Absolute Regression

Chapter 509: Killing the Fake and the Spectators

Seo Daeryong’s instincts spoke.

‘It’s him.’

But at the same time, a doubt surfaced in his mind.

‘This young?’

No, it wasn’t about the youth. It was the brightness. He was this handsome, with a warm and friendly smile that suited him well. Was this man truly a heinous criminal?

If one were to ask ten passersby, not a single person would believe that this man was the monstrous figure who annihilated the Great Justice Warrior’s clan, or that he practiced demonic arts. Even if the question were directed at himself, the answer would have been the same.

‘Could I be wrong?’

While such thoughts swept through his mind, the man stepped right up to Seo Daeryong. Seo Daeryong quietly drew up his internal energy, preparing to counter any sudden attack at any moment.

The tall man continued to smile gently with kind eyes as he looked down at Seo Daeryong.

“You’ve got guts. In times like these, walking around with a great saber is bound to cause misunderstandings.”

Even his voice was calm and soft, making him come across as a kind and good-hearted person.

Seo Daeryong’s gaze turned to the great saber on the man’s back.

“You knew what it meant and still chose to wear it, didn’t you?”

The man looked at Seo Daeryong with an ambiguous smile.

What was that look supposed to mean? Was he saying, Because I’m strong enough to get away with it? Because I came here to kill everyone anyway?

If this man really was the Blood Heaven Blade Demon?

Seo Daeryong had assumed the rumors of a young man were a setup to frame him, but… was he truly that young?

Seo Daeryong tensed up. He realized he needed to stall for time until Geom Mugeuk returned.

Resolve this on his own? He never fostered such confidence.

His internal energy had grown, and he’d fought in actual battles alongside Geom Mugeuk, so he brimmed with confidence—but Seo Daeryong still remained cautious, always cautious.

He wasn’t foolish enough to lower his guard just because the man approached him with a smile.

“Which sect are you from?”

Seo Daeryong knew the man didn’t belong to any of the sects invited today, but pretended otherwise as he asked.

“Musang.”

“You’re saying you’re from the Musang Sect?”

There was no such sect in Chongqing.

“No, I meant the word written on your saber.”

The saber the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had used in his youth bore the characters Musang engraved on the blade. It seemed the man who approached from behind had seen it. ℞ãɴо𐌱Е𝐒

“It’s a fine saber.”

“My master gave it to me.”

How would he react to the word master? Seo Daeryong carefully observed the man’s response.

But the man showed no particular reaction. Instead, maintaining that same warm smile from earlier, he asked about the master.

“What kind of person is your master?”

He was asking about his master. Seo Daeryong could feel it instinctively. The man had deliberately read the inscription on the saber and was now asking about his master.

‘He knows who my master is.’

And he didn’t even bother to hide the fact that he had approached knowingly. Seo Daeryong’s conviction that this man was the enemy grew stronger and stronger.

“He is exactly as the word inscribed on the saber says. In this martial world, he has no equal.”

At that, the man refuted Seo Daeryong’s words.

“No one in this world is without an equal. Everyone has an opponent. The only difference lies in whether they encounter them during their lifetime, or die without ever meeting them.”

The word opponent struck Seo Daeryong with a peculiar weight.

‘Who is he referring to? Me? My master? Or the Young Cult Leader?’

This time, Seo Daeryong asked about the opponent.

“Are opponents fated to fight each other?”

“Of course. They are destined to kill one another.”

“How can you tell someone is your opponent?”

“You just know when you see them.”

As he said this, he stared directly into Seo Daeryong’s eyes. Naturally, a sharp tension filled the space between them.

‘He sees me as his opponent!’

It was indeed an instinctive judgment. Seo Daeryong had sensed a fateful entanglement between himself and the man before him.

Though fear crept in, a part of him also swelled with pride.

Seo Daeryong still often recalled those gloomy days as an investigator. No matter how strong he had become, he always believed his identity remained rooted in that past. That belief kept him from becoming arrogant.

And now, someone regarded that very self as a fated enemy? It was terrifying—yet strangely exhilarating. And then, this thought rose within him:

Fine. Let it be me, not my master or the Young Cult Leader. Come for me. I’ll face you.

The man’s gaze turned toward the distant Grand Hall where today’s gathering was being held. Martial artists who had accompanied each sect leader stood outside the hall, and judging by their number, nearly all invited parties seemed to have arrived.

The man asked Seo Daeryong,

“Do you know what today’s gathering is really about?”

“I don’t.”

“It’s about uniting against us.”

“Us?”

Seo Daeryong asked, and the man nodded.

“Yes. Us.”

“You and I—do we share something that makes us an ‘us’? Are you saying this gathering is aimed at those who wield sabers?”

The man replied without the slightest hesitation.

“We’re demonic cultivators, aren’t we?”

“!”

Seo Daeryong was startled. The man had spoken so casually that he thought he had misheard. Just as he suspected, this man was one of those orchestrating today’s event.

