전생검신 86권 14화

A Blood Alliance with the Brahma Sect…!!

I turned to Mangnyang, who was next to me, and he whispered to me using the technique of secret transmission.

[There’s no harm in just making a proposal. The current Brahma Sect is clearly the overlord that covers Tianzhu and the Southern Barbarians. If we join forces, things will get a lot easier. However… you do know, right? Taming something like Leviathan definitely means there are Divine Beings behind them.]

I see.

I realized how I should proceed from Mangnyang’s advice and spoke to Naresuen.

[It’s hard to believe easily. If we form a blood alliance, what should we do for you?]

“Treat it just like you would with any allied nation. Let’s help each other to the best of our abilities on all matters of diplomacy, military, and food. The detailed terms are outlined in this contract I’ve prepared.”

[Hmm.]

I noticed the thick contract was made of something unusual. It definitely wasn’t ordinary paper nor parchment. As I fiddled with it, I soon figured out what material it was and said.

[Is this… made of human skin?]

Having handled human skin several times before, I recognized it instantly. Naresuen casually replied.

“Indeed.”

[Peeling human skin is an evil act.]

“Don’t worry. The skin was taken from wicked people who believed in a vile religion, so we are justified in doing so.”

[…….]

Um!

No, that’s not the issue…

When I looked at him incredulously, Naresuen said.

“It’s just that human skin harbors magical power well, making the contract’s effectiveness stronger. So don’t fret and just read the contents.”

I carefully read the contract, also showing it to Mangnyang. After finishing, Mangnyang secretly whispered to me through secret transmission.

[The terms are too favorable for us. Refusing would be silly. It could be a trap, but I’ll leave the judgment to you.]

Is that so?

I pondered for a moment and replied.

[Explain to me why you want to form a blood alliance with such generous terms. Otherwise, I can’t shake off the unease about it.]

“Ha ha! You, Baek Woong, are as straightforward as they say without any diplomatic rhetoric. Well, that’s convenient for me.”

For some reason, Naresuen, who had a triumphant expression, opened his mouth.

“To be honest, it’s the command of Parvati, the leader of the Brahma Sect. That is our only truth from start to finish.”

[That’s what you said before… Are you saying that Parvati commanded you to form a blood alliance with us like this?]

“Indeed.”

[That’s a laugh. A once-king of the Southern Barbarians being swayed by a mere sect leader without knowing the reason… Do you think I will accept that?]

“Ha ha ha ha.”

Despite my somewhat provocative statement, Naresuen only laughed, seeming amused.

“You really seem far from being a king. Normally, at such a time, one would inquire about true intentions; the way of a king is to accept beneficial diplomatic conditions and see the big picture. However, you seem to have the attitude that if you can know the truth, you can toss aside nations at any time.”

[…….]

“It seems you want a specific answer, so let me give you one. Parvati sees you as a Divine being and wishes to cooperate with you among the gods. I am merely a messenger here to convey that intent.”

I frowned.

[So it was indeed like that.]

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard Parvati’s name. In fact, long ago, when the Southern Barbarians and Tianzhu forces tried to invade the martial world, I went to save the Central Plains martial world at the request of the Bright Dragon. During that time, I met Shiva, who possessed the strongest warrior of the Southern Barbarians, Jin Guk-jun, and made a Non-aggression Pact.

In other words, the Brahma Sect is nominally a religion of the Saba World but in effect, it’s a sect that worships the Three Great Gods of Tianzhu!

Moreover, Parvati was famed for being the partner of Shiva in Tianzhu mythology, so it’s not hard to conclude that a divine being lurked behind the Brahma Sect.

I continued coldly.

[Tell Parvati that I cannot form a blood alliance under these terms.]

“That’s unexpected. What’s the issue?”

Naresuen stroked his chin.

“We’re offering unlimited access to this Leviathan’s bridge, passing down our Southern Barbarian’s magic gun technology, and we won’t hold back on military cooperation. Normally, this would be deemed submissive, and you still find it lacking?”

[Such benefits from the Saba World are of no concern to me. What I desire is for either Parvati or the true leader of the Brahma Sect to show up and speak with me face-to-face.]

“……”

[I want to see your true sincerity, rather than superficial gains.]

Nareshuan seemed momentarily taken aback, and instead, the Empress, Sawasvati, stepped forward and spoke.

“You are more particular than I anticipated. May I offer a word?”

[Please do.]

“Actually, I am a priestess in direct spiritual contact with Parvati. Hence, I just conveyed your previous words to her.”

What?!

That was an unexpected revelation.

‘Sawasvati… I thought she was just a mysterious girl from the Southern Barbarians… She’s a priestess of Parvati, a Divine being and leader of the Brahma Sect?’

If that were true, she’d be deserving of being called an Apostle of the God. I momentarily shocked by this surprising fact, quickly regained my composure and spoke.

[What do you mean?]

“She wishes to confirm if your appearance from the past and present are too different. Therefore, if you could demonstrate your martial prowess against the Four Heavenly Kings that have accompanied us today, she has promised to manifest in this place through my body.”

[…….]

“Will you accept?”

I glanced at the Four Heavenly Kings of the Brahma Sect standing back there. They all seemed to be filled with incredible power and were clearly not to be underestimated.

‘They probably want to confirm I’m the same person and that the Non-aggression Pact we made back then still holds.’

In that case, what was written in the human-skin contract didn’t matter, and this test right now was likely the real test. I slowly nodded my head.

[What’s the problem? Then let’s see what you’ve got.]

If I win this fight, meeting Parvati or Shiva directly would make things so much easier moving forward.

