Absolute Regression

Unfortunately, my wish did not come true.

“Second Young Master, what happened?”

The One-Slash Sword Supreme’s voice trembled, but she still maintained her damn composure.

Originally, her plan would have been this: to yield the first three moves lightly, play around with me for about twenty or thirty moves, and then win. Instead, she herself lost in just three moves.

“Didn’t I tell you? It’s the Black Demon Sword, so be careful.”

I acted as if I had won thanks to the Black Demon Sword, but she wasn’t the kind of person to cover her defeat with excuses.

“Even if it were the Heavenly Demon Sword, this was not a fight I should have lost.”

She knew better than anyone that she lost not because of the sword, but because of her own skills.

“I’ll let you in on a secret. I have already mastered the Soaring Sword Art.”

“Already mastered it? I can’t believe it.”

The level of the Soaring Sword Art was similar to the martial arts mastered by the Demon Supremes.

It was natural for her to be skeptical when I claimed that I had already mastered such an advanced martial art.

“Don’t you know my father? Would he just put his son in the position of Underworld Pavilion’s Lord?”

“Even if the Second Young Master has mastered the Soaring Sword Art…”

“You think my internal energy was lacking? Didn’t I take the Celestial Elixir?”

“Oh!”

I didn’t even mention obtaining the Demon Essence Elixir in the Heavenly Cave.

“This martial contest is my victory. Do you acknowledge it?”

“……”

She couldn’t admit it.

“If I had known the Second Young Master’s skills were at this level, I wouldn’t have been so complacent.”

She didn’t know my skills, and the situation unfolded while she was yielding the first three moves. Moreover, her sword was knocked away when she tried to speak. She faced multiple adversities.

“So you won’t acknowledge it? If it becomes known that the Sword Supreme broke her promise, the label of a coward will haunt you forever.”

“Shut up! There’s no need to provoke me with such unnecessary words. I keep my promises. Second Young Master, what do you want?”

“You said you’d even give your life if you lost.”

“This contest!”

She was about to make an excuse but closed her mouth. Whether she lost because she was complacent or because her martial arts were lacking, a loss was a loss. It was she who arrogantly offered to yield the first three moves.

“Do you want my life?”

“Of course not. Although Elder Blade Demon called me a madman several times, I’m not that crazy.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Accept my apology.”

For a moment, the Sword Supreme was startled.

“I apologize for being rude to you, Sword Supreme, up until now. This is a sincere apology, so please forgive me.”

She looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Are you mocking me?”

“No, I was rude to you today. I shouldn’t have called you to that place.”

“Why are you apologizing to me even though you won?”

“Shall I be honest?”

“Of course!”

“I want to apologize and win your favor. I want you to genuinely support me.”

“Genuine support? Are you talking about sincerity in a succession battle? If you thought that would work, I’m disappointed. I didn’t know you were so naive, Second Young Master.”

“It depends on the opponent. If someone throws dirt at me, I’ll shove them into the mud. If someone splashes water at me, I’ll respond with sewage. But with you, I want to win with sincerity.”

“Why? Do I look naive to you?”

“No. It’s because of your noble character. You are someone more respectable than anyone among the Eight Demon Supremes.”

Considering her future life, everything I was saying now was a complete, utter lie.

However, those events hadn’t occurred yet. If her fate changes because of meeting me, the future where she caused a bloodstorm might disappear, and a new life might unfold. Perhaps I could make flowers bloom in the desolate wasteland I saw in her eyes.

“Do you really think that about me?”

“Yes, you are elegant and dignified.”

She bit her lip slightly. She seemed pleased by the compliment but also had a complex look on her face.

I walked over, pulled the One-Slash Sword from where it was stuck in the ground, and handed it to her.

“Then, I will see you next time.”

After a polite bow, I went back to my quarters.

Since I fell asleep right away, I didn’t know how long she stood there before leaving.

* * *

The next night, the One-Slash Sword Supreme came to see me again.

She looked like she hadn’t slept all night, her eyes and face swollen, so maybe she stayed in the courtyard all night.

“I accept your apology, Young Master.”

“Thank you.”

“But I have one request.”

“What is it?”

“I acknowledge that I lost yesterday’s duel. However, let’s fight again today.”

I refused immediately.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I will never win again. If the Sword Supreme had not been complacent and had not yielded the first moves, I would never have won.”

“You’ve mastered the Soaring Sword Art, Young Master. Your martial power is also sufficient. You can win again.”

“I can’t.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“It was a stroke of luck that comes once or twice in a lifetime. I’m not arrogant enough to mistake it for skill.”

“I won’t impose any conditions if I win. But if I lose, I’ll grant you whatever you wish.”

She was clearly trying to regain her pride.

I could understand why she became the cult leader, caused a bloodstorm, and eventually fell. All for pride. What did she think I would demand? She was truly foolish and naive.

“Senior, I won’t tell anyone about our duel yesterday. There’s no need for you to defeat me. No one will ever know about yesterday.”

“You never know. I might let it slip while drunk.”

