The Regressor Can Make Them All-Chapter 370

“Julia...”

Staring at his sister, Richard shifted his gaze to the heroes gathered behind her.

...Five S-ranks.

Just those five were already a formidable force, and there were even ten others recognized as quasi S-ranks behind them. They formed a task force that, when compared to his own, had the upper hand both in quantity and quality.

Realizing that fact, Richard’s expression darkened.

“It looks like you’ve grasped the situation.”

Noticing Richard’s reaction, Julia turned her gaze to the four individuals behind him. Among them were Eun-Ha, standing expressionless as if unaware of the tension, and three students who were huddled together whispering amongst themselves.

It was a ragtag bunch, by all appearances, making Julia smirk.

“I get what you’re trying to do, but you were far too hasty, Richard.”

“...”

“Not only did you proceed without the Association’s approval, but you even brought students along? For someone affiliated with an educational institution, isn’t this crossing the line?”

Richard couldn’t offer a rebuttal. After all, from a rational standpoint, there indeed wasn’t a single flaw in her argument.

“I don’t want to cause an unnecessary commotion in such a dangerous place. Please, return quietly.”

“...What if we help you guys out?”

“We already have a plan prepared on our side. I’m sorry, but we don’t need your assistance.”

A firm rejection. Glancing back at Eun-Ha, Richard saw her just standing there silently without stepping forward or retreating; her intentions were unclear. However, when he considered her relationship with Se-Hoon, Richard realized one thing was certain: she wouldn’t simply back down here.

But if we end up clashing here, regardless of who wins, it will disrupt the entire operation.

Given the situation, such a scenario had to be avoided at all costs. It warranted consideration of whether they should actually withdraw. But just as Richard started considering it...

Wait!

He suddenly realized something and raised his head.

“How exactly are you guys going to subdue Wurgen Kruger?”

“We can’t disclose that to outsiders. Now leave—”

“No, I must know.” Interrupting Julia, Richard declared the reason in a calm but resolute tone. “Because we’re going with a plan that Lee Se-Hoon has prepared in advance.”

“What?”

“He had foreseen this situation from the very beginning, ever since he started developing the specialized equipment. He understood what the President was aiming for and knew exactly what needed to be done to stop it.”

If the other side was trying to intimidate them with the Heroes Association’s authority, then Richard just needed to leverage the authority of the one behind their plan—Se-Hoon.

“Whatever plan the Association has prepared, I believe ours has a better chance of success.”

“Sigh. So you’re dragging ordinary students into and basing everything on a mere first-year student’s plan? How ridiculous.”

While Julia knew Se-Hoon wasn’t an ordinary student, his authority didn’t still didn’t come close to that of the Perfect Ones behind. If Se-Hoon were physically present, perhaps it would have been a different story, but relying on a vague, unproven plan wasn’t enough to push them back.

Julia’s assessment made perfect sense rationally.

“Is that really true?”

However, depending on who was listening, the situation changed entirely.

The man who spoke was dressed in a black kimono with his face obscured by a piece of paper inscribed with the kanji “封”—Inoue Ryuuma.

Richard nodded resolutely.

“Yes. If you’d like, I can swear to it—”

“There’s no need for that.”

With a shake of his head, Ryuuma’s gaze shifted past Richard to Eun-Ha, who stood behind him silently.

“If someone who refused to help the Association is here, it could only be for this reason. I’ll withdraw from this operation as of now.”

“Wh-What?!”

Julia spun around in shock. It was clear they had the overwhelming advantage in strength, so why would he make such a foolish decision?

Ryuuma, however, didn’t even bat an eye.

“A hastily thrown-together plan can’t compare to one prepared in advance. There’s no reason for us to take unnecessary risks here,” he declared in a composed tone.

“Do you have any proof—”

“What more proof do you need? They’ve already taken down two of the Ten Evils. The ones who should be proving their worth here are actually us, no?”

