Reincarnation
In a secluded mountain, a vast lake stretched wide and still.
Within its depths, a single electric eel swam freely.
When hunger stirred, it released a faint current through its body, searching for prey that might ease the emptiness in its belly.
A twitch!
A snake drifting lazily across the surface gave a light shudder as the current brushed past it.
The movement was barely there—but the electric eel did not miss it.
Coiling tight, the eel shot its body straight in a single explosive surge. It cut through the water like an arrow, and the moment it reached the snake, it clamped down on its flank without a second's hesitation.
Sharp molars punched through scale and sank into soft flesh.
Kyaaak!
The snake screamed on pure reflex and whipped its head around to glare at the eel. Then it drove its own fangs toward the eel's body, determined to make the creature feel every scrap of the pain and fury it was suffering.
Or rather—it tried to.
Kyaak?
The snake's eyes went wide with incomprehension. Those fangs, which had always delivered a fair and equal sting to any prey, could not pierce the eel's scales.
Unable to accept the impossible, the snake thrashed in denial. That desperate thrashing only irritated the electric eel.
Crack!
Kyaak?
Fzzzzzt!
Kyaaaiik!
Blue current poured from the eel's fangs, flooding through the breach in the snake's scales. In an instant the electricity seared flesh and organs alike, half-cooking the snake's moist insides until they turned crisp. The snake went limp.
Only then did the electric eel stop discharging, satisfied.
Sway, sway.
It flicked its tail in high spirits and headed for the lake bottom, already savoring the thought of tearing into this rare delicacy in the safety of its nest. The mood did not last long.
A brazen little upstart—the one that had stolen the title of lake master while the eel slept not long ago—was now closing in on the special meal.
The electric eel opened its eyes in a murderous glare and issued a warning.
Bubble, bubble.
Listen here, you little brat. Get lost while I'm still being nice. Or this old man will teach you a lesson.
Bubble, bubble.
Nope. Don't like it. Hand over what's in your mouth if you don't want to die, old-timer.
The reply came back thick with greed. The electric eel decided then and there to thrash the insolent creature within an inch of its life.
I've been quiet because my days are numbered—and this thing dares to treat me like a pushover? Me, who ruled this lake for three hundred years!
Seething, the electric eel focused its mind on the blue orb set into its tiny forelimb. The orb flared, channeling the lightning energy stored within straight into the eel.
CRACKLE!!!
The entire area lit up in a flash of blue. Every living thing in the lake panicked under the crushing pressure of that lightning energy and scrambled for their dens.
And that included—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
—the young lake master that had been so full of itself only moments before.
Bubble.
Heh heh.
Watching the creature flee with its tail between its legs, the electric eel laughed in pure satisfaction. Then it turned back to the special meal it had set aside for a moment—
Bubble?
—and found nothing. It could only gape blankly, mouth working open and shut.
"Heh heh."
Leaning against a tree near the lakeshore and looking down over the water, Han Jun—no, the reincarnator now known simply as Jun—burst into cheerful laughter.
The electric eel, still gaping stupidly with no idea that its own current had blasted its prey into charred scraps, was just too funny. Whether it was this, or the way the creature had slept peacefully in a corner while the lake's other beasts fought for dominance last time, it was never a boring friend to watch.
Shame. It'd be nice if it lived a little longer.
It had already been ten years since he started using the name Jun. Five years since he came to this lakeside to train—and five years, equally, of observing the eel in the gaps between sessions. Long enough to grow attached.
Which made it all the more bittersweet. Lately, day by day, the creature's sleeping hours had been stretching longer and longer. Even without specialized knowledge, Jun could sense what that meant.
He gave a wry smile at the melancholy and tore off a piece of the bread he'd brought for a snack, tossing it to the eel. The creature snapped it up as if it were the most natural thing in the world—then fixed Jun with those reptilian eyes, as if asking whether there was more.
"Calling you a plain electric eel… people really are sticklers, huh?"
Steel-hard scales. Pectoral fins reshaped into something like forelimbs. Eyes that carried a hint of mystical energy. Its appearance was far closer to an Eastern dragon than any electric eel.
Crack! Crack!
"Okay, okay. I'll give you more."
And it wasn't just the looks. Its intelligence was quite high, it had lived an extraordinarily long time, and the current it could unleash was enough to threaten even fairly capable ability users. All of it possible because it carried, however faintly, the blood of a dragon.
