The Regressor Can Make Them All - Chapter 522
Chapter 522
“Ha… ha… ha… this is a damn mess.”
Se-Hoon looked around the area, having escaped the Evernight Seal through the Living Gate that Ryuuma opened for them.
From how mana was rampaging in all directions, spurting from the Inoue mountain that had caved in like a volcanic crater, a massive erosion event had clearly been triggered by the simultaneous collapse of the grand barrier and countless other spells once protecting the mountain. Thankfully, the situation was not as severe as demonic aura corrosion, but it was still a site that could easily turn into a natural disaster if left unchecked.
I’ll deal with this later…
Recalling the still-fresh events inside the Evernight Seal, Se-Hoon turned to the girl supporting him from the side.
“Erika. Can you show me what you sealed earlier?”
“Yeah.”
Whir-
The Bound Celestial Garment reached into Erika’s chest and pulled out a black orb about the size of a fist, wrapped in multiple layers of translucent fabric, then held it out.
“…”
Leaning in close, Se-Hoon examined it for a bit before reaching out with his index finger to touch its surface.
Swoosh!
Like iron filings to a magnet, the black sludge within tightly clustered around the area Se-Hoon’s fingertip was touching. A second later, an orange liquid separated from the black sludge and began shimmering on the opposite side.
Watching the reaction—two forces that split like oil and water—Se-Hoon moved his finger around for a bit before pulling away.
Rumble-
The two substances spiraled violently, as if trying to devour each other, but merged back into the original black liquid soon enough.
It’s just as I thought. They’ve already fused together.
Taking the brunt of the swamp’s corruption at the last moment for Se-Hoon, the replica had barely lasted ten seconds due to the Destroyer of Ruin’s unique magic. And when it was sealed by Erika’s spells in that unstable state, the Heaven’s Well fragment used to create it ended up merging with the swamp of the Abyss of Demons.
A vessel that contains both the power of a Perfect One and a Harbinger of Destruction…
Such a thing would have been dismissed by him without a second thought before regressing. However, after seeing it firsthand from both Heaven Eye and Ryuuma, he could no longer afford to have such thoughts.
Someone can argue even Doppelganger is in that category…
Perfect Ones and Harbingers of Destruction, the power and destruction they brought; the Tower of Heroes and the Abyss of Demons—two polar opposite concepts that were created and separated by the Golden Ring.
The fact that such things could merge stirred deep thoughts within Se-Hoon.
Tap, tap.
Feeling Erika lightly poking his cheek, Se-Hoon broke out of his thoughts.
“Hm? What is it?”
“There.”
Following her finger, Se-Hoon turned to see their comrades climbing up from the base of the mountain.
“Hey! If it was going to turn into such a disaster, you could’ve at least warned us…!”
Luize trailed off, her eyes widening before turning grim upon reaching them first. Soon enough, Sung-Ha and Amir arrived, and they, too, turned grim.
“You…”
“Brother…”
Noticing all three serious expressions, Se-Hoon naturally checked his own body… and found nothing particularly wrong?
…Should I be worried that I can’t tell what’s wrong?
Anyone else might have missed it, but those three were unusually perceptive. If they looked that shaken, something was definitely wrong.
“Just tell me exactly what you see.”
“Well…”
Amir activated his Winter Sky Eyes and examined Se-Hoon from top to bottom.
“It’s hard to say exactly, but… it looks like something is overlapping with you.”
“Overlapping?”
“Yes, like a shadowy overlay. It’s hard to describe, but that’s how it appears to my Winter Sky Eyes.”
When Amir finished offering his uncertain explanation, Sung-Ha, who had been staring intently, went next.
“To me, you look like you’ve turned into a demon.”
“A demon?”
“Yeah. There’s no demonic aura sprouting off you, but you give off that sort of vibe.”
A shadowy presence, faint and transparent like an afterimage and the aura of a demon despite the lack of actual corruption—thinking about the observations, Se-Hoon figured out soon enough what changed.
The swamp must’ve affected me.
During the battle with the Destroyer of Ruin, most of the attacks—many of which drew on the power from the Abyss of Demons—had been aimed at his synesthetic mindscape. Of those, the final Rite of Ephemeral Apotheosis was a spell strong enough to push someone forcibly into becoming either a Perfect One or a Harbinger of Destruction. That by itself would indeed have undoubtedly left a massive impact on his synesthetic mindscape.
It’s like I was forced onto a tightrope from both ends…
Even if he felt fine, there was a good chance he had tilted too far one way without realizing.
