Absolute Regression Chapter 777

Enough to push away even the 777th ship

The mighty thunder rumble startled the demons of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Those drinking spilled their drinks, and those sleeping awoke with a start. Those carrying luggage dropped their belongings, and those with weak livers screamed.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the source of the thunder.
Never in their lives had they heard such a loud thunderclap, so everyone assumed something had exploded.

Ding! Deeng!

The bells of the emergency bell rang one after another, and the demons of the Heavenly Demon Sect ran busily around the training ground.

The sound of thunder reached Cheonmajeon Hall, and General Sima Myeong, who was reporting various information about Tongcheon Pavilion to Cheonma, was startled. He
wondered if something had really happened within the school.
On the other hand, a smile curled up on Geom Woojin’s face. Geom Woojin knew exactly what the sound was.

“The fist of the demon reached the sky.”

At those words, Sima Ming could tell. The thunder just now had come from Kwon Ma’s fist.
Kwon Ma’s martial arts had reached a state of shocking, earth-shaking power.

Just a little while ago, what I was reporting to Geom Woo-jin was that Geom Mu-geuk was still devoting himself to training in martial arts and martial arts.

‘The small cult leader has also influenced the realm of the powerful.’

Sima Ming knew better than anyone that the reason the Demon Lords were growing ever stronger was because of the Sword Dance Theater.

Was it because of the thunder of the horse?
Geom Woo-jin blurted out his usually secret feelings.

“I miss the days when I used to travel all over the Central Plains with that person.”

Sima Ming smiled as he recalled that time.

“You two were truly amazing.”

As they briefly reminisced about the past, the next Kwon Ma, Cheon So-hee, was overcome with emotion as she looked in the direction of her master’s training ground.

“Master!”

She knew, as Geom Woo-jin knew, that the sound came from her master’s fist.
She shuddered at the thought that a human fist could produce such a sound. Her heart swelled with the hope that her own fist could produce the same sound.

‘Someday, me too!’

It was the moment when So Kwon-ma Cheon So-hee’s life goal was decided.

The person who had actually created that tremendous noise remained calm.
Kwon Ma withdrew his fist.

“Congratulations, disciple.”

He knew that there was no sound from the swordsman’s fist just before he threw it.

“I should be the one to congratulate you. Congratulations, Master.”

Kwonma looked down at his fist. It was the moment he’d longed for, but surprisingly, he felt calm. He was so happy he felt a bit dazed.

“I want to hear that thunder again, but if I do, I’ll think there’s a real war.”

Even now, the bell signaling an emergency was ringing from afar.

“Master, what are your thoughts?”

A smile appeared on Kwonma’s honest and scary face.

“I feel good.”

When was the last time I was so honest about my joy? I did it to the cult leader back in the day.

Kwonma’s gaze turned to Geommu-geuk. This was certain. Without his training with Geommu-geuk, he would never have reached this level.

“Thanks to you.”
“Yes, it’s thanks to me.”

Kwonma asked, clenching his fist again.

“Did you say you wanted to hear that sound again?”
“No! It’s all thanks to Master!”

For that blunt master to pull such a prank! Geommugeuk could tell how pleased he was.

Geommugeuk looked down at his fist and this time expressed his sincere gratitude.

“I did it thanks to Master.”

Not only did Geommu-geuk achieve the ultimate feat of the Wall-Powered Shura-Kwon, but the thunderous sound disappeared from his fists. Geommu-geuk had truly reached a terrifying level, even in martial arts.

“We should gather everyone from our school and throw a banquet. Oh, let me call Ian first. Ian, your father has gotten stronger! He’s the strongest in martial arts history!”

Of course, such a fuss wouldn’t work on Kwon Ma.
Kwon Ma stepped forward and left the training ground first.

“Go and rest. You’ve worked hard.”

Kwonma’s footsteps stopped as he walked a few steps.

“Congratulations.”

The words that Geommu-geuk had been longing to hear flowed out of his mouth.

“Now your fist has become an adult fist.”

* * *

Returning to his residence, Geommu-geuk immediately used his space-time transfer technique.
The location he created today was a hot spring in a snowy field.

“Oh, good.”

Geommu-geuk stripped off his clothes and soaked in the hot springs. He began practicing martial arts, sparing himself even sleep and immersing himself in his training.
The joy of reaping the fruits of his labor and taking a moment to rest was incomparable to any other pleasure.

Exactly.

