827——————==

True Martial Home

There was a moment of silence.

Then, the Master of the Twelve Joules spoke up.

“What’s going on?”

I looked at him and said, “The reasons for handing over the Heavenly Secret haven’t been clearly explained, and you’ve just been telling me to trust you since earlier. As if it’s just going to work out that way… But I’m honestly not sure what’s in it for me if I hand over the Heavenly Secret.”

This was no trivial matter.

Giving up the Heavenly Secret meant giving away everything I had.

“You mentioned extracting Rebirth Ability,” he retorted.

“And what’s that going to do for me?”

“I guess I didn’t elaborate. If we extract your Rebirth Ability, you could rebirth alongside me, meaning you wouldn’t have to individually give your companions memories with obsidian.”

“……”

“For instance, what if we snagged Jin So-cheong as a companion right after your rebirth 50 years from now? I bet we could unravel the secrets of the world way quicker than ever before.”

It was a tempting proposition. I felt it was certainly alluring.

“That’s true.”

“Now that feels like a solid explanation, so the Heavenly Secret…”

But again, I shook my head.

“I’m not giving it to you.”

“Why on earth not?”

“I need you to tell me more about the Primordial Void and what you’ve been through in the future. I can’t say I have enough understanding of you, so I cannot hand over the Heavenly Secret.”

The Master of the Twelve Joules, resting his chin on his hand, replied, “The bad habit of a Reborn Person has surfaced. You always want to dig up the other party’s information first. You think since you can be reborn infinitely, once you get the info from me, it’s like you have no further needs, huh? Treating me like some NPC.”

“Can’t argue with that logic. But, other than the fact you’re from the future, what concrete evidence is there? While you seem generous with your words, you haven’t told me anything truly important, which makes you untrustworthy.”

“Oh, but I’ve expressed concerns you’d run off after just hearing my info since you’re a Reborn Person. Given you’re in a much better position than a mere Mortal like me, isn’t that explains why we should negotiate?”

“That might be true.”

“Well then, I can’t see why you’d refuse my offer any longer?”

I ended up spilling my true feelings.

“…I have my reasons, but still, I don’t.”

“Heh heh… Is that the intuition of a Reborn Person?”

“……”

Honestly, this was my only reason for refusal.

Intuition!

That fuzzy tickling feeling at the back of my head was something that arose when I knew things were going wrong during a rebirth. Whenever that feeling came, if I didn’t change my choice, it would lead to serious consequences.

While that feeling was uncertain and untrustworthy, as someone living amid complete chaos where I couldn’t see a step ahead, it was something I clung to even more than clear logic.

I simply couldn’t trust the Master of the Twelve Joules –

It was a simple statement, yet I found myself fixating on it. The moment I trusted him, I had this gut feeling something would hit me from behind –

An anxiety that felt like my skin was being flipped inside out!

The Master of the Twelve Joules remarked, “Okay, so you’re really against getting blindsided, huh? In that case…”

His eyes sparkled.

“How about I explain what the Primordial Void is, something I’ve researched in the future?”

“……”

Persistent, isn’t he?

I thought he’d give up!

I muttered, overwhelmed by the Master of the Twelve Joules’ commitment.

“…That doesn’t exactly give me the answer I want, though.”

He was still dodging providing the past details about the Primordial Void.

To me, it felt like the info on the Primordial Void was far more vital, so why was he being so evasive?

The Master of the Twelve Joules sighed.

“Fine, that’s enough. Can you ease up on the greed? If we join forces, it’s bound to be a hit, yet you still can’t trust what others say?”

“…….”

“If this explanation doesn’t persuade you, you can completely give up on it. What it means to send the Primordial Void’s resonance through the Heavenly Secret.”

I nodded reluctantly.

“Please give me that.”

While I was at it, I might as well pretend to be fooled one more time.

There was nothing to lose.

The Master of the Twelve Joules stood up, walked toward the screen in front of him, and projected a holographic image.

Wiying

In the video, a man’s face appeared. He was a Western man I’d never seen before. With slightly sunken eyes and a pale complexion, he still radiated a strong will from deep within. He was a tall figure with relatively large eyes and nose.

A quintessential Western appearance, with brown hair. Judging by his mid-40s features, the Master of the Twelve Joules broke the silence.

“Do you know who this person is?”

“No idea.”

“That’s Dr. Faust from Germany. The key figure in what I’m about to discuss.”

“Dr. Faust… as in…?”

“Yeah. He was the one who helped you rescue the Western Guardian, Berus, during your 24th rebirth.”

It clicked.

[Berus. Dr. Faust. Assist them.]

[We need someone to draw the enemy’s attention. Surely we can’t break through this barrier unnoticed.]

[Baek Woong, I’ll take on that role. If things get noisy, I’ll step in.]

[He’s the greatest scholar in Germany and a symbiosis being. He unlocked his own contradictions while he was researching technology humans created to battle rulers. You must enter before he loses his sanity.]

