Absolute Regression Chapter 715

Episode 715: Are you worried about us as soon as you open your eyes?

Blood splattered across the moonlit alley.
Chai Lan stood behind the fallen Muin, clutching his neck.

She closed her eyes and felt the energy around her. She scanned with her unique senses, but she felt no enemies around her.

After a while, Ilgyo came to her and reported.

“Everything is sorted out.”

Behind her, the Gain Cult assassins appeared. Chae-ran, Il-gyo, and the remaining assassins returned to the alley in time, minimizing the damage. However, several Gain Cult assassins were killed and injured in this fight.

And the fight isn’t over yet.

“We are going back again.”

Chai Ran sent the seriously injured to receive treatment, and took all the remaining able-bodied killers and returned to the place where they had been fighting Hwadomyeong.

I never knew this would be my fate with the Demonic Cult.
We would all die together, or we would all live together. That was the battle today.

Believing in the Evil Soma, he came here to rescue his subordinates.
However, his opponent was Hwadomyeong. This time, he revealed a new side of himself, disappointingly revealing his true nature, but he remains a strong man. The Jukrip warriors who were with him also seemed unusual.
Above all, Hwadomyeong didn’t flee even when he saw the Evil Soma. This clearly indicates that he has a reason to believe.

“Hurry up.”

She ran ahead, demonstrating her lightness.
It was for the sake of the Sword Dance, and ultimately, it was also for her own benefit.
She was already a traitor to the organization, so if the Sword Dance went wrong, her choice would be meaningless.

While Chae-ran was worried about such things, the Seventeen Religions following behind her were thinking of someone else.
She desperately hoped the Crescent Moon Masked Guest was still alive.
A bad feeling kept creeping in. She pictured herself discovering a crescent moon mask among the tangled corpses, unknowing who it belonged to.

The closer she got, the more intense the scent of blood became, making her heart pound.
Just as Chai-ran and the assassins emerged from the alley and reached the place where they had previously fought,
they stopped. The scene unfolding within the arena was completely unexpected.

First, Geommu-geuk was still sitting with his eyes closed.
Chai-ran felt relieved at the sight.

‘The cult leader is alive.’

And the evil Soma was still alive. He sat with his eyes closed before the sword dance. He seemed to be recovering his inner strength through chanting.

And the masked men surrounding the two.
They were disposing of the corpses. The large pit was already filled with corpses, and even as they arrived, the masked men were carrying them away.
They wanted to prevent the young cult leader from seeing the sight of corpses strewn about when he opened his eyes.

Seventeen-year-old Jiao searched for the Crescent Moon’s faceless guest. She always found him right away, but perhaps because she was in a hurry, she couldn’t find him.
So she counted the number of faceless guests.

One, two, three… … eight, nine, ten!

Fortunately, all the masked men were alive.
Then, I made eye contact with the masked man closest to me, who was moving a corpse. Only then did I realize he was the Crescent Masked Man. His clothes were stained with blood, but thankfully, he didn’t appear to be seriously injured.

Seventeen-kyo bowed slightly to the crescent-moon masked guest, who was staring intently at him.
The crescent-moon masked guest also bowed slightly in return.
The masked guest, who was carrying the corpse with another person nearby, looked at them both. The two pretended not to notice and avoided eye contact.

Meanwhile, Chai Ran was secretly surprised.

‘They killed them all!’

The first person she found was Hwadomyeong.
At first, they couldn’t find Hwadomyeong’s body. Judging by the three bamboo sticks on the floor, all the bamboo stick people seemed to be dead.
Hwadomyeong’s body was nowhere to be found.

‘Did you run away?’

Then, something caught her eye.
It was a fan.
A familiar fan, sticking out from the pit of corpses.

The dead man clutching the fan was a man with countless lines drawn on his face. His makeup had faded, making it difficult to recognize him immediately, but a closer look revealed him to be Hwa Do-myeong. The red lines that once crisscrossed his face had all faded to a grayish hue.

What was more surprising than his death was the shameless people who had carelessly thrown him and his men into the corpse pit.

The faceless guests.
Their leader, the evil Soma.

Chai-ran knew she couldn’t let her guard down. Just
because someone called Geommu-geuk smiled and acted like a demon, she shouldn’t delude herself into thinking they might be good people.
They were demons from the Heavenly Demon Sect. And demons from the Akingok, at that.

