Absolute Regression

Chapter 533: More Gifted in Speech Than Martial Arts

A single word leaked from one of the Ghost Slayer Squad members.

"……Evil Smiling Demon!"

The Ghost Slayer Squad instantly understood.

These were the real Faceless Swordsmen, and the one inside that room was none other than the Evil Smiling Demon.

At such a distance—and with the door still closed—the only one capable of killing the Ghost Slayer Squad Leader in a single strike was the Evil Smiling Demon.

While martial artists feared the Demon Supreme, there were a select few they feared even more: the Poison King, the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme, and the Evil Smiling Demon.

Each invoked fear for different reasons.

The Poison King instilled dread because no matter how many attacked him, they could all be slaughtered without even a chance to raise a hand. The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme terrified people with the possibility that they might be forced to kill their own comrades against their will, only to die in the end.

These two Demon Supremes were feared more by orthodox factions than by the unorthodox. Not because of death itself, but because of the sheer helplessness they inspired.

On the other hand, the Evil Smiling Demon was feared more among villains of the demonic path. They were well aware of the cruel deeds they were capable of—but he stood at the peak of that cruelty. He bore the title of “Evil Smiling.”

As if it had been agreed upon, three members of the Ghost Slayer Squad leapt toward the exit at the same time. They didn’t even look back as they tried to flee.

Swoosh!

Another blade of wind shot out.

A single streak of wind followed them. Since there were three fleeing, it seemed it was only meant to kill one of them.

Slaaaash!

But at the final moment, the wind split into three strands.

Thwack! Thud! Thwack!

Each of the three Ghost Slayer Squad members collapsed to the floor, their throats, skulls, and hearts pierced.

One of the remaining Ghost Slayer Squad members pointed again at the door.

"……There!"

Everyone’s eyes turned to the door, which was still firmly shut. It was shocking that the attack had landed without line of sight—and even more so that the single gust of wind had split in the final moment.

But the most astonishing fact of all—

There was still only one hole.

The same hole that had killed the Ghost Slayer Squad Leader had been used again to unleash the wind and kill the three others. In other words, the wind had curved through the passage as it chased them down.

They were overwhelmed by helplessness and terror. It felt like the desperate desire to survive had been completely snuffed out by that single strike.

It should have been the emotion their enemy felt toward them. It should have been the fear the courtesans and guests destined to die here would have experienced.

Ssssssshhh.

At that moment, the Faceless Swordsmen in the room all rose from their seats.

The Ghost Slayer Squad, gripped by fear, now felt a new terror. The Faceless Swordsmen had all pointed their fingers toward them.

"You sons of—!"

With someone's desperate curse as the signal—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Blades of wind poured in from all directions toward them.

Lines intertwined like spiderwebs.

This storm of wind was Evil Shadow Fingers, the signature wind technique practiced by the Faceless Swordsmen. Once formally chosen as successors, they would go on to learn Blood Disaster Finger from the Evil Smiling Demon himself.

The Faceless Swordsmen who had gathered here today were among the finest even within the ranks of the Valley of Wicked. Because of that, the demoralized Ghost Slayer Squad had no way of withstanding the onslaught raining down from every side.

Thud! Thwack! Thud! Thud! Thwack! Thud! Thwack! Thud!

The remaining Ghost Slayer Squad members collapsed with holes riddled across their bodies like pincushions.

It was the moment when the infamous assassination force of wandering mercenaries, the Ghost Slayer Squad, vanished from the world.

Only then did the last door, until now tightly closed, begin to slowly creak open.

There sat the one who had been today’s target of the Ghost Slayer Squad—the Sky Flower Pavilion Leader.

Even now, she radiated the inexplicable aura that only she could exude. A strange insight, as if she could see straight through a person’s fate, flickered quietly in her calm eyes.

Sitting beside her was someone who contrasted her—yet matched her perfectly.

The Evil Smiling Demon, wearing a white grin.

There were many masks in this space, but none held the overwhelming presence of the man sitting beside the Sky Flower Pavilion Leader.

His gaze had grown even deeper than before—his martial realm had clearly ascended.

Even the Blood Disaster Finger he had just shown was no longer the same as before.

What was once a single stream of wind could now split into multiple strands.

His internal energy had greatly increased after consuming the Millennium Snow Ginseng gifted by Geom Mugeuk, and even more importantly, he had experienced a recent shift of the heart.

In a room that once had nothing but white walls, a bed had been placed. A desk and chair followed.

When life changes, martial arts change.

He too was now undergoing the transformation defined by that great principle of martial cultivation.

