Absolute Regression

After letting the horses graze, we sat down to rest on the hill.

A gentle breeze blew, causing my hair to flutter. However, it seemed that in the heart of the Evil Smiling Demon, a bloody storm was still raging.

“How did you kill the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme?”

I let out a chuckle.

“You once said I was persistent while pretending to be kind, didn’t you? Your persistence is no less than mine, Soma.”

“Don’t you want to brag? At your age, most would want to boast to the world. ‘I killed the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme! So, bow your arrogant heads before me!’ Don’t you want to live like the supreme ruler?”

“I do have a bit of vanity, but not enough to claim credit for things I haven’t done. Yes, I’m strong. Strong enough to be suspected. But I didn’t kill him.”

I stubbornly denied it. To reveal a weakness to someone like the Evil Smiling Demon was equivalent to handing over a weakness. If I spoke rashly in the heat of the moment, I would regret it forever.

“Fine. Then let’s have a match.”

Watching me handle the assassins must have sparked his desire to fight me.

As he killed the assassins, he had become a beast smelling blood. The desire he had suppressed was now rearing its head.

“No, I refuse.”

“Why not?”

“Fighting among ourselves with a strong enemy ahead is foolish.”

“We can fight just enough not to get hurt.”

“Fighting often leads to excitement.”

“I won’t get excited.”

“I will. If I have the skill you think I do, enough to kill Yasuo, could you handle me when I’m excited?”

“Now I want to fight you even more.”

Like lava bubbling and about to spill over, his anger was reaching its peak. To prevent a major incident, I had to let some of that lava flow out today.

“Let’s do it!”

“No.”

“Many assassins died today. Do you think they’ll attack again within a day? It’s practically impossible.”

“There are other reasons why I don’t want to.”

“What are they?”

“Whether I win or lose, I lose.”

“What does that mean?”

“If I win, you’ll want to kill me. If I lose, you’ll lose interest in me.”

“And why would it be good if I had an interest in you?”

“My objective is singular. If you become my ally, it will be a decisive strength for me to become the successor. I can afford to make the other Demon Supremes my enemies.”

Soma scoffed.

“You say that now, but next you’ll try to rope in another Demon Supreme, won’t you?” 1

“Does it show? How did you know?”

“It’s obvious.”

He harbored a deep distrust of people.

“Sorry, but I can’t get on the same boat as you.”

“Why not?”

“You know why. The Demonic Path you dream of is not the same as mine. So there’s no need to try to please me. Your flattery is just a waste of effort.”

“I’ll keep trying anyway.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s no harm in trying.”

The Evil Smiling Demon laughed. It seemed my answer was just right for him.

“That’s a very good reason. If you’d said it was because you liked or respected me, it would have had the opposite effect.”

How easy it would be if he were just this, just up to this point?

But this was only his facade. His shoes, his mask. His true nature lay beyond.

“So let’s fight. We are never going to be friends anyway.”

The places he showed to the world were not his real world.

I knew the real world of the Evil Smiling Demon.

The moment his eyes turn wild and he sees nothing, when no one can stop his madness from bursting forth, that is his true world. Only in that moment does he feel alive.

Right now, he was only restraining himself out of curiosity about me, because of my unique approach that he hadn’t expected.

Normally, he wouldn’t be someone who pesters for a fight. He would just attack to kill and fight. I must not let him realize that he was holding back too much.

“Fine, let’s fight.”

“!”

Soma was surprised by my words. It seemed he hadn’t expected me to agree to the fight.

“Good! Let’s fight right now!”

The Evil Smiling Demon laughed heartily. He was genuinely pleased.

“Soma.”

“What is it?”

“Do you see that tree at the far end over there?”

“I see it.”

“Let’s start with a light-footed combat.”

Before disappointment could flash in his eyes, I quickly added.

“If you beat me in the light-footed combat, I’ll fight you.” 2

“Deal.”

A look of amusement flickered in the eyes of the Evil Smiling Demon. Confident in his skills in light-footed combat, he was certain of his victory.

“If I win, please grant me one request.”

“Name it, anything you wish.”

“Let’s have a drink tonight. You don’t have to take off your mask. Just lift it a bit and drink like this.”

I mimicked lifting a mask and pretending to drink.

“Young Master.”

“Yes.”

“Lift it a bit to drink? You really are a bit crazy. Your persistence is incredible.”

At his words, I laughed like a madman. This was my way of dealing with a madman. He called it persistence, but it was really determination.

Knocking, knocking, and knocking again on the same spot. The spot I was knocking on was where his mask was.

“Fine. If I lose, I’ll drink with you.”

“Shall we begin then?”

We stood shoulder to shoulder. It had been a long time since my last light-footed combat.

Soma asked me.

“Have you ever competed in light-footed combat?”

“Yes. Just once.”

“With whom?”

With you.

“An old friend.”

“You’re young, and you have an old friend?”

“One wicked person.”

“I would have liked him if I’d met him.”

“Maybe you would have. Or you might have hated him for being too much like you.”

The Evil Smiling Demon gave me a strange look at my cryptic smile.

“May I start first?”

“Please do.”

“Here I go!”

I dashed forward first, and the Evil Smiling Demon leisurely followed behind.

The Evil Smiling Demon quickly caught up to me. He ran ahead, tauntingly looking back at me.

“With such poor skills, you challenged me to a light-footed combat?”

“It’s not over yet.”

I couldn’t close the gap until we rounded the tree, which was our turning point.

Of course, the Evil Smiling Demon was wary of me. He knew I wouldn’t suggest a contest I was bound to lose.

