Absolute Regression Chapter 768

Episode 768: Why do you ask that to your father?

It wasn’t a sense of presence, a sense of knowing he was a celestial being.
Even if we had encountered him on the street, I would have felt the same. Even in a crowd of hundreds, I would have recognized him immediately.

A presence that cannot be hidden. No, a presence that does not necessarily have to be hidden.

“Father, my son was excommunicated and has returned!”

As the sword dance leader greeted him loudly, the sword king, for some reason, put on the shoes he had hanging from his waist.

“Okay, brother. Let’s go.”

Although he was as bright as ever, the sword dance was more tense than ever.

First, how will he react to his own transformation?
Next, will he accept the Sword King? What should we do if he doesn’t? The Sword King’s power and presence were too great to just say, “He’s just my friend with a ponytail, so don’t worry about him.”

The Sword Dance Theater and the Sword King walked the bloody path side by side and arrived at the feet of the Grand Master.

The Sword King bowed politely and paid his respects.

“This is Akgunhak. Thanks to your son, I have the opportunity to meet a noble figure in the martial arts world. It is an honor to meet you.”

Geom Woo-jin’s gaze held neither favor nor hostility. His indifferent gaze was directed at the Sword King’s feet.

“I heard you mostly walk barefoot?”

It seems that the sword dance was talking about itself.

“I wore shoes because I thought it would be impolite to go barefoot when meeting someone important.”

He wasn’t wary because his opponent was stronger than him.
He had originally planned to come in naked, but Geommugeuk’s cry calling for his father changed his mind.
It wasn’t because he was a celestial horse, but because Geommugeuk’s father was his father, and he was wearing his shoes. Putting on his shoes was the utmost courtesy he could muster.

Geom Woo-jin and Geom Wang’s gazes entwined in midair. No matter how strong Geom Wang was, he couldn’t compare to his father. However, his skills were more than enough to provoke him.

That’s why the heart of the Geommugeuk who was watching from the side trembled even more.

My friends are all in the Visa-free zone, so I wonder if my father doesn’t like them all.

‘Father, this man is also my friend. Please take good care of him.’

Geom Woo-jin, who was looking at the Sword King, turned his gaze towards Geom Mu-geuk.

What was meant to happen has finally come.

Geum Woo-jin, who had been quietly looking down at his son, rose from his seat.
He slowly descended the stairs, neither too fast nor too slow, and his footsteps were completely silent.

His father was always watching the sword dance, but the Sword King was different.
With each step Geom Woojin took, the Sword King’s heart raced. With each step, the presence of the Heavenly Horse felt like a fist pounding against his heart. If he had acted on instinct, he would have retreated for every step he took.

Geom Woo-jin approached Geom Mu-geuk.
Even the Blood Heavenly Demon recognized his transformation, so it was obvious his father would recognize him.

Indeed, a smirk formed on Father’s lips. It was the smirk that Geommugeuk loved.
This was the emotion contained in that smirk today.

Now you’re showing up after a complete transformation?

Yeah, if you laugh at me, I’ll laugh at you. He’s not the kind of father who would be jealous or anything.

Geommugeuk raised his hand and confessed.

“I’ll tell you in advance, I am indeed your son. I may be an unfilial son who has changed his life before you, but I am definitely your son!”

Then, Geumwoojin extended his hand forward.

Swish. Tight.

Geom Woo-jin grabbed Geom Mu-geuk’s arms with both hands.
The unexpected action startled Geom Mu-geuk.

“If you want to test whether my transformed body will tear or not, please stop! If Father tears it, it will tear!”

Fortunately, there was no test of whether or not the transformed body would be torn apart.

Swish.

Geom Woo-jin’s hand touched Geom Mu-geuk’s shoulder. From there, he began to examine his son’s body.
He felt and examined every part of his body, from his arms and shoulders to his waist, back, and legs. He wasn’t just examining them roughly; he was meticulous.

How much have your bones grown? How have your skin and muscles changed? And what is your body’s balance?

The touch of his father’s hands felt unfamiliar to Geommugeuk. Come to think of it, except when he was very young, his father had never touched him.

My father’s touch was filled with affection, like a magician examining a patient’s condition. He was personally checking to make sure nothing was amiss.

Even though he knew his father’s feelings, Geommu-geuk was secretly nervous. He thought his father might suddenly attack. And then he’d say something like this.

I thought I could avoid this much even though I’ve completely transformed.

And yet, he’s still a father. Thinking back to when I told him I’d mastered the Bicheon Sword Technique and the wind blew across my face, I felt ten times more nervous today.

But what struck him today was a hundred times more shocking than that gust of wind.
After examining his son’s body, Geom Woo-jin’s gaze turned to Geom Wang.

“This person…….”

He looked at the sword dance again and spoke coldly.

“Kill him.”

It was an order to kill the Sword King.
Not only the Sword Dance Theater but even the Sword King was shocked. He had expected the Heavenly Demon to be unwelcoming, but he never expected it to order his death.

