The Regressor Can Make Them All

Chapter 496

Rumble-

A massive flow, imperceptible to the naked eye or magic, slowly spread outward with a suppressive pressure from Baek-Yeon.

Curious, Se-Hoon examined it.

“What exactly is this power?”

“Hm? Oh, come to think of it, I never really explained it, did I?” Stroking her chin in thought, Baek-Yeon brushed her fingertips against the familiar suppressive force surrounding them. “I just lumped it all together and called it a ‘flow’… but if we’re being precise, it’s different. Unlike the chaotic flows scattering everywhere across the sky, this specific one contains my intent.”

“So… it has an intended direction?”

“Exactly.”

With a satisfied smile, Baek-Yeon lightly shook a portion of the suppressive force as if fluttering a piece of cloth.

“There are two major ways to use the power of Perception to realize the future. The first is White Ring, which instantly manifests the future within a designated range. The second is Arrow of Vowed Fate, which targets the entire world to realize a far-off future.”

Swish-

Seeing the suppressive force split into a small ring and an arrow, Se-Hoon realized he had already used both methods.

The one I usually use is White Ring, and the ultimate skill I unleashed to kill the Observer was an amplified form of Arrow of Vowed Fate?

Although White Ring gave the advantage in immediate combat, from a broader strategic view, Arrow of Vowed Fate offered more versatility.

“When you successfully activate either technique, a sense of directionality forms out of what was once a chaotic jumble of possibilities that then suppresses all that resists. In that sense, the term ‘suppressive force’ fits pretty well.”

Observing Baek-Yeon casually tapping the ring and arrow she had manifested as she explained, Se-Hoon felt a wave of complicated emotions. In truth, that explanation was the first proper instruction he had received from Baek-Yeon since clumsily learning the power of Perception during last summer break.

She left me to figure it all out, yet is now suddenly calling me her successor…

Even if Baek-Yeon had left him alone because she trusted him to manage on his own, wasn’t that still a bit much?

As Se-Hoon complained in his head, Baek-Yeon casually moved away from the topic as though she had heard. “But as you know, this suppressive force isn’t omnipotent. If it collides with a variable too powerful, it’ll shatter completely and the future won’t be realized.”

“Yeah, I noticed. It broke quite easily when I added a bit of force.”

“…No, that’s because you’re strange.”

The final Arrow of Vowed Fate was one Baek-Yeon had prepared over decades. It was a colossal force that even other Perfect Ones and Harbingers couldn’t resist easily. Until the future it was heading toward was fully realized, it should have functioned like an unbreakable law.

And yet Se-Hoon had shattered it without much trouble during his fight with Tuner.

“If I hadn’t already been dead, I might’ve lost it. Most likely, I would have panicked and fired off a few extra shots, too.”

“And then I would’ve thought you betrayed me and gone harder on smashing everything.”

“Yeah, probably. You brute.”

“…Excuse me?”

Caught off guard by the sudden insult, Se-Hoon looked at her with a bit of fluster, but Baek-Yeon just brushed past it.

“In any case, whether it’s White Ring or Arrow of Vowed Fate, the important part is minimizing variables. The more complex the future you want to realize, the more variables there are—and the easier it is to fail.”

Rumble-

While they were conversing, their surroundings had become completely saturated with the suppressive force. And in response, the Golden Ring in the sky had began glowing more brilliantly.

“The reason we’re able to observe the Abyss of Demons this time is because my entire life and a miracle—you—aligned perfectly. Such an opportunity won’t come again.”

“…”

“So don’t miss a single detail of what’s about to unfold. What you see now will be the key that determines your future.”

With a solemn expression, Baek-Yeon turned her gaze forward and closed her eyes before drawing forth all her senses.

Woong-

The younger Baek-Yeon shouldn’t have been able to use the power of Perception—she wasn’t a Perfect One yet. However, thanks to the “knot” Se-Hoon had brought, the past’s Baek-Yeon and the present’s Visionary were connected into one.

Now, with the support of the vast suppressive force, Baek-Yeon could not only use the power of Perception, she could use the power of Perception that began reaching a whole new domain.

Swoosh-

The scene in her eyes—once only reflecting the Golden Ring, sky, and clouds—began widening. Soon, a perspective that transcended human limits naturally settled into Baek-Yeon’s eyes.

Simultaneously, with Baek-Yeon at the center, the view she saw was endlessly unfolding before Se-Hoon.

Is this… Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes.

The place he stood now was essentially the origin of everything that constituted “the Visionary.” In other words, he was practically within the power of Perception itself. So, when Baek-Yeon stirred the evolving power of Perception, the sight she saw through it was directly projected.

Rumble-

A place roaring with thunder and lightning, people running to escape the rain, cars stalled from an accident and broken traffic lights—scenes from a small town came into view, followed by cities, nations, and eventually the entire continent.

