The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 275

—————
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 275
275. VS Michael
Heaven above heaven, god of battle, sole hope, Archangel ranked first.
Michael bore countless titles, yet none of them could satisfy him.
‘What good are they? I’m still just a chess piece moving under the gods’ command. In that sense, I’m no different from my subordinates.’
Even as his followers revered him as heaven itself, Michael felt hollow.
It was merely their own isolated world.
He knew all too well that they were frogs in a well.
Perhaps that’s why he yearned for it so desperately.
A once-in-a-lifetime achievement—to become a god.
‘But even that is futile now.’
From Remiel at seventh rank to Gabriel at second rank.
I overlooked the deaths of my fellow Archangels and made them sacrificial pawns, yet I could not delay the inevitable.
‘My turn has finally come.’
I must kill Black Scythe with my own hands.
I must extinguish the opportunity of a lifetime with these very hands.
[Sigh….]
A heavy sigh escaped Michael’s lips, his heart weighed down with melancholy.
My plan to keep Black Scythe alive until round twenty and achieve godhood had crumbled to nothing.
‘No, technically speaking, it’s not over yet.’
But it might as well be.
The gods are watching from behind.
Even Nemesis, goddess of retribution, and the god of darkness beyond her, are pressing me to bring Black Scythe to them at once.
‘Can I truly not delay this any longer….’
There are no more Archangels to send.
There are no more excuses to make.
If I cannot hand Black Scythe over to Demon Archduke Phlunikthos before round eighteen begins….
‘I’ll give Phlunikthos justification to manifest, and I’ll lose in the coming battle with Cheon Ma as well.’
Not only that, but I will incur the wrath of Nemesis and countless other gods.
[Damn it, how did things come to this?]
Thinking back on it, this was all Gabriel’s fault.
-If we use the Demon’s Resurrection Scroll we obtained during the last Cheon Ma battle, we can make Black Scythe a sacrifice. We don’t need to act ourselves. We can simply use other players who harbor ill will toward him.
I accepted his strategy in an attempt to buy time, and it was truly the worst move I could have made.
‘Had I not fallen for his suggestion to use the Demon’s Resurrection Scroll, things would never have become so tangled….’
But regret, no matter how swift, always comes too late.
The strategy failed, and in exchange, I angered Phlunikthos and drew the gods themselves into involvement.
In a sense, my decision was what created this disaster.
‘Or perhaps… all of this was Phlunikthos’s plan from the start….’
Did he leak the Demon’s Resurrection Scroll to secure justification for his own involvement in the Cheon Ma battle, to achieve an overwhelming victory?
Was his intention to seize upon it as an excuse the moment the Angels used that object?
‘Damn it! We fell for the Demon’s scheme. How could I be so stupid?’
Clutching my head in self-reproach changed nothing.
At this point, there was only one way forward.
I had no choice but to subdue Black Scythe and hand him over as Phlunikthos demanded.
Even if it meant postponing my ambition to become a god.
‘I absolutely cannot lose to Cheon Ma. If I do, my current position will be threatened.’
I would set aside godhood for now and deal with the immediate problem at hand.
With that thought, Michael gazed down at Black Scythe in the Other World.
Through the celestial orb in the Heavenly Realm that possessed the power of far-sight.
‘To avoid confusion, it would be best to catch him when he’s alone….’
As I waited for an opportune moment, wondering when to strike.
Heaven seemed to aid me—Black Scythe left the Barracks of his own accord.
‘Where is he going?’
Watching carefully, he headed to the Mercenary Group, then used a warp gate to enter the Dragon Lair.
‘He’s leaving the Kingdom war to his comrades and hunting dragons himself?’
Truly, Black Scythe.
He wastes no time.
Though he was merely human, I couldn’t help but admire him.
‘With that level of effort, it makes sense he reached his current position.’
But that was as far as it would go.
Unlike Gabriel, I lacked the ability to see the future, yet I knew.
Black Scythe would soon kneel before me.
‘Perfect that he entered the Lair. There’s even a 25% stat debuff.’
Subduing him would be easy even without the debuff, but I wanted to exploit his weakened state.
After watching, the perfect timing finally arrived.
Black Scythe, having defeated the dragon, dismissed his mercenaries and was examining the system alone.
‘Now is ideal.’
Whoosh—
Michael warped to the Other World in an instant and waited in the Cave with his massive wings spread.
And finally, I could meet Black Scythe.
[I have been waiting for you, Black Scythe.]
Black Scythe’s expression showed surprise at my appearance.
How could an inferior human have anticipated an angel’s arrival?
Much less one with twenty wings like myself?
Yet it was I who was truly astonished.
“So you are Michael.”
‘He knows my name…?’
It wasn’t just my name.
“Heaven’s Heaven, Archangel ranked first.”
Honestly, I was shocked.
That a mere insect dared to know of my existence.
[You… obtained information by threatening my subordinates.]
“Technically not, but think of it however you like.”
The initial shock had faded, replaced now by an air of composure.
‘How can this creature remain so composed before me, when even the Archangels tremble?’
Michael found that smirk deeply displeasing.
“What? Does my smile offend you?”
[….]
“Relax that scowl. Even a worthless insect like me is permitted to smile before your noble presence. What’s with the sour expression?”
Watching Black Scythe’s increasingly subtle mockery, Michael let out an involuntary laugh.
[Ha… I’ve always wondered what kind of creature this Black Scythe was, but this is pathetic—far beneath my expectations.]
“Whether you like it or not, I have no obligation to meet the expectations of a bird-brained fool like you.”
[…Now that I’ve met him directly, I understand how our Archangels fell to him.]
