1310——————==

Soul of the Evil God

Invincible?

I raised an eyebrow, feeling suspicious about Susanoo’s words.

“That’s quite strange. Aren’t you an ancient god on par with the Old Ruler when you unlock your full power? Are you saying that even if you regain your strength, you can’t face that guy Tsukuyomi because he’s just that strong?”

Susanoo retorted to my question.

[It’s not a matter of strength. It’s literally about becoming ‘invincible.’]

“…?”

[To put it more simply… During Tsukuyomi’s casting of ‘Night,’ he is completely immune to any attack. Even I or Amaterasu, being fellow divine beings, cannot affect him, and likely, neither can anyone else. Not even spells or powers from the Old Ruler can harm him.]

“What!!”

Did he mean ‘invincible’ in that way?

‘I thought it meant he’s incredibly powerful, but that’s not it.’

While I was a bit flustered, Asura, who had been listening from the side, spoke up.

“That’s strange. If what you’re saying is true, then it means Tsukuyomi isn’t just a being of absolute power; it means that within that realm of ‘Night,’ he’s in an invincible state. Wouldn’t that make him easier to deal with, as long as his attack power isn’t anything special?”

[You’re misunderstanding something.]

“What am I misunderstanding?”

[While Tsukuyomi’s ‘Night’ is active, a Great Flood will occur worldwide. The source of the disastrous flood is Tsukuyomi himself. The moment ‘Night’ begins, the flood will start, and to stop it, you will have to defeat Tsukuyomi, who is in an invincible state.]

“……!!”

Asura’s and Mangnyang’s faces froze simultaneously. Mangnyang crossed his arms, deep in thought, before asking,

“When can that ‘Night’ unfold?”

[When Tsukuyomi last used it, it lasted for nine years. You probably know about that event well.]

“Don’t tell me… that ancient time when King Gon implemented water control?”

[I’m not sure, but during the time when darkness and the flood hit simultaneously, all civilizations were affected by the flood. I think you might be guessing the right period.]

Mangnyang’s words were clear even to me.

‘He was talking about when Gon executed the water control.’

Gon resisted against the Three Sovereigns Jeon Wook and got sealed at that time. I believe that flood lasted for nine years.

“Mmm….”

I asked Susanoo, “You mean it lasted for nine years? So does that mean ‘Night’ can be maintained indefinitely until Tsukuyomi chooses to end it?”

[Yes, that seems to be the case.]

“Damn it! So that means there’s no way to stop it?”

I was stunned to think that this flood was a spell brought about by Tsukuyomi—one of the Three Divine Characters, an entity comparable to the Old Ruler!

As I was dumbfounded by the unimaginable cause of this flood, Mangnyang, who had been pondering something, spoke up.

“Susanoo, can you tell us how you came to know this?”

[…….]

After a moment of silence, Susanoo finally spoke.

[Tsukuyomi himself told me.]

“M-Maybe…?!”

Everyone was taken aback by the unexpected source of the information. I never thought that the person orchestrating the world’s destruction would reveal his identity! Susanoo continued with a bitter smile.

[He said it as a brotherly obligation. Since it was a task I couldn’t stop, he told me to just focus on increasing my own strength… He said Tsukuyomi hopes I will do well in the world after the flood.]

“That’s ridiculous.”

[I agree. I think he caught on to me snooping around his plans and wanted to prevent any unnecessary interference.]

I shot back bluntly, “But you actually fell into his temptations, didn’t you? You said you wouldn’t get involved in his plans!”

[…Before you all arrived, I did quite a bit of thinking.]

Susanoo summoned his throne and sat down, stating, [And my conclusion, no matter how I think about it, is that there’s nothing I can do. There’s no way for me to break Tsukuyomi’s ‘Night.’ So can you find a way to stop it? You might manage to, but do you really think it will happen within the next couple of years?]

“……”

[Since it’s a disaster I can’t stop, I will protect the people of Kyoto who follow me with my powers. After all, even in the world after its destruction, the legacy of humanity will be preserved.]

“That’s insane! What kind of solution is that?! You’re just giving up!!”

