1345——————==

Soul of the Evil God

As I spoke, Yu Hang accepted the wooden armor and glanced at it for a moment. Then he said,

“This is an exceptional magic artifact with storage capabilities. Are you asking me to enhance its capacity with the blessing of the Constellations?”

“Exactly.”

“It’s not impossible, but to receive our blessing, you’ll need to make a separate offering. Please provide us with an appropriate offering.”

“Of course, that’s reasonable. But I have something specific in mind.”

“What do you want to clarify?”

I reached out and clicked open the lid of the wooden armor that Yu Hang was holding, pointing at the dark interior space with my finger as I spoke.

“Since we’re expanding the capacity, could you also remove that evil ‘trap’ that exists within this magic artifact? If you can do that, then I’ll be able to make a sufficient offering.”

“……”

Yu Hang’s eyes sparkled as he examined the wooden armor closely. Then he said,

“Please give me a moment to examine this.”

The three Constellations exchanged glances and started to ponder over the interior of the wooden armor. Watching them, I couldn’t help but grin.

‘Nice! I think I’ve played my cards right this time!’

Remembering the warning Saint Germain had given me seemed to be paying off.

[Never fill the wooden armor to the brim.]

[Let’s assume that’s the case. What happens if I break that condition?]

[I don’t know. It could be dangerous.]

Right now, I could tell that these treasures of the Celestial Realm clearly wouldn’t fit just within the armor’s existing capacity! It was already filled to the brim, so overflowing was inevitable. There was no way one could contain all the treasures of the Celestial Realm with just a simple magic artifact.

So, what if we expand its maximum capacity without filling it to the brim?

[If you fill it to the brim] it would be dangerous, so that wouldn’t break the conditional limits, right?

Moreover, although I wasn’t entirely sure, I knew this wooden armor had hidden traps like the one from a golden lamp, so if I could get the Constellations’ powers to release the curse of the armor while I was at it, that would be a two-for-one deal!

While I wore a triumphant smile, Yu Hang spoke up.

“What’s this? It’s composed of a very complex structure.”

“I think I’ve heard other alchemists mention its complexity before.”

“It’s as if this itself serves as some kind of offering…”

“Offering?”

“……”

Yu Hang exchanged glances with the other Constellations before saying,

“It’s uncomfortable, but we will proceed as you ask. If things unfold according to Jeon Wook’s wishes, there may indeed be a way for the Celestial Realm to survive. Now’s not the time to be picky about details.”

“Thank you.”

“Well then, please provide the offerings required for the relationship.”

Though he spoke like a dignified fairy, his underlying arrogance was palpable, yet somehow felt justified.

“…Please wait a moment.”

What kind of treasure should I offer as compensation for expanding the capacity and removing the curse?

‘Hmm… This should do. It’s a little regrettable, but.’

After some thought, I made my decision and produced an item.

“Here it is.”

Upon seeing the item, Yu Hang’s eyes sparkled.

“A rare holy sword. Is it from the Western regions?”

“Indeed.”

What I presented was none other than King Arthur’s Excalibur. I had recovered it not long ago after he was turned to stone by Halchi Olleifra while guarding the sacred place, Paliyas. Since I possessed the Six Needs, I had no real use for Excalibur, and given its prestige, it was the perfect item to offer.

But it was still a bit of a shame to part with it, and I felt a pang of regret.

‘Tsk… But I also really wanted to try out Excalibur’s abilities once.’

Even with King Arthur’s skills that didn’t reach the status of Absolute Realm, the special abilities unique to Excalibur had the potential to threaten me. Naturally, as a swordsman, I yearned to utilize it at least once, but alas, the circumstances weren’t right.

It was hard to just hand over a precious item I hadn’t even had a chance to wield yet.

Yu Hang appeared highly satisfied, holding Excalibur in his hands as he said,

“This is also a powerful sacred object, blessed by the stars. It’s an excellent offering for us, so I’m content.”

“Well then, quickly expand the capacity of the wooden armor.”

“Understood.”