Snow began to fall on the snowfield. Soaking in the hot springs amidst the beautiful snowfield, Geommugeuk silently gazed at the falling snow.

By spending time alone like that, I was able to relieve the accumulated fatigue.
My body recovered at an unprecedented rate. Not only did I experience a transformation, but I also felt a mystical energy in my danjeon.

After emerging from the hot spring, the swordsman dried his body with the heat of the sun and put on his clothes.
Then, a new space opened up.

Wheww.

I summoned the Heavenly Demon Spirit in the windy wasteland.
Originally, I wanted to summon it right away after learning the Eighth Form of Demon Spirit Rush of the Nine-Handed Demonic Art and confirm it.

But as he began his full-fledged martial arts training, this reunion was postponed.
What changes had occurred in Cheonmahon?

As the will of the Sword Dance was conveyed, the Heavenly Demon Spirit suddenly appeared before my eyes.
It was a wonder that such a massive Heavenly Demon Spirit could manifest without even a whiff of wind, each time I summoned it.

Geommugeuk treated Cheonmahon as if he were a friend.

“I told you last time, didn’t I? This is a world within the magic of time-space transfer. To give you a change, I opened it in a different location than last time. I didn’t know what kind of space you’d like.”

Last time, I opened the fields, but today I opened the wasteland. A place where the sandstorm blew.
For some reason, I felt this lonely space might suit him better.

“If you don’t like the sandstorm, I’ll move you to another place.”

Of course, Cheonmahon showed no reaction.
But Geommugeuk could sense it.

‘I don’t like this place.’

The Sword Dance Theater felt the emotions of the Heavenly Horse. It was able to communicate emotions of like and dislike.

Exactly.

As the surroundings changed, Geommu-geuk and Cheonma-hon were standing on the plains again.

Swaaaaaaah.

The rain fell during the Sword Dance. The raindrops washed the dust from the Cheonmahon clean.
Soon, the rain stopped and the sun rose. A cool breeze blew. The sunlight and wind dried the rain from the Cheonmahon’s body.

Then, I felt that Cheonmahon’s mood had improved compared to before.

‘You really have feelings.’

And I feel that emotion because I’ve mastered my eight forms. The more I master the forms, the closer I become to the Heavenly Demon Spirit!

“You’ve changed again!”

There was a change in the appearance of the Heavenly Demon Spirit.
When I learned the Seventh Form, the Heavenly Demon Spirit had a sword and a faint, unrecognizable pattern on its chest.

Now that I’d mastered the eight-fold form, the faint symbol on my chest became clearer.
Emblazoned on my chest, like a heart, was a flame with a blue glow. Was it because it was embedded in the Cheonmahon’s chest? It was like seeing the flames of hell.

And upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a simple flame. It was the fiery, blazing face of a demon—the very face of the Heavenly Demon Spirit—embodied in flames.
That’s why the flames were so terrifying. They burned fiercely, glaring menacingly at their opponents.

“Once I’ve mastered my last old trick, I’d like to talk to you.”

The very moment when I was expressing my regret.

Swish.

Cheonmahon slowly began to bend down.
Geommugeuk watched in amazement.
Cheonmahon bent down and held out his hand.
The palm extended to him,
indicating that he was to climb onto it.

The sword dance cautiously climbed onto his palm.

Swish.

Cheonmahon stood up straight, his hands stretched out in front of his chest.

The gazes of Geommu-geuk and Cheonma-hon intertwined in the air.

“Thank you, friend.”

Geommu-geuk was deeply moved. This was the first time Cheonma-hon had reached out to him.
Seeing him place his hand like this clearly signified a rational being.
However, Cheonma-hon simply stared at Geommu-geuk in silence, expressing no further action or emotion.

“We’ve become quite close just by this much. Right?”

The face of the Cheonmahon seen up close was incredibly terrifying.

“And don’t worry about your face being too scary. I’m going to be with someone just as scary as you all the time.”

The sword dance turned back on his palm.
The sun was setting on the distant horizon. The boundary between sky and earth blurred, a crimson aura permeating the surroundings. Ahead, trees, their backs to the sun, lined up like a sumi-e painting.

The spreading sunset light bathed the Geommu-geuk and Cheonma-hon. Then, they too became part of this landscape.

The two stood there in silence for a long time. Though they didn’t exchange any words with Cheonmahon, they felt at ease.

“Let’s talk later, shrink your bodies, and go out into the real world together, not this fake one.”