I couldn’t help but explode with frustration. No matter who Tsukuyomi was, was it logical to surrender before even trying?

I shouted angrily, “So, couldn’t we defeat Tsukuyomi before he casts ‘Night’? Surely it’s not a spell he can maintain forever, right!? You seriously can’t even attempt that strategy!!”

“Baek Woong is right. Let’s find Tsukuyomi’s true form first and defeat him.”

[……]

At our words, Susanoo rubbed his forehead and responded.

[Do you think I haven’t thought of that? But his true form cannot be attacked first.]

“Of course, if he has a dimension that serves as a base like the Divine Temple, it would make sense to invade…”

[But Tsukuyomi doesn’t have his own dimension. No, he doesn’t even exist in this world to begin with.]

I flinched, astonished. “What do you mean?”

[From the very beginning, he’s been dependent on someone and can only manifest here through [Dreams] as the ‘Executor.’ He appeared before me in the shape of a [Dream].]

“……?!”

[Normally, he does not exist anywhere in this universe. He can only show up using the power of dreams. That’s why Tsukuyomi is a phantom moon god, Mikoto Tsukuyomi.]

“Is there really such a thing?!”

I screamed, dumbfounded.

You mean a disaster god that doesn’t exist anywhere in this universe until he creates a disaster?!

At that moment, Mangnyang, who had been listening, looked at me and said, “Baek Woong. It seems that the Black Moon mentioned by King Gon, the executor of calamities, refers to Tsukuyomi.”

“Ah!”

“Then that clarifies his backing.”

With Mangnyang’s words, I suddenly recalled the information I had traded with Gon just a while ago.

[Tell me what the Black Moon is, as per our contract. As far as I know, it symbolizes a god.]

[When the Great Flood occurs in my era, the one leading it will be none other than the Three Sovereigns. Yet the Three Sovereigns were engaged in suppressing the divine beings of the four corners, so they had little opportunity. They feared the backlash of the law of cause and effect if they used their powers recklessly… So, they found a suitable proxy to create a worldwide flood disaster.]

[Yes… When that proxy appears, who is the executor of calamities, I saw the Black Moon rise high in the sky. It was surely a natural phenomenon responding to that god’s divine power.]

[That god is neither male nor female.]

[Knowing that asexuality itself is the essence of that god’s identity… I also heard that it has existed for a very long time and is a particularly mysterious entity….]

I racked my memory and suddenly realized, “…The Three Sovereigns?! Are you saying the Three Sovereigns are using the Black Moon Tsukuyomi as their puppet?!”

“It must be right. The information fits perfectly.”

“……”

It was a shocking truth I never expected. To think a person from the Three Divine Characters would be acting as a subordinate to the Three Sovereigns!

I looked at Susanoo and asked, “Susanoo! If Tsukuyomi is definitely a servant of the Three Sovereigns, do you know why he obediently followed them?”

[I don’t know the exact circumstances either. Tsukuyomi rarely interacted with either Amaterasu or myself. However, unlike us, he was born without any compassion for humans, carrying an unknown [使命] from the start.]

“Mission?”

[To endlessly battle against the Old Ruler… and Amaterasu has the mission to check the “evil of the Ruler.” Our Three Divine Characters were born as a backlash from the chaos created by our father, Izanagi no Mikoto, so our mission is to oppose chaos. But as for Tsukuyomi’s mission, I do not know.]

“…Hmm.”

This seemed more complicated than I anticipated.

While I was deep in thought, Mangnyang spoke up, “Susanoo! I dare to ask for your consideration.”

[Are you trying to persuade me further?]

“If… we found a way to kill Tsukuyomi before the flood strikes, would you agree to assist us in buying time to defeat him?”

[……!!]

Susanoo seemed taken aback and appeared startled. After a moment of contemplation, he finally spoke.

[I promise that. However, the time before the Great Flood is approaching sooner than you think… it won’t be easy.]

“I understand that.”

With that, Mangnyang looked at me and said, “Let’s go, Baek Woong.”

