The Regressor Can Make Them All

Chapter 237

Bones shot out of the shadows, forming a serpent that towered like a skyscraper. Beside it, a wolf shrouded in darkness could be seen howling with its torn mouth.

Those two monstrous creatures aside, there was also a giant wreathed in blue flames that incinerated the surroundings and a black dragon spewing a poison so lethal that it could even melt its own body.

And it didn't end there. Countless horrifying creatures, each more heinous than the last, continued emerging from the shadows.

“Wait... that can't be...”

Staring at the undead, Amir couldn't believe his eyes. Wurgen had just summoned seven S-rank monsters, each so dangerous that just existing made them a threat to an entire planet and had to be hunted down as a top priority. Yet, those Planet Devourers, creatures that only existed in records, were being revived right before his very eyes.

As monsters counted among the worst global disasters, their mere presence befittingly dominated the battlefield.

And they were only the beginning.

“Seriously? You revived us again?”

“We don't even get to rest in death...”

“At least we're paid. Those bastards over there are subjected to forced labor and torture.”

Glancing at the demons, impaled with black stakes, howling in agony, countless heroes marched forward. They were the long-forgotten dead of past wars, and Wurgen was endlessly calling forth more of them from the Netherworld.

Seeing the corrupted land quickly filling with the undead, Sung-Ha inadvertently muttered, “This is insane...”

The armies of necromancers were usually conjured in a way suited for prolonged battles, but Wurgen's massive legion of the undead defied that expectation entirely.

Wurgen seemed to be summoning every dead he had subjugated and placed in his own legion over the past decades. He had summoned a fearsome army that left Luize staring in disbelief.

“So this is... necromancy.”

The sheer, overwhelming size of the army was incomparable to Gerwin's, the necromancer she'd destroyed in revenge.

The sight before them was the full force of a Perfect One, and seeing it for the first time left the three people completely stunned.

“Benjamin.”

A pale man stepped out of the ranks and bowed his head at Wurgen's call.

“Escort them over there.”

“Understood.”

“You guys can ride... these ones.”

Woong!

Summoning more beasts, Wurgen opened the boundary near the group. From it, a skeletal horse, Sleipnir, appeared along with two wolves, Skoll and Hati.

Grr-

Examining the red and white orbs that Skoll and Hati respectively held in their mouths, Se-Hoon turned to Amir and Sung-Ha with a smile upon feeling the heat and cold emitting from the wolves.

“You two can ride them. Luize, you're coming with me.”

“Huh? Oh... okay.”

Helping up the still-stiff Luize, Se-Hoon climbed onto Sleipnir and turned to look at the two awkwardly seated atop the wolves.

“With everything going on, things probably won't go as planned, so just remember one thing.”

Moving his gaze to the red butterflies fluttering among the Destroyer of Fragmentation's legions, Se-Hoon solemnly warned, “No matter what, don't touch those butterflies, even if you're in a life-or-death situation. As long as you follow that, Wurgen should handle the rest. And...”

Se-Hoon met their gazes. Then, he added, “Thanks for helping me out. I'll treat you all to a meal once this is over.”

Surprised by the genuine gratitude in his voice, the three exchanged glances.

“You're really trying to pass this off with a meal. I also want a weapon, you bastard.”

“Food is food, and rewards are rewards.”

“I'll make the reservations.”

Having been anticipating hostility, Se-Hoon grinned.

“Alright, let's go.”

The four turned their heads toward the battlefield, facing the Destroyer of Fragmentation's army and the legions of undead advancing. Soon, the colossal monsters leading the two armies clashed and the ground shook with a deafening roar.

KABOOOM!!!

Their clashes caused massive shockwaves that seemed to shake the entire continent itself. On Wurgen's side, the massive serpent that once ruled the North Atlantic, Jormungandr, swung its enormous body like a whip. The plains in its path were instantly torn apart, and the enemies were swept away in the devastation.

Though the giant beasts leading the army of the Destroyer of Fragmentation charged together to counterattack, their combined strength wasn't enough to fight Jourmungandr. Instead, Jormungandr's rib bones, jutting out like hooks, ensnared the monsters and tore through them.

Meanwhile, the other undead soldiers raced across Jourmungandr's massive body, using it as a bridge to infiltrate deep into enemy formations.

