The Dark Rebirth of Pandora: Revenge of the Abyss

Chapter 441: Request for an Honorable Duel on Equal Grounds

Iʼm in my office looking over some papers while watching Lycoris, a maid brings in a tray with a sandwich that makes Lycorisʼ eyes light up.

The scent of the sandwich spreads, as I smell the cheese, tomato, lettuce, raw meat, blood, and a faint sweet aroma that might be honey.

As the maid places a bowl of meat for the hydra to eat, the hydra quickly jumps off the couch and runs to the bowl while Lycoris takes the sandwich to eat.

ʼ...ʼ I look at Lycoris, seeing her holding the sandwich the wrong way, sheʼs holding it too high up which will make the filling spill out if she bites it.

”Lyc...” I was going to warn her, but she bit the sandwich and immediately all the filling spills out of the sandwich, falling to the floor with a sound that spreads through the silent room. Lycoris notices and looks at the floor, seeing the meat and vegetables on the ground.

She looks at the filling with pure indignation, as if the food had betrayed her, her eyes widening in a way that almost makes me laugh.

”...” Soon she looks at me, then at the filling on the floor, and then at me again, sheʼs really thinking if she should eat it or just leave it be.

”You can pick it up, it shouldnʼt be a problem.” Iʼve also eaten things off the floor, usually when I kill something, it falls to the ground and if I eat it naturally, Iʼve eaten something that fell on the floor, after all, you canʼt put everything on a plate.

As soon as she gets my permission, she jumps off the couch and grabs only the meat from the floor, shoving it in her mouth and starting to chew, she completely ignores the bread, focusing only on the meat.

I also see the corner of her eye staring at the bowl of meat the hydra is eating, making it clear that Lycoris is also thinking if she can eat that or if she shouldnʼt touch it.

ʼI should have predicted this...ʼ I set this aside while I wave to the maid to bring more food for Lycoris and look at the other, but I leave it as it is, so she stays there.

”Lycoris, why are you so hungry? Zephyra has plenty of milk, you can drink from her without worry.” I say to Lycoris, who looks at me. I say this because Grimm said that Azazel avoided feeding from her to avoid hurting her.

Maybe Lycoris also avoids feeding from Zephyra to not hurt her, although that doesnʼt make sense? Since Eclipsya still drinks Tsukuyomiʼs milk even now.

ʼThat reminds me... Tsukuyomi has recently reduced the amount of milk she has...ʼ Eclipsya still prefers Tsukuyomiʼs milk compared to other foods, and Eclipsya has shown a less ”carnivorous” diet, although she likes meat, she doesnʼt make much of a fuss about it, focusing mainly on Tsukuyomiʼs milk.

ʼI think it would be good to keep a diary... so I can have a comparison of the diet and habits of each daughter...ʼ Before I finish thinking about it, someone bursts open the door of my office with force, making Lycoris jump from where she is and run to hide perfectly behind a couch while watching curiously.

”...” I look at the rude intruder, and it turns out to be Tsukuyomi, who strangely did not knock on the door this time.

”What do you want here?” I say harshly, still angry at her for not helping to take care of Zephyra, who has had almost 0 progress, Zephyra still doesnʼt like having people around other than me and canʼt eat properly if itʼs not the fluid from my tail.

”Pandora, I... have highly personal and particularly moral reasons to come here now... Iʼd like to say I went to see Delphina and told her what happened... I wanted her to give you a bit of common sense, but she decided not to do anything.” Tsukuyomi speaks, leaving me surprised and angry.

ʼWhy did this bitch tell!! Now Delphina will be jealous... great...ʼ It was obvious that Delphina would find out someday that I had another child, but I still didnʼt want it to be so soon, after all, now I have 3 children and this must make Delphina furious.

”Do you know why I did this? Itʼs simple, Pandora, since you brought me into this world, Iʼve realized that no one close to you challenges your desires... either theyʼre afraid, have blind loyalty, or love you too much to question your craziness.”

”This... is terrible, youʼre like a spoiled child who has no one to rein in your madness! As someone honorable and responsible, I canʼt just accept this...” She speaks with a determined look.

”And?” I incite her to continue, not interested in wasting time with her nonsense, since soon I have to go feed Zephyra.

”...” She approaches me at the desk while Lycoris watches her with curiosity.

”I, Tsukuyomi, hereby issue this warning and challenge you to a duel.” She says this and then slaps me in the face, itʼs so shocking that I donʼt even defend myself while Lycoris is left with her mouth open until she realizes what sheʼs heard, then Lycoris trembles with fear and tries to run out of the room as if sensing something bad.

