Chapter 1246: Adamant Thunder Annihilation Campaign (37)
Ultimate Lightning Magic.
The moment Lennok uttered that name, Kaiser immediately understood its meaning.
At the same time, he realized just how nonsensical a concept it referred to.
“Lightning that precedes and takes precedence over all causality?”
Kaiser muttered with an expressionless face.
“That’s… impossible. Such a power couldn’t possibly exist intact beneath this world.”
Having undergone countless regressions, Kaiser understood the concept of spacetime better than anyone.
That was why he could immediately grasp how unrealistic the concept of Ultimate Lightning was.
“Causality isn’t a concept that can precede or lag behind anything. It simply refers to a phenomenon that exists in its place and circulates. Can humans truly perceive it as something to be overcome?”
Cause and effect existing in all matter and phenomena of the universe.
It wasn’t that the ability to directly intervene with this absolute law didn’t exist at all.
Reversal and alteration of causality. Transcendent authority to flip or change causes and effects.
Some Ascendants, exceptionally powerful throughout history, had indeed possessed such power.
But even that was ultimately just a miracle occurring within the ‘circulation’ of cause and effect.
It could not be a concept that transcended the circulation of causality, taking precedence over it.
If such a power existed—
“If it takes precedence in any situation or condition, it literally holds absolute superiority over all attributes and affinities. It’s not even a point of attainment a mortal could imagine.”
“So?”
“It is, quite literally, something that transcends even spacetime, existing in its original form at every moment—”
Kaiser, who had spoken that far, abruptly stopped.
Lennok smiled, seeing Kaiser instinctively lift his gaze.
“I thought you would understand.”
“…You.”
Absolute existence that transcends even regressing spacetime.
A being that takes precedence over the backward flow of time stands, as if to prove it, right before Kaiser’s eyes at this moment.
Lennok hadn’t moved with Kaiser’s regression, standing on the same timeline as him.
No matter how Kaiser reversed time, Lennok had simply existed there, taking precedence over everything.
The causality of lightning that precedes the world’s causality, existing prior to any change.
The meaning of the Ultimate Lightning Lennok spoke of had been clear from the start—
“I had a vague idea from the moment I heard it from Akendrias.”
Lennok moved, leaving the speechless Kaiser behind.
“That Ultimate Lightning Magic is one of the forms my lightning will attain when it reaches Level 9.”
“…”
“So I’ve been preparing to seize this branching point right as the Annihilation Campaign concludes.”
Lennok said in a low voice, his face shadowed by dark blue lightning.
“If you are truly Kaiser Bajour, you would have been waiting for the moment the outcome of this war was decided.”
“…”
“I always anticipated the worst possible scenario.”
Lennok slowly turned his gaze.
“That’s why I always try to leave possibilities open.”
“…Adamant Thunder.”
“Kaiser. This is a possibility I prepared even before the Annihilation Campaign began.”
Lennok said, closing his eyes.
“To bring an end to an old story… it is the answer I chose.”
From the moment the causality of lightning was etched into his life, lightning always stood at the forefront of his existence.
Lightning is faster and more intense than anything, like an enlightenment that flashes by in an instant.
Ultimate Lightning is an enlightenment that reverses the process of understanding.
It is Prescience itself, that which does not exist yet must exist.
Because it takes precedence over all causality, Ultimate Lightning, from the moment it begins to exist, exists in both the past and the present—
No matter how much one regresses and rewinds time, it never changes.
At this moment, holding Ultimate Lightning, Lennok can maintain his current form in all pasts.
That is why he could remain by Kaiser’s side, unchanged and unwavering through Kaiser’s regressions.
Quite literally, a power like the natural enemy of a Regressor, holding superiority over all timelines.
“Let’s settle this, Kaiser.”
Crack…!
Lennok slowly opened his eyes, walking forward with the shimmering lightning.
“As I said, it won’t take long.”
It was a battle of possibilities, each vying against the other in an infinitely repeating regression.
The time Kaiser and Lennok had experienced already far exceeded decades, but the clash itself would be momentary.
The fight would begin and end in an instant.
Even that wouldn’t take too long.
Fzzzzzt!!!!
