The Regressor Can Make Them All

Chapter 531

The plaza in front of the Peregrine Cathedral, a place always crowded with visitors from all around the world, was currently experiencing an entirely different level of popularity.

“Please stay within this line!”

“Move in an orderly fashion, please!”

Not only the area around the cathedral, which was so packed it was impossible to move properly without the guidance of the priests, the streets leading to and around the plaza were all equally flooded with people. It was almost as if the entire city was at capacity.

And that wasn’t happening only within the vicinity of the cathedral either.

“Wow… even this place is packed like this?”

“Well, it’s not being broadcast on TV, so what options do they have?”

In the branches of the Pilgrimage Church across the world, countless believers had gathered. Because the inauguration speech of the second pope wasn’t being broadcast publicly, shown solely through live coverage on church sites, everyone had left their homes to gather at their local branches.

“This is hell…”

“Please just wrap it up already…”

Tens of millions of people across branches numbering a mere four hundred. Naturally, governments from various countries as well as associations and civilians expressed concern—no one, however, outright criticized it.

They all knew just how much the Pilgrimage Church sacrificed for the sake of humanity. Also, more than anything else, the Church was an organization led by the Pilgrim himself and Lee Se-Hoon as Pope and Grand Archbishop, respectively.

“So, who’s becoming the second pope in the end?”

“Isn’t it Lee Se-Hoon? I heard he was the most likely candidate last time.”

“But I saw some speculation yesterday saying maybe not…”

With less than an hour remaining until the new pope would be elected, the entire world was abuzz. In contrast, to them, however, the meeting room inside the cathedral was unnaturally silent.

“…”

“…”

Dressed neatly in ceremonial garb for the occasion, the archbishops sat in complete silence. Likewise, Se-Hoon also remained silent, overlooking the council from the seat at the head as the grand archbishop.

This is uncomfortable.

The archbishops’ anxious faces were more troubling than the ceremonial robes he borrowed from Kamal.

Judging by their looks, Karl’s condition must not be that great.

No matter how great a Perfect One he was, the destruction of his source would only worsen his condition with each passing day. If he had the will to live, the situation could be different, but… that was clearly not the case.

“…Everything’s ready, right?”

Trying to ease the atmosphere even slightly, Se-Hoon forcibly brought up the topic.

“Yes. The Sanctuary has been stabilized, and the device you sent has been perfectly linked,” Kamal answered with a nod, sitting diagonally across.

“Then all that’s left is to wait.”

He and the archbishops had already finished every preparation they could, and yet, the archbishops were clearly still racking their brains for anything more they could do.

This just shows how precious Karl is to them.

Quietly studying the archbishops’ faces, Se-Hoon firmed his resolve and looked at Kamal.

“Lord Kamal.”

“…Yes. Please speak.”

“Are you confident in carrying out the prayer operation?”

The other archbishops flinched, lifting their heads. Long before the meeting began, the archbishops had appointed Kamal as the prayer operation leader. In their opinion, his abilities were most suitable for gathering the prayers of the believers.

Well, his abilities are certainly not bad.

It had been that very ability Kamal used to lay the foundation of the Great Holy Sword in the past. In that sense, he was a proven choice. Still, in Se-Hoon’s eyes, leaving it to Kamal based solely on his powers didn’t sit right, especially given the special relationship between Karl and the archbishops.

Even if it carries some risks, I should be the one to do it… but how to make them accept that?

He had only asked a single question, yet wariness had already crept into the eyes of a few archbishops. If he, whom they trusted not to intervene directly before agreeing to leave the operation in his hands, were to step in now… then it would only appear as though he was revealing his true colors as the slayer of Perfect Ones.

I delayed saying anything until today just in case someone tried to preempt me… but I guess that didn’t change much.

How should he persuade such devout archbishops? Se-Hoon fell deep in thought.

Meanwhile, Kamal seemed to have finally thought it through as he opened his mouth to answer. “I should be able to perform it properly. I’ve spent every day until now preparing with my brothers and sisters.”

Hearing the reply full of self-assurance, with no intention of backing down, Se-Hoon made a bitter smile as the archbishops’ expressions brightened.

“But…”

Upon seeing their reactions, however, Kamal continued with a now slightly weary expression.

“I cannot guarantee the operation’s success.”

A reply full of self-mockery—Se-Hoon’s eyes widened and some archbishops even shot up from their seats in shock.

