Absolute Regression

I opened my eyes.

Although I had opened and closed my eyes countless times in my life, there had never been a moment as desperate as this.

Please, let me return to a time when I could undo all those events.

Please!

And what unfolded before my eyes was a sight that compensated for all the hardships I had endured for so many years before my regression.

I stood on a spacious martial arts stage, like a grand plaza.

Beyond the thousands of spectators filling the seats, I saw gigantic statues of demons. The red, blue, and yellow three-colored statues were positioned around the martial arts arena, clashing against each other.

Their gigantic swords, knives, and fists formed a roof over the stage.

And beyond them, a more massive statue stood tall. With its arms crossed, it looked down arrogantly upon the world—a black demon statue, the symbol of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

My heart began to pound as if it would burst.

“Woooooaaaahhhh!!!”

As if to celebrate my return, cheers erupted from all directions. The demonic followers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult filled the surroundings of the martial arts arena.

“Now that I think about it, today is!”

At that moment, a man stepped onto the martial arts stage from the opposite side.

“Today is the day of the New Demon Skirmish.”

Around this time, my father made a shocking announcement that he would not limit the next leader to his own bloodline.

The Cult was abuzz with that announcement. Now, anyone with the skill could become the Heavenly Demon.

To reinforce his declaration, my father held a martial arts competition for the Cult’s younger generation. That was the New Demon Skirmish.

And to the winner of the Skirmish, he offered a chance to challenge one of his two sons.

Regardless of who won between the champion and his son, the Heavenly Demon would grant the winner one wish.

So, how intense must the New Demon Skirmish have been? The young talents of the Cult participated in large numbers, competing fiercely.

After ten days of intense battles, the winner of the Skirmish was decided, and he chose to challenge me.

“Geom Mugeuk! Geom Mugeuk!”

The crowd chanted my name. The very name Gwi Ryeongja was so eager to learn. I was the youngest of the Heavenly Demon’s two sons, Geom Mugeuk.

As the crowd cheered for me, the Skirmish champion furrowed his brow deeply.

“Hmph! By the end of this match, the name they’ll be chanting will be different. No matter who you are, I won’t hold back.”

At the time, I was upset that he had chosen me. It meant he considered me an easier target than my brother.

However, in hindsight, there was another reason why he chose me.

“How about forfeiting? Even now it’s not too late you know?”

He was already confident of his victory.

In fact, I did lose in this match.

It wasn’t because I lacked skills. It was due to my opponent’s despicable scheme. He had bribed my kitchen staff to poison my meal with Energy Dispersing Poison, a toxin that temporarily disables internal energy.

It wasn’t an ordinary Energy Dispersing Poison. It seemed perfectly harmless under normal circumstances, but in intense situations like the match, it dispersed my internal energy. Later, I found out that this was a special type of Energy Dispersing Poison called Black Queen, developed and secretly distributed by the Unorthodox Alliance.

After losing the match that day, I reported this to my father, but he didn’t say much. Instead, he gave me a look that seemed to scold me for falling for such a petty trick.

Afterwards, I took several reckless actions to make up for today’s defeat.

Back then, my enemy was not my brother or the other successor candidates. My enemy was impatience and a petty, wounded pride. Every time I closed my eyes, I recalled my father’s disappointed gaze.

Repeated mistakes and failures followed, and thus I stumbled over my own feet and drifted away from the successor battle.

It all started with today’s defeat.

At that fateful turning point, my first words since my return were:

“What was your name again?”

Laughter erupted around me, and my opponent’s expression hardened. He thought I was mocking him, but I genuinely couldn’t remember his name.

“To disrespect me, Gu Pyungho, is to insult my master!”

“Oh, right. Gu Pyungho.”

Gu Pyungho, the fifth of the seven disciples of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon Gu Cheonpa, one of the Eight Demonic Lords. I was sure he must have used all sorts of cowardly tricks to win in the Young Demon Skirmish since he wasn’t the most talented with a saber among the seven disciples.

“Hey, get your words straight. I’m disrespecting you, not your master.”

Laughter broke out among the warriors. It was from the Demonic followers of the One-Slash Sword Sovereign, who didn’t get along with the Blood Heaven Blade Demon.

“You, brat! You must be confident in your skills to provoke me like this.”

I ignored his words and looked at the Heavenly Demon seated far away in the upper seat. Even among thousands of Demonic followers, he made his presence unmistakably known.

Gu Pyungho was flustered, and his bewilderment turned into anger directed at me.

“You brat! Even if I don’t use inner strength, it’s best to be careful since my blade doesn’t have eyes.”

Ignoring his warning, I examined my body. The strange unfamiliarity of a young body dominated me. The sword I wielded felt like a mere toy.

‘Will this body obey my will?’

Gu Pyungho drew his dao with great vigor, but I instead untied my sword and placed it on the ground.

Using a sword would likely reveal my true skills.

A cheer erupted again. Isn’t it in the nature of demons to cheer when thoroughly mocking and disregarding an opponent?

Naturally, Gu Pyungho’s fury exploded.

“I won’t kill you since you’re the Cult Leader’s bloodline, but I’ll take one of your arms!”

