The Regressor Can Make Them All

Chapter 507

Everything—the ceiling, walls, floor, and even every barrier and spell hidden beneath—was being dismantled and torn apart. No matter how one looked at it, Se-Hoon wasn’t remodeling the lab but destroying it.

What… is this…?

Ren’s face stiffened in disbelief. Just yesterday, their visitor hadn’t seemed to have any issues with the lab. Why had he suddenly changed stance?

Unable to process the completely unexpected scene, Ren stood frozen until a crowd of researchers and executives came rushing over.

“Y-Young Master! Director Akasha has completely overturned the upper levels, and now the synchronization effect with the surface has been severed!”

“It seems he tampered with the mid-levels as well! There’s been a change in the refined power of Heaven’s Well!!!”

“He said he’ll finish the upper levels by today and then move on to the lower ones tomorrow…”

Covered in dust from head to toe, the researchers hurriedly reported one after another. The rush of reports made Ren realize just how much had happened while he was focused on adjusting the Heaven’s Well.

“Okay. I now fully understand the situation, so please settle down,” Ren ordered, waving his hand to calm them down.

“S-sorry.”

“More importantly… did the family head say anything?”

If the Ascension Project was in jeopardy, surely there was no way his father would just sit by and watch. As he awaited the answer, the executives exchanged glances before the former research director cautiously opened his mouth. “I mentioned it to him earlier… but he flatly said that all authority regarding the lab has been delegated to the director.”

“…I see.”

Did he determine the Ascension Project wouldn’t be affected? Or had he backed down simply because he didn’t want to deal with that monster? Either way, the family head clearly had no intention of interfering with Director Akasha’s actions.

Is there a reason he still hasn’t taken action despite the synchronization being severed…?

What on earth was he thinking? Feeling a dull ache in his head, Ren forced a bitter smile on his face and looked at the researchers watching him.

“Let’s… hear his explanation first.”

While their new director may have a self-centered and arrogant personality, from what he could tell, that man wasn’t the type of shallow person who would toss aside a role he accepted personally without reason. In other words, there had to be a deeper reason.

Just as Ren and the researchers walked up, Se-Hoon, who had been giving hand signals to Erika, turned around.

“What about the calibration?”

“…Just finished. You can go down anytime.”

“Good. You’re more capable than I expected. Oh, pull that out too.”

Crunch!

Hearing the words suddenly directed at her, Erika yanked out a massive stake hidden beneath the floor with her winged robe—which made the researchers all pale.

That stake had been anchoring thousands of spells applied to the upper floors… and it was pulled out just like that without countermeasures?

Rumble!

As expected, a vibration deep enough to make everyone worry the lab had just collapsed shook the entire building. The researchers were all panicked, worried the entire facility would explode at any moment.

In contrast, though, Ren just sighed before asking, “Director, may I ask what exactly you’re preparing right now?”

“No. You may not.”

And with that curt reply, Se-Hoon turned away and issued another command to Erika.

Before his arrogance that made one wonder if he was even human, the researchers clicked their tongues while Ren forced a bitter smile.

“…There are already concerns within the family about the lab’s collapse. If you could offer even a brief explanation, I could help once we stabilize the situation.”

“Tsk. Where did you learn your manners?”

“…”

Now he was just being outright shameless. Let alone the researchers, even Ren was staring at him strangely now.

Feeling the gazes, Se-Hoon finally turned his head back and indifferently explained, “I’m tearing down all the unnecessary facilities I discovered during my inspection. Is that enough of an explanation?”

“Unnecessary… facilities?”

Ren frowned. That sounded as if he was claiming the entire lab had been useless from the start.

There’s no way our lab was that bad.

Ren immediately started suspecting that Se-Hoon was just using renovation as an excuse to push forward something else secretly—and he wasn’t entirely wrong. In truth, Se-Hoon was overhauling their lab purely for his own purposes.

…The success of the project is the main thing that matters. For that, I can allow him to tear everything else down.

Thanks to the Seeker, Se-Hoon had discovered that his Planetary Reinforcement Project and the Inoue’s Ascension Project were virtually identical in structure with some differences in the details. Even that, though, was just akin to choosing between using a pencil or a pen to write; the underlying functionality was the same.

Thus, there was no hesitation in Se-Hoon’s bold decision to rip apart every facility in the lab and rebuild it.

Surely, that way, that man can respond more easily in case of an emergency later.

