The Regressor Can Make Them All

Chapter 466

Woong-

Dozens of swords hovered in midair, each glistening with sharp and fierce black sword aura. At the core of each, a fragment of Celestial Night pulsed like a heart to give strength comparable to a Legendary-tier sword.

“…”

Silently observing the terrifying sight, Kwang-Soo slowly took his stance before slashing his right index finger to the left.

Swish!

The swords followed the tip of his finger like a school of fish, slashing through everything in their path with utter brutality—a technique that surpassed Kwang-Soo’s past prime and allowed him to reach a new realm.

And yet, far from being pleased, Kwang-Soo was dissatisfied.

A bit more…

It wasn’t enough. He couldn’t cut through the Perfect Ones—he couldn’t slice through the world itself.

Recalling the strike Ha-Rin had shown, Kwang-Soo began controlling the sword aura swords to move even faster. He began moving them closer and closer to one another, attempting to merge them all into a single blade.

Clang!

However, the moment he tried, it shattered into pieces and scattered the Celestial Night fragments in every direction.

“Huff… Huff…”

Dripping with sweat from trying to control all that sword aura at once, Kwang-Soo stared at the failure before him.

“Damn it…” Kwang-Soo sighed, slumping to the floor of the training hall.

He was beyond frustrated, having failed yet again, making him mutter curses under his breath. Unlike typical training stagnation, which persisted until a sudden breakthrough, he already knew the way forward.

It’s really just the final step giving me trouble.

He just couldn’t take that one step. Every time he tried, he felt as though an invisible wall was blocking his path, preventing him from moving forward.

“…”

Kwang-Soo was lost. He had become familiar enough to control the Celestial Night fragments individually, and his sword aura had grown incomparably stronger. But why couldn’t he perfect his sword aura? Why couldn’t he pass the Myers siblings’ test? Just what was going wrong?

If anything… it’s probably because of my Soul Sword.

A sword forged from one’s life, values, and desires—in essence, everything constituting one as a user of the sword. Without completing such a thing, his sword aura could never be completed either.

“Am I done for…?”

Kwang-Soo furrowed his brow. The truth hadn’t changed.

With only five days until the decisive battle with Doppelganger, he should’ve been making all sorts of preparations for the fight, but instead he was still trying to perfect his sword aura, much less have Celestial Night reforged.

Utterly stuck, Kwang-Soo looked around the empty lecture hall.

They must’ve given up on me, too…

The three who had come every day to help him train hadn’t shown up for the past two days, saying something urgent had come up. He didn’t know what they were doing, but judging from the situation, Kwang-Soo thought they were most likely preparing for his death or a way to take down Doppelganger themselves.

Unlike me, those two could probably face a Perfect One.

Aria was strong enough to ‌conquer the Tower of Heroes at any time. And Jake, who lacked that strength, had sword aura of a quality that rivaled that of his sister. If Se-Hoon supported the two well enough on top, even Doppelganger most likely wouldn’t be able to survive under their combined attack.

Yeah… I need to start thinking rationally now.

They had given him every opportunity, helping him wholeheartedly, yet he still couldn’t complete his Soul Sword. Choosing a fallback option was the obvious course of action.

And for that reason, Kwang-Soo didn’t resent the three of them. Instead, another thought came to mind.

If they’ve really given up on me…

Then wasn’t it fine for him to stop trying as well? Worn out from the long stagnation, Kwang-Soo seriously considered it before eventually making a bitter smile.

“…Guess there’s a reason the saying ‘better to die than to suffer’ exists.”

Even after being warned countless times, here he was repeating the same mistakes—and stirring his inner demon in the depths of his mind. Shaking it off, Kwang-Soo steadied his breath and abruptly stood up.

I just need to keep moving.

Winning or losing against Doppelganger didn’t matter—only his resolve to fight to the very end by his own will did. Reminding himself of that truth, Kwang-Soo once got ready to try manifesting the Celestial Infinity Blade using the Celestial Night fragments—

“Professor.”

Appearing out of the blue, Se-Hoon was standing naturally by his side.

“…You’re becoming more like that bastard Ludwig every day.”

If they were going to teleport, why did they always have to appear right beside or behind someone just to scare them?

“Maybe only people with bad personalities can use spatial skills,” Se-Hoon quipped back, flashing a mischievous smile upon hearing Kwang-Soo’s complaint.

