1152——————==

Soul of the Evil God

Dr. Faust!

I stared beyond the wasteland. And there, I spotted something walking towards me.

Creeeak

Creeeak

It looked like an old scrap puppet. The decades-old puppet resembled a human so closely that it became eerily bizarre. The worn-out puppet approached and spoke.

[An uninvited guest has come. Is that one your companion?]

“…Is that you, Faust?”

The counterpart didn’t respond. Naturally, it felt like a strange thing to ask, so I stole a glance at Zhuge Mu-hu and said.

“For now, yes.”

I had summoned it with the Heavenly Secret Technique to grant my wishes, but since it was here, it must be a companion. Zhuge Mu-hu was looking around with a curious expression. Then the puppet said.

[Welcome to my final hideout. This is the forgotten Star Realm for all.]

“Star Realm?”

[No matter how vast a god’s gaze is, unless they possess a divine presence that encompasses the entire universe, their awareness is limited. So even if I put great physical distance between us, unless I intentionally provide clues from here, even a god wouldn’t know what transpired.]

“…….”

[No need to mention how far that is. I summoned all the techniques available to me and crossed several galaxies.]

At that moment, I recalled what Zhuge Mu-hu had said moments earlier.

[They call it the Hidden Moon too. There’s a legend that while the intercalary month shines, heavenly gods turn their eyes away from humans… In other words, when we start to move this hour hand, we will head toward a certain place invisible to the eyes of the gods.]

And as it turned out, Zhuge Mu-hu had deduced the purpose behind Faust’s hideout from the symbol of the intercalary month. Remembering that this person is one of the greatest geniuses in the history of the Central Plains filled me with awe.

As I was struck with astonishment, Zhuge Mu-hu beside me spoke up.

[Though I ended up here, I’m basically an outsider. It has nothing to do with Baek Woong’s matters. I don’t know what you’re up to, but since I’ve accomplished the task of the Heavenly Secret Technique, I’d like to leave soon.]

Then Faust glanced back at him and said.

[No need to hurry, Zhuge Liang. It seems it’s not entirely unrelated to you.]

[To discern my identity so quickly, you have remarkable skills. Sorry, but I’m not easily surprised by such talents.]

[Even if there’s a possibility that Baek Woong is headed to the Divine Temple of the Emperor?]

[…….]

At that moment, Zhuge Mu-hu’s expression changed. The ennui that had been incessant in his demeanor now bore a complex aura.

[What do you mean?]

[It seems Baek Woong hasn’t explained much to you. He is, in fact, a Reborn Person, battling against the Old Ruler while repeating his life. And in this life, he has acquired the Law of Cause and Effect to determine the fate of this world, he is the Final Existence.]

[What…!!]

[Even the geniuses of the Zhuge clan, your descendants, are serving him, wandering between life and death. There’s no way it doesn’t relate.]

Zhuge Mu-hu turned sharply to look at me. Then he exclaimed, as if dumbfounded.

[So, there’s such an incredible backstory and I was merely used as a riddle solver? That’s ridiculous!]

“Ah… uh, well… originally, I’d handle it somehow, but… I had my own circumstances…”

[Regardless of how capable my descendants may be, it’s a blow to my pride!]

“…….”

I was left speechless. Then Faust, who was listening, spoke up.

[Now, let’s get to the point. Baek Woong, you’re probably wondering why I called you all the way out here through the Hidden Piece.]

“What for?”

[Do you know about Walpurgis Night?]

“……?”

What is that?

Feeling puzzled, I tilted my head, and Faust explained.

[It refers to a spring festival held in my hometown. A feast where witches and demons gather. I decided to call the phenomenon occurring during the ‘end’—Walpurgis Night.]

“…How would I know about that? So what is it?]

[In short, just before the end, a portal to hell opens in the material world. That is Walpurgis Night.]

“……?!”

What, what did you just say?!

In disbelief, I exclaimed.

“A portal to hell?”

[You might have encountered some information about it during your past lives… There exist countless lower dimensions in this world, and among them, there are realms hidden in the form of secret dimensions. A world so evil that the shadows layer upon each other until they get expelled… That is what we call hell. Legends say that those hells are ruled by secret gods.]

“Hmm.”

[Demon Sorcerers often summon spirits from that hell. If the summoning method is established, it’s generally safer than summoning otherworldly beings.]

“So, monsters are going to pour out from a dimension filled with evil spirits?”

[That will be the case.]