We departed from Susanoo’s palace. After ensuring we were far enough so that Susanoo couldn’t hear us, Mangnyang spoke up.

“Baek Woong. Susanoo said there’s no way, but that’s only his perspective. As a reincarnated person, you have three ways to block Tsukuyomi.”

I lit up at those words. “Really?! Tell me!”

“First, using the Offering Ceremony. You can summon the Three Sovereigns through the Offering Ceremony and provide them sufficient offerings to delay the flood. After all, Tsukuyomi is under the Three Sovereigns, so as long as you can break the will of the Three Sovereigns, you’re good.”

“Ah-ha!!”

I praised the first plan for being quite straightforward, but then realizing something strange.

“…Wait, thinking back, couldn’t we have dealt with the flood through the Offering Ceremony from the start? Why has no one mentioned it until now?”

“Hmm… To be honest, when I remembered, I thought it was strange that you’ve been reincarnated 30 times and still didn’t know about this. But since it wasn’t urgent, I just let it slide. Anyway, you were busy training hard with martial arts, right? It wouldn’t be that difficult to prepare for the Offering Ceremony and gather offerings… And meanwhile, you might discover clues to the flood while rummaging through the world.”

“……”

“And the second solution is a simplification of the first and something that’s been discussed recently. It’s to seize the Celestial Realm and resurrect Fuxi. With Fuxi’s influence, you wouldn’t need to make offerings or use the Offering Ceremony to mitigate the Great Flood.”

“Oh! So that’s how it works.”

“And the last method is… to directly go into Tsukuyomi’s [Dream] and kill him.”

“……?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Hmm… The first and second methods seem more than enough; what’s this last method that sounds so weird? How do I find him in the dream realm where he supposedly lives?”

“There are ways. Since it’s not a real dimension, but a dream, it can be easier to locate. But I hope we can avoid using this method as much as possible.”

“Why?”

“Honestly, it’d be very disadvantageous for us… The first and second methods solving it would be the best. Let’s not think about the last method for now.”

Mangnyang seemed reluctant to go into details. So I chose not to push any further and replied, “Alright. Anyway, Susanoo gave us a fright, but we shouldn’t worry too much about the flood. So what are we doing now?”

“Well, we should worry a bit… but still, our immediate task is to meet Abe no Seimei.”

“Seimei?”

“Before bringing the Eight Parts of the Divine into the flood, we need to coordinate.”

We headed straight to the base of the Abe no clan. Upon meeting Abe no Seimei, I greeted him.

“Hey there!”

“I’ve heard from Lord Susanoo. So you’re Baek Woong?”

“Yep. Here, take this!”

Woong!

I persuaded Abe no Seimei and handed over the memory of obsidian. Upon receiving it, he was initially shocked, but soon calmed down and said, “Remarkable… I never imagined all the divine powers of the Three Divine Characters would appear in this era.”

“Do you have any information about Tsukuyomi?”

“I don’t know any more than what you do. Regardless, he is the most mysterious deity in Dongyoung mythology.”

“Hmm.”

“More importantly, I’d like to see your wrist, Baek Woong.”

“Huh? My wrist?”

“Show it to me.”

Seimei asked earnestly, and though I was puzzled, I eventually raised my arm for him to see. He examined it closely before activating a spell in his eyes like Saint Germain and studied it carefully.

After a moment, Seimei’s eyes widened. “Y-Yes, it’s true. I can’t believe a mortal possesses the name of Izanagi no Mikoto!!”

“I just wound up with it while tussling over Moon Sovereign issues from Goryeo. Is that a bad thing?”

“I can’t articulate this entirely as it’s an unknown phenomenon, but it seems significant. You do know what it means to be the owner of the [Name], right?”

“Of course… I’ve heard it plenty. I don’t intend to rely on the power of the [Name].”

“……”

After a short wait, Seimei unexpectedly proposed, “No. In this particular case, using the power of the name might be convenient. This is my instinct as the foremost Yin-Yang Master.”

“What?”

“If you find a way to harness the power of the name, then first, summon the name of Izanagi no Mikoto. That name will be crucial for this Great Flood situation. I’m certain of it.”

