전생검신 Volume 83 Chapter 14

It flickered. A pale premonition similar to what I felt earlier about [death] brushed down my spine. But soon, an overwhelming sense of ‘emptiness’ swept over me.

There was nothing.

Nothing anymore for me……

In that moment, a vision flickered before my eyes.

*

[So, I failed this time too.]

It was a being I felt like I had seen once before.

Inside a dark stone structure, there was ‘someone’ sitting in a place that resembled a throne. That being was gazing outside with colorful eyes, and unlike before, a normal night sky existed without a thunderstorm raging.

Wooo

Five luminous spheres floated above that being’s hand. As it glanced down at the spheres, it suddenly moved its hand to smash them but hesitated. It seemed to let out a bitter smile.

[So, defeating Nyarlathotep right from the start of the rebirth wouldn’t change a thing? Even though it isn’t the ‘Second Mask’, I thought getting rid of it quickly would remove the trigger… but that’s not the case.]

Eventually, the being muttered as if it realized something.

[It’s been wrong from the beginning. If we assume there’s no ‘Second Mask’… could it be that…….]

…..

For a while, silence lingered. After a moment, the being burst into laughter.

[Ha ha ha… Ha ha ha ha ha!! Yes, I wasn’t the one who could connect the beginning and end of a dream!]

Kugugugugu

The stone structure began to slowly collapse. Once again, the stars from the heavens fell, and the world began to perish, chaos spreading throughout the universe was visible. The being murmured while lying back on the throne, with eyes gleaming with madness.

[Still, I shall judge rationally until the end…….]

And then a voice filled with a hint of hatred resonated.

[I will not follow merely illusions.]

*

“……Huh!!”

Thump!! Thump!!

My heart was pounding violently. The moment the vision I had seen ended, I felt strength flooding throughout my entire body, and I realized that I had died and come back to life.

Looking down at me as I lay there was the Wheel King, who, in the form of the Hat Warrior, sheathed his long saber into his belt and spoke.

“How does it feel? Doesn’t it feel much more like death than that mere form of death?”

“…….”

I couldn’t respond at all, but I could feel that my body had been restored. I had been cut in half diagonally, but fortunately, it seemed the Wheel King had healed me. I felt almost all the pain had vanished, and after clenching my fists a few times, I replied.

“What was that attack just now?”

“It was Separation.”

“What do you mean by separation……?”

“Simply put, it means to cut off connections.”

The Wheel King, who replied with that, looked down at me and said.

“Connections are the state of causality. Not just the connection between I (myself) and non-I (others), but everything in this world can be seen as connections.”

“I don’t quite understand.”

“Look at this.”

Swish

The Wheel King created two spheres in the air with his power. He made two spheres glowing black and white and continued speaking.

“Let’s assume the black one is Cause, and the white one is Effect. Then…….”

Tiddik!

A line connecting the two spheres connected perfectly with a clear sound.

“What connects these two is the connection.”

“…….”

I stared blankly at the narrow, white line referred to as the connection. I then asked.

“So, if separation means to cut the line connecting Cause and Effect, how is that so powerful?”

“Look.”

Swish!

The Wheel King swiftly drew his long saber and cut the line of connection. He smoothly sheathed the saber as if performing a trick and said.

“By cutting the connection with separation, as you can see from these two spheres, a result without a cause can occur. Since the connection between the two has now vanished. But can a result without a cause truly be allowed by the universal law of causality?”

“It can’t, right?”

“What happens to a being that the [Great Cycle] of the universe cannot allow?”

“…….”

“It will cease to exist.”

Swish!

A moment later, the black and white spheres vanished like smoke.

“……!!”

As I stared wide-eyed at that scene, the Wheel King chuckled.

“Looks like you noticed. Yes, this is [annihilation], which is different from your regular death. Even if your reincarnated self gains the powers of death and divine power, it is an absolute death that you can’t avoid.”

I was left utterly astounded.

‘Could it be…… he can deliver absolute death just by using the laws of causality against their own nature!’

This was a principle that even the wisest strategists had never considered! If it was death according to the laws of causality that even gods couldn’t defy, surely no one in this world could stop it!

As I was in shock over the power of separation, I suddenly realized something and urgently asked the Wheel King.

“Um… how can you use this power of separation? And that Hat Warrior, how does he……?”

“…….”

“Could it be that you, Wheel King, are that Hat Warrior?!”

As fear slightly crept in, the Wheel King looked at me with emotionless eyes and said casually.

