The Regressor Wants to Become a Hero

For her, smoking was a ritual—a way to prepare for battle. It awakened her dulled senses, sharpened her focus, and heightened her magical energy, readying her for any confrontation.

Slowly, she inhaled, her eyes scanning the battlefield.

‘He’s fast.’

Ian, who had been standing beside her moments ago, was already in close quarters with their opponent. Lowering his stance, he swung his black blade with precision.

As she exhaled deeply, Bellen observed Ian deftly avoiding spells coming from his opponent’s blind spots, his fluid slashes pressuring the mage.

‘Looks like he doesn’t need my help.’

The mage wasn’t weak. Despite his position as a mere lieutenant, his magical proficiency was commendable.

Most would have been struck down instantly by the deadly water streams fired at their backs. The attacks were sharp and unrelenting. Yet Ian moved as if he knew exactly how to handle such a foe.

He never stood still. Each attack was followed by swift movement, his feet constantly in motion.

And his strikes weren’t light either. Quick and agile, Ian embodied the essence of a seasoned warrior.

The only thing puzzling her was one detail.

‘Why isn’t he using Bane of Evil?’

Aside from the brief flames he had summoned during his initial charge, he hadn’t used the skill.

Did he think he could win without it? Was it confidence—or arrogance? Either way, it seemed he might just pull it off.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if you surrendered?”

Bellen spoke, turning to look behind her. There was nothing visible.

But just because she couldn’t see it didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

“Just to confirm, I’m asking you.”

She extended her hand. At that moment, a translucent, white hand covered in violet magic manifested in midair and reached toward her.

Thud!

It collided with a barrier she had deployed just in time.

The impact was heavy, sending a reverberating shock through the air. The sound alone was enough to make anyone flinch.

But Bellen didn’t show any signs of wavering. Instead, she focused her energy, unleashing another spell.

Crackle!

Lightning erupted along the barrier, wrapping around the violet hand. The two forces clashed and canceled each other out.

Then, the figure revealed herself.

“…Ah.”

Emerging from the dissipating magic was a breathtakingly beautiful woman.

Her eyes curved into a soft smile, causing Bellen to instinctively widen her own in surprise.

“Shouldn’t it be you, not me, who’s surrendering?”

As the woman’s violet magic seeped into the barrier, it shattered like glass.

The woman stepped forward, her movements as light as the wind, arms gracefully outstretched as if ready to embrace.

A faint fragrance wafted toward Bellen, clouding her mind.

But she didn’t falter. Quickly gathering her strength, she released a surge of energy that forcefully pushed everything around her away.

Boom!

The woman was blown back but twirled in midair, landing with elegant poise.

Bellen’s heart thudded as she watched, almost as if she had fallen for the woman at first sight.

For a moment, the unexpected feelings brought her a sense of unease. How could she, as a woman, feel this way toward another?

The woman smiled sweetly.

“What a shame. You shouldn’t have resisted.”

“…Who are you?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking?”

The woman, arms still spread wide, was now wearing a pristine gown.

“I’m an inspector dispatched from the main house. I’m here to verify whether the elixirs being developed in this lab and its achievements have been falsified.”

“…Not a researcher?”

“Hmm? A researcher, you say? What about me says I’m—ah.”

At Bellen’s question, the woman tilted her head in confusion before glancing down at her attire.

To anyone, she appeared to be a researcher—a novice, at that. Her outfit gave off the impression of someone brimming with naive enthusiasm.

“My mistake.”

The woman snapped her fingers. Her gown vanished, replaced by a perfectly tailored uniform.

Her once-loose hair was now neatly tied up, giving her a much more austere appearance.

“There we go, ta-da! How do I look now?”

“…Are you playing games with me?”

“Games? How could you say such a thing? Look at this—it’s irrefutable proof that I’m an inspector from the Mathis family.”

The woman pointed to her chest.

At first, there was nothing there. But in the blink of an eye, a radiant emblem appeared, scattering multicolored light in every direction.

It was unmistakably the symbol of the Mathis family, exuding an air of mystique.

But Bellen let out a dry laugh.

“What meaning does that hold? You just demonstrated your ability to change your attire at will. Do you really think a single emblem will convince me?”

The more Bellen observed the woman, the more entranced she felt. Each exchange seemed to pull her deeper into the woman’s charm.

But the moment she bit down on her pipe, the sharp scent of tobacco overpowered the woman’s delicate fragrance, helping her regain composure.

Realizing she was being enchanted, Bellen frowned.

“Do you take me for a fool, Avia?”

“…Oh?”

The sky, tinged with violet hues, crackled in resonance with Bellen’s emotions.

Krrrummmble!

Thunder roared ominously.

“Oh my.”

Avia tilted her head up to the sky, and in an instant, the world was illuminated by zigzagging bolts of lightning aimed directly at her.

BANG!

The speed was too fast for any ordinary being to evade.

Yet, standing in the midst of it all, Avia remained unharmed. Her violet magic shielded her from the strikes.

Reaching out toward the lingering sparks in the air, she allowed the electricity to course through her skin. A faint moan escaped her lips as she winced.

“Ouch, that stings.”

To Bellen, her reaction seemed entirely feigned.

Unbothered by Bellen’s cold glare, Avia rubbed her hand where the electricity had seeped in, mumbling to herself.

“Being famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Even the smallest detail gives me away wherever I go.”

“With how openly you flaunt your powers, isn’t it strange for anyone not to recognize you?”

Avia made no effort to hide her identity. Her striking appearance alone was captivating, and she did nothing to conceal it.

Nodding, Avia agreed.

“Right? It’d be strange not to recognize me. And that’s what infuriates me. You know who I am, yet you dare act like this? How insolent do you have to be to think you can stand against me? That old man would’ve run at the first sign of trouble.”

