The Regressor Can Make Them All - Chapter 521
Chapter 521
The essence of the Destroyer of Ruin was an artificial lifeform, an avatar-like being forged by the corrupted Heaven’s Well in Ryuuma’s image. Being such, the one commanding its avatars wasn’t itself, but the barrier itself: the Evernight Seal.
Thus, with everything being an avatar, it was seemingly impossible to defeat the Destroyer of Ruin at first glance. However…
A copy is ultimately just an imitation of the original.
There was inevitable degradation when copying. So, if one based a copy on another copy, the combined degradation would make it deviate entirely from the original. That was why, to spawn duplicates of the Destroyer of Ruin infinitely, a core mold—a true body—was absolutely essential.
And in that case, the mold had to be hidden somewhere within the Evernight Seal. To locate such a thing, Se-Hoon went straight to the source by synchronizing with the Curse of the Full Moon.
“My original plan was to track you down myself… but I ended up drawing you out unintentionally.”
Se-Hoon loosened his shoulders lightly as he watched the true body of the Destroyer of Ruin rise from the swamp to escape the erosion.
“Well, either way, this means you can’t use Ephemeral Observation anymore.”
Ephemeral Observation—the spell used to counter Se-Hoon’s Celestial Infinity Blade—was derived from the Seeker’s Final Revelation, All-Form Observation. Its effects were simple: instead of analyzing and dismantling an opponent’s skill using the knowledge stored in Akasha, it just absorbed the information into the moon.
The mere fact other skills are rendered unusable by being within that skill’s radius… tsk, that’s broken beyond belief.
Of course, it wasn’t without its weaknesses since it couldn’t suppress the power of Perfect Ones or respond instantly to indirect activation. Still, it was an extremely troublesome technique.
With the moon it created weakened though, there was no longer enough power to use Ephemeral Observation after what was used to suppress the swamp Se-Hoon now controlled.
“All that’s left now is the altered Ephemeral Projection and—”
“The Rite of Ephemeral Apotheosis is all that remains,” the Destroyer of Ruin interrupted flatly. “This ritual inverts the concept of the Evernight Seal to elevate you from ‘end’ to ‘origin.’ In other words, it forcibly triggers the gate-opening ceremony.”
“…”
“As it alters the laws of the world, it cannot be blocked or evaded even with the powers of Perfect Ones. If it activates, victory is mine.”
Thud!
The Destroyer of Ruin kicked away the corrupted avatars trying to latch onto him, then turned to face Se-Hoon and Erika.
“In return, I will either be completely erased or wholly consumed by the swamp… but it’s far too late for regrets,” it said, its voice sharp and resolute.
The Destroyer of Ruin slowly raised a hand to its face and gripped the black cloth covering it tightly.
Rip!
Flesh tore, causing blood to gush from its forehead and stain the cloth. The character ‘Seal’ began fading, the cloth turning completely crimson….
Crack!
When it was gone completely, the Destroyer of Ruin fully ripped the cloth from its face to reveal the gruesome sight of a blood-streaked visage marred by black tears. Yet, it paid no mind and just flung the blood-soaked cloth to the ground.
“Time for you to do your part of the work.” Its voice, now said through its actual physical form, echoed through the Evernight Seal.
Woong!
The waning light of the full moon high above flickered to life once more, fueled by the very power the Destroyer of Ruin had been using to sustain its synesthetic mindscape.
This means… he’s stepped out of his assigned role?
The Destroyer of Ruin obsessively pursued the completion of the ritual because the full moon’s curse compelled him. But now, even the power that once bound it was being funneled into the swamp.
Se-Hoon raised his guard, keeping a sharp eye out for anything that had changed—
“You are thinking of something absurd right now, aren’t you?”
The Destroyer of Ruin wiped its disfigured face wearily.
“I told you before. I’m not like those failed creations.”
“…”
“The path I walk… the end I meet… was already decided that night. Nothing will change that.”
Though it staggered, looking like it might collapse at any moment, its gaze remained steady.
Seeing it like that, Se-Hoon could only smile bitterly.
“…Yeah. Of course.”
The curse of Mizuki, embedded in the full moon, was strong enough to corrupt a human being but not eternal like the world-anchoring wishes of the Perfect Ones.
That meant its strength must have come from, in part at least, Ryuuma’s desperate yearning during his life.
Rumble!
The full moon’s light pierced deep into the swamp, illuminating the surrounding; in turn, the swamp surged up to devour the sky, wrapping around the moon.
Mutual corrosion had now birthed a bizarre equilibrium.
