I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 244

244

“This reeks.”

Throughout the pursuit of Isla, I couldn’t shake off a bad feeling about her.

She kept looping around the same areas repeatedly during our movements.

And she would suddenly accelerate and decelerate.

It was a maneuver to shake off anyone who might be tailing her.

Her meticulous nature wasn’t a problem, but she couldn’t possibly shake me off anyway.

I continued to leap nimbly from rooftop to rooftop, closing the distance between us.

When her car had sufficiently ‘shaken off’ any surveillance and emerged into an open area,

I deliberately used Transcendental Acceleration to chase after her, closing the gap even further.

Isla’s car, having left the city, headed towards an abandoned factory located in the suburbs.

It was a rather absurd place to be considered an important location where she needed to secretly avoid prying eyes.

Unless she was secretly meeting someone while avoiding attention… there seemed to be no reason to come to a place like this.

‘Even though it’s a place she has to come alone, she’s set up guards on the outside?’

As Isla’s car entered the abandoned factory, those guarding the main paths all bowed in greeting.

Judging by the absence of the Golden Sky Guild’s insignia, they didn’t seem to be affiliated guild members.

But the respectful greetings suggested they were likely private mercenaries being paid for their services.

For Awakened mercenaries, guarding the front of a villain’s house and providing protection was commonplace if they were paid enough.

“…….”

I quietly approached within 100 meters of the abandoned factory, crossed my arms, and observed the situation.

Eventually, Isla’s car disappeared deep inside the factory, without a trace.

She hadn’t left the factory but seemed to have moved to a secret location within.

Peeking through the windows, it seemed there was a path leading to the basement, not just the first floor of the factory.

I waited for about 10 minutes.

Just as the mercenaries, who had been slightly agitated by Isla’s arrival, returned to their posts to relax,

I approached the mercenaries guarding the front gate and prepared to dispel my Invisibility.

Since Invisibility would naturally dissipate upon the start of combat, attacking was synonymous with dispelling the stealth.

“Should we just rush them…?”

“Hey, watch your mouth. She’s an executive of the Golden Sky Guild. She’s not someone you can easily kidnap and ransom.”

As expected of mercenaries without affiliation, they were openly discussing kidnapping Isla, who wasn’t even present.

It was a common occurrence.

In South Korea, the distinctions between White, Yellow, Red, and Black Zones were clear, resulting in distinct crime rates in each area.

However, in other countries, these boundaries were blurred. As a result, crime was more rampant than one might think.

Of course, Sydney and its surrounding areas were considered a White Zone, but the quality of the mercenaries was the issue.

Many of them were Awakened individuals from criminal organizations who had laundered their pasts. It wasn’t anything new.

‘It’s annoying to listen to such disgusting talk. Should I just deal with them quickly?’

Pa-at!

“Huh?”

“Eek!”

The two mercenaries were startled when I revealed myself right in front of them using the Blink Ring.

But already, in the moment they were startled.

Bbeo-eok!

I struck one of them under the chin.

It wasn’t a fatal blow, but it was enough to concuss the brain and cause a momentary loss of consciousness.

It was the result of creating overwhelming power through Modification without needing to use any special talent.

“Wh-…”

Bbeo-eok!

At the same time, I used 폭권 [Explosive Fist] to strike the other one directly in the center of his abdomen.

I took a chance, and it turned out he was wearing a standard-type reinforced suit with surprisingly low durability.

If he had worn something a bit more expensive, it might have blocked the attack once, but he had been too stingy with his equipment.

In one second, or even less, I knocked out both of them and nonchalantly entered the building.

Since I hadn’t knocked them out with ordinary strength, they would likely be in dreamland for at least several tens of minutes.

“Who’s there?”

“Stop!”

I wanted to retort, ‘Would you stop if you were me?’ but instead, I responded by moving quickly.

‘I need to control my strength well.’

I reminded myself.

My target was Isla, not the mercenaries she had hired. There was no need to kill them.

But if I didn’t control my strength properly, they could die instantly, so it was quite difficult to reduce my power ‘just enough’ to avoid killing them.

“……!”

Replacing a shout with widened eyes, I leaped towards the two mercenaries.

The two of them stared at me with bewildered eyes as I flew in an arc and positioned myself at the apex.

They seemed quite taken aback by the smooth and high-speed leap.

But only for a moment.

Bbeo-eok! Bba-ak!

The two, having been struck by a cross-kick in mid-air without losing balance, collapsed like straw.

They seemed to have thought they could block it by crossing their arms appropriately… but they underestimated my strength too much.

In fact, that was the common sense.

Even for Awakened individuals who mainly used their legs, it was rare to put tremendous power into a single strike.

But I had momentarily concentrated almost all of my magic power into both legs.

Using my legs, which had become as hard as iron, to press down, there was no way for them to withstand it.

Especially since they had been diagonally struck around the face and head, the perceived impact must have been enormous.