So this is the world… as Ha Baek-Yeon sees it.

Every part of the world appeared vividly, with countless possibilities blooming in each location. Her view was literally transcendent, so much so that no one but a Perfect One supported by the Golden Ring would be able to withstand it. And yet, without meeting that criteria, Se-Hoon endured it with only a slight furrow of his brow.

In the first place, what he saw had already been passed through Baek-Yeon’s filter. Also, Se-Hoon’s mental processing speed had simply grown incomparably faster than before…

No… it’s more like my capacity itself expanded.

The information streamed in as if it were nothing, naturally understood without effort. Perhaps it was also tied to the transformations he had been undergoing ever since gaining Metamorphosing Dreams? Wondering such things, Se-Hoon fell into deep pondering.

“It’s time.”

Whoosh-

The view had now reached past the Pilgrim’s Path to the earth being devoured by the Abyss of Demons. Here, the sky was clouded over, consumed by the sun and turned pitch-black. What remained of the continents lay in ruin, twisted and endlessly birthing monsters. Even the oceans—the first to be tainted—had fully merged with the darkness to be stained utterly black.

Nothing’s changed.

The only difference from what he remembered, perhaps, was that the undead now periodically culled the monsters through the Netherworld’s Gate established across all the continents.

Scanning the sight he had long grown sick of, Se-Hoon soon spotted the Antarctic core coming into view in the distance. At the very center, the black swamp that was the Abyss was devouring all of Antarctica and slowly rotting the planet from within.

The very first of the Six Great Demon Realms to emerge, Antarctica remained an uncharted frontier that had been untouched by humanity even once—throughout both the last and current timelines.

“…Yeah. No wonder no one could observe it until now.”

The regions they had seen so far had possibilities unfolding into the sky. But the land tainted by demonic aura, consumed by the Abyss of Demons, was different. Every possibility born was dragged into the depths of the Abyss, never to be seen again.

So that’s the true nature of the Abyss of Demons…

The root of destruction, destroying even possibilities themselves. Staring at the source of the crisis that had plunged humanity into fear for decades, Se-Hoon’s face twisted with complex emotion.

If both the Abyss of Demons before him and the Tower of Heroes beneath his feet were created by the Golden Ring… just what kind of conclusion did the world itself seek?

“…”

A contradictory cycle: expanding all possibilities infinitely while simultaneously attempting to erase them all. As if presenting two choices—leaving the decision up to him—the sight reminded Se-Hoon of the conclusion he had reached at the very end.

Woong-

And as if responding to that thought, his eyes shimmered faintly with a violet hue—

“Focus.” Staring down into the swamp, Baek-Yeon snapped him out of it. “In your current state, you won’t be able to grasp even half of what’s there. Steady yourself. No matter what you see, don’t let it shake you.”

“…Alright.”

To answer his question, Se-Hoon knew he had to witness what was to come. Se-Hoon sharpened his mind further, bracing himself.

Then, once Baek-Yeon confirmed he was ready, she turned her vision inward—toward the depths of the Abyss of Demons.

Creeeeeak-

The pure darkness had a powerful gravitational pull. From below, it clutched at the very concept of Baek-Yeon’s vision to drag it even deeper.

Creak!

As his vision expanded at a staggering speed, the encroaching darkness attempted to flood in. Normally, at that moment, the power of Perception—and even Baek-Yeon herself—would’ve been completely nullified.

Simply that was enough.

Swoosh-

However, with the suppressive force pushing back the encroaching darkness, its corrosive force was diverted elsewhere—until it just disappeared altogether like a switch had been flipped.

Baek-Yeon had managed to force the activation of the power of Perception through the Sevenfold Cursed Eye core she had passed to Tuner, redirecting the invasive pull entirely.

The resistive force feels weaker now. Did she trick the system into recognizing her as the same type of being as Tuner?

Naturally, demons felt less resistance from the darkness compared to Perfect Ones. However, since the force felt less for Baek-Yeon, too, it seemed she had successfully deceived the Tower, the Abyss, and even the Ring itself.

It was time to seize the momentum. Wasting no time, Baek-Yeon extended her vision further and further down. Eventually, she reached a point where the gravitational force just completely vanished, like it had never existed. And at that moment…

THUMP!

The endlessly expanding field of vision came to a full stop for the first time.

“…”

At last they had arrived at the void where nothing existed but darkness, the final destination all demons would one day reach: the origin of the Abyss of Demons, where Harbingers of Destruction were born.

Seeing it for the first time, Se-Hoon stared at the location that was the polar opposite of the Towers of Heroes’ summit.

“There’s… nothing here.” A hollow expression painted Se-Hoon’s face.