Does Izanagi no Mikoto’s name have something to do with the flood?

I felt bewildered but nodded in compliance. “I’ll do that.”

There must be a valid reason behind his advice. When I nodded, Seimei sighed.

“If the Eight Parts of the Divine come to the flood, I will gladly open the way for them. Just let it be known.”

“Thank you.”

Mangnyang chimed in from the side, “Oh, and we’ll need some highly skilled allies as Yin-Yang Masters, so I’ll be selecting a few to bring to Soeul Village.”

“I see. Clearly, we’re going to need many sorcerers to aid you from now on…”

Seimei, who was speaking vaguely, suddenly focused on me and said, “Baek Woong. There’s something I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

“If everything goes as planned, then all the Eight Parts of the Divine will die in the outer universe. Isn’t that contrary to your determination to make them your subordinates?”

“That point….”

I casually responded to Seimei’s words. “I’d like to do that, but right now, if I focus on them, it’ll hinder my efforts to gather strength. I can deal with them later. I can’t afford to let my companions be harmed due to those demon kings.”

“…….”

“What’s wrong? Is there something bothering you?”

“Baek Woong. You won’t change your mind midway through, will you?”

“Hmm?”

Change my mind?

I was baffled. I couldn’t comprehend what Seimei was trying to imply. He stared at me intently before finally saying,

“Whatever you do, just don’t.”

“That’s silly. Regardless, we’ll be staying here for a while.”

“Please do.”

From here on out, we need to verify how many Eight Parts of the Divine are coming to our location and whether they can enter the flood. Thus, it was essential to hide in the Abe no clan’s village and sneakily monitor the situation.

Tydaht

Before settling in, I approached Kamizumi Nobutsuna and Tsukahara Bokuden, who were at the entrance of the flood. After demonstrating my martial arts, I said, “As you can see, both I and Asura are in the Absolute Realm, too. But since you’re exceptional, if we train together, you could also reach the Absolute Realm.”

“……”

“Will you follow us?”

They seemed quite taken aback. Finally, Kamizumi Nobutsuna said, “How generous. Are you offering to teach the Absolute Realm without any conditions?”

“I know you possess the character and temperament worthy of that. There’s enough chaos in the world; adding a few more masters of the Absolute Realm wouldn’t change much.”

“Fair enough. I’d be grateful to receive your teachings.”

After recruiting the sword masters of Dongyoung, Asura said to me, “Baek Woong, you’re really picking up a lot of martial artists in this life. You seem determined to endure for a long time.”

“Of course I will! Out of nowhere, why do you ask?”

“No, I was just saying, if you’re intent on gathering such talents, why not search for Yi Hon after this ordeal?”

“Yi Hon?”

“He’ll become the Master of the Absolute Realm fifty years into the future. At the same time, he’s the one summoned back repeatedly into the Combat Training Room in my Ark.”

“Oh…!!”

I suddenly recalled who that was, realizing I hadn’t thought about that individual at all until now. After a moment, I curiously asked, “Do you think he’s an important figure?”

“Absolutely…. I doubt he’s just some simple master of the Absolute Realm.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Did it never strike you as odd? The person named Yi Hon will become the Master of the Absolute Realm in fifty years, and yet the same individual is frequently summoned to my Ark’s Combat Training Room. That means whether in the realm of the Joules or our world, Yi Hon has existed, meaning he must have lived a minimum of 500 years after reaching the Absolute Realm.”

“……!!”

Oh, wait, that’s true?!

‘Now that I think about it, it does seem strange!’

As I widened my eyes, Asura continued, “I had overlooked him until the 28th life, but the fact that an avatar of the same person appears in the Combat Training Room is no coincidence. It’s impossible for it to be a mere coincidence.”

“If it isn’t a coincidence…”

“We should first assume there’s one thing. Up until the ‘End,’ the history and characters in the Joules world align closely with those of our world. And one more thing is…”

Asura crossed his arms. “That the character Yi Hon significantly impacted Ha Eun-cheon, the Master of the Twelve Joules, in the future.”