“L-Lord Kamal, what are you saying…?”

“You all felt it too, haven’t you?” Kamal looked over at the archbishops, scanning the table with a firm gaze. “If our faith truly were unwavering, His Holiness would never have made such a choice. Yet he chose martyrdom—of his own will.”

“…”

“Among us, how many can genuinely claim to understand the Pope’s will? I dare say, not even one. Because…”

Kamal hesitated, clearly unsure whether to finish his words. In the end, though, he made his choice with a deeply bitter expression.

“We are merely mouthpieces that convey his words.”

The Pope conveyed the will of God, while the archbishops merely conveyed the will of the Pope; it was a hierarchy that could never be overturned. The relationship between them was close, yet unfathomably distant.

Even now, after all that time together, all the archbishops could do was implore their pope to rethink.

“Since that day, our prayers have continually reached out to His Holiness. Yet he has never once changed his decision. From the start… the result of this operation has already been determined.”

“…”

“And so the only path left… not for us, but for all of humanity… is just one.”

Kamal solemnly looked directly at Se-Hoon.

“Only someone who can speak the will of God themselves, someone aside from the Pope, can do it—it must be you, Grand Archbishop.”

The meeting room fell silent again. Unlike before, though, it was now centered around Se-Hoon, who was still stunned out of confusion.

What the hell?

He had asked just in case Kamal was wavering in hesitance, thinking he might be able to nudge Kamal into stepping down. Yet, right now, Kamal was actively recommending that he take over? Why? How?

Completely puzzled, Se-Hoon stared at Kamal… and saw it: the unwavering resolve reflected in Kamal’s eyes.

I see… He really believes this is the only way.

Even Meirin, someone who knew virtually nothing about divine mana, had intuitively realized how dangerous it would be to have the archbishops lead such an operation.

Then, could the archbishops themselves have failed to notice something so basic? Of course not. Every single one of them had been aware of it but chose simply to look away, each for their own reasons.

He’s realized that no matter how long they keep avoiding it, nothing’s going to change.

The only person capable of bringing Karl back—or, in the worst-case scenario, putting him down cleanly—was Se-Hoon and no one else.

It was the scathing truth that Kamal had likely come to accept while preparing for the prayer operation.

“…I think that’s enough explanation. Let’s determine the remaining details through a vote. We were going to vote on the successor, regardless.”

Kamal rose from his seat and looked around the room, turning firm and solemn.

“Those who still believe I should lead the operation, raise your left hand. Those who believe the Grand Archbishop offers even a slight chance of success, raise your right.”

The first to raise their right hand was Kamal; the second, Jane. One by one, the remaining archbishops each glanced between Kamal and Se-Hoon… and slowly raised their right hands with bitter expressions.

“…I see. At last, you’re all being honest.”

Kamal smiled at the nine right hands before looking toward Se-Hoon.

“Sir. This may be sudden, but… would you please take on the role of pope?”

Kamal bowed his head, then the other archbishops all rose from their seats and followed suit—a formal display of deference.

Se-Hoon paused, thinking, before opening his mouth.

“Fine. I’ll do it. Only on a temporary basis, though.”

“…Pardon?”

“It was the same when I took on the grand archbishop title. These kinds of positions make me incredibly uncomfortable.”

Just running a small workshop in the neighborhood had been annoying enough for him. And they wanted him to lead hundreds of millions of believers? Se-Hoon genuinely would rather go out and beat up another deranged Perfect One than do something like that. No number of regressions would make him accept such responsibility.

“So just for today—until the Pilgrim returns—I’ll do it. If that’s acceptable.”

His declaration of his intent to persuade Karl to resume the position left the archbishops taken aback. Then, a moment later, they all bowed once more in deep gratitude without a word.

Se-Hoon’s answer was, in a way, an incredibly half-hearted “I’ll do it just for today, then quit.” Yet, it was that very openness that made them feel Se-Hoon’s sincerity all the more clearly.

Hmm… I guess this worked out.

Se-Hoon still couldn’t be certain how the prayer operation would unfold, but at the very least, the archbishops would no longer be a variable to worry about. Satisfied that one source of uncertainty was now gone, Se-Hoon stood up.

“All right, let’s cut this boring conversation here and…”—he checked the time remaining until the public announcement and began loosening up his shoulders—“let’s ride this momentum and head straight there.”

