301 - Regression Is Too Much

301 – The Returner's Duel (20) “Wow…” “Sigh…” Those sighs possessed a peculiar magical force, and merely hearing them seemed to drain all my energy. If two people continued to sigh in a small room, their original energy would completely vanish. “What should I do…” Honestly, I must admit. It's not an 'if.' It's a bitter reality. Choi Jiwon and I took deep sighs in the room designated as our battleground. How did the match with Cheonma go? I lost. I had experienced a setback. Since that regression, I had been confined to this room, sighing. Of course, I never thought I would win outright. The process of defeat was the problem. Getting straight to the point. It worked for Han-gi. “This is frustrating…” And I confirmed that I shouldn't resort to cold air. ** Before returning, Cheonma and I stood facing each other, swords in hand. “You truly are an odd individual.” The man chuckled as he observed my stance. “…What?” “… ” “If you wish to speak, then answer.” I retorted without thinking, but Cheonma remained silent. Was it because he hadn't fully regained his strength and was limited in speech? Or did he just deem me unworthy of a response? “This brat.” I laughed heartily. There was no reason to hold back when provoked. Cheonma gripped his sword. I also grasped mine. In a fair fight, I’d certainly lose. Someone weak like me could not afford the luxury of reserving strength. I lowered my stance, conjuring the miracle of lightning. I pushed out my magical power to its limit, enveloping my entire body just enough to prevent faltering. A pure white mist covered the ground. The sword shone brilliantly. A slash containing all I had. A critical strike. All the knowledge I’d accumulated through repeated regressions. Towards Cheonma, who stared at me with wide eyes... “Huh?” Where did he go…? Cheonma vanished. He had been smirking just a moment ago. Shouldn't I have hit him at least once? He was so at ease. Where did he go? Finally, I loosened my stance and immediately searched for Cheonma. He had ducked low, wielding a whip to the left side of his head, just out of my sight. He no longer had that calm demeanor. The man was in shock, his mouth agape. “…What are you?” “What?” “…” Cheonma remained silent again. His pupils darted frantically over my entire form. As if he had seen something unbelievable. Why was he doing that? There were two reasons. Lightning. Cold. If I had to choose between them, I’d pick Cold. If I were wrong, so be it. I’d just regress again. “Let’s go.” After completing my calculations, I approached him step by step, maintaining the magical power enveloping my body. Cheonma stood still, staring intently at me. He must be confused as well. He undoubtedly realized that yielding wasn't the answer. The cold felt like an aura, its effects growing stronger the closer I got to him. To truly feel its impact, I needed to close the distance significantly. If I prepared to use Flash, he would evade again. So, I gradually closed the gap. His throat… -Kaaah!!! I swiftly swung my sword. A dark aura resembling thin needles flew towards me, and I struck just in time. I chopped the tiny needles, yet the sound of clashing weapons echoed. What had I done? “?!” There was no time to catch my breath. Countless dark energies scattered towards me like rain. The cold energy could halt living beings, but it couldn't stop inorganic objects like those. They might slow due to air density differences, but the effect wasn't substantial. Using my prior knowledge, I adjusted my attire to cover my entire body, allowing me to deflect as many attacks as possible. -Whew. “… Ah.” The needles were lodged deeply into my joints. Even if I didn't regress, their placement would severely hinder my movement. Ultimately, I returned without having confronted Cheonma or wielding my sword. [I have taken damage.] [I have returned to the point where I first entered the 28th floor.] *** I returned, but I didn't give up. "If what you say is true, Junho… I think the cold energy will definitely work." "Really?" Cheonma retreated because the cold energy was effective. He must have realized that he'd lose if we fought. If he could win, he wouldn't have resorted to launching dark energy from afar. "Ouch…" Therefore, it's almost certain that Cheonma would stop or freeze at the same level if exposed to cold energy, yet it was very difficult for him to flee like that. He might not have intended it, but the dark energy attacks were quite challenging. "I think he only used his dark energy defensively as a method of simple restraint." "…Restraint?" "Yes. They say dark energy is fierce, but if you envelop yourself in magic and charge in, you can endure some damage and close the gap." "…Can’t I withstand a bit of damage? Just step back?" "You don’t know that." "…That’s true." Cheonma didn’t use dark energy as his primary weapon. As evident from his battle with Choi Ji-won, he used dark energy to buy time in critical moments. Therefore, Choi Ji-won suspected that this storm of dark energy was also a means to delay. "Because your cold energy is so lethal, he might need time to figure out a way to counter it. I think