Julia’s head spun at the curt response.

And Ryuuma wasn’t done. He glanced at the other heroes before adding, “What do we have to offer aside from numbers? Besides, it seems even that advantage is slipping away.”

“What do you mean...?”

Before Julia could fully process his words, the golden-haired man in silver armor—Aaron Myers—spoke up as if he’d been waiting. “The Myers family will also withdraw from this operation.”

“You...!”

“Since we’re up against a Perfect One, it makes sense to follow a plan crafted by someone familiar with their powers. It would be foolish to insist otherwise stubbornly unless there’s some ulterior motive.”

With the two S-rank heroes withdrawing, six of their accompanying quasi S-rank subordinates also withdrew, making Julia’s face twist in frustration. She had known that both the Inoue and Myers families had ties to Se-Hoon, but she hadn’t thought it was to such an extent.

This... isn’t good.

She could try requesting additional reinforcements from the Association, but with battles raging worldwide, that wouldn’t be easy. Furthermore, even if she did, there was no guarantee Richard would simply wait patiently for them to arrive.

The station was spiraling out of control. Julia racked her brain, trying to figure out a way to keep the situation under control.

“You’re all out of your minds.” A sharp voice abruptly broke through the tension.

Albert Hadegen, an S-rank hero with green hair, who had been silently observing the situation, had spoken.

“You’re seriously putting your faith in a plan led by these brats? What nonsense...”

His gaze moved to the three standing behind Richard, and he clicked his tongue loudly enough for everyone to hear.

“Let’s be real. You’re only siding with that kid, Lee Se-Hoon, because you’re trying to cozy up to him for favors later.”

The atmosphere grew colder at Albert’s blunt accusation. At first, the gravity of dealing with a berserk Perfect One had kept everyone on edge, but now, with the discovery that a method to counter him had been prepared, there was suddenly room to start thinking about their own futures.

Albert’s remark had hit that nerve.

“No matter how impressive his plan might be, if you’re so confident, bring it up for proper discussion first. You can’t just rely on his reputation to bulldoze through an operation this crucial.”

“But we don’t have time for that—”

“Well, isn’t it also a waste of time if you screw everything up because of poor planning? We’d be better off discussing it now.”

From his words, Albert made it clear he wasn’t planning on backing down, no matter what.

Realizing that, Richard’s eyes narrowed, and he was about to respond. But someone beat him to it.

“Hey.”

Luize, who had been watching quietly until now, had finally spoken up.

“You keep calling us brats, but... are you really in any position to say that?”

“...What?”

“Didn’t you get your ass handed to you by Dean Ryu during the last mission?”

Back during the elimination mission of Apostate, Albert had made an outrageous comment about Se-Hoon, saying his becoming a vegetable was a “good trade.” And in her anger, Eun-Ha had stormed into Albert’s mansion and beaten him so badly both his face and property were left unrecognizable.

“...!”

Albert’s expression twisted at the mention of his past humiliation, but Luize wasn’t done.

“It’s honestly a little funny to see you acting so confident after getting utterly wrecked. How do you find this, Dean Ryu?”

“...My apologies. I couldn’t control my strength very well back then,” Eun-Ha replied calmly.

“True, the beating you gave to someone that stupid might’ve been overkill.”

“...!”

Veins popped on Albert’s forehead. While he could grudgingly tolerate Eun-Ha, a mere student mocking him was another matter entirely.

He was about to explode, but just then, Luize spoke up once more. “Fine. You don’t trust us because we’re rookies, right?” She stepped forward with a confident smirk. “Then we’ll just have to prove it.”

“Prove it...?”

Blanking out, Albert stared at Luize, who smiled sweetly at him.

“Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on you,” she declared in a calm, almost teasing tone.

At that, Albert realized Luize wasn’t bluffing but entirely serious, making something inside him snap.

He gathered his mana without hesitation.

Swish!

