1183——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I felt like I finally had some free time.

‘Normally, I’d use this time to squeeze in a bit more martial arts training…’

After that close call with Jang Sam-bong, I realized my progress with martial arts isn’t something that just happens in a couple of months. Not that I’m saying it’s impossible, but with the tight deadlines I’m facing, putting effort into martial arts right now might just be a big waste of time. If I were a genius, it would be a different story, but for a clumsy guy like me, I need to plan my training periods in years, maybe even decades.

So, instead of getting lost in the Dark Night Slash, Immortal Sword Technique, and Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique like before, I thought maybe I should look for something more fruitful.

‘What about studying sorcery?’

Now that I’m able to use sorcery through the Jade Emperor, I reckon my sorcery skills are almost on par with Ji-seon Mang-nyang. Sure, I can’t use those high-level spells that require deep understanding of advanced techniques, but I can use all the basic sorcery I want as long as I have strength. Therefore, it might be helpful to expand the range of spells I can use with simple memorized techniques.

Nah, instead maybe I should use this time to shorten the revival time for Heuk Woong. It’s taken longer than expected due to various issues, but I still have the opportunity to speed things up through training.

So, I sat down ready to delve into the shadow technique, but I just couldn’t focus. After fidgeting around, I ended up lying on a rock, just rolling about.

Why can’t I concentrate?

I wanna have some fun…

‘Hmm… Nah. Maybe just a quick mood change.’

No one can work hard all the time!

I pulled out my smartphone and called Zhu Xian. We ended up going back to that coffee shop we visited before, ordered some coffee, and sat across from each other. Zhu Xian said,

“Your Majesty, thank you for reviving our agents.”

“Hmm… I felt bad bringing up old, painful memories, but why did they all end up dead?”

The underwater shrine where Chi You’s two arms were sealed. The assault team, led by Asura, faced devastating losses there, forcing me to embark on another adventure to revive them in the underworld. Luckily, most of the tactical forces agents, except for Zhu Xian and Liu Ao, came back to life, but I ended up getting tangled up in pointless squabbles with the Old Ruler Chulu Dragon.

Zhu Xian’s expression stiffened as he continued,

“Asura has handled his own shadow, but Heung Ah’s shadow caused a lot of damage.”

“What?”

“The shadow showed the full power of the Monster King and disrupted the battlefield substantially, but at the same time, Heung Ah didn’t actually wield the Monster King’s powers. She just supported us with spells at the Great Immortal level, but we were already in a very bad position. I don’t know if she chose not to use her powers or simply couldn’t… But it’s like when the Apostle Daji was causing havoc and toppled the balance of power here; we were helpless against it.”

“That… really? Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“It was Zhuge Liang’s orders. He advised that since Heung Ah and Baek Woong are currently in a complicated relationship, you shouldn’t draw a simple conclusion…”

“…”

I had no choice but to look serious.

‘Heung Ah…’

Once the Monster King Woora, now awakened with the name, she’s something bound to the Heavenly Secret!

I don’t know what she’s thinking, but she certainly has the biggest connection to the [Knot]. In other words, she’s likely the main reason this life is still ongoing. Therefore, I figured it wouldn’t be good to provoke Heung Ah easily, which is probably why Zhuge Liang directed her blunders not to be reported to me.

‘Hmm… I’ll need to directly ask her about this.’

I mulled over it and spoke to Zhu Xian.

“But how did we win then? It’s almost miraculous.”

“Asura quickly took down his own shadow and wiped out the rest. Without him, we would have been exterminated.”

“Really?!”

“Yes. He saved my life.”

I couldn’t help but be a bit shocked.

“If that’s the case, does it mean Asura easily took down someone who had the same powers? How is that even possible?”

If what Cheon Woo-jin said is correct, then the trial with the [Mirror] was designed to bring out entities with precisely the same strength. The greater someone’s power, the harder the downfall could be.

It’s not easy to take down someone with the same strength, no matter how favorable the odds are. Winning relies more on tactics and pure luck. That’s what makes it so tough.

But does it mean Asura broke through conventional wisdom?

Zhu Xian continued,

“From what I observed, Asura used the technique called Ghostly Night Slash, but the shadow of the [Mirror] couldn’t replicate it. It followed his other sword arts and mind control techniques, but it couldn’t match those.”

“……!!”

“It seemed like the [Mirror] had some kind of limitation set on it.”

What?!

‘Could this be an extraordinarily important fact?!’

My reincarnated intuition kicked in, realizing how significant this was.

