The Regressor Can Make Them All-Chapter 346

When he was running over, countless possibilities raced through his mind.

Perhaps a hero had appeared to save his master.

Perhaps his master had miraculously escaped the ambush.

Perhaps, just like the vision he had a few days ago, his master was already dead.

Sung-Ha prayed fervently for even the most improbable possibility of his master’s survival to come true. He prayed that the very probable possibility of his master’s death had not come true.

And in the end, what Sung-Ha actually encountered at the end of the countless probable outcomes... was a sight he had never once considered.

“I really wanted to show you how to kill these bastards myself... but it seems Doppelganger dragged its feet.” The regretful voice resounded in the air as the Flame Demon kicked a corpse at his feet.

And having been kicked down the pile of corpses stacked like a mountain, a face that had been hidden until now was revealed.

“Are you the orphan that old man picked up?”

“Whatever you’re thinking, forget about becoming the sect master. Don’t even dream of it. We could just erase you and your old man from this world without anyone ever noticing.”

Won-Ryong’s son, one of the people who had envied Sung-Ha’s talent and tormented him, was someone Sung-Ha had sworn to take revenge on someday. But now he was a corpse, just like the same familiar faces next to him.

Each and every corpse belonged to the very figures who had tormented Sung-Ha and his master over the past decades: the powerful elites of the Flame Sect. Yet, despite the deaths of those he had despised so deeply, Sung-Ha felt no joy looking at the scene before him.

“Why...?”

Because why... had his master become a demon?

Sung-Ha could not accept it.

Even as he stared at it with his very own eyes, his mind rejected the truth.

And that did not go unnoticed by the demon standing there—or rather, his master himself.

“You look confused. I can understand why. Even I didn’t expect things to turn out like this,” the Flame Demon said with a detached calmness.

“Didn’t... expect? Could it be...?”

Sung-Ha’s mind immediately went to the disciples that were corrupted by demonic aura and controlled by Doppelganger back in the Flame Sect’s main building. Could it be that his master, too, had unwillingly succumbed to becoming a demon? The possibility made him widen his eyes with desperate hope.

If that’s true... it might not be too late.

Even though he couldn’t convert his master back to a human, perhaps Se-Hoon could. Maybe he could fix this.

But just as Sung-Ha clung to the sliver of hope, his master’s voice shattered it.

“You’re wrong.”

The emotionless voice echoed in the courtyard.

“You’ve lived with me for decades, and yet, Sung-Ha, you still don’t fully understand me. Do you really think I would let something like that control me?”

“I... I just thought...”

Sung-Ha faltered, unable to answer. He was still unable to process the situation, and the icy gaze his master directed at him only deepened his confusion.

Why was his master looking at him like that? His expression was something Sung-Ha couldn’t comprehend—neither with his head nor his heart.

“...So it seems I’ve made the right decision, after all.”

Letting out a sigh filled with disdain, Sung-Ha’s master—no, the Flame Demon—spoke again, his voice carrying a chilling indifference. “When Doppelganger suggested betraying Lee Se-Hoon in exchange for our safety, I rejected the offer. Do you know why?”

Though Sung-Ha said nothing, the Flame Demon seemed to have expected no reply.

“It’s because I realized I was nothing more than a useless burden—a dead weight holding you and Lee Se-Hoon back.”

For his disciple’s sake, Jin-Hyun had abandoned the path of a martial artist. However, that hadn’t meant he had given up his pride as the man he once was. After all, that pride was what allowed him to endure such a miserable life. But...

“I realized I became nothing but bait to lure in Lee Se-Hoon or fuel to spur your growth. That’s all I was reduced to.”

When faced with the truth, the humiliation struck him harder than losing his martial power ever had.

“Can you even begin to imagine how demeaning and degrading that felt?”

“...”

“Not even when I was ignored by those weaker than me, nor when I was pitied by my comrades who once fought beside me, did I ever feel such despair. Because back then... I was still your master.”

He slowly stood, the moonlight framing his figure as he gazed down at Sung-Ha.

“If you kept growing under my guidance, became the next sect master of the Flame Sect, and eventually conquered a Tower of Heroes... then no matter how pitiful or humiliating my life became, I could have endured it. Because that was the final path I chose!”

Fwoosh!

Filled with passion and anger, his voice seemed to ignite the very building around them. The flames roared, sweeping over like a tidal wave and searing Sung-Ha’s skin.

