I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 267

267

Various situations unfolded in an instant, even faster than a second.

Shinwa, disguised as Kiina Robbie, had been bowing his head, waiting for an opening when their guard was down.

He unleashed a fierce blow.

With the thought of striking first, he used more than half of his magic power in a single, explosive strike.

Bellic was never the target. With Shinwa’s skills, he could kill Bellic ‘the likes of him’ anytime.

So, he aimed for Elijah’s left side, his heart. He also calculated that Elijah would be wearing a rather luxurious suit.

Considering all of that, he launched an attack with enough destructive power to ensure a hit.

‘No……?’

But from the start, Shinwa’s aim was off.

It was a very precise and sharp aim, but Elijah’s response was also very quick.

Boom!

Elijah immediately grabbed Bellic and used his body as a shield.

He used him as a ‘human shield,’ completely blocking Shinwa’s attack path.

As a result.

Boom……!

Bellic’s body burst like a balloon.

From his perspective, it was a perfect instant kill, without even a chance to notice the signs or reasons for his death.

But it didn’t end there.

Rattle!

Elijah moved his fingertips intricately towards Bellic’s ‘flesh’ scattering in all directions.

‘I thought he would be quite a tough guy.’

Shinwa, realizing the seriousness of the situation, quickly retreated and assessed the situation.

He immediately recognized Elijah’s aim with his ignition ability.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

All the scattered pieces of Bellic’s flesh turned into huge fireballs and exploded everywhere.

If Shinwa had been carelessly covered in Bellic’s blood and flesh, he would have suffered severe burns from the attack.

Thus, Bellic, who had been loyal to Elijah as his eternal henchman until just now, disappeared without a trace.

“…….”

“…….”

Silence, stillness, and murderous intent facing each other simultaneously filled the space between Shinwa and Elijah.

‘It’s really instantaneous. I knew his ignition ability was incredible, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.’

‘His reaction is faster than expected. And to think that Bellic’s body, which had some kind of enhancement ability, would burst like this.’

They were admiring each other’s skills.

In fact, from Shinwa’s point of view, it was closer to reconfirming Elijah’s skills, which were undoubtedly EX-rank [a very high power level].

The problem was the sense of incongruity that Elijah felt towards Shinwa.

He knew that Shinwa’s skills were improving day by day, but his current skills far exceeded expectations.

For Bellic to be reduced to this state in an instant, Shinwa’s skills had to be at least SSS-rank [an extremely high power level], even if underestimated.

And that was a very low estimate.

If the criteria were applied loosely, there was a possibility that he could be EX-rank in some cases.

‘Even I, as an Apostle [a powerful being with divine connections], have climbed this far through bone-carving training, artifacts, and monopolizing spoils. Moreover, I started my life as an Awakened [a person with supernatural abilities] from A-rank. But Kang Shinwa, a follower who started from F-rank, became an EX-rank Awakened in just three months?’

Elijah tilted his head.

He realized that the opponent was Kang Shinwa from the blow that struck Bellic just now. He didn’t know how he disguised himself, but it was a perfect disguise.

Elijah had experienced many absurd and unrealistic situations, but this time it was difficult to accept.

What kind of being is Kang Shinwa that he is growing more explosively than himself?

According to the prior investigation, the fact that Kang Shinwa was an F-rank porter was absolutely not a lie.

It wasn’t that he was deliberately acting that way, but he had received an F rating in several public verifications.

‘It’s impossible.’

Elijah thought so.

But it was difficult to continue denying it because the person who was proving that it was possible was right in front of him.

“Kang Shinwa, you have some tricks. How did you disguise Kiina’s face and appearance, even her gender, and try to target me?”

“Isn’t it too perfect to call it a trick? It’s practically Kiina herself.”

“Disgusting.”

“I feel the same way. I hate both women dressed as men and men dressed as women. I don’t like slyness.”

“Why don’t you go back to normal?”

“Well, it’s not particularly uncomfortable.”

Shinwa shrugged.

Inside the glimpse of bare skin and appearance, there is a special suit hidden.

In other words, this appearance is also another shell.

Meanwhile, as Elijah seemed to be reflecting on the situation so far with a strange smile.

Shinwa continued.

“I’m upset that you seemed to trust me but were secretly suspicious. Is that all our faith was worth?”

“Caution is my old weapon.”

“That’s right. You’re very cautious. So you’re the type who always thinks with a twist.”

“I never imagined you would read my tendencies and twist your thoughts once more. At this rate, it will be difficult to escape or request support.”

Elijah tapped his forehead.

He definitely felt like he had been tricked by Shinwa.

He is in the place he considers the ‘safest’.

So, paradoxically, it is not safe now.

There is no way to request support from the lower floors of the building, and there are no separate surveillance facilities here.

Secret Area.

Because it is a place that requires secret security, this place, where no conversations or appearances are recorded, is a darkroom itself.

“Neither you nor I have anywhere to retreat. Elijah.”

“If you’ve come this far so boldly, you must have come to kill me. Right?”

“I came because I need your life. I’ve been sucking up to you, which I didn’t want to do, and it was really disgusting and dirty.”

