Absolute Regression

Chapter 551: What’s a Little Risking Your Life?

Jin Hagun and the Demon-Slaying Brigade were engaged in a bloody battle at the final gate of the Blood Maze Formation.

“Watch the left!”

Jin Hagun swung his sword to block the flying hidden weapon. A long spear shot out from behind, grazed his ear, and then retracted.

Traps of all kinds launched themselves from every direction, targeting the warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade. As time passed, the mechanisms became even faster and more powerful in their attacks.

“Hurry!”

Jin Hagun’s shout was directed at Jeong Gyeong.

Amidst this pandemonium, Jeong Gyeong, who was in charge of formations for the Demon-Slaying Brigade, was struggling to locate the gate’s Life Door. This particular gate had to be solved using the mutual generation and overcoming relationships of the Five Elements.

Footsteps marked with the characters of the Five Elements were embedded in the floor.

At first, they had to solve it using the principle of mutual generation. Then, they had to shift to the principle of mutual overcoming.

“Wood drains Earth’s energy, and Earth blocks the flow of Water.”

Jeong Gyeong stepped in order from Wood to Earth, and then to Water.

The problem was that the formation wouldn’t let it happen so easily.

“Get down!”

At Jin Hagun’s cry, the warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade all dropped to the ground.

Swishhhhhhh!

A massive rotating blade tore through the air just above their heads at incredible speed.

Now they understood why this maze formation was called the Blood Maze.

“Fire melts Metal, and Metal cuts Wood.”

If one were even a moment late in stepping on the right tile, they’d fall into a Death Door. And then, they’d have to fight their way out again, risking their lives.

‘Got it!’

Just as Jeong Gyeong leapt toward the final platform—

Shhhiiing!

A blade, aiming for that very moment, came flying at Jeong Gyeong. He had been too excited and rushed too quickly.

‘No!’

It was too late to dodge. In despair, he wished only that his body would reach the final tile, even if his head was severed.

Clang!

The spinning blade grazed past him. Jin Hagun had rushed in and deflected it just in time. There wasn’t even a moment to exchange words of thanks.

Jin Hagun dashed off in the opposite direction again, and Jeong Gyeong hurled himself at the final tile.

The moment he stepped on the last Wood (木) tile, after completing the Five Elements cycle—

With a clunking sound, all the mechanisms stopped. Some warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade stared at the blades that had stopped mere inches from their faces.

The traps that had filled the space with shrill metallic noises now began returning to their original places.

Click.

A door hidden in the wall opened. At last, the Life Door of the final gate had been unlocked.

Everyone looked around at one another and exchanged glances. No one knew how many times they had nearly died.

“You did well.”

Jin Hagun praised Jeong Gyeong.

“No, if it hadn’t been for you, Leader, we really would’ve lost many comrades.”

All the warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade nodded with expressions of agreement. That was how outstanding Jin Hagun’s contribution had been in this formation. It became a moment that made them see him in a new light.

“Let’s head out for now.”

They still hadn’t killed Cheon Goe, who had deployed the formation. But now that the formation had been broken, he would likely appear once they stepped through that door.

Just as they were about to head toward the door, Cheon Goe’s voice rang out.

“To break through the final gate without losing even a single person... truly impressive.”

The voice echoed, making it impossible to tell where it was coming from.

“The Demon-Slaying Brigade, truly worthy of being called the pride of the Martial Alliance.”

Jin Hagun felt a sense of foreboding. Despite them having cleared the final gate, there was still composure in the enemy’s voice.

“But it’d be a shame to let you go just like that, so I’ve prepared a parting gift.”

Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank.

Over a dozen doors opened in every direction. Inside each was a long corridor, and at the end of each hallway, people were bound. Some hallways had one person, others had several.

“Please save us!”

“I beg you, help us!”

“Please, just save my child!”

Dozens of blades were aimed above their heads. They trembled in terror, not knowing when the blades might fall.

