308 - Regression Is Too Much

### Chapter 308 – Facing the Regressor (27) The negotiations were concluded. "I won't touch any players, including you and your friends." "You will cooperate with me, and in return, I will tolerate the angels' interference." "Good." I will revive Cheonma. I will help him regain his original strength. In return, Cheonma will stop 'massaging humans' and instead set his targets on the angels for slaughter. In many ways, this is a mutually beneficial agreement. Cheonma is pleased because he can escape from the tower, the climbers won't be harmed, and only a few angels will perish. Yes, that is their karma. The method is simple. "Come." You just need to face Cheonma. You only need to wield a fake wooden weapon, refrain from using magical powers, and simply confront him. Of course, I can handle him easily. I've experienced regression multiple times to familiarize myself with these techniques. Humans are creatures who become more skilled the more time they spend with something. "... This is strange." Cheonma must have sensed it, as his expression turned peculiar, but he didn't say much. After all, the man was indeed growing rapidly. He used a wooden sword, a soft whip, and threw blunt weapons... He employed various weapons, and with each one he wielded, he seemed to grow even stronger. Wow, it felt like watching a time-lapsed video of a plant growing at twice the speed. Of course, it wasn't just about fighting. My initial objective was to gather information. I discreetly asked him various questions, but Cheonma wasn't forthcoming. Honestly, there was no reason for him to talk. "I told you, this is odd." "…" "It's very strange." Initially, he narrated simple and insignificant things about his past. Or just some intriguing anecdotes. However, as I persisted in emphasizing my 'curiosity' even while exchanging harsh movements, Cheonma eventually gave in. "Isn't it odd that the more you fight, the stronger you become?" "This is the process of regaining my power." "Then why do you grow stronger the more you fight?" "Because I'm reclaiming control over my body." "That's not enough of an explanation." "..." Cheonma deflected the blade and glared at me momentarily. "I will share a story from the past." He began his tale right away. "When I was young, I came across an opportunity." "... An opportunity?" "It was an artifact that could convert memories into power. They say it was a remnant of an ancient civilization." It was said that Cheonma found this opportunity in a cave before he would have starved to death, having faced a difficult childhood. "By absorbing the memory of a single martial art, I was able to gain a temporary understanding of it. Of course, I would never be able to use that technique again." "Oh..." "That's the reason Guntar was able to grow strong quickly. He knew a lot of things." By simply absorbing the memory of martial arts he 'knew' as information, he could gain a deeper understanding of the techniques. It was certainly quite a formidable artifact, but its drawback was obvious. With each battle, he would lose the memory of one martial art. There are many types of martial arts as numerous as stars in the sky, but acquiring information about them is not easy. "However, that wasn't an issue for me." Yes, unless one is a monster like Cheonma, who can comprehend other people's martial arts just by watching. Knowing and practicing are two different things. The same applies to geniuses. They can 'swiftly' master martial arts even if it's new to them, but Cheonma could 'immediately' master them. In a life filled with struggle, this was a tremendous advantage. "Initially, I fought to survive. After that, I lived to fight. When I mimicked my opponent’s techniques and countered them better, I felt a kind of exhilaration. Yes, it was enjoyable." Cheonma's eyes appeared vacant as he said it was enjoyable. "I was once called the strongest human. However, at some point, I realized. Humans... are inherently a weak race. Even if I were the strongest human, I could die if hit by a military weapon." "..." "I wanted to become the most noble in the universe. I wanted to be the greatest. To do that, I had to destroy my 'weak self.' It wasn't difficult." Cheonma grew stronger. More precisely, he abandoned his former self. He transformed the nature of his magical power. He trained his body to become suited for combat. He created techniques for his new self. "I wanted to reach the limits, but the fact that I knew too much became a hindrance. I let go of everything. To find my true self." Cheonma, who knew everything, forsook everything. Only then could he become the ultimate ruler of the universe. "Once I became that strong, everything else seemed insignificant." Perhaps... that's where the tale of planetary annihilation began. "How could I die if I were that strong?" "The entire universe conspired to kill me. In the end, they failed. My death was my sole choice." It might sound like boasting, but at least it seems true that Cheonma survived a war against the universe. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to seal himself within that sword. "But what does that have to do with becoming stronger the more you fight?" "... There's knowledge of various martial arts crammed into this body. These are things I discarded long ago, and they are obstacles to unleashing my full power." "Is it possible... that the more I use a particular technique, the closer I get to my golden age?" "I'll adjust it to the technique of 'the more I forget'." "…" "Of course, I could release my power immediately. However, if my power is used in a state full of impurities, along with the current soul occupancy rate, the power would be weak. There would also be some side effects. Considering the potential for interference from angels or archangels in the future, wouldn't it be better to conserve my power as much as possible?" In essence, the more martial arts techniques he uses, the more of his original power he can access. The reason why he gets stronger as he fights is actually because he is forgetting martial arts techniques. He can still wield his original power, but he has to deal with the consequences in his own way, and he wants to hold back as much as possible when thinking of confronting angels later. It's unnerving. If he took even slight damage, he could kill me at any time. He's restraining his power due to imaginary archangels. My resentment toward angels grows, yet I am fortunate that Cheonma is keeping a low profile. Come to think of it, trying to forcibly kill Cheonma seems impossible. If Cheonma were truly pushed to the brink of death, he would use his original power. Even if it's weaker than during his prime, it would be sufficient to kill me or Choi Jiwon. From the start, this was a battle he couldn't win. Perhaps I should consider myself fortunate that I've at least grown? Should I find comfort in the fact that Cheonma appears to be reasonable? "Enough with the small talk. Come at me again." Cheonma tossed aside a wooden scythe and donned the leggings on the floor. "Alright, thank you for being honest." "Okay." "…" This couldn't merely be 'help.' I felt it in my heart. Cheonma had regained a substantial amount of his power. He could already defeat me. With his safety assured, he might feel it's okay to share his weaknesses that he's already overcome. He didn't seem like the type, but he acted after careful calculation. He must have established a sense of intimacy. The battle continued thereafter. I fought while controlling my power just enough so Ma could sense the crisis and utilize his martial arts to the fullest. Ma employed techniques from his memory, and I responded with countermeasures I knew. Ma had seen my martial arts, and I knew his. It felt like a performance. "Something... feels off." Despite my unsettling feelings, Ma managed to regain all of his strength in just two weeks. Even when he held back, his unique oppressive energy could be sensed from afar, and all the creatures in the arena were reluctant to approach this corridor. The only outsiders were the occasional drones that came by. "Is this enough?" "It's almost over." "You said you would escape the tower... What will you do next?" "I'm thinking of destroying that dimension." "... Is that possible?" "It's possible. If I were you." A figure of a man appeared, overlaying the visage of the Heavenly Horse deep in meditation. This wasn't the werewolf figure but a middle-aged man with long black hair. Perhaps, this was the true form of the Heavenly Horse. "It's done now." The Heavenly Horse rose from his seating place upon completing his meditation. Murderous intent burned in his eyes. "I will kill that angel... I will kill the archangel. I will kill the deity. I will slaughter them all." "Please spare the humans in our world." "Let's do that." As the man rotated his outstretched hand in the air, a small dot appeared where there was nothing before. The dot gradually expanded, soon becoming a hole large enough for someone to pass through. Perhaps it was a passage leading out of the tower. "Your friend, and your world... I won't touch them. I'll leave them be even if I destroy everything." "Thank you." "But." —Whoosh. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced my chest. His hand moved with such speed that it was difficult to react. "You have learned too much about me." His fist had pierced through my chest from the front. With my heart so forcefully punctured, I couldn't even use my magic. It was a blow that didn't even allow for resistance. "Wouldn't it be troublesome if you informed the angels about my throne?" "... Hah." "The world must be destroyed first to secure the spirit of the climbers, so there should be plenty of time. By sacrificing your life, you managed to save your world temporarily, so it must be a commendable death." In the end, he didn't trust me. He had been using me. I had known all along that he came from another world and that Cheonma was inherently arrogant. I had expected him to stab me in the back... but thinking about it and experiencing it firsthand felt different. But does he realize? That I was trying my hardest to suppress my emotions before they overflowed. That I was holding my breath so as not to restrain ‘overflowing emotions’. That I... truly did know too much. "... You are defeated." He committed the number one mistake not to make in a fictional narrative. Cheonma had now betrayed the regressor. [You have taken damage.] [You will return to the point when you first entered the 28th floor.]