While Se-Hoon respected Erika’s will and supported the Ascension Project because of that, it didn’t mean he intended to just sit back and watch until the end. The reconstruction was to ensure he could intervene at any time with ease once the project was in motion.

“Whew… Ok, I see. But even so, this seems a bit much…” Ren slowly said, looking around with visible doubt after much thought.

Of course, that was the reaction Se-Hoon expected.

“This is exactly why I didn’t want to explain… tsk. Hey, you. Over there.”

“Y-yes?”

Startled by the sudden call, the former lab director nervously looked at Se-Hoon.

“According to the records, there was a case of mass memory loss due to a spell gone haywire eight years ago in the eastern sector of the upper levels. You remember that?”

“Well… yes! I remember it!” The former director quickly said, putting away his hesitation upon feeling Ren’s stare.

Seeing that, Se-Hoon crossed his arms and continued. “Among the 125 people involved in that incident, the number of seriously injured…”—Se-Hoon paused, glancing to the side where the shikigami hidden on his shoulder behind a layer of noise swiftly whispered the answer—“was 31. 31 people reportedly lost their unique techniques, and you concluded external shock caused mental breakdown and memory loss.”

“Y-yes. That’s correct.”

The former director pulled a sour face at the incident Se-Hoon had ordered the Seeker to investigate overnight.

Why is he suddenly bringing that up?

The investigation had already been long concluded, and the collision between barriers had been resolved by embedding a new stake. What could even be a problem? Both the former director and the other researchers wore confused expressions.

“Then how do you explain this?”

Snap!

Countless characters fluttered out from the stake Erika had extracted and arranged themselves densely in the air. The contents they formed were clearly not ordinary, making the former director scan through—only for his face to go ghostly pale.

“These are…!”

A part of someone’s memory, a segment of a unique technique that someone had mastered.

“How is this…? What happened?!”

Gazing at the shocked and confused former director and the other researchers, Se-Hoon continued in his calm tone. “The runaway spell back then wasn’t caused by a clash between barriers. It was caused when the Heaven’s Well successfully seized control of the lab’s systems, including that stake.”

The Heaven’s Well had likely intended to devour the researchers entirely, but due to the seals in place, it ended up stealing only their unique techniques; some of those remained embedded in the stake even now.

“According to the statistical data, the frequency of the Heaven’s Well going on a rampage increased by sixty-three percent afterward until the seal was reinforced. Were you aware of that?”

“Well…”

Every researcher stood bewildered by the situation they had never foreseen, unable to answer. It was Ren, who had been reading the floating inscriptions in the air, that ended up speaking first. “You’re saying that there were other similar cases after that?”

“You’re asking the obvious. I’ve found twenty-nine and counting so far.”

“…I see.”

Ren let out a long sigh. Any incident involving the Heaven’s Well was considered highly dangerous even within the Inoue family. If facilities that had once been infiltrated by the Heaven’s Well—like that stake—weren’t properly dismantled, no one could predict what sort of disaster would occur when the Ascension Project was finally completed and activated.

To think we missed as many as twenty-nine…

Before such a revelation, Ren seriously debated whether to blame their own incompetence or praise Se-Hoon’s thoroughness—and it didn’t take him long to decide.

“It seems I’ve caused unnecessary trouble without knowing the circumstances. I’m truly sorry, Director.”

Ren bowed his head, and the researchers behind him quickly followed suit.

Seeing this, Se-Hoon waved his hand dismissively.

“Glad you now understand. Now get lost. You’re in the way,” Se-Hoon disinterestedly remarked, waving them away.

“Understood.”

Bowing once more, Ren turned to lead the researchers out when…

“Oh. You stay.”

Ren halted at Se-Hoon’s words.

“What do you need me for?”

“There’s something I need to confirm. Wait a moment.”

After issuing the order unilaterally, Se-Hoon turned back to give Erika more instructions.

Taking the chance, Ren glanced at the researchers behind him.

“Go up and report to the family head.”

“…Understood.”

Realizing they were about to report their failures personally to the head, the researchers backed away with pale faces. Now alone, Ren stood off to the side, watching the two at work.

Rumble-

In the time it took for their brief conversation to conclude, most of the dismantling had already finished. Deep vibrations continually echoed from various directions, as if ominously warning something would explode at any moment.