Once again, Cheon Goe’s voice echoed.

“It won’t be easy to rescue them.”

Jin Hagun understood immediately. Every corridor where the hostages were held must be filled with deadly traps.

Srrrrrk.

Something rose from the floor in front of the Life Door. It was the scale they had seen in the previous gate, the one that indicated the time limit.

“If you don’t exit through that Life Door in time, you’ll have to break through an even stronger Blood Maze Formation from the beginning. Terrifying, isn’t it? I doubt you’ll all survive and make it here again.”

If the maze became even more dangerous, many lives would surely be lost. Even getting this far had been far from easy.

“Anyone you fail to rescue will die. So then, how many can you save? Who among them will be chosen by the proud Demon-Slaying Brigade?”

The implication was clear—everyone else would die. Cheon Goe was acting like a true devil.

“You’ll carry that guilt with you for the rest of your lives!”

With Cheon Goe’s laughter, the scale began moving, and time started to flow.

Judging from how fast the scale was tipping, there wasn’t much time.

From within the corridors, desperate pleas echoed out.

“There are eight people in that room. We should save the ones with the highest numbers first!”

“No, there’s a child in this room. Save this one first!”

The warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade each reported the situation in their respective rooms.

All eyes turned to Jin Hagun. Deciding whom to save was an excruciating choice. Because, by his command, someone would live—and someone else would die. All the while, the scale continued to tilt.

Then Jin Hagun spoke quietly.

“There’s no need to debate over who to save.”

Everyone looked at him in shock.

Jin Hagun strode forward and personally closed the door to the Life Door they were supposed to exit through.

Thud.

Turning back from the closed door, Jin Hagun spoke to his subordinates.

“We’ll save everyone, then restart this formation from the beginning!”

“!”

It was a decision no one had anticipated, and all their faces were filled with astonishment.

Jin Hagun moved along the corridors and shouted to those inside.

“We’ll rescue you all—please remain calm and wait!”

Relieved sighs echoed from each corridor.

Jin Hagun then addressed the Demon-Slaying Brigade.

“Some might call this decision foolish. Some of us might die. Maybe all of us will. But I believe this choice is what separates us from the Demonic Path or the Unorthodox Alliance.”

A flicker of apology passed across Jin Hagun’s face. He bowed deeply and respectfully with his fists cupped.

“I’m sorry I didn’t give you a choice. I’ll offer my apology in the afterlife.”

The warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade exchanged brief glances.

Chak, chak, chak, chak, chak, chak.

They all drew their swords at once and shouted in unison.

“Extinguish demons and destroy evil! Walk the path of righteousness and honor!”

From the beginning, they had never intended to defy the decision of their commander, Jin Hagun. If the Demon-Slaying Brigade’s leader said to die, then death it was.

Just as they moved to rescue the people in the first room—

Ssssss...

Everything around them began to vanish. The opened doors, the desperate people waiting to be saved—all of it disappeared.

Now, they stood in a different plaza.

Incense burned in all directions, and the walls and floor were covered in countless unknown characters.

At the center of it all, Cheon Goe was seated.

His gaze toward Jin Hagun was filled with disbelief.

“You actually chose to close the Life Door yourself?”

Blood trickled down from Cheon Goe’s mouth.

In that moment, Jin Hagun and the warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade understood. The formation had been broken. And with it destroyed, Cheon Goe had suffered a severe internal injury.

Closing the door to the Life Door with one’s own hand—

Astonishingly, that was the true method to completely destroy the Blood Maze Formation.

Rooms with children, rooms with many people to save—all of it had been a trap. It was designed to force them into deliberating over whom to save, distracting them from the truth.

“You stayed behind in this maze to save people you don’t even know?”

To that question full of suspicion, Jin Hagun calmly replied.

“It might be surprising to you, but for us, it’s just natural.”

Cheon Goe did not believe him. His gaze was that of someone looking at a hypocrite as he asked again.

“Demon-Slaying Brigade Leader, were you always this kind of person?”

