Absolute Regression

Chapter 728: Now, He Must Not Lose to Anyone

Geom Mugeuk entered the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.

After descending from the Daecheon Mountains, he had come straight here without even unpacking.

Although he had been away from the main division for the longest time since his regression, Geom Mugeuk had not been worried. It was no longer the same cult as before. His father and even the Demon Supremes had all changed.

Without that faith, he would never have been able to train endlessly deep within the Daecheon Mountains, cut off from the world.

And indeed, nothing had changed.

The martial artists guarding the front gates of the Divine Cult still greeted him with the same booming voices. The martial artists moving between the outer compounds looked no different from usual. The razor-sharp vigilance of the inner compounds also remained the same.

Slowly, the gates opened, and Geom Mugeuk stepped inside.

Beyond the crimson carpet, up ahead, he saw the Celestial Zenith’s Throne.

His father sat there, unchanged, upon the Throne.

Geom Mugeuk used the New Eye Technique to closely observe his father’s expression.

The emotions that surfaced on his father’s face were joy and delight. Was it simply because he had been gone for so long? Or was there another reason? Whatever it was, his father was truly rejoicing at his son’s return.

Since it was an expression he could never see up close, Geom Mugeuk lingered where he was, savoring it.

“Father!”

Calling out loudly from the entrance, Geom Mugeuk walked along the Blood Path.

The unique scent of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, the soft feel of the carpet beneath his feet, the demonic statues placed throughout—he had missed them all.

‘I have returned!’

As he walked along the Blood Path, Geom Mugeuk felt an indescribable sense of peace and relief. It was like returning home after a long journey.

No, it felt more like returning in glory. Since this was his first time stepping into the Heavenly Demon Pavilion after mastering the Nine Calamities Demon Art, this moment was truly invaluable.

He stood beneath the Celestial Zenith’s Throne where his father was seated. Instead of a formal bow, Geom Mugeuk expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you, Father!”

Thank you for always remaining here, unchanged, keeping your place.

At his father’s questioning gaze, asking why he was thankful, Geom Mugeuk smiled and replied.

“For not storming into the Martial Alliance while I was away.”

A smirk appeared on his father’s lips.

Only after seeing that smile did Geom Mugeuk offer a proper greeting.

“I have returned safely from the mountain, Father.”

Since he had spent so long in silence, alone in the mountains, Geom Mugeuk could not resist jesting.

“Isn’t the cult running too smoothly without me? On my way in, everyone had this kind of look. Ah, right. Our Young Cult Leader was away, isn’t he?”

Heavenly Demon Geom Woojin, who had been quietly watching his son, rose from his seat.

Descending the steps slowly, he stood before Geom Mugeuk. He recognized his son’s achievement.

“You have mastered it.”

“Ah! As expected, Father saw it at a glance. I was trying so hard to conceal my energy so I could surprise you.”

Unexpectedly, Geom Woojin shook his head.

“I did not say it because I saw through it.”

“You mean… you didn’t know?”

Surprising words flowed from Geom Woojin’s lips.

“Who in this world could possibly see through the mastery of the Nine Calamities Demon Art?”

“!”

With a startled heart, Geom Mugeuk asked,

“Father, did you not achieve mastery in the Twelve Star Greatness?”

“Even so, it is still only mastery.”

From those words, he understood. That was how extraordinary the mastery of the Nine Calamities Demon Art was. The moment one attained it, one stepped into an entirely different realm.

At last, he fully realized it. He had truly achieved Completion of the Nine Calamities Demon Art.

“Then how did you know?”

After a brief pause, Geom Woojin answered.

“Because you would never have descended before reaching mastery.”

Geom Mugeuk gazed at his father in silence.

There was an indescribable joy when someone recognized one’s true worth.

Just like this moment.

“I nearly never came down at all. I almost left all the glory to my older brother.”

Yes, his father had seen through him precisely. If he had failed to achieve mastery, he had resolved never to descend.

“What took me seven years, you accomplished in barely over a single year.”

Seven years—that was the time Geom Woojin had needed to reach mastery from the foundation. Even for his prodigious son, he had believed it would take at least five years. But once again, his expectations had been far surpassed.

“You have become the fastest in all of history to achieve mastery of the Nine Calamities Demon Art among the past Cult Leaders.”

And he had done so not even as Cult Leader, but while still in the seat of Young Cult Leader.

At that moment, Geom Mugeuk thought to himself,

‘Perhaps I am also the one who took the longest among them.’

With a bright smile, Geom Mugeuk said,

“It was thanks to you, Father.”

“Thanks to me?”

When his father looked at him with questioning eyes, Geom Mugeuk set down the satchel he was carrying.

“No matter how I think of it, this must have played a great role in my achievement.”

From the satchel, Geom Mugeuk brought out a Go board, wrapped in tiger hide, which had been firmly fastened. He also took out a container of stones.

“I made this Go board to give to you, Father. Here are the stones as well.”

