전생검신 95권 07화

I marveled at the power of the Thunder Soul’s One Palm, which had burrowed all the way to the planet’s core.

‘Is this wave different from my internal power? No, it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with intent either…’

There’s no way any internal power or intent could unleash such force so easily. Having dealt with internal power and intent for a long time, I had a vague understanding of the proportionality of power involved. Sure, some techniques have different efficiencies, but there are still some common logical benchmarks. However, no matter how strong my internal power is, such unstoppable force piercing all the way through the planet’s core with just one technique is simply impossible.

Zzzzz…!

I could see bluish light flowing from the core of the star. Feeling the impressive spirit power from that light, I realized that this planet was on the brink of destruction. I also noticed that I may have acted a little too hastily.

‘Oh no! If the star shatters, the explosion will be catastrophic… Can I handle that?’

I had no idea it would have this much power to expose the core so quickly!

With that thought in mind, my heart raced, realizing that the body I had just manifested with the Thunder Soul would definitely burst apart if this continued. But now that I had created a hole, what was I supposed to do about it?

Just as I was panicking, I could feel the Thunder Soul roaring loudly and exerting a pulling force once again.

Woooooo!

The entire Thunder Soul seemed to howl, and unknown wave forces surged from the core of the planet, getting pulled toward my palm. But at the same time, I could sense a bright bluish force radiating from the planet’s core, resisting the Thunder Soul’s pulling force.

Crash!

Was the core showing strong resistance? The body I manifested with the Thunder Soul suddenly ripped apart violently, and I felt like my whole being was being torn apart. I understood the situation clearly.

‘… The force I was planning to absorb the planet with… The Thunder Soul is being resisted by the planet!’

Overall, the power seemed evenly matched. However, considering that I was distracted and unable to focus in this ridiculous situation, I thought that with all my might, maybe I could absorb the planet after all.

‘No, wait! If I just follow the Thunder Soul’s will…!’

I started thinking that instead of absorbing the planet, I needed to clean up the mess I had made. Because the pulling force the Thunder Soul was exerting was not following my will. It felt like this pulling force was a natural-born trait of the Thunder Soul, and I got the eerie feeling that if I didn’t control it, this overwhelming power might end up controlling me instead.

But how was I supposed to stop this pulling force once it started?

While I was pondering, I suddenly realized something as I watched the planet.

‘All the waves present on the planet are curving towards the core… The fact that the waves are being absorbed into me in such a flow…’

The direction of the waves.

If I reversed that direction, wouldn’t this pulling force work backwards instead?

I thought about this and unleashed my intent to reverse the Thunder Soul’s waves. For a moment, it seemed the Thunder Soul was changing the direction of the waves, but it soon resumed pulling as it originally had.

Woooow!

‘…!’

W-what? Did the Thunder Soul just ignore my intent?!

My power isn’t obeying my control?!

In the face of this unexpected situation, I was utterly flabbergasted. No matter how formidable the Thunder Soul was, I thought my own training had secured control over my power — I never imagined it would just ignore me. Stunned, I bristled.

‘Don’t joke with me! I am the master of the Thunder Soul!’

I would definitely change the direction with even stronger intent!

I poured all my will into forcefully twisting the Thunder Soul’s path. The pulling force weakened significantly, and just as I felt the direction change properly, the waves from the planet that I had been absorbing began to reverse back.

Argh… This is so exhausting…

It had been a long time since I had to squeeze out all my intent like this, and I was feeling really fatigued. Even a spirit body drains mental power just as much as a human does.

However, suddenly, I felt a massive shaking in my head.

Wobble!

‘Grahhh!’

It felt like my entire body was bouncing like a laundry line, and I momentarily lost control. The Thunder Soul, pretending to give in for just a moment, let out an even stronger elastic force, ignoring my intent and unleashing an even stronger pulling force! The rebound disrupted my control over my intent and I felt a brief blackout from the shock.

I was left dumbfounded, realizing I had just froze in place.

‘Damn it… Is it really going to refuse my command this much?! What’s up with the Thunder Soul…?’

It felt like I had clambered onto the back of a massive untamed beast, battling for control! The elastic force of the Thunder Soul I just sensed was so overwhelming that I had no hope in winning a mental contest, no matter how hard I tried.

If this brutal strength of the Thunder Soul can’t be controlled with intent, what should I do?

Do I really have the means to master this power, which could swallow a planet whole?

‘It’s not that I don’t have options. Maybe I could just overpower it with divine power…’

But somehow, that seemed like a foolish thing to do. Divine power and the Thunder Soul were both ultimately my powers, so trying to use one to extinguish the other would lead to my own self-destruction. It would be akin to willingly stepping into my own demise. The premonition of serious backlash discouraged me from trying that method.

