hallway.

It all ended too quickly. A dozen or so people were killed by her in less than a minute.

But Evangeline could already hear more footsteps coming in their direction. Moments later, more people revealed themselves and charged at Lilias.

Evangeline clenched her fists tightly.

’I have to do something!’

If she didn’t, if she were to remain indecisive even this time, then the same things would continue to repeat.

’But just what am I supposed to do?!’

Was she supposed to stop Lilias from killing those people? But they were clearly the attackers. And since she remembered the previous loop, she knew what was going to happen to Lilias. Knowing all that, she couldn’t possibly find any justification for restraining Lilias.

Then... was she supposed to help Lilias kill these people? But how could she? Evangeline didn’t even know why they were attacking her in the first place. Moreover...

She looked at Lilias smashing their heads against the walls and piercing their chests with her hands. It didn’t look like she was trying to defend herself. If anything, it looked like she was murdering them in cold blood.

In the end, Evangeline could do nothing but stand and watch as the entire hallway was filled with corpses.

But suddenly, the wall to her right caved in, and someone appeared from the other side, as though having smashed right through the wall.

It was a burly man wearing what appeared to be leather armor and carrying a hammer in his hand. His head was shaved clean, and his brown beard was tied into a braid. The nature of his presence was similar to Lilias, a clear sign that he was also a Phase Four.

Lilias kicked away the half-dead man lying on the ground in front of her and turned to the burly man.

The burly man smiled menacingly as his eyes scanned the hallway filled with corpses.

"Well now, Princess, this is quite a surprise. I thought you would be hiding in some corner, shaking with fear. But to think you had this ruthless side too."

Lilias let out a frustrated sigh.

"Why do you say the exact same thing every single time, Guardian Ford? It is starting to become irritating to hear."

The burly man tilted his head in confusion, as if not understanding what she was talking about. But then, he simply shook his head.

"Whatever, it doesn’t matter. There is only one thing I want from you, and that is..." He suddenly raised his hammer. Covering it with a faint green energy, he lunged at Lilias. "FOR YOU TO TURN INTO A CORPSE!!!"

Lilias’s body was suddenly enveloped in a golden energy, bright enough to illuminate the surroundings.

She punched forward, and her fist collided with the burly man’s hammer, creating shockwaves that made the entire castle rumble.

The burly man blinked a few times with a look of mild shock on his face.

"Oh? You blocked that? Didn’t you reach Phase Four only a day ago?"

Instead of replying, Lilias threw a punch with her other hand, aiming for the man’s gut. It was so fast it appeared like a blur, striking before the man could react and throwing him several meters ahead.

"-Guhh!"

Before he could get up, Lilias dashed toward him with her fists raised.

As Evangeline watched it all while standing still, she suddenly felt chills down her spine and instinctively ducked down to dodge a blade that would’ve chopped her head off otherwise.

The attacker was an old woman with her white hair tied into a braid and her face filled with ‌wrinkles. The old woman’s eyes widened slightly in shock as Evangeline jumped back to create distance between them.

"I came from your blind spot. I don’t think I made any noise either, yet you were able to dodge that? Girl, it seems your instincts are quite sharp."

Evangeline sharpened her focus.

The old woman had not covered her weapon in mana, and she was somehow suppressing her presence, making it so faint that Evangeline wasn’t able to sense her attack. Judging by the nature of her presence, she seemed to be a Phase Two.

’I could’ve died just now.’

The castle was still shaking as Lilias battled the burly man.

Moments later, the woman pulled back her blade and got into a stance.

"Well then, girl, you should prepare yourself. Because instinct is not going to save you this time."

Suddenly, the woman’s entire body was enveloped in blue lightning. The sparks made a crackling noise as they danced above her skin.

The hair on Evangeline’s skin stood on end as she saw that. She hurriedly channeled mana into her bracelets and shot a wind blast at the old woman.

But the old lady was swift to react, sidestepping just enough to dodge Evangeline’s attack.

She tilted her head in confusion.

"Hm? I thought you would be a martial artist with reflexes like those. But it seems like you are some kind of sorcerer. Well, that makes things easier."

The old woman suddenly charged her blade with lightning and dashed forward, closing the distance in an instant. But Evangeline was ready, ducking below to dodge the old woman’s blade.

’Got her!’

The old woman was now wide open. Evangeline opened her mouth and whispered.

⪡"Stay still."⪢

An invisible ripple spread through the surroundings, and the old woman suddenly froze mid-swing. Not missing her chance, Evangeline threw a punch that connected perfectly with the woman’s gut, throwing her back.

Evangeline walked forward and stopped before the old woman who was desperately trying to get up while coughing up blood.

It was clear that she had received significant internal damage from Evangeline’s punch.

Evangeline gritted her teeth.

She didn’t want to use violence against an elderly woman when she had no clear reason to. She was already feeling guilty for what she had done.

’But I can’t be indecisive.’

She crouched down in front of the old woman. Seeing that, the woman hurriedly reached for her weapon, but Evangeline grabbed her hand and asked in a firm tone.

"Why did you people attack this castle? Why are you all after Lilias?"

The old woman pierced her with an angry glare.

"Do you really think you have the—"

⪡"Answer my question."⪢

The elderly woman suddenly froze, then slowly spoke in a calm tone with her eyes widened in horror.

"It is for the sake of the kingdom and the citizens. To ensure a better future for the Gracias kingdom, the crown must disappear. That is why Lilias El Gracias needs to die."