1164——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I was completely taken aback by the King of Hell’s words.

With a trembling voice, I asked back, “So… that means divine killing is possible?”

Divine Killing!

Wasn’t most of my journey about overcoming countless hardships to achieve that? The King of Hell calmly replied to my question.

“Indeed. It seems the current Wheel King hasn’t completely succeeded in his inheritance yet.”

“So, even a powerful god can be killed?”

“It’s not that straightforward. If that were the case, Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen would never have lost to the Wheel King. The absolute strongest beings in the universe can’t just be killed with the Book of Life and Death.”

“Hmm.”

“Even true beings of the Book of Life and Death can’t forcefully bring beings beyond the Wheel King’s power to their demise. But…”

The King of Hell continued explaining.

“You can force a divine being that originally doesn’t recognize death to accept the fate of death. Moreover, even if they are more powerful than the Wheel King and exempt from the Book of Life and Death’s attack, they will inevitably be marked for death.”

“Mark for death?”

“A mark that forcibly creates the concept of death. Once marked, the probability of actual annihilation greatly increases. That mark will never disappear until the universe itself is destroyed.”

The King of Hell elaborated.

“It seems I need to demonstrate this. Hand me the Book of Life and Death.”

Swiftly, I handed the Book of Life and Death back to the King of Hell. He summoned a bright red pen and said, “Is there someone you want to kill? Be it a god or a human, just say it.”

“Hmm….”

After contemplating for a moment, I spoke, “Ha Eun-cheon.”

The King of Hell swiftly wrote the name “Ha Eun-cheon” and declared, “Ha Eun-cheon, die.”

Woosh!!

In that moment, an apparition in a dog mask appeared right in front of the Book of Life and Death and slowly collapsed, showing signs of death. The masked figure muttered in disbelief.

“No…. A curse that penetrates the blessing of the Sacred Altar Tree…. Ugh.”

Thud.

Then I saw the soul of the fallen Master of the Twelve Joules, Ha Eun-cheon, being sucked into the Book of Life and Death.

I clenched my fist at that moment.

“I did it!”

I finally caught that bastard!

That Master of the Twelve Joules!

But then the King of Hell remarked while flicking the pages of the Book of Life and Death, “What is this? This isn’t the original.”

“…?”

Huh?

Before I knew it, I responded back to the King of Hell.

“What do you mean? I wrote the name of the Master of the Twelve Joules in the Book of Life and Death…”

“This is a copied soul. Not the original. Those with knowledge of supreme civilization sometimes use such tricks, but it seems there’s a deep story behind this one.”

“…I don’t understand. Can you explain?”

“Look here.”

Swish.

In response to my question, the King of Hell once again wrote the name Ha Eun-cheon in the Book of Life and Death. Then the apparition in the dog mask was summoned once more, this time shaking without saying a word and collapsing, dead.

Swish.

Seeing the soul of the dog mask being absorbed, I wore a blank expression as the King of Hell said, “This universe contains countless mortals and civilizations. And as civilizations advance, technologies emerge that clone bodies and souls to create duplicates. Of course, the Book of Life and Death can capture and bring forth all of these clones at once. The strength of mere science cannot overcome the powers of the King of Hell.”

“But why….”

“However, this technology exceeds that of mere clones; it’s the technology of the highest civilization, the [Fruit].”

“Fruit?”

In response to my inquiry, the King of Hell continued, “It synchronizes souls and bodies with the World Tree using the World Tree. Thus, they’re not just ordinary clones; each one is real, yet also false. Because they have become the fruit of the World Tree.”

“……!!”

“A civilization that reaches this stage can be seen as having overcome death, and before the World Tree is destroyed, it becomes extremely difficult to interfere with those who have become its fruit. Their civilization is classified as transcendental, stepping outside our jurisdiction.”

“To acquire the World Tree….”

“Yet, obtaining the World Tree itself is one of the hardest trials in existence, and the civilizations that have researched the World Tree to escape the fate of annihilation can be counted on one hand. Humanity can never reach that level.”

“…….”

“Is Ha Eun-cheon really human?”

I felt that the Master of the Twelve Joules was more extraordinary than I initially thought.

“…Maybe not.”

From my experiences, the Master of the Twelve Joules seemed to meet the conditions the King of Hell described.

‘When I got caught by the Primordial Beast and ended up in the multiverse… Dr. Faust used the World Tree to terraform the empty space of the universe, creating a living space. In other words, he successfully manipulated the World Tree using his scientific abilities.’

That couldn’t just be Faust’s own power.

