전생검신 92권 18화

King God Demiurge?

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes at the unexpected words. I never thought I’d hear a subordinate of the Evil God mention Demiurge. I glanced around the hall and asked Zhuge Sa.

“Demiurge…? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Zhuge Sa spoke quickly, as if there was no time to waste.

“I have a rough idea of your memory. You must have visited the realm of angels. What level are you at now?”

I was momentarily thrown off by Zhuge Sa’s sudden question, but soon realized what he was talking about and replied.

“I passed through the 3rd level, Hod.”

What Zhuge Sa referred to was the trial of the World Tree, Sephiroth!

Zhuge Sa was a practitioner of the Soul Exchange Technique and a sorcerer belonging to the magical system of the otherworldly realm, Sephira, so he was well-versed in the trials of Sephiroth. Back when I was training, I previously managed to pass the 3rd level, Hod, while challenging Sephira. Hearing my answer, Zhuge Sa seemed a little surprised.

“Your magic level is so pitifully low, yet you made it to the 3rd level? I guess you just forced your way through, but that’s impressive.”

I felt a swell of pride hearing a compliment after so long, reminding me of the hardships I faced climbing the 3rd level of Sephira.

“Ha ha.”

“Anyway, reaching the 3rd level of Sephira makes you a top-tier sorcerer. With your current self, we might stand a chance.”

Just as Zhuge Sa muttered that—

KuwaKuwaKwang…!

[Kraaah!]

Zhu Rong’s dark whip danced gracefully through the sky, relentlessly attacking Yaldabaoth like a serpent flying in the heavens. Yet, Yaldabaoth simply stood there, taking all the attacks without even attempting to defend himself, and somehow, not a scratch appeared on his body. The impact of the magical strikes sounded like firecrackers exploding in the air.

‘Is that even possible?!’

Zhu Rong was no ordinary fellow. He was at the rank of a Demon God, and his whip carried immense Divine Power, strong enough to inflict fatal damage on almost any divine being. Even in peak condition, if I got caught by Zhu Rong’s whip, I’d be torn apart alive! Yet Yaldabaoth was completely ignoring the full power of Zhu Rong’s whip!

Even next to Zhu Rong, the Demon Sorcerer Yeol was unleashing powerful sorcery to assist him, but that too seemed utterly ineffective against Yaldabaoth. The sight was quite bizarre and overwhelming; even our allies, the Apostles, though slowly regaining their senses amidst their madness, didn’t dare to consider charging at Yaldabaoth. After all, if even such strong demon gods as Zhu Rong and Yeol couldn’t land a hit, it would only lead to an even worse situation for us.

‘Divine power doesn’t work on him!’

I had seen other powerful demon gods before, but this was something else entirely!

Usually, you’d counter by stomping down with power differences or higher-level techniques, but ignoring divine power altogether was a whole different category.

While I was amazed by the battlefield, Zhuge Sa spoke up.

“Did you see that? His ability to disregard all divine power is no ordinary feat. He’s on a different level than the demons you typically find in the universe.”

“Is it some unique ability of his?”

“It’s not just a different type of ability; no ability can ignore divine power unless the individual is Demiurge himself.”

“Zhuge Sa, do you know something?”

“He’s an opponent you can’t even scratch with conventional methods, so we need to use external techniques.”

Zhuge Sa continued slowly.

“I’m about to perform secret magic. First, open the Seth and visualize the Three Pillars while concentrating your life force in your Upper Dantian.”

“…Huh?”

“Didn’t catch that? There’s no time to explain right now… You should understand this much if you’ve reached the 3rd level of Sephira.”

Zhuge Sa’s tone didn’t carry mockery or laughter but rather a sense of urgency. Though I felt flustered by Zhuge Sa’s sudden insistence, I sensed his desperation and quickly recalled the knowledge of Sephiroth.

“Right… The foundation of Sephiroth is the network of circuits spreading throughout the body like spider silk, Seth! And the Three Pillars use the attributes of infinity, sublimation, and domination to sharpen the spiritual world and reinforce the Upper Dantian… You could liken Seth to the Eight Extraordinary Vessels while the Three Pillars are like Internal Energy Cultivation Techniques…”

Focusing life force on the Upper Dantian was something I had practiced countless times, dedicating my life force to the World Tree while training with Seth!

“I’ll give it a shot!”

Remembering the principles of my Sephira training which I had momentarily forgotten, I initiated the operations of Seth to recognize the Three Pillars as I transformed the gathered magical power into life force. The instant that life force reacted in my Upper Dantian, I felt a refreshing light illuminate the still-uncharted territories of my mind briefly.

Woong…

As I followed Zhuge Sa’s words, he extended his palm towards me and continued.

“The technique we’re about to perform is the worst magic devised by my master, Simon Magus, to rebel against the god of magic, Hermes. It’s called Gilgul Sitra.”

“What?!”

“You’ll know once the spell starts. Just touch palms with me.”

“Got it.”

There were no detailed explanations, but I decided to trust Zhuge Sa. I understood better than anyone that every moment mattered now, and there was no time to explain everything step by step.