Not only Blood Disaster Finger, but even the other exclusive martial art, Frantic Demonic Palm, now took on a form far beyond what it had once been.

The Sky Flower Pavilion Leader poured liquor into the Evil Smiling Demon’s cup. He wouldn’t remove his mask to drink in a place like this, and precisely because of that, her gesture held even greater meaning.

She was the only woman who ever poured him a drink.

“The smell of blood will cling,” the Evil Smiling Demon remarked.

Smiling softly, the Sky Flower Pavilion Leader responded, “The scent of powder from women tends to wash away the scent of blood rather quickly.”

How could the Evil Smiling Demon not know?

In the world of martial artists, the more dangerous scent was not that of blood—but of women’s perfume.

The Sky Flower Pavilion Leader summoned everyone from the upper floor.

All the courtesans and staff of the pavilion descended to the lower level.

Before the corpses were removed, the Sky Flower Pavilion Leader first gave her thanks.

She stepped forward and bowed respectfully before the Evil Smiling Demon. Few knew the nature of the relationship between these two, so this was entirely a public gesture.

“I will never forget the grace the Demon Supreme has shown in sparing our lives.”

The courtesans who had descended bowed in unison toward the Evil Smiling Demon and the surrounding Faceless Swordsmen.

“Thank you for saving us.”

Had the Evil Smiling Demon not come, everyone present would surely have died.

The Evil Smiling Demon simply gave a single nod.

“Have the bodies cleared.”

At the Sky Flower Pavilion Leader’s command, the male workers from the courtesan house began removing the corpses. The courtesans brought buckets and cloths and began wiping away the blood. It was a frightening scene, but the courtesans of the Main Division, seasoned through all manner of hardship, remained unshaken.

The Evil Smiling Demon poured her a drink.

After drinking, the Sky Flower Pavilion Leader spoke softly, so only the Evil Smiling Demon could hear.

“Thank you, Orabeoni.” [TL/N: More formal than ‘Oppa’, can also be used for older males in a close relationship, even romantically]

“I was only able to come because the Young Cult Leader sent word. Give your thanks to him when he arrives.”

The Sky Flower Pavilion Leader smiled and replied.

“Still, the one who rushed here and saved me wasn’t the Young Cult Leader—it was you, Orabeoni.”

The eyes behind the mask smiled.

Of course, she was grateful to Geom Mugeuk as well. How could she not be, when he had sent a message that saved her life? But she said it that way to express even greater gratitude toward the Evil Smiling Demon.

And Geom Mugeuk wasn’t the only one she was thankful for.

The way the Evil Smiling Demon looked at her had changed. It wasn’t simply a gaze of affection—it was something deeper. She could tell from his eyes that the person known as the Evil Smiling Demon had changed.

And that change was beginning to alter his destiny. She could feel it. It wasn’t a bad feeling at all.

“If they deployed the Ghost Slayer Squad, it means we’ve provoked some very wealthy bastards.”

At the Evil Smiling Demon’s remark, the Sky Flower Pavilion Leader quietly nodded.

Lately, she had been expanding Sky Flower Pavilion across the Central Plains. At the same time, she was training quick-witted and clever courtesans into secret informants.

She didn’t yet know whether this attack was due to the pavilion’s expansion or due to the information those informants had obtained. Only once Chohee arrived would they be able to confirm.

“The Young Cult Leader will be alright, won’t he?”

The Evil Smiling Demon nodded.

“There’s no need to worry about him.”

Yeo Jeong smiled and said, taking care to preserve her man’s pride and dignity to the end.

“I’m much more worried about things on this end, actually.”

*         *         *

Meanwhile, all the bodies had been removed and the bloodstains wiped clean.

The courtesans and workers returned upstairs.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The doors of every room in the pavilion began closing one after another.

The last to close was the door of the Evil Smiling Demon’s room, which had been the last to open.

As if nothing had happened, the cheerful sound of music returned to the air.

Not far from the Sky Flower Pavilion, a single carriage stood still.

Inside the carriage sat Seo Danmyeong.

He was the architect behind the pursuit and ambush.

At that moment, Jaein, one of the operatives, climbed into the carriage and reported.

“The Ghost Slayer Squad that entered Sky Flower Pavilion hasn’t come out.”

Seo Danmyeong shifted his gaze from Jaein to the distant building of Sky Flower Pavilion.

Even if Sky Flower Pavilion was the greatest courtesan house of the era, expanding its branches across the Central Plains, he had been confident it could not possibly withstand the Ghost Slayer Squad.

