Absolute Regression

Translator: FenrirTL
Editor/Quality Checker: Saphartlantis
Murim Term Consultant: Kopke
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< Chapter 176: The Person I Want to See the Most >

Have you ever seen a sword cry on its own? 1

The Heavenly Society Leader widened his eyes at the sight. Jo Ryongjang also witnessed a sword crying on its own for the first time.

In truth, the most surprised person was Geom Mugeuk.

It was the first time the Black Demon Sword had cried since he received it. Renowned swords like the Heavenly Demon Sword or the Black Demon Sword were known to cry on their own only when they achieved perfect resonance with their master.

‘Yes, I’ll make sure they won’t be able to ridicule us.’

When Geom Mugeuk grasped the sword’s hilt, the Black Demon Sword finally stopped crying.

The Heavenly Society Leader glanced at Jo Ryongjang. At this moment, the two of them shared the same thought.

Jo Ryongjang spoke to the Four Gentlemen.

“Don’t underestimate your opponent. Fight with caution.”

The Four Gentlemen, too, had never seen a sword cry on its own, and thus felt inwardly tense.

Geom Mugeuk confronted them.

“Even putting them aside, aren’t you warriors of the righteous sects? Do you think it’s acceptable to try to kill someone acting under the orders of the Alliance Leader?”

However, none among the Four Gentlemen felt the slightest pang of conscience. Not even a hint of hesitation or doubt. This indicated that they had always carried out the True Dragon Manor Master’s commands without questioning right or wrong.

Geom Mugeuk told them,

“Your epithet doesn’t suit you. Let me relieve you of its burden.”

As soon as the words ended, the Black Demon Sword was drawn with lightning speed.

Flash!

A beam of sword light slashed through, cleaving the bamboo in two.

It was the Fifth Form, Azure Sky, of the Soaring Sword Art, a swift sword technique. Faster than before, this attack was unstoppable by the Bamboo of Plum, Orchid, Chrysanthemum, and Bamboo. In the blink of an eye, their bodies were already being severed, how could they ever block it?

Watching Bamboo fall beside them, spraying blood, Plum leapt into action.

Swish! Thud!

Plum saw it. His lower body remained intact, while only his severed upper body flew forward. What bisected him was the First Form, Balancing the Heavens, of the Soaring Sword Art.

Orchid and Chrysanthemum charged simultaneously from both sides. Witnessing the deaths of their two companions so suddenly, their movements lacked their usual agility.

The Black Demon Sword created twelve transformations in midair.

It was the Second Form, Transforming Heavens Style, of the Soaring Sword Art.

The noble Orchid was uprooted at the sixth transformation, while the white Chrysanthemum was shredded at the ninth transformation.

It was the power of the Soaring Sword Art at the pinnacle of Twelve Star Greatness, backed by the enlightenment of Return to Simplicity.

Geom Mugeuk could feel it clearly. The Soaring Sword Art, having reached Twelve Stars, was maturing rapidly. With his body now impervious to all poisons, and his mastery of the Wind God’s Four Steps near completion, all these martial arts advancements were also influencing the Soaring Sword Art. 2

Wooong!

The Black Demon Sword, which had just cut down the Four Gentlemen, cried once more.

When facing multiple opponents, the most important thing is to establish dominance. You must instill fear in the hearts of those who rely solely on their numbers. Make them think, “Even with our numbers, we could still die.”

Now, only silence filled the air. No one was laughing anymore.

Geom Mugeuk didn’t give his opponents a chance to regain their composure.

Before they could even receive the order to kill him, Geom Mugeuk moved first.

In a flash, he had already slashed the masked man on his left.

After stabbing his heart, he spun around and swung his sword. Two masked men behind him had their throats slit simultaneously, spraying fountains of blood.

He leapt over a masked man charging from the side, crushed his face with a knee, and then swiftly stabbed the masked men behind him.

As the sound of flesh tearing echoed—”Puk!”—Geom Mugeuk was already cutting down a masked man on the opposite side who had been caught off guard. Considering his usual skills, this shouldn’t have been so easy, but in a blink, his throat was slashed, and everything went black.

Masked men who ambushed him from the rooftops found themselves skewered mid-air. They fell like scattered autumn leaves.

Geom Mugeuk was fast—way too fast.

In an instant, a dozen were reduced to corpses, and the leader of the Heavenly Society belatedly shouted.

“Attack together! Attack together!”

By the time those words were uttered, four more had died.

Geom Mugeuk was like a tiger among sheep. Of course, these sheep were not ordinary. They charged at him like madmen, swinging their swords. Even as they were being cut down, some of their swords found their mark on Geom Mugeuk.

