전생검신 93권 08화

I couldn’t help but scowl at the appearance of the Primordial Void Ruler. That guy often showed up and caused trouble, so things usually went awry when he was around. As I openly frowned, the Primordial Void Ruler said,

“Oh dear, am I an unwelcome guest?”

“I can’t believe someone like you, a renowned Celestial Monarch, is so casually strolling around the mortal realm. Aren’t you basically a god?”

I jumped into a confrontation, but the Primordial Void Ruler brushed it off lightly.

“Using the accumulated Law of Cause and Effect isn’t that tricky. I’ve been saving it up just for fun…….”

He wore a surprisingly cheerful expression. I couldn’t hide my disgust at that smile, and the warrior beside me, Mangnyang, spoke up.

“Great Primordial Void Ruler. Would you mind explaining what you mean by having a prior engagement?”

“It’s just as it sounds. Look over there.”

When I followed his gaze, my eyes widened in awe as the sky twisted and a massive celestial gate appeared. Several colossal doors the size of hundreds of panels stood hanging in the clouds, swirling with auspicious green light and clouds.

Whoosh!

What an impressive sight! I had never seen anything like it, and it was hard to believe my eyes.

“What is that?”

The reply came from the Primordial Void Ruler.

“Ever heard of the Spirit Treasure Heaven Gate?”

“……?”

As I blinked in confusion, Mangnyang murmured.

“……The Three Pure Ones Gate given by the Supreme God! I’ve read about it in books chronicling Taoist legends, but I never believed it existed for real!”

“Mangnyang, do you know what that is?”

Mangnyang nodded as he responded.

“The legend tells that when the Celestial Realm was first created, the Jade Emperor granted his three aides each a palace and a door, and each one concealed the world’s treasures and secrets that were hidden by the Three Divine Monarchs. Those gates were called the Three Pure Ones Gates… and legends say that those who pass through the gates, even an ordinary human, can become a Great Immortal.”

“Oh my!”

“To think such a thing could actually exist…… I always thought it was nonsense…….”

Could it really be true?

As my curiosity piqued, the Primordial Void Ruler interjected from my side.

“He’s right. As the avatar of the Spirit Treasure Heaven Master, I can access the Spirit Treasure Heaven Gate, which is one of the Three Pure Ones Gates.”

So, does that mean the Primordial Heaven Master uses the Primordial Gate, and Taishang Laojun uses the Taishang Gate?

While I pondered that, Abe no Seimei, who was observing from the sidelines, glared at the Primordial Void Ruler.

“I can sense tremendous divine power coming from there… What do you plan to do with the Spirit Treasure Heaven Gate?”

“I told you, it’s a prior engagement. Did you not understand that?”

Just then!

Snap!

At the exact moment the Primordial Void Ruler snapped his fingers,

Kaboom!

The enormous gates of the Spirit Treasure Heaven, floating in Luoyang’s sky, suddenly made a grand sound and began to swing open all at once. From within those doors, a surge of multi-colored clouds erupted like a tsunami, and divine beings began to pour out.

Szzzzzzzz!

Unbelievable divine energy!

I could distinctly sense the unique aura and fragrance that only Immortals could emit, even from tens of miles away. The sight left me utterly stunned.

“Are they all Immortals?!”

Indeed.

From the Spirit Treasure Heaven Gate emerged hundreds of Immortals! Their ranks varied from lowly Earth Immortals to high-ranking Great Immortals, guarded by numerous divine generals and warriors that outnumbered them. They looked just like a colossal army, and when they suddenly appeared in the skies above Luoyang, the air became saturated with colorful clouds and the energy of the Immortals.

Abe no Seimei seemed to catch on to something.

“Primordial Void Ruler! The Celestial Realm is preparing to intervene and attack the Hermes of the Imperial Palace?”

The Primordial Void Ruler responded with a mysterious smile.

“Maybe, maybe not… either way, we’ve got a prior engagement with that Demon Sorcerer from the Otherworld.”

