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“Mirror of Clarity!”

That was definitely the item I always saw when I visited the Wheel King’s chamber. Whether the Wheel King existed or not, that object was always there. Remembering the existence of the Mirror of Clarity, I turned to Mephistopheles.

“Mephistopheles! Is the ‘treasure that transcends time and space’ you mentioned the Mirror of Clarity?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“How can you say you don’t know after you’ve brought it up?”

Mephistopheles fiddled with his monocle and replied.

“Whether it has the ability to transcend time and space can only be determined if you bring it here yourself. As of now, I can’t tell what could serve as a medium for transcending time and space.”

“Hmm.”

That was a valid point. As I pondered in silence, Subori spoke up.

“Baek Woong. Anyway, let’s get the important stuff sorted out. I guess I’m officially a reincarnated companion now?”

I nodded eagerly at his words.

“That’s right. I look forward to working with you.”

“Hehe, I’m glad to have achieved my goal… So what do we do now?”

I thought for a moment in response to Subori’s question and then turned to Mephistopheles.

“Mephistopheles. I want to ask one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“Can Subori also join me in the Training World?”

At this, Mephistopheles glanced at Subori and said,

“There’s no reason he can’t.”

“So he can go with me to the past of the Great Cycle?”

“That’s right.”

Upon hearing that, Subori chuckled.

“Interesting. We’re actually going to fight beings from the Mythological Age.”

“I have no idea how things will turn out, so I need your [Mask] ability. Please lend me your strength later.”

“Okay. So does that mean I’ll be training with you for now?”

With a somewhat reluctant tone, Subori replied,

“I don’t really feel the need to train.”

“Really? I’ve actually been a Divine Being for quite a while, so whether I train or not won’t significantly change my power. So it’s actually curious that you want to train to gain power.”

“If you don’t want to train, I won’t force you. Anyway, I’ll have work to do instead of training when I go back, so help me with that.”

“Got it.”

I turned to Mephistopheles.

“Now revive us.”

“Understood.”

Bang!

In the next moment, I found myself lying on the bed in the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, and Subori was sitting at the table beside me. Subori looked around the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School with curiosity and said,

“Where is this? Is this the place you were revived?”

“It’s the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School.”

I lifted the blanket off and got up from the bed.

“And now, from this point forward, you and I have to uncover the reason why this world suddenly faced destruction.”

“? I don’t quite understand. Please explain.”

“Well….”

“Oh, if you’re going to explain, start from the beginning and tell me how you ended up in this world. I need to know the overall context in order to understand you.”

“Hmm… if that’s the case, I’ll start with the beginning of my 30th life. It’s going to be quite a long story.”

I sat at the table and spoke to Subori for about an hour, recounting everything that had happened up until now. Subori seemed to listen attentively, occasionally responding to my words, and when I finally finished, he looked a bit stunned as he said,

“Even just this 30th life feels like an oversimplification of experiences that would take a normal person a lifetime. Truly a reincarnator.”

“So, did that context make sense?”

“It did. So you were sleeping suddenly when the world faced destruction. And now you need my help to find out why.”

“That’s right. Honestly, it feels like an event that’s too sudden to just figure out based on guesswork. You seem pretty clever, so help me solve this matter.”

“Hmm….”

Subori seemed deep in thought for a while.

“The cause must be with Shim Su-ryeok who went to Baekdu Mountain. Am I right?”

“Are you saying Shim Su-ryeok caused the destruction of the world?”

“Yes. Other than that, there’s no reason for this desolate world to face destruction. It’s rational to think Shim Su-ryeok went to Baekdu Mountain, interfered with something, and as a result, the world faced destruction.”

“Hmm… is there a possibility that the Chaos Relic buried in this world suddenly went wild?”

Subori shook his head.

“Well, that possibility exists, but what bugs me even more is the fact that you died without even noticing it while you were asleep.”

I was bewildered by his words.

“? Why is that important?”

“If what you’re saying is true, you are an absolute expert who has reached the peak of martial arts, transcended the Absolute Realm, and are currently standing on the Realm of the Divine Domain. Plus, you should easily be able to use divine power at will. For someone like you to theoretically be reincarnated at light speed like that and die in an instant is no trivial matter. You would normally survive even attacks close to the speed of light, right?”

