전생검신 94권08화

I had countless memories, but among them, there was one that felt completely out of sync, as if it was just hanging there.

It was the memory I was forced to inject when I encountered the Outer God [Brain] not long ago!

[The martial arts realm of that world is divided into human realm (인경), earth realm (지경), and heaven realm (천경), and you were Baek Woong, an expert at the holy path realm (성도경), transcending the heaven realm! And the martial arts you learned weren’t from the Thunder God lineage, but rather from the ancient Blood Lotus Sect’s secret martial arts called the Forgetting Extreme Blood World Divine Art (망극혈세신공)…]

[Well, I could easily drive you insane by trapping you in the worldview I created… but that wouldn’t be any fun. Do you want to experience your worldview as a [dream]?]

[I am a being who creates countless worlds and dreams. Unlike summoning bookmarks, I alone can create the essence of dreams.]

A mysterious world of martial arts—

For over 50 years, I lived as the [Lord of the Heavenly Brave], Baek Woong, an expert who achieved the realm of the holy path (성도경), and that vivid memory was once injected into me through the [Brain].

‘I thought that memory was gone.’

Why is that memory suddenly so vividly coming back to me?

What on earth is the reason for the sudden emergence of memories from a completely different world?

As I was lost in confusion, Leviathan, who was watching beside me, spoke up.

“Master, what’s the matter?”

“Ah… it’s nothing.”

I glanced at Leviathan, then, thinking it might be worth a shot, I shared my situation.

‘What do I have to lose? It’s just a temporary encounter…’

Feeling desperate, I wanted to get help.

When I shared what I had experienced with Leviathan, she pondered for a moment and said,

“If what you say is true, it seems that the brain was stimulated and it evoked something!”

“Evoked?”

Leviathan stared at me intently and responded.

“You often complain that the human brain has limits. You’ve done considerable research on the brain and said that normally, you can’t increase the brain’s memory capacity. You mentioned that when the brain’s memory reaches saturation, hidden memories fall into the unconscious realm and can only be recalled through associative recall when needed.”

“…So, something triggered my association… what does that mean…?”

As I fumbled to make sense of it, Leviathan added,

“The technique you use, that wheel (륜), happens to match the martial arts from [another world] you possess in your memories! Therefore, it must have emerged through associative recall!”

“…!”

What?!

If that’s the case…

‘The martial arts I practiced as Bai Woong in that world… was actually this wheel technique?! The martial arts of the same worldview!’

Could such a thing be possible?!

Unable to believe it, I gasped and exclaimed, “That’s nonsense! A world created from the imagination of the Outer Gods aligning with the martial arts of a real world—it just doesn’t make sense.”

“Well, I can’t possibly know that with my limited understanding…”

Leviathan narrowed her eyes and continued, “But I would suggest digging deeper into that memory.”

“Why?”

“According to your words, the Blood Heaven Demon King’s Wheel, which is an earth realm martial art, is actually just an intermediate technique, right? But you reached the ultimate level in that world, the holy path (성도경). So, you must also know the highest-level martial arts.”

“…!”

“Won’t mastering the highest-level martial arts of the holy path make you even stronger?”

“That’s definitely true…!”

I realized there was a grain of truth in Leviathan’s words. If I could delve deeper into those memories, it meant I could gain entirely different martial arts from that mystical world! And for me, aiming to be a Sword God, that was undoubtedly an enticing offer.

‘Alright, let’s see if I can revive that memory!’

I closed my eyes, focused my mind, and diligently conjured the memories of Baek Woong, the Lord of Heavenly Brave. However, for some reason, those memories felt foggy, like a hazy mist, and the important details were barely recognizable – like broken fragments scattered everywhere.

Snap!

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, I was hit with a massive migraine, and a wave of agonizing pain crashed over me, causing me to collapse. In that instant, the intensity of the pain felt like I was being torn apart. Blood was even leaking from my eyes, nose, and ears, as if every tiny vessel had burst.

“Why, why is this happening?”

