1319——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I didn’t quite get what Nailatop was saying, even though I was listening. It felt like a totally out-of-place story given my current situation, and I had no idea what he was getting at. So, I stammered back at him.

“…So, you want to go to the center of reincarnation? Fine, but what’s the deal with dragging me here?”

“You have a bad habit of simplifying stories. That’s a terrible habit. Tsk… Just think a little, and you could get so much more information.”

“……”

Nailatop clicked his tongue.

“Then again, for a Reborn Person who can live nearly eternally, a simple-minded attitude could actually be beneficial.”

“Cut the crap! Why did you bring me here in the first place?”

“To put it simply, I’m curious about what happens when a Reborn Person dies in the infinite chaos of the multiverse.”

“Uh?”

You mean dying?

Caught off guard by the sudden statement, Nailatop calmly continued.

“Will you reincarnate back in your original world, or will you come back in one of these infinite multiverses — what you people call ‘outer worlds’?”

“What the hell….”

“This is a significant experiment. I couldn’t help but bring you to an outer world.”

At that moment, I looked into Nailatop’s gaze. When I noticed the pure enthusiasm hidden behind his emotionless eyes, I realized he was serious. Years of experience gave me that much insight.

“Hey, hell no!! You think I’m just going to die here!”

Slash!

I charged forward and attempted to behead Nailatop. But just as I thought I had, he vanished from sight, and when I hesitated, wondering if it was an illusion, his voice echoed around the battleship.

[It’s interesting battling Reborn Person Baek Woong with all the capabilities of Battleship Gaia. It’s intriguing that Gaia’s winning percentage isn’t that high.]

“Don’t underestimate me….”

I secretly felt good being appreciated for my power. Just as I was about to chuckle, Nailatop continued.

[But if we think logically, I could just disable the protective devices on the ship and drop you into the path of reincarnation. Can you really return to your world by yourself?]

“……!!”

Oh, that’s true?!

An indescribable madness resonated in Nailatop’s voice.

[Baek Woong. I’m deeply troubled. My intellectual curiosity is an uncontrollable madness, as strong as my scientific talent… I want to resolve this impulse boiling inside me. If you die on the path of reincarnation, where will you begin your next life?]

Clank! Clank!!

Kikig…

A heavy metallic noise echoed from Battleship Gaia, and it seemed something was opening. It was undoubtedly an attempt to [eject] me.

He means business.

This guy is serious!!

‘Why is he so unpredictable?!’

He was so calm just moments ago, and now he suddenly wants to drop me into the path of reincarnation to die! Can a rational scientist really be this impulsive?

Yet, despite that, if Nailatop really did drop me, returning on my own would be nearly impossible. I would have to meet the Observer again to settle this, but there’s no guarantee I’d even meet him, nor was there any law that said the Outer God Observer would be friendly to me.

I felt it acutely.

This guy is the mask of the [Coming Chaos]!

‘Damn it! I have no choice.’

I was frozen for a moment, then finally made the most rational judgment I could think of and spoke.

“Fine!! So just stop!”

[You’ve tried?]

“I’ve died in an outer world, just like you said!!”

It was the moment I yelled out loud.

Surrr…

Suddenly, Nailatop appeared right in front of me, and the annoying metallic sounds stopped. He looked extremely curious as he asked.

“Really? When? How did it happen?”

“…Once a long time ago.”

“Please tell me the details!! I beg you.”

I clenched my fist and shouted back.

“Stop with the nonsense, you crazy bastard! Promise me you won’t threaten me like this again!”

“Alright, I’m sorry.”

Watching Nailatop’s unexpectedly polite apology felt absurd. Obviously, that apology had no sincerity behind it, so it was worthless to accept. It was merely an act to deceive.

Seeing his face like that twisted my expression, and I thought.

‘Despite everything, this guy is definitely a [mask]…’

The mask’s traits weren’t just unparalleled talent but also that indescribable, unique madness and atmosphere — it was something beyond just differences in skills.

“…That isn’t even that long ago. It happened in my 27th life.”

As I vaguely stared at Nailatop, who leaned forward as if to listen, I continued speaking.

“At that time, I went to an outer world to search for the Divine Thief title. And although I succeeded in finding the Divine Thief, I ended up dying there because I tried to use the True Martial Home technique.”

“Oh?! True Martial Home? Do you mean the Offering Ceremony to summon your [Father]?”

“What? You know about it?”

“There are records that something similar was attempted in my world. If that’s the case, that world must surely have been destroyed. So, what happened after you died?”

He seemed to know a lot.

I thought as I casually replied.

“What happened? I reincarnated in my original world and started a new life. Right in the same time and place.”

“……!!”

For a moment, Nailatop looked shocked, then stammered.

“Is that true? This is completely different from my theory…. I was convinced that if a Reborn Person dies on the path of reincarnation, they would start in a different multiverse.”

“Huh? Is that what you thought? And still wanted to banish me outside? You filthy bastard…”

Unable to hold back my anger, I swore, but he seemed unfazed, muttering.

“Then what that means is… A Reborn Person’s reincarnation occurs in a completely different manner compared to transitioning through the Fruit of Good and Evil. A fixed starting point that is unrelated to the universal constants….”

As Nailatop murmured and suddenly had a realization, he shouted with a mix of fear and despair.

“From the beginning, I couldn’t go to the center!!”

“……?!”

“Damn it… kuh… hehe… all of this… is meaningless….”

Thud.

Suddenly, Nailatop slumped down, as if collapsing. He looked utterly drained, his gaze fixated on the floor with an empty stare. Seeing Nailatop, who seemed like a shell of a person, left me astonished.

“Hey. What does it matter that you can’t go to the center?”

