1178——————==

Soul of the Evil God

“……?”

The Zodiac members didn’t seem to react to my words, treating them like a bunch of nonsensical jokes. Both Berus and the rest maintained their stoic expressions. I felt a throbbing headache and continued.

“Even if you challenge the Trials of the Seven Luminaries, you can’t save the world. That’s because it’s Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen’s trap.”

“I can’t believe that. How do you know about this?”

“I’ve experienced it myself. I’ve already challenged the Trials of the Seven Luminaries and made it to the very last moment.”

“…….”

“There was no salvation.”

Berus looked like he couldn’t believe his ears. He then spoke up.

“You’re spouting nonsense. Do you know the conditions that trigger the Trials of the Seven Luminaries?”

“Is there anyone who knows better than I do!”

I snapped back.

“There are two phenomena that occur when all Seven Luminaries are gathered. You claim you’re saving the world, but you only know one of those phenomena, which is wrong, so what exactly do you plan to do?”

“…Two phenomena?”

“One is challenging the King Selection arranged by Gong Sun Xuanwen to become the king of humanity. That’s what you’re talking about, and the other one is….”

At that moment, I noticed all the Zodiac members focusing their gazes on me. They were encountering information about the Seven Luminaries they had no idea about until now. I felt a playful smirk creeping up my face as I continued.

“…If you give me information about the Arm of Chi You, I’ll tell you.”

“…….”

Both Berus and all the opposing officials looked troubled. Among them, Vivian, the Witch of the Lake sitting in the middle, spoke up.

“Baek Woong. What you say isn’t a lie.”

At this, not only Berus but also officials like Kaliostro, Hasan, and Vatory all jumped slightly. Especially Berus, unable to hide the change in his expression, said with a twisted face.

“It can’t be…. For hundreds of years, our Society’s officials have worked their fingers to the bone gathering information on the Seven Luminaries, and we were more ignorant than that Oriental monster?”

“That’s right. I have the ability to discern [truth] with the power of the Guardian, so I can tell that what he says is true.”

“Hmm….”

Vivian gazed directly at me and continued.

“However, there’s something I still don’t understand. Baek Woong, knowing such information, why are you not acting to save the world?”

“…….”

“Please tell me how you knew that the Trials of the Seven Luminaries were a trap.”

“Would you tell if you were in my position? Giving away information for free in a bargaining situation is foolish. I might throw a few comments your way to amuse myself, since you’ve acted foolishly.”

“…….”

I spoke in a smooth tone.

“And most importantly, even attempting the Trials of the Seven Luminaries with your current power doesn’t guarantee success. There’s a high chance you’ll be wiped out, so it’d be wise to understand your place.”

“Are you saying that you know of the powers of the wizards from Paliyas and the gods? They have been protecting humans from evil beings since ancient times. If you awaken them….”

I waved my hand dismissively.

“Not a chance. I gathered the strongest powers I could muster from the human realm to challenge it, and I narrowly escaped death countless times. Whether they’re gods or whatever, they will never be stronger than the powers I faced back then.”

“Such immense confidence…”

Vivian looked at me like I was a lunatic, but I was completely confident.

‘At that time, I had gathered the strongest sorcerer Cheon Gong-pyo, the disciple of Master Mangnyang, Cheon Woo-jin, the Celestial Sage, and many companions in the Absolute Realm. They even utilized the resonance of the Seven Luminaries in battle. Yet….’

In the Trials of the Wood and Earth, I practically had to force victories. It was more accurate to say that the martial artists from the Absolute Realm performed miracles against the odds. Moreover, because the Earth had a high fondness for me, it let me get away with a lot, and the spirit of Earth was an opponent that should ideally be impossible to conquer.

Even the identity of the Guardian that appears in the last Trial of the Sun….

“Damn it. Just thinking about it is giving me mixed feelings…. It wasn’t meant to be awakened.”

If they knew that, there’s no way they could think they could conquer the Trials of the Seven Luminaries with just Paliyas’ gods and wizards. Even summoning them could not be compared to the powers of Cheon Gong-pyo, Celestial Sage, and Cheon Woo-jin from back then.

I recalled my past and said to Vivian.

“Since you’re also a faction fighting for humans, I’d prefer to avoid rough tactics. So, as I propose, I’ll tell you everything about the Trials of the Seven Luminaries if you tell me about the Arm of Chi You. You can decide whether to challenge after you hear what I have to say.”

“Even if we hear about the Trials of the Seven Luminaries, if you don’t hand over the Luminaries, it’ll be of no use.”

“Does it matter? After all, even if we try, we won’t be able to overcome the trial.”

Ku huhu.

A tense air lingered between the Western Society and us for a moment. Then Vivian spoke up after a while.

“First, tell me one thing before I accept your proposal.”

