The Regressor Can Make Them All-Chapter 384

Ring-

A ringing noise echoed inside Se-Hoon’s head. His vision had gone pitch black, as if his eyes were closed, and the last thing he saw lingered as a faint afterimage, violently shaking his entire senses.

What had he seen? What put him in his current state? Unfortunately, the answer to those questions wasn’t easy to find.

And it was for good reason—his head, which should have unraveled his tangled thoughts, had completely disappeared without a trace.

Am I dead?

It wasn’t just an arm or a leg; his head had been blown off. How could anyone survive that?

Under normal circumstances, they didn’t. But Se-Hoon’s situation was anything but normal.

Thump!

His heart, buried deep within his chest, denied death. Even though the brain that should have been giving commands was gone, his heart continued to pump madly, sending blood coursing through his body. And that blood was currently surging toward the space where his head had once been.

Whoom!

A violet mist rose where his head should have been.

The blood seeped into the fog, following the paths of his missing blood vessels, moving exactly as it did when his head was intact. Then, the moment the soul embedded in his blood perfectly reconstructed the blueprint of his head...

Demonic Blood Art: Primal Dream

The violet mist dispersed, and Se-Hoon’s head reappeared.

“...!”

The instant his pitch-black vision returned to normal, a flood of information rushed into his mind—things he hadn't been able to process before.

“We just had dinner. How about a quick spar?”

“You could die.”

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

Memories from just a few hours ago flashed through his mind like a fast-forwarded film reel. Watching them play back, Se-Hoon finally understood what had happened to him.

I was going to show Jake how to counter Jason’s power...

And when Jason agreed to spar, they stood across from each other in the yard. The next moment—before he could even react—his head exploded.

Damn...

He had heard before his regression that the power of Premotion was no joke. It was just that he hadn’t imagined it would be that overwhelming.

Embarrassed about his pathetic display, Se-Hoon let out a wry chuckle and glanced around.

“Uh... huh? Your head... Wait, what?”

“...”

Jake, still unable to comprehend what had happened, was mumbling in a daze. Meanwhile, Kwang-Soo, clutching a long wooden box, was staring at him with wide, astonished eyes.

The two were so shocked that they hadn’t even regained their composure yet.

“It was just a little slip-up; don’t worry. Professor, don’t draw your sword,” Se-Hoon remarked, waving his hands.

“Huh... ah, okay...”

“...Fucking lunatic.”

While Jake was clearly still unsettled, Kwang-Soo, despite his expression being twisted in disbelief, had relaxed his stance.

And with them now calmed down, Se-Hoon turned his gaze to the one who had blown his head off.

“...”

Jason still stood exactly where he had been before the duel started. He hadn’t taken a single step, and the ground bore no marks of movement. If someone else had seen the scene, they likely would have assumed Se-Hoon’s head had exploded on its own.

Everyone here, though, was well aware that wasn’t the case.

I wasn’t being careless. I... was just outmatched.

He had been on high alert from the start, his entire body attuned to react instantly to any attack. Yet, he hadn’t been able to respond at all. His head had just... vanished.

Nothing he could have done would have stopped it.

What a terrifying power.

Se-Hoon internally clicked his tongue at the unstoppable strength of the power of Premotion—something he had only heard about in stories.

“You’re not dead yet.” Jason’s gaze was fixed on Se-Hoon. “Was that the Dream Demon’s unique skill?”

Was it because he had used Metamorphosing Dreams while regenerating his head? Looking at Jason, Se-Hoon noticed his demeanor was suggesting he was recalling an old enemy. And that made him rush to answer Jason’s question.

“No. While I did take some inspiration from it, I developed this technique myself.”

“...I see.”

Jason nodded without much reaction, seemingly indifferent. But standing directly in front of him, Se-Hoon felt an icy shiver creep up his spine.

This guy... he just thought about killing me again.

If Se-Hoon had given the slightest impression of being connected to the Demon Force, his head would have exploded on the spot. Jason’s way of thinking was far more extreme than any of the other Perfect Ones Se-Hoon had encountered.

And that reminded him of something he’d long ago.

“Recruit Jason? Hmm... I get where you’re trying to go with this, but if you want to live a long life, I’d advise against it. That monster doesn’t mesh well with guys like us.”

Although Jason had finally come out of his seclusion during the war against the Demon Force, he was unlike the others who worked together and strategized. Jason simply just went on a killing spree, slaughtering any enemies he encountered. He acted completely reckless, which ultimately led to his death when he was ambushed by the Destroyer of Oblivion and the Destroyer of Perception.

I still don’t fully understand what kind of person he is... but he's definitely messed up.