There was no answer to that question. Even Jin Hagun wasn’t sure. Had he always been this way? Or had something changed him?

“Someone once told me, ‘You’ll make a great Alliance Leader.’ So I thought I’d try to become one.”

Jin Hagun drew his sword. At that moment, the warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade all drew their blades together, aiming them at Cheon Goe.

Whoooosh.

Even though there was no wind, a sound like wind echoed. Light burst forth from the strange patterns and letters on the ground.

Shhhhk!

Jin Hagun unleashed sword energy. But the blade energy passed straight through, as if slicing through an illusion.

Then, Hwang Ju, skilled in dark sorcery, shouted.

“You must step into the circle he’s seated in and cut him directly!”

Sure enough, Cheon Goe was seated at the center of a circle filled with unrecognizable incantations.

Just as Jin Hagun launched himself toward him—

ShwaaAAAAA.

A dreadful evil aura surged forward.

Cheon Goe had drawn up the last of his inner energy to unleash a poisonous dark sorcery.

Heart-Demon Black Shadow Art!

For a moment, the warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade faltered. Some cursed, others screamed.

Each saw visions. The people and events buried deepest in their hearts. The very things they most wanted to hide.

“Recite the Mind-Clearing Technique formula!”

It was the Martial Alliance’s unique internal art for protecting one’s mind against evil sorcery.

As they chanted the Mind-Clearing Technique, the illusions in their minds faded and returned in cycles.

As the Demon-Slaying Brigade resisted with the Mind-Clearing Technique, the patterns and letters surrounding Cheon Goe began to glow in many colors.

Srrrrrk.

From the ground, shadowy figures holding swords began to rise.

Hwang Ju shouted once more.

“They’re Shadow Ghosts! Extinguish the candles around the edges!”

The warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade swung their swords in unison, clashing against the Shadow Ghosts. The sound of metal rang out as their blades met the shadowy swords.

Cheng, cheng, cheng, cheng!

They might have been illusions, but the swords those beings wielded were real.

Even as they fought the Shadow Ghosts, the Demon-Slaying Brigade recited the Mind-Clearing Technique while trying to extinguish the candles. The Shadow Ghosts attacked like mad, doing everything they could to prevent it.

While battle raged in every direction, Jin Hagun advanced toward Cheon Goe.

SsshhHAAAaaaa.

An immense surge of evil aura struck him.

His skin tore, and he could hardly breathe, but Jin Hagun silently pressed forward, chanting the Mind-Clearing Technique.

The Shadow Ghosts who tried to attack him were desperately held off by the warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade.

The closer Jin Hagun got to Cheon Goe, the more persistent the illusions became, shaking his heart. The vision of his grandfather disturbed him deeply.

—I never considered you as my successor! Do you really think you're worthy of inheriting my position?

His grandfather stared at him with fierce eyes. The illusion was so vivid that it left his chest aching with grief.

Jin Hagun continued forward, reciting the Mind-Clearing Technique. This time, it was his younger sibling who appeared.

—You're a hypocrite, Orabeoni. All this effort to uphold righteousness is really just about becoming the Leader of the Martial Alliance, isn't it? Why else would your sense of justice be so exhausting? Because it's not genuine.

He knew it was a hallucination created by dark sorcery, but it still hurt.

Cheng, cheng, cheng!

He heard the sound of clashing blades near his ears. Had the warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade not been shielding him, he might have been caught off guard by the illusion and allowed an attack to land.

Then came the vision of a child he had once saved.

—Even if it means giving up the position of Alliance Leader, would you still save me?

That was immediately followed by the image of people pointing fingers at him for failing to become a successor.

—How incompetent must he have been, that even with his grandfather as Alliance Leader, he couldn’t inherit the role?

And among all these illusions, the most painful was the one that whispered:

‘Is the desire to become the Leader of the Martial Alliance all that lies in my heart?’

