전생검신 Volume 92, Chapter 19

Zhuge Sa paused for a moment, struggling to find the right words, then finally spoke up.

[“…I see. I kept wondering why I had reached the third stage yet had almost no magical knowledge… was that it?”]

[“Is it going to be okay…? Honestly, even the angels told me I was going down a strange path.”]

[“…Well, the true god of magic, Hermes, is also on a path he’s never traveled before, so I didn’t expect you to make that choice…”]

I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt at that reaction.

[“Did I do something wrong?!”]

[“No, I can’t say for sure… it’s just the uncertainty of what might happen that worries me.”]

Zhuge Sa placed his hand on his forehead, as if experiencing a headache, then spoke again.

[“But… let’s give it a shot! We’ve come this far with no alternative left.”]

[“Alright, got it!”]

[“Now, bring your palms together again. The combined path of us both will create a single attack to slay the enemy’s divinity.”]

Tsu tsu tsu

Moments later, I focused my energy while placing my palm against Zhuge Sa’s, now in a half-spiritual state. As that energy surged, I could feel the spiritual essence I held being continuously drawn toward my palm, revealing the nature of the magic at work.

‘I can feel the Sephiroth itself… The imprint of the Sephiroth I’ve obtained is concentrating to form a single power!’

At that instant, I understood why the spell required two Sephiroth magicians. After all, even the god of magic, Hermes, only reached the fifth stage, and the great sorcerer Simon Magus, right after, was stuck at the fourth stage. So, if we could add just a little more power to Simon’s fourth stage, it would be more than enough to strike Hermes from behind. That must have been Simon Magus’s original intent when he created the incantation.

Zing!

At that moment, I could sense three imprints manifesting on our palm, almost piercing through. Each belonged to the 10th stage Malkuth, the 9th stage Yesod, and the 8th stage Hod, no doubt about it. I confirmed that I felt the same three imprints from Zhuge Sa’s palm.

‘Hmm…! So Zhuge Sa is also a magician of the 3rd Sephiroth!’

Does that mean Zhuge Sa succeeded in obtaining three Sephira?!

It implied that he was on the same level as me concerning the Sephiroth!

I was slightly stunned by this revelation.

‘…While I can accept the 10th and 9th stages, clearing the 8th stage would have required battling multiple angels of the Overlapping Technique, which had given me a real headache. How did Zhuge Sa manage to pass that?’

Considering Zhuge Sa’s direct combat strength was relatively low, it was truly remarkable!

The strength he possessed in the current world was hardly able to withstand just one Overlapping Technique, yet he somehow managed to pass that brutal trial!

I had so many questions, but it wasn’t the time to ask them, so I focused more intently on the spell. Suddenly, I felt the imprints Zhuge Sa and I held swirling around, gradually intertwining, merging into one.

Ku gu gu

At that moment, I witnessed my imprint overlap with Zhuge Sa’s. I could feel that even though the imprints had the same pattern as Malkuth, mine was white while Zhuge Sa’s was black!

A moment later, those two identical patterns of Malkuth twisted together, losing their form. Suddenly, I envisioned a tree diagram appearing in my mind.

Doo woo

A geometric figure of the Tree of Life emerged above Zhuge Sa and me.

Crack!

The thin glass-like sound echoed as the Sephiroth tree above us suddenly flipped upside down, its colors darkening black and white. The moment I saw it, it dawned on me.

‘…An inverted Sephiroth?!’

Is this even a thing?!

While I was still reeling from that revelation, I suddenly began to glimpse a vision akin to an echo in my mind.

[Father. Why did you give my younger brother the name “Sha” (邪)?]

[……]

[Our Zhuge clan serves the imperial palace as astronomers and is a prestigious family… How could it make sense to give a child from such a noble family a name associated with wickedness? Even the common folk in the marketplace wouldn’t dare to act so brazenly!]

The large hall of some grand noble house. There, around ten years old, a neatly dressed child spoke with a clear voice, standing in front of a solemn middle-aged man and a small baby. The man responded calmly to the child’s fervent speech.

[“Yulong, it’s because that is this child’s destiny. This child possesses an innate nature of extreme evil. Even as we speak, do you understand that this child remembers every conversation?”]

