I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 268

268

‘For this battle, I’ll have to use all the buffs and second chance skills I have.’

From the start, my mind was made up.

I couldn’t afford to hold back anything in the fight against Elijah.

Holding back wouldn’t just be a waste; it could cost me my life. This wasn’t the time to save anything for later.

Whoosh!

Without a second thought, I activated Transcendental Acceleration and charged towards Elijah.

The more distance I allowed between us, the more disadvantageous it would be for me. After all, I specialized in close combat.

But right then.

Snap!

Elijah wore a faint smile as he pretended to grab something in the air.

It was a gesture towards empty space, but the meaning was clear.

‘Immediate Ignition?’

There was no time to think it over.

Because at that very moment, the ‘Ignition’ Elijah had triggered was already happening.

The bigger problem was the initial ignition point….

‘Shit, it’s my body?’

It was inside my own body.

If it were a regular Awakened [a person with supernatural abilities], flames would instantly erupt from within, burning them alive on the spot.

No need to go far to experience immolation. This was immolation itself.

The reason I desperately tried to acquire the Flower of Attributes was precisely for this moment.

Crackling.

Quickly focusing my mind and utilizing magic power, my entire body began to freeze.

The cool desert night felt like being in front of an Antarctic glacier, freezing in an instant.

Fizz. Fizz. Sizzle.

The freezing response was very effective.

The flames trying to ignite from within quickly extinguished in the extremely cooled body.

“Oh?”

“Hoo.”

Maintaining the entire body in a specific attribute form puts an immense burden on the body.

Even though my body is a Modifiable Body that can flexibly respond to and change into various talents.

That doesn’t mean I can maintain that ability forever. I am, after all, ‘human.’

“This is a talent that wasn’t confirmed in the prior investigation. You’ve upgraded again?”

“It’s always good to periodically upgrade the software.”

“I can count on one hand the number of people who have survived my Ignition talent, and you’re already in the top 5?”

“I appreciate the compliment.”

Elijah wore a curious expression.

He was still confident and full of *yoyu* [余裕 – Japanese for composure/room to spare]. That arrogance was Elijah’s weapon, but well….

I was determined to land a solid punch on his smiling face.

And I wanted to tear his mouth downward so he could never smile again, or whatever else I had to do.

Before Leccero, that bastard was the one who ruined Nicholas and my future.

Whoosh!

I charged again.

Even if I had to push myself, I needed to keep closing the distance with Elijah to increase my chances of exploiting his weaknesses.

Fizz. Sizzle.

There was another attempt at Ignition, but thanks to the change in my movement, the predicted Ignition was nullified.

As expected, Elijah was an EX-rank Awakened, with a fast response speed to all attacks.

‘Good!’

The distance was quickly closing.

I immediately pulled out my first card.

[Activating the Power of Genesis.]

[Activation Period: 1 second]

[Remaining Period: 4 seconds]

It was the Power of Genesis.

I had accumulated a total of 5 seconds, and here I used 1 second of it.

For someone else, it would be too short a time to even launch a proper attack.

But not for me.

‘Explosive Fist 9th Form, Crushing Fist.’

At the same time, I deployed Explosive Fist 9th Form.

It was an extravagant attack card that consumed all of my magic power shortly after the start of the battle.

Since I had multiple means of recovering magic power, this level of gambit was worth using.

Crushing Fist linked with the Power of Genesis.

With this, it would be easy to turn the suit Elijah was wearing into rags, if not Elijah himself.

“Haaap!”

With a rough shout, I threw my fist. In that instant, Elijah’s eyes widened, and he showed a slight hint of surprise.

Was he caught off guard?

I threw my fist with conviction.

The next moment.

Bang!

A resounding impact, as if something had exploded, echoed throughout the desert.

It was a blow that made my entire fist feel numb, even after being strengthened and modified.

But.

“……”

Rumble.

My fist was blocked by a massive wall, unable to move forward any further.

Moreover, the energy I had unleashed with Crushing Fist was scattering sideways along the wall, creating only innocent sandstorms in all directions.

“Defense should always be a magician’s top priority over offense. Did you think I would be so careless?”

“Not bad.”

“Of course, not bad. Do you think Elijah Group and this Elijah Lowe were created just like that?”

Elijah and I seemed to be stopped while facing each other, but in reality, we were explosively pouring magic power into each other.

Because.

Elijah also had to constantly supply magic power to maintain the massive wall of flames.

