A Regressor's Bucket List Chapter 69

Splat-! I burst the head of the Deep Sea Person at the front and pulled out the spiny bone protruding from its back. Then, I took that spiny bone and drove it horizontally into the head of another Deep Sea Person I had already bound with ‘Mana Chains’. Crunch- From behind the collapsing Deep Sea Person, another one rushed in, its maw opening at the perfect moment. The timing was bad. Since I was already extending mana chains along a different path, its trajectory was difficult to completely avoid. I raised my shoulder and let it bite me instead. At the same time. Slice-! Cheong-yi's sword strike sliced off the Deep Sea Person's head, and its severed neck dripped with blood. Ding! [The Trait is activated.] [A large amount of the prey's blood is absorbed. Regeneration speed increases dramatically.] With the noticeably faster recovery speed, my tattered, torn-out shoulder began to heal. Loxy filled the gap that briefly appeared while I was recovering. [The Constellation, ‘Sword Saint’, is speechless at your fantastic combat synergy.] Pfft- A laugh escaped me unknowingly at the sentence that popped up in admiration. ‘…Fantastic combat synergy, huh.’ Certainly, from a distance, it might have looked that way. It's not that it wasn't true; the very idea of three people holding off thousands was something only possible in imagination, and even if it were to actually happen… They wouldn't imagine a situation like this, tanking hits in a close-quarters brawl. It was only natural to admire the synergy between me and these two that made it possible, even for a moment. ‘…….’ …But as they say, life is a comedy when seen from a distance, and a tragedy when seen up close. In reality, the faces of the parties involved held no such emotions as surprise or joy. “…You cunning human!!! Release this absurd, strange curse at once! Can you even call yourself my brother after doing this?!” “……” “…I'm going to bite my tongue. I'll die one way or another anyway.” “……” “…It'll be less embarrassing later to die by biting my tongue than to have rumors spread that I was toyed with like a plaything and then bitten to death by these low-class fish bastards….” …It seemed there was a bit of dissonance mixed in to be called 'fantastic combat synergy'. I thought they wouldn't have such a strong negative reaction since they came here prepared for battle to some extent. Apparently, taking control of their entire bodies was a different matter altogether. As expected. …It was a good thing I didn't tell them beforehand. “Sorry, it won’t last long anyway.” They immediately replied to the short answer I threw out to boost their morale. “Yeah, right….” “As if it won’t!” “……” Judging by their reactions, they seemed to think it was just an empty promise to calm them down. But saying 'it won't last long' wasn't a complete lie. Because it was actually impossible to continue this situation indefinitely. In the beginning, when there were some gaps between the Magical Beasts due to our movement, it was just a matter of taking down the ones that reached us. But as time passed, the increasing numbers accelerated, and just a moment ago, the gap between the beast in front and the one behind had noticeably shrunk, which was why my shoulder got bitten. Ssk- Proof of this were Namgung Soso and the members of the new Demonic Cult who had joined the battle from behind. The Deep Sea People, not a single one of whom had slipped through in the early stages of the battle, were now breaking through the encirclement one by one. …Well, it was ridiculous to even use the word 'encirclement' for just three people in the first place. It wasn't simply a matter of stamina, but a problem of saturation due to the accumulated numbers. ‘…It's about time.’ This was the limit of just mindlessly bashing them with our bodies. Even for me, controlling the combat of three people consumed a lot of stamina. Therefore, from this point on, I had to move to the next phase. Meaning. ‘…I went through a lot of trouble to get this, I have to use it properly.’ It was time to use the power of the 'Demonic Cult'. Sreuk- I smoothly took the Demonic Sword from Cheong-yi's hand just as she cut down one more, and tapping it with my index finger, I asked. “Had your fill of fodder?” [The Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', widens its eyes at your words.] [The Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', shakes its head, saying it doesn't know what you mean.] Pfft- “…It's time to work now, Elder Demonic Sword.” * * * An Artifact is a general term for mysterious items that possess extraordinary abilities beyond simple physical use. In the Upper Plane, where all sorts of strange phenomena occurred day in and day out, numerous Artifacts existed. Therefore, the Order, which values records and order, had long graded Artifacts according to the rarity and influence of their abilities. Similar to the Hero rankings, there was a differential scale from 1-star to 5-star. But occasionally. Out-of-spec Artifacts would appear, possessing such transcendent abilities that it was impossible to assign them a grade by the Order's long-held standards. The Order gathered such Artifacts, judged them as 'Grade Unassessable', and classified them into a new, separate category called 'Holy Relics'. These classified Holy Relics were divided into 'Divine Instruments' and 'Demonic Instruments' according to their nature. They were further divided into two types based on their origins. One was the 'Innate Holy Relic', born with a 'divinity' from the moment of its creation. The second was the 'Acquired Holy Relic', which was not originally such an item but underwent a 'transcendence of status' due to various factors like the user's achievements or the restrictive force of time. Of course, some might say that they understand the distinction between Divine and Demonic Instruments, but why bother distinguishing between Innate and Acquired when a Holy Relic is a Holy Relic. The reason for distinguishing between Innate and Acquired, despite them both existing within the single category of Holy Relic, was clearer than one might think. ‘…A difference in level.’ The very reason the 'Holy Relic' category was created was due to an overwhelming difference in level that made grading impossible, but ironically, a difference in level existed even within that category. Of course, the difference wasn't as stark and overwhelming as the one separating Artifacts from Holy Relics. But the difference between Innate and Acquired Holy Relics was clearer than one might think. Most Innate Holy Relics existed from a time long before human civilization, and the accumulated restrictive force of time consequently enhanced their value and power. …Among them, the Holy Relic in Cheong-yi's hand, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', was the latter. Meaning, it was an 'Acquired Holy Relic'. Though born a human, the soul of the first Heavenly Demon, who transcended the limits of his birth and sealed a primordial magical beast, came to dwell in the sword, completing its 'transcendence of status'. However, it was impossible to describe 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword' with just the words 'Acquired Holy Relic'. …If it were merely an item of that level, there would have been no reason for me to toss aside the leads to various Innate Holy Relics scattered about after my Regression and rush here first. The reason I set aside everything else and put the 'Rebuilding the Demonic Cult' plan at the top of my bucket list was very simple. Even looking back at all the Holy Relics I know of. When limited to the 'Demon King Hunt', the potential of this 'Most Sacred Demonic Sword' was the most powerful and could exert the greatest influence. …That's right. To put it simply, among all the Holy Relics I knew, this was the most suitable item for the 'Demon King Hunt'. Of course, not just anyone could manifest its potential at any time. As it wielded great power, the activation conditions for the potential of 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword' were strict. So strict that for most people, even attempting it was impossible. Well, of course. That was only referring to most people, 'excluding me'. Slice- “…If you've had your fill of fodder, it's time to work now, Elder Demonic Sword.” As I demanded this while cutting down a Deep Sea Person with the sword I'd taken from Cheong-yi's hand, a sentence of refusal immediately popped up. [The Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', refuses your demand.] [The Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', asks if you really thought it would lend you its power after you insulted it in such a way(?).] “‘He who eats must work.’ Don’t you know that proverb?” [The Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', asks where on earth such a proverb exists.] “Well, whatever, there are plenty of similar sayings. A person has to have some conscience.” [The Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', emphasizes the fact that it is not a person.] [The Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', vows that it will never, ever lend you its power, no matter what.] …It seemed this old fellow got seriously offended when I slammed its blade earlier. I considered trying to coax it with words to reconcile, but seeing the depth(?) of its indignation in the messages, it didn't seem like it would lend me its power meekly. Although, it seemed this old fellow had a hunch that 'it' might be possible. ……Well, it didn't matter. The situation was what it was, after all. Because even if this old fellow didn't help me, I could already fulfill the three activation conditions for its potential. Having given up on reconciliation, I turned to Cheong-yi, who had just twisted the neck of a Deep Sea fish and was covered in blood and gore, and said. “Watch closely, Cheong-ah.” “What in the world am I supposed to watch?! How can you say that after using me as a meat shield like this?!” “Just watch carefully while you block. I'll give you control of your body from the neck up.” “Grrr!!!” With a voice full of fury, her head turned, and as if I'd been waiting, I gripped the Demonic Sword with both hands and activated my Mana Circuit. [The Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', feels puzzled by your proficient actions.] [The Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', feels an unknown sense of anxiety from your stance.] There were a total of three conditions to activate the potential of 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword'. First, one must possess 'suitable mana'. Woooong- [The Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', resonates faintly with your mana.] The mana inherited through the bloodline of the first Heavenly Demon, and the energy of the Demonic Sword that Cheong-yi accepted after overcoming the pain of the 'Divine Sickness'. Possessing the 'unique mana of the Heavenly Demon' born from the meeting of these two was the first condition. Therefore, normally, only one person per era, the 'Heavenly Demon who inherited the Demonic Sword', would be able to activate this potential. ‘…A little of that blood flows in me, too.’ Using the loophole provided by the 'Vampire' Trait, I could easily pass that stage. And second. The blade must be saturated with enough blood. This was a condition required by the nature of the potential, which is activated for a specific purpose; a certain amount of start-up time was needed to activate the ultimate skill of 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword'. My insistence on fighting up close and personal, cutting the necks of the Deep Sea People, was ultimately for this purpose. Wooooong- [The Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', resonates clearly with your mana.] And finally, the third. “…True Name Release.” Be acknowledged by the Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword'. And to recite the 'true name' of this Holy Relic, which had been called by the common noun 'Demonic Sword' since ancient times. Normally, this was a condition that even a Heavenly Demon who had already been acknowledged and inherited the sword couldn't fulfill until this stubborn old fellow decided to tell them directly. It would have been a considerably difficult condition to meet. But this, too, didn't matter to me. 『Brother. Just now… did you hear that?』 『……?』 『…The sword told me its True Name.』 『Its True Name? What did it say?』 『…….』 …Because I had already heard its name from the Cheong-yi of the first timeline. 『……Demonic Sword, Chiyou.』 “……Demonic Sword, Chiyou.” [The Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', resonates violently with your mana.] [A portion of the release conditions for the Holy Relic, 'The Most Sacred Demonic Sword', has been satisfied.] [The Trait blossoms.]