Absolute Regression

Episode 286: When you hear the word revenge.

“This is where I parted ways with Jean Sozer.”

Ian pointed to the end of the trail.

“And Jean Sozer walked over there.”

The people listening to the story were Hyeolcheondoma and Gwonma. For fear of being noticed by others, they were wearing bamboo napkins. The Myeolcheondae was also wrapped in white cloth. Fortunately, because it was a sparsely populated place, we didn’t meet anyone.

When Ian came to the safe house and told him what had happened, the first thing Hyeolcheondoma said was this.

-Leaving him alone is helping him.

This was Hyeolcheondoma’s evaluation of Geommugeuk. But actions are different from words or evaluations.

-I won’t be able to help you, but I’d like to go get some air just in case.

Gwonma followed the will of Hyeolcheondoma like his usual blunt self.

The horse started looking around the trail. Hyeolcheondoma just watched quietly. It was strange why they only entrusted the search to him, but there was a reason.

“I think I was captured here.”

Ian asked Gwonma.

“How did you know?”

Normally, she was someone who couldn’t talk to me because she was scared, but after a late-night training session with her, she became a little more comfortable with horseback riding.

ah! If you had to choose the most comfortable person among the Magons, you would have to choose the scariest looking horse!

“Look at the footprints here.”

There were footprints left on the floor, but they were so faint that they could not be recognized unless the horseman told them.

“How did you find out about this?”

“When I was young, I was interested in martial arts.”

Then, Hyeolcheondoma praised him.

“If I hadn’t become a mazon, I would have become the person with the best following skills in the world.”

It seemed quite incongruous that such a scary and large person had mastered the art of following, but at the same time, it occurred to me.

‘Not everyone can become a mazon.’

If you think about it, among the demons, these are the eight people who have reached the highest position after the Heavenly Demon. The sword dance is so outstanding that it seems like the Magons are at their mercy, but if you look at it separately, each and every one of them is a person who will shake up the martial arts world.

“Luckily, the kidnapper was caught off guard and no one would come after him. “This way.”

“Please take the lead.”

Hyeolcheondoma and Ian followed him.

The speed gradually became slower. Even if you learned the art of following when you were young, it is not easy to demonstrate your abilities properly now.

Just when I was wondering if I should give up, Gwonma found a way.

Traces of someone walking through the forest were discovered.

“It’s a no-go.”

It was a trace left intentionally by the sword dance.

Hyeolcheondoma shook his head and said.

“I’m trying to pamper the old man somehow!”

Despite his words, his expression showed relief. Ian could tell. Although he said leaving him alone would help, he was truly worried about the sword dance.

That the blunt knight wants to find a sword dance, even if it means using his youthful skills.

Ian felt good about their passion for sword dance, but at the same time, he was jealous.

‘I also want to create people like this in my life.’

Sword dance not only taught martial arts, but also influenced the direction of one’s life.

Ian smiled slightly and said to Hyeolcheondoma.

“Hurry up and scold me!”

So the three began to cross the forest.

* * *

“How did you get here?”

Although he pretended to be calm on the outside, Baek Cheon-gyeong was inwardly very surprised by the appearance of the sword dance. This was his own hideout that had never been discovered by anyone until now. Of course, there were one or two herbalists who accidentally stepped foot here and died in the past ten years, but I never thought that someone would decide to find this place.

“I threw my shoe and tried to guess where it went, and it pointed right here.”

“Yeah, you’ve always been the one talking nonsense.”

Geommugeuk stared at him and asked.

“And what kind of person are you? “Are you someone who kidnaps women and sets things up?”

“I saw it well. “I am a person who will definitely achieve my goal, even if it means kidnapping a woman.”

The energy coming from the thousands of dolls began to gradually become stronger. I could see that Baek Cheon-gyeong’s emotions were rising.

“Where is Jin Sozer?”

“Haryeong is doing well.”

“Haryeong? Are you worthy of calling Jin Soje’s name?”

“Qualification? I’m talking about qualifications, but I haven’t seen anyone who is qualified. How about you? “Do you have the right to ask me about my qualifications?”

“I am a person who is overqualified. What do you think of the Demonic Cult leader who came to rescue the Murim Lord’s granddaughter? Have you seen it? “A person like this, what qualifications would he fall short of?”

A sneer appeared on the corner of Bai Qianqing’s mouth.

“So, I guess you managed to escape by bewitching the leader with coaxing like you did now?”

I expected that I would not easily fall into the trap. Because he was the one who advanced his plan in just a few days.

