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“Hoo-wah!”

Moments later, as the shadow covering the moon vanished, it felt as if all the clouds in the sky were being sucked into the serpent. The snake, having absorbed dark clouds to its heart’s content, emitted light and transformed into a serpentine shape comparable to a human, reappearing before me. The transformed Tezcatlipoca spoke.

“So, what are we going to do now?”

In response to Tezcatlipoca’s question, I answered firmly.

“Let’s go cut off Dongyoung’s Susanoo’s head right now!”

I might not know much, but I felt that if we attacked that white space filled with Tsukuyomi’s deceit—who is Dongyoung’s divine alter ego—we could resolve all the obstacles laid out before us in this realm. My instincts about such matters were rarely wrong, so I was set on destroying that place with Tezcatlipoca’s help.

“Oh? I think I have an idea of who that is… Let’s go!”

“Aren’t you curious why we’re destroying it?”

“Why should I be curious?”

From Tezcatlipoca’s reply, I could gauge just how much confidence he had.

“Because I’m going to win.”

“……!!”

“And… that ancient god’s apostle seems to have quite the ability.”

Tezcatlipoca’s gaze was directed toward Dongfang Sak, who stood behind me.

With respect, Dongfang Sak greeted Tezcatlipoca.

“This humble Dongfang Sak pays his respects to the great Ancient Sun God.”

“Heh heh. Looks like you’ve got a wealth of ancient insignia. Those who disappeared when the gods’ war loomed are now pouring their power into mere humans…”

With a smirk, Dongfang Sak replied to Tezcatlipoca’s mockery.

“Don’t worry; I won’t be a hindrance to your actions.”

“That’s right. But if you oppose me, I won’t let it slide.”

“Is there really any doubt about that?”

So that’s how it is?

I had just figured out why Dongfang Sak could remain calm and endure Tezcatlipoca’s release of divine power. It was because the symbol manifesting on his forehead was another kind of divine power! Dongfang Sak somehow had the ability to freely use divine energy, which surely must have been conferred upon him by an ancient god.

In other words, Dongfang Sak had undoubtedly become an apostle of the ancient god!

I was perplexed and asked him.

“How did you become an apostle of the ancient god? Whose apostle are you?”

Calmly, Dongfang Sak responded to my query.

“Some gods from Memphis, along with beings from the black continent, granted me their power. And the Asir tribe acts as my primary guardian. In essence, I have support from most of the ancient gods that remain on this earth. I have over a hundred divine abilities I can utilize.”

“……!!”

Wha—what?!

“Well, it takes this kind of power to lead the Zodiac members, doesn’t it?”

Dongfang Sak joked, but I could hardly believe it. So, in shock, I asked.

“Is that even possible? Even the Great Immortal struggles with divine power!”

Based on my past lives, even the immortals who serve as mediators between gods and humans could never handle pure divine energy properly. No matter how orderly the ancient gods might be… And although Dongfang Sak had been born with chaotic talent, could he really control divine power to such an extent?

In response, Dongfang Sak said,

“For a normal human, receiving this much divine power would likely cause their body to burst and die, but I’m perfectly fine. It’s all thanks to you.”

I tilted my head in confusion.

“Thanks to me?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

“……?”

After a moment of puzzlement, Dongfang Sak made a playful expression.

“You really don’t know, do you? Well, then you can keep wondering.”

“Hey!!”

“Hehe. Whether you’re strong or not isn’t really important at the moment. What’s more important is that we’re going to raid Dongyoung’s Susanoo now.”

“Well, that’s true…”

Deciding to set aside my curiosity about why Dongfang Sak was so strong for later, I nodded and said to Tezcatlipoca.

“Let’s go. The location is…”

“I already know.”

“What?”

Tezcatlipoca looked up at the sky.

“It’s definitely the place where the most distorted darkness unfolds in this world… I’m heading there now.”

Hoo-wah!

With that, Tezcatlipoca’s body suddenly burst forth with dark magical power, enveloping me, Dongfang Sak, and the other Zodiac members in an instant. After feeling engulfed by darkness, the next moment, we found ourselves at Dongyoung’s coast.

Ku-gugugu

‘The White Sea!’