Dark blue lightning flickered in Lennok’s hand, rippling across spacetime.
Transcendent lightning, existing prior to all the timelines Kaiser regressed through.
The moment Kaiser truly confronted the meaning of that dark blue lightning, he, too, understood.
The lightning of prescience that remained unchanged and unaltered no matter how much time was turned back or how many regressions occurred.
That from the point where this lightning, which preceded causality, was born, everything became irreversible—
“…No.”
Crash!
Clatterrrrr!!!
The hands of the Eternal Tribulation Severing Leaf spun wildly, once again stirring spacetime greatly.
Kaiser, riding the end of the violently raging timeline, looked down at Lennok with a chilling expression.
“Nothing is irreversible… nothing is unchangeable. That’s why I abandoned everything to change everything.”
“…”
“Adamant Thunder. If you intend to take precedence over all this spacetime and end my regressions—”
Kaiser sharply turned, drawing forth all his mana with full power.
“I will continue to advance to the next regression cycle, until even that loses its meaning.”
Click!
Ultimate Lightning Magic, existing prior to all causality.
But that was closer to Lennok wielding the lightning’s point of attainment, having reached Level 9, rather than him having become an Ascendant.
Lennok, facing Kaiser now, was merely an inhabitant of this world, a mortal who remained after a failed Ascension Ritual.
Like a worn-out component in an endlessly rotating clock, everything would be worn away through infinite regressions.
Until then, he would infinitely repeat regressions, leaving only Kaiser alone on this false timeline.
He could do it.
If Kaiser, who had resolved to change everything to save the world, persisted.
He could outlast Lennok, who had obtained Ultimate Lightning, and push through to the end—
Clatterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!
The hour hand of the Eternal Tribulation Severing Leaf spun faster and more violently than ever before.
It went beyond the time Lennok and Kaiser had existed in this world, reaching further back into the distant past.
It went to a time Kaiser had never revealed, even while repeating regressions.
The failure and end of the Black Consumer Project.
And in between, to Kaiser Bajour’s branching point.
[14th Grand Canal Project failed. Regression initiated.]
[42nd Ascension Experiment halted. Regression initiated.]
[81st Pyeonram Conquest discarded. Regression initiated.]
[144th Cult Recruitment Scenario failed. Regression initiated.]
…
The full story of a project that intended to peer into all failures of this world, by turning back regressions without exception.
Even after hundreds of regressions, Kaiser did not give up.
[I can do it. As many times as it takes.]
It wasn’t that there had been no significant gains since the project began.
The story of a regression cycle where Kaiser successfully stabilized his abilities in the form of an Ideational Domain.
At the point where he had completed the authority of regression as planned, Kaiser was confident.
He had braced himself for any number of such trial-and-error failures when he started the project.
If the world could have been saved with just a few hundred experiments, someone would have saved it long ago.
He understood that something more was needed.
[If I regress, time can be reversed, but my mind cannot… I have to go against the river of time, enduring its full current.]
Kaiser was already well aware of the repercussions and dangers of regression.
Papers on human psyche. Collecting innate abilities and spellcraft to prepare for the worst.
Kaiser murmured, looking through documents on artifacts for soul protection.
[There’s no problem yet, but it’s true that my mind is under strain. If this backlash continues to accumulate, I don’t know what will happen to me. So I need to think of countermeasures now.]
[Physical aging and mental erosion are separate issues.]
The Fearsome Blood King, standing beside Kaiser, said.
She was holding a pen and writing something at length next to Kaiser.
[Even Long-lived Beings or nobles cannot withstand the flow of time indefinitely. I agree that some alternative is needed.]
[Quickly abandoning regression cycles that seem to fail is merely a last resort. Spellcraft or artifacts that can be carried through regression are also extremely rare…]
Kaiser fell into thought.
[The best would be for me to obtain abilities like ‘Absolute Mind’ or ‘Soul-Wheel Circulation’… but how much more training would it take to reach that level?]
Kaiser possessed a constitution where all the blood and mana in his body flowed in reverse, so his innate senses were completely different from others.
Even martial arts and spellcraft training, which weren’t so difficult for others, were extremely challenging and high-difficulty tasks for Kaiser.
