The Regressor Can Make Them All - Chapter 546

Chapter 546

“…”

A heavy silence descended. Both Se-Hoon and Gregory were veterans who had witnessed countless tragedies on countless battlefields, yet they still found themselves utterly speechless at the sight before them.

A grotesque mass of flesh—one that was seemingly created solely as a mockery of the human race in its entirety. Just the look of it was so twisted that it went beyond malice into pure insanity.

In the end, Gregory had to force himself to speak.

“What… is that?”

His expression was grim. How could something like that come to dwell inside a human heart?

“It’s a mutated heart,” Se-Hoon answered calmly, wrapping up his examination of the corpse.

“Mutated…?”

“Yes. For some reason, this person’s body underwent a mutation; it was during that process that an organ like this formed inside the heart.”

It… was created internally? Not transplanted? Gregory swallowed dryly.

“Could it be a mutation caused by demon aura?”

“No, judging by how it looks… this is more likely a mutation caused by mana.”

Mutations caused by demonic aura usually transformed a person into another species altogether, affecting the entire body. In contrast, mutations caused by mana optimized the body, with only minimal changes. That was exactly the case of the chief secretary.

“Some mutation-type heroes have similar traits. From the outside, they look completely normal, but internally, a very specific part has mutated to manifest a unique power.”

For example, Jake and his abnormal grip strength. In Eun-Ha’s case, a digestive organ capable of turning metal into fuel.

“Also… these types of mutations often go unnoticed by the host for a long time.”

While the chief secretary had sustained many types of injuries in his fight against Gregory, there was one that stood out: the wounds he’d gotten while trying to stop his own mana forcibly. But while it looked like the typical wound one would get from mana control failure, Se-Hoon knew the truth.

Marks left behind by someone resisting the control of their own body…

A desperate struggle to stop a body that no longer obeyed its owner. The chief secretary’s corpse bore many such traces, making it clear he had—belatedly—realized Puppeteer’s interference and fought back.

“I see.”

Realizing what Se-Hoon was saying, Gregory stared down at the body for a long moment. Then, as if he had come to some decision, he tore his gaze away to look straight at Se-Hoon with sharpened eyes.

“What should we do next?”

Even if they had discovered Puppeteer’s trick, it would mean nothing without a countermeasure. It was time for Gregory to fully resume his role as the Heroes Association’s president.

Se-Hoon turned to the mass still faintly pulsing within the heart. “Unlike regular automatons, these living dolls will be hard to detect. Puppeteer has most likely exploited that and has planted them little by little among the evacuees.”

“…”

Gregory’s eyes narrowed. If that were true, there would be no way to solve it unless they could check every person in the affected area… or even all of humanity, at once.

We don’t have enough personnel for such mass screening. Even if we isolate the suspects, without knowing the root cause of the mutation, it’s meaningless.

With what they had now, they might as well select a few high-ranking heroes for testing and form a strike team to launch an all-out assault on the remaining Demon Force instead. It was just… that approach could paralyze governments around the world and plunge society into chaos.

Gregory weighed the options, then opened his mouth—

“…There is one method I could try,” Se-Hoon hesitantly said, having decided on something. “But I haven’t tested it yet, so I can’t guarantee—”

“It’s okay. Let’s do it.”

Consent before he had the chance to complete his explanation? Se-Hoon blinked, surprised by Gregory’s unwavering acceptance.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Any plan you have is likely better than the shortsighted ones running through my head right now.”

Click!

A suit of grey armor emerged from a void pocket, instantly wrapping itself around Gregory’s body. Just like that, Gregory had donned his armaments.

“Besides, haven’t you already accomplished everything that others have said was impossible?”

“…”

“Therefore, I am confident that this plan will also succeed. The Association will support you with everything we have.”

Se-Hoon stared at the eyes visible through Gregory’s helmet visor—they were filled with trust and faith. Then there was Gregory’s composure…. Thinking about both, Se-Hoon paused momentarily before looking down to allow a faint smile to form.

I sort of knew I wasn’t in the best state… but this is worse than I thought.

He, of all people, should’ve been the one to propose the plan with confidence. Yet he, of all people, had tried to hedge his words instead. No matter how unwell his body might be, that was not the behavior of a blacksmith—and especially not a regressor.

The regressor’s edge is a cheat I should exploit.

In that instant, Se-Hoon resolved to use all of his future knowledge, experience, and power to strike at the enemy’s weaknesses to overturn the board. Sure, things had changed because of all the butterfly effects he’d caused… but some truths remained still.

The types of automatons may have increased… but Puppeteer’s puppetcraft remains the same as before my regression.

And that meant there were still openings he could exploit. His hesitation gone, Se-Hoon reviewed and optimized the entire plan in his head before he even blinked.

He once again met Gregory’s gaze.

“Then let’s begin.”

***

Inside an underground shelter beneath the city, thousands of evacuees sat huddled with family and friends, quietly discussing the current situation.

“What the hell happened? I was half awake when they dragged us out.”

“They say Puppeteer launched a terror attack using automatons. Apparently, the whole world is in chaos.”

“Puppeteer, huh… So it wasn’t a Perfect One this time—”

“Hey! We’re outside. Watch your mouth!”

“Ugh…”

The groggy man flinched at his friend’s punch, then glanced around nervously. Some nearby looked at him with irritation, clicking their tongues before turning away.