Thud! Ku-ung!

Thus, four Awakened individuals fell powerlessly like fallen leaves in a short span of a few seconds.

They probably wouldn’t even know how they had been knocked out. They would just feel like the lights had gone out at some point, and their memories had disappeared.

‘Ah, there was an alarm device. Well, there was no need to station many people or even escalate to combat.’

A device that would sound an alarm fell out of the pocket of one of the fallen Awakened.

It seemed they were supposed to press this to signal if there was an external visitor.

For example, someone from the Golden Sky Guild who had been tailing them, or an outsider who had become involved for no reason?

It seemed they needed a device to buy time to play innocent.

But since they had all been knocked out before they could even press it, it seemed my visit would not be known.

There were no CCTV cameras around, perhaps to eliminate any record of their visit.

* * *

“As expected.”

Having entered the abandoned factory, I could see traces of dark energy through ‘Akeron’s Eye’.

I had deliberately put the ring in the subspace. If it suddenly resonated, Isla would be on guard.

I already knew, but through Akeron’s Eye, I confirmed once again that Isla was an Apostle [a disciple or messenger of a deity].

I followed the traces of dark energy.

As expected, the traces led to the basement through a staircase next to the warehouse in the corner of the first floor of the abandoned factory.

“…….”

With nimble steps, I reliably concealed my presence and slowly descended into the basement.

The increasingly intense dark energy hinted that something ominous was happening below.

‘Was she training in black magic from this point on? Like Lechein before?’

Recalling the memories of my past life.

It was obvious, but Isla had never shown any traces of black magic or dark energy in front of us.

Perhaps it was because she had reached a level of ability and mastery sufficient to hide it.

But thinking about it, the creation and enhancement of black magic itself could have been done alone at any time.

In other words, even while loudly proclaiming the overthrow of Lechein and the extermination of black mages in front of us!

She would have been doing all sorts of dirty and disgusting things behind the scenes.

Thinking that way made me feel even more twisted inside.

Preparing for betrayal in secret for a long time, what was she thinking as she looked at Nicholas and me?

She probably found it amusing.

It must have been fun to watch the foolish games of ignorant people.

Because we had only been preparing for the impending Great Calamity without knowing the greater crisis to come.

‘Damn bitch.’

A curse came out involuntarily.

It was because I remembered my past life, where I had been deceived by her without knowing anything.

Sreureureuk.

I transformed my right arm into a sword blade.

There was no mercy to be shown to her. There was no need to ask for reasons. To 미리 단죄(斷罪) [preemptively punish] the future stained with darkness, that was all.

* * *

“Good, good…….”

Joy and pleasure were rapidly filling Isla’s face.

It was due to the extreme sensation brought about by the unique dark energy absorbed from the dead corpses.

This was also a powerful, addictive temptation that was the foundation of black magic creation.

Right then.

“Isla Blanched. No, Apostle Rania. Your stinking deeds end here.”

“Wh-who is it?”

Isla was startled and asked back when a voice suddenly came from a place where no presence had been felt.

But she didn’t forget to prepare to unleash magical power.

“See for yourself.”

“……Kang Shin-hwa? Why are you here? No, how did you get here?”

Isla wore a surprised expression.

She had stationed skilled A-rank mercenaries at the entrance and even given them a device to send a signal in case of emergency.

But they had been defeated without even having a chance to send a signal.

Moreover, she thought she was perfectly deceiving the eyes around her, so it was unexpected that Shin-hwa would appear here.

“How? I walked here on two feet.”

“……There was no tail.”

“That’s what you think.”

Jeo-beok. Jeo-beok. Jeo-beok.

Shin-hwa’s resolute footsteps grew closer to Isla.

“Why did you come here?”

Isla’s eyes were shaking greatly as she asked. She seemed to already know the reason, but she was asking just in case.

“I don’t intend to explain at length. I’m just going to kill all of Lechein’s Apostles.”

“Is this Elijah’s instruction? Is it that bastard’s doing?”

“No, Elijah will follow you soon after you die. You’re going to the afterlife first.”

“……What the hell is going on?”

Isla spat out a curse.

Things must have gone terribly wrong.

Shin-hwa had no intention of explaining to her about past lives or the future.

To tell her everything and induce her to turn over a new leaf? He thought it was meaningless.

Even if he spared her, if Lechein used the Great Transition as Nicholas said in the future,

She would just be a good vessel.

It would be a bigger problem to keep her alive.

“Kang Shin-hwa, think carefully. We don’t have to fight like this. If you want, there are many rights and privileges I can give you.”

“Shut up and prepare to fight with all your might. That way, you won’t have any regrets. Right?”

“Damn it…….”

Seeing Shin-hwa taking a fighting stance, the negotiation had failed.

In the end.

Hwa-ak!

A dark crimson dark energy began to rise from behind Isla.

Berserk.

The beginning of battle preparation.