Just then, he sensed someone’s presence outside the space-time teleportation technique.
Geommugeuk turned to Cheonmahon and bid farewell.

“See you later, friend!”

As we said our goodbyes, the Thousand Horse Spirit vanished. Was it because of my mood today? Normally, it would disappear in an instant, but today it seemed to be fading a little more slowly.

As the Heavenly Demon Soul vanished, the sword dance in his palm slowly descended to the ground in a stilted, air-stepping motion, dispelling the space-time teleportation technique. When he landed on the ground, he was in his own room.

“Is the young leader here?”

The voice of the overjoyed Geommugeuk rushed outside.
Standing in the yard was the evil Soma, wearing a pure white mask. His visit was unexpected.

“Soma-nim!”
“Seo-ryeo-ju!”

The two eyes beneath the mask of the evil soma smiled brightly.
Truly, there’s only one emotion I feel when I look into the smiling eyes beneath the mask of the evil soma. A deep and special feeling that I can’t quite put into words.

And today, the evil Soma didn’t come alone. The Cheonhwaruju who came with him greeted him.

“How have you been, Young Master?”
“I see you were at our school too
, Young Master.” “You’ve gotten even more handsome since we last met.”

If the change was merely a feeling to Cheonhwaruju, the evil Soma accurately perceived the change in the sword dance.

“I know you trained with Master Kwonma. Was it because of the thunder?”

The question was whether this change was due to his training. Geommugeuk answered honestly.

“No. I’ve been completely transformed since I left school.”

Since everyone has noticed the change, I couldn’t help but tell them about the transformation.

“Master added even greater predestiny to that.”

The evil soma’s eyes filled with joy. What more could be said, seeing those eyes filled with joy greater than his own transformation?

Even Cheonhwaruju congratulated her with a surprised expression. How could she not know that her transformation was a tremendous coincidence?

“Thank you very much, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you. This shouldn’t be happening here. Let’s go inside.”

The sword dance guided the two people inside.

“Your Majesty, would you like some tea?”
“I can’t refuse tea if it’s brewed by the Young Master, right?”

The swordsman brought out a cup of tea. It was the best tea he had.

“I guess it’s because the young master was so concerned, but this is the best tea I’ve ever had.”
“Of course. It’s because it’s filled with my respect and affection.”

After drinking tea and chatting for a while, Geommugeuk asked.

“But why did you come to see me?”

If something hadn’t happened, the two wouldn’t have come to see him together.
Indeed, something big was happening to Cheonhwaruju that warranted it.

“I received a secret message.”

The problem was the identity of the person who sent the contact.

“The princess sent word to meet me.”

Even Cheonhwaruju, who had first received the message, and Geukaksoma, who had heard her words, decided that this was not a problem that could be handled alone.

“Did you tell me what you wanted to do?”
“No, I said I would meet you and talk about it.”
“Where did you say we should meet?”
“I said we should meet at Dongting Lake in Honam Province.”

Honam was a region where the Cheonma Sect held strong influence. However, that didn’t mean he could be complacent. The enemy could have preyed on even that laxity.

“I told you to come out alone, but I didn’t think that would work, so I told my brother.”
“Good job.”

This message was delivered after the Sword King and the Fire King had been taken away, and the remaining Twelve Zodiac Kings were all dead.
Of course, it’s possible the real Princess Shinnyeo sent this message to the Heavenly Flower Lord because she had something to say, but it’s more likely a trap.

Because it was a situation where it wouldn’t have been strange at all for the Dark Princess to join hands with the Divine Princess and do something outrageous.

Cheonhwaruju felt her own limitations.

“It would be nice if a prophecy could come down at a time like this.”

The prophecy didn’t come down. So, perhaps the prophecy came down to the princess? Could it be that she’s asking to see me?

Geommu-geuk recalled the princess who had given him a prophecy three hundred years ago. This was the place where the descendants of that princess would meet.
So, their decision was already decided.

“If the Princess of the Goddess wants to meet, then we must meet. Instead!”

The eyes of the swordsman shone sharply.

“I’m going to act differently than I have done before. If this is a conspiracy, they’ll expect me and Soma-nim to come with Rouge-nim. That’s how it’s always been.”

Until now, I’ve been cautious, mindful of firearms, but now the situation has changed dramatically since the return.
Therefore, I plan to respond differently than before. I no longer intend to act according to their will. Even if it’s a trap, I’m determined to push them back.

“This time, I’ll go out properly prepared.”