The Hunted Regressor: My Heretic Saint System-Chapter 143: A Coward

***

"The assassin has no idea that he’s fighting the Demon!"

Lothar, loud as always, commentated on the obvious.

He was wildly floating about, his eyes glued to the massive projection.

"Would Ignotus use this to his advantage, I wonder? Or will he just kill the assassin for interrupting their fight?!"

John, meanwhile, didn’t look at the assassin at all.

His eyes were fixed only on the boy with white hair and the amused grin.

"...what crazy thing will you do next, Ignotus?"

***

The Demon, the plant-covered figure that mirrored Ignotus, was locked in a brutal clash with the masked assassin, dust blowing up in waves around them, daggers slashing through vines.

Indeed, Ignotus could’ve easily used this assassin to end the Demon, but...

He seemed to have no intention of doing that; rather, he stood off to the side, his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the ground, seemingly lost in thought.

Right, Ignotus wasn’t at all interested.

At the end of a sigh, he shrugged.

"...whatever."

Terminating his plants, he stepped forward.

Casually, he proceeded to walk behind the assassin.

When he got close enough, he simply said:

"Hey, look behind you."

The assassin actually did.

His masked head turned slightly—

"W-Wha...?"

—and he froze.

...There were two Ignotuses here.

One standing behind him and one fighting him.

"You—?" was all he got out before a thick root burst through his chest from behind, thrown by the Demon.

They tore through him without hesitation while pinning the rest of him to the ground.

The assassin spasmed dead before a flicker of light flashed around his body, the recall spell of the Butterfly activating, sending his Soul back to his body before it was fully killed.

Unlike those that attacked him in the first Trial, those three had Butterflies.

It was unfortunate that he couldn’t fully kill them, but eh, they weren’t exactly a priority.

Especially not now, when the fight had one less distraction. By the time this Colosseum Trial ended, he didn’t doubt that they’d already be gone, so he simply forgot them.

Ignotus and the Demon were the only ones left now.

They’d continue their fight to the death.

***

"It seems Ignotus had only stepped out to end the assassin’s life!"

Lothar shouted the obvious part out loud once more.

"He doesn’t want anyone interrupting his duel!"

His excitement reached new heights, as did the crowd’s.

One could almost see the Inquisitor faintly smiling as well.

Thankfully, in the arena itself, they could see the assassins being dragged out.

There was no way they could allow them to interrupt the trial.

***

Back in the clearing, Ignotus tilted his head slightly.

"Annoying guy. Should’ve stayed out of the way."

He looked up at the Demon again.

The thing tilted its head back, just like him.

It was unnerving how perfectly it mirrored his attitude.

"Alright... let’s resume."

And they did.

Both stepped forward at the same time.

The clash was near immediate.

Roots burst from the ground; Divinity coiled around blades.

Ignotus stabbed through a wall of vines, tore through one tendril, ducked another, and then countered with a palm strike that sent the Demon stumbling back. Only for it to recover instantly and whip a spike of thorns toward his face.

The tempo rose fast, much like last time. But it wasn’t all the same, as while fighting, Ignotus’s mind ran in short bursts between attacks.

’I need to learn about myself.’

He ducked a swinging vine, rolled forward, and slammed a fist into the Demon’s gut.

The Demon didn’t flinch, copying his motion and punching back.

They both stumbled backward from the impact.

’Learn what? What more is there? How I move now?’

He charged again, his shoulder slamming into the creature’s chest.

It grinned with his face, trying to do the same, ramming forth.

Ignotus jumped back before it could and exhaled sharply.

’I already know that, so then what?’

He spun, his heel cutting through another vine, before being tackled by a rush of thorns.

Ignotus easily broke free with a fast stab of his sword, beginning to pant slightly.

’How I think?’

He jumped, caught a branch midair, twisted, and threw himself down like a hammer.

CLANG!

The impact shook the ground as the Demon caught him mid-drop with a swing.

’I’m sure I know myself enough... that didn’t change.’

They locked blades, strength pressing against strength.

The Demon grinned wider, his DAMNED grin.

Ignotus’s expression didn’t change.

’Then what am I supposed to be looking for?’

The Demon’s headbutt came first.

"Hard-headed bastard."

Ignotus took it straight on and grinned back.

’I...’

The words lingered, even as they clashed over and over.

’I don’t know.’

Blade, fist, steal, vine, and thorn.

The sounds blended, but through it all, Ignotus began to see himself clearly.

Since he was so focused on perceiving himself, slowly, he realized something.

This recklessness and lack of hesitation... it mimicked...

Courage it was not, nor was it bravery.

Ignotus had that, yes, but this was different.

It was... numbness.

This uncaring for danger that never left...

A familiar emptiness that he’d carried long before this ’time.’

And that brought up a question that he had asked before.

His schizoid personality disorder... why did it remain?

He truly thought the regression would’ve set it back.

If not that, then at least change it.

It didn’t.

And now he understood why.

Because he didn’t want to lose it.

Ignotus liked not feeling all that much.

The calmness in his head was relaxing.

The way love and anger both faded within hours.

It was a safe place, both predictable and comfortable.

Changing that meant facing something unknown, and he wasn’t ready.

Maybe he never would be, because, well, he couldn’t see himself without it...

’A coward.’

He was too much of a coward to do so.

So his regression brought it along with his Soul, intertwining it with his being.

It became something more than a simple disorder.

And that meant that perhaps it could be... cured.

’Ah...’

Ignotus could do nothing but accept it.

He really was afraid of change.

Something inside his chest pulsed.

A green light burned through his skin.

Arcane shaped in the pattern of plants flared to life.

They were spreading across his body like living tattoos.

In under a moment, they connected along his arms, reaching his fingers.

For the first time since they met, the Demon froze, its mirror malfunctioning.

Ignotus’s newest Rune [Living Ligature] had activated.

Indeed, he had Ascended into a Priest.

And suddenly, the realm didn’t seem to exist...

It was him and incredible Divinity.

Even if only for just a moment.