“……!”

We couldn’t help but be astonished. The Celestial Realm, which had been sitting back all along, was deciding to join the massive assault so swiftly? Up until now, the Celestial Realm had been powerful, but intervening in the affairs of the mortal realm usually required quite a complicated process and protocol, so this was just too fast! After all, we met Hermes right after arriving at the Sacred Altar Tree, so they hardly had any time to make a decision, yet they managed to mobilize such a large army of Immortals in no time!

However, Mangnyang seemed suspicious and furrowed his brow as he spoke.

“…What exactly do you want from us? It seems like there’s more to your appearance than just coincidence.”

“Heh heh… let’s cut to the chase.”

The Primordial Void Ruler turned to me and continued.

“I won’t stop you from attacking Hermes. But we also have a prior engagement, so let’s work together on this, shall we?”

“Work together?”

“Exactly… we can’t storm the Demon just like that without a plan. We should join forces until we can take down Hermes. Are you willing to accept?”

“……”

That’s when I finally understood the Primordial Void Ruler’s intentions. He had a reason to attack Hermes as well, but going solo would bring them too much damage, so they were looking to collaborate for a safer takedown. It sounded reasonable at a glance, but I couldn’t shake off my suspicion of the Primordial Void Ruler.

‘Questioning him about his motive for wanting to capture Hermes is pointless. I know he’s a good liar and will throw out some nonsense in response, and trying to decipher that nonsense is just exhausting.’

Without a doubt, the Primordial Void Ruler was using Hermes as an excuse to scheme something against me. Refusing him here would usually be the right call. Devising counters to plots and conspiracies before they even get started is the best strategy.

However, I chuckled and replied.

“Fine, let’s team up. But I’m going to set a very simple condition.”

“What is it?”

I hid my killing intent and my eyes sparkled.

“Any promise made with me must be kept. Be it something you say now or something from the past… if a promise hasn’t been fulfilled, you must keep it without exception.”

The Primordial Void Ruler seemed taken aback by my suggestion.

“Hmm…? Is that all?”

“That’s all for my side. So, what do you think?”

“That should be easy enough. Sure, let’s go along with that, heh heh.”

The Primordial Void Ruler seemed pleased, thinking he had nothing to lose. There wasn’t any way to interpret my proposal as significant in a normal case. Maybe that’s why Mangnyang looked at me with a hint of unease.

“Baek Woong… are you sure about this? It might be a trap…”

I met Mangnyang’s gaze with a grin.

“Trust me. I think this condition is acceptable.”

“…If you say so.”

Mangnyang still wouldn’t fully grasp it. No, not just him, but probably no one else here besides me would.

The weight of what I was proposing.

Once the negotiations settled a bit, I spoke up.

“So… what’s the plan to attack Hermes?”

“It’s nothing much. As you can see, the surface of the World Tree is radiating a unique energy that nullifies all sorts of transcendent abilities. As long as that’s around, we’ll suffer massive damage if we attack, so I’d like you to take care of that first.”

“…And how do we remove it?”

“Well, I’d prefer if you figured that out.”

“What? Are you joking?”

I responded incredulously, but the Primordial Void Ruler returned my gaze with a serious expression.

“Joking? Not even close. You’re practically a high being incarnate, so you can surely handle that kind of problem by any means necessary. I have faith in your abilities.”

“…”

That wasn’t wrong. There was a good chance I could find a way.

The issue was that this Primordial Void Ruler had a good idea of my capabilities and was likely plotting to exploit any gaps in my power. As much as he pretended to be a comrade right now, I knew betrayal was inevitable, which put me on edge; the fact he wasn’t underestimating me was quite discomforting.

I spoke curtly.

“Fine. I’ll handle it, so wait here.”

“If you break through their defenses, we’ll move in as well.”

“Do as you wish!”

“Then.”

Whoosh!

With that, the Primordial Void Ruler vanished without a sound. Once he was fully gone, Mangnyang, who was visibly anxious, spoke.

