I’M A Max-Level Regressor [EN]: Chapter 245

‘Typical Ayla. So sharp, and so unpredictable that even she can’t foresee her own moves.’

Throughout the battle, I couldn’t help but admire the magical projectiles Ayla was unleashing in all directions.

She was instantly creating the projectiles she wanted by condensing her magic.

At first, she persistently disrupted my movements by creating single-form magic spears and arrows.

But when I silently broke through head-on with my Liquefaction ability, she seemed flustered and began firing wildly.

It seemed like she was aiming to distract me with all-around strikes since concentrated attacks weren’t working. A hectic barrage.

Ayla’s attack would have been incredibly challenging for me a month ago, but…

‘I can see it all now.’

After consuming the Flower of Transcendence and succeeding in brain remodeling, I was reborn as a completely different person, so I wasn’t fazed at all.

If Ayla had unleashed such an attack as an EX-rank Awakened, I might have struggled.

But the current Ayla hadn’t reached that level yet.

She probably doesn’t know it, but I came to Ayla early, so her skills were still lacking, and that lack of skill definitely held her back.

“Don’t come closer. I said, don’t come closer! At least let me hear why you’re trying to kill me!”

“…….”

I didn’t answer.

I had exchanged words with guys like Rivayne or VVIP to keep them entertained on their way to the afterlife.

But I didn’t want to have any emotional exchange with Ayla.

It would have been 100% false, but paradoxically, it was because I had good memories of her from my past life.

I didn’t want to tell her the reasons in detail or kindly explain why she had to die.

Besides, I doubted that saying, ‘Because you’re going to betray us in the future!’ would work.

I walked step by step.

Ayla paled as I endured most of her magical projectile attacks with my Liquefaction ability.

Now, I was so skilled at using Liquefaction that I could respond naturally.

In the early days, I struggled with mobility due to the unique stiffness that occurred every time I was hit.

But now, I could restore my body to its original state while using the recoil from the movement to propel myself forward.

I still felt a slight ‘pause’ being induced, but to the opponent, it looked like I was walking without any hindrance.

Wooong. Wooong. Wooong.

Meanwhile, the Ransuit Gauntlet I obtained from Rivayne was rapidly condensing magic.

I was concentrating all my firepower, except for the magic needed to maintain the Liquefaction ability.

But Ayla didn’t seem to notice anything because it wasn’t visible from the outside.

“If I die, do you think Elijah will stay still? Do you think the Apostles will leave you alone?”

“Tch.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Ayla’s desperate cry. It was definitely a sneer.

Since two Apostles were already rotting in the subspace [a pocket dimension or alternate space], there was nothing else to add.

“We’ll all be companions on the road to the afterlife, so I don’t think a slight time difference will be a problem.”

“Kang Shin-hwa, you son of a bitch!”

It wasn’t surprising that all the Apostles cursed as if they were making a last-ditch effort when cornered.

It was right in front of me now.

Ayla couldn’t even think of running away, as if her legs were frozen.

Of course, if she had tried to move, I would have immediately stuck to her and delivered a sure blow.

From the moment I entered this basement, there was no way for Ayla to leave this place alive.

Of course, the current Ayla seemed to be deluding herself that she could find a way to survive.

“Yaaaaaa!”

Ayla shouted and poured out all her magical projectiles with all her might, but it ultimately failed.

My Liquefaction ability was a perfect counter to Ayla’s ability.

It wasn’t an explosive ability, and they were all penetrating attacks, so penetrating attacks were meaningless to me.

In the end, thud!

“Cough!”

I could easily grab Ayla’s neck with my hand wearing the Ransuit Gauntlet.

She nimbly tried to dodge by throwing her body downward at the last moment, but… instead, she was disgracefully grabbed by the back of her head and dragged up in that state, her neck caught in my hand.

“Cough. Cough.”

Even as she made a sound like air escaping, Ayla unleashed several attacks on me.

It was a meaningless struggle.

Not even a small scratch appeared on my body, which became a squishy liquid and then returned to normal.

But,

“Cough! Cough!”

Every time she coughed painfully as her neck was completely crushed, blood gushed out from her esophagus.

“Just, just save me, please…….”

Ayla begged for her life in a pathetic manner.

I would have preferred it if she had shouted in anger, but Ayla was more pathetic than I thought.

“…….”

“The Apostles? Lecher [likely a codename or title]? I’ll tell you all the information I know. So please…….”

When I slightly released the force on her neck, she babbled on. But her information was no longer needed.

“Aside from bothering me, I can’t forgive you for screwing over Nicholas and us. Even if I let you live now, you’ll betray us someday.”

“What, what are you…….”

Thwack!

Before she could say more, I released all the magic I had condensed in the Ransuit Gauntlet at once.

The magic released through the contact point gripping her neck easily turned Ayla’s neck to dust.

Thanks to that, Ayla’s head was perfectly separated from her body and placed on my palm.

