951——————==

True Martial Home

I started to think that maybe it was all over. I had already felt the overwhelming power of the Outer God, so I knew that this opponent was on an entirely different level. Sure, the Old Ruler was impossible for a mortal to fight, but at least with some tricks and strategies, we might stand a chance. But the Outer God? That was a whole different ballgame.

“……”

No, wait. Something’s off…

‘If the mere appearance of the Outer God means it’s all over, then Dharma wouldn’t have even bothered to start his plan in the first place.’

Dharma had to succeed in the True Martial Home no matter what. If the moment the Outer God appeared meant doom, he would have to abandon the plan altogether. Yet he still decided to go through with it, which meant he must have sensed that there was a real chance of success. A smart guy like Dharma wouldn’t ignore possible disruptions from something like the Outer God. He surely must have guessed it could show up.

Could Dharma have a backup plan for this situation?

As I remained silent, I watched green mist flood this otherworldly realm, suffocating the sky. It looked like countless stars were melting, consumed by that fog. And I could feel an intangible mist, almost alive, slowly floating through the celestial bodies.

Zzzz…

Suddenly, between the melting starlight, black and white beams thickened, cascading down like a waterfall. Riding on a carpet of that light, a dark “something” began to descend from the otherworldly realm.

This “something” grew larger as it came closer, eventually becoming similar in size to the form of an Evil God. As it reached a point where I could finally discern its details, I realized it was None.

How should I describe it?

There was definitely nothing there, yet it held an overwhelming presence of “something.”

I guess I could say it was transparent, but it felt different.

It seemed so high-dimensional that my ordinary sight or spiritual power couldn’t even begin to perceive it. The moment I felt it, I was struck with an overwhelming sense of resignation.

‘Ahhhhh!!’

Wha—how could such a being exist in the world…

I had faced the Old Ruler without flinching or feeling fear, but this was different. Just looking at it filled me with boundless reverence that made it hard to keep my wits about me. But this wasn’t fear; it felt different, more like awe.

Then, shortly after, I noticed that feeling fade abruptly as I began to see the figure more clearly. My calmness returned, and I vaguely perceived that the being looked bizarrely reminiscent of hundreds of sheep or goats combined.

‘Hmm! Can’t see well…’

While I was squinting, the Divine Thief muttered, swaying slightly.

“Damn… I didn’t expect the Outer God to be this kind of presence… I almost got wiped out.”

“Are you okay?”

“……”

The Divine Thief seemed startled by my question, then stifled a laugh.

“…Haha!! You’re asking if I’m okay?!”

“Uh… Is it wrong to ask?”

“Hah…”

He continued to mask his shock and spoke.

“What are you? How can you be so calm with the Outer God and the Great Intelligence of All around? Your chaos resistance is even better than mine, which is just a pure chaos mask…!!”

“……”

“I don’t understand…”

I shook my head and responded.

“I’m done talking about myself. What do we do now?”

“… We need to acquire the third divine item.”

“What if that thing attacks us…?”

“Who cares? We wouldn’t be able to counter it anyway.”

“……”

“If we’re going to die, we might as well do what we can before we go.”

His voice was pessimistic but I knew he was right. There was no way to fight such a being, so we had no choice. I hoped for good luck as I followed the Divine Thief toward the third spirit.

The Divine Thief was about to ambush again when, at that moment, the Water Spirit spoke.

[You truly are filled with the resolve to destroy the world… Have you not given up your futile hope even now that the Great Intelligence of All has descended?]

The Divine Thief hesitated as though caught off guard. It seemed my previous two attempts had already been detected, making it difficult to ambush with nothing but bare hands. I replied to the Water Spirit.

“Isn’t the fact that you’re helping us out not out of free will but because of some absolute being’s order? Then using your power to push through this mission would also follow that order.”

[Your words are smooth… But how dare you belittle the Ancient God and try to utilize its power…]

The Water Spirit replied with a mocking tone, causing me to flare up.

“Is it so wrong?! Nobody is willing to help out humans, and we’re just trying to come up with a solution to survive! Why do you think we’re in this dire situation, where we have to wipe out everything? It’s because you Ancient Gods and high-level beings left the suffering mortals to suffer in chaos!”

[……]

“Say what you must. I believe that True Martial Home is entirely justified.”

If True Martial Home had failed due to human sacrifice without being able to prevent the cow’s sacrifice, it would be wrong. But since we minimized sacrifices by offering the soul of the Old Ruler, this ceremony could be deemed justified. As I confidently stated this, the Water Spirit interjected.