The “White Sea” we had visited before! Beyond the pure white light, a deep blue moon hung over the horizon, and from the horizon with the blue moon, waves of darkness were surging forth.

I looked at the white sea and said,

“Let’s be careful. We can’t physically reach the horizon, and… what was it again…”

Since it had been so long, I fumbled for the攻略 information I’d gotten back then, and Dongfang Sak helped clarify.

“Numerous immortals tried to break through the White Sea and were obliterated, not to mention the fact that the Yarama no Orochi, a demon lord class beast, guards the waters beneath the White Sea, right?”

“……True.”

Now that I think about it, Dongfang Sak had lived in this world for thousands of years, so he probably knew more about Susanoo’s realm than I did…

Embarrassed, I scratched my head, and Dongfang Sak said,

“Baek Woong. To be frank, during the Takrok Era, you had strengths among the best in the entire universe, but now it seems you can’t wield much divine power. So I prepared a gift just for you.”

“What? What gift?”

Swish!

After a moment, Dongfang Sak opened a subspace near him and hurled something at me, which I quickly snagged.

“……This is…!!”

As my gaze flickered, Dongfang Sak grinned.

“Of course, if your power is lacking, you need a tool. That’s just human nature, isn’t it?”

What he threw was a spear!

And what a spear it was—a breathtakingly powerful weapon that I could confidently claim was the world’s best spear!

I had seen this spear before, and I gasped.

“Oh, Odin’s spear… Gungnir!!”

“Huh?!”

To my surprise, Dongfang Sak looked slightly shocked. He widened his eyes and said,

“I was going to explain, but you already know… have you seen Gungnir in your past lives?”

“…”

I was left speechless. I never thought Dongfang Sak would give me this here in this reality!

‘It was at the Lake of Lightning, where Ikangryong led me to find it… Gungnir was sealed at the bottom of that lake… to encounter it here!’

I had intended to uncover the secrets of Gungnir at some point, but I never expected to see it again this soon!

After a moment, I collected my thoughts and said,

“I’ve seen it at the Training World. I know it was sealed at the Lake of Lightning.”

“…Hmmm, looks like past lives involve all kinds of things. I had to put in quite the effort to get this Gungnir that ancient gods had barely managed to sort out.”

Grumbling, Dongfang Sak brightened and said,

“Then you know how strong Gungnir is. Be sure to use it well.”

“……”

“It’s imbued with the power of the ancient gods, so you will be able to wield it.”

While I sat there dazed, I gripped Gungnir tightly.

“Of course!!”

Back then, the spear seemed to emit an aura that resisted me, making it difficult to use properly, but this time was different!

Being acknowledged by the strongest weapon was, in itself, a warrior’s dream, so I felt my fighting spirit ignite.

At that moment, Tezcatlipoca, who had been waiting by my side, said,

“Are you ready? Then I’ll go annihilate them first.”

Hoo-wah…!!

As Tezcatlipoca said this, his body rapidly grew larger, and he transformed into a massive winged serpent that pierced the sky. As Tezcatlipoca took off, Dongfang Sak gasped in surprise.

“The Demon King Yamata no Orochi is appearing!!”

Puhwah!!

Sure enough, something enormous suddenly burst from the waters of the White Sea, aiming to engulf Tezcatlipoca. It was a serpent so gigantic it could cover the entire sea. Eight heads rose simultaneously to attack Tezcatlipoca!

Crash!

Moments later, the sound of three of Yamata no Orochi’s heads biting into Tezcatlipoca’s body echoed. I stood there in shock.

“No!! Did they just meet their end……?!”

Did it seem like they’d bitten down too hard? Could be they’re getting rekt?!

However, my concern was proven to be unfounded a moment later.

Tezcatlipoca expelled a scornful divine utterance and initiated his power.

“You worthless creatures… burn to ashes!!”

The Song of the Black Sun God!

A shadow of black light seemed to envelop Tezcatlipoca from behind, as if the black and white were reversed. At the same time, his very form morphed into something resembling a mass of dark energy, and from that mass, a dark sphere began to emerge and grow larger.

Boom!

“Kiiyaaah!”

