전생검신 84권 16화

The moment I saw the Zhuge Sa again, my mind went blank. It was not just the shock of seeing such an unexpected figure, but also because I didn’t quite grasp the situation I was in.

I had fled to the Mirror of Clarity to escape the Evil God, and now, suddenly, I was back in reality, facing Zhuge Sa?

While I was struggling to find words, Zhuge Sa, perched on a chair, spoke up.

“It seems there’s no physical trauma at all. That’s curious. Why can’t you get up?”

At those words, it was like a jolt snapped me awake. Until then, I had a nagging suspicion that Zhuge Sa was just toying with me, but now I was convinced that even he didn’t understand the current mess.

“Ugh… Wait a sec…”

I frowned and tried to inject my internal energy and intent throughout my body to get up. Despite my efforts, my body barely moved, only managing to twitch my hands and feet. Watching my futile struggles, Zhuge Sa suddenly placed his fingers lightly against my throat.

Giiing—

“…!!”

In that moment, both of us were startled. From the point where my neck met Zhuge Sa’s fingertip, a sharp yet heavy wave surged forth, an unmistakably ominous presence infusing my body. Simultaneously, I felt a slight increase in my mobility and instinctively propped myself up.

“Ugh. I’m up.”

It seemed my upper body could now move, and I could sense my hands and arms responding as I tried clenching and unclenching my fists. However, my lower body still felt like it was in a coma.

As I struggled, Zhuge Sa wore an enigmatic smile, as if he’d figured something out.

“It seems we have an interesting situation on our hands… Hehe.”

“…”

I could only grimace at his words. Zhuge Sa noticed my expression and said, “You look like you want to ask something.”

“W-Well…”

“You must be curious about everything. But how about I guess what you’re most interested in?”

At his next words, I couldn’t help but shiver.

“Why I, who didn’t come personally to recruit you, or give you the obsidian, seem to know you, the reincarnated Baek Woong, as a comrade since your past life… Hehehe.”

“…!!”

That hit the nail on the head.

“Wha-What the hell…?”

As Zhuge Sa indicated, I hadn’t actually gone to recruit him or give him obsidian in this life. Yet, he acted like he’d known me for ages and seemed fully aware of my background. My excitement upon seeing him had made me act as if we were acquaintances, but that was bizarre.

Faced with this bewildering revelation, Zhuge Sa leisurely continued, “Before anything else, may I ask why you didn’t come to find me after your 30th life began?”

“W-Well, that’s…”

“Oh, I can guess without your answer. As soon as you started your 30th life, you were playing village chief in Soeul Village, right? And you were just a little out of sorts from the mental trauma you received in your past life. You were half-crazy, and it was only when you faced the darkness of the world that your perspective expanded, wasn’t it?”

“…”

Zhuge Sa’s smile deepened.

“Moreover, the biggest reason is probably that you had no issues just shoving through with brute force. You, with your tremendous powers from having reincarnated 29 times, could easily handle the earthly world by yourself, so you didn’t really need my wisdom. Just sealing the Evil God would make it an extremely easy reincarnation, right?”

“Uh…”

“Am I wrong?”

I was momentarily at a loss for words. But soon, I realized the truth in his statements and could only hang my head low in defeat.

“I-I’m sorry…”

Zhuge Sa was right. At the start of my 30th life, I had been more focused on enjoying life in Soeul Village rather than thinking about how to commence the plan Zhuge Sa had previously mentioned. Plus, with no crises requiring force, I didn’t need much wisdom, and I hesitated to involve Zhuge Sa out of guilt for dragging him into my past life and causing his death. I had thought I’d recruit him eventually, but then I got dragged off to outer space because of the Eight Parts of the Divine, which was a critical mistake.

Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“Hehe, what’s there to apologize for? Your actions were wholly rational. If you could have just kept the Evil God sealed, the rest of the earthly opponents would have been nothing. In fact, by not escalating the difficulty too quickly, you bought significant growth time for yourself, making it quite practical and efficient.”

“Ah….”

“If I had joined you earlier, you would have had to prepare again for an adventure to reduce your reincarnation count, so maybe your actions were correct. I’m not exactly here to support you through brute force anyway.”

“…Is that so.”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to never come at all. Hehe.”

“…”

T-This guy isn’t angry too, right…?!

Just as I was bewildered by my guilt, Zhuge Sa suddenly spoke up.

“Baek Woong, didn’t you often use the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique while playing at being the village chief?”