If Li Kenxie was stubborn to the point of ignoring all reason, Jason was a warped existence who couldn’t even be reasoned with in the first place. And considering he wielded a power that could kill anyone in an instant, he was arguably even more dangerous than even the Ten Evils.

But this is fine.

Rather than feeling threatened, Se-Hoon found Jason reassuring.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Did you intend to kill me just now?”

Jake and Kwang-Soo instantly tensed at Se-Hoon's direct question.

“I’m sure I told you that you could die,” replied Jason after a brief pause.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I’m asking if you truly intended to kill me.”

It was utterly absurd to ask someone who had just blown off his head whether they had murderous intent.

Thinking, Jason went silent for a moment before shaking his head.

“I had no such intent. It just happened that way.”

“Hmm. Just as I thought.”

Se-Hoon nodded, satisfied with his conclusion.

In contrast, Jake looked utterly baffled.

What the hell is he talking about...?

Jason blew off Se-Hoon’s head, then said he didn’t intend to kill him? Sure, a spar could get out of hand sometimes, but Jason wasn’t just anyone—he was a Perfect One. There was no way he had simply “messed up.”

As Jake wrestled with his towering confusion, Kwang-Soo sighed and gave him a piece of advice.

“Don’t overthink it. Just take it as it is.”

“Huh?”

“He attacked to show Se-Hoon who he is. As a result, that guy’s head exploded. That’s all there is to it.”

“That’s... all...?”

Jake furrowed his brows, sensing there was more to it. But he was unable to fully grasp the concept.

Meanwhile, as he pondered over it, Se-Hoon stared at Jason and asked another question. “Would you be willing to explain exactly what the power of Premotion is?”

“Are you asking so that you can learn it later on?”

Another chill went down Se-Hoon’s spine.

He quickly shook his head. “No. I just want to understand how it works. If that’s not possible, then never mind.”

“...”

For a long moment, Jason remained silent, studying Se-Hoon.

“...Others call it a power. But I’ve never once thought of it that way,” he finally began.

“Are you saying it happens naturally?”

“Similar, but not quite.”

Jason slowly shook his head.

“There are two things I’ve honed during my training. The first is identifying the gaps in my opponent’s movements. The second is striking precisely within those gaps.”

“Gaps...”

“And when these two principles are used properly, that’s when you see what you call the power of Premotion.”[1]

At the explanation, Jake inadvertently let out a mutter. “That’s it...?”

Finding an opening in an opponent’s movements and attacking at the right moment.... The wording was slightly different, but it was still no different from simply exploiting an enemy’s weakness.

That’s... just the basics of combat.

How could something so simple manifest as a so-called “power”?

“Could you perhaps give us a quick demonstration?”

Seeing Jake’s confusion, Se-Hoon smirked and made a request that Jason accepted with a small nod.

“Try moving around.”

“Understood.”

The moment Se-Hoon raised his left arm—

Tap.

A light touch pressed against his forehead.

Se-Hoon’s head had tilted slightly backward before he realigned his gaze with Jason’s.

Seeing that, Jason plainly said, “Again.”

Prompted, Se-Hoon thought for a moment before deciding to move his right arm slightly faster—

Tap.

Once again, an invisible force nudged his forehead.

“Again.”

Jason repeated the word as if nothing had happened.

Like that, each time Se-Hoon tried to move, his flow was interrupted by the same gentle touch against his forehead.

And after each attempt, Jason murmured a word in a calm, detached voice.

“Breath.”

Tap.

“Vision.”

Tap.

“Awareness.”

What did those words mean? Jake, struggling to grasp the situation, sharpened his senses and focused entirely on their exchange.

And that was when he finally began catching glimpses of what he couldn't before—Se-Hoon gathering his breath to move his body; Jason detecting that gap which appeared in that instant; Jason’s fist effortlessly slipping into that gap.

Swoosh-

Jason’s motion was neither swift nor slow, just perfectly timed. Yet once it entered the gap, his fist ignored all causality, moving before Se-Hoon could react.

Tap.

Before Se-Hoon could control his breath, Jason’s fist was lightly pressed against his forehead.

“...”

Now Jake finally understood what the power of Premotion truly was.

Reading the gaps and striking them... that was really all there was to it.

Breathing, the shift in one’s gaze, the processing of their thoughts—inevitably, all of those created small openings. And in those fleeting moments, Jason’s fist would simply just strike at them at an unimaginably fast speed.

That process, when executed at a level that defied the very fabric of reality, was what created the phenomenon known as the power of Premotion.

“Ha... haha... hahaha.”

Realizing the truth, Jake let out a dry, disbelieving laugh as he turned to Jason.

