Absolute Regression

Chapter 595: What Did You Do to That Fist?

Lee Ahn’s eyes were filled with admiration as she looked at the One-Slash Sword Supreme.

Yes, that was exactly the future she dreamed of.

She wanted to live like that—freely, without being mindful of anyone’s gaze. That was why she carried a sword and roamed the Central Plains. A life where she could go wherever she wished and return whenever she wanted.

To the weak, freedom was nothing more than an illusion. Only those truly strong could live freely.

That same sentiment echoed in the heart of Yeon Baekin, the Hall Master of the Golden Dragon Martial Hall, who had been observing from the side. If he had to summarize the long-winded chatter into a single phrase, this would be it. If it were him, he would have said this:

“Shut up!”

That single desire dominated him. It was that desire that made him expel everyone from the martial hall, leaving only himself to stand in this sea of blood.

But suddenly, the scene unfolding before his eyes tightened his chest.

Corpses were strewn across the floor.

Even those believed to be experts had fallen with a single strike.

And he had sided with them, arrogantly unaware that their opponent was the Demon Supreme.

Yeon Baekin’s gaze turned toward the Fist King, Kang Hu.

Sitting in the audience, he was truly acting like a mere spectator.

“Even as everyone is dying, are you just going to sit there?”

Not knowing how formidable the man was, or what kind of person he might be, Yeon Baekin couldn’t help but think of another man.

“What are you doing?”

He earnestly wished the man below would come up to this place.

If that chair were to descend and he rose up sitting on it—how great would that be? He believed that man could kill all these terrifying Demon Supremes.

A trace of dissatisfaction briefly passed over Blade Ghost’s face, but it quickly vanished. Even though he had been utterly ignored by the One-Slash Sword Supreme, he did not grow angry.

“That’s troublesome.”

He leisurely brushed off his clothes with his hand.

“I’m the kind of person who likes to make it widely known who I am. Can’t you tell just by my clothes?”

Red martial robes adorned with a white ghost—clearly the symbol of the Blade Ghost.

“Especially these days, too many people don’t recognize me.”

He had consumed a spiritual herb by chance. No, it hadn’t been a coincidence. He had killed and robbed the person closest to him, who had kept the treasure for a long time.

Evil Spirit Immortal Herb.

Thanks to that herb, he not only gained immense internal energy, but his skin became taut, and black hair began to regrow.

His closest friend hadn’t taken it for a reason—the side effects. The herb’s wicked energy gradually invaded the mind, eventually driving the user insane.

No one knew when the side effects would manifest. It could happen the day after ingestion—or ten years later.

Blade Ghost had taken it without hesitation. The reason was simple.

—After all, I’m already an evil and insane bastard.

Even in his old age, Blade Ghost had been a well-known expert of the Unorthodox Alliance. With youth and internal energy added on, he had truly become powerful. He believed no one could defeat him.

That was why he remained so relaxed, even after witnessing the One-Slash Sword Supreme’s incredible technique just moments ago.

“One-Slash Sword Supreme, your name will be the most glorious among those I’ve killed.”

The One-Slash Sword Supreme still responded coldly.

“Not interested.”

However, there was one thing she was curious about.

“What I want to know is—what’s going on down there?”

Since the Fist Demon King wasn’t the type to ask such things, she had to investigate herself if there was something to uncover. After all, it concerned the life of none other than the Young Cult Leader.

The enemies were aware of what was happening underground, but they were not. If it were anyone other than the Young Cult Leader, they would’ve already gone down.

Blade Ghost couldn’t answer her question. Realizing he was also unaware of the situation below, the One-Slash Sword Supreme dismissed him again.

“You sure talk a lot, yet you don’t know what you actually should.”

She did not recognize Blade Ghost as a worthy opponent. He was an enemy that needed to be killed anyway—and not a martial artist worthy of respect.

Blade Ghost’s expression hardened at her scorn.

This particular remark truly enraged him inside. Kang Hu had never told him anything, as if saying he wouldn’t share such matters with a mere underling.

Truly, Blade Ghost had encountered all sorts of villains in his life, but never had he met someone as unlikable and irritating as that man.

Then Kang Hu spoke.

“You know something? You people are in a place you shouldn’t be.”

He was certain of Geom Mugeuk’s death.

“You’re in the place responsible for the Young Cult Leader’s death. Even if not by our hands, your Cult Leader will kill you.”

The One-Slash Sword Supreme let out a faint smile.

“You don’t know anything either.”

Neither about the Young Cult Leader, nor the Cult Leader.

She firmly believed the Young Cult Leader would not die—and even if he did, the Cult Leader would not hold them responsible. That would be even more painful for him.

The One-Slash Sword Supreme turned her gaze back to Blade Ghost.

“Then I’ve nothing more to say to the likes of you.”

Every word she spoke was laced with cold contempt, and so Blade Ghost also fell silent, quietly drawing his blade.

