전생검신 87권 09화

As I heard those words, I was initially puzzled and tilted my head in confusion. Slowly, as I rummaged through my memories, fragments of similar discussions began to resurface.

[“Baek Woong, what’s the difference between omniscience and omnipotence?”]

The conversation I had with the great master Dharma in the outer universe came to mind. At that time, the great master was indeed researching a way to convey the will of “Father” regarding True Martial Home. I paused, remembering that moment, then calmly addressed the Evil God.

“…So, the king of the Old Ruler, the omniscient one from the Void Record… Are you saying that it’s challenging the omnipotent ‘Father’?”

Thinking back on the journey I had taken, there was no way I could have missed this. When I responded, the Evil God answered very slowly.

[How do you think the clash between omniscience and omnipotence would unfold…?]

“…?”

That was an unexpected question. I certainly hadn’t anticipated considering such an abstract battle.

Still, I forced my imagination to work and replied earnestly.

“Well… it’s a fight between someone who knows everything and someone who can do anything… um… wouldn’t the omniscient one know how to defeat the omnipotent one? Since they know everything, it can’t be unknown to them.”

[……]

“So, the omniscient one would figure out a way to beat the omnipotent one with their ability…”

[That is also the essence of this conflict… but… what if that very method were to belong to the realm of omnipotence?]

“……”

What the heck does that mean?

When the complicated discussion came up, my mind spun as I tried to process it. I decided to interpret it in my own way.

“So… does it mean the method is known but too difficult to execute?”

[No… the very act of attempting belongs to the domain of omnipotence… even though the omniscient being may have few equals in the universe, even they could not dare… The act that binds knowledge and wisdom, no matter how advanced, could never reach its fragments… that domain…]

“…?”

[Therefore… he created the ‘Fool’… a scapegoat who makes the impossible possible… the most profound conspiracy of the Outer Gods that began in the primal universe…]

As the Evil God spoke mysteriously, it suddenly flapped its wings.

Whoosh.

A gigantic whirlwind arose in this universe, where wind could not physically exist. The Evil God looked at me with eyes that seemed to pierce deep into the abyss, and as that gaze deepened, a chilling wave swept over my entire body. Eventually, my hands and feet felt as frozen as ice, a clear sign that my power was utterly overwhelmed by the Evil God’s strength.

‘Gulp…!!’

While I was enduring the Evil God’s power, he continued to speak.

[You have now just reached the starting line… Do you realize that fact?]

“W-wait, what do you mean by the starting line!!?”

[Indeed… look at this.]

Suddenly, the Evil God raised his hand and presented it forward. A bright red ring tied to the Evil God’s finger began to tremble and then burst loudly.

Boom!

Bang!

As the ring, resembling a crimson stone, erupted, I couldn’t help but hold my breath.

Wooosh…!!

The power amplified. I was left speechless watching the already tremendous strength of the Evil God increasing exponentially in real-time.

“…!!”

What the heck is happening…?! Even until now, he was one of the strongest beings I’ve seen in my past lives… and now he’s getting dozens of times stronger!! How the heck can I defeat someone like this?!

If there was a difference between a bee and a human before, now it felt like a sudden leap to a gap the size of a bee and an elephant!

Crash, crash.

As the Evil God finished releasing his power, white shavings fell from his entire body as if he were shedding a skin. After a moment, when the shedding had completely disappeared, the Evil God said quietly.

[Realizing the truth in front of me… that itself was the key to releasing my power’s restraints.]

“…What, what did you just say?!”

[Do not worry… you still do not fully know the truth… my restraints have hardly been lifted… but if you were to know everything… ]

His eyes glimmered ominously.

[On the day the oldest oath is fulfilled… the greatest battlefield will arise!!]

“…!!”

I was left speechless.

Could it be that my realization of the Evil God’s truth was the key to lifting the restraints on him?!

Could I have even imagined such a thing?

Yet at the same time, I couldn’t understand, so I shouted desperately.

“Damn it!!! What the hell are you!? What kind of monster are you that makes you so strong?! And what exactly are you hiding!!”

[……]

“Tell me something right now!! If you don’t, I swear I will find out the truth and waste away my time doing nothing!! I’ll just lie here forever doing nothing!”

After saying that, I suddenly thought,

‘…Is this a threat?’

Would saying I wouldn’t do anything really count as a threat?

Saying I’d just lie around doing nothing sounded too pathetic and poor of a threat to even the Evil God, one of the most powerful divine beings, and I found myself fumbling for words, afraid he would mock me.

However, unexpectedly, the Evil God seemed to react strongly to my words.

[That cannot be allowed. You must continue to advance…]

…Is this actually working?!

Why would it work?!

I was dumbfounded, but I cheered and said.

“…Th-then! Teach me anything! Now that your restraints are lifted, you can share information with me, right?!”

[……]

The Evil God spoke slowly.

[Go find Al Karda… ]

“Al Karda?”

Whoosh.

