He was the foolish emperor who had ignored the limits of regressions and eventually became mad and brought the empire to its ruin. Seeing how he hadnât paid much attention even after hearing about the rebels, it seemed like the emperor also possessed something special he kept hidden.
âThe last emperorâs powerâ¦it sure sounds foreboding. Why donât you explain it in detail?â
âThereâsâ¦no needâ¦you willâ¦soonâ¦see it yourself.â As expected, it seemed Ultel had no intention to cooperate.
âThe last emperor⦠The only thing I know about that guy is that he overused the Brushel Systemâ¦â Zich said as he narrowed his eyes. âDid Glen Zenard perhaps surpass his limits too?â
âKuhaha!â
âDonât laugh, man!â
âKuaaaaagh!â Ultel screamed in pain as Zich pressed down on his intestines.
âYou idiot. Whatâve you been doing, not even noticing that happened?â
âThere were no signs of that⦠And even Iâ¦havenât seen all of him,â Ultel gasped out.
âYou shouldâve still noticed. Considering that guyâs personality, he must have shuddered in fear. Didnât you say you briefly glanced over the past timelines before?â Since Glen had regressed so many times, looking over the past timelines was a massive task. Thus, it was understandable that Ultel couldâve missed some things, but he still shouldâve noticed if Glen made his fear obvious.
âWas his fear not that noticeable?â
âIt wasâ¦my miscalculation⦠I thought he wouldâ¦make it so obviousâ¦right away. Huff! Huff!â As his symptoms grew worse, Ultelâs breathing became harsher. Zich glanced at Lubella, and Lubella treated Ultel again with a disgusted look on her face.
âI still donât get it. Was that guyâs mental fortitude always that high? High enough to overcome his fears?â
Glen couldnât do anything without his regression ability. Thus, it was more unbelievable that he managed to do something that not a single emperor in all of the Clowon Empireâs history had failed to do.
âItâs notâ¦his mentality.â
âThen?â
âItâs his obsession⦠He has an unimaginable level of obsessionâ¦about having the perfect life. Thatâs the only way⦠to think about it.â
ââ¦Yes, that does make more sense then.â Usually, a person crazy about one thing could accomplish the unimaginable. If they considered this, it made more sense that Glen managed to repress and conquer his fear of regression.
âHe really is impressive in many ways,â Zich thought. Glen had finally accomplished the difficult task of receiving Zichâs acknowledgmentâthough, of course, whether Glen would feel happy to hear it was a different matter.
âOkay. I get that the hero idiotâs obsession is amazing. Then, tell me about the last emperorâs power and the attack you personally endured against him.â
âI told you before⦠I wonât tell you⦠Ahhhhhh!â
âHey, donât be like that. I will even give you a nice massage, so please change your mind. Where does it ache? Your intestines? Here? Or here?â
âAhhhhh! Kuah! Kuaaaaaaaaah!â
âAre my massaging skills that great? If thatâs the case, I will give you a bit more. I know Iâm good. Relax and enjoy my service with ease. No need to tense up. Relax.â
âKuaaaaah! W-Whatever you doâ¦I wonât do anything in your favor!â Ultel shouted with a sudden surge of energy. Yet, Zich pressed on his internal organs again, and Ultel continued to shriek in pain. However, it appeared Ultel wasnât lying and he didnât give any more information.
âShould I call it quits now?â If he had sufficient time, Zich could torture Ultel as long as time allowed, but Glen Zenard lingered on his mind.
âI am curious about the last emperorâs power, and I also have a way to learn about it.â Zich had Lyla after all. âIt would be best if I could learn about it immediately though.â
His fight with Glen was just waiting ahead, and the more information Zich had, the better it was for him. Yet, it couldnât be helped. Zich gave up on trying to extract more information from Ultel. Zichâs original plan had been to wait until Ultel realized that there really was no way to fix the teleportation circle and fall into greater despair before meeting his end, but his plan was thwarted now. Still, Zich had no intention of giving Ultel a peaceful death. At the very least, Zich wanted Ultel to flounder and drown in a flood of rage, loathing, and despair before he died.
âOkay, Ultel. I will respect your will and stop asking you about that idiot hero or any other matters.â Zich took his hands off Ultelâs organs, and Ultel lay limp on the ground while heaving.
âOn second thought, it was stupid of me to ask you about this. Why would I ask advice from a stupid guy who lost control of his puppet and got attacked instead? Youâre obviously going to be no help.â
With his face still on the floor, Ultel rolled his eyes up slightly and looked up at Zich.
âThat guyâ¦is different from beforeâ¦You will soon reach the same state as meâ¦haâ¦â As if Ultel was imagining what would exactly happen to Zich, a twisted smile formed on his pained face. Ultel was trying to also taunt Zich, but he couldnât beat Zich in that area.
âYou thought you could easily control that guy and picked him. Do you remember how you laughed at Glen for being an idiot hero earlier? Now, heâs the reason why your body is now sliced into two and reduced to the same level as bugs.â
The smile on Ultelâs face disappeared.
