Absolute Regression

Translator: FenrirTL

Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis

Murim Term Consultant: Kopke

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Chapter 236: That's Why This Battle Is Difficult

Clang.

A dish fell to the floor and shattered.

Yeo Jeong silently stared down at the broken pieces.

“Are you alright?”

Seo Daeryong, who was bringing food ingredients from the kitchen, asked in surprise.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

When she tried to pick up the broken pieces, Seo Daeryong intervened, stopping her.

“Just leave it. I’ll clean it up.”

This place was a safehouse of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. The brothel owners they had rescued from Lü Bugai were staying here temporarily. Under the care of the Sky Flower Pavilion's Mistress, they had regained much stability.

Yeo Jeong, who had always been cheerful, wore a somber expression today.

“Is something the matter?”

After a brief pause, she replied.

“I had a bad dream.” 1

Seo Daeryong knew from Geom Mugeuk that she wasn’t just an ordinary woman. He understood that her dreams couldn’t be dismissed as mere nonsense, but he pretended otherwise.

“They say dreams mean the opposite, don’t they?”

“Right?”

She forced a smile, but her expression remained dark. Perhaps her ominous dreams were always accurate.

Then, Seo Daeryong suddenly spoke up.

“It won’t work.”

“Pardon?”

“I know you’re not an ordinary person, Pavilion Mistress. Young master told me so. I also understand that saying this might be rude. Still, I’ll say it. That bad dream—it won’t work on our young master. And if it doesn’t work on the young master, it won’t work on Lord Soma, either.”

Seo Daeryong crouched down and began to slowly clean up the broken dish.

“Before I met the Young Master, my life was like this broken dish. I had an unattractive appearance and a dark, twisted personality.”

His face was reflected in a shard of the broken dish. Seo Daeryong felt that the distorted image, only faintly visible, resembled his past self.

“No one ever considered me important, and I regarded myself as worthless. But meeting the Pavilion Leader changed my life. To some, I might still be seen as a broken dish, but I believe I’m a dish with a purpose somewhere.”

Seo Daeryong gathered the rest of the broken pieces and stood up.

“To be honest, I’m being modest. I think it’s more than that. The Young Master mended this broken dish and turned me into a valuable porcelain piece.”

He was now a disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and might even become the next Lord of the Underworld Pavilion.

“If someone like me can be made this way, then things like bad dreams don’t work on the Young Master.”

A smile finally spread across Yeo Jeong's face.

“Yes. It won’t work.”

Seo Daeryong stepped outside with the broken dishes. In a corner of the courtyard, the Poison King was digging into the ground. Judging by how he was digging around a uniquely shaped flower, it seemed that poisonous snakes or venomous insects lived around it.

Seo Daeryong usually avoided talking to the Poison King out of fear, but today, he approached him.

“The Pavilion Mistress said she had a bad dream. She’s someone whose dreams often come true.”

Without looking at him, the Poison King replied.

“When we return to the Cult, I’ll drive the carriage, so you can go help if you want.”

“Ah, dreams don’t always come true, I guess.”

Seo Daeryong found himself puzzled by one thing.

Why hadn’t Geom Mugeuk asked the Poison King to go along in the first place?

Was it to protect Soma’s precious sister and the rescued women? That was important, of course, but the fight against Yaryuhan was a matter of life and death.

It was at that moment that the Poison King, as if reading Seo Daeryong’s mind, suddenly spoke.

“Curious, aren’t you? Why didn’t the Young Master ask me for help?”

“Yes, honestly, I am curious.”

The Poison King closely examined a worm in the dirt and replied.

“Because killing Yaryuhan isn’t the only objective.”

Seo Daeryong asked with a surprised expression.

“There’s another objective?”

The Poison King looked at Seo Daeryong. The young, clear eyes that seemed much younger than his own made Seo Daeryong hesitant to meet his gaze.

“You’re his right-hand man, aren’t you? Then you should know.”