His signature blade technique was the Black Shadow Ghost Hand Blade Art.

A blade art composed of seven domineering techniques, it had claimed countless lives. And now, this powerful martial art had grown wings.

Ssswaaaaaaaa.

A powerful wave of energy burst forth from Blade Ghost’s body. He had always possessed an inherently wicked nature, but with the evil energy of the Evil Spirit Immortal Herb added to it, his aura now radiated with vile malice.

Huuuaaaaang—

The malignant wind he exhaled sent the One-Slash Sword Supreme’s white martial robes fluttering.

Yet even within that dreadful pressure, the One-Slash Sword Supreme met Blade Ghost’s gaze with a proud and unyielding glare. She was no longer the same as when she had once exchanged blades with Geom Mugeuk.

She had surpassed the stage of Greatness and was stepping into an entirely new realm. Her swordsmanship had advanced beyond the level of the Ten Star Greatness and was now aiming toward the Twelve Star Greatness.

Her signature martial art was the One-Slash Sword Art.

Both her title and her sword style had been named after this technique, such was the depth of pride she held for it. But now, things had changed.

She was no longer confined by the prescribed forms, instead forging a path unique to her alone. The eight forms of the One-Slash Sword Art were gradually diminishing in number.

When the second form became one, and even that single form vanished, that would be the moment she reached the essence of swordsmanship.

She had realized that true mastery was attained only when the sword gained complete freedom.

In the thickening tension, it was Blade Ghost who made the first move.

Swaaaang!

A powerful blade energy rushed toward her.

The One-Slash Sword was drawn, slashing through the air.

Chaaaak!

Like fine silk tearing clean in two, the rampaging blade energy was split apart and veered off in both directions.

Boom! Kwaang!

The divided strikes smashed into the rear wall, bursting through and collapsing it.

Blade Ghost’s expression stiffened. He had expected her to block it, but not so effortlessly.

“As expected! A Demon Supreme is a Demon Supreme.”

In a flash, the One-Slash Sword Supreme was already swinging her blade at Blade Ghost.

Shwik!

A sharp and crisp slicing wind.

Kaaang!

Sword and blade clashed. If he had been even a moment slower, his head would’ve flown off.

Seeing her already retreating again, Blade Ghost’s eyes burned with sudden fire.

“Sword Supreme! Today, by my han—”

Chaaeng!

Another spark flew. This time it was even faster than before.

The One-Slash Sword Supreme had aimed straight for his neck again—but just as it seemed she had retreated, she was suddenly right before him once more, her sword slashing down.

Kaaang!

Blade Ghost managed to block it, but pain shot through his wrist as if it had been torn apart. He could feel it clearly. Had it been his old self, he would have already been deeply wounded by that attack.

‘She’s strong!’

From the very start, he had been overwhelmed in both speed and momentum. He was immeasurably stronger than before, so he had never imagined being pushed like this. He hadn’t underestimated a Demon Supreme—but he had never once thought that someone could be stronger than his rejuvenated self.

Of course, Blade Ghost wasn’t just on the receiving end.

Unleashing an even more powerful wave of evil energy, his blade tore through the air in rapid succession.

Papapapapak!

The One-Slash Sword Supreme blocked two of the five consecutive strikes with her sword, and avoided the remaining three using her footwork.

Her movements were both concise and graceful. Typically, gracefulness might suggest wide, slow movements, but she demonstrated how speed and precision could also embody elegance.

At one moment, she seemed to move slowly, and in the next—accompanied by the sound of a breeze—her silhouette had already sliced past Blade Ghost.

Light movement. But a sword that was never light. Each of her strikes, even in urgent moments, remained composed. Her swordsmanship went beyond grace—it felt dignified.

Paat!

Blood burst from Blade Ghost’s shoulder.

He counterattacked immediately, but the One-Slash Sword Supreme had already retreated beyond the reach of his blade.

Her movements, free from the bounds of fixed techniques, were like the wind—at times gentle, like a spring breeze, and at others fierce, like a raging storm.

Lee Ahn, who was watching, didn’t miss a single motion. In this moment, the One-Slash Sword Supreme was showing her:

What it meant to move as a sword wielder should.

Knowing that the longer the battle dragged on, the worse it would be for him, Blade Ghost unleashed his ultimate technique without holding back.

Dozens of streaks of blade energy rained down. This was the Demon Blade Rain, known as Ghost Rain.

The blade energy poured down on the One-Slash Sword Supreme like a storm. Could a human truly avoid the rain?

Papapapapapapapapapak!

The One-Slash Sword Supreme raced through the downpour. Normally, one would be soaked when running through the rain—but she defied common sense.

She evaded the first waves, slipped between gaps in the blade energy, and parried with her sword as she dodged. In every split second of awareness, she was already somewhere else.

And Blade Ghost saw it. Even amid the downpour, her eyes were fixed on him beyond the curtain of blade rain.

The moment he met those calm eyes, Blade Ghost poured all his internal energy into his next technique.