Falling deep into thought, struggling over what to do next, Se-Hoon was suddenly forced to look straight ahead. Without him noticing, Luize had stepped forward and cupped his face with both hands.
“Luize?”
“…Yeah, this is looking pretty borderline.”
Ignoring Se-Hoon’s reaction, Luize brought her face close with his cheeks still in her grasp—
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”
Bang!
Se-Hoon’s head snapped back, feeling like he had just been clubbed in the head. For some reason, Luize had suddenly screamed into one of his ears at full volume. Everything was blurry, his vision flashed, and his ears were ringing nonstop.
Crack-
When the pain had somewhat subsided, Se-Hoon belatedly realized only then that something lodged deep in his mind had just shattered. Soon after, his hearing returned along with his clear vision.
“How’s that?” Luize asked, still holding his cheeks.
Looking into her eyes, Se-Hoon said nothing and simply motioned for her to come closer.
“Huh? Why…?” She leaned in again with a puzzled look. Then, upon seeing him leaning in as well, “Wait… ack!”
Smack!
His forehead slammed into hers with a crisp thud.
“Ghhk… ugh…!”
Clutching her forehead with teary eyes, Luize glared up at Se-Hoon, who responded with a smug grin.
“That’s revenge for screaming in my ear.”
“You… You… I was just worried about you, you jerk…!”
“I appreciate it. Really. But still—revenge is revenge~”
Rubbing his still-ringing ear, Se-Hoon turned to Erika beside him.
“Erika, I’m good now. You don’t need to support me anymore.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, seriously, I’m good now.”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“…?”
Instead of backing off, Erika clung to him even tighter? Feeling Se-Hoon’s puzzled look, Erika plainly replied, “I just want to do this.”
Se-Hoon looked at her. His weight was surely making things uncomfortable, yet Erika looked so peaceful. So, after a moment’s thought, Se-Hoon relented.
“Alright. Do what you want.”
Se-Hoon couldn’t help but recall their last conversation with Ryuuma. Erika may look fine now, but she was probably lost in a tangle of thoughts. If leaning on him brought her comfort, then Se-Hoon thought there was no reason to stop her.
Ending that train of thought there, Se-Hoon noticed Luize narrowing her eyes at the sight.
“…”
“What now?”
“…Nothing.”
Contrary to her words, Luize looked very much like she had something on her mind. Curiously, Erika was also looking back at her now with a blank stare, unbothered.
Caught between the two, Se-Hoon subtly looked for help… only to see Sung-Ha and Amir quickly avert their eyes.
Those traitors…
Se-Hoon had a sinking feeling: if Eun-Ha, Aria, and Lea showed up now, all hell would break loose.
Thankfully, that was when a panicked voice echoed in his mind.
“Administrator!”
Recognizing Terra’s urgency, Se-Hoon wasted no time.
“What is it?”
“The mountain’s ley line has been corrupted by the Abyss of Demons leaking through the barrier! You need to get out of there right now!”
RUMBLE-
Right as Terra’s warning resounded in his mind, the entire sacred mountain quaked as ominous energy surged up from deep underground.
“This is…”
Dark mist burst out from cracks opened during the battle’s aftermath, tainting the ambient mana in the blink of an eye and turning it into demonic aura.
How did I miss something like this?!
The sight before his eyes was a scene Se-Hoon had seen far too many times before: the Abyss of Demon’s signature corrosion. But even if his synesthetic mindscape was unstable, it was extremely odd that he hadn’t sensed it until it was that bad…!
Something definitely tampered with the ley line in secret—realizing that, Se-Hoon shouted, “Fall back, all of you!”
Unlike regular mana erosion, the abyss-based corruption could instantly consume a person if handled poorly. He stepped back to retreat as well—
“Is that the only thing we need to deal with?”
Looking at Erika, who was hugging his arm, Se-Hoon blinked. His gaze then dropped to glance at the sealed Heaven’s Well fragment inside the Bound Celestial Garment.
No way…
A possibility flashed through his mind. Unsure but curious, he asked Erika, “Can you do it?”
“Yeah. As long as you help me out.”
“Hmm… Alright. Let’s give it a shot.”
Hearing Se-Hoon’s confirmation, Erika pressed her right hand to her heart and stood close.
Thump- Thump-
Their heartbeats resounded in their ears, and soon, the rhythms gradually synced. Simultaneously, a silvery thread visibly formed between them—a symbol of the link between their powers.
And when that link became as deep as the one they made inside the Evernight Seal…
Heavenbreaker’s Dominion: Calamity-Abridging Knot
Swish!