Paaang!

The very moment my palm met Zhuge Sa’s, I felt my spirit and his momentarily break free from our bodies and burst into the Spiritual Realm.

[Woah?!]

What is this?! It doesn’t feel like I’ve just become a spirit!

I had been a spirit before, so I recognized I wasn’t in that state now. Yet my body and Zhuge Sa’s body seemed frozen like time had stopped. Even the battle between Yaldabaoth, Zhu Rong, and Yeol, not to mention the Apostles nearby, had paused as well.

[Time Stop?]

[No. We’ve simply accessed the channel of the World Tree, Sephiroth, sharing the laws of another space-time. Our minds are simply flowing incredibly fast.]

[Zhuge Sa!]

In front of me appeared something like Zhuge Sa’s mental form. It looked just like him, but in a translucent, spirit-like state, making it resemble a ghost.

[Finally, I have a bit of time to explain.]

Zhuge Sa looked at me with what seemed a hint of admiration.

[Hooh… I suspected it, but your method of practicing Internal Energy involves dedicating life force to the World Tree, right? Even the god of magic, Hermes, and Simon Magus concluded that there’s no path but the evil way and human sacrifice, yet here you are, climbing to the 3rd level through the correct method.]

[…Huh? Did I practice incorrectly?]

[Impossible. You are the unrivaled master of the new territory within Sephiroth. You are already treading a path that even the god of magic couldn’t reach.]

As Zhuge Sa retorted, he turned his gaze toward Yaldabaoth, speaking with a serious tone.

[Baek Woong. First, let me explain what Demiurge is. That way, even when this battle is over, you’ll have something left.]

[Zhuge Sa, do you know what it is?]

[I don’t know the exact details. Just based on what I heard from Simon Magus and the ancient grimoires… It’s been said that speaking carelessly about uncertain facts could harm you as a Reborn Person without at least knowing the basics. But in order to confront that monster, you’ll need to be somewhat informed.]

Zhuge Sa continued, his voice steady.

[Demiurge refers to those who can challenge the Ascension to become an Outer God… or those who have already done so. That much is certain.]

I was astonished by his words.

[What…! So you mean the Emperor or the Evil God are also Demiurge?]

[No, they’re a bit different. They are originally such Great Beings that the qualification was almost automatically granted to them… but Demiurge is a being whose very existence is the qualification. I learned this from Simon Magus’s memoirs.]

[What do you mean by “existence itself is the qualification?”]

[I don’t know the specifics, but according to the dialogue between Hermes and Simon Magus, it’s recorded that several Demiurgi were born simultaneously before the universe came into existence. One of them became the god of that world, and the rest each went on their own paths. Legend states that all Demiurgi besides that “god” fell into eternal corruption and never appeared again.]

Zhuge Sa paused for a moment, then looked at Yaldabaoth and said.

[And one of the Demiurgi is none other than that treasonous Demon King, Yaldabaoth.]

[……!]

[The angelic realm you visited, where Metatron resides… that is the very origin of the Demon King Yaldabaoth. So as a sorcerer of Sephiroth, I had no choice but to realize when I heard Yaldabaoth’s self-introduction.]

I could do nothing but be amazed at Zhuge Sa’s words.

‘Are you telling me that monster was an angel?!’

No way! How can you even call that a freaking angel?!

That horrible Evil God!

I was still recovering from Zhuge Sa’s unexpected revelations when I suddenly gathered my thoughts and asked.

[He’s from Sephiroth, sure, but how does he have the ability to ignore divine power?]

[Baek Woong, you’ve trained directly in the World Tree of Sephiroth, right? Don’t you remember the characteristics of the World Tree?]

[The characteristics of the World Tree?]

[You can’t use divine power within the World Tree.]

[…… Oh!]

I couldn’t help but exclaim at Zhuge Sa’s words.

‘Wait a minute!’

I remembered encountering the fiery angel Seraphim when I attempted to challenge the Gate of Sephira while offering my life force. I recalled what Seraphim said when I tried to resurrect Saitan and failed.

[It seems you can utilize the powerful abilities of the Great God, but this is the embrace of the World Tree, Sephiroth. Here, no ruler can use their powers unless they are an Outer God, for the World Tree disassembles all divine powers to protect itself.]

That’s right! Inside the World Tree, all powers and divine abilities of rulers get completely disassembled!

As I recalled this, Zhuge Sa continued.

[And according to the conversation between the god of magic and Simon Magus, every Demiurge from that world shares the properties of the World Tree.]

[Sharing the properties of the World Tree means… wait a minute.]

[Exactly. The whole existence of Demiurge Yaldabaoth can disassemble all powers, including divine ones. His very body is as good as the World Tree itself.]

[……!]

I couldn’t help but be shocked.

[A God with the properties of the World Tree?! How can that even exist?!]

I never thought of that!

I had only considered that the World Tree and divine status were separate; I never imagined there would be a god that reaped the advantages of the World Tree!

As I stood there dumbfounded, Zhuge Sa calmly said.