that’s a positive sign." "Right? I think so too." As Choi Ji-won nodded, an idea formed in my mind. "In that case… I won’t reveal my magical strength at the start. I’ll face him by slightly enhancing my physical abilities, and then at a critical moment, if I unleash it, I can win, right?" "Sounds like a good plan?" ** That's how we faced Cheonma again. This time, I slowly circulated my magical power only within my body, approaching Cheonma bit by bit. My expression remained composed. But I felt this was typical of Cheonma. "You truly are an odd one." "I think so, too." One step. Another step. If I took five more steps, my magical power would be within striking distance. It was a range my sword couldn't reach, so Cheonma might have been off guard. Let's see how far that smug look can go... "...?" "...What's with you." If only I got closer, it would be fine. Cheonma was already distant. His wavering eyes scanned my entire form. His reaction mirrored the previous round. This meant one thing. "...You sense it?" The man could feel the cold air swirling inside me. And he had a premonition that he would freeze if exposed to that air. It was an intuition akin to that of an animal… No, it was the beast itself. – Swoosh!!! "...Ahh." Once again, I got caught in the storm of dark energy and regressed. It seemed like I deflected it slightly better than the previous round, but I still have a long way to go. [I have taken damage.] [I have returned to the point where I first entered the 28th floor.] *** "...Can you discern the nature of energy just by containing magical power within your body? Does that even make sense?" "I don't know..." If Cheonma gave me space, he’d lose. However, if he pulled back far enough and started flinging dark energy, I would lose. Since I’m the one who has to close the gap, it is a situation unilaterally disadvantageous to me. The other side could simply retreat and spray dark energy. "Have you considered his return?" "It doesn’t seem like it. If he did, he wouldn’t have grabbed that sword first and would’ve immediately thrown dark energy." It seems he isn't aware of the regression. It was just bad luck. The intensity of his restraint was so strong, and my regression so weak that it was an accident. "Fully concealing my magical power… is it even possible if I just reveal it?" "NO." If I refrain from using magical power entirely, I might be able to deceive the Heavenly Devil. It would be impossible, even for a grand angel, let alone the Heavenly Devil, to detect magical power that remains dormant. Even I, who can perceive souls, am unable to do that. However, magical power doesn't activate instantly with just a click like a gun. It needs to be awakened, circulated, and released from the body. In other words, magical power has to be drawn out from the waist. "But at that point, he would definitely react." Judging from Cheonma’s reaction speed, it seemed he would inevitably respond, no matter how fast I was. You might think it wouldn’t be easy to keep up, but it wouldn't be easy to counter such an agile spirit of water with a body devoid of magical power. Escape wouldn't be straightforward, and simultaneously, dark energy would come flying your way. "What if you took a large shield and carried it?" If only I could withstand the dark energy. That seemed like one answer. "Then I would use a different weapon, like a bow or lance, instead of dark energy." "A lance? Isn't that a long spear? Isn’t there something like that?" "There’s a collapsible kind." "…" Choi Ji-won mentioned that closing the distance while holding a large shield would be difficult. It would be tough for me at this time, unless I had a skill to handle long-range attacks. "If it weren't for the dark energy, I could handle him…" "Let’s think of another approach." "The heroic trait…" "It might be feasible if I used the water spirit. But I need to consider that Cheonma will grow stronger over time." "Sigh…" There was a technique named Han-gi capable of killing in one strike. I couldn’t use it. Was there a way to win? It felt increasingly absurd. The technique seemed to predict the arrival point of the lightning. Damn, if only the preparation time were shorter, we could win unconditionally. We pondered and pondered, yet no clear answer emerged in our minds. The Heavenly Devil would flee no matter what if I displayed my magical power. Was there no way to contact that person? So, once again, now. We just sighed and held our heads. "Wait a moment." Just then, a brilliant idea struck me. "The Heavenly Devil… can’t use the technique it used?" "…Right?" "Then, if a secret technique is destroyed once, it can’t be used again, can it?" "There isn’t just one kind… but once it’s depleted, it turns out like that?" "Then, what if I don’t use my magical power and employ all my secret techniques to withstand the light?" "The Heavenly Devil wouldn’t be able to use the secret technique…" "If I unleash my magical power then…" "The Heavenly Devil wouldn’t have any way to counter it, so he would be hit by the cold air, right?" It's not an easy path. But it’s a certain one. At this moment, as well, a possibility suddenly emerged.