전생검신 93권 05화

I entered the entrance of the Divine City with my companions. Suddenly, a dense mist appeared, blocking my view as if I were in a foggy maze, and Seimei let out a low murmur.

“It’s the work of Yun Sa.”

Yun Sa!

He was one of the three powerful sorcerers assisting Dangun, each stronger than your average immortal. Having run into Yun Sa several times during my rebirth, I had a rough idea of his looks, behavior, and skills. I stared at the mist and muttered.

“Every time I come to the Divine City, there’s always fog, but this isn’t the barrier of the World Tree; it’s a separate sorcery!”

“Correct. And the sorcery in this mist contains a strong killing intent, so be careful.”

“Seems that way.”

I casually replied with a grin.

“Mist is water, right?”

“Huh?”

“Baruna!”

Woosh!

As soon as I called upon Baruna, one of the Four Great Artifacts of Water, I spoke confidently.

“Absorb all the water energy in the mist!”

Though I’d never used Baruna this way before, it just felt like it would work. Sure enough, Baruna resonated momentarily in mid-air, releasing a great divine power, and soon after, an enormous amount of water energy began to get sucked into it.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh……!

A moment later, when Baruna absorbed all the moisture from the mist, a clear and bright scene unfolded before us, revealing Yun Sa standing about forty meters away.

A pale, lanky man dressed in unique attire that set him apart from the Central Plains locked eyes with me and said, “Who are you? Attacking the Divine City out of nowhere…!”

“Yun Sa. I am Baek Woong, Chief of Soeul Village.”

“…?! Chief?”

Yun Sa was clearly taken aback by my sudden introduction. It must have baffled him that a mere village chief would charge into the Divine City like this. I smirked at him.

“I won’t tell you not to resist. I reckon I could subdue you without killing a single one of you, no matter how much you fight back.”

“Arrogant fool!”

Swoosh!

Suddenly, Yun Sa’s arms became transparent, and a bizarre, formless energy began to gather in replacement, emitting an overwhelming light. Seeing this, Asura’s gaze sharpened.

“I’ll handle it!”

Boom!

In the next moment, Asura leaped in front of me to block Yun Sa’s lightning-fast attack. Yun Sa’s assault was like hundreds of bolts of white silk extending at blinding speed—fast enough to kill anyone who couldn’t react. Yet, Asura appeared unfazed, easily slicing through Yun Sa’s assault and counterattacking with a fierce slash.

Swoosh!

“Hmm?!”

When Asura accurately struck Yun Sa’s neck, he was momentarily stunned, having felt no sensation of cutting. In an instant, Yun Sa transformed his body into mist-like energy and exploded outward, sending Asura flying.

Boom!

After flipping mid-air, Asura landed back on the ground, muttering with intrigue, “That power… not bad! It’d take someone at least as strong as a Dharma Guardian to match up to it.”

“Your assessment is lenient. Those people are among the Divine City’s elite forces; they should be stronger than that, right?”

“That’s just looking at the power shown. He’s hiding his true identity, just like me.”

“Hmmm.”

While conversing with Asura, I glanced at Yun Sa with curiosity.

‘If Asura is hiding his true form as a part of the Eight Parts of the Divine, then Yun Sa is also concealing his form as one of the Three Masters. And that form’s power likely exceeds the Overlay Technique…’

Given that, it was clear that Yun Sa was not someone lightly dealt with in the Martial Arts World of the Mortal Realm. Just by himself, Yun Sa would be an opponent that required Asura to use all his strength to defeat him. I recalled a conversation I had with the leader of the Twelve Joules about the capabilities of the Three Masters.

[The Three Masters aren’t human. They’re divine spirits that descended with Hwanung during the Divine Age. Their lifespans can’t be measured by human standards; they are immortal beings.]

[Since they have been reborn.]

[The Three Masters have moved their origins to the mortal realm, thus continuously reincarnating to maintain their existence in the material world.]

The Three Masters are the primordial divine spirits that intentionally eliminate the roots of forgetfulness and reincarnate! So even though they currently possess physical bodies, killing those bodies wouldn’t affect their essence, the Spirit Body, which is immortal. That Spirit Body would be the true essence of the Three Masters and would surely possess enough strength to put the Eight Parts of the Divine on high alert.

