전생검신 90권 14화

Tsukuyomi’s words were loaded with meaning. But it seemed like he had no intention of explaining what he meant as he raised the black and white orbs in both hands and said,

“So, what are you planning to do now? What does a hunk of metal and a single human think they can do against me?”

“……”

“There was some amusement in this. Let’s wrap it up.”

Vroom…

As Tsukuyomi summoned the black and white orbs again, that terrifying energy was pushing towards us. I couldn’t help but tense up at that aura.

‘What the heck is that technique…? How can he use it here amidst this chaos?’

The chaos of the outer universe we were in was a bizarre place where no rules seemed to apply, making it impossible to use any proper sort of technique. Even great immortals or the Old Ruler wouldn’t be able to exert their powers as they wished here. Yet, Tsukuyomi’s technique was displaying remarkable prowess as if it were perfectly normal, while we essentially had no way to counteract it.

Then Zhuge Sa spoke up.

“Baek Woong. Steal one of them.”

Huh?

I was puzzled, but before my brain could process it, my hand was already moving.

Technique of All Things (萬象之偒)

Swoosh!

I snatched the black orb randomly, and just as Tsukuyomi was about to activate his technique, he paused and looked dumbfounded. That’s because the two orbs couldn’t combine, and thus, his technique couldn’t be activated.

“No…?”

“Ha ha ha ha!”

Zhuge Sa, who seemed to enjoy the moment, continued speaking.

“Just as I thought. The only thing that can be activated in this chaos of the outer universe is foreign techniques… If your power is a foreign technique, then Baek Woong can use the Technique of All Things too, right?”

“……!!”

“Now, the first move is sealed. It’s our turn now.”

With that, Zhuge Sa shouted to me.

“Baek Woong, summon Izanagi no Mikoto using that orb!”

[Oh, got it!]

I wasn’t entirely sure what Zhuge Sa meant, but I decided to follow his orders. A moment later, I gripped the black orb tightly, using my strength to shatter it as I called out Izanagi no Mikoto’s name.

[Izanagi no Mikoto!! I offer this orb!]

Zzzzt…

‘Ugh!’

In that moment, the name appeared above the mechanical wrist with a clear sensation of pain. Even though it was a machine, it was strange to feel pain, but I guess it was because, as I had heard before, it was due to the authority that follows the Eight Consciousnesses.

Soon after, the orb was absorbed into my body, and simultaneously, the name illuminated vividly, producing a flash of light.

Fffwoosh!

Before me, a bizarre tentacled entity the size of a human was summoned. How should I describe it? It resembled a quadruped creature but was entwined with squirming tentacles all over its body, looking like an odd combination of both that and a tree.

As soon as it was summoned, the creature shot dark energy from its eyes and let out a sinister noise.

[Ghuhhh… Kaaaahhh!!]

A wild roar erupted alongside a release of divine power!

But I felt a sense of alienation from that ferocity and couldn’t help but realize.

‘It has no reason.’

For reasons I couldn’t understand, the entity summoned through the name seemed to be in a state similar to a mindless demon beast (魔獸).

“……”

Seeing the creature, Tsukuyomi smiled for a moment, muttering,

“Creator God Izanagi… How pitiful it is to become a reborn person’s underling, losing even its own name.”

[……!!]

“This chaos of the outer universe is a place that reflects the essence of existence without filters… To see you shrunk like that, how far you’ve weakened compared to your prime… Hehe.”

The tentacled creature was indeed Izanagi no Mikoto that I had summoned. Upon hearing Tsukuyomi’s mockery, Izanagi no Mikoto trembled momentarily before roaring.

[Kaaah!!]

Rumble!!

Simultaneously, countless tentacles extended from Izanagi’s body like branches, attacking Tsukuyomi. At first, Tsukuyomi summoned a silver aura to defend himself against the attack, but that silver aura was easily devoured by the tentacles.

“Izanagi. Losing your name has instead awakened the essence of your power? Annoying…”

Whoosh…

Muttering that, Tsukuyomi gave up on defense and used teleportation to leap backward, causing the tentacles to wildly surge forward after him. In an instant, Izanagi’s body sprayed tentacles in all directions like thick vines, and we found ourselves deeply embedded within Izanagi’s very being.

Squirm… Squirm…

Even if they resembled branches, being amidst these ferocious tentacle vines wasn’t pleasant at all. I forced down my discomfort and asked Zhuge Sa.

[Can we really repel Tsukuyomi like this?]

“Well, I’m afraid we can only buy time.”

[What?]

