Absolute Regression

Chapter 684: I’m the One Who Kills

From the eyes of the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress, dizziness seemed to flow out as her eyes lost focus.

In the gaze she directed at him, Geom Mugeuk felt a mix of emotions—

Surprise, fear, terror.

And the final emotion born from that blend of negativity was hesitation.

“What sort of image did you see of me?”

To his question, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress gave no answer. She even avoided Geom Mugeuk’s gaze.

Seeing her reaction, Lee Ahn felt an ominous premonition. What could possibly be so unspeakable in this situation?

‘What in the world did she see?’

Evil Smiling Demon simply stared at her in silence. One would think he’d at least say, “Tell the Young Cult Leader,” but no—

He neither forced her to speak nor urged her on. He simply waited for her choice.

Geom Mugeuk tried to lift the heavy atmosphere.

“Then let me guess the prophecy. Did you perhaps see me at the vanguard of the Grand Demon War? Striking the Martial Alliance, striking the Unorthodox Alliance, hitting here, hitting there. Did I perhaps unify the martial world? With thousands, tens of thousands of warriors bowing to the ground, worshiping me?”

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress slowly shook her head, as if to say that wasn’t it. Even now, she could not bring herself to look him in the eye.

“That’s a relief. Honestly, I was worried you might’ve seen that.”

Geom Mugeuk guessed again.

“Then you must’ve seen something like this. I’m slowly walking up a staircase. At the top rests the Celestial Zenith Throne. Once I sit firmly on that seat of power, the view around me is revealed—piles of corpses in every direction, blood flowing like a river. And at the end, I look down at those corpses and give a cold smile. Am I right? That’s the scene you saw, isn’t it? That’s why you can’t speak?”

But again, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress shook her head.

“I’d have preferred it if I had seen that instead.”

In that moment, the smile vanished from Geom Mugeuk’s face. Lee Ahn and Evil Smiling Demon also tensed. Her words meant the vision had been something even more horrifying.

As everyone’s eyes fixed on her, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress spoke softly.

“Young Cult Leader… you were killing someone.”

“!”

It was a statement that left no room for humor. Just who could he have been killing for a scene of countless corpses to be the better alternative?

“Who was I killing?”

If it had been some passing villain, she would never have been this grave.

Her gaze slowly shifted toward a single person. Her trembling eyes rested on Evil Smiling Demon.

“You were killing Orabeoni.”

“!”

In that instant, everyone was shocked. Surprise and disbelief weighed the air down into silence.

‘Me… killing Soma? That’s impossible!’

Geom Mugeuk was certain such a thing could never happen. It was an utterly absurd prophecy.

And then, a sudden thought crossed his mind—

‘Could it be… that scene she saw?’

The moment from his past life before the regression—when he had killed Soma!

The thought occurred to him that perhaps… it could be that.

If it wasn’t, then there would be absolutely no reason for him to ever kill Evil Smiling Demon. Evil Smiling Demon would never do anything deserving of such a fate either.

But the prophecy from the Priestess Palace should have been showing the ‘future’. Could it really have shown the ‘past’, and not just the past, but the past before his regression? He couldn’t understand it either.

Breaking the silence with a smile, Geom Mugeuk spoke.

“What on earth did you do? Or rather… what will you do?”

Evil Smiling Demon took his joke lightly.

“When you kill me, please send me off without pain.”

The two looked at each other and laughed.

They were relaxed, but Lee Ahn could not share in that ease.

She knew this might be terribly rude to say, but since no one else was bringing it up, she had no choice.

“Can a prophecy ever be wrong?”

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress replied with sunken eyes.

“A prophecy might not come at all… but it’s never wrong.”

And then came words that no one wanted to say or hear.

“What I saw will definitely happen.”

If that was truly the case, Lee Ahn’s heart began to pound violently.

In that moment—though she felt sorry for Evil Smiling Demon—she was more worried about Geom Mugeuk than him.

If such a thing were to happen…

Could Geom Mugeuk ever simply let it go after killing Evil Smiling Demon? It would become a wound that would last for life. No—such an event could even change him. Into something dark and deeply brooding.

“Fate can be changed… right?”

At her words, Geom Mugeuk nodded firmly.

“Yes, it can be changed.”

He then spoke to the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress with confidence.

“That will never happen. So you need not worry.”

But she only lowered her head and gave no reply. Perhaps her thoughts were tangled—she still could not look at Geom Mugeuk directly.

“You must be tired after receiving the prophecy. Please rest. We’ll get some air.”

Rising from his seat, Geom Mugeuk left the room, and Lee Ahn followed.

Once the two had gone, Evil Smiling Demon asked the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress,

“Care for a drink?”

“Yes.”

He stood and fetched a bottle from the cupboard. There was a drink he liked, and one she liked—he brought the one she preferred.

Clink.

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress drained her glass in one go.

Was it because of the worry that Evil Smiling Demon might die? She kept drinking without pause.