Chai Lan looked up at the night sky as the maskless guests began to cover the corpse pit.

There was no turning back now. With their blood relative, Hwadomyeong, dead, the organization behind them would surely seek their death.
The moon had already waned, and the twinkling stars had become the new masters of the night sky.

* * *

The aura of the Bloodless Death was completely transformed into internal energy, concentrated in his dantian.
Geommu Geuk could confidently assert that
now, in terms of internal energy alone, he was the best in the martial arts world.
Of course, he didn’t know the world… … No. At this level, he was the best.

The five energies that had been swirling within me had now quietly fallen asleep.
Now, only one energy remained.
Where could the last bead be hidden?
And what would happen if all six energies were gathered?

With that thought, Geommu-geuk slowly opened his eyes.
The evil Soma was staring at him. He was there when he closed his eyes, and he was there when he woke up.

“Are you awake?”

The evil soma’s two eyes smiled brightly.
Geommugeuk, who had been staring at them silently, stretched heavily instead of expressing gratitude.

“Thanks to you, I slept well.”

Geommu-geuk rose from his seat, and the evil Soma followed suit.
His body felt more refreshed than ever. Of course, it wasn’t because he’d slept until dawn. The pure inner energy that filled his dantian was as vast and deep as the ocean.

The sense of stability and confidence that this immense internal energy, which seemed like it would never dry out no matter how much I used it, was indescribable.

What if I use this internal energy to unleash the Nine Fire Demons’ Six-Eating Heavenly Demon Extermination?

What if the Heavenly Demon Extermination, which requires the vast majority of one’s internal energy, were to unfold with this immense power? Even before, everything visible had been destroyed.
Now, the results would be unimaginable.

What if, like my father, I could control the Heavenly Demonic Realm at will?
What if I could create a sword of light with this inner strength?

The heart of the sword dance was pounding.

As the sword dance began, the masked guests lined up, bowed politely, and gave each other a round of applause. Joy was evident in their eyes.

Geommugeuk examined their condition. His own body was light, but the masked guests’ uniforms were covered in blood. Many were injured.
He could guess how fierce the fight had been.

“You had a hard time protecting it, right?”

At those words, the innocent guests beamed. The cult leader’s words were enough. They would gladly give their lives if the cult leader only knew.

On the opposite side of the masked men were assassins. Among the assassins lined up, there was Chai-ran.
The swordsman walked towards her.

“Wasn’t I heavy?”
“I was in trouble because I was heavy.”

She did what she was asked to do.

“You kept your promise that Soma-sama would be there when I opened my eyes.”
“Because you always keep your promises.”
“Then let’s make one more promise.”
“Are you saying we should let that person leave?”

I thought he’d suggest we go together and save Akgunhak.
Geommugeuk shook his head. His promise was completely unexpected.

“Rest in the shade of the main temple until we have defeated them all.”

I said it in a nice way, but now Geommu-geuk was saying this:
I will protect you.

Yes, only the Cheonmasingyo can say such things to them.

“Are you worried about us as soon as you open your eyes?”

The swordsman answered with deepened eyes.

“Because you helped me open my eyes.”

The sword dance was saying thank you like this.

Forging a full-fledged connection with the Cheonma Sect was a decision that required careful consideration. Had the offer not been made by Geommu-geuk,
she would have politely declined. However, neither her pride nor the honor of her organization intervened in this matter.
With only the lives of her subordinates in mind, the answer was simple.

“Then I will leave you alone for a while.”

Chai Lan bowed politely, offering a handshake. The women behind her also bowed in unison. One of them smiled inexplicably.

The sword dance also greeted them with courtesy.

“Once you eliminate them all, you’re free to leave. I swear it on the name of the cult leader.”

So, the Cain cult decided to temporarily rely on the Cheonma cult.
Geommu-geuk asked the evil Soma.

“What happened to the person who put on makeup?”
“He died.”
“Well done.”

The evil Soma nodded and pointed out one thing.

“From the way he spoke, he seemed like a blood relative of the main character.”

Geommu-geuk recalled what Chai-ran had said.
He was better left untouched.
He must be a blood relative of the Hwa family.

“Even so, would he be the blood relative of such a major figure?”

