전생검신 94권 04화

I transferred through the teleportation magic circle that Vivian had opened with her magic. As I passed through that space, everyone at the Round Table, including me, moved, and soon after, I witnessed a scene where flames surged over the mountain in the distance.

Fwoosh!

The entire mountain was on fire. No, it would be more accurate to say that every terrain visible on the ridge in front of me had been painted with flames. Beyond that mountain, I could see a huge something, wriggling like either a spider’s leg or a tentacle, spreading a faint shadow.

Whoosh!

“Cough!”

“Ugh…!”

At the same time, a powerful magical aura spread out! Every member of the Zodiac at the Round Table was visibly struggling with that magic, and some were even spitting blood. Despite being superhumans with strengths close to the limits of human judgment, feeling the ancient ruler’s magic from such a close distance was overwhelming.

But I wasn’t affected at all. It seemed natural to me.

‘Hmm. I can use divine power outright.’

It was different from earlier when I possessed Yeodong-bin’s body and couldn’t use any abilities. I felt that I had entered this body with all the potential of the divine power I originally possessed, and of course, just a little of that aura didn’t feel like a threat at all.

‘Looks like a strong guy.’

That being said, the ancient ruler on the other side of that burning mountain wasn’t someone to take lightly. Just by existing, he could overpower all the Zodiac members at the Round Table, proving that he was definitely not a low-level ruler. He likely possessed enough power to annihilate human civilization ten times over without even using any particularly great strength. I stared into the distance and spoke.

“King Arthur.”

“Yes?”

“Can I borrow Excalibur?”

At my words, King Arthur briefly showed a startled expression before respectfully handing Excalibur to me from its sheath.

“…Here you go.”

“Great.”

Is it because I’m the heavenly knight? Holding the sword calmed my heart a bit.

Using Excalibur, which I hadn’t touched much before, felt pretty good.

‘Excalibur’s ability… the dimension-slicing ability that transcends the material world.’

That special ability made it difficult to face Excalibur even as I was much stronger than Arthur Pendragon back then. This time, I decided to actively utilize Excalibur’s special abilities.

Whirrrrr!

As I poured my intent into it, Excalibur began to emit golden spirit energy in response. As the aura reached a certain peak, I instinctively knew every attack I wielded would be a dimensional slash, and with a grin, I aimed it forward and unleashed a single strike.

Infinite Slash!

Boom!

In the next moment, the mountain range was completely sliced apart, and the shadow beyond the fiery mountain was instantly sliced into twenty pieces. It might have looked like a single slash, but I definitely cut the thing dozens of times to prevent it from recovering. And just after my Infinite Slash swept through, a horrific scream from the ancient ruler echoed.

[Aggghhhh!]

Grrr…

With that, a pitch-black mist that seemed to extinguish the flames began to pour in like a tidal wave. Normally, I’d think something had gone wrong, but instead, I felt that things were going quite well.

‘With the divine power-infused dimensional slash, I precisely sliced off the divine limbs. Dark magic poured out like juice from the severed parts.’

This meant that I had severely injured that ancient ruler!

‘No need to give it more time. While he’s showing weakness, let’s finish this!’

I quickly tucked Excalibur back into its sheath and, bringing my palms together, cast Trimurti.

Trimurti

The colossal dark spear!

Boom!

In the next moment, my dark spear, now even more powerful, pierced through the incoming darkness and slammed into the ancient ruler’s main body like a wedge! The ancient ruler trembled his legs and tentacles in disbelief at the sudden counterattack, and then he began to vanish.

[Aaggghhhh… You vile…!]

Swoosh!

With his disappearance, the advancing dark mist evaporated like an illusion without leaving a trace. I realized that this didn’t mean I had truly destroyed the ancient ruler.

‘He must have suffered too much damage in the material world and fled to avoid more loss before it could hurt his core of magic.’

My strike had pierced him, but I could feel his body instinctively vanishing before the attack could actually hit the core of his power. This meant he had given up on fighting and fled, accepting a little loss of causality.

Though we hadn’t properly fought, he must have thought that pulling off a battle against me was not in his favor.

Anyway, having repelled the ancient ruler in an instant, I held Excalibur up to return it to King Arthur and said.

“Thanks for lending it to me.”

“…”

King Arthur received his sword back, still looking dazed. I was puzzled by his reaction.

“What’s wrong? Did I do something strange?”

“Ah… no, Master.”

I needed some clues, so I pressed King Arthur.

“Don’t be shy; just say something.”