“If I were the Hat Warrior, I would’ve long since killed you using the power of separation and just kept waiting in the village where you reincarnate, continuously killing you. Would you believe you could reincarnate 30 times like that?”

“Ah….”

Well, that makes sense.

‘Putting aside the power of separation, with the Wheel King’s strength, it would have been way too easy to kill me.’

The Wheel King is undoubtedly not the Hat Warrior.

Embarrassed, I scratched my head as the Wheel King continued.

“First, I’ll tell you why I can wield the power of separation. To say it’s a reason is somewhat too simple, but I am, in fact, a being born from the Desert of Isolation.”

“Ah!”

“As you may have seen, the Desert of Isolation is the worst death zone in the universe, filled with the energy of separation. Therefore, I, born according to the laws of causality, can naturally wield the power of separation. No, I can say that my power of death fundamentally derives from separation.”

I felt something strange in his words and challenged the Wheel King.

“But the power of death you usually use is quite different from the separation you just demonstrated……”

“I intentionally weakened it.”

“Weakened? You intentionally reduced its power? Why……?”

“Because using the true power of separation means I too must pay the price.”

The Wheel King extended his hand to show me.

“Do you see?”

“……!!”

The Wheel King’s hand had completely turned dark. It looked completely black like coal, to the point where even his palm lines were unrecognizable, and it appeared as if he had been afflicted by a serious curse. As I staggered back in shock, the Wheel King said.

“There are two conditions for using the power of separation. The first is that the body and soul must withstand the energy of separation, and the second is that one must accept the backlash that comes after its use.”

“Hmm.”

“Now, since I’m in a human form, my hand manifests as cursed, but normally, that backlash comes in the form of the loss of divine power from my divine body permanently. It can cause significant damage to the opponent, but since it also harms oneself, this ability can’t be used recklessly. So, I intentionally weakened my power to eliminate the backlash.”

“I see.”

The permanent loss of divine power was no small price to pay. As I grasped the Wheel King’s words, nodding, he continued.

“Thus, that Hat Warrior is a very intriguing being.”

“Interesting, you say?”

“That means he at least fulfills the first condition. Which means he possesses a body and soul capable of enduring the vicious energy that could unsettle causality. Or perhaps he was born in the Desert of Isolation, just like me.”

“……!!”

As I stood there in shock, the Wheel King suddenly smacked his dark hand with his other fist, shattering it. Just like a statue breaking apart, the shattered fist crumbled into powder, and the Wheel King swiftly restored it with his normal hand and said.

“In my opinion, there’s likely a secret to the unique swordplay he employs. In addition, there will be several other secrets.”

“Swordplay…….”

“What’s certain is that as things stand now, you won’t have a chance to win if you face the Hat Warrior directly.”

I flinched!

Though I felt I had gained valuable information from the Wheel King’s statement, I also felt a wave of despair.

‘I thought with my divine power having reached this level, I’d be fine now…….’

Could it really be that there’s a monster capable of using a lethal move that even divine power can’t counter?

‘How on earth does he possess such power…….’

While I was feeling anxious and confused, the Wheel King spoke.

“However, while you may not be able to win, there is a way to survive and counter.”

My eyes lit up at the Wheel King’s words, and I exclaimed.

“Really?! Please tell me!!”

“Don’t rush. Sit down there for now.”

“Yes.”

I crossed my legs and sat down, while the Wheel King mirrored my position in front of me.

He looked at me with profound eyes and said.

“I have called it the power of separation for convenience until now, but it’s honestly hard to even call it a power.”

“……Huh? What do you mean……?”

“It is a malignant dream, a nightmare, and a grudge seeking to breach the [Great Cycle]. This amalgamation of resentments abhors the gods and immortals with a desperate intensity, and is merely a reflection of an intent to destroy the universe. In truth, this is a power that no one in this universe can wield except me. Even the mightiest gods would face doom if they attempted to wield the power of separation.”

“…….”

“Originally, I, born there, should have become the most wicked and cruel evil god. However, the reason I seek to understand the suffering of the weak and mortals and aim for a balance of virtue is that within this separation lies the teaching of the [Great Cycle].”

I felt something odd in his words and replied.

“The teaching of the [Great Cycle]? Are you saying the Great Cycle is a living being?”

“You already know what it’s called. Not just you, but countless humans and mortals venerate and respect that existence.”

“……?”

“Subori.”

“……Ah!!”

As I realized something with that one word, the Wheel King’s words continued.

“The Buddha. The very existence that embodies the [Great Cycle] as the principle of law is the true creator that brought me forth…… and the source that enabled me to appear as a deity of balance that restrains evil.”