In silence, Evil Smiling Demon refilled her empty cup.

After a long while deep in thought, a certain resolve appeared in her eyes.

“Orabeoni.”

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress spoke with a trembling voice, as if forcing the words out. In her entire life, she had never felt such fear as she did now.

“Orabeoni, I lied. I… told the prophecy differently.”

Even at this shocking confession, the eyes of Evil Smiling Demon beneath the white mask showed no surprise.

“You knew?”

To her astonishment, Evil Smiling Demon nodded.

“How did you know?”

“How could I not, when I know you?”

In truth, there had been a decisive reason. When she said she had seen him die, Yeo Jeong had been far too calm. The Yeo Jeong he knew was not that kind of person—especially because she believed that a prophecy would always come true, and thus she would have thought his death as inevitable if she had truly seen it.

And then, she hadn’t met the Young Cult Leader’s eyes—not because she was looking at the man who would kill the one she loved, but because he might have had sensed clear guilt from her.

“Perhaps the Young Cult Leader noticed it too. He’s a man of sharp wit and keen perception.”

“I’m sorry, Orabeoni.”

“It’s fine. I’m sure you had your reasons.”

Refilling the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress’s empty glass, Evil Smiling Demon asked,

“What did you see in the prophecy?”

It was finally the moment when her true prophecy would be revealed.

“It wasn’t the Young Cult Leader.”

After a pause, the words she spoke were shocking.

“Orabeoni… you killed the Young Cult Leader.”

“!”

Through the eyeholes of the white mask, Evil Smiling Demon’s widened eyes were visible.

He had smiled when told he would die. He had smiled when told she had lied. But now, he did not smile.

“Orabeoni stabbed the Young Cult Leader in the heart with a dagger.”

*         *         *

Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn were strolling through the inner compound of the Sky Flower Pavilion.

It was a place so beautifully arranged, yet nothing seemed to register in Lee Ahn’s eyes.

“If I had known it would be like this, I shouldn’t have come. I ran away to escape my troubles, only to find such a greater one waiting for me here.”

Before, she had been worried over the quarrel between the First and Second Units. Now, she was worried over the possibility of Geom Mugeuk killing Evil Smiling Demon.

“That’s why you have to look at the world. Now that you’re out here, doesn’t your old worry feel like nothing?”

“How can you say it’s nothing! That’s a conflict between the direct units under the successor of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult! The only reason this place’s trouble feels so overwhelming is because it’s so much worse!”

Geom Mugeuk chuckled in amusement, but Lee Ahn did not smile.

“What’s wrong? Are you really afraid that will happen?”

“Wouldn’t you be scared?”

“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”

“Of course, it shouldn’t.”

What weighed on her heart was the fact that the prophecy had been made by the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress.

If it had been anyone else, she would have dismissed it outright as nonsense. But the Pavilion Mistress was not someone who would make a false prophecy.

“Ah! Let’s go back and ask her.”

“Ask her what?”

“Where it happens—where Young Master will kill Soma-nim. If we know the place, we can simply avoid it. Then fate will change.”

“Oh! Clever.”

“If I were truly clever, I would have asked earlier. But with us, it’s always after the fact that we say ‘I should have done that.’ Come on, let’s hurry and ask her.”

But Geom Mugeuk did not move from where he stood.

“But what if, in defying fate like that, the change in fate means something else happens?”

When Lee Ahn flinched, Geom Mugeuk looked at her with a deep gaze.

“For example, that Soma-nim kills me instead. Then what will you do?”

For a moment, Lee Ahn was speechless. Geom Mugeuk dying? That would be the instant her own world ended as well.

“What can I do? I’ll just shout ‘Freedom at last!’ and celebrate.”

“Then that’s fine.”

With a smile, Geom Mugeuk began walking again, and Lee Ahn followed behind.

‘Fine? What’s fine about that? If you die, I die too! So for my sake, you must never die!’

After making a full round of the inner compound, the two returned—only to find Evil Smiling Demon and the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress waiting in front of the residence.

When they had left earlier, it hadn’t felt like they would be meeting again so soon.

Evil Smiling Demon addressed Geom Mugeuk.

“This person has something to say to you, Young Cult Leader.”

At that, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress dropped to her knees on the spot.

Both Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn were startled by the sudden act.

“I lied to you, Young Cult Leader. The prophecy I saw was a different scene.”

This time, she did not avoid Geom Mugeuk’s eyes as she spoke the truth.

“The prophecy I saw… was Orabeoni killing you, Young Cult Leader.”

The moment those words left her lips, Lee Ahn froze in shock.

“I was so startled and flustered that I lied without thinking. I’m sorry.”

But Geom Mugeuk neither showed surprise nor anger.

“Please rise.”

He quickly helped her to her feet.

“I understand. I would have done the same.”

From his calm response, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress knew—

‘Just as Orabeoni said, the Young Cult Leader already knew.’