“Baek Woong, I have a feeling that guy is deceiving us.”

“Probably.”

“He wasn’t clear when asked about the Celestial Realm’s involvement. That means the Immortals summoned through the Spirit Treasure Heaven Gate might not be proper Celestial Realm spirits.”

I turned my head at that unexpected remark.

“Not official Immortals? So those Immortals we see now are fakes?”

“Not exactly. Their aura and energy are undeniably divine. But… for some reason, they seem unlike the Celestial Realm Immortals I know.”

“Hmm.”

Mangnyang’s statement was a point I hadn’t considered.

‘Well, even if the Celestial Realm is quick to act, they can’t possibly have responded this fast. That means… are the Immortals summoned through the Spirit Treasure Heaven Gate really…’

Primordial Void Ruler’s private army?

Even if they are, just the presence and number of these Immortals appeared to be on par with the Celestial Realm’s might. No matter how much of a Celestial Monarch he was, it was hard to believe that just one could command such a force without the acknowledgment of other great beings in the Celestial Realm.

Something was definitely up.

‘…But now’s not the time to uncover that secret!’

I decided not to dwell on it for now as I spoke to my group.

“The Primordial Void Ruler or Hermes, I can handle them. Just know that I might need to gather more troops since I can’t predict the calamity that might arise during this.”

“Are you planning to go to Soeul Village?”

“No. I can only bring in those who can help right now. Just wait a moment.”

Whoosh!

After a brief moment, I used teleportation to head straight to Dongyoung in Kyoto. Upon entering Kyoto, I immediately rushed into the hidden Divine Bow and spoke to the flame spirit that blocked my path.

“Hinokagutsuchi. There’s no time, hurry and summon that fellow for me.”

[Understood.]

Boom boom boom

With massive footsteps, the one who appeared was someone I was well acquainted with. The God of Combat from Dongyoung, wearing half-closed eyes, addressed me.

[Baek Woong, you’ve suddenly gained an enormous amount of power… I’ve observed what happened at the Sacred Altar Tree, but how did you become this strong?]

“I’ve put in the effort and had plenty of fortuitous encounters, I suppose? Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now; I need your help, Susanoo.”

The God of Creation and War, Susanoo, who was also one of the Three Divine Characters, chuckled at my request.

[Hehe. Are you planning to take down that demon holed up in the Imperial Palace…? But just taking down the demon won’t be the end of things. Can you handle what follows?]

“What’s going to happen?”

[The beings of the Celestial Realm will switch sides and attack the moment you take down the demon… Not to mention, all the [Old Rulers] of this world are watching the battle in the Imperial Palace, so you never know who might act up. Furthermore, as you know… it’s highly likely that the Three Sovereigns will get involved too.]

“……”

[Do you intend to plunge headfirst into that chaos?]

“Hmph…”

I scoffed and clenched my fist.

“I’ll just take them all down. Are you afraid you can’t handle it, Susanoo?”

[……!]

Susanoo froze for a moment at my words, but soon burst out with laughter.

[Hahaha… now that’s amusing! To think I’d be outdone in fighting spirit!]

“Are you in or not?”

[Of course! Let’s go for it!]

“Good. Now let’s recruit one more.”

[Who are you thinking of bringing?]

“Someone who might be hard to control.”

Rumble!

This time I tore through the dimensional door and opened the portal to Golden Crow Island. Upon arriving at the entrance of Golden Crow Island, I glanced at the fortress floating in the sky before flying toward a gigantic fox that was emitting lightning and glowing fiercely.

Kikikikik!

‘As expected… The seal was about to break right on schedule.’

I felt this was the case ever since I’d sneakily peeked at the egg of Golden Crow Island last time; the seals themselves were significantly weakened. As I realized this, I spoke to the enormous fox, which was bound by thousands of seals and shackles.

“Oi, Daji!”

Huweck!

