The Regressor Can Make Them All-Chapter 389

Roll-

The Destroyer of Perception’s severed head tumbled lifelessly across the ground, and the once-chaotic orchard fell silent.

Did we do it?

Se-Hoon glanced toward the areas where Kwang-Soo and Jason were fighting. Only upon seeing that those, too, had gone quiet did he turn his gaze downward to stare at the severed head.

Its form, made of condensed shadows, made it look less like a corpse and more like a Halloween decoration. It was indeed not showing any further movements, so Se-Hoon swung his Grim Reaper.

Squish-

With the sensation of piercing through mud, the blade impaled the head. Then, leaving it skewered on the tip, Se-Hoon rested the Grim Reaper on his shoulder and headed toward Jake.

“Ugh...”

Jake lay on the ground, his face pale. Maintaining his Blood Art had drained every last drop of his strength, leaving his entire body bleeding profusely uninhibited. If he weren’t a high-ranking hero, he would have died already.

That was close.

Se-Hoon had let Jake take the risk because it felt like he could pull it off. But if things had gone even slightly wrong, Se-Hoon would have had to retrieve him from the Netherworld himself.

“Hey, Jake. Can you hear me?” Se-Hoon asked, tapping his cheek.

“Reaper... The reaper... is dying...”

Jake continued to mumble nonsense, delirious with his eyes unfocused. Watching him, Se-Hoon let out a dry chuckle before placing a hand on his body and activating Pilgrim’s Prayer.

Woong-

A surge of divine mana, infused with earth mana, enveloped Jake’s entire body in a gray glow. In an instant, Jake’s muscles, bones, and internal organs were restored, and even his blood was replenished at an alarming rate.

And soon enough, his complexion returned to normal.

This should do it for now.

Done healing Jake, Se-Hoon was just about to summon an undead to carry him when a voice suddenly resounded.

“Impressive.”

The calm speaker was the head skewered on his blade.

“I’d never thought I would go down like this.... You completely caught me off guard.”

Even with only its head remaining, the Destroyer of Perception acted as if nothing was wrong.

Facing such nonchalance, most people would have been shocked, but Se-Hoon was indifferent, having expected it. “Changing your form doesn’t mean that you have also changed your essence. Like I said before, you shouldn’t have let your guard down.”

The Destroyer of Perception had divided itself into four and mimicked its enemies, creating independent clones. Under normal circumstances, the death of one clone wouldn’t have affected the others.

So, Se-Hoon had changed the rules. By using the power of Boundaries, he secretly reconnected the clones. And as a result, they were vulnerable to chain reactions, allowing death to spread like an infection.

The clones battling Kwang-Soo and Jason weren’t able to avoid it and had their heads severed at the same time, ending the fights in an instant.

“This is a flaw I hadn’t considered.... Is it also the power of the Eternal Nocturne that’s blocking my regeneration?”

“That would be this.”

Se-Hoon casually shook the Grim Reaper. The blade of the scythe drained the enemy’s life force and eroded them with the Netherworld’s mana, an ability that was amplified when combined with the power of Boundaries, being a relic of Wurgen’s. With it, the Destroyer of Perception’s regeneration was effectively nullified, ensuring its slow death.

“To think I’d be so thoroughly countered. It’s almost as if you had prepared for this all along.”

Despite its continued struggle to escape, the Destroyer of Perception was completely trapped. The blade was embedded too deeply—neither regeneration nor division could save it now.

It sighed in resignation.

“Enough with the act.”

But Se-Hoon remained stoic, observing it with an unimpressed gaze.

“Ah...You knew?”

“How could I not? Your choice of tactics was too inefficient. Anyone paying attention would have noticed.”

When the Destroyer of Perception first divided itself, Se-Hoon had assumed it was sacrificing efficiency for a greater purpose—perhaps a step toward full awakening.

The moment Jake killed one of the clones, though, the Destroyer of Perception had reacted with genuine shock rather than confidence, giving the clue Se-Hoon needed to piece everything together.

“You didn’t split yourself to win the battle. You did it to escape safely.”

Somewhere nearby, though not visible, was the true body: the one carrying the Harbinger Shard. The clones of the Destroyer of Perception were mere decoys for it to search for an opportunity to flee secretly.

“...What were you really trying to do?”

The Harbingers of Destruction Se-Hoon had faced before regressing were much like the Perfect Ones. They, too, were beings bound by the laws of their nature, forced to act accordingly even if it worked against them.

However, the Destroyer of Perception had deviated from that pattern. It had abandoned its chance to become stronger just to escape.

Why?

What kind of will did Doppelganger possess to make such an unorthodox choice?

