전생검신 82권 11화

Arjuna!!

I knew that guy’s identity.

‘In my 28th life, that punk tried to stop me as the avatar of Vishnu, and later fought against the Great Bear Empire in Europe!’

While Vishnu was controlling the nations of Europe in the shadows to halt the western advance of the Great Bear Empire, they eventually sent out Arjuna, their battle avatar, to fight against me and my past comrades. It took a massive sacrifice to finally take him down, and without a doubt, he had reached a level beyond human capability—a true absolute being.

Thinking back to that past, I felt a surge of hostility toward Arjuna. He was responsible for Wei Zhi-hun’s death and left countless companions injured; in my mind, he was nothing short of an enemy. But I quickly quelled that feeling.

‘That’s an issue from my 28th life. Right now, that punk has nothing to do with it. Besides, we’re in the past of the Great Cycle…’

After calming my emotions for a moment, I casually retorted to Arjuna.

“Is that the avatar of Vishnu, Arjuna? With the fierce battles ongoing in the distance, I wonder if you even have time to spare for something like this.”

“Don’t worry. Today’s battle is nearly won; all that’s left is to drive the enemies away.”

CLICK!

Arjuna tightened the bowstring and continued.

“The more pressing matter is uncovering your true identity, the one using Brahma’s powers. Who are you?”

“Do I have any reason to tell you?”

“What reason would you have to keep it from me?”

I smirked at Arjuna’s retort.

“Maybe it’s because I think the divine avatar Arjuna is weaker than I imagined.”

“……”

My provocation left Arjuna momentarily stunned before he suddenly burst into laughter.

“Ha ha ha… Trying to provoke me? Fine. If you want to see my power, then so be it!!”

THWOK – !!

In the next moment, Arjuna released his bowstring, and a massive arrow of light flew toward me. It wasn’t as fast as the transcendent attacks I had witnessed before—definitely slowing down to the speed of sound—but I immediately sensed the power packed into that arrow and felt a shiver.

‘……!! If that hits, it’s over!’

I couldn’t take it head-on!!

Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique!

Thunder Spirit!

Realizing that, I quickly unleashed the Thunder Spirit and dodged with lightning speed, but in the very next instant, my previous position got hit by the arrow of light.

BOOM!!

As soon as the arrow struck, my previous spot exploded with a colossal noise. I was genuinely shocked.

‘That thing could blow up?!’

I had never seen that happen even when the Celestial Sage fought against the Sea God. Just as I expected, that arrow of light was something extraordinary. Almost immediately, Arjuna was after me again with a second shot from his three eyes.

WHOOSH!

‘Is that a curved shot?’

Watching the light arrow arc towards me, I thought it was moving alarmingly slow. Just moments ago it was faster than sound, but now it seemed even slower. Even a peak martial artist wouldn’t find it difficult to dodge.

However, I could feel my instincts honed through real combat warn me of impending danger.

‘… No. In most cases like this, the apparent slowness conceals a lethal strike!’

Not about to underestimate it, I turned to my companion, Heuk Woong.

“Heuk Woong.”

[Speak.]

“Intercept that arrow. I’ll go for the main body.”

While I could probably deal with the arrow myself, the real fight would only end once I took out the main body. Asking Heuk Woong for assistance seemed more efficient.

[Understood!]

WHOOSH!

In the next moment, Heuk Woong unleashed his black armor technique, shrouding himself in darkness. Then, as if leading the light arrow, he activated his defensive techniques while drawing attention, and I seized the moment to dash toward Arjuna, invoking the Thunder Spirit once more.

CRASH!!

Dashing at lightning speed, I landed a solid strike!! I could feel the gratifying impact as I repeatedly hit Arjuna’s torso. But in response, Arjuna merely stretched out his arm and grabbed my shoulder.

SNAP!

[Huh?]

Wait, how did he grab my lightning form with the Thunder Spirit?!

I blinked in surprise as Arjuna shouted.

“I hold you now!!”

SNAP!!

In that instant, I realized Arjuna had literally torn at my shoulder as if it were cotton candy. He had literally ripped through my body, made of lightning!

‘The speed of the Thunder Spirit didn’t work against his three eyes, and does he just ignore my lightning properties?!’

There’s no way a human could counteract an absolute realm like this! And no technique would save me now!

