Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1463. Continental War (43)

“Mr. Ji-Hoon, get ready,” I instructed.

“What?”

“We need to move now,” I told him.

“H-huh?”

Kaboooooooom!!!

“Yuriel... no, Jin Yoo, w-what... what is that sound?” Sung Ji-Hoon asked.

Sung Ji-Hoon was scrambling to higher ground, so he could definitely see what was happening down below. He wasn’t the only one—Palette, Hamgardia, and Rusvilla were also looking down from a cliff.

Even without a Telescope, the scale was massive enough that it was clear to the naked eye.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A chain of explosions erupted one after another.

The ground collapsed, and the soldiers were swallowed by the earth.

Their screams could only be faintly heard amidst the chaos. The absurd part was that the explosions didn’t discriminate between allies and enemies. It was a gift prepared by the First Ji-Hye and the Brigade, so it made sense that it didn’t discriminate.

It was nothing but malice and mockery directed at all human beings here. Everyone knew that the Brigade was a deranged group of people, but witnessing what they actually unleashed left mouths agape.

Their goal was nothing more than to sow chaos across the continent.

This was the impression the scene gave to everyone staring at it.

‘Are they seriously insane?’

The ground caved in like falling dominoes. The soldiers from both sides panicked, flailing to escape the collapsing zone, but there was no way anyone could get out.

Earlier, the battlefield merely resembled hell, but now, it had truly become one. Soldiers struggled to stay on their feet, young soldiers were crushed under debris, and others screamed in terror. Dust and smoke from the destruction blurred the view, but it was easy to imagine the horrors unfolding below.

Sung Ji-Hoon’s face twisted in shock. His hands trembled, and his eyes darted around, looking lost and desperate.

“W-what is that?” he asked.

‘You’re literally watching it.’

“T-that... that shouldn’t be happening...” he mumbled.

“...”

“Even if it’s a war... they shouldn’t be doing that. People can’t just die like that... It’s not right,” he said.

‘He has a kind heart.

“T-this isn’t right. It’s... too cruel...” he said.

The young ladies watching alongside him were also at a loss for words, staring blankly into the distance.

“Ryu Han...”

‘No... I don’t think it’s his fault.’

“I’ll never forgive them. Especially not Ryu Han...”

‘Yeah, being angry is fine, but you know you still need to keep your composure, right?’

I slipped my hand over and gripped his hand tightly. I was a bit worried that he'd lose himself to rage again and start swinging his blade, but he looked surprisingly calm.

The spectacle he put on under the full moon had to have worked. Of course, even while Sung Ji-Hoon was simmering with anger, the troops were already preparing to move out, and Lady Paint realized that this was their only chance to do so.

I did feel a bit sorry for the victims who died so suddenly, but in the end, we were the ones benefiting from the Brigade’s actions. The operation itself wasn’t particularly complicated. All we had to do was move into the space beneath the ground that the Brigade had collapsed.

There was a risk in the form of falling debris from above, but it was the only way to advance while preserving our forces.

As expected, the decision was swift.

After taking precautions against a possible secondary explosion, Lady Paint immediately issued the order to advance. There was no meeting and no briefing on the operation. She realized that this wasn’t the time to inch forward cautiously, but a moment to roll the dice even if it meant pushing the envelope.

‘That was an excellent call.’

It showed off her instincts. Anyone could think of it, but putting it into action was another matter entirely. This was likely the last train out, so there was no time to weigh pros and cons. The ranger unit had already moved ahead, checking whether there were any additional traps in the tunnels the main force would pass through.

‘Good.’

A sudden mobilization like this could cause confusion, but none of the soldiers looked shaken. Everyone heard those massive explosions just moments ago, so they had to have known something serious was happening. Some probably even saw the ground collapsing with their own eyes. Our well-conditioned soldiers seemed to believe that the command staff and the Saint had made this decision because they could no longer stand by and watch the soldiers die.

‘Once we get inside, they should get an idea.’

“...”

“...”

“Hoo... hoo... hoo...”

“Hoo...”

I passed by the soldiers, helmets on, rough breaths spilling out as they marched, and briefly met gazes with Lady Paint and Lady Brush. There were no words exchanged. She conveyed that she was ready, and I nodded in return.

There was a bit of distance from here to the tunnel, and throughout the march, tension ran through the ranks. These were soldiers who had already fought through multiple battles, and it felt as though they understood that this one could be the last battle.

I considered whether I should give a speech before heading out, but I quickly realized that words were unnecessary at this point. After all, I was about to leave anyway.

The one who would lead these followers of the moon wasn’t me, but the Holy Sword Hero. The Holy Sword Hero finally regained his composure and stared blankly at me. I handed Yuriel to him, but he just kept looking at me in the same dazed way.

‘Damn it. I should say something to this guy. No, forget it. Just holding the Holy Sword already counts as doing half his job.’

