The Regressor Plays the Game Too Well - Chapter 179

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

Episode 179
179
Thwack! Thwack-thwack-thwack!
A volley of arrows descended upon the soldiers stationed atop the Watchtower and Castle Wall.
Though every soldier wore steel armor, not all managed to deflect the barrage.
The Reform Army, witnessing several soldiers fall to the arrows, surged forward with terrifying speed toward the Castle Wall.
“An ambush! We’re under attack!”
In the frantic moment when someone cried out and rushed to ring the bell in the Watchtower.
An arrow came from nowhere.
Whistle! Thud!
“Gasp!”
The archers targeted everyone in the Watchtower, suppressing those who would ring the alarm in a single volley.
A sudden assault.
Sweeping away soldiers who had grown complacent and dull was child’s play.
By the time the Castle Wall fell under their control.
I could see the Inner Castle stirring with activity—apparently word had already reached the main fortress.
But it was too late.
What good was the Inner Castle bustling now?
The Castle Wall gates stood wide open, and the enemy had already poured through.
Though it seemed they had some confidence in their defenses.
I chuckled at the thought.
Sure enough, a single knight was quietly advancing toward the invading forces.
Despite being vastly outnumbered, his stride was confident and assured.
It was the gait of a master—one who believed no one could stand against him.
Ah, could this be that knight?
I found myself intrigued.
“As long as I draw breath, none shall pass.”
Demoros, the Honorary Knight.
A knight of humble birth who, despite achieving the rank, never fully obtained the title—an honorary knight in name alone.
Yet he was said to embody the knightly virtues more than any true knight, and his skill was exceptional.
It was precisely because Demoros possessed such qualities that he stood alone to face them.
A truly admirable display of knightly honor.
But this was merely a delay tactic, wasn’t it?
That wouldn’t do.
Snap!
Someone moved to engage Demoros.
But I stepped forward faster than anyone.
“We cannot afford delays here. Allow me to handle this.”
Several knights frowned at my action.
Though they acknowledged my strength, they doubted a traveler could overcome Demoros.
It made sense—despite his lowborn status, he was a knight bearing the title of Honorary Knight.
The most skilled warrior in this castle.
So when a mere traveler offered to take on the role, it was natural to harbor doubts.
And yet….
“We shall entrust this to Jin-woo.”
“Pardon? Ah, understood. We entrust this castle to Jin-woo!”
At Count Zapin’s words, a knight relayed the command to everyone, and Demoros’s expression darkened.
He must have felt utterly disrespected.
Entrusted to a traveler, no less.
Just as he was about to charge forward with an expression that screamed he’d show them his worth—
Could it be?
Was such a thing even possible?
Jin-woo appeared before Demoros with a playful smile.
He blinked, materializing in an instant.
Though startling, Demoros remained composed and swung his blade to intercept Jin-woo.
Clang!
The moment the two swords clashed.
A tremendous force sent Demoros’s body stumbling backward.
But it didn’t end there.
Jin-woo, wielding a second blade in his other hand, slashed toward the retreating Demoros.
It happened so instantaneously, and the strike came at such a precise moment as Demoros was being driven back, that his center of balance was completely lost.
There was no doubt—anyone would have suffered a fatal wound.
Scrape!
He felt the blade graze him, yet no blood appeared from Demoros.
Jin-woo smiled mysteriously at this and murmured.
“Deflecting with your shoulder blade, are you? Quite impressive.”
“….”
To rotate his shoulder and slip the blade away just before impact—
That was worth learning.
It resembled the technique of a boxer from ages past.
While Jin-woo pondered this, Demoros charged forward with renewed speed.
He abandoned any thought of defending against the reinforcements behind him.
He realized that Jin-woo alone before him was already more than he could handle.
And the Reform Army soldiers felt it too.
“He’s stopping Demoros so easily….”
“It’s not just stopping—he’s overwhelming him.”
“Demoros has completely abandoned defending against us.”
“Just who is this man….”
The expressions of the astonished knights could hardly be otherwise.
Who was Demoros, after all.
If the Imperial Family hadn’t rotted, he would have been among the elite who naturally belonged in the Imperial Knight Order.
Yet he blocked such a person so effortlessly.
And he overwhelmed him at that.
Among the knights present, few could match Jin-woo’s prowess.
Which made it all the more astonishing.
He’d been here for barely a few months—how had he attained such strength?
It was extraordinary.
“It’s as if he was born to fight.”
“An incredible level….”
“I sensed he was overwhelmingly superior to other travelers, but I never imagined it would be this much….”
“We shouldn’t underestimate the other travelers either, just in case.”
“I agree.”
The knights who had initially considered themselves above average were now revising their entire assessment of the travelers’ capabilities.
It was inevitable when watching Jin-woo fight so fiercely against Demoros.
As they exchanged offense and defense, scars accumulated on Demoros without him realizing it.
Despite being pushed back so relentlessly, Jin-woo’s expression still showed composure.
“It’s terrifying.”
“I’m grateful he’s on our side.”
“It’s like watching the legendary God of War descended from the tales.”
“Indeed, that’s exactly it.”
Each of them marveled and watched with their own exclamations.
Such an opportunity was rare.
A chance to witness a battle between masters.
No one wanted to miss it, but given the current circumstances.
Count Zapin shouted.
“We leave this to Jin-woo and advance!”
“Yes, sir!”
Unlike before, there were no objections.
