Royal Bastard’s Bloodstained Regression
Chapter 124: The Fall of Feathered Walls

The theater's performance concluded, leaving Gabriel visibly unsettled. Dameon remained seated, his expression unreadable, seemingly impervious to the intended provocation.

Gabriel abruptly stood and exited.

"Wait!" Vivian called out, reaching for him.

But Gabriel was already gone.

"Aren't you going to stop your brother?" Luka asked.

"Of course not. They brought this upon themselves," Dameon replied.

Luka's smug expression remained. "I see. Then you're finally acknowledging your true nature."

That was the final straw for Dameon.

"I see. Then I'll be going with my brother," he said, extending his hand to Zaria. "Let's go."

"What? I'm not going with you!" she protested.

Ignoring her refusal, Dameon took her hand and led her away.

Luka's fury boiled over as he reached for his sword.

"The moment you draw that, consider yourself dead," Dameon warned, his glare icy.

Zaria felt a strange mix of emotions but followed Dameon nonetheless.

Luka stood alone, fists clenched.

Before arriving at the theater, Luka had received one clear instruction from the Saintess: protect Zaria at all costs.

He remembered it well—the day of Dameon's baptism when the holy water turned black the moment it touched him. From that day on, Luka knew the boy was dangerous, the prophesied reincarnation of the Demon King. But what he never understood was why the king spared him. Why let something so clearly cursed continue to live?

Still, for the good of the kingdom, Luka had made his decision long ago. If no one else would act, he would.

Lost in thought, he hadn't realized how far Dameon and Zaria had walked ahead. He exhaled sharply and moved to catch up with them—only to hear a voice behind him.

"Eclipse Claw."

Dark tendrils burst from the shadows and wrapped tightly around Luka, the sheer force of demonic energy squeezing the air from his lungs.

"Stop!" he choked, struggling.

Dameon emerged from the dark, calm and slow in his steps. "I figured you'd try something. I could feel it—your thoughts, your intent. You're such a pain."

Luka snarled through clenched teeth. "I knew it. You are a demon. This power... it's yours! I'll tell everyone what you are!"

"Everyone?" Dameon echoed with a smirk.

"Yes!" Luka gasped. "The temple, the royal family—they'll know you killed me!"

Dameon raised an eyebrow, amused. "Why would a dead man talk?"

With a flick of his hand, the tendrils tightened around Luka's chest. He coughed blood, his body convulsing.

"I'm sorry!" Luka cried, eyes wide with fear. "Please—spare me! If I disappear now, they'll suspect you. They'll come for you!"

Dameon paused, pretending to consider it. "Hmm... you're right."

A flicker of hope lit up Luka's face.

Then Dameon placed a hand on his forehead. In an instant, dark energy surged through Luka's body as Dameon began absorbing his divine astra core—and with it, his life force.

Luka screamed in agony, his armor rattling as his body shriveled, rapidly aging to a brittle husk inside the metal shell.

With a final sneer, Dameon tossed the withered body toward the waiting tendril. Its mouth opened and swallowed what was left of him whole.

"Tch. Pathetic," Dameon muttered. "You should be grateful. I let you die quietly."

Daemon quickly overturned chairs and shattered the table, scattering splinters across the room. With a calculated breath, he released a trace of divine energy, just enough to stage the illusion of a battle. Then, pressing his palm against his chest, he forced a disruption into his own system, triggering a violent cough that stained his lips with blood.

Just then, Zaria appeared, materializing with a gust of wind. "You bastard!" she snapped, breathless. "You vanished without a word—"

She stopped as her eyes scanned the wreckage. "Where's Sir Luka?!"

Daemon didn't respond. Instead, he turned his head slightly, letting her see the dark circles under his eyes and the flickering divine aura pulsing faintly around him.

"What happened?" she shouted, moving toward him.

"Don't," Daemon said weakly, wiping blood from his mouth. "Don't come any closer. I don't want you to see me like this—pathetic... broken."

Zaria hesitated, her anger softening with concern. "Are you saying Luka... fought you?"

Daemon's fist clenched. "Yes. He attacked me... I was barely able to fight him off. He disappeared afterward—I don't know where he went."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're sure?"

As if on cue, Daemon lurched forward and vomited more blood onto the marble floor.