Whether she intentionally took it off to practice black magic, she wasn’t wearing many artifacts.

Just one.

The only artifact she was wearing was a necklace around her neck. There were no buffs.

[Mana Stone]

[Judgment Grade: SS]

[A pure crystal of magic that greatly increases the wearer’s magic power.

Dimensional stones are one-time use, but Mana Stones are permanent.]

The moment I put the necklace I snatched around my neck without hesitation!

[Judgment Grade: SSS-]

My rank jumped up instantly.

It was a conditional increase due to the artifact, but it was a change that would not decrease as long as I was wearing it.

“Finally…….”

I entered SSS-rank.

If you only look at the alphabet up to EX-rank, there is only one step left.

I had grown by using the death of an Apostle as a stepping stone, but I didn’t feel any guilt.

Those guys are like viruses.

If they are not eradicated now, they will torment everyone on Earth someday in the future.

“…….”

I bit my lip bitterly as I looked at Ayla, who had instantly become a ghost.

She hadn’t ‘betrayed’ yet, was I moving too early?

But it didn’t make sense to watch until she committed the same betrayal as in my past life.

‘In the end, a Regressor has no choice but to kill someone as needed to prevent future events.

If you went back to the past, wouldn’t you want to take care of a mad killer like Hitler in advance?’

‘Just as there is a destiny to live, there is also a destiny to die. That’s all.’

I remembered what Nicholas had said in my past life as if complaining.

It seemed like a good saying to apply to my current situation. Destiny. I would have to make a slightly convenient interpretation with that one word.

With that, the disposal of Ayla, Apostle name Rania, was over.

Her corpse was immediately stored in the subspace, and after transforming into her appearance using strategic disguise, I came out.

The mercenaries, who were still out of their minds, barely checked my appearance with drowsy eyes.

Since I was in the form of Ayla Blanchett, not Kang Shin-hwa, she would be the only face they remembered.

‘It’s over now.’

One more victim added today.

That’s how three Apostles disappeared from this world.

* * *

-The wanted status is over, and the license rental is over. All clear. Shin-hwa can use it anytime.

“Thank you. Then I’ll attack the Hawaii dungeon individually, and I’ll contact you when I go to the South Pacific dungeon.”

-Hehe, are you keeping your promise to have a beach date together in the South Pacific?

“No, why is the promise to go to the dungeon together turning into a date?”

-Hehe, you have to kill two birds with one stone [achieve two goals with one action]. Anyway, I understand.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

A satisfied smile hung on my lips as I ended the call with Marina.

Things were going well, and very quickly.

If I get the Primordial Power buff from the Hawaii dungeon and the Flower of Attributes from the South Pacific dungeon, I will be able to upgrade my specs for sure before facing Elijah.

“Incarnation Elijah, he’s definitely not an easy guy.”

Click. Fssssss.

I took a seat on the balcony where the moonlight was pouring down warmly.

I recalled my memories of Elijah.

Jang Dong-shik and Jang So-hee were in another safe house, not here. I deliberately left Shami there too.

Probably, unless something goes wrong, she will become a good friend of Jang So-hee and play with her. Shami is kind.

Anyway, Elijah is much more difficult than the Apostles I faced earlier.

To put it simply, he is already a ‘complete’ Awakened. He had been showing his talent since the early days of awakening.

This complete Awakened had grown steadily until 2052 without any checks.

I didn’t need to see with my own eyes what happened after the Great Disaster in my past life before regression to know.

Elijah’s core ability is fire, and the most terrifying of these is ‘Ignition.’

How terrifying is this ability? Just by designating an attack target, the target’s magic power ignites, causing the body to spontaneously combust.

Of course, there is a short delay, but from the perspective of the person being attacked, it seems like they will die if they are targeted.

The Ignition ability was known in 2030, so it may not have been a properly refined ability yet.

But considering the destructive power at the time, there was a high possibility that it was still a somewhat complete ability.

‘To withstand this, I absolutely have to eat the Flower of Attributes. So, it’s essential to freeze my body in conjunction with Body Modification.’

The only way was this.

It was also a method that Nicholas and I had researched together in my past life, and it was also a conclusion drawn through training that assumed Elijah as a virtual enemy.

The problem is that it is a response method that only I can do. A way to link the Flower of Attributes and Body Modification.

So, I remember Nicholas making a sullen expression even after finding out the method at the time.

‘Hey, even if this becomes a problem later, no one but you will ever be able to catch Elijah?’

‘You can make him self-destruct with mind control, right?’

‘If it’s a bastard filled with hot fire to the core, I might get caught instead if I’m unlucky.’

‘How?’

‘What do you mean how? If I try to turn him inside out, I’ll get burned instead. I’ll suffer reverse interference.’

“……So, I have to prepare to face such a crazy bastard?”

Squeeze. Squeeze. Crack!

I unknowingly burst the beer can with a sudden surge of anger.