1294——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I didn’t quite catch his introduction, but I nodded anyway.

“Roland. Nice to meet you.”

Then Roland said,

“Baek Woong, you are my benefactor. Although my loyalty to my lord Charlemagne prevents me from fully devoting my allegiance to you, as a knight, I will do my utmost to assist you!”

“Hmmm. Thank you for the help. Are you good at fighting against the [Old Ruler]?”

To my question, Roland smiled and replied.

“With enough equipment and support, I was the one holding the front line. And over there, Saint Germain handled the healing and support.”

I glanced over at Saint Germain, a bit surprised by the comment.

“Saint Germain?”

“…That was a long time ago. In the end, Roland and I failed in our punitive mission.”

Saint Germain grimaced, as if painful memories were surfacing. He seemed genuinely reluctant to recall the past and avoided Roland’s gaze as he continued speaking.

“As he said, Roland is one of the strongest warriors in the West. Chief Baek Woong will be a great help in fighting against the [Old Ruler]’s subordinates.”

“Hmmm… then I suppose it’s best to return this silver great sword to Roland.”

With a toss, I threw the gigantic silver great sword I was holding to Roland. He caught it and then made a bitter expression.

“If the holy sword Durandal falls into the hands of the unworthy, it’s supposed to generate a blinding light. There’s not a hint of disturbance. You must be quite the remarkable warrior, Baek Woong. I wonder if I can be of any help.”

“Durandal? Is that the name of that sword?”

“Yes.”

Holding the silver sword Durandal, Roland continued speaking.

“Make sure to take me with you if you fight the [Old Ruler] or his followers. I will be of assistance.”

“Got it. Oh, by the way, do you know any martial arts?”

“Martial arts? What’s that?”

“Martial arts are…”

I explained the concepts of martial arts, qi, and intent to Roland. He quietly listened, then said,

“You mean kaft. As a warrior, I know how to use it too.”

“…Sorry to spring this on you, but how about a sparring match? I want to gauge your skills.”

I couldn’t resist my curiosity. How strong would someone who wielded pure physical ability, matching top-tier experts even in their mindless state, become once they possessed reason?

“Of course! A warrior speaks with their sword!”

As Roland and I were about to head over to the nearby training ground, Saint Germain suddenly shouted from behind.

“Roland, you’re naked! Summon your armor!”

“Ah… right.”

Mumbling as if he had just realized it, Roland raised Durandal horizontally and murmured something.

Shwaaa!

Moments later, a shining silver armor fully enveloped his massive body. I was taken aback by the speed of the armor’s summoning.

“Artifact?!”

Roland looked puzzled, not understanding my exclamation, and it was Saint Germain, the alchemist, who responded to my confusion.

“I’m not sure what that is, but that is the armor of Charon given by the Guardian, alongside Durandal. It’s different from the artifacts of the East.”

“Oh… I’ve seen similar things before.”

“Really? I guess the concept of summoned armor isn’t uncommon.”

Shortly after, Roland and I stood about a fist-length apart, swords poised against each other. Compared to Roland’s massive size, I felt almost like a little person, but size isn’t everything in a fight. I charged in to test his skill with a lightning strike from the Thunder God Lineage.

Clang!

‘With a small shield on his wrist?’

Even though this wasn’t my full force, Roland easily read the flow of my strike and met it with his wrist shield, flowing smoothly into a downward slash. I thought that his crude strike was quite different from the swordplay of the Central Plains, yet it contained the essence of swordsmanship, so I couldn’t underestimate it, I had to block properly.

Clang!

At the moment our weapons clashed, I felt an unusual sensation for the first time in this life.

“……!!”

My opponent wasn’t budging at all against my strength!

Up till now, in my encounters with absolute experts, they always looked like they were relying on intent to mitigate their inferior physical capabilities compared to my overwhelming inner strength. In other words, I pushed forward with my strong strikes, forcing them to only react in a flexible manner.

However, Roland, with his pure physical ability, matched my strength reinforced by my inner power, allowing him to go toe-to-toe without using any separate mind control techniques. This clearly indicated that his sheer physical prowess surpassed that of an average human by several hundredfold.

‘This guy is a physical giant.’

I felt a wave of awe wash over me. Even with my over a decade of training after consuming the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng several times and refining my skills through battles with experts, how was he able to match my force with just his raw physical potential? That alone, plus his ability to control that potential with his reason, made him incredibly formidable. As he adapted with his wrist shield, his swordplay, guided by instinct, was as imposing as the renowned sword styles of the East.

Boom! Bam!!

For about ten seconds, Roland and I engaged in a pure battle of strength, exchanging blows without any techniques. As we reached a near-equal state, Roland looked utterly astonished.