He couldn’t seek guidance from others in all aspects, having to hit rock bottom alone and learn through trial and error.
Yet, the fact that Kaiser completed his tier itself attested to how much effort he had put in.
It was that difficult to balance an infinite regression project with personal training.
[How about abandoning your physical body and becoming a Military Spirit?]
Across from the Fearsome Blood King, a white-haired old man stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
[…Onnion.]
[In Yorta, there exists a technique to transform living humans into Military Spirits. If you wish, I can take you to the Military Spirit City.]
Onnion glanced up with an expressionless face.
[With the restriction of abandoning your physical body, your mind and spiritual presence will become firm, and you will become insensitive to the flow of time. Even if you regress a thousand times, it will feel like only a moment has passed.]
[…]
[If push comes to shove, I could even retrieve you after you become a Military Spirit with my spellcraft.]
[Hey. Aren’t you just trying to keep the Regressor under your thumb?]
[No. That method won’t work. If he becomes insensitive to the flow of time, he won’t be able to value each regression cycle meaningfully.]
While the vampire glared askance at Onnion, who did not bother to deny it, Kaiser forced a smile and shook his head.
[I should quickly abandon regression cycles that seem to fail, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do my best in every attempt.]
[Hmm.]
[No matter how many more times I fail, I intend to do my best in every moment. Knowing that, you all help me, don’t you?]
Kaiser’s eyes, looking down at the papers, shone clearly.
[I must find an answer that only I can reach, without relying on the miracle of regression. No matter how many more times I fail—]
At that moment, when Kaiser spoke of ‘how many,’ how many failures had he braced himself for?
Kaiser would soon realize it to his bones.
[227th Ban-gung Revival Scenario failed. Regression initiated.]
[393rd Apostle Transformation Plan discarded. Regression initiated.]
[523rd Coup d’état failed. Regression initiated.]
[740th Ninth Tribulation Infiltration failed. Regression initiated.]
[952nd failure. Regression initiated.]
[1465th failure.]
[2218th failure.]
…
As the number of digits in the failures changed, the summaries of previous regression cycles also became briefer.
Descriptions of plans and scenarios, as well as reasons for failure, were omitted, only stating the results.
Despite this, Kaiser tried to remain as he was from the beginning.
Unlike himself, who repeated the same moments through regression, his companions always experienced each moment as their first and last.
Even for those who helped him, he always had to do his utmost with sincerity.
As always, he gathered his companions and explained the project’s purpose and regression.
After summarizing what had happened in previous cycles, he outlined what needed to be done in the current one.
But—
[Kaiser…?]
[…Ah.]
Nosebleeds flowed, pooling like puddles of blood at his feet.
Kaiser, turning his head with bloodshot eyes, gave an awkward laugh.
[It’s nothing. Just a bit tired, I suppose. I’ll be fine with some rest.]
[…]
[…Sorry. I shouldn’t hide it, should I? It seems to be a backlash from regression.]
Seeing his silent companions, Kaiser confessed honestly.
[It’s gotten worse since the last cycle. It seems there’s been some… damage to my memory.]
[…]
Through thousands of regression cycles, Kaiser’s perceived lifespan had already easily surpassed several centuries.
In some cycles, he couldn’t last more than a few days, but in others, he spent decades.
It was impossible for an ordinary human mind to endure, let alone remember everything that happened in all those cycles.
The first thing to reach its limit was not Kaiser’s judgment or intellect, but his memory.
Kaiser smiled, seeing the sorrowful expressions of his companions.
[It was expected. I already left behind insurance against memory loss. And I have a substitute in Restricted Zone 25.]
[…]
[If it really comes to it, I plan to modify my mind for memory preservation. There won’t be any problems.]
[Kaiser.]
Gileon’s handsome face, hidden by long hair, was faintly contorted.
His friend, who had always followed Kaiser’s will and respected his decisions, showed wavering for the first time.
Throughout the project, conflicts between Kaiser’s close associates and the companions he gathered were frequent.
Because the priorities of those who joined the project for Kaiser and those who followed Kaiser for the project could only be different.
[It’s fine.]
Ultimately, adjusting that gap and maintaining balance was also Kaiser’s job.
