The Regressor Can Make Them All

Chapter 555

Rumble-

A suspicious vibration could be felt from the rear. Like someone had punched a hole into Lunatic, mana and debris were launched into the interior. The constant impacts made the entire passage toward the deepest layer violently tremble and creak.

The battle going on was unlike the other times their companions had stayed behind—it was clearly on an entirely different scale.

“Did you do something?” Meirin asked in surprise, startled by the commotion coming from the stage they left in a rush.

“Nope. Seems like the Demon Force just made a mistake.”

It was very apparent that they had designed the stage assuming the combined strength of the trio was only around a force of ten. However, the gathering of those three was already a force of fifty; depending on the situation and their opponents, they could even bring out a force of a hundred.

Trying to hold back those guys with a stage rated around twenty? Of course, it would be destroyed in the blink of an eye.

“They’ll be too busy containing that mess to prepare another trial. Let’s break through this stage in one go!”

The distance remaining to the deepest layer was now less than five hundred meters. The surrounding defensive spells made pinpointing the exact location difficult, but that wasn’t a problem.

If I can’t see it, I just need to keep smashing until I can.

Clutching the Genesis Hammer, Se-Hoon dashed forward and swung it at seemingly empty air.

Clang!

Crimson cracks burst out from the point of collision with the hammer like blood vessels. The defensive spells hidden beyond the void space were all hit squarely, making them all rupture like bleeding wounds.

Rumble!

Having successfully neutralized part of the defenses by overloading the void space, Se-Hoon weaved through the created gap and glanced behind him.

“This is rather a mess.”

“It’s too intens—ugh!”

Meirin, riding her familiar, Resentful Blood, charged up the collapsing apartment stairs. All the while, Lea relied on her enchanted auto-evasion system to burst through to the theater’s dressing room.

They seem fine.

Confirming that both were following safely despite the distorted scenery, Se-Hoon swung the hammer again and pushed forward. Soon enough, after disabling countless spells, he finally broke through to the threshold of the deepest layer.

Boom!

The final gate of Lunatic appeared before the three.

“Is this…?”

“A pillar…?”

The cavern they arrived at, which was as vast as a city, was filled with black pillars scattered throughout. At first glance, the pillars appeared to be structural beams, but a closer examination revealed entangled mechanical devices that resembled transmission towers.

“It seems we share the same scenery for this entire area.”

“That means… the Tower of Heroes hasn’t encroached here.”

“Most likely.”

Lea tensed at Meirin’s response, staring at the pillars. Up until now, the Tower of Heroes’ encroachment had paralyzed most of Lunatic’s functions, making it easy for them to penetrate. In other words, the untouched core was a place where Lunatic’s true power could be unleashed.

If these are the facilities guarding the core, they sure wouldn’t be normal…

Curious, Lea began inspecting the pillars more closely—her vision abruptly blurred.

“Don’t look at it directly.” Having been staring at the pillars since entering the cavern, Se-Hoon stopped her with a firm tone. “This is the source of the encroachment. Nothing good will come from seeing it firsthand. If you really want to look at it, view it through my perspective instead.”

The very source of Lunatic’s ability to infect humans with knowledge and turn them into living puppets was right in front of them. Realizing the dangers, the two synchronized their vision with Se-Hoon.

“…”

Anguish. Inside the pillar, packed full of complex machinery, dozens—no, hundreds—of cubes screamed silently while continuously spewing spells. Demons and criminals alike, who had sided with Puppeteer seeking immortality, had all become components in the machines, doomed to endless torture.

“…Sick bastards,” Lea muttered, appalled.

She wasn’t about to pity demons or criminals, but Lunatic’s infection device operated on a level of cruelty that surpassed any notion of justice or consequence. It compressed the souls and bodies of living beings into cubes, then tortured them endlessly to extract their mana and synesthetic mindscape.

If Se-Hoon hadn’t destroyed the recently turned living puppets immediately… then they might have ended up inside those pillars, suffering until someone finally came. That horrifying truth sent a shiver through her body.