Moments later, three of the heads that had bitten into Tezcatlipoca were engulfed by the dark sun and were incinerated to a crisp. Yamata no Orochi seemed startled and began to retreat, but an even more unbelievable event occurred shortly thereafter.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Black suns not only began to gather around Tezcatlipoca’s form but filled the entire void! Hundreds of gargantuan black suns were summoned to fill the space, making it seem as if the very sky had been covered. Moments later, as those black suns simultaneously began falling toward the White Sea, a spectacle unfolded.

Splash!

Wherever the black suns made contact with the white sea, it started vaporizing and evaporating. As the momentum of the black suns intensified, dark flames erupted, creating the horrific image of flourishing black flowers, and I could feel an overwhelming magical aura flooding the surroundings.

Crackle!

Soon after, the entirety of Yamata no Orochi and the White Sea turned to ash, leaving no trace behind. Perhaps having burned too much, I could see lava seeping from the depths, but even that seemed to vanish without a trace upon contacting the aura of the black suns summoned by Tezcatlipoca.

“……”

When Shennong revealed his true form, the flames were just as overwhelming…!

I realized just how terrifying the power of the black suns summoned by Tezcatlipoca was and couldn’t help but feel tense.

‘What… what is this? It didn’t feel like this when we fought…!’

As I pondered, Dongfang Sak muttered,

“Yamata no Orochi is undoubtedly a top-tier demon king, rivaling the moon. To kill such a being as if it were a mere bug… you’ve really brought something amazing, Baek Woong.”

“……”

Hiss!

Having soared above, Tezcatlipoca disappeared beyond the horizon. He must have set his sights on the blue moon, where he likely thought Susanoo awaited.

Dongfang Sak, observing this, spoke.

“Let’s use Otkler to move. Even you wouldn’t survive if you touched that black flame.”

“Right.”

Swish!

Using the powers of the western divine sword Otkler, Dongfang Sak transported everyone to an alternate space. None would be safe here with the dark suns from Tezcatlipoca’s domain.

While wielding Otkler, Dongfang Sak spoke.

“Originally, the plan we discussed with your tacticians was to amplify your divine power using the strength of faith, using Amaterasu’s abilities to easily defeat Yamata no Orochi.”

“So that was the plan?”

“Yes. But now that I think about it, there’s really no need since Tezcatlipoca himself is a sun god with extreme solar attributes. Could he have summoned this intentionally?”

“…… No way.”

Since all I did was summon the strongest one without thinking, that might have led to this situation…

As I couldn’t bring myself to voice this inner thought, Dongfang Sak grinned.

“It’s interesting, though. The simple actions of an oblivious person leading to the answer is much closer than all the smart humans gathering around to devise plans…”

“Is that praise or an insult?”

“Pure curiosity. Sometimes being oblivious can bring good outcomes, right?”

As we bantered, Dongfang Sak suddenly paused.

“What’s wrong?”

“It seems a battle has started ahead. It looks like Susanoo’s true form and Tezcatlipoca have begun fighting beyond dimensions.”

“……!!”

It has begun!

“And we’ll need to join the fight soon.”

Swish…

Suddenly, strange entities began appearing from the pure-light interior of Otkler.

I frowned at the sight of roughly ten ‘enemies’ who had encircled us.

“Shikigami?”

The bodies made of paper resembled Shikigami, a technique used primarily by Dongyoung’s yin-yang masters.

But there was a notable difference: grotesque tentacles sprouted from their paper bodies, writhing as if they were attempting to mimic human forms.

‘They seem to have considerable magical power…’

They appeared to harbor strength surpassing that of most great demons, so merely judging by appearances indicated that they shouldn’t be underestimated. As the Zodiac members prepared for battle, Faust in the back spoke up.

“Those are symbiotes.”

“Symbiotes?”

Faust nodded.

“It’s a field I’ve been studying. They’re fusion beings, having artificially implanted magic into humans to enhance their abilities. Those creatures are similar, having fused their own bodies with magic.”

“Wait a minute… They’re not just monsters? No way.”

“They’re humans. They just fused a human body to a Shikigami’s form and then fused it with magic as well, creating a three-tier fusion.”

“……!!”

As I watched the tentacles writhing to mimic human faces, disgust surged within me. Upon hearing Faust’s words, I realized what those monsters truly were.