Caught off guard by Arjuna’s unexpected tactic, he swung his sword to slash at me. The power behind that sword seemed to far exceed that of the demon Rakshasa I had seen just moments ago.

CLANG!

I met his strike with my sword, but in that moment, I realized this was going to be a headache.

‘This guy… infused his sword with immense divine power!!’

No wonder the masters of the Absolute Realm fall like autumn leaves when facing off against Arjuna!

Each clash would leave them knocked out or dead; how could I hope to match swords with him?!

Still, I refused to be intimidated by Arjuna’s power, considering how hard I had trained up to this point. So, as his power surged like a tidal wave threatening to crush me, I instead released my own divine power through my sword into Arjuna’s body.

“AAAARGH!!”

THUD!

Shortly after, it felt like I was overpowering a child in a match of strength against an adult. I could sense Arjuna’s divine power receding like the tide.

“… Huh, huh!!”

TREMBLE!

At that moment, Arjuna shook uncontrollably as if gripped by a fever, then suddenly purged blood from his mouth. He blinked in disbelief, unable to accept that he had coughed up blood.

“Who… are you?! You’re no human!”

CLANK!

Arjuna quickly withdrew his sword and pointed at me with his index finger.

Divine Arts!

Agneyastra!!

An attack empowered by the god of flame struck me, but I simply surrounded myself with the energy of the Fire Spirit and absorbed it. Since both were flame attributes, it felt easier to absorb since the Fire Spirit might be of a higher level.

“Are you kidding me?! This little thing isn’t gonna do anything!”

I charged at him while swinging a fist infused with the Thunder Spirit, feeling like a slowpoke compared to the thunder of my technique—yet, given the way I charged it, maybe it was enough? Arjuna couldn’t react in time, hurriedly raising one arm to block.

CRACK!!

In the next moment, Arjuna’s body slammed hard into the ground, creating a tremendous destruction sound. He was buried so deep that his form was barely visible anymore—like a meteor crashing down. A brief earthquake shook the continent upon impact.

ROLLING…

‘Good. I’m definitely stronger!’

As I grinned with satisfaction, Heuk Woong’s voice rang in my ear.

[Master! You need to finish him off quickly.]

“Huh?”

[That arrow… it seems alive. And it’s dangerous!]

Glancing over to Heuk Woong, I noticed things weren’t looking great. The light arrows had split into six, slowly circling nearby Heuk Woong, who was struggling to hold up several shields with his massive divine energy. But even a mere brush with the arrows made the shields explode with a loud sound.

KA-POW!!

“……!!”

What the heck are those arrows?! If Heuk Woong’s divine energy couldn’t withstand them, then not even a giant warrior could stand much of a chance against them!

“I got it. Just hold on for a little longer!”

I sensed instinctively that those arrows were likely Krishna’s ultimate attacks, and narrowed my eyes while preparing my techniques.

Trimurti.

Creating the Great Dark Spear!!

With the power of creation, I concentrated my divine energy into one spear. It wasn’t wildly oversized like the previous giant lance I’d made, but by reducing its size, the energy would be compressed, thus making it even more powerful. I finished forming the spear, gripped it in one hand, and launched it toward Arjuna with the Thunder God lineage’s throwing technique.

BOOM!!

[KYAAA!]

[AUUGH!]

[GUH!!]

In the next moment, unexpected screams erupted below. I tilted my head in confusion at the sound.

“Oh?”

THWUMP…

And then I saw Arjuna, covered in blood, lying on the ground, surrounded by splattered spirit bodies. Apparently, the reinforcements who had come to help him were obliterated. Arjuna roared in rage.

“HOW DARE YOU!! You killed FIVE of my avatars!!”

“……!!”

Wait? What does that mean…?

I quickly grasped the meaning behind Arjuna’s words.

So the five avatars that just tried to stop my Great Dark Spear—each was a victim! Hahaha!

When reinforcements showed up, they got wiped out by my attack, and Arjuna was left severely injured.

“You jerk!!”

THUD!

Arjuna, losing his patience, lifted his bow once again and readied an arrow. At the same time, the light arrows that were fiercely engaged with Heuk Woong disappeared, and I could see light gathering once more on his bow. Arjuna, with bloodshot eyes, shouted.