Examining the facility, Ren’s eyes slowly narrowed as he watched. By now, the upper levels’ systems had all but shut down, and the energy of the ley line and Heaven’s Well flowing up from the middle levels was unstable.

“…”

If things went wrong now, let alone the Inoue family, even the nearby villages could be obliterated.

“Time to finish this.” Under Ren’s gaze, Se-Hoon pressed his palms together. “■■”

His voice, distorted like static, spread out in all directions—

BOOM!

The energy surging through the middle levels suddenly burst upward, causing a pillar of mana and black sludge to explode from the ground like molten lava: the ley line and Heaven’s Well had finally spiraled out of control as expected.

Ready to act, Ren reached for his black fan, but Erika acted first.

“Shadowborne Flood of Crows”

Clatter!

The Bound Celestial Garment unfolded around her, darkening as flocks of crows made from black sludge erupted from within and scattered in all directions.

Caw! Caw!

The birds shrieked as if screaming, flying across the lab and hurling themselves into the chaotic energies of the ley line and Heaven’s Well.

Woong-

But with just that, the energy exploding stabilized instantly as if the threat had been a dream.

This is…

Even the tremors that had been shaking the entire lab had disappeared completely, and the mixture of the ley line and Heaven’s Well energy was slowly flowing across the ceiling, walls, and floor like a calm tide.

Slosh-

The power beneath his feet… showed no signs of aggression…? Ren’s eyes widened.

Is she… controlling the energy of the ley line and Heaven’s Well that’s gathered in the middle levels?

If the lab’s systems were fully operational, maybe that would’ve been possible… but while everything was paralyzed?

Flabbergasted, Ren could only blankly watch as the energy of the ley line and Heaven’s Well—now under Erika’s control—began moving like a slime. And moments later, like water draining from a tub, it flowed back downward.

Woong!

When the energy had completely vanished, revealing the lab’s full interior again, Ren recovered—only to be shocked once again..

“How can this…”

The interior had transformed and was now far, far cleaner than before. The ceiling, walls, and floor were all perfectly restored. Every spell array that had been installed previously was not only repaired but also reinforced.

The structure is even stronger now…

Before, the stake had suppressed minor clashes between spells. Now, all the spell formations were perfectly synchronized, flowing together as if they were a single unified spell. Of course, that meant the overall synchronization rate also soared. Despite being underground, the lab felt as stable as a surface-level facility.

Examining everything in awe, Ren belatedly realized exactly what had been done.

He must’ve uploaded a blueprint into Erika, used the Heaven’s Well as a mold, and finished the whole thing using ley line energy.

Even without a pretest, the construction was perfectly aligned. And while just that design ability alone was impressive enough, Erika’s precise execution with her control ability made it even more astonishing.

To enable her to do so…. It was as if no one understood the spell known as “Inoue Erika” better than the man before him.

Maybe… he understands her even more than she does.

As Ren raised his guard, Se-Hoon scanned the area.

“Arrange the remaining equipment as needed to fit the environment. Even bugs like you should be able to manage that much.”

“I’ll pass the instructions along.”

“And…” Se-Hoon turned his head, looking at Ren through the static. “Did Mizuki give you anything?”

The name made Ren pause—his late mother—but then he naturally replied, “Is there something in particular you need?”

“Just answer the question. Do you have something or not?”

Hearing Se-Hoon repeating the question, Ren glanced at the Black Moon Fan in his hands.

“I have it.”

“Good. I need to check something. Hand it over now.”

The demand came flatly, with no room for discussion. However, unlike before, Ren gave him a troubled smile.

“I’m sorry, but—”

“If you’re really sorry, just give it to me.”

Se-Hoon spread a faint trace of mana, his voice becoming icy.

“Or… are you planning to defy me?”

A threat from a monster that had crushed even the Phantomind—an entity that reproduced the power of the Seeker herself—head-on.

Feeling the pressure crushing his entire body, Ren looked at Se-Hoon for a long moment.

Then, with a sigh, Ren removed his rimless glasses and tucked them into the void space.

“If you want it that badly…”—with eyes so sharp, like he was a different person, Ren glared at the man before him—“come and take it yourself.”

Of all things, he would never hand over the Black Moon Fan that had been gifted to him by his mother directly.

His gaze was more resolute than ever before, even more than during their clash at the shoreline, making Se-Hoon fall silent.

“I see…”

But then Se-Hoon stepped forward and clenched his fist.

“That happens to be what I excel at.”