The Regressor Only Protects Me [EN]: Chapter 198

198. Farewell and Reunion (6)

The two women’s all-out battle was so fierce that it devastated the surrounding area.

Jin Jaehee fought to protect the monster, while Woo Jihae aimed to eliminate it.

Jin Jaehee’s Holy Sword posed a significant threat to Woo Jihae.

Each swing of the blade cut through the ground and warped space.

Deafening sonic booms echoed with each strike, forcing Woo Jihae to desperately defend.

Currently, Jin Jaehee’s Holy Sword possessed the highest destructive power within the League.

Aware of this fact, Woo Jihae adopted a cautious combat style.

She planned to slowly draw Jin Jaehee in, focusing on defense until an opportunity presented itself.

However, Jin Jaehee had no intention of adhering to Woo Jihae’s strategy.

She aimed to overwhelm Woo Jihae while she was still vulnerable.

She twisted the Holy Sword, tearing through space.

Woo Jihae’s pillar of fire clung to the Holy Sword, burning relentlessly, but Jin Jaehee dismissed that Holy Sword and summoned another.

With a fresh Holy Sword in hand, Jin Jaehee managed to land a successful blow.

Whoosh- Slice!

The Holy Sword slashed Woo Jihae’s right leg.

While not a deep wound that would sever her leg, it still inflicted damage.

‘……It hurts. It… hurts,’ Woo Jihae thought.

Pushed back by Jin Jaehee’s relentless assault, Woo Jihae gradually weakened.

Jin Jaehee’s right fist shot out towards Woo Jihae.

Pow!

Woo Jihae raised her guard to block, but the impact shook her entire body.

A sound like tearing fabric echoed from Jin Jaehee’s jab, extending from behind her back.

‘……’

Woo Jihae created pillars of fire around herself, thinking.

‘She’s really a crazy woman.’

In fact, she had held that opinion since their encounter at the shopping mall.

Woo Jihae felt a sense of revulsion at Jin Jaehee’s lack of remorse as she cut down people.

Despite seemingly being unable to use one of her arms, Jin Jaehee’s combat prowess remained undiminished.

If anything, she seemed even stronger.

Woo Jihae could fight Jin Jaehee to a standstill in a one-on-one battle, but she couldn’t defeat her.

Kim Kangseok was necessary to eliminate Jin Jaehee.

Kim Kangseok possessed the ability to counter Jin Jaehee’s active, diverse, and creative movements.

In reality, Kim Kangseok, not Woo Jihae, held the key to defeating Jin Jaehee.

Woo Jihae glanced at the opposite street, wondering.

‘Is Ahjussi [a respectful Korean term for an older man, often used to address someone who is not a close acquaintance]… not here yet?’

Just then, Jin Jaehee, having broken free from the pillar of fire, extended her long leg, aiming for Woo Jihae’s cheek.

Whoosh-!

The sound of a bullet cutting through the air filled the space.

That’s how swift and powerful Jin Jaehee’s kick was.

Woo Jihae could only raise her hand to block the incoming leg.

Thud-! Bang!

Her body was forced backward by the powerful blow.

Jin Jaehee didn’t stop with a single attack.

She immediately twisted her waist and aimed her other foot at the top of Woo Jihae’s head.

Woo Jihae swiftly pulled back, narrowly avoiding the downward strike.

The moment Jin Jaehee’s foot swung through the air, without even touching the ground, it began to collapse the ground beneath.

Kaboom-!

If that kick had landed directly, Woo Jihae wouldn’t have survived.

Woo Jihae crossed her fingers again.

‘Tch.’

But Jin Jaehee gave her no respite.

Tap-!

“……?!”

Jin Jaehee struck Woo Jihae’s crossed wrists with her right hand, preventing her from casting her skill.

Woo Jihae crossed her fingers again, and Jin Jaehee struck her hand once more.

Even with such a small movement of her fingers, Jin Jaehee didn’t miss even that meticulous part.

Realizing that her strategy was failing, Woo Jihae launched a counterattack.

The two women engaged in a fierce close-quarters battle.

Jabs and kicks, too fast for ordinary people to follow, flew back and forth.

Woo Jihae attempted to use her artifacts between movements, but Jin Jaehee thwarted her every time.

Woo Jihae muttered softly.

“Annoying.”

Woo Jihae, who had been solely focused on blocking Jin Jaehee’s attacks, suddenly closed the distance and punched her in the solar plexus.

“?!”

Jin Jaehee coughed up blood and flew backward.

Woo Jihae used the opportunity to cast her artifact.

Numerous fire swords materialized around Woo Jihae once more.

Jin Jaehee remained hunched over, coughing.

Then, she wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and glared at Woo Jihae.

Woo Jihae’s gas mask was half-off and dangling.