For the first time, Sung-Ha was exposed to his master’s genuine emotions: the humiliation and rage that had festered for years, and... the disappointment that was very present in his eyes.

Suddenly, Sung-Ha found himself taking a step back, trembling.

“But you failed. And so did I.”

“I... I...”

“You couldn’t defeat Aria Myers, cherishing that spear of yours so much, and you came running here without bothering to preserve the strength to fight properly. All that... for a useless burden.”

With a flick of his spear, the Flame Demon turned Won-Ryong’s severed head into ash. He then descended, trampling over the corpses as he approached Sung-Ha.

“Sung-Ha, why are you so foolish? Do you truly not understand why I chose you?”

“...”

“Do you think it was mere coincidence that you were the one I adopted out of all those orphans?”

When Sung-Ha first met Jin-Hyun, Jin-Hyun had been strict and terrifying. But as time passed, Sung-Ha slowly started thinking of him as a good man.

“I chose you because you had talent.”

Whenever Sung-Ha collapsed from grueling training, Jin-Hyun cared for him. And when Sung-Ha lost his way, Jin-Hyun always waited for him to find it again.

“For decades, I raised you with only one purpose in mind. I wanted you to achieve what I could not.”

If he ever grew strong enough to earn Jin-Hyun’s acknowledgement, Sung-Ha had hoped to ask for just one thing in return, even if it was presumptuous.

I wanted you to let me call you master and maybe even... father.

But his last flickering hopes were crushed by Jin-Hyun’s next words.

“I should never have taken you in.”

Drip-

Tears rolled down Sung-Ha's cheeks. As if something inside him broke, he couldn’t stop crying.

And upon seeing Sung-Ha’s pathetic state, the Flame Demon let out a frustrated sigh, his eyes filled with contempt.

“See how you’re still like this? Truly hopeless.”

“Master...”

“Enough. I’ve seen all I need to see.”

Lowering his spear, he glared coldly at Sung-Ha.

“Face me.”

The Flame Demon lifted his spear, shifting its tip so it now aimed directly at Sung-Ha.

“Or die.”

Boom!

The spear shot forward without hesitation, piercing the spot where Sung-Ha’s head had been a moment ago. Without a target, the force sent a shockwave forward, demolishing the burning structure in its path.

Barely dodging, Sung-Ha swung his dual spears in a panic.

Clang!

Blocking the relentless attacks that aimed for his vital points, Sung-Ha intercepted the incoming strikes with Shadowgrief while severing the swirling flames that sought to engulf him with the Sun Piercing Spear.

Despite being on the defensive from the start, Sung-Ha's mastery of the Inferno Ring allowed him to regain his composure quickly and adapt.

“Are you just going to keep blocking?” The Flame Demon's emotionless voice pierced through the crackling heat. “Then let’s see how long you can last.”

Clang!

With those words, the Flame Demon’s attacks became even faster just when Sung-Ha thought he had adapted, the crimson flames spiraling around them like a fiery vortex.

Fwoosh!

Sparks burst from the clash of their weapons, yet neither flame fully erupted. Instead, the residual flames interlocked, building pressure between them.

It was clear to both: the one who lost control would have to endure the backlash of the entire buildup. Realizing what he had to do now, Sung-Ha channeled the flames from the Sun Piercing Spear to resonate them with the surrounding fire.

Woong!

He knew he couldn’t just rely on brute strength; his stamina and mana were already depleted greatly by the battles before. He had to use his specialty—resonance—to shift the tide.

As Sung-Ha concentrated, the flow of the flames began changing in his favor. They surged along the trajectory of the Sun Piercing Spear, momentarily destabilizing the Flame Demon’s movements with their heat and power.

Just then, Sung-Ha’s sharp eyes spotted an opening.

Right now...!

With a burst of energy, he prepared to explode the flames within his spear once he pierced through the gap in the Flame Demon’s defense. Sung-Ha believed that such an attack would be decisive—even against his master at his peak.

Tightening his grip around the shaft of his spear, Sung-Ha thrust it forward.

Whoosh!

But instead of evading, the Flame Demon abandoned defense and thrust his own spear to meet the attack head-on.

“?!”

Even in that very moment, with both attacks surging forward, it was obvious Sung-Ha’s spear would strike first. Given the destructive force imbued in it, the Flame Demon’s life would end on the spot, while Sung-Ha would escape with minor injuries.