Moments later, the three Constellations positioned the wooden armor at the center and clasped their hands together, beginning to gather their energy. They started casting an incantation from some unknown otherworldly realm, and slowly, their humanoid forms began to re-emerge, resembling their earlier appearances.

Crackle…!!

Crackle!

The wooden armor began to float up, emitting a brilliant thunderous aura. Then, Yu Hang channeled even more divine power, reciting the command with vigor.

[By the name of the Constellations, I command you, wooden armor, to expand your intrinsic capacity!]

In that moment, I saw the wooden armor snap open like a living mouth, causing a loud click. It quickly began to emit strange dark energies from within, almost as if its hinges were creaking.

Sssss

The dark energy flowing out thickened like black mist, starting to obscure the nearby view. In this unexpected situation, I turned to Yu Hang in alarm and asked,

“What’s happening?!”

There was a brief pause before an incredulous tone of divine language reached my ears.

[…Were you here from the beginning?]

[You’ve been discovered…. Hahaha.]

A strange laugh echoed in the air.

[To think you could deceive the Constellations. You may not be a mortal, but is such a level of magic truly possible? Who are you….]

Yu Hang’s words were met with a cheerful response from some ‘someone’ that seemed to know me well.

That voice too was the language of the divine.

[You’re the Constellation of the Big Dipper. I wish to speak to the contracting party, so the third party may kindly step aside.]

[You! Don’t tell me you’re that sorcerer from then…!!]

The moment Yu Hang realized the presence behind the darkness, he seemed to have figured something out and shouted.

Whoosh!!

In the next moment, I realized the whole world was shrouded in darkness, making everything invisible. While this wasn’t my first time experiencing such a phenomenon and I didn’t panic, I still braced myself, mentally prepared to activate the Four Great Spirit Deities to escape from this situation.

…….

After a while, a white light began to float toward me from beyond the darkness. Gradually, the light seemed to circle around me as if inviting me to follow, and I started to trail behind it with caution. From experience, I knew that usually, in such situations, following was less of a waste of time.

‘After all, the one who created this space surely wants to meet me…’

Shortly after, I found myself in a completely white space. While I called it white, I quickly recognized where I was as soon as I glimpsed the countless treasures stacked within.

“The interior of the wooden armor?”

What lay there were all the treasures I had gathered since my current life began. I had also thrown in some mundane items, leading me to believe the height was at least that of one palm.

At that moment, the light that had guided me started to shift into a human form.

Sssss

Standing before me was a young man clad in ancient ceremonial robes. He held a staff in one hand and donned shoes with wings, giving him a rather unusual appearance. Moreover, although his hair was black, his eyes were blue, presenting him as a typical Westerner.

“Oops….”

He casually seated himself on a small hill piled with gold coins. I glared at him and demanded,

“Who are you?”

His smile widened as he replied,

“Who am I? Haven’t you figured it out, Baek Woong?”

“I don’t know someone like you.”

“How disappointing. You must have spent quite a bit of time together since you were picked up from the cave with the giant toad.”

“What?”

He pointed to himself with his staff, saying,

“I am the spirit of the wooden armor! Thanks to the Constellations’ blessings, I have awakened. Let’s get along moving forward.”

“Whoa…. Is that really true?!”

I jolted at his self-introduction.

A spirit of the wooden armor, huh?

I knew that when great divine powers were infused into an object, it could awaken with a spirit inside, as I had seen with Muramasa. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for a wooden armor blessed by three near-divine Constellations to host a spirit.

Suddenly, the so-called spirit of the wooden armor wore a disappointed expression and said,

“Come on, you idiot. Do you really think a mere spirit infused with the Constellations’ blessings can just summon you here without overcoming the true Constellations?”

“……”

“I was just messing around, but to see you take it seriously like that shows how low your intelligence is.”

So what!

Realizing I was dealing with something totally unpredictable, I frowned and retorted,

“Cut it out! What exactly are you saying?”

“Krkrk.”

He stared at me like I was some amusing creature. I found his look infuriating and, in a moment of impulse, decided to attack.

Infinite Slash!

An unprecedentedly swift strike!

“……!!”