“…But why? The world is going to end anyway; what’s the point of those guys coming out?”

My question drew a puzzled response from Faust.

[They intend to elevate their existence by using human lives as offerings. They’re looking to insert themselves into the ‘Revelation’, vying for gain. You can think of it as negotiations with the Old Ruler.]

“Ah….”

[Walpurgis Night will absolutely occur just before the end. Countless demons will invade the human realm…. If you intend to save humanity, you must remember this fact.]

So, that means I’ll have to fight against those demons that come up from hell when the end approaches?

‘Ugh… dealing with otherworldly beings and aliens is already a headache!! What a mess.’

I shook my head, feeling a throbbing headache.

“Damn it. It’s quite a predicament.”

[You shouldn’t say that so lightly. I’m just providing you with this information without delving into the depths. The real trouble starts now.]

Faust continued.

[This is a Star Realm so distant that it takes 20 billion light years to traverse even at the speed of light… The reason I came to this realm isn’t solely to avoid the attention of the gods. It’s because traces of the primordial universe remain here.]

“Traces of the primordial universe?”

[Have you ever heard that the universe expands? A universally accepted theory is that the universe which exploded from a singularity has been constantly expanding since that moment.]

“Ah… I think I’ve heard something like that.”

It sounded like something I learned from Professor Sima Ling at Luoyang University. Faust continued.

[This is the boundary point with the outer universe, caused by the explosion of the singularity, the boundary of the Void. Once you step outside, remnants of the multi-layered cosmic war await, along with a graveyard of chaos. Beyond that graveyard lies the outer universe.]

“……!!”

Now that I think about it, I do recall. When I once traveled to the outer universe, I broke through with the help of Suin, swimming across such a sea of chaos. I looked at the night sky with astonished eyes, as it felt vividly familiar.

Faust continued.

[Originally, I had planned to proceed using the powers of two strong AIs in this realm. However, I never expected Cheon Woo-jin would enlist your help to eliminate Mephistopheles.]

I raised an eyebrow.

“So you were already aware of that event from such a distance?”

[I had previously abandoned my physical form and synchronized within Mephistopheles. So despite how far away I was, I could know when he perished.]

“…You abandoned your physical form and transferred into that iron puppet’s body.”

[There’s no way to come here with a normal body. I borrowed the technology of the Great Race, switching bodies to barely cross 20 billion light years.]

“…….”

[This scrap body, although reinforced as robust as possible using alien technology and alloys, became like this after going through several super-galactic transitions.]

What a ridiculous individual. To abandon his own body for the sake of his convictions and cross 20 billion light years? While his tone was calm, it was evident that Faust was also a kind of madman. I shook my head in disbelief.

“Anyway, what was that plan you were trying to proceed with, utilizing the powers of Mephistopheles and Cheon Woo-jin?”

[Initially, I had a plan to venture beyond the outer universe. Just crossing over would change history as well. Thus, I intended to summon the computational power of the strong AIs to make this realm a Forward Base using quantum craft. However, I soon realized that obtaining the Outer God Observer’s permission was impossible, so I changed plans.]

Faust spoke.

[Traces of the primordial universe… I aimed to reverse engineer the events of the universe’s birth.]

“…I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

[It’s simple. It means this Star Realm is the closest location to where the universe exploded from the singularity, hence it is inscribed with the beginnings of the Great Universe.]

Ohhh

[The function of this pocket watch is precisely that….]

Faust raised his hand. Suddenly, a golden pocket watch that had been missing until now came into view atop his palm. The seven needles of the golden watch all began to tick together, and shortly after, the watch pointed to exactly twelve o’clock.

Tick!

Kugugugugu

Suddenly, the surrounding wasteland began to transform at an extraordinary speed. The ground moved as if alive, draining away like a receding tide, and the stars in the sky seemed to fly around at a breakneck pace. As it accelerated, the world began to resemble colorful lines, and for a moment, white filled the entirety of existence.

Kuoo!!

And when the terrifying transformation ended, I stared wide-eyed at the majestic sight before me.

“……!!”

A gaping hole of unimaginable size burning with chaotic fire! It covered all the universes other than this planet, resembling a [gate]. It appeared as though the entire planet was being devoured, thus bringing a terrifying sense of dread.

Shurrrrr

A moment later, something enormous and dark suddenly burst out from that location. It resembled a lizard with tentacles, glancing around briefly before disappearing through the dimensional gate.

