Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1245

Kyunroe Subjugation (37)

Extreme Lightning Magic.

The moment Kaise heard the name from Lenok, he immediately understood its meaning.

At the same time, he also realized how absurd the concept was.

“Preceding all causality, a lightning that comes before?”

Kaise muttered with a blank face.

“That’s… impossible. There’s no way such a power could exist fully in this world.”

Having regressed countless times, Kaise knew the concept of space-time better than anyone.

That was why he could immediately understand how unrealistic the concept of Extreme Lightning was.

“Causality isn’t a concept that can precede or follow something. It’s just a phenomenon that exists and circulates in its place. Can humans even consider it something to overcome?”

Cause and effect exist in all things and phenomena in the universe.

The ability to directly intervene in that absolute law does not exist.

Reversal and alteration of causality. Transcendent powers that reverse or change cause and effect.

Some exceptionally powerful Ascendants [beings who have transcended mortal limitations] in history actually possessed such powers.

However, that too was ultimately a miracle that occurred within the ‘cycle’ of cause and effect.

It could not escape the cycle of causality and be a concept that took precedence over it.

If such a power existed-

“If it takes precedence in any situation and condition, it would literally have absolute superiority over all attributes and affinities. It’s not a point that a mortal can even imagine reaching in the first place.”

“So?”

“It’s something that transcends even space-time, existing in its original form every moment-”

Kaise stopped speaking, unintentionally.

Lenok smiled, seeing Kaise reflexively raise his gaze.

“I thought you would understand.”

“……You are.”

An absolute existence that transcends even the regressing space-time.

A being that takes precedence over the flow of reversing time is standing before Kaise’s eyes at this moment, as if to show off.

Lenok was not moving with Kaise’s regression, standing on the same timeline as him.

No matter how Kaise reversed time, Lenok was simply there, existing before everything else.

The causality of lightning that precedes the world’s causality, existing before any change.

The meaning of the Extreme Lightning that Lenok spoke of was from the beginning-

“I had a vague idea from the moment I heard the story from Akendrias.”

Lenok moved his feet, leaving the speechless Kaise behind.

“Extreme Lightning Magic is one of the forms my lightning will reach when it reaches level 9.”

“……”

“So, I was preparing to obtain this divergence point to coincide with the end of the subjugation war.”

Lenok, with dark blue lightning cast on his face, spoke softly.

“If you are indeed Kaise Bajur, you would have been waiting for the moment the outcome of this war is decided.”

“……”

“I always assumed the worst-case scenario.”

Lenok slowly turned his gaze.

“That’s why I always try to leave possibilities open.”

“……Kyunroe.”

“Kaise. This is a possibility I prepared before the subjugation war even began.”

Lenok said, closing his eyes.

“To bring an end to an old story… this is the answer I chose.”

From the moment the causality of lightning was engraved in his life, the lightning always takes the foremost position in his life.

Lightning is faster and more intense than anything else, like an enlightenment that flashes by in an instant.

Extreme Lightning is an enlightenment that reverses the process of understanding.

It is the very essence of a premonition that does not exist but must exist.

Because it takes precedence over all causality, Extreme Lightning exists in both the past and present from the moment it begins to exist-

No matter how much one regresses and goes back in time, it never changes.

At this moment, holding the Extreme Lightning, Lenok can maintain his current form in all pasts.

That is why he could remain by Kaise’s side without changing or wavering, even with Kaise’s regression.

It is a power that is literally the nemesis of a regressor, having superiority over all timelines.

“Let’s settle this, Kaise.”

Fzzzt…!!

Lenok, who slowly opened his eyes with the flickering lightning, stepped forward.

“As I said, it won’t take long.”

It is a competition of each other’s possibilities in an infinitely repeating regression.

The time Kaise and Lenok have experienced has already exceeded several decades, but the clash was only a moment.

The fight begins and ends in an instant.

Even that won’t take too long.

Fzzzzzzzz!

The dark blue lightning flashed in Lenok’s hand, rippling beyond space-time.

A transcendent lightning that exists prior to all timelines that Kaise regresses to.