“Uh! So that means….”

“The world perished faster than light itself. It happened so fast that a human wouldn’t even have time to respond, let alone move.”

“… Is that even possible?”

“I’ve traveled through dimensions and witnessed countless cycles of creation and destruction. It’s entirely possible. It happens if the dimension is wholly folded up.”

Subori stroked his chin, finding it interesting as he spoke.

“And that means whatever Shim Su-ryeok interfered with at Baekdu Mountain had the power to destroy the world in an instant. I’m rather curious about what’s there at Baekdu Mountain.”

“….”

As I listened to Subori’s words in silence, I finally spoke up.

“Shim Su-ryeok mentioned he went to find some kind of Demon Sorcery Pillar at Baekdu Mountain. There must be some secrets related to it.”

Subori said in a disheartened tone.

“A Demon Sorcery Pillar. I can’t believe the secret technique of the Three Great Gods of Tianzhu spread like that to the world….”

“Huh? You know about the Demon Sorcery Pillar?”

Surprised by Subori’s unexpected comment, I asked, and he gave a bitter smile.

“The Demon Sorcery Pillar isn’t a spell made by sorcerers of the human world. It was actually a secret technique created by Brahma, the Creator God of the Three Great Gods of Tianzhu, when he attempted a great rebellion. Its real name isn’t even the Demon Sorcery Pillar.”

When the story of the Three Great Gods of Tianzhu came up, I frowned.

“Brahma? Are you talking about someone like Vishnu?”

“That’s right. Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma are referred to as the Three Great Gods of Tianzhu. They were originally deities of divine order, protecting the high ancient civilization of Kalpa, but eventually engaged in war against the countless Old Rulers. Each of them was a powerful god, never losing in one-on-one fights, but their numbers made them outmatched, and in the end, they faced defeat.”

Subori looked up at the ceiling as if reminiscing about an ancient past.

“Among the three gods, Brahma, as the leader, attempted to reverse the war’s outcome by using a time manipulation spell known as the Great Rebellion… the Brahmastra.”

“Time manipulation? You mean the Brahmastra is….”

“Just as you guessed. It’s the large-scale spell he cast to reverse the Great Cycle and take them back to before the war started. If they returned to before the war, they would win simply by targeting their enemies’ weaknesses.”

“!! But isn’t that impossible?”

“Yes, it is impossible. However, Brahma, who hated losing more than dying, began gathering countless offerings to cast the Brahmastra, which breaks the Taboo of the Great Universe. And the auxiliary spell created to gather those offerings is the Demon Sorcery Pillar.”

“!!”

It was astonishing to hear such a legend!

I was shocked by Subori’s story when suddenly I realized something and said,

“B-but it must have failed, right? The time manipulation spell couldn’t possibly have succeeded.”

“Correct. It failed. As a consequence of failure, Brahma was sealed back in the cradle of the gods where the three laws converge, and Vishnu and Shiva were defeated, ultimately becoming servants of the Emperor after enduring fierce battles.”

“Hmm….”

At that moment, I remembered the shout of Vishnu I had seen in the outer universe a long time ago.

“Brother Shiva, flee and seek refuge with Brahma!”

“You cannot win against this one. Form a pact of the three laws for the future!”

Clearly, Vishnu had warned Shiva to escape right before he was killed by the Evil God’s ambush. It had been puzzling that Brahma’s story came up so suddenly, but now it made a bit of sense.

‘The Three Great God Brahma failed in the Great Rebellion and was sealed, but the other two gods managed to create an escape route for themselves!!’

Now, I understood a bit more, but I still felt my questions weren’t entirely resolved, so I spoke to Subori.

“But if that’s the case, isn’t the Demon Sorcery Pillar a divine technique used by the Three Great Gods of Tianzhu? It’s an auxiliary technique of the Brahmastra, yet it’s still a secret art beyond human comprehension….”

“That’s right.”

“How could Dharma Master use something like that?”

