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    <strong>? I''m an Infinite Regressor, But I''ve Got Stories to Tell</strong><hr>


    The Mastermind X


    "Listen closely, sunbae. The strategy I''m about to propose is going to be extremely tricky to pull off," Infinite Void said.


    After the fall of the Mastermind and the destruction of the Laptop of the Infinite Metagame, it seemed that control of this Divine Realm hadpletely shifted to Infinite Void. The scenery changing at a mere snap of Infinite Void fingers was evidence enough.


    I looked around. "This ce..."


    "This is a ssroom in Baekhwa Girls'' High. In a sense, it''s my hometown. After all, it''s where my ego, Cheon Yo-hwa, was born out of the Outer God called Infinite Void."


    The folds of a brain transformed into the creaky wooden floorboards of the ssroom, while tentacles morphed into desks and chairs.<em>Screeeech.</em>


    Infinite Void pulled over a chair and slid into the seat.


    "First, let me ask. How were you nning to hunt down the Mastermind?"


    "The Mastermind thrives in spaces beyond human perception—a seed that can only flourish amidst the fog of war," I exined reluctantly as I took a seat across from it. Infinite Void beamed with an unsettling grin.


    Could I trust the same entity who had just tried to trap me in a normal ending?


    Remaining vignt, I replied, "If humanity were to save the world, the Mastermind would naturally be eradicated. From the Korean Penins to Asia, and eventually across all continents, it would be inevitable."


    "Exactly."


    Infinite Void stirred the air with azy wave. A piece of chalk flew up, floating in midair in front of the ssroom ckboard, and began writing. The white letters forming on the board read:<hr>


    <strong>[Strategy A: Natural Extermination]</strong>


    * Gradually expand the Regressor''s range of activity.


    * Eventually, the Mastermind will lose all "Fog of War," rendering it unable of manipting causality in reality.<hr>


    <em>Scritch, screeeech. Scritch.</em>


    The chalk scraped across the board with a piercing squeakiness as it wrote.


    "A textbook example of a strategy. If carried to its logical conclusion, the Regressor always wins. But there''s a problem. You know it too, right?"


    I nodded. "Yes... The Mastermind isn''t foolish enough to let it happen."


    Just as Busan served as humanity''s final line of defense, the Ural and Himyan mountain ranges were the Mastermind''s equivalent Maginot Line.[1] The moment that line was crossed, the Mastermind manipted causality to trigger a "World Destruction Scenario."


    "How did you intend to resolve that issue?" Infinite Void pressed.


    "Because of that problem, I abandoned Strategy A. But once I arrived here in the Divine Realm, a new potential breakthrough became clear to me."


    "A new breakthrough?"


    I shared the final n I had in mind. "It''s simple. Extract versions of ''me'' from other universe simtions and ce them here as sentinels."


    "Oh?" Infinite Void raised an eyebrow. "You mean to use simtions of yourself as allies?"


    "That''s right. As long as their settings remain unaltered, they''ll think and act like Undertakers. This way, the Mastermind won''t be able to manipte simtions at will, and my avatars will meticulously monitor our real world."


    "Like the Saintess?"


    "Exactly. Like the Saintess."


    "That''s interesting. Clever, just like you, sunbae."


    The chalk moved again, tapping away.<hr>


    <strong>[Strategy B: Sentinels]</strong>


    * Create Undertaker clones from simted universes and appoint them as sentinels in the Divine Realm.


    * The clones will continuously observe Universe 107 (our real world).


    * With these clones monitoring the entire, the "Fog of War" won''t ur, and thus, the Mastermind loses the opportunity to manipte causality.<hr>


    <em>Crack!</em>


    The chalk snapped in half.


    "Not bad. Not bad at all. A decent strategy."


    It was a strange feeling, being evaluated and praised by an Outer God about a n to defeat another of its kind. Who would have thought I''d see such a day?


    Infinite Void leaned on the desk, resting its chin on one hand. Its crimson eyes stared up at me intently. "But the weaknesses of this strategy are also ring, aren''t they?"


    "......"


    "In the end, even the Undertaker clones are entities born from the Mastermind''s simtions. It''s akin to entrusting surveince of the Mastermind to itself. Eventually, they''ll betray you."


