Absolute Regression

*Blade Demon POV*

In truth, when I was told by Geom Mugeuk that he’d come to meet me first, I couldn’t quite believe it myself.

Geom Muyang would come looking for me first? Ignoring the other Demon Supremes? It was unthinkable.

But as if he had planned it with Geom Mugeuk, Geom Muyang really came to see me that night.

“What brings you here?”

Geom Muyang lifted the bottle of alcohol he had brought.

“I came because I wanted to share a drink with you. If my memory serves me right, you liked this drink, didn’t you?”

“You remembered well. Come, have a seat.”

I didn’t let him into the house but instead sat across from him on a large, flat rock in the yard.

“Sounds good.”

I had my servant bring out some cups and simple snacks.

Although I had met him the day he returned, we hadn’t had the chance to truly observe each other.

Now, I calmly examined Geom Muyang’s energy. It was indeed different from when he had left.

“I heard you surpassed the Nine Demonic Walls?”

“Thanks to your concern, I made it through.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“The Cult Leader must have been pleased.”

“Yes.”

I asked various questions about the Demonic Walls, and Geom Muyang answered sincerely within the limits of what he could say. We had often discussed martial arts even before.

Geom Muyang liked discussing martial arts with me. Strangely, we got along well.

As the bottle neared empty, I spoke first.

“You came because you wanted to ask me something. Go ahead and ask.”

“Then, I’ll speak frankly. Why did you choose my brother? There must be a reason or a trigger.”

“Of course, there is.”

I paused for a moment, pondering how to answer, then replied,

“Your brother has a way of drawing people in.”

Geom Muyang nodded quietly.

“A way of drawing people in…”

He had anticipated many answers, and this type of response had crossed his mind. Yet, hearing it directly left him feeling somewhat frustrated and disappointed.

He had never been told by anyone that he had a way of drawing people in.

“I’ve never felt that kind of attraction from Mugeuk. Oh, I don’t mean to demean him. I’m just curious what it feels like.”

“Of course you couldn’t feel it. The Second Young Master had no reason to draw you in, and you didn’t have the leisure to accept your brother’s feelings, did you?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I poured Geom Muyang another drink as he nodded readily.

“You are an excellent martial artist. You certainly have the qualities to become the Heavenly Demon.”

I truly believed that. If Geom Mugeuk hadn’t surged up like a madman, I would have continued to support Geom Muyang.

“Yet, you chose my brother despite that, didn’t you?”

“In life, sometimes you get swept away by a sudden gust of wind.”

“I wish I were in the direction of that wind. I want to walk this path with you.”

His eyes sparkled as he looked at me. At least at this moment, Geom Muyang was speaking from the heart.

“Aren’t there many other Demon Supremes?”

“No. I need you, Elder.”

“Why?”

Although the Demonic Buddha followed him like a right-hand man, Geom Muyang preferred me in the depths of his heart.

“Because you are someone I absolutely need.”

He didn’t offer any other reason.

If I hadn’t heard from Geom Mugeuk that Geom Muyang would come looking for me, I might have been moved by his earnestness.

“May I make a few proposals to you, Elder?”

“Go ahead.”

“If I become the Heavenly Demon, I will make you the First Demon Supreme.”

“The First Demon Supreme?”

“Yes. I will create the highest position among the Demon Supremes recognized by the Heavenly Demon Pavilion. I will also triple the size of the Southern Heavens Blade Family. I will remove the restriction on the number of Blade Ghosts and greatly increase support for the Southern Heavens Blade Family. Additionally, I will open the Heavenly Demon Library especially for you. You can go there anytime to read.”

Geom Muyang knew I loved books. The Heavenly Demon Library didn’t just house martial arts secrets. It contained many rare poems and anthologies that I would love to read.

It was an extraordinary proposal, considering fairness with the other Demon Supremes.

Of course, I wasn’t naïve enough to believe his words completely.

What if he became the Heavenly Demon later and said, ‘The opposition from the other Demon Supremes is too strong, so please compromise a bit, Demon Supreme’?

Besides, by then, I would be even older, an old tiger with missing teeth.

“Wouldn’t Ma Bul feel disappointed if he heard this? He must be confident he’ll become the First Demon Supreme.”

As if he had expected this reaction, Geom Muyang didn’t show any sign of surprise.

“It can’t be helped. Although I respect and like Elder Ma Bul, I believe Elder Gu Cheonpa is the right person for the position. You can even convey what I’ve said to Elder Ma Bul.”

He seemed to have absolute faith that I wouldn’t tell the Demonic Budha about this. Where did this confidence come from? Did he really think I was such a noble person?

“I’ll consider your proposal.”

“Yes, thank you.”

We toasted our last drink, and Geom Muyang stood up.

As he was about to leave, Geom Muyang added one final thing.

“Elder, I will definitely become the Heavenly Demon.”

After Geom Muyang left, I took something out of my mouth. It was the detoxifying pearl that Geom Mugeuk had given me as a gift. I still didn’t fully trust Geom Muyang, even though he brought the alcohol.

I muttered to myself,

“…Yes, there was a time when I was sure of that too.”

* * *

When Geom Muyang returned, Ma Bul was waiting for him.

“Did you visit Blood Heaven Blade Demon?”

“Our cult is as transparent as ever. There are no secrets.”

“What secrets are there when you visit him so openly in broad daylight? Why did you do that?”

“I went to win him over.”

“And?”

“He said he would think about it.”

“He is a traitor.”

The Demonic Budha deliberately used the strong term ‘traitor.’

“Once a person’s heart turns away, it will turn again. You know this, don’t you?”

Then Geom Muyang said something surprising.