“That won’t happen.”

I wasn’t in a hurry. Since I held the initiative, I could slowly draw her to my side.

“Please get some rest today. You look exhausted.”

As I turned to leave, she suddenly spoke.

“I felt humiliated.”

Her words stopped me in my tracks.

I turned back to her.

“Didn’t I tell you? My victory was purely due to luck.”

“It’s not just because I lost the duel.”

The source of her shame was something I hadn’t anticipated.

“The more I think about it, the more humiliated I feel by those words—’not the face’.”

When the sword flew towards her, she had shouted that.

Not the face!

“That’s understandable. It’s your face, after all. Even as a man, I wouldn’t be different.”

“An ordinary person might think that way. But as the Sword Supreme, I shouldn’t. I’d rather have my face pierced.”

She was deeply humiliated and ashamed by those words she had accidentaly uttered.

Of course, I understood her. She took as much pride in her appearance as she did in her honor and title as the Sword Supreme. She preferred to hear she was beautiful and young rather than that she fought well.

“Do you now understand why I came back?”

“Yes.”

“Then will you fight me?”

Though she was desperate, my answer did not satisfy her.

“No.”

As I turned away, I heard her shout from behind.

“Second Young Master!”

“Can’t you just let me relish this one stroke of luck?”

Then, the Sword Supreme said something unexpected.

“I made a promise. To never lose.”

“To whom?”

“To anyone but him.”

Him? If the Sword Supreme referred to someone as ‘him’…

“Could it be?”

The person who crossed my mind in that instant was the very one she named.

“I made a promise to the Cult Leader.”

At that moment, I recalled what my father had told me.

—The Sword Supreme is a person with many scars.

It became clear that there was a deep bond between my father and the Sword Supreme.

“When did you make this promise?”

Instead of answering directly, the Sword Supreme expressed her respect for my father.

“The only person I respect is the Cult Leader.”

I couldn’t believe what she said.

How could someone who respected my father so deeply cause such a bloodstorm just to seize the position of Cult Leader? Why? (EN : Because she refused to obey someone she didn’t respect ? SO she took the power herself ?)

“I don’t want to break my promise to the Cult Leader.”

She quickly added, as if afraid I might misunderstand her intentions.

“If you have any disrespectful thoughts right now, let me make it clear. Do not disgrace my pure respect for the Cult Leader.”

“No, I didn’t think that.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that.”

“Why do you respect my father so much?”

The Sword Supreme smiled faintly but didn’t share any details.

If she brought up her promise with my father, it meant she had played her final card. I couldn’t refuse any longer after hearing her sincere plea.

“Alright. A promise made with my father must be kept.”

The Sword Supreme’s genuine smile made all her previous smiles and laughs seem insincere. She was truly happy.

“Are you that pleased?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I will do my best this time as well.”

“That’s what I want.”

We fought the second duel with all our might.

It was even more exhilarating than the first. The Sword Supreme wasn’t complacent, and her eyes were filled with unmistakable passion.

Of course, this duel wasn’t a fight to the death but purely a contest of skill.

After the first dozen moves of probing, and another hundred to warm up, we exchanged over three hundred dazzling moves.

The longer the duel went on, the more we strayed from the notion of winning.

We became absorbed in the pure joy of testing our martial arts. The question of who would win became secondary.

I was astonished by her ability to link seemingly impossible sword techniques and even more impressed by her quick perception of my weaknesses.

‘Ah! Truly remarkable! This person deserves the title of Sword Supreme.’

Normally, there wouldn’t be time for such thoughts, but we stepped back and rested at moments that seemed like agreed-upon breaks.

We were fully absorbed in the fact that we were testing our martial arts against each other, revisiting the various techniques we had exchanged.

This pure contest of martial arts brought me more joy than any life-and-death crossroads of the past.

As with my father or Lee Ahn, I had to admit I had misunderstood her as well.

Her desire for honor and pride was not a desperate struggle to fill her barren spirit. It stemmed from her pride in her martial arts.

At least in swordsmanship, she was more serious, sincere, and genuine than anyone else in the world. Her approach to swordsmanship reminded me of how my father approached martial arts.

Our lifelong dedication to learning swordsmanship allowed us to deeply engage in this dialogue through our swords.

The match ended in a draw. Without the intention to kill, our skills were evenly matched.

“You didn’t use your ultimate move, so I consider this match my loss.”

“Isn’t it the same for you?”

“Nah, this is all I’ve got.”

The One-Slash Sword Supreme, who had been silently watching me, suddenly spoke.

“Second Young Master, thank you.”

With those words, she turned and left.

But one thing was certain—she left with a more relaxed face than on the first day.

I didn’t yet know how she would act in the future. Having promised not to lose to my father, she might come back tomorrow. Or today’s match might be the end forever.

The duel with her had stirred my emotions. What did it mean to her? Had it been enough to moisten the barren wasteland of her emotions? I couldn’t be sure.

In any case, the investment in her begins now. Winning someone over to my side is truly difficult.

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