And there, in the midst of it all, the Destroyer of Ruin carefully drew together its power. Like walking on a tightrope, the Destroyer of Ruin hyper-focused. If it could stabilize the balance for even a moment, the Rite of Ephemeral Apotheosis would activate.
Naturally, Se-Hoon knew that too, and yet, he did nothing but watch silently. The Destroyer of Ruin, too, ignored him. It had only one move left; no matter how many cards Se-Hoon held, the outcome wouldn’t change.
I will pour everything into this final moment.
Both Se-Hoon and the Destroyer of Ruin awaited the inevitable, causing an eerie silence to settle across the Evernight Seal. The pause was thick, their senses honed to the brink—
“Father.”
Erika’s voice shattered the silence.
“I heard from my brother… that you blamed everything on yourself when the ritual collapsed, that you had made the same mistake again.”
“…”
The Destroyer of Ruin didn’t respond, not even glancing her way. However, being the one facing it directly, Se-Hoon noticed the faintest flicker of tension.
And since she was on his shoulder, Erika did too.
“What mistake was it exactly?”
“…”
“Was it failing to fulfill the role you inherited from Mother? Or was it… about me and my brother—”
“Erika.” The Destroyer of Ruin cut her off with a weary voice, finally meeting her eyes. “Just because you’ve begun to understand emotion, that doesn’t mean you must understand everything. Sometimes, it’s even better not to.”
“…”
“In this twisted world, to accept another is to lose oneself…. That’s why you accepted Lee Se-Hoon and left the family.”
Woong-
Black sludge blanketed the sky, staining the full moon, while moonlight burrowed into the swamp and purified the surroundings. Standing at the center of that surreal scene, the Destroyer of Ruin clasped its hands into a seal.
“And if you still believe that was your choice… then never look back.”
Less of a warning than advice—feeling something stirring in her heart, Erika tried to say something again…
“Let’s put an end to this now.”
But the Destroyer of Ruin had spoken first.
Swish!
Ink-like script flowed across the moonlit ground as the Eight Trigrams array was drawn, with Yin and Yang symbols forming beneath Se-Hoon and the Destroyer of Ruin.
Then, when the final line was connected…
Ephemeral Projection: Rite of Ephemeral Apotheosis
A radiant light connected the blackened moon and the bleached swamp, flooding the Evernight Seal.
Woong!
Body, mana, synesthetic mindscape, soul—all that defined “Lee Se-Hoon” turned to light and began to fall toward ascension. The spell of heaven reversal, which swapped concepts of ascent and ruin, was forcing Se-Hoon into the realm of Perfect Ones.
Crackle!
Golden lightning scattered across the Evernight Seal, reacting to the warped laws. Due to the Destroyer of Ruin’s spell distorting the world’s rules, the Golden Ring naturally intervened, causing even more dazzling destruction.
Woong!
Now, whether devoured by the Abyss of Demons or erased by the Golden Ring, the Destroyer of Ruin’s end was inevitable.
I’ll burn everything to fulfill my role…!
Rumble!
The Destroyer of Ruin channeled every last ounce of the Golden Ring’s power into Se-Hoon, meeting the remaining conditions. Now he was being dragged downward by the Golden Ring itself, much like when it tried to ascend Kwang-Soo forcefully to counter the cheater of ascension Doppleganger.
Swooosh!
Se-Hoon’s senses spread across the world as infinite power—reserved only for Perfect Ones—filled his entire being: he had arrived at the threshold of transcendence. Now perceiving the world’s source before him, Se-Hoon could realize any wish.
My wish is…
Having lost everything and regressing back in time, what was it that he truly desired above all else? As the question echoed in his mind, a vision surfaced—before vanishing like it had been painted over.
No, not yet…!
It wasn’t time to define that wish. Snatching back his falling consciousness, Se-Hoon stared into the blinding light and stomped his left foot forward a step.
BOOM!
The light surrounding him was blasted away, causing the barrier to quake and sag downward. Freed from the Rite of Ephemeral Apotheosis, Se-Hoon raised both hands and condensed all the power he had amassed on his journey so far.
Woong!
Multicolored light erupted from his hands, pushing back the oncoming golden radiance. Elemental mana, skills, powers—every disparate force he accumulated were reforged into a single will in his hands.
“You absolute monster…!” the Destroyer of Ruin exclaimed, its face twisting in disbelief.
However, while the sight before its eyes was absurd, it wasn’t unexpected. The Destroyer of Ruin, who had seen Se-Hoon’s miracles time and time again, twisted the ritual without pause.
RUMBLE!