“I’m done caring about the aftermath!! I might not survive this, but YOU WILL DIE!!”

“……?!”

What?

SWISH!

Just then, Heuk Woong, having returned like a shadow, spoke in a grave tone.

[Master, he’s not bluffing. That arrow holds immense power.]

“Seriously?”

[That’s likely Arjuna’s and Vishnu’s strongest weapon, Gandiva… If he pours his entire divine energy into that, this planet could easily burn to ashes. If such power focuses on a single point…!]

“……!!”

While I was astonished, Arjuna, still nocking his bowstring, spoke.

“You, who wields Brahma’s powers, are too dangerous!! Even if I have to be sealed for ages, I will kill you!!”

CLICK!!

I could see the light gathering on Gandiva intensifying. As the power surged and amplified drastically, I realized the potential contained in that arrow had skyrocketed by hundreds of times. Just as Heuk Woong predicted, that Gandiva was definitely Vishnu’s ultimate weapon.

Feeling utterly dumbfounded, I asked Heuk Woong.

“Hey, why didn’t he use that when fighting the Great Bear Empire?”

Now, after witnessing such an ultimate weapon from Arjuna, it felt bizarre!

He had fought extensively during my 28th life without even using that!

Seeing my confusion, Heuk Woong cautiously replied.

[Perhaps he thought it unnecessary when contending with humans… After all, he’s defeated most without breaking a sweat.]

“But why the heck is he pulling out something like that against me?”

[Because you’re an opponent he can’t afford to underestimate.]

“Ugh…”

As I pondered, Heuk Woong continued.

[Master. That attack will bypass time and space. It could once wipe out the world while disregarding the cause and effect. What are your plans?]

“……”

I briefly contemplated.

‘Somehow, I might be able to cope, but do I really need to push it this far…?’

This fight was ongoing, not because I wanted to, but to pay respects to the comrades of my 28th life. I decided not to let the roles reverse any further. After I calmed my heart, I shouted at Arjuna.

“Arjuna!! I have something to say!”

“What is it?!”

Hearing my words, Arjuna seemed stunned for an instant, almost swaying on the spot.

“I’m actually a disciple of Brahma! I’ve come to help you, so let’s end this fight!”

Since I learned the technique, I could call myself a disciple, right?!

“……?!”

“I can swear on my name! So put your Gandiva away!!”

As I shouted, Arjuna slowly relaxed the bowstring, staring at me in disbelief.

“Really? You’re Brahma’s disciple?”

THUD.

I landed on the ground and nodded.

“Yup!”

“Stop with the nonsense. Brahma hasn’t come out of the Palace of Dominance since casting Brahmastara ages ago; how could you say you’re his disciple?”

Palace of Dominance? What on earth is that?

I felt baffled by Brahma’s whereabouts, but didn’t show it as I said.

“The Trimurti is divine technique, isn’t it? When Brahma went to the Inheritance Site, he taught me.”

“……You mean you’ve been there?”

“That’s right! And I promised Brahma that I’d help you guys in exchange for learning the Trimurti.”

“……”

Arjuna seemed to ponder over it for a while. Then, suddenly glowing a brilliant white, he began to transform.

WHAAM!

With a shine, the divine avatar Arjuna vanished, and in his place stood another avatar of Vishnu—Krishna. Upon seeing the familiar form of Krishna, it finally hit me that I was face to face with Vishnu. Krishna opened his mouth slowly.

“I am Krishna, the avatar of Vishnu. So, can’t you join us to meet Brahma? I want to verify your claims.”

“I’d rather not do that. I’m busy and need to return to the Central Plains.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not here to help you in your war against the Old Rulers, am I?”

“Do you think me a fool?”

I snorted dismissively and continued.

“Brahma went to the Palace of Dominance to realize that waging a war was utterly reckless. Do you think I don’t know that even with the three of you combined, it would be hard to win? I’ll do my thing, and follow Brahma’s will as I see fit.”

“……”

“Brahma asked for my help, but I don’t feel particularly friendly towards you. Don’t try to manipulate me.”

“Hmmm…”

Krishna contemplated before responding.

“Very well, then how about this? If you help us, we’ll assist you in turn.”

“What do you mean?”

Krishna spoke with a courteous tone.