“What is it for? If you’re at this point, can’t you tell me? Tell me. “Why are you doing this?”

“Since you brought up the topic of qualifications, let’s see if you have the qualifications to listen to my story.”

When Baek Cheon-gyeong held out his hand, a deep green blue seemed to pour out from the eyes of the puppets that were close to the sword dance.

Sssssssut!

The size of the ten dolls increased.

They drew weapons like living people. The sight of the wooden doll moving so naturally was truly bizarre and eerie.

Their weaponry was also made of wood, with the only difference being the blade. It was neither iron nor wood, but it shined sharper than any sharp weapon.

It was the moment when I first encountered the wood carving technique that I had only heard about.

Of course, Geommugeuk was not surprised or embarrassed.

At that reaction, Baek Cheon-gyeong felt both puzzlement and admiration.

‘You’re not surprised at all.’

How can a small wooden doll be so calm when it grows and moves like a human? Is it because he experienced all kinds of magic from a young age?

Of course, I didn’t think that sword dance would be able to overcome the Wooden Heavenly Soul Art. No matter how successful the Demonic Cult leader is, his youth will not be able to overcome his age.

Geommugeuk knew the quickest and surest way to break this martial art. This is to kill Baek Cheon-gyeong directly. Of course, you will protect yourself in all sorts of ways, but at least you won’t have to deal with all these dolls.

However, Geommugeuk did not rush in to kill Baek Cheon-gyeong. The main purpose was not to kill him, but to save Jin Ha-ryeong and find out about the fire weapon.

That’s why I politely accepted his first move.

The moment Geommugeuk drew his sword, ten wooden dolls rushed at him at the same time.

As the sword dance unfolded the Pungshinsabo, no matter how fast the puppets were, they could not keep up with the mysterious movements.

Geommugeuk cut them down without using the flying sword technique. I thought it was a person and not a doll, so I cut it down.

How could ten ordinary ordinary masters kill Geommugeuk? Of course, there were scary things that were different from humans. First of all, they had no emotions. There is no fear and no mercy towards the other person. Because no matter who the opponent was, he only followed orders.

What was even scarier was that they couldn’t feel pain.

Moreover, it even had the ability to regenerate. If one arm holding a sword was cut off, a sword would grow from the other arm and attack.

When both arms were cut off, they rushed forward, headbutting each other with their bodies.

In the end, the movement stopped only when the body was cut in half or the head was cut off. The dolls thus neutralized returned to their original size.

While dealing with these ten puppets, Geommugeuk gained a clear understanding of their characteristics and movements. Baek Cheon-gyeong was secretly impressed at the sight of him not using a single word in vain.

‘It’s really not normal.’

After all ten puppets were removed, Geommugeuk displayed his cruelty.

“What are you going to do if I die like this?”

“If you die, you die. why? “Do you think I can’t kill you?”

“I am the leader of the Demonic Church.”

“You may be a great person in martial arts, but to me, you are just a saboteur who suddenly appeared in my life. “It’s like a carriage that suddenly rushes at you when you turn a corner.”

“It’s not a carriage, it’s a horse bridge. “If this continues, war will break out.”

I glanced at the word war, but Baek Cheon-gyeong was not shaken at all. Maybe that’s what he wants. The reason he clashed with the leader was to create a conflict between the Heavenly Demon Church and the Murim Alliance.

“I have shown qualifications, so please answer my question.”

“Didn’t you just answer me? “If you want to talk to me again, show me your qualifications again.”

This time, the twenty wooden dolls grew larger.

Twenty dolls out of thousands were literally just a small number. The situation is not that I am afraid of the twenty dolls, but that I am afraid of the remaining dolls.

Of course, I wasn’t afraid of sword dance. In order to use the wood-shaped heavenly soul technique, it also requires internal energy. I wouldn’t be able to move the doll indefinitely, but I was confident that I could compete against anyone in the world.

And Geommugeuk dealt with them in a different way this time.

I love you so much!

Before they could rush in, the sword energy of the sword dance swept them away first. It was the first method of Bicheongeombeop, the Gyuncheonsik, that reached the level of greatness of the Twelve Stars.

It was not a sword that could be avoided by dodging. It was so fast and powerful that twenty dolls were cut off at the same time.

“Tsk.”

Baek Cheon-gyeong let out a soft scream. It was a shock to his body when the wood-shaped heavenly spirit technique he had created was cut off in one go.

‘Twenty days to the number of days?’

