Free Web NovelChapter 1593. A New Normal (48)
'This... is going to get messy.'
It was the kind of story that made one want to sit back and grab some popcorn, but unfortunately, what had happened over there was closely tied to us. Naturally, I had to take this situation seriously.
'It’s going to get really messy...'
“...”
Kim Hyun-Sung and Woo Hyo-Yeol were the only regressors I had ever known, and this was the first time I had heard of an ultimate villain becoming a regressor. Then again, it made sense. The regressors I knew had either been created through the meticulous planning of higher beings or were sent back in time for the purpose of saving the world.
After all, everyone knew that creating a regressor required paying a massive price. Unless a dimension was on the verge of collapse, it wasn't something that would ever be attempted.
'Who the hell would send something like the Heavenly Demon back in time?'
There were too many things that didn't add up to assume that someone had done it intentionally. In the Twelfth Dimension, intervention by Transcendents was supposedly forbidden. If someone had transformed the Heavenly Demon into a regressor with the goal of destroying the Twelfth Dimension itself, then at least there would have been some logic behind it, but it was hard to imagine those demonic bastards sacrificing themselves just to send the Heavenly Demon back in time.
If that theory were true, though, the results would certainly be effective. No, the word "effective" would not be enough to describe it. It would be devastating. Nobody here was foolish enough to think that sending a single mortal back in time was a trivial matter.
Altanus's case was a little different, but she had also tried to save an entire dimension by sending someone back in time. The regression system was powerful enough for one to entrust the fate of a dimension to a mere mortal.
'It's basically a cheat code...'
Yeah, a cheat code. Of course, sending an ordinary farmer back in time wouldn't change the fate of a dimension. Even talented people often failed to accomplish anything, but the advantage of knowing the future and being able to follow the exact same growth path as before was impossible to ignore.
One could seize an overwhelming lead over everyone else and possibly surpass the heights one had ever reached in one's previous life.
Kim Hyun-Sung and Woo Hyo-Yeol had both received my help, but they had each gone beyond their former limits. Neither of them had the slightest political instinct, so they hadn't made much use of their knowledge of the future, but they still managed to steer events in directions favorable to themselves.
The fact that a legendary villain like the Heavenly Demon had become a regressor was a catastrophe in itself. The sacrificial lamb whose head had been cut off by the Hero for the sake of farming holy power had returned to the past. It was an unpleasant idea, but this could be an even worse situation than if Jung Jin-Ho were to become a regressor.
Of course, I couldn't say for certain without knowing the guy's personality...
'But if even the Immortals had gone into hiding, I don't need to see the rest to know how this ends.'
I could say with absolute confidence that he was a walking mass of hatred, malice, and rage.
“...”
“Ahem... To be honest, I don't know the details of what has been happening over there since then. From what I've heard, the moment the Heavenly Demon regressed, he immediately killed the man destined to become the Hero and most of the people who had a hand in his death,” Benigoa said.
'I knew it... I freaking knew it... The bastard actually had the drive to do it... Not a second of hesitation...'
“Wait a second. If he has just regressed, then that Heavenly Demon guy has yet to reach his full strength, right? He still has a long way to go before becoming a Transcendent.
"So, what have those Immortals been doing all this time? Even if they can't directly interfere with the mortal world, they can't have just been sitting around doing nothing, can they?” Lee Ji-Hye asked.
“Come on, Ji-Hye! Were you not listening to what I just said? The methods available to those Immortals are even more limited than ours when it comes to influencing the mortal world. Actually, limited isn't even the right word. It's zero. Zero. They really are just sitting there twiddling their thumbs,” Benigoa said.
“...”
“The most they can do is appear in someone's dream and leave a hint or two, and even that burns through an absurd amount of holy power. Besides, there's no guarantee those idiot mortals will understand the hint in the first place. Once things start going wrong, they spiral out of control fast,” she explained.
“...”
“Naturally, direct intervention is impossible. All they can do is watch as the Heavenly Demon grows stronger. Imagine being forced to sit there and watch someone destined to become a Transcendent go beyond your control and off the rails at a terrifying rate. How could those useless Immortals stay calm? Of course they're panicking,” she said.
“...”
“That said, there do seem to be differences of opinion among them... but most of them apparently think the dimension might collapse,” she added.
“...”
“If I had to guess, they probably believe the dimension would definitely collapse within twenty years,” she said.
“Twenty years... that's not long at all,” I commented.
“Right. It'll be here before you know it. Honestly, they say twenty years, but considering the Heavenly Demon's talent, he might only be a few years away from becoming a Transcendent. Give him two years, and he'll probably recover all the power he had before,” she said.
“...”
“Five years, and he might already be climbing the path to transcendence. Once he becomes a Transcendent, he'll start questioning his own existence. He'll realize the Immortals had been getting rich off the name of the Heavenly Demon. Maybe he has already figured it out. And after that...” Benigoa paused.
“...”
“A... a bloodbath will begin... Those Immortal bastards... every last one of them will lose their heads... hehehe... They might even end up hanging from spikes. Ahahaha...” Benigoa laughed.
'She’s enjoying this a little too much.'
Just imagining those arrogant Immortals finally getting what was coming to them seemed to have put Benigoa in a good mood. I like to share her amusement if possible, but the growing sense of dread in the back of my mind wouldn't let me relax.
“...”
'Damn that Heavenly Demon bastard...'
“...”
'He might actually be worse than Hyun-Sung.'