I see Lycoris grabbing the hydra, who firmly bites a piece of meat, and Lycoris quickly runs to the door, taking the hydra with her, which stains the floor with the blood of the raw meat the hydra is biting.

When I recover from the initial shock and understand her words and her rebellious act of slapping me, I get up from the chair, hitting the table so hard that it shatters, falling through the floor to the lower level.

”...”

”It seems youʼve lost the will to live, you bitch.” I say furiously, the slap didnʼt hurt, but the act of slapping me is so absurd and disrespectful that I canʼt let it pass as something trivial.

”No, Pandora, what I did is proof that I will follow my principles and my own morals. I canʼt accept what you did to Zephyra. For me, as a goddess, it would be a disgrace if I didnʼt defend a friend, since indirect means have failed, now I can only challenge you.”

”And donʼt think you can easily beat me, Pandora... You may have easily won our first fight, but all that happened because I was pregnant, with low power due to lack of worship, and was trying to protect my babyʼs room from you.”

”Added to the fact that your mana was invading my body and my intimate parts, which left me unstable and unable to fight correctly.”

”Now that Iʼve had a child and my connection to the earth and the moon has become a connection to you and this universe, I no longer have the same weakness problem as before.”

”What I desire from this duel is for you to stay away from Zephyra, I want you to stop hurting her if I win... and if I lose, Iʼll never interfere in your affairs with Zephyra again, no matter how wrong I think what youʼre doing is.”

”...”

”I firmly believe that as Zephyraʼs friend and someone who is the mother of one of your children, I am standing on equal footing to propose this fight and for you to accept it.” She puffs out her chest, trying to look more intimidating while staring into my eyes without backing down.

”Someone needs to teach you responsibility, something that you clearly lack, probably because youʼve never suffered, felt powerless, or been on the weak side.”

”You were born powerful and only grow stronger, this has made you a being very... presumptuous, arrogant, haughty, prideful, and everything else that describes your arrogance, pride, and lazy and malicious way of looking at the lives of others...” She seems like sheʼs going to say more bullshit, so I interrupt her.

”Okay, bitch, Iʼll give you another beating to put you in your place.” Itʼs obvious that few challenge my worldview, but Tsukuyomi is being very arrogant in saying that they donʼt do it just because theyʼre afraid, have blind loyalty, or love me.

Just as she is being extremely unpleasant in insinuating that Iʼve never suffered, saying that Iʼve never been on the weak side and powerless, only able to suffer in silence.

Iʼve suffered enough, Iʼve been on the weak side for years, and I know well what hopelessness, despair, and powerlessness are like, and itʼs exactly because I know what itʼs like that I know well what Iʼm doing.

I fully understand the value of life, the context of all the death and destruction I bring, and I fully understand that Iʼm not a good person, but to say that Iʼve never suffered is a lot of arrogance, and to say that no one challenges my worldview is to be very stupid.

Elena, for example, has stopped me several times and complained to me about things and plans I made that werenʼt good, Lilith has also done this, among others who prefer to put themselves at risk to show me my flaws.

Itʼs just not as evident that they do this because my plans are usually good and aligned with useful things for my demon kingdom and are appropriate for my position as demon king.

”Great, if youʼve accepted this duel, then the conditions are set. The duel lasts until someone dies, gives up, or becomes extremely incapable of fighting.” She speaks ceremonially while I see a great determination in her gaze.

”Maid, go after Lycoris and take her to my room. Also, donʼt enter the room, but tell Zephyra from the outside to give milk to Lycoris.” I tell the maid who saw everything, she quickly nods her head and runs out.

”I would like to choose the location of the fight! May I?” She asks ceremoniously, without that clingy tone.

”Of course, choose, it doesnʼt matter, Iʼll break your face anywhere.” The environment in which I fight has never mattered, and she is weaker than me. Itʼs true that Iʼve never fought her at her maximum, but if she thinks she can decide things in my marriage, then I need to show her her place in this world.

Zephyra is mine and what I do with her is not something Tsukuyomi should interfere with. The only reason Iʼm accepting this nonsense is again because of Eclipysa, but itʼs been two... two times that Tsukuyomi has crossed the line by telling her.

If she crosses the line a third time, I think Iʼll have to kill her, even though I promised that Tsukuyomi is Pandora Yandereʼs property.

I canʼt let someone who disrespects me so much continue to live, so she better be very careful with her next infraction, because this one could be the last.