“This is impossible! My strength, which managed to catch the evil ancient dragon with bare hands, is evenly matched?!”

“When it comes to strength, I’m no pushover either.”

Muttering to myself, I activated a slight transformation technique, using the Three Treasure Technique to slip behind Roland for an instant. Then, just like before, I aimed a strike at his side with a lightning swift attack.

Boom!

‘Hmm, he blocked well.’

Unlike before, with an explosion, Roland showed impressive reflexes by deflecting my frenetic attack using his wrist shield. I realized that both that shield and his armor, Charon’s armor, were remarkably powerful artifacts.

‘Okay… let’s finish this.’

I should confirm whether he has the concept of the Absolute Realm.

I narrowed my eyes slightly and unleashed a final, exaggerated slash of the Infinite Slash.

Kiiinnn!

An immense surge of power erupted, and Roland didn’t have time to react, getting cleaved in half at the waist.

…Huh?

As Roland’s huge body sliced in two and flew through the air, I panicked. Given his displayed skills, I assumed he would have surely blocked it, but he had been dispatched too easily.

“W-What?!”

What have I done?!

I should have controlled my power!

Boom!!

But just as my shock subsided, a few breaths later, Roland’s severed body suddenly glowed with a brilliant silver light and pieced itself back together. His split body seemed like a lie as it rejoined, revealing beads of sweat dotting Roland’s entire form. He gasped heavily and said,

“Whoa! Hah! Hah!! It feels just like when I was cut by Excalibur. You truly are an astonishing swordsman.”

Excalibur?

Could it be that Roland had fought against King Arthur, a member of the Zodiac?

“I-I’m sorry! I thought you could block it…”

As I hastily apologized, Roland replied nonchalantly.

“It’s fine. In fact, I’m happy that a warrior of your caliber recognizes me. This is just how I usually fight.”

“Huh?”

I was puzzled when Saint Germain interjected.

“Roland has always fought on the front lines against the avatars of the [Old Ruler], absorbing every attack as a knight. As long as he wears Charon’s armor, he can’t die.”

“……!!”

“It’s not uncommon for him to die dozens of times in a single battle against the avatar’s magic. Druids and sorcerers would seal the avatar while he endured…”

I stared at Roland in disbelief. I then spoke in the hoarse voice of a strangled duck.

“Ugh… yikes… that sounds really painful… dying is no small matter.”

“……?”

Roland tilted his head, perplexed.

“How strange. It’s as if you’ve also experienced death dozens of times.”

“Uh… well… you can feel that way in a sword fight sometimes.”

“Not really…”

“……”

“Anyway, I can guess what you were trying to test me on. You wanted to see if I had reached the state of absolute mastery, with the pure white pillar that those who attain the peak of martial arts gain?”

I was somewhat surprised by his comment.

“Yes. In the East, it’s called the Intent Heavenly Pillar of the Absolute Realm.”

“I’ve only seen two people in my lifetime. One was the leader of the Janissaries, and the other was a master from Tianzhu.”

Roland continued.

“No matter how long I live, it seems my innate abilities are insufficient for that level.”

“……”

I thought I understood Roland’s skill level and lowered my sword. Then, I respectfully declared,

“I’ll be borrowing your strength when fighting evil beings in the future. Until then, please stay as a villager of Soeul.”

“Haha, of course!!”

I figured Roland would be quite useful.

‘It’s not an exaggeration that he’s the strongest knight in the West.’

While I hadn’t reached the extremes of martial arts, it was clear he was at the pinnacle of what a Western knight could achieve. Furthermore, his combat power when clad in the holy sword Durandal and Charon’s armor was formidable enough to potentially withstand demon kings.

‘If we end up fighting the Eight Divine Guardians later, he would be a significant asset. While Roland holds the front, sorcerers or other experts can take their chances against the Divine Guardians’ weaknesses.’

The liberation of the slave market had gained me such a fine warrior as an ally! This unexpected yield filled me with joy.

However, I noticed Saint Germain still wore a gloomy expression, leaving me puzzled as I asked,

“Saint Germain, what’s wrong?”

“Baek Woong. Roland and I are losers who failed a crucial mission that could have determined the fate of the Western continent. And now you’re telling me we’re going up against foes stronger than those we faced back then. Can we truly be of help?”

“Hmmm….”

“I’m feeling down about the possibility of experiencing that failure again, the defeat to the [Old Ruler].”

I understood his sentiment. They were living a life that reflected what would have happened to me had I died at the hands of Daji or the Demon King without being reborn. So I contemplated for a moment before patting his shoulder reassuringly and said,

“Don’t worry. I won’t give up; one day I’ll wipe them out completely.”