“If the constants are fixed, then everything outside of that fixed entity would have an infinite diameter for the circle.”

“What?”

“I couldn’t go… yeah….”

Nailatop seemed so stunned that he stared blankly and mumbled like an idiot. It was clear as day he had suffered a significant mental shock. I found his demeanor oddly annoying and said.

“Hey! Why are you mumbling in a way only you can understand, looking so weak?”

“……”

“Wake up!! Now that I’ve revealed what you wanted, send me back to my original world! I don’t want to stay here any longer.”

As I shook Nailatop’s shoulder, he absentmindedly swayed and suddenly looked at me with vacant eyes and spoke.

“…You still haven’t told me how many times you’ve been reincarnated.”

“This is my 30th time.”

“30 times… Still early, huh…”

When I heard him say “early,” my eyebrows twitched. Then, I spoke up.

“Hey! How can you call my 30 lifetimes early, just based on that? Do I look like someone who’d die that many times?”

You gotta challenge this!

‘This guy knows something!’

An instinct that he’d reveal critical information!

Nailatop’s next response shocked me.

“No… I’ve already calculated it. If a Reborn Person exists, how many monumental upheavals will happen in their lives.”

“What!!!”

“The Reborn Person is the one Nyarlathotep is most concerned about… Of course, he would be simulating the path of reincarnation over and over to study the reincarnation count. So that later he’d have a chance to [bargain] with Nyarlathotep….”

He can calculate all that?!

I momentarily froze, then grabbed him by the collar and shouted.

“How many more times will I reincarnate!!”

I desperately needed that information!

But Nailatop’s response was somewhat disappointing.

“I don’t know how many more times… I didn’t even know what the mechanics behind reincarnation were from the start…. But I could measure the rotations within the path of reincarnation to see at which reincarnation the greatest change would occur….”

“What?”

“I told you. This path of reincarnation is in rotation…. That holds significant meaning. An unknown circular motion conserving the entropy of order is maintained in the midst of the greatest chaos of the infinite world — a paradox that completely disrupts our understanding of chaos and order….”

“Don’t just ramble! So when does that change happen most dramatically?!”

I grabbed him by the collar and pressed for answers. Nailatop opened his mouth.

“The 666th time.”

“……!!”

“According to my calculations, the first paradox in circular motion will occur upon the 666th rotation, according to the simulations. But rather than being a failure of infinite motion, it’s more likely that the circular motion’s energy will transfer into a different form of motion….”

Ugh, more confusing nonsense!

I couldn’t help but interrupt Nailatop’s rambling.

“Are you saying my reincarnation will wrap up by the 666th time?!”

“I don’t know. Whether it ends or not, at least that’s when a significant change will happen. My hypothesis is that the rotating motion in the path of reincarnation directly correlates with Reborn Persons… However, since I’ve never met a Reborn Person directly, I couldn’t calculate the correlation.”

“Hmm….”

“Compared to the 666th cycle, being at the 30th cycle is indeed early. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s one thing….”

Unexpected information!

‘So something major happens at the 666th reincarnation!’

Honestly, the reliability of this information is pretty low. How can I trust the guy who was just trying to throw me into the path of reincarnation a moment ago?

But as a scientist who runs from the Outer God and explores outer worlds, he might just be worth listening to. Someone who stakes their life on science wouldn’t likely joke or deceive within their area of expertise.

Swoosh.

I quietly released Nailatop’s collar and stood up. I sighed deeply.

“Ah. I’m tired of this now, so let’s wrap it up. Send me back to my original world, and you take your disciple, Lee Hwan-woong, and go. Let’s just live as we were.”

“……”

“Why no response?”

What the heck?

Nailatop, suddenly regaining some vitality, smiled brightly.

“Hmm… I forgot to mention earlier. I actually lost the coordinates.”

“Uh?”

“I’ve lost the coordinates of the world you were in. I got too hasty dodging the Observer’s gaze.”

I blinked, wondering if I misheard. This time, instead of being surprised, I just chuckled and said.

“Haha. You’re joking, right?”

“Hahaha….”

“Hahaha. Stop with the jokes….”

“It’s not a joke….”

My temper flared.

“You bastard!”

Boom!

With the Thunder God Fist, I slammed Nailatop’s head, and this time it exploded properly. It seemed he couldn’t evade due to the speed. As Nailatop turned into a splatter, I felt slightly relieved, but soon I heard his voice echoing from all directions once more.

[Don’t be too angry. I can find the coordinates again.]

“Damn it! Shut your mouth and come out in front of me now!! Let’s settle this, whether you die or I die!!”

Furious at Nailatop’s unpredictability, I yelled, but he remained unfazed and bluntly replied.

[That would be a loss. You can die and begin your 31st life, but if I die, it’s the end for me.]

“So what?”

[Alright… Thinking about it, I do have the upper hand. If I can provide you with a significant help, would you calm down then?]

I growled and drew my sword.

“The biggest help you can give me is to either send me back now or forfeit your life.”

Can a guy who toys around with people’s lives actually cooperatively join up with me until the end!

Kugugugu.

Unable to suppress my anger, I poured all my internal energy and focus into the sword. As the resonance of the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique intensified, I purified that energy into a single Thunder Sword, stronger than anything I’d ever created. I had never channeled my energy for pure destruction so intensely before. Standing ready with the Thunder Sword, I thought about how much fun it would be to wipe him out in one go after all this frustration.

‘Die, Nailatop!!’

I didn’t know how advanced the technology was on this ship, but if I hit him with this, even the main body of the Eight Parts of the Divine would be severely injured!

Just as I was about to swing the Thunder Sword — I felt Nailatop’s words pierce my ears.

[Let me make you smarter with technology.]