The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 259

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Maxed-Out Player’s 100th Return – Episode 259
259. Controlling My Strength
The Hero’s Touch offered two choices.
Teleport to the target or summon the target to me.
Ryu Min chose.
‘Option one.’
I decided to go to my Younger Brother instead.
I wanted to protect him and confirm who I needed to take revenge against.
Flash—
The moment I made my choice, I saw an Archangel threatening my Younger Brother.
[This won’t do. I’ll have to grab his arm and tear it off myself….]
Crash—!
Unable to contain the fury that surged through me, I slammed the angel into the Living Room.
‘I controlled my strength at the last moment, so he shouldn’t be dead.’
If he died, that would be a problem.
I hadn’t managed to cast the Demon’s Blessing yet.
[W-wait, Gabriel, sir!]
The female angel rushed toward the Living Room in panic.
‘So the one I hit was named Gabriel.’
I only learned the other angel’s name was Raphael by reading his thoughts.
I even discovered they ranked second and third among the Archangels.
While Raphael attended to Gabriel, I turned to look behind me.
My Younger Brother stared up at me with a dazed expression.
“What’s your name?”
“Ryu Won, sir.”
“I’m Black Scythe.”
“Oh, I know. I’ve seen you on TV a lot.”
Media exposure had its perks.
No need for lengthy introductions.
“I know this is sudden and confusing, but you need to focus. Time is of the essence.”
“What on earth is happening….”
Ryu Won must have been overwhelmed.
An Archangel appeared out of nowhere and threatened him with chains, and in the blink of an eye, Black Scythe showed up.
“There’s no time to explain. What matters is that we need to escape this place.”
Then a message appeared.
[The target’s ‘Hero’s Protection’ duration has ended.]
The ten-second invulnerability I’d cast on my Younger Brother had worn off.
Without hesitation, I cast the Rune of Sacrifice on him.
[You have designated a protection target.]
[You will take the target’s damage instead.]
[Automatically deactivates if the distance from the target exceeds 100 meters.]
I was fortunate to have the Rune of Sacrifice.
Now my Younger Brother was practically invincible.
‘He won’t die in combat. At least not before I do.’
Yet I couldn’t afford to lower my guard.
There were two Archangels here.
‘My attack dealt damage, but it wasn’t fatal.’
As expected.
Gabriel rose to his feet, casually brushing dust from his wings as though nothing had happened.
[Raphael. You’ve embarrassed yourself before me. Unable to dodge a mere human’s attack.]
[Are you unharmed?]
[Thanks to you, I’m without a scratch.]
It wasn’t mere bravado.
Gabriel’s body truly bore not a single wound.
‘Even accounting for restraint, not a scratch? How is that possible?’
My shock dissipated the moment I read his thoughts.
‘That angel Raphael is the reason.’
She possessed no combat ability, but wielded every conceivable support skill.
Gabriel’s unscathed state was due to the protective barrier Raphael had cast.
‘This won’t do. I need to target Raphael first…’
But Gabriel, aware of this as well, pulled Raphael behind him.
[Stand behind me. Judging by the force of that impact, this human warrants some caution.]
[Understood.]
Watching Gabriel shield Raphael, I sensed it instinctively.
‘These two won’t be easy.’
Not that I lacked confidence.
I was certain of victory once we engaged.
The problem was fighting while protecting my Younger Brother in this confined space.
I spoke without taking my eyes off the Archangel.
“Listen carefully, Ryu Won. This is a life-or-death emergency. Don’t go anywhere—stay put in this room and don’t move.”
“B-but you want me to just stay here?”
“Yes. Any unnecessary movement will only put you in greater danger. I’ll protect you, so stay where you are without worry.”
I had no time to hear his response.
Gabriel was already advancing, chains unfurling.
[So you’re the infamous Black Scythe. I must admit, I’m surprised. Stronger than I anticipated. However…]
Gabriel hurled the chains without warning.
With my Younger Brother behind me, I couldn’t evade.
Whoosh—!
The chains wrapped around my body like living serpents.
[You should know there exists a heaven above heaven.]
The chain glowed red-hot, melting through the armor.
Sizzzzzzle—
Flesh charred and smoke billowed upward.
The body dissolved as limbs fell away.
Thud-thud-thud—
“Ahhhhh!”
Ryu Won staggered backward in shock, witnessing the dismembered corpse scattered in all directions.
Even seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe what had transpired.
‘So… Black Scythe dispatched him that easily…’
He barely suppressed the urge to retch at the sight of the quartered remains.
Yet the Angels seemed delighted, laughing like madmen as they gazed upon the corpse.
[How disappointing. Had I known he’d die so easily, I would have tormented him longer.]
[Indeed, Gabriel.]
[Given his concern, I was somewhat tense, but it seems we didn’t even need to take hostages…]
Gabriel’s words caught in his throat.
Three seconds into the future materialized in his mind.
A grim vision of Black Scythe appearing from the side and cleaving him in two.
Whoosh—!
Ryu Min’s scythe cut through empty air the instant Gabriel evaded.
For a brief moment, surprise flickered across Ryu Min’s eyes.
“You dodged that?”
[…So it was a clone, not as simple as I thought?]
There was no obligation to answer.
I simply swung the scythe.
Gabriel’s brow furrowed at being disregarded.
[Insolent human! I’ll reduce you to pulp in ten seconds!]
The golden chain moved like a serpent, dazzling in its complexity.
Whoosh-whoosh—! Whoosh-whoosh—!
The chain barely grazed past Ryu Min’s body.
‘I must avoid that at all costs.’
The moment the chain ensnares me, he’ll activate the skill that dissolved my clone.
Even I might be in danger if that happens.
‘But I can’t block it with the scythe either. One mistake and the chain wraps around the blade.’
