The Regressor Can Make Them All-Chapter 345

The street was completely empty, with not a single person in sight.

Sprinting down the deserted road, weaving his way between the randomly parked cars scattered across the road. Se-Hoon propelled himself straight up a nearby building.

Bang!

He scaled the vertical wall in an instant, arriving on the rooftop. From his new vantage point, the main building of the Flame Sect and its surrounding area came into full view.

The situation isn’t as bad as I thought.

While the outer walls of the Flame Sect’s main building were partially destroyed, with smoke rising from the structure, the nearby buildings still appeared intact. There were also no signs of evacuating citizens or injured individuals, suggesting they had been safely evacuated.

He could hear explosions echoing intermittently, the sound underscoring the ongoing battle inside. Quickly assessing the overall situation, Se-Hoon activated the power of Boundaries and summoned one of the undead fighting within the building.

Whoosh!

Emerging out of a portal with a jolt, a skeletal knight wielding an axe looked around in confusion.

“What the... why am I here?”

“What’s the situation like inside?”

Hearing the voice, the skeletal knight instinctively raised its axe before freezing in surprise and quickly correcting its stance.

“My apologies! I’ve never been summoned by you before, Sir...”

“It’s fine. Just tell me what’s happening inside.”

To the calm yet firm inquiry, the skeletal knight gathered its thoughts before reporting on the situation within the main building.

“Doppelganger has taken 539 civilians hostage on the 7th floor of the main building, in the training hall. The enemy has completely occupied the interior, and we are currently advancing up to the third floor.”

“What about Professor Ma and Sung-Ha?”

“They are fighting on the front lines with us.”

“What?” Se-Hoon’s eyes widened in surprise. “Even then, you guys were only able to reach the third floor?”

Sung-Ha alone was an S-rank hero, and Kwang-Soo, who had been sent as his bodyguard, was a powerhouse with strength that was overwhelming even among heroes of his rank. With such a duo, Se-Hoon had assumed that Kwang-Soo would handle Doppelganger while Sung-Ha and the undead dealt with the other enemies.

But clearly, the situation wasn’t unfolding as he’d expected.

“Our forces are superior strength-wise, but... the enemies’ identities are holding us back.”

“Their identities?”

“Doppelganger has corrupted the disciples of the Flame Sect with demonic aura and is controlling them.”

“Corrupted them...?”

Se-Hoon’s brows furrowed. There were many techniques that allowed one to control others forcibly, but using demonic aura, in particular, to corrupt and control someone was exceptionally difficult. Normally, an individual’s mana and synesthetic mindscape would strongly resist such corruption unless they willingly accepted it in the first place.

Even the amateur disciples’ resistance to mental control should be pretty high. No, in the first place, Doppelganger doesn’t even have abilities related to this kind of corruption.

Even if Doppelganger had brought mages excelling in mind control, corrupting thousands of disciples in one go would still be nearly impossible. Yet it had... leading Se-Hoon to a realization about what must have transpired within the sect.

Lee Won-Ryong... it must be that bastard who had set this up.

As the sect master, Won-Ryong could have easily planted something within the disciples in secret to accelerate their corruption. And if other mentors had cooperated, the plan was now completely feasible, explaining even Doppelganger’s sudden appearance.

This wasn’t just a random attack. They were preparing something for a long time together, and when the investigation closed in, they had no choice but to trigger it.

It could be seen as a case of him being one step too late or, alternatively, preventing an even greater disaster just in time. Having finally pieced together the situation, Se-Hoon quickly arranged his thoughts and turned to the skeletal knight.

“Go capture one of them.”

“...What?”

“Hurry up!”

“Y—Yes, Sir!”

Disappearing into the portal at Se-Hoon’s command, the skeletal knight returned not long after, dragging a clan disciple bound in blue spiderweb-like restraints.

Observing them closely, dark marks of demonic aura could be seen up to their neck. Their face was pale, but their condition wasn't extreme.

Judging by how the corruption fully merges with the host’s body once it progresses to the final stage, the marks show that their body is still resisting.

Checking the disciple’s visible condition, Se-Hoon then placed his right hand on their neck and used Soul Honing to examine their internal state. He traced the flow of demonic aura through their bloodstream, mana circuits, and body until he found the source: a small snake coiled around the heart.

The Snake of Eden... so Tuner is involved as well.

The Snake of Eden was an artificial demonic beast that strengthened the host’s body while ensuring compliance by threatening to destroy the heart if disobeyed. It was a tool frequently used by Tuner for experimental subjects, and now it was hastening the disciples’ corruption.

They’d die if they tried to resist. I guess there was no other choice.

With the cause identified, Se-Hoon gathered dream mana in his left hand and then plunged it into the disciple’s solar plexus.

