The Regressor Can Make Them All

Chapter 241

There was no way out.

The Harbinger Shard was nowhere to be seen, and Wurgen was closing in at a terrifying speed. With no other choice, the Dream Demon immediately infused dream mana into the hand that Se-Hoon was grabbing.

Woong!

The odds were slim, but suppressing Se-Hoon and merging with him was the only viable option left. If she succeeded, she could threaten Wurgen.

Swoosh!

Dream butterflies bloomed from all over Se-Hoon’s body, only to seep back into the Dream Demon. And at that moment, when their two synesthetic mindscapes interacted, something occurred.

[Activating Awakening Dream]

Fwoosh!

The Dream Demon felt a chill spread across her body like she had just been doused with cold water. Then, her body began cracking all over.

“This is...”

It was a freezing chill that denied the Dream Demon’s very synesthetic mindscape itself. Stunned by the development, the Dream Demon stared at Se-Hoon while recalling that she had witnessed him use the same trick in the Pleasure District.

Crack!

However, Se-Hoon also suffered damage this time. In fact, his body was covered with far worse cracks. Unlike in the Pleasure District, a space separated from him, Awakening Dream caused damage because he was linked with her.

What the hell is he thinking...?

She didn’t think anyone who dared take her—one of the Ten Evils—head-on existed. She had never seen such recklessness before, but Se-Hoon seemed to have been planning on it all along. He followed up with his next move.

“Bond Recreate.”

Using the newly acquired skill that had emerged when his own bond level increased following his fight with the Dream Demon's avatar, he soon felt a new sensation pulsing from his heart.

Ba-dump.

His heart was beating to an entirely different rhythm than before. At the same time, Amir’s Fatestone was dissolving naturally into his bloodstream, bringing forth memories and strength that surged throughout his body.

Alongside the Singhs’ secret art, Frost Alchemy, and the Winter Sky Eyes’ usage method, Amir’s rage and hatred toward the Dream Demon filled in the gaps in Se-Hoon’s fractured synesthetic mindscape and settled naturally within him.

[Bond Recreate has been activated with the subject ‘Amir Singh’.]

Se-Hoon's left eye gleamed with a silver light.

Frost Alchemy: Ice Cage

Crack!

Pure white ice encased his hand and the Dream Demon’s, which he still held onto.

The ice was freezing cold, affecting not only her physical body but her synesthetic mindscape as well. Feeling the cold seeping into the cracks of her synesthetic mindscape, the Dream Demon was so stunned that she froze. But she quickly recovered, sensing the unforeseen danger, and attempted to counter it immediately. However, Se-Hoon's right hand was faster.

Grabbing onto the Dream Demon’s horn, Se-Hoon yanked it down while driving his knee up.

Bam!

His knee smashed hard into the Dream Demon’s head. Stunned by the numbing pain, the Dream Demon reflexively swung her hand in an attempt to shake him off.

As expected, I’m also at a disadvantage in terms of pure strength.

Even if the Dream Demon wasn’t proficient at close combat, as one of the Ten Evils, her basic physical abilities were still far stronger than Se-Hoon’s.

Still, Se-Hoon released the Dream Demon’s horn, pulled his arm back, and slammed his fist into her exposed face with all of his might.

Thwack!

“Urgh?!”

A fierce close-quarters brawl broke out as the two clashed, one of their hands still encased in ice. Enduring Se-Hoon’s relentless assault, the Dream Demon’s vision gradually blurred, and she began feeling an emotion stronger than the pain—shame.

This... this savage!

Such crude attacks should have been easily ignored with dream magic, but with her mind rattled and her skills unstable, the Dream Demon found herself taking physical damage for the first time in decades.

“Enough!”

Unable to withstand the onslaught any longer, the Dream Demon wildly swung her hand grasped by Se-Hoon’s, shattering the ice and flinging him away. Her strength was overwhelming, and Se-Hoon couldn’t bridge the gap between their physical abilities.

At the speed he was thrown back, he would be knocked unconscious instantly if he hit solid ground.

Crack!

If Se-Hoon hadn’t discovered a way to stop his fall and get back to the fight in the air, that is.

Boom!

Pushing off the platforms of ice he created in midair, he quickly uprighted his body, created an ice spear with Frost Alchemy, and then launched it toward the Dream Demon's neck.

Clang!

Unfortunately, the spear shattered on contact with the Dream Demon’s skin, failing to even penetrate. However, Se-Hoon was undeterred and continued repeatedly creating and launching weapons to deal blows to the Dream Demon.

Biding time amidst Se-Hoon’s chaotic flurry of attacks, which shattered ice shards continuously in every direction, the Dream Demon narrowed her eyes and repeatedly checked her condition.

Okay, I’ve recovered enough...!

Woong!