“Didn’t you say earlier that Dharma Master is a reincarnator? Naturally, he amassed incredible knowledge about Buddhism over countless reincarnations. The Demon Sorcery Pillar is probably one of those techniques.”

“Ah!”

“The purpose of the Demon Sorcery Pillar is singular. To gather offerings of such magnitude that even the Great Cycle could be affected, maximizing power. The difference being that Brahma used it to reverse the Great Cycle, while the Dharma Master used it to achieve victory as a reincarnator.”

“….”

“I see that you’ve caught on.”

After thinking carefully, I slowly spoke up.

“What you mean is… the Demon Sorcery Pillar at Baekdu Mountain is also not a structure made for ordinary purposes.”

“That’s exactly right. There are countless sacrificial spells in the world, but the Demon Sorcery Pillar is a spell directly created by a superior deity. It’s far more sophisticated than the Great Immortal’s techniques. The Demon Sorcery Pillar at Baekdu Mountain was undoubtedly made for a grand purpose that humans can’t even fathom.”

“!!”

Listening to Subori’s words, an ominous feeling filled me.

‘So is that why Howol immediately tried to suppress the Demon Sorcery Pillar, setting aside everything else as soon as he discovered it?’

If Howol, Dharma Master’s disciple, knew the power and original purpose of the Demon Sorcery Pillar better than anyone else in the world, it was only natural that he would be on high alert against any possibility of its misuse.

I felt relieved that I had recruited Subori as a companion. He allowed me to make deductions beyond my vague thought that the Demon Sorcery Pillar was dangerous. I asked Subori with a hint of hope.

“Do you happen to know how to destroy the Demon Sorcery Pillar? If we discover it, we should destroy it….”

“I don’t know such things. I’ve only inherited the stories of lost spells from legendary figures in Tianzhu. However… could that be what is dangerous?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if Shim Su-ryeok was thinking like we are and ended up causing the world to perish while trying to destroy the Demon Sorcery Pillar?”

“….

That could very well be the case…

I jumped up from my seat and said to Subori.

“Alright. For now, our first objective is to locate the Demon Sorcery Pillar and Shim Su-ryeok, and we’d better not just recklessly try to smash the Demon Sorcery Pillar.”

“That’s right. Are you planning to leave right away?”

“Let’s go. I don’t have much time left to remain in this world, and I don’t want to drag things out unnecessarily.”

“Understood. I’ll summon the means of transportation.”

Subori nodded and suddenly assumed a gesture of prayer.

Puff!

Suddenly, a fluffy white cloud materialized before us. I was shocked because I knew what it was.

“Is this, this a Nimbus Cloud?!”

It’s the treasure of the Celestial Sage!

“I’ll be the driver.”

Subori confidently stepped onto the Nimbus Cloud, but I panicked and said,

“But a Nimbus Cloud is a treasure! How can you summon it with magic?”

“A Nimbus Cloud is both a spell and a treasure.”

“? What does that mean?”

“Well, I collect clouds and store them with elemental techniques, and then when it’s necessary, I process them with magic to summon them as a treasure. So while categorized as a treasure, it’s actually more like magic.”

“Wait?! Is that even possible?!”

“Seems like the Celestial Sage didn’t share that detail, but this is also a divine technique originated from Tianzhu. Once you reach beyond the level of the Great Immortal, you can afford to disregard one or two basic principles of magic.”

With that, Subori gestured for me.

“Hurry and get on. There’s no time.”

“Ah, right.”

“I know the general direction to Baekdu Mountain, so there’s no need to tell me the way.”

Whoosh!

….

I felt the Nimbus Cloud that carried both of us soar through the skies at incredible speed, covering dozens of miles in no time. Riding on the Nimbus Cloud, I thought,

‘Subori… he may not show off his abilities, but the Celestial Sage’s evaluation seems accurate.’

They assessed that Subori could defeat the Azure Emperor, an incarnation of the Three Sovereigns when he fought properly!

I wondered if that was an exaggeration, but it seemed the Celestial Sage recognized Subori too. The monk before me was certainly on the level of an apostle or the incarnation of the Three Sovereigns.

