Glen saw Zich smiling in front of him. The way Zich kept smiling maniacally while covered in injuries and blood made him appear like a demon who had crawled straight out of hell. Yet, that wasn’t the important part. Even if Zich were a demon, Glen wouldn’t have feared him normally, because he would have been confident that he could suppress anyone using his power of regression. Yet, it was this demon who relayed to him that his power had disappeared now. In other words, the limitless time and opportunities the power of regression gave him were no longer his for the taking. Now, like the others, he needed to fumble around and do all he could with just a single opportunity.
Glen was well aware of how this single opportunity could be meaninglessly lost, especially on a battlefield where everyone was eager to take another life. An opportunity like one’s life was so vulnerable that a single arrow in the sky could take it away.
“You are lying.” Glen refused to believe Zich’s words.
“I’m sure you are lying.” Glen’s eyes were bloodshot. Zich shrugged.
“If you don’t want to believe me, don’t,” he said. If Glen demanded evidence this instant, Zich wouldn’t be able to come up with a satisfactory answer anyway. There was no way he could show Glen what happened to the Clowon ruins right now, and even if it was possible, Zich had no intention of doing so.
“If you don’t believe me, why don’t you try dying?!” Zich dashed toward Glen. Zich’s sword was soaked with bloodlust as it aimed for Glen, but it failed to break through Glen’s defenses as the difference in their skill levels remained the same.
Glen blocked Zich’s attack easily and aimed for Zich’s weak spot. The battle experience he accumulated during his long period of living came to fruition, and his body moved before he even thought of the movements. Whoosh! Zich pulled out his sword as his body staggered. He was planning to ignore the attack coming his way and attack Glen anyway. However, just gauging by their speed, it was clear that Glen’s attack would reach Zich much faster than the other way around.
Glen hoped he could finally put an end to this damn Zich now. If he just pushed his sword forward, his victory was guaranteed. Of course, he needed to bear Zich’s attack, but unless he had completely rotten luck, this attack would land a critical blow on Zich.
Flinch! Glen’s body stiffened. All the movements he had made unconsciously until now were intercepted by a feeling. His muscles rapidly jittered while the trajectory of his sword changed. While giving up a victory he would have claimed if he had just pushed forward a bit more, Glen chose to block Zich’s attack. Bam!
A gigantic shockwave exploded as their swords clashed and the two placed some distance between each other. The two showed completely contrasting expressions. Glen’s face was stone cold although he had been certain of his victory a moment ago; on the other hand, Zich was smirking as if he had expected everything.
“What’s wrong? You would’ve won if you pushed a bit further.”
Glen didn’t answer, and Zich rushed forward again. Their swords collided once more, but their clash seemed slightly different than before. Glen still had the upper hand, but his movements seemed more restrained now. When Zich dived in a little further, he jumped back in surprise and hurriedly blocked Zich’s attacks.
“What, what, what?! Is the Great Sun Hero scared or something?!” Zich’s attacks grew even rougher as the situation progressed, and Glen’s movements became even more restrained.
“As I thought, you’re a coward!”
Bam! Glen blocked Zich’s large swing. Glen’s face was pitifully pale.
“You can’t even swing your sword properly in fear that you might die! Unlike everyone else, you had limitless lives until now!” That wasn’t all. Zich added, “You are such a coward that you can’t properly attack an opponent who clearly has less strength than you now that you have one life! It really was great of me to take away the regression ability from you!”
“Don’t make me laugh! Do you think I really believe you?!” Glen was still denying the loss of his ability, and Zich snorted.
“That’s why you are even more of a coward! You can’t even believe that your regression ability has disappeared! You can’t even swing your sword properly because of a little doubt!”
At Zich’s provocations, Glen gritted his teeth and pushed away Zich’s sword aggressively. Then, he moved to rush forward at Zich—at least he attempted to, but his feet didn’t move. Noise from his surroundings became clearer to him now: shouting and the sound of soldiers clashing, explosions caused by magic and mana blades, screams of the injured, and the last groans of the dying. These were the sounds that made it clear to him that he was on a battlefield where people placed their lives on the line.
All these things had belonged to another world from him until now. However, once he realized that he was standing in the same world as these beings, fear and anxiety started to rise within him.
“Are you unable to make even the first attack now?! Come at me! You know that you’re more powerful than me right now!”
Yet, Glen didn’t move at Zich’s provocations. Zich also didn’t say anymore. If Glen didn’t come to him, he could go to Glen instead. Bam! Bam! Bam! Zich’s wave of attacks followed and his tongue kept moving.
“That reminds me, you forcefully increased your powers, right? You thought you could just regress anyway and didn’t think about the side effects, but it’s different now.”
As he senselessly blocked Zich’s attacks, Glen felt his heart drop. He knew better than anyone else what these side effects would be.