Baek Cheon-gyeong couldn’t believe it. This was the first time I had been so helpless since using the Wooden Heavenly Soul Art.

Although it was an amazing move, the sword dance performance was rather calm.

He walked slowly and sat down where the dolls that had just come out to attack were.

Then he picked up the doll next to him. I fiddled with it without any fear as it might grow big and attack at any moment.

“What on earth happened to you?”

The sword dance without the playfulness gave a different feeling. The clear and deep eyes seemed to listen to any story. Even though it was an enemy, it seemed like it would give me comfort that I had never heard from an ally.

Was it because of those eyes? A scene appeared in Baek Cheon-gyeong’s mind.

The events of that day, a place full of corpses, remain in my heart like a sea mark.

At that time, Geomgeuk suddenly asked.

“Are you seeking revenge?”

Baek Cheon-gyeong looked at the sword dance. I never wanted to tell my story, but watching the sword dance made me want to tell it. I wanted to hear what he had to say. What on earth do they say about that well-spoken and strange sword dance?

“Then what are you trying to do? Are you targeting the Murim Lord’s grandson-in-law? Or are you going to show off to the leader and then kill him?”

Geommugeuk said while fiddling with the doll.

“I want revenge too.”

Baek Cheon-gyeong was surprised. This was the most surprising thing I’ve experienced since I encountered Geommugeuk. Because I never thought the word revenge would come out of his mouth.

“To whom?”

“Look at that. “When you hear the word revenge, don’t you immediately wonder who you want to take it against?”

Geommugeuk said as he put down the doll he was holding.

“Shouldn’t you listen to me first in order?”

At that moment, the four puppets around the sword dance suddenly grew larger and attacked.

Easy profit!

Four dolls were cut off at the same time.

Geommugeuk reacted as if it was aware of the attack. His martial arts level was already overwhelming the doll’s attacks.

Baek Cheon-gyeong knew. This method cannot harm even a single hair of the sword dance. You can only win if you use your secret trick.

Tuk-tuk.

The dolls returned to their original size and fell, cut apart.

Despite the surprise attack, Geommugeuk did not curse at him and picked up the things that had fallen on the floor and put them back where they were.

“Are you mocking me?”

“If I had ridiculed you, I would have trampled on this or urinated on it. At least I know, don’t I? How hard did you carve each one of these? Oh, I tried following it. “It’s not normal to cut this.”

“No matter what, you won’t be able to come back alive today.”

“Then can you tell me? Because you’re going to die anyway. Conversely, the same applies if you die. I’m going to die anyway, so why can’t I say something? Why are you so worried that you are even burdening yourself with what happens after death?”

Those words came and stuck in Baek Cheon-gyeong’s heart. Yes, I had all kinds of regrets and worries. Without actually being afraid of death.

“You’re so good at telling sophistry.”

“Tell me, I want to know your business.”

The gazes of the two people intertwined in midair.

Baek Cheon-gyeong could feel that Geommu Geuk sincerely wanted to know and that the reason was not to benefit this fight.

Finally, Baek Cheon-gyeong slowly stretched out his hand.

Then, the dolls that were a little away from the sword dance became as big as people. They didn’t rush towards the sword dance. Instead, they started fighting among themselves in the center of the square.

I could understand the sword dance. That they are trying to show what Baek Cheon-gyeong went through in this way. Now the square has become a stage to showcase his past.

One masked doll was cutting down other dolls. Both the male and female dolls fell down after being cut by his sword. I was helpless. Wooden casting techniques were also demonstrated on stage. The small dolls appeared to grow larger. He even tried to stop him by using the Wooden Celestial Spell.

‘Go to Mokcheon.’

Now, the Mokcheon family is showing signs of extinction. Seeing everyone in the family dying. It was a scene that angered the sword dance more than any other person. Familiar faces overlapped the falling dolls.

The masked doll cut down every last person. I could tell from this. That the destruction of that day was brought about by the hands of just one person.

“You want to know why I’ve been carving these things in the Murim Alliance for ten years? Why am I not worried about whether war breaks out or not? Why did I kidnap the leader’s granddaughter without fear? “See clearly why I waited for the perfect moment of revenge!”

The moment the words ended, the doll that had committed the massacre turned its head towards the sword dance.

The moment Geommugeuk saw him, he was surprised.

Even though he was wearing a mask, he could tell who those sharp and intense eyes belonged to. It was someone he knew.

He was none other than the Murim lord Jin Paecheon.