984——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I watched from a distance as the Eight Parts of the Divine began to repel all their demon troops. From the palace, a horde of otherworldly beings poured out, disappearing through a spatial gate, a staggering number, hundreds if not more. Additionally, I saw lights flickering out in rooms where demonic ceremonies were being held. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that in this Kremlin of Moscow, a Demon Palace was erected.

“Ugh… Huh…”

Moments later, I caught sight of an old man panting against the throne. I stared at him blankly.

‘Ivan IV.’

The incredible power I once saw seemed to have vanished. Although he still had a bit of strength left, it looked like that too would soon extinguish, and he appeared to have reverted to an ordinary human.

‘… So the celestial fellow. Did he drain all his strength, having mythologized himself for no reason…?’

I walked slowly forward, locking eyes with him, and Ivan IV weakly opened his eyes to look at me. I aimed my sword at his neck and said,

“Are you ready to die, Your Majesty?”

To my surprise, Ivan IV seemed to understand my words in Central Plains language, responding with a faint smile and an equally faint tone.

“Who are you? If you’re here to slay the Emperor, reveal your name.”

So he learned Central Plains language as part of his education as the Emperor of Arasa?

I thought it was impressive that he spoke it well.

‘Still, to manage a smile in this situation.’

That’s some serious guts. I inwardly respected Ivan IV and spoke.

“My name is Baek Woong. I am the Emperor of the Central Plains.”

” … I see… Just as I heard… You’re the one…”

Ivan IV didn’t have an exaggerated look of surprise, as if he had heard of my reputation. Even if a boy claimed to be an Emperor, skepticism would be expected, yet he appeared calm. Knowing that this was the grace and dignity of a ruler, I thought to let Ivan IV pass peacefully.

“I’ll make it quick and painless. However, the Archbishop Belov will be coming soon; are you willing to speak with him?”

” … Belov…”

Ivan IV suddenly wore a gloomy expression and shook his head.

“No. Tell him I’m sorry for doing as I pleased to my most cherished friend…”

“You appear to be a great ruler, but why did you align with the Demon Path?”

” … Anastasia… my wife…”

Ivan IV coughed weakly and continued.

“It was because of the claim that I could revive her, the only light in my life… In the end, I was consumed by [power]…”

“So you weren’t in your right mind while mythologized.”

“Yeah… that power was extraordinarily sweet. But now, I regret having momentarily forgotten my purpose in intoxication…”

Ivan IV, who had been silent for a while, suddenly straightened his back. His gaze cleared, shining brightly. With the dignity of a ruler regained, Ivan IV thundered,

“Strike me down, Overlord of the Central Plains! If you defeat me, this world will then be yours; carry the burden of hegemony forward!”

I stared right back at him. His eyes showed neither cowardice nor fear. We exchanged glances for a while, and I slightly lowered my head and said,

“Farewell!!”

Swish!

With a single clean stroke, I severed Ivan IV’s head in an instant. It was so swift and accurate that he probably didn’t even feel pain. I slowly sheathed my sword, contemplating.

‘He was a hero, too!’

Not many can be so calm and dignified before death. Throughout my life, I have dispatched numerous enemies, yet the overwhelming majority of them’s eyes turned to fear and despair before death. But if one can stand so boldly in the face of their demise, they deserve respect.

Soon, the allied forces of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Western Nations, led by Belov, entered the palace. Belov glanced at Ivan IV’s corpse before looking at me and said,

“What were his last words?”

“He said to tell his most cherished friend he is sorry for acting on his own…”

“……”

As I met Belov’s gaze, he seemed to understand. He bit his lip tightly and picked up Ivan IV’s head, wrapping it in a cloth. Once he finished the task, Belov spoke.

“Thank you for your assistance in this matter. We will now handle the affairs of our nation. If you wish not to assist, please take your leave.”

“Sure. But I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know anything about the Dharma Techniques of the Non-Birth Mother?”

“……?”

He wore a confused expression. Well, I get that this isn’t information easily known to Belov, but since this was the most crucial matter right now, I had to bring it up. With a smirk, I said,

“If you don’t know now, find out later and let me know. This is my payment for this endeavor.”