“If you insist…”

King Arthur awkwardly adjusted his sword sheath at his waist and spoke.

“Previously, you instantly sealed the enemy with dozens of layers of chakra, but this method you used today, I’ve never seen before. Plus, you’re using swordplay…”

“…?”

I tilted my head.

“What’s strange about using swordplay?”

“Well… you’ve always casually mentioned that martial arts weren’t fun and useless, right? But the swordplay you just displayed was nothing short of divine technique, so it’s no wonder I’m shocked.”

“…”

“I have to say, it was the fastest quick sword I’ve ever seen among all the martial artists I’ve encountered in my life.”

…What’s the deal with the original owner of this body?

The more I listened to King Arthur, the more I realized how peculiar this body’s original owner was. He was a guy who could seal the ancient ruler in an instant yet treated martial arts like rubbish!

‘Is there someone I know like that…? Who could it be?’

If this guy was capable of defeating the ancient ruler purely by his own strength, he must be far from ordinary.

Just as I was pondering the identity of this body’s original owner, Merlin, who was sitting next to me, spoke up.

“Master… the Chinese government would like to thank you for vanquishing the ancient ruler; would you like to meet them?”

“The government? Not the emperor?”

“…? But Master, you personally wiped out the ruling class of China and established republics for every nation on Earth.”

“…”

What the hell is going on…?

I found my thoughts confounding…

I pressed my temples and spoke.

“Um… let’s just meet them for now. Let’s go.”

Boom!

I entered a large building with my party. I shot a quick glance at the architecture and thought.

‘This is very similar to the science and technology of the Great Bear Empire era; it’s nothing extraordinary.’

It differed significantly from the Ming Dynasty, but still, it wasn’t anything beyond my understanding. Moments later, a man, claiming to be the Prime Minister of the Chinese government, emerged and bowed deeply to me, saying.

“Great Master! I truly thank you for saving us!”

What? Isn’t he more like a ruler of a nation? Why is he bowing down like that?

Confused, I helped him up and said.

“Is it really necessary to go this far…?”

“…”

The Prime Minister’s face showed clear surprise. As I looked bewildered, Merlin whispered to me from behind.

[Previously you ordered the leaders of each nation to show their respect with deep bows when rescued.]

“……”

…You made them do that?

So, this body’s original owner must have wanted to be treated like a big deal!

Clearing my throat, I said.

“Ahem. Anyway, are these monsters appearing frequently?”

“That’s right. Isn’t it a sign that the [end] is drawing near?”

“By the way, do you know my name?”

“Pardon? Aren’t you Master…?”

“……”

So this guy doesn’t know either…

I felt a headache growing as I grimaced.

“Never mind that. But it feels strange that no matter when the ancient ruler appears, I always come to the rescue. What is the Celestial Realm doing?”

“Celestial Realm? What is that?”

“Don’t you know the Celestial Realm? The Three Sovereigns are supposed to be protecting the Central Plains…”

“……?”

The Prime Minister stared at me as if I were speaking in riddles. I smiled bitterly at that gaze.

“Hmm, I suppose the worldly humans might not be aware of it. Isn’t that right, Merlin?”

I turned my gaze toward Merlin, and surprisingly, he looked just as bewildered.

“Celestial Realm… Three Sovereigns… what are those?”

“……?”

I suddenly shouted in shock.

“Merlin, you don’t know that?!”

Of all people, isn’t Merlin, the oldest among the celestial guardians and a powerful sorcerer, supposed to know of the mysterious beings from the East, including the Three Sovereigns and Celestial Realm?

I couldn’t help but frown, thinking Merlin was playing a trick on me.

“Don’t joke around. I’m speaking seriously here.”

“N-No one would dare joke with you, Master. You are practically the guardian of all humanity…”

“……”

Huh…? So that reaction wasn’t a joke?

I looked around at the Round Table members in disbelief and shouted.

“You all don’t know the Celestial Realm and the Three Sovereigns either?”

“Correct.”

“That is so.”

“What is that?”

“……!”

This… this feels off. Is something wrong here?

‘Wait, does this mean the Celestial Realm and the Three Sovereigns don’t even exist in this world?!’

When I realized that fact, I grew even more incredulous and turned to Merlin.

“Merlin! If there are no Three Sovereigns and Celestial Realm, then how on Earth is human civilization still standing to this day?!”

“Ha ha… well, if you’re asking me that…”

Merlin had a troubled expression before continuing.