“Dongyoung’s yin-yang masters… The Seimei clan must have become like that due to Susanoo’s magic.”

It was reported that numerous yin-yang masters had perished in the chaos of Dongyoung, and it seemed Susanoo’s powers had dragged those dead bodies into service, forcing them to fight even in death.

They had become grotesque tentacled monsters, unable to die even after death.

Crash!

Transforming his body, Faust declared,

“I am a symbiote while simultaneously being the antinomy to symbiotes, I can eliminate them in one strike. However, if I don’t, as long as a single cell remains, they will regenerate, so be cautious.”

Shu!

Bam!

Transforming into the strange monster form I had seen before, with massive werewolf-like hands, Faust crushed nearby monsters’ heads, causing them to disintegrate into dust and vanish without a trace.

His power was definitely that of the predator!

Seeing Faust’s might, I was reminded of my earlier thoughts.

‘So the scientist Faust had been conducting research on the magic of the Old Ruler to counter it… and discovered a method to defeat beings fused with magic as well….’

At that moment, I felt like I was finally uncovering the secrets behind Faust’s previous strength that had seemed so absolute. At the same time, King Arthur began moving with Excalibur in hand, and Berus too initiated battle by forming seals.

“Kraaah!!”

All around us, the tentacled Shikigami swarmed in! Initially, there had only been a dozen monsters, but I could feel their numbers multiplying by the second, and Dongfang Sak swiftly dispatched a few with his Invincible Sword.

Chwa-zhak!

Seemingly displeased, Dongfang Sak grumbled.

“Hah, it’s shocking that they can invade even a demon artifact like this… I feel someone’s malice.”

Clang! Clang!

I swung Gungnir, deflecting the attacks from the encroaching monsters. Each one possessed a physical might that would be difficult for even peak experts to counter, and I could tell the ones that had just collapsed before Dongfang Sak would soon rise again. Normally, that would be a daunting situation, but I felt something different.

‘Why is that…?’

Compared to when I fought them in the past life, their resistance seems unusually low!

Back then, I felt a powerful resistance from Gungnir, as if it was trying to push me back, but now it didn’t seem to offer as much resistance; it was a much smoother experience. It felt quite similar to when I had seen Ikangryong use it, leaving me puzzled.

Why would there be a difference in Gungnir’s response between now and then?

‘Even so, Gungnir didn’t recognize me as its master… It looks like I’ll have to use it normally.’

But even that was a pleasant relief!

With a divine spear like this, simply not offering resistance is something to be grateful for!

Stab!

I swiftly unleashed a flurry of strikes with Gungnir, piercing multiple angles in an instant. As I hit over fifty angles, dozens of monsters collapsed in a peculiar phenomenon where they fell simultaneously, and I didn’t stop there. I lunged forward with my continuous thrusting technique, skewering five enemies at once with the Invincible Sword!

As I retracted the Invincible Sword and spun the spear rapidly, the monsters shattered into pieces.

Bang!

The sensation of this spear sticking to my fingertips! It was just as expected of a divine spear—each swing brought forth a feeling unmatched by any ordinary spear. It was as if I’d never felt this level of weapon potency in my life before.

Nice!… With this, Gungnir is definitely usable!

While I was feeling exhilarated, Dongfang Sak suddenly interjected.

“It seems Tezcatlipoca has inflicted a critical injury to Susanoo. I didn’t expect it to conclude so quickly, but it looks like the solar attributes of Tezcatlipoca have granted him the upper hand.”

As I severed the necks of three monsters with Gungnir, I turned to Dongfang Sak.

“How do you know that?”

“As an apostle of the ancient gods, I possess divine awareness. It’s fine to play around a bit longer, but we should start organizing our next steps.”

“Even if you say that, they keep pouring in!”

Indeed, I felt that we had already slain over a hundred monsters with our group, but that seemed like just the tip of the iceberg, as more monsters continued to emerge from somewhere. With numbers exceeding hundreds, it would definitely take time to deal with them.

Then Dongfang Sak placed a finger to his forehead, and silver light began to shine.

“O great scales of Anubis… judge the impure deaths!”

Jing!

In the next moment, a faint scale-like illusion appeared above each monster’s head. As those scales tipped to one side, every monster in the room crumbled down like sand and vanished.

