I’m not a Regressor

Chapter 195: Sword of Justice (1)

One week had passed since the colossal gate incident where monsters went berserk and attacked San Fruttuoso.

In the meantime, Ohjin, Ha-eun, and Isabella moved to the main building of the Colagrande Household in Rome.

The significance of the incident caused rumors to spread at a rapid speed, and Isabella had to keep an insane schedule to smooth over the situation.

Ohjin and Ha-eun had nothing to do.

Isabella had set her foot down and told them that she would take care of it on her own since it was the Colagrande Household's responsibility, and that left the two of them with no work in their massive residence.

"Yawwwwwn."

Ha-eun yawned on top of the bed in Ohjin’s bedroom and wrapped herself in his blankets.

Wiggle, wiggle—

She wiggled her body like a pupa emerging from its cocoon.

A few seconds later…

"AHH! How much longer do we need to stay here?"

It appeared that even rolling on the bed was boring for her since she kicked the blanket off the bed and sat up.

Ohjin picked up the blanket and approached her.

"Until the incident has settled down."

"Can't we just go home and come back later? It'll only take a moment since there's a gate to the sanctum in Rome."

"You're not wrong about that, however…"

It would still take longer than expected since there was an immigration office for foreign Awakeners in front of every gate.

"I'm thinking of staying here until the culprit is found."

"Culprit?"

"I'm talking about the one who messed with the dragon vein."

"Ah."

Ha-eun groaned and nodded.

Honestly, there was nothing lacking in the Colagrande Household’s residence. The rooms were as spacious as basketball courts, and the food they served was so amazing that it made her wonder if such delicacies always existed.

As for the bathhouse…

She thought she was setting foot in some Greek god's palace the first time she entered their bathhouse.

Everything was excessively luxurious, extravagant, and elegant.

However…

"I really can't fucking get used to something about all this."

Ha-eun sighed deeply and lay down on the bed once again.

Ohjin smirked and replied, "Me too."

To those two who used to live at the very bottom of the social ladder, staying in Colagrande's residence felt a bit like they were wearing ill-fitting clothes.

"It'd be better if we were staying at our house."

It was like going to play at a friend's house but them having to leave due to urgent business. They couldn't help but feel like they were in an awkward position.

"Endure it for a little longer. Aren’t you the one who said Isabella looked vulnerable?"

"Well, that is true…"

Ha-eun sighed deeply.

Maybe she would've felt different if Ohjin was able to make progress on getting Isabella to become their ally during that time. Everything felt meaningless since Isabella was so busy that they hadn’t even spent time with her.

"If you're that bored… do you want to spar with me?"

"Spar?"

Ohjin nodded his head.

He still hadn't been able to get used to the new strength that he had gained by becoming an 8-Star after absorbing the dragon vein.

'I wonder how powerful I am now.’

To be honest, not even Ohjin himself knew how strong he was.

Normally, you could get a grasp on an Awakener’s strength according to their stigma and what star rank they were at, however…

'I'm different.'

Ohjin had the Black Heaven and the stigma of Lyra that was known to be one of the strongest stigmas.

Did it end there?

He even astonished Vega, a North Star, with the talent he displayed.

Even he knew how abnormal his existence was.

[A spar with Ha-eun… it certainly does seem worth giving a shot.]

Sparkle—

Vega nodded her head as she chipped away on fruit like a squirrel on top of Ohjin’s shoulder.

"Oho. A mere 8-Star dares to match up against me?"

Ha-eun’s eyes shone in interest as she got up from the bed.

She poked Ohjin with a playful smile, but she was aware that it wouldn’t be easy to defeat him regardless of whether she was a high-rank Awakener that had finished body reconstruction or not.

In fact, some deep part of her believed he would be impossible to defeat.

"Even I want to see this."

Riak got up from the wide carpet and approached them.

"Alright, let’s go out to the garden."

Ohjin nodded his head and took Ha-eun, Vega, and Riak outside.

* * *

He did call it a 'garden' for the time being, but what unfolded outside the residence was too excessively spacious to be referred to as a ‘garden’.