Although the Perfect Ones had caused quite a few scandals recently, the Blessings they left behind were so beneficial that public opinion still leaned in their favor.

Even though those freaks nearly wiped out humanity…

Had the heroes failed to subdue them, everyone here would be dead already. Why would anyone even praise such monsters? Unable to understand, the man grumbled to himself as he looked around the shelter again.

Things sure have changed.

A few years ago, such shelters were filled with tension and fear. It was solely thanks to the Blessing of Eternal, which allowed for resurrection, and the Blessing of Sacred Lantern, which calmed the mind, that the people were no longer terrified of death or the Demon Force.

“Emma, do you see anything?”

“Mm… just me at home eating candy.”

“Really? That’s great!”

The boy beamed at his younger sister’s words. Then there were the hopeful words of the others as well. In the past, such words would’ve been dismissed as childish nonsense, but with the Blessing of Foresight, those glimpses of the future actually held weight.

There were apparently many who had seen similar safe futures too, a fact which considerably lightened the atmosphere even more.

Even the grumbling man had only one thought about that.

Thank goodness—

“Strange.”

His body froze for an instant, causing his friend to give him a puzzled look.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? I… don’t know. I guess I’m just nervous.”

“Seriously? You were the one telling me not to worry because we had blessings.”

Smacking his shoulder, his friend resumed chatting with another buddy. Seeing that, the man—wearing a reluctant expression—tried to dismiss it.

Maybe I misheard someone’s voice.

He couldn’t remember what they said, anyway. Writing it off as just a lingering sleep haze, he tried to shake it off—his eyes, naturally and without himself realizing, drifted toward the heroes stationed throughout the shelter.

“They’re not that strong… why does the future show everyone escaping safely?” muttered Puppeteer in confusion, observing through one of her living dolls.

Just moments ago, the man she was controlling had seen a future where the entire shelter would be under her control, with everyone modified. Yet that future had vanished and was completely flipped on its head?

“Don’t tell me they’ve already found a solution? No way… it shouldn’t be this easy to counter.”

The upgraded Box—perfected with Tuner’s insights and technology—should have disguised itself perfectly as part of the human heart. Unless they used hyper-precision scans, detection was near impossible.

She was certain of that, so realistically, the Heroes Association should have had only two options: handpick a few heroes to conduct the scanning or isolate anyone even remotely suspicious.

“If it were one of those two, I wouldn’t have seen a future where people leave safely…. Lee Se-Hoon, did you do something?”

Considering the attempted assassination of the Association President—an operation Puppeteer had spent the most effort preparing—had failed, it was basically certain Se-Hoon was already investigating the destroyed automaton.

“Still, I thought I’d bought myself a few days… Tsk, just what is he?”

No matter how much effort they put into their schemes, that guy always seemed to predict and respond perfectly. Initially, she thought Se-Hoon was just a prodigy. Then it changed to her wondering if Se-Hoon had foresight abilities, like the Visionary. And lately, she had even begun considering… something else entirely.

“He really knows us too well…”

He understood their powers, their techniques, and even their desires. Even the Ten Evils—born from the same depths of the Abyss of Demons—couldn’t fully understand one another like that.

“Is it because he’s human…? Or because he’s something else entirely?”

Tuner had once said Se-Hoon was becoming a worse monster than them by understanding himself. And at the time, she hadn’t been sure what to believe—now she knew Tuner was right. In fact, Puppeteer even suspected it might not be long before Se-Hoon truly did evolve into something incomparably greater.

“If that’s the case, maybe I didn’t act too soon after all.”

Judging by the direction things were heading, she hadn’t been rash at all.

“This surprise attack is pretty much over. Time to wrap it up.”

To move things faster, Puppeteer decided it would be better to sacrifice all the dormant puppets to extract as much data as possible. And without hesitation, immediately sent the command.

The grumbling man placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Huh? What’s—”

The friend turned, only to freeze in terror as his eyes widened in disbelief. The man, looking unaware of what he was doing, had drawn back a fist charged with enough mana to kill.

Wai—!

Halt

Time froze. People stopped mid-chew, mid-conversation, mid-movement. The man about to smash his friend’s skull was not spared either. Right now, not even breathing could be heard.

Woong-

A skeleton, like the kind often seen in the Netherworld, appeared among them. However, there was just one difference: a golden halo floated above its skull.

“That’s…”

Watching through her puppet, Puppeteer became stunned. That same figure had appeared not just in the shelter but in every single location where she had planted a puppet.

“An enchanted halo… Lea?”

Also, Puppeteer knew that halo—it was the spell used to help Se-Hoon back then. But… it had evolved far beyond what she’d seen before.

Puppeteer marveled at the sight.

“How.”

“Did.”

“You.”

The high-functioning puppets, scattered across the globe, strained to each speak a syllable. Blood leaked from their eyes and mouths as a result of the forced motion, but Puppeteer couldn’t care less.

All that mattered now was verifying her daughter’s achievement.

“…”

Commanding the undead from the Netherworld, Lea narrowed her eyes at the grotesque scene. However, deeming it unworthy of a response, she moved to the next step.

Woong!

The golden halos—the rings of the modified Sphere—floating before her lined up and flared. In sync, the halos around the world also burst into radiant light.

And at the center of those rings stood Se-Hoon, wreathed in thorns and divine mana as he focused his power.

Severance

Puppeteer’s vision went dark—every one of her puppets lost connection just like that.