I needed to come up with a way to grasp the reins without erasing the Thunder Soul itself. Because someday, I would have to learn how to manage this power properly.

‘What can I do to… control the Thunder Soul…?’

I was deep in thought, but I had to exert all my will again to suppress the Thunder Soul. Climbing on a wild horse and struggling to grab the reins felt somewhat similar and was not going so well, but I figured I had to do it like this for now. After some time of contemplation, a thought flashed in my mind.

Shaman Dance!

‘If I can’t control it, then what if I make it pour its power somewhere else?!’

Thinking that, I flooded the Thunder Soul with the intent to perform the Thunder God Sword Dance. Since the motions are set and my body doesn’t move as I wish, I figured at least it wouldn’t easily ignore a ‘different command.’

Woooooo

Unexpectedly, the effect was excellent. I still hadn’t fully obtained control over the Thunder Soul, but it stopped its intense resistance and began to circulate its energy in another direction. I felt the flow of the energy running through the massive body and immediately understood what it was.

‘The flow of true energy when performing the Thunder God Sword Dance!’

Despite the vast differences to human bodies, this meteorite body also possessed a flow of energy that felt like the Eight Extraordinary Vessels were genuinely real!

I realized that the reason the Thunder Soul couldn’t ignore my command was that it had reached the No-name Stage. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be able to perform movements and thus control the Thunder Soul, but because it could draw power from the No-name Stage, the Thunder Soul couldn’t ignore my command and was forced to offer itself up as a sacrifice to perform the Thunder God Sword Dance.

And as the Thunder Soul’s momentum started to wane, I finally seized that chance and reversed the waves rushing towards my fingertips. The waves of the planet that had been flooding into my body shifted back to their original position.

Fwoosh…!

After quite some time had passed, I sensed the Thunder Soul’s energy finally calming down. And at that moment, I could detach my palm from the planet.

Boom!

As soon as I pulled my hand away, I felt a metaphysical [Will] speaking to me.

It wasn’t [words], just pure will, something that a living being could never decipher.

[I am Goya]

……?

Without realizing it, I stared at the planet. I could see a bluish energy subtly shimmering on its surface. It appeared like a wave of combined waves, and upon realizing this existence was communicating with me, I replied.

‘Are you the planet?’

[That is correct]

‘…….’

Well, never imagined I would be talking to a planet…

Wait, how am I even communicating with it? How does that even make sense?

I was temporarily dumbfounded by this surreal occurrence and then spoke up.

‘Look, I didn’t mean to eat you. No need to thank me; I was just afraid I’d burst if I tried.’

[……]

After a moment of silence, the energy of that ‘planet’ spoke back.

[Because you saw me, I have acquired will]

‘……? What do you mean?’

[It will depend on your soul that bestows meaning to my existence]

‘What?’

[You will replace me]

In an instant!

‘Ugh!’

Suddenly, a lightning bolt surged, and the bluish energy leapt toward me. As I thought it was an unexpected attack, I felt a sharp pain in my arm.

There, I noticed bizarre symbols circling, things that couldn’t even be described. They were likely not truly existing in a physical sense.

Simultaneously, I felt the Thunder Soul within me roaring with a wild explosion of rage.

Kraaaaaa!

Boom boom boom!

In the following moment, the planet exploded!

I felt an amount of shock that surpassed imagination, causing my body to be thrown back. I had hoped it was a mere illusion, but it really did blow up. The primitive hellscape of a planet didn’t value lives, as the Wheel King’s throne suggested.

But with that explosion, an overwhelming wave began to cover my body, feeling like clay sticking to me.

Goooon…!

‘Wait? My body isn’t breaking apart…’

This was strange. No matter how big and strong this meteorite body was, the shockwave from the planet exploding this close should have claimed my form. Yet, unusually, my body wasn’t harmed; rather, I felt it rapidly absorbing the planet’s remnants through the Thunder Soul, growing bigger and stronger in the process. My entire being glimmered with the Thunder Soul’s lightning, refilling me with formidable power.

Bam!

I realized I had grown even larger as the thunderous resonance of the Thunder Soul rippled outwards.

What in the world is going on here?

I stood still for a while and then looked at my arm again. My size had multiplied many times over, yet the ‘something’ engraved in that arm still felt significant.

‘……’

Thinking of a possibility, I quietly spoke.

‘Your name shall be Blue Dude.’

And the moment I did, the metaphysical symbol engraved on my arm instantly transformed into the script <Blue Dude>, beginning to glow in a bluish light. As this unfolded according to my thoughts, I began to grasp what phenomenon was occurring.

