Royal Bastard’s Bloodstained Regression
Chapter 123: A Prayer for the Damned

Inside the sacred halls of the temple, deep within the heart of the sanctum, the Saintess stood before the grand chamber of Gaia. The air was cool and heavy with incense, silence reigning like a watchful guardian.

She slowly dismissed her maids with a wave of her hand.

They bowed and left without question.

Alone, Lilac stepped into the shallow pond beneath the towering statue of the goddess. The water was freezing, biting at her skin, but she didn't flinch. Her eyes rose to meet the stone gaze of the deity above her.

Goddess Gaia, the Mother of Life and the highest among the Four Celestial Deities.

Alongside her stood the lesser gods:

lumina, the goddess of light, wisdom, and judgment

Selvaros,the god of the moon and hidden fate.

Kaelun, the god of the sun and divine justice.

Lilac clapped her hands together in solemn reverence and slowly knelt, lowering herself into the water until her entire body was submerged. When she rose, droplets slid down her arms like tears.

"I'm sorry, Goddess Gaia," she whispered, voice cracking. "I've come here countless times... but never once confessed my sins."

She paused, biting her lip as her eyes filled with tears.

"You already know, don't you?" Her voice trembled. "You know the terrible things I've done. I've failed you. I've betrayed everything I stood for... and because of that, innocent people may die."

Her hand drifted to her side where a scar lay hidden. She pressed her fingertip against her skin until it bled, her body shaking.

"I'm disgusting. A fraud. A Saintess unworthy of her title. I don't deserve to live."

Even as she said it, her divine gift activated on its own, the wound sealing within seconds. She let out a bitter, broken laugh and looked down at her reflection.

"You heal even the sinner who caused this," she murmured. "Why?"

And then her eyes rose slowly to the stone-carved expression of Gaia, unmoving and silent as always.

"Is this your answer?" she whispered. "Are you trying to tell me what I must do?"

Her expression twisted into something colder.

"Is this your will? That I kill him... that I end Dameon?"

The moment the words left her lips, something in her snapped.

She smiled.

A slow, empty, dangerous smile.

"Then I'll do it. If that's what you want, Goddess. Illusion or not, I'll carry out the divine will."

Lilac stepped out of the pond, her white robes soaked and clinging to her body. But she didn't care. With wet hair and a hollow gaze, she turned and walked barefoot out of the chamber—smiling.

The mission was clear now.

Daemon would die.

The Saintess pushed open the grand temple doors, stepping into the silent hallway beyond.

"Where did those two maids go?" she muttered, frowning. "Seriously, these new girls are always slacking off... I'll have to talk to them later."

She started down the long corridor toward her room, the echo of her footsteps the only sound that accompanied her. But then—she paused.

A strange sensation crept down her spine.

Someone was near.

She turned sharply. No one was there.

A nervous laugh escaped her lips. "Tch... I must be imagining things."

She turned to walk again.

The presence grew heavier.

Thicker.

Almost suffocating.

She spun around. "Show yourself!" she barked, her voice echoing through the corridor.

A figure stepped smoothly out from behind a corner.

"Oh? I guess my stealth's a little rusty," Nyxtriel said with a smirk, her red eyes glinting.

Lilac took a cautious step back. "Who the hell are you?"

Nyxtriel tilted her head. "You don't need to know that. Just come quietly... or I might have to break something."

Cracks echoed from Lilac's knuckles as she clenched her fists. "You think I'm weak?" She raised her arm—and golden chains burst from the air around her, wrapping and writhing like serpents, ready to strike.

Nyxtriel didn't flinch. Instead, her arms shifted—metal folding over flesh as they transformed into twin blades. A soft hum of energy buzzed through the air.

Lilac's eyes widened. "What... what kind of sorcery is that?"

She tried to sense her opponent's power, but it was murky—drowned in dense, demonic energy. Not even her divine perception could pierce it.

"Wait... you're not human," she breathed. "Did... did Dameon send you?"

"Bingo," Nyxtriel replied, her smirk widening. "And how dare you speak his name so casually, mortal."

Their eyes locked.

The air thickened with magic.

The ground beneath them quivered from the clash of divine and demonic energies.

"So," Lilac said coldly, "he really does want me dead. Good. That makes two of us. I was planning to kill him myself."

Nyxtriel's blades gleamed as she stepped forward.

"Then let's see if you can get past me first."

The hallway erupted into light and shadow—divine chains lashing out against blades forged in hellfire.