‘They must have fallen for such obvious provocation and let their guard down, resulting in their deaths.’
It was painfully predictable.
The reason for such blatant provocation was equally obvious.
‘Since raw power won’t suffice, he’s trying to exploit a moment of carelessness.’
But I am different from the other Archangels.
I am not so inept as to fall for such crude provocation.
Have I not already seen through his intentions?
‘This arrogant human. Just because the System chose him, he thinks he’s become something special….’
He is mistaken.
Until now, he was merely fortunate enough to slay the Archangels.
Now that an opponent beyond his comprehension has appeared, there is no hope for him.
[Do you perhaps know why I have appeared?]
“To kill me?”
[I will not kill you. I will merely subdue you.]
“Subdue me for what?”
[Should you not face punishment for the chaos you’ve brought to the Heavenly Realm?]
“Punishment? What right do you have?”
Still so arrogant.
Sigh— I no longer even have the energy to sigh.
I can only regard him with contempt.
‘I sacrificed my subordinates to protect this wretched insect.’
Now it is all for naught.
This time, I will correct Black Scythe’s insolence and deliver him to Demon Archduke Phlunikthos to appease his wrath.
“There is a saying in the human world.”
Whoosh—
A sword and shield materialized in Michael’s hands.
“Those who commit sin must face punishment—such is the way of the world.”
[Stop your whining. No need for long speeches. Come at me.]
“The punk’s trying to sound cool with his lines….”
Black Scythe’s expression turned delinquent, but Michael didn’t fall for it.
‘All those theatrics are meant to catch me off guard. And that itself proves he lacks confidence in his own abilities.’
There was no need to respond in kind.
Let his skills do the talking.
Michael knew that arrogant expression and mouth would soon look like a dog beaten senseless, twisted in defeat.
Regardless, Black Scythe remained fixated on his dramatic performance.
“From now on, I’ll be the one administering punishment. Accept it gracefully. Understood?”
[Pathetic drivel….]
Michael’s eyes shifted as he responded with a scoff.
[If you won’t come, I’ll come to you.]
His blade moved with the speed of wind, and in an instant, it had sliced through Black Scythe’s shoulder.
Thud.
Black Scythe surrendered one arm without even a chance to respond, and Michael smiled wickedly at the pathetic display.
‘How disappointing.’
I thought he’d at least put up some resistance, but he couldn’t even keep pace with my movements.
[Cleanly sever the limbs and drag him away….]
Suddenly, Michael stopped mid-sentence and turned his head.
His animal-like combat instincts screamed at him.
A chill ran down his spine for no apparent reason.
He flapped his wings to dodge.
But it was already too late—his wings were sliced through.
Whoosh—
[Gasp.]
All twelve of his wings were severed in one stroke.
Michael spun around in panic, but Black Scythe was nowhere to be seen.
‘Where… where did he go?’
Michael’s eyes darted about in confusion, searching desperately.
There was no presence, no sound—even the severed arm had vanished.
‘Was what I cut… a clone?’
Then a voice reached his ears.
“Disappointing.”
The moment he heard it, he slashed his blade horizontally.
Lightning-fast reflexes.
But nothing caught on his blade.
“The top-ranked Archangel can’t even distinguish a clone.”
He fired his blade toward the voice once more.
A flurry of rapid strikes.
Yet again, nothing connected—nothing even appeared.
It felt like facing a ghost.
“And I couldn’t even detect the invisibility.”
[How cowardly, muttering from somewhere!]
“There.”
Michael’s head snapped toward the location, and Black Scythe stood revealed.
The foolish human had finally shown himself.
So he actually appeared when told to appear.
Truly, his arrogance knew no bounds.
‘Your mistake.’
Michael unleashed a technique he had prepared in advance.
‘Radiant Torrent.’
A technique that unleashed brilliant flashes of light forward—a lethal skill that left nothing but scraps if it caught anyone.
‘Oh no…!’
He realized too late that he shouldn’t kill him, but it was already too late.
‘I’ve gone and killed Black Scythe after all.’
In that instant, an unbelievable sight unfolded before Michael’s eyes.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang—!
All twenty-eight attacks infused with holy power had been blocked.
‘He… blocked them? By deflecting each one with his scythe individually?’
He couldn’t comprehend how such reflexive speed was possible, but that wasn’t what mattered now.
“Take this blow with gratitude.”
Black Scythe’s kick, moving like lightning, drove straight into his abdomen.
Boom—!
[Cough!]
For the first time in his existence, Michael understood what it meant to have his insides turned upside down.

* * *
Thud—
Watching Michael embedded in the wall like a turtle, I couldn’t help but wear an expression of disappointment.
‘Is that really the top Archangel?’
I’d gleaned from reading his thoughts the grandiose titles—Heaven above Heaven, God of War—but I never expected him to be this pathetic.
‘I tested him with a clone first to gauge his abilities, but….’
There was no need for that.
With my current stats alone, I could suppress him easily.
I didn’t even need to use the aura of death to impose stat debuffs.
‘Just like all the other Archangels I’ve faced, he’s weak. Or am I simply that strong?’
There was an Angel I’d encountered since the 68th return.
An Angel whose mere presence radiated overwhelming power.
I’d assumed that Angel was Michael.
‘But it wasn’t.’
The one embedded in the wall wasn’t the Angel I’d seen back then.
Everything about him was different—his presence, his appearance.
‘If not Michael? Then who was that Angel I saw?’
Pondering it wouldn’t yield answers.
But I could make one inference.
‘Could there be another Angel above Michael?’
When curious, ask directly.
I approached and extracted Michael from the wall using my spear.
But I couldn’t get the answer I wanted.
“What… he’s unconscious?”
Michael had lost consciousness in a single blow.

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