When Geom Woojin stretched out his hand, the heavy Go board suddenly floated up into the air.

What drew his attention was the lines engraved upon the board. Lines drawn with not even the slightest error.

“You drew them in a single stroke?”

“Yes.”

With a satisfied expression, Geom Woojin nodded. It was as though, just by looking at the lines, he could tell from what realm and with what heart they had been drawn.

This time, the Go stone container opened by itself, and the stones within all rose simultaneously into the air.

Chwa-ra-ra-rak.

Every single stone moved on its own. Geom Woojin had displayed his divine might, controlling each one through Void Telekinesis.

“Ah, then this gift has failed. Father, you don’t even need a Go board!”

What he meant was that his father could use Void Telekinesis to suspend stones in midair and play with the empty air as his board.

But Geom Woojin replied as though that was not the case.

“Go is about the feel of the hand.”

He then examined the Go stones floating in the air. Every one of them was the same size and thickness. They looked so precise that one could believe they had been crafted by a master artisan.

“You made these yourself?”

“I carved each one by hand with the Black Demon Sword. From now on, please call me the devoted son of Daecheon Mountains, the Go stone carver!”

One corner of Geom Woojin’s mouth curved upward, but the result truly was worthy of pride.

“You did well.”

They were stones made with such care that it would have been hard to find fault with them, even deliberately.

Chwa-ra-rak.

The Go stones floating in the air all slipped neatly back into their container.

“But why do you say it was thanks to me?”

“Coincidentally, on the day I finished the last stone, I achieved mastery of the Nine Calamities Demon Art. I think practicing fine control of sword energy and internal energy while carving them must have helped. I had never trained in such a way before.”

Geom Woojin silently nodded.

Staring intently at his father, Geom Mugeuk added,

“If you hadn’t once said, ‘When you come down, let’s play a game of Go,’ I would never have made this board and these stones. Then perhaps I would still be training in the Daecheon Mountains even now. Could it be you broke that torreya tree knowing it would turn out like this?”

“How could that be thanks to me? It was your decision and effort to carve the stones.”

From his father’s expression and words, Geom Mugeuk could not tell if it was truly so.

“Now that you have achieved mastery of the Nine Calamities Demon Art, you must uphold this one truth.”

Such great power came with heavy responsibility. Added to that were the pride of his father and the pride of all past Heavenly Demons.

“From now on, you must not lose to anyone.”

Geom Mugeuk pledged to his father,

“I will never lose.”

Geom Woojin turned away.

The Go board, with the container of stones set upon it, floated after him through the air.

“Follow me.”

Geom Mugeuk walked behind his father.

Of course, he assumed they were headed to his quarters to play a game. Instead, his father led him to the training ground reserved exclusively for the Cult Leader.

In the middle of the training ground, Geom Woojin set down the Go board.

“We are to play here?”

When his father nodded, Geom Mugeuk glanced around. Looking at the various weapons displayed in the training ground, he remarked,

“You’re trying to suppress my spirit with the atmosphere, aren’t you? But I’m not the same easygoing son I was before. Now I’m the son with an army of soldiers skilled at Go.”

Of course, he had not brought him here for such a trivial reason. His father clearly had a purpose in mind.

The two of them sat facing each other across the Go board.

With the black stones in hand, Geom Mugeuk placed the first move.

Ttak.

A crisp sound rang out. The feel of placing the stone was pleasing, and the sound was even better.

“Yes, Father, Go truly is about the feel of the hand!”

Next, his father placed a stone.

Ttak.

A clean, resonant sound spread out. Hearing that clear tone, Geom Mugeuk felt as though all the hardship of carving the stones had been repaid.

Move by move, the crisp sounds echoed between them. Playing Go with his father after such a long time filled him with joy, yet today Geom Mugeuk’s thoughts were elsewhere.

As the opening placement came to an end, he asked casually,

“There is something I wish to ask about the Heavenly Demon Spirit.”

Geom Woojin nodded while gazing at the board.

“Have you ever spoken with the Heavenly Demon Spirit?”

Geom Woojin shook his head. Well, even if it had been possible, his father was not the sort of man who would sit and converse with such an existence.

This time, Geom Woojin asked suddenly,

“Do you wish to chatter with it as well?”

Smiling, Geom Mugeuk admitted it.

“Are you not curious? It was born from my own heart. I wonder what it thinks.”

The hand that had been about to place a stone paused in midair.

“You truly wonder about that?”

“Do you not, Father?”

“Not at all.”

A few more moves passed.

Then, as he set another stone down, Geom Woojin revealed a fact.

“There are records of a Heavenly Demon who conversed with the Heavenly Demon Spirit. It was a very long time ago.”

As expected! The Heavenly Demon Spirit was indeed a being with its own will.

Seeing joy flicker across his son’s face, Geom Woojin warned him.

“The Heavenly Demon Spirit is a dangerous existence. If it runs wild, it cannot be stopped. Do you still wish to chatter with it?”