However, since he didn’t allow direct hits, the grazing attacks couldn’t penetrate his top-grade silk armor and Ghost Protector Garment combo.

“He’s even faster than the Alliance Leader in his prime.”

To Jo Ryongjang’s comment, the Heavenly Society leader said nothing. Three more fell as those words hung in the air.

“As long as he’s human, he’ll eventually tire.”

That was all they could rely on. Being human meant that his internal energy would have its limits. 3

As about a dozen men rushed in, Geom Mugeuk surged forward instead. He ran, but it didn’t look like running. He slid smoothly, like gliding on ice—shaaak.

Masked men collapsed to the sides wherever he passed.

Hidden weapons rained down from all directions.

Ching ching ching ching ching ching ching ching!

Geom Mugeuk’s sword spread a dazzling display of sword light through the air. All the incoming hidden weapons were deflected. Some embedded themselves into Geom Mugeuk’s body, but his movements did not slow down at all.

Geom Mugeuk soared upward, as if shooting into the sky. The masked men who had been throwing hidden weapons from the rooftops fell one after another as corpses.

Charging in led to death, and trying to turn away and flee also led to death. Whether they attacked alone or in a combined assault, they all died. Even when they succeeded in stabbing him, Geom Mugeuk did not fall. When Geom Mugeuk had no choice but to allow an attack, he exposed the areas protected by his top-grade silk armor and the Ghost Protector Garment.

Crunch.

A masked man’s corpse flew and smashed into the table where the Heavenly Society leader and Jo Ryongjang were previously sitting.

“One cannot fight like that just by having strong martial arts. That man… he’s someone who has killed many people.”

Watching Geom Mugeuk fight, the Heavenly Society leader realized the truth. The opponent had vast experience in combat. Without crossing a river of blood, one could not fight like that. The opponent knew how to kill the enemy in the quickest and most efficient way. 4

“How can he be like that when he’s so young?”

“That’s why we’ve jumped into the martial world, isn’t it? Because it’s this exciting.”

The Heavenly Society leader did not show fear. Whether it was because he had something to rely on or had accepted death, it was hard to tell.

When more than half of the masked men were dead, the remaining ones lost their will to fight. From that point on, their role shifted from trying to kill Geom Mugeuk to merely trying to wear him down.

Eventually, the last masked man fell.

“Huff… huff… huff!”

In that place, only the sound of Geom Mugeuk’s rough breathing echoed.

Among the three experts—Demon-Slaying Blade, Conqueror Monk, and Grand Poison Elder—it was Conqueror Monk Yorei who moved first.

He swung his iron staff and charged. He didn’t give Geom Mugeuk a moment’s rest.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The iron staff and sword clashed repeatedly. With tremendous force, Yorei pressed on.

Geom Mugeuk retreated, losing ground in terms of sheer strength.

Believing he had gained the upper hand, Yorei channeled his internal energy into the iron staff. Confident in his inner strength, he tried to draw Geom Mugeuk into an internal energy clash. He was sure of his inner strength, and his opponent was exhausted.

Yorei pushed with his internal energy, certain of victory, but he overlooked one crucial fact. Geom Mugeuk’s fatigue was due to conserving his internal energy as much as possible during the fight.

No matter how vast Yorei’s internal energy was, it couldn’t compare to Geom Mugeuk’s.

Under the overwhelming force of Geom Mugeuk’s energy, Yorei’s arm, which gripped the iron staff, began to tremble violently.

It was at this moment that the Heavenly Society leader gave his command.

“Grand Poison Elder!”

The moment those words left his mouth, something flew from Gok Chu’s hand. Engaged in their internal energy clash, Geom Mugeuk and Yorei couldn’t dodge it.

Boom!

A thick black smoke erupted, engulfing both men. 5

“We got him!”

The Leader of the Heavenly Society abruptly stood up.

Jo Ryongjang, following suit, asked, “What poison is it?”

“It’s the most potent poison of the Grand Poison Elder, the Extreme Yin Fatal Poison! He’s done for!”

“Ah!”

Jo Ryongjang finally sighed in relief at the Heavenly Society Leader’s certainty. He had been deeply regretting his choice, fearing it was the wrong one.

Out of the pitch-black smoke, someone staggered and walked forward. In the short span of time, he had been poisoned, and blood was pouring from all the openings on his body. He mumbled something unintelligible and then collapsed on the spot.

When the rising poisonous smoke settled, everyone was shocked.

Geom Mugeuk was still standing strong.

The Leader of the Heavenly Society and Jo Ryongjang shouted simultaneously.

“Immune to All Poisons?”

“The Body Immune to All Poisons!”

