1148——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I pondered over Eungui’s words.

‘Hmm… First, let’s figure out Eungui’s intentions.’

It felt like I needed to understand that before making a choice. I spoke to Eungui.

“Eungui, why are you being so kind to me?”

“Is that strange?”

“Yes. I honestly want to know why someone I’ve never met would go so far as to stop a Qilin to show me kindness.”

“That’s a valid question.”

Eungui nodded and replied.

“Actually, I’ve already taken a look into the future of this world.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“The results were quite bizarre. No matter how many times I tried, the initial divination became meaningless. This means I can’t use divination to see beyond the cycle anymore… Everything depends on your choices, Baek Woong, which hold the potential for the world’s destruction.”

“……”

“I wish to engage with the future through our connection. You could call it a kind of transaction.”

I see.

So Eungui isn’t particularly fond of me; instead, I exist at the center of causality, and without me, there’s no future to see. By forming a bond with me, they want to catch a glimpse of the future…

I asked again.

“What do you mean by ‘fighting gently’? Does that mean you won’t kill or harm us?”

“That would be the case. Even if such a situation arises, I can resolve it, so I can offer you a realistic practice combat.”

“How strong is the Qilin?”

“Baek Woong, how much do you know about the strength of the Four Divine Beasts?”

“Um… I know the dragon, Eung-ryong, among the mythic beasts, is currently in the Divine Temple and is strong enough to rival the Five Sovereigns.”

Eungui calmly replied to that.

“The strongest of the mythic beasts is the Phoenix, followed by Eung-ryong and the Qilin, who are on equal footing. In terms of simple combat power, I am the weakest among the four.”

“……!!”

“However, the Phoenix has never been encountered by anyone in reality, so it is a mythical being. Therefore, in practical terms, the Qilin is indeed one of the mightiest divine beasts.”

I couldn’t help but be surprised by that. So I exclaimed.

“Are you saying the Qilin is as strong as the Three Sovereigns?!”

“Well, it can’t truly be equal to those ancient divine kings in a genuine sense. Normally, it’s viewed as slightly weaker. However, it remains an existence that humans or even a typical divine nature cannot match, having lived for billions of years as a spirit.”

“Uhm….”

What is so strong about it?

Having faced the true form of Eung-ryong at the end of the Seven Luminaries trials, chills ran down my spine. While I was shivering at the strength of the Four Divine Beasts, the Sword Demon, who had been deep in thought next to me, suddenly spoke up.

“Eungui, you mentioned the Phoenix of the Four Divine Beasts is a mythical being, yet you assert it is the strongest? Isn’t that contradictory?”

“Oh, now that you mention it.”

I realized that the Sword Demon was right. How could one claim it’s the strongest without even having seen it? To that question, Eungui responded with a faint smile.

“I can’t divulge that.”

“Why not?”

“The primordial contract. It’s a secret regarding the origin of our Four Divine Beasts…”

“……?”

What does that mean?

I couldn’t grasp it well, but it seemed Eungui was hiding something important about the current discussion. And that secret was clearly not something to be revealed so easily, so I decided to get to the point.

“Anyway, if the Qilin is at the level of the Five Sovereigns, won’t we be unable to defeat it no matter what we do?”

“No. The Qilin is a top-tier existence under the law of causality, meaning I can only send you an avatar. The main body cannot normally manifest. However, even that avatar will be very powerful, so I’m offering an opportunity for practice combat.”

“Ah.”

So that’s what it meant!

‘Well, if even Miho in her current state can’t act hastily due to causality, then the Qilin, being on equal standing with Eung-ryong, would certainly have challenges…’

Then, maybe a mock battle with the Qilin wouldn’t be a bad idea?

On the other hand, the divination Eungui proposed about [The Fate of the End] also piqued my interest. In a situation where I had no idea what would happen at the end, the opportunity to directly engage with the causality through Eungui’s divination could provide valuable clues for the future.

As I mulled over this, the Sword Demon spoke up.

“Baek Woong, it might be better to avoid the mock battle and choose the divination.”

I turned to look at him as he continued.

“I have a bad feeling about this. Even though it might hold back in a mock battle, facing someone incredibly strong could dampen your spirit from the get-go.”

“Are you saying it’s pointless?”

“Exactly. We’re battling while putting our offspring forward, but it’s quite challenging to claim their power as our own, right? Doing a mock battle now would only show how strong our offspring is, and it’s hard to apply that to our actual situation.”

“That’s true, but…”

“It might be more appropriate to wait for the trials of this tower to conclude and gain divination for future directions. That way, even Eungui would find it more advantageous.”

The Sword Demon had a point. Deciding to follow his advice, I spoke.

“Eungui, I’ll avoid the mock battle with the Qilin and request the divination from you!”

“Very well. Is that your final choice?”

“Yes…”

Just then.

Whoooooooom

I felt a strange sensation as if space was rippling, and my vision turned entirely dark.

“Huff!!”

While I was on high alert with the Great Liberation spear in hand due to the sudden twist, a figure suddenly appeared before me.

It was Hang-a, who slowly spoke.

[Master, will you remember this time?]

“……? What are you talking about…?”

[I am the Terminal of Memory. I serve to grant the power of the Book. Thus, I wish to ask you whether you would remember the time….]

“……”

It was odd enough that Hang-a acted unusually, but now she appeared to be under the influence of some will. Moreover, it was suspicious that I could only see Hang-a while the other figures, like Eungui, Hou Yi, and the Sword Demon, were nowhere to be seen. I cautiously asked Hang-a.

“Hang-a! Did you stop time? With the power of the divine race…?”

[Originally, as the child of Jeogok, I could wield such powers, but I cannot penetrate the will of the Great Eungui’s four divine beasts. It’s out of the question.]