“…Old man?”

“Riorg Ribella. Don’t know him? Hah, whatever. Whether you know or not doesn’t matter. The issue is that you see who I am and still choose to fight. That’s why I can’t just let this slide.”

Avia snapped her fingers toward Bellen.

“!”

Crackle, crackle!

Dozens of geometric patterns manifested in midair, their interiors filled with runes glowing with violet light, slowly rotating. Avia smiled softly.

“Let’s see your skills. Let’s find out if that arrogant attitude of yours is warranted.”

With her calm voice, the magic circles tilted toward the sky in unison. The movement alone made it clear what her attack would entail.

“And if it is? What happens then?”

“In that case, I’ll generously offer you the chance to join me. But if you fall short… hmm, what should I do? Oh, I know! You’ll have to prepare yourself for a good spanking in front of everyone!”

Avia laughed playfully as the magic circles erupted simultaneously, releasing condensed energy in an unpredictable barrage.

Fwoooosh!

Watching the spells streak toward her like blazing comets, Bellen swung her pipe.

A massive surge of electricity burst into the air, spreading like a net and intercepting the incoming magic.

BOOOOM!

An explosion of immense force unleashed a cloud of violet mist.

“Mist?”

Bellen frowned and took a step back, but the violet fog moved like a living entity, rushing toward her and enveloping her completely.

She attempted to dispel it with a discharge of electricity, but the onslaught of spells didn’t stop.

BOOM! BOOM!

Magic blasted through the mist, striking her protective barrier. Each impact released more of the violet fog, thickening the shroud further.

Her vision became increasingly obscured, and soon even her sense of direction faltered.

Confusion set in. Was she still standing on solid ground?

She’d been facing away from the sealed laboratory moments ago, but now she couldn’t even tell which way she was looking.

To be unable to determine her bearings—

So this is the level of a Dark Mage from the Ten Thousand Magic Battlefield.

The difference in caliber between her and an ordinary Dark Mage was undeniable. To feel so stifled from a single spell was humbling.

This violet mist wasn’t merely meant to obscure her vision or disorient her.

Who was Avia, the Kingslayer?

A woman whose natural beauty had made her a queen of a kingdom.

Her smile alone had captivated masses, and people would gladly surrender everything at her slightest gesture.

But that was not all. If it were, she wouldn’t be a member of the Ten Thousand Magic Battlefield. She was also a master illusionist.

Her illusions weren’t merely lifelike—they possessed substance, capable of affecting reality and delivering devastating physical force.

The violet mist blanketing the area was surely the foundation for creating a battlefield in her favor.

Recognizing this, Bellen dashed forward, scattering electricity as she moved.

The current flowed across the ground, acting as her proxy to detect her target.

She felt a reaction—her opponent was pursuing her. The distance was rapidly closing. Bellen gathered her mana.

Bzzzt!

Electricity sparked between her fingers, trying to break free. But she expertly guided it, wrapping it around her forearm, ready to release at a moment’s notice.

“How long do you plan to run?”

A sweet voice called from her left. Yet, her magic detected the opponent on her right.

Bellen didn’t hesitate. She trusted her magic over her disrupted senses.

Pouring mana into the electricity coiled around her arm, she expanded its size and amplified its power, ensuring it could sweep across the widest possible area.

CRACKLE!

And she unleashed it.

KA-BOOOOM!

Blinding radiance erupted, rapidly expanding and engulfing the surrounding area. The intense heat, capable of reducing even metal to molten slag, evaporated the mist, clearing the air.

What emerged in the dissipating haze was a woman, her body charred black. The strike’s force was enough to turn her into ash, yet her form remained intact—perhaps a testament to her superhuman resilience.

Did I get her?

At that moment, the woman smiled.

“!”

Despite her scorched skin, a flash of pearly white teeth appeared as she lunged, clinging onto Bellen’s barrier.

“To prepare such a powerful lightning spell in such a short time… What a talent. What’s your name? Hmm? Tell me.”

“…Bellen Cordelia.”

Avia reverted to her original form. Her melted eyes reappeared, her blackened skin regained its porcelain hue, and her hair, once burned away, flowed down her shoulders once more. Her elegant attire reformed as if nothing had happened.

She stood beyond the barrier, her expression playful, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Cordelia~ Of course, I know. The Cordelia family, one of the most renowned alchemical houses in El Carda Empire, rivaling the Mathis family!”

“…Let me ask you one thing. Is the research here truly valuable enough to interest the Ten Thousand Magic Battlefield?”

Bellen stared unflinchingly at Avia, who clung to the barrier.

“Well, that depends on who gets their hands on it, doesn’t it? The Superhuman Elixir Project—grand in name and ambition but utterly crude in results. Taking advice from the Outer World was a good start, but you know what happens when you meddle with them.”

“…Corruption.”

“Exactly! You’ve created something too unstable for yourselves to use, haven’t you?”

“But it’s different for you, isn’t it?”

Avia nodded cheerfully, her expression as radiant as ever.

Crrrack, crrrack.

The barrier began to crack. Violet energy seeped in, corroding it.

“Yep! To you, it’s a failure. But to me? It’s incredibly useful. Accelerated metabolism, enhanced cellular regeneration, muscle hypertrophy, and even the feral aggression from mana corruption—all the so-called side effects are bonuses for me. Thanks to this, I’ll save a lot of time.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“If you follow me, you’ll find out. So? How about it?”

Her voice dripped with sweetness, and her gaze carried a wistful charm, skillfully eroding Bellen’s composure.

But Bellen firmly resisted the allure, her voice deliberately curt.

“If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. Just get away from me.”

Light surged around them, centering on Bellen and Avia.

A thunderous bolt of lightning descended upon the spot.

BOOOOOM!

——–