An hour after Cheon Inho fainted, Yu Joonghyuk arrived in Las Vegas.

The companions who came with him were as follows.

Steel Swordmaster Lee Hyunsung.

Sea Admiral Lee Jihye.

Delusion Fiend Kim Namwoon.

Divine Physician Lee Seolhwa.

Yu Joonghyuk looked back over them anew and thought,

‘Four in total. If I include Shin Yuseung, who still hasn’t joined, that makes five.’

They were the incarnations who had stayed by his side throughout dozens of regressions.

If you looked closely, each had at least one flaw.

Lee Hyunsung was excessively stubborn, and Lee Jihye was too simple. Kim Namwoon was out of his mind, and Lee Seolhwa often became Dokhee. Shin Yuseung was faint-hearted.

Across repeated regressions, he had sometimes swapped out main members or formed new parties.

But in the end, the ones who remained were these five. To the very, very end, only they stayed by Yu Joonghyuk’s side.

“Ugh, it’s my first time in America. Seolhwa unni, have you been here before?”

At Lee Jihye’s question, Lee Seolhwa answered with a faint smile.

“When I was little.”

“Heh heh. When it comes to America, this body knows it well. Jihye, are you curious?”

“No.”

“I’ve only ever been deployed to the Middle East, so I’m nervous.”

“Mr. Hyunsung, you’re always nervous.”

Compared to the last regression, the party’s mood was brighter.

The cause was obvious.

It was probably due to the singularity that had appeared in this regression. The reason Shin Yuseung hadn’t joined him—and the incarnation whom the current Yu Joonghyuk was most wary of.

Namely—

“Impressive. So that’s the stature of the ‘Five Heavenly Emperors’ guarding the Conqueror.”

Yu Joonghyuk frowned and thought. Come to think of it, there were more “companions” who had come along. He simply didn’t consider them companions.

“Five Heavenly Emperors? Since when did that nickname exist?”

“I coined it.”

“Do not contaminate the Revelation.”

Behind the two bickering young men, a beauty let out a light sigh.

Yu Joonghyuk knew who they were.

Annoying manner of speech, but presumed avatar of a great archangel—Kang Ilhun.

Ye Hyeonwoo, the de facto leader of the Chungmuro group and partner of Armed Fortress Lord Gong Pildu.

Lee Seyeon, who possessed powerful hand-to-hand combat skills and was armed with S-grade or higher items.

All of them were incarnations who had rapidly risen as new powerhouses in this regression.

He had never told anyone, but Yu Joonghyuk knew one common point about the three.

‘They’re all evildoers.’

In the hazy memories of the previous regression that floated up, their names remained.

Petty thieves, party traitors, raiders—small-time villains.

Such small-time villains were now openly at the forefront of the main scenario, leading incarnations.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t only them.

“Uncle Dansoo, why are you sighing like that.”

Another man and woman followed behind them.

Yu Joonghyuk also knew their names.

“I really am worried about Mr. Inho. I should have stayed behind.”

Not quite on Lee Hyunsung’s level, but the “sub-tank” most solid after Lee Hyunsung—Gyeong Sein.

Not outstanding in combat technique, but reminiscent of “Selena Kim,” the King of Non-Killing in the previous regression—Lee Dansoo.

If memory served, those two had also caused small frictions with the incarnations in specific regressions.

‘Coincidence? Or else……’

Even if it was coincidence, there was nothing particularly strange about it.

In the countless regressions he had lived through, including Yu Joonghyuk himself, every human had become an evildoer at least once.

From that, Yu Joonghyuk had come to know that humans were nothing but hollow, empty vessels.

Every human becomes a completely different being depending on which “tale” they face and which story they live.

He knew that to be the truth.

And yet even Yu Joonghyuk found it hard to acknowledge that truth regarding a single man.

‘Cheon Inho.’

Without a single exception until now, the “Cheon Inho” of every regression was an evildoer. Whether petty evil or great evil, he became a villain and blocked Yu Joonghyuk’s path.

As if that alone were his absolute mission.

But in this regression, “Cheon Inho” had not yet become an evildoer.

Yu Joonghyuk found that fact exceedingly strange.

“What are you thinking.”

Yumia, walking beside him, tightly clasped his left hand. Without shaking off that hand, Yu Joonghyuk said,

“Nothing.”

“You’re thinking about Mr. Slit Eyes.”

“He’s dangerous.”

“That mister looks like a con artist.”

“Correct.”

“But from what people say, he seems kind.”

‘A kind con artist.’

Yu Joonghyuk was surprised that young Yumia even knew such an expression, and at the same time he wondered whether he should correct the contradiction in that phrasing.

But no proper rebuttal came to mind.

Instead, Yu Joonghyuk chose to recall the last regression.

How bad that guy had been in the last regression, how dangerous it was to trust him……

[‘Truth’s Constraint’ is controlling your memories.]

Truth’s Constraint.

One of the “three tale engravings” he had imprinted.

In exchange for granting powerful strength, this engraving seals parts of his memory.

It bothered him a little that this memory was the one sealed, but Yu Joonghyuk didn’t mind much.

After all, the “memory” that would become the key to clearing this regression wasn’t remembered by him, but by another being.

“It’s been a while, Conqueror Yu Joonghyuk.”

Standing across from the casino hotel was the one who possessed the memory he wanted.

Representative of Zarathustra and his longtime nemesis.

“Anna Croft.”