“What do you want to know?”

“What is your goal? Since the establishment of the Great Bear Empire, your actions have been a mystery, and we have been unable to discern your intentions. I acknowledge the remarkable achievement of the great hero who risked his life to defeat the Sea God, but please tell me what you truly desire.”

“…….”

“Please. We no longer have the leisure to spare.”

Vivian seemed to speak with an earnestness in her eyes. I glanced at Zhuge Liang and Sagong Lin once, and they both nodded as if they agreed.

‘This is turning into a bother, and it’s meaningless to keep gauging each other’s intentions. They’re not that hostile either. Let’s just use the Obsidian here.’

I thought for a moment and then spoke.

“My goal is the True Martial Home.”

“The True Martial Home, you say…?”

“Take this. Be cautious, as it contains Evil Qi.”

Whoosh!

I tossed the Obsidian filled with my memory to Vivian. The moment she caught it, I transmitted my memories.

Wuuuuuu!

Vivian, receiving my memories, appeared dazed, staring blankly into the void for a moment. Then, after a while, she spoke.

“This can’t… be…”

“Do you now understand the meaning behind what I told you?”

“…I understand.”

With an expression of resignation, Vivian lowered her head and continued.

“I will tell you the location of the Arm of Chi You without conditions.”

Suddenly!

At that moment, two people stood up from their seats. One was a young knight donned in golden armor with a silk cloak, and the other was Berus. The young knight in gold armor spoke incredulously.

“Regardless of Lady Vivian’s decision, I cannot accept this. How can we be so powerless in a matter concerning the end of the world?”

“I feel the same. Kneeling to Emperor Baek Woong’s silver tongue would be a disgrace to us.”

As they showed resistance, Vivian spoke.

“Enough. I have realized everything now. We are the hindrances, and the only salvation for us is to aid Baek Woong.”

“……!!”

However, the young knight in golden armor stepped forward with a clatter, presenting his shining great sword towards me.

“I cannot accept this. You, being an emperor, cannot be stopped by a few childish words from me!”

I stared blankly at the tip of the great sword.

“What will you do if you can’t accept this?”

“Since you are an emperor, I too was a king of a nation. It’s fitting to settle it with a duel!”

“A duel, huh? Sounds interesting.”

I glanced over at Berus beside me and said.

“You seem to have quite the grudge as well. How about joining in?”

Berus stood there with his arms crossed before saying.

“…Stop. I will respect Lady Vivian’s opinion.”

“Is that so? Then I just have to deal with this golden-haired brat.”

Swish!

I stood up and spoke.

“I am Baek Woong. What’s your name?”

Kuuuuuu!!

The young knight unleashed a powerful spirit energy from his entire body, grasping the great sword with both hands and taking his stance.

“I am Arthur Pendragon, member of the Zodiac! Here, I challenge you to a duel with the power of Excalibur!”

Arthur Pendragon?

That name sounds familiar….

‘He definitely seems strong.’

The energy he radiated appeared to surpass even peak experts of the Central Plains. Regardless of his pure martial skill, the golden armor and shining great sword he wielded provided an added boost to his already formidable power. Truly, he was deserving of being an official in the greatest secret society of the West, but I unsheathed my sword smoothly and spoke without any tension.

“Make the first move.”

“Don’t give me orders!!”

Swoosh –

In that moment, his Excalibur shone silver and came at me. Realizing that the attack wasn’t just pure speed but a cutting strike, I immediately understood I had no choice but to use the Three Treasure Technique to evade.

Slash!

The sleeve of my garment was torn. I glanced at it and muttered.

“A sword that slices through dimensions.”

Through my intent, I could feel the way that sword moved through dimensions, cutting through to a place I would not expect and cleaving through me. If one has never faced an attack like this, they might find themselves caught off guard. But since I had experience dealing with dimension-manipulating attacks, I managed to dodge it lightly.

“Excalibur is the world’s strongest sword! The weapon matches the martial artist’s skill, so don’t call me a coward.”

It’s certainly a great sword. If we’re talking pure attack power, it might rival or exceed that of the Seven Luminaries, no doubt. But rather than being intimidated, I retorted.

“From the way you speak, it seems many have mocked you for being cowardly due to your weapon, huh?”

“…….”

King Arthur flinched at my comment.

“Don’t worry.”

I chuckled and assumed the stance of the Thunder God Lineage.

“Even with that, without holding your own, you can’t close the gap in our skill levels.”

“You impudent brat!”

Swoosh!

Once again, King Arthur struck at me, but in that moment, I focused my intent to detect the direction and trajectory of his dimensional slash. I perfectly matched my blade’s edge with the center of gravity of Excalibur, shifting my energy through the power of transformation and approached him in a step while using the Three Treasure Technique to counterattack.