“Haha……. Let’s hear the story. What made a mere follower dare to covet the authority of an Apostle? And how did you get Akero’s Eye?”

“If you’re curious, why don’t you find out yourself? Why are you trying to get everything for free?”

“Kang Shinwa, I’ll make you an offer for the first and last time. What if you and I become solid strategic partners?”

“There’s nothing to fear?”

“That’s right. Bellic? He was just like a toenail to me anyway. The best use of him was as a shield like before.”

“I guess I’m useful?”

“You created an opportunity against me like today, didn’t you? And you’re not afraid.”

“So?”

“Well, that’s enough for me to like you.”

“Hey, you son of a bitch. Am I your subordinate? What do you mean you decide whether to like me or not? Am I your puppy?”

“…….”

“I’ve been holding back, but I’m seeing all kinds of crazy people. Stop talking shit and come at me. This is completely crazy.”

Shinwa unleashed his true feelings with curses.

Shinwa came to this place thinking only of his victory, but Elijah didn’t seem to consider his defeat either.

Where does that unfounded confidence come from? Shinwa couldn’t stand the feeling of disgust.

“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”

“Yeah. These guys said similar things before, but it all ended up like this.”

Shinwa waved his hand and released the bodies of the three people in the subspace [a pocket dimension].

Then, the cold bodies of the three Apostles and Awakened were displayed before Elijah’s eyes.

“……This is a bit unexpected.”

Elijah’s eyes wavered.

The dark energy, felt intensely because they were dead, proved with their whole bodies that they were Apostles.

When they were alive, they could control the dark energy appropriately, making it difficult to detect from the outside.

When they die, the suppression is impossible, and the mana circle in their bodies spews out dark energy.

And the dark energy felt from the three people had the same depth as the Apostles, with only slight differences.

Especially in the case of Ayla, she was an Apostle who knew each other’s existence, so there was no need for separate verification.

“Elijah, there’s no need to grumble for long. If you have any questions, you can ask before I kill you, right?”

“Simple is best, is that what you mean?”

“I’m saying that even the time to wag your tongue is a waste.”

Shinwa snapped his fingers.

The provocation was sincere.

The next moment.

Elijah smiled bitterly and took something out from inside his neck.

‘Necklace of Darkness!’

It was the symbol of Lechero’s favor that he had only heard about.

At the same time, it was also evidence of the important message that Nicholas had conveyed.

He said that you can only identify the ‘real Lechero’ with the Necklace of Darkness.

This necklace was the number one material needed to hunt Lechero.

Other than acting as a reader, there was no separate knowledge about the necklace.

Perhaps that’s why, in the brief moment that Shinwa hesitated, Elijah activated the power of the necklace.

Shaaa.

Soon, a bright flash, ironic for a necklace given by a dark wizard, enveloped Shinwa and Elijah.

And when the surrounding environment returned to normal again.

“You changed the stage.”

“That’s right.”

Shinwa and Elijah were standing in the middle of a pitch-black desert, not the secret area of the Elijah Building.

It was a night scene of a desert that could be found in a Middle Eastern country well known for its deserts.

The desert was a battlefield that Shinwa had experienced countless times in his past life.

At the time of the Great Disaster, he fought all over the world, and harsh conditions were like everyday life.

In particular, desertification became more severe as the average temperature of the entire Earth began to rise due to the runaway of dimensional energy from 2045.

So, it was a sad thing, but the desert could be easily seen not far away.

‘I know exactly what he’s aiming for. Ignition ability and dry air create the best synergy.’

Shinwa seemed to know why he chose this desert instead of LA, which had a rather humid feeling because it had rained not long ago.

In addition, there were no obstacles in this desert that would interfere with the use and control of ignition and flame abilities.

There is no element that blocks the fire or makes it difficult to secure the view.

“Kang Shinwa, do you know where this is?”

Elijah’s voice grew louder.

It was also a voice that naturally grew louder due to the sense of liberation because there were no eyes watching.

“I can tell just by looking. It looks like an execution ground?”

Shinwa looked around and said indifferently. There were quite a few bodies that had already turned into skeletons not far away.

Some of them even had skulls rolling around eerily.

Judging from the lack of footprints, most of them seemed to have died as soon as they arrived. Or there was a lot of sandstorm.

“That’s right. And today’s death row inmate is you.”

“Anyway, the XXs who only pretend to be gentle on the outside are dirty on the inside. After all, an Apostle is an Apostle. A dirty Apostle cannot escape from its essence.”

“Do you think you are different from me, Kang Shinwa?”

“Are a Regressor [someone who can return to the past] and an Apostle the same?”

Shinwa answered indifferently.

It wasn’t a secret blurted out with anger. It was a statement made to convey a clear cause-and-effect relationship.

“Regressor……. Your ability is not future sight, but a Regressor who has known the future from the beginning?”

“Yes. A Regressor who knows everything from A to Z about what you and Lechero will do.”

“You’re revealing secrets properly.”

“It’s a word I’m saying in front of a guy who’s going to die anyway, what kind of secret is that? Are you going to reveal it in hell?”

The next moment.

Elijah, hearing Shinwa’s words, smiled bitterly and replied.

“If you are really a Regressor, you will sincerely regret challenging this body without strengthening your power further.”