On the way to the Washington Dome, Yu Joonghyuk did his best not to meet Anna Croft’s eyes.

[‘Constraint of Emotion’ stirs.]

Because it was difficult to endure the murderous intent that surged in real time.

If only to prepare for such a situation, he had wanted to bring Cheon Inho along.

But it was too late to take that back now.

“Prophet. I need a memory. Use [Retrospective Sight].”

“I’ve already used up all my charges today.”

[You are using ‘Lie Detection’.]
[‘Lie Detection’ confirms that statement is true.]

At the skill-use message, Anna Croft’s expression hardened.

“Conqueror, do I not even have the minimum of your trust.”

“I’d sooner trust a kind con artist than trust you.”

“Who is the kind con artist.”

“Don’t ask pointless things.”

“You’re the one who brought it up—”

“I’ll say this in advance: in this regression, my patience is not deep.”

Instead of answering, Anna Croft glared at him with displeased eyes.

In that moment, Yu Joonghyuk felt the impulse to draw his spear and smash her skull at once.

Because the tragedies of the dozens of regressions indebted to Anna Croft all rose up at once.

[Exclusive skill, ‘Three Forbearances Lv.5,’ is activating.]
[By the effect of ‘Three Forbearances,’ the influence of ‘Constraint’ temporarily weakens.]

But he had to endure it.

At least until he knocked down all the stars of this world, she was useful.

However, the moment he checked the local situation, Yu Joonghyuk began to doubt Anna Croft’s “usefulness.”

“Why has the scenario ended up like this?”

Already in nothing but the fifth scenario, the entire Washington Dome had been corroded.

The surviving incarnations were around five percent of the dome’s total population.

This had never happened in any regression until now.

“An unexpected situation occurred.”

“That sort of thing always occurs.”

“There was a plan.”

“A plan you can’t keep is useless. If you can’t give me an answer I accept, you die here.”

At his threat, Anna Croft let out a deep sigh. A strangely dispirited sigh, unlike any he had seen from her in any regression.

“Yu Joonghyuk. Have you heard of a group called ‘Apostles’?”

Yu Joonghyuk nodded.

“As expected…… it seems they existed in Korea as well.”

Judging by how she spoke, Washington’s fall was related to the “Apostles.”

“Did Korea also fail to kill the Disaster?”

“Korea has me.”

“Of course. I was only asking just in case.”

Yu Joonghyuk recalled Korea’s fifth scenario.

A different Disaster than in his memory had appeared, and the method of disposal was also a little different from the last regression, but in any case the scenario itself proceeded smoothly.

“Ours did not proceed smoothly.”

“I can roughly guess the situation.”

Yu Joonghyuk had also heard to some extent about the “Apostles.”

Beings who knew the world’s “future.”

“That’s what happens when you rely too much on things like [Future Sight]. You should know there is no such thing as a fixed future.”

“The future was written. Until they appeared.”

Anna Croft had been clearing scenarios by reading the future and preparing for it.

But with the variable called “Apostles” intruding into this regression, all of her plans had been thrown into chaos.

“If you help with this one affair, I will surely repay the debt, Conqueror.”

“I hope you remain useful until I come to collect.”

The instant they stepped into the portal, the surrounding vista rippled and changed.

After briefly having his companions hold position, Yu Joonghyuk went up a nearby high-rise to check the view.

This wasn’t his first visit to the Washington Dome.

But it was the first time he had seen a landscape like this.

It was as if the entire city had been buried in jet-black ash.

Nowhere did the figure of a living incarnation appear.

The high-rises that had formed a skyline were all ruined, and the sky was covered in a mist that blotted out even starlight.

On the building rooftops, jet-black roots sprouted, reminiscent of trees grown upside-down.

Without hesitation, Yu Joonghyuk ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) tore out a root.

Then between the torn roots, black ether heaved up and poured out.

“Dark roots” vomiting miasma.

No mistake.

‘Demon Realm.’

He didn’t know which number Demon Realm this was, but the “Washington Dome” had been invaded by a Demon Realm.

Lightly landing at ground level, Yu Joonghyuk asked Anna,

“Have you secured earth-dragon species parts?”

“We’re working on it.”

To fight in an invaded Demon Realm, a [Purification] operation was essential. Otherwise, you would be cursed.

[The ‘Washington Dome’ is currently being eroded by a Demon Realm.]
[‘Regional Curse’ activates!]
[Mental strength slightly decreases in this area!]
[Composite stats partially decrease in this area!]

Judging by the degree of invasion, it still wasn’t at an irreversible level.

But if the scenario proceeded while Washington was left like this, the city would truly become part of the “Demon Realm.”

As time passed, the Demon Realm’s territory would expand, and in the end the entire Earth would fall under a demon king’s dominion.

That, more than anything, had to be stopped.

“Which demon king’s retainer is it?”

At merely the seventh scenario, no demon king could directly descend into the Washington Dome.

Thus, the dome’s master was highly likely to be a subordinate of a particular demon king.

“It was a demon king I’d never heard of.”

“Never heard of?”

Yu Joonghyuk knew the true names of all the demon kings who ruled the Seventy-Two Demon Realms.

The same was likely true for the prophet before him.

If a demon king with a never-before-heard name had appeared, what that fact pointed to was obvious.

“According to what Christina confirmed—”

A new “demon king” had appeared in the Demon Realm of this regression.

“The retainer called its master the ‘Demon King of Salvation.’”