The Regressor Can Make Them All - Chapter 550
Chapter 550
“What… do you mean by that?”
After a long silence, Terra finally managed to force her stiff lips to move.
“You seem to believe that a wish must be more desperate than anything else. That’s probably why when I first asked you, you said you didn’t have anything that could be called a wish.”
A wish was something that couldn’t be easily achieved or replaced—like Eun-Ha said, Terra thought it had to be something above all else that was born from utter desperation. And because of that, it had always been so difficult for her to find one.
“A goal so elusive that you could search for it your entire life and still not find it. What could be more desperate than hoping to find something like that?”
“B-but…”
“Do you really think this is that contradictory?”
“…”
Facing Eun-Ha’s calmness, Terra could only remain silent in affirmation. Still… how could the act of searching for a wish turn into the wish itself? How could it be something so paradoxical and shallow when wish meant to define oneself?
“I suppose this may differ from person to person… but personally, I don’t believe that we could have only one genuine wish.”
Eun-Ha’s voice became quiet as her gaze lingered on Terra, recalling a memory from long ago.
“Until just a year ago, I solely wished to become a Perfect One. I single-mindedly believed that was the only way I could break free of those who had shackled me and finally become truly free.”
In her relentless fight to ascend, she had even gone as far as striking a deal with Ludwig and accepting the Dean position that she never would have considered. Every action she took was in her pursuit of becoming a Perfect One—until she met him.
“But contrary to what I expected, I broke free and gained my freedom even before reaching ascension with Se-Hoon’s help. My long-desired wish had been fulfilled.”
“…”
“And once that long-standing wish vanished from before my eyes… only then did I realize how greedy I truly am.”
She wanted to taste countless foods she had never experienced. She wanted to learn to cook and recreate the flavors she had only ever imagined, sharing them all with that precious person. The things she wanted to do continued to multiply beyond count—and that was happening even now.
“When we become obsessed with an impossible wish, we end up deceiving ourselves. We delude ourselves into thinking that achieving that one wish will break every shackle and bring us total freedom.”
“A delusion…”
“But most people aren’t like that. When they get one thing, they long for three. When they get three, they crave nine. That boundless ambition… that’s what drives our lives forward.”
It was only because the wish before her eyes had been so immense that she couldn’t see anything else. But now, she knew there was no such thing as a singular, absolute wish. She now knew there was no need to become obsessed.
“So for now, you can define your wish as the act of searching for a wish. Then, once you fulfill that, chase another. Keep finding yourself and continue completing who you are in that way.”
With those words echoing in her ears, Terra looked down at her own hands.
Continue completing myself…
Neither enlightenment about the truths of magic nor the secret of ascension, just… deeply personal and biased advice. Such words rarely ever offered the exact clarity someone needed, but for Terra, they did just that.
For the first time, Terra felt the faintest hint of how she should live from now on.
“…You said I just have to break one, right?”
At those words, Eun-Ha’s eyes widened slightly before her lips curved into a soft smile.
“Yes. Just one is enough.”
“Then I’ll figure it out somehow. Make sure you’re properly ready then.”
Hearing Terra’s declaration, Eun-Ha immediately activated Soul Furnace to its limit and took her stance.
And at that sight, Ludwig finally spoke. “Come at me anytime.”
Having just been quietly watching, he hadn’t moved a single step and simply waited calmly for them to muster their full strength. The sight of him, of his imposing calmness, moved Terra into activating Se-Hoon’s power within the Warhound to its absolute limit.
Woong!
Mana attributed to all sorts of elements, along with the embedded powers of Perfect Ones, surged forth explosively. Within Terra’s hands, storms, tidal waves, thunder, and earthquakes seemed like they were combining into a single force of destruction.
And because the Warhound only stored the various powers, it was Terra alone who was responsible for the control and harmonization.
RUMBLE-
Unfortunately, no matter how much she tried, the powers resisted her control and threatened to go berserk. In the end, her efforts still amounted to nothing; Terra bitterly accepted that truth.
As I thought, I can’t do it.
She couldn’t fuse the powers or create a new one from them—at least not as of her current self.
But…
As a mage who had grasped the grand truth of mana and reached the realm of omniscience—as a Perfect One who had ascended—perhaps then she could. Resolving herself, Terra activated the power of Omniscience via the Warhound and directly linked herself to that very existence.
“Ah… I could actually die of boredom at this rate—huh?”
The grumbling voice of the Seeker, who was managing the planetary control system, sounded in her ears. And along with it came the surge of grand truths of mana that the Seeker had attained in life—a boon that came at the cost of Terra’s reabsorption back into the Seeker who she was separated from at death.
It was a fact that made the Seeker giggle.
“What’s this? You hated it so much, but you’re coming back after all~?”
“…”
“I mean, I guess it is tough trying to meet his demands with just your own strength. Honestly, it’s a miracle you lasted this long.”
