전생검신 Volume 84 Chapter 1

[Coming Chaos] and Pangu fought at the dawn of creation!

“Is that really true?”

I was shocked because it was the first time I had heard such a story. Up until now, I hadn’t paid much attention to why Pangu was sealed, but I had no idea there was such a history behind it. Fuxi looked at me with a sympathetic gaze before speaking.

“Looking at the current situation, you might not believe it, but in the early universe, Pangu was truly extraordinary. His power was so immense that it could reshape the laws of the universe around him, and he could single-handedly kill hundreds of [Old Rulers] in an instant.”

“……!!”

“Pangu aimed to transform the world into the realm of order (元理界). Chaos was to be completely obliterated, and his ideal world would be filled only with pure laws and order. And then, that event occurred.”

“That event…?”

Fuxi stared out at the foggy landscape for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Pangu knew that killing a few [Old Rulers] wouldn’t significantly change the balance of the world. After all, it was the early universe where chaos was densely packed, and it was a time when strong beings of chaos were being born every moment. Even the demons who were supposed to emerge from the divine seat were waiting for their chance, so Pangu had fewer options than one might expect.”

“Hmm.”

“So, he took a great gamble; he split the chaotic world and brought about a new creation!”

“A, creation?!”

I was taken aback by those words.

Is it really true that Pangu created the world as that ancient myth suggests?!

I was momentarily flustered, feeling something strange, and I voiced my concerns.

“Wait, something seems off here…”

“What’s off?”

“Creation means making a world, right? But wasn’t the universe Pangu operated in already created? It seems strange to create a universe that has already been created…”

“That’s precisely the hidden secret of the ancients.”

Fuxi sighed and continued.

“It doesn’t mean he created the universe literally. Pangu reached the end of the world and poured all his powers into reshaping the great principles of the universe as he wished. And from that moment on, the endlessly arising chaos stopped expanding, the ancient gods belonging to order were greatly empowered, and the chaos that was curled up within the divine seat was forcibly expelled, unable to gain more power, and had no choice but to start moving. All of that is an achievement of Pangu.”

“……!!”

“The last part was the biggest. The beings curled up in the divine seat could have become so strong due to the ever-increasing chaos in the laws of the universe that eventually even the gods of order wouldn’t be able to handle them and would burst out. However, thanks to Pangu banishing them early on, our ancient gods became able to fight.”

“S, so that was what happened.”

“Immediately after that, there followed the overwhelming victory of the ancient gods. At that time, even the chaos rulers, who were right next to Pangu, found it extremely difficult to defeat even a mid-tier ancient god. The ancient gods laid the foundations for galaxies and constellations, allowing mortal beings to arise. It seemed that the universe would stabilize like this, but…”

Fuxi spoke heavily.

“The chaos rulers were not just sitting back. They gathered together and summoned outer gods, claiming that Pangu had also accumulated achievements and should suffer the backlash of the law of cause and effect. Until that point, we hadn’t worried at all.”

“Why didn’t you worry about the backlash of the law of cause and effect?”

“Because we believed what Pangu did was balance and order. In a situation of overwhelming advantage for chaos, the strengthening of the power of order would actually serve to balance the law of cause and effect, wouldn’t it? To assert further achievements at that time was, indeed, preposterous. But…”

He paused, sighing for a moment.

“The summoning of the outer gods was successful. All the rulers who participated in the summoning ritual were annihilated in exchange for their appearance. That was [Coming Chaos], and as soon as he was summoned, he approached Pangu and initiated battle.”

“……”

“The fight dragged on for ages. From the perspective of the human world, they fought for at least 300 million years. However, it seems [Coming Chaos] was stronger, as Pangu ultimately lost to [Coming Chaos] and was sealed at the end of the world.”

“So that’s why…”

Now, I felt I understood why Pangu was sealed. I nodded but suddenly felt something strange and said.

“But didn’t you say it was a case of mutual destruction? That means [Coming Chaos] also fought Pangu and was fatally wounded and disintegrated, yet [Coming Chaos] is still alive and well, right?”

“The physical body of the one who fought Pangu at that time was destroyed. Everyone witnessed Pangu being sealed and [Coming Chaos] completely being annihilated. However, [Coming Chaos] currently still exists, which leaves me with two possibilities to speculate on.”

