My Daughters Are Regressors

In truth, the time I lived off thievery was less than 1/10 of my life.

But that period was so shocking, it shook my entire life and even the future I was headed in.It was like being in a rowboat with broken oars in the middle of the tempestuous Pacific.To survive the storm, I had to learn many skills and develop new ones.

One of those was my ability to find treasures.Once, I had sneaked into a royal palace.

Because the country where this palace was located was rumored to be the richest in the world, one successful heist could yield enough wealth to last a lifetime.

Although I believed the more money one has, the weaker one becomes, at that time, I wanted to retire.Make a big score and quit-.

With that in mind, I entered a certain royal palace.It was truly a mountain of treasure.The problem was that my pockets were limited, and I couldn't decide what to steal.

If I stole something mediocre, I would regret it for life, thinking, "Ah, I should have taken the golden frame instead of the censer!"The choice had to be swift and careful, and eventually, I acquired the skill to appraise treasures.It was as if I had an innate sense of the value of treasures.Measuring someone's Princess Power was an application of this skill.

So what did I steal then?Of course, the most precious and valuable treasure in the palace.

No treasure could compare to that one.It was one of the few memories of my life as a thief."What was it..."

But I couldn't remember what it was.I couldn't recall what I had stolen.Not only that, but even the memory that I had stolen something from the palace was fading.

That's right.I had given up on that memory.Because it was a precious memory to me, my body gained even more powerful strength. It was a process I had repeated several times, but losing memories wasn't a pleasant feeling.

So why am I rambling on about a story that I can't remember well?

It was because I wanted to talk about my treasure-appraising skills. I could sensitively distinguish the value of treasures.

Then what about memories?Surely, among people's memories, some are relatively less precious, while others are extremely important.

I desperately racked my brain to distinguish them, but upon reflection, I realized that assigning value to a person's memories is quite difficult.

Also, there was someone who prevented me from meditating.

『Do you think you wouldn't have done this? My current body also erased memories and attacked ferociously, just like you. But instead, it only created a perfect environment for me to take over.』

Nocturne, who closely resembled me, could not maintain his composure and furiously attacked me. His ferocity must be because something was happening 'outside' in the mental world.

I had no choice but to engage with the opponent fiercely.Many things floating in this mental realm vanished in an instant.

These must have been crucial memories that were shaping 'me' as a person, but once erased, I couldn't recall what they were.

The human known as 'me' was being emptied out right now.It felt akin to clearing a hard disk before downloading a new program, erasing old files to make space for large new ones.

I wondered if all the demigods had gone through a similar process as I am now.

"Who are you?"

Nocturne asked.Suddenly, I realized I couldn't remember who I was.

I knew I had to defeat the person before me, but beyond that, I felt like an instrument created solely for one purpose, white and profound.

Nocturne smiled slightly.

"So you can't even recall yourself. Only a few steps left, mortal. You might still regain what you've forgotten if you turn back now."

Clench—I gripped my fist tightly.

"Come, a couple more clashes and this long fight will finally end."

“......”

Swoosh-I sprinted towards the man with a speed that seemed it might even outpace light.

With a light leap, I became more than human, a kind of natural phenomenon.

As all memories were extinguished and my mental world dyed black, my body, like a streak of lightning cleaving the universe, swung the dagger in my hand toward the opponent's neck.

"Nocturne Strike."

Rustle— Rustle— Rustle—It was a single flashing slash, but the impact noise was incredibly loud. It was a technique where I projected my utmost firepower.

"Nocturne Strike, you named it after me. Impressive. To unleash an attack in a fleeting moment, you've transcended mortality and become a new false god."

Nocturne was unscathed.He had neutralized my attack with the same technique.

What I could do, he could too.And vice versa.That's what made this battle never-ending.

"Admit it. You are me."

He was right.It was so simple and clear that I had to accept it.

"Mortal, I respect you. Just by opposing me, I've already lost. Therefore, I shall retreat."

"Are you acknowledging me?"

"Yes. I will quietly sleep within you."

It was an astonishing statement.Never did I imagine I would make Nocturne concede defeat.

Crackle— Crackle— Crackle—At that moment, I felt my body enveloped in a powerful current.

It wasn't my doing, and it didn't seem to be Nocturne's either.Something from the outside must have intervened.

Nocturne murmured calmly, "Is it the blood of Epar?". I noticed his body hardening like stone. Was it due to the recent shock?

But the standstill of time won't last long.In fact, Nocturne seemed to be resisting the shock, as his fingertips moved slowly.

I could sense that the time for a decision was nearing.

If I just waited for time to pass like this, Nocturne would be quietly sealed within me. Then, I might find what I could call my 'everyday' life.I could fill the empty warehouses of my memory with colorful things again.

Creak—With an emotional heart, I clenched my fist tightly.Something was caught in my hand.

It was a butterfly knife.

It looked old and shabby, utterly insignificant, but for some reason, it seemed incredibly precious and remarkable to me.

What is this thing that I held on to so tightly, not letting go even as my precious memories flew away?

"This is..."

『Nothing but a fragment of an insignificant memory.』

"Something I have, and you do not..."

I was a perfect duplicate of Nocturne.But the more I abandoned my memories, the stronger I realized I became.

If I were to discard this butterfly knife I held so dear...