Ignoring the Seeker’s sneers, Terra focused entirely on harmonizing the powers of the Perfect Ones with the formulae that surfaced in her mind. Results were immediate: magic arrays formed with orange light and began suppressing the rampaging powers.
“Don’t be scared. You came from me, after all. Even if things change, things won’t be that different. In fact, you’ll be stronger, more useful.”
“…”
“The Planetary Reinforcement Project? I could finish that in a day. I’ve got a decent idea of the Law of Repentance too. And if I investigate a few things, I’ll figure out what’s going on with Lee Se-Hoon’s body.”
Listening to the gentle whispers of the Seeker, who had scanned her memory, Terra realized her hands had started moving on their own to push the rampaging powers deeper under control.
“You’ve worked hard so far, haven’t you? Now, just leave it to me—no, to us. That way, everyone~ can be happy.”
Compared to a broken-down duplicate who couldn’t even use her powers properly, wouldn’t the original be more helpful? Again ignoring the Seeker’s sweet whispers, Terra continued absorbing knowledge—until abruptly, something went wrong.
Her physical sensations disappeared. The Seeker had taken her body.
“There’s something I want to ask you.”
“What? Oh, about what I think of Se-Hoon? Hmm. That’s a tough one.”
The Seeker, having read Terra’s thoughts, replied with Terra’s own mouth to answer her.
“He’s intriguing for sure. But he’s also terrifying to be around. Honestly, it’s more suffocating than when I used to be watched by that crazy old grandpa. Does that mean I’ll run away though? No way~! Who knows when someone like him will show up again~?”
Now that she had a body again, the Seeker excitedly rambled on and on.
“I’ll gather every bit of information I can. I will gather information about how he maintains his synesthetic mindscape, which exists right on the border of ascension and destruction. How he gained access to multiple powers. What secrets he keeps from his companions…”
“…”
“And if he dies? Well… not that I think he’ll die easily, but if it happens, there’s no helping it. I’ll just steal the body and dissect it.”
She acknowledged Se-Hoon’s power and worth—but only as a subject of study. There was no emotion, no human bond that she shared with him. Realizing that, Terra remained silent for a while.
Then, when she came to a decision, she replied before the Seeker could read her thoughts again.
“So you are different from me.”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
“I don’t see the Administrator that way.”
Since escaping from the interior of the planet she’d lived all her life, Terra had thought about Se-Hoon every day. At first, she thought it was the fear of being abandoned. Later, she suspected it was mere intellectual curiosity.
And now, upon fusing with the Seeker, she finally realized what her feelings for him truly were.
“I… want to be like him.”
Not a monster who sacrifices others for herself and earns only scorn, but someone who sacrifices herself for others and earns their trust. At last, from the depths of her heart, Terra’s wish rang clear.
“That’s just ridiculous…” the Seeker muttered in disbelief.
What good even was a wish now that she’d lost her body? Finding it troublesome to respond, the Seeker instead began erasing Terra completely—
Ba-dump!
A strange pulse burst from inside the Warhound. Startled, the Seeker traced the source and immediately found out that the backup system Se-Hoon had installed in case his own mind was disrupted was reacting to Terra.
“Wh-What? Why now…!”
FWOOSH!
Transparent flames erupted from the Warhound, burning away the Seeker’s influence. With the body she had stolen now in danger of being reclaimed, the Seeker hastily activated a new spell to pour mana into reshaping perception before she could be rejected.
Swoosh-
An orange horn—an antenna formed of omniscient magic that greedily devoured all stored knowledge—sprouted on Terra’s forehead.
CRACK-
Moments ago, the Seeker had been trying to avoid a full takeover, keeping the shell known as “Terra” intact. Due to the backup system, though, she switched to fully changing the perception of “Terra” into “Seeker.” To do so, the Seeker began corrupting Terra with omniscience to put control of the body firmly in her own hands.
“Alright. Just a little more—”
Her words wouldn’t finish. Just as she was about to seize full control, something strange happened: the rest of the thoughts in her head were pushed out to echo emptily among countless pieces of knowledge.
“That’s impossible…!”
The Seeker couldn’t believe what was happening. She had seized control over half, so why?! Immediately, she used the power of Omniscience to investigate Terra again… and discovered the truth.
“You absorbed my synesthetic mindscape…?”
Contrary to her expectations, Terra hadn’t rejected her influence and had instead accepted it. She acknowledged the Seeker’s knowledge and mindset as her own and absorbed it.
“We’re not the same… but I can’t deny we’re alike. I came from you, after all.”
“…”
“So I won’t reject it. Your knowledge is necessary—for me and for everyone else.”
She accepted that she and the Seeker were once one, that her origin inevitably lay with her. Realizing that as well, the Seeker went silent for a moment before letting out a small laugh.
“That’s a noble goal… but are you sure you can really endure it?”