After a moment, Geom Mugeuk replied,

“Yes. All the more reason I should grow closer to it.”

Geom Woojin silently nodded.

“Yes, I thought you would say that.”

Looking steadily at his father, Geom Mugeuk asked,

“Would you like to see my Heavenly Demon Spirit?”

Perhaps this was why he had been brought here to the training ground.

“It likely will not manifest in my presence.”

Geom Mugeuk looked at his father with surprise.

“May I confirm it?”

Geom Woojin nodded.

Geom Mugeuk summoned the Heavenly Demon Spirit. As his father had said, it did not manifest.

“How did you know?”

“It was simply a feeling.”

Speaking of the Heavenly Demon Spirit, Geom Woojin’s gaze grew deeper.

“The Heavenly Demon Spirit is a being that refuses to lose to anyone.”

“Ah! Then you mean it did not appear because it knew it could not defeat you.”

But Geom Woojin shook his head.

“The Heavenly Demon Spirit does not fear humans.”

“Then it must be because it fears your Heavenly Demon Spirit.”

He had thought that was only natural.

“That cannot be known.”

With any other Heavenly Demon Spirit, it might well have been so. But his son was different. His son, who had achieved mastery in so short a time.

“Because it is your Heavenly Demon Spirit.”

It meant the reason could not be so easily defined.

After saying that, Geom Woojin placed a decisive move.

Ttak.

“I have won.”

“Ah! When did my great group get captured?”

“It was not I who captured it, but your Heavenly Demon Spirit.”

He meant that his son had been focusing his mind on the Heavenly Demon Spirit rather than entirely on the game.

“I apologize.”

His father answered with an expression that said it was fine.

“It is fine. I did the same.”

The reason Geom Woojin had brought him into the training ground, where only he could enter, was not to play Go, nor was it simply to see his son’s Heavenly Demon Spirit.

It was for this reason.

“From this moment, I shall pass down the Seventh Form of the Nine Calamities Demon Art.”

“!”

The Seventh Form of the Nine Calamities Demon Art: Demon Soul Genesis.

From the Seventh to the Ninth Forms, the techniques belonged to the Heavenly Demon Spirit. Only by mastering all three could one truly be said to have completely learned the Nine Calamities Demon Art.

“Even if the Heavenly Demon Spirit does not manifest, can I still learn the Seventh Form?”

“It is you who will learn the Seventh Form.”

Geom Woojin revealed a new truth about the techniques of the Heavenly Demon Spirit.

“The Heavenly Demon Spirit is bound to you. The extent to which you understand the mnemonic verse determines the power it can display.”

“Then the stronger I become, the stronger the Heavenly Demon Spirit also becomes.”

Geom Woojin nodded.

“Now, listen carefully to what I say.”

Geom Woojin began to transmit the mnemonic verse.

“When the Demon Soul descends and swallows chaos, a new world shall arise. The origin of true energy begins at the Stone Gate Point. The energy that returns through the great meridian must flow as swiftly as lightning, and…”

Geom Mugeuk first committed the verses his father recited to memory, repeating them again and again. Among all the mnemonic verses he had ever learned, this was the most difficult.

And he understood why. The martial system of the Heavenly Demon Spirit was fundamentally different from that of humans, making the verses far harder to grasp.

Whenever something was unclear, he asked his father directly.

And his father explained with sincerity. In truth, even at this moment, Geom Mugeuk was receiving a fateful opportunity.

Ordinarily, his father, as a Ten Star Greatness, would have passed down these verses. But now, it was his father, at the Twelve Star Greatness, teaching him.

The level of understanding was different, and thus the teachings were different. The depth was so profound it was difficult to absorb, yet—who was the learner here?

Whenever Geom Mugeuk failed to understand something, he immediately asked. He spoke his thoughts, his father reinterpreted them, and from that Geom Mugeuk drew yet another question.

Though he had already received his father’s teachings several times before, the higher both their martial paths climbed, the more immeasurably precious their realizations became.

As they say, a good master is made by a good disciple. In the end, today’s lesson became the highest-level transmission of the final three forms ever given in history.

Thus, after several hours, the transmission of the Seventh Form came to an end.

Closing his eyes, Geom Mugeuk organized the form in his mind, then slowly opened them again.

“Have you understood?”

“Yes, I believe I have grasped it to some extent.”

With words of gratitude, Geom Mugeuk bowed deeply to his father. It was truly a lesson worthy of the deepest bow.

“The Heavenly Demon Spirit will be pleased.”

Geom Mugeuk could not help but wonder. What difference would there be in the Heavenly Demon Spirit before and after mastering the Seventh Form? How would it react to this mastery? Would it show gratitude? Or would it remain as aloof and expressionless as always?

“When you fully master the Seventh Form, I shall pass down the Eighth.”

As he stepped out of the training ground ahead, Geom Woojin paused briefly. Then, he spoke words he had not said before.

“Congratulations on achieving Completion.”

It was his father’s congratulations, given without forgetting.