‘…… I’ve obtained the [name] of the planet.’

The will that resided within that nameless planet.

For reasons unknown, it had suddenly become a part of me. I couldn’t comprehend why this entity had willingly bound itself to me, making me delve into complex thoughts. Essentially, does that mean that a planet could possess life? Moreover, I had essentially bestowed a name upon the awakened will of that planet.

And there was another tricky part.

Grrrr…

I sensed the storming energy of the Thunder Soul, now several times stronger, bubbling inside, and I let out a soft sigh.

‘Damn it… I never expected such power to manifest.’

I was now certain.

The Thunder Soul wasn’t just ‘power.’

It had its own will! It had a formidable violent streak and assertiveness beyond my control, a fact that couldn’t be interpreted any other way.

Why was it that when I handled the Thunder Soul in a human form, everything went swimmingly, but now that I attempted to manifest a body, it displayed its own will?

I wasn’t clear just yet, but perhaps the Thunder Soul had never truly revealed its real power due to a lack of opportunity. Maybe it had just come out of a dormant state after acquiring a body that suited its true level.

Grrrr…

‘……’

As I reveled in the overwhelming energy emanating from the now robust Thunder Soul body, I mumbled.

‘I need another way to keep the Thunder Soul in check. Just reaching the No-name Stage won’t be sufficient to control this thing…’

Using the intent from the Thunder God Sword Dance to wield the Thunder Soul was merely distracting it from my commands. If I wanted to use the Thunder Soul properly, I would need to force it into submission.

Suddenly!

I sensed an intense wave approaching from afar. This wave grew stronger and rushed toward me, a sensation unlike anything I had ever felt before.

‘Hmm. Is this the wave sense I only get when controlling the Thunder Soul?’

Though there was an enormous distance in the cosmos, it felt remarkably intuitive like watching a human sprinting toward me. Maybe waves convey information even faster and more instinctively than light.

I patiently waited for that existence to come close. After a while, it finally drew near enough for me to see it clearly.

A monster with a grotesque shape!

It was a being many times larger than the planet that could easily be dismissed as one. A horrific amalgamation of a tentacled lump that exceeded even my now Thunder Soul body! No, that description was lackluster, for its horrifying appearance was enough to drive any normal creature mad at first sight.

What was even more chilling was the horde of countless satellites orbiting around it. It felt as if it was a gargantuan planet or a star in its own right.

Kraoooon!

[Who are you… I am Ranimolthus, the ruler of this star realm… Present your identity.]

……

[The Old Ruler] after all…

I instinctively understood that I had invaded the territory of the being who was angry that I consumed a planet. I addressed Ranimolthus.

‘I’m Baek Woong.’

[…… I have never heard of someone like you… In any case, are you prepared to pay for your sins?]

‘Sins? What sins?’

Ranimolthus seemed mildly angry, and from his black eyes, radiant light flared up.

[You… dared to devour my star. I was nurturing it……]

‘……’

Uh… no excuse works here…

I felt the situation had spiraled out of my control as I frowned and spoke.

‘My bad, didn’t know it was yours. Can you send me to Earth instead? I need to get there.’

[Earth? I don’t know it… What is it?]

‘It’s the home of Nüwa and Fuxi, the descendants of Pangu, and Shennong, the king of the Giant Race. Seriously, haven’t you heard of it?’

[…… It sounds somewhat familiar….]

After replying, Ranimolthus began to sway his tentacles and said.

[But… there’s no reason for me to send you there… First, you must pay for devouring my star… ]

‘Hey, I didn’t know it was yours! Maybe put a tag on your star next time or something.’

[Not my concern… If you don’t return it, then it’s your life that will pay for it… ]

In that very moment.

Grrrr…

‘Huh…’

Abruptly, the furious energy of the Thunder Soul erupted within me. I felt an overwhelming impulse surge from my essence, and before I knew it, I was launching myself forward.

Boom!

[Kraaaaak.]

Ahh!

It was too late when I realized that I had unconsciously let the Thunder Soul manipulate my body and throw a punch. As Ranimolthus staggered back from the force of my blow, I panicked and yelled.

‘N-no, it wasn’t my will…!’

Boom!

Bam!

Even as I shouted, I continued battering Ranimolthus. The Thunder Soul seemed to recall my martial arts, unleashing dozens of punches using the Thunder God Fist and obliterating his tentacles in an instant.

As Ranimolthus was getting hit, he let out a furious shout.

[You… scoundrel…!]

‘……’

I keep telling you, it’s not my will!