Jin Jaehee spat blood-stained saliva onto the floor and said.

“I thought I recognized you from somewhere. I remember now. You’re that little kid from Round 1. You managed to survive.”

“……”

“I should have killed you back then.”

“……”

Woo Jihae didn’t respond and deployed her artifact.

Her fingers moved swiftly.

Whoosh- Whoosh-.

The fire swords formed a diagonal line and rained down on Jin Jaehee.

Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!

Flames erupted, engulfing Jin Jaehee in smoke, and she disappeared.

Woo Jihae lowered her outstretched hand.

She was certain she had killed her.

Woo Jihae, who had eliminated countless players, felt confident in her assessment.

Woo Jihae finished the words she couldn’t convey to her burning figure.

“……I feel the same way.”

Woo Jihae regretted not eliminating Kang Si-on sooner.

If Kang Si-on hadn’t been there, Metro would have easily conquered Seoul.

She had witnessed countless deaths.

And she had committed many killings.

The emotion she experienced while playing the same game as Kang Si-on in Round 1 was singular.

Ultimately, people become corrupted by their greed.

Living under a strong leader was the only way to avoid death.

Metro is strong.

Even deploying an army to Mangyeong, they remain strong enough to endure.

But Mangyeong refused to yield to Metro.

Because of Mangyeong’s resistance, countless deaths and killings were inevitable.

The world is structured so that the strongest prevails.

Woo Jihae desired to align herself with the strong and protect the weak.

In that sense, Woo Jihae harbored hostility towards Mangyeong.

Everyone who comprised Mangyeong, the soldiers who fought to defend it, seemed endlessly foolish.

If they resist, they will die.

In the end, humans perish because of their pride. Just like that woman whose flesh is burning so miserably.

Woo Jihae extinguished the flames she had conjured.

The flames subsided and dissipated into the sky.

She believed it was over.

But the sight of Jin Jaehee emerging from the dissipating smoke caused Woo Jihae to frown.

“……”

Metallic spheres and shining lines swirled around her.

The endlessly burning flames clung to each sphere, spreading in all directions.

The flames attached to the spheres and lines would not extinguish until their target was destroyed.

Knowing this, Kang Si-on looked at her and said.

“Thank you.”

Kang Si-on fired an artifact, targeting Woo Jihae.

Woo Jihae immediately erected a pillar of fire to intercept his attack.

Kang Si-on’s artifact lacked the destructive power of Jin Jaehee’s, and couldn’t penetrate the pillar of fire.

Moreover, since Woo Jihae’s own flames were attached to Kang Si-on’s spheres, attacking with them was futile.

But he could still defeat Woo Jihae.

Because Kang Si-on’s spheres already filled the street.

‘Kang Si-on? Could it be that Ahjussi is……’

She couldn’t get any closer and circled around before fleeing.

* * *

After confirming that Woo Jihae had fled, Kang Si-on frowned and shouted.

“Why did you overdo it!”

He then turned to Jin Jaehee, who had collapsed.

Jin Jaehee was crouching, clutching her left forearm and groaning.

Blood flowed from her arm.

Kang Si-on’s frown deepened at her weakened state.

He bit his lip, clenched his fists, and his shoulders trembled.

“If you get hurt…… what am I supposed to do? If you get hurt……”

Kang Si-on was genuinely worried about her.

Jin Jaehee was one of his few ‘trustworthy’ friends, someone who had been with him from the beginning.

Originally, Kang Si-on didn’t make friends.

To Kang Si-on, others were simply untrustworthy. At least, that had always been his experience.

But Jin Jaehee was different.

The two shared the same dream.

The two were always together, except when they were sleeping.

The two regarded each other as more precious than family.

In a world where lives were as fragile as flies, the two relied on each other.

But words of comfort can never be perfectly conveyed to others.

Their meaning could shift depending on the listener’s perspective and motivations.

In particular, unresolved feelings lingered between them.

Kang Si-on, still hesitant to fully embrace his emotions, held his forehead in his hand. Jin Jaehee, struggling to breathe, spoke.

“……Is it because your plan is disrupted?”

Behind Jin Jaehee’s voice, the atmosphere turned cold.

“What……?”

Kang Si-on was startled and turned to face her.

Because she was looking down, her hair obscured her face.

But when Jin Jaehee raised her head, her eyes were filled with tears.

“……Is it because your plan is disrupted? Because I ruined your plan……? Because I’m hurt? Now I can’t be your power…… anymore……?”

“……You.”

Kang Si-on’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Jin Jaehee’s pupils dilated.

She still avoided eye contact with Kang Si-on.

She stood up again.