“It’s more like humanity itself has spent its history being manipulated by countless demonic traits in unseen ways, with not a flicker of hope. All of a sudden, you, Master, appeared and swept away the hordes of demons and the powers of the dark paths, resurrecting ancient gods to bring hope to humanity, right? Did you really want to hear about your own achievements from my lips…?”

“Umm!”

“Anyway, Master, you seem odd today. You appear as if you came from another world.”

Since I’m literally from another world!

While inwardly murmuring, I pondered.

‘This is a big problem…! I have no idea who I am!’

A world without the Celestial Realm or the Three Sovereigns.

The Master, who suddenly appeared and saved humanity with immense power!

Did such a being really have any connection with me?

Then, at that moment, a new prompt appeared in my head.

[The time limit for the mission has been newly set. Discover the identity of the person you are possessed by within three days.]

“Huh?!”

I panicked, shouting.

“What the heck?! What’s this unfair situation?!”

Then, as if the prompt was responding to my outburst, it appeared again.

[All abilities and powers have been fully granted, and you already possess methods to uncover their identity.

The conditions are quite fair; whether you succeed in the mission is up to your abilities.

No further objections will be accepted.]

“……!”

[However, here’s a hint: you must change your perspective.]

“Perspective…?”

Boom!

With those words, the prompt disappeared. I could only stare blankly at the empty air in bewilderment.

‘Damn it!’

Did they think it was fair to unrestrict my abilities and let me figure things out?

Just because they gave me a hint, this meant it was fair?

‘It… might be fair?’

…

But it’s so hard!

If I had a strategist nearby, I’d love to ask them right away. But based on what I’d just confirmed, there was not a single companion from my old world here, nor was there a trace in history. Plus, given that the Three Sovereigns didn’t exist, I couldn’t even go to the divine beings for help.

How am I supposed to uncover the identity of this body?

‘Ugh… This guy seems to have given himself the alias of Master to all those he knows… and has veiled all his actions in mystery… How can I find out the identity of this guy?’

More than anything, I couldn’t believe I had previously encountered such a mysterious individual. I hadn’t even seen anyone similar during my past life.

‘Wait a minute… if it’s someone similar, could it be the Master of the Twelve Joules?’

A handsome young man, without a doubt strong and mysterious, felt vaguely familiar.

However, I shook my head quickly.

‘No, even though I’ve never seen the Master of the Twelve Joules, I’ve seen Lee Hwan-woong, who’s a perfect beauty. And this guy seems unusually strong. The average ancient ruler wouldn’t be able to take him down with mere chakra. I hadn’t encountered someone this strong in my previous life.’

Speaking of chakra?

That fact sparked a thought, and I asked Merlin, who was next to me.

“Merlin! Do I usually use techniques involving chakra?”

“Of course. Isn’t creating and launching that silvery glowing ring of power your trademark? It’s strange that you didn’t use that technique earlier…”

“Hmm… is that technique perhaps this divine power technique?”

Vroom!

I used Trimurti to conjure a random sword and showed it to Merlin. As I demonstrated the sword creation, Merlin looked on with great surprise and said.

“Ah, no. You haven’t used any techniques based on divine power. The chakra itself seems to be a completely different dimensional technique… though you possess such strange power and could disregard the ancient ruler’s abilities.”

“……”

“Just to be safe, are you perhaps suffering from amnesia?”

Merlin asked worriedly, but I couldn’t focus on answering.

‘What a peculiar guy. How can he have such formidable abilities that can sever the ancient ruler when his techniques aren’t even based on divine power?’

That idea was something I’d never even heard of!

Suddenly, I felt a strong urge to test various things and decided to try summoning the Four Great Spirit Deities.

Vroom!

‘Huh?’

But the Four Great Spirit Deities wouldn’t summon.

Not only could I not summon them, I couldn’t even access the virtual space where they existed.

It seemed that such a thing didn’t exist to begin with.

‘What? No Four Great Spirit Deities? Why?’

I hesitated and asked Merlin.

“Merlin… just checking, is there no White Lotus Sect in this world?”

“A White Lotus Sect? What is that?”

“……”

Given his reaction, there definitely wasn’t one!

In this world, the Three Sovereigns, the Celestial Realm, and White Lotus Sect all likely didn’t exist.

If there was no White Lotus Sect, then there wouldn’t be a Dalma, and naturally, no Four Great Spirit Deities!

‘This is insane! So of course, the Seven Luminaries wouldn’t be here either!’

This is the first time I’ve ever encountered an absurd and bizarre world!