Though he was their enemy, they couldn’t help but feel awe. It was the first time they were witnessing the legendary Body Immune to All Poisons. 6

The problem wasn’t that he had withstood the poison.

Shink-shink-shink-shink-shink-shink-shink!

Now, floating in front of Geom Mugeuk’s chest.

Already amidst the poisonous smoke, sword energy in the shape of swords created by him had appeared. The number had increased, now a staggering twenty swords hovered in the air.

Soaring Sword Art Seventh Form: Rain of a Thousand Swords.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!

The twenty sword energies shot out like beams of light, piercing into the Gok Chu. He swung his hands desperately to block, but he couldn’t stop the twenty sword energies flying towards his entire body.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The downpour of sword energy pierced through him.

As the Grand Poison Elder fell, Gu Ryeong struck at Geom Mugeuk’s face.

With Geom Mugeuk’s sword lodged in the wall behind the Grand Poison Elder due to the Rain of a Thousand Swords, he thought missing this chance would mean his death.

Geom Mugeuk narrowly evaded the attack, and the two fighters’ faces brushed past each other at a hair’s breadth!

Hooo.

Geom Mugeuk exhaled the smoke he had kept in his mouth. 7

“Aaaaaaah!”

He had kept the previous poisonous smoke in his mouth and now blew it at the Demon-Slaying Blade. A single breath was enough.

The Demon-Slaying Blade clutched his face, letting out a horrific scream, rolling on the ground, and eventually dying while bleeding from all seven orifices.

Now, only Geom Mugeuk, the Leader of the Heavenly Society, and Jo Ryongjang remained.

Staring at the corpses scattered all around, Jo Ryongjang felt like it was all just a dream. But he realized that if he didn’t wake up from this nightmare soon, he too would die in it.

Jo Ryongjang shouted, “Don’t forget! I’m on the Alliance Leader’s side! I was the one who informed you that the Leader of the Heavenly Society would be coming here…” 8

Fwoosh!

Boom!

Half of Jo Ryongjang’s face was blown off, and the remaining part was charred like ash, as if it had been burned. The intense energy of extreme yang had been unleashed.

The Leader of the Heavenly Society retracted his hand, from which the force had been emitted towards Jo Ryongjang, and picked up the cup of liquor in front of him, sipping it slowly.

“I have to do what I set my mind to, or I won’t be satisfied.”

It meant that he intended to kill him anyway.

When Geom Mugeuk reached out, the Black Demon Sword that was lodged in the wall flew back into his hand.

“You might think highly of yourself, but to me, you’re insignificant. If you want to live quietly, then live quietly; if you want to be a hero, then stand tall. What are you, really? Hiding and scheming, sowing discord from behind the scenes, manipulating others without their knowledge. Recruiting father and son separately without them knowing each other. Do you find that impressive? No, it’s nothing but cowardly and despicable.”

The Leader of the Heavenly Society gave a bitter smile.

“What can I do? That’s just who I am. I find too much joy and happiness in scheming from behind the scenes.” 9

That’s how it should have continued. But as his power and influence grew, he naturally became careless. Situations like today? When there were only two or ten people protecting him, such a thing was unimaginable. He hid, and hid again. But now, with a hundred people guarding him, he had grown arrogant as if he were invincible.

“I guess I’ll have to go back to the basics and start over.”

The body of the Leader of the Heavenly Society began to heat up intensely. At the very least, his martial arts were not insignificant.

In an instant, the surrounding air turned hot.

At that moment, Geom Mugeuk realized—the Leader of the Heavenly Society was a practitioner of martial arts that harnessed not just extreme yang but ultra-extreme yang energy.

‘This is dangerous.’

The Black Demon Sword, sensing his unease, let out another long, resonant cry.

His head grew dizzy, and his breathing became labored. It wasn’t an illusion; it was pure martial prowess, leaving him with no alternative but to endure. He fortified himself with body-protecting energy and held his ground. He had never experienced such heat in his life. It felt as though he had been thrown into molten lava.

Just as the Leader of the Heavenly Society was about to unleash his extreme yang force infused with flames!

The surroundings suddenly changed, startling the Leader of the Heavenly Society.

Whooooosh.

Out of nowhere, the scene shifted, and he found himself standing on a snow-covered mountain battered by a raging blizzard.

The cold wind and snow blowing against his face were real. Even the battle-hardened Leader of the Heavenly Society was shocked by the sudden change in the situation.

“This is…”

Not far ahead, Geom Mugeuk was scooping up snow from the ground and rubbing it on his face.

The Leader of the Heavenly Society also touched the snow that lay thick on the ground. It was real snow.

Whooooosh.

With the fierce snowstorm and bitter cold, the ultra-extreme yang energy that had been burning like flames around the Leader of the Heavenly Society subsided. As the heat diminished, so did his fighting spirit and resolve.

