The Villain Is Destined to Die: But as the Creator, I know All Endings-Chapter 238: Day - 2: I hate Everything About This

"Regressors?" Leon repeated Bronze’s words, his voice carrying Lumina’s gentle cadence, yet his expression had completely hardened. "Why did you say that?"

The man blinked once after hearing the woman’s question, clearly not expecting it to be asked so directly.

"Hm?" Bronze let out a small breath, then chuckled softly as if realizing something. "Ah. My apologies. That slipped out a bit too easily."

He straightened his posture despite the Moonblade still resting against his throat, showing no panic, as though the blade itself was nothing more than an inconvenience to him now.

"Of course, as merely one of her blessed, you wouldn’t know what that term truly means," Bronze continued, rubbing his forehead with his newly restored hand.

Leon’s crimson eyes narrowed at him.

The man tilted his head slightly and exhaled, his gaze drifting past Leon toward the open window beyond the captain’s seat.

He saw the night sky stretched endlessly above the Sea of Mist, clearer than it had any right to be. Countless stars shimmered vividly, the constellations glowed sharply into the heavens, and the Milky Way spilled across the sky like a luminous river, bathing the entire ship’s deck in faint silver light.

"Haaah..." Bronze sighed deeply. "It wasn’t like this earlier. Even seeing the sky this clearly used to be nothing more than a fantasy for us."

The man continued, "Back then, for all of us, the heavens themselves felt distant. It felt magical, almost surreal to live in."

Then Leon saw his eyes dulling, and his teeth grinding hard. "Every heaven looks perfect from afar. Up close, it’s just another hell."

Leon didn’t lower his blade. His mind was processing every word this person had been spouting.

Once again, Leon recalled Shin’s fragmented memories that had been imprinted in his brain without his consent. It happened after he got closer to one of Shin’s memory fragments in the book.

’Wait... could this be possible?’

Instantly, a wild thought arose in his mind. This almost made Leon shiver.

’Rumi,’ Leon spoke inwardly, keeping his expression steady. ’Does the term regressor mean anything to you? Do you recall it?’

There was a brief pause before Rumi’s voice responded.

’My knowledge regarding regressors is the same as yours,’ Rumi replied. ’Do not forget, Haru. Before my awakening, a large portion of my memories were erased. However...’

Her tone shifted subtly.

’If I were to speculate, then the individual standing before you is not ordinary. He claims to be a Regressor. Haru... be careful.’

This was bad.

As someone who had grown up in Japan, Leon knew exactly what the term regressor implied. He had read enough novels, seen enough stories, and even worked on a few system games inspired by that very concept.

A person who can return, a person who can remember their past lives. Or a person who carried knowledge of his previous life.

It sounded just like Haru’s situation.

But what bothered him the most was the fact that this world was different. This world was something he himself had designed. And that was precisely what made this situation dangerous.

Because there wasn’t any concept of ’Regression’ in the game called Rebirth of the Fivefold Calamity.

Leon did not hesitate further. Without lowering his guard, he activated one of his skills.

[Analysis]

A translucent blue window unfolded before his vision, with several lines of information cascading down in rapid succession.

[Name: Bronze Garther]

[Title: Bearer of Death Wish, Exiled Prince of Fate]

[Mana Core: (Corrupted) Dark]

[Core Rank: (Error Loading)]

[Affinity: Dark, Fire (Devoured)]

[Rank: (Error Loading)]

Leon’s pupils contracted slightly.

"Exiled Prince of Fate?" he muttered loudly, and as he did, he quickly shut his mouth.

But it was too late, the man named Bronze had heard him. Leon’s grip tightened slightly around the Moonblade.

’Oh shit. I said it out loud.’

His eyes flicked up instinctively, searching Bronze’s face, hoping irrationally that the man hadn’t heard it.

But it was already too late.

Bronze’s pupils constricted, and his expression shifted from mockery to something sharp and unsettled.

"...What did you just call me?" he asked, his voice dropping, irritation bleeding through the calm.

Leon didn’t retract the moonblade.

"You heard me the first time," Leon replied evenly. "Now answer my question. What is your purpose here?"

He decided to ride the misunderstanding.

If Bronze believed Leon had been sent by Silvermoon to erase him, then that assumption could be used. There’s no reason to correct him yet.

