Chaper 454

“Phew...”

Staring at the ground where Immortal had vanished, Se-Hoon slowly turned his gaze to the surroundings.

Crackle-

As the demons died, the Flames of Atonement flickered out, causing the interior to grow dimmer. The intense battle between Se-Hoon and Immortal had destroyed half the base, which seemed to have also damaged the lighting.

He’s definitely a lot stronger than before the regression.

Immortal had been, at best, as strong as a seasoned A-rank hero then. The power surpassing even the Ten Evils had never been seen before. Of course, while it was that strong, its attacks lacked precision—wild and poorly controlled—but that alone still marked a tremendous change.

And such a difference... is probably because of me.

Because he was the center of attention, Immortal’s value as bait to lure Se-Hoon out had increased. In turn, that naturally led to it receiving support and experiments it hadn’t gotten before.

This butterfly effect really is unpredictable.

How much more of a difference would he have to account for? How much more change would his regression cause? Ruminating over the fundamental question of his existence as a regressor, Se-Hoon was deep in thought.

Squelch-

A wriggling, red sea urchin-like creature crawled into view and wobbled proudly in front of him. Observing it, Se-Hoon soon made a bitter face upon realizing that the red sea urchin was Meirin’s familiar, created from her Resentful Blood skill.

It used to have a mohawk.... Now it’s sea urchin spines?

Considering his previous train of thought, Se-Hoon couldn’t help but briefly wonder if the butterfly effect had also ruined Meirin’s sense of aesthetics somehow.

Meanwhile, the familiar squirmed and soon formed glowing words that Se-Hoon read out loud.

“The path leading to the back is almost cleared. You can extinguish the flames now.”

Seeing that it really was from Meirin, Se-Hoon linked his senses to the Einherjars he’d stationed at the rear barrier leading out.

“Aaargh...!”

Without delay, the so-called VIP high demons from the Black Arms let out screams. Surrounded and relentlessly beaten down by the Einherjars, they were fully consumed by the flames. Their strength, regardless of their plentiful field combat experience and individual ability of A-rank or higher, didn’t matter before the elite undead corps handpicked by Wurgen himself. Not a single one escaped.

Looks like Master handled the reinforcements... and with the barrier set up like this, all hidden traps have probably also been disabled.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The Black Arms had been completely neutralized for sure now. Done with that, Se-Hoon unwound Spirit Weaver, which was also connected to the Sin-Eclipsing Blade.

Whoosh!

The blade, which had been lodged in the ground, flew back into Se-Hoon’s hand. Along with it, the scarlet energy of the Flames of Atonement faded, lifting the effect that had been dyeing the area red.

However, with the vanishing of the flames, the Black Arms base was plunged into darkness. Wasting no time, Se-Hoon scattered Sacred Fire into the air and lightly formed an Incantation Inscription with it.

“Dawn.”

Woong!

The Sacred Flames spread out thin and wide like a mist, providing a soft glow across the darkened space—like the first light of dawn.

This should do.

Satisfied with how well the Incantation Inscription turned out, Se-Hoon looked on approvingly.

Step- step- step.

A subtle, fragrant scent approached.

“You made this yourself?”

“Yes. It was getting a bit too dark.”

“I see.”

Meirin looked up at the light of dawn Se-Hoon had created, lit a cigarette, and took a drag.

“So? How do you feel?”

“How do I feel...?”

“Well, you managed to get your revenge. I figured you’d have some thoughts about it.”

There was no deeper intention behind the question, just pure curiosity.

Realizing that, Se-Hoon took a moment to think.

“I feel... normal.”

“Normal?”

“It feels refreshing but a little gross at the same time... fulfilling yet empty. I guess... it’s just the feeling you’d expect after finally getting to carry out your revenge you long hoped for.”

His feelings weren’t all that different from the first time. If he had to say something had changed, it would be that overall he felt more composed.

