전생검신 92권 13화

“So, we took down two of the Evil God’s demon generals with this, huh?”

After sorting out the situation, I talked to Zhuge Sa. He casually replied to my question.

“Yep. And there are still three left.”

“Three? Why…?”

“Didn’t that demon general Antares say he’s one of the Five Demon Generals? Since we’ve taken out two out of five, there are three left.”

“Ah…”

Antares did say that!

Zhuge Sa continued.

“Before we move on to the next one, there’s one thing we need to do.”

“What is it?”

“We need to strengthen our allies. To be honest, right now, they’re just dead weight for you.”

I was taken aback by Zhuge Sa’s words because the other companions were right next to me listening.

“Dead weight… what do you mean?”

“No need to put on airs. It’s good that you avoided being blown up in the fight against Antares, but the second fight was one you could have won much more easily if you’d been alone.”

“…”

That’s true…

When I couldn’t respond, Zhuge Sa continued calmly.

“A meat shield dying for you. Even that’s something to be grateful for, but the next opponents we meet are likely to be much stronger than the last two. They have to provide separate value and not just hold you back. We need to create variables.”

I understood Zhuge Sa’s words and cautiously asked back.

“How do we strengthen them? I thought we already boosted their potential with divine power…”

“Just now, you must have gathered all of Ptolemaios’s divine power scattered across this space, right? And also the dead bodies.”

“Right.”

“Use the Trimurti to combine Ptolemaios’s shards of divine power and physical body with the apostles’ bodies.”

“…!”

“This way, we can absorb divine abilities without waste and easily raise the apostles’ ranks. It’s way more efficient than just giving them divine power.”

I blinked for a moment at Zhuge Sa’s words, then realized something and said.

“Wait… does that mean… merging the demon general’s body with a human body?!”

“That’s right.”

“Are you crazy?! That could turn them into otherworldly beings!”

I couldn’t help but be flustered. If we merged the flesh and spirit of Ptolemaios with the apostles using Trimurti, they’d definitely become stronger. But since the demon general’s spirit and body are infused with some serious evil energy, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how a human body would transform under that influence!

Then, Zhuge Sa casually responded.

“I knew you’d say that. We don’t have time to discuss humanity, so how about this?”

“How?”

“Let’s leave it to individual choice. We only enhance those who want to become stronger at the cost of their humanity. That respects their free will and humanity, right?”

“…”

“Why the grimace? Did I say something wrong?”

“Ah, fine. Let’s just try it that way.”

I had no choice but to reply begrudgingly. Zhuge Sa’s words sounded sweet, but it was, in the end, a choice to turn our allies into otherworldly beings to strengthen our fighting power. I didn’t want to allow it at all, but since Zhuge Sa was promoting voluntary choice, I had nothing to argue against.

‘The majority will likely reject this… If Zhuge Sa tries to coerce them with sweet talk, I’ll stop him.’

Thinking this, I called in the combat personnel onboard to explain the situation. After finishing, Zhuge Sa coldly said.

“You should understand the situation now. So, those who want to become stronger even if it means abandoning their humanity, raise your hands.”

A moment of silence followed.

One by one, hands started to rise, and I was stunned by the outcome.

“…!”

Everyone except Asura and Han Baek-ryeong raised their hands?!

I was shocked by the unexpected outcome. I couldn’t believe that most wanted to abandon their humanity!

Zhuge Sa, who had been glancing at my astonished expression, grinned and spoke to Asura.

“Asura. You’re already not human, so it wouldn’t matter if you raised your hand.”

“…Don’t underestimate me. This is a matter of conviction.”

Asura replied gruffly.

“I seek power, but I’ve recently come to realize that there’s meaning in pursuing the peak of martial arts as a mortal. Even if I can’t get stronger, I won’t accept such a proposal!”

“Oh. Then, Han Baek-ryeong, what about you?”

At Zhuge Sa’s question, Han Baek-ryeong replied with eyes closed.

“I’ve seen a path where I can become stronger while remaining human throughout these battles. I don’t want to be interrupted on that path.”

“…Hmm, I see.”

Zhuge Sa made a strange expression and then turned to me, smiling broadly.

“Baek Woong. What about you? Isn’t being human fun?”

I replied bluntly.

“The current situation is special. If my life wasn’t on the line, the results would be different.”

“That might be true. But I’m confident that my actions wouldn’t stray too far from what I’m saying normally.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ha ha ha… Baek Woong… you have an unfounded fantasy about the warmth of your unique humanity…”

At that moment, a sly smile flashed across Zhuge Sa’s face.

“The fact that a human chooses to abandon being human is also a testament to free will… and that itself is humanity. Isn’t it?”

“…”

I didn’t want to agree.

But I had no arguments to counter right now…

For some reason, Zhuge Sa seriously said to me.

“Let me give you one piece of advice, my foolish lord. If you don’t acknowledge that humans are chaotic beings… you will make mistakes in judgment in situations like this.”

After a moment, I faced each of my apostles, palm to palm, and cast Trimurti to merge the demon’s powers and spirits with them.

Gooo…!

As I concentrated, I heard Zhuge Sa’s words.

“If you really hesitate, just shape it in a human form. It’s easier than you think.”

Shape it into human form?

Following Zhuge Sa’s advice, I infused wishes into the red gem at the center of Trimurti when merging the three domains.

‘Let them maintain their original forms!’

Kiiing!

Suddenly, the red gem of Trimurti began to glow blue. Then, it produced an odd sound as if it was buzzing loudly.

[Powers of Vishnu activate!]

Chiiik…

After a moment, the first to receive the technique, Miyamoto Musashi, opened his eyes.