Though some wore expressions of disappointment, all followed Count Zapin forward.
Demoros bit his lip, frustrated that he had to let them go, but each time Jin-woo rushed at him.
Crack!
The air shattered like a bullet striking as a sharp thrust came flying.
He could never ignore or let his guard down.
The slightest moment of distraction would mean being pierced through.
Even with his lower level, he couldn’t simply take the hit and endure.
Judging by the force alone, it exceeded his own.
No—it was even higher than that.
If he allowed even a single attack to land, it would result in a catastrophic outcome.
Clang!
Demoros blocked the thrust and retreated, gripping his tingling wrist.
Without using skills, pure stats alone show him being pushed back.
How the Traveler obtained such power doesn’t matter.
I simply stand my ground.
Countless blade marks scarred the surface of the armor.
Against sword strikes sharp enough to cut through metal plating, Demoros quickly activated a skill.
The blade began to glow, vibrating at incomprehensible speed.
Uuuuuuuuuung!
An Aura Sword that would cleave through all obstacles in its path.
Jin-woo too began to activate a skill upon witnessing it.
Unlike Demoros’s blue Aura Sword, both of his blades began to darken.
The Dark Light Twin Swords wrapped shadowy energy around both blades, and Demoros’s eyes narrowed at the sight.
Simultaneously, the tip of his sword trembled.
Fear.
But I am a knight.
Merely a sword and shield sworn to serve and protect my lord.
Therefore, I cannot retreat.
“Hmm, I was hoping to persuade you, but it seems that won’t work.”
“Well observed. No matter how corrupted, a lord remains a lord. Once I’ve sworn my loyalty, nothing can change that.”
“Somehow I knew you’d say that. How knightly of you.”
As Jin-woo spoke, he recalled Demoros.
He was certainly a famous NPC even before the regression.
Honestly, I never imagined fighting someone like him.
Now that I think about it, he was here all along.
Before the regression, I heard that after Count Whinter’s mysterious death, he devoted himself loyally to the Imperial Family.
And not long after, I heard he became the Empire’s third Sword Master.
He hasn’t reached that level yet.
Well, I heard that news seven years after the Pantheon opened.
There’s still time.
Even now, he’s sufficiently strong.
To be honest, it’s a shame.
‘It’s difficult to go all out.’
Didn’t I suspect as much?
Now there are few who can stop Jin-woo.
At most, the Sword Masters and Tower Masters in the Empire, and perhaps Gruen and Wirun in the Deron Kingdom?
There may be other powerful beings beyond that.
That’s what I thought now.
At least, that’s what I believed seeing Demoros like this.
It’s a shame to end it here.
But it can’t be helped.
Instead, I’ll make it something good.
Jin-woo gripped his sword with that thought in mind.
His dual-blade technique had matured to near-perfect control.
Jin-woo stepped forward with confidence.
As if folding the earth itself, Jin-woo vanished in the blink of an eye and materialized before Demoros.
Demoros understood.
That movement was not teleportation through magic—it was simply extraordinary speed.
He could tell because, though blurred, he had seen it.
He didn’t know which skill was used, but since he’d seen it, he could defend against it.
From his left hand came a thrust so swift and clean—the dark-stained typhoon of Isis piercing through the void like a bullet, driving toward Demoros.
A thrust of breathtaking brevity and velocity.
Against such a lightning-fast strike, Demoros twisted his body and evaded.
No matter how devastating the thrust, a simple shift in trajectory was sufficient to slip past it.
Evasion itself was no difficult feat.
But Demoros didn’t stop at dodging—he drove into Jin-woo’s guard.
Because Jin-woo had thrust with his left hand, his left flank and lower left body were completely exposed.
Gripping his sword, he extended it to cleave through Jin-woo’s left side.
Even if Jin-woo withdrew his extended arm now, it would be too late.
But instead of retracting his arm, Jin-woo pivoted his entire body using his left hand and leg as the axis.
Whoosh!
What was meant to be a cleaving strike instead brought their backs together, and Jin-woo rotated again.
Demoros, matching the movement, spun and swiftly swung his blade.
The hilt of Bahamut in Jin-woo’s right hand collided with the hilt of Demoros’s left-handed sword.
Crackling sparks erupted!
Brilliant flashes burst forth into the air.
As their power clashed, the shockwave ravaged the surroundings and tore the ground asunder.
Rumbling thunder!
The earth cracked and fractured as if struck by an earthquake, and Demoros, unable to withstand the force, was sent flying backward.
Boom!
Screeeech!
Demoros, driven back while carving two lines across the Inner Castle floor with his legs, raised his tattered left hand and furrowed his brow deeply.
Power wouldn’t flow into it.
He had come knowing his stats were insufficient, layering every skill he possessed, yet it still wasn’t enough.
With such a gap between them, losing heart would be understandable.
Instead, he burned with determination as he spoke to Jin-woo.
“I cannot let you leave here.”
“Hmm.”
“Others matter little, but you—I must bind you here. I would inflict a mortal wound if I could, but even then, it would be meaningless against a Traveler like yourself.”
There was a note of sorrow in his voice, if one listened carefully.
But Jin-woo harbored no intention of showing mercy either.
Demoros nodded as if he understood.
The knight’s final stand.
Jin-woo watched it unfold, a smile playing across his face as he spoke.
“I really should bring him over to our side.”
“Even if it kills me, it’s impossible.”
“I never said anything about killing him.”
Jin-woo’s eyes blazed with an otherworldly light as he uttered those words.
The burning gaze of the Overlord.

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