[……!]

[This child is one of the most gifted geniuses of our Zhuge family, fully capable of using that brain for evil as he matures, painting the world red with blood.]

The boy called Yulong gazed intently at the baby, his eyes dripping with a mixture of confusion and fear as he suddenly turned away, sensing the waves of malice that rolled through the infant’s gaze.

[Could it be that mother foresaw my brother’s future?]

The middle-aged man sighed softly.

[Indeed… We already sought to change your fate by invoking the power of a name. Hence, we deliberately named him Yulong, symbolizing freedom. But the grip of destiny is too strong… You shall remain ensnared in a future rife with calamity and evil. Despite your name, you will never be free from fate.]

[……]

[That’s why we changed our minds… Instead of name granting him freedom, we planted the seeds of wickedness from the very beginning, allowing him to choose to resist or succumb to evil. For the fate awaiting this child will be far more chaotic than yours.]

[That’s… too extreme! The Great Sorcerer, my Father, should not undertake such actions that would create an evil from birth!]

[We have no choice but to believe.]

The former family head of the Zhuge clan and the father of Zhuge Yulong and Zhuge Sa spoke in a calm tone.

[Even if the inclination is wicked, his true free will will shape his humanity.]

Swoosh!

I suddenly felt a jolt, as if I had just emerged from being submerged under water, realizing my awareness was returning.

‘Is this a memory of Zhuge Sa’s past?’

Zzzz…!

Now the 9th stage Yesod imprint twisted, and I could sense the second circle of light igniting. Black darkness surged like the nourishment of a tree. When the third light of the 8th stage Hod lit up, I knew it was time to release this power.

Flare!

In the very next moment, the black lightning that erupted from our connected palms suddenly struck Yaldabaoth off in the distance!

[“Krrrr!”]

With a crackle, Yaldabaoth staggered, as if struck by lightning, letting out a groan before ultimately freezing in place!

The black lightning had indeed landed a blow on that fiend.

‘I did it!’

I had successfully dealt damage to the Yaldabaoth, who disregarded divine power!

Filled with joy, I shouted at the Zhuge Sa beside me in spirit form.

[“Zhuge Sa! We did it! Let’s keep attacking!”]

……

Why was there no response?

[“Zhuge Sa?”]

I looked at Zhuge Sa, who was still palm-to-palm with me. Instead of him, I was stunned to find a writhing ghostly figure of darkness taking his place.

[……?! Wh-What’s going on?! Zhuge Sa, what happened?!]

There was still no answer. The ghostly figure, looking like a monstrous shape without form, remained in place, palm locked with mine, lacking any sense of intention. Had Zhuge Sa transformed into this shadowy entity?!

At that moment, a deep voice resonated.

[“How interesting. A forbidden technique attacking me with the power of Qliphoth… You nearly made me meet my end… You came prepared, new Demiurge.”]

A heavy divine voice.

Despite being in a state of suspended time and space through the World Tree channel, Yaldabaoth stood back and stared at me, sending shivers down my spine.

‘What?! How can that fiend be active even in the World Tree’s time realm…?’

But then, I recalled what Zhuge Sa had said earlier.

[“The Demiurge Yaldabaoth can disassemble all powers just like the World Tree. His body is akin to the World Tree itself.”]

A being with the same nature as the World Tree.

That meant… he could undoubtedly access the World Tree’s time space!

As I stiffened in shock, Yaldabaoth pointed one monstrous arm toward me.

[“So your power stems from the sealed Demiurge’s voice… You’ve built up your control using the sacrifice of our compatriots… hmmm…”]

All of a sudden, fury blazed in Yaldabaoth’s eyes.

[“Traitor! After betraying us during creation, you shamelessly continue to humiliate us like this? It’s disgusting just to look at you!”]

Pwah!

[“Kaaah!”]

In that instant, I felt a massive arm extend beyond time and space, and it ripped right through my insides. I screamed. Though I was in a spiritual state, it felt as if Yaldabaoth could harm me as though I were corporeal. After pulling out my innards, he brought them to his nose and wrinkled his expression in disgust.

