전생검신 89권 11화

I turned the Greater Circulation with the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique again, now that the stalk of Sets had thickened.

Wooow – !!

“……!!”

Is it just me, or does it seem like I’m gathering three times more life force than before?!

Feeling the immense life force converging, I couldn’t help but cheer internally.

‘Whoa, I think I’ve achieved something way better than I anticipated!’

It seemed that Sets growing had substantial significance for this training. Could it be that Cheon Woo-jin calculated all of this and decided to implant Sets into me?

‘Alright! Then, I’m all in for a millennium of training…… huh?’

I stopped abruptly, excited to practice the Thunder Dragon One Qi Technique.

The moment I thought of Cheon Woo-jin, it hit me: I had forgotten something crucial all along. It was the notion that the thought of training joyfully for a millennium was tied to the flow of consciousness.

[It’s true that Hang-a lied. Originally, this space doesn’t allow for any Prayer Intent to be used, but as a [Terminal], I can alter those rules based on the payment you made. Right now, I consumed the core of the World Tree as an offering to slow down the time in this space by 10,000 times, allowing you to use all abilities, including the Qi Intent.]

[No. You have to leave once you fill 300 years in subjective time. As I said, [Terminal] is neutral, so there’s a limit to the favors I can grant you.]

I recalled those words from the time the Training World was first created – Cheon Woo-jin’s statement.

……

Ah, right……

I hadn’t paid much attention to it before because I was practicing mindlessly, but suddenly I felt the weight of a significant fact hitting me.

“Once the 300 years are up…… this training world will collapse!!”

I couldn’t help but mutter that out loud.

That’s right. This world was a training world created by Cheon Woo-jin using the powers of the Heavenly Secret’s [Terminal] as favorably as possible! But as Cheon Woo-jin said, from the beginning, there was a lifespan limit to this world, and that lifespan capped at 300 years. In other words, when the 300-year grace period ends, this world will be obliterated, and I’ll be forcibly expelled.

I had never given that thought much depth until now. Even though 300 years is three times the normal lifespan of an average human, who would have thought that time would fly by in the grand scheme of things? However, I’ve already spent at least over 200 years on martial arts training that I had been putting off. Or maybe even more, since I never counted the years during that wild period where I was solely honing my swordplay.

…… If I mess this up, the training world could vanish without a trace, and I’d be at a loss?!

‘Well… even if the training world disappears, I won’t die or suffer any harm… I’ll just be flung back to the original world… But losing such a great training ground feels like quite a loss.’

The perks of the training world weren’t just about the peace and quiet it offered; it allowed me to try all sorts of things without being bothered by outside factors.

Whether it was Shim Su-ryeok obtaining Chi You’s heart or Lee Kwang getting that secret from Lee Gang-ryong’s Heavenly Flower Thunder Dragon Divine Arts, those chances were things I wouldn’t dare consider outside. The regeneration aspect of this world, even though I faced destruction multiple times, was also something I couldn’t even begin to pursue elsewhere. The risky training I could carry out freely here was attractive since outside, all sorts of divine beings would surely come after me, plus it was morally quite questionable as well.

Then, shouldn’t I aim for maximum efficiency while time remains in this training world?

As that thought sank in, I found myself deep in contemplation.

‘Hmm… It would be wise to focus on Sephiroth training more rigorously to reach a higher stage in a shorter time frame.’

The difficulty would undoubtedly spike every time I ascended a level, but there was no way around it. In the end, the conclusion was to focus more on obtaining good achievements during the remaining time. With that in mind, I returned to my Sephiroth training, concentrating on gathering life force.

Wooow

How long has it been since I was obsessively refining my life force? I finally reached a state of unity and felt the reaction of the third level after turning the Greater Circulation over 2,000 times, night and day.

‘This is insane… Why does life force need to be this much?’

The amount needed to ascend from the first to the second level was already hefty, but moving from the second to the third level seemed to require dozens of times more. Life force is such an abstract concept that giving a specific comparison isn’t possible, but honestly, I felt that with this much life force, it seemed nearly impossible to acquire in the mortal realm.

Paaaat!!