The last ultimate AI created by humanity, Mephistopheles!

The being that surpassed the singularity and reached the realm of the Old Ruler, could surely manipulate the World Tree thanks to its immense computational power! If the Master of the Twelve Joules had succeeded in controlling the World Tree with the help of Mephistopheles, it would make sense that he too shared such advantages, especially when serving as the human commander directly battling against the Old Ruler.

Additionally, it seemed Ha Eun-cheon had obtained the Sacred Altar Tree in this world by some means, setting up shop there for thousands of years. Naturally, he must have used some technique to make himself into the [Fruit]. I hypothesized that not only the World Tree but other technology had likely been mobilized to sustain artificial immortality.

In short – the Master of the Twelve Joules Ha Eun-cheon was a scientific transcendent in human form!

I couldn’t believe it, but the moment I confirmed that he might not truly be human, I bore a complex expression as the King of Hell declared, “Yet it is not impossible to eliminate him. Once the Underworld stabilizes, powerful Grim Reapers and Ten Kings can descend into the material realm and imprison his essence with the energy of death. That is the reason for the existence of Grim Reapers.”

“Are you saying that the Grim Reaper would personally bring someone who can’t be taken down with the Book of Life and Death?”

“Indeed. At first glance, he might seem like a tough opponent resistant to the Book of Life and Death, but it’s clear he suffered significant damage when faced against it. It shouldn’t be a problem to destroy that insignificant one.”

I agreed with the King of Hell’s statement.

‘If the Underworld can recover, it can match the Celestial Realm in strength. During the remaining time before the end, I can utilize the power of reincarnation to bolster the Underworld’s might.’

Testing whether the Master of the Twelve Joules could be eliminated using the Book of Life and Death held no major significance. I regained my composure and said to the King of Hell, “Thank you. I will use this Book of Life and Death to protect myself.”

“Please do as the Wheel King’s will dictates.”

“Then you should return to your place.”

“Your Honor….”

The King of Hell bowed his head and said, “In the beginning, you and I were beings that shared the same source. I, King of Hell, will heed the Wheel King’s will as long as your command has not ended.”

Woosh!

The King of Hell’s form vanished.

‘Sharing the same source?’

That felt significant, making me tilt my head. Was there some secret even the King of Hell held?

As I watched countless spirits still pouring in from the void, I whispered, “Hmm. There are so many….”

Not only humans but all the souls of mortals included in this realm must be there.

What could I possibly do with the Book of Life and Death now?

After observing for some time, another thought struck me.

‘Come to think of it, weren’t the ancient beings of Venus trapped in the ring of immortality, suffering endless torment?’

That scene was shown to me by Sagong Lin when she took me to Venus!

Remembering that, I realized where the Book of Life and Death truly needed to be utilized. With Mangnyang’s knowledge, I concentrated my strength on my forehead, and slowly felt my forehead tickling as a Third Eye appeared in the center.

GooOOO

This Third Eye was a symbol of the King of Hell, a physical trait belonging to the Wheel King! With the Third Eye, I could gaze upon the world to judge the targets of death right from their place. The Third Eye distinguished itself as the highest power, rivalling or exceeding that of the Palace Examination Technique.

Zing!

In an instant, my cognitive abilities soared to the level of the divine. I could swiftly shift my sight from the Underworld to Earth, and from there, my view expanded, making the Earth appear as a tiny sphere.

I quietly recited the command.

“Oh Third Eye, gaze upon the pitiful ancient beings of Venus!”

Woosh!

In that instant, I witnessed the ancient beings on Venus, endlessly suffering while intertwined with structures, racing through the canyons. Their forms, resembling a white river, represented the horror of a horrific tragedy that had repeated for millions of years.

‘Hmm…. It would be impossible to inscribe every single name into the Book of Life and Death.’

It was feasible to use my powers to stamp thousands of names into the Book simultaneously, but it would still be highly ineffecient. While I was pondering, a simple solution dawned on me.

“Right. If I eliminate those who cursed them, it should work!”

I promptly cast the command of the Third Eye.

“Oh Third Eye, behold the Kotowamatsukami who cursed the ancient beings of Venus!”

Woosh!

In that moment, I widened my view, revealing countless ancient evil gods, the Kotowamatsukami, imprisoned on Venus.

Swoosh.

Perhaps being gods, some of the more powerful divine beings turned their gazes towards me. They sensed that the Third Eye of the Wheel King was observing them.

Gororor.

