Regressor Instruction Manual

Chapter 1405. Crimson Ball (15)

It was a dramatic situation. To Sun Hee-Young and Ha Yeon-Soo, it didn't look dramatic at all, but for those who had been staying here for quite a while now, the sight looked like a miracle.

This place had already fallen into ruin thanks to the endless waves of undead, but to make matters worse, they had to deal with a bunch of deranged murderers.

In addition, nothing could be seen except for a faint light that barely allowed them to distinguish what lay ahead.

It felt as though nothing could be heard except screams, and they were also forced to watch their comrades die one by one.

The workers and ballroom participants who needed help could only stand dazed in the background, waiting for their turn to die. Everyone had to have been waiting for their deaths, so it was only natural for them to welcome the sudden voices along with the radiant light that gradually pervaded the fourth floor.

The dark space was now being filled with a bright light. I looked down at them through the Telescope and saw a magnificent spectacle. Lights here and there were illuminating the paths, sweeping away the formless terror.

‘Seriously... they're nothing but a bunch of cowards... Everyone here would die if it weren't for those girls.'

There were mages or priests among the survivors on the fourth floor, and magic wasn't the only way to create light.

‘There are some cloths and oil.’

There were even candles. The one and only reason they hadn’t made a move was simple.

‘They're afraid of becoming targets.’

Making out one's ally or foe was impossible in a battlefield as dark as this, and the fight had also devolved into utter chaos. It was understandable for them to be afraid of revealing their positions.

They didn’t want to expose themselves to the serial killers or the Republic’s assassins.

Hence, they refrained from casting any spells to brighten up this dark space. In the first place, all the Brigade had done was unleash their expendable members during the initial attack and plunge this place into darkness.

They hadn’t used some outdated spell like Dark Fog, nor had they set up any kind of barrier to restrict the use of mana in the area.

In the end, the idiots here were consumed by fear despite being perfectly capable of resolving the situation themselves. Of course, all of this had to have unfolded exactly as First Ki-Young intended, but...

‘If even one person had come to their senses, damn it, there would have been hundreds more survivors.’

If someone had raised their hand and cast a spell, things wouldn't have spiraled into the worst possible outcome.

The first to shoulder the burden weren’t the high-ranking nobles who could be called the pillars of the Union of the Kingdoms. They weren’t the knights who boasted of their exploits at the ballroom, nor the mages who flaunted their ocean-wide knowledge.

They weren’t the priests who vowed to live for their god...

The ones who brought light to this place were the young ladies who had been nothing more than components for a marriage alliance.

The variable First Ki-Young had failed to anticipate was precisely those young ladies he thought amounted to basically nothing.

“Light the way. Everyone, light it up.”

“Light it up.”

Those who heard their desperate voices gradually began to bring light to the dark castle. Even the grievously wounded mages and the workers who had been trembling in fear all summoned light in their own way.

“Screeeeech!”

“Light it up!”

Those with grim faces and those who thought there was no longer any hope turned toward the brilliant light.

“We’re saved...”

“We’re alive!”

Reflected in their eyes were the young ladies covered in dust and clad in torn dresses. Some of them were in disbelief at the sight, despite looking at it with their own two eyes, but fortunately, some were capable of rational thought.

Unlike earlier, when they were completely unarmed, the young ladies standing on the front lines were equipped with spears and shields. Of course, some of them looked awkward, but their goal wasn’t to beat down the undead.

Just as they had done in the salon, their task was simple.

“Raise the wall!”

“Take care of the injured first!”

It was pretty simple, but it wasn’t an easy task at all. They had to risk their lives, after all. Before the wall could be raised, the young ladies formed pairs and trios to drag the wounded into the light.

“They're undead! Lady Paint, they won't die even if you stab them in the head!”

“Fire magic! Please cast fire magic!”

“Raise the wall! Raise the wall!”

“Cast the spell! Now, quickly!”

“Kyaaaah!”

“Lady Hamgardia!”

“Lady Karina Peneloti, please take care of her!”

“Screeeech!”

“Die, you corpses!”

“Aaaah! Kyaaah!”

“Thrust them! Drive them back with your spears!”

“To the left. We have to go left!”

“Open the wall!”

“But!”

“Open the wall!!”

‘This is a real spectacle. A real spectacle.’

At any rate, it was a scene worthy of becoming a promotional video.

I had seen countless battles across the continent, but a battle as moving as this was rare. It didn’t have the feeling of battles found in myths or legends, yet the spectacle of young ladies in dresses resisting the undead with such desperate determination wasn’t only impressive but downright chilling.

Despite the fear in their eyes and their trembling hands, they moved forward, grasping weapons and chunks of stone to stand against the undead. Injuries were frequent, but even so, not a single one of them retreated.

Of course, the ones coordinating this precarious balancing act were the two—Alps and Belier. From the front, they were restraining the young ladies who had suffered major injuries from attempting any reckless actions.

‘The rookies are doing well.’