Damn it...!

And yet, the Flame Demon showed no signs of hesitation. He didn’t even cloak his body with any mana. Such recklessness made Sung-Ha hesitate for a fraction of a second, but he still drove his spear forward.

Their spears crossed paths.

BOOM!

Piercing through each other’s bodies, the destructive force within exploded.

Drip-

Blood splattered onto the courtyard floor.

The Flame Demon’s spear had skewered Sung-Ha’s chest, narrowly missing his heart but piercing cleanly through to his back. It was far from a minor wound.

On the other end, Sung-Ha’s Sun Piercing Spear had pierced the Flame Demon’s abdomen, tearing through two-thirds of his torso and leaving his remaining organs scorched. Yet, despite the severe damage, the Flame Demon’s burning gaze remained fixed on Sung-Ha.

“If you hadn’t twisted your spear downward...” the Flame Demon rasped, his strained voice cutting through the tension. “You could have killed me outright.”

Had the spear gone through the Flame Demon’s chest instead of his abdomen, it would have been a fatal blow and Sung-Ha would have emerged victorious without suffering such a grave injury.

But Sung-Ha had failed to seize the opportunity even now.

“You disappoint me... to the very end.”

Splurt!

With a cold sneer, the Flame Demon twisted his spear and pulled it free, leaving a gaping hole in Sung-Ha’s chest from which blood poured.

Stumbling in pain, Sung-Ha collapsed to his knees, feeling his strength leaving him.

I... have to... get up....

Yet his body wouldn’t listen. The injury to his chest, coupled with the shock to his internal organs, had slowed his heartbeat to a crawl. His vision darkened, and a chilling numbness spread through his body.

I can’t... disappoint my master....

His mind faltered. He didn’t know what to do anymore. He had lived his entire life aiming to fulfill his master’s will, but now that very master had deemed him a failure—a stain.

Maybe... it would be better to die here...

Despair threatened to swallow him whole. But just then, he noticed a pair of legs standing before him.

“You really are pathetic.”

The voice was familiar, yet strangely alien.

Lifting his head, Sung-Ha was met with a cold, detached gaze from his very own face, but older and more menacing—the future version of himself, the Mad Dog.

“If you were strong enough to defeat Aria Myers, or if you hadn’t recklessly run here, Master wouldn’t be so disappointed in you.”

“...”

“All of this... is because of your weakness.”

Sung-Ha couldn’t respond to the Mad Dog’s blunt words. He no longer knew what he should have done or what he should do now.

Seeing him like that, the Mad Dog gave him a clear directive.

“Kill Master.”

“...What?”

“Prove yourself by killing him with your own hands.”

The Mad Dog raised a black spear, its icy chill running through Sung-Ha’s battered body.

“Show him your strength. Show him a mind unshaken by petty emotions like attachment. If you do that, Master will surely be satisfied.”

“Prove... myself...”

“I failed to do it before. But that doesn’t mean you will too. I’ll make sure of it.”

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Flames erupted from the Mad Dog’s body, engulfing the surroundings and illuminating the darkness. His overwhelming presence made Sung-Ha look up in awe.

“Could I really... do it?”

“Yes.”

Though he was hesitant, the idea had taken root in Sung-Ha’s mind. Perhaps that was the right path. Perhaps that was how he could finally erase his regrets and redeem himself.

Yes... I shouldn’t choose the path of regret....

Recalling words he had heard countless times before, Sung-Ha looked up at the Mad Dog with clouded eyes.

“Pierce your heart with this. Then, leave the rest to me.”

Obediently following the Mad Dog’s instructions, Sung-Ha dropped the Sun Piercing Spear and gripped Shadowgrief with both hands, pointing the spearhead at his chest. Slowly, but ever so surely, he drove the spear forward.

Thud!

However, the spear stopped just short of piercing his heart; someone had grabbed the shaft.

“...What?”

Confused, Sung-Ha looked up and found an unexpected figure.

Before them, panting heavily as though he had rushed over at full speed, Se-Hoon stood.

Taken aback, both Sung-Ha and the Mad Dog just stared in shock at the intruder, who had entered their synesthetic mindscape.

“You goddamn idiot!”

With a roar, Se-Hoon slammed his fist into the Mad Dog’s face.