While riding on the cloud, Subori, seated in front of me, remarked,

“Oh, one more thing. I haven’t mentioned something important yet.”

“What is it?”

“If we become reincarnated companions, we have to decide how we’ll merge in the next life.”

“… Ah! That’s true.”

That too was something to discuss, so as I came to that realization, I spoke to Subori.

“Now that I think of it, I’ve never seen you in my past lives. Where have you been all this time?”

“I was traveling through different dimensions.”

“Different dimensions?”

“Honestly, I had little attachment to this world, and I saw no reason to remain in a world that was about to end. I was wandering through nearby dimensions like Blood Realm and Phantom Realm.”

“Hmm… So that’s why I couldn’t see you.”

If he had been wandering through different dimensions while I primarily operated in the current world, it was no wonder I couldn’t find him. Nodding my head, I thought as he continued.

“I mainly stayed in the Jade Realm. If you want to recruit me as a companion, come to the Emerald Palace in the heart of the Jade Realm to take me. I lived as the lord of that palace.”

“The Jade Realm? There’s a dimension like that?”

Even though I had studied dimension systems quite a bit under Zhuge Sa, I had never heard of the Jade Realm. Subori gave a bitter smile.

“Generally, it’s not a well-known place. It’s a special dimension condensed from the wave that emerged when the world was originally created. The Jade Realm is filled with powerful jade stones that differ completely from the ordinary ones found in reality. It’s not exactly a nearby dimension, so it’s more like a hidden dimension that dimensional travelers would find hard to locate.”

Just hearing about it made it seem like a challenging place to reach. I muttered in disbelief.

„… You really went out of your way to create your own palace in such a distant dimension? That’s something.”

“Well, absorbing the power of jade stones makes me stronger.”

Aha!

I felt my ears perk up at those words and immediately asked back.

“You can become stronger?”

“Yes indeed. Jade stones contain high-density primordial waves. Over hundreds of years, I’ve been absorbing the waves of those jade stones with my spells to enhance my power. When I felt like it, I’d go on trips to other dimensions.”

“Oh!!”

“The Emerald Palace was constructed to easily absorb the power of jade stones.”

This meant that starting from the next life, if I went to the Jade Realm and recruited Subori, I would gain the jade stone’s power too!

‘Not only that, but it could help strengthen my companions as well.’

I sensed there was no reason not to recruit Subori. As I fell into thought, Subori spoke up.

“To persuade me, all you need to do is reveal that you’re a reincarnator. I’ve long desired the existence of reincarnators.”

“Understood.”

“Hmm, speaking of which, it seems we’ve arrived at Baekdu Mountain.”

Whoosh….

As I descended on the Nimbus Cloud, the peak of Baekdu Mountain was visibly approaching the ground below. Surely, this was the speed of the treasure Nimbus Cloud. As I glanced at the peak of Baekdu Mountain, Subori said,

“Something feels off. It seems ordinary on the surface, but there’s an unusual energy present.”

“If the Demon Sorcery Pillar is such an evil structure, it would definitely exude malicious energy, so shouldn’t it be detectable?”

“Let me give it a try.”

Vrooooom!

Subori gathered energy in both hands, and a greenish aura shimmered. He emitted a bright light and then clasped his hands together, releasing a powerful shout.

“Stop!”

Whoosh!

As he did, the green aura spread rapidly across the world, and I could see it with my own eyes. The emerald aura surged beyond Baekdu Mountain’s summit and extended out beyond the sea level. As Subori focused his mind with closed eyes, he said,

“Strange. The last time I was here, there was the Sacred Altar Tree, a world tree that protects Baekdu Mountain. But now it seems to be gone.”

“The Cheon Woo-jin must have constructed this world in such a way.”

“Hmm, is that so? But that makes it even stranger.”

“What’s strange?”

At Subori’s following words, I jolted.

“Despite the absence of the Sacred Altar Tree, something is still blocking my exploration spells at Baekdu Mountain. So, I can’t ascertain whether the Demon Sorcery Pillar is actually there. However, I’ve nullified all of the recognition barriers and dimensional distortions that existed there.”