The two returned to their original spot.

In the middle of the manor littered with corpses, the Leader of the Heavenly Society asked, “What martial art is that?”

“Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique.”

As he listened to the answer, the Leader of the Heavenly Society was no longer there.

The last skill he executed was a stealth technique. It was his final and secret move to vanish from sight and escape the place.

The belief that he could survive any situation turned him into prey caught in a spider’s web.

Thud!

The Leader of the Heavenly Society opened his eyes and looked down at his chest.

Geom Mugeuk’s sword, having detected his stealth, had pierced his heart.

Summoning his last ounce of strength, the Leader of the Heavenly Society scrutinized Geom Mugeuk with attention.

Around Geom Mugeuk’s body, energy was emitted like a spider’s web. It was the same energy emission technique he had learned from hunting with the Heavenly Demon, now extending intricately like a web just as his father had done. There was no escape for the Leader of the Heavenly Society’s stealth technique.

The Leader of the Heavenly Society spoke as if he had no regrets.

“…That powerful Sword Art, the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique, impervious to poisons, unaffected by stealth techniques. In that case, I must die.”

Indeed, in today’s battle, Geom Mugeuk had used everything he had ever learned.

Before the Leader of the Heavenly Society took his last breath, he left a final remark.

“I… have met someone like you before.”

Geom Mugeuk was startled at the moment.

“Where? Where?”

But those were his last words, and the Leader of the Heavenly Society had already died.

‘It’s Hwa Moogi! This Leader of the Heavenly Society has met Hwa Moogi before.’ 10

Of course, it could have been someone else, but Geom Mugeuk was convinced that the person the Leader of the Heavenly Society had mentioned was Hwa Moogi.

Somewhere out there, Hwa Moogi was alive. Growing stronger, just like Geom Mugeuk, and walking toward their shared destiny.

Geom Mugeuk no longer feared him. He was also doing his best to live.

Yes, Hwa Moogi was Hwa Moogi. Now was the time to savor the joy of victory.

He had finally completed the succession test his father had set. It was especially significant that he had finished it alone, without the help of the Demon Supremes.

Geom Mugeuk exited the manor. Now that he was leaving, the rest would be handled by the Leader of the Murim Alliance. He had already said his farewells to Jin Paecheon and Jin Haryeong, so he could depart just like that. 11

Outside the manor, Seo Daeryong was waiting, sitting in the coachman’s seat of a carriage.

“This is the carriage driven by the winner of the Soaring Dragon Tournament. Consider it an honor.”

Contrary to his words, Seo Daeryong’s eyes were trembling. The overwhelming emotion of gratitude for Geom Mugeuk’s safe return was evident on his face.

“I’ve prepared new martial robes inside. Please change into them.”

“Thank you.”

Geom Mugeuk climbed into the carriage.

“Let’s go, home.”

“Who do you want to see the most?”

Leaning against the carriage, Geom Mugeuk closed his eyes.

“The person I want to see the most is…”

The only thing that heard his barely audible answer was the breeze that brushed past his hair. 12

“Who did you say?”

When Seo Daeryong turned around, Geom Mugeuk, having exhausted all his energy in the fight, had already fallen asleep. The new martial robes Seo Daeryong had prepared were draped over Geom Mugeuk’s lap, still unworn.

‘You’ve really done well, my lord.’

With that, the carriage began to make its way towards the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

1 : Does Skyward Sword count ? Come on, I can’t be the only one to have thought of it XDXDXD
2 : It’s still evolving even now…. A complex symbiosis with its host. It would be beautiful to end Hwa Moogi with the Soaring Sword Art ^^
3 : Good luck with that, he has equal or more internal energy than his father.
4 : His path was much harsher than everyone else. Forged in the fires of war and unbroken will.
5 : Very cold. Villains always backstab each other. Oh well, die in despair while regretting your foolish choices.
6 : Which is different from a Poison Body. A Poison Body transforms poison into internal energy and makes every part of the body poisonous. An Immunity just makes poison irrelevant, it doesn’t make you stronger or more poisonous.
7 : Lol, smoking is bad for health XDXDXD
8 : How delusional, he really thought he could swindle his way out of here XDXDXD
9 : You’re not in Eminence in the Shadows or Villainess Lives Twice dude.
10 : First real proof of Hwa Moogi existence since the regression. In the end, the Heavenly Society wasn’t the secret society behind him…. Oh well, I’m sure there are many others sleeping tigers and hidden dragons ^^ Shame for the money and treasures though.
11 : He’s ditching the aftermath to someone else again XDXDXD
12 : Totally Lee ahn ^^