I turned to Asura and said, “Hey, why aren’t you using the Demon Sword Mistilteïn I gave you? You could’ve slashed him with that just now!”

Asura, who was wielding only a regular iron sword while having Mistilteïn in his sheath, stated defiantly, “Using such a fine sword to win feels like cheating. If I win with just an iron sword, it’ll prove I’m stronger, right?”

“Really now… I get it, but if you waste time, it’ll be hard for us to subdue the Divine City without killing anyone.”

Grumbling, I stepped forward.

“Asura, I’ll take care of Yun Sa, so stay back.”

“Mmm.”

As I pushed Asura aside and stepped forward, Yun Sa looked displeased.

“Do you really think you can suppress the Divine City without killing us? What utter foolishness, Baek Woong!”

“Well, I don’t harbor any ill will toward you, so… And proving my strength means subduing an opponent without killing them, right?”

“That’s… arrogant! I’ll stop you, even if it costs this human life!”

Crackle!

Suddenly, Yun Sa unleashed his powers, his entire body radiating a dazzling luminescence that resembled neither clouds nor light. Feeling the significant divine power emanating from him, I flinched.

‘Ah, that’s… the myth known as Theosis that Belov, the head bishop of the Eastern Orthodox Church, spoke about!’

Myth – It’s the state of transcending the human body to become one with the spirit!

It was the reason Ivan IV wielded such monstrous power comparable to a Demon King in Russia. Even though the human body fades away, he could constantly transform into a spirit, harnessing immense elemental energy, telekinesis, and a hint of divine power.

Of course, I had previously defeated a mythic Ivan IV using the Moon Sovereign, but the Yun Sa before me would definitely be on another level altogether. It was clear that the level of that myth would directly correlate with the power of the being’s true form.

Kuwaaa!

Feeling Yun Sa’s fully unleashed power, my instincts kicked in.

‘This is the kinda power you’d expect from a Demon King! The true form of the Three Masters is at the level of the Eight Parts of the Divine!’

Now I understood why the leader of the Twelve Joules strutted around so confidently whenever he had the Three Masters with him!

Under the weight of such power, Mangnyang, who was barely holding Mjolnir with trembling hands, stammered, “W-why are we waiting until that monster pulls out all its strength? You could’ve launched a surprise attack at any time!”

“Huh? Mangnyang, you really want to know?”

“Of course. That’s a monster!”

Just like Mangnyang, Asura and Seimei also looked a bit strained. It made sense, considering the power radiating from the true form of the Three Masters was at a level similar to that of a Demon King, which no one other than myself could confidently claim to defeat. While Asura would likely match or outdo him if he transformed into his true form, that would still involve a grueling fight.

With a chuckle, I replied to Mangnyang’s question, “It’s simple—because I’m stronger!”

Immediately, I gripped Gungnir, Odin’s spear, and readied myself. Yun Sa, watching me intently, suddenly unleashed a massive burst of energy.

[Graaaaah!]

Flash!

It was like a whirlwind of light resembling the Thunder Spirit! While it wasn’t attacking with the speed of the Thunder Spirit, the limitless energy of light and mist that erupted and scattered in all directions was dizzying. That technique had to be Yun Sa’s ultimate secret technique.

Despite that, I felt something amiss in Yun Sa’s technique regarding the [Flow].

‘Easy.’

No matter how fast or powerful the technique, as long as I understood [Flow]—instead of resisting it, I calmly extended my spear in one smooth motion.

Thrust!

Boom!

That was it. Before Yun Sa’s technique could fill the space, my thrust pierced through his chest. With his flow of power abruptly cut off, Yun Sa staggered, reverting back to human form before collapsing.

“Gah… huff….”

Collapse.

As I subdued Yun Sa in a single counterattack, Asura exclaimed in surprise, “No way…! Did you calculate that counter?”

“Calculate? This is just the basic of the Divine Skill.”

“……”

Asura fell silent in shock. While it was a simple counterattack, the current Asura couldn’t replicate what I had just done. Precisely penetrating the divine essence hidden in Yun Sa’s true form through such a minute and nearly imperceptible gap would be a challenge even for Asura at full concentration.