However, even though he had said it as a joke, Se-Hoon also partially believed it. After all, Ludwig always seemed nice on the surface, but when Babel was involved, he flipped and became icy cold. And he didn’t even want to get started on the Blast Dog’s temper.

I guess I’m the only exception.

Although Se-Hoon was self-aware enough not to say he had a nice personality, compared to those two, he was practically a saint! Smirking to himself at that thought, Se-Hoon only now noticed that Kwang-Soo had finished looking him up and down.

“You’ve got a point.”

“…”

Seeing Kwang-Soo nodding his head, Se-Hoon was about to argue but held his tongue. He had joked about it first, so arguing would just prove he had a bad personality. But…

Just you wait…

One day, he would recite all of Kwang-Soo’s past cheesy quotes in front of others. Vowing to himself, Se-Hoon got back to the main point.

“There’s something I want to show you. Come with me.”

“No thanks. I should be—”

“Training? If you really consider what you were doing just now as training, then I say we should just go out and get some fresh air instead.”

“…You little punk.”

Just like that, Kwang-Soo was convinced there really was a correlation between spatial abilities and terrible personalities.

“Tsk.What is it you want to show me?” In the end, Kwang-Soo gave in with a grumble.

“You’ll see once we get there. You’re coming, right?”

“You came to bring me regardless. Do whatever you want.”

“Then we’ll head out now.”

Placing his hand on Kwang-Soo’s shoulder, Se-Hoon immediately teleported.

Whoosh!

In an instant, they arrived at a place with a panoramic view of the night sky and the valley below: the artificial mountain where Se-Hoon’s workshop was located, near the peak.

“Why bring me… huh?”

Just as Kwang-Soo was asking why, he noticed some people gathered below. At the far end of the clearing near the cliff stood the Myers siblings, and surrounding them at a distance in chairs were Se-Hoon’s acquaintances.

This is…

Confused, Kwang-Soo was staring down at what looked like a small performance when he heard Se-Hoon’s calm voice.

“Make sure you watch closely. Hey, begin!”

Hearing Se-Hoon’s shout, Lea activated the Sphere to resonate with the Warhound and Terra standing on either side.

Woong!

Waves emanating from both overlaid the area, distorting the celestial bodies in the sky into different forms. Then, once the stage completed itself, the two people standing inside—Aria and Jake—drew their swords from their waists.

Cling!

Two blunt swords glowing in gold and blue. Like casts freshly pulled from a mold, their surfaces were bumpy and rough, clearly unfinished.

Pinpointing them, Kwang-Soo squinted.

They look crude, but… those aren’t ordinary blades.

He could easily tell that if fully refined, the swords would surely surpass Legendary-tier with ease. Interested, Kwang-Soo focused more intently right as Aria and Jake simultaneously charged at the other.

Clang!

Colliding, the swords let off shards of light—fragments of sword aura—in all directions. The golden sword aura radiating from Aria’s blade sparkled among the stars, whereas Jake’s blue sword aura melted into the night sky.

Woong!

All the fragments remained suspended in the air, illuminating the two clashing swords again and again. Like that, the siblings performed an ethereal sword dance under the starry sky of their own making, mesmerizing their viewers.

“This is beautiful…” Kwang-Soo muttered, not even realizing it.

The motions flowing from their fingertips, the sword aura extending from their blades—all of it fused into a harmonious display. Unlike him, who was stuck in the process of completing his Soul Sword, the Myers siblings were growing, even as he watched.

They dazzled so brightly, shadowing Kwang-Soo with a mix of awe and bitterness.

So this is what he wanted to show me…

Was it Se-Hoon’s way of saying that with those two around, he didn’t need to worry even in the worst-case scenario? Realizing that, Kwang-Soo’s worries faded somewhat… though truthfully, that came with a pang of emptiness.

Falling silent, Kwang-Soo quietly watched.

Soul Sword Manifestation

Having completed their warm-up, the two’s sword aura began glowing even more brilliantly.

Clang!

Their Soul Swords clashed, unleashing transcendent sword aura. Aria’s golden blade severed all concepts, which were then absorbed and compressed by Jake’s blue blade.

In front of Kwang-Soo’s eyes, their dance stepped beyond that of S-ranks, brushing against the realm of ascension.

In terms of compatibility, Aria has the edge… but Jake’s holding his ground well.