“Tsukuyomi is an omniscient powerholder. If such a being lets go of omniscience to show himself before you, it means he has absolute confidence in his power. We’re hardly prepared to counter that, now, are we?”

[……]

“So listen carefully. We need to devise a strategy right now.”

[Oh, got it.]

Zhuge Sa gazed beyond the tentacle vines with half-open eyes and said,

“If that guy activates his Yin-Yang Pair Technique, there’s no way to stop it this time. A technique that exerts its power even in the chaos of the outer universe is superlative enough to annihilate most gods in a single blow. Just remember that as a premise.”

[What? I stopped his technique twice already.]

“Both times were thanks to tricks. And I could nullify his technique because I was in harmony with you; since you’ve manifested, that method is no longer available. Besides, I can’t share my tricks with you right now.”

[Just steal it again with the Technique of All Things.]

“He’s not the type to fall for the same trick twice. Don’t you sense how relaxed he’s been this whole time?”

[Hmm….]

“In the end, we have no choice but to rely on the Four Great Spirit Deities. Other means are merely aids to the Four Great Spirit Deities.”

[……!!]

Four Great Spirit Deities!

I felt a jolt of realization hit me with Zhuge Sa’s words. That was indeed a thing!

But I had no clue how to use it, so I asked Zhuge Sa.

[Can the Four Great Spirit Deities be activated here in the outer universe’s chaos…?]

“Try summoning Agni as an experiment.”

I focused my thoughts in response to Zhuge Sa’s words and summoned the flame deity, Agni.

Shaaa!

[It worked!]

“Of course. If it’s a decisive weapon, it should be summonable in a place like this.”

Zhuge Sa said this as if it were obvious while eyeing Agni in my hand.

“However, Agni alone won’t be able to finish off Tsukuyomi. It’s strong enough to deal with a demon king, but it lacks the destructive power needed to take down a tiered being.”

[Then what should we do?]

“Naturally, we’ll have to use the strongest divine weapon, the Thunder God Vajra. Agni is strong, but it can’t match the pure destructive power of Vajra.”

[……]

“We need to summon it.”

[W-Wait a moment.]

I tightened my eyes, half-expecting something, and entered the space to summon the Four Great Spirit Deities. Upon seeing that space, I was immediately hit with a rush of dread.

‘D-Damn it.’

With eyes full of murderous intent, the Thunder God Indra was glaring at me!

It was clear that Indra was blocking the summoning of the Thunder God. I was regretting deeply not taking the advice Lee Hwan-woong had given me earlier.

‘Should’ve struck a deal with Vajra and settled things with that jerk beforehand…!!’

Now I had the immensely tricky situation of having to negotiate with Indra!

Having been burned to death once already by Indra, I had no idea what might go down. Was there even a chance of getting through this predicament?!

But I quickly collected my thoughts and said to Indra.

[Hey… Indra!! Just let me use Vajra once!]

[……]

[Stop glaring and just answer already… please.]

As I anxiously paced back and forth, the Thunder God Indra brusquely replied.

[You have no idea that part of your power seal was broken within that book!!]

[……?]

Huh? What does that mean?

A power seal?

I was totally confused by Indra’s nonsensical statement.

[What do you mean by a power seal…? What time are you even talking about?]

[The moment when the foreign powers intervened.]

[Oh.]

[‘She’ likely knew everything already. And she arranged for you to be able to break your seal back then… Quite the entity, being ranked third among all the universe.]

[……]

[But do you know? The goodwill of that being is merely for their own amusement… There is nothing more horrifying than drawing the attention of those foreign powers. You’ll ultimately find yourself unable to control the released power.]

Indra’s words carried a heavy tone of cynicism. Not having a comeback, I fell silent, at which point Indra slowly moved aside from where he was blocking the Thunder God Vajra and said,

[Watching siblings turn against each other seems amusing, so this time I’ll lend a hand.]

Shining!!

In the next moment, I had the Thunder God Vajra in my hands, and my consciousness had returned to reality. The Vajra was suffused with powerful lightning energy, indicating that Indra had properly infused his energy into it this time without any tricks.

Zzzzzt!!

‘What was that…?’

What on earth did that Thunder God Indra mean?

What did he mean by the power seal being broken?

While I was still bewildered, Zhuge Sa interrupted my thoughts.

“Alright. You’ve successfully summoned Vajra. Now, let’s focus on smashing it into Tsukuyomi.”

[Oh, got it.]

I realized there was no time to relay to Zhuge Sa what I had just experienced. Though Izanagi was buying us time, we were technically still in a battle, and the circumstances were too ambiguous.

“The plan is as follows…”

I nodded as I listened to Zhuge Sa’s explanation.