Jumping into the fray, Fenrir, the wolf known for devouring three S-rank heroes, sharpened his shadowy body and targeted the commanders. Seeing him, several demons covered in scales and stone rushed at him, but instead of retreating, Fenrir opened its jaws wide.

Crack!

His maw split all the way down to his abdomen. The wound that had once claimed his life had now become a deadly trait, and he began devouring the demons and everything else around them.

“Whoa...”

Luize couldn't help but gasp as she watched the ongoing battle from the rear. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Surtr, the giant who had set all of Ireland aflame, swung his fiery body to incinerate enemies. In another area, Nidhogg, the dragon who had once spread plagues worldwide, soared into the sky to scatter his melting flesh and spread his poison.

Their attacks should have hurt their allies, but the undead legion appeared immune.

Fwoosh! Sizzle!

Whether burned by flames or melted by poison, the undead were restored by the darkness of the Netherworld and could move around again as if nothing had happened. With the dominating power of immortality, such powerful creatures were able to use their strengths in a team, creating a powerful army.

Wait... if Wurgen's army is this strong, what could possibly make this battle disadvantageous for us?

The undead legions were tearing through the opponent's army like paper. To Luize, it looked like they not only could clear the path but also kill the Destroyer of Fragmentation. So why had they been told to stay in the rear?

Unable to understand, Luize turned to Se-Hoon, who casually commented, “It's not shrinking, as expected.”

“....What?”

“Look closely.”

Following his words, Luize refocused on the battlefield and noticed something unusual. The monstrous undead beasts had slaughtered countless enemies over tens of kilometers, the numbers hadn't decreased at all. Wondering why, Luize scanned the battlefield and soon found the reason.

Crack!

Every time an enemy died, red butterflies transformed them into cocoons. Those cocoons then split open to reveal the resurrected enemies. It was an endless cycle of revival.

But if that were all, it wasn't much different from Wurgen's legions; that is, if not for what followed.

Boom!!

Some of the enemy monsters transformed into giant slimes and stuck to Jormungandr, slowing its movements, while the commanders targeted by Fenrir deployed skills to counter Fenrir's speed or divide the incoming damage among themselves. Furthermore, the monsters as a whole seemed to be developing resistance to Surtr's flames and could now absorb Nidhogg's poison.

Discovering the change as well, Amir tensed up.

“They're... learning?”

Unlike Wurgen's legions which were already perfect, just strengthened by immortality, the Destroyer of Fragmentation's army was learning and adapting in real time.

It was a small difference, but one where it would gradually turn from initially insignificant to tide-turning. Realizing that the legions' advances would slow if they let the battle play out like that, Benjamin quickly revised their strategy.

“We're going to break through now.”

At Benjamin's command, three monstrous creatures that had been waiting in the rear leaped into action, tearing into the ground.

Boom!

Ignoring the surrounding enemies, the five of them charged directly toward their goal: the Harbinger of Destruction. Although it seemed overly reckless to just rush into the enemy ranks, they had Wurgen providing ample support from the rear.

Rumble!!

Dark pillars rained down from the black mist covering the sky, swiftly staining the red fields in shadows. Although the Destroyer of Fragmentation's soldiers would eventually overcome the darkness, it would take time.

Boom!

Taking the opportunity, the undead surged forward to forcibly clear a path for Se-Hoon's group to slip through.

“Hmph!”

“Haa!”

With Skoll's flames wrapped around his spears, Sung-Ha unleashed an Inferno Ring, while Amir harnessed Hati's cold with Frost Alchemy and chucked ice bombs at the enemies. Their attacks were a bit clumsy, but since they utilized the power of S-rank monsters, they packed quite a punch.

And those attacks were further reinforced by Se-Hoon and Luize.

Fwoosh! Crrrack!

Se-Hoon's incantation intensified the flames, whereas Luize's made the enemies freeze instantly by enhancing the cold. Still, their overall impact on the battlefield was small, but the four did everything they could to fight back regardless.

Ha, what are they even doing...?

Their desperate struggle made the Dream Demon laugh inwardly.

Did they really believe they could kill the Destroyer of Fragmentation with such feeble strength? She couldn't understand what they were trying to accomplish, but she couldn't ignore them either. He was among them, the one who had achieved the feat of disassembling both the Pleasure District and the Dream Castle on his own which even the Perfect Ones couldn't accomplish.

The Dream Demon stretched out her hand toward them.

Flutter-

A swarm of red butterflies rushed forth.

