Absolute Regression

Chapter 600: Not Like Smoke, But Like Fate

As the Priestess exited the tent with the white-robed women, Heavenly Will Palace Master Wi Mucheon, Guardian Palace Master, and Geom Mugeuk, who was within the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique, remained behind.

Geom Mugeuk couldn’t leave the tent unless the others did. Especially with Wi Mucheon’s gaze upon him, there was no way to escape unnoticed. It was impossible to elude the senses of someone of such caliber with merely a few years of internal energy.

“What is her intention?”

When Wi Mucheon wondered aloud about the Priestess’s motive for staying, the Guardian Palace Master cautiously responded.

“Isn’t it perhaps to persuade you to stop the war?”

Wi Mucheon recalled the appearance of the Priestess. Even when she said she was merely conveying the prophecy, he hadn’t sensed any persuasive intent.

‘She clearly changed her mind at the end. Why?’

Wi Mucheon walked toward the map. At the end, the Priestess had stared at that map before changing her mind.

And the reason was standing right in front of Wi Mucheon.

Though Wi Mucheon could not see it, Geom Mugeuk and the other stood facing each other, each harboring the Secret Box.

Was that why? Wi Mucheon felt a surge of emotion. It was the same map he had looked at countless times, yet today, his heart pounded strangely.

Just as he was about to take one more step toward the map, the Guardian Palace Master spoke up carefully from behind.

“I heard it earlier. When you achieve the unification of the world……”

He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

He too had heard Wi Mucheon’s whispered intent—to kill and annihilate the Priestess and the Priestess Palace.

“Even if this prophecy turns out to be nonsense… you mustn’t do that.”

The Guardian Palace Master had already resolved to give his life for this war. With the Secret Box awakened, he believed the will of heaven resided with Wi Mucheon.

However, the Guardian Palace was not originally meant to be led by the Heavenly Will Palace Master—it was a place that protected the Heavenly Will Palace.

As the Guardian Palace Master, he could not stand by and watch a Heavenly Will Palace Master who would kill the Priestess. That would mean the collapse of the entire Heavenly Will Palace.

“For the sake of Your Highness, you must not.”

Wi Mucheon turned to him. Though the words had gone against his will, his expression was gentle.

“I understand. I won’t do it.”

“Thank you for your grace.”

“You’ve staked everything on me—this much, I can grant.”

At that moment, a subordinate’s report came from outside.

“A letter has arrived from the Martial Alliance.”

At the mention of a letter from the Martial Alliance, the two exchanged glances. A letter from the enemy, this late in the war?

The subordinate entered and respectfully delivered the letter to Wi Mucheon before exiting.

As Wi Mucheon read the contents, his expression grew grave.

“What does it say?”

Wi Mucheon looked up, his eyes gleaming sharply.

“It’s a handwritten letter from the Martial Emperor Divine Sword.”

It was the first letter personally sent by the Martial Alliance Leader—and it contained the final message.

“I can no longer bear to see the subordinates sacrificed. He proposes a one-on-one duel atop Baekyang Peak in three days.”

The Guardian Palace Master was startled. He never imagined the Martial Alliance Leader would propose a life-or-death duel.

“There may be a hidden scheme. Please reject it!”

Though the Guardian Palace Master spoke firmly, Wi Mucheon slowly shook his head.

“As you know, the Martial Emperor Divine Sword is not one to play tricks over such matters.”

Both of them knew very well that the Martial Emperor Divine Sword valued honor above all else.

“If I refuse, the world will see me as a coward.”

The Guardian Palace Master, too, desperately hoped for this war to end even one day sooner.

Yet an inexplicable anxiety surged within him. It wasn't a simple fear born of doubt—like wondering if Wi Mucheon accepted because he was confident of victory. No, it was a primal fear rising from deep within his soul.

That was why, even at the risk of being rude, the Guardian Palace Master strongly objected.

“The martial world will not remember cowards or the brave, only the victors and the defeated.”

It was a statement that might easily be interpreted as saying it was better to win, even if one had to be a coward. But he simply wanted to stop it, no matter what.

Could Wi Mucheon truly feel no unease? Accepting meant playing into the opponent's hand.

It was at that moment—as if wishing to insert itself into the conversation—that the Secret Box in Wi Mucheon’s bosom vibrated.

Uuuung.

The sudden vibration startled both men.

Why now, of all times?

Wi Mucheon took this as the will of heaven. With that, he had no reason to hesitate. After all, could this reaction mean to flee, not to fight?

“If this battle were to be the end, then yes, I might endure a little humiliation. But this battle is only the beginning.”

For he was one who sought to destroy the Unorthodox Alliance and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and to unify the world. That great cause could never be achieved if he were branded a coward.

“I accept the duel.”

