Royal Bastard's Bloodstained Regression-Chapter 81: Stabilizing he’s core

"That creature is annoying," Nyxtriel muttered, eyeing the feline.

"It's called instinct," Samuel said. "Animals can sense danger. She knows you're not human."

Nyxtriel tilted her head, crouched, and slowly reached a hand toward the cat.

Swipe!

The cat scratched her, drawing a thin red line on her hand. Nyxtriel recoiled, narrowing her eyes.

"Don't you dare hurt her," Samuel warned sharply. "She's just doing what comes natural. To her, you're probably a predator."

"Weird," Nyxtriel muttered, standing.

Samuel moved to Daemon, frowning at the torn, bloodied remnants of his clothes. His body was covered in bruises and fractures.

"Let's see what kind of damage we're dealing with..."

Samuel placed a glowing hand gently on Daemon's chest, focusing on his Astra core.

"Last time I did this, he nearly broke my wrist," he muttered. "Let's hope he's too tired to punch this time."

As he closed his eyes, his divine energy seeped into Daemon's body—and Samuel's mind crossed into the boy's spiritual world.

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What he saw froze him in place.

A sea of black.Endless.Churning.

Thick with demonic power and drenched in blood. Echoes of screams rang in the void.

Samuel staggered back instinctively, his breathing unsteady. Even as a seasoned priest, he'd never felt something this... wrong.

"...What the hell did you become, boy?"

Samuel kept walking, deeper into the blood-soaked abyss of Daemon's inner world. With every step, the sea of blood thickened, dragging at his legs like tar.

"What the hell...?" he muttered.

The blood clung to him, pulling him under. Gritting his teeth, Samuel summoned divine energy through his legs and stomped hard, blasting the muck back just enough to free himself.

"Hell no. I'm not dying inside some kid's soul. I was a top-tier priest in my prime!"

He pushed forward until he reached the heart of the sea. There, suspended in midair, was Daemon's Astra core—a cracked, unstable sphere radiating violent demonic energy. But inside, flickering faintly, was a sliver of golden light: divine energy, struggling to survive.

"He's... resisting it," Samuel said in awe. "Even with all that demonic energy, he hasn't lost the divine spark."

He reached out and touched the core.

Ssss!

It burned like fire. Samuel yanked his hand back with a hiss.

"Damn it, that stings."

His palm was blistered. But time was running out. He knew that much.

"If I don't act fast, he's dead."

He steadied himself and began channeling divine energy again, slowly, carefully. "If I can reinforce the divine side, it might stabilize his core—at least enough to keep him alive..."

But the moment his energy entered the core, the demonic force lashed out. A barrier formed, rejecting the divine presence.

"Tsk. Of course it fights back. I'll have to be more precise."

Samuel exhaled deeply and pulled himself out of Daemon's spirit world.

His eyes snapped open.

Nyxtriel was standing beside him, her face tight with worry. "What happened to my lord?"

"He's alive. Barely. His Astra core's shattered—but it's a miracle he's not dead. Looks like that tiny divine spark inside him kept him together." Samuel flexed his burned hand. "You want to explain how that happened?"

Nyxtriel hesitated. "He... swallowed the fragment of the Demon King."

Samuel stared at her, blinking. "Are you insane? That fragment likely held a piece of the Demon King's heart. You shoved that into a human body?"

"He's not fully human," she said quietly. "He has a half-dragon heart. And healing powers."

Samuel sighed. "Even so, it's a wonder the core didn't explode entirely. That fragment holds a ridiculous amount of energy. His body simply wasn't ready."

Nyxtriel looked at the bed, her voice barely above a whisper. "But... will he wake up?"

"It'll take time," Samuel said, glancing at Daemon. "He's in a coma right now. All we can do is let him rest—and I'll do everything I can to save him."

Nyxtriel's eyes widened. She walked over to Daemon and gently brushed the hair from his face, her fingers trembling. "Please... save him."

"I will," Samuel replied firmly. "I promise."

Just then, the black cat rubbed against Nyxtriel's leg. She flinched in surprise, looking down. "What is she doing...?"

"That's called comfort," Samuel said with a small smirk. "And her name is Umbra."

"Umbra?" she echoed. "Why would she try to comfort me?"

"Animals pick up on emotions. She can tell you're hurting. That's her way of saying she understands."

Nyxtriel slowly reached out to pet Umbra, but the cat darted away.

"...And now she's running," she muttered, frowning.

Samuel chuckled. "You'll be here a while—months, maybe even a year. Try bonding with her. She might warm up to you."

Nyxtriel glanced from him to Daemon, her voice soft. "I just hope he wakes up soon."

"Of curse he will wake up he's not even a normal kid anyway."