The moment Kaise properly faced the meaning of that dark blue lightning, he too could understand.

A premonition lightning that remains unchanged no matter how much time is turned back and regressed.

From the moment that lightning, which precedes causality, was born, everything became irreversible-

“……No.”

Bang!!

Clatter!!!

The hands of the Chrono-Reversal Calamity Leaf spun wildly, stirring space-time once again.

Kaise, who had boarded the end of the wildly raging world line, looked down at Lenok with a chilling face.

“Nothing is irreversible… nothing is unchanging. That’s why I abandoned everything to change everything.”

“……”

“Kyunroe. If you plan to end my regression by taking precedence over all this space-time-”

Kaise turned his body and turned around, drawing up his magic power with all his might.

“I will continue to move on to the next iteration until even that loses its meaning.”

Clank!!!

Extreme Lightning Magic that exists prior to all causality.

However, it is not that Lenok has become an Ascendant, but rather that he is handling the endpoint of lightning that has reached level 9.

Lenok, who is facing Kaise now, is just a being of this world who failed the ascension ritual and remains a mortal.

Like parts that wear out in an endlessly rotating clock, he will wear everything away through infinite regression.

Until then, he will infinitely repeat the regression, leaving only Kaise on this false timeline.

He can do it.

Kaise himself, who resolved to change everything to save the world.

He can endure longer than Lenok himself, who obtained the Extreme Lightning, and continue to move forward until the end-

Clatterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

The hour hand of the Chrono-Reversal Calamity Leaf spun faster and more violently than ever before.

It heads to a time further in the past than the time Lenok and Kaise have existed in this world.

It headed to a time that Kaise had not shown until the very end of his regressions.

To the divergence point of Kaise Bajur, which was between the failure and end of the Black Consumer Project.

* * *

[14th Great Canal Project failed. Regression initiated.]

[42nd Ascension Experiment halted. Regression initiated.]

[81st Compendium Strategy discarded. Regression initiated.]

[144th Cult Co-option Scenario failed. Regression initiated.]

…….

The whole story of the project to look into all the failures of this world by turning back the regression.

Even though he had already regressed hundreds of times, Kaise did not give up.

[I can do it. As many times as it takes.]

It wasn’t that there were no meaningful gains since the project started.

The story of the iteration where Kaise succeeded in stabilizing his ability in the form of a thought-form domain.

At the point when he completed the power of regression as planned, Kaise was certain.

From the point of starting the project, he was prepared for this much trial and error.

If the world could have been saved with just a few hundred experiments, someone would have saved it long ago.

He understood that something more than that was needed.

[If I regress, I can turn back time, but my mind can’t… I have to go against the river of time and face the full force of the current.]

Kaise was already aware of the backlash and danger of regression.

A thesis related to the human mind. He gathered innate abilities and formulas to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Kaise muttered, looking at the data related to artifacts for protecting the soul.

[There’s no problem yet, but it’s true that my mind is under pressure. If this backlash keeps accumulating, I don’t know what will happen to me. So, I need to think of countermeasures now.]

[The aging of the body and the wear of the mind are separate issues.]

The Blood-Soaked Artisan, who was standing next to Kaise, said.

She was holding a pen next to Kaise and writing something for a long time.

[Even long-lived species and nobles can’t withstand the flow of time forever. I agree that we need an alternative.]

[Quickly giving up on iterations that seem like they will fail and returning is just a stopgap measure. And only a very few formulas and artifacts can be brought back with regression….]

Kaise was lost in thought.

[The best thing would be for me to gain abilities like ‘Absolute Mind’ or ‘Soul Cycle’… but how much more training do I need to reach that level?]

Kaise had a constitution where the blood and magic power of his whole body flowed in reverse, so his innate senses were completely different from others.

Even training in martial arts and formulas that were not so difficult for others was an extremely difficult task for Kaise.

He could not seek guidance from others in any area and had to go through trial and error by himself, hitting the ground running.

Nevertheless, the fact that Kaise had completed the hierarchy was proof of how hard he had worked.

