Chapter 181
Chapter 181
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: The Limits of the Blessing
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The fact that the Blessing had a limited number of uses might come as a surprise to some, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected for me.
Regression, reversal of heaven, or time reversal...
I’d never heard of any ability to interfere with time, not even in blessings, magic, or spells.
In other words, it was safe to assume it was generally impossible.
- It’s not simply to promote your growth that I sent you back to the past. I’m not sure if you’ll believe me, but regression is a hassle even for me.
My master, Baek Rogwang—who seemed like there was nothing in the world he couldn’t do—even called it a hassle. That said it all.
So...
Could it be that the second senior brother had given me advice in his own way?
For some reason, the image of him sitting atop the rocky peak of Spirit Mountain came to mind, cross-legged in meditation, shaking his iron chains.
In that distinctive soft, measured voice of his, he had told me.
Not yet.
Now is not the time.
“Kekekeke...”
I couldn’t stop chuckling oddly.
To be honest, I wasn’t even sure about my own state.
If I had to put it into words, it was fear of an immense being I couldn’t resist.
And rage at that being trying to manipulate this body at will.
Were fear and anger emotions that could coexist like this?
I mulled it over as I busily smashed Deathberries.
In any case, now that I understood the situation, I finally got a sense of the Demon King’s motives, which had baffled me all along.
This bastard didn’t want to kill me.
He was driving me to use regression.
In other words...
‘Death isn’t the trigger for regression.’
If dying triggered regression, the Demon King wouldn’t have bothered with all that nonsense on the third floor.
He could’ve just killed me outright.
Sure, I wouldn’t have gone down quietly and would’ve raised hell, but at least he would’ve shown his killing intent more aggressively than now.
Even now, it was the same.
The Deathberry legion surrounding me on all sides was overwhelmingly intimidating, but it didn’t feel like they were throwing everything they had into killing me.
It was more like they were slowly tightening the noose, herding the prey until it gave up on its own.
‘...’
Of course, I was a man with a rebellious spirit, the kind of stubborn frog who resisted all the harder under pressure.
Whether the opponent was the Demon King, a god, a transcendent, or an absolute being—it didn’t matter.
What truly mattered was that they were trying to manipulate me to create the situation they wanted.
‘...It pisses me off.’
No doubt, amid the countless trials ahead, it would eventually become impossible to hold out without using regression.
Sooner or later.
I’d fail again, regret it, and regress once more.
But that moment wasn’t now.
I’d defeat the Demon King here and now, without regressing.
Crack!
I thought as I shattered a Deathberry’s jaw.
Time wasn’t on my side.
‘The Demon King of the Blood Moon doesn’t know me all that well yet.’
Namely, the kind of moment that would make Ruan Bednicker decide to regress.
It was a race against time.
Whether the Deathberries would first grasp my true nature.
Or whether I’d find a way out first.
It was a hopeless situation, but even so, I believed I had a chance.
Because of second senior brother.
He believed I could overcome this crisis. That’s why he’d rung those bells to force me to retreat.
“...”
I went through observation, analysis, and contemplation. It wasn’t easy to do while fending off the oncoming enemies.
Racking my brains like this wasn’t even my strong suit to begin with...
But who gets to live doing only what they want?
I overworked my mind until steam practically poured from my ears.
First, sight.
Eyes that pierced the darkness and saw right through the enemies’ innards—quite a grandiose name, but how about Fiery Eyes of Truth?
I took in the Deathberry legion with my Fiery Eyes of Truth, chasing down any sense of incongruity. At the same time, I perked up my ears.
For me, hearing was always supplementary to sight.
Unlike vision, blocked by terrain and limited to the front, hearing had a far freer range.
In most situations, it let me check all around.
I listened for sounds beyond my field of view.
Smell and taste weren’t relevant right now.
Finally, I focused on touch.
As I smashed Deathberries, I checked if there was any difference among these puppets that all looked identical at first glance.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure.
The feedback from striking them felt roughly the same. Their reactions, and even durability, were similar.
‘And yet, their numbers don’t seem to be dropping...’