“Stop them!”

The undead, including Benjamin, immediately acted to repel the butterflies. However, the power of Fragmentation held by the butterflies dissipated their every attempt, rendering them useless as the butterflies clung to them one by one.

Fsss-

The undead crumbled to dust, scattered by the wind. The power of Fragmentation nullified even the power of Boundaries, robbing the undead of their immortality and bringing them eternal death.

“Hey! Is this supposed to happen?!”

“...”

Seeing the swarm of butterflies drawing closer, Luize yelled in a panic, but Se-Hoon simply observed the scene in silence. And when Benjamin perished as well, the butterflies finally descended upon the four of them, ready to consume them.

Swish-

However, at that moment, one of the eyes watching the battle unfold in the sky slowly closed.

“...?”

For a brief moment, darkness enveloped the world. It was so brief that Se-Hoon even wondered if he had accidentally closed his eyes. But upon seeing that the undead had revived as if they had never perished in the first place, he intuitively knew that Wurgen had done something.

RUMBLE-

The battlefield quickly changed. Dark pillars made from Wurgen's necromantic magic rained down from the sky while the revived undead threw themselves first at the butterflies. However, the enemy's offensive intensified just as quickly, making it increasingly challenging to completely avoid the butterflies' touch.

Instead of hesitating though, the three charged forward with Se-Hoon, recalling his warning.

Slash!

They unhesitantly severed the parts of their bodies about to come into contact with the butterflies. It left them with wounds deep enough to render them incapable of fighting, but it wasn’t a problem.

Swish-

Each time an eye in the sky closed, the world would darken momentarily and their wounds would vanish without a trace. The undead would then surround the group again, escorting them through the enemy's ranks.

Like that, they made it close to where the Dream Demon was. Seeing their arrival, the Dream Demon narrowed her eyes and began to gather her dream mana.

“Now!”

The golden ring on Luize's left hand, the Ascension Ring, glowed brightly.

Teleportation

The distance of several kilometers collapsed into a single point, and the four of them were transported directly above the flower bud encasing the Destroyer of Fragmentation. It was a decisive move they had been saving up until now.

“You guys are making this too easy.”

Flutter!

Unfortunately, the Dream Demon had already anticipated it. She turned the petals surrounding Destroyer of Fragmentation into butterflies, sending them soaring into the sky to swallow the four of them. Estranged from the beasts who essentially gave them their mobility, they had no choice but to face their demise, making the Dream Demon grin at their plight.

But contrary to the Dream Demon’s expectation, Se-Hoon wore a sly smile.

“You too.”

Swoosh-

The four, shrouded in a Veil of Whitespace, passed through a swarm of butterflies and entered the flower bud.

“?!”

The flower bud wavered.

Unable to comprehend how, despite the butterfly's obvious touch, nothing happened to the four of them, the Dream Demon froze in shock.

Then, when she recovered a beat later, she rushed toward the flower bud to expel the four of them.

“You're acting awfully confident.”

Boom!

A black spear pierced through the Dream Demon's head, and the darkness of the Netherworld engulfed the Dream Demon's body in an instant.

It was an attack powerful enough to deal a fatal blow to even the Ten Evils, yet the Dream Demon emerged unscathed from a new cocoon.

“...”

The realization set in. Without first killing Wurgen, the Dream Demon could not interfere with the four that entered the flower bud. She began to draw even more power from the Destroyer of Fragmentation.

Rumble!

The red butterflies started to consume reality itself while simultaneously manifesting unspeakable nightmares in the physical world.

Seeing her confident that it could kill him, Wurgen faintly smiled and gestured lazily with a hand formed from black mist.

“Bring it on.”

***

Swoosh-

The sound of waves tickled Se-Hoon's ears. It was a familiar yet loathsome sound that made him force open his eyes.

All he saw was a red sea that stretched beyond the horizon. He looked around, observing how eerily still the vast ocean was. But all he could see was the black sky and the crimson sea.

As he continued to investigate his surroundings, he heard the voice of someone behind him.

“They're dead.”

Se-Hoon turned toward the voice, and there, seated atop a mountain of corpses, was the Destroyer of Fragmentation, looking down at him.

“The three who entered with you all lost their minds, unable to handle my synesthetic mindscape when they entered this world. They've likely blended into the corpses below by now.”

Unfazed, Se-Hoon gazed at the blood ocean, teeming with the souls of those consumed.