Balancing the project and personal training in infinite regression was that difficult.

[How about abandoning your physical body and becoming a military spirit?]

An old man with gray hair stood with his hands behind his back, opposite the Blood-Soaked Artisan.

[……Onion.]

[In Yorta, there is a technology that turns living humans into military spirits. If you want, I can take you to the military spirit city.]

Onion raised his gaze slightly with a blank face.

[By abandoning your physical body, your mind and spirit will become stronger, and you will become insensitive to the flow of time. Even if you regress a thousand times, it will feel like a moment has passed.]

[…….]

[If necessary, I can take you in with my formula after you become a military spirit.]

[Hey. Aren’t you just trying to keep a regressor under your control?]

[No. That method won’t work. If you become insensitive to the flow of time, you won’t be able to value each iteration.]

While the vampire glared at Onion, who did not bother to deny it, Kaise shook his head with a wry smile.

[I have to quickly give up on iterations that seem like they will fail, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do my best in every attempt.]

[Hmm.]

[No matter how many more times I fail, I will try my best in every moment. I know that’s why you guys are helping me.]

Kaise’s eyes, looking down at the thesis, shone brightly.

[I have to find an answer that I can only reach myself, without relying on the miracle of regression. No matter how many more times I fail-]

How many failures was Kaise prepared for when he said ‘how many’ at that time?

Kaise soon came to realize it deeply.

* * *

[227th Half-God Revival Scenario failed. Regression initiated.]

[393rd Apostle Transformation Plan discarded. Regression initiated.]

[523rd Counter-Revolution failed. Regression initiated.]

[740th Nine Calamities Infiltration failed. Regression initiated.]

[952nd failure. Regression initiated.]

[1465th failure.]

[2218th failure.]

…….

As the number of failures changed, the summary of the previous iterations also became simpler.

The explanation of the plan and scenario, and the reason for the failure, are omitted, and only the results are stated.

Even so, Kaise tried to remain the same as he was at the beginning.

Unlike himself, who repeats the same moment while regressing, his companions always experience this moment for the first and last time.

He always had to do his best with all his heart, even for those who helped him.

As always, he gathered his companions and explained the purpose of the project and the regression.

After summarizing what had happened in the previous iterations, he organized what needed to be done in this iteration.

However-

[Kaise…?]

[…Ah.]

The blood dripping down pooled like a puddle at his feet.

Kaise, who turned his head with bloodshot eyes, smiled awkwardly.

[It’s nothing. I think it’s just because I’m a little tired. I’ll be fine if I rest a bit.]

[……]

[…Sorry. I shouldn’t hide it. It seems to be a side effect of the regression.]

Looking at his silent companions, Kaise confessed honestly.

[It’s been getting worse since the last iteration. It seems like my memory is a little… damaged.]

[……]

Having gone through thousands of iterations, the perceived time Kaise had lived had already easily exceeded hundreds of years.

In some iterations, he couldn’t even last a few days, but in others, he spent decades.

It was impossible for an ordinary human mind to endure, let alone remember everything that happened in all those iterations.

The first limit he reached was not Kaise’s judgment or intellect, but his memory.

Looking at his sorrowful companions, Kaise smiled.

[It’s something I expected. I’ve already left insurance in place for memory loss. There’s also my replacement in the restricted area.]

[……]

[If it really comes down to it, I’m even thinking of modifying my mind to preserve my memories. There won’t be a problem.]

[Kaise.]

Gileon’s beautiful face, hidden by his long hair, was faintly distorted.

The friend who always followed Kaise’s will and respected his intentions was showing his first sign of wavering.

Throughout the project, there were frequent clashes between Kaise’s close aides and the companions he had gathered.

Those who participated in the project for Kaise and those who followed Kaise for the project inevitably had different priorities.

[It’s okay.]

In the end, it was also Kaise’s job to adjust and balance that gap.

To confront, recruit, and ultimately bring geniuses and monsters into his fold to find the answer.

It was something they had all been prepared for since the moment they started the project with Oliviera.