“Hmm…!!”

“I overlooked it in the 29th life, but he’s definitely someone we must investigate. By looking into him, there’s a strong chance we’ll uncover the secrets of the Twelve Joules. And even if we find nothing, it wouldn’t be a negative thing to have the future Master of the Twelve Joules and the Absolute Realm in our grasp.”

“Understood. Let’s do that.”

After this matter concludes, I’ll need to look for Yi Hon from Goryeo!

‘Now that I think about it… I need to save Cheongwol too, but I can’t use the Golden Lamp right now.’

I licked my lips. If I could use the Golden Lamp, I could easily skip past the Guardian of the Death Sea and rescue Cheongwol, but since I can’t, it looks like I can’t pass. I’ll just have to find an opportunity to sneak it out later.

“Let’s go.”

I brought my party to find Abe no Seimei, who used his powers to create a large crack in a gigantic tree trunk.

Crack

Inside that trunk was something resembling a door to a hidden dimension, and upon entering, we could see outside. Following Seimei’s guidance, everyone stepped into the crack, and he stated, “As long as I do not die or sustain heavy injuries, even the Eight Parts of the Divine won’t be able to detect this space. Just watch closely from inside.”

“Thank you.”

While we hid for two days, we quietly had our meals and occasionally engaged in meditation and training. The interior space was quite expansive, so there wasn’t any discomfort.

Then, on the third day—

Rumble!!

A colossal sound erupted as a huge dimensional portal appeared in the dwelling of the Abe no clan. Thereupon stood the main body of Garuda from the Eight Parts of the Divine, arms crossed.

[Is this the place?]

“Indeed, Garuda.”

On cue, the humanoid form of Gin Nara from the Eight Parts of the Divine emerged too. Alongside him were Yacha, the Celestial, Mahuraga, and even the Thief Gang. Gazing upon the six figures, I widened my eyes from the trunk of the tree.

“Unbelievable…”

They actually came?!

And all six of them at that?!

As I was in shock, with a swoosh, Abe no Seimei appeared in front of the six members of the Eight Parts of the Divine, having just used his teleportation technique while his silver hair fluttered, numerous Yin-Yang Spirits surrounding him.

“Uninvited guests, aren’t you? Who are you?”

Stepping forward, Gin Nara addressed him. “We are the Eight Parts of the Divine… followers of the History Emperor, Chi You.”

“……”

“We discovered that there exists a passageway to the Outer Universe on this land, and we came here to look for clues about Lord Chi You. Please allow us to investigate briefly.”

Surprisingly, Gin Nara’s demeanor appeared very polite. If he were to use force, he could easily wipe out Seimei and the Yin-Yang Masters, yet here he was, adopting a conciliatory approach.

‘Probably, because engaging in a power struggle at Seimei’s base would incur a huge cost in cause and effect.’

It would be foolish to engage in a conflict with the administrator in a location as perilous as the flood. The strategist, Gin Nara, understood this fact well.

Seimei gazed at Gin Nara with an impassive expression, then spoke. “Are you referring to the peculiar golden characters that existed at the end of the entrance to the sea?”

Gulp!

At that moment, I could almost feel the Eight Parts of the Divine glance at each other. Gin Nara gave Seimei an inquisitive look asking, “What characters were they? Please, tell me as you know.”

“I’ve never seen them firsthand; I merely heard tales from someone from the Thunder God Lineage who ventured there. They say some golden characters appeared at the end of the entrance to the sea. That’s the only suspicious thing.”

“Hmm… Seimei. Please guide us there.”

“I must refuse. I’m too busy maintaining this seal, and the Guardian of the Death Sea is a mighty being. We can only manage the seal but cannot hunt down the demon beasts in the flood.”

“…Is that so? Hehe.”

Gin Nara wore a mischievous grin and replied, “Even if you merely lead us there, regardless of how strong that Guardian is, he won’t be able to defeat all of us from the Eight Parts of the Divine.”

“Hmm… What will be the cost of taking that risk?”

“We will lend this in return.”