However, understanding why it was important was a bit of a challenge. I only grasped that the Ghostly Night Slash was incredibly powerful.

‘Ah heck. I’ll jot this down; I might be able to put it to use later.’

I decided to set it aside and said to Zhu Xian,

“That aside, you’ve been wandering around the world doing warrior training. Did you achieve anything?”

“I’m ashamed. I managed to reach the Absolute Realm, but there are just too many strong guys out there…”

“…Tch.”

“What’s wrong?”

I filled my mouth with coffee, feeling disgruntled by Zhu Xian’s words. It was simply frustrating to see him achieve the Absolute Realm way too easily, considering my struggles to reach it.

‘No matter how much innate talent he might have, the training with Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique and my assistance, this is way too quick…’

At least it was fortunate he didn’t surpass Jin So-cheong.

I couldn’t continue feeling anxious about it, so I quickly gathered my thoughts and said to Zhu Xian,

“Got it. Go back to Asura. I’m going to talk to Heung Ah.”

“Understood.”

I made sure no one was around and quietly called Heung Ah over in a secluded corner of the coffee shop.

“Heung Ah, come out.”

Whoosh.

In the next moment, Heung Ah was sitting in front of me. As one of the most beautiful beings in the Celestial Realm, her stunning looks stood out considerably in the mortal realm. Heung Ah flashed a smile and said,

“Are you underestimating me? Next time, I won’t just show up because you call me like this.”

“…Cut the crap.”

I glared at Heung Ah with a bitter voice.

“Why didn’t you transform into the Monster King when you attacked Chi You’s two arms? Had I not been the Wheel King, my companions would have nearly been wiped out and couldn’t be revived.”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

Clink…

Without even ordering, Heung Ah was sipping from an iced tea cup with ice in it.

“There’s no such thing as ‘if’ in the [Knot]. It was destined for you to act that way.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“If the expedition team had experienced less damage, you wouldn’t have bothered with the underworld, right? And your meeting with Chulu Dragon would have been postponed. But thanks to the sufficient damage, you ended up meeting Chulu Dragon.”

“……”

“If you had met Chulu Dragon later, there could’ve been bigger troubles due to his change of heart. So ultimately, it became a smooth ‘flow’. By someone’s design.”

Even I, no matter how slow, could catch on to that much. I immediately shot Heung Ah a glare and said,

“Are you saying you intentionally let the expedition team be annihilated? What a jerk…”

“No, it wasn’t intentional. I genuinely can’t use the Monster King’s powers right now. I didn’t refuse to use them during Xiang Yu’s trial; I simply couldn’t. I’m neutral and merely a part of the flow, not someone who can adjust fate.”

“Don’t kid around. Neutral? Then why could the [Mirror] use the powers of the Monster King Woora?”

Heung Ah showed a slightly flustered expression at that question.

“That curse was personally crafted by Jeogok. The curse of the mirror reflecting the essence… Since I am a direct descendant of Jeogok, when reflected, a stronger illusion appears. It was an unforeseen event.”

“That’s just an excuse. You seem like my enemy.”

Swish.

I firmly declared, drawing my sword and putting it to Heung Ah’s neck. I could easily take her out with a slight move, but Heung Ah spoke calmly as if she wasn’t scared at all.

“Erasing me is also according to your will… This is all just part of the [Knot].”

“Don’t act like you know everything. Are you not afraid since you can just come back to life once the [Knot] ends?”

“You understand well. At least within this knot, I am on par with you, the reincarnator. I’ll be glad to experience how the foes you enjoyed taunting while not valuing your life feel.”

“……”

“But this predicament is my very mistake as an observer, so I can give you a clue.”

“A clue?”

“If you want to hear it, put that sword down first. I’d like to drink my iced tea.”

What the…

Her audacity left me speechless. I returned the sword to its sheath, and as soon as I did, Heung Ah took a sip of iced tea before speaking.

“You are acting strictly under the premise that you must witness the [End]. You believe it’ll benefit you in [Next Rebirth]. But what if it’s all part of someone’s trap?”

“What?”

“That’s the end of the clue. The script denies any more information.”

“Someone? Who is that someone?”

“Probably one of your archenemies…? Don’t ask such foolish questions. Though considering the number of archenemies, it’s hard to guess.”

“……”

“I’m eager to see if your strategists can unravel this clue. Well then…”

Whoosh.

“Heung Ah!!”

I called out loudly, but her figure had already disappeared. She seemed to find me annoying and decided to stop the chat. I felt somewhat irritated by her scathing tone, but at the same time, I realized something.