Maybe it’s because this isn’t the first time... or maybe it’s because the purpose behind my revenge has changed.

Back then, revenge had been his sole reason for living—his driving force. With a new goal of preventing the end of the world now, though, he was more focused on that next step. Perhaps that was why he didn’t feel quite so hollow, left at a loss by the blank emptiness he’d felt after his revenge in the past.

“Do you not get the feeling that the time you spent chasing revenge was wasted?”

“Not at all.”

“And why’s that?”

Turning to look at Meirin, Se-Hoon gave the same answer he had back then: “Because I just did what I needed to do.”

If one let revenge consume them, it would eat away their entire life. However, if they took it too lightly and missed their chance, it would still haunt them forever. To avoid both, the best way was to balance in between—never forgetting and treating it as a turning point in life, something that passed.

“...I see.”

Meirin turned her gaze away and sighed. Se-Hoon didn’t seem all that different from usual.

Precocious as ever.

She’d been ready to give him some advice as someone more experienced, but judging by his state, there was no need. Grumbling to herself, she mentally discarded all the life-lesson quotes she’d read online.

Boom-!

Suddenly, a thunderous rumble echoed from afar as the ground trembled. The two of them turned their heads toward the source and saw demonic aura and mana violently colliding, sparking like lightning.

“What is that place...?”

“That’s the greenhouse. It has been going there every day since we arrived.”

Following Meirin’s answer, Se-Hoon lowered his gaze toward the greenhouse.

Within, he could sense two presences. One was Kwang-Soo, who had arrived with him. And the other was Doppelganger, who had come with Meirin.

That’s why things have been so quiet.... It’s come to this.

Sensing the intense hostility that seemed about to explode at any moment, Se-Hoon placed a hand on Meirin’s shoulder.

“Let’s head over there for now.”

Whoosh!

Arriving in the greenhouse with a single teleport, Se-Hoon quickly scanned the surroundings.

A wide garden overflowing with blooming flowers. From what he could tell, despite the earlier clash, there was nothing damaged aside from the gaping hole in the ceiling.

One of them launched a strike... and the other seemed to have deflected it upward.

Having roughly assessed the situation, Se-Hoon only then lowered his gaze toward the two facing off in the garden.

“...”

“...”

Kwang-Soo stood there gripping the handle of Celestial Night, eyes bloodshot with fury, while Doppelganger—in the form of an unfamiliar woman—faced him calmly, emotionless. While nothing about Doppelganger had changed except its appearance, something felt off about Kwang-Soo.

His emotions are all over the place.

At first, Se-Hoon thought it might be because of inner demons. But then, upon Kwang-Soo’s eyes as they looked at Doppelganger, he realized there was something else at play.

If Doppelganger has taken a form that could shake Kwang-Soo’s emotions...

There was only one person who could serve as an emotional fulcrum between the two former disciples: the founder of the Celestial Infinity Blade technique, their shared master.

Turning his gaze to Doppelganger once more, Se-Hoon made a thoughtful expression.

That’s a face I’ve never seen before.

Sure, plenty of first-generation heroes died without even leaving a name behind, but S-ranks and above always left some kind of record. The woman said to be the master of both Kwang-Soo and Doppelgänger, however, had left neither a face nor a story in history.

If she’s someone who nearly reached the top of the Tower before even Ludwig, she must’ve been someone exceptional...

What kind of incident could have taken place for the master to die and the two fellow disciples to end up like they had? Without a single clue, Se-Hoon was frowning in thought when Meirin nudged him in the ribs.

“We should probably step in. They might really get into a fight if this keeps up.”

“Yeah, looks like it.”

Contrary to his assumption that they’d stop on their own once they noticed him, the two not only showed no sign of stopping, they weren’t even looking in his direction.

Seeing the two like that, the two sighed and split up, approaching their respective sides.

“Professor.”

“...”

“Professor!”

Kwang-Soo didn’t respond, completely hyper-focused. His tension was so intense that it looked like he’d slash at anyone who got too close.