While I was dumbstruck by that horrifying scene, Dr. Faust spoke.

[This happened billions to hundreds of billions of years ago, during the birth of the universe.]

“Wha-what do you mean?”

[It means the Old Rulers were born from that chaos.]

“……!!”

[That chaotic space gradually diminished as the universe expanded and the shockwaves from the singularity faded away, eventually ceasing to give birth to rulers. Later, under the governance of protoplasm-like rulers, other dark entities were promoted to be recognized as rulers.]

“Does that mean that chaotic space was…?”

Dr. Faust fixed his gaze upon the chaos hole and said.

[It was the Divine Seat. The place where the supreme rulers who reign over the universe were born. This was the closest place that used to lead to the Divine Seat.]

“…….”

[Using the pocket watch, I read the traces of the Small Cycle in this space to track the origin of the universe. Of course, reading backward in time is an extremely cautious task since it goes against the gods’ feelings. And without the computational power of strong AIs like Mephistopheles, it would have been impossible to attempt.]

“Hmm… that’s impressive. But, what’s your purpose in figuring out the birth of the Divine Seat?”

I tilted my head, crossing my arms.

“The end is approaching in just a few years; what help does something from billions of years ago offer now…”

[The existence of the Divine Seat was discovered while I was trying to ascertain the origin of the universe, which was a secondary discovery. Actually, my goal is something different.]

“Stop beating around the bush. What is that purpose?”

[What do you think was the first thing to emerge when the singularity of the universe exploded?]

“Hmm….”

[It was the Void Record. The king of omniscience and the king of rulers. The wisest being in the universe! Only [Father] could surpass that existence, and thus, during the explosion of the singularity, the first thing to manifest in the world was the Void Record.]

“Y-You don’t mean…”

As I gasped, Faust looked at the pocket watch.

[That existence could also be an Outer God, so the title of born from the Divine Seat might not be fitting. However, I believe tracking down that existence’s traces to confirm its presence is a shortcut gifted to humanity.]

“So all you’re doing is turning the Small Cycle to see its first descent into this world? Just a re-showing of past memories? What does that even mean!”

[It has ample meaning. Because for that being, the present, past, and future truly do not differ. That being is one of the universe’s greatest transcendents. Thus, just tracking the history and memories of the universe… would allow us to invoke something monumental. Aiming to reach the highest goal achievable by science.]

“……?”

[However, my time was limited, and this pocket watch was still incomplete, so I couldn’t read traces back beyond the hundred billion-year mark… Moreover, with Mephistopheles obliterated by Cheon Woo-jin, I have completely given up on that plan.]

Swoosh

[Take it.]

I received the pocket watch handed by Dr. Faust. Then Faust said.

[Though I couldn’t achieve my true goal before the end, that pocket watch will greatly assist you, a Reborn Person. As you’ve awakened to the power of chaos.]

“Does this pocket watch possess other abilities?”

[Of course. That watch can call forth the time of the Multiverse. Thanks to persistently reading the primordial universe’s computational power from this place, you can say it’s a clone imbued with Mephistopheles’ operating power.]

“……?”

[The product of three thousand years of human science. Probably an ability that even gods can’t typically access.]

What is he talking about? As I stood there, bewildered, Dr. Faust continued.

[Ever since I recognized the existence of Reborn Persons… I used all of my abilities to assist you… in a broad sense to shorten your journey…. Even if right now you can’t grasp the significance of what I’ve given you… the people around you will interpret my intentions… and…].

Creeeak

Creeeak

Faust’s movements began to gradually stiffen. I shouted at him.

“What’s wrong?!”

[To activate the pocket watch… I’ve transferred the core that was placed in the puppet into the watch…. This body will soon come to a stop….]

“……!!”

[This relic that contains the time and efforts of both me and Mephisto… please make good use of it…].

Creeeak….

Dr. Faust ceased to move.

That was effectively his last will.

“…….”

As I stood there in a daze, Zhuge Mu-hu beside me said.

[Baek Woong. Use the pocket watch to go back.]

It had already shifted to the informal speech. I turned to Zhuge Mu-hu and replied.

“I don’t really know how to operate it…”

[Let me have it.]

Creeeak

Zhuge Mu-hu turned the hour hand of the pocket watch backward. The moment he seemed to have taken it back to its original position.

Pa-at!

“Whoa.”

I found myself back at the initial spot where the watch was activated. It was as if Cheon Woo-jin and Asura were waiting for me. As I surveyed the surroundings, Zhuge Mu-hu commented.

