A Regressor's Bucket List

Chapter 165 : White Tiger (3)

Mutual Destruction.

In other words, taking them down with you.

To put it simply, this method, which could be humorously described with the single phrase, ‘You die, I die,’ was a kind of ‘cliché’ tactic seen countless times in the highlight scenes of movies and novels.

…And, also like a cliché, taking someone down with you usually didn't lead to a good outcome.

The reason was simple.

It wasn't because it was a bad method, but rather because by the time one resolved to take their enemy down with them, the situation had already hit rock bottom.

When the power difference with the enemy was so great that nothing could be done, or when pushed into an extreme situation.

To disregard one's own life, which had been the top priority until now, and die with the opponent was not something that could be done with an ordinary resolve.

A person's intuition tends to be accurate at least when it comes to their own life, so for one to resolve to die, even in an extreme situation, was proof that things had gone as far as they could go.

When even the hope of preserving one's life and escaping the situation had vanished.

That final moment was the point at which one resolved to take their enemy down with them.

『Is there any other way?』

And U-jin had already known, even before he spoke.

That to resolve the issue of the Primordial Demonic Beast's fragment lodged in his body, he would inevitably have to choose mutual destruction.

That no other method existed.

Shake, shake—

“…There can’t be.”

It wasn't simply hiding within the Thought Form.

The time they had already coexisted was proof enough, but because that period had been so long, the Thought Form and the Primordial Demonic Beast had become entangled.

They were no longer of a nature that could be separated.

In fact, the very reason Allen Tigris III's Thought Form, which should have long since vanished, still existed was because it was using the Primordial Demonic Beast's fragment as a medium.

Since they were already inseparable, the only option in this situation was to eliminate the fragment of the Primordial Demonic Beast along with Allen Tigris III.

‘…Is it even possible?’

Of course, even that was hard to be certain about.

Eliminating a fragment of a Primordial Demonic Beast, which was close to an Irregular, was not possible through conventional means.

A prime example was the Primordial Demonic Beast from the Shandong region where he had met Cheong-yi.

Even the strongest of the ancient era, the Heavenly Demon, had failed to completely eliminate it, managing only to seal his own lingering thoughts into the sword.

Of course, there was an incomparable gap between the main body and a fragment.

But no matter how small a fragment, it would surely possess that indestructible nature.

Physical methods like burning it with fire or drowning it in water would certainly not work.

However, U-jin did not immediately object.

The reason was simple.

The fact that Allen Tigris III himself, who was experiencing its nature more than anyone else in their shared body, had proposed it first made him think there might be a way.

If there were no possibility, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of consuming his energy to create such a bounded field.

As U-jin saw it, this seemed to be the main point.

…And just as he thought.

『…I'm not certain if it's possible since it's not the whole thing, but mutual destruction should be feasible.』

“…….”

『…The Sword of the Son of Heaven possesses the power to purify evil.』

Allen's low voice added a brief explanation.

The scattering particles became a little rougher.

『…The method is the same. Stab me between the eyebrows with that sword once more.』

“…….”

『However, this time, it must not end with a single strike. You must maintain the stabbed state for some time. Only then can I suppress that wicked thing until the Sword of the Son of Heaven unleashes its power.』

“…….”

『It is a method of having the Sword of the Son of Heaven absorb the divine power and lingering thoughts I possess. Since the sword's original essence is to control the Sacred Beasts… if they are absorbed simultaneously, the sword will then choose to annihilate them on its own.』

Needless to say, it wouldn't be easy.

It was no exaggeration to say that the difference in difficulty between a single strike and maintaining the stabbed state was like heaven and earth.

Seeing his conviction, it seemed the method's chance of success was somewhat trustworthy.

But U-jin wondered if he himself was capable of carrying it out.

“…Is it possible? If I stab you again, I think your daughter will try to kill me this time.”

…If he were to stab him between the eyebrows again, the Primordial Demonic Beast likely wouldn't be the only one interfering this time.

『…That is your role.』

Allen shifted the responsibility to U-jin with a single short phrase.

『If you want to live, you must succeed.』

Pfft—

He wasn't wrong.

In fact, from Allen Tigris's perspective, the annihilation of his Thought Form was certain whether the plan succeeded or failed.

So, if one had to be picky, resolving the issue of the Primordial Demonic Beast's fragment was more important to U-jin than it was to him.

After some thought, U-jin proposed an alternative.

“…Can't Tom do it instead of me?”

That is, having someone else wield this fragment of the nameless sword.

In other words, having Tom Hardist perform the role instead.

Compared to U-jin, who had yet to draw out all of his pre-Regression abilities, Tom Hardist possessed a fighting strength similar to his past self and had the most powerful combat ability on U-jin's team.

