A Regressor's Bucket List

Chapter 164 : White Tiger (2)

“…….”

U-jin fell silent, looking down at the half-sword hilt in his hand.

‘…I did think it wasn't an ordinary sword.’

Considering the place where he found it and the one who had told him of its existence, the idea that it was an ordinary item was completely out of the question.

In the first place, if it were some common artifact that could be picked up or bought somewhere, U-jin would have had no reason to bother carrying around such a cumbersome item that wasn't of any immediate help to his fighting strength.

He had done so because he believed it possessed an extraordinary power, even if he didn't know exactly what it was.

And indeed, just as U-jin had predicted, the sword proved its worth by reacting to Tom Hardist.

Although he couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, U-jin had guessed then.

That this sword was somehow related to the power of the Beastkin.

However.

『…I am also bewildered that the Sword of the Son of Heaven, which had not appeared for eons, has suddenly shown up… but it is an undeniable fact. In the first place, that sword is designed to lose its power if your Sacred Beast does not exist.』

If what this Thought Form of Allen Tigris III before him was saying was true, then it seemed to possess a far greater power than he had imagined.

‘…The Four Gods.’

It wasn't just limited to the Beastkin.

The Black Tortoise, the Vermilion Bird, the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger.

It seemed to be an item related to the imaginary beings he had failed to find even after turning the continent upside down before his Regression.

In particular, while he didn't know about the actual existence of the Black Tortoise or the Vermilion Bird, the fact that dragons still existed was truly astonishing to U-jin.

It couldn't be called a clear fact since it was a story from the primordial era, for which no accurate records remain.

However, based on the information Jerry had obtained through adventurers before the Regression, dragons were known to have been a race with power greater than any other living creature that had existed on this land.

…That is, if one excluded the Primordial Demonic Beast, which was a bit difficult to cram into the category of a ‘living creature’.

‘…….’

In any case, although he didn't know the exact method yet, if he could obtain their power, it was self-evident that it would be a great help in the ‘Demon King Hunt’.

For U-jin, who cherished every single bit of fighting strength, there was no reason to refuse.

It was literally an ‘unexpected stroke of luck’.

‘…….’

Of course.

That didn't mean there were no unsettling aspects to the current situation.

Allen Tigris III's brief explanation had raised too many questions.

Especially.

‘…The Sword of the Son of Heaven.’

Why he had never known about a Holy Relic of such influence.

That was the part he understood the least.

As with any war, the War against Demons could not be explained solely by the category of ‘fighting’.

Of course, invading each other's territories with weapons and fighting for them constituted the lion's share of the war, but there was always competition in other areas as well.

And among the competitive aspects other than the direct territorial disputes where they pointed swords at each other, two were most prominent.

Recruiting talent, and securing supplies.

And the most active part of securing supplies was the excavation of artifacts and Holy Relics that had been scattered and buried across the continent since ancient times.

In other words, at any point during the War against Demons, the search for artifacts was continuously ongoing.

Both The Order and the Demon King invested considerable resources and manpower into the excavation of artifacts.

Therefore, by the end of the War against Demons, most of the artifacts that could be found on the continent had already been excavated.

This was especially true for items of high influence and grade.

U-jin couldn't understand why a Holy Relic of this magnitude, one that could command the Four Gods, had neither been discovered nor become known before his Regression.

No matter how hard he thought, he had never once heard the name ‘Sword of the Son of Heaven’.

Moreover.

‘…It must have seen the light of day.’

The place where this artifact existed was the underground cave on the peninsula, protected by the bloodline of the Heavenly Demon for generations.

It was a space U-jin had personally visited with the old man in the bamboo hat before his Regression.

U-jin was certain that this half-sword hilt had not been there at that time.

At U-jin's level back then, it might have been possible for him to be unaware of the sword's existence while retrieving the Demonic Sword, Cheoyun.

But he believed it was impossible for the old man in the bamboo hat at that time, who showed such mastery at finding things that the word ‘prodigy’ felt inadequate, to have missed the existence of such an item.

That meant that before they had visited, someone else had come to that place and taken the sword.

How they were able to visit a space known only to the Heavenly Demon's bloodline, who it was.

Also, where the other half was, why they had taken it and left the Demonic Sword behind at that time—there were many unexplained things.

But setting all that aside, he could be certain of one thing: this sword had come out into the world before his Regression.

‘…….’

That's why he understood it even less.

Why the person who took such an item hadn't even used it.

But.

『…Hmm. It seems the name is unfamiliar to you.』

“…….”

『Then, would you know it if I called it the ‘Xuanyuan Sword’?』

“……!!”

U-jin's train of thought was forced to a halt by Allen Tigris III's addition.