Swish

Gin Nara produced something from his cloak. It was a translucent sphere crackling with red lightning, which clearly held extraordinary value. At the center of the sphere was a stone fragment floating around. Seimei raised an eyebrow and said, “Is it a treasure related to the law of cause and effect?”

“It is. It was a prototype made by an alchemist working under us. Although it was never completed after he disappeared, it holds considerable value.”

“…Does it mean it has the ability to nullify cause and effect?”

“Indeed!”

Upon Seimei’s inquiry, Gin Nara’s eyes widened. “You’re indeed as perceptive as they say. Just as you inferred, this treasure possesses the ability to nullify cause and effect.”

“What’s it called?”

“I’ve heard it’s called Phlogiston. As an alchemist’s treasure, this should adequately compensate for your guidance.”

“……”

Seimei pretended to contemplate for a moment before dramatically nodding. “Fine. I shall guide you to the entrance of the sea.”

Whoosh!

As Seimei opened the dimensional portal, they soon disappeared altogether. From this point on, Seimei would likely lead the Eight Parts of the Divine deep into Aokigahara.

Crack!

As the enormous tree trunk split open, our group emerged from within. Mangnyang smiled victoriously. “Everything is going according to plan. Once the Eight Parts of the Divine collide with the King of the Life Sea, it’ll all be over.”

“…I never would have guessed it would go this smoothly.”

I shook my head in disbelief, murmuring, “Sending a message with the rescued Princess Hyosung to hint at Chi You’s location to Seongseo Castle Lord, and the Seongseo Castle Lord spreading it across the entire region… I never thought such a simple plan would actually work!”

That’s right.

Mangnyang’s strategy was exceedingly straightforward. By leveraging a hint from the suggestive song he created, he signaled that Chi You was in Aokigahara, and it didn’t take too long for that song to be spread all across the world. Then, after hearing that song, the Eight Parts of the Divine realized it contained hints of Chi You’s whereabouts and had come here.

But it seems oddly impressive.

“It’s just a common song circulating among people, right? Yet they genuinely believed it and came all the way to this treacherous seal of Dongyoung! What kind of trickery was involved?”

When I asked in astonishment, Mangnyang smiled mischievously and responded, “Did you know that the song contains the phrase, ‘The celestial demon who tramples on heaven becomes the king of insects’?”

“I remember.”

“The moment I thought of that, when you shared with me all about the Imperial Palace Forces, Chi You, and the Eight Parts of the Divine. Doesn’t that idea of becoming an insect king and turning into a celestial demon signal a narrative exclusive to the daughter of Chi You, Yacha?”

“While that may be the case…”

“Once those words are incorporated, regardless of anything else, for Yacha, she would strongly believe in the prophetic significance of the song. The notion of the absolute being, her father, recalling them and summoning them through the lyrics would be, for Yacha, an incredibly beautiful fairytale, so to speak.”

“……”

“I can guarantee you. The reason the Eight Parts of the Divine came rushing here is a product of Yacha persuading them all. She’d have believed that her father, Chi You, was calling them as support from his expedition in another dimension.”

“T-That so….”

Listening to Mangnyang, I wore a vaguely horrified expression.

‘Mangnyang completely plays with people’s psyches, doesn’t he?’

With just a song, he pulled the Eight Parts of the Divine into the flood—a madcap plan.

The reason this childish scheme worked was, in reality, because of Mangnyang’s profound understanding of Yacha’s psychology, indirectly manipulating her.

Mangnyang stated, “But this was only possible because I’m a companion of a reincarnated person. Had you not gathered this valuable information on Chi You, I wouldn’t have dared to initiate such a plan. How would Yacha deduce that a reincarnator understood his relationship with Chi You, alongside the millennia-old secret dialogues shared between father and daughter?”

“Even so, I still can’t believe it worked so well…”

“Ha ha. Let’s take it easy from here on out.”

Mangnyang walked ahead, unintentionally wearing a rather sinister smile. “What would happen, I wonder, if the Eight Parts of the Divine engaged in a battle against the King of the Life Sea after so proudly blocking my path along the way.”