The most recent memory of Shia's was the destruction of humanity. The loss of all life.
In order to preserve at least a fragment of humanity of that era, her and few others relocated to the moon. From there, they'd have a front row seat on the battle between the calamity and its crusher.
All Shia could see were starlights moving back and forth from Earth to the vast universe beyond the sky.
Stars exploded. Planets were razed in the ensuing conflict that were beyond her current capabilities.
Making her think of all the lesser evils that came before as nothing more than dust in comparison.
They couldn't be compared.
In what those who survived this crisis would call the dreadful 'First Eruption', they obtained much data.
At first, the Cultivators had called them 'Earthly Devils'. They were mysterious and cruel disasters.
The first Earthly Devil, 'The Progenitor', controlled the powers of creation and intelligence. Thus this incident was recorded into the code 'Reason'. It was mistaken that this was the harbinger of disasters.
But through careful investigation, it was found that this wasn't the case. In fact, that title was also null.
The codename for the calamity now called 'Reason'.
Something Shia herself wrote into the record files.
It was the first test of Shia's resolve, as the vessel for the Calamity's powers ended up being her friend.
One she had known ever since childhood.
In her first loop, Shia's entire Sect had been destroyed after the seed of evil awoke in her 'junior'.
That apprentice sister was definitely young and impressionable. It made sense she would be tainted.
After dying a second time due to believing her dreams of the future, she started her third loop.
Shia was determined to suppress and give her junior apprentice sister enough time to expel it from her body. If not, she just had to control it so that the dangerous being wouldn't cause anyone harm.
The regressor resolved herself to take on the burden of ridding the world of this insidious Earthly Devil.
Using any means necessary.
Starting from the third loop, Shia had tried her best to freeze or imprison the power of the Calamity.
Only to die in vain.
The first disaster was also known as the Arachnid Calamity. As the vessel suddenly morphed itself.
Becoming a spider-like entity.
The power level of every Calamity was at the level of being an Immortal Celestial. The peak of cultivation.
The level most yearned for.
It took a tremendous amount of power for her to even imprison the 'Calamity Core' before it awoke.
Giving her junior apprentice sister enough time to mature into a heroic woman who despised evil.
She was chivalrous to her very essence of being.
And yet, every time the Calamity Core tethered to her had awakened, it destroyed the Ice Palace.
Causing no small amount of pain in her heart.
She had infinite time. Every death into another time loop was nothing but an opportunity to try again.
And again...
Until she finally couldn't take seeing her friend become a fiend that would kill their family any longer. In desperation, she reluctantly killed her friend out of a craze to sacrifice for the greater good.
Even if that meant being ostracised and expelled from the Ice Palace as a murderer of her companion.
They may not understand her, but they were alive.
Shia once believed that would be enough.
However, what occurred not too long after was that the disaster had moved from one host to another.
She successfully saved those that had given her a home, but her actions brought death to the alliance.
The Murim was thrown into chaos when a random commoner suddenly exploded and destroyed a city.
Turning the place into a den for the dead.
Like in her memories, the Arachnid held the same powers of creation and souls as in the past.
Her next goal was inevitable.
Now that her Sect wouldn't be destroyed from the inside, she had to protect them from the outside.
She went out into the vast world after her banishment. Resolving herself to never die.
After all, doing so would make her agonise over killing her junior apprentice sister once again.
She joined the Orthodox Alliance and eventually became part of the troops lead by the 13 Graces.
Of course, they didn't have the nickname at the time.
Only being a collection of outstanding individuals and Otherworlders that brought in technology.
People from other dimensions.
She remembered when the leading figure who would be lauded as a hero gave his speech to the masses.
When asked why he wanted to save the world, he replied with the common sense of an ordinary man:
"Because it'd be a problem."
No one laughed at those simple words. Many knew he was fighting to protect his friends and family.
This was the nature of Simon Rainglow.
Though young, he had the spirit and tenacity to overcome hurdles even without Shia's regressions.
Never once had he lost.
It was a long and drawn out fight every time he crushed a calamity, and the devastation spread wide.
Shia always being a collateral every single time.
The regressor devoted her multiple lives to making sure the damage would be minimised across Earth.
She died, agonised about killing her junior sister until she snapped, then protected the Ice Palace.
Each death taking a toll on her soul.
Nothing was easy for her. Not because her mind was weak and feeble, but because of how strong it was.
She never believed of inevitability.
The death of her junior apprentice sister in martial arts would always be re-examined each time she returned. After all, she was stronger each time her Innate Gift brought her back to that particular point.
All she needed was patience.
When she was strong enough to destroy Earthly Devils on her own, it would be the day of reckoning for them. Before the Alliance moved, she'd use her strength and information to delete their existence.
Making sure to save everyone.
10 loops, and she saw much of the world.
100 loops, and she met many people.
1000 loops, and she uncovered mysteries.
10,000 loops, and she understood the working of reality and the causality that affected karma.
Her faith to break those laws in order to save her friend never wavered. Not even for one second.
Even if she had to resurrect her junior sister from her silent grave, then she'd do such a sin gladly.
Because Shia never gave up.
Never tainted by skepticism or nihilism. The only thing that mattered eventually became the result.
As long as everyone lived...