“Well, I’m not the brightest of right hands.”

“Didn’t you graduate top of your class at the Underworld Pavilion?”

Seo Daeryong was taken aback.

“Did the Pavilion Leader tell you even that?”

“Your Pavilion Leader sure talks a lot.”

Seo Daeryong felt a swell of pride and couldn’t help but smile.

“So? What do you think?”

After a brief pause, Seo Daeryong replied.

“I’m always amazed by what the Young Master does, so how could I possibly understand his intentions? But sometimes, watching him, I wonder—why does he go to such lengths? Why does he strive to become so strong?”

Seo Daeryong continued, still observing the Poison King digging.

“Is he aiming for something beyond becoming the successor? Sometimes, I get that feeling. What exactly is the nature of the horizon the Pavilion Leader is looking at?”

The Poison King turned to him and asked.

“Why are you asking me that?”

“Oh! Right. I apologize.”

Seo Daeryong bowed respectfully and quickly stepped back.

“I’ll go help the Pavilion Mistress prepare her meal.”

Seo Daeryong ran into the building.

The Poison King seemed lost in thought for a moment, then resumed digging into the ground.

*         *         *

Yaryuhan was utterly confused.

When he first saw the corpses of the Five Thunder Divine Sword and his disciple, he thought it had been killed by an assassin sent by the leader of the Unorthodox Alliance. Surprisingly, it turned out to be the work of the Evil Smiling Demon, along with a mysterious young martial artist.

‘Did the Alliance Leader join forces with the Demonic Cult?’

He couldn’t make sense of it. The leader of the Unorthodox Alliance he knew wouldn’t join forces with the Demonic Cult, not even to eliminate him.

‘So, the Demonic Cult intervened without the Alliance Leader? But why?’

While conflicts with the Demonic Cult could arise when conducting various businesses in the martial world, none had escalated to the point of a life-and-death struggle like this.

Yaryuhan's gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk. The movements Geom Mugeuk displayed while defeating the Three Evils were extraordinary—an impressive display of divine might. How could someone so young move better than the Evil Smiling Demon? How was that possible?

“I’ve never heard of someone like you in the Demonic Cult.”

Yaryuhan hadn’t figured out Geom Mugeuk’s identity yet. As the second-in-command of the Unorthodox Alliance, he had access to various reports from spies infiltrating the martial world, including information on the Second Young Master of the Demonic Cult rising to prominence.

However, he didn’t consider the young man before him to be that individual. His martial skills were far too advanced for his age, and the bloodline of the Heavenly Demon wouldn't personally involve himself in such dangerous matters. 2

He assumed this was a secret weapon trained by the Demonic Cult, or perhaps an elder who had mastered techniques to retain youth or reached rejuvenation.

“I told you, we’re not from the Demonic Cult. We’re special reapers sent by the Underworld King.”

In response to Geom Mugeuk’s mockery, a chilling aura emanated from Yaryuhan’s entire body, as if a frigid snowstorm was swirling around him.

This was Yaryuhan's qi, a cold that could freeze the body entirely. When mixed with fear, his opponent would die without the need of raising his hand.

Of course, Geom Mugeuk did not stop provoking him.

“With a chill like that, maybe it’ll feel a little less hot when you enter the hellfire.”

The fact that he continued to taunt in such a tense situation showed that he acknowledged Yaryuhan’s strength. Yaryuhan’s qi alone demonstrated his skill. Victory or defeat could hinge on a single moment, a single mistake.

Yaryuhan then spoke.

“I’m going to take you with me. With someone as annoying as you, I might even be able to put out the flames of hell and overthrow King Yama.” 3

Cha Hwan, who had been standing back due to his relatively weaker martial skills, was startled.

This was the first time he had seen Yaryuhan speak to an opponent in such a manner. Although Cha Hwan also recognized that the young man was formidable, he hadn’t realized just how strong he truly was. If the fight was this evenly matched...