And he just revealed his identity so bluntly? Then why approach me?

“They’re gathering to move against us.”

Then he said something even more astonishing.

“What do you say? Let’s go in together and wipe them all out.”

The man’s tone and gaze were dead serious, as if he truly meant it.

Seo Daeryong laughed.

“Why are you laughing?”

“I was so tense, I laughed without realizing it.”

At Seo Daeryong’s honest response, the man also laughed. He was clearly more composed than Seo Daeryong. Undeniably, the one controlling the flow of this encounter was the man.

“Are you scared?”

“Wouldn’t you be? A man I’ve just met is suggesting we die together.”

“Why do you assume we’d lose? With your martial arts and mine, we could wipe out those orthodox bastards easily, don’t you think?”

Instead of answering whether he’d fight or not, Seo Daeryong subtly shifted the conversation to talk about himself. He had no desire whatsoever to share anything personal with this man, but it was a tactic to stall for time until Geom Mugeuk returned. Even a few words—right now, he had to draw this out as long as possible.

“There was a time, during my darkest days, when I truly wanted to burn the world to the ground.”

Those were heartfelt words. Before he met Geom Mugeuk, when his senior at the Underworld Pavilion—someone who had cared for him—died an unjust death, his despair had reached its peak. If he could’ve, he would’ve destroyed it all.

“What made you so gloomy?”

He had to have noticed that Seo Daeryong was stalling. Yet, the man continued to go along with the conversation. Seo Daeryong couldn’t help but feel an uneasy sense of foreboding—but this was the best option he had.

“As you can see, I’m short and small-framed.”

“Did you learn saber martial arts because of that inferiority complex?”

Seo Daeryong could sense it. The man was deliberately provoking him by using the term inferiority complex.

In the past, that might have made him flare up. But not anymore.

‘Look who’s by my side now. Look who trained me.’

Seo Daeryong had grown while watching Geom Mugeuk face off against the Heavenly Demon and the Demon Supreme. He wasn’t someone who’d fall for such a petty provocation anymore.

“Back then, learning saber techniques made my heart feel like it was going to burst. Thinking back, maybe you’re right—maybe I did have an inferiority complex.”

Seo Daeryong turned the question back on him.

“Have you never felt something like that in your life? A sense of inferiority?”

As if finding the question absurd, the man laughed again. Up close, watching his laughter during conversation, Seo Daeryong finally realized something. The man smiled often, habitually. And this kind, easygoing smile wasn’t due to his personality—it was due to his looks.

His handsome face simply made him look approachable. But in his eyes, Seo Daeryong saw unmistakable arrogance.

Something he couldn’t see in the past, he now could.

“There’s someone I’d like to introduce to you. Someone I sincerely respect. Someone who changed my life.”

At that, the man provoked him again.

“I’d never want to let someone else change my life. Isn’t that the mark of a pathetic life?”

Seo Daeryong stared at him and spoke.

“People are always changed by others, aren’t they? Reading books, listening to what others say, observing how others live. To treat all that as meaningless… that makes you truly something else.”

Whether he took it as sarcasm or not, for the first time, the man’s smile disappeared from his face.

That reaction gave Seo Daeryong a sense of relief.

‘Yes, that’s what a villain’s eyes should look like. If some wicked bastard went around with such kind eyes, how would we ever know to deal with him?’

A villain who shows their colors is actually less frightening. The truly terrifying ones are those who never show them at all.

But soon, the man returned to that friendly, approachable expression again.

“Now that I think about it, we haven’t even exchanged names. I’m Seo Daeryong. Pardon the late greeting.”

The man introduced himself.

“I go by Jagyeong.”

’Jagyeong. Are you my fated opponent?’

“You said earlier you were a demonic cultivator. Which sect are you affiliated with?”

How would he reveal his identity?

In response to Seo Daeryong’s curiosity, Jagyeong answered with a look of surprise.

“I’m a disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

“!”

And then, with shameless composure, he asked Seo Daeryong,

“And you? Which sect are you from?”

Seo Daeryong stared at him in disbelief.

He had known the man practiced the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber Form, but a disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon? Which Blood Heaven Blade Demon? Could it be... no, surely not Master’s disciple? Perhaps someone taken in long ago? Seo Daeryong’s thoughts spun wildly.

“I am also a disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.”

Seo Daeryong answered honestly. There was no reason to lie to someone who clearly already knew the truth.

Jagyeong smiled strangely and said,

“I’ve never heard of a disciple like you.”

“The same goes for me.”

Sssrrk.

The great saber slung over Jagyeong’s back moved on its own and landed in his hand.

“Then one of us must be a fake.”

The way he drew the saber left Seo Daeryong overwhelmed. He himself couldn’t draw a blade so cleanly using Void Telekinesis.

Instead of drawing his own saber, Seo Daeryong quickly spoke.

“If we meet Master, wouldn’t that settle who’s real and who’s not?”