It was after countless turmoils that she was able to gather the pieces of her friend and join them up.
Not to create an Undead, but a living human.
But all her research had failed her. That friend went into a coma and never awoke from her slumber.
She used the most advanced technology and techniques to create a perfect replica of the living.
Only to be met with her human limitations.
She vowed that even if her friend was gone, she'd exterminate the calamities and save the world.
Only to fail at this purpose too.
Only being able to watch as the last hero that stayed to save humanity be unable to protect the world.
Shia was able to use up all her strength to put the Ice Palace in time stasis and send it far into the future.
The rest of humanity never got that saving grace.
A dragon... She remembered that the creature Simon fought was definitely something of that species.
And that one of the Graces had been a vessel for it.
Which one was a mystery to her.
If she wanted to, she could use death to verify their identity... but there was no way she'd kill 'her' again.
Shia would rather die than go through that again.
She ended up sealing her regression ability and accepting the result. If she was to die, then so be it.
After thousands upon thousands of lifetimes, she no longer had any attachments to her life anymore.
Only regrets.
Similarly, she saw the same regrets in that world saviour after she had awakened her memories.
The parts of how she returned to Earth were murky and unclear, but she understood what happened.
The last scene she saw in her cryogenic sleep pod back then was Simon returning to the empty Earth.
He somehow rejuvenated the world and restarted the beginning of humanity with his own hands.
How he did this was beyond her comprehension.
The first Calamity Crusher had always been a man of infinite talents. Able to be considered an God even among Immortals. If it was him, then there was no choice but to accept the facts and simply move on.
With that resolve strengthened, the awakened Shia decided to take matters into her own hands now.
After all, the Graces couldn't be trusted!
.....
....
...
..
.
"Please let me interrogate him." Shia requested the Elf who had lived not even a fraction of her lifetime.
Being old and ancient enough to know that more experiences didn't equate to an arrogant showing.
The former regressor had no right to boast of age.
900 odd years old was a low age in comparison to her own, but anyone above 50 was an old fox.
Especially if they lived in an age of information.
But despite her thinking that, Talia's reaction to Shia's request didn't seem to be an act whatsoever.
"You will not touch him any more than this." The elf seriously seemed to contemplate on erasing her.
The plants in the vicinity grew dangerously. Their rapid growth showing preparations for an attack.
Talia scoffed at Shia's arrogance.
Did she think the honour of a hero could be tainted?
"This is a misunderstanding." (Shia)
"Misunderstanding? You humans are ungrateful vermin who harmed the man who saved you." (Talia)
"It was on your request I neutralised him." (Shia)
"I told you to get him to rest or knock him out. Not strike his fragile body." Talia growled at the woman.
"Weak…?" Shia hardly believed this.
Simon gave off the unconscious intimidation of a predator in its prime. Even if he had rusted.
In her current evaluation, the former hero had wasted himself away with alcohol in these years.
Now unworthy of protecting humanity.
Talia seemed to realise something after looking at the indignation on Shia's face. It made sense now.
"You felt threatened by him?" The elven woman put aside formalities and openly mocked the regressor.
Such a pathetic story.
"He fought against Calamities." Shia reminded that Simon was an existence surpassing common sense.
"And paid dearly for that." Talia didn't back down.
Instead listing off her findings: "Every joint in his body is misaligned. His muscles are either knotted or loose. His bones as weak as tissue paper. Brain constantly under the influence of alcohol."
This wasn't all she recorded.
Talia went through each of her fingers on every point, and when that wasn't enough, she counted her fingers again. These actions slowly caused Shia to turn pale at how serious Simon's condition was.
When she was finished, the High Elf asked:
"Are you proud of beating someone in this state?"
For the first time, Shia showed an embarrassed expression from learning how arrogant she was.
No wonder he couldn't fight back anymore.
It was actually scary how despite such conditions, he was able to retain so much power as a combatant.
"I'm sorry for my disrespect, but it's different from what you are thinking." Shia had to make it clear.
"You once again want the Calamity Crusher." Talia spoke as if it was only natural to desire that.
"NO!" Shia denied it profusely.
Her body shaking in anger. After all, there was no way she'd drag an old retiree with such injuries.
The former regressor points at herself in response:
"I'll be the Calamity Crusher. All I want from him is information on the 13th Calamity." Shia clarified.
Her words causing Talia to laugh even more:
"You, who could only sneak attack the current aged Calamity Crusher, think you can surpass him?"
"Talia, I may not be the strongest just yet, but I have learnt all five of his secret techniques. With that, I have the chance to grow further." Shia didn't get moved by such a childish taunt from the woman.
It seemed like negotiations had broken down.
He future of the elves would be decided by them this time. Not by a 'filthy human' like herself.
There was just one question.
"You… Why do you hate Pal Weldone so much?" The question genuinely confused Talia at this point.
Although Pal at heart was a scumbag, his outward demeanour had always been kind and welcoming.
Never intentionally hurting those in his vicinity.
"…" Shia had nothing but silence as her answer.
It wasn't something she could simply explain. The reason was more personal than one could assume.
She'd never tell anyone why she felt this.
Even though Talia was suspicious, she had no choice but to leave it aside and keep Pal in the dark.
Knowing that only betrayal awaited him in the end.