Acting immediately, the Dream Demon's left eye began glowing purple once again, and their surroundings transformed into an ancient castle in the blink of an eye. Though her Dream Castle had been dismantled by Se-Hoon, the Dream Demon had managed to restore and reconstruct it upon her resurrection.

Retreating momentarily, the Dream Demon soared high into the air away from Se-Hoon. Then, she turned back and looked down with newfound confidence.

“This time, I’ll—”

Shank-

Not allowing her to finish, Se-Hoon plunged a dagger into her heart, causing cracks to spread throughout the Dream Castle.

[Activating Awakening Dream]

Rumble-

Dismantled by Awakening Dream, the Dream Castle collapsed and their surroundings slowly returned to that of the real world.

“How did you...?”

The Dream Demon was gazing at him in shock, unable to fathom how her dream realm had vanished so easily. The cause of it all, however, was unfazed and prepared to attack again. But then, Se-Hoon suddenly realized something.

“...Ah.”

As if motivated by the realization, he promptly stabbed his own heart.

Splurt!

Blood gushed from the wound, the scene so vivid that the injury had to be real. Yet instead of pulling it out, Se-Hoon twisted the dagger even deeper.

Snap-

He felt something break. Shortly after, the scene before his eyes dissipated into a purple mist, revealing reality for real.

“?!”

The Dream Demon’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting Se-Hoon to wake up so quickly. She quickly reached out with her left hand to grasp his throat.

“How pathetic.”

Smirking at the evident shock in her expression, Se-Hoon drove his knee into the Dream Demon’s stomach.

Bam!

Her posture instantly faltered, creating an opening for him to unleash another set of attacks with Frost Alchemy. The Dream Demon’s expression twisted in disbelief, seeing the opportunity she barely seized slipping away once again.

How does he do it so easily...?

She knew she had let her guard down, allowing him to disrupt her synesthetic mindscape and hinder her use of dream magic. Coupled with the fatigue she accumulated facing Wurgen, her situation was far from ideal.

But even then, for the fight to even be so one-sided... something had to be terribly wrong. She couldn’t fathom how a mere student, one not even an S-rank, was overwhelming one of the Ten Evils.

Her mind racing, she rapidly came to the answer.

Could it be... a compatibility issue?

She had finally realized that the skills Se-Hoon possessed perfectly countered hers.

Bam!

Swiftly dismantling the dream magic she had desperately conjured again, Se-Hoon easily deflected her flailing attacks and swiftly counterattacked.

The only reason the situation hadn’t completely fallen apart yet was her body, which was barely holding out in the face of Se-Hoon’s relentless assault.

Frost Alchemy: Winter Sky Reflection

Shank!

And even that was reaching its limit.

Ice spears pierced through her skin, penetrating deep within and bypassing all resistances to target both her mind and body with chilling precision. Unable to resist, the Dream Demon’s body gradually stiffened due to the biting cold.

And it was only then that she realized—like a butterfly drawn to a sweet fragrance, the outcome had already been predetermined the moment she had chosen to come.

Shing!

Hearing Se-Hoon further sharpening the ice dagger in his hand, the Dream Demon gave up resistance and just looked up at him.

“Why are you so determined to stay here? Isn’t this all... just a dream?”

A world where the Towers of Heroes and the Abyss of Demons reigned supreme; a world where both heroes and demons were in ceaseless turmoil; a world where even ordinary families, swept into it, met their untimely demise. The world they were in was so cruel that it could only be a nightmare.

Seeing how the Dream Demon was still denying reality, Se-Hoon paused and stared at her.

“There’s also no way such a horrible place could possibly be a dream.” His voice was steady.

Nightmares were based on one’s imagination. Real life, however... Se-Hoon knew very well how countless layers of horror would come by without warning. His parents’ deaths, the sacrifice of countless comrades, and his regression after failing to protect anything—all of that was far too sudden and chaotic to be a mere dream.

And that was enough proof that everything he was experiencing was real.

“...I see.”

The Dream Demon finally understood the difference between them. While she denied reality out of pure hatred, Se-Hoon accepted it for the same reason. She couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle.

“I guess you’re right.”

Shank-

The sharpened ice dagger pierced the Dream Demon’s heart, and their bodies fell to the ground together. But just before they hit the ground, a soft white light descended.

Crack-

Feeling the ice spreading from her heart, the Dream Demon attempted to flee but was unable to do so. Her synesthetic mindscape had frozen along with her body.

With death looming before her, the Dream Demon glanced at Se-Hoon.

Grip!

On the verge of victory, Se-Hoon remained cautious, sharpening his senses and gripping the dagger tighter. And upon seeing his behavior, the Dream Demon found herself smiling.

“You... you’ll continue to trudge along like this, won’t you?” she muttered weakly.

“...”

