The Hunted Regressor: My Heretic Saint System-Chapter 1: Modus Operandi

Humans are incredible beings, able to adapt and change better than any other.

They endure what should break them and survive what should annihilate them.

But even the most indomitable of spirits reach a breaking point.

Cornered, staring at an end with no way out.

An end that almost feels like...

’A dream.’

’Or was it a nightmare?’

’Either way, I thought it’d never end.’

A very tall, white-haired, bearded man looked down.

’But it seems it finally did.’

His gray, bleeding eyes met a horse.

Or more accurately, just its head. He refused to even glance at its mangled body, which rested on the dark hill where he knelt. A hill filled with Corruption and glowing red flowers.

"You killed them all, you know."

The man revealed a soft smile.

"My people, my friends... everyone I tried to love... everyone in the coalition. Hm, I can understand why; honestly, I don’t hate you all that much for it, but Alba..."

He patted the horse’s head.

"My boy never did anything wrong."

Finally, he looked up at them.

At those who did this to him.

"I, Ignotus of the Third Stratum, despise you greatly."

He stated that so calmly, and was about to continue...

"That’s great to hear."

But an annoyed feminine voice cut through his confession.

"Now shut up and die already so I can take your Runes."

Ignotus blinked, his bloody gaze shifting towards a purple-dressed woman hiding her face behind a similarly purple fan.

"Excuse me? Can you not see that I’m speaking? Why are you being so rude?"

The woman’s purple eyes narrowed above her fan.

"There’s no need to stall any longer. As much of a worm as you are, you’ve done well to survive for this long. Now take that as conciliation, give up, and perish."

Ignotus stared at her for a very long moment.

"Hm."

Then, he slowly pointed a finger at his own chest, threatening to destroy what she so desperately wanted.

"Do you want the Runes or not?"

"This damn..."

The woman grumbled beneath her breath.

"Fine... speak, then."

She quickly backed off, the hand holding her fan trembling from anger.

"You see, this was an expected outcome."

Ignotus cleared his throat, returning to his dramatic cadence.

"Whenever I talked about what I needed to do to survive, my own people were the first to call me insane."

"Because you are insane."

The woman interrupted again while rolling her eyes.

"You never had a chance in the first place. Literally everyone knew that but you."

Ignotus didn’t argue with her words and simply pressed the same finger into his heart.

"..."

"..."

"..."

They blankly stared at each other.

Nothing else but that for seconds.

Very long, quiet seconds.

"Oh, please. Just speak."

Until she backed off once more, this time with a loud scoff.

"Yes, no one believed we could kill you three."

Ignotus casually continued.

"They weren’t wrong, I know that now, but still... it’s annoying. Even though I did all I could, I didn’t even become a Blessed."

He sighed.

"It’s all been in vain."

The tone of his voice was twisted.

"There are many things I’ve yet to do, plans that have been ruined. Do you know that I was so busy trying to survive your hounds and your institutions that I haven’t been in a proper relationship yet?"

Ignotus went on:

"Most are married at my age, you know? Many with kids, even. But every girl that loved me was killed, you bastards! If it wasn’t for my strong charm, I would’ve come here a virgin!"

He didn’t stop.

"I get that it’s the damned point, but your lot chased me for ten years! Even when I was nothing more than a mercenary... an assassin. Are you that desperate for my Runes? Are there no other Time Runes in the realm?! Ha?! Or do you just—"

"Are you done?"

The woman cut him off for a fourth time.

"Honestly, I don’t ca—"

"Okay, I’m doing it."

Ignotus did the same and pressed hard into his chest...

"DON’T!"

Only to stop, and no, it wasn’t due to the woman’s panicked scream.

"Let’s end this, Ignotus."

A dead voice had reached him, ceasing his movement.

"Accept your Fate."

It originated from a skeletal, thin man who wore the dark robes of a priest.

"There’s nothing you can do now, not even that. I won’t allow you to."

Two dark circled eyes of absolute black stared at Ignotus, pure as death.

"You’ve lost."

The woman stepped next to her temporary ally and followed his words:

"You really should give up. I say it again, it’s commendable that a worm like you has even gotten this far, but there is literally nothing that you can do now, nothing. So you ought to accept it and just give me your damned Runes!"

Ignotus ignored them both and glanced at the last of them, a figure that had yet to speak.

...he couldn’t see that ’figure.’

A man so strong that the realm itself seemed to reject the reveal of his existence... in order to safeguard its own.

Indeed, he could not be acknowledged.

Something that Ignotus didn’t really care much for.

Pushing himself up with the last of his strength, he began to near them.

"Oh, I see that you’re incredibly stupid till the end."

Shrugging off the woman’s mocking, Ignotus took one stuttering step after another.

"Right, right, I’m stupid. So very stupid that I’m about to do what’s most taboo."

Once close enough, he looked back down.

"I’ll sacrifice it all and send myself straight to Hell."

In moments, Ignotus’s eyes went dead black as he...

"So, hey, if you want my Time Runes so bad, here, let me just give them to you."

He slowly mimicked a bow, his smile widening.

"Break." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Deep in his Soul, in a world of night, seven orb-like things called Runes began to crack.

Vruuuuuuuuuuuuu—mmmmm...

All of their Divinity coalesced into one spot and violently imploded.

...TING!

Before time could catch up properly, the blast reversed and exploded outwards.

SHWWWW-KRA-BOOOOOOOMMM!

An explosion so massive that it swallowed the entirety of the Corrupted hill, turning it into nothing, leaving not even dust behind... Ignotus, of course, gone with it.

Yet the three figures were still alive.

All remained floating where they once stood as if nothing happened, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t hurt—oh, far from it.

The first figure lost an entire arm, and the second, well... her face was scarred.

There was no need to mention the last.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!"

Her fan snapped open, drawing the realm’s attention.

"A mere Fifth Class couldn’t have hurt me!"

Even though her wounds were superficial, she went insane with anger. Her eyes snapped around, searching for what iota remained of Ignotus... an iota she could destroy.

"DAMN YOU, INSECT!"

Never did she say his name.

"I, QUEEN OF TIME!"

She’d never ever do it, even after what happened.

"COMMAND THE REALM..."

HE WAS UNWORTHY.

"TO REWIND!"

The realm kneeled.

Blink.

’...ylno fi.’

***

A man floated somewhere in a void.

Before him was a realm split in three.

It was his home, and he saw it bend.

It bent until it was nothing but a speck.

That speck pulsed before crashing into him like a comet, twisting his Soul in infinite proportions, forcing it to exist in places that it was never meant to reach.

The man saw the Truth.

...at least most of the truth.

He was Ignotus.

And he saw something else.

Eight of ’Them...’ Higher Gods, and at that moment...

He became an existence foreign enough to be branded a Heretic.

It was also the moment he returned.

***

Ignotus blinked his eyes open, feeling like he had been flattened by a carriage ten times over.

Above him was a... familiar roof, or rather, it was the sky.

Glancing to the side, he saw many standing, looking in his direction; the same to his right.

But far above...

He saw a floating man.

His very father, now alive.

Next to him was a banner that signified one thing.

’The Day of Runes...’

Ignotus almost couldn’t believe it.

’It’s true...’

He smiled.

’It really worked.’

Indeed, he was back in the past.

He had succeeded in a gamble, the first step of his hope.

A hope born from desperation, a plan brought about by inspiration.

And... ultimately:

A Modus Operandi that had just begun.