The Regressor Can Make Them All - Chapter 580

Chapter 580

Jason’s pupils trembled uncontrollably.

The walls of the fortress had collapsed, leaving no trace standing; the ground was grotesquely gouged out everywhere as if artillery shells had rained down upon it. And as for the orchard itself… scraps of torn leather and cloth with bloodstains that had long dried into a pitch-black crust were scattered throughout.

“Ah….”

It had only been a week! The village had endured through the war for years! There should have been no way everyone could have died in such a short time!

Surely, definitely, everyone had simply abandoned the village and evacuated because of unavoidable circumstances—at least… that was what Jason wanted to believe.

Alas, the brilliant talent he had been given did not permit him to look away from reality.

“A-ah….”

Everyone was dead. All slaughtered cruelly by the fangs, claws, and tails of beasts. They were unable to put up any meaningful resistance.

Jason knew all that, from the traces of their struggle to survive left throughout the orchard. Just seeing them had made him reconstruct the massacre that had taken place only days ago.

Yet Jason neither screamed in rage nor wailed in grief.

“Why…”

Instead, his mind only let him turn the possibilities over and over, searching for the culprit behind the tragedy.

How had the village been destroyed? Was it a powerful monster that appeared? Was there a traitor within? Had the guards reacted too late due to some mistake?

Jason’s mind churned and churned until his gaze fell upon a hairpin lying on the ground—and upon his own reflection mirrored in it.

“It’s my fault…”

If only he just returned a little sooner. If only he had never left the village in the first place.

Realizing who he should truly curse, Jason clawed at his own face and curled in on himself. Then, finally, suppressed sobs escaped him as tears and blood droplets fell together to the ground.

“…”

■■■ wore a bitter expression as he watched. Even if Jason had not left the village, there was no guarantee the outcome would have been any different. But while he knew that, from Jason’s perspective—who had now lost everything—it was no wonder that Jason could not help but imagine another future, one that was born of the choices he had never made.

He’s just going to regret it again and again… until he eventually begs for just one more chance.

If only he could return to the past, if only he could undo his mistaken choice… such a person would do anything. Perhaps that was why, because he could somehow understand that feeling, ■■■ lingered and watched the screaming Jason for a moment before passing by and heading further downward.

So he’s finally left the orchard.

Upon stepping out of the orchard, ■■■ found ruins that were mostly devastated beyond recognition. And there, Jason continued to fight alone while never mingling with anyone.

BOOM!

Beasts and monsters. Demons and humans. Anyone who showed him hostility was slaughtered without mercy. As for anyone who approached him with goodwill, they were utterly ignored without exception.

Jason was wandering endlessly in search of a place to die, punishing himself for destroying the village. Unfortunately, despite the countless dangers everywhere, Jason’s talent never failed him. In fact, it only drove him toward ever higher realms.

And so, doomed to his fate, Jason roamed the world alone without rest and earning the infamous nickname Battle Demon—

“Hello.”

A long-haired woman with orange eyes stepped onto Jason’s path out of the blue one day.

“My name is Natalia Kanayeva. You’ve probably heard of the Seeker at least once, right? Anyway, I came because I have a rather good proposal. Would you mind hearing me out for a moment—”

Jason walked past her, neither answering nor sparing her a glance. He knew she was strong enough to kill him the instant he first saw her, but since he felt no killing intent, he did as he always did.

“Hm. You’re just like the descriptions—half out of your mind. And yet you’ve still become that strong with such a synesthetic mindscape.”

Brushing off his reaction without blinking, Natalia walked beside him.

“But you’ve started to feel it, haven’t you? Your growth is slowing down. No matter how gifted you are, it’s hard to get any stronger in that condition.”

“…”

“I heard you’ve never entered the Towers of Heroes. Why not give yourself a try right now? I think you can reach the final trial with a breeze~”

“…”

“So you’re just going to keep ignoring me, huh? If you keep this up, I might actually start attacking you. Hmm?”