“No, Father. We do enjoy killing people, but not to the point of killing someone who just arrived and greeted us warmly.”

Geom Woo-jin remained silent, as if it was not a wrong order.

“He’s uglier than your father, so there’s no way he’d steal a woman. Are you perhaps someone who ran away after stealing your father’s money when you were young?”

Of course, neither flattery nor jokes worked.

The Sword King wondered how Geommugeuk would handle this situation. He was a son who surprised people as much as his father.
Geommugeuk sighed deeply.

“Brother, I can understand if it’s someone else’s order, but I can’t disobey my father’s order.”

What, so you’re going to kill me?

As if he really wanted to carry out that order, Geommu-geuk drew his black magic sword.

In this unexpected situation, the Sword King looked at the Sword Dance with a bewildered expression.

“Little Leader, you’re even wearing shoes, and you’re planning on doing this?”

The Sword King spoke to Geommu-geuk more politely than usual, as he was in front of the cult leader. Even though he was the cult leader who had ordered his death.

“What can I do? It’s Father’s order.”

The Sword King, knowing that the sword dance in front of him was extremely serious, quickly accepted the situation.

After looking around the Cheonma Hall and the Sword King’s Office, he looked back at Geommu-geuk. “Is he going to die at the hands of Geommu-geuk in the Cheonma Hall, under the watchful eyes of the Cheonma?”

“Okay, this is the last one, it’s great.”

Even the Sword King drew his sword. He had already planned to die for him beneath the Cheonmok Mountain. His death had simply been postponed a little. That thought brought him peace.

Two men stood facing each other and aimed their swords.

“Young Master, never let your guard down. I intend to unleash all my powers.”

The sword dance could sense that the Sword King was willing to fight and die.

Yeah, is the reason you like the Sword King so much because he wears his hair tied back in silk and walks around barefoot? It’s because of his incredible skills, yet he remains unfazed by death. If I were you, I wouldn’t be able to die like that, even if it meant wasting those skills.

For a moment, a tense atmosphere flowed.
Geommu-geuk, who had been staring at the Sword King, turned his gaze to Geom Woo-jin.

“You should speak now, son. That’s enough. I fully understand that you value my orders over friendship.”

Geom Woo-jin remained silent, staring at Geommu-geuk. He was truly pushing through with the order to kill.

“Then please tell me why you want to kill me.”

But Geumwoojin didn’t even tell me the reason.

“No, you are really going too far!”

The Black Magic Sword was retrieved from its scabbard by the Sword Dancer.

“You know I can’t kill you, right?”
“If you disobey, I’ll force you to step down as the leader of the sect.”

Father’s gaze was clearly sincere. The Sword King watched the sword dance with a tense heart. I wondered if he would ever give up.

“I will give up my position as a junior cult leader.”

Then the Sword King quickly intervened.

“Young Leader, I’m not worth that.”
“Of course.”
“What?”
“I’m not giving up my position as Young Leader because my evil brother is as valuable as it is. This position, which determines the fate of countless people in our sect, is incomparable to any other position. Not even my life is worth that much.”

If these words were for the father, the next words were for the sword king.

“I want to kill him, but I don’t have the confidence to kill my evil brother.”

The sword dance drama didn’t highlight his relationship with the Sword King here. “
How could I kill my friend?” Approaching it with that kind of sentiment shouldn’t be done. It would only backfire on my father.

Moreover, this choice was to save the Sword King’s face.

It’s not that I can’t kill you because I’m close, it’s that I can’t kill you because I’m strong.

It was a consideration for the unmanned sword king.

“Father, this man here is the strongest I’ve ever fought. I haven’t even seen his last move yet.”

Even in front of his father, the Sword King was the one who had become the King of the Twelve Zodiac Kings.
If his status as a warrior was lowered and his pride was hurt, he couldn’t be with him. Especially not in front of him. If that happened, he’d leave.

“Father, your son could die!”

Even after all this, my father did not back down.

“You have your brother, so it’s okay. I’ll take revenge.”
“No. I can’t stand seeing my brother become a cult leader.”
“If I don’t kill that guy, I’ll never become a cult leader anyway.”

Geommu-geuk looked at his father. Now was the time to ask.
“Why are you testing me?”
“A test?”
“Yes. Father wouldn’t be the one to give such an order. If you really wanted to kill this man, you would have killed him yourself.”

Surprisingly, it was a real test. And the reason was completely unexpected.

“I had to make sure you were still the same.”
“Yes?”

An unexpected conversation followed. It was something even the Sword Dance Theater knew nothing about.

“In a complete transformation, physical changes are not that important.”

Geommugeuk looked down at his own body.

“You say that after seeing this smooth skin and smelling this fragrance? And that’s not all. My bones have changed, and my entire body feels light, as if I could fly. What else could possibly be more important?”

Geum Woo-jin answered, staring intently into his son’s eyes.

“Your spirit.”
“!”
“A complete transformation, even down to the very blood vessels in your head, completely changes you. Do you know why it’s so rare in this world to find someone who has truly transformed? Even if they endured physical pain, they often went mad or died during the mental transformation.”