It was practically a certainty. I didn't know the exact requirements for becoming an Immortal over there, but there were undoubtedly people who reached the boundary of life and death and ascended through enlightenment. It was easiest to assume they had boundless martial power.
After all, Benigoa herself had said that the Twelfth Dimension boasted greater combat strength than most other dimensions.
When I heard that figures like them were trembling in fear, I forced myself to revise my estimation of the Heavenly Demon's strength.
Just looking at someone like Fiend Elder Mad White, who had gotten his head smashed in by Hee-Ra nonna, was enough to give me an idea.
The same people who had been relatively unconcerned about a Transcendent comparable to or perhaps even stronger than Hee-Ra noona were treating the Heavenly Demon as an extreme threat.
Given the circumstances, it was reasonable to assume the Heavenly Demon stood several levels above Fiend Elder Mad White.
In other words, he was several levels above Kim Hyun-Sung and Cha Hee-Ra as well. Of course, combat was full of variables, and compatibility could change everything, but in situations like this, it was always best to prepare for the worst.
'H-He’s probably handsome, too, isn't he?'
I could picture his face without even seeing him. I could imagine him with long black hair cascading down his back, and for some reason, he had eyes that seemed red.
While I was absentmindedly tapping my thigh, the quiet Belial finally said, “If the dimension hasn't collapsed yet... then I'm curious how they've managed to cross over into our continent.”
At the question, Benigoa nodded and replied, “I don't know either.”
“...”
“It could be because the Twelfth Dimension is close to ours, but that alone doesn't explain it. Even considering the unique nature of our dimension, which regularly receives visitors from outside, it still doesn't make sense.
"The first incident might’ve been a coincidence, but when it happens a second time, it stops being a coincidence and becomes a fact. As I said to Ki-Young earlier, this...” Benigoa trailed off.
“...is Lucifer's doing?” I said, continuing Benigoa's sentence.
“That's the most likely explanation. I have no idea how she managed to connect a passage between our dimensions, but the only one capable of partially resisting the system while also harboring ill will toward our continent is Lucifer,” she said.
“I should correct that statement. She doesn’t harbor ill will toward our continent. Rather than negative feelings, it would be more accurate to say that she feels curiosity and affection,” Belial said, correcting her.
“That's the same thing! Being the target of a demon's curiosity and affection is basically a disaster! I'd much rather she had no interest in us at all!” she shouted.
“...”
“...”
“A-Anyway, the important thing right now is closing the gate as quickly as possible,” she said. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
“...”
“If we leave it open, the Heavenly Demon who will eventually destroy the entire Twelfth Dimension might end up crossing over here, and even before that, people like Fiend Elder Mad White can keep slipping through. Our continent should be safe as long as the Red God of War is here, but there could be all sorts of side effects we haven't accounted for,” she said, warning us. frёeωebɳovel.com
“I agree. I don't particularly enjoy having uninvited guests constantly wandering into our living room. And if Lucifer really is behind all of this, there's no way she'll stop here. This is probably only the beginning.
"As Miss Benigoa had said, if we don't shut down the passageway connecting the two dimensions, we might end up fighting a war against the Heavenly Demon himself,” I said in agreement.
“That's the worst,” she said.
“I think so too, Oppa. Well... strengthening ourselves and building up our forces isn't necessarily a bad thing, but war is supposed to be—”
“Fought on someone else's land,” I said.
“Exactly. Wars are supposed to be fought on other people's land. Even if the worst-case scenario comes to pass and fighting breaks out, it absolutely cannot happen on our continent. Especially not under the current circumstances,” Lee Ji-Hye said.
“It's not like we'd be completely out of options if the worst were to happen...” I said.
“What do you mean?” Benigoa asked.
“We could just open another passage to Rohen. Send people like Fiend Elder Mad White over there. While we're at it, we could move the battlefield to Rohen, too,” I suggested.
'Now that's a good idea.'
“Of course, since that place is technically part of our territory as well. However, it'd be best to minimize the damage if possible...” Lee Ji-Hye said.
'She's got a point.'
“There is one way to eliminate the problem altogether. We kill the Heavenly Demon. Should we make a counteroffer to the Immortals? Their dimension is on the verge of collapse. At this point, they'd probably be willing to hand over a kidney if we were to ask them,” Lee Ji-Hye suggested.
“Th-That's a great idea, Ji-Hye!” Benigoa shouted.
“Assuming it's even possible...” I muttered.
“H-Huh? Why? Why not?!” Lee Ji-Hye asked.
“Miss Benigoa has just explained it. Intervention by Transcendents is prohibited in the Twelfth Dimension. No, it's not even a matter of being prohibited. The dimension itself has practically locked its doors and adopted an isolationist policy.
"How exactly are we supposed to march in there and kill the Heavenly Demon?” I questioned.
“...”
“Besides, even closing the gate won't be easy. From what I've heard, the gate is located somewhere inside the Abyss. We'd need a way to get there before we could even think about closing it,” I said.
“Ah!”
“Haa... We're pretty much cornered, aren't we? At this rate, we'll have no choice but to sit here and wait for this Heavenly Demon guy to show up...” I said.
“...”
“...”
“There isn't some other way around this, is there?” I mumbled.
Naturally, three pairs of eyes turned toward Director Bel. Our expressions practically screamed the same question, “Isn't there some way to do it without playing by the rules?”
As if he were responding to those expectations, Belial said, “Transmigration...”
“Pardon?”
“With transmigration, then it might be possible,” Belial suggested.
“...”
“...”
“Transmigration?”