“That, my Master, is the limit of the human body you mentioned. When the brain’s memory capacity is far exceeded and you force it to remember, the brain overheats, and soon you could fall into a state of cerebral death.”

The phrase ‘cerebral death’ startled me.

“Cerebral death?!”

“Indeed. So, you’ve stored your memories at various locations instead of obsessing over them. By regularly extracting memories, you maintained your sanity. Otherwise, you would have been engulfed by madness and committed mass murders.”

“Hmm…!”

His words reminded me of the knowledge I had heard in the past.

[It seems so. Your memory area… Um, it resembles the hippocampus, so I’ll just call it that. Your hippocampus is incredibly developed compared to ordinary humans. It’s much more advanced than even the brains of intelligent people, as if it has evolved significantly over generations… Anyway, it has become a distinctly separate entity that cannot be compared to normal humans.]

[However, with such advancement, signs of wear and tear have appeared. It’s not serious damage, so other parts of your brain compensate without issues.]

[To diagnose, there may be a risk of dementia in the future.]

That was a diagnosis given to me by Hwa Seong-myeong about my brain.

At that point, I was told that my hippocampus was already worn, and after countless adventures and memories since then, how many memories had been stored? My brain might have reached its limit. Concurrently, I recalled the bleak perspective Zhuge Sa had shared on this diagnosis.

[Humans were originally created by the [Ancient Races] as delicious meat for consumption, and nearly discarded, only to be recycled by the Three Sovereigns. In terms of physical and mental capacity, they are far weaker than other otherworldly races. The reason you cannot achieve infinite rebirth due to the limitations of the ‘human’ race was already foreseen.]

…

But hadn’t I handled and organized my memory capacity using sorcery at some point…?

‘Could it be that this fellow failed to attempt any memory organization like I did?’

Perhaps this being had never received help from a prophet?

‘Although the way I organized my memories wasn’t permanent… it seems this being has not been able to do so at all.’

While pondering, I suddenly remembered something Leviathan had said earlier.

“Wait. Did you say massacre? Have I ever committed a massacre?”

“Indeed, my Master. You lost your sanity due to overflowing memories and often killed humans and otherworldly beings indiscriminately. In severe cases, you even wiped out an entire star system.”

“…!”

“Of course, the memory of that massacre influenced your madness, so you extracted and sealed it separately.”

“So that’s how it is…”

I moaned silently.

‘It seems the owner of this body isn’t exactly a saint.’

Having already committed mass murder, he was undoubtedly a major evil. Yet, he might also be a great hero, based on actions like saving humanity and cooperating with the Zodiac members. If he were a villain, there would be no reason for him to battle the [Old Ruler] and work on plans to save humanity.

I was confused, unable to discern whether this being was good or evil.

‘…But I have some inkling.’

To confirm my conjectures, I would need to meet Abaddon, who was likely at the highest level. Only he could provide the answers I sought.

I spoke to Leviathan.

“For now, go somewhere else. I need to train my martial arts some more.”

“Understood.”

Time is of the essence, but this isn’t the time to dwell on that. In any case, I instinctively felt that unraveling the mystery behind the Blood Heaven Demon King’s Wheel was crucial to understanding my Master’s true identity.

Ooooh

I drew out my inner essence and quietly refined the technique of the Blood Heaven Demon King’s Wheel, which had just resurfaced in my mind.

‘Blood Heaven Demon King’s Wheel… It’s the tenth ultimate technique of the earth realm passed down in the dual paths of demon arts and is known for its stunning illusionary qualities, predominantly learned by demons… even the Dharma Protectors of the Blood Lotus Sect are mastering it…’

Chuckling at that background knowledge, I thought, ‘…What is this exactly? Knowledge I’ve never experienced before suddenly feels so familiar. Did the Outer God inject me with poison?’

Obviously, concepts like ‘demon arts duality’ and ‘Blood Lotus Sect’ don’t exist in our world. Yet, I knew them as if I’d been through it all my life. The issue was that the causal relationships explaining ‘why I knew this’ were missing from my memory.