Before he even finished speaking, Gu Pyungho closed the distance with a leap and aimed his saber at my shoulder.

Shaaak!

I watched the descending blade until the last moment and then twisted my body to avoid it.

‘Good, very good!’

Worrying whether my body would move as I wished was needless. My body reacted immediately, faster and more vigorous than expected. It was as if my body was saying:

―Did you forget? This is you in your youth.

A time when it felt like I could run all day and crush anything with my fists.

‘At this age, my heart beat so vigorously!’

A smile naturally formed on my face. I felt so happy that I wanted to cheer out loud.

Seeing my smile, Gu Pyungho became even more enraged.

“This crazy bastard is laughing?”

With his eyes flipped in rage, Gu Pyungho swung his dao, openly aiming for my vital spots. He was capable of using inner strength to launch blade energy, so I didn’t drag out the time any longer.

Dodging the saber that persistently aimed to sever my arm, I rushed towards his chest.

Gu Pyungho, breathing desperately, tried to defend, but my elbow was already buried in his solar plexus.

Thud!

I shadowed the recoiling Gu Pyungho.

My fists continuously pounded him. With the swift first blow, his nose bone collapsed, and the heavy second punch broke his ribs. Even without using inner strength, we are martial artists trained from a young age. We could knock out a bull with bare fists; there was no way his body could withstand it.

I didn’t stop there.

I seized his wrist as he screamed and collapsed.

“Which hand did you use to release the poison? This hand?”

I grabbed his arm and leapt up, then slammed my foot down.

Bam.

With the force that traveled from my soles through my entire body, I used my knee as a lever to snap his arm.

Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack!

The shockwave surged like a tidal wave, completely shattering his wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

“Aaaaargh!”

Even without his horrific scream, everyone could tell. The arm and shoulder he used for his techniques were completely crushed, rendering him unable to ever fight again.

Cheers erupted from all directions.

“Waaaah!”

It was not just a clumsy bout but a decisive victory that entertained everyone.

The demonic followers of the Blood Heaven Blade Demon jeered, but their voices were drowned out by the relentless cheers.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, seated among the crowd, showed no reaction despite his disciple’s destruction, simply observing the situation.

As the heat, cheers, and groans of pain subsided, my father finally rose from his seat. The red dragon embroidered on his pristine white gonryongpo seemed ready to ascend to the heavens at any moment.

The Eight Demon Supremes who were with him stood up in unison.

Shaa-shaaa-shaaa.

Like a wave, all the demonic followers in the hall rose from their seats and paid their respects to the absolute ruler.

Heavenly Demon Geom Woojin.

The strongest of this era.

…For now.

My father looked at me. His gaze was so intense it felt like it could pierce through my body.

At that time, I was terrified of my father. Especially that intense look that seemed to belittle people—I had never been able to properly face it. So how could I have ever had a proper conversation with him?

As a result, my perception of my father was built on guesses, preconceptions, and rumors. I wish I could tell my past self this:

When it comes to relationships, don’t imagine things on your own. Look properly, listen properly. The answers aren’t within you. Your counterpart is right there.

I did not avoid my father’s gaze.

What’s so scary about that expression? He’s just a man trying not to lose his authority while managing countless challenges and schemes aimed at his position. The indifference and aloofness stem from that effort. What I couldn’t see back then, I can see now.

“What is your wish?”

My father’s deep voice, though not imbued with internal energy, was heard by everyone, and it had the power to intimidate the listener.

Everyone listened intently to my answer. Especially the Eight Demon Supremes beside me, who were keenly interested in what I would say.

“My wish is…”

I hadn’t expected to return to this day, so I followed my instincts.

“I want to go hunting with you, Father.”

Father flinched, as if surprised by my unexpected words. The onlookers, too, murmured in surprise. They hadn’t anticipated such a wish. They might have expected me to wish to become the successor, or at least to ask for a treasured sword or martial arts manual.

“To go hunting with me?”

“Yes. Just the two of us. I’ve heard you enjoyed hunting in your youth. I’d like to learn how to hunt from you.”

Father stared at me silently for a moment before speaking gruffly.

“We leave at dawn tomorrow.”

With those words, Father started walking.

In the black and white scene, the lone red Heavenly Demon moved, and all the martial artists bowed their heads. Not a sound could be heard among the thousands gathered there.

As the Heavenly Demon and the Eight Demon Supremes departed, a venomous voice finally broke the silence.

“Idiot. Wishing for something like that…”

I turned to see Gu Pyungho being carried away by his senior disciples, his arms hanging limply.

Scratching my head, I spoke to him.

“Sorry. What was your name again?” (EN: Very good taunting, I approve !!!)

Gu Pyungho, being ignored until the end, screamed in rage.

“Argh! Kill him! Please, Senior Brother, kill him!”

But with the match over, no one dared to attack me. They just glared coldly at me before taking Gu Pyungho away.

‘Now that I’m back, your lives won’t be as fun as they used to be.’

I was grateful to the heavens for sending me back to this crucial turning point in my life. Even though he tried to betray me in a moment of weakness, I was thankful to Gwi Ryeongja for completing the Great Regression Technique.

‘Thank you so much.’

I looked up at the bright blue sky, smiling brightly, as young as I felt.

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