At that moment, Daji’s enormous eyes filled with dark power fixed on me. Then, she flinched.

[…… Who are you? What god do you belong to?]

Daji seemed to have sensed my divine energy quite well. Seeing her tone that betrayed her usually tyrannical nature made me oddly amused, but I kept my poker face and said,

“I’m Baek Woong. I’m here to unseal you, but I have one condition.”

[What is it?]

“Don’t you want to go to the Moon Realm and acquire the powers of the Inon (??)?”

[……!]

Daji’s eyes widened in shock. She then spoke in a more guarded tone.

[Who are you really?]

“As I said, I’m Baek Woong. I know your little plans, so you’d better be honest.”

[You…!]

“If you become my subordinate and play a big role in taking down Hermes, I’ll share everything I know about acquiring the Inon’s powers and how to get to the Moon Realm. What do you say?”

[…… Really?]

“If I swear on my name, you can trust me, right?”

After a moment’s deliberation, greed glimmered in her eyes.

[Alright… I’ll become your subordinate!]

Zzzapp!

I gathered my divine energy and struck down, breaking Daji’s seal. My hand stung from the impact, and it took several strikes to finally break it. Given that it was already so weakened, Daji’s seal must have been incredibly strong.

Whoosh!

I immediately returned with Susanoo and Daji to our original location. Then I said,

“With these guys, we should be good!”

“……”

Mangnyang gazed at me wide-eyed, shivering as he finally spoke.

“You managed to recruit Susanoo and Daji… just like that? What on earth have you been through since going to the Otherworld?”

“I haven’t experienced anything. I’m still going through it…”

“……”

“Anyway… let’s go give it a try!”

The moment I finished speaking, we all charged toward the Imperial Palace.

“O Four Great Spirit Deities, Agni!”

Boom!

As I fired Agni’s bullets at the World Tree, a thunderous roar echoed and some of the energy of the World Tree crumbled. Our group, noticing the fracture, faced our first obstacle.

A gigantic serpent of flames, over ten panels in size!

It radiated terrifying divine flames from its entire body, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was definitely not a weak opponent. It clearly possessed divine status and was a formidable being, making Daji, Susanoo, Abe no Seimei, and Asura all tense up a bit.

Most likely, this was a being summoned by Hermes using the people of Luoyang as offerings!

Whoosh!

Suddenly, flame swords levitated in the air and shot towards each of us. Daji and Susanoo easily deflected the flames with their magical power, but Abe no Seimei and Asura seemed somewhat overpowered; they were sent flying back upon collision.

Boom!

The two had sustained no serious injuries, but they looked shaken by the weight of the flame swords.

“What a formidable foe…”

“Be careful.”

Pretty impressive, huh?

It seemed much stronger than Asura, who had transformed into his true body.

And just as I was starting to contemplate a serious fight, I heard,

[Oooo… is that Baek Woong?]

The serpent of flames recognized me upon sight.

“Huh?”

[I never expected to see you again… ]

Upon hearing that voice, I thought for a moment and realized something, making me speak in disbelief.

“Wait… are you the Seraphim?”

There was no doubt about it.

That guy was the first Sephira from the angelic realm who had tried to hand me the Flame of the Soul back when I faced trials!

I never imagined that this guy would recognize me, and while I was caught off guard, the Seraphim spoke amicably.

[Are you making good use of the flame sword I gave you?]

“Uh? I haven’t used it yet…”

[Hmm… it’s a valuable item, so you should use it now and then.]

“By the way, I have to fight you?”

The Seraphim shook his head vigorously.

[This is merely a forced summoning. I don’t want to fight you, so I’ll take my leave.]

Ssszzzz!

As the Seraphim began to fade away, he left with one final line.

[If you’re ever bored, feel free to visit Malchut again, Baek Woong!]

Whoosh!

Once the Seraphim vanished, silence filled the venue for a moment.

Then Daji, who had been quietly observing, spoke up in disbelief.

[It seems you have too many friends.]