[“…Hmm. Is this Demiurge just a trivial human of this world? Even as you pursue greater power, you cling rashly to this worthless flesh… I can’t comprehend it.”]

Thud

My innards hit the ground with a sickening sound. I nearly lost my mind at that horrific sight.

[“I-I don’t understand! What the hell is this Demiurge bullshit?!”]

As I screamed, Yaldabaoth replied.

[“False gardens were created due to cowardly betrayal from companions, and we were all left in eternal despair in an instant. We Demiurges, betrayed or sealed… None of our wrongs remain, it’s this trashy world itself that’s at fault! So says the Great One!”]

Ploosh!

[“Aah!”]

Once again, I couldn’t help but scream. Yaldabaoth had torn away another piece of my ethereal body, making me tremble with horrific pain, while something strange was dawning on me.

‘…Fury…?’

This Demiurge, Yaldabaoth, who clearly transcended humanity, was filled with unmistakable rage. Considering the nature of divine beings who seldom exhibit such primal emotions, it struck me as deeply human.

Even as I felt my consciousness waver, I managed to hold on, and Yaldabaoth said,

[“You are one young Demiurge… indeed… it would be best to end your life before you know the truth of this world!”]

With a snap!

Yaldabaoth’s enormous hand seized my skull tightly. I braced myself for him to crush my head, biting down hard. Having witnessed countless deaths, I somehow anticipated the excruciating pain it would bring.

Yet, against all odds, Yaldabaoth didn’t crush my head. Instead, strange incantations began to pour from his mouth.

[^%@&%*@&$……]

Unintelligible spells. Yet I felt a peculiar darkness seep into my mind along with his words.

[“Guh… ugh! Just kill me!”]

As I writhed in agony from the dark qi, Yaldabaoth seemed to mockingly create another mouth on its body to respond.

[“For the Demiurge, death is not the end but rather a new beginning. How could you not know this after thousands of repetitions?”]

[……!]

[“I shall conduct a ritual, offering your very soul to my great master… Even so, your rebirth won’t cease… but every time your rebirth begins, you shall have to sacrifice your soul piece by piece!”]

[“What the…!”]

Chills ran down my spine.

‘This fiend knows precisely what the worst situation is for a Reborn person!’

Death wouldn’t mark the end but instead ensure perpetual sacrifice with every rebirth!

Yaldabaoth’s actions exuded an uncanny understanding of a Reborn person’s behavior, as if he thoroughly analyzed them.

Crackle

‘Guh… my soul… it’s being absorbed into some unknown place…’

That horrifying sensation of being drawn into some mysterious energy snatched away my consciousness and memories! I had almost never felt this before, so it dawned on me how genuinely dangerous this was. Yet, amidst this crisis, my mind remained strangely clear.

‘…Zhuge Sa’s plan has failed? No… it clearly worked well against Yaldabaoth, a nemesis of the forbidden spell! The real issue is that something happened to Zhuge Sa, so he couldn’t continue the “Cycle Unsound” spell consecutively.’

In the briefest moment, thoughts whirled.

‘What happened to Zhuge Sa? Is he dead? No… if he were dead, I would have sensed it through the Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique! Zhuge Sa’s soul still remains somewhere, connected to me! So finding Zhuge Sa’s soul and reconnecting is the priority!’

The method to locate the soul was simple.

Nine Chambers of Thunder Technique: Soul of the Evil God!

As I channeled my intent and activated the technique, my ethereal body resonated in sync with my physical form. Even in this seemingly frozen state of time and space, everything seemed to speed up, and I sensed Soul of the Evil God spinning around me in an instant. Upon its activation, I felt Nine Chambers of Thunder intensifying, letting me detect Zhuge Sa’s signal, and upon realization, I was shocked.

‘…?! Why?!’

The location of Zhuge Sa’s soul.

It was not the shadowy entity before me but rather resided within my own Sephira!

Seeing Zhuge Sa’s soul sleeping in a faint state within the rounded domain of the Sephira utterly stunned me.

‘Why is Zhuge Sa’s soul inside me…?! Ah!’

In that moment, I recalled how earlier, the World Tree had flipped, creating an inverted Sephiroth.

