Reincarnated and Regressed Villain - Make heroines beg for forgiveness

'....' For a brief moment, Ryuk considered the possibility that the vocabulary source of the system was subtly deteriorating, as it was employing words that lacked literal meaning. However, he dismissed the thought and commanded, 'Cover this area.'

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The activation of the Energy Isolation Dome is taking place now.

>> Only physical forms are allowed to leave the dome, and any escape of energy from within or the ability to observe inside changes is prohibited.

{ Vulnerable to external intrusion } =⟩ Modifying the alterations.

== Developing the protective mechanism utilizing Conduit Dome.

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Upon hearing his words, the system activated immediately, manifesting a black dome that shrouded the main palace of the Wei family and the surrounding area of the hall. Even though Esme had employed an illusion, it was a large illusion covering the whole Wei family's main peak; this addition was meant to guarantee that nothing could break free from whatever occurred inside this room.

Although this was not meant to be a defensive barrier, no energy signature could escape this location. While individuals are free to leave, the moment they do, the conduit dome on the outer layer of the black dome will immediately drain their energy, leading to their demise.

Outsiders cannot penetrate the black dome's vulnerabilities, which could have been easily breached or deactivated from the outside, but now, any attempt would result in an instant loss of their energy due to the presence of a conduit.

In the end, the System was evolving its battle formations, drawing lessons from past weaknesses.

"WHO ARE YOU!" It didn't take long for the Patriarch to unleash a powerful shout, channeling an immense surge of energy towards the black-robed man who had just entered the Wei family's main hall. Given the numerous formations and traps set around the palace, this occurrence seemed almost impossible.

"A—an intruder," a few elders shifted their focus to the newcomer who had entered unnoticed. They sensed an obstruction preventing them from reaching out for reinforcements, and although they were capable enough on their own, their instincts suggested that anyone capable of entering the room without their awareness must possess considerable strength.

Their doubts solidified when they sensed that this individual possessed mana instead of Qi. As elders, some among them had already encountered such beings during previous skirmishes with those who attempted to breach their town.

To their astonishment, they realized that what they felt wasn't mana at all. Instead, it was a substance that was more compact and extremely unstable, interacting violently with the internal energy nearby, as if it were intent on consuming it.

"Y—you?" The Patriarch's words trembled as his eyes met those amber ones. A piercing gaze directed at him as he felt a chill seeing those eyes, which weren't unfamiliar to him, or at least shouldn't be to the top three families of Uppertown. As his eyes widened before relaxing, he added, "What is a Flagbearer doing in my Wei family's domain?"

'!?!'

Several elders gasped in surprise as they, for the first time, came across the name Flagbearer. However, they found some comfort in knowing that the Patriarchs were aware of this individual.

He appeared strong yet exuded an air of suspicion and mystery. Whenever the elders blinked, it felt as though he vanished, leaving behind nothing but an absence of energy, his presence akin to a faint thread that was difficult to detect, save for the mana-like energy he emitted that rendered him visible.

"It's reassuring that you know about me." Although Ryuk felt a slight surprise at the man's awareness of his background, it was somewhat anticipated, considering that the patriarch of the Wei family hailed from one of the three prominent families in the upper town.

Given his status and the likely external dealings he had encountered, it wasn't all that surprising. However, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't particularly important.

'I can't sense the Ancestor's presence.' Remaining seated at the helm, the Patriarch pondered the scenario where an outsider had emerged, wielding a strength so palpable that it evaded his senses.

In desperation, the Patriarch attempted to reach out to the Ancestor, who was currently in seclusion. However, to his disappointment, it seemed that the energy from within had been severed, blocking any chance of contacting the Ancestor.

"He will die." With unwavering determination, Ryuk announced his intent, his gaze locked onto the Patriarch.

As he moved closer, his feet left behind a trail of scorched earth, the orange ether glowing like flames against the already damaged ground—a testament to the Patriarch's immense strength. Now, even the slightest motion from Ryuk etched his footprints into the hard floor beneath those shattered tiles.

Right now, this wasn't a competition about how someone shows their dominance by breaking ground or walls of this place. Instead, it was the suppression that was overwhelming everyone inside, sourced from that black-robed man who had just arrived; the mana leaking through his body was so immense that the internal energy was getting pushed back.