My father was usually a man of few words, but he spoke freely about martial arts.

“Have you noticed any changes?”
“I feel like my mind is clearer than before. My brain works better, and my memory seems to have improved.”

I thought that the reason I became lost in thought at the first time I was fighting with the Sword King was because of that.

“What matters is how you’ve changed. Aside from a clearer mind, you could also develop a strange personality. But looking at your pathetic response…”

After finishing his explanation, Geum Woo-jin’s expression softened.

“Fortunately, nothing seems to have changed.”

It meant that there had been a complete transformation.

In fact, Geommugeuk guessed that his father’s test wasn’t the only reason. There were many other ways to check his own sanity.

But why did you insist on killing the Sword King? You wanted to see how the Sword King would react.

Was the Sword King’s reaction truly acceptable to his father?

And since the relationship was already entangled, wouldn’t it be better to deepen that relationship?

At his father’s command, the Sword King willingly gave up his life, and he himself showed himself willing to give up his position as a junior sect leader.
His father must have known that he would never kill the Sword King.

Geum Woo-jin turned around and went up to Taesa’s room, saying:

“Congratulations, son.”
“!”

Geommugeuk looked at his father with a blank expression.

Congratulations, son.

Those six words, alone, shook Geommugeuk’s heart. He could sense the sincerity of his congratulations.

“Thank you, Father.”

Geommugeuk bowed his head and expressed his gratitude.

‘I had no intention of getting married in this life, but my father keeps shaking my resolve.’

The sword dance drama did not miss this good atmosphere.

“Father, to celebrate my transformation, please grant me one favor.”

Geum Woo-jin asked with a dumbfounded expression.

“What do you want?”

It was truly a shameless and bold request.

“Please give me the Baekhwageom.”

A moment of stillness flowing by.

“Are you talking about the Baekhwageom, one of the four great swords of our school?”
“Yes.”

The Baekhwageom ranked fourth among the Four Great Swords of the Heavenly Demon Sect, along with the Cheonmageom, Heukmageom, and Saseonggeom.
While the Black Magic Sword was harsh and destructive, the Saseonggeom possessed a dark and evil aura, while the Baekhwageom possessed a gentle and noble aura.

“I would like to give the Baekhwageom as a gift to the evil brother here.”

The Sword King was astonished. When he heard that he would be provided with a treasured sword, he had no idea it would be one of the Four Great Swords of the Heavenly Demon Sect. He knew about the Baekhwa Sword himself.

“Little Leader, this sword is too much for me.”

The Sword King politely declined.

“Instead, it’s a sword that goes well with evil.”
“I’m not that kind of noble person. I’ll only accept the heart of the sect leader.”

Then my father gave an order into the air.

“Bring me the Baekhwageom.”

The Sword King was startled by those words, and the Sword Dancer looked up at his father with a smile.

“I’m in big trouble too. I’m already worried about how I’ll stand before my father when that day comes.”

But right now, the Sword King was the priority.

“Surely you shouldn’t be issuing new orders like ‘kill this man with that sword!’”

Even as he listened to the sword dance jokes, the Sword King felt flustered.
He had never been flustered even before the Dark Princess, and he couldn’t count the number of times he was surprised and flustered by these two rich men today.

“So? You’re really giving me that precious Baekhwageom? One of the four great swords of the Heavenly Demon Sect?”

Yes, I’ll give him the Sword Dance Theater a hundred times over. He’s the kind of person who can do that.
But the Heavenly Demon would give him the Hundred Flower Sword? Even though he was an enemy of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

Meanwhile, Hwi appeared there, holding a sword box.
Geommugeuk exchanged glances with Hwi.

‘Sir, it’s been a while.’

The masked Hwi’s eyes smiled slightly. Those eyes said this.

‘Congratulations on your transformation, Master.’

After handing over the sword box, Whiga disappeared without a sound.

When Geommu-geuk received the Baekhwageom box, Geomwoojin said.

“It’s a congratulatory gift.”
“Thank you, Father.”

After bowing his head respectfully and expressing his gratitude, Geommu-geuk presented the sword box to the Sword King in front of his father. Of course, he didn’t forget to include a joke.

“Open carefully. It may explode.”

The Sword King silently looked down at the sword box he had received. He was dumbfounded. He had never dreamed he would receive such a precious sword so easily.

“Why are you giving me this gift?”

When the Sword King asked Geom Woo-jin, Geom Mu-geuk intervened.

“No, I’m giving it to you. Why are you asking Father? Look at me!”

But the Sword King still looked at Geom Woo-jin.
Geom Woo-jin still responded with a gaze that was neither friendly nor hostile.

“I said it because you look good in those shoes.”
“No, I gave you those shoes as a gift!”

“You’re all crazy,” he said. “I couldn’t bring myself to say that.”
The Sword King bowed his head politely and softened his words.

“Now I understand why someone like the Little Leader could be born.”