Amidst a battlefield drenched by a relentless, mourning rain, two figures were locked in a dance of death. A man with golden hair and silver eyes clashed blades with a black-haired man whose hollow gaze revealed a soul devoid of all human emotion.
Clang—! Clang—!
"Kuhh.."
The golden-haired man staggered, struggling to maintain his distance while gasping for air. He stared intensely at the man before him, his eyes shattered with grief.
"Why..."
His voice trembled, a fragile thread woven with agony and searing wrath.
"Why are you doing all of this!!"
Though his scream tore through the air, not a single word escaped the lips of his opponent.
"Answer me, Kale!!"
Hahh..
A short, shallow sigh escaped Kale's lips.
'Why am I doing this? Right.'
It all began a lifetime ago. I was once an ordinary citizen of Earth who suddenly woke up in an unfamiliar world—or so I thought at first. As I navigated through it, the chilling truth dawned on me: this was the world of a novel I had once read.
A story where the protagonist was a destined hero fated to slay the Demon God. But the hero failed, and in his desperation, he received the power of Regression from the Goddess. Yet, despite turning back time again and again, the hero continued to meet only failure.
Cycle after cycle passed, until the burden of regression became more than he could bear. The hero lost his mind, was possessed by an evil god, and ended up slaughtering the very world he was meant to protect. Out of frustration with that ending, I had left a scathing comment for the author before falling asleep. When I opened my eyes, I had awakened in an entirely different world, carrying my original body from Earth.
Armed with my knowledge of the future, I fought to grow stronger and forged bonds with the main characters until, finally...
"Is that... the Demon God?"
The atmosphere on the battlefield grew suffocatingly heavy. The figure descending before the allied forces wore a human form, but the pressure it exhaled transcended all mortal logic. It was the manifestation of a god.
!!
Vwoooooom—!
A colossal magic circle ignited across the sky in an instant, and half of our forces were incinerated into ash.
"Kuhhk! Everyone, charge!!"
The entire army rushed forward simultaneously, desperate to strike the figure.
"What wretched creatures! To think you dare challenge me with such trivial power."
And so, the long confrontation against the Demon God began.
Clang! Clang!
"Ghaaahkk!"
"Don't give up!"
"Clear a path for the Hero!"
Splat!
Blood sprayed like rain. Despite the combined might of the army, the Demon God was barely scratched.
"Hahh... hahh..."
Ragged, heavy breaths tore through my throat.
"Remarkable, human. Though you are but a mere soldier, I did not expect you to last this long before me."
"Hahh... you won't touch the hero... as long as I am still standing here."
Though my words sounded defiant, my body had reached its absolute nadir. Every inch of me was covered in gaping wounds.
''I did everything I could... everything with the knowledge of the future I possessed.''
But in the face of absolute power, every plan was nothing more than dust in the wind.
"However, I have grown weary of you, human. Therefore, die."
Just as the Demon God's blade swung to claim my head—
Clang!
"Sorry I'm late, Kale!"
"Brother, are you okay!?"
"Sir Kael!"
"Kael! How are you holding up?"
A chorus of voices called my name. I opened my eyes to see them—the party of four chosen by the Goddess to face the Demon God.
''The main protagonists.''
"Don't worry about me," I wheezed. "Use all your strength to take that bastard down."
"B-But—!"
The silver-haired woman in the party looked at me with trembling eyes. I met her gaze with absolute resolve.
"Save this world."
I forced the best smile I could muster. She nodded, her eyes welling with tears.
"Brother..."
Not just her; everyone there wore the same expression of grief.
"Go.."
Slowly, my consciousness faded until my vision turned to black.
...
Clang! Clang!
Swoosh!
My eyes jolted open to the roar of clashing steel and the whistle of magic. Before me, the protagonists were locked in a desperate struggle against the Demon God.
'How long was I unconscious?'
Looking at their worsening condition, it was clear this battle had been raging for a long time. Everyone was exhausted, their bodies mapped with injuries. Suddenly—
"Ghaahkk!"
The Demon God's blade pierced straight through the Hero's heart.
"Hero!!"
His teammates rushed forward to help, but...
Boom!
With a single shockwave, the Demon God sent them all flying back.
"How pitiful, O Hero. Though you had a chance to kill me, your strength was simply not enough."