Could I become a little stronger?I had no idea how strong I could become.Maybe it would be as insignificant as the breeze caused by a butterfly's wings.As if reading my thoughts, Nocturne spoke.

『Don't do it. It's the last remaining memory you have. It's the memory that tells you were human and the fragment that can bring you back to normal life.』

I hesitated greatly.I knew that if I let go of this dagger, something irreversible would happen.

It was a piece of my last remaining memory, one I had wanted to protect till the end.A small piece, but it might have been worth exchanging for everything in my life.

"I won't throw it away."

『Yes, you will make the same choice again. It's inevitable. I am the result of your actions. And it is a memory so precious it can never be discarded.』

"Yes, I won't throw it away. Instead, I'll give it to you."

『What?』

I slowly approached the stationary Nocturne.Then he lost his leisurely attitude and roared fiercely with a ferocity I hadn't anticipated.

『Stop! Stop!』

Nocturne moved his arm with a strong and fierce power. His body groaned with the torment of 'Epar's Blood', but as if he didn't care, he grabbed my throat with both hands.

Gwaaak—Nocturne strangled my neck with all his might.

It was painful as if my soul would vanish, but I plunged the dagger forcefully into his chest.Paaaat—!A powerful energy created a shockwave that swept through like an aftermath, and Nocturne screamed as if a planet were exploding.

『What on earth have you done...!!!!』

The one speaking was disintegrating.Like a leaf shattering to pieces.I said to that person,

"Did you not hear me?"

『Scum...! You're just a part of my process...! I am the result and the end of all things in this world...!!! You─.』

Nocturne screamed with a voice I couldn't begin to imagine. If a planet were to explode, perhaps when a tiny point burst forth long ago, creating the universe, it would have sounded like this.

It was noise.I quietly listened through the loud noise.

To catch a faint harmony.I had just realized, if I listened closely, there was a voice calling me.A light like a small, warm candle flame had been calling me all along.It was such a faint sound that I wouldn't hear it unless I let go of everything and paid close attention.

─Dad....

"I guess I'm a father. I have a daughter."

『What kind of nonsense...!!!』

"I had a daughter. She's calling for me even now. I can feel it. I can feel the little ones hugging me. It's them"

『Guuuuaaahhh...! I ammmm...! I am like a planet...! I am the conclusion...! The ender of Pangaea...!!!』

Nocturne, with the dagger plunged into his chest, began to emit a blinding light from his eyes, mouth, nose, and ears. The light was so intense that it involuntarily made me squint, and it was hard for me to face it.

Nocturne howled as if the world was ending.

『Answer me! It was your last remaining memory! It was your last vestige of humanity! How could you give it up so easily! Answer me!!!』

He asked me.Was he asking about the time I gave up by stabbing him in the chest with the dagger?It surely was a hard thing to give up.Likely, I, too, hesitated back then, which probably led to me losing him.

But hearing the faint voices of children made the dagger in my hand seem insignificant.

"Memories can be remade. I have a daughter."

"What...?"

"Having a daughter means I have a wife. Having a wife means I have a home. And having a home means..."

I inferred the process from the result.Something seemed on the verge of coming to me, but a surprising event unfolded before me, leaving my mind blank for a moment.

Nocturne, caught up in the white light he emitted, turned into countless butterflies.The butterflies fluttered away and disappeared.

"...Even I was just a part of the process in the end-. This long life of mine, Nocturne's, was truly a nightmare... What was it all for...?"

One butterfly in particular circled around me.I reached out to catch it but─it soon vanished completely.

"Dad...!""Come to your senses, this instant...!""Hng, hng..."

The children clung to their oh-so-dear Dad even tighter.Tighter than ever.As if trying to become one wit him.And then, something astonishing happened.

Rustle— Crack— Crackle—Judas' body, embraced by the children, crumbled away like a leaf dried and twisted to its breaking point!

Rustle- Rustle-Naru and the children were horrified as they watched it disintegrate into dust and scatter.They were so shocked that their vision went dark and it felt like something inside them had snapped.

"Guak...! We killed Dad...! Maybe Naru hugged him too tightly...!""Guak...!""Guak, fuck...!"

For your information, "Guak─" is a scream of the highest order, indicating a shock so severe it could damage the soul......No need to explain any further.

Big Hina and Big Cecily looked on at this scene, astonished.What had happened?

"Where has Dad gone to..., no, rather, my body is...."

The first to notice the anomaly was Big Hina.

"My body is...."

Hina's body became translucent, reflecting the floor beneath her.It had grown faint.The same was true for big Cecily.

"This is..."

"...Cecily, our future has... changed. Perhaps... we might have succeeded..."

The future had changed.Little Hina understood this meaning better than anyone else.

"...Is big Hina... disappearing...?"

When the past changes, the future ceases to exist.That's what Hina believed.

Then big Hina stroked little Hina's head.

"No, we're not disappearing... as long as you're here... you'll come to understand our words someday..."

Big Hina faded away toward little Hina as if being sucked in.Big Cecily also placed her hand on little Cecily's head.

"Mon-grel."

"What, what does that mean? It must be a very offensive insult...! Why would you say that to this Cecily, explain yourself... Explain...?"

Ssshhh.Big Cecily disappeared as if absorbed by little Cecily.The place, once as noisy as the end of the world, was now enveloped in a strange silence, like the first snow gently settling on one's shoulders.What on earth had just happened?

***

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