Right there and then, Wi Mucheon began to write a letter by hand. Its contents conveyed his acceptance of the duel.

“Deliver this to the Martial Emperor Divine Sword.”

Having seen the vibration of the Secret Box, the Guardian Palace Master could no longer object.

“By your command, Palace Master.”

Accepting the letter, the Guardian Palace Master exited the room.

Geom Mugeuk had been watching the entire exchange.

He knew the outcome of this battle. As foretold by the Priestess, Wi Mucheon would be slain by the Martial Emperor Divine Sword.

However, no records remained of that final battle, and thus later generations had no knowledge of how he had died.

‘So the duel will take place in three days.’

Left alone, Wi Mucheon pulled the Secret Box from his bosom.

From the way he looked at it now—so different from how he had treated it until now—Geom Mugeuk could tell.

‘He still hasn’t drawn out the power sealed within the Secret Box.’

Had he obtained the power, Wi Mucheon would have been the one to send the letter first.

That was why it became clear—why he had been so furious with the Priestess.

It must have been because, somewhere deep within, a part of him believed that the prophecy might be true.

Several questions arose in Geom Mugeuk’s mind as well.

Was that Secret Box truly empty?

If it held energy, then what kind of Orb's power was sealed inside it? And if such power did reside within, why had it not granted it to Wi Mucheon? Why had it vibrated just moments ago?

Geom Mugeuk pulled out the Secret Box he carried in his bosom.

He looked down at it, still beaming with that same radiant smile as always.

‘What exactly did you do here three hundred years ago?’

Geom Mugeuk stepped out of the tent.

He had seized the moment when Wi Mucheon had briefly left.

He wanted to go straight to the Priestess, but he couldn’t.

The tent where the Priestess stayed was tightly guarded by the white-robed women, and countless martial artists of the Heavenly Will Palace were gathered nearby, trying to catch even a glimpse of her face.

To the people of the Heavenly Will Palace, she was nothing less than a sacred being.

It seemed he would have to visit quietly at dawn.

Without delay, Geom Mugeuk crossed back into the Martial Alliance camp.

The large Secret Box beneath the Golden Dragon Martial Hall had absorbed him and sent him first to the Martial Alliance camp. There must be a reason why it all started here.

“You’re alive!”

Unit Leader Jeong Dae and the unit members greeted Geom Mugeuk with joy. They would have all perished in a clash with the enemy during reconnaissance if not for him.

“I tried to chase down the one who fled, but I lost him in the end.”

“Doesn’t matter. You made it back alive, and that’s enough.”

Just then, a cold voice rang out from behind.

“Enough for what?”

The man who entered the tent with a fierce aura was none other than Jo Ung. When Geom Mugeuk had questioned the Martial Alliance Leader, the Martial Emperor Divine Sword, whether they could defeat the Heavenly Will Palance he had scolded them harshly, saying how he dared to speak out of turn.

It was Jo Ung who had ultimately dispatched the midnight recon unit.

“You cut down three enemies?”

He had already heard the reports from those who returned earlier from reconnaissance.

There was no way his expression could be pleasant. He had sent them out to suffer, yet Geom Mugeuk had returned having earned merit.

“I was just lucky.”

“You don’t cut down three enemies in one place by luck. So what happened to the one who fled?”

“I lost him.”

“And you returned only now after chasing him?”

“Yes.”

Jo Ung was trying to find fault in any way possible.

“What’s your family background?”

“I was raised an orphan.”

Father, I’m sorry. I can’t pose as a member of the Seodo Sect from Gansu here.

“Then who taught you martial arts?”

“I once tended to a seriously wounded expert and learned a technique from him.”

Suspicion flashed across Jo Ung’s face. This thorn in his side kept offering claims that couldn’t be verified.

At that moment, Jeong Dae, who stood nearby, stepped forward.

“If it weren’t for him, we’d all be dead.”

The other unit members also chimed in with their own remarks.

“It’s been a long time since a reconnaissance team cut down three enemies.”

“The newcomer achieved a great merit.”

In the end, Jo Ung glared at Geom Mugeuk with a look of displeasure before abruptly turning away and leaving.

The one who grew suspicious instead was Geom Mugeuk.

At first, he had dismissed him as a petty man—someone bound to appear in any group—but the fact that he had come all the way out here was definitely odd.

‘What could possibly drive him to go this far?’

That question was answered around midnight.

Deep in a secluded forest, two figures were meeting.

One was wearing a mask, and the other was Jo Ung, the very man who had approached Geom Mugeuk earlier.

“Baekyang Peak. In three days.”

It was the moment when confidential information, known only to the highest command, was handed to the masked figure.

From the shadows of the forest, Geom Mugeuk was watching. He had been tailing Jo Ung, having observed his suspicious night movements.