***

Not long after the consensus was reached between Se-Hoon and the archbishops, the official announcement that was originally scheduled for thirty minutes later was made immediately.

“We now officially recognize the second pope of the Pilgrimage Church, by unanimous decision of the electoral council, as Lee Se-Hoon.”

With that declaration, the hundreds of thousands gathered in the plaza all erupted into thunderous cheers. Likewise, the various branches across the world were also experiencing a cacophony of celebrations.

After all, now it was official that not one but two Perfect Ones would lead the Pilgrimage Church. How could the believers not cheer wildly in happiness?

“Next, we invite the newly appointed pope, His Holiness Lee Se-Hoon, to speak…”

Watching the priests moving quickly to manage the ceremony, Se-Hoon stepped onto the stage with the accompaniment of the resounding cries of the believers.

…This is incredible.

Hundreds of thousands of gazes that were filled with faith converged on him. Of course, their faith was not directed at him personally but toward their God, the Golden Ring. Still, the sheer emotion that passed through him caused massive changes in his body.

Woong!

Divine Power, his earth mana that was imbued with the power of Grace, was resonating violently with the congregation’s faith and being exponentially amplified in power.

While I knew it was going to be quite intense… this exceeds all expectations.

He was only receiving the faith of those gathered in front of the cathedral and not the entire global congregation, yet it was already so overwhelming. Had Kamal stood where he was instead as originally planned, he would have likely experienced catastrophic backlash the moment he awakened the power of Grace.

If just being acknowledged as pope causes this… Karl must’ve been exposed to something even more inordinate on a daily basis.

The torrent of gratitude and hope pouring in simultaneously from hundreds of thousands of believers—strong enough to sweep him away if he let his guard down—was still nothing compared to what Karl had borne.

…There’s no point in dragging this situation out.

Whatever problem had arisen in Karl was likely something that far exceeded their imaginations. Feeling that on an instinctive level, though even the sea of faith, Se-Hoon steadied himself before his believers.

“O Golden Ring, Creator of Heaven and Earth…”

The moment his prayer began, the once-buzzing plaza fell silent as all believers bowed their heads in prayer, each in their own way. At that moment, in response to the united faith suffusing the air, the wooden staffs and vessels of sacred water placed throughout the plaza began illuminating warmly.

Woong!

Absorbing the faith of the believers, the Sanctified Branches transformed it all into an overflowing flow of divine mana that sprouted up into the sky to create golden branches.

Swoosh!

The divine trees rising throughout the plaza all resonated, emitting waves that spread across the world. Then, a moment later, the faith of hundreds of millions began converging on Se-Hoon thanks to the amplification effect of the resonance of the Sanctified Branches.

A tsunami of faith flooding in from outside; divine mana churning like a whirlpool within. Under the crushing quantity of all that mana, any archbishop would have crumbled and reformed into something new long ago.

I’m not… someone who should be a pope or anything like that.

Se-Hoon forced himself to hold strong, remaining himself. Even if billions of people believed otherwise, none of the companions who had truly shared a bond with him thought so. For them, Se-Hoon wouldn’t allow himself to be swept up by the faith.

Fwoosh!

He gathered it all together and, through the power of Omniscience, transmitted it to the Warhound waiting beneath in the underground Sanctuary. Now, at last, all that remained now was to use the Sanctuary to relay the faith to Karl himself.

Everything was proceeding smoothly; they could move on to the final—

Swish-

A faint sound tickled Se-Hoon’s ear, like silk being peeled away. Instinctively, his gaze turned toward one edge of the plaza.

There, a man wearing an old-style priest’s robe among the massive crowd lowered his hood to reveal his face.

“…O my God.”

At the sight of the striking resemblance to Karl in appearance, Se-Hoon’s eyes shot open in alarm: Max Sinclair, also known as Apostate, who he had once hunted down.

“In the name of the last remaining ‘human’ in this world…”

He didn’t possess any trace of demonic aura, nor even the bare minimum of internal mana one would expect of a human being. No matter how Se-Hoon saw him, he was like someone from before the emergence of the Towers of Heroes—fragile, tiny, and ominous. Even a child seemed to be able to overpower him.

Yet alarm bells were ringing, so Se-Hoon reached out his hand—

“I beseech You: destroy these monsters that dare impersonate humanity.”

BOOM!

A massive cross erupted from underground, piercing straight through the plaza densely filled with people.