When I opened my eyes, the Haomun Leader was there, prostrated flat on the ground.
Beside him was Bing Yerin, who—though not quite to the degree of Seol Ri-hyang—was radiating a biting cold that could not be taken lightly.
And a short distance away, Seol Du-ho lay collapsed, clutching a blood-soaked leg.
"?"
"G-Great Hero White Moon Sword Lord. Please, do not misunderstand. This was not the will of our Haomun…!"
"Ah."
Right. I had been hit on the back of the head.
The Heavenly Demon's memories were so long that I had forgotten.
Well, it made sense. Given the nature of infinite regression, I tended to skip over trivial memories and those that repeated the same content over and over again…
Even so, I had just reviewed memories spanning over a thousand cycles—several hundred years' worth.
It was only natural that I had forgotten something as relatively minor as Seol Du-ho.
And I wasn't the only one. Seol Ri-hyang also wore a dazed expression for a moment before snapping back to her senses and glaring at Seol Du-ho.
Let me think. We had decided not to lay a hand on Seol Du-ho directly, but to end things formally with a public severance of ties.
It was a sound choice. No matter how much Seol Du-ho had struck Seol Ri-hyang and me in the back under the Heavenly Demon's orders…
He was still Seol Ri-hyang's biological father. If I killed him outright, there was no way word wouldn't spread.
Now that the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance was finally moving properly, I couldn't afford to let any pointless rumors spread.
Besides, even if we didn't lift a finger, those who wanted to curry favor with us—specifically, people like the Haomun Leader standing right before me—would handle it on their own.
I briefly raised the sword I had pulled out when I stabbed Seol Du-ho's thigh at the end.
Sreung.
"P-please wait just a moment! Truly! Truly, our Haomun knew nothing! We were deceived as well!"
"No, I was just about to sheathe it, so don't worry."
Whether I swung it or returned it to the scabbard, I had to lift it once anyway, so I simply did.
"Hm?"
Somehow, the moment I lifted the sword, I felt a strange sense of dissonance. I wondered if I had simply been mistaken after spending so long within the Heavenly Demon's memories just moments ago…
"Do you happen to remember something?"
"What do you mean?"
When I asked back at Bing Yerin's slightly exasperated reaction, what came back was a sigh mixed with admiration and disbelief.
"Hoo. So you noticed even without your memories. Actually, even while you were unconscious, whenever someone tried to approach, you would swing your sword. Thanks to that, I've been watching from nearby for nearly half a sijin… Still, I'm glad both of you woke up safely."
"Oh."
So it was a sword strike that truly came out unconsciously, purely ingrained in my body. Honestly, I'm a bit curious.
"Speaking of which, half a sijin. Has only that much time really passed?"
"Yes. …Could it be that much more time had passed for you?"
"Well, roughly. It's fine now, so there's no need to worry."
I shrugged and looked down at the Haomun Leader, who was cautiously gauging my reaction. Then I turned my gaze toward Seol Ri-hyang.
"Yeah. From now on, I'll handle it."
With a firm expression, Seol Ri-hyang nodded and stepped forward, then spoke.
"Please get up first, Haomun Leader. I understand roughly what happened, and I don't think the Haomun is at fault."
"Then…"
"Yes. Neither I nor Cheon Hwi will hold the Haomun accountable for what happened this time. However, this is also not something that can simply be brushed aside."
Seol Ri-hyang, who had said this, quietly turned her gaze toward Seol Du-ho, who had been holding his breath.
"Hah, Hyang-ah. Would you listen to me for a moment? I was threatened by the Demonic Cult and had no choice but to…"
"From now on, I have no father."
As she said this, Seol Ri-hyang lightly flicked her finger. At the same time, a line formed of pure white frost drew itself between her and Seol Du-ho.
She had flicked out her internal energy, laced with cold, from her fingertip.
As expected of the Haomun Leader. Catching on to the meaning at once, a relieved smile hung at the corner of her lips.
"I understand what you mean. Then, as one who has caused a disturbance within the Haomun, we will handle this man ourselves."
"Yes. Please do. And if possible, could you lend us a suitable room? We have a few things to discuss among ourselves."