“!!”

“The Sacred Altar Tree originally had the power to impede spells, but what could possibly be interfering with my spells now that it’s gone?”

Seriously?! What could it be?

I pondered and finally said to Subori,

“We might have to go down there and find out.”

“If that’s the case, use me as your mask.”

“Huh?”

Subori gazed at Baekdu Mountain with nonchalant eyes and said,

“As someone who has lived for thousands of years, my instincts are telling me that place will be infested with traps more heinous than the Sword Mountain or Spear Forest. But it would be inefficient for you and me to expend our power separately to breach those traps.”

I’ve realized what Subori meant.

“You’re suggesting to use your Mask ability to deactivate the traps?”

“That would indeed make things much easier.”

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

Buzzing!

I wore the [Subori] mask. At that moment, the Nimbus Cloud dissipated, and my body began to descend from the sky toward the ground. As I fell, I whispered a truncated incantation.

“पिच्छ.”

The spell meaning “feather” slipped from my lips, and in an instant, the speed of my descent vanished as I began to float slowly. All of a sudden, Subori’s many spells were瞬間解釋我, and I understood immediately which incantation among them was the most effective.

Bang!

As I clasped my hands together, six defensive spells encircled my body. It was the sixfold spell that only someone like him, well-versed in both Hinduism and Jainism spells, could use. After securing my safety with the barriers, I slowly approached Baekdu Mountain, summoning a large iron staff into one hand.

Then I extended the staff forward and shouted,

“Ganesha! Lend me your wisdom and luck!”

Kiing—

Simultaneously, I could feel unfamiliar divine energy residing within me and a powerful blessing enveloping me.

The divine blessing of Ganesha!

This ability was akin to that of the Primordial Void Ruler, enhancing luck; however, it didn’t raise luck as dramatically as the Primordial Void Ruler’s blessing. Instead, it guaranteed I would avoid major misfortunes and significantly accelerated my mental sharpness in tense situations.

Ordinarily, to receive blessings from such divine beings, one must make offerings; but exceeding even the Great Sorcerer, Subori was capable of drawing blessings directly from the gods without need for offerings.

Piying! Piying! Piying!

“Go.”

Moments later, I summoned several hundred guardian spirits capable of traversing hundreds of miles, setting them forth to advance. Going through this entire process, I marveled silently.

‘Just what kind of spells does he know to this extent?’

If I were to fight Subori as an enemy, it would undoubtedly be quite a challenge. Even using just a portion of Subori’s abilities, I was displaying powers that were leagues beyond those of ordinary Great Sorcerers.

Pooof!

‘!! The guardian spirits are dying!’

I immediately felt several of the summoned guardian spirits suddenly drop dead. I rushed to the scene, and upon arrival, I gasped in shock.

“What’s that?!”

A huge mechanical apparatus accompanied by three or four cannon barrels was visible where the spirits had fallen. And behind those cannon barrels stood a gigantic ominous pillar.

‘That must be the Demon Sorcery Pillar…’

However, what truly startled me wasn’t the Demon Sorcery Pillar, but rather the immense cannon standing before it. I already knew through the memories of the reincarnator just how powerful that cannon was.

“…

Wiiiing! Clank!

Furthermore, in front of the cannon was a pure white mechanical figure, holding a spear in one hand.

As soon as the pristine white machine spotted me, I heard an emotionless mechanical voice.

[Chaos Infection Control Device Level 4 Activation. Critical Red Signal. Eliminate the intruders.]

Clank! Clank!

At the same time, the ground tremored as more mechanical entities surfaced from the earth.

“…

WTF.

I thought to myself…

As I kept watching the situation unfold, Subori, connected to my mind through the [Mask] asked,

[You seem to know what that is. Have you seen it while you were reincarnated?]

“… I haven’t seen it directly but have heard about it through memories.”

With a draw of my sword, I muttered,

“That’s the Equalizer.”

A being capable of severely injuring even the apostles of the [Old Rulers].

It was the guardian machine I had encountered when the Heavenly Demon Sagong Lin invaded Atlantis with the apostle [Black Sun]!

 

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