“It’s frustrating... but I won’t tell you to do otherwise. As long as you live in this kind of reality... each day of yours will be filled with suffering...”

Crack!

Se-Hoon twisted the dagger even further. But despite the blood trickling from her mouth, the Dream Demon continued smiling with eerie composure.

Thinking about whether Se-Hoon would be able to hold on to that conviction to the very end, she became curious about the choice he would make when the time came. But, unfortunately, she knew she didn’t have the luxury of time anymore.

I didn’t think I would regret not being able to witness such a thing...

Wondering if she had developed a strange sense of kinship with him, she came to a decision that she had never thought she would make.

Flutter-

A dream butterfly appeared in the air, flapping its wings toward Se-Hoon. At the sight of it, Se-Hoon immediately released his grip and created a new ice dagger to strike it down.

Whoosh!

But when he saw what was inside the butterfly, his hand stopped reflexively. Continuing its flight, the butterfly soared past the halted ice dagger and gently landed on Se-Hoon’s left eyelid before seeping inside.

Woong-

The object the butterfly carried—the other eye of the Dream Demon—resonated with the eye Se-Hoon had already equipped and merged with him.

Wary of a potential trick, Se-Hoon braced himself. Yet the Dream Demon’s power entered his body without hostility, naturally intertwining with the two other skills that he had already learned.

[Skill ‘Ethereal Vision (A)’ has been combined with ‘Awakening Dream (C)’.]

[Skill ‘Metamorphosing Dreams (S)’ has been acquired.]

A notification message appeared before Se-Hoon’s eyes.

Confused by the lack of malice in the Dream Demon’s expression as she handed over her skill, Se-Hoon looked down with a perplexed expression.

“Why?”

“Hmm... I'm not sure either."

Perhaps she had given it as a reward for a job well done, or maybe she was wishing he would fall into corruption. Or... perhaps she simply wanted him to end the horrible nightmare. She didn’t know. The Dream Demon couldn't fully comprehend the conflicting emotions within her.

“Let’s just call it the lament of a defeated soul...” she quietly answered in the end.

Flutter-

With those final words, the Dream Demon dissolved into hundreds of butterflies that scattered into the air before becoming a purple mist. She had turned herself into a dream right at the very end, ending her life with her own hands.

“Running away until the very end, huh...”

Instead of letting her body remain in the harsh reality, she chose to vanish into a dream. Even Se-Hoon had no way of knowing where her soul had gone, but... he was certain her final destination would be an eternal nightmare.

Because that’s the nature of reality.

Watching the butterflies, Se-Hoon made sure to confirm that every single last one disappeared before looking down.

“Hm?”

For some reason, a large chunk of ice was stuck on his dagger. Inspecting it closer, he noticed a faint purple glow.

Is this... the Dream Demon’s heart...?

It seemed she had been unable to destroy it, likely because it had been frozen by Se-Hoon’s Frost Alchemy.

“Hm... What an awkward thing to be left with.”

Se-Hoon examined the heart encased in ice with a conflicted expression. Had it been a crystal, he likely could have been able to forge something with it, but because it was a live heart, he had to think of a different type of handling method.

Eh, I’ll think about it later.

For now, he had other things to do. Standing up, Se-Hoon headed toward the three who had fallen nearby.

“Ugh...”

“Guh...”

“Mmm...”

Sung-Ha was sprawled out on the ground, with Amir and Luize piled on top of him like a sandwich. Having used all of their strength as mediums, the three of them were completely drained. Luckily, though, they didn’t seem to have any severe injuries.

I can sort of guess the kind of changes they went through... but I’m curious to see the extent of them.

Curious about the future, he was mulling over their potential changes when he suddenly felt something behind him.

Woong-

Feeling the power of Boundaries, he just assumed it was Wurgen, but then, something felt off.

Why is he coming from the Netherworld?

Wurgen shouldn't have been far; he could've just flown over or sent one of his eyes. And yet... the strangeness of it all set off alarms in Se-Hoon’s mind.

Wasting no time, he unfurled the Veil of Whitespace to shield himself and the three others.

Boom!

Barely a moment later, a black hand shot out from the Netherworld, narrowly missing them, and grabbed a chunk of empty land before disappearing as swiftly as it had appeared.

What...?

Realizing it was a type of necromantic magic that was similar but distinctly different from Wurgen’s, Se-Hoon cautiously scanned the surroundings. At that moment, someone began slowly emerging from the shadows of the Netherworld.

Step. Step.

Walking toward them, the man, towering over two meters tall, was dressed in a black fedora and a black robe. Immediately recognizing the characteristic bird-like mask the man wore as well, Se-Hoon's eyes widened in shock.

“You’re more perceptive than I thought,” said the figure with a smirk.

Tuner, one of the Ten Evils, had appeared.