* * *

The Xuanyuan Sword.

While the words ‘Sword of the Son of Heaven’ had brought nothing to mind for U-jin.

The name Xuanyuan Sword was not something he was unfamiliar with.

No.

It was impossible not to know it.

Before his Regression, the name of the weapon used by the leader of the Murim Empire, one of the largest factions within The Order's territory, who had been annihilated along with three legions of the Demon King's Army led by a Duke-class general at the end of the War against Demons, was the ‘Xuanyuan Sword’.

Of course, he hadn't been on the scene at the time, so all U-jin knew was what he had heard.

But he clearly remembered that the name of the brilliant white sword that person had used was the ‘Xuanyuan Sword’.

‘…Then the “Son of Heaven” must be…’

U-jin finally realized what Allen meant by ‘Son of Heaven’.

“The Emperor.”

『…Come to think of it, I believe humans did call him by such a name.』

The last emperor of the Murim Empire, ‘Gongsun Zan’.

The name of the sword he used was the Xuanyuan Sword.

‘…This makes sense.’

The fog of questions that had clouded his mind vanished in an instant.

He had no knowledge of the unfamiliar name ‘Sword of the Son of Heaven’.

But ‘Gongsun Zan’ was certainly a figure who had possessed presence and influence in his past life, and if it was a Holy Relic he had used, there was no need to doubt its power.

One peculiar point was that only its name was known; there was no mention of it controlling Sacred Beasts, as Allen had said, nor were any other abilities known.

This was a bit puzzling, but it was still an acceptable level of understanding.

At least it wasn't a question as incomprehensible as a completely ‘unfamiliar Holy Relic’.

『Well, anyway. It seems you're convinced now.』

“…….”

『…May we move on to the next topic? There isn't much time.』

Nod.

As U-jin nodded his head.

Allen Tigris III bowed his large head, expressing his thanks.

『First, I offer my thanks. Because you stabbed me with the Sword of the Son of Heaven at the right moment, I was able to regain control of this body.』

“…I did it to save myself, too. Don't thank me, it's embarrassing.”

It wasn't an empty platitude; it was the truth.

For U-jin, the appearance of the Primordial Demonic Beast was a situation for which he had no plan or countermeasure.

He didn't know for sure, but if he hadn't found a solution and failed to stop the expansion of the Primordial Demonic Beast trying to burst out of the Thought Form, it would have surely become an uncontrollable situation.

It was also self-evident that U-jin and his companions, who were in close proximity, would not have been able to escape its influence.

In fact, from U-jin's perspective, he was the one who had been helped by Allen's intervention.

Of course, that was because U-jin had the Xuanyuan Sword, but Allen had provided the precise instruction to stab between the eyebrows, so it could be said to be a win-win situation where they both played their parts and benefited.

『…Anyway. Although I have not reached the complete mind and body of the White Tiger, the Sword of the Son of Heaven has the ability to draw out the power of the Sacred Beasts. That is why I can, for a brief moment, suppress that wicked thing and take control of this body.』

“…….”

『…It goes without saying. Not for long.』

Even without an explanation, U-jin already knew.

He had already guessed from the blue particles scattering from his body, and the fact that their number and size were increasing was proof of the little time he had left.

『As you can see, once I disappear naturally, only that wicked thing will remain.』

“…….”

『That situation must be prevented at all costs.』

U-jin nodded his head before he knew it.

He had experienced it countless times.

In the timeline before his Regression, not a single person who had been directly involved with a Primordial Demonic Beast had survived.

Anyone involved, even indirectly, was bound to walk a path of ruin, physically or at least mentally.

Of course, the current mass was lacking in many ways to be clearly defined as a ‘complete Primordial Demonic Beast’.

But, just as U-jin had thought upon first seeing it, it was an absolutely undeniable fact that it was a ‘fragment’ possessing the same properties.

Just as Allen said, U-jin also believed that the fragment bursting out into the world had to be stopped.

『…I know best. If that thing comes out into the world, it will be uncontrollable.』

“…….”

『It's not something you can just get rid of. It's something alien, different from a living creature.』

Before his Regression, even before the bizarre entity was known to be connected to the Primordial Demonic Beast.

There were many words to define it.

An Aberrant Being.

An Irregular.

An Unidentified Creature.

Etc.

There were a great many names, but the common meaning they all shared was exactly what he had just said: ‘it's difficult to categorize it as a living being’.

Most people had instinctively sensed it.

That it was something strange, not something that would simply die if you cut off its head and it bled.

“…So?”

U-jin asked.

『…….』

After a brief silence.

『…I will take it down with me.』

Allen Tigris III replied softly.