Ignoring my response, the Evil God suddenly wrapped himself in a dark black wind. The One Who Turns the Stars was swept up in that dark wind as well, and soon, the realm of the Abyss became a chaotic swirl of pure blackness. Within that dark wind, the voice of the Evil God drifted out.

[He will offer you choices…]

Boom!!

In the next moment, the appearance of the Evil God vanished, and the universe of the Abyss cleared away as if washed clean. And there I was, along with Heuk Woong, standing in the middle of a cave filled with slain monsters, as if we had just woken from a dream.

Heuk Woong moved ahead to investigate something and said.

[Master. Both Le Rue and the auras of all dimensions have disappeared.]

“What do you mean?”

[It seems the Evil God personally moved all his strongholds, including Le Rue, somewhere else. Le Rue no longer exists here.]

“……”

Are you telling me they moved the place where hundreds of Demon Kings reside to a far-flung dimension in one go?

Considering the tremendous power needed to move just one individual across dimensions, it indicated the Evil God’s power had surpassed conventional limits. But after witnessing just how strong he was, it failed to amaze me any further. Instead, I found myself deep in thought.

‘That damned Evil God used me to lift his own restraint and now he doesn’t want to deal with me anymore. He’s keeping his non-interference pact again with me. But he can still find any excuse to break that pact whenever he likes—what a scumbag…’

No, this wasn’t the time to be sulking about that.

I needed to think more calmly and rationally.

‘He told me to go find Al Karda. But just who is this Al Karda? That name rings a bell…’

Since I couldn’t recall it clearly, I turned to Heuk Woong beside me and asked.

“Heuk Woong, do you remember what Al Karda does?”

[Hmm… Isn’t he a Prophet?]

Why is a Prophet coming up now?

I widened my eyes in surprise at this unexpected twist.

“A Prophet?”

[In your memories, the Prophet mentioned a spell called ‘Al Karda’s Gate.’ Using that spell, I believe he measured the law of cause and effect that existed within you… surely only the Prophet would know what kind of existence that is.]

“…Ah!! That’s right! Back then!”

I finally managed to dig up my memory of a past event. It was specifically when I was wrapped up in the scheme of Hang-a’s ‘Knot’ during my 28th life and sought the Prophet for advice. I remembered that the Prophet had indeed used a spell called Al Karda’s Gate, but since I was so focused on its effects, I hadn’t paid much attention to its name.

I told Heuk Woong.

“Then I need to find the Prophet and ask about Al Karda. Where would the Prophet be in this era?”

[It seems your memories are a bit scattered from all the jumping between long cycles. The Prophet was subdued by Fuxi and has promised to cooperate with him, deciding never to use the power of the Void Record again.]

“Oh, right!”

[He’s probably at their home planet now.]

“So if I want to meet the Prophet, I’ll have to warp to the Prophet’s star?”

[You could do that or you could just ask Fuxi to summon him.]

“Hmmm.”

Come to think of it, since Fuxi is on my side in this era, it would be much easier to just ask him for help.

That felt like a more convenient option than hunting down the Prophet’s star directly, but I also suddenly felt unease creeping in moments later.

“…No, let’s not ask Fuxi. Let’s go find him ourselves.”

[Why would you do that?]

“Because the Evil God gave me a clue directly. No matter how much Fuxi is my ally right now, this seems to be information that shouldn’t be shared with others.”

[Hmm… That could be possible.]

Heuk Woong nodded understanding my reasoning and continued speaking.

[Then let’s go find Emperor Lemuria I.]

“Emperor Lemuria I?”

[You’ve already forgotten? The emperor of the ancient civilization of Lemuria. Though he originates from humans, it seems he has modified himself into a magical being now…]

“Ah… right. He did tell us to find this cave?”

[Hehe, you really seem confused. With the way you’re hopping across worlds, it’s no surprise.]

Heuk Woong chuckled merrily.

[Let’s go. I’m sure Emperor Lemuria I will have a way.]

Boom.

Heuk Woong and I proceeded to head up to the surface to find Emperor Lemuria I, who greatly thanked us.

[You truly are impressive! To have driven away the Evil God from the depths of Lemuria…!! Such an achievement is beyond what anyone could accomplish!!]

“Not like I fought and won; he just left on his own. I’m not stronger than the Evil God.”

I quickly clarified, worried that a misunderstanding might lead to unnecessary burdens, but Emperor Lemuria I still seemed genuinely moved.

[Even if it was persuasion, who could persuade the Evil God… You are indeed a true hero.]

“…More than that, I have a favor to ask.”

[What is it?]

“I need to get to the Prophet’s star. Do you have a way?”

After I briefly explained the situation, Emperor Lemuria I moved toward a control device dealing with constellations and began operating something. After a while, a hologram floated in the air, moving as he tinkered with it, and then Emperor Lemuria I said,

[The Prophet’s star should be nearby. There is a zone that is undetectable by harnessing the powers of the Twelve Palaces of the Yellow Emperor, but such places only have defensive barriers against detection by other presences. If you want, I can mark the coordinates for instant travel.]