“Don’t worry…… I’ll dedicate my life to your plan. That was my choice, too. I don’t regret it. I’ve never regretted it. Even if you use me like a tool, we have the same dream. Even if I die, I’ll help you end this League. Even if it’s not the way you want it, even if you abandon me, I’ll do it my way…… until I die. I’ll help you. That woman. She’s an obstacle to your plan. So I’ll end it here.”

Jin Jaehee walked forward weakly.

Kang Si-on also spoke softly.

“I told you not to.”

“You said you were rational.”

Jin Jaehee said that, bowed her head, and walked away, summoning the Holy Sword.

The Holy Sword materialized in her right hand.

“Players need time to recover, and the enemy player has taken quite a bit of damage. ……So I have to catch her now. If I meet her again after she’s recovered, I won’t be able to win. I’m sure of it.”

Jin Jaehee passed by Kang Si-on.

But Kang Si-on grabbed her wrist to stop her.

Thud-.

Kang Si-on’s grip on Jin Jaehee’s wrist was firm.

But even more than that, Jin Jaehee’s hand was trembling.

Kang Si-on warned.

“You’ll die if you go like that.”

Only then did Jin Jaehee turn her head slightly to look at Kang Si-on, but he remained silent.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Kang Si-on’s grip on her wrist carried multiple meanings.

Complex emotions swirled between them.

Jin Jaehee was the first to yield.

Kang Si-on slowly loosened his grip, and Jin Jaehee’s hand slipped from his grasp.

Swoosh-.

“……I’ll catch her.”

Jin Jaehee took a few more steps slowly and then vanished in an instant.

Whoosh-.

Only the faint vibration of the spheres filled the space.

Kang Si-on gazed in the direction she had disappeared and then sighed softly.

His expression was neither distorted nor filled with sadness.

The reason was unknown.

To Kang Si-on, others were tools.

Beings to be used and discarded for his own purposes.

That was his initial thought when he met Jin Jaehee.

And Jin Jaehee knew it.

If he had continued to live with that mindset, there would have been no problem.

If Jin Jaehee caught Woo Jihae, it would greatly benefit Kang Si-on.

But Kang Si-on didn’t want to lose her, and he sensed that something was amiss.

Kang Si-on flew in the direction she had disappeared.

* * *

Chae Chaeyeon encountered Lee Juryeon, who was wandering aimlessly on the outskirts of the city.

Lee Juryeon was desperately searching for her younger sibling alone in the vast city.

She believed that her intelligent and strong younger sibling couldn’t have died so easily.

And if she was alive, she believed she would be a member of Mangyeong, fighting in the war.

Kang Si-on had suppressed the Dong-an forces and absorbed their members.

What her younger sibling had said in the shopping mall in Round 1 was, never trust Kang Si-on.

But that didn’t mean she thought he would have harmed her younger sibling, who had played Round 1 with her.

So she continued her search.

And Lee Juryeon met Chae Chaeyeon on the outskirts of the city.

Chae Chaeyeon was being chased by a giant ogre, and Lee Juryeon swiftly shot an arrow, reducing the ogre to pieces.

Thud, thud, thud-.

The ogre’s corpse crashed to the ground, and Chae Chaeyeon trembled as she lay on the ground.

Her eyes burned with a desire for revenge against Kang Si-on.

“How dare he do this to me……! How dare he do this to me!”

She couldn’t comprehend being treated in such a way.

When she was in Suwon, Chae Chaeyeon was a queen bee [a popular and influential girl].

By Kang Junho’s side, she could have anything she desired.

So she couldn’t understand her current situation, being chased by an ogre.

Lee Juryeon approached the fallen Chae Chaeyeon and helped her up.

Chae Chaeyeon shook off her hand.

“Let go-! Damn it. Really!”

Chae Chaeyeon trembled like a madwoman.

Lee Juryeon stepped back and observed the situation.

Chae Chaeyeon said to Lee Juryeon.

“I’m going back to Suwon right now. And I’m going to bring Junho here. He treated me like this……? I’ll take thorough revenge.”

“……You’re going back to Suwon right now?”

“Yes! You just follow my orders. Without saying anything! I’m sealed right now. You have to go, Unnie [Korean term for older sister, used by females]. Ah, no! Hide me somewhere first! I can’t go any further.”

“……”

When Lee Juryeon hesitated, Chae Chaeyeon erupted in anger.

“If you don’t listen to me, you won’t be safe either……? You know how much Junho cares about me……? So go quickly. Tell him the situation. To Junho.”

Chae Chaeyeon’s threat was not mere arrogance.

In the past, if Chae Chaeyeon found someone annoying, Kang Junho would personally eliminate them.

It was true that Kang Junho cared deeply for Chae Chaeyeon.

Lee Juryeon hesitated for a moment and nodded.

“……Okay. I know where to hide. Follow me.”

Lee Juryeon took the lead, and Chae Chaeyeon followed behind her.

(Continued in the next episode)