He had brought him along for this kind of physical work in the first place, and with Tom Hardist's physical abilities, which far surpassed that of a 3-star Hero, he seemed more than capable of performing the role.

But Allen immediately shook his head, expressing his refusal.

『Impossible.』

“…….”

『The Sword of the Son of Heaven cannot be used by the Beastkin. Only humans can use it, and if there is even a sliver of a wicked heart within them, its power cannot be brought forth.』

“…….”

『If you had been such a person, you would not have even heard my voice.』

He didn't know what exactly a wicked heart meant.

But to sum it up, it seemed certain that only U-jin himself could perform the role.

“…Ha.”

Realizing that subcontracting was impossible, U-jin shrugged with a short sigh.

He looked up at Allen's face and muttered.

“…Well, if I have to, I have to.”

And with that brief mumble, the greyish-white world shattered.

『…Succeed.』

* * *

“Hero!”

As the world shattered, Eliya's sharp cry was the first thing to pierce his ears.

U-jin and Allen had shared a rather long conversation, but it had all taken place within Allen's Inherent Barrier.

From the outside, it would have looked as if U-jin had simply spaced out for a fleeting moment.

‘…….’

There was too much to explain, and not enough time to do so.

Instead of answering Eliya's voice, U-jin raised his head and looked at Allen's form again.

As if to prove that time in the real world had not flowed.

He was in the same spot he had been before entering the Inherent Barrier.

He was right there, close enough to meet U-jin's gaze.

But ironically, the flow of time was clearly evident on his body.

The particles that had been scattering inside the Inherent Barrier were now dispersing even more violently and in larger clumps, and his once clear golden eyes had become slightly hazy.

The stab wound on his side, which had been sealed in an instant, had now reopened, and from within, the fragment of the Primordial Demonic Beast was squirming, pushing out its tentacles, trying once again to bring its body out into the world.

‘…….’

It seemed that, just as he had said, there wasn't much time.

His consciousness surging due to the urgency of the situation, U-jin shouted towards Tom Hardist behind him.

“Tom!”

“…….”

“Take care of your princess for me.”

There was no real explanation, and it was more of a one-way command than a request.

But Tom nodded immediately at U-jin's words without question.

…U-jin's actions up to now served as an explanation.

And the urgency unfolding before their eyes proved there was no time for such leisure.

He didn't know exactly what U-jin was trying to do, but the conviction in his voice proved that he had a solution to break through this situation.

While Tom turned his gaze to Valencia as U-jin had said.

U-jin once again leaped from his spot.

His destination was, of course, Allen Tigris III's head.

Whoosh—

A tentacle flew towards the spot where U-jin was leaping.

Having somewhat grasped its trajectory, U-jin used a mana chain extending from his right to exquisitely evade the path of the swinging tentacle.

Unlike the bundle of tentacles that showed aggression and vigilance towards U-jin, Allen Tigris III's main body did not move from its spot.

In reality, moving the main body would have been a much greater hindrance than just swinging tentacles.

The reason it didn't was simple.

Even at this very moment, they were competing for control of the Thought Form.

Seeing how quiet he was despite having just had a conversation, it seemed there was no room for even that much spare thought.

Thud—

With the cooperation of the unmoving Allen, U-jin landed on his head without difficulty and immediately aimed the fragment of the nameless sword at his brow.

Just as before, he plunged the half-blade in without hesitation.

Puk—

With the sound of flesh being pierced, the blade successfully dug in.

As if to prove what he had explained inside the Inherent Barrier, the energy of the Thought Form surged strongly once again.

But this time, it didn't stop at simply drawing out the power of the Sacred Beast.

Saaaaaaah—!

A vortex of mana erupted with the brow as its center, and the form of the Thought Form was shaken.

Then, it began to twist into a spiral shape as mana was swept up through the blade.

Just as he had said beforehand, the fragment of the nameless sword was absorbing the power of the Sacred Beast.

The bundle of tentacles clinging to it was no exception.

As if it knew the situation it was in, the fragment of the Primordial Demonic Beast desperately stretched its tentacles in the opposite direction of the swirling pull.

But a powerful gravity was already at work, one that could not be escaped by mere physical movements.

Krrrrrk—

The bundle of tentacles stretched out, making a sound like a scream.

U-jin was letting out a sigh of relief as he watched the grotesque movement.

‘……?’

And at that moment, suddenly.

An ingenious idea popped into U-jin's head.

‘…Perhaps.’

An ingenious idea to eliminate the fragment of the Primordial Demonic Beast without annihilating the Thought Form of Allen Tigris III.