“Got it.”

Whoosh

I mounted the Black Dragon Dracula and exited Moscow. I rode on the dragon instead of using the Transference Gate because I had heard something from Krishna beforehand.

“Hmm… It should be nearby.”

After ascending into the skies for a while, I saw a dazzling light that seemed to be luring me, guiding me to a cliff in an uninhabited plain.

At that cliff, Krishna was waiting.

“Baek Woong! You’ve taken on yet another task.”

Krishna had told me to come here and talk once the job was finished. As I dismounted from the Black Dragon’s neck, I asked,

“Are you planning to lecture me on being good?”

“Discussing good and evil in your presence would be utterly pointless…”

Krishna murmured meaningfully.

“I can’t talk about the [clue] here. You need to come visit the temple in Guji Rat later.”

“What? What kind of nonsense is that? I’ve done everything you asked. Does it look easy to negotiate with the Eight Parts of the Divine?”

I frowned, and Krishna sighed.

“… [He] is acutely monitoring the fluctuations of the Law of Cause and Effect. At least in this realm, we can’t escape his attention, so I’d like you to come somewhere safer. Otherwise, we might all perish in an instant.”

“[He]? Who is that?”

“……”

Krishna remained silent and gazed steadily at me. That meant he could not answer, and I could roughly guess who [he] was. So, I reluctantly nodded and told Krishna,

“Fine. I have nothing pressing to do right now, so guide me. I’ll follow you to hear the clue.”

“Come visit later.”

“Wait a second! I have another question—do you know anything about Xuanyuan Sword?”

“I’ll talk to you about that later.”

Swish!!

Krishna vanished just like that. After finishing my conversation with Krishna, I returned to base with the Black Dragon. When I shared the obsidian with my companions regarding the developments, Zhuge Sa said,

“Why are you back so soon?”

“Huh?”

“You killed Ivan IV. Why don’t you just declare yourself Emperor of Arasa too? Simply open the Transference Gate in the Central Plains to send an army to Arasa, and that would be that. Belov will fuss, but once you appease Behemoth, the Eastern Orthodox Church will be in your grasp.”

“……”

“Then, you’d have unified the Central Plains and Arasa, effectively controlling 30% of the world’s land.”

Oh? Is that how it works?

I scratched my head, feeling a bit flustered.

“W-Well, that’s not really what’s important right now, right? It’s not like we’re playing tag…”

“Actually, it is like playing tag. If you swallow Arasa, it’s only natural to think of the benefits that come with it. The gold and treasures that pour out of that massive empire would fill mountains, and the countless troops and labor would be free.”

“……”

“Considering the currently available 400,000 soldiers in the Central Plains, you could double that in no time.”

“Oh…”

I fell silent, and Mangnyang said,

“Baek Woong has a point, uncle. Given the escalating confrontation with the Twelve Joules, rushing in with greed might lead to blunders like Tacho’s. Plus, attempting to devour such a vast empire all at once will stir considerable backlash. Anyway, since the Eight Parts of the Divine has pulled back, the Arasa Empire is fair game; you could rule it when you please.”

“That’s true.”

“More importantly, that Krishna fellow is quite suspicious. He insists on having you visit the Temple of Guji Rat… It’s probably a precaution against the Four Sovereigns.”

Four Sovereigns – I knew that this hidden meaning referred to Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen. Krishna had already mentioned that he couldn’t oppose the Emperor, so it was impossible not to pick up on that. I found it odd and asked Mangnyang,

“What’s strange about Krishna’s words? They seem perfectly logical.”

“The fact that everything he says makes sense is what’s strange. It’s as if he’s been waiting to dangle clues right in front of us… How can we not be cautious?”

“Hmm!”

“Considering he even put forth an ultimatum, it suggests he’s not outright planning to betray us, but there’s surely something ulterior at play. We should be careful not to be too easily led.”

“So you’re suggesting we shouldn’t visit the Temple of Guji Rat?”

“Not at all. I’m saying we should prepare thoroughly before we go meet him.”

Mangnyang continued speaking.

