The Regressor Can Make Them All - Chapter 539

Chapter 539

Swish-

Violet fragments drifted down onto the empty plaza, shimmering like shards of glass. One by one, they dissolved until there were just grains that were scattered into the sky.

However, with each gain that appeared, ripples of gray light pulsed.

“…Huh?”

“What the…? Why is it suddenly so empty here?”

“What the hell happened…?”

The believers who had been slain mid-prayer gradually returned, each looking around in confusion with faces painted with bewilderment.

“M-My neck… it’s still attached…”

“I… I was definitely praying…”

“Thank God… It was all just a dream…”

Following them, the believers who had gone insane and died under Karl’s rampage—those who had rampaged across the world in his name—also returned in the same way. Resurrected without a scratch, some collapsed in relief while others burst into tears.

Seeing them, the first group only became even more confused. A commotion was now growing in the plaza—

A blinding light flared in the center of the plaza.

“This place is…”

“Is it… finally over?”

Jane and the three archbishops looked around with uncertainty. They weren’t sure if it was truly over yet. Beside them, Sung-Ha and Amir glanced silently toward the sky—then both clicked their tongues in sync.

“We’re late.”

“Indeed, too late.”

Crack-

Behind them stood six towering pillars of ice: the six Apostles sealed. Just as Sung-Ha and Amir started heading to the church after successfully subduing them, they had been warped back.

“Well, at least we didn’t lose to them.”

“If not for your mistake, we would’ve been done with this earlier. What a shame.”

“…Excuse me?”

As the two broke out into a pointless argument, Luize appeared some distance away and spotted them.

Idiots.

To think they were bickering over nonsense even now. Shaking her head with a look of exasperation, Luize made a mental note to keep her distance when working with them in the future before turning toward the others.

“Ugh…”

“Guh…”

Jake and Erika looked visibly unwell, staggering with discomfort. Next to them, Aria and Eun-Ha offered their support and patted their backs gently.

“This much whining? I think you need more training once we’re back.”

“First, regulate your breathing.”

Wondering about their condition, Luize looked down at herself. Had the overwhelming light Se-Hoon released at the end disrupted their flow of mana? Perhaps it was the sheer density of the power that had nearly crushed their internal mana circuits.

Hmmm, it doesn’t seem like there’s a problem on my side.

Was it because of her epiphany in the church? Or perhaps it was due to the compatibility between her power and Se-Hoon’s? Whatever the case, though, she was satisfied with the outcome.

With that, she turned to the last person to return.

“…”

Se-Hoon stood a little away from her side, silently staring up at the sky. Despite having resolved the situation, Se-Hoon still looked troubled.

Luize walked over. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“…No, nothing like that.”

“You sure? You look awful for someone who just saved the world.”

“It’s just…” Se-Hoon trailed off, squinting at the violet fragments endlessly drifting down from the sky.

The plan itself was executed flawlessly.

The plan to isolate Karl and the Apostate from the world and resolve everything in one decisive blow—an audacious and reckless strategy—had been closer to a gamble. While there had been a foundation for it, in hindsight, he knew had to be thankful that everything had succeeded without a major incident.

But… the real problem starts now.

No matter the justification, Karl had denied his own synesthetic mindscape and shattered the foundation of the law he introduced to the world. That wasn’t just a reinterpretation of the rules like the times before—it was on a whole new scale, something different altogether.

It was the unknown that made Se-Hoon unable to help but maintain a sense of unease.

“…I’ll explain everything once the meeting is over.”

He considered telling Luize, but it wasn’t the place to do so, especially with all the gazes on them.

“Hm… fine.”

Catching Se-Hoon’s glance, Luize wisely decided not to press him further. Instead, she changed the subject.

“By the way, what was up with that at the end?”

“What do you mean?”

“You helped that Pilgrim guy, didn’t you?”

“Ah… that.” Thinking shortly, Se-Hoon explained. “I simply realized he wasn’t as insane as I thought.”

“…Huh?”

The man who was both calm and murderous that had attempted to kill them while wearing a gentle smile? Recalling that twisted look, Luize furrowed her brow, unconvinced.

“Remember how your injuries disappeared after the fight?”

“Yeah, I remember. But wasn’t that just the nature of divine mana?”

Karl had even said himself that it wasn’t his doing. How could that be a sign of sanity?

“Right, it was due to divine mana.”

“Then—”

“The key is whose power that was—or rather, what law it stemmed from.”

“…!”

Luize’s eyes widened; she finally understood.

“If the Pilgrim had truly intended to exterminate humanity, that divine mana would’ve been toxic to us, much like how it is for demons and the Magi.”

“You mean… he didn’t reject us entirely?”

“In a way, yes. I think he was prioritizing.”

Karl had answered the prayers of Apostate, the one who defined humanity as old and corrupt. That was priority one.

Despite that though, Se-Hoon and the rest—the new generation—were still considered true humanity. After all, even while carrying out Apostate’s request, Karl had allowed the current generation to continue to wield divine power. And he had also let himself be subdued without resistance.

“…This is all messed up.”

So Karl had been trying to kill them while still holding affection…. Only now did Luize somewhat understand that bizarre expression of gentle malice and serene bloodlust on Karl’s face.

“Anyway, how exactly did you help him?”

“The Pilgrim’s goal was to save humanity. Apostate had prayed for the same, for all of us to die.”

Se-Hoon opened his palm to catch falling fragments of the dream. Then he crushed them ruthlessly in his hand.

“But what happens if we’re no longer part of their world?”