As things were swiftly falling into place, I couldn’t help but admire Emperor Lemuria I.

“…To find it so quickly, you’re more capable than I expected.”

[You defeated the threat of the Evil God and saved this continent of Lemuria. I can do anything for you.]

Anything?

His words sparked an amusing thought in my head.

“Then, if the humans of the surface face a great calamity and find themselves on the brink of extinction, can you promise that the Lemuria continent will do its utmost to help?”

[Hmm… Very well. We shall assist to the best of our abilities.]

At that moment.

Ping –

Suddenly, a strange wave echoed in my head, similar to a thread getting tangled.

‘Oh?’

What’s this now?

Something got twisted?

I was perplexed, but it didn’t seem like anything was wrong with my body. While I was standing there dazed, Emperor Lemuria I pressed a large button, declaring,

[I will open the time-space gate. If you follow me, you will be able to move to the Prophet’s star through the gate.]

Zzzz –

Before long, Heuk Woong and I stepped into the time-space gate. With a blue light illuminating the surroundings, it wasn’t long before we found ourselves in a completely unfamiliar planet.

Grrr…

The alien foliage and architecture around us were unlike anything I’d ever seen on Earth. I remembered vaguely witnessing this sight during past communications with the Prophet, which made me quite sure.

‘I successfully arrived at the Prophet’s planet!’

Of course, I could theoretically teleport to wherever it might be on Earth, but given that this was tens of thousands of years before human civilization existed, that would have been far more bothersome. I turned to Heuk Woong beside me and asked.

“Heuk Woong, if we need to make a run for it, could we escape from here?”

[I can’t be sure. The Akasha energy used by the Prophet’s race seems extremely potent.]

“Hm… Is that so?”

[But Master, your divine power has reached a tremendous level, so you needn’t worry too much.]

“It’s little more than a grain of rice compared to the Evil God.”

[What, have you lost your confidence? It’s just that the Evil God is simply outside the standard!]

While Heuk Woong and I chatted, a dimensional door opened suddenly before us, and the Prophet appeared, accompanied by several attendants. The Prophet spotted me and said,

[What a surprise visiting our home planet without notice. Even if you’re a god, is it acceptable to be this rude?]

I chuckled and replied.

“Don’t be so upset, Prophet. We’re old acquaintances; I think I can get away with this.”

[What kind of acquaintances are you talking about…? You were with Fuxi when he was intimidating me, weren’t you?]

I had no response and shifted my gaze.

“What? Am I not allowed to be here?”

[Right now, we are in the midst of restoring our royal family. We’ve only just restored the star, and the work of rebuilding the royal family is of utmost importance, so I hope you’ll leave quickly.]

“…”

Ah, right. I almost forgot that my use of the obsidian was what caused the explosion of the star, right? It seemed they were now in the middle of using magic to restore the star and the royal family.

Recalling this, I said,

“Prophet… don’t you have something you’re hiding from Fuxi?”

[What? What are you suddenly talking about?]

“I had trouble remembering, but when you blurted out, it suddenly came back to me.”

I smirked mischievously.

“You’re… offering the Akasha energy as tribute to the Void Record, right? Furthermore, when the Apostle of the Void Record appears, it seems you’re secretly providing energy to assist in your duties on the surface…”

This was unexpected information I had learned through the AI of the Prophet’s kind while in the Training World!

And now I was using it.

[……?!]

“I wonder what would happen if Fuxi realized this?”

At my words, the Prophet seemed startled, trembling slightly, and his attendants appeared equally flustered, their tentacles shivering in response. The Prophet’s eyes widened suddenly as he cast a spell.

Zzzap!!

Then, almost instantaneously, all the attendants to his left and right were sucked into a black dot in the void and vanished. Whatever magical trick that was, the Prophet eliminated his entire entourage and turned to glare at me.

[What a foreboding feeling… so you really are the Reborn Person!]

“Did you know?”

[You thought I wouldn’t notice the mark left behind? I was just trying to avoid being entangled in the chaos after the star exploded… ]

The Prophet spat out, and then asked.

[What do you want?]

“I’m not here to cause you harm. I just want to know something for sure.”

[What do you wish to know?]

“What’s Al Karda?”

[……]

At my direct inquiry, the Prophet fell momentarily silent. Finally, he began to speak.

[He is an Outer God. Is that enough?]

“Come on, I knew that already. Tell me everything you know about Al Karda, including their peculiarities.”

[… Hah, Al Karda is an Outer God, but a secret god, so no one in the whole universe knows of them. Even the greatest sorcerers know nothing about Al Karda. Who exactly did you hear about this secretive being from?]

So they were that mysterious of a being?

I tilted my head in confusion as I replied.

“The Evil God told me to look into Al Karda.”

[……!!]

“So until I get some solid information, I’m not leaving here.”

As I laid down the law, the Prophet seemed to contemplate. After a long pause, he finally spoke.

[Outer God Al Karda… that being is… ]

What followed in the Prophet’s words left me completely astonished.

[The librarian who oversees the Void Record and the true deity of our race.]