Absolute Regression

Chapter 700: She Came to Rescue Me

Because it was the method of the Evil Smiling Demon, she thought it would be incomparably cruel and vicious, but today it was the opposite.

The Evil Smiling Demon asked Geom Mugeuk this question.

“Do you want me to subdue them alive?”

It was something everyone would be surprised to hear. Just finding assassins was already thought to be difficult, yet instead of finding and eliminating them, he wanted to subdue them alive?

Was it to take an already impossible task and push its difficulty to the extreme?

That was what it felt like.

Geom Mugeuk spoke with a smile.

“How did you know what I wanted?”

“I just had a feeling you would.”

Since the relationship between Cha Iran and Ak Gunhak had not yet been confirmed. Handling matters without killing her subordinates, as much as possible, would be a choice to prevent possible regret.

So Geom Mugeuk had intended to make such a request separately, but the Evil Smiling Demon read his mind and spoke first. As expected of Soma-nim.

“Please do so.”

“I will obey your command.”

As always, there was no hesitation.

The one who spoke up on behalf of such feelings of the Evil Smiling Demon was Lee Ahn.

“To throw your subordinates into danger! You’re too much!”

It was said to lighten the atmosphere. Because she knew Geom Mugeuk would take it as a joke.

“If you’re upset, then take the position of Young Cult Leader.”

Though he said that, the emotion in Geom Mugeuk’s eyes as he looked at the Evil Smiling Demon was not shamelessness, but trust.

The belief that he would be able to accomplish this much. The firm belief that with this order, he and his subordinates would not fall into danger.

And he did not forget to toss a joke to the Faceless Swordsmen.

“Even if they provoke you, don’t kill them. Since they’re women, don’t hit their faces.”

Even in the eyes of the Faceless Swordsmen, laughter bloomed.

Bih Sa-in, who had been watching, was inwardly impressed.

In any case, the order had already been given.

In that case, rather than words of caution, such words would raise the morale of the Faceless Swordsmen even more. It was also something that respected their pride.

Lee Ahn spoke to the Evil Smiling Demon.

“Whenever you need my help, I will assist as well.”

Although the Evil Smiling Demon refused, what she meant was that she could tell him the assassins she had identified in the waiting room.

No matter how much she thought about it, it didn’t seem easy to find them in any other way. On top of that, there was even an additional order to capture them alive.

Are you really okay, Soma-nim?

The Evil Smiling Demon felt her concern for him.

“Do you know why I rejected your offer?”

Truly, she had never imagined the reason would be something like this.

“I already know who the assassins are.”

“!”

“So far, I’ve identified sixteen of them.”

He was saying he had already found the certain assassins. Sixteen of them, at that.

A surprised Lee Ahn turned to look at Geom Mugeuk.

Did you know, Young Cult Leader? Her gaze asked, but Geom Mugeuk shook his head. This was something even he had not known yet.

“May I ask how you found them?”

At Lee Ahn’s question, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress stepped forward to explain in his stead.

“The Demon Supreme investigated the other two examiners before me.”

Since arriving at the Divine Transformation Gang, the Evil Smiling Demon had not simply spent his time in the guest quarters.

Because they were the ones who would sit beside the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress, he first investigated those who came as examiners.

“As expected, both of them turned out to be people closely tied to the Gang Leader of the Divine Transformation Gang. They were indebted to him greatly, making them unable to refuse his requests.”

There was, however, one thing that remained unknown.

“I still don’t know why I was called as an examiner.”

She looked back and forth between the Evil Smiling Demon and Geom Mugeuk.

“I can only vaguely guess it was either because of Soma-nim or because of Young Cult Leader-nim.”

Then Geom Mugeuk spoke calmly.

“It could also be because of you, Pavilion Mistress.”

Though he didn’t explain further, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress could understand what he meant.

It might have been because she was a descendant of the Priestess Palace.

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress continued her explanation.

Even if she didn’t know why she herself had been called, the reasons for summoning the other two were clear.

“From the preliminary rounds, I carefully observed the way they gave scores. There were times when they gave higher scores to a woman who was clearly less beautiful than another. Of course, standards of beauty can differ from person to person, but strangely enough, the two of them always made the same choice on such occasions.”

She had been watching not only the stage but also the examiners’ seats.

“I found out which women they had intentionally chosen, but the problem lies with the women who slipped through unnoticed.”

Surely, there must have been assassins who entered the finals with genuine beauty. Someone like Cha Iran, for example.

And naturally, this raised a question.

“Then why did they bring so many participants into the tournament? If it was up to their selection anyway, seven would have been enough.”

In fact, even a final stage wasn’t necessary.