"Of course. I'll escort you somewhere quiet where you can talk comfortably."
With those words, the Haomun Leader gave a light signal with her eyes toward one of the courtesans under her command. No—looking more closely, her lips trembled faintly. So she'd sent a Voice Transmission as well.
Before long, the courtesan who received the transmission led Seol Du-ho away somewhere. He kept searching for Seol Ri-hyang until the very end, trying to appeal to the bond of blood, but…
"Hmph."
Seol Ri-hyang didn't even acknowledge him. Instead, she only tightened her grip on my hand, which she'd quietly taken.
In the Heavenly Demon's memories, the moment he'd truly fallen into Qi Deviation overlapped with the image of Seol Du-ho—no wonder her thoughts had grown complicated.
As I gave Seol Ri-hyang's shoulder a light pat, the Haomun Leader, looking fully reassured, personally guided us.
We were already deep within the pavilion building, yet the Haomun Leader led us even deeper still.
For some reason, she had been clinging to one of her arms ever since a while ago.
Thinking it couldn't be, I stared at her closely, and Bing Yerin sidled up and whispered.
"That. The Great Hero White Moon Sword Lord did that."
"Hm."
"It wasn't that she had any ill intent toward the Haomun Leader—she just seemed to want to lay her somewhere safe and check on her condition… but the moment anyone got a little close, she'd go shashash! with her sword."
"…I'll have to make sure the Haomun's Four Branches get a decent spot."
As I let out a deep sigh, we arrived at a room far more spacious and lavish than the one where Seol Du-ho had been staying.
The Haomun Leader, having opened the door, spoke with a faint smile.
"This isn't normally a room we offer to guests—it's where I rest when I need a break. But since you're no ordinary guests, I suppose it's fine. Make yourselves at home, and stay as long as you wish."
"One day will be enough."
That should be enough time to sort through what I've seen in my memories… and to check what's still left in the ring.
The Haomun Leader nodded in acknowledgment and took her leave. Bing Yerin watched her retreating figure for a moment, then stepped forward, her eyes widening at the sight of the room's interior. But then.
"Sorry, but Seol Ri-hyang and I have some things to discuss. Would you mind giving us the room?"
"…What?"
"It's really important."
"…"
Bing Yerin opened her mouth as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing, but at the serious expressions on my face and Seol Ri-hyang's, she eventually let out a long sigh.
"Ugh. It's absurd, I know, but I suppose it really is something important. Fine. I had my own matters to attend to anyway, so this works out well."
"Matters?"
"Regardless of how it happened, the fact remains that Lady Seol truly is of the North Sea Ice Palace's bloodline. I need to find out whether she has any other siblings."
"Ah."
Seol Du-ho may have crossed the line, and Seol Ri-hyang may have declared herself estranged from him, but any other blood relations that might exist were a different story.
"If I interrogate the Haomun people alongside them, something's bound to come out."
"I hadn't even thought of that…"
"Well, for me, this was the main purpose from the start. Anyway, if I find out anything, I'll let you know. Unlike some people, I won't keep it a secret."
"…"
Bing Yerin looked around the room one last time with eyes dripping with lingering attachment, and only then did she leave.
Seol Ri-hyang let out a short giggle at the sight, but it lasted only a moment. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she held out the ring—blackened, but split in half by my sword.
"Cheon Hwi. You can feel it too, can't you?"
"Yeah. The Heavenly Demon's memories aren't over yet."
What we had seen was the figure of the Heavenly Demon, dulled and broken after repeating nearly a thousand regressions.
But that was only the story up until the Heavenly Demon truly began walking the demonic path.
If the Heavenly Demon's life were compared to a book, it had only just finished its prologue.
What truly mattered was the story that followed.
Having lost every connection he had built up over the years—or let them go—the Heavenly Demon had gained ample time.
How he perfected the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, and how he erased the future that would be destroyed by the Spirit Beasts.
"But you didn't show us any of that."
"Because if I showed you, you'd come to know far too much."
Take the Heavenly Demon Divine Art itself, for instance. Hadn't you already begun to grasp, to some degree, what purpose this martial art—which you had always regarded as an unfathomable mystery—was created for?