It was the sort of lie that would warrant her death if the Young Cult Leader decided to kill her over it—because it was a lie concerning his very life.

Yet he had already noticed, and pretended not to know. Had she kept silent, Geom Mugeuk would have acted as though he knew nothing to the end. Evil Smiling Demon would have done the same. Men—honestly.

“Whether I kill Soma-nim or Soma-nim kills me, it’s the same thing. There’s no need to distinguish between the two.”

The eyes of Evil Smiling Demon were smiling. Because he felt the same.

Come to think of it, this was a matter involving the fate of all four of them. If one of them died, the impact would shake the lives of the other three without exception.

“Thank you for telling me the truth.”

When Geom Mugeuk said he was grateful instead, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress lowered her head.

Evil Smiling Demon walked over and lightly patted her shoulder. If no one had been watching, he might have embraced her.

A short while ago, in the room, when she had asked if they should tell the Young Cult Leader, Evil Smiling Demon had replied:

—What I learned from the Young Cult Leader is… how to create a relationship without misunderstandings.

That was why Geom Mugeuk always told him everything. Even this time, when he had returned from expulsion, he had shared every detail of what had happened in the Martial Alliance.

Knowledge was essential to victory. Problems always arose when one didn’t know the truth.

Evil Smiling Demon had once explained Geom Mugeuk’s philosophy to her.

—The moment we decide to “handle it ourselves,” that’s when things will start to go wrong.

Those words had driven the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress to immediately rise from her seat, come out here, and wait for Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk could guess that Evil Smiling Demon was the one behind this swift confession.

“Thank you, Soma-nim.”

“I’m the one who kills you. No need for thanks.”

At Evil Smiling Demon’s joke, Geom Mugeuk smiled.

The two men seemed at ease, but the women did not share that calm.

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress looked at Lee Ahn. Lee Ahn stood pale-faced and silent. Of all people, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress understood her feelings best—she herself had lied for Evil Smiling Demon’s sake.

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress stepped closer and spoke softly.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry.”

Lee Ahn truly felt apologetic toward both of them. When she had heard that Evil Smiling Demon would die, she hadn’t been this shaken. She shouldn’t have revealed such selfish feelings in front of them, but she couldn’t help it.

Without a word, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress squeezed her hand tightly.

Then, Evil Smiling Demon drew a dagger from his robe—it was the Millennial Cold Iron dagger Geom Mugeuk had given him.

“This is the dagger I used to kill you in the prophecy?”

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress slowly nodded.

Evil Smiling Demon looked down at the dagger in his hand.

Of all times—right after receiving this dagger as a gift, along with the martial arts manual for the Smiling Fragrance Dagger Art—he now learned that he would kill Geom Mugeuk with it in the prophecy.

Unable to simply ignore it, Evil Smiling Demon handed the dagger to Geom Mugeuk.

“Please keep this for now.”

When Geom Mugeuk accepted the dagger, Lee Ahn’s face lit up.

“Ah! If the dagger is with you, then that scene can never happen.”

But Geom Mugeuk thought differently.

“Wouldn’t that just lead to an even worse outcome?”

He knew better than anyone that fate was not so easily defied.

Returning the dagger to Evil Smiling Demon, Geom Mugeuk spoke firmly.

“If you and I are bound by a single fate, then let’s face it head-on and untangle it. Even if that dagger strikes me, I will survive.”

Evil Smiling Demon gazed at the dagger. The character for “smile” (笑) that Geom Mugeuk had engraved himself gleamed back at him.

Yes—just as it had always been until now.

With a smile, Evil Smiling Demon took the dagger back.

“I am ready.”

Lee Ahn knew there was no stopping the two of them. They were not the kind of people to avoid fate.

So in her heart, she spoke silently—I’m ready too.

Geom Mugeuk turned to the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress.

“Do you happen to know the location you saw in the prophecy?”

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress closed her eyes for a moment, recalling the scene.

“It was on a high platform, with countless people watching.”

“A martial arena?”

“Something like that, though I can’t say for sure. What I do know is that there were an incredible number of people present.”

“Well, at least it won’t be a lonely death.”

At Geom Mugeuk’s frivolous joke, Lee Ahn rolled her eyes—when suddenly, someone entered the room.

It was the chief steward of the Sky Flower Pavilion.

He approached and handed a sealed letter to the Pavilion Mistress.

“What is this?”

“An invitation to have you serve as a judge, Pavilion Mistress.”

“Me? As a judge?”

If judging was involved, it meant there was some kind of tournament.

The Pavilion Mistress unfolded the invitation. Her eyes widened after reading its contents.

“Where is the invitation from?” Geom Mugeuk asked.

The Pavilion Mistress held the letter forward so everyone could see.

Only then did they all understand why she had been invited as a judge—for written at the very top was the name of the event:

‘The Greatest Beauty Under the Heavens Selection Tournament.’

By standing squarely against fate, they had received fate’s invitation.