    "Yes... I knew that. My n was to return to the Divine Realm periodically at the end of each cycle to check on their status."


    "No, there''s a deeper issue, sunbae." Infinite Void grinned. "By choosing Strategy B, you''re effectively acknowledging, ‘This world is a simted universe.’ The only difference is that your clones, disguised as you, be the ruler of the Divine Realm."


    "......"


    "At first, the clones would act just like you. But as ink spreads across paper, they''d eventually be gods in disguise. The Mastermind could then impersonate your clones, much like how Outer Gods operate."


    In other words, it was an inherently wed strategy. Even I understood that Strategy B was merely a stopgap. But was there truly a cleaner solution?


    "I also considered traveling across simted universes to gather information on all Anomalies..."


    "No good. The moment you use simted universes, you ce yourself under the Mastermind''s authority. Be cautious. Your goal is to live in the one and only real world."


    "Hmm." I furrowed my brow. "Infinite Void, the way you''re speaking now... it almost sounds as if you''re suggesting that the real solution is to uproot both the Mastermind and the Divine Realm itself."


    "Exactly!"


    "That''s impossible..."


    It wasn''t feasible to eradicate Outer Gods. Looking back on my journey thus far made that abundantly clear.


    Infinite Void, sealed within Cheon Yo-hwa''s body. The Night Goddess Nut, frozen eternally by the Saintess using Time Stop. The Admin of the Infinite Metagame sealed within Oh Dok-seo''s story.


    Not once had an Outer God ever beenpletely annihted. And the reason was simple.


    "You aren''t living creatures..."


    They were collections of concepts, conceptual viruses. They were corrupted, distorted intelligences—phenomena. As such, theycked what one could strictly call "life" and, consequently, the concept of "death."


    "...so how would we eliminate you?" I concluded.


    "......"<hr>


    <strong>https://dsc.gg/reapeics</strong><hr>


    Wind blew through the ssroom window, causing the white curtains fluttered in the midday breeze. Infinite Void closed its eyes as if savoring the contours of the wind.


    That distinctly human gesture left me momentarily frozen.


    Suddenly, they asked, "Isn''t it strange?"


    "What is?"


    "Every Outer God has what you''ve named a Miko —an Apostle. Well, every Anomaly in an Outer God''s domain serves as a kind of Miko. But among them, there''s always one individual who stands out the most, whom we call a Miko."


    "......"


    "So why is it that the Mastermind has no Miko?"


    The absence of a Miko. I''d considered that question before myself.


    "Isn''t Mo Gwang-seo, the False Christ, essentially the Mastermind''s terminal? That cult leader was the first to inform me of ''paving the way.’"


    "Perhaps. But my instinct tells me things aren’t quite that straightforward."


    "Your instinct?"


    "You could call it the intuition of an Outer God. sunbae, I believe the Mastermind has been choosing a different Miko for each cycle."


    I frowned at its suggestion. "Are you saying that myrades who fell victim to Mastermind Syndrome were actually the Mikos?"


    "Probably."


    The breeze from the window stilled. Only then did Infinite Void open its eyes.


    "A Miko is ultimately a pathway or terminal for an Outer God to interfere with reality. They are the Outer God''s closest proxy."


    Thus, a Miko was simultaneously the Outer God''s sword that cleaved the world and the spear that pierced the Outer God itself. The moment a Miko defined themselves, that identity became both the source of their Anomaly''s power and its weakness.


    "It''s a fascinating move. The Mastermind doesn''t designate its Miko as Seo Gyu or Dang Seo-rin—specific individuals'' names serving as coordinates. Instead, it defines its Miko as the st surviving human.'' In some ways, that''s a stronger anchor than a name, because it guarantees their emergence."


    Infinite Void added with a smirk, "It''s clever, don''t you think? Fitting for their identity. After all, both the Savior and the False Savior appear at the very end of the world."[2]


    "I see."


    That exined it. Sometimes it was Seo Gyu. Other times it was Dang Seo-rin. At others, it was Yu Ji-won. The Mastermind''s Miko had always appeared and delivered the same deration to me: <em>“This is all going ording to my n.”</em> And now―


    "But, sunbae." Infinite Void''s crimson gaze softened, oddly gentle. "In this cycle, who do you think is the Miko of the Mastermind?"