“I feel an incredible power…!”

Musashi took a deep breath and unleashed his magical power.

Kugugugu!

“Ugh!”

“Hooh…”

Musashi’s power had instantly multiplied several times over, leaving everyone stunned. Seeing that, I thought.

‘Musashi right now might be stronger than when he awakened as a Demon Lord in a previous life.’

His outward appearance remained human, but Musashi’s magical power had already entered the realm referred to as a demon lord in the world. Plus, as my apostle, he’d continue to develop his potential, wielding powers that could be nearly unrivaled in the mortal world.

[Next is Na-gun. I’ll rely on you.]

“Got it.”

Next, I looked at the Master of the White Lotus Sect, and a fun idea popped into my head.

‘Hmm. Let’s see…’

Chiiik!

After performing the Re-creation ceremony on the Master of the White Lotus Sect, he, like Musashi, began radiating a tremendous power. Since he was already the strongest apostle, I unintentionally lost track of his potential and missed his limits.

‘What’s going on?!’

What’s happening? Once he starts gaining power on the demon path, why does he become so strong so quickly?

The Master of the White Lotus Sect, who was showing a level of growth that left me flabbergasted, was certainly an extraordinary individual.

While I was internally surprised, the Master of the White Lotus Sect opened his mouth with a firm tone.

“God, how pointless it has been.”

Hearing that voice, the Dharma Guardian of the Su Shin Sect, Dokgo Jun, was taken aback.

[No…! How is this possible?!]

Moreover, the experts of the White Lotus Sect seemed astonished at the transformed appearance of their leader. This was because the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s mask had come off, revealing a pale young man I had never seen before.

He looked like someone who hadn’t trained in martial arts his entire life, a scholarly, oblivious youth.

With a gaze filled with melancholy yet unwavering spirit.

This was the first time I’d seen the Master of the White Lotus Sect like this, but Dokgo Jun remarked in shock.

[The leader’s youthful appearance…! I never thought I’d see it again!]

“…”

That’s right.

What I did was remove the otherworldly transformation of the Master of the White Lotus Sect and return him to the appearance of his human youth! I was curious if such detailed adjustments were even possible, but it seemed it was made possible by the powers of Vishnu seeping through Trimurti.

I felt astonished while looking at the Master of the White Lotus Sect.

‘So he looked like that when he was young? But he really doesn’t look like a martial artist…’

He had supposedly been an avid reader at the Su Shin Sect’s library, the greatest reader of the sect, and it certainly seemed to be true. Because he was such a scholarly person, when he suddenly entered the competition for sect leader against other Dharma Guardians, most of the White Lotus Sect members laughed at him, yet the Master of the White Lotus Sect proved himself through strength.

He spoke up.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a human face.”

“…I thought you might prefer a human face over an otherworldly one, so I changed it. Was that a mistake?”

“Not really. I just don’t care.”

The Master of the White Lotus Sect nonchalantly picked up the fallen mask and put it back on while continuing in a calm tone.

“Whether human or otherworldly, the exterior does not matter in achieving great ideals.”

It sounded like he had no desires at all, the epitome of selflessness.

However, hidden in those words was a madness-driven obsession that sent chills down my spine.

After that, I empowered all the others. When the process was finished, Zhuge Sa seemed satisfied and said.

“Alright! Now they’ve become sturdier meat shields instead of just meat shields.”

“…”

“Baek Woong. Let’s go.”

“Got it.”

Wuuuu

With our preparations complete, we headed for the next checkpoint.

As soon as we crossed the dimensional gate, we were met with an unexpected sight.

“…!”

No… could it be…?

An incomprehensibly twisted space-time. In a vibrant chaos filled with bizarre darkness and change reminiscent of an abyss, enormous tentacles that resembled giant sea anemones waved like shadows. Next to them was a grotesque figure resembling a beast-human with multiple arms, and alongside that, a long, grasshopper-like being emanating an indescribable turquoise light.

Finally, at their center was a being I recognized well.

The moment I saw that being, I realized its identity.

‘[The One Who Turns the Stars]!’

A powerful figure of the Evil God I had encountered several times! I could never forget the [Old Ruler] who serves the Evil God and is the king of its followers. Obviously, there was no guarantee that I could defeat him in a one-on-one fight with my current power.

And Zhuge Sa, who shared my memories, seemed to catch on to the situation even faster than I did and smirked.

“Hehe, I had a feeling this would happen…”

“Zhuge Sa, please tell me this isn’t what it seems…”

“The reconnaissance is over.”

Hearing Zhuge Sa’s words, I felt a cloud of despair wash over me.

“Get ready. The remaining three demon generals will all show up, and [The One Who Turns the Stars] will join in for a joint assault.”

…

This is undoubtedly… a situation where we can’t win at all.

No matter how recently I enhanced my apostle allies, this is an outrageous disparity in strength!

‘Just dealing with [The One Who Turns the Stars] alone is overwhelming… and now there are three more demon generals that could be his equal or even stronger…’

Even if the apostles are strengthened, they can’t handle such a gap in power.

Gritting my teeth, I said.

“…I’ll go out and try to handle it somehow.”

“Haha! Don’t say silly things. If you go down first, it’s all over.”

“If we fight like this, we’ll get annihilated without doing anything!”

When I shouted, Zhuge Sa laughed.

“Hahaha… Baek Woong, you’re misunderstanding something. Do you really think that annoying apostle enhancement process was meant to crush through force? Not against the elite demon generals of the Evil God, no less?”

“What?”

“I anticipated this kind of scenario too. So watch closely from now on.”

Zhuge Sa’s eyes gleamed with madness.

“The meat shield has its own strategy!”