Entering the world of Sephiroth once more, I witnessed a gigantic tree root beneath me slowly rising toward the next Sephira. Unlike before, I noticed that the root wasn’t ascending directly but curving significantly to the left from the center, indicating that another Sephira lay far away.

‘Ah, so that’s what it means? The moment I chose the [Power] blessing, the path diverged.’

To reach that Sephira on the opposite side, it looked like a lengthy endeavor lay ahead. It was a letdown not being able to acquire that Sephira, but as long as I stayed on the prescribed path, I wouldn’t suffer any great losses.

Wooow……

As I placed my hand on the marking of the Sephira, I was able to enter the trial space with a shining light. I discovered another [Angel] present in this pristine white space.

[I am Archangel Raphael. One of the rulers of the Sephiroth Thousands.]

“…….”

[Will you take the trial of Hod?]

Raphael’s tone was tranquil yet polite. However, contrasting with that demeanor, he looked far closer to a monster than Gabriel I had seen previously, and I couldn’t even begin to describe what I was looking at. Aside from having enormous multiple wings, Raphael’s form seemed entirely out of this world, like something residing in a distant realm.

‘Thank the heavens I can feel the sacred energy; otherwise, that’s just a monster, isn’t it…?’

Taken aback by Raphael’s bizarre appearance, I opened my mouth.

“I feel like this angel is different from the ones I know… It doesn’t resemble a human even a tiny bit.”

Raphael responded, seemingly puzzled by my statement.

[Why should I resemble a human? They’re merely our creations.]

“…….”

[Low-level angels often interact with humans and govern them, so they take a similar form, but we are [Rulers]… There’s no reason to mimic such a trivial existence.]

From his words, I realized that Raphael completely differed from the concept of [Angel] recognized in human society. I could easily surmise that higher angels would be even more detached from human forms, just as he mentioned.

Indeed, what stood before me was a deity from the angelic race, not just an angel by name.

As I fell silent, Raphael continued.

[If you need time to think, please take it… In fact, you are the first to reach Hod since the opening of Sephiroth in the third level.]

“Is it because I chose the [Power] blessing?”

[That’s right.]

“……Wait a second. From the sound of it, it seems like I could go back to a lower Sephira after reaching a higher level?”

Raphael emitted a faint aura, seemingly affirming my query.

[That is indeed possible. If you’re missing the power from Sephira that you previously could not obtain, you can return to the lower Sephira again starting from the fifth level.]

“……!! For real?”

[Yes, but it’s rare for someone to do that on purpose.]

“Why’s that?”

[The higher the Sephira, the more potent powers they contain. In any case, since you must sacrifice more life force at higher Sephira levels, in most cases, you’ll incur losses.]

“…….”

I could understand Raphael’s explanation. The unit of life force required to ascend levels changes, and no matter how you put it, gathering more life force to enter a lower level would be burdensome. Instead, conserving that life force to ascend to a higher Sephira more quickly would be infinitely more efficient.

‘Seeing that, coming straight to Hod after just reaching the third level is truly a unique circumstance…’

As I grasped the situation, I spoke to Raphael.

“I will take the trial of Hod. Let’s get this over with.”

[Is that so… Then we shall begin.]

Boom!!

Like before, a massive hourglass descended, and simultaneously, angels appeared from all sides. It seemed I was surrounded by a total of four angels, and I realized that their appearances were markedly different from the previous ones.

‘Huh? They look completely different…’

The angels from before were relatively human in form, completely embodying a pure white angel vibe, but these angels were full-on soldiers equipped with crimson armor and spears. Moreover, the faces visible in their red helmets seemed to be pure blobs of ether rather than human faces. As I gazed at these red soldier-like angels, Raphael introduced them.

[They are the Power Angels at the fifth level, Virtues. If you can withstand their attacks until this hourglass runs out, you will pass the trial.]

I was confident and smiled.

“This is almost identical to the last Sephira’s trial. The only difference is that these angels are one level higher.”

[Hmmm, you possess great strength, but you’re being overly arrogant. Let me add a word of caution.]

Raphael emitted an unpleasant aura as I underestimated the angels.

[Even if there were ten angels at the sixth level, they wouldn’t be able to defeat a single one of the fifth level Virtues. Keep in mind that they are acknowledged among our angelic realm.]

