Cheon Hwi had pushed himself too hard in battle and fallen into danger. The one who stepped in to save him was someone he never could have expected.
Her hair had gone white beyond her years, her long bangs falling over one eye, and the sorrowful smile at the corner of her lips hinted at a past she had never spoken of.
From her exposed eye flickered a deep green light. Her green martial robes were heavily stained, yet they had not lost their color.
Because of the seal, it was impossible to make out her face precisely. And on top of that, so much about her had changed.
But even so, there were traits that could not be mistaken. And now, with a voice that came through clearly, he realized it. He realized it at last.
That woman was none other than Tang So-wol herself.
…And he also realized that the people he had seen in his earlier memories were Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin.
"Young lady Hwa-rin was a panty thief?!"
"Is that really what matters right now?!"
Seomun Hwa-rin jumped up, her face flushed bright red.
But from Tang So-wol's perspective, it was only a natural reaction.
She couldn't know exactly what was going on, but if that woman was another version of herself—
Seol Ri-hyang, who nearly every day came hovering around holding a single pear, who clung on subtly even when she couldn't get one, who spent time in intimate pleasures with her at all hours without a care for time or place…
Honestly, now that she thought of her as someone she knew, she felt a bit embarrassed, but still, she could understand it.
…She still couldn't believe that a person could react so intensely! But regardless, it was within the realm of understanding.
But to think that someone who had reached the Harmony Realm would steal the undergarments of a man who was practically her own disciple? And knowing full well what kind of relationship he had with another woman who was also like a disciple to her?
"This really is beyond my understanding."
"Gyaaah!"
"It's a bit awkward to say this, but… isn't this just too disgraceful?"
"Guwaaah!"
Seomun Hwa-rin clutched her head and let out a scream.
Seeing her crouched down and flinching, Tang So-wol's heart was just about to soften.
Then, in her memory, Cheon Hwi and Tang So-wol began to launch a counterattack against the Demonic Cult. Compared to when he had been fighting alone, the tide of battle had clearly turned in their favor.
Tang So-wol's expression went blank for a moment as she watched.
"That's…"
It wasn't surprising that she was using the Myriad Currents Return to Origin Art. Of course another version of herself would have mastered it. But the level of skill was extraordinary.
The current Tang So-wol was a fully matured Transcendent Peak martial artist. She might not have reached the ultimate pinnacle of the Myriad Currents Return to Origin Art, but she wasn't at a level where she'd be considered lacking anywhere.
Yet the version of herself before her eyes, though equally a Transcendent Peak martial artist, was displaying a level of skill that defied comparison.
Even if her combat style and Aura were excessively brutal, her understanding of poison, naturally woven into every move, far surpassed her current self's.
It was truly to the point where it wouldn't be strange for her to ascend to the Harmony Realm at any moment.
Well, it wasn't as if there weren't martial artists who remained at that stage for their entire lives, but the point was that the current Tang So-wol was looking at a perfect superior version of herself—one that made her eyes widen in awe.
What was astonishing was not just her mastery of the Ten Thousand Streams Returning to the Source Art.
The Tang So-wol in her memories barely used hidden weapons, instead blending poison art with Fist and Leg Art—and the level of that Fist and Leg Art was anything but ordinary.
Her footwork, meant to create distance, closed the gap in an instant and reliably poisoned her opponent.
The techniques that scattered poison and hidden weapons from within her sleeves went beyond giving the impression of a dance—they touched upon the Mystery of Illusion and Change.
For the current Tang So-wol, it was movement that left her mouth hanging open.
…At the same time, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Watching closely, Tang So-wol realized something and her eyes flew wide.
"Ah."
It was another version of her martial art. That was unmistakably Tang Clan martial art. And it was slightly more refined than her current level.
But it was excessively brutal. After all, the Tang Clan belonged to the Orthodox Sects, no matter how one looked at it.
Yet what unfolded before her eyes carried too much killing intent. If forced to describe it, it was closer to the Unorthodox Sects. No, to be more precise, it bore a temperament akin to Cheon Hwi's Crazy Wolf Life-Stealing Art—something rarely seen even among the Unorthodox Sects.
In the past, she might have assumed she had learned swordsmanship from some mad hermit master. But now, Tang So-wol understood.
She knew that Cheon Hwi's sword was forged by tempering stolen techniques with innate talent and real combat that brushed past death itself.
If so, it was highly likely that her white-haired self had walked the same path.
Overwhelming real combat. And the viscous emotions that dyed her heart pitch black.
That was what elevated Tang So-wol as a martial artist to a higher realm. Whether it was the right path or not was another matter entirely.
"But something feels off. Here, it would be better to use a different poison… After all, most of the poisons being used now are ordinary ones… Huh?"
For a moment, a sense of dissonance flashed through Tang So-wol's mind.
Looking closely, while his martial arts skill was clearly superior, the poisons he handled were rather mediocre.
For Tang So-wol, born with the Poison Spirit Constitution, creating a poison she had encountered even once was hardly a difficult task.
But the fact that he merely mixed such basic poisons here and there, or used them in a slightly more condensed form… meant he had never had the chance to absorb a variety of poisons.
Only then did the pieces click together in Tang So-wol's mind. His excessively ferocious demeanor, the poisons that didn't match his level of poison art. And his attitude as if he were seeing Cheon Hwi for the first time.
"…So that's how it is."
She didn't know the full story, but Cheon Hwi remembered a world where the Central Plains' martial world had been destroyed by the Heavenly Demon, and the Tang Clan had been exterminated.