“……?”

“Just follow me without concern.”

Saint Germain wore a bewildered expression for a moment, then chuckled quietly.

“Ha! Now I understand why that prickly Roland is willing to follow you so readily…”

I later found out that the operations to control the characters from the slave market could be completed in just three days. Roland had been primarily assigned to physically demanding tasks due to his innate strength and seemed to have successfully completed a smooth introduction with the Thunder God Lineage members. Meanwhile, the nobles who were summoned to Dokgo Seong were undergoing rigorous physical training daily in true Thunder God fashion.

“Get up!!”

“Ugh! Who do these guys think they are…?”

“Who, you ask? You’re talking back after we saved you from being slaves?!”

“Uh, no.”

“I’ll teach you a lesson! Starting with that mouth of yours…”

“Grrraah!”

It seemed that the nobles were being trained harshly by Dokgo Seong, getting kicked and punched. Though a bit inhumane, it seemed necessary to discipline their prior arrogance.

Once this arduous task was over, Seo Mun-hye came to me and said,

“Baek Woong, my father wishes to see you.”

“The Sword Demon? What’s the matter?”

“Previously, the Master of the Shadowless Sword was sent to the Shadowless Gate from Soeul Village. Since then, both the Master of the Shadowless Sword and my father had been honing their sword techniques, but something seems to have hindered them.”

“Hmmm…. I should go have a look.”

Without thinking twice, I headed straight to the Shadowless Gate with Seo Mun-hye. When I met the Sword Demon there, I was able to hear the details.

“Chief Baek Woong…”

We four gathered around a table with a cup of tea placed between us. In the silence, the Sword Demon took a sip from his cup and opened his mouth.

“I once again thank you for sending Namgung Jo to our location. I feel embarrassed to ask for your help again.”

“There’s no need for formalities between us. What seems to be the problem…?”

“……”

The Sword Demon gazed at me intensely for a moment before speaking.

“Actually, a few days ago, the Master of the White Lotus Sect came to visit.”

“……!!”

What?!

In shock, I sprang to my feet, and Namgung Jo sitting beside me spoke with a serious expression.

“The two of us attempted to counter him using the techniques we’ve learned from the Twin Shadow Sword, but we didn’t last even ten seconds.”

“Why did the Master of the White Lotus Sect come? Are you both okay?”

“He was quite sincere. He didn’t use poison or eavesdroppers.”

Once I sat back down, the Sword Demon calmly continued.

“The Master of the White Lotus Sect was accompanied by Dharma Guardian Dokgo Jun and Dharma Guardian Han Baek-ryeong. They came without any other troops, but just those three alone exuded an aura that could sweep the world away…”

That made sense.

With those three, they could decimate an army of a million without breaking a sweat.

“He knew our main base is connected to Soeul Village and asked if I had any information on the martial arts level of the chief of Soeul Village, Baek Woong.”

“He asked about my martial arts level?”

“Yes. I said I didn’t know, but the Master of the White Lotus Sect had already suspected it was at the Absolute Realm. Then he… challenged us to a duel.”

“……”

“Like I said, we lost…. We thought we would die that day, but the Master of the White Lotus Sect simply left with his guardians, saying one last thing.”

The Sword Demon glanced at me as he continued.

“He said he would come visit Soeul Village himself soon.”

…….

I had suspected this would happen, but to receive such a notice in this manner.

‘At least he didn’t destroy the Shadowless Gate. Is that something to credit him for?’

The Master of the White Lotus Sect seemed like a merciless entity, but surprisingly, he didn’t seem to enjoy unnecessary slaughter. His philosophy was based on efficiency; he treated killing as a means rather than an end, which might explain why he didn’t destroy the Shadowless Gate.

While I was deep in thought, the Sword Demon said,

“The Master of the White Lotus Sect will be coming to find you soon. And because he has eyes and ears everywhere, we intentionally had Hyea not convey that he would be coming for you directly.”

“Understood. Thank you for the heads up about the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s visit. I will do my best to ensure the Shadowless Gate doesn’t suffer any repercussions…”

As I attempted to get up, the Sword Demon halted me.

“Hang on.”

“What is it?”

The Sword Demon fixed his gaze on me.

“I’m certain. If you were to fall to the Master of the White Lotus Sect, this martial world would meet its end… Therefore, I wish to share my insights of what I experienced in battle with him as we spar together.”

“……!!”

“It may sound futile for someone who lost in less than ten seconds to suggest this, but I believe there are aspects of the Shadowless Sword Technique that can be exploited against him.”