Lilac raised her hand, guiding her divine chains with precision. They shot toward Nyxtriel like golden spears, tearing through the stone walls as they missed.

Nyxtriel flipped back in a clean somersault, dodging effortlessly. But one chain came dangerously close—aimed straight for her stomach. With a swift motion, she sliced the chain with her blade-arm, then leapt onto it mid-air. Using the chain as a path, she sprinted toward Lilac like a phantom.

"Damn it! She's closing in!" Lilac growled, panic rising in her voice. Desperate, she considered causing a commotion—maybe the temple guards would come if they sensed divine energy flaring.

But it was too late.

Nyxtriel closed the distance in a blur and drove her fist into Lilac's chest, sending her crashing into the wall. The saintess coughed blood before her divine aura mended her ribs.

Before she could fully recover, Nyxtriel grabbed her by the head and slammed it into the marble floor.

Lilac groaned, dizzy from the blow. Through blurred vision, she saw Nyxtriel looming over her. For a brief moment, she thought she was seeing Dameon.

"Hahah am I seeing things ?."

"Stop laughing and surrender you lost."

"Who said I lost ?."

With a last effort, Lilac summoned a chain behind Nyxtriel and stabbed it into her side.

"W-what ?."

"Got you!" Lilac spat, blood still on her lips. "Serves you right... now die."

But Nyxtriel simply smirked.

Without flinching, she pulled back her white sleeve.

Lilac's eyes widened in disbelief. "W-Why are you undressing?!"

"Relax. Just showing you something," Nyxtriel replied.

She revealed her bare midsection—perfectly intact, with no wound.

"I shifted my internal structure. You hit nothing."

Lilac's strength gave out as her vision dimmed. "Shape-shifter... demon freak..." she mumbled before collapsing unconscious.

Nyxtriel sighed, biting the inside of her cheek.

"That's that."

But then—her senses flared. Multiple divine auras were approaching fast.

The guards.

No time to waste.

She picked up Lilac's limp body and, with a whisper, dissolved into a swirl of black mist—vanishing from the hall without a trace.

Moments later, the temple guards arrived, weapons drawn.

Blood stained the stone. The wall was cracked.

"Something happened here—it was a battle!"

"This energy... the Saintess's divine chains."

"She was here," one muttered grimly. "Search the temple. Find the Saintess immediately!"

Meanwhile, Dameon remained seated in the private balcony of the theatre, his eyes lazily following the stage play as it dragged on with its exaggerated portrayal of the Demon King.

Zaria, arms crossed beside him, let out an audible sigh. "You really are naïve, aren't you?"

He didn't even look at her. "What makes you say that? Because I'm not reacting?"

"Yes," she said plainly. "They're mocking you, and you're just sitting there."

"I'm used to it," Dameon replied, voice quiet but firm. "Ever since the day I was born, I've been treated like this. And I don't even remember anything from my past life as the Demon King. Still, I tried—I left Varyndor so everyone could live in peace. I thought maybe, just maybe, they'd stop seeing me as a threat. But I guess it's useless. I'll always be the demon they fear… even though I've done nothing wrong."

Zaria didn't reply right away. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Her usual smugness faded. "Hmph. You're too soft. The old Seraphiel would've slaughtered this entire room without blinking."

"But I'm not him," Dameon said. "I'm Dameon."

"That's the truth," she admitted, then huffed. "Still… don't let it get to you. Humans fear what they can't control. That's why they treat you like this. You're… a decent human. Even if you're creepy sometimes."

Dameon blinked, then broke into a grin. "Wow, thanks, Zaria. I didn't know you were capable of being nice."

She turned away, cheeks flushing. "Stupid demon…"

He leaned a little closer, confused. "Did I say something wrong? Your face is red." He reached toward her forehead.

She instantly pulled back and yelped, "Just leave me alone!"

Then she turned and buried her face behind one of her feathers.

Sir Luka immediately stepped in, moving between them like a shield. "She said she doesn't want you near her."

Dameon raised his hands in mock surrender, chuckling. "Alright, alright. I'll behave."

Zaria peeked at him between her feathers. Her heart was racing. Why was he being so kind? Why did his smile keep popping into her thoughts? He'd called her pretty. Invited her here. Was it… was this his plan all along?

She glanced at Dameon again—only to find him looking right at her with that same calm, infuriatingly warm smile.

Her face turned redder. She quickly looked away.

She was in trouble.

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