[Is that so?]

“Feel free to refute that.”

[Listening to you, it seems you haven’t fully grasped the true intent of the True Martial Home’s master. You’re only seeing and hearing what’s convenient for you.]

“……!!”

[The clash between order and chaos isn’t a battle of good and evil, nor is ideological value meaningful within the laws of the universe. Just because this suffering and despair of the universe isn’t for your sake, doesn’t mean it’s okay to call it the worst!]

“Wha—what?!”

I sighed in disbelief.

‘This isn’t the worst of universes?!’

Mortals were being toyed with by the Old Ruler, filled with despair, with no salvation even after death—only pain. Having lived dozens of reincarnations, I thought that True Martial Home leading to total annihilation might not be the best outcome, but surely a secondary option. To think that such a powerful Ancient God is saying such things!

At that moment, the Divine Thief spoke with a casual indifference.

“So what do you suggest? With your power, you could have wiped us out the moment you noticed our ambush, so there must be a reason you’re just chatting.”

The Water Spirit stopped for a moment, then responded.

[… I will be sealed.]

Huh?!

Caught off guard by the unexpected words, I widened my eyes as the Water Spirit continued.

[Shall I enter this weapon?]

“Yeah.”

“Wait a second!!”

I exclaimed in surprise.

“You were just refusing to be sealed a moment ago! Why the sudden change of heart now?!”

[It’s because of your Law of Cause and Effect…]

“Me?”

The Water Spirit slowly nodded.

[The Creator of Order… His energy compelled me to change my mind. Also, it didn’t conflict with the task I was given, which is why I decided to be sealed.]

As soon as I heard that, I understood what had been influencing me.

‘The Law of Cause and Effect of Order!!’

Could it be that it was still around, helping me out?!

I was inwardly delighted, but I felt like a cold shower hit me with the next words.

[But… that energy has now completely vanished. I predict your path will be treacherous.]

The announcement that the influence of the Law of Cause and Effect had ended. A chill ran down my spine, but I made an effort to shake it off.

‘Yeah. Just getting this far is already something!’

Such a blessing that had helped me persistently for so long was almost nonexistent. I could finally see why Zhuge Yulong desperately sought the blessing of Pangu, the Law of Cause and Effect. The original effect spoke for itself; as a side effect, high-level beings like the Ancient Gods or high-level existences might be more likely to comply and act favorably towards someone like me.

Swish!!

After a brief moment, the Water Spirit entered the weapon and was sealed. Since it sealed itself, the Divine Thief didn’t need to exert any effort, and the power from the divine item flowed gently. When I held the divine item the Water Spirit entered, a voice echoed.

[You. Bind the contract with my name.]

Recalling the name I heard from Dharma earlier, I spoke.

“Your name is Varuna. Please establish the contract of the divine item.”

[Alright… The contract has been made. I am the Azure Sky that covers all things!]

Boom!!

And just like that, the third divine item came into my hands. I began to inspect the divine items I had obtained so far.

The first divine item, Agni, was a long iron tube that hung from my waist, and the second divine item, Vayu, was a horn that I held in my left hand. The third divine item, Varuna, resembled a flag, so I decided to strap it on my back. With all four divine items equipped, I felt a bit restricted in movement and they didn’t quite match in aesthetics.

‘Well, they weren’t made as weapons in the first place, were they…?’

Come to think of it, were these fake divine items from our world? And why did only fake divine items get summoned by Dharma?

I still felt like I didn’t have all the answers, but now wasn’t the time to ponder such things seriously. I immediately made my way with the Divine Thief to where the last spirit was located.

When we arrived at the location of the Earth Spirit, it seemed the spirit had sensed our presence beforehand, transforming into a massive earthen figure to wait for us. The Earth Spirit spoke.

[Mortal! Have you sealed the three divine spirits within the divine item? Do you plan to utilize that tremendous power to defeat the Old Ruler and bring about the destruction of the world?]

“Yes! You must help us too.”

The Earth Spirit scolded us with genuine anger.

[Nonsense! I cannot stand by and watch your madness, as I am the one who controls the material of the entire universe!]

“……”

[Disappear!]

Boom!!

“Kraaaaaack!!”

It was just a single command uttered, yet the Divine Thief disintegrated without a trace while I was flung away, soaked in my own blood. If it had been a martial art or physical attack, I might have managed some kind of defense, but since it was merely a command, there was no way to avoid or block it.