“…This confirms it. The core is a trap.” Meirin’s thoughts came through via the Sphere. “Strategically, the Demon Force should’ve targeted you two first. But they haven’t made a single attempt so far.”

Without Se-Hoon, the group couldn’t have bypassed the traps and reached as far as they had. And without Lea, they wouldn’t have been able to link through the Sphere and stay coordinated. If the goal had genuinely been to protect the core, then targeting the two of them would definitely have been prioritized.

“You, Se-Hoon, might be considered an outlier, so it’s possible they held back. But Lea? There’s no excuse for her, am I right?”

Unlike Se-Hoon, a jack-of-all-trades who even doubled as a blacksmith, Lea was just an enchanter. If the enemy had solely targeted Lea, it would have crippled the entire subjugation team.

“This leaves us with two possibilities: either they couldn’t create a stage to target you. Or…”

“Puppeteer needs me for her plans…” Lea whispered quietly, finishing Meirin’s sentence. “I’m guessing it’s the latter. She’s been after me for a long time, after all.”

Whether Puppeteer intended to turn her into a puppet or was after the Sphere, her father’s legacy, it wasn’t yet clear. Regardless, however, something was obvious: Puppeteer was absolutely waiting for her in the deepest layer. It was time for the moment she had been preparing for all along.

“So you knew from the start…”

Sensing her resolve, Meirin fell silent. And a beat later, Se-Hoon picked up the conversation.

“Lea.”

“Yeah?”

“Once you’re inside, don’t worry about what happens on the outside.”

Stepping forward, Se-Hoon gazed out at the endless forest of pillars.

“Just trust me. I promise I’ll handle everything here.”

Splatter!

With a swing of Se-Hoon’s left hand, blood scattered in the air. At that moment, Meirin, having received the schematics via the Sphere, followed suit by spreading her Resentful Blood.

Splash!

Their blood—infused with the peak of Blood Arts—smoothly merged to form a crimson chain. It then separated into thousands, all spreading out like a net, weaving between the pillars and catching the entire cavern.

Soul Honing: Demonic Blood Art

Soul Weapon: Demonblood Chains

CRACK-BOOM!

The scenery shattered like glass, revealing the true core of the encroachment hidden in void space.

Thump-

A massive hunk of flesh that had attached itself to each pillar, consuming the silent screams of the components, was pulsing ominously.

Finding itself bound by the Demonblood Chains, the monster within its depths slowly pushed its way out through the flesh.

“…Damn. You really caught me.”

The voice of the monster wearing a beaked mask—Tuner—rang out in admiration. Despite twisting space, blocking the void space, and attempting to override the Soul Weapon’s control, he had still been unable to prevent the two from dragging out the core.

“Looks like you did something to the blood in the chains… mind telling me before we fight—”

“Now!”

FWOOSH!

Spikes grew out of the Demonblood Chains and pierced through the core. Simultaneously, Lea started bolting toward the deepest layer.

“Ugh… I can’t let you go so easily!”

CRACK!

Dropping the feigned ease, Tuner vomited a basin of black blood and twisted his pierced body violently. From the shredded wounds, fangs sprouted as scarlet tongues slithered out from between them.

WOONG!

On the dozens of tongues, countless spells could be seen inscribed on each. Tuner was trying to replicate World Reformation, the Final Revelation of the Seeker—

“Hmph…!”

Meirin swung the Genesis Hammer with all her strength, striking the Demonblood Chains that Se-Hoon had laid out.

CLANG!

The design inscribed on the hammer resonated through the chains, carried by their blood, and soon spread everywhere in the blink of an eye. And when it all converged at the core that the chains bound… Lunatic’s internals were reshaped into a new stage.

CRUNCH!

Tuner’s mutated body instantly reverted, and red curtains dropped all around the three. Lea vanished, blocked by the curtain.

“…Huh?”