“...I’d answer if I had the time, but it seems I don’t.”

“You can’t spare even a second? If you tell me, I might even consider learning that so-called Celestial Infinity Blade of yours.”

“Unfortunately, you’d figure out my location in an instant. This is where we part.”

Hearing those words, Se-Hoon’s smirk widened as the Destroyer of Perception chuckled.

“This round is your victory. Until next time, Lee Se-Hoon.”

BOOM!

The severed head exploded, leaving no trace behind.

“Tsk... I was too slow.”

He had been stalling to trace the Destroyer of Perception’s actual location, but now the connection had been severed completely. Tracking it now would be difficult, so Se-Hoon just let it go and reflected on the battle instead.

I still don’t get it.

The Destroyer of Perception must have taken serious damage from the self-destruction. Were there really any gains from suffering such a loss? By all accounts, all it had done was harm itself in the end.

Something about this feels off.

He couldn’t shake the thought that Doppelganger was unlike any other Harbinger of Destruction candidate.

Brooding over it, Se-Hoon set it aside for later and resumed the summoning of an undead.

“Carry him.”

“Understood.”

The skeleton lifted Jake, and Se-Hoon turned toward Kwang-Soo.

“...”

Unlike Jake, Kwang-Soo wasn’t in critical condition. Still, though, his body was riddled with wounds.

Yet what caught Se-Hoon’s eye the most was the black scabbard, or rather Celestial Night within, in his grasp.

It’s in awful shape.

Cracks ran along its surface, and black energy seeped through the gaps. It was damaged enough to require immediate repairs.

“Professor, are you alright?”

At the call, Kwang-Soo glanced at him before indifferently responding, “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“What about your sword—”

“It’s fine.”

His firm tone left no room for argument. While his expression was composed, there was a subtle heaviness in his eyes.

“If there’s a problem, I’ll let you know. Leave me for now. And hand Jake over to me.”

Seeing that Kwang-Soo had something on his mind, Se-Hoon hesitated briefly before nodding.

“Understood. I’ll leave him with you.”

With Jake entrusted to Kwang-Soo, Se-Hoon turned toward Jason.

The orchard, where the battle had begun, had been completely obliterated and reduced to barren ruins. And Jason stood unharmed, without a single scratch, in the middle of it.

“...Are you alright?”

At Se-Hoon’s question, Jason scanned the ruined orchard once more.

“This is a mess.”

Jason’s voice was blunt, but beneath it, a mix of emotions could be heard.

Se-Hoon glanced around at the ruined orchard.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“...I’ll have to restore the orchard.”

Se-Hoon looked at Jason with slight surprise.

He’s more attached to this orchard than I expected.

From his words, Jason didn’t seem willing to leave anytime soon.

Falling silent, Se-Hoon did some contemplating.

“What if the enemies come attacking again?” he asked after a moment.

“I’ll defeat them and rebuild.”

“And if they keep coming?”

Would he continue fighting and tending to the orchard forever?

Jason turned to face Se-Hoon directly.

“Is there another option?”

His gaze seemed to challenge him—if you have something to say, say it.

Se-Hoon recalled their conversation from moments ago.

Jason must have only reappeared to help humanity after it became impossible to maintain the orchard any further.

Now he knew why Jason had only appeared when humanity was on the brink of collapse. However, such a situation was neither imminent nor acceptable.

That was why, instead of taking the challenge, Se-Hoon took a different approach.

“We need to strike first and uproot them.”

“...You want to eradicate the entire Demon Force?”

“Yes. Wouldn’t that be better than waiting around to be attacked?"

Rather than endlessly repairing the orchard after every invasion, wouldn’t it be wiser to deal with the problem at its source?

Jason stared at Se-Hoon for a long moment.

“...But can you do it?” he eventually said, his voice calm.

Jason’s gaze was sharp: even the Perfected Ones couldn’t accomplish such a thing, so what made Se-Hoon think he could? The moment Se-Hoon hesitated or lied, Jason would cut him down without warning.

“I’m sure I can.”

There wasn’t the slightest bit of doubt in his voice.

“...Prove it.”

“The one we just fought—the Destroyer of Perception—was strong, wasn’t it?”

Jason pondered for a moment before nodding.

Seeing that, Se-Hoon smirked.

“You failed to subdue him, but I found an opening and took him down. And I’ve killed one even stronger than him before.”

“...”

“Just to be clear, I’m not asking you to do anything yourself.”

Jason was a farmer, someone who just tended to his orchard. Asking him to take down the Demon Force would be like shoving a plow into his hands and telling him to fight an army—which would only end with him falling into a trap.

After all, that was exactly what had happened before.