Whoosh!

He pulled out his hand swiftly after, bringing out a white snake with black markings. Seeing it, Se-Hoon activated Metamorphosing Dreams over the serpent without hesitation.

Swish-

Countless visions flashed before his eyes, and soon one materialized into reality, turning the serpent into a thin, glowing purple sword in his hand.

Woong-

Grasping the newly created sword, Se-Hoon saw a notification message appear before his eyes.

[‘Violet Halo’ has been added to ‘Celestial Infinity Blade (S)’.]

This should do.

Double checking that the disciple was free of corruption, Se-Hoon moved to the rooftop’s edge. Immediately, he felt a gaze fix on him, as though someone had been watching for the very moment he showed himself.

Looking toward the source, Se-Hoon’s eyes narrowed. It came from the seventh floor of the main building—where Doppelganger was.

So, the hostages were just bait to draw me out.

Although Doppelganger was still holding the hostages for now, the moment Se-Hoon got closer, it would either abandon or kill them before attacking. Now understanding that Doppelganger was trying to keep him at bay, Se-Hoon loosened his stance and let the sword fall to his side.

“Guess I’ll call it off for now, then.”

Whoosh-

The purple sword vanished cleanly.

***

On the seventh floor of the Flame Sect’s main building, a heavy silence loomed over the opulent training hall designed for mentors and patrons.

“...”

“...”

Civilians, their faces pale as sheets, stared blankly at the floor. Ordinarily, in terrifying situations, people would scan their surroundings in desperation, searching for an escape.

But here and now, they couldn’t.

The oppressive fear wasn’t just because of the disciples surrounding them with their dull eyes full of malice. No, the primary source of their terror was the monster standing among them—Doppelganger itself. Its face, where human features should have been, was instead a swirling black vortex.

How unlucky of us...

Please, someone, save us... please...

Doppelganger, a creature capable of snuffing out their lives with a single gesture, loomed over them. It hadn’t shown the slightest interest in them thus far, but that very indifference only heightened their terror—what if, in the next moment, it decided to kill them all?

The civilians trembled in terror, barely daring to breathe.

“...This is strange.”

The quiet remark startled the hostages, their bodies jolting with fear. Doppelganger, who had been gazing out the window the entire time, had suddenly murmured to itself.

Yet Doppelganger didn’t so much as glance their way, its gaze still fixed on the distant rooftop where Se-Hoon stood.

Why isn’t he making any moves?

Even if he wasn’t attacking outright, Se-Hoon could at least hide and put pressure on it. But instead, he simply stood there, looking down from the rooftop without doing anything.

Doppelganger briefly considered the possibility that Se-Hoon was acting as a distraction, but it couldn’t sense even a trace of fighting spirit or determination from Se-Hoon.

He doesn’t seem to be preparing to teleport either.... I can’t figure him out.

If the Beast King, the Ten Evils’ sensory expert, had been here, he could have scanned the situation with precision. But for the Doppelganger, Se-Hoon’s actions remained an enigma, as he stood just beyond its sensory range.

Briefly deliberating it, Doppelganger then just dismissed the thought outright.

Whatever he’s doing, there’s no need to respond to it now.

There was still plenty of time before Se-Hoon should be able to pull off anything significant, so Doppelgänger decided to wait and see—

Thud!

A faint vibration resonated through the floor.

The civilians, too overwhelmed with fear to notice, hadn’t reacted, but Doppelganger instantly noticed the anomaly.

“...So, you’ve made your decision for your disciple’s sake.”

Until moments ago, Kwang-Soo was hesitating, unable to bring himself to act against the Flame Sect disciples under Doppelganger’s control. But now he was cutting them down without hesitation, steadily making his way upward.

Taking note of the steadily diminishing presences below, Doppelganger, remaining nonchalant, became curious.

“Disciples are such fascinating creatures...”

Even those who had remained unchanged for decades under the harsh trials of time could transform entirely for the sake of a single disciple. Doppelganger found such a notion amusing, pathetic even, but it also couldn’t help but feel a flicker of curiosity.

Perhaps it’s something one can only understand by raising one...?

Doppelganger paused, surprised that it even had such a thought which would never have occurred to it in the past, before turning its gaze back to Se-Hoon.

Thud!

Dozens of swords suddenly burst through the floor, skewering the disciples who had been surrounding the hostages.

Boom!

In an instant, the disciples, impaled by the swords, were all pinned to the ceiling. And in the next one, a torrent of blue swords surrounded and surged toward Doppelganger.

Celestial Infinity Blade: Blue Chime

Ding!