‘Wait, but if there are none of the Three Sovereigns, the Celestial Realm, or the White Lotus Sect, then why is there still a Zodiac team?!”

That was an aspect I just couldn’t understand.

If those familiar divine beings were stripped away, it should be normal for the Zodiac members who protected the West to also not exist. So why were they nonchalantly present?

‘Hmm. But still, it seems that the divine powers I already hold can still be utilized even without the specific gods. That’s why I can use my dark spear…’

That meant there was no guarantee that the Three Great Divine Beings existed in this world.

I felt like I was gradually sinking into a labyrinth trying to unveil the identity of this body in this bizarre world.

Then in the next moment, a good idea popped into my head.

“…Ah!”

“What is it?”

I clenched my fist and said.

“Let’s visit Master Mangnyang!”

He’ll surely know my identity!

Boom!

But even as I explained to Vivian to head there, there was no sign of Master Mangnyang or a shrine to Yeodong-bin. Naturally, Cheon Woo-jin was also absent.

I stared blankly at the presently empty place and said.

“Is there no Battle Ground in Luoyang, either…?”

What on earth is this place…

While I was lost in confusion, I suddenly snapped back to reality and continued.

“Right! Let’s go to the guardian of the West. You lot!”

“Eh… you mean the Great Will?”

“Right. Can’t I find him in Paliyas?”

“Umm, the thing is…”

Merlin sighed deeply, appearing awkward.

“That person… completely lost interest in this world a long, long time ago… And his apostles…”

“……”

“Since then, I’ve tried every means possible to appeal to him, but he hasn’t responded at all… though shall we try?”

“Let’s give it a go for now.”

I followed Merlin to Paliyas and began the ritual for summoning the Great Will.

But as anticipated, it didn’t succeed, and I sighed.

“Damn it.”

Thus, the Zodiac members, somehow managing to fight, must have done so without the aid of any guardians.

So naturally, rather than defeating the demons, they must have been thoroughly defeated…

Now that I thought about it, it felt like all the divine beings I was familiar with were missing, so I pondered deeply, concluding.

“So… just temporarily, I’ll go to the base. I’ll wander around a bit alone.”

“Understood.”

Boom!

‘First, the Prophet!’

The Prophet likely has a high chance of knowing my identity!

So with such thoughts, I spontaneously visited the place I usually went to meet the Prophet at Astana. However, while there was a cathedral in Astana, there were no traces of the Prophet.

‘Oh? Should I check the library then…’

The ancient library left in the Kremlin Palace of the Arasa Empire. I already knew that if I went there, I could find clues to teleport to the Prophet’s star.

‘The secret library holds hints about the Prophet race. I just need that hint that Zhuge Yulong once discovered…’

But I couldn’t find the secret library. For some reason, while the Kremlin Palace existed, the secret library was nowhere to be found. It seemed that the Prophet’s race didn’t install the secret library in this location in this universe.

“…?”

Huh… then how can I contact the Prophet?

It didn’t seem to be here on Earth…

‘While I’d love to teleport directly to the Prophet’s star… even with divine powers, I can’t teleport to some alien location without any clues. If it’s the Prophet’s race, they’ve likely fortified against such intrusions. Plus, with no Celestial Realm, there’s no way to get further clues from the divine beings…’

If so, I’d need to search for the ruins of the Zhuyong Tribe, the Prophet’s race.

As soon as I thought that, a place popped into my mind immediately.

“Shall we head to the Tower of Muwang?”

Boom!

I went to the location I remembered the Tower of Muwang was supposed to be, but as expected, it wasn’t there, causing me to scowl.

“Shit!”

The lack of a secret library in the Kremlin must not have been by chance. Likely, the chances of the Zhuyong Tribe coming to Earth were very slim!

‘Could Punakotus exist? …No, that doesn’t seem likely.’

If there’s no Tower of Muwang, there’s no way Punakotus would exist either. The Tower was their key means of transportation and arsenal, so it wouldn’t make sense for them to install a significant library without such measures. Hence, the final hope lay in the ruins of the Colossal Being.

Boom!

Even after I arrived at the area I remembered the ruins of the Colossal Being were near, I found nothing. Naturally, it made sense, as the ruins were of beings sealed due to the myriad wars the Zhuyong Tribe had engaged in, and if the Zhuyong Tribe had never come to this world, there was no way they could exist.

At this point, tracking the Zhuyong Tribe and, ultimately, the Prophet seemed nearly impossible.

I felt trapped, as if it was causing my head to throb.