Kang!

King Arthur raised his primary weapon at a slant to parry my counterattack. Amidst this, I saw a flaw in Arthur’s martial skills and was distracted by it.

‘Tch. It would have been better to just go for a straight cut from above.’

Having fought with the knights of the West back during my time in Arasa, I recognized their martial skills well, so I spun around while making a three-step move and kicked upwards, catching him off guard in the blind spot of his parry. It was a blatant weakness, and I couldn’t pass up the chance.

Boom!!

“Gah!”

King Arthur flew into the air after being kicked in the face and tumbled onto the ground. Although it should have burst his head to pieces from such a powerful kick, he ended up with his jaw shattered and covered in blood, finally falling to the ground and rolling around, losing consciousness.

Thud.

As Arthur’s hand dropped to the ground, I sheathed my sword and said.

“If you had teamed up with Berus, who knows what could have happened? What a shame.”

“Don’t mock me.”

Berus, who had been watching, said with a rigid face.

“You too possess divine power, yet you dared to fight with martial arts. To take down Arthur instantly like that… truly terrifying.”

“Hmph. You think that’s a good assessment?”

“I just think you’re someone who can take responsibility for your words.”

With that, Berus closed his mouth and did not say anything further.

‘That guy is definitely no ordinary individual.’

If Arthur and Berus had teamed up, I would have summoned the Book of Life and Death right then and wiped them all out. It seems that guy even sensed that possibility. Perhaps true strength allows one to perceive the potential of their opponents? It felt like Berus was the one carrying the weight of the entire Western Society’s military might.

Wiiing!

Once the series of duels ended, Vivian summoned a map and handed it to me. Vivian spoke.

“This map is of the Phantom Realm, a place of immortals. The ruins where the Arm of Chi You is located are marked in the center.”

I was taken aback by Vivian’s words.

“What? The Phantom Realm? Isn’t Chi You’s body in the human realm?”

“It’s a [layered] world. Long ago, the Guardian intentionally discovered that sealing artifact and layered the realms so that no one could approach it.”

“…….”

If what she said is true, it means the Arm of Chi You has been held by the Western Society since ancient times? I examined the map carefully and realized something, so I spoke.

“There are two locations. What does this mean?”

“The left arm and right arm of Chi You have been sealed separately from the beginning, in Twin Temples.”

Vivian continued.

“We do not know the details, but when one enters one temple, the other one will disappear. Therefore, a separate method for unsealing is necessary.”

“It disappears?”

“Yes. The barriers concerning each seal are not that strong, but the phenomenon of one disappearing upon entering another occurs. It has always been this way since the primordial times.”

“…The work of the Three Sovereigns, Jeogok?”

I scowled.

‘If that’s true, do we have to enter both sealed temples at the same time?’

It seems I’ll have to figure out the exact method for unsealing when I get there. I accepted the map and tucked it away, saying.

“Thank you very much, then. I hope we can maintain a cordial relationship from now on.”

“I have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

Vivian spoke in a sorrowful tone.

“Receiving your memories has left me engulfed in an unbearable despair…. The Trials of the Seven Luminaries aren’t even an answer, and you too don’t firmly believe humanity ought to continue existing in this world. We find ourselves in a position where we cannot even dream of hope anymore…”

“…….”

“Baek Woong, will you truly not consider compromising with Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen for the continued existence of humanity?”

Vivian’s voice was filled with urgency. It seemed she thought that Gong Sun Xuanwen could bait me once more with it. I remained silent for a moment before replying.

“A compromise means ultimately giving in to the other’s intentions. Especially a compromise with someone stronger than you ends up as being dragged around like a marionette.”

I clenched my fists tightly and said.

“I have not given up yet. Until the coming apocalypse… I will build my strength until that guy is the one who kneels to me!”

I was not one to give up.

It’s not that I’ll just let humanity perish; I won’t let it happen without a fight.

As long as I gather as much strength and clues as possible by then, it’s also possible that the Emperor could end up kneeling before me! I planned to shock the Emperor’s expectations one more time to create an even better outcome.

At this, Vivian faintly nodded and then spoke to Berus beside her.

“Berus. Please follow Baek Woong.”

“Miss Vivian.”

“By the authority of the Guardian, I command you.”

“…Understood.”

Berus slowly nodded his head. I was surprised at this development and turned to Vivian.

“Berus is your strongest force. Shouldn’t you protect Merlin’s consciousness?”

“Since we’ve come to know everything, that’s meaningless. Rather, why not take him with you and use him for your strength? That’s the sincerity we can show.”

“Alright.”

I could tell the negotiations had concluded smoothly.

Not only had I found a clue to the location of the Arm of Chi You, but I had also gained Berus from the Western Society as a subordinate.