I grasped that both the Sword Demon and Namgung Jo had earnest expressions. I could sense they had indeed discerned something unique about the Master of the White Lotus Sect. I felt an immense curiosity build within me and said,

“Sounds good. I’d appreciate it.”

Thud…

Moments later, I stepped into the training ground of the Shadowless Gate with the Sword Demon and Namgung Jo before me. They seemed synchronized, arranged in the form of a sword formation, optimized for cooperative strikes.

‘…Neither of them had accepted the potential of the obsidian, but they are already the top fighters of the Jianghu. For them to break through the sword formation in under ten seconds…’

It meant that the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s martial arts level might have advanced beyond what I had believed it to be at this period.

‘Was there something that could have instigated this change?’

I pondered deeply but found no clear thoughts. Then, shattering my reverie, Namgung Jo’s command resounded.

“Chief Baek Woong! Experience the essence of the Shadowless Sword and the Soul-Removing Sword!”

Boom!

The next moment, the Sword Demon and Namgung Jo charged in almost simultaneously. I realized that their sword techniques exhibited the distinctive characteristic of the Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword, where the real and false merged together, which led me to a startling realization.

‘Oh no! I know the Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword too well…!!’

Why was I even worried about this?

The opponent didn’t know my Thunder God lineage, while I had fought against the Sword Demon and the experts of the Shadowless Gate multiple times throughout my past lives, making me intimately familiar with their techniques. In fact, I had even received the Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword Technique from the Sword Demon and had trained it quite a bit. In that sense, I could almost claim it was a part of my own martial arts.

Is that why?

I realized I didn’t even need to resort to the Three Treasure Technique or the Peerless Technique. The Three Treasure Technique was meant to dodge attacks that seemed impossible to avoid, and the Peerless Technique for blocking attacks that seemed impossible to block, but the combined effort before me was neither.

While the seemingly ambiguous webs of swords, indistinguishable as real or fake, loomed like a formidable slash, from my perspective, the slight gaps existing between those webs appeared almost within reach.

Thud!

As I drew my sword, weaving through the storm of attacks, the Shadowless Sword web was torn apart in an instant. In a flash, the Sword Demon instinctively thrust towards my side. I maintained my ground and slightly shifted the front foot’s direction while striking toward the precise point where the essence of the Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword distinguished the real from the unreal.

Clang!

The Sword Demon’s blade was deflected, and before I could barely find my opening, Namgung Jo rose with his sword, attempting to cut across the top of my head. He was powerful enough that even the most outstanding peak experts of the Namgung Clan could easily be slaughtered by his Shadowless Sword Technique. However, I had detected his intent, lightly deflecting it with the Ten Thousand Success Sword Technique and countering with a piercing strike toward Namgung Jo’s chest.

“Ha-uh!”

Clang!

As Namgung Jo quickly inhaled, blocking my attack, he ended up stumbling back. It was a brief exchange of just three seconds, but my evident superiority left Namgung Jo muttering in disbelief.

“This is absurd! How could such martial arts exist! Is this the Absolute Realm?!”

“……”

Unlike Namgung Jo, the Sword Demon remained remarkably calm. It seemed he’d expected this and spoke.

“You seem to have pierced through both the real and false elements of the Shadowless Soul-Removing Sword. That can’t be your Absolute Realm; could you have had prior experience with the school’s martial arts?”

Realizing I couldn’t lie here, I reluctantly admitted,

“Indeed. Therefore, in this confrontation, I cannot possibly ascertain the true dominance between me and the Master of the White Lotus Sect. I am already quite familiar with the techniques of the Shadowless Gate…”

“How is that possible?!”

“That’s because…”

I felt the urge to reveal that I was a Reborn Person. At this point, shouldn’t it be time to share? I figured the Sword Demon would be a good understanding partner.

‘No! That could cause problems!’

However, a while after suppressing that impulse, rational thoughts emerged in my mind.

‘It might be acceptable to speak the truth, but I also need to eventually pass on my martial arts to both the Sword Demon and Namgung Jo. If I keep them distanced from Soeul Village like before, I might put myself in danger by attracting unwanted attention from the Master of the White Lotus Sect or even the Imperial Palace again. Therefore, I’ll need to tell a white lie to draw them under my wings for protection.’

To truly protect them, I’d have to keep them close.

This would be a benevolent lie.

‘Right… let’s do it…’

I slowly paused, preparing to speak.

“Sword Demon. Namgung Jo. Please listen. The former leader of the Shadowless Gate, Seo Mun-gul…”

And as I prepared to tell my fabrication, a phrase slipped out more naturally than I could believe.

“…is actually my friend!!”

 

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