‘…Hmm… There might be a way to find more clues about the Prophet…’

If I could make good use of an alien…

But that felt vague to pursue right now, so I shook my head.

“I still have time. I’ll look for the Prophet later; for now, let’s seek some other divine beings.”

Boom!

I blinked and teleported to Tianzhu to search for the ruins of the Three Great Gods, but, unsurprisingly, none were present. Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma—all seemed absent from this world.

I traveled to the Korean Peninsula to find the Master of the Twelve Joules and the Zodiac tree, but found nothing. There was no trace of the Dan family either. Nor was Izanagi here.

I checked Dongyoung for Amaterasu and Susanoo, but they were also completely absent. Even Aokigahara Life Sea did not exist.

I searched in South America and Egypt for the Divine Temple near Memphis, but those were missing too. Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl did not exist either.

I journeyed to Antarctica to seek out the six ancient rulers guarding the Dharma, but there were none of those.

Heading to Venus, I looked for Kotoamatsukami, but found nothing there either.

However, amidst my exploration, I stumbled upon a surprising ancient ruin on Venus, and my eyes widened.

“Huh?! This is…?”

Boom!

In the harsh terrain of Venus resembling a desert, there lay unexpectedly apparent ancient ruins! Based on the patterns and styles, this had to be the ruins of Atlantis.

I was spellbound, staring, and as I channeled my divine power, I entered inside.

Once inside, I detected a strong reaction and teleported again to find something familiar there. Grasping a shining red gemstone, I murmured.

“[Heart of the Governor]…!”

What is this?! This is undoubtedly discovered during the Age of the Great Bear… an ancient artifact from the ancient civilization of Atlantis!

Why are the ruins of Atlantis on Venus and the Heart of the Governor here as well?

While sensing an anomaly, I decided to place the Heart of the Governor within my robes and muttered.

“…Shall I check the Underworld now?”

Boom!

However, I found I couldn’t reach the Underworld. Although I attempted to enter the dimensional realm I recognized as the Underworld, all I encountered was empty void, and I was flung back. I realized that the Underworld itself didn’t exist and sighed.

“Damn. No Wheel King and no Underworld either…?”

Just then, a thought crossed my mind. Clenching my fist, I thought.

“Let’s try… Dark Heaven Village!”

There’s no way Dark Heaven Village wouldn’t exist!

So I headed for the western coast of Korea to prepare myself. I searched for the location of the Pirate Island where the Golden Eagle used to be, but it turned out to be an empty island, with no trace of the Golden Eagle’s magic. I felt troubled.

‘Well, in a world without any divine beings, the Golden Eagle’s location probably wouldn’t be here… Hmm…’

If there’s no Golden Eagle, will I need to break into Dark Heaven Village?

But the Gatekeeper is too strong, making it equally burdensome…

While I pondered this, I carelessly wandered around Pirate Island and unexpectedly confronted a Merfolk.

“…?”

[Croak!]

“Not happening!”

Boom!

Seeing me, the Merfolk appeared to feel terrified and tried to run away, but I quickly tackled and knocked him unconscious.

I then woke him up and interrogated him while punching him.

“Hey, it’s nice to see you! Are there any of your tribes nearby?”

It’s been ages since I spotted a fresh Merfolk!

[Cough… esteemed one… please spare my life… please…!]

“Where’s your tribe, dammit?!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After beating him for a bit, the Merfolk, now drenched in blood, lowered his head and managed to say.

[They are… under the sea…]

“Great, lead the way.”

I followed the Merfolk as we dove beneath the waves, and there, I discerned the village of the Merfolk. As I saw the useless Merfolk, I took out my sword.

‘Need to kill them all!’

No reason is needed to slaughter the Merfolk! Why keep alive those who eat humans, corrupt them, and conduct human sacrifices?

Slash!

Slash!

After roughly decimating several thousand Merfolk, the one that appeared to be their priest hung his head and murmured his dying words.

[Our great god will take revenge… on you…]

Whoosh!

“…”

If there’s a great Merfolk god…

Could it be?

A moment later, I surfaced above the waves.

Splash!

“Huh?”

Then, across the sea, furious bubbles began to swirl, and from the depths rose a behemoth of a demon in the shape of a Merfolk. My heart raced with disbelief as that colossal entity emerged, letting out a roar that could pierce the sky.

[You will pay for annihilating my kin…!]

Upon hearing that roar, I couldn’t help but cheer in excitement.

“You…! You were still alive!”

It was the Sea God.