In a situation this grim, simply holding something that looked holy was a huge help. Saying that he was chosen by the gods was a bit different from saying we were right and the enemies were wrong.

The whole scene almost felt like we were about to embark on a crusade. Most of the soldiers probably believed that even if they died in this battle, the gods would be with them.

With that faith in mind, the troops moved carefully, and one by one, they descended the dark slope. It seemed they had exchanged a few words with Lady Paint and the other commanders, but for now, following the path scouted by the rangers came first.

The descent felt like moving through a dark cave or canyon. The flickering small lights revealed glimpses of the horrors from earlier.

‘Damn... this feels awful.’

“Ugh... urgh.”

The sound of someone vomiting didn’t even seem unusual. Human bodies were scattered under rocks, and there was debris everywhere. Honestly, I had no idea what I was stepping on, and the squelching underfoot only made things worse.

‘Ah... I think I just stepped on a head.’

“Mr. Jin Yoo.”

“Keep moving forward. There could still be survivors... Stay alert,” I instructed.

Of course, there were no survivors.

‘It would be a miracle if someone were still alive.’

If the ground had simply collapsed, a few could have survived, but the massive explosions afterward meant that every single one of the survivors of the initial collapse was torn apart.

Without Endurance and Stamina on the same level as Park Deok-Gu’s, surviving here was impossible.

In reality, the Union forces were walking along a path paved with corpses. Honestly, it could hardly even be called a path.

It was natural to have all kinds of thoughts while passing through this place.

Most of the soldiers wore grim expressions, and the ladies remained speechless. Even the Holy Sword Hero, who had erupted in anger earlier, was deeply shocked.

I was worried about him vomiting at the gore, but he held himself together. He even scanned the surroundings as if trying to take in the full horror of the war with his own eyes.

“Jin Yoo...” Sung Ji-Hoon mumbled.

“Yes, Mr. Ji-Hoon?” I answered.

“What... is war?” he asked.

‘Here he goes again with the deep talk. Damn it. Just keep walking, man.’

“Why... does something like this happen? Why... did these people have to die here?” he questioned.

“I... don’t really know either, Mr. Ji-Hoon,” I answered.

“...”

“But... there’s one thing I’m sure of. This is wrong. There’s no such thing as a righteous war or a necessary war. No one has the right to take so many lives. Everyone here is someone’s family, and their life is just as precious as any other. They shouldn’t be dying in such a meaningless way in a place like this...” I told him.

“J-Jin Yoo,” he said.

‘Shed a single tear for dramatic effect.’

“I hate war, Mr. Ji-Hoon. This is just... too horrific,” I added.

‘Which is why we should keep moving. We don’t have time for this right now.’

“...”

“Me too... I feel the same,” he said.

“...”

His pace quickened, and the soldiers’ march picked up as well. Some retched or panicked along the way, but still, they forced themselves forward. Then, faint voices reached them. The voices weren't from beneath the ground, but from above.

They were entering the conflict zone.

‘It’s still chaos up there. Everyone's attacking each other like madmen.’

“You Republic bastards!”

“Rats of the Union!”

“Die! You bastards!”

“Aaaahhh!”

“Die! Die! KILL THEM ALL!!!”

“Aaaahhh!”

Thud!

A decapitated body fell from above. Contrary to expectations that the recent explosions could have caused a temporary lull, the battlefield was actually boiling over.

“Filthy bastards! Die!”

‘An expected reaction.’

From the Republic’s perspective, the Union of Kingdoms and Empire had set an outrageous trap, while from the Kingdom and Empire’s perspective, the Republic had laid a despicable trap.

All that remained was rage toward one another. Every soldier was consumed by frenzy, screaming, swinging blindly, cursing, and dying while attacking both friend and foe alike.

We could hear everything down below. Even without the Telescope, the situation was easy to guess. While foaming at the mouth and with faces streaked with tears of vengeance, everyone swung their sword at each other.

The sound of spells had long since stopped, as the mages were utterly spent.

‘It’s brutal. Utterly brutal.’

And through it all, our Holy Sword Hero listened. He gripped my hand tightly, held back his tears, and bit his lip hard. He trudged forward in silence as he witnessed, heard, and stepped over the results of war.

“Hoo... hoo...”

I could hear his breathing growing ragged.

“Mr. Ji-Hoon,” I said.

After a few hours, we reached our destination, but he suddenly broke into a run as if he were vomiting up everything he had been holding back.

The problem was that he actually vomited something else as well.

When the Holy Sword Hero reached the surface and took in the sight of the battlefield consumed by madness, he roared, “Stop!”

“...”

“STOP THIS WAR!!!”

“...”

“...”

‘Is this guy... seriously? Are you stupid?’

'Do you really think they'll stop just because you said so?'

For some reason, his actions reminded me of those school anti-bullying campaigns.