While they looked like they were thoroughly fused, given her nature, the Seeker would continually try to erode the half known as “Terra.” Could a duplicate like Terra, a copy so susceptible to her influence, truly withstand?
“I can.”
Terra was absolutely certain.
“How?”
“I’ll just fill the rest with the Administrator.”
If she could borrow the strength of a master blacksmith who had mastered all the powers and even carved out a realm never seen before by the world, if she could lean on this power feared by even the Perfect Ones and Harbingers of Destruction…
The idea left even the Seeker at a loss for words.
“A blend of me and that guy… just to keep balance? You really are crazy.”
With a small laugh and that murmur full of intrigue, the Seeker then willingly withdrew the power of Omniscience. Simultaneously, the orange horn that had been flaring with the corruption of omniscience also quieted down.
“I don’t know how this’ll end… but I guess I’ll root for you. Either way, it’ll make for a great research subject.”
Terra, a being that originated from her, had become something else. Thinking about what to call it, the Seeker chuckled playfully.
“Do your best, my daughter~”
The connection to the Seeker was severed.
That was… unsettling. Terra’s body shuddered.
Being called “daughter” by that lunatic, of all people? If it had been the Administrator, fine, but that monster? Feeling deeply unsettled, Terra wanted to scream at her, but alas, there was no time for that.
WOONG!
The multitude of powers, freed from the Seeker’s control, was rampaging once again. If she didn’t stabilize it now, the Warhound would explode.
I just need to use the same method that she used before.
Reactivating the control spell left by the Seeker, Terra controlled the scattered powers to weave together once more. And unlike before, Terra instinctively began understanding the composition of the powers, how the laws of the world worked, and even how to manipulate them.
She had only absorbed half, yet the Seeker’s knowledge was so overwhelming that Terra’s synesthetic mindscape was still sinking into the depths.
Fwoosh!
Thankfully, before the overwhelming knowledge forever tainted her synesthetic mindscape, the backup system inside the Warhound activated. The imprint of Se-Hoon’s synesthetic mindscape immediately stabilized her, anchoring her thoughts.
Together, the fusion of the Seeker and Se-Hoon—a Perfect One and another on that cusp—worked in tandem within her.
“Ah…”
Freed from the constraints that bound her, her senses expanded infinitely. Now, Terra too, could see the Golden Ring in the sky as if it were right before her eyes. Watching its golden light drift down into her hands, settling there, Terra realized: the qualification to forge a new power had been granted to her.
“State your wish…”
A colossal intent filled her mind. Her wish could be fulfilled. Feeling indescribable excitement and urgency, Terra looked ahead.
She looked at Ludwig wrapping himself in layer after layer of spatial barriers, turning the world itself into his bulwark. Then she looked at Eun-Ha, who was waiting after gathering her full power to pierce those barriers. Despite almost certainly having sensed something was wrong when she was taken over by the Seeker, Eun-Ha had fully trusted she would overcome it.
Looking at Eun-Ha’s back—at the faith in her—Terra’s heart calmed.
My wish is…
Her wish… was for the person in front of her to fulfill their wish. Responding to that answer, the power she completed in her hands exploded with orange light and painted the world in her color.
Akashic, True Form: Embellishment of Myriad Forms
CRACK!
Half of the seemingly unbreakable spatial barrier turned orange and shattered. Following up, Eun-Ha surged forward through the gap—it was the moment she had been waiting for.
Fwoosh!
Her fist, filled with everything she had, was shimmering faintly in a full spectrum of colors as it swung at Ludwig.
BOOOOOM!
A world-shattering roar erupted, and everything was drowned in white.
RINGGGGG-
When the whitewashed world returned to vivid color, sensations—including her hearing—slowly returned to Terra. Of course, the first thing she saw was Eun-Ha, her Soul Furnace deactivated, and Ludwig, who had blocked her fist with a spotless white wall.
“…Ah.”
The blow just now wasn’t enough to reach Ludwig?
Disappointed, Terra lowered her gaze in regret—
“You didn’t miss,” Ludwig said, glancing at her downtrodden look.
“…?”
Before she could ask what he meant, Ludwig dismissed the wall that had blocked Eun-Ha’s fist: a blackened burn marked the center of his shirt.
Though barely scorched, their attack had without a doubt pierced the spatial barriers forged by Ludwig’s power—and reached him.
“The Law of Repentance… seems to have been activated properly.”
“…!”
Now finally understanding why they suddenly wanted to spar, Terra stared blankly. Meanwhile, Eun-Ha lowered her fist, nodded at Ludwig, and turned around. Then, walking over to Terra, she silently raised one hand, palm open.
“…Pfft.”
While Eun-Ha’s face was expressionless… it was visibly flushed. Seeing that, Terra let out a quiet laugh and raised her hand to meet hers.
Smack-!
It was a victory for both of them.