Dealing with geniuses and monsters, recruiting them, and finally bringing them in as companions to find answers.
It was something they had all prepared for from the moment they started the project with Olivera.
[It is a pleasure to meet you, Kaiser Bajour.]
[I am Yuseong, holding the seat of Left Prime Minister in the Imperial Palace Cabinet of The Empire.]
It was also around this time that someone from the Imperial Palace arrived.
[A Trait-type Bloodline Ability. A demonic talent that holds the power to change the world, yet is destined for ruin.]
[All those born with the Mana of Reversing Heaven die young before the age of 20, and their mana is twisted, making it difficult to learn martial arts or spellcraft.]
[The Imperial Palace has noticed that talent and tried to use it heavily, but all attempts ended in failure.]
A visitor from the Imperial Palace of Ars Nova, with whom he had almost never been involved despite countless regressions.
Yet, a ‘noble’ who accurately understood the true nature of Kaiser Bajour’s abilities.
[Kaiser. You are the one who survived the longest with that cursed Bloodline Ability, and the only one who managed to control that talent.]
[Furthermore, you are a great Seeker who honed that talent to its limits and adjusted it into an unprecedented authority.]
[There are no explorers who repeat trial and error as much as you, nor Attainers who have come as close to the answer.]
[We are interested in the ‘editing of talent’ you discovered through endless failures.]
Yuseong, who introduced himself as the Left Prime Minister of the Imperial Palace Cabinet, was humble and unpretentious, unbefitting his rank.
He was patient enough to drink Peshia’s terrible tea to the last drop without a single complaint.
Kaiser felt a slight curiosity about the Left Prime Minister before him just from that, and probed him.
[Editing of talent, you say. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never orchestrated such a thing through the project.]
[We have long observed the historical alterations occurring across the continent. It was like a culmination of miracles impossible for humans to achieve within their given time.]
Yuseong smiled softly.
[Your causality is already intertwined and entangled across the continent, leaving traces everywhere. Did you truly think we wouldn’t be able to discern it?]
[…]
He knew.
The countless butterfly effects arising from repeating trial and error across the continent.
The resonance occurring from disturbing the past timeline where cause and effect were fixed.
That the Imperial Palace, where the Empire’s greatest geniuses gathered, might perceive this and seek out Kaiser.
A gambit to test if the Imperial Palace of Ars Nova could be brought in as a project collaborator.
[We highly value your ingenuity in attempting to become a ‘link’ yourself.]
Yuseong nodded, seeing Kaiser’s silence.
[The Imperial Palace Cabinet will cooperate with you. In return, would you not make a deal?]
[…A deal?]
[I have a proposal regarding the Corpse Emperor.]
Yuseong’s smile, as he looked at Kaiser, instantly turned chilling.
[I wish to add another meaning to your countless failures…]
[34436th experiment halted. This plan also failed.]
The night view of Vulcan’s city, clearly visible below.
Kaiser stood on the rooftop of a building with Olivera.
Otherworldly demons struggled and shrieked madly in the streets below.
[We only opened The Gate for 1.75 seconds, yet 8 areas in Vulcan’s Outer Zone were all demonified… As expected, the power of the Outer World has too many variables.]
Kaiser, scribbling in a notebook behind Olivera, said.
[If it weren’t for the Imperial Palace’s information, we might not have been able to stop it. In the next regression, I’ll regulate the variables a bit better and—]
[Kaiser.]
Olivera spoke quietly.
[Let’s stop here.]
[…What?]
Olivera turned, leaving Kaiser startled.
[Which number is it now?]
[I told you. The 34436th—]
[How many times have you repeated the 34436th regression cycle?]
[…]
[This plan was proceeding with unusually specific numbers.]
Olivera said.
[The time The Gate was opened, the scale of demonification, the range of the Outer World’s influence. It would have been impossible without repeating the same experiment countless times.]
[…]
Olivera quietly asked, seeing Kaiser’s silence.
[If you knew it was the wrong method, weren’t you supposed to move on to the next cycle?]
[…Not yet, because it hasn’t failed.]
Kaiser looked up.
His eyes were barely visible, hidden by his curly hair.
[There are still unknown variables in the Outer World’s power. The wanderers who perished long ago and drift in the sea… we might be able to gain something.]