Now, he understood why Jo Ung had been so on edge. Being a traitor himself, he was suspicious of everything and everyone around him. Was someone sent to investigate him? Was there another traitor among them?

But there was something even more shocking than the fact that Jo Ung was a traitor.

From the masked man’s energy, Geom Mugeuk sensed a familiar type of qi. The aura the masked man revealed was demonic energy.

‘A demon!’

Incredibly, Jo Ung was delivering intelligence to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. It was now clear why there were so few historical records about this final battle in the Martial Alliance’s history.

‘The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was involved in this battle!’

Late at night, the Priestess sat inside her tent.

The Heavenly Will Palace Master had not gone out of his way to provide for her, so the tent she was given was a standard one used by martial artists.

Yet, just by her presence, a sacred energy filled the small and worn space.

Hwa Seon, the chief of the white-robed women who had accompanied the Priestess to attend to her, spoke to her.

“Please return to the palace when morning comes, Your Grace.”

Hwa Seon was deeply worried for the Priestess.

The Priestess of this generation was born with the most sacred aura among all past Priestesses, and every prophecy she had made had been accurate.

Yet the Heavenly Will Palace Master had behaved with blatant disrespect—putting her on display and even offering her alcohol.

In other words, he intended to reject the prophecy.

If war were to break out with the Martial Alliance under such circumstances, the Priestess could be in danger. After all, the Heavenly Will Palace Master might not protect her.

Though the white-robed women who had accompanied her had learned martial arts, the Priestess Palace was not a place that prioritized martial strength. It was a place to cultivate the mind and receive the will of heaven.

From the start, they were not the type who could slay orthodox masters and then leisurely walk away.

“There’s someone I must meet before returning.”

“Whom do you mean?”

“A guest will arrive before dawn.”

At those words, Hwa Seon was inwardly surprised. Who would she intend to meet in the midst of this battlefield?

“If someone comes at dawn, don’t ask anything. Let them in. And don’t let anyone else enter.”

“Yes, understood.”

Before the break of dawn, just as she had said, someone indeed arrived.

The person who entered with a calm expression, as if it had been prearranged, was Geom Mugeuk.

The women guarding the entrance didn’t even ask who he was and let him in. In other words, the Priestess had been waiting for him.

‘So she really saw me within the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique.’

The Priestess gave off a different presence from when he had seen her earlier at the tent.

She was the one to speak first. Her voice was captivating, yet carried undeniable dignity.

“Who are you?”

Had she seen him within the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique but not realized he had come across three hundred years of time? Or was she asking even though she already knew everything?

To discern anything from this mysterious woman with her eyes veiled was no easy task.

“I am Geom Yeon. Not the ‘yeon’ meaning fate, but the ‘yeon’ meaning smoke. Once this meeting ends, I am someone who will vanish like smoke, never to be seen again.”

Since he would never be found in this world again, it was the most fitting introduction he had ever given.

“Why have you come here?”

She asked again. Geom Mugeuk answered with care, aware that his reply could alter his fate.

“I did not come here of my own will.”

Unless the other was someone who would use it as a weakness, truth always wielded the greatest power.

“Fate brought me to this place. I don’t know why or for what reason I’ve come.”

Staring at the Priestess, Geom Mugeuk politely added a question.

“So please tell me—why have I come?”

He had not said where he had come from, and she did not ask.

Geom Mugeuk could feel it. Though her eyes were veiled, she was undoubtedly looking at him. It wasn’t because the cloth over her eyes was made of some fabric that allowed sight.

She was seeing him through the eyes of the heart.

How much time had passed?

Then, from her lips came astonishing words.

“This time, the prophecy did not come as one—but two.”

Geom Mugeuk was taken aback by the unexpected revelation.

“It was a prophecy meant to be delivered to someone standing in the darkness, in the heart of the battlefield.”

Standing in the darkness?

Due to his lack of internal energy, the narrow space he had created with the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique had been shrouded in darkness. If she had truly seen him, then it must have been that image—him standing in the dark.

She now delivered the second prophecy, one she had not shared with Wi Mucheon.

“The darkness shall lead you to the will of heaven.”

Geom Mugeuk repeated her words to himself.

The darkness? What could it mean? Did it refer to night in the literal sense? Or did it represent something—someone?

As if she were simply a messenger of prophecy, the Priestess said no more.

Sensing the silent dismissal, Geom Mugeuk offered his farewell.

“Thank you sincerely for delivering the prophecy.”

He gave a respectful bow and turned to leave, but then the Priestess spoke from behind.

“To me, you feel not like smoke, but like fate.”

Geom Mugeuk turned toward her, his expression showing a question in response.

“It means you don’t need to thank me.”

Beneath the white cloth that veiled her eyes, a faint, unreadable smile remained.

“You’ve already repaid it in full.”