“Um… that’s so.”

[This is the power of the Great Book. You have awakened…. it is your rightful privilege.]

Hang-a gently reached out both hands to hold mine.

[Master of my name, will you remember this time?]

“…Ugh. I won’t part with my family! Your husband is Hou Yi!”

[No….]

For a brief moment, Hang-a looked as if she were taken aback by the absurdity of my response. Then her expression returned to normal.

[Will you remember this time?]

“Uhm….”

It didn’t seem like she meant to suggest having a good time. I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, pondering.

‘Are you asking if I’d like to remember time?’

From her repetitive mechanical speech, it seemed that I needed to either agree or disagree with that statement to escape this dark temporal space. But what a strange thing that was—to remember time? I mean, isn’t it something one naturally remembers anyway? So was there really a need to ask about it?

In the end, I had no choice but to bluntly ask.

“What happens if I remember time?”

[If you choose to remember it, you can recall the retained time when you pay the cost to the Book later.]

“……? What does that even mean?”

[Will you remember this time?]

“If I refuse, what happens?”

[At the next critical branch, you’ll get the chance to remember it again.]

A critical branch?

Could it be referring to the branches of the future?

‘If that’s so, is this moment truly a crucial choice…?’

The choice between engaging with the Qilin’s apparition or receiving Eungui’s divination is indeed a significant decision, and that must be why Hang-a came out to make this proposal.

“Is the opportunity to remember unlimited?”

[Not at all. You only have one chance in a lifetime.]

“Ah….”

If it’s a singular opportunity, then agreeing without understanding could lead to loss. Given that it’s a one-time chance, the outcome could vary vastly based on timing. After a moment of thought, I said.

“I’ll remember this time.”

What the heck, let’s just give it a shot!

[Thank you for your choice….]

Swooosh

Hang-a, who was holding my hand, began to fade away. Then, after a while, she radiated a massive light, filling my entire vision with whiteness.

Paff

When I came to, Hang-a was standing some distance away, looking unbothered while I had returned to normal.

“……”

As I stared at Hang-a for a while, she smiled softly, and Hou Yi, noticing her smile, wore a fierce expression.

“Don’t stare at her like that.”

“Oh, fine.”

I was still unsure what had just happened. Something incredibly bizarre had unfolded that seemed to transcend the common sense of this world, and I thought I’d have to ask Mangnyang about it later.

“Then I will now do the divination of the end, Baek Woong.”

“Please do.”

Eungui conjured a table and placed a divination bowl on it before murmuring.

“By the name of the Four Divine Beasts Eungui, O future of the end…. let your appearance be revealed through the causality of Baek Woong.”

Thud

As Eungui slammed the bowl onto the ground, three sticks sprang out, falling haphazardly. Observing the fallen shapes carefully, Eungui handed the bowl to me and said.

“This time, please tap the bowl gently on the table.”

Thud

Following Eungui’s instructions, as I struck the table with the bowl, three sticks flew out from my bowl as well.

Six sticks.

After staring at the arrangement for a while, Eungui said.

“Baek Woong… Please don’t be shocked and listen carefully.”

“Yeah?”

As Eungui continued, I froze in place.

“It’s truly a great misfortune. You will die tomorrow…. The divination speaks thus.”

“…….”

What the heck?

Eungui let out a cynical smile as if in disbelief.

“I never expected the one bearing the causality of the end to die so soon…”

“N-No, wait a second. Why am I dying?”

“I don’t know the reason. However, the will of the Great Universe… said you will die tomorrow.”

Swoosh

Eungui began to slowly vanish into the silver mist. Before he disappeared, he left one last remark.

“Once you die tomorrow… everything will return to the embrace of the Great [Father]….”

Paff

As soon as that sentence finished, the Dimension Door of the 97th floor opened.

Eungui had guided me through the trial, allowing a path to the 98th floor. However, I felt no joy.

“…This can’t be happening.”

I shouted as I looked around at my companions.

“Even the Four Divine Beasts get it wrong sometimes! Why would I die tomorrow? I could just pause the tower assault for today and rest at the Eight Trigrams Pavilion. Ha ha ha.”

“No, quite the opposite, Baek Woong.”

Thump

The Sword Demon stepped forward with a serious face.

“We must head immediately to the 98th floor. We have to meet Fuxi today.”

“Sword Demon, why are you believing such nonsensical divination…?”

The Sword Demon sighed heavily, as if exhausted.

“Hah… If it were just a fortune-teller, we could brush it off as nonsense. But can we really dismiss the divination made by the Four Divine Beasts regarding the trials of Fuxi and Nüwa?”

“……”

“That being is not just any idle creature. That divination reflects the truth.”

No way…

I thought the trials of the Celestial Realm were merely a passing occurrence in this life…

I believed the real battle lay down on Earth, facing against the Master of the Twelve Joules…

Do I really die tomorrow?

In disbelief, I stood there in a daze, but the Sword Demon shook my shoulder, snapping me back.

“Wake up! At this point, there is only one way for you, Baek Woong, to escape this fate of death. Don’t you understand?!”

“What is that?”

“As I said, you must meet Fuxi.”

The Sword Demon spoke with determined eyes.

“We must reach the 100th floor today and receive the method to escape the fate of death from them! That’s the only option!”

“……!!”

Dammit!

Is it really true?!

I collected myself and clenched my teeth.

“Fine. Let’s do this!!”

There’s no other way.

Since I planned to conquer it all anyway, let’s break through to the 100th floor at once!

Paff

We ascended directly to the 98th floor via the Dimension Door.

And as soon as we arrived at the 98th floor, a familiar voice echoed.

“Looks like eager minds are here. Trying to challenge this king’s trial already?”

The Demon King of Xiang Yu stood next to a massive black horse, resembling an inky shadow.