[…]
[The only reason I could continue these regression cycles for so long was because of the True Blood obtained through a deal with the Imperial Palace. While maintaining a cooperative relationship with them, we must maximize our gains—]
[No. That way won’t work. Eventually, you won’t be able to endure it.]
Olivera said in a low voice.
[If you break, everything we have built up until now will be for naught.]
[If I were to break this easily, I wouldn’t have started in the first place…]
Kaiser murmured quietly.
His gaze, beyond his trembling curly hair, wavered emptily.
[I can still do more. Forever, no matter how many times I fail, I must—]
[I… don’t know anymore.]
From Olivera’s eyes, hidden by her veil, all will vanished for the first time.
It was the regression cycle where the companion who had been with Kaiser since the project began, left for the first time.
Even after she left, he tried until the very end, but ultimately, no possibilities could be found there.
How much effort did he put into explaining all those facts again and bringing Olivera back in the next cycle?
He considered himself fortunate to be able to correct his mistakes, but perhaps something had been subtly changing since then.
The experiments continued endlessly.
[65917th ‘Astrology’ Scenario failed.]
Aaaaaagh!!!
Splatter!!!
Blood and flesh overflowed, pouring onto the Tarot cards.
Astrology that read the trajectory of causality using a unique technique called Compression: Star Lotus Style.
Something that was once human exploded and poured onto Kaiser’s feet.
[…]
Kaiser stared blankly at the other’s blood covering his face, then slowly stood up.
Even though his entire body was soaked in blood, his eyes remained empty.
A blonde woman approached Kaiser and said with a smiling face.
[Then, as promised, the City Council will take this scenario. That’s fine, isn’t it?]
The Mayor, who held the greatest power since the mega-city was established, looked down at Kaiser with a strange gaze.
[It was a deal to hand over the precedent of a scenario you gave up on and excluded to the Vulcan City Council.]
[…Yes.]
From which regression cycle had Vulcan’s City Council been brought into the project for cooperation?
Kaiser accepted the deal, even knowing that the Vulcan Mayor at the time was a unique ability user.
[Ah, an Astrologer. A very useful talent, I like it. I might definitely be able to make use of it somehow.]
[…]
[Don’t forget to keep her alive in the next cycle, as promised. If you break the promise because I don’t remember—]
Ignoring the departing Mayor, Kaiser quietly reached out towards the corpse.
Kaiser, who struggled to gather the Tarot cards the Astrologer had been using, murmured.
[Again, it’s getting closer…]
The plan to divine the time of demise using astrology had been consistently attempted since the project’s inception.
It was the only way to indirectly sense the movements of the Outer Sea, while remaining safest from Outer Gods.
But Kaiser had recently felt something slightly off in recent regression cycles.
The predicted time of demise through astrology changed slightly with each regression.
The stars floating in that sea drew closer, regardless of Kaiser’s regression.
Those demises from that sea had begun to move, regardless of Kaiser’s regression.
[No… this is…]
He kept failing, but he no longer felt any sense of crisis.
Even when marking new numbers and plans for each regression cycle, there was no emotion.
The questions and answers he had dismissed like lost puzzle pieces slowly crept up, gnawing at Kaiser.
The erosion of emotion, the loss of motivation, that his companions had warned him about, and he himself had tried to prepare for.
He had believed that even after defeating countless powerful enemies and geniuses, some things would never change.
What hadn’t changed was not Kaiser’s heart.
What hadn’t changed was the world’s demise.
Kaiser finally had to admit it.
[I… can’t do it…]
Even after exploring all sorts of spellcraft and innate abilities to protect his mind, and borrowing artifacts and spiritual presence.
Even after devising various means to repeat as many regression cycles as possible. The flow of time rendered all of it meaningless.
Kaiser Bajour was not a human who could endlessly endure within infinite regressions.
[Someone else… someone else…]
If someone else had this power, they surely could have done better than Kaiser.
Even though he had repeated regressions to avoid regret, he now regretted the act itself.
At the moment Kaiser, consumed by irreversible self-reproach, even stopped regressing.
[Father…?]
[…Ethan.]
As if a lie, another person came into Kaiser’s sight.