Then Apostate’s wish would then become impossible to achieve. Thus, Karl would have no choice but to find another means to save Apostate. That was the core of Se-Hoon’s plan, enabled by Dream Manifestation.

This lunatic…

Luize stared blankly at him. While it was crazy enough that he arrived at such a conclusion based on scattered clues, he had actually locked both Karl and Apostate in one place? That was insane on multiple levels.

If he’d been wrong… no, he would’ve handled it somehow.

Luize sighed. It wasn’t the first time something like that had happened, meaning it probably wouldn’t be the last.

“So it’s all fine now, right?”

“Maybe. Probably…”

Se-Hoon glanced up with a hesitant look—

RUMBLE!

A blinding light tore through the sky, and the world trembled. No… rather than just the ground shaking, space itself was quaking.

This is…!

Realizing the cause, Se-Hoon went on high alert: the Golden Ring was writhing. That was the only way to explain the violent resonance that overtook him.

He staggered under the pressure, alarming Luize.

“Hey. Are you—hurt?”

“—problem—What happened—?”

“No—sudden—”

Her voice became increasingly distorted, resembling the sound of a corrupted file skipping. An intense headache began pounding, yet Se-Hoon still grasped the situation.

So I’m… the only one who senses this…

Unlike his companions, who were fully integrated into the Golden Ring, Se-Hoon still stood partially outside of it. And so, only he could perceive the shift occurring in the world.

Suppressing the nausea welling in his throat, Se-Hoon reached out and covered Luize’s mouth.

“…!”

Luize flinched—then, realization dawned. She turned around and shouted something to the others.

That should be enough. I can get back.

Clenching his teeth, Se-Hoon forced his gaze skyward now that he knew Luize had grasped his intention perfectly.

Woong-

Golden light fell like lightning, dyeing the world in its glow. Yet Se-Hoon stood firm, refusing to even blink, no matter the crushing weight of the spectacle.

I have to watch the whole thing.

If not now, he might never learn the true nature of the Golden Ring—or witness how the world was being rewritten.

Woooong-

With each flash of light, reality trembled as though it were on the verge of collapse. Then, just as everything was about to be engulfed in golden light, Se-Hoon’s body was flung outward, cast away from the world.

“⏹⏹⏹⏹”

But Luize’s Divine Speech caught him, dragging him back.

CRASH!

He tumbled across the ground, feeling the overwhelming pressure vanishing and the nausea in his gut returning.

Ugh. It felt like I was being yanked out from the bottom of the ocean in a single breath…

With his head pounding and organs feeling out of place, Se-Hoon focused on his breathing, trying to stabilize. While that was the extent of his experience, any ordinary person would’ve died several times over from the sensation alone.

“Can you hear—?”

Luize looked down at him with worry, hovering nearby.

“Somewhat…”

Hearing his reply, Luize let out a breath. Half-exasperated, half-relieved, she tried to calm her racing heart.

I really thought he was going to vanish…

For the briefest of moments, Se-Hoon’s very concept—his presence—had nearly vanished from her mind. Despite being right in front of him, she couldn’t see him. Despite remembering him, she couldn’t recall his name.

Had she failed to call out to him even a second later, the situation would have taken a catastrophic turn.

He’s definitely getting an earful later….

His frequent involvement in reckless stunts was already problematic, and now his recent actions had escalated to an even higher level…? Luize felt a shift in the atmosphere.

“…?”

Then, as if on cue, everyone looked up at the sky. Seeing them, Luize followed suit and looked up.

[The world has been restructured.]

[The Law of ‘Repentance’ has been established.]

A massive ring of golden light—larger than the world itself—had materialized above humanity’s heads.

***

Bubble, bubble-

At the center of the Abyss of Demons, a place so toxic even the Ten Evils avoided it, a strange man in a beaked mask—Tuner—stumbled before gazing up at the sky.

Drip-

Blood poured from the cracks in his mask, and his black coat melted like wax under heat. Yet, even as his body broke down in real-time, Tuner kept his eyes locked on the sky, at the notification messages and the Golden Ring hanging above them.

“I can’t believe I lived to see this. Truly… what a lunatic.”

He had guessed there would be a slight modification of the world’s laws, not Se-Hoon successfully reconstructing the entire world…. Compared to that, the emergence of the Towers of Heroes and the Abyss of Demons seemed insignificant.

Chuckling, Tuner slowly moved his hand.

Crackle. Snap!

Breaking parts of his mask to thrust his fingers into his eyehole, Tuner rummaged around until he managed to extract a half-melted gemstone.

Immediately, his body stopped dissolving and bleeding.

“Sheesh… I can finally breathe again.”

Tapping his head to collect himself, Tuner clicked his tongue at the ruined gem—the Sevenfold Evil Eye.

“It’s completely fried.”

It had already been on the verge of collapse from the corruption of the Abyss of Demons, and now, after observing the world’s change in real time, its ability to perceive the “Outer World” that Se-Hoon and the Heaven Eye had glimpsed had been annihilated.

Still, he tucked the ruined gem away.

“Mhmm, throwing it away would be a waste. Maybe I’ll give it to the Puppeteer.”

She had been gathering materials to settle things with her daughter recently. It could be the perfect gift she needed.

“Oh, right. I should also give something to him.”

He’d received such astonishing knowledge. Tuner just didn’t feel right leaving the favor unreturned.

“Hmm, hmm, hmmm~”

High on inspiration, Tuner skipped cheerfully through the Abyss of Demons.

“I’m going to kill you next time for sure~”

As he thought up new ways to end Se-Hoon’s breathing, his mood couldn’t be better.