They tore their dresses to wrap their injuries. Then, with faces full of scars, they shouted at the top of their lungs in a manner completely opposite to the refined education they had received.

They supported and rescued knights far bigger than themselves, and then they stepped into danger to save the nobles who once mocked their refined fencing.

The bastard Duke Pinkrain seemed to be still alive, and I saw him being supported by three young ladies while entering the light. His legs were shaking so badly that he couldn’t walk on his own.

‘No, damn it. Honestly, leaving trash like him to die would be more helpful to the Union of Kingdoms. They’re just too kind for their own good.’

I felt sorry for Lady Brush, but the likelihood of a civil revolution breaking out in the Union of Kingdoms was probably close to zero. Even if the footage wasn’t deliberately spread, today’s deeds of the young ladies would surely spread from mouth to mouth.

“Light it up!”

“Light up the castle!”

‘It almost makes me want to join them.’

Even I were feeling this way, so how about the observers?

‘Look at that guy.’

The noble in the distance was wailing and crying just moments ago upon getting stabbed in the leg, but now, he was holding back his tears out of embarrassment. He was even trying to get back on his feet. He had to have seen a young lady limping while casting a spell.

Another fellow whose eyes were swollen from crying was also waving a sword around, trying to do something. Just moments ago, he was fleeing in panic, but perhaps he wanted to look impressive in front of the young ladies now.

The sight of him rushing forward while shouting things like “My lady, it’s dangerous!" was a farce, as he honestly looked like he was in more danger than the young lady.

It was pitiful to see him acting like a knight at this point, but still, people like him were better than the likes of Pinkrain, the bloated pig who didn’t seem to have any intention of moving at all.

Some even displayed that they had no conscience at all by pretending to be unconscious.

“Block them!”

“Cast the spell! The spell!”

One thing was certain—they were stirring a new wind in this place. Those who had given up on fighting and those who were too injured to move were all starting to move in order to help in any way they could.

They helped with the simple labor of building and tearing down walls; they also tried to block the dead struggling to break through the walls. I saw some of them moving on their own initiative to do whatever they could. Of course, the ones who truly made a difference were the combatants who had been fighting here from the very beginning.

‘The Union of Kingdoms royal guards.’

“Form up! It’s reinforcements! The reinforcements have arrived!”

“Hngh... Peneloti!”

“The reinforcements are here! Hahaha! The reinforcements are here!”

“Hold the formation! Defend the wall!”

“Charge!”

‘They always say charge.’

The commander of the royal guards shouted upon spotting the young ladies. He called them reinforcements, and the guards following him seemed to have no objections to those words. It likely meant that the young ladies were no longer being acknowledged as people who needed protection, but as comrades who would fight alongside them.

“Raise your shields!”

“Charge!”

“For the Union of Kingdoms!”

“For the glory of the Union of Kingdoms!”

“For the Union of Kingdoms!”

“For the glory of the Union of Kingdoms!”

It was a simple ritual meant purely to stir morale; the guard commander shouted first, and the guards answered with a cry for glory. Through that simple act, they drew courage from inside them and pressed forward.

They gained the strength to push their shields out just a little farther, and they obtained something that couldn’t be put into words. The young ladies who also wished to draw strength added their voices to the chant.

“For the glory of the Union of Kingdoms!”

“For the Union of Kingdoms!”

“Penelotiii!”

“For the Union of Kingdoms!”

‘Now the young ladies could finally catch their breath as well.’

Having reclaimed the light, the guards moved their heavy armor and raised their shields. The dead were stopped by those shields and clawed at them in their struggle.

Although the unpleasant scraping sounds continued without end, the guards gritted their teeth and held on. They were literally becoming a wall.

Behind them, the young ladies cast spells. Even though their hair had already turned white from mana exhaustion, they kept chanting while coughing up blood.

‘Girls...’

The others standing beside the guards joined the group. The mages and the adventurers who resisted on their own were now each performing their roles within the fully lit castle.

The light that the young ladies had unleashed became the focal point that drew them together, giving direction to those who hadn’t known where to go.

Amidst all this, Lady Paint’s voice continued to ring out.

The guards and knights moved in perfect unison to her commands to the point that it was almost bewildering.

‘She’s already taking control!’

'Can’t you just be the leader of the Union of Kingdoms?!'

The once-chaotic battlefield was gradually becoming less chaotic. Among all of this, there was one person who welcomed the change more than anyone else.

‘Yeah... I’m sure you wanted this the most.’

It was Kim Hyun-Sung, and he had been feeling extremely burdened all this time.

“Whoo...”

He was soaked in blood, proving how many battles he had already fought.

“Whoo... whoo...”

He slowly steadied his breathing. Whether he was suppressing his rage or simply trying to calm his rough breathing was unclear, but Kim Hyun-Sung was truly angry.

With both hands gripping his sword, he stepped forward into the midst of the undead.

‘Now they’re in trouble.’

“Count Kim Hyun-Sung...” some extra muttered his name. “Is that... Kim Hyun-Sung from the Empire?”

The hero was here.