My only options were to evade or deflect with short, precise strikes.
Just as I was doing now.
Ting—ting!
This was clearly no ordinary weapon.
The chain’s movements possessed remarkable fluidity.
Whoosh—whoosh—
Ryu Min dodged without counterattacking, purely defensive.
Whenever chains flew toward an angle that might endanger my Younger Brother, I’d simply strike them away with my scythe.
Gabriel openly mocked me at the sight.
[How long will you keep dodging? Stupid human. Try attacking like you did before!]
He seemed to think I was too preoccupied with evasion to find an opening for offense.
His presumptuous judgment was laughable, but of course it was merely an act.
With an Agility stat reaching 580,000, there was no way I’d struggle to evade.
‘For now, I’ll dodge while analyzing my opponent.’
I was gathering information using the Rune of Inner Truth.
I read through the Angels’ abilities, weapons, and techniques, identifying any variables that might become problematic.
Against an opponent of this caliber, caution was necessary.
‘Good. Now I understand how to overcome them.’
The moment I compiled the information and formulated a strategy in my mind, I moved into action.
Whoosh—whoosh—!
[…!]
My movements became incomparably faster than before.
Not only could the chains not keep pace, but even Gabriel, who possessed precognition, couldn’t manage a proper defense.
Crack—boom—!
Gabriel, struck in the ribs by my scythe, crashed pathetically into the wall.
[This damned human….]
He spat out curses, but he had no time for such indulgences.
I was already charging at the defenseless Raphael.
[Oh no!]
Gabriel flew over in alarm, but my scythe was already descending toward Raphael’s crown.
Boom—!
However, Gabriel’s fears did not come to pass.
My scythe struck an invisible barrier and bounced back with elastic force.
As if I’d struck a balloon.
[Coward! Targeting someone who’s defenseless!]
“Defenseless? He’s casting buffs from behind.”
Gabriel’s increased speed and strength compared to usual came from Raphael’s buffs.
This was the reason for protecting Raphael.
Even so, he couldn’t match my speed.
Boom!
Gabriel, struck by my scythe once more, was covered in dust.
Despite being grazed by the scythe, his body bore not a single wound.
Yet his pride seemed wounded, evident in his darkened expression.
[I’ll reduce you to pulp.]
“Didn’t you say that ten seconds ago?”
Without further words, Gabriel charged at me.
He swung the chains even more violently than before.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Bang!
Crash! Bang!
The Living Room had become a complete wreck.
The sofa and TV were unrecognizable, and the marble floor lay shattered into fragments.
Gag—!
[Cough!]
Yet Gabriel hadn’t landed a single effective blow.
Only I sent him flying with my scythe.
[Argh! You bastard!]
I aimed for Raphael, but Gabriel came charging at me like a beast, grappling desperately.
He clung to me so frantically because he understood that if he couldn’t protect Raphael, there would be no opportunity left.
‘Why? I can see three seconds into the future—so why am I being pushed back?’
During the battle, Gabriel felt frustration mounting.
With his future sight, reading the scythe’s trajectory in advance and deploying his chains to block it should have been simple.
But as the speed intensified, even reading the future became difficult.
Like a mind unable to keep pace with the body.
Thud!
As the scythe struck his body, Gabriel was sent sliding backward.
He barely managed to steady himself with his wings to avoid falling, but his wounded pride offered no such recovery.
[G-Gabriel, sir. Your magical power is….]
“You said you’d kill me in ten seconds? Is ten seconds ten hours by your standards?”
[Such arrogance pierces the heavens!]
Whether Gabriel heard Raphael’s words or not, he focused solely on destroying Black Scythe.
The chains that seemed to touch yet never quite did only made him more desperate.
Clang! Clang—!
We exchanged blows back and forth, but I harbored not the slightest intention of killing them here.
Because I hadn’t used the Demon’s Blessing yet.
‘Not that I won’t use it—the situation just hasn’t called for it.’
To use the Blessing, I’d need to activate Death’s Transformation and inflate my stats.
Only then could I receive maximum compensation.
‘But to use Death’s Transformation, I’d have to switch to Thanatos’s Helmet.’
Removing the Assassin’s Mask I currently wore.
‘If I remove the mask, the Lost Yak form I’m maintaining will disappear. There’s a risk my identity will be exposed to my Younger Brother.’
My Younger Brother had affection for Black Scythe, so exposing my identity wouldn’t necessarily be a problem, but the timing was wrong.
I planned to explain everything slowly once this matter was resolved.
‘First, I need to get Ryu Won to safety. If I switch helmets in front of my Younger Brother, my identity will be revealed.’
To accomplish that, I needed to drain the Archangel’s power as much as possible first.
Once I brought him to the brink of death, my Younger Brother would have time to escape.
But Gabriel was holding out better than expected.
Though I sensed he would collapse soon enough.
[You are afflicted with the Curse of Deceleration debuff.]
[Your attack speed and movement speed are temporarily reduced by 30%.]
The sudden message appeared as my attack and movement speeds visibly slowed.
It was none other than Raphael’s doing.
‘He’s been trying since earlier, and it finally worked.’
The Saint’s Blessing on my body blocked status ailments and also prevented debuffs with a 50% probability.
‘My resistance only applies to status ailments. I can’t block debuffs.’
Fortunately, the Saint’s Blessing was there—otherwise I would have been afflicted from the start.
‘Annoying for a mere supporter.’
Even knowing it was Raphael’s work, I couldn’t easily approach her.
No matter how many times I threw her back, Gabriel kept returning like a roly-poly, shielding her.
Whoosh—! Whoosh!
As I evaded every chain swing, Gabriel’s eyes flashed.
[Just die already, human!]

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————