Tuner blinked repeatedly, baffled by his failure to even delay her for a second. Then, with a bitter chuckle, he turned his head to focus on his own body.

“This really is ridiculous.”

Just from observing the stage a few times, Se-Hoon had already perfectly imitated the structure and converted it to his own. Once again, Se-Hoon’s unnatural learning speed left Tuner utterly dumbfounded.

I might’ve had a shot… if she were to help.

Tuner glanced upward. Puppeteer hadn’t interfered at all during the entire encounter.

Well, whatever.

Tuner just casually shrugged it off. In the first place, he hadn’t been serious about stopping Lea. Instead, he began examining the chains binding him.

These chains are… more dangerous than I thought.

What he assumed to be just the framework for the stage was now invading his body, trying to pin down even his soul. Clearly, it was to block his usual tactic of escaping into a spare body.

“Interesting. I’ve been meaning to get something like this. Do you happen to take custom orders too?”

While joking, Tuner pondered ‌how he would escape now.

“I’ll consider it if you bring the necessary materials.”

“For real?”

“Dead serious.”

SPLURT!

Tuner stared blankly. Before he could even respond, a sword had pierced his neck and heart.

“Also, a Ten Evil’s corpse is as rare as it can get for materials.”

“You dirty bas—”

SLASH!

Tuner’s head flew off, signaling the start of the true battle.

***

Step- Step- Step

Unending rows of red theater seats filled Lea’s vision. At some point, she found herself on a grand stage that seemed to stretch infinitely in every direction.

She didn’t know how long she had been running. Time had lost all meaning. With Se-Hoon gone, she also no longer knew what path was right. The thought of stopping had been considered by her multiple times, but ultimately, she never stopped running.

No need to overthink it.

If Se-Hoon told her to run, then she just needed to keep running to the core until she ran out of breath. With her resolve firm, Lea continued crossing the endless sea of seats.

Click!

Then, all of a sudden, spotlights focused on illuminating the massive stage.

“…”

Lea finally slowed to a stop, looking at the lavish platform layered with crimson curtains. Instinctively, Lea realized she had entered the core’s interior. And at the same moment, a heavy weight settled on her.

Whether she just stood still or breathed out heavily, it felt burdensome. It was an odd sense of pressure, as if she were no longer herself, that came from a feeling of being forced to follow someone else’s will.

Is this Puppetry Magic or… the power of the stage itself?

Just as her companions had been assigned roles and bound by the stage, the platform was demanding something from her. However, determined to resist the pressure that was only growing, she gritted her teeth to activate the Sphere—

“Would you sit down for a while now?”

A familiar voice called out from the front-row seats.

“Unlike the improvised one-act plays outside, you’re currently trapped in a full-length performance. Struggling here would only break you before the fight even starts.”

The source of the voice had warm brown hair, just like her and her grandmother. She couldn’t see the face hidden by the seats, but Lea knew.

“You…”

Puppeteer—Reyna Claudel—who had never once revealed her true body in decades was now sitting in front of her in person.

Seeing that person, Lea’s eyes widened, her body trembled, and golden mana began flaring from the Sphere. Her hand moved to cast a spell to blow off Reyna’s head instantly—

“Whew…”

A long sigh escaped her, and her trembling hand stilled. Her clear eyes turned toward the stage.

“If I attack you now… I’ll only be penalized for interrupting the play.”

“You sure are a quick learner.”

The moment she stepped inside the core, she was already at a disadvantage. Understanding that, Lea calmed herself and chose to use the stage’s traits instead of blindly resisting.

She slowly walked through the rows of seats and sat down five rows behind Puppeteer.

Clack, clack-

And with all audience members now having taken their seats, the spotlight dimmed and the red curtain drew open.

—Act Three, Scene One.

The monotone voice echoed in the air as the spotlights rose once more. As the new stage was slowly revealed, Lea’s eyes slowly widened.

—The Puppeteer: The Start of Her Act.

Reyna Claudel’s past began to unfold as a puppet show.