Fuxi extended two fingers.

“One is that what was sent out by [Coming Chaos] was merely an avatar, meaning that one vanishing avatar wouldn’t affect him at all. But that seems unlikely given that even [Coming Chaos] is a powerful outer god. After all, Pangu also held the rank of an outer god. At that time, Pangu’s strength was such that he could probably defeat all the gods of the universe combined.”

“Hmm.”

“The other possibility is that [Coming Chaos] is a being of eternal immortality. His main body truly may have been destroyed back then, but as an immortal existence, he rose again with the full power of his prime, unlike Pangu, who was sealed.”

I was dumbfounded by that statement.

“Eternal immortality?! Are you saying he can’t be defeated no matter what?!”

“…… While it’s impossible to measure outer gods with our common sense, that might be the case. In fact, currently, most of the gods believe this. It is believed that annihilating [Coming Chaos], who even Pangu with his absolute power could not destroy, is impossible.”

“……”

“However… my thoughts differ a bit.”

I looked at Fuxi. He had a serious expression that I hadn’t seen before, leaning forward with his fingers interlocked beneath his chin.

“[Coming Chaos] is not truly eternal. There’s something secretive behind his immortality.”

“What kind of secret? Why do you think so?”

Fuxi spoke resolutely.

“No matter how much an outer god transcends the cycle, once they enter this cycle, restrictions arise. If they enter the universe’s cycle, they cannot escape the law of birth and destruction! At that time, Pangu and [Coming Chaos] were in the same conditions. And I believe [Coming Chaos] only succeeded in hiding his defeat condition.”

“Um…!!”

“I am Pangu’s descendant, so I actually witnessed the entire process of the battle between [Coming Chaos] and Pangu and received all the vivid combat experience from it. I discovered that whenever [Coming Chaos] was pushed back by Pangu during their numerous fights, he always engaged in a certain suspicious behavior. If I can seal that behavior in advance, then I could certainly defeat him.”

Fuxi’s eyes sparkled.

“That is… ”

“……”

“……”

Silence lingered.

After enduring in silence for a long time, I finally burst out.

“A, what is it?! You can’t just drop one-liners!”

Then Fuxi smiled mysteriously.

“Well, now that I think of it, I could use this secret as my condition for you, couldn’t I?”

“……?!”

“Hahaha, think it over well.”

“Y, you sneaky…”

I could only be taken aback. Up until now, Fuxi had been helping me, and now he was withholding secrets while negotiating with me?

Even more so, if it truly was a clue to defeat [Coming Chaos], it might very well hold equal value to my dozens of reincarnations, so I couldn’t dismiss it.

‘Wait, is he playing around?’

Fuxi’s eyes were full of mischief and playfulness, yet I could sense a light of sincerity behind them. I had interacted with many people, so I could accurately discern that atmosphere. He comes off as gentle on the surface, yet he never backs down or compromises on his true intentions, that is Fuxi.

“Ugh…”

As I let out a groan, Fuxi chuckled softly.

“Well, don’t think too deeply about my condition. It might not be that significant after all.”

“……”

How can he ask me not to think too deeply about it?

This was a clue to defeating a final boss!

As I was secretly frustrated, Fuxi continued speaking.

“Anyway, back to the point. The ‘destruction’ that the girl mentioned refers to this axe.”

Swish

Finally, a massive axe was summoned outside the pavilion. Recognizing it as the axe that was at the center of the Five Elements with the Qilin, I held my breath.

“Pangu’s axe…”

“Exactly. You remember it well. It’s a treasure I could acquire thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me? You’re Pangu’s direct descendant, so you have more reason to claim it than anyone else, and if it’s you, you could have easily defeated the Qilin to acquire it.”

Fuxi shook his head.

“No, that’s not true. The Qilin could not be persuaded by me alone. If I had tried to force it down, the Qilin would have self-destructed, closing the seal. At that time, the Qilin willingly handed over that axe while keeping you in mind.”

“…… Me?”

“Yes. He sensed that you were a being who would lead a great flow of destiny. Thus, he thought it would be fitting to hand over the axe to me, who has your support.”

“……”

Was I really such a significant being? Yet it felt like the Qilin had looked down on me immensely…

As I was pondering this, Fuxi continued.