As Natalia curved her lips into a frown, the scenery twisted grotesquely. The ambient mana violently stirred, erupting into sparks of orange flame.

Jason continued walking forward without slowing, eyes fixed ahead. The overt threat of a Perfect One didn’t faze him—as if he knew she would not attack him.

“Hm…”

Natalia’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she watched his back—

BANG!

Jason’s fist stopped right in front of her face.

Crack. Crunch!

Orange chains of light were wrapped around his entire body. They bound him only lightly,yet that was still enough to shatter every bone and muscle in his body. Blood was pouring down from everywhere.

Drip-

And still, Jason did not blink even once. He just stared emotionlessly at Natalia.

“You. You’re impressive~ I can really see the potential in you.” The corners of her lips curled upward at his unshaken gaze.

“…”

“The sole problem is motivation, then? In that case… do you have a wish you absolutely want to fulfill? For example…”

Natalia stepped closer to whisper in his ear.

“…Wanting to fix a mistake from the past~”

Jason’s body flinched, and then, for the first time in years, he opened his mouth to speak.

“How did you know?”

“It’s obvious. Guys like you—so, so desperate to die—are usually like that.”

Swish-

The chains restraining Jason turned into light and vanished, and the wounds covering his body began healing rapidly.

“You can’t kill yourself because it’d feel wrong, but staying alive is unbearable. That’s why your kind compromises by driving yourself to the brink and waiting for death. Of course, lashing out at others along the way.”

“…”

“You know, most people end up completely insane like that. You, though, you’re a little different. Appearance-wise, you act like you’ve given up on everything. But inside, you’re desperately yearning for a way out of this hell, aren’t you?”

Natalia slowly circled ‌Jason before stopping in front of him and meeting his eyes.

“Do you truly want to complete that wish?”

“…”

“Even if you have to throw everything away, even your entire life, do you still want to fulfill that wish?”

Jason silently held her gaze.

“I do,” he slowly said, unwavering.

If he could correct his past mistakes, nothing mattered. Not even his life.

That resolve made Natalia grin, open a black void space, and hold out an orange bracelet.

“This bracelet will send you to the nearest Tower of Heroes. It has a limit of five uses, but… I think you can reach the top before that.”

“…”

“Calm your synesthetic mindscape and define your wish clearly. The God waiting at the top is far colder and duller than you might expect.”

With those words, Natalia turned to leave after handing over the bracelet. However, Jason’s call stopped her.

“Why are you helping me?”

“Hm?”

“Is there a reason you’re helping me?”

They had only just met. Why go so far for him?

“…Asking something like that at a moment like this…. Should I call you cautious or just clueless?” Natalia was utterly dumbfounded.

“…”

“Well, fine. It’s not some grand secret, anyway.” Shrugging, Natalia answered, “The more Perfect Ones, the better. For me—and for this world.”

“The more, the better?”

“You’ll understand what that means once you reach the top. If not, ask that old Emperor of Ascension geezer.”

Woong!

A magic array appeared beneath Natalia’s feet. Bathed in orange light, she smiled playfully.

“Do try your best~”

Whoosh!

Natalia vanished without a trace.

“…”

Jason stared for a moment, then looked down at the bracelet she had given him.

If he reached the top of the tower and became a Perfect One, his wish—correcting his past mistake—could come true…?

He couldn’t fully trust Natalia’s words, but… believing in them was better than wandering the world meaninglessly as he had been.

Woong!

The bracelet glowed orange and teleported Jason away.

“…”

■■■ wore a strange expression, having watched the entire exchange.

The more Perfect Ones, the better…

When new powers and laws were added, did the world itself change in some way? Mulling over Natalia’s cryptic words in his mind, ■■■ soon shook his head.

Whatever it is, it’s not something to think about now.

Considering he didn’t even know who he himself was, what meaning was there in pondering such things? For now, following Jason’s footsteps to learn where this place was and who he was came first.

“Shall we continue then?”

■■■ stepped forward again, and the world shifted as Jason’s past unfolded once more.