"Damn it—stay still!" Zaria rushed to his side, placing a glowing hand on his chest. "You're seriously hurt. Let me heal you."

Her divine energy flowed into him, but something was off—there was resistance, like demonic energy fighting back. She frowned, confused.

Daemon felt the danger of exposure rising. He had to act.

Eyes still closed, he recalled Nyxtriel's warning and their plan. Then, without hesitation, he yanked Zaria toward him—and kissed her.

Her eyes shot wide open, her whole body stiffening. A second later, she shoved him away, flustered and red-faced. "What the hell was that?!"

He coughed, covering his smirk. "Sorry... the moment got a little too intense. I thought I was dying and... acted on impulse."

Zaria turned away, hands trembling slightly as she tried to hide her face behind her feathers.

"I don't understand you sometimes, Dameon," Zaria said, her voice soft but sharp with confusion.

Dameon blinked. She'd used his name—not 'demon', not 'Seraphiel'.

"You're unpredictable," she continued. "You tease me one second, then drag me into this mess. You even brought me here knowing Gabriel would be around. Why? What are you trying to do?"

Dameon paused. He couldn't tell her the truth—that she was part of a plan. But a partial truth, coated in enough emotion, could work. "The truth is... I see a bit of myself in you. There's someone I care about, deeply. But to her, I'm just a shadow of someone else. A memory. Not the person in front of her."

He didn't say Nyxtriel's name, but it was true. She saw Seraphiel, not Dameon.

Zaria's expression softened. For once, she seemed to understand. But she wasn't finished.

"Then tell me... why did you kiss me?"

Dameon shrugged with a teasing smile. "Maybe because you looked adorable."

Her cheeks turned scarlet. "Idiot... shut up!"

There was a pause. She glanced away, her feathers trembling faintly.

"The truth is," she said slowly, "I wasn't always like this. I was just a regular angel, a servant of Goddess Lumina."

At the mention of that name, Dameon's heart skipped. He unconsciously touched his chest. Why did it hurt?

Zaria went on. "There's a river in heaven we're forbidden to look into. But I did. I saw Michael—the hero who fought the Demon King. I didn't understand it then, but I fell in love with him. And after his death, I waited, hoping he'd return. I thought Gabriel was his reincarnation. I thought maybe... I could be by his side."

Her voice cracked, her gaze falling. "But it's pointless now. He's in love with someone else."

Dameon hadn't expected this. Her entire reason for descending... was love?

"But why stay here, then?" he asked.

She slowly raised a hand, catching one of her feathers as it drifted to the ground. "Haven't you noticed? My feathers are falling. The more I stay in this world, the more I lose myself. I wanted Gabriel to pluck them all—turn me human. But I failed."

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Without thinking, Dameon stepped closer and gently pulled her into a hug. She tensed but didn't pull away.

"If my brother won't accept your heart," he whispered, "then why not give it to someone who will?"

Zaria said nothing—but her trembling slowed.

And Dameon, behind that calm mask, smiled.

Because now he knew exactly how to break her.

Zaria looked up at Daemon, her eyes uncertain. "Are you saying... you'd love me? Truly?"

"Yes," Daemon said softly. "Even if you doubt me now, I want you to trust me. I'll love you dearly, Zaria."

He gently lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to it. Her cheeks flushed.

"Saying things like that... it's embarrassing," she mumbled, glancing away. "Aren't you embarrassed?"

"Of course I am," he said with a small smile. "But somehow, you give me the courage to say it."

She didn't respond immediately. Her gaze drifted to the side. Maybe... if it was Daemon, she could let go. Maybe she could finally forget Gabriel. They looked alike, but Daemon felt different—he saw her differently.

Without warning, she stepped forward and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest.

"Idiot," she whispered.

Then, softer: "Take me away from here. Please."

Daemon's eyes widened. Was she finally giving in?

"Are you sure?" he asked, voice low. "You trust me?"

She nodded into his chest. "Stupid demon," she muttered, and gave a small, crooked grin.

Daemon didn't fully understand her tone—but he didn't need to. What mattered was that she was his now. No more threats, no more divine interference. Just a little longer... and her feathers would fall.

And when they did, she'd no longer be an angel.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.