“Huh… Huh… Hah…”

I’ve lost my arms and one leg…

In the blink of an eye, I lost three limbs and was left with only my right leg, blood filling my eyes, making it impossible to see. My insides felt shredded, leaving me a mess. Already in a situation of defeat, I could do nothing but breathe cold air while sprawled on the ground.

‘This is unbelievable… By just a single command…’

I had thought the Ancient Gods were powerful, but I hadn’t anticipated that the fight wouldn’t even take shape.

The Divine Pillar of Intent and all couldn’t do a thing against a force that felt like it could crush planets with ease. In the face of such cosmic power, not even the Divine Pillar of Absolute Realm stood a chance. With an absolute power difference of tens of thousands of times, any technique was meaningless.

It was only now that I understood how powerless those high-level beings had felt before the Old Ruler. Miyamoto Musashi must have felt like this when he faced Jeon Wook.

But the Earth Spirit looked even more astonished than I was.

[Hmm… To think you’re still breathing after casting a command! I infused that power capable of shattering a hundred stars, yet you endured?]

“……”

[That divine item you possess must be protecting you. You really pulled off some ridiculous feat…]

Swoosh!

With a sense of lament, the three divine items flew towards the Earth Spirit. I had no choice but to watch with wide eyes as they were snatched from me. The Earth Spirit levitated the three divine items in midair.

[This insane act will be cut short. The Great Intelligence of All has arrived, as it seems!]

“…What are you planning…?”

[I will do nothing. Soon the barrier will be broken… You shall perish in eternity.]

“Cough…”

So this is how it ends.

The Earth Spirit seemed to be doing its duty reluctantly, but there appeared to be significant resentment. So it seemed as though it had stopped actively protecting the ceremony, letting it come to ruin. At this point, everything seemed utterly hopeless.

No. I can’t give up.

There’s no way it can end here.

Just then.

Oooooooh—

With a bizarre sound, the intangible being moved for the first time. It stepped slowly, leaving an impression as it moved closer, causing the Outer Gods to tremble in reverence. The presence, slowly moving through the green-melting constellation, soon reached right in front of the barrier, and a mysterious voice pierced my head.

It will…

Be…

Fulfilled…

With that voice, I felt a massive goat enter my mind and go wild. Its two eyes seemed to gaze right at me while I felt its tongue brush across my cheek.

‘Ugh… What is this…’

It felt odd yet warm, strangely comforting. That feeling persisted for a while, and shortly after, boundless darkness began to stretch across Heaven and Earth. A darkness where no light existed, encompassing everything.

Kugugugu!

Vibrations echoed for a while before stopping. Slowly, the darkness receded from all directions, and light began to trickle back into my vision.

Crackle!!

The sound of crackling electricity startled me, and I turned instinctively, noticing that all my limbs had returned to normal.

“Oh!”

What the hell just happened?

Even the Divine Thief, who had just disintegrated, stood there perfectly in shape. And the Earth Spirit, in its figure of an earthen giant, trembled as if shocked by something.

[… O great Intelligence of All… how could you… ]

Moments later, the Earth Spirit screamed in wild horror.

[Why do you affirm the destruction of the universe?!]

Huh?

Crackle!!

As I tried to comprehend the situation, the crackling sound erupted again. Looking at the scroll before me, I couldn’t help but be taken aback.

There were 8 fragments now!

‘There were only 4 just a moment ago!!’

When did 4 more fragments get added?

I thought it would take much longer, but in an instant, 80% of the scroll was complete! Of course, this was a good outcome for us pursuing the True Martial Home, yet I couldn’t grasp how everything unfolded.

Koooon!

Roarrrr!!

At the same time, the Outer Gods around us roared in wild terror just like the Earth Spirit. Yet it felt more like a cry filled with fear, almost like the wails of mortals.

What the heck is going on?

I was utterly baffled, having no clue what had transpired in this fleeting moment.

Then I heard Dharma’s voice resonating in my head.

[Baek Woong! You now have the three divine items in your hands; defeat the Earth Spirit. The time to complete the four divine items has come!]

I realized then that I had been fully restored, and had the three divine items equipped.

[Dharma! Can I defeat that thing?]

After getting obliterated by just one command, how could I possibly triumph?

My worries were valid, but Dharma sounded relaxed.

[Hehe… Haha! Of course, you can win… It’ll be different this time.]

Bubbling…

Dharma, even in a state where his upper body was nearly mush, laughed as if everything was fine.

[The great Intelligence of All has just blessed the destruction of the universe and departed!]