The Regressor Can Make Them All

Chapter 489

“You…”

Lea’s eyes contorted instantly at the sight of the woman with a gentle expression on her face, her fingertips trembling faintly.

She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, with an appearance that was composed yet didn’t shy away from elegance—restrained beauty at its finest. But that appearance was one that made Lea feel as though a torn piece of her childhood had been suddenly brought back.

After all, the woman was an automaton modeled nearly identically after Renya Claudel—Lea’s mother—from when she was still human.

Clench-

Every fiber of Lea’s being wanted to smash her despicable face. However, she forcefully swallowed the rage trashing inside her.

Not only was Se-Hoon still out of commission, but she herself had depleted much of her physical and mental strength. Lea knew very well that if she let emotions guide her actions, she’d only be throwing her life away.

So instead, Lea raised her guard and calmly zeroed in on Puppeteer’s movements.

“…I didn’t expect to run into you like this here. What kind of filthy mess did you stir up this time to crawl your way here?”

But that didn’t mean she bothered to hide her contempt.

“Sigh. Is that really all you have to say after so long?” Puppeteer said, shaking her head.

“Have to say? If anything, I’ve got plenty. You bi—”

“Enough.”

Cutting Lea off before the string of curses could leave her mouth, Puppeteer furrowed her brow.

“I know adolescence can be rough, but there’s a limit to how much I can let it slide. Your language is getting worse by the day. Whew, what do you think that kid behind you is going to think?”

“I held back because of him,” Lea answered flatly, her eyes sharp as blades. “So stop spewing your useless bullshit and get to the point.”

If Puppeteer truly meant to ambush them to keep the undead in check, she would’ve already launched an attack. But instead, she had started a conversation with them, which clearly meant one thing: she had some other agenda.

“Hmm…”

Seeing Lea thinking logically without lowering her guard despite her fury and unease, Puppeteer smiled in satisfaction.

“Not bad. I used to wonder if you could grow on your own, but… seems I worried for nothing.”

“There you go again with your—”

“I suppose I should thank you for that, huh?”

No longer minding Lea, Puppeteer looked toward Se-Hoon, who stood silently behind Lea with his eyes closed.

“Thanks for taking care of her. I mean it.”

“…”

Lea’s face twisted in a grimace of disbelief at the serious words. By what right was she saying that? With what face could she speak that way about her? Disbelief turned into anger, sending Lea’s fury to its peak and making her reach toward the Sphere—

“Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that just now.” Facing Puppeteer, Se-Hoon finally spoke. “Everything I’ve done so far was for Lea. Not for someone like you.”

“…”

“Acting like her guardian out of nowhere? Don’t you think that’s a bit pathetic?”

What right did a demon who had torn Lea’s family apart have to say any of that? Se-Hoon’s sharp rejection left Lea stunned, but Puppeteer was quite amused.

“You really do only care about Lea, don’t you?” Puppeteer asked. She observed them for a moment, then softly chuckled.

Most people would have at least considered diffusing the tension when she showed as much goodwill as she had. Yet Se-Hoon had cast it aside without a second thought—proving that his relationship with Lea wasn’t merely superficial.

“Well, fine. I’d love to give both of you a lesson in manners, but… first things first.”

Snap!

Automatons appeared from every corner of the forest.

“Ugh…”

Realizing that the Sphere’s sensors had failed to detect the endless increase in the enemy’s numbers, Lea stared at the machines encircling them.

What the hell did she do?

To enter the Netherworld, one had to either use the power of Boundaries or die and receive the Blessing of the Eternal. However, Puppeteer was a demon that slaughtered countless people.

Her receiving the Blessing of the Eternal is out of the question… meaning she must’ve obtained the power of Boundaries somehow.

Although a demon using the power of the Perfect Ones was unthinkable, it wasn’t entirely unprecedented. In fact, she had heard how Tuner had used one of the Eternal Nocturne’s bones to wield the power of Boundaries at the end of the Pleasure District purge last year.

Se-Hoon said he dealt with most of the bone fragments… but if even one remained…

Lea swallowed dryly, then tried to recall her current combat assets.