The fight had been going on for a while, and I’d smashed quite a few, but the visible count hadn’t changed.
Suddenly, I understood what Seren had said.
Enemies that split and regenerate were annoying.
‘...Should I cut the strings?’
The surest way to stop these marionette puppets was to kill the one controlling them...
But even I couldn’t easily destroy the moon floating in the sky.
So, as a fallback, I decided to sever the strings connecting all the Deathberries.
I drew the Seven Sins Sword and roughly channeled internal energy into it.
Truth be told, the Seven Sins Sword’s crude blade wasn’t ideal for slicing...
But since those strings were as tough as steel wire anyway, it might actually be better than a proper sword.
Dodging the claws of an incoming Deathberry, I swung the Seven Sins Sword at the string attached to its nape.
Clang!
The sound of the string snapping rang out harshly. My wrist throbbed like I’d struck rebar.
Thud...
The moment the string snapped, the Deathberry collapsed limply. The fallen Deathberry didn’t even twitch—it completely stopped moving.
So this was the surefire way?
Gripping the sword tighter, I began slashing at strings indiscriminately.
After cutting about twenty...
Kaaang...!
“...!”
The Seven Sins Sword bounced off.
My wrist stung for a moment, nearly making me drop the hilt.
‘Just now...?’
I hadn’t even scratched it, let alone cut it.
I’d swung with the same force as before. My stamina and internal energy were still plentiful, so I hadn’t messed up the control.
In other words.
‘There’s an insanely tough string.’
Meaning the one attached to it was a special specimen.
A single one with an unusually sturdy string clinging to it. Suspicion turned to certainty.
Which one was it?
I quickly scanned with my eyes and soon spotted it.
That Deathberry looked the same as the others in appearance, size, and actions...
But there was definitely a difference.
‘This one’s eyes are reverse eyes?’
Just like the first one I’d sent flying.
The other Deathberries had normal-looking eyes. It was too dark to notice earlier, but at least it wasn’t too late.
I thought of the main body—or what I tentatively assumed was it.
Could I cut it if I attacked again?
If I poured in a ton of internal energy and swung with full power.
‘...Tricky.’
I’d probably need to use violet flame for even a chance, and even that wasn’t guaranteed.
That string’s durability had been bizarrely tough.
‘Besides.’
I glanced toward Caron and Seren.
They were relatively trustworthy, but even if they learned I was a cultist, they might not stay friendly.
So the worst case...
Would be using violet flame and still failing to cut it.
In one strike.
I had to sever it for sure.
‘...Hold on.’
Suddenly, a clever idea struck me.
A way to cut that string for certain, without even using violet flame.
With my free hand—not holding the Seven Sins Sword—I rummaged in my bosom.
It was slightly warm from my body heat, but the cool metallic touch was unmistakable to my fingers.
This was it.
No matter how tough that string was, a tool that could definitely cut it... No.
A holy relic.
Ruuuumble...!
It was at that moment.
A massive vibration spread through the entire building.
The ground shook so violently it felt like the earth itself was quaking, nearly throwing me off balance.
“Ugh...!”
“What the—suddenly—”
Caron and Seren staggered far more dramatically than I did. But their voices suggested they still had some energy left.
“...Wait. That can’t be—”
Caron’s gaze turned toward the window...
‘Shit, we’re screwed.’
And I saw the scene too.
* * *
The situation in Research Building 12 was dire.
Just as Ruan had seen from the third floor, it was panic from within that had caused it.
In the end, the headmaster’s barrier had collapsed.
Was it fortunate?
It hadn’t completely crumbled and vanished.
“The second floor is at its limit now...!”
“Damn it, head to the third floor! Prioritize evacuating the students!”
“Yes!”
The research building had four floors total.
At first, the barrier enveloped the whole structure, but not anymore.
With the barrier half-broken, the puppets had invaded, forcing evacuation upward.
From the first floor to the second.
And now, just barely from the second to the third.
‘Damn it all...’
Bater chewed his lip.
At this rate, it was doom either way. If the front line got pushed all the way to the rooftop, there’d be nowhere left to run.
‘Could I have handled it better?’
Meaning the students, not the puppets.