Knowing from experience that it takes immense time and effort for the gods to reveal their true intentions, this was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

Step step

As I stepped forward, the Four Heavenly Kings moved in sync, taking a step forward as well.

Step step

After about twenty steps, just three paces remained, and as if they’d made a promise, one of the Heavenly Kings began approaching me.

“I am the Heavenly King of Growth, Vritra! I shall test you first.”

Swish……!!

Suddenly, a dark black wind and lightning swirled, transforming the ordinary male figure of Vritra into a mythological dragon. However, he looked different from the dragons in the Central Plains. Surrounding his body were three orbs, spinning rapidly, radiating an extraordinary spirit power.

Then, Vritra, now a dragon the size of ten paces, unleashed a tremendous breath from his mouth.

Kukwawawng!!

‘A dragon’s breath…’

I recognized that Vritra’s attack was no joke. Whether it was an Eastern or Western dragon, it was a conventional attack, but Vritra’s breath was imbued with both lightning and fire attributes, seemingly able to pierce through any common sorcery defenses like paper. Even a Great Immortal would probably die from a single blow from Vritra.

‘Hmm… I could counter it head-on, but…’

Too much trouble!

I decided I wanted to feast on this opportunity after a long time. So instead of taking Vritra’s attack head-on, I threw one of the orbs directly into the midst of his breath.

Sizzle

In an instant, Vritra’s lightning essence was absorbed into the orb and vanished, leaving Vritra in shock.

[What the… When did my orb…?!]

I had merely used the Technique of All Things to snatch the orb, leaving him to turn against himself with his own power.

I felt no need to explain that, so I collected the orb filled with his lightning energy in my hand and said.

[You seem to be a dragon, yet you fight relying on your innate divine abilities and techniques. If that’s the case, there’s no fun in continuing this duel, so let another one come out.]

[What……!!]

Whoosh!!

Vritra breathed lightning once more, but this time, I snatched another orb to block the lightning. With two orbs now taken from him so quickly, Vritra looked utterly bewildered.

[What, no way…!]

[What’s the matter? It’s yours, so take it back.]

[Uwooo.]

Vritra exerted telekinesis to snatch the orb from my hand. But the moment the orb flew near him, I immediately stole it back using the Technique of All Things, repeating this process several times until Vritra stood there, completely dumbfounded.

[……]

[Here, catch your orb.]

I chuckled and tossed Vritra the orb while glancing at a figure dressed in white.

[You there. You look like you want to fight, so if you feel that way, come out right now.]

I pointed at the one concealed in white clothing, having an instinct that he was itching to fight me. That individual stepped forward and said.

“Impressive. I thought I couldn’t sense more killing intent, yet you read even my subtle emotions? I’m intrigued to see what level of expert you are.”

I casually replied, folding my arms.

[It’s not that I read you, but just that it feels that way. To deal with four at once would be tiresome, so it’s better to take down the one eager to fight first.]

“Hmph, is that so… Although I’ve been pursuing a higher realm for a long time in this religion, it seems I’ve never seen anyone quite like you.”

Musing to himself, the middle-aged man suddenly summoned unusual weapons into his hands. I recognized what they were and looked on with interest.

[An orb?]

That round-bladed weapon was something I had seen before being wielded by the Golden Eagle Guard’s White Tiger or Natahta. The methods of using it were complicated, but upon reaching the level of mastery, it exhibited tremendous power. The middle-aged man then spoke.

“I am the Heavenly King of Holding the Nation, Raoun. I shall fight you as a martial artist.”

Tydaht!!

Clang clang clang

At the same moment, Raoun charged at me, throwing a series of spectacular attacks. Although I was more or less in a state where I couldn’t utilize my martial arts at present, I could still evade his attacks by sheer instinct. Using divine powers and magical energy, one could significantly enhance physical abilities, so there were no attacks it was impossible to dodge outright.

Swish swish swish

While Raoun’s martial skills were indeed formidable, compared to the absolute realm experts I had encountered previously, he felt lacking, leaving me puzzled.

‘What’s going on? Is he weak?’

Of course, “weak” is relative; in the Central Plains, he could easily defeat the clan leader of the Namgung Clan in three hundred exchanges. But considering the Brahma Sect’s Four Heavenly Kings, who all surpassed the Great Immortal, it felt odd for someone with this level of martial ability to be among them.

So I felt a bit disappointed and said to Raoun.

[You look too weak to be claiming a duel of martial artists!]

Boom

I abruptly channeled a strong magical energy into the orb of Oreycalcos and fired a magic cannon at Raoun, launching him away. No matter how relatively weak Raoun’s martial prowess seemed, the fact was that I couldn’t use my abilities properly, so I didn’t feel the need to engage him for long with martial arts.

Whud

The sky lit up brightly as Raoun’s body was seen vanishing in the magic cannon’s blast. Yet in that moment, I experienced a chilling sensation.

[Could it be…….]

Zzzz

Raoun had effortlessly severed my magical attack without so much as a scratch, standing there as if untouched. This was strange considering my attack should have rivaled Vritra’s lightning in ferocity.

The two orbs that Raoun had initially wielded had transformed into a single long sword. Although it didn’t seem to be a legendary weapon, I could faintly sense a resonating vibration coming from the sword, escaping an instinctual frown.

[…… Where did you learn that technique?]

“I heard from Parvati that you have an Asura under your command.”

[…….]

“Like you’ve deduced.”

Swoosh!!

Raoun adopted a swordplay stance and aimed it at me.

“I am the product of training the Asura and the Secret Technique, Explosive Destruction Sword (폭광누멸검). Allow me to face you as the Tenth Grandmaster, Raoun, Baek Woong!”