It was a martial art forged to annihilate Spirit Beasts—not humans. And not just any Spirit Beasts, but divine beasts that were each no different from walking natural disasters.
That is the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
The reason I favored the Force Qi Skill over the Fist and Leg Art was to bring down opponents far larger and more resilient than humans.
The immense internal energy that could blanket the sky was built by consuming the inner cores of countless Spirit Beasts.
Thinking of it that way, I could grasp the basic gist of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
If I had seen the memories that came after—namely, the contents of how the Heavenly Demon perfected the Heavenly Demon Divine Art…
I would surely have been able to devise something akin to a countermeasure for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
I couldn't say how effective it would be, but at the very least, I would have been able to face the Heavenly Demon far more easily than going in blind.
From the Heavenly Demon's perspective, there was no need to reveal the ins and outs of his own martial art, so he must have cut the memories off at this point. But.
"Cheon Hwi. Do you think what remains in here is also a memory?"
"It could be. Or perhaps it only carries a simple message. Either way, the Heavenly Demon must have had his own purpose in showing us his memories."
After all, it was the Heavenly Demon himself who taught us how to bypass the seal by peering into memories through the technique. Wasn't that proof of his overwhelming knowledge in this regard?
Whatever remains inside, it would be right to assume it wasn't left there by chance, but deliberately placed by the Heavenly Demon.
For example… in case we, having learned a portion of his memories, should wish to know even more about him. Something prepared for just such a moment.
Seol Ri-hyang and I each placed the split ring on our own hands. Then, clasping each other's hands with our free ones, we slowly nodded.
"Cheon Hwi. Whatever is in there, I'm going to see it through to the end. At the very least, we need to know what we're fighting, right?"
"I feel the same. …More than anything, I'm simply curious."
"Wait… Cheon Hwi, you're also a regressor?"
"…"
That's right.
Unlike the Heavenly Demon, I regressed to a point I truly needed, but that alone wasn't proof that my regression differed from an infinite loop.
Even if I somehow managed to defeat the Heavenly Demon and live out a happy life, what if, in the end, I was doomed to keep returning to the past?
I might last longer than the Heavenly Demon, but I couldn't hold out forever.
Perhaps, one day, I too would forget what truly mattered and burn with resentment toward the heavens.
If only to soothe this vague unease, I had to see what came next.
While I was steeling my resolve like that, Seol Ri-hyang looked up at me with an awkward expression.
"But you know… it's good that you've made up your mind, but how do we activate it? It's already broken, so I don't think simply wearing it like last time will work. We can't even put it on our fingers in the first place."
"It's simple. Things like this usually work if you just pour your Intent into them."
The rings that Seol Ri-hyang and I each held. I stimulated the faint Demonic Qi squirming within them with my Intent. And then.
Wooong-
Instead of spewing out an enormous amount of Demonic Qi like the first time, the ring fragments merely vibrated faintly.
However, what happened afterward wasn't all that different.
The energy wrapping around my and Seol Ri-hyang's bodies. As I accepted it without resisting, my vision darkened in an instant.
The moment I closed my eyes and opened them again, the rest of the Heavenly Demon's memories unfolded before me, just as I had expected.
A mountain of flesh and bone, built from the mingled corpses of men and beasts. Blood flowing down from it ran like a river, staining everything around it red.
The scent of blood was so thick it twisted my nose. It was a scene so full of death that even I, before my regression, had never witnessed anything like it…
Yet two wonders existed that made all of this seem trivial.
One was a beast among beasts, its body even larger than the mountain of corpses and blood I had seen before, and bleeding even more.
It was the corpse of a blue dragon, a being worthy of the title Divine Beast in the truest sense.
The other was the Heavenly Demon, looking down at all of this from within the Demonic Qi that blackened the sky.
His body bore no unmarred spot, and one arm, completely torn away, had been replaced with Demonic Qi… but even so, it was the Heavenly Demon who survived to the very end and claimed victory.
But he was not alone.
From among the piles of corpses, a one-armed swordsman, drenched in blood, crawled out while staggering. He let out a hollow laugh and spoke to the Heavenly Demon.
He was a man whose face made one think, "When I reach the age of fifty, I suppose I'll look something like that."