“Of course, setting it to the initial time would mean returning to the original state. That white room was basically a manual for the pocket watch; didn’t you get any of it?”

“…….”

Zhuge Mu-hu naturally looked at the two and spoke.

[Nice to meet you. I’m Zhuge Liang, having joined since I found out Baek Woong is a Reborn Person.]

“What the heck happened?”

Asura appeared bewildered. However, Cheon Woo-jin seemed to have caught on and spoke to me.

[So, you met Dr. Faust.]

“…Yeah.”

I shared the memory of the Obsidian with the three of them. After a moment, Cheon Woo-jin remarked.

[Dr. Faust’s plan was to meet with the king of omniscience. But it became an impossible plan in this life.]

“…….”

[Baek Woong. You have approximately 3 hours, 45 minutes, and 23 seconds left until your scheduled death. What are you planning to do now?]

“Enough time.”

I gritted my teeth and said.

“I heard from the Prophet to do what I wanted, so I’ll follow that advice. Of course, I’ll crush Xiang Yu no matter what!”

[…….]

“Hmm. Sounds about right.”

Asura had a nonchalant air about him, as if he anticipated something like this.

Feeling something off about his demeanor, I asked.

“With that earlier attitude, I thought you’d object, but you don’t seem to mind at all.”

“Well, even if I did object, you have only 3 hours until you die. Couldn’t you at least grant just this one wish? I’ve been waiting for you for hundreds of years.”

“…….”

“And I kinda wanna fight Xiang Yu too.”

Cheon Woo-jin sighed.

[Do as you wish. It seems there’s no choice but to reveal your identity to Sagong Lin now.]

“Are you sure about that?”

[If you die, then everything ends, so there’s no need to hide anymore.]

“…Thanks.”

Thus, I headed to the Imperial Palace with Asura. I showed Cheon Woo-jin and Sagong Lin the memories contained within the Obsidian and revealed the existence of Cheon Woo-jin and Asura.

“That’s absurd. Baek Woong, were you doubting me all this time….”

Sagong Lin spoke in a hurt tone, leaving me uncertain how to respond. Meanwhile, Cheon Woo-jin’s reaction upon being called back during vacation was surprisingly mild.

“I understand. So you’re saying you’re off to kill Xiang Yu.”

“Yeah.”

“Considering the energy contained in Xiang Yu’s strength, it might be tough, but we should give it a shot. This won’t be the end, right? Jin So-cheong mentioned something about a knot.”

“Hmm?”

Cheon Woo-jin smiled wryly.

“…I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t become accustomed to living a repetitive life while receiving the Obsidian. Still, I’m just glad I’ve managed to do all that I could until now.”

“Cheon Woo-jin….”

“And you’re a real jerk.”

“Huh?”

“You’re dragging me out on a forced vacation to face death…”

“…….”

“I’m not joking. You’re really a jerk. You should die.”

Why’s he cursing at me again?

Pa-at!

After a short while, we set out for the Celestial Realm with our full strength. And we decided to challenge the 98th floor once more.

Upon arriving at the 98th floor, Xiang Yu appeared and said.

“You’ve returned again.”

“Xiang Yu! This time it won’t be easy.”

“Not easy? Is that all you have to say? You’ve brought the strongest of humanity with you.”

“Hmm?”

I was slightly taken aback by Xiang Yu’s unexpectedly humble words. He scanned our group casually before saying.

“But the reason Nüwa has appointed me as the Trial Master is for the [Trial of Absolute Power]. Even if you bring the strongest beings, you cannot defeat me. Did you not catch the meaning of Nüwa aiding me?”

“…….”

As I pondered his meaning, Asura stepped forward with a smirk, leading with his sword technique.

“My name is Asura. Do you perhaps know me?”

“I’ve heard of you. A troublemaker among the Eight Parts of the Divine.”

“Oh, what an honor.”

“I heard you are a Demon King, yet here you are in human form?”

At that remark, Asura shrugged.

“Seems like the Overlord of the West is quite the talkative one. What’s up with all this chatter?”

“…….”

“You think this is pitiful? You’re in a situation where you can’t even afford to lose.”

Xiang Yu showed a rare signs of irritation.

“Know that my intentions are not malicious.”

“Ha! Just keep in mind that it fuels my eagerness to take on the challenge.”

Grinning, Asura slowly lowered his sword to the left-hand side.

“Then I’ll take the lead.”