Bronze let out a low breath, then laughed quietly, though there was no humor in it.

"Haaah... so you do know after all." Bronze’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "I thought as much. You’re here to finish me." His emerald eyes locked onto hers. "Tell me, woman—who are you really? And what exactly is Silvermoon plotting?" He paused, then corrected himself. "No... what are those two sisters planning?"

His gaze traced the woman’s figure, lingering on her silhouette. The captain’s room was dim, as clouds drifted across the moon, obscuring details of the woman’s face. He couldn’t clearly see her face, only the outline, the crimson glow of her eyes, and the unmistakable presence pressing down on him.

It was clear to him that she was not Silvermoon. He had seen her plenty of times up close, there’s just no way that could be her.

"You asked my purpose," Bronze continued with his grin widening with every word he said. "It never changed till this day. I’m still waiting. We all are."

He leaned forward despite the blade at his throat, his voice lowering to something venomous. "There will come a time when we’re finally free from this endless cycle." A cold smile twisted his lips. "And when that day arrives... every single one of your Calamities will fall."

He spoke as if he understood them better than Leon. Even Leon himself was stunned to realize that.

Before Leon could respond, Bronze suddenly reached out.

His hand clamped around the Moonblade.

"...!"

Dark mana surged violently from Bronze’s body, flooding into the blade and crawling across its surface like living tar.

Leon reacted instantly. Light mana erupted from his mana core, pouring into the Moonblade in a brilliant counterflood.

"...?!"

Bronze’s confident smile shattered.

"Light?!" His voice cracked with disbelief. "After that scale of Ice Spell...?" The color drained from his face. "No—that’s impossible. You... which of the Two Calamity Sisters do you really serve?!"

It was a reasonable question.

Silvermoon’s overwhelming presence. A three-line incantation of advanced Ice magic. And now, Light mana coursing through the blade.

Leon answered without hesitation.

"None."

The light intensified.

The Moonblade flared brilliantly, repelling the dark mana on contact. The clash detonated through the room, and a violent shockwave of opposing forces collided in their rawest form. The radiance flooded every corner, to the cabin walls, the frozen corpse, the two stunned captains still cowering in the corner.

And for the first time, Bronze saw the woman’s face clearly.

Leon saw him in turn.

Emerald eyes. Bronze hair catching the light, identical to what he’d glimpsed through his lenses moments before. A face that triggered something deep in Leon’s mind, a flicker of recognition he couldn’t quite place at this point.

’...Wait. Why do I feel like I’ve met him before?’ Leon’s gaze sharpened.

He was certain this was their first meeting. Yet somehow, it didn’t feel that way. It felt as if he’d known this person for a long, long time. Maybe it was just the way this young man behaves, or his stubbornness.

Several dots began connecting automatically inside Leon’s mind.

Before he could pursue the thought, the dark mana faltered without warning. Bronze intentionally lowered his stance, his grip loosening on the blade.

Leon’s attention snapped back to the man.

’What is he doing?’

Bronze’s mouth had fallen open. Both eyes shot wide in extreme disbelief. His fingers went completely slack around the Moonblade. All color drained from his face, leaving behind only raw, unfiltered shock. The look of someone staring at something impossible made flesh.

"Elizabeth?" The name broke from Bronze’s lips in a trembling whisper. "H-how...? How are you alive?"

This settled it. Everything was clear now.

’He... He knows her...?’ Leon felt his heart pounding faster than before.

If what he was thinking was true... if his deduction proved correct, then...

THUMP—!

The young man collapsed to his knees, both hands bracing against the floor to support his weight. There was no mistaking it. The woman was actually her. He’d confirmed it... the face, the same blade she always carried, the same pure form of mana channeling.

The young man buried his face in his hands, trying desperately to hide from her sight. It was as though displaying this dark power before Lumina filled him with unbearable regret, a shame so deep it physically broke him.

"No... don’t look at me..." The man groaned painfully, hiding his face. "This dark mana... I had no choice, Elizabeth..."

"Please... I-I had no choice. I.. did this for you."

’Haru. How can this be possible?’ Rumi’s question mirrored Leon’s own thoughts.

Indeed. How could this be possible? 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

The more he thought about it, the less sense it made.

Leon bit his lip. His heart pounded heavily as he stared at the young man collapsed on the ground, someone who looked completely different now.

"Shin?"