“……Oh.”

Does that mean the ones I fought previously were over ten times weaker?

However, I didn’t intend for that to change anything, so I drew my sword and said.

“This should be entertaining. Let’s get started!”

[Then, let the trial begin.]

Flash!!

Infinite Slash!!

As before, I unleashed the Infinite Slash to slice in all directions, intending to cut down all four angels in one sweep. It might seem that I was simply hastening my blows with intent, but given that I had sliced through a sixth-level angel in one strike before, I thought it would work again.

Kaboom!!

But unexpectedly, the four Power Angels Virtues were launched away from me with a roaring sound, nearly simultaneously. Each Virtue crashed to the ground, staggering, and I raised an eyebrow at the sight.

‘Huh? Their defensive capabilities are quite impressive. That armor is remarkably tough…’

The reason I wasn’t able to cut through them in one fell swoop was that the armor blocked my blade before hitting the Virtues. While the red armor did get cleaved in two by my Infinite Slash, it seemed that damage was significantly reduced, and I couldn’t obliterate the actual ethereal form of the Virtues.

That armor surely possesses the same defensive level as the Protection Energy Technique from the Master of the White Lotus Sect!

‘At least I dealt a blow on the first attempt, so that’s a relief… huh?’

And then something truly shocking occurred shortly after.

Kugugugu!

The Virtues each summoned peculiar spells infused with strange commands and placed them upon their armor. Astonishingly, the armor began to restore itself after a brief moment.

Shushushuk!

“……!!”

What the?! I smashed the armor into two, rendering it useless, so how on earth did they repair it?

I was left speechless.

“Is it made of some kind of material that sticks well?”

Raphael, who had been watching the trial from behind, answered my question.

[That’s impossible. The Virtues rewound the time of the objects to repair their armor.]

“……What?”

[They can manipulate time. Take caution.]

No sooner had those words emitted from him than the foremost Virtue gripped its spear tighter and charged at me.

Whoosh!

‘That’s a pretty fast thrust. An average top-tier expert wouldn’t see this coming and would probably die immediately.’

While I acknowledged the Virtue’s power and speed, I thought it couldn’t hold a candle to my level that’s crossed into the Divine Realm, so I intended to easily deflect it and counterattack using [Flow]. But just at that moment, I felt my body freeze unexpectedly.

Huh?! What’s going on?

Boom!!

I hastily unleashed all my Protection Energy, concentrating my Qi to block the thrust. The impact erupted, and I barely managed to stave it off, feeling a slight numbness. The Virtue seemed to be surprised, staggering back, and I muttered irritably.

“They’ve got time-stopping abilities too? This just keeps getting better…”

It was then that I recognized that the capabilities of the fifth-level Virtues were still fresh in my memory.

When the Great Bear Empire invaded the western regions, it was the fifth-level Virtues summoned through Human Sacrifice from Sephiroth! Their power was so formidable that only Seo Mun-hye could barely subdue them with her abilities. Clearly, these would be beings comparable to the Overlay Technique in the mortal realm.

‘So, that means… this third-level trial against Hod feels like I’m getting hit by four guys equivalent to the Overlay Technique?’

…… Isn’t this trial a bit too difficult? What kind of beings am I going to face at the fourth or fifth levels?

I couldn’t help but feel ridiculous about the situation. It was only my current strength that allowed me to even stand a chance; if I had tried this back when I was weaker, I’d have been utterly crushed with no way to fight back.

This is the trial of Sephira!

Noticing my slight panic, Raphael spoke with an almost amused tone from behind.

[Hehe. It looks like you bragged quite a bit in front of Gabriel.]

“……”

[Someone of your caliber should have no trouble surviving until the hourglass runs out. Keep at it.]

Feeling a hint of mockery in his words, I clenched my jaw but soon grinned back.

“No, I’m not planning to just sit here!”

Swish!

Once again, I unleashed the Infinite Slash, decimating the four attacking Virtues in the blink of an eye. Raphael seemed dumbfounded.

[Your swordplay is indeed splendid, but the armor worn by the Virtues is a divine artifact that has accumulated power over countless millennia. It’s impossible to cleave through the ethereal forms in one blow!]

I refrained from arguing back. I had my own plans.