With a clear chime, the blue swords filled the room, their presence overwhelming. The ethereal net created by the resonating swords made it nearly impossible to evade effectively or even defend.

Yet, despite facing such a relentless assault, Doppelganger simply grasped the grip of the sword at its waist.

Celestial Infinity Blade: Blue Chime

Ding!

Once again, the clear chime echoed as all swords scattered in an instant.

Crack!

Soon, even the faint traces of sword aura left on the walls and floor gradually disappeared. Seeing that, Doppelganger released the sword grip and looked toward the training hall door.

“Come in.”

Bang!

The door shattered halfway open as Kwang-Soo and Sung-Ha, who had raced up from the third floor, broke inside. Doppelganger then fixed its gaze on the two who had come to face it, focusing on Kwang-Soo, who stood at the forefront.

“So you’ve cast aside your burdensome humanity at last.”

The moment Doppelganger sincerely congratulated Kwang-Soo on his growth as a martial artist, Kwang-Soo’s lips twisted into a sneer.

“I guess grinding half of your face made you lose your vision as well...”

The dripping scorn made Doppelganger flinch slightly.

“...seeing as how you can’t even tell the difference between the living and the dead.”

“...!”

Doppelganger’s gaze flicked upward, looking at the disciples pinned to the ceiling once again.

Woong-

Their bodies were still impaled by violet swords lodged through their solar plexuses. Doppelganger had found no signs of life or consciousness at first glance, however, upon closer inspection, it realized it had been mistaken.

Are they... in a state of suspended animation?

Their hearts weren’t beating and their consciousnesses were gone, yet blood still flowed through their bodies, keeping them alive. Deducing that the bizarre state was due to the violet swords piercing their bodies, Doppelganger turned its gaze back to Kwang-Soo.

“How did you learn that technique?”

If Kwang-Soo had possessed the ability to use those violet swords from the start, he could have subdued the disciples earlier and made his way here much faster.

Thus, it was obvious Se-Hoon, who had conjured a similar sword earlier, had passed the technique to Kwang-Soo. The mystery to Doppelganger was that it couldn’t recall any signs of such a transfer.

If it wasn’t spatial teleportation or some undead-related trick, then how...?

Just as Doppelganger began pondering over it, it felt something foreign—a presence that seemed both real and unreal, like a dream slipping through the cracks of reality.

Reacting instinctively, Doppelganger swung its hand.

Slash!

A violet butterfly that had been approaching from behind was split in half.

Shhh-

Seeing the fragmented pieces of the butterfly scatter into the air, Doppelganger let out a small laugh.

“So you’ve conjured the swords from these dream butterflies...”

While it knew Se-Hoon could use dream mana, witnessing its application on such a level was astonishing. Impressed, Doppelganger admired the masterful use of dream mana.

Meanwhile, a black butterfly took advantage of the moment and flew through the gap created by Kwang-Soo’s earlier attack.

It then landed on one of the hostages and—

Whoosh!

A black void engulfed all the hostages. In the blink of an eye, the hostages were pulled into the Netherworld through the portal, while Se-Hoon stepped forward in their place, walking through the training hall door.

Witnessing it all, Doppelganger didn’t bother to hide its admiration.

“Truly impressive... you’re even more extraordinary than I had heard.”

Doppelganger couldn’t help but marvel at how Se-Hoon had so precisely used the momentary lapse in its attention to rescue the hostages and infiltrate the room.

Its gaze sharpened, but Se-Hoon glanced at the disciples pinned to the ceiling instead of meeting it.

...They’re not here either.

When he had been climbing the main building, he had checked those subdued by Kwang-Soo, but none of them were Won-Ryong, the mentors, or the high-ranking heroes of the Flame Sect.

Are they all waiting for an opportunity, hiding somewhere?

Although all of them were A-rank, if they joined forces with Doppelganger and became demons, their power would be unpredictable. Wong-Ryong especially, who was recognized as a quasi-S-rank, might have grown stronger than Sung-Ha if he had succumbed to demonic transformation.

“I don’t really care how many of them you are hiding, but you should bring them out now.”

Anticipating an ambush, Kwang-Soo conjured swords in midair and raised his guard, while Sung-Ha also prepared himself, his tension palpable.

“Oh? Ah, I see.” Understanding a beat later, Doppelganger’s calm voice resounded. “If you’re referring to Won-Ryong and his subordinates, they’re not here.”

“...What?”

The faces of the three hardened.

The idea of high-ranking heroes transformed into demons escaping was dangerous enough, but... an even greater sense of foreboding loomed over them.

“I was planning to deal with him myself... but they requested to handle it.”

Doppelganger’s words deepened the tension.

“They should have already met Yeom Jin-Hyun by now.”