But after hesitating for a moment, Se-Hoon decisively strode forward anyway.

Shing!

And then Se-Hoon’s head flew clean off into the air.

“...?!”

Having just reflexively swung his blade, Kwang-Soo snapped out of it upon seeing whose head he had just sliced. His eyes were wide open. Why was Se-Hoon’s head the one flying through the air instead of Doppelganger’s?

What...

It was only then that Kwang-Soo realized what he’d done, and instantly, a chill ran down his spine as he instinctively reached out to catch the falling head.

Whoosh!

However, Se-Hoon’s beheaded body moved first and snatched its head midair.

“Huh?”

Flabbergasted by the impossible sight, Kwang-Soo’s jaw dropped.

Meanwhile, Se-Hoon’s body just casually set his head back on his neck and released the power of Boundaries.

Swoosh-

With the vanishing of the dark lines along his neck, his head smoothly reattached. Testing it, Se-Hoon tilted his head left and right a few times before smiling as if nothing had happened.

“Do you feel a bit more grounded?”

“ARE YOU MAD?!!”

In contrast to Se-Hoon’s calm response, Kwang-Soo shouted in anger, completely forgetting Doppelganger was in front of them. Why the hell did he stand still and let himself get decapitated instead of dodging or knocking him down like usual?

“Well, I just figured causing something this drastic would be the only way to shock you back to your senses.”

“You really think

that

was the most rational decision you could’ve made right now...?”

What kind of lunatic would even entertain the idea that cutting off their head counted as shock therapy? Kwang-Soo groaned and rubbed his temples, not knowing whether to feel enlightened or dizzy.

“...No, never mind. I’m the one who should apologize. I lost my cool again.”

Kwang-Soo calmed down on second thought. If he’d been thinking clearly, Se-Hoon wouldn’t have attempted something like that. Though, he still thought that someone letting their own head be sliced off and replaced like a LEGO block wasn’t normal either. But Kwang-Soo let it go and changed the subject.

“So... what are we going to do now?”

At Kwang-Soo’s question, Se-Hoon turned toward Meirin and Doppelganger. Its expression gave away nothing—that face, more mask than human, revealed no hint of its thoughts.

Observing for a bit, Se-Hoon then asked, “What’s your end goal?”

“Ascending the Tower of Heroes.”

An immediate reply, as if Doppelganger had been waiting for the question.

“My goal, and my deepest wish, is to surpass the limits of demons and become a Perfect One.”

“...”

Se-Hoon’s eyes narrowed into slits.

Rather than wanting to become a Harbinger of Destruction, it wants to become a Perfect One...

Under other circumstances, he would have immediately dismissed it as a lie. But after everything he had seen Doppelganger do, it wasn’t impossible. It had given up on fully awakening as a Harbinger of Destruction and had supposedly withdrawn from the Demon Force to act solo.

On top of that, considering how much his master was helping, the odds that it was a lie seemed very low.

“What if I try to stop you?”

“Since I cannot give up on my wish that easily, I would resist by any means necessary.”

At that answer, Se-Hoon turned his gaze and saw Meirin offering a crooked smile.

She’ll do the same.

Right then and there, Se-Hoon instinctively realized it was the moment of choice Baek-Yeon had spoken of. If he fought, both Doppelganger and Meirin would resist with everything they had, leading to a massive battle.

But if I let Kwang-Soo take the lead... this could end with just those two involved.

Whatever the choice, Se-Hoon knew the result would ultimately benefit humanity. So, in that case... Se-Hoon looked over at Kwang-Soo.

“Professor, what do you want to do?”

“What do I want to do...?”

“If we fight here, I’ll be the one to kill Doppelganger. You’re in no shape to interfere right now, obviously.”

If Kwang-Soo’s goal was simply the death of Doppelganger, then who killed it wouldn’t matter. However, if it was killing it himself that gave the act meaning to Kwang-Soo, Se-Hoon knew Kwang-Soo would be left with lifelong regret if he did it.