    My eyes widened in shock.


    Startled, I leaped out of my chair and mmed my hands on the desk. The chair skidded backward with a loud screech.


    "No way! Are you saying you''re the Miko?"


    "Correct." Infinite Void gazed up at me. "Isn''t it obvious? I''m the one who survived alongside you until the very end of the world. And it was me who the Mastermind sought to descend upon at thest moment."


    "No, but... can an Outer God be the Miko of another Outer God?"


    "Surprising, isn''t it?" A sly grin spread across Infinite Void''s face. "Call it a kind of bug. You sealed me in human form, and I adapted to that humanity so thoroughly that even the Mastermind mistook me for one."


    "......"


    "That''s how I was able to open the pathway freely. For a Miko to enter their shrine is only natural, after all."


    The revtion left me stunned, yet in hindsight, the clues had been there all along.


    "Even though we invaded the Mastermind''s domain, it didn''t actively try to destroy us... I assumed it was because you overpowered it."


    "Well, that''s part of it. But mainly, it''s because I''m treated as the Mastermind''s Miko. Think about it—what god would kill their most devout priest with their own hands?"


    "Does that mean the reason you could manipte this space so freely was―"


    "Exactly. Because I held the authority to do so."


    A chill ran down my spine.


    ''Ah. So that''s how it was!''


    The nape of my neck prickled with unease.


    I swallowed hard before forcing the words out. "That''s why Infinite Metagame proposed an alliance the moment it saw you."


    Infinite Void''s silent smile confirmed it.


    Yes. Back then, Infinite Metagame had proposed a brazen alliance right in front of me.


    The two Outer Gods exchanged these words:


    <em>[AOIM – Even in this sealed form, it is the first time I have encountered an Outer God so directly. Infinite Void. I propose an alliance.]</em>


    <em>"Huh? Me?"</em>


    <em>[AOIM – Correct. We are entities sealed and altered by the tyrant known as the Undertaker. If we coborate, based on mutual understanding, we may regain our former authority.]</em>


    Why had Infinite Metagame proposed an alliance under my watchful eye? Out of idiocy? Arrogance? Or as a joke?


    No. The answer was simple.


    It did so because it was confident <strong>it could defeat me</strong>.


    Had Infinite Void epted its hand, they could have crushed the Regressor, no matter who was watching.


    "Infinite Metagame must have..."


    I chose my next words carefully.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    I had to. Because if my hypothesis was correct, the being before me was both Infinite Void and simultaneously the Mastermind.


    "...immediately realized that you could partially wield the Mastermind''s powers. That''s why it suggested betraying me."


    "Correct."


    Infinite Void confirmed it without hesitation. The chill at the base of my neck intensified.


    "But you rejected the alliance. To Infinite Metagame, that must have been bewildering. Why hesitate when it was a golden opportunity to escape the Regressor''s grasp?"


    "Indeed. It did wonder that."


    "So, when you tried to lure me into the normal ending, Infinite Metagame must have thought, ''Ah, this is it.'' It believed you had been waiting for the decisive moment to tempt me."


    "Pfft. Isn''t that hrious?" Infinite Void covered its mouth, snickering. "Acting all self-assured, it unleashed its full power at the most critical juncture, shouting, ''Now''s the time!'' What a miscalction. A true embarrassment. That Miko and its Outer God were a perfect pair, weren''t they?"


    "......"


    "Well, if you had chosen the normal ending, I would''ve gone along with it, just as it hoped."


    After itsughter subsided, the atmosphere in the empty ssroom shifted.


    Infinite Void sighed, then gazed at me.


    "It''s amusing, isn''t it? You humans always call me an Outer God, and yet the Outer Gods mistake me for a human being."<hr>


    Footnotes:


    [1] The Maginot Line was an imprable fortification built by France along its border with Germany during World War II. Although expensive, it was incredibly effective in deterring invasions. However, other countries adjacent to France protested the wall being built on their own borders, which was eventually used by the Germans to invade. As a result, mention of the wall eventually became a metaphor for expensive efforts that offer a false sense of security.


    [2] Another reference to Revtions from the Bible.