Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1496. Extinction (6)

I had to offer this bastard up as a sacrifice. That way, our odds of survival would increase. No matter what was going to happen and no matter what would unfold, I had to make him take Altanus’s place.

I had to make him want to take Altanus' place. In extreme terms, winning him over was more important than finding Kim Hyun-Sung. Of course, at this point, I wasn't really in a hurry.

The whole losing my memories thing was a lie, but as I said before, it wasn't like there was absolutely no chance I could start losing them from here on out. Still, if I looked at the situation a bit more rationally...

‘It’s obvious.’

Before Kim Hyun-Sung chose to become the sunset, there were only so many places he would visit. More precisely, rather than wandering everywhere, the odds of finding him were higher if I were to wait for him somewhere he was likely to visit.

For example...

‘The cabin in Heren.’

He’d definitely stop by here, and not just the cabin. There was a high chance he'd visit those places filled with memories. People tend to look back on their lives when their end was nigh. In Kim Hyun-Sung’s case, it made even more sense.

Even if I had all the time in the world to look for him, just waiting for him here would significantly increase the probability of meeting him. Of course, simply sitting here and waiting would be foolish, but if I were to deliberately search those likely places and wait, I’d eventually run into him.

In addition...

‘First Lee Ki-Young.’

I could guarantee it. He’d visit him before the end. Second Lee Ki-Young had synchronized with the first, but I bet he’d still want to face the first life version of Lee Ki-Young, confess his sins, and settle everything properly.

Realistically, the odds of him being forgiven were close to zero, as the entire thing was just too messy. Kim Hyun-Sung probably knew that, too. But even so, he’d definitely face First Lee Ki-Young. And this was slightly different, but...

‘I don’t necessarily need to meet Kim Hyun-Sung to solve this...'

I could set up his replacement before he was erased.

‘That replacement is standing right in front of me...’

As a god, he was definitely qualified. Sure, his trash-tier Endurance made him look like he was just wearing the shell of something greater, but judging by the abnormal abilities he had displayed so far, he wasn't just qualified. He was overqualified.

“...”

“...”

I observed him again and saw that his composure had long since cracked open. The man who always stood a step back, observing this whole affair like a bystander, now wore the face of someone who had stepped onto the stage himself.

Whether he would sacrifice himself for this or not, I couldn't say for sure, but at the very least, the affairs of this continent had become his problems as well.

As if on cue, a light rain fell on us, making the stage look suitably dramatic. The backdrop was the cabin in Heren. I stood there, breathing roughly, looking as if I wouldn’t yield even a single step while Mikael gripped my arm to stop me.

My arm trembled from how tightly he was holding me, but of course, I didn’t release the dagger. Still, little by little, strength left my arm. The reason behind it was obvious—it was his backstory.

“It was a long time ago... but the events of that time are still vivid in my mind. The helplessness and the despair I felt back then... I have never forgotten them.”

“Spare me the empty consol—”

“The Thousand-Year War that took place in the Forty-Fourth Dimension,” he interrupted me.

“...”

“In that war, I lost my family, my comrades, my brothers-in-arms. All of them,” he said.

“...”

“...”

‘I don’t care about the Forty-Fourth Dimension war or whatever...’

I had zero interest in what he was saying. Honestly, I wasn’t particularly curious about his backstory either. He was always gnashing his teeth at demons and clashing with them. Considering what was happening out there, it was easy enough to assume that somewhere in some dimension, there was a brutal war.

The so-called Thousand-Year War sounded grand and dramatic, but still...

‘It was probably just a struggle for power and interests among themselves. It's not like I can make use of dimensional history for something...’

His past and the background of this place had nothing to do with the present situation. Still, from his expression and heavy voice, I could tell that this was a deeply significant piece of history, something that had set the entire dimension ablaze.

From the perspective of those above him, it seemed like a history too painful to even mention. It wasn’t shocking, but pretending to be shocked was practically mandatory here. I had to play along with his rhythm.

“The Thousand-Year War...” I muttered under my breath. This had to be done.

“The screams of those who were sacrificed to stop the endless waves of demons. It was a horrific war, unlike anything seen anywhere else. In the end, we no longer understood what we were fighting for or what values we were defending.

"It wasn't just transcendent beings. Even mortals burned away everything to protect their dimensions and their continents,” he said.

“...”

“I lost all the comrades I met there, and my family who always stood by my side. I buried them in my heart and have been living just like this. The brothers who died in my place, and the comrades who opened a path to the future for people like me, I buried them all and have been living like this since then,” he said.

“...”

“I, too, can understand at least a fraction of how you feel,” he added.

“...”

“I, too... sometimes feel that the fact I’m still alive is a curse, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,” he added.

‘What does he expect me to say? If being alive feels like a curse, then just die.’

“...”

‘So what the hell does that have to do with me?’