Of course, that blood was so diluted it didn't even qualify as a degenerate bloodline—so it had been stuck with the name of an ordinary fish.
Bubble, bubble.
Even after finishing a whole piece of bread, the electric eel kept working its mouth as if it still wasn't enough. The sight was cute enough that Jun moved to toss it the rest—
Thwack!
—and never got the chance.
"What do you think is so adorable that you keep feeding it?! Cut it out already!"
"Ow—Fort. What was that for all of a sudden?"
Jun rubbed his stinging forehead and glared resentfully at the one who'd hit him. Standing with both hands planted on her hips, looking thoroughly furious, was the former angel and current fairy, Fortuna.
"Who told you to goof off in the middle of training?! Honestly, you can't take your eyes off him for even a second."
She finished with a frustrated shake of her head, then leaned her upper body in deep, shoving her face right up to his eyes as if demanding he say something for himself.
"Kh—!"
Jun nearly spurted a nosebleed on the spot. Balance-patched down into a tiny doll-sized fairy or not, her otherworldly beauty was exactly as it had been when she was an angel. And those enormous breasts—though their absolute size had shrunk—still projected an overwhelming presence.
Just look at them now. Sagging like a dairy cow's, swaying with every tiny movement of her body in a way that was pure temptation!
And of all things, she was wearing one of Jun's favorite cosplays: the ultimate nun outfit, complete with side slits, garter belt, and high heels. Any man who didn't get worked up looking at her wasn't a man at all.
"…I'm sorry. I'll train properly."
"…Really?"
Nod, nod.
Jun nodded while pinching his nose shut. Fortuna eyed him with lingering disapproval for a moment, then flopped down belly-first on top of his head.
Squish, squish.
Drip.
"…Thank you."
Nosebleed streaming down without a care in the world, Jun wore an expression of pure bliss.
Thump! Thump!
"Stop with the dirty thoughts and get back to training already!"
Through the soul-bond the god had forced between them, Fortuna sensed his arousal and brought both fists down on his head with everything she had. Jun only laughed as if nothing had happened.
Of course he did. It didn't actually hurt. Not because her punches were weak—even in fairy form, Fortuna's strength was roughly on par with an average adult. The reason he took no real damage was that, right before impact, she unconsciously bled the force out of her fists.
Because of the restriction planted in her.
The constraint Bright, the God of Light, had laid on Fortuna meant she could not injure him. She also could not go far from him, had to share emotions with him, and was bound to live and die alongside him. The restrictions bound her to him thoroughly and completely.
Even if he was worried, this is way too much!
Gritting her teeth at the thought of her stuffy old father watching from the heavens, Fortuna let out a powerless sigh and settled back onto Jun's head. Getting angry only burned her up inside without changing anything—and besides, this situation…
Squish, squish!
…Nnh.
…wasn't entirely bad.
Clapping a hand over her mouth to smother the sound, Fortuna took a small, careful breath so Jun wouldn't notice. Then she went right back to kneading her breasts against him.
Through the soul-bond, his hot excitement flooded straight into her.
I-I shouldn't be doing this…♡
Fortuna shuddered with pleasure even as she shook her head. She was an angel—the third daughter of the Creator God. She must not share affection with a mere human.
But her lewd body defied its owner's will and kept on kneading. Sadly, that body was already thoroughly addicted to this filthy act—and to the scorching emotions pouring in from him.
Which, if you thought about it, was only natural. Attention directed at a god was more vital than anything else; without it, existence itself could not be maintained. After the first defensive war, Fortuna had gone into seclusion and gathered none of the mortals' attention—in other words, no presence. To someone like her, the burning interest Jun sent her way was the highest-grade narcotic imaginable. And when it arrived undiluted, without the slightest loss, straight through the soul-bond… it would have been stranger not to get addicted.
Shuddering again at the sensation of her presence filling up, Fortuna seized the brief lull after her desire had eased a little and desperately reined her body back under control. If she went any further, she'd get wet all over again—below, and above. Then she'd have to leave for a while to dry herself off. It had become almost habit by now, but the shame and embarrassment she felt every time never changed.
A little… too late?
Pushing herself up to look down at her own chest, Fortuna saw the tips faintly damp and made a complicated face. It was an awkward amount—not quite enough to go dry off for.