Then immediately, I remembered what Zhuge Yulong once said.

[“The first Qliphoth didn’t exist in the beginning, and Hermes thought it a trick created to transcend the outer universe.”]

[“The World Tree exists in every part of the universe, whether it’s a parallel world or an outer universe. But since it exists everywhere, the World Tree must have a shadow. Qliphoth is a method that exploits this duality of worlds.”]

[“As the Portrait Immortal mentioned, these two worlds are infinitely intertwined, correct? I believe this represents the Qliphoth.”]

[“There will come a day when someone will discover this ‘pair of intertwined worlds’ as a clue.”]

……

A pair of intertwined worlds…

‘Both Zhuge Sa’s and my Sephira are undoubtedly intertwined. And by drawing upon the strength of that intertwining, we summoned the power of Qliphoth to attack Yaldabaoth.’

Once I pieced that together, I gritted my teeth.

‘…I see. That’s why Zhuge Sa wasn’t aware… this magic itself was a trap!’

So now, what am I supposed to do?

Even if I understood the situation, being captured by Yaldabaoth and facing a human sacrifice was still dire, and how on earth could I turn this desperate situation around?

At that moment, a voice echoed in my mind.

[“Heh… I got you good…”]

I was instantly frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

After a moment, the voice continued.

[“Qliphoth is a spell that uses the shadow, the reflection of the World Tree. If that’s the case, making the shadow stronger can certainly give me a solid chance to take down the Yaldabaoth before me.”]

To make the shadow stronger…?

As I grappled with confusion, the tranquil voice kept flowing into my mind.

[“Think about it… you are already a Sephiroth magician at my level… You must know the answer. Light can strengthen shadows…”]

Driven by desperation, I recalled the teachings I had learned in the world of angels.

[“The Trinitarian realm of the Holy Father, the Holy Son, and the Holy Spirit forms a tremendous synergy when united… before my actions against the dual Trinity, it was indeed foolishness.”]

[“Every being challenging the Kabbalah possesses an inner flame that can reach the Ein Sof. In the realm of humanity, this is commonly referred to as the soul.”]

In a flash

That moment, the words of the commissioner Abraxas and the Seraphim, the Flame of the Snake, came rushing back to me. As I combined their words, I instinctively understood what I had to do.

[“Krrr! Ugh!”]

I couldn’t be certain if this was the answer… but there were no other options left!

I thrust all my energy into my body and twisted, directing myself toward the dark Zhuge Sa’s spirit. Watching me, Yaldabaoth burst into laughter.

[“What are you trying to do? Do you want to savor your last moments even more vividly?”]

[……]

[“How pitiful that you can’t even realize that ‘that’ before you is an empty shell…”]

No, I knew it was an empty shell.

That’s precisely why I could use it.

With a moment of concentration, I swiftly slammed my palm toward Zhuge Sa’s spirit.

Boom!

[“Trimurti!”]

Since one of my hands was gone, I needed the spirit’s assistance to execute the technique!

And the moment Trimurti was invoked, I rapidly combined everything I possessed within the crimson world of ruby.

8th stage Hod

9th stage Yesod

10th stage Malkuth

Ku gu gu!

As the three Sephiroth combined, I felt an entirely different reaction bubbling within me.

‘Initially, I had only possessed fragments of [power], but now what resides within me is the fragment of [wisdom] Zhuge Sa lent me.’

[A combination of power and wisdom—this Sephira held the potential for something entirely different by employing Trimurti!]

And as the light of combination burst forth from the ruby, I poured every ounce of my will into it.

‘Sephira… O Flame of the Soul…’

Become light (Aur)!

Fwoosh!

In the next moment, I felt my entire being enveloped in white flames. Oddly enough, I wasn’t experiencing any pain or heat. However, the intensity of those white flames was overwhelming, and the hand of the Demiurge Yaldabaoth gripping my head was consumed and whisked away into nothingness.

[“No!”]

Yaldabaoth recoiled in shock, stepping back dramatically. I realized that this white flame was the very flame of my soul itself, which brought a grin of triumph to my face.

‘It was just as the Seraphim said… my very soul can transform into flame!’