[Now you understand why I warned you, right?]

It was then that I finally understood Zhuge Sa’s caution and replied.

[…… The Technique of All Things is… close to that power, isn’t it?]

[Yes. In this situation, using the Technique of All Things against Demiurge would be like jumping into fire with no clothes on.]

[So… that’s it.]

It suddenly made perfect sense why Zhuge Sa warned me. Trying to use an attack close to a divine ability against the body that possessed the nature of the World Tree would be incredibly likely to fail. Moreover, given the vast power gap between Yaldabaoth and myself, a single failure could mean the end of everything.

‘It’s entirely reasonable to think Zhu Rong and Yeol stood no chance…’

With an opponent’s strike that could tear you apart at any moment, how could my attacks possibly leave any wounds? In fact, enduring against Yaldabaoth, who possesses such a broken ability, proved that Zhu Rong and Yeol were indeed exceptional higher demon gods.

Zhuge Sa chuckled softly.

[But it’s not completely impossible to defeat Demiurge.]

[Is this technique the key?]

[Gilgul Sitra. This magic was created by the disciple Simon Magus to kill his master, Hermes, who might have become the Demiurge, in a worst-case scenario. By using Gilgul Sitra, your soul connects with the World Tree, nullifying its property of disassembling divine power and converting magic power into poison to kill Demiurge.]

[……!]

Such magic exists?!

I was taken aback, and Zhuge Sa sneered coldly.

[It’s a powerful assassination spell, but it has a drawback of requiring two capable sorcerers of Sephiroth to execute it. That’s why Simon Magus taught it to me. It was also to slay the god of magic, Hermes, in a worst-case scenario.]

[……]

[Well, it’s like that with all relationships. To Simon Magus, I was more of a convenient tool than a disciple. Still, I’m relieved to be able to utilize what I’ve learned in moments like this.]

Zhuge Sa spoke with an air of self-deprecation, but I shook my head.

[Zhuge Sa, I’m truly glad you’re my ally.]

That was sincere. If I hadn’t gained Zhuge Sa as an ally or had faced him as an enemy, I could only imagine the horrors that would have followed.

Zhuge Sa flashed a curious smile for a moment before returning to a cold expression.

[What’s truly fortunate is that Yaldabaoth isn’t the “real” Demiurge. So I have room to try this technique.]

[Huh? What do you mean by that?]

[As for what it means, I’m not sure, but only the creator god of the angels, Tetragrammaton, can be referred to as the true Demiurge. The other Demiurgi have fallen into imposters. Only Tetragrammaton knows the meaning behind that; you can find out later.]

[Hmm……]

[Now that I’ve explained the situation, get ready.]

At Zhuge Sa’s following words, I began to feel the tension rise.

[This secret technique connects the sorcerers to the World Tree and the flow of time and space. While maintaining a transcendent state of mind, you unleash a “path” infused with the power of the World Tree toward your opponent. From the opponent’s perspective, it’s an inaudible, intangible attack they can neither detect nor evade. But… ]

[But?]

It sounded like Zhuge Sa was letting out a slight sigh.

[The power of this technique itself is a concern. To be frank, it’s difficult to say, but I’m the main practitioner of the Soul Exchange Technique, while I only lightly picked up Sephiroth on the side. We haven’t been together long, so there’s not much time to have trained.]

[……!]

[In contrast, your opponent is quite the behemoth. Demiurge sits at the level of the ancient god who has lived for eons, Tetragrammaton. He’s on a completely different plane than the Hermes we initially planned to kill using this technique. Even if I attack, it might feel no worse than a mosquito bite.]

[That’s… insane.]

[The key factor is how well you can utilize the path of Sephira. The potency of this technique will vary greatly depending on the quality of the “path” you obtained from Sephira. The outcome hinges on you.]

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pressure from Zhuge Sa’s words.

‘The path of Sephira… if that’s the case… ‘

After a brief pause, I spoke to Zhuge Sa in an uncertain voice.

[… Zhuge Sa… about me… I obtained the 10th level Malkuth, 9th level Yesod, and 8th level Hod, but… ]

[You’ve obtained three Sephiroth from the 3rd level. What’s the issue?]

I cautiously observed Zhuge Sa’s reaction before speaking up.

[I chose all of them for “Strength” instead of “Wisdom”… ]

When selecting Sephiroth, you had to choose between “Strength” and “Wisdom,” and the angels always said choosing “Strength” was almost unheard of. This was because “Wisdom” immediately granted you knowledge of immensely powerful magic and abilities while “Strength” didn’t seem to heighten power much unless you gathered a significant number of strength fragments over time.

Thus, I had heard that proper sorcerers like Zhuge Sa, Simon Magus, and Hermes had all chosen “Wisdom” when they rose to the higher levels, so I felt a bit of anxiety for having chosen “Strength” for all three Sephiroth at the 3rd level.

[……?]

In that instant, Zhuge Sa suddenly lost his composure and widened his eyes. It was rather unusual for him to show such a reaction.

“`

 

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