‘I need to play a more significant role.’

His heart raced. A strong desire to earn merit overwhelmed him. He would wait for the right moment to jump in—at the decisive moment!

The Bloodwheel Calamity chuckled and spoke to Soma.

“I never thought my Bloodwheel would get a taste of the Evil Smiling Demon’s blood.”

Soma showed no reaction, and Damal felt a bit embarrassed by this complete disregard. 4

“Typical arrogant Demonic Cult scum.”

He was confident he could defeat the Evil Smiling Demon. He had noticed the severe wounds Soma had sustained from Yaryuhan’s earlier ambush. Normally, he was a step below the Demon Supreme in skill, but under these circumstances, he believed he had a good chance.

Moreover, Soma had expended most of his internal energy. He had used his inner power against Baek Haeng and his disciple earlier.

Geom Mugeuk's gaze fell on the blood-soaked arm of the Evil Smiling Demon. Despite blocking the accupoint to staunch the flow, blood was still seeping out, indicating the wound was too deep for such insufficient first aid.

‘This fight needs to end as quickly as possible.’

However, if he rushed the fight, he would end up dead at Yaryuhan’s hands. It was a battle that required him to stay calm without showing his haste, to fight with all his strength but also to end it as quickly as possible. That’s why this fight was difficult.

“By the way, if you mess with the Divine Cult, your Alliance Leader won’t be pleased. Are you okay with that?”

Geom Mugeuk threw out words meant to unsettle his enemies.

Yaryuhan asked, “Didn’t you just say you’re not from the Demonic Cult?”

“Well, if not us, who else would want to get rid of you?”

“Why does the Demonic Cult want to kill me?”

“I’ll tell you when you’re dying.”

“You’re the one who’s going to die first. So tell me now.”

“Don’t feel like it.” 5

Yaryuhan felt a rare emotion—irritation. In his life, no one had dared to annoy him. And if someone had, they would already be lying dead after he toyed with them.

But Yaryuhan quickly reined in his emotions.

“Fine. I’ll hear it when I’m dying.”

Seeing Yaryuhan's calm eyes, Geom Mugeuk also composed himself. Yaryuhan was completely impervious to psychological tricks. The only way to kill him was with sheer skill.

Whish, whish, whish!

The Bloodwheel slashed through the air swiftly as the battle between the Evil Smiling Demon and Damal began, but Soma easily dodged it.

At the same time, he lunged towards the Bloodwheel Calamity.

Swish!

Slash!

At that moment, two streams of sword energy tore through the air simultaneously.

It was Yaryuhan's sword energy trying to block the Evil Smiling Demon's approach, and Geom Mugeuk’s sword energy neutralizing Yaryuhan’s attack.

Bang!

As the sword energies clashed in midair!

Whoosh!

The Evil Smiling Demon unleashed a blast of qi, and the Bloodwheel, who had circled back, attempted to strike Soma from behind.

The Evil Smiling Demon twisted his body to dodge the weapon, while Damal also threw himself to the ground to evade the Blood Disaster Finger.

With the initial fierce exchange over, a tense atmosphere settled over the battlefield. A razor-thin contest where the outcome was anyone's guess.

Geom Mugeuk made a decision.

‘A fight like this is disadvantageous.’

The reason was simple: Yaryuhan could abandon the Bloodwheel Calamity to flee at any moment, but Geom Mugeuk could never forsake Soma.

With that judgment, Geom Mugeuk launched himself toward Yaryuhan.

He chose not to worry about the Evil Smiling Demon's injuries. To be concerned about him in the first place was a mistake. He needed to have faith in him.

And if he truly wanted to help Soma, instead of worrying poorly, he had to focus on his own battle and kill that bastard as quickly as possible. He would ensure that no one would dare send sword energy toward the Evil Smiling Demon again.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!

The flashes of swords created by Geom Mugeuk and Yaryuhan clashed in the air at blinding speed.