No, it wasn't mana at all. They could feel it. It was the same energy used by those battleships and the weapons used by several high-ranking continents.

It was Ether.

"Do you mean, ancestor?" the Patriarch inquired, feeling confused by the man's words, who had already arrived ten steps ahead of him. The emitting aura from that robed man was appearing like a flame of orange hue, the suppression spreading across the room was evidence that the type of energy was dense enough to remove and push back all the internal energy within this room.

After all, at the end of the day, internal energy is derived from spiritual energy, which is, in fact, dependent on the spiritually available life forms on this planet.

Although the number of living beings is higher, right now internal energy is in opposition to the force that was born from or synthesized using mana, which is the fundamental energy of this world.

In simple terms, it was as if human energy—internal energy born from humans—was colliding with nature's energy—Ether born from Mana.

Though there were more life forms present inside the room to manage the vast amount of internal energy, the man who had just arrived had just suppressed everyone here.

It was a humiliation that was slowly drowning in the heart of the Patriarch, who knew that if he didn't do anything, he would become a laughing stock in front of all the elders present here.

As a patriarch, he had seen several battles and knew very well where to go and where to retaliate.

And right now, seeing this man approaching who had just arrived within five steps of his throne, the Patriarch, clenching his hands and jaws, stood from his seat and moved beside, turning his eyes downward, knowing it would be futile to go against this man, declared, "Please take a seat, Young Master, and tell if you need something."

[Tch, coward. Even heroines are better than you; at least they try to stab back =⁠_⁠=]

"It appears the Patriarch is a wise man." Ryuk, without harming anyone, directly took a seat on the throne. He seated himself in such a way that he felt somewhat getting the hang of this particular habit which belonged to Drishti, where her obsession with thrones was clearly evident.

But now he was understanding what it feels like to sit on the throne after passing through without a brink of retaliation, prompting him to further add, "I need three seats from the Wei family in the trial; I hope you can arrange it."

'!?!'

The man who stood beside the throne, his eyes widened in surprise as he heard the demand for three seats instead of one, prompting him to glance towards the elders, who were already drenched in sweat looking towards him, seeing how their patriarch, who was only the strongest among them, had acted so cowardly and directly stood giving space for that man.

'I need to kill these old bastards.' Looking towards those elders, the Patriarch was determined to either kill them or at least feed them a soul-devouring Gu to keep them in check to not spread the rumors about the Patriarch of the Wei family acting like a coward as he ordered one of the elders, "Second Elder, have your son relinquish from the trial and give that position to the Young Master."

"P—Patriarch!? How can you act like this!" the Second Elder cried out as a sword materialized in his hand, his robe fluttered as swiftly as his feet lifted an inch before his body vanished as he sought towards the throne, pointing his sword, unable to believe that the Patriarch of the Wei family could fall this low to surrender in front of some outsider.

'Sigh, there are always idiots who can't read the room,' the Patriarch thought as he sighed and kept looking blankly towards the attacking elder, whose white beard fluttered with eyes determined to cut the head of that outsider.

Swish

The only noise that lingered was the rush of air, where the swift sound of movement echoed, audible to all, before a delicate red mist appeared in place of the Second Elder's body in front of the throne, while splattering around without touching a meter radius or affecting anything except for the blood clots resting behind the throne's wall.

[Host, threaten them; I would like to see a masterpiece. ]

"Your ignorance has cost you your life." With a cold mutter, Ryuk swung his forefinger, a glint of silver-red blood catching the light. He turned his gaze to the remaining elders, speaking in a low voice that was saturated with unsettling intensity, sending chills through them. "Understand this—resistance will only bring you a quicker end. I didn't come here to negotiate.

The trial will proceed with my terms, or there will be no Wei family left to speak of."

As his words settled into the ears of those present, a terrifying aura emanated from Ryuk, his presence seemingly expanding to fill the entire room. "Decide quickly," he continued, his voice like ice, "because my patience is as thin as the air your elder no longer breathes."

[....⊙⁠﹏⁠⊙ I seem to have pissed my pants.]