“My pitiful Sir Hero. Even if you barely manage to run away from this place, the only thing waiting for you will be side effects. Are you going to die right away or will you live the rest of your life crippled? No matter what happens, it’s clear that your last opportunity has gone up in flames.”
“Shut up!”
“Based on everything you’ve done so far, it seems like you wanted to be a hero, but look at you now! You are going to be labeled as a Bellid collaborator and fall as a villain. Your title as a Karuwiman Honorary Knight will obviously be taken from you, and all your Karuwiman underlings will be wiped out simultaneously. In comparison, I will become the hero you so desperately wished for.”
Zich hated being called a hero to the point that it made his voice falter, but he calmly called himself a hero with the sole determination of hurting Glen. “Oh, come to think of it, I should tell you the reason why I became a hero. In short, it’s thanks to you, Glen Zenard.”
What bullshit was he spouting now?
“The reason why I started doing kind acts after I regressed is because of what you told me right before I regressed.” Zich recited word for word what Glen had told him. “‘If you are born again, I hope that you will live a kind life!’”
Zich even imitated Glen’s solemn tone that he used at that time, but his expression was still full of mockery.
“That’s the reason why I started doing kind acts, and it has influenced my actions up until now.” Zich met Glen’s eyes. “The biggest enemy who ruined your plan was you!”
Glen felt as if he couldn’t breathe anymore. He was the one who treated Zich as a variable and was determined to find and rip apart the person who told him to live a kind life. However, he couldn’t believe that the bastard he wanted to tear apart to death was himself before he regressed. Moreover, the news that Zich also regressed was even more shocking.
‘Why did my ability also work on him?!’ However, if Zich had really regressed, it would explain a lot of his questions.
Zich continued, “Well, shall I follow the brilliantly shining Sun Hero’s words and thank his grace for introducing Demon Lord Zich Moore to a completely new path? I’ll dispose of the trash in front of me who secretly performed all kinds of evil deeds in the world!”
Bam! Bam! Bam! Zich’s attacks continuously threatened Glen’s critical areas—the head, neck, and heart. If any of his attacks broke through, Glen would instantly die. Glen frantically blocked his attacks.
Zich shouted, “Come on, come on, come on! Work hard to block my attacks! If your defenses fall even once, you’ll really die!”
Glen was shocked by many revelations today, but his mind was currently occupied by one emotion—fear of death. Now that he didn’t have a backup plan, Glen’s mind was solely focused on surviving. He couldn’t even think of using his increased strength despite the side effects or the experiences he accumulated through his countless regressions. The fact that this fight could really be his last and that his opponent was Zich, who claimed victory even after all kinds of obstacles, forced Glen to be unable to think of anything else except escaping death. This was something that Glen wouldn’t have even thought of if he had his regression ability. However, now that he had one life like everyone else, the temptation of running away was too sweet.
“Aghhhhhh!” Glen let out a shrill scream. He swung his sword with a loud cry that also sounded like a scream.
Swooosh! Glen let out numerous slashes with Tornium toward Zich, and Zich had to firmly plant his feet on the ground to intercept Glen’s attacks.
Baaaammm! Fortunately, the attacks weren’t very powerful and with an explosion, all traces of Tornium’s energy disappeared. However, it wasn’t only this that disappeared. Zich laughed. It wasn’t the type of laughter he used to mock his opponents, but a hearty laugh that came deep from his stomach.
“Ahahahhaha! Is this for real, Glen Zenard?! I wasn’t really sure if you’d do it, but you really went that far!” Zich saw Glen running with his back facing him. He looked like a rabbit running away from a lion. Zich wanted to immediately throw down his sword and roll all over the ground while clutching his belly, but he couldn’t let Glen escape.
Zich quickly chased after Glen and loudly shouted, “Glen Zenard from the allied forces is running away with his tail between his legs! Is this what the strongest fighter of the allied forces looks like?!”
He had to clearly inform everyone of Glen’s sorry figure.
* * *
After Zich and Glen disappeared on their own, the clash between the two parties continued for a while. However, it didn’t take long for one side to emerge as the dominant one.
“You lowly bastaaaaard!” Byner was furious after Hans’ unintentional provocation, and he swung his sword toward Hans. However, his sword was all too easily blocked by Estellade. Hans’ skills already far surpassed Byner’s in the first place. The difference in the quality of their weapons was also massive. Moreover, due to Hans’ dissuasion, Lara did not intervene in their fight, but she was also waiting to jump in at any moment as she stood a short distance away from them. Anyone could see from a glance that there was a huge difference in power between the two parties. The only reason why Byner was still holding on was because of Chelsea.
Shaaa! The scratches on Byner’s body disappeared. Thanks to Chelsea’s efforts, Byner rushed toward Hans again, but the same thing happened again. Even with Chelsea’s support, Byner was no match for Hans.