Absolute Regression

It was unexpected.

I never thought the Blood Heaven Blade Demon would ask if I would kill him too.

What should I answer? After a brief moment of consideration, my reply was this.

“My martial arts don’t break tavern tables, nor do they kill friends.”

For a moment, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon couldn’t say anything.

He stared at me with a complicated expression for a while, then quietly asked,

“Am I your friend?”

“Yes.”

Even without additional explanation, he would understand that I didn’t mean it in the usual sense of the word.

“What will you do then? I’ll be straightforward with you. I won’t look for hints, I won’t consider your feelings, I’ll just tell you. This and that are displeasing to me. You’re too old-fashioned! You’re too tiresome. Where has all your old charm gone? Find it! We’ll put our heads together and find a way to make it work for both of us.”

“What if we can’t find a way? What if I don’t change?”

“If you try but can’t change, there’s nothing we can do. We’ll have to live on past memories. But if you don’t even try? Then we’ll have to fight. Doesn’t a good brawl clear the air, regardless of who’s at fault or what’s the complaint?”

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, who had been staring at me, burst into laughter.

“Hahaha.”

It was the most exhilarating laugh I’d ever heard from him.

After laughing for a while, he suddenly stopped and said to me,

“There’s something I said to you before that I need to change.”

“What is it?”

“That my life was filled with only misfortune… it doesn’t seem entirely true anymore.”

At this moment, I distinctly heard it.

The sound of his heart opening a little more.

I will continue to listen to this sound in the future. Hearing the sound of this door opening from many people will be the moment of my growth, and it will be as important a weapon to me as the Nine Calamities Demon Art. Hwa Moogi, what sound are you hearing right now?

* * *

Late at night, after the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had left, an unexpected visitor appeared.

Surprisingly, it was the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.

“What brings you here at such a late hour?”

“I have something to tell you.”

“Come in.”

“It’s an urgent matter so let’s go over here.”

The surroundings darkened and then brightened as we found ourselves in a different space. It was the very demonic art that the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme had used several times. He also knew this demonic art from the Blood Sect.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader looked at me and asked meaningfully,

“What do you think? Doesn’t this martial art seem familiar?”

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader’s eyes conveyed that he knew everything and wanted me to speak honestly.

“This is the first time I’ve encountered this martial art.”

“That can’t be right. Didn’t you see this space when you fought the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

The expression of the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader turned cold.

“You killed the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme in this space.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I flatly denied it, but he continued his confident assertion.

“The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme died here, which made it seem like he died from a Qi deviation. You can’t fool my eyes.”

“Do you have any proof?”

“I don’t have proof. I can’t even guess how you did it. But I’m certain that you killed him.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because I can’t read you.”

I was inwardly surprised. I had never underestimated the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, but I didn’t expect him to believe I killed the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme based on this sole reason. This belief stemmed from his confidence in his intuition.

“You killed the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme. Since I can’t read you either, it means I could die as well.”

“I never thought someone as wise as you would make such a misjudgment.”

He truly had a precise understanding of me.

“I’m not trying to provoke you, so relax. I don’t want to die in a place like this, unlike the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme.”

Moreover, he didn’t overestimate his own abilities.

“Again, it’s a misunderstanding.”

Ignoring my words, he continued with his own.

“There’s only one reason why the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s sorcery didn’t work on you. You must have received the Nine Calamities Demon Art.”

“If you’re so sure, why didn’t you tell the Demon Supremes? If they found out my father secretly passed the Nine Calamities Demon Art to me, it would have caused an uproar. I heard you’re quite close to the Demonic Buddha.”

“Where in the martial world are there friends? We meet people as needed. The Demonic Buddha is no different.”

“Then what do you need from me?”

“This time, it’s a favor. I came today to remind you not to forget my favor.”

At that moment, I realized there was some problem between the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader and the Seven Demon Supremes. Or perhaps they were not as close as I had thought.

“Let’s get one thing straight. You have not done me any favor yet, Cult Leader.”

“What?”

“You didn’t choose not to tell the Seven Demon Supremes, you couldn’t tell them because you had no proof. Would you really say to them, ‘I couldn’t read the Second Young Master, so he’s the culprit!’? Your pride wouldn’t let you.”

“At least I can convey my suspicion that it might be you.”

“That would actually work in my favor. You mean to say my skills are enough to kill the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme? That the Cult Leader might have already passed the Nine Calamities Demon Art to me? They can’t be certain without proof, but they can’t treat me lightly either. It will help me gain the upper hand. You’ve hindered me instead.”

“What?”

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader seemed unable to respond, perhaps not having anticipated this outcome.

“If you want to extend a favor, I’ll gladly accept it. But make sure it’s a genuine favor.”

Though momentarily taken aback, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader didn’t lose his composure. He knew well the life lesson of not making any decisions in unfavorable situations.

“Let’s meet one more time before I leave.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings changed, and he promptly left.

Watching his departing figure, I smiled. I was more struck by the thought than by any scent of conspiracy.

‘Our Cult Leader comes to extend favors on his own.’

* * *

In the lavishly decorated large room provided by the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, only the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader, some relics, and the man in shackles were present.

“What do you think?”

The man in shackles, who had been sitting like a statue in front of the Thunder Bell, looked up at the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader. Words that no one else could have imagined came out of his mouth.

“You bastard, why are you asking me?”

Insulting the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was a crime punishable by death.

But the Cult Leader smiled as if it were a common occurrence and held up one finger.

“There’s no one else in this room but you, so who else would I ask?”

“Ask the Grim Reaper standing behind you when you’re going to die.”