Huuuaaaaang!

An evil wind that would blow everything away—his final technique, Ghost Wind.

A massive storm of blade energy surged toward her. With immense internal energy packed into the gust, the ground itself was overturned, and rocks, trees, and walls were all swept away.

The Fist Demon King turned around and embraced Lee Ahn, raising a strong shield of Protective Energy.

Whiiiiiiiiii!

To Lee Ahn, it felt like watching a typhoon sweep past a window from inside an indestructible building.

She was worried for the One-Slash Sword Supreme.

Given the state of everything around them, the One-Slash Sword Supreme was caught in the very heart of that blade storm.

Whiiiiii—

At last, the storm—howling like a maddened ghost—came to a halt.

A smile crept onto Blade Ghost’s face.

That strike had landed perfectly. The arrogant One-Slash Sword Supreme hadn’t dodged—she had faced his Ghost Wind head-on.

‘It’s always arrogance that ruins them.’

But as the dust settled and the scene inside the hall came into view, the smile vanished from Blade Ghost’s lips.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

The One-Slash Sword Supreme stood in place without having taken a single step. Not a single tear in her robes—not even a strand of her hair was out of place.

She calmly asked,

“Do you have anything more to show?”

He should have. But the only things left within him were disbelief and fear.

He never imagined he’d be the one saying this. It was the same tired line that every dying enemy had once thrown at him.

“How…?”

The breeze that followed this time sounded different.

It was the lightest, most cheerful wind he’d ever heard.

Blade Ghost stood there blankly in front of her.

Sssssk—

A diagonal line of blood appeared across his face and body.

“My life… was just about to begin again…”

He fell in two clean halves. The blood that poured out quickly soaked his robes. The white ghost painted on them turned crimson.

No matter how young he had become again, no matter how much stronger his evil energy and internal force had grown—he was no match for the One-Slash Sword Supreme.

She had been silently walking—no, sprinting—toward the ultimate essence of swordsmanship in recent days.

And then—

Jjeoong.

A sound rang out from beyond Blade Ghost’s corpse, far back at the main building.

A diagonal line began forming along the building’s structure.

Rumble—! Crash! Crash!

The main hall, which housed Yeon Baekin’s office, collapsed along the slanting line.

It was a clear testament to just how deep the essence of her final sword strike had been.

The One-Slash Sword Supreme turned toward the Fist Demon King and Lee Ahn.

As she turned and stepped forward, the Fist Demon King lowered his head lightly. It was an expression of respect for her swordsmanship—and for her.

The One-Slash Sword Supreme also gave him a light nod in return, acknowledging his courtesy.

Lee Ahn’s face was filled with awe and emotion.

But what moved her so deeply wasn’t that Blade Ghost had been slain, nor the fact that a building had collapsed.

It was because of the One-Slash Sword Supreme’s clothing.

Having returned from battle through a sea of blood and corpses, not a single drop of blood stained her white garments. She had moved through a storm of blade energy as if dancing through rain—yet not even a drop of blood from the floor had clung to her.

Lee Ahn lowered her head respectfully and spoke with formality.

“You have just shown me the future I must pursue, Sword Supreme.”

The One-Slash Sword Supreme gave Lee Ahn a bright smile.

Meanwhile, the Fist Demon King stepped forward.

Now, only three people remained alive: Kang Hu, the young man with red bandages wrapped around him, and Yeon Baekin.

Yeon Baekin, who had barely survived by fleeing desperately beyond the reach of the blade storm, stared blankly at the collapsed building. It felt as though he had just glimpsed an ominous vision of his own future.

All of his subordinates were dead, and even the two experts he had brought were gone—but even in this situation, Kang Hu remained composed.

“I’ve always wanted to fight you someday.”

Kang Hu stepped forward slowly. The young man with red bandages also walked beside him.

The two men unwrapped their bandages simultaneously.

Beneath, their fists were densely engraved with small, indecipherable characters. The letters etched into each of their fists were different in color and content, yet from both flowed a strange and eerie energy.

Unlike the silent One-Slash Sword Supreme, who continued to observe calmly, Lee Ahn’s expression hardened.

Even when the bandages were still on, the aura they emitted was far from ordinary. Now, with strange sorcery added to their fists, the energy of death emanating from them was anything but natural.

And it wasn’t just one enemy. The young man in red bandages appeared to be a disciple, standing alongside Kang Hu. He was clearly here for a reason—an assigned role in the fight.

If she still had her internal energy, Lee Ahn would have wanted to fight alongside her father. She had wanted to face the young one herself.

But despite her complicated feelings, the back of her father—the Fist Demon King—remained as immovable as a mountain.

Just like the back she had watched every night as he trained his fists beneath the cliffs.

“What did you do to your fists?”

The Fist Demon King clenched his massive fist tightly as he stepped forward.

“If you’ve no confidence in your fists, then pick up a weapon instead.”