“No, even just one would have sufficed.”

Since only the First Beauty Under the Heavens would attend the celebration with the Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance.

“I was curious about that too. But when I saw this, I understood.”

The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress handed over a folded paper.

“It’s the seating chart for the day of the final stage.”

Special seats had been arranged behind the stage for the women who made it into the finals. The final match would proceed with them watching from behind.

“They were planning to pull something off on that stage. But with the Young Cult Leader’s intervention, their plan has changed.”

Lee Ahn’s eyes grew deeper.

The vision that the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress had seen was also of something that happened on the stage. Clearly, they were scheming some plot there.

And that scheme involved her as well. Because the one who would stand on the final stage was herself.

What if Cha Iran and the assassins attacked her all at once? It wouldn’t be easy to fend off Cha Iran alone, but if assassins joined in to help…?

In the end, Geom Mugeuk would leap onto the stage to save her.

A killing strike that could never be prepared for outside could take place on that stage. Because at that moment, Cha Iran and the elite assassins of the Court of Beauties would all be present there.

The one who broke the heavy silence was the Evil Smiling Demon.

“They’ll have to change their plan again.”

Because he would surely carry out the mission Geom Mugeuk had given him.

“On that day, there will be only one assassin on the stage.”

*         *         *

Chief Steward Jo walked in haste.

As the one in charge of this tournament, he had been endlessly busy these days. From preparing for the finals that would take place in two days, to the celebratory banquet afterward for the Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance. These were events where even the smallest mistake would be disastrous.

When he entered his office, Chief Steward Jo flinched in surprise. For a moment, he thought he had stepped into the wrong room.

Someone was sitting at his desk, looking over his documents.

“Who are you?”

Startled, Chief Steward Jo asked, and the man sitting there lifted his head. He gestured for him to come inside.

At a glance, Chief Steward Jo recognized the man.

‘This man?’

He was the martial artist tasked with guarding the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress. That veil with only a single flower painted on it was unusual, and even with the veil covering his face, his strikingly handsome appearance made him unforgettable.

But in any case, he was not someone who should be here.

Just as Chief Steward Jo turned quickly to flee—!

He collided with someone. At some point, another figure was already standing at the doorway.

Since the other person caught his arm to prevent him from falling, he naturally assumed it was a martial artist of the Divine Transformation Gang.

But it wasn’t. When he looked up, there too was a veil with a single flower drawn on it.

From above the veil, a pair of indifferent eyes gazed down at him.

The coldness in those eyes was all the more terrifying because it so sharply contrasted the seemingly considerate act of catching him from falling.

When Chief Steward Jo turned again, the Evil Smiling Demon was staring at him.

The moment their eyes met, Chief Steward Jo could feel it.

‘Different.’

Different from the eyes he had seen before when he was just the guard, and different from any of the countless eyes he had encountered before.

He had spent a long time as Chief Steward of the Divine Transformation Gang, meeting all sorts of martial artists, especially many from the unorthodox factions.

But never had he felt such chilling coldness piercing into his heart. It was nothing like the familiar fear that came from brutality and violence.

“Come here. I have something to say.”

Though calm, the command was irresistible, and Chief Steward Jo staggered forward toward the Evil Smiling Demon. Because he spoke with courtesy, he was all the more frightening.

“What is it you want from me?”

Then the Evil Smiling Demon pushed forward the document he had been reading.

“Contact them and call everyone here.”

When Chief Steward Jo looked at the documents, they contained the personal information of the women who had participated in this Greatest Beauty Under the Heavens Selection Tournament and advanced to the finals.

“Why these people?”

“You don’t need to know.”

He could summon them. Because the participants’ lodgings had been tracked so that they could be contacted at any time.

All of them were staying at inns or manors rented near the Divine Transformation Gang.

But it wasn’t something he could just do without question.

“I don’t know the reason, but later the Gang Leader will investigate this matter.”

He indirectly warned that when the time came, he would have to face the entire Divine Transformation Gang. No matter how frightening this man was, surely he would fear the Gang Leader.

The Evil Smiling Demon silently fixed his gaze on him. A faint smile curved on his lips.

It was not the bright smile he gave Geom Mugeuk.

It was the smile of Soma that heralded death.

The moment Chief Steward Jo saw that smile, an overwhelming dread gripped him so tightly he could hardly breathe. It was as though, from a dark and bottomless abyss, he could hear the screams of souls being torn apart.

“Did you know?”

It was a blunt, cut-off question, and Chief Steward Jo’s heart sank.

‘So it has come.’

The very fact that the Gang Leader of the Divine Transformation Gang suddenly hosted such a tournament was strange. He was not someone who would ever think of holding such an event to elevate the gang’s reputation.