‘Heung Ah claims to be an observer, choosing not to interfere herself. She’s avoiding participating directly in my affairs.’

That’s why she offered me the [clue]. Unintentionally intertwined by Jeogok’s curse, it seemed she gave me a piece of benefit to maintain neutrality since she inadvertently meddled in my life.

My mind raced, but a new question arose.

‘…The causality of my fate has already ended.’

Lately, everything had been flowing too smoothly. Even when breaking through Xiang Yu’s trial, there were so many obstacles around that I worried about surviving until the end. Yet now, I’m rushing through Chi You’s ruins like it’s nothing.

The causality of my fate has ended.

The world no longer seems favorable towards me. It wouldn’t be strange if something suddenly tangled somewhere and a world-ending crisis hit, yet here I am, still succeeding.

…Could this be someone’s trap?

“……”

This certainly didn’t feel trivial. I immediately got up from my seat and headed to Zhuge Liang.

Right at that moment.

Boom!!

Earthquakes erupted all around, causing the ground to shake. The coffee shop and buildings shook violently, and people screamed in shock.

“AAAAAH!”

“What’s happening!!”

I knew earthquakes fundamentally stem from tectonic movements and vibrations.

‘Let’s see…’

So I gathered all my internal power to try and halt the earthquake. It wasn’t any specific martial arts technique, but it was an all-out effort drawing from everything I learned while mastering the Thunder God lineage!

“HAH!!”

Full power unleashed.

Tai Shan Step.

Boom!

In that instance, my internal energy and intent surged into the depths of the earth, reaching the dragon vein, and I felt it tremble and resonate. As that resonance burst, I sensed my internal power spreading out, stimulating the dragon vein even more while guiding the current which was causing the quakes in the opposite direction.

Rumble…

After a short while, I could feel the shaking stop as the seismic waves collided deep down. Once the earthquake settled, I let out a sigh.

“Phew.”

I likely used about half my internal power, but I managed to stop the earthquake!

Ring ring.

Just then, the sorcerer appeared on my smartphone. The hologram stated,

[Baek Woong. A massive earthquake has occurred simultaneously across the globe. The average intensity is 6.2… Major cities have suffered significant damage.]

“What the hell happened? Are those reptilian aliens causing trouble again?”

[No. It seems powerful magical energy has swept over the world, causing natural disasters. Something woke up in Antarctica.]

“……?!”

Antarctica?!

The Chi You family I was about to seek was in the Arctic, so this was completely the opposite end. I racked my memory and said,

“Antarctica… That was definitely where Aiternum Mundi was.”

[Sagong Lin may have something to say about that. Hurry to the Imperial Palace of the Great Bear Empire.]

Whoosh.

I promptly headed to the Imperial Palace of the Great Bear Empire. When I arrived, Sagong Lin was waiting alone, and as I looked around, I asked,

“Where are the others?”

“They haven’t arrived yet. But it’s enough for you to know.”

“Do you know what’s going on?”

“Yes.”

Sagong Lin nodded and said,

“There’s been a Walpurgis Night in Antarctica.”

“……?!”

What do you mean by that?!

I suddenly recalled Faust’s words from the past.

[Do you know about the Walpurgis Night?]

[It refers to the spring festival celebrated in my hometown. It’s a feast where witches and demons gather. I decided to call the phenomena occurring at the ‘End’ the [Walpurgis Night].]

[In other words, right before the End, hell’s portals open in the material realm. That is the [Walpurgis Night].]

[They sacrifice human lives to elevate their own existence. They also interfere with ‘revelation’ to gain an advantage. In other words, they’re trying to negotiate with the [Old Rulers].]

[The [Walpurgis Night] will surely occur right before the End. Countless demons will invade the mortal world… If you plan to save humanity, make sure to keep this in mind.]

I dug through my memories and realized the current predicament.

“…Are you saying demons from an alternate dimension have invaded this world?”

“Yes. Sorcerer. Show us the situation in Antarctica.”

At Sagong Lin’s command, the sorcerer waved their hand in the hologram, and a moment later, the image of the Earth’s surface appeared in the air. Then, Antarctica’s geography zoomed in, revealing countless demons swarming like dark clouds.

“……!!”

What the heck is that many?!

There must be at least tens of thousands!!

The issue is that it doesn’t end there; from a gaping hole in the center of Antarctica, it looked like more of them were crawling out like bugs. My brows furrowed as I asked,

“What’s that hole?”