After several attempts to rewind time on the armor, I flickered my gaze towards the Virtues.

“If it can’t be done, I’ll do it until it works!!”

Infinite Slash!!

Swish!

[This is pointless…!]

Infinite Slash!!

[…… I can’t believe this…!]

Infinite Slash!!

[Such foolishness!!]

Infinite Slash!!

In the end, Raphael fell silent, almost as if in disbelief. You could hardly blame him because the Virtues that had been surrounding me could no longer move, trapped by the blaze of my sword light.

Gloop gloop

[Ggggaaaaaaaaaaaa.]

[Khwaaa…!]

[Graahhh!!]

The Virtues screamed as they desperately employed time-reversal spells to mend their armor and ethereal bodies. However, I tirelessly unleashed my sword light, causing thousands of blades to dance chaotically within the arena without pause.

One would think it was like a cloud swirling, and in no time, my sword became a waterfall, pouring down, surging forward with a speed surpassing the sound barrier, with layers of blades flooding and slicing through the ethereal forms.

It wasn’t exactly called a technique – it was merely the Infinite Slash being unleashed wildly, but I could somewhat name it a “Hack and Slash.” In truth, to use this reckless technique against high-tier experts was impossible.

Swish!

As I incessantly assaulted the Virtues, they finally seemed to give up trying to restore their armor, rather they began using time-stop desperately as a last ditch effort.

Chop chop!!

As time stopped and froze my movements, the Virtues, as if they had been waiting for this moment, simultaneously launched their spears at me. Undoubtedly, these spears were presumably divine artifacts, and a single hit would spell disaster. However, I had already anticipated this and unleashed divine light from my eyes.

Thunder God Sword Dance!!

In that instant, the Thunder Soul spun.

Flash – !!

In the next moment, a lightning-fast strike decapitated all four Virtues in an instant turn. With a long tail of lightning trailing behind, the crack of thunder rang out as I completed one and a half rotations, halting my sword dance.

Thud thud!

The Virtues froze in their original spear-throwing stance, their heads tumbling down to the ground. Moments later, they gradually lost strength and collapsed.

Boom

I slowly sheathed my sword, murmuring.

“The sand hasn’t even dropped halfway, Raphael.”

[…….]

Raphael seemed temporarily speechless, his face reflecting incredulity. After a moment, he stuttered.

[The time manipulation power previously exhibited by the Virtues… it was negated because of the peculiar energy swirling within your body. What sorcery is that?]

I delivered my reply smoothly.

[Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique!]

To be accurate, while operating the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique according to the Soul of the Evil God principles, the Thunder Soul wriggling inside me reacted like a spirit responding to another soul. Somehow, I was sensing that the Thunder Soul possessed a power capable of shattering such astral techniques like time-stop. It felt precisely like I was rejecting the force that attempts to restrain time.

Utilizing the flow of the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique, I escaped the instant time-stop and dealt the final blow to the Virtues. If they had concentrated on defense, I wouldn’t have been able to kill them in one stroke, but they had switched to offense, believing in their time-stop.

‘Although having the divine power of Chaos was quite beneficial in ensuring my consciousness remained intact even through time-stop…’

It seems this could be a method I can pass on to my companions for dealing with time-stop situations.

After hearing my reply, Raphael took a moment to regain his composure, stating.

[Indeed… you have ample reason to act arrogantly. I acknowledge that you have passed the trial of Hod.]

Kugugugu…!!

Once Raphael’s words concluded, two spheres of pure white and pure black emerged before me. Upon seeing them, I spoke.

“No doubt choosing between strength and wisdom, right? I choose [Power]!”

[Very well… so you truly are choosing the path of power that no one has ever chosen before…….]

Wooow

At that moment, the pure white sphere began to absorb into my heart. I hadn’t closely examined it earlier, but that white sphere clearly symbolized [Power].

As I absorbed the blessing of power, Raphael unexpectedly spoke up.

[Great inspector. Never before has anyone progressed to the third level in such a short time and chosen only the [Power] blessing. I wish to make a proposal to you.]

“Uh?”

Raphael regarded me with a different expression, continuing.

[The King of Angels, Metatron, wishes to meet you. Would you accompany me?]