This was definitely not an idea born from the Gang Leader’s own mind. Chief Steward Jo knew that better than anyone.

After announcing the tournament, he even summoned the Serpent Sword and the Iron Cold Blade. If there wasn’t some underlying fear, he would never have called them in. And then, out of nowhere, he invited the Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance to the celebration.

Chief Steward Jo had sensed something was happening, but he had simply pretended not to know and carried out his duties, just as he always had.

“I… know nothing of this matter.”

The Evil Smiling Demon lowered his eyes to the documents on the desk and spoke.

“Then prove it.”

There was no more room for hesitation. He had already felt death in that smile.

“What should I say when I call them?”

“Tell them it’s about the seating assignments for the final stage.”

Chief Steward Jo said with a frightened expression.

“But such a thing requires the Gang Leader’s permission.”

Then the Evil Smiling Demon replied calmly.

“Your Gang Leader will not have the leisure for that today.”

“!”

Chief Steward Jo understood exactly what that meant. His heart pounded as if it would burst.

“It was you who prepared this tournament, was it not? Shouldn’t you see it through to the end?”

It meant that if he simply obeyed, he could live.

“Yes, I understand.”

As Chief Steward Jo gathered up the documents, his eyes fell on another set of personal records set aside next to the desk. There were about a dozen pages, and they too contained the information of women who had advanced to the finals.

“Why are these women excluded?”

From the lips of the Evil Smiling Demon, who was gazing out the window, came words that could not be understood.

“They have already been summoned.”

*         *         *

Old bachelor Noh, who sold all kinds of odds and ends from his street cart, had been in good spirits lately.

Because of the tournament, the streets were crowded with countless people every day. And how beautiful the women were!

In the past, he hated waking up in the morning, but these days he would snap awake, eager to go out and do business.

Even now, the woman choosing an item in front of his cart was breathtakingly beautiful.

‘If only I could marry such a woman…’

He thought he could carry her on his back for life and never tire of it.

“If you don’t like that one, please look at this instead.”

Noh picked up another accessory displayed on the cart and handed it to her.

“Huh?”

Noh looked around in shock. The woman who had just been browsing his wares had vanished without a trace.

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

That woman was now inside the carriage that had just passed in front of the cart. Or more precisely, she had been carried away inside. Her energy core and pressure points had been sealed, leaving her unable to move even a finger.

With her eyes wide in disbelief at the situation, she stared at the man sitting across from her.

The man wore a pure white mask and was looking out the carriage window.

‘Faceless Swordsman!’

The woman knew exactly who he was. She herself was not an ordinary woman either.

The Seventeenth Beauty.

She was the seventeenth beauty of the Court of Beauties.

She had let her guard down. She never would have dreamed that a passing carriage would kidnap her.

But more than her carelessness, the enemy’s skill was simply too refined.

The moment the carriage passed behind her, its door opened, and in an instant her internal energy and pressure points were sealed. At the same time, she was pulled inside. It had happened in the blink of an eye.

‘Where on earth are they taking me?’

The Faceless Swordsman did not even spare her a glance, only continued gazing out the window. He truly seemed like some country bumpkin marveling at city sights.

How long did they travel like that? Eventually, the carriage came to a stop in front of a building.

From the driver’s seat, there was a rap-tap-tap on the rear wall. Taking it as a signal, the Faceless Swordsman in the compartment got out. She could sense the driver also dismounting.

When they stepped down, they pulled the curtain across the window, so from inside she could not see what was happening outside.

The Seventeenth Beauty waited with an anxious, tense heart.

A moment later, she heard the clashing of weapons outside. At that instant, she knew. The Faceless Swordsman was fighting with her comrade.

‘Please! Please!’

Soon after, the sounds of fighting ceased, and the surroundings grew quiet.

A tense moment.

The carriage door suddenly swung open.

At the sight of the person standing there, joy spread across the face of the Seventeenth Beauty. The woman in front of the carriage was none other than the Fifth Beauty. A senior she admired, and one recognized for her skill.

She had carried out twenty-four assassinations without a single mistake.

‘Of course! She defeated them and came to rescue me!’

But then—

She was shoved inside as if pushed forward. The Fifth Beauty, her pressure points and core already sealed, was sat down right beside the Seventeenth Beauty.

“……”

“……”

The Faceless Swordsman who had pushed in the Fifth Beauty took a seat and tapped twice against the wall toward the driver’s seat.

At that signal, the carriage began to move.

The Faceless Swordsman never spared them a single glance, continuing to gaze out at the scenery, while the carriage sped off toward the next Beauty.