[Nice to meet you. Kaise Bajur.]

[I am Yuseong, the Left Vice-Minister of the Imperial Palace.]

The visit from the Imperial Palace also happened around this time.

* * *

[A bloodline ability of the special trait system. A demonic talent that holds the power to change the world, but is destined for destruction.]

[Those born with the magic of defying the heavens all die young before the age of 20, and their magic is twisted, making it difficult to learn martial arts or spells.]

[The Imperial Palace has tried to use that talent with great importance, but all attempts have ended in failure.]

A guest from the Ars Nova Empire’s Imperial Palace, with whom he had rarely been involved in countless regressions.

Yet, the existence of a ‘noble’ who accurately recognized the nature of Kaise Bajur’s ability.

[Kaise. You are the one who has survived the longest with that cursed bloodline ability, and the only one who has managed to control that talent.]

[Moreover, you are a great seeker who has honed that talent to its limits and manipulated it into an unprecedented power.]

[There is no other explorer who repeats trial and error like you, nor a seeker who has come as close to the answer as you.]

[We are interested in the editing of talent that you have found after endless failures.]

Yuseong, who introduced himself as the Left Vice-Minister of the Imperial Palace, was a humble and easygoing person, not befitting his position.

He was patient enough to finish the tasteless tea that Peisha had served without a single complaint.

Kaise felt a slight curiosity about the Vice-Minister in front of him and tested him.

[Editing talent? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never done anything like that through the project.]

[We have been observing the historical changes occurring throughout the continent for a long time. It was like a miracle, a totality that could not be achieved with the time given to humans.]

Yuseong smiled gently.

[Your causality is already entangled and bound throughout the continent, leaving traces everywhere. Did you really think we wouldn’t be able to read it?]

[……]

He knew it.

The countless butterfly effects that occur while stirring up the entire continent and repeating trial and error.

The reverberation that occurs when touching the past timeline where cause and effect were fixed.

That the Imperial Palace, where the best geniuses of the empire gathered, might recognize it and come to find Kaise.

A move to test whether the Ars Nova Empire’s Imperial Palace could be brought in as a partner for the project.

[We highly value your ingenuity in trying to become a ‘link’ yourself.]

Looking at the silent Kaise, Yuseong nodded.

[The Imperial Palace Cabinet will cooperate with you. Instead, would you like to make a deal?]

[…A deal?]

[I have a proposal regarding the Corpse Emperor.]

Yuseong’s smile, as he looked at Kaise, turned eerie for a moment.

[I want to add one more meaning to the countless failures you have continued…]

* * *

[34436th experiment stopped. This plan is also a failure.]

The night view overlooking the city of Balkan.

Kaise was standing on the rooftop of a building with Oliviera.

Demons from another world, frantically struggling and screaming below the street.

[Just opening the gate for 1.75 seconds turned eight outer districts of Balkan into demons… The power of the outer world has too many variables.]

Kaise, who was scribbling in his notebook behind Oliviera, said.

[We might not have been able to stop it without the information from the Imperial Palace. In the next iteration, I’ll adjust the variables a little better-]

[Kaise.]

Oliviera quietly opened her mouth.

[Let’s stop here.]

[…What?]

Oliviera turned around, leaving the paused Kaise behind.

[What number is it now?]

[I told you. The 34436th-]

[How many times are you repeating the 34436th iteration?]

[……]

[This plan was proceeding with unusually specific numbers.]

Oliviera said.

[The time to open the gate, the scale of demonization. The range of influence of the outer world’s power. It was impossible without repeating the same experiment several times.]

[……]

Looking at the silent Kaise, Oliviera quietly asked.

[If you knew it was the wrong method, weren’t you supposed to move on to the next iteration?]

[…Not yet, because I haven’t failed yet.]

Kaise raised his gaze.

His eyes were not clearly visible, hidden by his curly hair.

[There are still variables we don’t know about the power of the outer world. Wanderers who were destroyed long ago and roam the sea… We might be able to get something.]