The evil soma laughed at the sword dance joke, and Chai Ran smiled too.
She felt the atmosphere change with the sword dance. Their expressions brightened, their energy overflowing. The evil soma, the masked man, even herself and the killers felt the effects.
The sun rose brightly, and the world brightened.
The long night had finally passed.

* * *

Ian stood by the window, watching the sun rise.
It was a sword dance, so he’d figure it out on its own. Since the evil Soma was with him, he’d be fine. No matter how positive his thoughts were, he couldn’t help but feel worried.

Then, Cheonhwaruju spoke from behind.

“I’m sorry for making you feel bad for me.”
“Yes?”

When Ian turned around with an expression asking what she meant, Cheonhwaruju explained the reason.

“You wanted to go with the young sect leader, right?”

Ian answered with a smile.

“Instead, I hope Soma-sama is fighting with peace of mind. It’s better for Soma-sama to be at peace without me than to be anxious with me.”

It was a remark that praised the evil soma, and a humble remark that humbled himself. It was also a remark that acknowledged the relationship between the evil soma and Cheonhwaruju.

Cheonhwaruju asked, looking at Ian with gentle eyes.

“Are you worried that the prophecy will come true?”

Then Ian gave an unexpected answer.

“No, I hope the prophecy comes true.”

When Cheonhwaruju looked at him with a questioning look, Ian revealed his honest feelings.

“You already know what the prophecy is, Master. You’ve probably prepared well. I hope there are no variables.”

With those words, Cheonhwaruju could understand.

“This gentleman believes in the cult leader more than in the prophecy.”

Ian didn’t deny it.
Just as he was looking out the window again, a cheer escaped her lips.

People were walking into the yard.
Centered around the sword dance, the evil soma and Chayran were on either side. Behind Chayran, assassins were walking in, and behind the evil soma, maskless guests were walking in.

The swordsman waved at Ian at the window. Ian was so happy at the sight that he almost burst into tears, but he forced himself to control his emotions and waved vigorously.

Seeing them safely enter the guest room, Cheonhwaruju thanked the heavens.
She couldn’t express how scared and trembling she was, wondering if what she had prophesied would truly come to pass.

The evil Soma smiled brightly at him. If no one had seen him, I would have run to him and hugged him.

Ian saw that the swordsman had a bandage wrapped around his chest.

“Are you hurt?”

Ian’s surprised question made Geommugeuk clutch his chest.

“I was stabbed in the heart.”

At those words, not only Ian but also Cheonhwaruju was surprised.

“Soma-sama really stabbed me.”

Cheonhwaruju knew the prophecy had come true. She thought it was wrong this time. But how did she survive?

“Are you okay?”

Ian’s worries led to the start of the swordplay.

“It’s okay. Soma-sama stabbed me so painfully. Oh, don’t be ridiculous. I survived because I have the strongest and most wonderful heart in the world.”

Ian whispered to the evil Soma.

“You should have stabbed me harder. Or rather, hit my mouth instead of my heart…”

Of course, it was her prank that everyone could hear.

“Don’t put it in your mouth. Stab my heart instead!”

Everyone laughed as the sword dance matched the rhythm.

“By the way, Ian, your prize money is gone.”

With Shinwha Ark dead and Hwadomyeong dead, it was impossible to continue the World’s Best Beauty Contest.
Then, Ian looked at Chai Lan and said.

“I bet Miss Cha feels bad.”
“Are you serious?”

Ian answered Chai’s question with a cheerful smile.

“About half.”

Chai Lan also smiled. If the finals had actually been held, what would have been the outcome?

The sword dance said to Ian.

“For the time being, Miss Cha will be with us. Ian, you take responsibility.”
“Yes!”

Ian looked at Chayran. The emotion in his eyes was joy, a pleasant welcome.
Chayran returned the favor.

“I guess I should let you know in the meantime.”

Chai Lan said, looking down at his bloody uniform.

“Mu-bok is something you only wear occasionally on days like today.”

It was meant to teach women how to dress, how to put on makeup, and how to dress up.

Ian said with a bashful smile.

“I also miss the clothes I wore on stage.”

As they chatted about everyday things, everyone finally realized that the fight was over.

But there was still one thing left for Geommu-geuk.
Now that he was back, there was someone he had to meet first. The person who had caused all this.

“I will go and see the Apostle Lord for a moment.”