I also needed to withstand it with the energy of Explosive Fist to avoid being caught in the wall of flames he had created and burned.

A power struggle between the two had begun.

The one who is pushed back here will either have their wall broken and be hit by the remaining energy of Explosive Fist.

Or, conversely, the power of Explosive Fist will collapse, and their entire body will be engulfed in flames.

In the brief moment given in the stalemate, I tried to find a counterattack by thinking of various gambits.

Because as much as I give absolute time to thinking, plausible solutions always come to mind.

“Shall we test your luck?”

But Elijah seemed to have read my thoughts, not giving me time to think for long.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Multiple Ignitions.

Flames erupted from all directions.

It was one of Elijah’s specialties, using small sparks as fuel to cause another explosion.

The closer the sparks were, the more they connected, creating even larger flames, making it threatening.

Sure enough, a space of about 20m in radius instantly turned into a fiery hell with no room to set foot.

The time it took for this process was 0.5 seconds, or even less.

For a moment, I thought about using Blink Ring to close the distance again, but I immediately gave up.

‘He’s deployed magic distortion. He’s predicting my repertoire.’

Because I had figured out Elijah’s intentions. As expected, he was cautious. And sharp.

For a brief moment, my heart pounded intensely, deeply engraving the trembling feeling.

It was not the feeling I had felt from the substandard apostles who had fallen helplessly before me so far.

The thought that I had finally met a worthy opponent.

It was a special feeling that stimulated the fear that my life as a Regressor could end completely at this moment if I didn’t stay sharply alert.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Even though I didn’t sprinkle oil or create wind, the flames began to spread around.

It felt as if the sand itself had become the fuel for the flames.

“……”

I need to catch my breath.

I abandoned the thought of pushing the flow of battle and carefully scanned Elijah’s movements, just like him.

Just because I’m a Regressor doesn’t mean I know everything.

There are also cases where most of my knowledge is ‘blank,’ like Elijah in front of me or Leccero, whom I will face soon.

At that time, I have to fight not with the *yoyu* [余裕 – Japanese for composure/room to spare] of a Regressor but with the caution of a challenger. Because there are things I don’t know.

“I am fire itself. Fire makes me stronger and more violent. And the flames never die out and guard my side.”

“I can’t deny that.”

I nodded, watching Elijah slide smoothly over the fire as if he were skating.

The flames, imbued with the magic power Elijah gave them, burned endlessly, and the fire continued to provide Elijah with great power.

‘Did you see this cheater? Well… I don’t have the right to complain.’

I was about to think it was unfair to see him using magic power without holding back, but I gave up on that thought.

I had also created a magic power recovery close to infinite power by using all sorts of means and methods.

‘I need to see more of his intentions. I’ve exposed too many cards too quickly on my side.’

I took a defensive stance.

It was a position I had to avoid, as close combat was essential for me, but now close combat was not the answer.

I knew far less about Elijah than he knew about me. I can’t come up with a gambit like this.

‘One thing for sure is that he doesn’t have a finishing move that can kill me in one blow, except for the surprise Ignition.’

This was certain.

It was also the reason why I was confident that I might not be able to beat Elijah, but at least I wouldn’t die at his hands.

‘Let’s be patient. Just because I came to find him first doesn’t mean I have to rush to end the battle.’

I calmed my mind, which had been stained with revenge or resentment and anger, and brought out composure.

However, one thing that bothered me.

‘He must have swept up artifacts using all sorts of means and methods. He’s definitely crazy.’

What I could clearly see were the rings on Elijah’s ten fingers.

All ten of his fingers were wearing rings, as if he couldn’t live without them.

I couldn’t check the options of what kind of artifacts they were, but I could easily recognize that they were artifacts related to the recovery and storage of magic power.

‘It won’t be easy.’

I smiled bitterly.

The world is wide, and there are many talented people.

I don’t know what Elijah is thinking, but… at least that’s what I thought.

‘Today is the day I met the real deal.’

It was going to be a long and arduous battle.

* * *

Afterward, the offensive and defensive battle continued.

Elijah initially had doubts about the Myth’s response, which had become defensive, contrary to his confident demeanor at the beginning.

This was because much had already been known about the Myth’s aggressiveness.

Elijah, who was initially cautious, wondering if it was an intentional strategy, changed his mind as time passed.

This was because it was obvious at a glance that the Myth was wary of his ‘Ignition talent.’