‘Anyway, it seems I can invoke the Blood Heaven Demon King’s Wheel. That much…’

Thwack!

In the next moment, I quickly hurled the discs in my hands forward. Just like before, numerous images of wheels were created to dazzle, and then in succession, they multiplied to 108, completely slicing down all the trees in front of me.

Ka-boom

“Tenfold. Achieving the perfect state of great success.”

I suddenly realized that I had fully grasped the essence of the Blood Heaven Demon King’s Wheel. At the same time, I felt utterly baffled.

“…What in the world is this martial art? The lower dantians exist just like in our world, yet there’s something called the five-element mystical arts, and… above all, the positions of the Eight Extraordinary Vessels are entirely different?”

The Blood Heaven Demon King’s Wheel was truly a nonsensical martial art in terms of our world’s knowledge. The flow of inner essence didn’t connect at all. However, in that world, it was a working martial art, because its own set of laws governed martial arts!

Moreover, one key difference was—

Wiying!

Using the transformation of the Blood Heaven Demon King’s Wheel, I felt a mix of disbelief.

“…Why does the martial arts of this world completely ignore intent (의념)?”

That’s right.

The martial arts of the world where Baek Woong lived operated solely on raw Qi (기)!

The wheel illusions I saw now weren’t formed by intent but simply by highly expanding Qi to create illusions. Although the physical effects were not much different from using intent, I saw the clear distinction, as someone skilled in intent.

A martial arts system without intent!

Yet, because they didn’t use intent, the operation of Qi was much more advanced compared to our world. This included techniques for recombining Qi using a separate property called the five-element mystical arts. They referred to this technique as the Heavenly Way (천도), and it seemed that if one trained solely in Heavenly Way techniques, they’d become similar to sorcerers.

‘And mastering the martial arts along with their Heavenly Way makes the holy path (성도경)…’

I found this new martial arts system incredibly intriguing. Above all, the fact that I could finally perform this bizarre technique itself was astounding. Normally, the flow of inner essence was so different that it shouldn’t connect at all, but here it was!

For some reason, despite having completely different worldviews, the fact that it did connect felt like a crucial clue!

After much contemplation, I eventually came to a conclusion.

“My Master… I believe I grasp a vague idea of your identity.”

Then, it was crucial to settle things with Abaddon quickly.

There was no time left for delays.

‘Let’s get going.’

I once again gripped the wheel in both hands and visualized my new martial arts in my mind.

Heavenly Realm (천경)

Dharma Preservation Ultimate Technique (호교절기)

“Demon God Flying Wheel (마신비천륜).”

Keeeying -!

The next moment, I threw the wheel into the air, and it shot up into the sky, leaving countless afterimages. Amazingly, those afterimages didn’t vanish but indicated that I had properly unleashed the martial arts of the heavenly realm.

‘Residual attack images that remain intact to damage the enemy! Clearly superior to the Blood Heaven Demon King’s Wheel, an earth realm technique!’

There must be similarly designed martial arts aimed for similar goals in our world. Still, I could not suppress the feeling of marvel at its strangeness.

Tydaht

Using the afterimages of the Demon God Flying Wheel, I started to leap into the sky with ease. At that moment, Leviathan, who had followed me, spoke as she flew beside me.

“You say there’s no time, and yet you plan to leap your way up through all the way to your palaces like this?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got it all figured out, thanks to the peculiar attributes of this martial art.”

“What do you mean by attributes?”

“That’s…”

As I briefly explained, Leviathan made a strange expression and then broke into a bright smile.

“Impressive! To think a being greater than the Master has possessed your body.”

I froze mid-jump, pausing in mid-air, and cast a sharp glance at Leviathan.

“How did you know?”

“Hehe… The Master has always held feelings of admiration for the Outer Gods. Even when he lost his memories, he remained consistent. But you… you don’t feel admiration; rather, there’s a hint of resentment and irritation. I can only guess how impressive a being you truly are.”

“…”

“The capacity to harbor resentment instead of admiration… that’s the kind of feeling only beings seeking to match the Outer Gods may be allowed to possess.”