“I’ll handle the complicated stuff. I just need your strength. If you lend me that, I’ll destroy the Demon Force and the Harbingers of Destruction—all of them.”

To recruit Jason, he first had to establish himself as someone worth trusting. Now, all he could do was wait, hoping the man had a favorable impression of him.

“...I’ll help you. One time.” Jason met Se-Hoon’s gaze. “I’ll decide based on the situation then.”

If Se-Hoon called him for something trivial, that would be the end. But while such a situation wasn’t a full commitment, it was more than enough for now.

If I can call him during the Silent Volcano subjugation mission, that’s all I need.

If powerful demons or a Harbinger of Destruction appeared during the mission, he could prove his strength by killing them. And even if they didn’t, successfully raiding one of the Six Great Demon Realms would still be enough to convince Jason.

It was practically a done deal, allowing Se-Hoon to sigh in relief.

The Destroyer of Perception actually helped me out.

Although its sudden ambush had been troublesome, thanks to it, Jake’s training had gone smoothly and Jason had been brought to his side.

Now, all that remained was preparing for the Silent Volcano subjugation mission.

Se-Hoon ran through the final steps in his mind once more—

...Wait a second.

Something suddenly clicked.

He leaped into the air, scanning the ruined orchard.

“...Ah.”

The fruits he had planned to give to Luize were all crushed.

***

In the desolate remains of a forgotten city, untouched by human hands, Doppelganger leaned against a wall, catching its breath.

“Phew...”

A black vortex flickered around its body, writhing as if expressing its pain. Unstable mana and demonic aura leaked out uncontrollably. Alone, it trembled in agony for a while.

Then, a figure entered the ruins; it was Heaven Eye.

“The Visionary’s sniping has ceased. It should be safe now.”

“...Is that so.”

Doppelganger reached into its swirling shadows and, moments later, pulled out a crimson-black gemstone—Harbinger Shard.

Woong-

It pulsated with demonic aura menacingly, as if reluctant to part from its master. Staring at it, Doppelganger hesitated. But then, acting like nothing happened, he ripped it away.

Squelch!

Immediately, all the power it had gained as the Destroyer of Perception melted away like snow, leaving a hollow emptiness.

Doppelganger stared at the fragment in its hand, then let out a quiet chuckle.

“...I still don’t like it. Put it away.”

Whoosh!

Catching the Harbinger Shard that Doppelganger tossed effortlessly, Heaven Eye examined it.

“...What were you trying to accomplish with this?”

It hadn’t fully become a Harbinger of Destruction, nor had it dealt any crippling damage to the enemy forces. On the contrary, its recklessness had resulted in severe wounds, and now even the Harbinger Shard was cracked.

With only five of them in existence, damaging even one was an enormous loss.

Why does he look satisfied?

What had Doppelganger gained from that battle? Even though it was writhing in pain, why did it seem content?

“I just wanted to confirm the path I should take,” Doppelganger answered.

“...The path?”

“Just because I have the potential to become a Harbinger of Destruction doesn’t mean that’s my path. I needed to test it one last time.”

Heaven Eye stared at him in disbelief.

He had thrown himself into that battle—risking everything—just to see if being a Harbinger of Destruction suited him?

Absolute insanity. But, at the same time, Heaven Eye felt a deep curiosity.

“...How is that even possible?”

Becoming a Harbinger of Destruction meant fully manifesting one’s synesthetic mindscape, their deepest desire—it was the ultimate fulfillment of one’s being. That kind of power came with a bliss unlike any other.

To let go of such a thing... shouldn’t have been so easy.

Yet, Doppelganger had severed its connection to it without hesitation.

Indifferent, Doppelganger responded, “My enlightenment simply isn’t at the bottom of the abyss. It’s in the skies above.”

“What does that even mean—”

“It’s the nonsense of a halfwit. If you truly wish to become a Harbinger of Destruction, forget everything I just said.”

Heaven Eye frowned, but after a brief moment, he took its advice and shoved the thought aside. His goal was simple: become a Harbinger of Destruction and destroy the Visionary. Nothing else mattered.

With all unnecessary distractions pushed away, Heaven Eye looked at the damaged Harbinger Shard again.

“...So, what’s the next move? If the enemy attacks the Silent Volcano—”

“It doesn’t matter. Our job was always to stall them.”

Defending the Silent Volcano was the role of Demon’s Edge and Offering. They had successfully stalled for a short time, so that was enough.

“...And don’t worry.”

Doppelganger thought back to the battle. Specifically, the moment Jake had killed its clone.

“I’m one hundred percent certain Demon’s Edge will become a full-fledged Harbinger of Destruction.”

A smile crept onto its face.