“Huh? Uh…”

“Hang-a.”

After that unexpected statement, Zhuge Sa stared at me without uttering another word.

“…?”

As I stood there puzzled, it took me a moment to realize something, and I was struck with horror.

“N-No, wait!!”

Seeing my shocked expression, Zhuge Sa wore a sinister grin.

“Exactly. Every time you activated the Thunder Soul from the Nine Chambers of Thunder, my Soul Exchange Technique responded. At first, I didn’t pay much mind, but as the frequency grew, our minds became intertwined in a bond of soul and spirit, eventually allowing me to naturally absorb your thoughts and memories.”

Snap

With a cheerful snap of his fingers, Zhuge Sa grinned.

“Nice not having to give you obsidian, right?”

“…!!”

In that moment, I pictured Zhuge Sa from my 28th life when he rescued me from the scheme of Hang-a. Indeed, his actions mirrored those from that time.

The essence of the Nine Chambers of Thunder lay within the principle of the Thunder Soul from the Soul Exchange Technique, meaning my use of the Nine Chambers was almost like being connected to Zhuge Sa.

So… Zhuge Sa had been sharing my memories since I began my 30th life, right?!

But something felt off, and I spoke up.

“However, when I came to see you in my 29th life, you didn’t recognize me at all…”

“Back then, it was early in the life, and you hadn’t activated the Nine Chambers that many times. But in this 30th life, you practiced martial arts over the years as the village chief and used the Nine Chambers repeatedly, allowing me to naturally gain access to your memories.”

“Ah…!!”

As I finally made this connection clear, Zhuge Sa added, “Anyway, after I realized you were active as the village chief, I didn’t come looking for you. Do you know why?”

“Why?”

“Because you could have come to find me… Plus, I thought it might be more efficient to act separately.”

“Efficient?”

At my question, Zhuge Sa wore a peculiar smile.

“If I came to your side, my role would be to organize your faction or guide you on your path. But besides the fact that Hyun was already doing that role, it wasn’t particularly necessary to guide you, considering I’ve given you advice in your past life already, hadn’t I?”

“….”

“So, at that moment, there was no particular need for me to join you. I had already shared the basics of the Path of Demons and Sephiroth. So, I decided to move according to my own path.”

Yet, I almost said that he should have at least come to Soeul Village. But saying it like that would only make me feel more foolish for forgetting about visiting Zhuge Sa. So I cautiously said, “How…?”

“Hehe. More importantly, how about we focus on giving you your memories back? Seeing the situation after you traveled far away and returned is several times more important.”

“Ah! Wait a sec.”

I rummaged through my clothes to find the wooden armor. But no matter how hard I looked, there was nothing but my garments. It then hit me that I had lost another item, and my face turned pale.

“N-No…!!”

Seeing my expression, Zhuge Sa remarked as if he’d expected this, “I figured it would happen, but you’ve lost both the Heavenly Secret and the wooden armor.”

“Zhuge Sa!! Did you happen to see where they fell?!”

“Not a clue. When you showed up, they were just laying around without anything on you.”

“…!!”

Damn it! I’ve lost the Heavenly Secret again!

This wasn’t the first time I experienced this, but it was still incredibly jarring. Last time, I had jumped through hoops searching for the Heavenly Secret and went to meet the Rainbow Snake; was I going to endure more torture again? Losing the wooden armor was one thing, but losing the Heavenly Secret was enough to temporarily cloud my mind.

After a moment, I shook my head vigorously and said, “F-Fine, just give me the obsidian. I’ll send the memories.”

“Alright.”

Zhuge Sa seemed ready as he pulled out a large piece of obsidian and handed it to me. This should be more than enough to transfer my recent memories, so I proceeded to use the obsidian without hesitation.

Buzz…

“…?”

Wha-What’s going on…?

I felt a nasty sensation, as if my power was being cut off. This strange feeling of being blocked from generating output was entirely unfamiliar to me. I struggled to send the memories, but soon realized a crucial truth.

The memory transfer technique itself is blocked!

As I stared incredulously at the obsidian, Zhuge Sa seemed to know what was happening.

“Blocked the obsidian memory transfer, huh?”

“…Why?! Even if there are constraints, how could they apply in this realm…?”

“Constraints?”

“The Void Record placed a prohibition on me, and it includes a restriction on using obsidian. I heard it was inscribed in the Void Record, but how could it extend here…?”