[Got it!]

I didn’t know if this would work out, but I had no choice but to try!

Just as we finished our strategic discussion, it happened.

Rebirth Technique (輪回之法)

Golden Moonlight (黃金月影)

Zing…!!

The golden rays summoned by Tsukuyomi flew in from somewhere with a massive explosion, igniting Izanagi’s tentacles, mercilessly obliterating all those it passed through as though they were mere figments.

Boom!

[Guooohhh!!]

Izanagi let out a bizarre scream, stretching out its tentacles even stronger, but it proved limited as it could only slow the advance of the golden rays.

Whir whir whir whir

Before I knew it, Tsukuyomi was approaching within visible distance, and swirling golden lights were surrounding his body. It was clear those orbs were emanating from him. Tsukuyomi quickly subdued Izanagi’s energy and coldly laughed.

“Izanagi… Perhaps in your prime, but did you think you could take me on now, having lost your ancient god powers and barely retaining half your intrinsic strength?”

I was astonished by Tsukuyomi’s words.

[What? Izanagi once had ancient god powers?]

“I see you didn’t know. Should I enlighten you a bit?”

Tsukuyomi continued speaking calmly.

“In the beginning, Izanagi was merely one of the Old Rulers. However, he discovered that there existed the ancient goddess Izanami, born as his counterpart, and attempted to merge with her.”

[Merging?!]

“Correct. An unprecedented merging of the Old Ruler and an ancient god occurred. When their powers combined, Izanagi temporarily gained strength comparable to the ten strongest beings across the universe.”

[……!!]

“However, that attempt lasted no more than a few thousand years. It was unforeseen that the power of the ancient goddess Izanami would be stronger than all of Amatsukami combined… Thus, Izanagi had no choice but to release that power in the form of ‘children.’”

[Wait… What?]

“The divine consciousness of Izanami became the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, and the ‘physical body’ became the Fighting Spirit Susanoo. And the unrefined void resulting from the merging became me, Tsukuyomi, spreading into the world of dreams.”

[So what you’re saying is…?]

“Exactly. The three divine characters of Dongyoung are all essentially no more than a bunch of bastards, no, not even children. We are indeed fragments of the ancient goddess Izanami!”

[……!!]

So that’s how it was?

‘So the children of Izanagi, the Old Ruler, all possessed the qualities of ancient beings…!!’

What an unexpected revelation!

While I was astounded, Tsukuyomi turned to Izanagi and wore an eerie smile.

“But I owe you my gratitude, Izanagi. If you hadn’t made that absurd attempt at merging with an ancient being… I could never have claimed such a special divine seat within the void.”

Unexpectedly, Izanagi, who had been rampaging mindlessly like a demon, regained a momentary sense of composure.

Then, as if entranced, he murmured,

[Tsukuyomi… Tsukuyomi… you are… not Tsukuyomi…].

“Well, that may be so. But right now, the divine essence of Tsukuyomi slumbers with a strong urge…”

Tsuzuzuzu

A divine light began to flow from Tsukuyomi’s eyes. Behind her, a halo resembling a full moon emerged, and Tsukuyomi’s voice echoed strong and bright.

“She wishes to show her father the power she obtained from the moon of Dark Heaven Village!!”

Boom…!!

Once again, an incredible glow radiated from Tsukuyomi’s moon-like halo, filling all directions with immense brilliance. That attack felt as fearsome as the previous Yin-Yang Pair Technique, making it abundantly clear to me that Tsukuyomi’s power was indeed of a different caliber compared to mine. Just as Zhuge Sa had said, she was an opponent no mortal could hope to stand against.

And at that moment, I caught a glimpse of Zhuge Sa’s twisted smile.

“What an obvious move, Baek Woong!”

[Got it!!]

In that instant, I took action according to Zhuge Sa’s command, just as we had planned.

‘Mask of the Raging Fury, mask of Deception, mask of Conspiracy!’

Trimurti

Three Sacred Masks of the Great Gods!

‘The most powerful combination among the Trimurti that I can wield…!!’

Although my fleeting divine energy wouldn’t match the true physical force from the Takrok Era, I had no choice but to rely on the absurd powers of the combination!

As the three masks merged into one and clung to my face, I stretched my palms out towards the incoming golden glow.

The mask of Deception adapts to the opponent’s divine energy waves.

The mask of Raging Fury amplifies my feeble strength to near infinity.

The mask of Conspiracy reads the properties tied to the golden shine.

Crack!!

As the golden energy collided with my palms, it could advance no further; the combined power of the three masks succeeded in halting the opponent’s strength for just a moment.