“That’s the massive dimensional door that triggered the Walpurgis Night. The resonance from that door is what caused the recent global earthquakes.”

“A massive dimensional door? Is it different from a regular one?”

“Yes. Those can’t be created by mortals. Unless you’re a master of a mundus, it’s impossible… It’s an immense disaster.”

“…Who made that big dimensional door?”

“Although it’s not certain yet, I have a guess.”

Sagong Lin grimaced, clearly troubled. Then he said,

“We hurriedly dispatched a sorcerer unit to place a barrier over that area as a temporary measure. But since the dimension door has opened, the only way to restore order is to wipe out all the demons and close that dimensional door.”

“Ugh… Let’s go. I need to grab the Seven Luminaries from the Celestial Realm first.”

When I clenched my fist, the sorcerer said,

[Baek Woong. Just now, the demon legion sent a message to us.]

“What? What did they say?”

[They want you to come alone to Antarctica’s Aiternum Mundi. They say they’ll shut the dimensional door.]

“……”

That sounds incredibly suspicious.

I uttered in disbelief,

“Are you out of your mind? Sagong Lin can just take them all down with the power of the Celestial Demon. Why the hell would I risk my life like this…?”

“I feel the same way. I can’t let Baek Woong be exposed to danger.”

Sagong Lin continued,

“Baek Woong, stay put. I will resolve the crisis in Antarctica.”

“A moment…”

“I know where Aiternum Mundi is located. I’ll handle the confrontation with him and settle this.”

Whoosh!!

A moment later, Sagong Lin vanished in a flash of golden light. It seemed he intended to deal with the demon forces all on his own.

‘Hmm. Well, if it’s Sagong Lin, he can likely handle even the [Old Ruler] alone, so I guess I shouldn’t worry….’

I thought Sagong Lin would take care of everything as I spoke to the sorcerer.

“No matter how strong the demons are, they can’t be stronger than the Celestial Demon, right? Should I just wait?”

But the sorcerer didn’t respond.

Zzzzt…

“……?”

Once I noticed, my smartphone was completely powered off, and the sorcerer hologram vanished. Surprised, I realized the connection with the sorcerer had been cut.

“WHAT?!”

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a dark wind swept through. I noticed this black wind enveloping the area around me, dyeing everything black and making it impossible to see my surroundings. Realizing it was a powerful spell, I immediately activated sorcery through the Jade Emperor.

“Release!”

It was the simplest of counter-spell orders, increased in power as best it could—Heavenly Master’s magic!

“Release! Release! Release! Release! Release!!”

I kept stacking the spell like when I stacked the Perfect Origin at the time. However, even after six layers, the dark wind continued to circle around me, and it felt like my divine power was being absorbed by that black wind.

Swish…

“…Release! Release! Release! Release… Cough.”

Though I kept trying to layer my power, the situation wasn’t improving, and I started to feel a sense of crisis. My breathing began to get constricted due to the mist from the dark wind.

‘This… this is no joke!!’

This spell is at least comparable to the Great Immortal level! Recognizing the severity of the situation, I quickly gave up on casting spells and grabbed my sword. I brought two divine treasures, Hwayo and Suyou, with me, so I crossed them in place of other treasures and activated their resonance.

Seven Luminary Resonance!!

Boom!!

At that moment, an explosion occurred, momentarily clearing the dark wind and creating an open space. I rushed forward, using the Soul Removal Technique to roll out, narrowly escaping the black wind’s barrier.

As I sprang back to my feet, I saw the swirling dark wind moving as if it were alive. I felt an overwhelming magical power emanating from it, sending chills down my spine.

“……!!”

While the raw power was not overwhelming compared to other rulers I met, the unimaginable pure madness and the stench of blood it radiated was enough to instill genuine fear. Just as I hesitated, a sinister voice echoed from within the black wind.

[Sagong Lin is surprisingly simple. Falling for this bait, huh?]

“Who… who are you?”

[Who am I, you foolish fool.]

That taunting tone from within the black wind felt oddly familiar.

“Wait… No way…?”

[Heheh….]

Swirling…

From the darkness, particles began to coalesce into a pale gray statue. For a moment, it existed on the boundary of the unreal dimension before solidifying into reality, revealing a familiar human form.

As the figure became recognizable, blood light flared from his eyes as he spoke.

[It’s truly been a long time….]

Looking at him made my hands weaken, losing strength from the swords in my grips, and I called out in a trembling voice.

“…Zhuge Sa.”