Zhuge Sa looked genuinely intrigued. Then he said, “I guess I need to hear your story firsthand. Tell me what happened since you went to outer space.”

“Uh… It’s going to be really long… And there’s a lot that can’t be conveyed through words.”

As I expressed my concern, Zhuge Sa smiled.

“You don’t have to provide every detail. After all, there’s another method.”

Another method?

I tilted my head in confusion and began recounting my experiences based on Zhuge Sa’s suggestion. Even after skipping a few parts because he said I didn’t need to elaborate, it still took about half a moment for me to share the bulk of my story. Furthermore, I had to gloss over the request where I had a confidentiality restriction from the Phoenix.

After finishing, Zhuge Sa sat in thought for a while, eyes closed as he mulled something over.

“…”

Then he finally spoke up.

“Baek Woong. There are a few hypotheses regarding your current state… But to confirm them, I believe we should test something first. Can you move your body?”

I shook my head.

“I can’t move anything except my upper body.”

“I see. Seems there’s no choice then.”

Muttering that, Zhuge Sa snapped his fingers.

Swish!

Suddenly, with the sound of a swoosh, dozens of bound humans appeared in the large vacant space in the hall. Each of them wore expressions of fear, clearly innocent civilians who had been unjustly captured. Startled, I looked at them, and Zhuge Sa remained seated, addressing the captives.

“Answer my questions honestly from now on. If you do, you might get to live.”

“Yes… Yes!! Just tell us what you wish!!”

“Can you see the ugly, untalented man laying on this bed?”

I felt a surge of anger at that remark. I hadn’t expected Zhuge Sa would suddenly make such a ridiculous joke, so I retorted.

“Hey, Zhuge Sa! I’m the face of Fuxi! Untalented man, my foot….”

But Zhuge Sa ignored my protest, and soon the strapped individuals murmured to each other before they all shouted in unison.

“No!!”

“There’s nothing here on the bed!”

“Even if you beat me to death… absolutely no one is here! I swear!”

…?!

Wh-What did they just say?!

I can’t be seen?!

I was utterly shocked, caught off guard by their responses. I was clearly standing right there; why were they claiming I wasn’t visible?!

“Is that so.”

Zhuge Sa then rose from his chair and proceeded to untie one of the men’s bindings. He then led him to the foot of the bed and handed him a long sword.

“Alright. Show me your sword qi and without hesitation, cut this bed down.”

“Zhuge Sa. Doesn’t that mean I’ll get cut too?”

Zhuge Sa ignored my comment again, and the man holding the sword stammered, “W-Will you let me live if I do?”

“Just get on with it. And Baek Woong, you’d better not block or dodge.”

Not block?

“Hyah!!”

Swish!!

A moment later, the man’s sword sliced through the air, releasing a wave of sword qi that struck the bed. Judging by his ability to unleash sword qi, he didn’t seem like an ordinary soldier.

Despite witnessing the impending attack right before my eyes, I felt nothing as the blade sliced through me.

It was literally as if the sword qi had passed straight through my body.

“…!!”

What in the world…?

I hadn’t invoked any martial arts or defensive techniques, right?

As I fell into confusion, Zhuge Sa seemed to flash me a significant smile. He then said, “I think I’ve found a way to help improve your situation. Would you like to try?”

“A way?”

“What if….”

Slam!

Suddenly, Zhuge Sa grabbed the face of the guy who had just swung the long sword. The man quivered like an insect caught before a mantis, unable to move, trembling in fear. Zhuge Sa chuckled softly after a brief pause.

“A warrior who led hundreds of children to human sacrifice to survive the disaster brought upon by Susanoo.”

Crack!

With a sickening sound, the man’s skull shattered beneath Zhuge Sa’s grip. As blood splattered, the other captured humans fell into chaos.

“Ugh!”

“P-Please, let us go!”

“Please….”

With bloodstained hands swinging at them, Zhuge Sa strode forward, extending those hands toward the terrified captives.

“Furthermore, I believe I’ll have to claim the lives of those scum who exploited children for their own gain in human sacrifice…”

“W-Wait! Zhuge Sa!! Stop!”

It was one thing to have one person die in confusion, but wasn’t killing all those people a bit much?!

Even if they were deserving, I couldn’t stand to watch a massacre unfold right before my eyes!

Whoosh!

