The Hunted Regressor: My Heretic Saint System-Chapter 96: Break The World

"Live, boy."

It disappeared again, and Ignotus felt the attack before he saw it.

His steel snapped back and met the claws behind him, sending him flying.

"Ugh—!"

His arms trembled under the blow as his blade screamed from the impact. Though he still managed to turn around and keep himself straight, with his feet carving trenches into the rock.

"This is such nonsense... it’s so—"

His words sounded like a complaint, but his manic grin said otherwise.

"—GREAT!"

He laughed loud enough for all to hear.

"AHAHAAHAHAH! I WON’T FALL HERE!"

He dashed forward and swung, preemptively defending.

The masked thing flicked its wrist.

"You’re weak, boy."

Its claws batted him aside effortlessly with a CLANG!

Even though his blade struck back, Ignotus was slammed into the ground, rolling once before springing back up. Doing so just in time to see the air fill with floating lanterns.

Each one blazed like a tiny sun.

And each one was aimed at him.

The moment they shot forth, he was already upon them.

Stabbing his sword into the nearest one, he kicked off it to dodge the others and flipped back to the floor.

Those that passed beneath him exploded into the arena’s wall, raining down embers.

Yet he wasn’t safe, as more came.

Instead of stepping back, he walked forward once more, dodging them while closing in on Death.

Step by step, breath by breath, until he was right next to it.

His sword stabbed forth—a feint.

Its claws came at him, which he slid under...

"Ah, boy."

And stabbed for real, aiming straight for its mask.

"Making the correct decision doesn’t always mean winning."

BOOM.

Dozens of lanterns materialized around Ignotus in an instant, crushing him in a fiery burst.

The air quaked as he was sent to the ground, smoke filling the arena.

"That’s life, boy."

Death lowered its claw, staring through the smoke.

"...it’s death. But still, you could—"

Its claw pointed upward.

"RISE."

The ground trembled.

And through the smoke, Ignotus stood.

Blood poured down his face, and many of his bones seemed broken.

Yet he still rose to face Death.

Ignotus’s body shouldn’t have been moving.

He could hear it crack when he breathed.

Blood kept leaking from all over like ink through thin cloth.

Still, his fingers clutched around the sword.

A man as uncaring as he was wouldn’t have stood up.

Even though he loved battle, this was a lost cause.

It wasn’t a battle where there was a back-and-forth.

Only a "rise" and a fall.

But he didn’t give up and stay down.

No, as Ulv said, Ignotus was defeated.

And the memory of that defeat...

That was what allowed him to stand.

It was a past further than his death.

"I heard that you’re the best in the group."

"You’re insane, but I’ll follow you anyway."

"You’re not alone, idiot."

Hearing their voices hurt.

"Forgot those bastards, we’ve got your back."

The reason for his clothes...

It hurt way, way more than this.

He spat out blood and laughed.

"I can’t stay down here..."

Ignotus ran forward.

’...not when they died because of me.’

He couldn’t fail the image they saw of him again.

His boots screamed against the cracked floor, and his sword flared with a faint light.

Death raised its hand, its claws brimming with shadow.

CLANG!

Their clash resounded like thunder.

And again—

"RISE!"

Ignotus crashed into the wall.

His ribs gave way, and the world tilted sideways from the impact.

He saw flashes of his people, Alba, and that one annoying bastard.

It wasn’t love he felt that made that happen; he couldn’t feel love for long; it was responsibility.

That day... that day was where he’d lost them all.

His jaw clenched, and he pushed himself up.

Lanterns burst overhead as he roared.

"YOU THINK THAT’S ENOUGH?!"

Ignotus rushed in again, his sword dragging sparks across the ground.

He didn’t even notice the tears from his eyes, only the mad laughter that followed:

"YOU WILL SEE."

A wall met him.

"RISE."

He charged again.

"RISE."

And fell, before rising once more...

"RISE!"

Only for another blow to tear his chest open.

"RISE!"

Ignotus staggered up, screaming through the pain.

Every time Death said the word, his body obeyed.

Every time, he hit harder, faster, and wilder.

Their clashes became a rhythm.

His steel on its bone, its Peace on his Divinity, its Death against his Soul.

Each collision lit up the arena, shaking the lanterns loose from their chains.

The audience of eyes watched in silent awe, and They weren’t the only ones.

"RISE!"

One more time, Death’s voice thundered, almost laughing as it struck him hard, tearing off the left side of his body.

Ignotus, deep in the rumble, now only with one hand clutching his sword, looked up.

He wasn’t looking at it but at his past.

A charred, bloodied ground and human remains...

What remained of a Demonic feast.

They all died because of his inadequacy...

Ignotus couldn’t protect his people against those three.

And yet, each time, even now, they looked at him like they believed.

It was a look that annoyed him... why put such faith in a man that didn’t care for anything?

Ignotus dragged himself upright, one shaky breath at each slow move.

"I WILL NOT FALL HERE!"

Once he was finally standing, he roared back and rushed at it for one last time.

His body broke apart mid-swing, his remaining arm tearing, his legs buckling, and yet he still struck.

Their blades met, their forms locked in a final struggle of Will.

"WHY DO YOU RISE?!"

Death roared.

"WHAT DRIVES YOU? WHAT IS YOUR GOAL?!"

The eyes around them dimmed.

"SPEAK TO ME! ONLY I HEAR YOU NOW!"

And Ignotus, bleeding, burning, and smiling, screamed back:

"I WILL KILL THE LEADERS OF THIS WORLD!"

The mask cracked, its black revealed.

"I WILL TEAR AT THEIR VERY CORE!"

Ignotus thrust his sword forward, driving it through the being’s chest.

"MY HOUSE WILL END THE STATUS QUO!"

He raised his sword toward the sky, splitting Death in two.

"THEY WILL SEE A NEW RUNETHERA!"

His voice boomed through the arena as he swung down one last time.

"I WILL BREAK THE WORLD!"

Yes, he would break the world and damn its rules.

The hold of those Great Houses would be no longer.

It wasn’t noble.

It was far from heroic.

It was Ignotus’s pure, destructive Will.

THAT WAS HIS ULTIMATE GOAL!

"...good."

Alongside its owner, the mask was cut in half, shattering on the ground.

Death was dead... terminated.

Only for Ignotus to feel another.

Death had materialized, its dark face holding a white smile.

Ignotus’s eyes widened as he looked at it, before suddenly—

Ting!

Death snapped its fingers.

The eyes lit back up, and...

"Fall strong, Stranger."

Ignotus fell.

...

Ding!

—

[Runebearer: Ignotus]

[First Trial Concluded]

[Type: Dungeon]

[Number of Participants: 77]

[Main Quest: Reach The Hanged Man’s Tree And face Death.]

[Main Quest Rating: Perfect (S)]

[Side Quest: Explore The Dungeon]

[Side Quest Rating: Acceptable (C)]

[Notable Exploits]

[Exploit One: Survive The Minotaur]

[Exploit Two: Man Of Corruption]

[Special Exploit: Gain Death’s Favor]

[Overall Placement: Among The Top 0.0001% Who Entered This Dungeon]

[Final Score: S]

—

This was the beginning of an ugly, ugly climb.

And the end of one man’s death.

{End of Volume One: Break the World}