Among the Kotowamatsukami was a massive being resembling an eagle ray, flapping its secondary wings, its red eyes glaring at me. It then shouted, “Oh! Could you be the ruler of the Underworld, the Wheel King? How could you see us? Weren’t we annihilated by Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen long ago?”

I remained silent. Somehow, I felt I could reply in divine speech using the Wheel King’s powers but refrained. The eagle-ray-like being continued, “…No… That’s not important. I am Amenotokotachinokami. Great Wheel King, please save us, who are trapped on Venus! You might actually be able to do it…”

It was then.

I felt something within me, a part of me yet not, surge up, overwhelming my thoughts. [Power] itself took on a persona, seizing control of my body.

And without my will, I blurted out in divine speech:

“Those who were born in the primordial times as ultimate calamities. It is unjust that the despicable and vile ones among you continue to exist.”

Murmurs

The gathered Kotowamatsukami quivered in fear. After a brief moment, I opened my Third Eye wide and extended my hand forward.

“I shall punish the despicable deities who mock the great death; this is justice.”

Bang!

The instant the command was shouted, the Book of Life and Death filled up with countless names, as if ten pages were instantly inscribed. Each name corresponded to the true names of the Kotowamatsukami.

Unlike the King of Hell, I didn’t even need a pen.

Of course, it was because it had to be. Killing a divine soul was less about [writing] than about stealing its true name! By seizing the true name, death becomes inscribed, leading to the termination, making this act strongly based on the authority of the Wheel King!

The eyes of the Wheel King controlling my body shone brightly.

Book of Life and Death

The Wheel King commands:

Evil deities shall perish at once!

GROOOW!!

The once-proud eagle-ray who introduced itself as Amenotokotachinokami twisted its body, but its divine form began to decay pathetically.

“Oh… Death was never meant to happen to me…!!”

As the power of death seeped into the divine being, its body began to collapse, and ultimately, the very essence of divinity shattered, leading it to death.

“Kuh—! I won’t go down without a fight!!”

Crack!

The Kotowamatsukami struggled, pooling their powers in an attempt to breach the dimension, and the space before my eyes began to crack like glass. They understood that the only way to avoid their demise was to destroy the Wheel King before death engulfed them.

HooOO!

“What pathetic beings!”

However, I effortlessly clenched the outstretched hand, feeling something solid gripping it. As I pulled my hand inward, a colossal divine soul was caught in my grasp.

“……!!”

No way?!

Having seen divine souls in the past, I knew well. A divine soul is enormous, impossible to handle with bare hands. Even Daruma’s power drained away when trying to wield an Arm of the Apostle, yet the Wheel King’s power seemed capable of effortlessly snatching a divine soul from afar!

Truly fitting for the God of Death!

“UAAARGH….”

Kuwung!

When the true name is stolen, the entity dies.

Even were there a [god] unscathed by death, it would forcibly receive the inscribement of death!

As the Wheel King personally retrieved the soul, the Kotowamatsukami ceased their struggle and began falling one after the other. Their souls rapidly crumbled into dust, and the silence of death engulfed Venus.

OooO!

The Book of Life and Death was filled with the souls of the Kotowamatsukami.

Crackle!

Crackle!

With the Book radiating ominous divine energy, I slowly spoke.

“O great inheritor Baek Woong. I shall hasten the resurrection of the Underworld using the divine souls absorbed in the Book of Life and Death. For some time, I shall be unable to present myself.”

As the consciousness of the great being that had descended upon me gradually faded, it left me with its final words.

“Remember well, Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen still bears my mark….”

Woosh!

“…Gah!!”

I realized control over my body had returned. Now grasping what just happened, I shook with disbelief.

“The Wheel King…!!”

The divine presence of the Wheel King had briefly commandeered my body! For reasons unknown, it seemed that being had sealed away the Kotowamatsukami into the Book of Life and Death and annihilated them on my behalf.

Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I pondered.

“Mangnyang… you’ve left something truly magnificent.”

Only now did I start to understand Mangnyang’s grand design.

The Wheel King!

That existence embodied the minimal chance of standing against Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen as a pillar of the Three Realms. Mangnyang aimed to use the resurrected, stronger powers of the Wheel King through the return of the reincarnation cycle to battle against Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen.

It was then.

“What a formidable feat, Wheel King. Who would’ve thought you’d show such power right after being resurrected?”

Startled, I turned my gaze toward the source of the voice.

The owner of that voice was a presence I knew very well.

With a serene smile that radiated peace, he said to me, “Shall we establish a truce for a time? This is the will of the Divine Temple.”

Krishna had appeared before me.