“That axe from Pangu is essentially the most powerful weapon an ancient god of order could obtain. Because during the grand battle, it contained the full martial prowess that Pangu possessed at his peak, and there’s another reason…”

At Fuxi’s follow-up statement, I was taken aback.

“That axe is actually the one Pangu used in creation.”

“……?! That, that one?!”

“Yes. Pangu used that axe to shatter the domain of chaos and establish the foundation of order. And the chaos of the Abyss, born during that creation process, as well as the laws of order inscribed by outer gods, are all bound in that axe. Nothing other than an outer god could create something stronger than that axe.”

“……!!”

Was that axe so extraordinary?

As I was astounded by this, Fuxi spoke in a somewhat heavy tone.

“However, I cannot wield that axe thoughtlessly. Because too much of Pangu’s power resides within it.”

“What does that mean?”

“Even though outer god Pangu was sealed, he did not perish. Compared to [Coming Chaos], who remains fully active, it was a greatly diminished power, but he is still an outer god; he cannot be annihilated by disputes inside the cycle. And since Pangu did not perish, the axe is still connected to him by causality.”

“……?”

“It’s possible that Pangu could be summoned into this world through the axe as a medium.”

I made a perplexed expression at that statement.

“Then, wouldn’t that be a good thing from your perspective, Fuxi? After all, Pangu is your father, right? You could join forces to defeat the chaos and conquer the world.”

Fuxi frowned deeply.

“Blood relations don’t hold much significance for the gods. That goes for chaos gods as well as for us gods of order.”

“Ah.”

“And… I don’t even know what Pangu is thinking. That’s the problem.”

“You mean you don’t know what Pangu is thinking? Does that mean he is plotting something?”

“Something feels off.”

Fuxi continued in a quiet voice.

“Pangu could have fought more. However, it seemed like he resigned and accepted defeat at the end. That means there was some sort of transaction…”

“……”

“He is waiting for ‘something.’ Until we know what that is, it’s risky to release Pangu’s seal.”

“Uh….”

What does that mean?

That Pangu is waiting for something… Could it be…

[It’s not you.]

…

At the very least, it doesn’t seem like it’s me.

As I inadvertently recalled some odd memories and frowned, Fuxi spoke.

“The ‘destruction’ that the girl foresaw means that if I excessively unleash the power contained in Pangu’s axe, I could get swallowed by Pangu’s power and ultimately drag the entire world into destruction by order. Honestly, I don’t even have the confidence that I won’t let that happen, so I’m not pressuring you to agree.”

“What? Why is that? Even without borrowing the power of Pangu’s axe, we could easily…”

“I can’t win. Whether it’s the Emperor or the Wheel King, they are formidable foes. If we don’t utilize the axe’s power, mutual destruction will be the best outcome against those formidable foes in the entire universe! We need to borrow the power of the axe to bring them down. However, if we do that, the destruction foreseen by the girl will indeed come.”

“……”

“I will draw my strategy as passively as possible. I will not attack unless someone else initiates. The axe will serve as a final resort when we are at a disadvantage against the enemy’s forces.”

After speaking in this calm manner, Fuxi leaned his back against the pillar in the pavilion.

“However, if you choose to join hands with me, I won’t exactly refuse. I could share certain secrets with you, so think it over and visit me after considering it carefully.”

“Alright.”

I bowed my head and withdrew from Fuxi’s residence.

Pa-at

When I arrived near Takrok Village with the help of Heuk Woong, he asked.

[Master, have you made up your mind?]

I shook my head at Heuk Woong’s question.

“I’m not sure. All three major forces have their reasons, and the rewards they offer me are all attractive.”

[They do seem so.]

“Heuk Woong, whose hand do you think I should grab?”

[……]

After a long silence, Heuk Woong said.

[Master, I may not be very intelligent, but isn’t that the problem?]

“Huh? What do you mean?”

[Currently, compared to the past, there is a severe shortage of wise people or advisors around you.]

I stared blankly at Heuk Woong upon hearing that.

“You’re around, and I can always ask Fuxi for advice or Subori, who is smart, so I didn’t feel anything lacking!”

[I have only drawn out as much of the intelligence inside the master as I can, so while I might be more intelligent than you, I’m still at a common level.]

“You know that’s kind of rude?”