Green, vine-like streaks of light shot out from Albert’s body, extending like tree roots. His lifetime-honed mastery of barrier magic spread out, not only to subdue Luize but also to keep Eun-Ha in check.

As if I’ll fall for your tricks...!

He completely dismissed Luize’s taunt as bait to provoke him. Clearly, they planned to ambush him while he was distracted. Staying alert with that in his mind, Albert focused more on guarding against a surprise attack from Eun-Ha rather than worrying about Luize.

...Huh?

But upon meeting Eun-Ha’s eyes, her cold, almost pitying gaze cut through Albert like a blade. Just that one look was enough for him to know something was very wrong.

“Spell Break.”

Snap!

The green streaks of light, the very essence of Albert’s barrier magic, were all shattered apart like brittle glass the moment Luize’s voice rang out.

Albert’s eyes widened in shock.

My barrier...!

Even though his focus had solely been on Eun-Ha, for his barrier to be dismantled so easily and head-on at that—it was unthinkable. Albert scrambled to recover. Only now did he realize the opponent before him wasn’t ordinary, but... it was far too late.

The momentum had already shifted to the trio of students.

Whoosh!

At the same time Luize had launched her counter, Sung-Ha had charged forward with both fire and darkness mana burning brightly in his palms.

Seeing him, Albert momentarily flinched before smirking internally soon after.

Idiots. Do they think a barrier mage like me wouldn’t be prepared for close combat?

Though he appeared defenseless, his body was surrounded by layers upon layers of defensive barriers, meticulously prepared for situations exactly like the one he was in now. Confident in his protection, Albert ignored the incoming attack and instead prepared his next spell.

Boom!

Uninhibited, Sung-Ha’s dual mana struck Albert’s layered barriers directly—and resonated with each other.

Crash!

Albert’s multiple defensive barriers shattered in a single strike. The unexpected force of the impact disrupted his concentration, causing the spell he had been preparing to fizzle chaotically.

“Argh...!”

The overwhelming pain felt like his mana circuits had been torn apart, almost as if someone was driving nails into his brain. Dazed and furious, Albert abandoned all reason and prepared to retaliate with the intent to kill.

But unfortunately for him, he never got the chance.

Hidden in Sung-Ha’s shadow, Amir’s ice dagger emerged and stabbed Albert cleanly in the abdomen.

Crack!

The enchanted ice dagger, forged through Frost Alchemy, immediately spread frost across Albert’s entire body. And in the blink of an eye, both his flesh and mana circuits were frozen solid, rendering him completely immobilized.

“...”

Everyone who witnessed the scene—Julia, the other heroes, and even Richard—was left speechless.

What... just happened?

While Albert may have been notorious for his abrasive personality, his skills as an S-rank hero were undisputed. Yet, in less than three seconds, he had been utterly subdued by three students. It wasn’t something that could be chalked up to mere carelessness or underestimation.

Thud!

Luize, arriving late, kicked the frozen Albert to the ground and planted her foot on him. Staring down, her fiery gaze bore into him as she sneered.

“I’ve hated you ever since you said that crap about ‘trade-offs.’ Lucky me, I get to deal with you today.”

“...!”

“Hey! What are you all doing? Beat him up!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Together, the three began stomping on Albert with enough force to crack his frozen shell. Fissures spread across the icy surface, creaking ominously with every hit.

“Isn’t he going to die if we keep this up?”

“Don’t worry, I’m keeping him frozen,” Amir replied coolly.

“Nice.”

With no worries left, the three continued treating him like a soccer ball, leaving the onlookers gaping in stunned silence.

Eventually, it was Eun-Ha who broke the awkward air.

“That’s enough.”

Hearing her words, Luize finally paused. She leaned down to whisper in Albert’s ear. “Try pulling this crap again, and I’ll rip your throat out next time.”

“She really means it, you know,” Amir added casually.