Fighting as two rather than alone seemed to ease the pressure, and Cheon Hwi managed to escape by the skin of his teeth.
Watching the two retreat, Tang So-wol spoke.
"Hyang-i. You noticed it first, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"I understood what was visible on the surface, but I can't grasp the rest. If you have a theory, would you share it?"
"Of course. We agreed I'd tell you everything once this was over, anyway."
Seol Ri-hyang nodded, then cautiously gauged Tang So-wol's expression before speaking.
"At first, we guessed it was a past life, right? It's similar. Except, it's not the past—it's a past that can never happen now. Or is it the future?"
"So it's something that can never happen now…"
"Regression."
It was the truth Cheon Hwi had been unable to speak due to the seal. And because of all the probing and prodding, neither Seol Ri-hyang nor Seomun Hwa-rin had been able to bring themselves to say it first.
"Seomun unni and I believe that Cheon Hwi went back in time once and returned to his childhood."
"Then…"
"Yes. This is the world before the regression that Cheon Hwi remembers. To put it more simply—"
Seol Ri-hyang paused for a moment, then let out a small chuckle.
"You could say this is the world where Cheon Hwi never kidnapped Tang unni."
"Ah."
I understood perfectly.
***
What happened after we escaped safely was nothing special.
The people around me cheered at seeing Cheon Hwi return alive once again, yet at the same time, they grew somber, thinking that we were barely surviving and could never win.
Each time we gave up one region, the sects and clans that had ruled over it as victors were exterminated one by one.
Survivors of the exterminated sects joined the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance, but those dying far outnumbered those who joined.
It was a typical flow—holding on by sheer desperation, yet with defeat already certain.
Naturally, nothing could happen between Cheon Hwi, who was swinging his sword while already broken, and Tang So-wol, who was blinded by vengeance.
The two merely helped each other as comrades-in-arms, thinking only of how to bring down one more Demonic Cultist.
No matter how one looked at it, unlike Seol Ri-hyang, who had actively tried to seduce Cheon Hwi, or Seomun Hwa-rin, who had gone mad in a somewhat sinister direction yet clearly showed she cherished him—
Before the regression, Tang So-wol and Cheon Hwi had astonishingly nothing between them.
Tang So-wol could not accept this.
"…Th-this can't be!"
Tang So-wol pouted her lips, openly showing her displeasure.
She looked up and down at another version of herself—one more mature than her current self, but with hair turned white and always living with half her face covered.
Her gaze settled on the rear end, and after staring intently for a moment, she tilted her head.
"Well, compared to a grown-up Hyang-i, it's not like there's nothing lacking, but…"
This time she raised her head toward the chest area, then nodded with satisfaction.
"On the other hand, there are parts that are better, you know."
"Sister Tang. Must the comparison target really be me…?"
"Sister Hwa-rin is, well. You know."
"I don't know! This one has no idea what you're talking about! And this one is also growing, albeit slowly!"
Seomun Hwa-rin hopped up and down in protest, but Tang So-wol, who skillfully ignored her, continued speaking.
"It's because of revenge, right? There's no room for anyone else to enter…"
"Hmm. Now that I hear it, it does seem like White Sister Tang's only interest is revenge."
"Hehe. Favor repaid twofold. Wishes granted tenfold. That's the Tang Clan's Family Precept."
"…I shall not forget today's grudge!"
Seomun Hwa-rin glared at the other two with her eyes wide open and her mouth tightly shut. She thought she looked fierce, but to anyone else, it was just an adorable pout.
Of course, no one paid her any attention this time either.
Instead, they pointed out the dissonance they'd felt from the earlier conversation, in a serious voice.
"Something's definitely off. Ah, I don't mean it's strange that you didn't fall for Sister Tang—I mean, the memories we saw weren't trivial details. They were important enough to influence Cheon Hwi's state of mind. It's impossible for nothing to have happened."
"Hoo. It's one thing for young hero Cheon to show no interest in the current me, but to say I have no interest in him? He's a bit sharper and more haggard-looking than before, but that has its own charm… heh heh."
"?"
"?"
Tang So-wol and Seol Ri-hyang stared at each other, blinking rapidly in confusion.
Though the parts that felt dissonant differed, the two agreed on one thing: something was definitely off.
"In other words, something is about to happen from here on."
"And in the end, it will conclude with my death. Hyang-i, you and Sister Hwa-rin both went that way too."
As if this were nothing new, Tang So-wol and Seol Ri-hyang nodded at each other.
But Seomun Hwa-rin seemed to have a slightly different opinion.
Today, as always, the pre-regression Cheon Hwi and Tang So-wol were fighting Demonic Cultists side by side.
By now their coordination was fairly solid—when Cheon Hwi took the lead and swung his sword, Tang So-wol sprayed poison from behind.
No matter how she looked at it, they were just comrades in arms. There wasn't even a hint of any soft emotional exchange between them.
"That alone seems a bit lacking…"
While Seomun Hwa-rin watched with a puzzled expression, this time they had won, and they held a small drinking party to celebrate their victory and console the dead.
"The Sword Demon… he's fine normally, but looking at him like this, he's a bit ugly. Heheheh."
"…Are you drunk?"
It was the start of a drunken fit that even Tang So-wol herself was unaware of, as she suddenly crawled over and tugged at Cheon Hwi's cheeks.
She herself had no idea she was doing it.