“And why didn't you consume me?”

Se-Hoon was completely calm. He had expected to be swallowed as well, so why had he been spared? For a while, the Destroyer of Fragmentation stared at him in silence.

“I'm not sure,” it eventually said.

“What?”

“No matter how many dreams I can go through, I cannot find an answer to a question that does not exist. That is who you are to me.”

Amidst the countless dreams the Destroyer of Fragmentation had, it had reached S-rank or had become one of the Ten Evils many times, but it had never dreamed of itself becoming a Perfect One or other Harbingers of Destruction.

The Perfect Ones' sources of strength were rooted in an entirely parallel axis, meaning they could never be replicated even if it could understand them. Similarly, the predestined end of “Fragmentation” meant that it could never learn how to become another Harbinger of Destruction.

With both, the Destroyer of Fragmentation clearly knew and could understand why, but not with Se-Hoon.

No matter how many dreams I go through, I just can't become him.

It was as if something unknown was mixed with Se-Hoon's identity. No matter how closely the Destroyer of Fragmentation got to becoming him in a dream, the result was always faulty.

Staring at Se-Hoon, the Destroyer of Fragmentation ended up speaking again.

“Another reason is that I just couldn't guarantee it.”

“Guarantee it?”

“Yes.”

The Destroyer of Fragmentation calmly met Se-Hoon’s gaze.

“I couldn't guarantee that I would retain my sanity if I were to merge with you.”

While absorbing those with outstanding talents could yield many rewards, there was no need to risk an unknown danger. As a result, the Destroyer of Fragmentation chose not to consume Se-Hoon, opting instead for a different approach.

“Though I don't really like this... I will put you to eternal sleep in the ideal dream of your choice.”

Woong!

As heavy and irresistible somnolence overwhelmed him, the blood-red sea began to rise, submerging Se-Hoon's body. Se-Hoon tried to resist, but his strength waned, and soon the sea formed a cocoon around him.

“It won't be so bad. The world you desire will be there, waiting for you.”

Hearing the Destroyer of Fragmentation's voice fading into the distance, Se-Hoon's consciousness began to sink into the dream—

Stab!

A violet blade pierced through the cocoon from inside it.

Slash!

The cocoon was then split in half, crumbling on both sides as Se-Hoon emerged from it completely unfazed.

The Destroyer of Fragmentation narrowed its eyes at the sight.

“You don't trust even your dreams?”

Even though Se-Hoon constantly suspected everything was a dream, he still clung to reasons why it had to be reality. His commitment to doing so, bordering obsession, made it impossible to trap him in a shallow dream. And the Destroyer of Fragmentation's reality-like dream was no exception.

“You're quite a troublesome fellow.”

“That's what I've been saying.”

Hearing how casual Se-Hoon was being, the Destroyer of Fragmentation gathered its power once more.

Rumble-

If putting Se-Hoon to sleep wasn't possible, then the only option was to kill him over and over again until his consciousness completely disintegrated. Resolute, the Destroyer of Fragmentation prepared to ensnare Se-Hoon within a dream once more.

Stab!

But it paused, seeing Se-Hoon suddenly drive the Phantasmal Spyblade's blade deep into the sea of blood beneath him.

“...What are you doing?”

“It's not fair if only you get to summon things. I'm calling my own too.”

The Destroyer of Fragmentation chuckled. To think Se-Hoon had the audacity to even consider opposing its dream with his own.

Is he trying to use the Dream Demon's eye?

It was a laughable attempt, but there was no reason to avoid it. It believed that the moment Se-Hoon’s “means” of resisting collapsed, his consciousness would collapse even faster.

“So, who are you going to summon? A Perfect One? Or perhaps the Ten Evils?”

No matter what dream Se-Hoon conjured, if he didn't fully understand his subject, all he would summon would be a hollow imitation.

“No.”

Se-Hoon smirked.

“I'm bringing the dogs here.”

BOOM!

The blood-red sea exploded, and the three towering columns of water that shot into the sky destroyed the once-calm surface.

“What the...?!”

Three indistinct figures emerged from the sea's depths.

“I didn't know there were demons even in the afterlife.”

“Of all the people, you really had to summon me together with these bastards...”

“You should've killed them first, Se-Hoon.”

Defying the flow of time, the Three Dogs, seasoned slayers of Harbingers of Destruction, had arrived.