No villain lurking in the shadows to consume the world, no evil mastermind who had created the Abyss of Demons. There was only the oppressive darkness, vast and suffocating, which crashed down on him from every angle.

It was just as the demons had described: the end of all things, a space utterly empty.

How can something like this be a variable…?

He might have understood if something, anything, was there. But it was completely barren? How could he make sense of anything, much less guess what was so special about it?

“…I see.” In contrast, though, Baek-Yeon opened her eyes slowly and murmured in understanding, “So this is where it all began.”

She had finally found the answer to the question she had carried since ascending to the top. With countless emotions churning in her eyes, Baek-Yeon stared straight ahead.

Something’s changed about her… Watching her from behind, Se-Hoon’s expression subtly hardened.

At the very least, it wasn’t that Baek-Yeon had been corrupted by the demonic aura. Still, Se-Hoon could feel that the very concept of the Visionary was morphing into something different. He couldn’t explain it clearly, but it was unmistakable to him.

“…”

Becoming uneasy, Se-Hoon raised his alert. However, that did not go unnoticed by Baek-Yeon, who turned around with a look of disbelief.

“Come on. Isn’t that a bit too fast to be suspecting me already?”

She’d barely spoken a few words, yet he was already glaring at her like that?

To that, though, Se-Hoon didn’t bat an eye or lower his guard.

“Try putting yourself in my shoes. What would you think if I were holding the Sevenfold Cursed Eye, muttering cryptic lines, and the entire atmosphere suddenly changed?”

“…Fair enough.”

Realizing how threatening she must’ve looked, Baek-Yeon gave him a wry smile.

“Anyway, it’s not what you’re thinking. If anything, I’ve simply become whole.”

Whole… Se-Hoon immediately grasped what she meant.

“You mean your power of Perception has become complete?”

“Yes. Now I can see the world’s future in full.”

“…That’s kind of incredible.”

To think that seeing a place so empty could complete such a power. Se-Hoon looked around in complete bafflement.

“You probably won’t feel the same sensation, as you’ve already seen this place before…” Baek-Yeon said, her voice quiet.

“…I have?”

Sure, he had glimpsed the Abyss of Demons briefly before, but never so far down. When had he supposedly seen it?

He looked toward Baek-Yeon, who calmly provided the answer: “At the end of the world’s destruction. You must’ve reached this place once.”

“…”

“Because this is where everything ends—and where it begins again.”

A heavy silence fell between them as Se-Hoon stared into Baek-Yeon’s eyes. He knew exactly what her words implied.

She figured it out.

Baek-Yeon had discovered his greatest secret of going through the apocalypse and returning. And all it had taken was reaching the bottom of the Abyss of Demons.

…But how, though?

Anyone could speculate, but to speak with such conviction? Just what exactly did Baek-Yeon see? And how should he respond?

His mind raced, tension surging through—

RUMBLE-

Everything shook, then darkness surged inward from all directions to surround both Baek-Yeon and Se-Hoon.

“This is…”

“Guess we’ve hit the limit. That blow you landed must’ve been stronger than I thought.”

Did something go wrong with Tuner, who had been withstanding the erosion of the Abyss of Demons in Baek-Yeon’s stead?

Regardless, it was a fact that the situation had changed in an instant.

This… is bad.

Although he could freely traverse the synesthetic mindscapes of Harbingers of Destruction without issue, the erosion of the Abyss of Demons wasn’t something even he could just resist. At the rate the situation was deteriorating, he’d need to use another of the Perfect Ones’ powers to escape.

With calculations rapidly firing off in his head, Se-Hoon soon made up his mind—

“Don’t worry too much. I’ve made preparations for this, too.”

“You did?”

Considering the gravitational force that had dragged Baek-Yeon’s vision downward earlier, there should be no ordinary way out, though. How did she plan to escape?

As Se-Hoon eyed her with suspicion, Baek-Yeon lifted her gaze toward the sky.

“…Hmm. The timing’s also perfect.”

Seeing something through the darkness, Baek-Yeon lowered her head to look at Se-Hoon again.

“There’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

“Whatever it is, ask it now. We’re right up to our—”

“Do you enjoy visiting space?”

“…What?”

Taken aback, Se-Hoon stared in disbelief. Yet Baek-Yeon didn’t even miss a beat.

“Seon-Woo used to be terrified of it. When he was a kid, he couldn’t even bring himself to look at the sky…”

“Just hurry up and do something before I smash everything!”

As Se-Hoon panicked, preparing to activate the Pilgrim’s Prayer, the darkness quivered at their feet. It rippled gently as though asking, “May I consume you now—?”

CRACK!

Just then, before their eyes, a vast white arrow pierced through the star-strewn cosmos at blinding speed, slicing through space itself toward them.