The Demon God stood over the dying Leon. The deity was covered in wounds, yet his condition was far better than that of the protagonists.
"Your comrades were no ordinary people; they were strong. But even so, they could never have killed me."
The Hero remained motionless, ignoring the Demon God's mockery. Suddenly, a glowing magic circle flickered beneath his feet.
"Wait, this is—!"
"Hahh.. It seems I've failed to stop you this time as well. But it's fine. I still have plenty of time to kill you, Demon God."
"You bastard!!"
Realizing what the magic circle was, the Demon God prepared to strike—
Clang!
"You!"
I parried the attack and pushed the Demon God back.
"I won't let you!!"
Sring! Klining! Clang!
Shadowy chains slithered rapidly, locking the Demon King's movements. I turned toward the hero and reached out my hand.
"Hero, take my hand."
"Kale, what are you doing..."
Leon looked at Kale's face in confusion, but there he found a pair of eyes that were hauntingly serious. Without hesitation, Leon gripped Kale's hand.
[Ding!]
[Success! You have stolen the authority of 'Regression' from the Protagonist!]
!!
"Kale, you!"
[Thief's Glove]
An item I received when I first arrived in this world. In the novel, it was described as a one-time-use item that could steal a skill. I never expected to use it for a moment like this.
Perhaps because I had spent so much time with them, they had become precious to me.
I took a breath, bracing myself for what was to come, and looked at the hero once more with a smile that might be the last I could ever give them.
"You're a fool, my friend."
The other party members, regaining their footing, rushed toward us.
"Kael!"
"Brother!"
"Sir Kael"
I looked at them all one last time.
"I don't know which cycle this is for you all, but it seems you haven't done this too many times yet."
!!
"Ho-How did you—"
"Don't worry. Even if I must become your enemy in the future... Believe me... I am doing this to protect you."
Instantly, a blinding light enveloped my body. The world distorted as time was forcibly pulled backward. And that was the starting point of my regression hell.
After that, I tried a thousand ways, but all ended in failure. Tens, hundreds, thousands of times... until I could no longer even remember how long I had been trapped in this cycle. This burden was too destructive for a soul that merely came from Earth.
Now, what remains of me is a hollow shell without a soul, moved only by a tiny spark of obsession that refuses to die until they are saved. Until, in a cycle I can no longer count...
"Why are you doing this?"
I looked at a man drenched in blood before me.
"Hah, why do you ask when you already know the answer?"
"It's not that. If you choose this path, they will never know the truth behind it... they will only hate you forever."
The man took a long, heavy breath.
"If that is the price for their safety... then being hated for a lifetime doesn't seem too bad."
I just stared at him silently. Because my emotions were dead, I couldn't understand what he felt, but seeing him smile, perhaps he was happy.
"You know, Kale."
I looked up, and my eyes widened slightly. The man who had always seemed cold and cruel was actually capable of wearing a smile like that.
"I don't know what kind of burden you're carrying, but it must be so heavy... that even I cannot imagine it."
!!
"Heh, so you can be surprised too, huh?"
"What do you mean? Of course I can still be surprised."
The man laughed out loud, though his voice grew increasingly hoarse.
"Listen, Kale... it might not be fitting for a villain like me to say this, but... helping someone... doesn't always have to be... with kindness..."
"...What do you mean?"
"What I mean is... if in the future you are faced with a choice... to live in peace while the world is destroyed... or the world is saved but you are hated by the entire universe... which one would you pick?"
"....I don't know."
"If it were me... then I would pick the second option..."
"Why?"
"Isn't it obvious? In that saved world... someone precious to me is there... If she is happy... then that is enough..."
"Remember this, Kale.... there is no peace...."
"....without...."
"....a...."
"....sac-ri-fice...."
And with that, the man breathed his last as his eyes slowly closed. I contemplated his final words.
'A sacrifice, huh...'
!!
It was as if a sudden realization struck my mind.
'Why did I never think of this until now?'
Regression continued. But unlike before, the endless cycle was now narrowing toward a conclusion.
"How much longer are you going to stand there daydreaming!!"
Shing!
A blade flashed toward me. Standing there was the hero—and my dearest friend.
"You asked why I am doing all of this.... Of course. I am doing this... to save the world."