The moment Jin-Hyun’s name left the Doppelganger’s lips, Sung-Ha’s eyes widened in shock. Then, without hesitation, he smashed through the wall and leapt outside.

“Wait—!”

Though Kwang-Soo tried to stop him, before he could act, a chilling energy brushed past his chest and dissipated.

“You should thank your disciple. He saved your life just now,” remarked Doppelganger, glancing at Se-Hoon with a detached expression.

His rage boiling, Kwang-Soo’s eyes twisted with anger.

“You filthy bastard...”

Doppelganger could have easily struck down Sung-Ha, who had recklessly exposed his back. However, it refrained not because Se-Hoon or Kwang-Soo posed a threat, but simply because it didn’t want to.

“So you still enjoy ruining others’ lives?”

While Doppelganger often killed skilled individuals to steal their techniques, it sometimes forced others into unlocking their hidden potential by subjecting them to unbearable tragedies.

“Such a thing isn’t going to ruin his life—it’s a trial. Every martial artist has to face one eventually.”

“Don’t give me that nonsense...!”

“I see that your rigid way of thinking hasn’t changed. You only became as strong as you are now because of the trial you faced, too.”

Listening to Doppelganger speaking calmly, almost mockingly so, Kwang-Soo clenched his teeth in frustration, barely containing his anger.

At that moment, Se-Hoon raised his Sin-Eclipsing Blade and softly whispered, “It’s fine. I’ve set up precautions, just in case.”

“...Is it some kind of spatial magic?”

“Something similar. But if it happens, you’ll have to fight alone, Professor.”

“There’s no need to worry about that.”

Thinking of his sword, Celestial Night, tucked away in the long cloth bag strapped to his back, Kwang-Soo’s eyes lit up.

“I’ve been prepared to fight alone from the very beginning.”

“...”

Even if it meant sacrificing his own life, Kwang-Soo was determined to take down Doppelganger, right here and now.

Whatever the story behind his resolve, it wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Now was the time to focus on the imminent battle before them.

Seeing Se-Hoon adjusting his stance, Doppelganger quietly murmured a few words.

“I’m looking forward to how he’ll change...”

***

“Huff... huff...”

Ragged breaths filled the air as Sung-Ha’s view, which had been stark white just moments ago, gradually cleared and revealed the mountain path leading to his home.

He couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but none of that mattered now.

Faster... I have to go faster!

Knowing that a battle was unfolding, he poured every ounce of strength into running. His mind was completely consumed with thoughts of Jin-Hyun waiting at the end of the path.

I can stop it. If I get there in time, I can still prevent it.

With his current strength, he believed he could prevent his master’s death. As long as his master was still breathing, he was certain Se-Hoon would find a way to treat him.

Thump- Thump-

His heart pounded violently in his chest, feeling as if it might explode. Yet Sung-Ha pushed on nonetheless. Moments later, the acrid scent of smoke reached his nose.

“Huff... huff...!”

The sight of flames and black smoke rising into the sky spurred him on further, moving his legs even faster.

And finally, he arrived at the home he had longed to reach.

Fwoosh!

The building was engulfed in crimson-black flames—just as he had seen in that vision.

His mind frozen in shock at the sight, Sung-Ha stared blankly. Then, almost as if drawn by a spell, he stepped forward step-by-step into the burning structure.

Scorch marks from battles covered the walls, and the air reeked of blood. It was all the same as the horrifying vision he had experienced. It made his thoughts spiral in confusion.

Is this a dream, too?

How could such a thing be real otherwise? Ignoring the very real searing heat that swirled around him, he staggered toward the main quarters. Jin-Hyun’s room was empty, deserted.

Not finding his master, Sung-Ha wandered around as if trapped in a nightmare. Crossing the veranda, he then stepped into the inner courtyard.

And there, for the first time, he saw something different.

Fwoosh!

The courtyard was littered with corpses.

The mentors of the Flame Sect, who had succumbed to their demonic transformation, lay in pieces, their bodies consumed by flames. Atop the smouldering remains, a man sat.

Drip-

His entire body was drenched in blood.

Beside him stood a crimson-black spear, planted firmly in the ground like a banner. At the tip of it hung the severed head of Won-Ryong, who had become a demon.

Lee Wong-Ryong... is dead?

Then who was the man sitting there? Confused, Sung-Ha stared blankly at the figure. And soon, his eyes widened in shock. He recognized the identity of the man.

“...Master?” Sung-Ha called out under his breath.

There were no scars on the man’s face, yet it was undeniably Jin-Hyun’s—as he had appeared in his youth. The unbelievable sight made Sung-Ha tremble, his eyes quivering.

“You’re late.”

The Flame Demon stared at his disciple.