I let out a short sigh.

“Sigh… This Master is someone powerful enough to cripple an [Old Ruler]. Do you really think it’s possible for another soul to possess him?”

“If he’s what the Outer God’s description states, it should be enough. Perhaps you are already engaged in some form of competition with the Outer Gods.”

Such remarkable insight!

Indeed, this Leviathan was undoubtedly a demon belonging to realms far beyond that of an Archdemon or Apostle—she was an ancient demon!

“…That’s right.”

“Just as I suspected. Hehe.”

As I gazed at Leviathan, who looked delighted at my confirmation, I added, “I hate to say this, but I don’t have time to entertain you right now. If I can’t complete this mission, everything will spiral out of control.”

“Is that so? Then may I ask one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Does a being like me, Leviathan, exist in your world?”

“Yeah. Though it seems more like a servant of the Three Great Gods of Tianzhu.”

“The Three Great Gods…? I don’t think I’ve heard of them.”

I shrugged.

“There’s a lot that differs between your world and mine. Many things that exist in my world don’t exist in yours.”

“I see…”

After a brief silence, Leviathan asked, “Then would you accept my [name]?”

“…A name?”

“I want to know if my name will resonate in your world… If I can break the oath tying me to this tower… that’s what I wish to know.”

“…”

I thought for a moment before replying, “Sure, I accept it.”

“Thank you… I, Leviathan, vow to devote myself to you eternally with this name!”

Just as a joyous Leviathan bowed her head, her entire form transformed into white mist and flowed into my arm.

Swish!

A moment later, I looked at my arm and noticed that Leviathan’s name was etched onto it.

Seeing that name, I thought, ‘Though the name I’ve held may not be visible, I can faintly sense its lingering mark… Does it mean a conditional seal is at play? Only Leviathan’s activation remains?’

I should check later whether I can summon Leviathan once I return to my original world.

With that thought in mind, I once again began to leap using the Demon God Flying Wheel.

Tydaht

‘The characteristic of the Demon God Flying Wheel is that it leaves afterimages… and each time I move through those afterimages, the focus of potential energy concentrates.’

I shone my eyes as I concentrated all my strength into the soles of my feet.

‘If I gather all this potential energy and explode it at once…!’

Boom!

By exploding the accumulated potential energy in an instant, my body easily surpassed the speed of sound by dozens of times! No, it felt as though I reached several dozen or even hundred times that threshold. Although it should have torn my body apart physically, I sensed that with the protective method of the wheel, I was unharmed. And with that immense explosive energy, I advanced extremely swiftly into the next realm.

Whoosh!

In no time at all, I jumped from the third realm ceiling to the fourth realm. The time taken was extremely brief, and in that blink, I used the Divine Skill’s [Flow] to accurately break through the dimensional rift. It was a precise operation akin to threading a needle through an ant’s waist, yet entirely possible if I could see the flow.

Ka-boom!

After repeating the action several more times, I found myself suddenly in the eighth realm. Upon reaching the eighth realm, there stood a colossal horned demon waiting for me.

[You’ve come…]

“Abaddon.”

With barely a second to react, I found Abaddon staring intensely at me.

Abaddon spoke, [You may not know who I am, but do you intend to engage in battle with me here?]

“What do you mean?”

Grumble…

Abaddon conjured shadows of darkness around us as if to intimidate.

[In this state, we both cannot use our godly powers due to the Seven Sovereigns… Even if you wield your master’s wheel technique, I can manipulate this abyss to attack you… Though I may lack divine power, my demon body has been honed for billions of years… Neither of us can easily defeat the other.]

“And? What do you propose?”

[Let’s make a deal… Perhaps… could you summon the [Book] and bring it here?]

“……”

I fell silent at Abaddon’s proposition.

Then, I spat out, “How audacious! You’re just a [fragments] and you want me to hand over a book that possesses reincarnation abilities? Are you saying you want to become a reborn one?”

At my words, Abaddon’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment.

Then he grinned.

[So you do know. Indeed, you too are a reborn being!]