Five automatons in my void pocket. I can summon more undead with the Sphere. And…

Although it was still unstable, she had her unique skill, Phase Manifestation. Right now, she couldn’t afford to hold back and not use it for direct combat.

Lea was not the person who rushed in emotionally before. She rationally assessed everything as she poured all of her mana into the gaze fixed on her enemy for one strike.

“Heaven Eye went to the place where the last legacy of the Visionary is kept.”

However, contrary to what Lea had been expecting, Puppeteer casually revealed the whereabouts of her ally instead of anything else.

“He sacrificed the Cursed Eye of Perception to change the flow of the game, but it left him unstable.”

“What…?”

“So, to stabilize himself, he went to secure the final legacy of the Visionary, which also contains a fragment of her power—just like her Cursed Eyes.”

“…”

Not just Lea, even Se-Hoon was completely taken aback by Puppeteer’s detailed explanation. They had sensed something was off about her attitude from the start, but they never imagined she’d help them.

“What the hell… are you trying to do here?”

“What else? I’m giving you a tip. In his current state, you’d have a hard time even finding him.”

“I mean, why the hell would you do something like that?!”

Lea snapped, unable to understand the bizarre show of goodwill. Yet Puppeteer didn’t even bat an eye.

“Why not?”

“What?”

“Even if I also want to kill you two here, that’s also what Heaven Eye wants.”

Swish-

One by one, the automatons surrounding them with hostility began vanishing. Meanwhile, Puppeteer just looked at them with a composed expression.

“If it were a stage I’d set, maybe. But I’ve got no interest in dancing on someone else’s board.”

“…”

“Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean I can kill Heaven Eye with my own hands either…. Sigh, there are too many complications. Anyway, this is my way of working around it.”

Turning her gaze to Se-Hoon, Puppeteer’s lips curved into a faint smirk.

“I just thought you’d be more than capable of killing him.”

“…”

Those words hung in the air, lingering over their heads. No one spoke—until Lea did after a brief silence.

“Se-Hoon.”

Understanding the meaning behind her call, Se-Hoon gave her a slow nod.

“Let her go.”

Gaining confirmation, Lea immediately etched a small sign onto the Sphere. Then, with a whirl, spider-silk-like threads—hidden above the Puppeteer’s head—began revealing themselves.

“!”

In the blink of an eye, the entire forest was covered with a web of Spirit Weaver. And on it, their bodies partially bound, hundreds of undead lay in ambush.

The sight of them all, of the Netherworld’s elite Einherjar legion, made Puppeteer let out a forced, hollow laugh.

“I thought something felt a little loose… but I didn’t expect you to hide them this thoroughly.”

Using Spirit Weaver to link the undead and the Sphere to synchronize them with the Netherworld, they had become virtually indistinguishable from their environment—effectively becoming part of the realm itself. It was no wonder even she hadn’t noticed them.

So this is what he meant by “partially neutralized.” I guess Tuner wasn’t overreacting after all.

To think the promising girl she once thought she could kill anytime was now looking down on her. At that moment, Puppeteer realized Lea hadn’t just caught up, she had gotten so far ahead that it was herself who was struggling to catch up now.

Yet, for some reason, that made her smile.

“I’ll send an invitation when I’m ready. It won’t take too long,” Puppeteer said, ending their conversation.

“…”

“Until next time…”—she turned to Lea and smiled gently—“my beloved daughter~”

Snip-

The automaton crumbled to the ground, its vivid presence vanishing instantly. But because it still had the same gentle smile on its face, it made for an uncanny image.

“Piece of shit…” Lea muttered. Even at the very end, Puppeteer found a way to dig under her skin.

“…What do you want to do with the automaton?” Having sensed that Lea was silently bubbling with rage, Se-Hoon changed the subject.

A long moment passed before Lea let out a sigh and replied. “I’ll take it with me. I’m going to study it.”

“You sure?”

Leaving only that automaton behind when she retrieved the others was likely intentional: a trap. Concerned, Se-Hoon questioned Lea to reconsider.

“…I don’t like saying this, but I think it’s fine. I have a pretty good idea of why she left this one behind.”

The automatons Puppeteer retrieved were similar to those previously studied. The one that remained, though, was clearly a new model. In other words, it must have been made using newly refined techniques.