âThen, what should I call you from now on? The idiot mastermind who got one-upped by a hero idiot? Ah, since you were defeated by an idiot, you are the ultimate idiot. I will call you the ultimate idiot mastermind from now. Itâs the perfect name for you. I'm even impressed by my own naming sense.â
âAs I saidâ¦you are going to beâ¦just like me soon!â
âNever! If you are suspicious, you can see for yourself.â Then, Zich slapped his forehead as he came to a great realization. âAh, wait. You wouldnât be able to see because you would be dead.â
Zich arched his torso and slapped Ultelâs cheeks a couple of times.
âDonât be too angry about that. You lived a long life. Your ambition was too great compared to your lack of abilities. A person should know their limits. Everything about you is all right except for that.â
âShutâ¦upâ¦!â
âGreat job working so hard for naught. You pretend to be smart, but your own dog ended up biting you instead. Itâs the picture-perfect portrait of a miserable life. How do you feel? Tell me. You can tell me at least this, right? I think itâll be a very dirty feeling. Iâm so curious because itâs a pathetic end that Iâll never be able to reach no matter how hard I try.â
âI told you toâ¦shut upâ¦! Cough! Cough!â Ultel vomited blood. Zich frowned in disgust and evaded the blood that Ultel spurted out.
âUgh! Itâs the blood of a mastermind idiot meeting his pathetic end! I might get infected by his idiocy if his blood touches me!â
âYou! You bastaaard..! Cough! Cough!â Ultel reached out to Zich, but his hand couldnât touch him.
âYou were pretending to be a bug before, but are you pretending to be a fish again? Man, just focus on one thing. I know youâre inferior to insects and fish and most animals, let alone humans, but thereâs no need for you to showcase so openly that youâre a pathetic loser who canât even be compared to humans!â
âYou son of aâ¦!â
âAh, stop trying to touch me! What if you infect me with your idiocy?!â Zich took a big step back from Ultel, and Ultel dragged his upper body as if he was trying to grab Zich. However, there was no way that he could catch Zich in such a state.
âWould any of you also like to play around with him a bit?â Zich asked his companions since the others also had a grudge against Ultel as well.
âNo, Iâm fine.â
âWill that really be all right? Shouldnât you take revenge for your son?â
âItâs enough for me to see him suffer like that. To be honest, I donât know how to make him suffer more than what youâre doing right now.â Walwiss felt cathartic as he watched Ultel squirm and vomit blood. All the others seemed to have similar thoughts as Walwiss, so no one stepped forward to directly take revenge on Ultel.
âThen I will now kill him.â Zich pulled out Estellade, but after a thoughtful moment, he put it away.
âEstellade is too great for this guy.â
Zich took out a sword from his magic box. Even though it was an ordinary sword, it was enough to kill a person. Ultelâs eyes trembled as he saw a sharp blade in front of him. Now he was now really at deathâs doorstep. After gaining the power of regression, Ultel had never thought about death since it wasnât the end but merely a way to restart.
âWhy? Are you scared now that deathâs sickle is right against your neck?â
âDonâtâ¦makeâ¦meâ¦laughâ¦â
âIs that so?â Zich instantly thrust the sword right in front of Ultelâs face, and Ultelâs body flinched. âStop pretending. Even ten thousand pups would be braver than you right now. Ah, was I too insulting to dogs? Then what should I compare you to?â
Zich put his hand on his chin and tilted his head a few times as if he was deep in thought.
âAh, come to think of it, there was that hero idiot.â Zich looked down at Ultel. âYeah, yep. Thereâs a perfect comparison like that hero idiot, but I donât know why I brought up innocent dogs even though itâs already been revealed that youâre inferior to that hero idiot.â
âShutâ¦upâ¦!â
âAre you denying it? Then donât end up in this state after getting attacked by him. Youâve already proven beautifully that youâre inferior to Glen Zenard.â
âYouâ¦!â Ultel gritted his teeth. However, a person lying on the ground couldnât pose much of a threat, especially since he failed to threaten Zich even in his original condition.
Zich raised his sword. Zichâs eyes had been full of mockery so far, but they became instantly chilling. Ultel was about to swear, but he also closed his mouth in shock. Zich was going to put an end to this, and true death was coming for him.
ââ¦W-waitâ¦â Ultel murmured. However, Zichâs eyes didnât change. Whether it was pride as a mastermind that controlled the world as he wanted, his pride as a pope who led the most powerful cult in the world, or defiance against Zich who caused his downfall, Ultel never intended to beg Zich for his life. However, the moment he felt deathâs hand on his cheek, Ultel opened his mouth without realizing it.
âS-save meââ
Ultelâs words were cut off as his neck was too.
Ultelâs head rolled on the floor, felled by a cheap sword. His face, stained with fear, stared blankly at the sky. It was a sad end for a man who had played the world like his toy after gaining control of the Brushel System and using Glen to regress countless times.
Lubella looked down at Ultelâs head and said coldly, âBegging for his life. A fitting end for a pathetic guy.â
âI said he was worse than Glen Zenard to mock him, but it might really be the truth, heâs not better than Glen in any way.â Zich put the sword back into his magic box.
âDidnât he break down in the end? Then, wouldnât it have been easier to make him spit out information?â Leona asked.
âHeâll never stop scheming if I let him live, and heâll only spit out information after guaranteeing his life. Of course, since heâs been broken to that extent, I could eschew information out of him by torture, butâ¦â Zich looked up. All the others also followed Zichâs gaze and looked up.
âI need to finish off that guy, so I donât have time for that.â
Glenâs presence began moving little by little.
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