An ambush attack quick enough to finish a typical Peak Expert on the ground, yet that lightning-fast slash merely cut through air. While I was frozen in confusion, the man with the staff appeared at a distance, speaking with nonchalance.

“I can’t believe you’ve met plenty of divine beings, yet lack the ability to learn. You possess remarkable martial skills, but in a chaotic space controlled by a divine entity, don’t you realize you wouldn’t stand a chance unless you resist the ‘Small Cycle’?”

“…Are you saying you’re a divine being?”

“Phew, do I really need to say that outright? You’re not as clever as I expected.”

“……”

“If I weren’t a divine being, I wouldn’t have been able to bring you here while ignoring the powers of three Constellations.”

That son of a—

It was as if he was itching to mock me! The moment I glowered in irritation, he dramatically assumed a refined pose and said,

“Allow me to introduce myself once more.”

Sssss

A mask that looked like a white tree materialized above his face, and he continued,

“My name is Hermes Trismegistus. God of Alchemy and Magic.”

“…Hermes… what now? Huh?”

As I fumbled trying to decipher his elongated name, Hermes—or whatever he was—interrupted.

“It’s not ‘Hermes what’! Just call me Hermes.”

“Fine, whatever.”

“Krkrk. Haha. Hahaha….”

He was laughing as if he found something tremendously amusing for quite a while. He was clearly on the brink of collapsing from laughter.

“Krkrk… Haha…. I thought we would meet much sooner, but I never imagined it would take this long, Baek Woong.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

His gaze suddenly flickered with a manic glimmer, emanating from behind his mask.

“Hahaha. You truly never anticipated this, did you? The plan was laid out in the original world, yet you summoned me only after coming to this outer universe…. Hahaha. You have no idea how surprised I was to cross into another universe because of Nailatop.”

“……?!”

What the?!

“You really are chaos itself.”

What, what is he saying?

I was left utterly bewildered by Hermes—or was it Hermes’ statements? He pretended to wipe away his “tears” emerging from beneath the mask, saying,

“It’s a simple matter. To put it simply…”

Hermes waved his staff forward. The sphere at its tip began to collect light, and as that light burst forth, an eerie distortion followed, and ‘something’ appeared within the space of the wooden armor.

Whoosh

I recognized the identity of the entity that appeared and gasped.

“Yacha?!”

Why in the world is that popping up out of nowhere?!

“……?”

The Yacha from the Eight Parts of the Divine stood there, seemingly oblivious to the situation unfolding, wearing a confused expression. After surveying the surroundings, she spotted Hermes and asked,

“Who are you? I was surely in the outer universe; where is this place?”

“Oh dear… You poor thing, don’t you understand yet?”

Hermes’ eyes narrowed like a crescent moon.

“From the moment a fragment of the Crystal Stele was implanted in your body, your fate was sealed.”

Whooosh…!!

As Hermes’ staff emitted a stronger light, Yacha began to tremble all over her body. It was as if her essence was being drawn into the staff, vaporizing as she desperately fought back against the pull—yet it was futile. Yacha gasped in horror,

“What’s happening?! What in the world is this….”

“Aren’t you the one who implanted the Crystal Stele into your physical form, thereby proclaiming your allegiance to me? A contract has been forged to accept your soul and body, so even if you head to the outer universe, the Observer will allow you to be summoned before me.”

“……!!”

“How laughable it is to want to traverse the outer universe without knowing about the existence of the Observer. Hahaha…. You had no idea, did you?”

“Y-You can’t mean!!”

With a voice full of disdain, Hermes declared,

“Be absorbed into the Sephiroth.”

Whoosh!!

That was the end for the Yacha from the Eight Parts of the Divine. All her physical form and essence were drawn into the staff, leaving not a trace behind.

What in the world is happening right now?!

What the hell did that guy just do?!

As a series of incomprehensible events unfolded before me, I was thrown into utter chaos. While I was bewildered, Hermes spoke.

“Don’t be tense, Baek Woong. I just took care of your archenemy, the Eight Parts of the Divine, in a splendid way, didn’t I?”

“……?”

“Feel free to trust me, Hermes.”

He said that with a strange smile.

“I am an ally of the Reborn Person.”