He really wanted me to counter that?

If it were another Perfect One’s power—some perfected skill—he might have had a chance. After all, skills tended to have defined structures that, once its weaknesses were identified, could be overcome.

But Jason’s power wasn’t a skill. It was... the essence of combat. A relentless and fundamental expression of martial prowess. To counter that, there was only one way.

He would have to overpower Jason’s speed with sheer strength.

“Se-Hoon...”

Jake looked at Se-Hoon with a complicated expression. What had he been thinking when he told him to counter something so ridiculous?

But before Jake could voice his frustration, Se-Hoon calmly asked him, “Do you understand what the power of Premotion is now?”

“Ah, yeah... I get it, but...”

“Then that should be good enough.”

Cutting off Jake’s hesitant words, Se-Hoon looked forward.

“Now, watch carefully.”

The temporary lull between them ended.

“You might actually die,” said Jason in a low voice, after staring at Se-Hoon for a moment.

Until now, what he had been doing was merely a demonstration of the concept, just lightly tapping Se-Hoon’s forehead to show. But if Se-Hoon was going to get serious, things would change.

The smaller Se-Hoon’s openings became, the faster and stronger Jason’s fists would strike.

Yet...

“I can handle it.”

Hearing Jason warn him—just as he had done before their first match—Se-Hoon grinned.

“I’ve gotten used to it now.”

The moment he finished speaking, Jason’s right fist moved. His attack ignored all physical laws, instantly lunging toward the gap he had found. The strike was not too fast, not too slow—just a simple strike. Yet once it was set into motion, there was no way to block it.

Even if Se-Hoon could sense it coming, it didn’t mean anything. Once Jason had committed to an attack, the outcome was already decided.

But even then, Se-Hoon’s eyes gleamed.

If I can see it...

Before, he had only seen the strikes’ afterimages. But now, after the explanation, he could clearly perceive Jason’s fist coming toward him. He was able to distinguish the moment Jason found the gap and struck.

Whoosh-

Of course, simply seeing it wasn’t enough—if he couldn’t react, there was no point.

Jason’s fist continued closing the distance, a stark contrast to Se-Hoon, who stood unmoving. It was that very staggering difference in speed that had left Jake believing the power of Premotion was unbeatable.

But... There’s a gap in here too!

Se-Hoon’s eyes sharpened.

Swish-

The threads of possibility began weaving into existence under the power of Perception. To find the best opportunity, he usually would analyze the broader battlefield—the world’s flow itself. Right now, though, there was no need.

The only people in that moment were him and Jason. All possibilities existed solely between them.

The only attack to stop is Jason’s.

A dazzling thread of light extended before him. But while it stretched forward, it couldn’t yet form the needed complete circle.

And that made sense. Stopping a Perfect One’s attack head-on was nearly impossible. What was even more terrifying was that each time Se-Hoon attempted to perceive the possibility, Jason’s punch sped up even further.

He can go even faster...?!

Taken aback, Se-Hoon realized it wouldn’t just end with his head getting blown off.

Still, rather than bracing for impact, Se-Hoon continued analyzing.

I’ve come too far to back down...!

Besides, he had just told Jake to watch closely. Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if he backed out now?

Swish-

More and more white threads stretched forward, many scattering as Jason’s punch closed in. Then, in the split second Jason’s fist was about to reach Se-Hoon’s forehead—

Swoosh!

The white threads linked, forming a complete loop.

BOOM!

To those who didn’t understand the concept of gaps, it happened in an instant.

Jason, who hadn’t moved a single step earlier, had now closed the distance. His flying fist tore through everything in its path, unleashing a thunderous roar.

Rumble-

The shockwave warped the very space beyond it, causing even the ground to distort. It was an undeniable, unstoppable strike—something that neither dodging nor blocking was possible against.

All Jake and Kwang-Soo could do was watch in stunned disbelief.

Clench-

Because somehow, Se-Hoon’s hand had caught Jason’s fist.

“...!”

For the first time since they had met, Jason’s eyes widened in visible surprise. “How did you do that?” he asked, astonished.

He had been certain his punch had connected. Yet somehow, it was being held in place?

Se-Hoon smirked triumphantly.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

Jason, still processing what had happened, remained silent. Seeing that, the confident grin stretched on Se-Hoon’s face.

“That I can handle it.”

1. As mentioned in 383, this is not a typo. There is no word to describe the concept, because solely focusing on “moving first” like with preemptive would leave out one half, while solely focusing on “gaps” would leave out the other. Combat is also far too general, encompassing much more. Hence “pre-motion” moving before moving, attacking before anything else on sight. ☜

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om