The yin-yang symbol beneath them spun, and the golden world was instantly replaced by pitch-black darkness. In the blink of an eye, the man striving to overcome his trials had begun his ascent into ruin.
Crack!
Would he choose to be tainted and fall into the Abyss of Demons? Or entrust himself to the ritual and become a Perfect One? Having imposed the ultimate forced choice, the Destroyer of Ruin knew it had won—
“Open Gate.”
Just then, Erika soared above Se-Hoon’s head and absorbed everything into herself.
“?!”
Her radiant silver wings darkened, and her bright eyes clouded. Having transferred all the corruption onto Erika, Se-Hoon calmly drew in power.
“Lee Se-Hoon!!!”
The Destroyer of Ruin’s eyes bulged in fury, its voice thundering in absolute anger. It was more enraged than ever.
He had pretended to be so righteous only to sacrifice Erika like them?! The sheer anger from the betrayal made the Destroyer of Ruin forget even its role as it twisted the ritual to kill Se-Hoon.
Yet, Se-Hoon was calm.
“I’m not sacrificing her right now.”
Se-Hoon’s voice was firm.
“I’m trusting her.”
CRACK!
Massive skeletal hands emerged above Se-Hoon, tearing open space. Then, through the rift to the Netherworld that was linked by the Evernight Seal, Erika—clad in the Bound Celestial Garment—walked in.
“!?”
Realizing she had come in her hidden true body, the Destroyer of Ruin’s eyes widened as it watched Erika activate the spell she had prepared.
Divine Relic of Sealing and Annihilation
SWOOSH!
The Bound Celestial Garment wrapped around the corrupted avatar, sealing the very concept of ruin that inhabited it within. And with that, one of the two forced choices was erased.
It was time for Se-Hoon, who had trusted the moment would come, to give direction to the power in his hands.
“Open Gate.”
Celestial Infinity Blade: ■■■■■
A chaotic blade of mingled colors slashed through the full moon and the swamp, splitting everything in two.
Swoosh-
The golden light filling the surroundings dispersed. The full moon turned to dust and scattered.
Just one blow had been enough to shatter the most powerful spell that had been forged from the power of a Perfect One and the Destroyer of Ruin.
Facing the absurdity of it all, the Destroyer of Ruin, overcome with emotion, could only let out a hollow laugh.
“Impressive.”
RUMBLE!
Despite the destruction of the full moon, the swamp was rapidly restoring itself—because the balance had been broken. No longer inhibited, the Abyss of Demons began devouring the Heaven’s Well at full force.
“Erika, we have to go—”
Midway through invoking the power of Boundaries, Se-Hoon’s eyes widened as he suddenly clutched his chest.
“Ugh…!”
Was it recoil from Open Gate? Pain that hurt like never before wracked Se-Hoon’s body, causing cold sweat to pour down.
I can’t collapse now…!
He gritted his teeth.
I have to…
Se-Hoon realized quickly. To get through this situation, he had to eliminate the source: his heart. It was a crude yet effective method, so Se-Hoon raised his left hand to strike—
“I always found your finishing touches lacking.”
White mist unfurled before them.
Living Painting: Living Gate
A black gate formed atop the mist, and through it, Se-Hoon saw the outside world. His eyes as wide as saucers, Se-Hoon turned around.
“…What are you thinking?”
To the blatantly evident wariness, the Destroyer of Ruin just quietly replied, “Nothing. I simply finished my role. I’m now acting as I please.”
“Then why—”
“Who knows?”
The Destroyer of Ruin glanced at the world being consumed by the swamp.
“Maybe… I just wanted to rest. Alone.”
“…”
Recalling Ryuuma’s past, Se-Hoon looked at him for a moment, then turned away.
“Yeah, makes sense. Rest well.”
Together with Erika, who supported him, Se-Hoon headed toward the Living Gate. But just before they crossed…
“Father.”
Erika turned.
“…What now?”
Facing the Destroyer of Ruin, she hesitated, then bowed her head slightly.
“Thank you for raising me.”
He may not have deserved to be called a parent, but to Erika, he was still the one who’d ultimately led her to Se-Hoon. And for just that, she expressed her thanks plainly, with no lingering emotion.
“…”
Watching Erika turn away and leave with Se-Hoon, “Ryuuma” stared blankly at the now desolate space… and then let out a bitter smile.
“Playing the father now… how shameless of me.”
Acknowledging the extent of his ugliness and cowardice at last, “Ryuuma” looked up at the moon that had long since vanished.
And with only its memory remaining, Ryuuma disappeared into the black swamp.