Of course, I couldn't actually say something like that. Unless one was a complete psychopath, no one could say that.

The air between us sank, and the drizzle became torrential rain. It looked as though tears were running down his face, and I had no idea if it was because of the rain or if it was because he was recalling his old comrades.

It was probably the first time in a long while that Mikael had talked about what was buried inside him. Unknowingly, he released the stories he had carefully sealed away in his chest.

“...”

“...”

“That’s why I can at least empathize with what you feel about forgetting the Sunset. It’s terrifying. It’s only natural to be afraid. I, too, find it difficult to imagine forgetting them. B-but this... this is the wrong choice, God of Sacrifice and Revival.

"You know very well that the Sunset wouldn’t want that to happen. Even if time is running out... even if forgetting the Sunset Swordsman is unbearably frightening... you still have a chance, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. Unlike me,” he said.

“...”

“You still have a chance,” he added.

“...”

“Your story isn’t over yet,” he said.

“...”

“...”

At this point, I had to let the dagger fall. With a dull clatter, it slipped from my hand.

I had no idea what to say, but for now, it was better to respond to his story.

He went out of his way to share something personal, so I couldn't just ignore it outright.

“The Thousand-Year War... how did it end?” I asked.

“...”

“Before long, the Thousand-Year War came to an end, and the Forty-Fourth Dimension entered a period of peace. A new dimensional treaty was signed between the two sides, and on the surface, peace was established. I believe the sacrifices of those who died there were not in vain,” he answered.

‘A new dimensional treaty, my ass. That thing is nothing more than a treaty in name only.’

It wasn't like they were throwing themselves at each other in a life-or-death struggle like during the Thousand-Year War, but even now, weren’t the demons and the higher-ups still grappling with each other here and there?

This idiot believed that their sacrifices had opened an era of peace, but words could be twisted however one liked. The higher beings couldn't properly secure divinity without the demons, and the same could be said for demon merits.

The conflict between the two factions was an indispensable mechanism for protecting their own interests and power, so a genuine peace treaty was never realistically possible.

‘The ones above are rotten too.’

Sometimes, I even felt fortunate that I became independent early on. I already sensed plenty of it from those old monsters in Rohan, but still...

‘Ah, whatever. Whatever kind of bullshit they are pulling up there, I’ll just spout my own nonsense.’

The timing felt right, and I had just shown him that I was moved by his words, so it wasn't strange to say these words to him. I took a deep breath and said, “I-I used to hate the rain.”

“Pardon?”

“Well... you know. It’s unpleasant... damp... annoying,” I told him.

“...”

“But... if you wait long enough... you'll learn that eventually the rain stops... It’s obvious, but... being with Hyun-Sung, I learned that someday the rain would stop. S-so now, I don’t hate it that much.

"I stopped hating it because... because I know that rain... will eventually... stop...” I added.

“...”

“But right now... it doesn’t feel like this rain will ever stop...” I said.

“...”

“Heuk... heuuuk... Right now... right now this rain... feels like it will never stop... heuk... it feels like it will not stop... like it will never stop...” I muttered.

I broke down and cried like a child. I was still in a child's body, so there was no shame in bawling like this. My tears had nearly run dry to the point that squeezing them out was hard, but the rain was helping me.

‘You have really gone all the way, Ki-Young.’

“It feels like it won’t stop... heuk... heuuuk... kgh... cough! Cough! Hiccup... hiccup...” I said.

I even threw in a few hiccups for added effect.

“Hiccup... heuuuk... The rain... the rain...” I muttered.

‘Why is he so slow on the uptake? Please, just stop me now.’

“It doesn’t feel like it will stop... It doesn’t feel like it will ever... stop...” I said.

Burying my face in his clothes and sobbing was only natural. He awkwardly began patting my shoulder. I could guarantee that he, too, was praying for the rain to stop. Even if it was something small and even if it had nothing to do with this situation, he wanted to offer at least a little hope to me.

Just as the rain of the Thousand-Year War eventually stopped, he had to be hoping that the rain falling on this continent would stop as well.

Sure enough, I saw him looking up and...

“...”

“...”

Just then, light seeped out of him. It was a faint and thin light, but I saw it shooting toward the sky. The dark clouds split apart, and sunlight weaved densely through the gaps.

'It's a beautiful sight, if you can call it that. Artificial, yes. Unnatural, certainly.'

However, perhaps that made it all the more spectacular. The rain was stopping. It looked as though it stopped only over Heren, but sunlight was unmistakably pouring down on us, and it was a dazzlingly bright sunlight.

The droplets of water clinging to his blond hair fell to the ground one by one. Amidst all of those, I saw Mikael smiling as he stood beneath the sunlight.

“...”

“...”

“It stopped,” Mikael said.

“...”

I had no choice but to press my face into his chest and sob.

“The rain has stopped, Mr. Lee Ki-Young,” he said.

I was sure this bastard was still smiling.