But no matter how he looked, he didn’t think I would win.

As we approached the finish line, the Evil Smiling Demon allowed himself one last moment of leisure.

“You do have a weakness, Young Master. Now you seem more human.”

“What did you think I was before?”

“A monster. So young and constantly making people drop their guard, but when you look closely, a monster.”

“Like this?”

Wondering what I meant, he turned his head just at that moment.

Swoosh.

I suddenly accelerated, quickly catching up to Soma. I had been holding back and now unleashed the Starlight Step of the Wind God’s Four Steps technique.

My Starlight Step, powered by extreme internal energy, was exactly that—as fast as light.

The Evil Smiling Demon belatedly drew on his internal energy to chase after me, but the distance between us only grew.

“Stop right there!”

Whizz!

The Evil Smiling Demon fired a Blood Disaster Finger attack from behind. It was a warning shot, so it passed by my side.

As I neared the finish line, the Evil Smiling Demon unleashed his Frantic Demonic Palm. Consumed by the desire to win, he sent it flying past my head, but he still couldn’t bring himself to actually hit me.

The tree in front of me shattered and fell. Leaves rained down, almost as if celebrating my victory. 3

Arriving late, Soma’s body radiated murderous intent. He approached me with a menacing stride, ready to strike.

“Are you going to lose twice in one day?”

My calm remark had the desired effect.

Though the Evil Smiling Demon was a villain, he was not a petty one.

Instead, he vented his anger at the sky. Frantic Demonic Palm strikes filled with frustration shot into the air. The sound of thunder rumbled in the clear sky.

I waited until he had calmed down.

After venting his anger, the Evil Smiling Demon asked me.

“What kind of light-footed technique is that?”

“It’s a hidden trump card.”

“So what is it called?”

“I can’t tell you. It’s a trump card, after all.”

He was still dissatisfied with the result.

“Let’s race again. Using that technique from start to finish.”

Losing was one thing, but it seemed what really infuriated him was losing because he underestimated me.

“Next time.”

I quickly mounted my horse and ran away by taking the lead.

Once more, a wave of murderous intent surged behind me, then faded away.

Clip-clop.

The Evil Smiling Demon followed me from a distance.

I could feel the heat from behind. It was the intensity I had wanted. Soma’s lava was spilling over towards me.

Yes, your madness. Let it out this way if you must.

That night.

The Evil Smiling Demon and I camped out. We had traveled so slowly that the next village was still a long way off.

Across the campfire, the Evil Smiling Demon watched as I prepared the game we had hunted. Since noon, he hadn’t spoken a word.

The best thing about a campfire was that it made any silence feel natural.

I roasted the prepared meat and handed it to him.

“Go inside the carriage and eat.”

Finally, the Evil Smiling Demon spoke.

“Why haven’t you mentioned drinking? Because you think I won’t keep my promise since I’m trash?”

I responded calmly to his barbed words.

“We will.”

Momentarily caught off guard by my unexpected answer, Soma couldn’t respond.

“Of course we should. We worked hard to win, after all.”

“Then why haven’t we started?”

“I thought we’d eat first. You don’t seem to enjoy drinking that much. You dislike drinking with meals, don’t you?”

“Knowing I don’t like it, why did you suggest we drink?”

“Because it’s a punishment. If you lose, you have to do something you don’t want to do.”

The Evil Smiling Demon stared at me silently, then looked down at the meat I had handed him.

Suddenly, he lifted his mask slightly and began to eat.

I was taken aback.

I hadn’t expected him to lift his mask and eat in front of me so easily. I thought I’d have to provoke his pride a bit. His unpredictable behavior was really beyond my control.

“It’s bland.”

“Here’s some salt.”

As I reached out, the salt lying on a spread-out leather floated into the air. The Evil Smiling Demon’s eyes widened at the sight. He knew that lifting numerous grains like salt with Void Telekinesis was much harder than lifting a single object.

Rustle.

The airborne salt sprinkled onto his meat in a whirling motion.

The Evil Smiling Demon’s eyes trembled as he stared at me, the desire to fight flaring up again.

“It’s still bland.”

“You haven’t even tasted it.”

Facing his desire of wanting to see more of my abilities, I smiled and said,

“Eating bland food helps you live longer. That’s what the Demon Doctor said, so you can trust it.”

“You, Young Master, are really something…”

The Evil Smiling Demon started to say something, then stopped. What had he been about to say? That I was a madman? That I was annoying? Or maybe…

He resumed eating the meat. Watching him for a moment, I started eating as well.

Once I felt somewhat full, I brought out the alcohol. We camped frequently, so we always had alcohol in our supplies.

This time, the Evil Smiling Demon also lifted his mask slightly to drink. He claimed to dislike it, but drank just fine.

“Not taking off the mask completely. It looks quite pathetic, doesn’t it?”

“It doesn’t look dignified.”

“At last, you’re speaking honestly.”

“That’s what I like. Being around people who try too hard to look dignified makes me uncomfortable. You can tell by looking at my brother.” 4

The Evil Smiling Demon suddenly drew a line on the ground with a meat bone he was holding. He drew a vertical line over the spot where I had drawn before.

“Where am I now? You said you’d let me live if I got here. Have I reached that point yet?”

1 : Toasted XDXDXD

2 : Dirty, very dirty XDXDXD

3 : F for the poor tree !!!

4 : Living your life only to please others is hell. Be selfish, be happy !!! Others will always be disappointed anyways, so at least do what you want.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!