Part of the Divine Relic of Sealing and Annihilation that bound the Heaven’s Well fragment unraveled, releasing a storm of crows that shot into the sky at an incredible speed.
Caw- Caw-
Unlike Erika’s usual crows, which were always black, the murder had silver ones mixed in, forming a wave closer to gray. They circled the crater in a giant ring, and once all the crows joined it, an immense suction force began sucking in the tainted mana and demonic aura at an alarming rate.
FWOOOOSH-
The more energy the ring of crows absorbed, the stronger its gravitational pull became; the rate multiplied exponentially. Like that, every trace in the vicinity was sucked in, and at that moment, something like lightning shot out from the ring.
BOOM!
The presence of the Abyss of Demons, which had burrowed deep into the ley line, was forcefully yanked out and pinned at the ring’s center.
“Haa… it’s done. Come back now.”
Caw!
Returning at Erika’s call, the crows flew back into Divine Relic. And when they had all entered, the Bound Celestial Garment cinched up tight, reinforcing the seal once more. Confirming that, Se-Hoon turned to gaze at the swamp pinned above the crater.
Hummm-
A gray ring formed from compressed mana and demonic aura surrounded the mass, which floated in the center as a spherical lump. Aside from that, the corrosion in the surrounding area had practically vanished, so purification likely wouldn’t be too difficult.
This power… is dangerous in a lot of ways.
It was one thing to seal the Swamp of Ten Thousand Demons. Controlling it—if they ever figured out how to—was another entirely. Se-Hoon stared up at the ring, lost in thought over how easily the power could be misused.
He turned around; he was being watched. Just then, golden rings layered themselves over the swamp floating above the crater, eventually forming a massive golden sphere that completely encapsulated and sealed it.
“Divine magic…”
It had been a while since Se-Hoon had seen that type of spell. As he stared at the golden sphere with narrowed eyes, several figures clad in pure white vestments descended from the sky in a veil of golden light.
Those must be the archbishops.
Among the Ten Archbishops—direct disciples of Pilgrim Karl Andersen and the true power behind the Pilgrimage Church—Se-Hoon’s eyes locked on one familiar old man: Kamal Sharma, someone he’d had many dealings with before the regression.
“It’s been a while, Grand Archbishop.”
“…Indeed.”
Se-Hoon tried his best to respond to Kamal’s polite greeting, but he couldn’t hide the complicated expression on his face. While it felt odd to be addressed as Grand Archbishop, a title he’d once received as bait to lure out Apostate, the far from friendly air behind Kamal was too glaring.
Is that hostility…? No, but it’s nearly open aggression.
Aside from the youngest Archbishop, Jane, whom he’d often seen in Babel, the rest were clearly ill at ease. And the Three Dogs had noticed too.
“Those bastards are looking at you real funny.”
“Feels like they’re debating whether to stab you.”
“Best to stay alert, brother.”
“…Agreed.”
Confirming that he wasn’t just being paranoid from hearing their thoughts through Luize’s Incantation Magic, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes once more.
“Ah, dear me…”
Noticing the tension, Kamal bowed apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Grand Archbishop. It’s just that anything related to the Abyss of Demons puts our people on edge…. Quick, what are you all doing? Apologize properly.”
At his reprimand, the archbishops all bowed their heads.
“It’s fine. Any devout follower of the Pilgrimage Church would naturally be wary of that swamp,” Se-Hoon replied, waving his hand.
“Thank you for understanding. Please leave this to us. We’ll ensure that we purify it thoroughly so that there’s no risk of relapse.”
Taking another glance at the remaining traces of corruption, Se-Hoon turned his focus back to Kamal and nodded.
“I’ll leave it in your hands.”
“Thank you. Safe travels.”
Kamal bowed again, followed by the remaining archbishops. They all then moved away together as they began the formal purification process using Divine Magic.
Turning away as well, Se-Hoon began descending the mountain path with the others. As he walked, he recalled one specific line from the final conversation between Ryuuma and Erika inside the Evernight Seal.
“In this twisted world, to accept another is to lose oneself….”
Ryuuma, who cast aside even his own identity to carry on his wife’s will, and Succession, which offered everything to pass on the legacy of the Seeker. If simply inheriting someone’s will could twist one into something so dangerous, then what about those who had accepted Karl Andersen’s faith?
It’s probably just paranoia from before, but still…
No one understood better than Se-Hoon how much the future could change. Unnerved by an uneasy sense of another storm brewing on the horizon, Se-Hoon made his way back to Babel.