I frowned, but Heuk Woong ignored me and continued.

[And Fuxi could potentially become an enemy, making it hard to speak frankly, and Subori is just an old dog who thinks primarily in terms of martial arts, so it’s difficult to find an adaptable advisor who can assist you right now. It makes your actions very unstable.]

“Hey, even if that’s true, things have been fine until now.”

[That’s because you’ve become much stronger than before, so you could handle many problems just by using your strength instead of thinking.]

“……”

[However, the future enemies will be those who may have some measure of immunity to your strength. Now, you’ll need to start using that head of yours.]

His tone was rough, but I understood that Heuk Woong was looking out for me.

‘It’s true that there’s no proper advisor right now.’

I pondered for a while before saying.

“So what should we do? As you know, this is a primitive era for humanity, so there’s no such thing as an advisor.”

[You don’t need to look for someone in this era. Let’s bring him here.]

“Him…?”

[In my view, that person could very well serve as your new advisor. That person is… ]

Upon hearing the name that spilled from Heuk Woong’s mouth, I made a strange expression.

“Huh? Are you serious?! That guy is just a rookie…”

Heuk Woong spoke emphatically.

[Absolutely serious. I believe he could become a completely new kind of advisor for you. A type of advisor you’ve never met before.]

“……Hmm.”

[He could provide a new solution to your current dilemma.]

I never expected Heuk Woong to make such a suggestion…

Still, I felt intrigued by his proposal and nodded my head.

“Alright, where should we go?”

Pa-at

I finally opened the pages of the Heavenly Secret Altar I had put away in the subspace. The next moment, I felt as if the boundary between reality and illusion blurred, and I realized I had arrived somewhere.

I was back in the Training World.

“Huh? Where is this…?”

But this place was not the terrain of the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School that I remembered. Instead, I found myself in the midst of a large city, surrounded by concrete buildings and elevated roads typical of the 21st century. However, there were no humans at all, just machines everywhere.

I looked around in confusion, and after a moment, I heard a familiar voice.

[Baek Woong, is that you?]

In front of me was a robot with a large monitor on its face. Staring blankly at the monitor, I saw a familiar face smiling and looking back at me.

[Just wait ten minutes. I’ll be right there.]

And ten minutes later, with a squeal, a car that looked like it came from the future parked in front of me. The one who got out of that car said as he stepped out.

“I thought it would take at least another ten years for you to come, but you’re here earlier than I expected.”

“…….Hey… What happened here? Wasn’t this the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School?”

The guy shrugged and laughed.

“It’s nothing special. I thought about how I could best help you, but no matter how much martial arts I learn, it just doesn’t seem like I can help you much, right? So while practicing martial arts, I decided to use Mephisto to advance science in this training world.”

“……!!”

“If it’s the ancient super-advanced civilization before the previous era, even just simple scientific tools would be a huge help, wouldn’t it? Besides, I’ve been here for several decades now, so I’ve been able to work on it leisurely. Oh, but I’ve also been diligently practicing martial arts, so don’t be too harsh on me.”

I looked around and, being dumbfounded, said.

“Not just a little…”

At this level, it might not reach the cutting-edge technology of the Great Bear Empire, but it was certainly at least the level of late 20th-century science. How could they progress so much in just a few decades?

‘It must be thanks to Mephisto’s power.’

As Pangu’s direct descendant, inheriting Mephisto’s capabilities had yielded such tremendous results, I couldn’t help but feel amazed. The other person pulled out a smartphone from his pocket and said.

“Lee Kwang and Shim Su-ryeok are training in remote places. I can call them quickly since I have this smartphone; should I?”

“……Go ahead and call them. And there’s something I need to discuss.”

“What is it?”

I looked into the other person’s face and said.

“Lee Hwan-woong, can you temporarily lend me your wisdom?”

“……”

“I need to consult about something.”

The moment I asked, Lee Hwan-woong made a dazed expression for a moment before grinning and saying.

“Hehehe, if the Reborn Person seeks the advice of this rookie, I’d be more than happy to oblige.”

An unexpected encounter met in the outer universe.

The scientist, Naillatop, who possessed the guise of [Coming Chaos] and held the powers of a vice-level entity— the answer from Lee Hwan-woong, who inherited the powerful artificial intelligence Mephisto.