They were incredibly fast. The two who had clashed on the left side were suddenly exchanging blows on the right side. It was as if they were moving freely through space.

Countless times, Geom Mugeuk’s deep blue sword light collided with Yaryuhan’s brilliant white sword light.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two clashed sword against sword, soaring into the air. The flashes of swords gleaming in the sky were like fireworks celebrating this spectacular fight, this match to the death.

They leapt from the air and ran along rooftops while battling, their swords colliding continuously even as they sprinted. Even as they fell from the roofs onto the walls, the flashes of their swords continued to spark.

The showdown between the Soaring Sword Art, mastered to its Twelve-Star Greatness, and the Primordial Splitting Sword Art, also at Twelve-Star Greatness, was truly a battle between a dragon and a tiger—equally matched in power and skill.

As the fierce battle raged on, Geom Mugeuk suddenly infused more internal energy into the Black Demon Sword.

Caught off guard by the unexpected surge of energy, Yaryuhan spat out a mouthful of blood.

But before the blood drops could hit the ground, a sword sliced through them, flying straight at Geom Mugeuk.

Splat!

Blood spurted from Geom Mugeuk’s side.

In the midst of the rapid clash, the additional infusion of internal energy had been too much, and reckless attacks always came with a price. It was a performance befitting the second-in-command of the Unorthodox Alliance.

They were neither surprised nor impressed by each other. They were solely focused on the fight. The battle a moment ago had shown them clearly that losing focus, even for an instant, would result in death.

Just as the distance between the two widened for a brief moment!

Yaryuhan’s first secret technique was unleashed.

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

Yaryuhan’s figure split into ten, surrounding Geom Mugeuk. This cloning technique was the Ten Illusion Split Soul Technique, one of the core essences of Primordial Splitting Sword Art.

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish.

Simultaneously, thirty-six sword-shaped energies surrounded Geom Mugeuk.

It was the Seventh Form of the Soaring Sword Art, Rain of a Thousand Swords. But this wasn’t the usual form. Originally, the swords had split in front of the chest, but now they formed a circular formation around Geom Mugeuk's body.

The martial skills, mastered to Twelve-Star Greatness, were maturing further, revealing a new realm of combat.

As the illusions lunged at him simultaneously, ten of the floating sword energies shot outward in all directions.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Sword energies and illusions collided and vanished, while the real Yaryuhan swung his sword to dispel the flying sword energies.

With the illusions gone, twenty-six sword energies remained!

Like projectiles launched from a mechanical device, the sword energies shot toward Yaryuhan all at once like homing comets.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Cha Hwan, who was watching, stood agape. He had never seen or heard of such divine prowess in his life. 6

And it was met with another display of divine might.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sword energies collided against something and were halted.

It was a sword wall—a wall of icy sword energy like a frozen barrier. This was another essence of the Primordial Splitting Sword Art, the White Cold Ice Wall.

Swish.

As the wall of sword energy melted away like snow, Yaryuhan's figure emerged behind it.

His eyes glowed white like those of a demon, radiating intense killing intent. 7

With a fierce presence that declared the true fight was only beginning, the Black Demon Sword started to hum loudly.

Wooo, wooo, wooo!

Geom Mugeuk gripped the Black Demon Sword tightly and walked toward the overwhelming killing intent.

‘Just hang on a little longer, my friend!’

It was a message meant for both of his companions.

1 : Reminds me of Cassandra…. Who among you all knows who she is ? Answer in the comments !!!

2 : Abandon all common sense, you who encounter a protagonist.

3 : Weellll… You’re not wrong about that XDXDXD But that’s assuming Mugeuk ends up in Hell.

4 : Terminator 3 : “Talk to the hand !!!”

5 : Almost added “Naaaah” before “Don’t feel like it” XDXDXD

6 : Here, take some popcorn. Not like you’ll enjoy it for long anyways.

7 : The demon of Minecraft….