[……]

[The reason we can continue the iterations for so long is thanks to the true blood we got from the deal with the Imperial Palace. We need to maximize our gains while we maintain a cooperative relationship with them-]

[No. It can’t be done that way. You won’t be able to endure it that way.]

Oliviera said quietly.

[If you break down, everything we’ve built up so far will be useless.]

[If I were to collapse so easily, I wouldn’t have started in the first place…]

Kaise murmured quietly.

Beyond his shaking curly hair, his gaze was vacantly wavering.

[I can still do more. I will fail as many times as it takes, and I will definitely-]

[I… I don’t know.]

[Oliviera…!!]

For the first time, the will disappeared from Oliviera’s eyes, which had been veiled.

The iteration where the companion who had been with Kaise since the beginning of the project left for the first time.

Even after she left, he tried his best until the end, but in the end, he could not find any possibility there.

How much effort he had put in to explain all the facts again in the next iteration and bring Oliviera back.

He thought it was fortunate that he could correct his mistakes, but wasn’t something gradually changing from that time?

The experiments continued endlessly.

* * *

[65917th ‘Astrology’ scenario failed.]

[Aaaaaaack…!!!]

Splat!!!

Blood and flesh overflowed and poured onto the tarot cards.

*Shrinkage: Astrology that reads the trajectory of causality using a unique technique called the Holy Lotus Ritual.*

Something that was once human exploded and poured out at Kaise’s feet.

[……]

Kaise stared blankly at the blood of others covering his face, then stood up.

Even though his whole body was soaked in blood, his eyes were empty.

A blonde woman who approached Kaise said with a smiling face.

[Then, as promised, the City Council will take this scenario. Is that okay?]

The mayor, who held the greatest power since the establishment of the megacity, looked down at Kaise with a strange gaze.

[It was a deal to hand over the precedent of the scenario that you gave up and excluded to the Balkan City Council.]

[…Okay.]

From which iteration was it that he brought the Balkan City Council into the project and sought cooperation?

Knowing that the mayor of Balkan was a unique ability user at the time, Kaise accepted the deal.

[Ah, an astrologer. A very useful talent that I like. I’m sure we can use it somehow.]

[……]

[Don’t forget to keep her alive in the next iteration, as promised. If you break your promise because I don’t remember-]

Ignoring the mayor leaving, Kaise quietly reached out his hand towards the corpse.

Kaise, who had struggled to gather the tarot cards that the astrologer had been using, muttered.

[Again, I’m getting closer…]

The plan to predict the time of destruction using astrology had been consistently attempted since the beginning of the project.

The only way to be safe from the outer gods and to indirectly sense the trends of the outer sea.

However, Kaise had been feeling something was slightly off in recent iterations.

The time of destruction predicted through astrology was changing little by little each time he regressed.

Regardless of Kaise’s regression, the stars that had risen in that sea were getting closer.

The dooms of that sea had begun to move, regardless of Kaise’s regression.

[No… This is…]

He kept failing, but now he no longer felt a sense of crisis.

Even though he marked new numbers and plans in each iteration, he felt no emotion.

The questions from that time, which he had ignored like a lost puzzle piece, slowly surfaced and gnawed at Kaise.

The emotional wear and tear that his companions had warned him about, and that Kaise himself had tried to prepare for. The loss of motivation.

He believed that there was something that would not change, even after defeating countless powerful enemies and geniuses.

But what did not change was not Kaise’s heart.

What did not change was the end of this world.

Only then could Kaise finally admit it.

[I… can’t do it…]

Even though he had explored all sorts of spells and abilities to protect his mind, and borrowed artifacts and spirituality.

Even though he had devised various means to repeat as many iterations as possible. The flow of time made all of that meaningless.

Kaise Bajur was not a human who could endure forever in the infinitely continuing regressions.

[Someone… someone else…]

If someone else had this ability, they would surely have done better than Kaise.

Even though he had repeated the regressions to avoid regrets, he was now regretting the act itself.

The moment Kaise fell into an irreversible self-loathing, and even stopped regressing.

[Father…?]

[…Ethan.]

Like a lie, another person came into Kaise’s sight.