“While drinking, he had a detoxifying pearl in his mouth.”

“He must be out of his mind!”

Compared to the furious Demonic Budha, Geom Muyang remained calm.

“He wasn’t trying to hide it. It was like saying, ‘I don’t trust you,’ typical of Elder Blade.”

“Do not associate with him anymore.”

Geom Muyang then said something even more shocking.

“Oh, I proposed to Elder Blade that I would make him the First Demon Supreme.”

For a moment, Ma Bul was stunned. The statement was so unexpected that he was momentarily frozen.

He had always thought that the position of First Demon Supreme would be his.

So the Demonic Budha desperately waited for Geom Muyang’s next words. He expected him to say, ‘I only said it to win him over, so don’t worry about it.’

But Geom Muyang didn’t say that.

‘So, what now? Are you really going to give it to him?’

Ma Bul unconsciously clenched his molars. When a person grits their teeth tightly, if you observe them closely, you can tell. Moreover, how could someone as skilled as Geom Muyang not notice? Yet Geom Muyang pretended not to see and showed no reaction.

All sorts of thoughts crossed Ma Bul’s mind.

Was it a mistake? Or was he just indifferent? Or perhaps, he knew and did it deliberately?

He thought it might be a punishment for involving the Yunnan Twin Freaks this time.

There had been similar incidents in the past. What troubled Ma Bul the most in such moments was that Geom Muyang was smarter and more intelligent than anyone.

Therefore, Ma Bul was always confused, wondering if it wasn’t just a mistake but an intentional action with some hidden motive.

And above all, the worst part was this:

Not being able to express these feelings.

If it were someone else, he would have already asked bluntly.

Why are you doing this? Are you ignoring me? Don’t act like this.

But with Geom Muyang, those words didn’t come out easily. Was it because he had botched the first button of their relationship? Or was there an invisible wall that Geom Muyang had intentionally erected between them?

The relationship between Geom Muyang and himself was one he agonized over alone.

A relationship worse than not being close…

In the end, the Demonic Budha concluded as he always did.

‘Well, it can happen. He’s still young.’

He had to endure it as an adult. The task he had taken on was to turn a young man full of vigor into the Heavenly Demon.

“We need to take care of our people as well. They are all watching.”

You should understand that this statement comes after many such thoughts!

Did Geom Muyang read Ma Bul’s mind?

“I don’t have much affection for the other Demon Supremes.”

“What do you mean?”

“Elders like you or the Blood Heaven Blade Demon openly declare who they support, don’t they? But the rest of the Demon Supremes are just watching and waiting. Later, they’ll join whichever side seems advantageous. It’s truly shallow.”

It would have been really nice if he hadn’t excluded the Blood Heaven Blade Demon from his words. No, if he really wanted to deceive him, he would have deliberately excluded him. Speaking so honestly was a sign of respect.

“Even so, we need them.”

“I only trust you, Elder.”

Ma Bul and Geom Muyang smiled at each other.

The Demonic Budha felt somewhat better, but the knot in his heart remained.

‘So, who will you appoint as the First Demon Supreme?’

However, in the end, neither Geom Muyang nor Ma Bul brought up that topic again.

* * *

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon came to me with a surprised look on his face.

“You were right. The Eldest Young Master really came to see me. How did you know?”

“This is a secret… I have the ability to see the future.”

“You’re still as crazy as ever, so no one has stolen your mind with soul-reaping techniques.”

I smiled at old man Blade’s joke.

“I told you, that’s just how my brother is.”

“This time, I felt it deeply.”

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon hesitated for a moment before speaking. However, since he had already brought it up, he might as well say it. Given his personality, it was understandable that he hesitated.

“I realized anew what kind of person you are to me.”

“!”

I was nervous. It was the first time Gu Cheonpan had spoken about me in this way.

“What do you mean?”

“No matter what temptations the Eldest Young Master offered, they didn’t sway me. He made some shocking proposals, just like you said. But I wasn’t moved at all.”

I could hear the sound of his heart opening a little more to me.

I was grateful to the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. I was so grateful that he told me this.

Yes, you have to say it like this. Everyone acts as if they know, but if you don’t say it, they won’t understand.

I immediately drew my Black Demon Sword and traced a line on the ground. I drew the line a bit more to the right than the one the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had drawn before.

“Has your affection for me reached about here now?”

The Blade Demon did not deny it, but he didn’t forget to warn me either.

“You know what will happen if you get too conceited, right?”

“What will happen?”

“You’ll face harsh consequences. Among the goods that come with a price, conceit is displayed at the forefront.”

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon sometimes uses expressions that don’t quite match him, probably because he reads a lot of books. I really like this side of him.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“If what you said is true, the Eldest Young Master will also seek out Jeong Dae. Should we just leave it be?”

“We should.”

“Do you really think that person will be as steadfast as I am?”

“But in their case, there are two people, right?”

“Two people? Who? Gowol?”

“Jeong Dae will definitely discuss it with Gowol.”

“Do you trust Gowol?”

“Yes.”

“You shouldn’t trust people so easily.”

I thought that Gu Cheonpa’s caution included a bit of jealousy. Since I had no intention of using that jealousy to win over the Blood Heaven Blade Demon’s heart, I obediently followed his words.

“Yes, I’ll always remain vigilant. Please keep an eye on it too, Elder.”

“Of course. By the way, are you planning to just stand by while the Eldest Young Master stirs things up like this?”

“He’s been away for a long time, so I’ll let him take the initiative for once. Let’s see what my brother does.”

I thought it was actually a good thing. My brother would put us all to the test.

“We’ll see whether the ground hardens after the rain or if we end up rolling in the mud naked.”

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