And so, I rushed forward to stop Zhuge Sa. In that instant, his eyes sharpened as if confirming something, and instinctively, I summoned my divine power to subdue Zhuge Sa. Since I couldn’t quite grasp the extent of his abilities, it felt like divine power was my most reliable means.

….

Huh?

But to my shock, even as I tried to exert my power, nothing happened.

W-Why is this happening?

Realizing my divine power wasn’t working, I swiftly initiated my intent to suppress Zhuge Sa using killing intent-driven spiritual power. Even though it wasn’t as reliable, it could still work as a stopgap method.

“…?!”

Yet, even my intent failed to activate. Moreover, my once-powerful internal energy showed no sign of functioning either?!

How could this be?!

Could it be that Zhuge Sa used some special technique to seal away all my powers?!

As I panicked at the realization, Zhuge Sa spoke up with a hint of intrigue.

“Indeed. You can’t interfere.”

Shuaaa—

A magic circle of demonic arts glowed red beneath the bound captives. Moments later, countless blood-red hands emerged from that sinister glow, drawing them one by one into a blood-hued abyss. I even caught sight of tentacles binding those trying to resist.

“Gwaah!”

“Ahhk!”

“P-Help…!”

A series of distressing sounds continued for a while as the humans slowly disappeared into the magic circle. Once all their screams diminished into silence, Zhuge Sa approached the circle and stretched his hand out into its center, revealing a peach-colored gemstone that glowed brightly on his palm.

“…!!”

I clenched my lips tight. After a moment, I glared at Zhuge Sa and shouted, “Zhuge Sa!! Didn’t I tell you to stop?!”

Holding the glowing gemstone, Zhuge Sa didn’t bother replying and simply stared at it intently. Eventually, he swallowed the gem whole.

Flash!!

The red gemstone suddenly erupted with brilliant light, which cascaded into Zhuge Sa’s body.

Simultaneously, an overwhelming surge of magical power erupted from him, filling the air.

Rumble!

At that level, could he rival a typical Demon King or Apostle? I was both shocked at Zhuge Sa’s sudden surge in strength and confused as he muttered in disappointment.

“Meh, this isn’t enough for me. I need to get the factory running.”

“…”

I gazed at Zhuge Sa with complicated emotions and asked, “Zhuge Sa… The people you just killed… they were truly bad, right?”

I couldn’t intervene, but the fact that his actions became freer through human sacrifice left me feeling uneasy. If they indeed committed human sacrifices, I wouldn’t need to feel empathetic. Still, witnessing human sacrifice was something I found thoroughly unpleasant. Zhuge Sa laughed lightly.

“I assure you on my name that they were indeed bad people. Scum who sacrificed hundreds of children so that they could escape disaster. I’m just putting to good use what I caught for offering last time.”

“Umm…”

“Baek Woong, while you were gone, the world changed drastically. What I’m doing now may seem heinous, but in today’s era, it isn’t particularly extraordinary.”

…What in the world has changed so much for Zhuge Sa to be this confident?

For Zhuge Sa to be bold enough to say that, what in the world happened?

Damn. Dropping the matter from just now.

Since Zhuge Sa claimed they were bad, all I could do was trust him on that.

The important thing now was to sort out the current situation.

Scratching my head, I asked, “Do you know what I need to do to move my body? What exactly happened back there?”

“…”

Upon hearing my question, Zhuge Sa wore a peculiar expression.

“Do you know what happened when I first attempted to diagnose your pulse?”

“I became able to move my upper body.”

“Correct. As a result, half of my magical power is now permanently depleted. Half of all the power I’ve worked so hard to accumulate.”

“…What?!”

“To put it simply, it means that, in exchange for your upper body being able to move, my magical power was compromised. The cause and effect is quite clear.”

With that statement, Zhuge Sa glanced over at the magic circle where he had just eliminated the humans.

“And just now, I condensed their lives into the prototype Philosopher’s Stone, allowing me to recover my lost magical power. It also served to test if you could use your abilities again.”

“The Philosopher’s Stone….”

“Saint Germain has greatly advanced his technology. I find it quite useful now.”

After saying that, Zhuge Sa crossed his arms.

“What’s important isn’t merely the Philosopher’s Stone. Do you realize what it means that you managed to temporarily use your upper body in exchange for permanently snatching my magical power?”

“……? I don’t get it.”

“Listen closely, Baek Woong. Though it’s still speculative…”

A mischievous smile danced across Zhuge Sa’s face.

“You have returned to this world as… [the one who is served].”