“Baek Woong, the priority right now is to find out Asura’s whereabouts. By tracking down Asura at this point, we can ensure more favorable conditions for the next life.”

“Got it. Should I go after Asura by myself again?”

“Umm…”

Mangnyang seemed unusually hesitant. Not understanding his hesitation, I tilted my head, and Zhuge Bu, who had been listening, chimed in.

“Baek Woong! What do you think is the biggest problem within our ranks right now?”

“Uh? I’m not so sure… Was there a problem, Zhuge Bu?”

When I asked, Zhuge Bu smiled wryly.

“The issue is that you’re the only two powerful enough to stand against an Otherworldly being alongside the Master of the White Lotus Sect.”

“Um…!!”

“We’ve got the largest force across all past lives, but when it comes down to facing transcendent beings, your potential allies are surprisingly few. You and the Master of the White Lotus Sect could certainly handle the Eight Parts of the Divine one-on-one; however, the Dharma Guardian falls a bit short, and sorcerers like us are out of the running.”

“That’s true. I’ve felt that too.”

“If we’re just looking to dominate the human realm, there’s no issue. However, if we’re anticipating competition from the Celestial Realm or the Three Sovereigns down the line, we currently lack sufficient strength. That’s why we need to cultivate warriors.”

Zhuge Bu continued,

“Krishna already said meeting Asura right now would be premature. Thus, focus on fortifying our forces and strengthen martial artists using your own memories and fortuitous encounters. Then, maximize the number of masters in the Absolute Realm!”

“… Understood!”

After discussing further with my advisors, I left the meeting room and sought out the Sword Demon.

Swish

Arriving at the Shadowless Gate, I greeted the Sword Demon.

“How have you been?”

“Hmm! Please, come inside, Your Majesty.”

The Sword Demon led me into his quarters, laughing heartily.

“Since you’re the Emperor now, it’ll be a bad look for others to see us speaking casually.”

“Being called an Emperor is quite uncomfortable…”

“Given you’ve come, does this mean you need my strength now?”

I nodded and shared the obsidian with the Sword Demon. After absorbing the memories, he pondered.

“I see… Nurturing Absolute Realm practitioners! That’s very important.”

“At this point, you and Jin So-cheong are the closest to that goal. Extreme Tiger could be too…”

“But Extreme Tiger and you already made a promise.”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm. I understand the purpose of your visit. You want me to provide guidance in cultivating practitioners of the Absolute Realm.”

“Exactly.”

“In that case, we should unearth and cultivate the Poison King Tang San. Moreover, the Master of Shadowless Sword and Dokgo Seong are also among those closest to the Absolute Realm. Personally, I believe the Master of the Teng Yu Alliance Wei Zhi-hun has such martial talent as well.”

“Yet, I can’t fully trust them as comrades…”

“Hahaha. Talk of trust… is that really necessary?”

“Eh?”

The Sword Demon smiled brightly.

“You’ve already proven your worth as a king, and you’ve actually become an Emperor. Those who know the truth about you can never betray you. So why worry so much about gaining the trust of the subordinates?”

“Hmm…”

“If it comes to that, it wouldn’t matter if you dismissed them then.”

“By the way, I heard you became the Divine Being of the Heretical Sect. How did the others of the Eight Demons fare?”

“Oh. Following the method you suggested, it was very easy. I killed off the disobedient ones, and the rest all became my subordinates.”

The Sword Demon chuckled.

“I was skeptical, but truly mastering the Seven Great Techniques and Eight Immortals Divine Art rendered those fellows useless… Hahaha.”

Indeed.

The method I suggested was simply using obsidian to forcefully imbue martial arts memories, and since I greatly enhanced the Sword Demon’s internal power with Black and White Lotus, he acquired strength beyond expectations. The quality of the memories was the key factor here.

The Sword Demon stroked his chin.

“Hmm. If you utilize your obsidian well, cultivating Absolute Realm practitioners shouldn’t be a huge issue. But there’s one thing that worries me…”

“What are you concerned about?”

The Sword Demon’s eyes sparkled.

“It’s about the tasks at hand.”