“I can make it painless if you’d prefer,” Sung-Ha chimed in with a faint smirk.

Done delivering their parting words, the three returned to Eun-Ha’s side.

Now that the tense air had finally settled, Ryuuma spoke up. “Does anyone else object to letting them handle Wurgen?”

Dead silence. With two S-rank heroes already having withdrawn and a third one subdued in moments, it was crystal clear any further opposition would be futile.

“Good. Then we’ll leave it to you guys from now on.”

Retrieving a pipe from his belt, Ryuuma placed it in his mouth and exhaled a puff of smoke.

Whoosh!

The smoke spread out like ink in a watercolor painting, transforming into the shape of a cloud. Leading his subordinates, Ryuuma then stepped into it, and their figures vanished without a trace.

“Take care.”

With a slight nod of his head to Richard, Aaron, too, used the portal Ryuuma had left behind to exit the battlefield with his subordinates. Then, one by one, the other heroes followed suit, until only Julia remained.

All alone, Julia stared at Richard with a hollow expression.

“...”

She couldn’t be bothered to ask why. The results were plain to see, and the choice of whom to side with had already been made.

Asking the Demon Force for help is... not feasible right now. She neither trusted them nor did she believe they could arrive in time.

Deep in thought, Julia finally looked Richard in the eye.

“Richard. Just promise me one thing.”

“...”

“Promise that you’ll enslave Wurgen’s... no, that monster’s main body.”

Destroying Wurgen’s main body would erase his duplicates and potentially erase his power altogether. However, that would also bring chaos to the UD Group, spelling disaster for their own future. To ensure their future, the only way forward was to enslave Wurgen.

“I... don’t think I’m going to do that. I’m sorry.”

Richard resolutely shook his head.

Seeing his response, Julia’s face twisted in anger. “Why...? Why won’t you do it? You could inherit Wurgen’s power! Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted?”

Her outburst echoed the sentiment of their entire family. Richard had once trained relentlessly to harness the power of the Perfect Ones, only to fail and be cast aside by Wurgen himself. Yet he now had a chance, so why?

“...Because he’s human,” Richard said, after a moment of hesitation.

“What?”

“He’s not a good person by any means, but at least he tried to live like a human.”

If Wurgen had cared only for himself, he could have created a far more horrific situation. Even if others argued that such an outcome was impossible due to the other Perfect One’s inevitable interference, Richard believed Wurgen had the power to carve out his own empire, regardless. But he hadn’t.

Maybe it wasn’t intentional... but there was still some humanity in him.

That was why Richard wanted to give him a human ending, not one as a tool to be enslaved.

“Traitor.” Her voice was dripping with venom, her glare full of pure hatred.

“...”

Watching Julia disappear through the portal, Richard sighed, a bitter expression on his face. He knew better than anyone how much Julia and the rest of their siblings despised Wurgen.

“I’m the strange one, right?” His voice was quiet.

The four exchanged glances.

“In my opinion, everyone has the right to make their own choices.”

“Once you’ve made your decision, don’t waver.”

The respective words of Amir and Sung-Ha carried the weight of experience, reassuring Richard.

“Thank you.”

With their opposition now gone, Eun-Ha glanced toward the city.

“Let’s move. I’ll clear the way, just like you told me earlier.”

“Yes. I’ll leave it to you.”

Watching Eun-Ha step toward the rooftop’s edge, Richard was nervous. While she was abnormally strong compared to other S-rank heroes, was it enough against a Perfect One?

As if responding to his unspoken doubt, Eun-Ha shed her jacket and unleashed the power stored within her body.

Woong!

The strength she had gained from the workshop flared to life, the blaze heating up the Primordial Ring and coursing through her entire body.

Fwoosh!

In an instant, translucent flames coalesced in her right hand.

BOOOM!

And with a single strike, a tsunami of Sacred Flames engulfed the darkness shrouding the city, burning it all away.

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