“Are we up against some kind of invincible courtesans now?”

Normally, Jaein would laugh at Seo Danmyeong’s jokes even if they weren’t funny. But today was different. The situation had grown dire.

“There’s also been no word from the ones we sent in to investigate.”

Of course, Seo Danmyeong already had a good idea why things weren’t unfolding smoothly this time.

“Did the Demonic Cult send reinforcements?”

“It seems likely.”

“They wouldn’t have had time to prepare.”

“They moved even faster than we did.”

In other words, the opposition had made the right call.

“When I first heard that the request was to assassinate a courtesan, I had a bad feeling.”

Jaein wanted to ask, in response to Seo Danmyeong’s regret:

‘Then why did you accept it? Why push ahead with this operation at such a cost?’

Seo Danmyeong now asked about the situation on Chohee’s end.

“Tch. Nothing good ever comes from getting tangled up with the Demonic Cult. So? When will they arrive?”

“If they move fast, by tomorrow night. If they’re delayed, the day after.”

“There’s no time, then.”

He hadn’t expected the assassins to repeatedly fail in their ambushes. He had been told she was accompanied by a single young man.

Naturally, he had assumed the man was a skilled martial artist from the Demonic Cult. It never crossed his mind that the escort might be the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult himself. There was no reason to think the Young Cult Leader would personally escort a courtesan.

“What’s your opinion?”

“I think we should withdraw from this job, even now.”

“If we do, my reputation will plummet. No one will entrust us with anything from now on.”

He wasn’t just an ordinary wanderer mercenary.

Seo Danmyeong called himself the Netweaver.

The one who weaves the web.

He was someone who devised meticulous plans and orchestrated events.

He didn’t only kill people. Sometimes, he persuaded them. Sometimes, he mediated conflicts between sects. Other times, he cleaned up incidents or resolved accidents. And yes, there were also assignments like this one—elimination contracts.

That’s why he considered his work an art.

He didn’t act directly.

When a pursuit was needed, he hired martial artists specializing in tracking. When a kill was necessary, he used assassin guilds and wanderer mercenaries to get the job done.

The clients who commissioned him appreciated this about him.

They didn’t have to deal directly with coarse and brutal assassins or wandering rogues.

And once the contract amount was agreed upon, he would see the job through to the end—even if it failed multiple times. Of course, his services were extremely expensive from the outset.

He always achieved his objective, no matter the circumstances. The only thing required was a fair price.

Jaein, his operative, knew that Seo Danmyeong wasn’t someone who would normally accept a job to chase down and kill a mere courtesan. It had to be that the request came from someone he couldn’t refuse—or the money was simply too much to turn down.

“Just who gave you this request?”

Normally, Jaein would carry out orders without question. But this time, he couldn’t suppress his curiosity.

Seo Danmyeong, understanding Jaein’s thoughts, didn’t get angry. Instead, he replied calmly.

“It’s someone who absolutely doesn’t want their identity revealed.”

Jaein was still curious about the client’s identity, but Seo Danmyeong offered no more.

“To prepare for the worst, I’ve arranged for someone. We’re definitely going to take a huge loss on this job.”

In other words, he had secured an elite martial artist with a very high price tag. Just who could it be? Fortunately, that question was soon answered.

“This time, it’s certain. Go with him.”

*         *         *

“By tomorrow, we’ll reach Sky Flower Pavilion.”

Chohee’s heart raced at the thought of finally meeting the Pavilion Leader.

“This is all thanks to the Young Cult Leader. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay this favor.”

Geom Mugeuk smiled as he replied.

“I’ve already been repaid.”

“Huh?”

It had been Dan Ah’s decision to visit the branch office, but because they came to the Main Cult, she had ended up meeting him—and as a result, he was able to send word to the Evil Smiling Demon.

At that very moment, two figures stood blocking the road in the distance.

Geom Mugeuk slowed the carriage.

The two were men, and the younger one was Jaein.

Jaein glanced at Geom Mugeuk and then calmly said to the man beside him,

“Just kill the man. I’ll take care of the woman.”

Even if the man before them was a martial master from the Demonic Cult who had dealt with assassins, bringing out this particular expert felt like using a butcher’s blade to hunt a rabbit. He hadn’t expected this man to be the one Seo Danmyeong had prepared.

“That guy looks like he talks better than he fights.”

Jaein found himself puzzled.

‘He looks like he talks well? Why would he say something like that?’

Could he possibly see that deeply into a person’s nature at this level of martial skill? But it wasn’t like he could divine good and evil just by glancing.

“How did you know he’s talkative?”