At the very least, he was certain the man wasn’t here to kill him outright. If that were the case, he would have attacked from the start. But that confidence turned out to be a grave misjudgment.

Swaaash!

A sharp saber energy streaked toward Seo Daeryong.

Seo Daeryong hurled his body to dodge the attack.

’If I hadn’t dodged, I’d be dead.’

As he rolled across the ground and rose to his feet, a great saber was already in his hand.

’Is he insane?’

They had been talking normally, even smiling—and then he suddenly launched an attack.

And that killing intent had been genuine.

’So this is what he meant by fighting here?’ If a fight broke out now, everyone would rush out here!

He was an opponent whose thoughts were utterly unreadable. If he’d truly meant to kill Seo Daeryong, it would’ve made far more sense to ambush him from the shadows.

“If we fight here, everyone will come running.”

“Kill the fake, and the spectators too.”

Swaaaash!

Once again, Jagyeong’s saber energy whipped forward like a storm.

This time, Seo Daeryong didn’t dodge. He released his own saber energy in response. Since the opponent wasn’t using the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber Form, Seo Daeryong simply met the attack with pure saber energy.

Two streams of saber energy collided mid-air.

Boom!

At the very least, Seo Daeryong hadn’t been overpowered in terms of internal energy.

As the two began fighting, martial artists gathered at the scene.

Hearing the commotion, even the sect leaders who had been waiting in the Grand Hall rushed over.

“Both of you, stop this at once!”

With their arrival, Jagyeong ceased his attack. Based on his earlier momentum, it had seemed like he’d rain saber energy upon everyone here without hesitation.

Yet Jagyeong stood calm, as if nothing had happened.

’Didn’t he just say he’d kill the fake and the spectators?’

Then something happened that Seo Daeryong couldn’t have imagined. Jagyeong addressed everyone.

“The one who committed the massacre against the Great Justice Warrior is this man here.”

All eyes turned toward Seo Daeryong—the one Jagyeong was now pointing to.

“This man is Seo Daeryong, disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.”

Seo Daeryong looked at Jagyeong in shock. He never imagined the man would reveal his identity in front of the orthodox factions and pin the blame on him.

’What the hell do you think you’re doing?’

Did he truly think this would work? In the end, wouldn’t it also be revealed that Jagyeong himself had learned demonic arts?

Yet Jagyeong continued his accusation without pause.

“The saber he carries is the beloved weapon once wielded by the Blood Heaven Blade Demon in his youth. The characters Musang engraved on the blade prove it.”

Experts surrounding them immediately drew their weapons and encircled Seo Daeryong.

“He said he came here today to kill every expert present!”

Seo Daeryong was dumbfounded. Jagyeong was stealing the very words he had planned to say.

Seo Daeryong turned to the crowd and spoke loudly.

“He’s lying! He is the fiend! He is the one who committed the Great Justice Warrior massacre!”

At that moment, an older martial expert among the group stepped forward. He was the Manor Lord of Flying Sword Manor, attending today’s gathering.

“Are you truly a disciple of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon?”

He was someone who had already been imprisoned and released by the Chongqing Branch. There was no way to conceal his identity anymore.

“That’s right. But the claim that I destroyed the Great Justice Warrior is a lie. The one who committed that act is that man over there. He also said today that he’d eliminate all of you.”

At that, those around him all burst into mocking laughter. Some shook their heads, while others glared at Seo Daeryong with undisguised killing intent.

’What is this? Why are they reacting like this?’

The Manor Lord of Flying Sword Manor looked at Seo Daeryong with an expression of disbelief, speaking on behalf of everyone.

“Do you even know who this man is before saying such things?”

What followed was truly shocking.

“This young man is the Azure Cloud Hero.”

Seo Daeryong looked at Jagyeong in astonishment.

’Azure Cloud Hero.’

He had heard of the name as well.

A rising young hero within the orthodox martial world.

A fresh hero who had slain many villains and saved countless lives through acts of righteousness. Now that he thought about it, he had also heard that this man was a master of saber techniques.

’So this guy’s been pretending to be a hero all along!’

Seo Daeryong understood now. Everything connected to his master—this entire scheme—had been meticulously planned over a long period.

And today’s gathering was clearly a trap set to ensnare him.

’I wasn’t the one stalling for time!’

Jagyeong had been stalling, waiting for as many top masters as possible to gather for the meeting.

Even the earlier words—let’s go in and kill them all—had been said just to provoke Seo Daeryong into revealing it aloud in this setting.

’The Azure Cloud Hero trying to massacre orthodox martial artists? The Azure Cloud Hero is a demonic cultivator who trained in demonic arts?’

The moment he made such an unbelievable claim, his credibility was already shattered.

Jagyeong shouted to the gathered martial artists,

“Let’s combine our strength and eliminate the demonic cultivator!”

At the same time, he transmitted a soundless message to Seo Daeryong.

—If you want to survive this, you’ll have to use the Heaven-Extinguishing Saber Form!