BANG!

Following his encounter with Natalia, Jason was climbing the Tower as advised. The trials he faced were fundamentally one-on-one battles against enemies, except each had a strict time limit.

Fwoosh!

Burning plains, coastlines being swallowed by tidal waves, collapsing cliffs—extreme environments were common, and sometimes enemies would ambush him the instant he entered a trial.

Splat!

The Tower demanded greater and greater speeds from Jason, who, in response, sought ways to break his limits. He read enemies’ breathing, interpreted their vision, and sensed their intent. The gaps he had once perceived through instinct alone were sharpened through repeated trials, illuminating an entirely new realm.

Swoosh- Swoosh-

He crossed tens of kilometers in a single step and crushed the head of an archer aiming from afar. A swordsman who had drawn first inexplicably fell with his blade still sheathed, heart pulverized. Jason’s strikes were now transcending space and even surpassing time.

Soon enough, Jason’s fist overtook the world itself—the very moment he cleared the final trial and ascended to the top.

Whoosh-

A vast golden ring stretched across a blue sky, and a sea of clouds spread across the white stone floor. Viewing the mystical sight permitted only to Perfect Ones, Jason gazed up at the Golden Ring: the very origin of the world.

He could neither see nor hear it, yet he felt it instinctively.

“Speak your wish.”

Feeling the will of the world, Jason recalled his past and shouted the wish he had never once forgotten since that day.

“Send me back… to the time when my family and everyone in the village were alive. The moment that lets me correct every mistake!”

So long as that wish was fulfilled, Jason cared not about anything. He would offer everything that “Jason” was.

Resolved, Jason steeled himself and looked up at the ring.

“…”

■■■ turned away bitterly. He had already sensed the answer.

“That is not possible.”

“…What?”

Jason stared blankly up at the sky. Hadn’t he been told his wish could be granted? That everything could be set right?

Why… was it impossible?

Despite asking himself that, ‌Jason had understood the reason immediately.

“Is it simply irreversible…?”

The time of people and objects could be manipulated. However, reversing the time of the world itself was impossible. That was a wish for Heaven Reversal, one that denied the world’s laws by forcing the Golden Ring to reverse.

“No… that can’t be. It… can’t be…”

It had to be a lie. An attempt to deceive him. Surely…! No matter how much he wanted to believe that, though, he had reached ascension and connected with the world. He was forced to understand the truth.

“Then… I…”

The wish he longed for—his one and only hope—could never be fulfilled.

Jason’s knees buckled as they had before, his head lowered and defeated. Sobbing helplessly, Jason began crumbling, his synesthetic mindscape collapsing—

“Speak your wish.”

Once more, the Ring’s will echoed. But with his wish to return to the past denied, Jason had nothing left. Unfortunately, the world did not care. It did not permit a Perfect One to remain silent.

“I…”

Having lost all will, Jason did not resist the Ring’s interference and weakly searched for a wish once more.

“I… want to erase all my mistakes,” he soon murmured in a weak voice.

Again, losing everything didn’t matter as long as he could erase every mistake he had made that day.

Woong!

The Golden Ring immediately shone brilliantly, and a new scene unfolded before Jason’s eyes: himself screaming before the ruined orchard.

Seeing that, Jason instinctively understood what he must do. His hand curled into a fist.

Thud!

His past self’s head shattered, and the memories of that day were cleanly erased.

Thud!

He killed himself while hunting monsters.

Thud!

He killed himself as he left the village.

Thud!

He killed himself as he lived among others.

Thud!

He killed himself as he lived happily with his family.

Thud!

He…

Endlessly killing himself and drenching himself in blood, Jason eventually came face-to-face with a boy he had never seen before. The boy somehow resembled him, who loved his family and cherished the village.

“…”

Jason stared at the unfamiliar boy with an expressionless face. Then, raising his blood-soaked fist, he once again swung without hesitation—

Clench-

“That’s enough.”

■■■ caught his fist as he stepped between them.