I looked at Asura and thought, ‘The disparity between those who have and haven’t reached enlightenment is huge. Perhaps Asura’s nature of being serious about martial arts makes him special…’

If we compared raw power, Asura’s might without divine power would likely be far greater than mine. Yet, I could still handle someone like Asura just fine because the understanding of [Flow] demanded in the divine realm made all the difference. But it was clear that explaining that to the current Asura wouldn’t lead to any understanding.

In that moment…

…Not bad…

A fleeting image of a one-eyed old warrior passed in front of my eyes.

The warrior’s visage seemed to speak to me.

…But do not become arrogant… many are stronger than you…

Flash!

After the vision passed, I felt Gungnir in my hand resonate more strongly than before.

‘Hmm?’

Up until now, Gungnir had rejected me weapon-wise, yet now it felt like it was responding to me. The sense of harmony that came from the weapon’s own spirit resonating with my own! Maybe due to this sensation, I had the impression I could wield Gungnir more effectively.

While I was submerged in that peculiar feeling…

Kaboom!

“Yun Sa!”

“That bastard…! I won’t let this slide.”

Suddenly, Wu Sa and Feng Bai appeared using spatial movement techniques! They saw the fallen Yun Sa and screamed in alarm before abandoning their human forms, preparing to become spirits just like Yun Sa had moments before. Seimei, looking anxious, asked, “…Baek Woong! Can you take down two true forms of the Three Masters like before?”

“Doubtful, but I’ll be on guard and hit them from a distance.”

I replied nonchalantly, sparking my divine powers.

“Then let’s keep it simple.”

Power of the Wheel King

Book of Life and Death

As soon as the Book of Life and Death was summoned before me through my power, I quickly wrote down Wu Sa and Feng Bai’s names, labeling them as “near death.” This was a trick taught to me by the Wheel King to rob enemies of their will to fight, leaving them in a semi-conscious state.

In that moment, Wu Sa and Feng Bai halted their transformation as if struck by lightning, letting out shrieks.

“Craaack!”

“Ugh.”

Thud.

Thud.

It seemed like Wu Sa and Feng Bai had fainted on the spot. Mangnyang, witnessing this, looked incredulous.

“The Book of Life and Death? I knew you could use the Wheel King’s power, but I didn’t expect you to wield it this freely!”

“I learned directly from the Wheel King. I might not have mastered everything, but I got the basics down.”

“……”

“Since the Underworld isn’t fully restored, it’s easier to subdue them now.”

Had the Underworld been fully revived, the power of the Book of Life and Death would have been strong enough that no matter how much I labeled them as “near death,” Wu Sa and Feng Bai could’ve ended up killed mid-transformation. The weakening of its power had made subduing them easier.

With a hint of fear in his voice, Mangnyang said, “Good grief… if I really wanted to, I could’ve just killed them all in an instant?”

“Not gonna happen.”

I spoke quietly.

“Because that’s how I prove I’m different from other reincarnators, you know?”

For some reason, I felt that way.

Killing and destroying everything aimlessly might somehow relate to the karma that Nyarlathotep mentioned.

Whoa—

At that moment, from the foot of the mountain, a horde of experts from the Twelve Joules came racing toward us using their Light Body Techniques. Each one resembled a Peak Expert, likely part of the Yagyu Clan, but I felt no fear and spoke to my companions.

“Since it’s kind of boring, why don’t we have a little battle? I think now, we could subdue them without killing anyone.”

“Why not!”

Kaboom!

Shortly after, Seimei, Asura, and Mangnyang charged ahead to engage in open combat with the remaining experts from the Twelve Joules. As I’d predicted, they were easily overpowering the Twelve Joule’s experts, most of whom were rumored to wield divine treasures. Occasionally, if it looked dangerous, I’d silently strike down a Twelve Joule expert from behind with a finger technique.

After about a quarter of an hour, with around one hundred and fifty members of the Yagyu Clan down, Mangnyang stated,

“…It seems like we’re almost done with subduing the Divine City… is this really happening?”

“Not quite yet.”

“Then?”

I gleamed with excitement and replied, “I need to go inside that Sacred Altar Tree and see what the Twelve Joules have been hiding all this time.”

Surely, there had to be something inside.

Especially at the top of the Sacred Altar Tree!