The Cult Leader held up a second finger.

“I asked, and the Grim Reaper answered. He said, after you die, I’ll die, so unfortunately, you won’t see my death.”

“Lucky you, living long, you pig.”

At the man’s curse, the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader held up a third finger and laughed pleasantly.

“Two more to go!”

The man was allowed to curse at or speak informally to the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader only five times a day.

Of course, it wasn’t because the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had a strange preference for being insulted. Nor was it because this shackled man had an extraordinary sense of smell.

The reason the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader tolerated the extreme rudeness of the man and kept him alive was that he possessed an exceptionally sharp mind. Initially, this wasn’t evident. No one knew the man was this intelligent.

But after spending a long time together in one room, it became clear that the man’s true value lay not in his sense of smell but in his excellent judgment and intellect.

The day it became clear that this man was smarter than the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader’s military advisors, he became the real strategist of the Heavenly Wind Cult.

Despite the insults, the Cult Leader listened to his advices. His counsel was mostly accurate and brought benefits over time.

The Cult Leader didn’t try to subdue the man through suffering. The shackled man had no strong attachment to life and would willingly choose death if pressured.

Although he had no attachment to life, he did not commit suicide. The Cult Leader once asked him why, but the man never said a word about it.

“Why are you in such a bad mood?”

“Would you be happy in my place?”

Seeing the Cult Leader hold up his fourth finger, the man shook his shackles, making a clattering sound that echoed in the room.

With a snap of the Cult Leader’s fingers, the surroundings darkened and then brightened as the scene changed to a green field.

In this place, the Cult Leader unlocked the man’s eternal cold iron shackles. The key to these shackles was always worn around the Cult Leader’s neck.

Once freed from the shackles, the man’s expression relaxed.

Now free, the man darted around like a dog on a snowy day, then lay on his back looking up at the sky.

The Cult Leader stood over him.

“You big-headed Cult Leader, get out of the way! You’re blocking the view!”

“It’s a fake sky.”

The Cult Leader raised his fifth and final finger.

Once his five opportunities were exhausted, the man’s tone became polite.

“Cult Leader, I miss that fake sky so much. Please move.”

As if acting, his attitude changed instantly.

The Cult Leader stepped aside and asked,

“Following your advice, I extended a favor to the Second Young Master. But he demanded a more specific favor.”

The man was staring up at the sky. His eyes, visible through his long, flowing hair, were incredibly clear.

“Do you really think he will become the successor?”

“You said he killed the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme, didn’t you?”

“I’m certain.”

“Then who else could be the successor? A young man barely in his twenties can’t just kill the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme and stop there.”

“His skills are indeed impressive…”

“Are you afraid? That the Second Young Master might kill you too?”

Had anyone else said this, their head would have flown off immediately. But the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader simply nodded.

“It would be a lie to say I’m not scared. If he can kill a Demon Supreme, he can kill anyone.”

At some point, the Cult Leader had begun to have candid conversations with the man in shackles.

“There is another reason why we need to keep an eye on Geom Mugeuk.”

“What is it?”

“Do you think the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect Leader doesn’t know that he killed the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme?”

“He knows?”

“Of course he knows. The current Heavenly Demon is an extraordinary person. He dreams big. Why do you think such a person has been quiet until now?”

“Why?”

“Think! Don’t just eat and waste space!”

“Wasn’t that an insult?”

“It was not. I just raised my voice.”

“Be careful.”

“Of course. I was asking you to think.”

“I don’t want to. Thinking is your job. If I did the thinking too, there’d be no reason for you to stay alive, would there?”

The man looked at the Cult Leader with an overtly annoyed expression. Still, his words remained polite.

“When an extraordinary person remains silent, it means they’re preparing for a big move.”

“Unifying the Central Plains?”

“I’m not sure. In any case, either the Heavenly Demon ordered this, or he knows and is pretending not to. The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme was the most troublesome figure for the Martial Alliance among the Eight Demon Supremes. Just as the people of the Central Plains fear you, they feared him. And yet, he allowed his son to kill the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme? This means the Heavenly Demon intends to replace the Eight Demon Supremes one by one. After turning them into his own limbs, where do you think the Heavenly Demon will strike?”

“Us?”

“The current Heavenly Demon wouldn’t wage war against the Martial Alliance with us at his back. He will either push us to the front lines or eliminate us before starting the war.”

“Damn it!”

“A wind of change is blowing in the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect. If you can’t feel this wind, you’re as good as dead. The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme died because he was locked away in another world and couldn’t feel this wind. We need to decide whether to hide behind the wall of the Eight Demon Supremes or behind the wall of the Heavenly Demon.”

“You think it’s the Heavenly Demon?”

“The Heavenly Demon will win.”

“Why?”

“Geom Woojin, that extraordinary person, wouldn’t start a fight he couldn’t win. So, we must side with the Second Young Master. First, give him a gift to win his favor.”

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader nodded.

“What should I give him?”

“Give him what you least want to part with. That’s the only way we survive. Now, enough advice!”

The man lying down shouted.

“Stop bothering me and leave!”

This space was the only place where the man felt free, and he yelled while staring at the fake sky.

“Aaaaaah!”

Unlike the man, who was trying to vent his frustration, the Cult Leader stood with his hands behind his back, lost in thought.

After a moment, having decided what to give, the Cult Leader spoke to the man.

“That’s enough!”

The created space began to fade.

The man, alarmed, jumped up and shouted.

“No! Please! Just a little longer! You damn bastard! No!”

Despite his desperate cries, even breaking the rules, the green field, blue sky and the man’s freedom vanished.

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