Whenever Aria’s sword aura tried to cut everything with one stroke, Jake’s sword aura would absorb and restore the damage through compression. Their duel remained tense the entire time, both of them gradually wearing down at an even pace.

Will they both fall at this rate?

Just what was the point of it all? Still unable to understand Se-Hoon’s intention, Kwang-Soo continued to watch.

Swish-

Something changed: both Jake and Aria’s sword auras began absorbing the scattered fragments of sword aura around them to restore their strength.

Wait… they’re absorbing each other’s sword auras?

Kwang-Soo’s eyes widened. Not just their own, but also each other’s? Gold and blue were clearly blending within their respective sword auras, putting an expression of disbelief on Kwang-Soo’s face.

What are they thinking…?

To absorb someone else’s sword aura—which was infused with their synesthetic mindscape—would lead to poisoning, not recovery. There’s no way they didn’t know that, so why?

His doubt growing, Kwang-Soo soon noticed something strange.

Their sword aura… isn’t rejecting the other?

There was no reaction, no instability. If anything, both shone even more brilliantly than before to dye the world in their color.

“…Is this your doing?”

There had to be some secret to the sword auras they were wielding.

“I did forge their swords, but I didn’t help them with anything else. The merging of sword aura is entirely the work of the two of them,” Se-Hoon calmly explained.

“How is that even possible?”

“It’s probably because of how they share the same synesthetic mindscape.”

Moving to stand beside Kwang-Soo, Se-Hoon gazed down.

“They’ve been dreaming the same dream since childhood. More precisely, they both share the dream where Aria leads and Jake supports her. A dream where the two become one.”

“…”

“Although they’ve lived different lives and hold different values, because they both dream of and wish for the same future, they’re able to resonate their sword aura like this.”

“…”

Kwang-Soo returned his gaze to the siblings. Although the two were clashing against each other with all their strength… they were both smiling softly. The two, who bickered and argued most of the time, were the same in the current moment: kindred spirits dreaming the same dream, companions walking toward a shared goal.

They were taking the same path together, allowing their sword auras to align so naturally, despite the differences, to become one.

They dream the same dream…

Kwang-Soo stared blankly down below at the sword dance that was reaching its finale. Then, as if on cue, the two simultaneously stepped back and absorbed all remaining fragments to finish the refinement of their sword aura.

Woong!

Gold and blue. Blue and gold.

The two’s sword aura embraced each other’s light and blazed brilliantly, filling the world within the stage. Now it was the finale—Aria and Jake kicked off the ground simultaneously and swung their blades at each other.

BOOM!

The world split apart as everything was engulfed in light.

But alas, the light eventually faded away and the self-made night sky disappeared, leaving behind a faint hush of melancholy that lingered in the air. To those left behind, it was almost as if everything had been just a dream.

Clap, clap.

Yet that didn’t last for long, the feeling banished by the applause filling the air. Despite her grumpy expression, Luize had started it. Then, Sung-Ha and Amir had followed suit before everyone else also joined in.

Aria and Jake exchanged glances. Enjoying the shower of applause, they, without ado, chuckled and bowed slightly.

Hmm, that went well enough.

Satisfied, Se-Hoon watched them all constantly from above—until Aria raised her head to meet his gaze and shouted, “Don’t tell me you’re calling this a finished product?”

“Ah. I’ll be right back.”

Leaving the contemplating Kwang-Soo behind, Se-Hoon descended toward the pair. Their swords were indeed better than before, but to Aria, they still felt blunt and messy.

“Try pointing them this way,” Se-Hoon said, flicking his fingers in show upon arriving in front of them.

Though confused, the two pointed their blades at him.

Seeing the two blades, Se-Hoon took a deep breath and raised both hands. Moving his thumbs, he pulled back both index fingers with full force.

Clang!

It was the finishing touch.

Shatter-

Immediately, the bumpy surfaces broke away like a shell to reveal smooth, finely forged blades beneath that had been refined through the shared will of Aria, Jake, and Se-Hoon.

Together, the three gazed at them.

[Weapon ‘Dawnlight, Primal Unity’ has been completed!

Forged by master blacksmith Lee Se-Hoon, these twin swords will shine eternally like stars. And though in two, these twin blades will leave their mark on the world together.

The tier evaluation for ‘Dawnlight, Primal Unity’ is ‘Aspirant’.]