“But if we delay the fight, you might get a chance for yourself. However, that also means Doppelganger will probably fulfill its wish and conquer the Tower of Heroes. I know that the woman next to it would make sure that happens.”

“...”

“So I want you to decide: do you want to entrust it all to me or see it through with your own hands?”

“...”

Kwang-Soo turned to look at Doppelganger, who stared back with an expressionless face.

In its eyes, Kwang-Soo could see his own reflection—but he knew it wasn’t seeing

him

, not really.

I’m probably no different...

They had both suffered from their wretched connection, bound by the lingering shadow of their master, dragging on for over thirty years. And they both knew that the only way to sever it—both in the past and present—had always been the same.

“...Is it really okay to give someone like me another chance?”

Someone who couldn’t even control his inner demons, someone who couldn’t act his age—was he really worthy of being handed such an impactful opportunity?

“If I didn’t think that it was, I wouldn’t have even offered it to you in the first place,” Se-Hoon declared, grinning at the self-deprecating question.

To Se-Hoon, it didn’t matter as long as Kwang-Soo had the resolve. He could handle everything else, regardless.

“...”

Surprised by the certainty and confidence in Se-Hoon’s voice, Kwang-Soo blinked in surprise—then bowed his head with newfound resolve.

“Please... help me.”

The fight, their promise from the past... was something he had to honor with his own hands.

Moved by Kwang-Soo’s sincerity, Se-Hoon raised his head and looked at the two across.

“How much time do you two need?”

“One month. And during that time, I swear not to kill innocents or harm humanity in any way.”

“I swear as well.”

Woong-

Mana and demonic aura surged around Meirin and Doppelganger, respectively, proof of a binding pact. Because of that. Se-Hoon nodded in acceptance.

“Then let me know when you’re ready.”

“Sure. See you next time.”

Slice-!

The air split like paper, and a vertical rift opened. A beat later, Doppelganger and Meirin stepped through and vanished.

“...

Haaaaaaa.

I’m not sure if this was the right decision,” Kwang-Soo hesitantly let out, once the two had gone.

Perhaps he should’ve just ended everything here instead of clinging to pride. Before he could regret too deeply, though, Se-Hoon patted his back.

“Don’t worry too much. No matter what it takes, I’ll make sure you win.”

The reassurance was comforting—but something in Se-Hoon’s tone made Kwang-Soo visibly uneasy. The same guy who just reattached his own severed head saying “no matter what it takes” didn’t exactly inspire peace of mind.

No. Now’s not the time to be picky.

He quickly shook it off. Despite his disarray, he knew he could only rely on Se-Hoon now. As Kwang-Soo reaffirmed his resolve, Se-Hoon smiled and extended a hand.

“Oh, Professor. May I borrow your Celestial Night for a second?”

“

Hm?

What for?”

“I just want to check something.”

“If it’s just checking...”

“Well... when it hit me earlier, the impact felt kind of off. I was wondering if something was wrong with it. Ah, and when I say ‘off,’ I mean the texture of the—”

“Fine! Take it already!”

Disgusted, Kwang-Soo shoved the sword into his hands.

Se-Hoon unsheathed it immediately.

Swish-

The broken blade was only a third of its full length. It gleamed like the night sky, beautiful but ominously unstable.

Observing it for a moment, Se-Hoon then focused on one spot.

“

Hmm...

here, maybe?” Se-Hoon lightly tapped the spot.

Crack!

With a sharp metallic ring, the sword immediately shattered into black shards that clattered to the ground.

“...”

Staring at the sight in a daze, Kwang-Soo then slowly turned to look at Se-Hoon with a stiff neck.

However, he was focused on the broken blade.

“Yeah... this sword kind of sucks.”

And at that mutter, Kwang-Soo lost all composure and charged.

“YOU SON OF A—!!”