“Thinking back, it doesn’t seem appropriate for us to unilaterally demand verification while seeking your aid. As equals, we should join forces and provide you with adequate reward. Should you reject this as well, we will refrain from holding you here any longer.”

“……”

Equals, you say?

I never expected to hear such a statement from Krishna, Vishnu’s avatar, and felt a bit thrown off. Heuk Woong sent me a secret message.

[Master, what do you think?]

[But I want to quickly return to the Central Plains and check on the situation with Fuxi and Takrok Village. Would it be worth wasting time here?]

[This may not be a mere waste of time. There is a chance to make the celestial region a third force under your command. Besides…]

[Besides…?]

[…No. Regardless, that’s just my advice. Decide what you will.]

[Hmm.]

It seemed Heuk Woong wanted to say more but hesitated…

After some thought, I nodded after a moment.

“Fine. Then let’s agree to help each other.”

Krishna beamed at my response.

“Thank you very much! Now, will you follow my lead?”

“Where to?”

“Well, it seems my avatar Arjuna has strayed from the frontlines, leaving the battle against the Old Rulers a mess. I would like a bit of assistance in taking down the foes.”

“Alright, lead the way.”

WHOOSH!

I followed Krishna as we soared through the sky. Moments later, we passed through a distortion in dimensions, revealing an entirely different plane than Earth. Glancing at the hellish scenery filled with dark, flickering flames and everything ablaze, Krishna spoke.

“The Old Rulers frequently break through dimensional barriers with reckless abandon. If we do not stop them, all of humanity will perish.”

GRUMBLE… GROAN…

From the distant horizon, I could see unidentifiable dark tentacles slithering out, accompanied by abominable monsters that would likely haunt dreams. The levels of dark power flowing from these beasts were significantly beyond that of an ordinary Demon King; I stared at these creatures from a distance, feeling anxious.

“This is real…”

With just their dark energy, the laws of time and space warped and distorted chaotically. I could see at least ten of them, all of which were Old Rulers. The sheer idea that so many vile entities had flown from the stars and constellations now felt absurd, and it was shocking to think those were merely part of the enemy forces.

‘Are there hundreds of those things out there…?’

Honestly, this isn’t a trivial matter at all.

I could now comprehend why the three Great Gods of the Central Plains could not handle such powers and had resorted to the extreme measures of Brahmastara when staking their lives.

I crossed my arms and said, “If we fight them head-on, I’m doomed, right? Each one of those things is a god! What the hell do you expect me to do?”

None among those ten are weaker than the Sea God. I had a feeling that among them, at least a few could match me in strength.

“Don’t worry. We weren’t exactly going head-on either.”

“Huh?”

“No matter how powerful the avatar of a god may be, do you seriously think it can confront those beings directly? Naturally, we also relied on Brahma’s strength.”

CRASH!!

Moments later I could see a massive wall of light descending between the Old Rulers and us. I felt the power radiating from that light barrier and flinched.

“That’s…!!”

“Indeed. You can probably sense it. It’s the barrier created by Brahma through the Trimurti.”

Krishna maintained his crossed arms as he continued.

“Brahma expended most of his divine energy to create that barrier, which no Old Ruler, no matter how powerful, could break through. They could succeed in breaking it, but they would lose their power and be obliterated in the process.”

“So in other words, they’re hesitating to avoid losing out?”

“That’s right. Thus, they’re sending their minions to physically attack the wall to weaken it. Our job is…”

WHOOSH!

Krishna summoned Gandiva, nocked an arrow, and fired at the barrier.

WHOOSH!!

The light arrow split into dozens, piercing through and eliminating the dark creatures lurking beyond the wall. Slowly lowering his bow, Krishna said, “To delay the collapse of the barrier, we hunt those minions daily beyond the wall.”

“Hmm…”

So that’s what they were up to.

‘Brahma used the barrier to allow the others to hold out until the Brahmastara could rewrite history.’

Yet, I already knew the outcome of this strategy.

In the end, Vishnu and Shiva couldn’t hold on until Brahma’s return, the human stronghold of Kalpa fell, and the two gods would take refuge within the Divine Temple. But there was no point sharing such future woes with Vishnu right now, so I kept my focus on the Old Rulers beyond the wall and asked.

“Krishna, may I ask you one thing?”

As Krishna looked at me, I locked my gaze and inquired, “Why do you seek to protect humanity?”