"What the fuck? What kind of people have a lake and a mountain on their grounds?" Ha-eun exclaimed as she looked over the seemingly endless Colagrande Household's garden.

The thick smell of capitalism wafted from the house.

"I want to start a revolution."

"What are you talking about?"

Ohjin smirked and found a location that seemed appropriate for a spar.

"This place seems pretty good."

There was a plot of barren land around the size of a small soccer field that was made for bodyguard training that contained training equipment for Awakeners.

"Should we start right away?"

Ha-eun clenched her fist and got into a stance.

[Wait a moment…]

Vega flew up into the air and spread her arms.

Bzzzt!—

Blue lightning spread out like a curtain with her at the center.

"Wait… Don't tell me that you used Sacred Ground."

[Don't worry, that isn't the case. It's just a kind of barrier that lessens noise and the damage inflicted on the surroundings.]

"It isn't harming your divinity, is it?"

[Fufu. You worry too much. Do you really think that I wouldn't be able to control myself?]

Well, she had no reason to create a barrier that could harm her divinity just for a mere spar.

"Nice! Then I can run wild to my heart's content, right?"

[Control your strength in moderation since the barrier isn't that sturdy.]

"Alright, alright."

Ha-eun nodded her head and snapped her fingers like she suddenly thought of a good idea.

"Ohjin, only sparring is a bit boring, so do you want to make a bet?"

"A bet?"

"Yeah. The loser has to do anything the winner wants."

He didn't know what she would wish for, but…

"Sure."

"Hehe! That's a promise, alright?"

* * *

Translator - Maccas

Proofreader - ilafy

* * *

She smiled and took a pack of cigarettes from her pocket.

After placing a long cigarette between her fingers…

"Oh, flames—"

She thought, imagined, and yearned for powerful flames—red flames that burned red like a dragon's breath.

"—blaze."

Fwooooosh!!—

A massive wave of flames assaulted Ohjin.

"Ugh!"

He hadn't even made contact with the fire, but the heat alone made his skin turn red.

'If I get hit by that directly…'

He would be roasted whole.

'She’s definitely above me in terms of firepower.'

Using an old, popular game as an analogy: she was similar to a siege tank.

Her movements were sluggish, but she had long range and powerful blows.

'Still…'

Ohjin’s eyes shone keenly.

He couldn’t match up to her in firepower without using Lightning God Physique, but he didn't fall behind in any other department.

No, it didn't stop there. He was actually confident in his ability to surpass her greatly in everything other than firepower.

"Exceed."

Bzzzzt!—

Blue lightning wrapped around his body.

He shot into the air.

"Where do you think you’re going?!"

Ha-eun aimed the cigarette she was holding at Ohjin.

Like an orchestra conductor’s baton, the flames changed direction according to the cigarette and shot up.

Bzzzt!—

Ohjin used Lightning Step to avoid the flames and quickly fell to the ground like a meteor.

'Thunder Fall.'

Crackleee!—

The lightning bolt shot from the sky toward Ha-eun.

"Hya!"

Ha-eun exclaimed and stomped both of her feet.

Flames exploded and sent her body flying backward.

Thud, thud, thud!!—

Using the momentum of the fall, Ohjin rapidly sprinted toward Ha-eun.

He grasped his pitch-black spear and swung it low in a sweeping motion.

"Uh!"

Ha-eun hopped over the spear, extended her right arm forward, and snapped the cigarette in his direction.

Fwooosh!!—

The curtain of flames spread and covered Ohjin.

'I won't be able to avoid this one.'

Sizzle—

The intense heat of the flames burnt his skin.

"Heh! You can't do anything, can you?!" Ha-eun shouted with a confident expression.

Ohjin looked at the curtain of flames approaching and lowered his body.

‘Nope.’

“Lightning Charge.”

Baaaang!—

He concentrated lightning into the tip of his spear and blasted it outward.

What he aimed for was not the curtain of flames but the ground beneath him.

‘Fire is bound to rise.’