Swoosh…

As hundreds of monsters perished, only the sound of sand flowing remained, leaving me in sheer disbelief.

“What?! To wipe them out so easily…”

“The ancient gods’ power directly counters beings tainted by the magic of the Old Ruler. It’s a hundred times easier than battling blindly like a martial artist.”

“……”

“Especially beings from the Memphis lineage can be easily annihilated.”

Reluctantly, I had to acknowledge Dongfang Sak’s power. Even the techniques of the Great Immortal wouldn’t allow for such brutal working through of those monsters. This was because within those monsters lay a vast amount of magical energy that surpassed even great demons, making them resilient against spells. The fact that Dongfang Sak could effortlessly eliminate them confirmed that his access to the ancient gods’ powers surpassed that of the Great Immortal.

“Eh.”

“Ahaha! You wanted to try out Gungnir more, huh? What a pity!”

“……”

Since I felt like my emotional state had just been deduced, I awkwardly averted my eyes as Dongfang Sak laughed.

“Don’t worry. It seems like we’ll need to help Tezcatlipoca a bit, so we’re about to have some exhilarating battles.”

“What? Is something else happening?”

“We’ll have to check it out firsthand.”

Swish!

As we left the space of Otkler and approached the vicinity of the blue moon…

Kuggugu…!!

The blue moon gracefully hung in the sky while the massive winged serpent, Tezcatlipoca, soared through the heavens. And directly opposite, I caught sight of Susanoo’s mangled true form, causing me to gasp.

“No!”

Could that truly be Susanoo?!

It was unbelievable how Susanoo’s body was plastered with all kinds of divine powers. Originally, Susanoo was a martial artist who honed his own power, but now he appeared like someone forced into clothes that didn’t fit, festooned with all sorts of divine energy he’d never asked for, reeking of grotesque horns and tentacles. Moreover, Susanoo’s eyes also appeared hollow, with only dark sockets remaining, confirming that he had been deprived of sight.

Grrr….

Susanoo emitted strange moans as he writhed. I realized nothing was visible inside his mouth and clenched my teeth.

“Someone must have ripped out his tongue…!”

Who could commit such a heinous act?

Tezcatlipoca merely burned enemies alive, so he probably didn’t do that intentionally. Moreover, it felt like the missing tongue and eyes had been wounds present for a long time.

Grrr…!!

Susanoo, in that state, still possessed not a shred of sanity, and he had evidently suffered greatly at the hands of the black sun god, with burns evident all over his body. His fingers and toes were fully charred, rendering it clear that he bore critical injuries.

And yet, even as the match seemed decided, it appeared as if Tezcatlipoca could not finish Susanoo off and instead circled overhead.

“Why is he doing that?”

As I pondered, Tezcatlipoca spoke to me.

“Baek Woong… why does he keep resurrecting no matter how many times I burn him?”

“What?!”

“I’ve burned him at least eight times… yet he continues to revive… and those blades sprouting from his body feel dangerously threatening.”

“……”

As he had said, there was certainly no skill gap to speak of between Tezcatlipoca and Susanoo. The latter couldn’t even lay a finger on Tezcatlipoca, and in a normal situation where Susanoo was in control, he’d devise strategies to assail Tezcatlipoca. Even the fact that Susanoo lacked rationality indicated that Tezcatlipoca could have defeated him long ago.

But according to Tezcatlipoca, Susanoo was undergoing an endless cycle of resurrection. Moreover, it seemed those odd blades sprouting from Susanoo’s body were somehow unnerving him.

‘Shoulder… spine… protruding blades on his knees… I feel like I’ve seen those somewhere before…’

I scrutinized the blades and suddenly realized.

“Ah.”

“Did you discover his secret?”

More than a few moments later, I responded to Tezcatlipoca’s words with a throaty tone.

“Those are the Totsuka no Tsurugi (Ten-Finger Sword). They are the exclusive weapon of the Triune God, Susanoo!”

Totsuka no Tsurugi, the legendary divine sword once wielded by Susanoo—a weapon claimed to be the most formidable among all in Dongyoung.

It was evident that someone had ripped out Susanoo’s eyes and tongue, fusing his weapon into his very flesh.

 

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