If you’re going to study one, study the real deal—is that it?

Lea fell deep in thought. Even after that entire exchange, she still couldn’t figure out what Puppeteer truly wanted. Was Puppeteer trying to raise her, only to turn her into a doll to use as a vessel for her stagnated technology? Or was it for something entirely beyond her comprehension?

No matter how much Lea thought about it, she couldn’t figure it out. But it didn’t matter; it didn’t change what she had to do.

Study the Puppeteer. And kill her.

Her sole purpose. Her only path to revenge.

As she reaffirmed the two things driving her, she heard Se-Hoon’s voice from behind her.

“Right. I’ll help you however I can.”

“Tha—”

Though Lea tried to thank him, a memory from the conversation moments ago surfaced and made her awkwardly pause.

“Everything I’ve done so far was for Lea. Not for someone like you.”

“…”

She knew it most likely was something he said without thinking much. But… why did it keep echoing in her head? Feeling weirdly flustered, Lea hurriedly moved on.

“Ahem. So what now? If what she said is true, we’ll need to send reinforcements to Mount Baekdu.”

Even though Seon-Woo, Jason, and Terra were all stationed there, if the strange disturbances were caused by Heaven Eye, even that trio alone may not be enough.

Knowing that as well, Se-Hoon rubbed his eyes for a bit in thought before making up his mind.

“I’ll go.”

“…What?”

Lea couldn’t believe her ears. If he’d fully recovered, maybe. But when he still couldn’t even open his eyes properly? Where did he think he was going?

Alas, she didn’t get the chance to argue.

“I figured out what Heaven Eye is planning from that last conversation.”

“…”

“The three of them won’t be able to kill him. Even if they somehow did, it wouldn’t end well.”

The only person who could end things cleanly was himself. Se-Hoon’s tone made that clear.

“…Yeah. If you didn’t need to go, you wouldn’t have said anything in the first place. Do what you want, I guess.”

With a sigh, Lea abandoned any attempt to stop him. Instead, she picked up a hairpin floating between the spear’s rings and clipped it to Se-Hoon’s collar like a brooch before looking up at him square in the eye.

“But… you better not lose. Got it?”

Even with his eyes closed, Lea’s concern was palpable—making him smile.

“Of course.”

“Good.”

Giving him a quick pat on the shoulder, Lea returned to the Sphere and began engraving a new enchantment that made the entire Netherworld tremble faintly in response.

“I’ll adjust the coordinates to send you straight to the summit of Mount Baekdu. Be ready the moment you land.”

“Thanks.”

“Then here you go!”

The moment she completed the final mark, a black vortex opened beneath Se-Hoon’s feet. However, the moment he dropped through it, cold air and a violent gust of wind slammed into him.

“W-Wait, why is this set midair—?!”

Hearing Lea’s panicked voice echoing from beyond the boundary, Se-Hoon quickly analyzed the situation.

A mistake…? No, it’s just been distorted this badly already.

Now that he was close, he could feel the massive flow Heaven Eye had stirred: an ominous tide trying to steer the world toward destruction. Examining it, Se-Hoon steadied his senses as he fell to the ground.

Rumble- CRACK!

A thunderous roar and surge of magical energy erupted from below. Focusing his senses downward, Se-Hoon found Jason locked in battle with something emanating an enormous amount of demonic aura. To the side, Seon-Woo and Terra were fighting bizarre creatures that pulsed with both mana and demonic aura.

That one’s from the Ten Evils. The others… are experimental subjects of Transcendence?

Were they here to support Heaven Eye? Or had Heaven Eye seen his arrival and set it all up?

With such questions in mind, Se-Hoon slowly opened his eyes—at long last—and the world came into focus.

Whoosh!

In the vast sky, the red sun was rising beyond the horizon. It illuminated Mount Baekdu, where, floating like a star, was Baek-Yeon’s final legacy.

Taking in the ethereal sight of the mountain, Se-Hoon then turned his head west.

“How long are you going to pretend you don’t see me?”

Swish-

The red sun spun in place, turning to reveal a crimson-black pupil that locked onto Se-Hoon.