A hole about three meters deep formed from the impact of Lightning Charge; he threw his body into the hole and avoided the flames.

“H-Huh?”

Ha-eun took a step back with a surprised expression.

Ohjin didn’t miss that opening and quickly closed the distance.

Holding the spear backward, he thrusted toward her stomach with the spear’s shaft.

When it appeared that it was all over for Ha-eun—

“Did you really think that I’d go down so easily?”

—her lips curved into a smile like her previous expression was a lie while she twisted her body.

She caught the shaft that was aimed at her stomach with one hand and clenched her other hand.

Fwooosh!—

Fierce flames erupted over her fist.

“Hyaa!”

Bam!—

Ohjin was directly hit in the head and violently flew back.

“Hehe! How was that? I got you properly this time, didn’t I?!” Ha-eun shouted with an excited voice.

He crossed his arms while being helplessly blown away.

And then—

Swiiiish!—

—six wires shot out of the hole he made using Lightning Charge and wrapped around her body.

“Ah!!” Ha-eun exclaimed with a genuinely surprised expression that time.

Whirrrrrr!—

She could easily break loose by burning them away, but the wires wrapping around her body gave her no time and quickly tried to return to their shooter.

Ha-eun urgently stuck her foot into the ground and maintained her balance. Regardless, it didn’t change the fact that Ohjin was quickly nearing her.

Bzzzt!—

The blue lightning covering his spear sparked fiercely.

“Damn it!”

Realizing that escape was impossible, Ha-eun took six cigarettes from her pack.

“Oh, flames—!”

Fwooosh!!—

Six fiery red dragons shot out from the cigarettes and coiled around her body.

“—fucking blaze!!!”

Ohjin and Ha-eun clashed.

Booooooooom!!!—

An ear-piercing sound and intense gusts of wind swept the area away.

The barrier of blue lightning absorbed the scattering fragments of rock and blocked the wind that was completely destroying the earth.

What appeared once the cloud of dust settled down—

“Cough!”

—was Ohjin kneeling down on the ground.

“Huh? D-Did I win?”

Ha-eun looked around with wide eyes.

Compared to Ohjin, whose clothing was mostly ruined and who was scorched heavily by flames, Ha-eun’s condition was completely fine.

“Ugh. Yeah, you won.”

Ohjin smirked and shook his head.

“Yay! I won! I really won!”

She cheered and jumped up and down on the spot.

“…”

Ohjin looked at Ha-eun jump for joy with a pleased smile on his face.

“A wish! The loser is supposed to grant a wish!”

“Yeah. What’s your wish?”

“Hmm. W-Wait! I’ll come up with one, so just wait a moment!”

Ha-eun panicked and racked her brain as if she hadn’t imagined that she would win.

“…Rookie.”

Riak quietly approached Ohjin while Ha-eun was deep in thought.

Unsatisfied with the situation, he asked him a question with a frown on his face.

“Why did you lose on purpose?”

Indeed, he wasn’t able to fool Riak’s eyes.

After smirking and shrugging without a word, he walked up to Ha-eun.

“…”

Riak fixed his eyes on his back as he walked away.

‘There’s no doubt about it… He could’ve easily defeated that lizard woman.’

The truth was that he intentionally held back his strength during their last exchange of blows.

“Hah.”

It wasn’t hard to intentionally lose against someone in a spar, however, it was an entirely different story if you were trying to lose without the opponent noticing.

‘Monster…’

Riak looked at Ohjin with quivering eyes.

It had been a year and a couple of months since Ohjin received the stigma of Lyra. Even if his opponent’s stigma wasn’t on par with a North Star’s, it was hard to imagine that he could go ‘easy’ against a 9-Star Awakener who’d undergone body reconstruction.

‘Once he becomes a 9-Star Awakener himself… how much more of a monster will he become?’

A chill ran down his spine.

‘But I’m…’

Riak shut his eyes tight and shook his head.

“Ah! I thought of a wish!!”

Ha-eun smirked and abruptly raised her hand, giving off a humorous smile as she lightly pulled on his arm.

“My wish is—”