It felt strangely light.

Wearing the mask felt as if it had always been supposed to be like this; I could draw out every ounce of power from all three masks!

Not stopping there, I gritted my teeth and unleashed the martial arts training I had undergone.

Heavenly Flower Thunder Dragon Divine Arts (天華雷龍神功)

Thunder Dragon Strike (雷龍鐘)!

Whooooosh – !!

Zzzzzt!

With a sound reminiscent of a ringing bell, Tsukuyomi’s entire body became enveloped in the waves of thunder. Surprised by the unexpected counterattack, Tsukuyomi looked around in shock, but I was already convinced that Zhuge Sa’s strategy was working.

[Hahh…!!]

Taking a deep breath to gather my strength, I prepared to throw the Thunder God Vajra in my hand. I had to concentrate completely since this time, there could be no second chances.

Tsukuyomi jeered at me as she watched my movements.

“Ha ha… something framed as martial arts? Against a being of divine rank?”

[……]

“What? You thought you could hold me with something as pathetic as this? That’s just a waste of power….”

Zzzzzt!!

“……!!”

Yet, Tsukuyomi couldn’t instantly break free from the divine energy I was releasing and floundered instead. Clearly, the Thunder Dragon Strike was sealing her within its electric waves, rendering her completely immobile!

The Thunder Dragon Strike was specifically designed to capture monsters; its true power lay in its ability to ensnare an opponent in waves of thunder. While it might lack direct destructive capability compared to slicing with a blade, it could effectively incapacitate its target.

Tsukuyomi exclaimed in disbelief,

“How could this be happening to me with just martial arts…?!!”

Watching all of this unfold languidly, Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“It’s true that the Heavenly Flower Thunder Dragon Divine Arts are downright weak for capturing a god. However, the three masks summoned by Baek Woong through the Trimurti have already read and cracked your divine energy waves. And the Heavenly Flower Thunder Dragon Divine Arts unleashed following that will certainly prove effective even against gods.”

“……!!”

“Even if it doesn’t reach the level of Divine Skill, as long as we can dismantle the source of divine energy, it should be sufficient to enact divine killing martial arts, wouldn’t it? Hehe.”

What nonsense.

Pure nonsense that would leave any experts of the divine realm absolutely dumbfounded!

‘If I win, that’s all that matters!’

But since Zhuge Sa was on my side, I kept my mouth shut and nodded as I focused my mind on Vajra.

Although Zhuge Sa’s strategy was working, I knew it was only a workaround, and that the Thunder Dragon Strike wouldn’t hold up against a god for long.

[Goodbye, Tsukuyomi!!]

With Tsukuyomi thoroughly restrained, there was no possibility I’d miss hitting him with Vajra now!

In the next moment, I hurled Vajra straight into Tsukuyomi’s forehead.

Crack!

With a sound resembling bone shattering, Vajra struck perfectly in the center of Tsukuyomi’s brow. Seeing that, I was brimming with confidence in victory.

‘I did it!!’

None of those who got hit squarely by Vajra have ever remained unscathed!

No matter how impressive Tsukuyomi was, this time, he’d have to die!

“Ah… aah…”

Tsukuyomi let out a moment of wretched sound as he spoke.

“Did you really think… I would fall for this…? After eons of chaos… I just barely obtained… a single chance….”

[……]

“Fine… I also… will give up on wins… but even if I fade away… I’ll ensure you never reincarnate unscathed!!”

Boom!!

The moment Tsukuyomi uttered his vengeful curse, his entire essence exploded with light. Since it was originally a body made of surreal energies, there was no blood or flesh scattered, only a barrier of wavering energies swirling around. It was clear that even though Tsukuyomi was a god, he simply couldn’t survive after getting hit at such a critical point by Vajra.

‘What the hell?!’

Even after witnessing Tsukuyomi’s demise, instead of feeling a sense of finishing it, an overwhelming anxiety crawled up my spine. It was because those last words he left behind didn’t sound like something a calm dying man would say. This was instinct borne from my long experience, and sure enough, something strange started to unfold.

Tsuzuzuzu

Gradually, something peculiar began to manifest from the spot where Tsukuyomi had vanished.

‘A dark sphere?’

As I watched the orb, Zhuge Sa seemed to notice the golden light emanating from it and turned to me.

“…Baek Woong. It appears that Tsukuyomi may have made a pact with the Coming Chaos.”

[What?]

“What’s being summoned now… in my opinion…”

As Zhuge Sa continued speaking, I found myself flabbergasted.

“It must be the Golden Moon of Dark Heaven Village.”