That was precisely why the sorcery was exploiting it to attack. It disappointed him—realizing that his deepest desire was to become the Alliance Leader.

Like a money bug who sells their soul for wealth, like a lustful demon who trades their soul for pleasure. Had he sold his soul for power?

He knew this feeling was exactly what the illusion was targeting. And knowing it only made it more agonizing.

Hiiiiiiiii...

As he drew closer to Cheon Goe, the evil aura intensified to its peak. He grew dizzy and disoriented. A part of him wanted to collapse and give up everything.

Yet even in that torment, somewhere in his heart—

‘Don’t be ridiculous! I’m never losing to this kind of sorcery!’

—Jin Hagun clenched his teeth.

This part of him kept thinking of one person. He didn’t know why it was Geom Mugeuk, but in this most desperate moment, it was Geom Mugeuk he needed.

—I’ll overcome this, just like you did.

Then he heard Geom Mugeuk’s voice. The kind of words he would have said at a time like this.

—Stop trying so hard. Just trust in your arm’s worth, do just as much as your arm can carry.

Recalling Geom Mugeuk, Jin Hagun clenched his jaw and stepped forward.

Step by step, again and again. Even if his body were torn apart, he kept walking.

And then, at a certain moment—

The suffocating, evil aura that had been pressing down on him vanished as if it had been a lie. The tormenting thoughts that plagued his heart disappeared with it.

And right before his eyes, Cheon Goe was coughing up mouthfuls of blood. The internal damage was far too severe—he was beyond saving.

Jin Hagun had overcome Cheon Goe’s Heart-Demon Black Shadow Art through sheer force of will.

Cheon Goe glared up at him venomously.

“You staked your life on becoming Alliance Leader, didn’t you? Your righteousness is nothing but a tool to reach that goal.”

Even in death, Cheon Goe tried to leave wounds on his opponent’s heart. Jin Hagun said nothing in return to the malice.

Shhhhk!

Thunk!

Jin Hagun’s sword pierced straight through Cheon Goe’s heart.

Without withdrawing the blade, without turning to look at his subordinates, Jin Hagun spoke.

“There may be truth in what he said.”

He confessed to his subordinates the very thing he hadn’t admitted to his enemy.

A moment of silence passed.

Then someone from behind spoke.

“So what if you staked your life on it?”

Jin Hagun turned to look—it was Jeong Gyeong. At first, he thought those words came from gratitude for having saved him multiple times throughout the formation.

But then Hwang Ju followed up.

“I actually hope that’s the case. I’d rather you were led by desire than by righteousness or kindness.”

Was it because of what they had witnessed in the formation?

Even hearing that Jin Hagun might desire the Alliance Leader position more than righteousness, the warriors of the Demon-Slaying Brigade showed no sign of unrest. On the contrary, someone even added:

“I don’t think ambition is a bad thing. I want to follow someone like that to achieve greatness.”

Perhaps it was because it was the first time such an opportunity had presented itself. Even those who usually kept to themselves offered a few words.

“You’ve done well so far—what more could anyone ask?”

“Any more than that would just be greed.”

“If you're too perfect, it makes it hard for the rest of us.”

Jin Hagun had never imagined his subordinates would say such things. He hadn’t even realized they thought this way.

Now that he reflected, he realized—they had never truly spoken with open hearts before. Despite risking their lives together all this time.

Silently gazing at his subordinates for a moment, Jin Hagun then turned back to Cheon Goe.

The villain’s wide-open eyes had lost all trace of life.

“Yes. I’ve staked my life on becoming Alliance Leader.”

Jin Hagun pulled the sword out from Cheon Goe’s heart.

Squelch.

He didn’t dodge as the blood sprayed across his body.

As the lifeless Cheon Goe slowly collapsed to the side, the surroundings began to shift.

Thud.

The place where Cheon Goe fell was none other than the courtyard of the Sky Flower Pavilion.

And just like that, before the eyes of all, Jin Hagun and the Demon-Slaying Brigade returned.