Their mental breakdowns were what caused this mess.
If he’d forced submission or knocked them all out, would things have improved?
...No, they wouldn’t have.
At first, he’d resented the students’ fragile minds, but it was inevitable.
This was one of the prime banes of land tainted by the instrument of evil.
The contagion of madness.
The Demon King Hardenaihar of the Blood Moon was the very sovereign of madness.
For students without blessings or training, it was natural their minds would shatter.
Truth be told.
Bater could feel his own sanity starting to waver.
“Captain! We can’t find the prince!”
Then Marco shouted urgently and started spouting nonsense.
“Grant me leave to depart briefly!”
“Denied! Hold your position!”
“But...!”
“What do you think will happen if you leave your post now!”
Marco flinched at Bater’s roar.
“The front line will collapse! The puppets will pour in! If they reach the headmaster and kill him! Everyone in this building dies anyway!”
There were two staircases leading to the third floor.
Hector Bednicker and the leaders were holding one somehow, but the overall situation was grim.
They were simply outnumbered.
“I know you’re the Fourth Prince’s retainer! But you’re also part of the Special Task Force! Marco Angela! Follow orders!”
“...Understood.”
Even after the response, Bater couldn’t let Marco out of his sight.
He didn’t know when or how the madness gripping that man would erupt.
He might swing his sword at allies for the prince’s sake.
Bater had to be as wary of his current allies—and his own mental state—as he was of the puppet horde.
So what happened next couldn’t fairly be pinned on him.
“G-Get outta the way...! I’m getting out of here...!”
“What? H-Hey! Stop!”
A student who should’ve been in the rear let out a beastly howl, shoved a Special Task Force member aside, and threw himself into the puppets.
“Aaah! Freedom...!”
The student, voice laced with ecstasy, soon had his throat pierced by a long spear.
Was going mad a blessing for that student?
He died without even feeling the pain.
“...Damn it.”
Bater Goodspring forced himself to look away.
At the same time, he realized.
Whether soon or late.
Everyone in the building would be wiped out before long.
‘How much time has passed?’
Once the full battle began, he’d lost track of time.
It felt like less than an hour.
Or like twelve hours had already gone by.
In such a frantic crisis, who could accurately track the flow of time?
-Someone could.
Location: the rooftop.
The violet grand magus desperately suppressing the rampaging mana within.
Alderson Marver.
‘...Twelve hours have passed.’
Numerous sacrifices had already occurred. Their souls still lingered on this land, but they’d surely suffered grave damage.
He wondered if the students who’d tasted death could fully recover.
Long ago, those who returned from lands invaded by the instrument had all gone insane.
Alderson.
He regarded every academy student as family. A clichéd sentiment he’d never voiced, but his true feelings.
That was why his heart was heavy.
The current situation was bad, but he knew the real hell was just beginning.
“H-Headmaster. Th-That...”
Arin Ohandel spoke in a trembling voice.
And Headmaster Alderson stared ahead with a calm gaze.
The legendary White Knights rode pegasi, but even Alderson couldn’t create artificial horses to mount the armored troops on.
Still, he couldn’t abandon the dream of flight, so he’d given wings to the entire armored troop unit.
“...”
Holy white-armored knights, untouched even by the blood-red lighting.
They looked majestic, straight out of myth.
The armored troops unfolding wings beneath the crimson moon seemed, at a glance, like saviors come to break the crisis—heaven’s army.
That had been their original purpose.
But now, it was the opposite.
They advanced as reapers now, to sever their creator’s lifeline.
“Ugh...”
Arin reflexively reached into her pocket and clutched something tightly with both hands.
The headmaster, facing despair squarely, asked.
“You’ve been fiddling with that since earlier. What is it?”
“A c-coin from Ruan.”
“A coin?”
Alderson eyed the coin impassively.
He prided himself on vast knowledge and experience among grand magi, yet this coin was unfamiliar.
“This is... his trump card. He said to use it at the very last moment...”
“Why?”
“W-Well, Ruan said—”
Arin glanced at Alderson before continuing.
“...Using this could wipe out the White Knights entirely.”