Back then, Dr. Faust had been in charge of distracting the enemy when we infiltrated the Governor’s Office of the British Empire, the base of the Western Sorcerers. He possessed transformation abilities and, when he morphed into a creature that looked like a dark ball of chaos, displayed combat capability far surpassing that of an Absolute Realm master.

I hadn’t encountered him much since, but seeing that he was among companions like Berus and Merlin indicated he was part of an influence guarding humans from the otherworldly races.

Staring at Dr. Faust’s face, I said, “Back then, he wore a top hat and a plague doctor mask, so I couldn’t see his face… That’s why I didn’t recognize him.”

“If we take him as he is now, he’s probably around 250 years old. And thanks to his efforts, the plague in Europe has been alleviated, going by the alias Nostradamus.”

“Nostradamus?”

“Although it’s the name of a prophet, it’s also the alias he uses publicly.”

I hadn’t heard of him.

I wasn’t particularly interested but nodded vaguely.

“I see. So Dr. Faust is alive even after 500 years?”

“Of course, he is now a Grand Master leading the advancement of human science and technology. And he’s also my mentor.”

“…Excuse me?”

Your mentor?

When I looked at the Master of the Twelve Joules in surprise, he continued, “But not at this moment.”

“Were you a scholar studying science?”

Science refers to a systematic body of knowledge and philosophy about nature.

Martial Arts also included science, as alchemy thrived in tandem with it, so it wasn’t something I couldn’t be familiar with. Wasn’t it enough to learn arithmetic or mathematics to survive?

Then the Master of the Twelve Joules said, “It’s both yes and no… Anyway, he is one of those who separated science from magic, promoting it among the common people, along with sorcerers like Even Sinha and Thomas Aquinas. Somehow, science seems to be advancing much faster than it originally did…”

“……..”

“He used to be a powerful alchemist, but determined to save humanity, he immersed himself in science and alchemy. Dr. Faust believed that pure scientific power could surpass the power of magic, achieving independence for humans. In other words, he believed a god of physics—Deus Ex Machina—exists somewhere in dimensions, beyond the interference of all Human Sacrifices and Old Rulers. He aimed to advance pure science as much as possible to reach that god before the fateful revelation occurred and allow humanity to escape this planet.”

“Umm.”

“Of course, all of this was kept a secret from ordinary humans. No one noticed his influence and intentions as electricity was invented, airplanes soared through the skies, and all economic activities turned to digital currency… The world appeared peaceful on the surface.”

I struggled with understanding the Master of the Twelve Joules’ claims.

“Now, the British Empire and Western powers openly succumb to the forces of magic. The world is on the brink of destruction within a few decades, yet you say it’s peaceful 500 years from now?”

“That’s the unusual part. And that might be due to you.”

“What do you mean?”

Suddenly, the Master of the Twelve Joules glared at me.

“In the timeline I lived, firearms had not reached the point of producing shells at this stage. Do you know it would take another three centuries for firearms utilizing shells to develop? Originally, this era was one of superhumans dominated by martial arts experts and sorcerers, where the best Western firearms were merely matchlock guns. But since you began your rebirth, Western technology has been advancing incredibly fast. What else could be the cause if not you?”

“……”

“Putting that aside… So, just years before the revelation, incidents erupted. Cults staged simultaneous revolts across the globe, and Dimension Doors opened everywhere. The Absolute Evil, the Old Ruler, never showed up directly, yet even just the power of his subordinates completely eclipsed human civilization’s capabilities.”

“Is it the Nine Lotus Sect?”

“They didn’t go by that name in our era. More accurately, multiple factions like the Nine Lotus Sect appeared simultaneously.”

“Mult… multiple factions?”

“Martial artists like you couldn’t even think about taking down bishops or masters since we were caught off guard.”

I was dumbfounded.

Multiple factions like the Nine Lotus Sect!

Even just the bishops or masters of the Nine Lotus Sect wielded insane power, able to wipe out an entire Celestial Realm.

What chaos could it possibly create if dozens of such cults emerged?! Seeing my astonishment, the Master of the Twelve Joules chuckled.

“Medieval warrior Baek Woong. The era I lived in was truly the end times. Not a metaphor, but an actual period right before the world’s demise, with no chance left to fight back with human strength.”

“So what happened?”

“We did our best to fight back, but… as I mentioned, ruin ensued.”

“…….”

“However, during the great war of those final days, Dr. Faust discovered one crucial fact: martial arts were most effective against beings of chaos.”

“Martial arts… you mean?”

The Master of the Twelve Joules nodded.

“You might not realize since all you’ve faced are god-level chaos, but ordinary Demonic Beasts and monsters were easier to handle for those trained in martial arts.

Magic based on chaos or techniques borrowing the power of Fuxi often had reduced effectiveness against chaotic beasts. This was because the Old Rulers granted boons to their subordinates, enhancing their strength…”

“……”

This was truly the worst. If, even now, I couldn’t claim I was great with magic or techniques against beasts, what kind of chaos would arise when everything filled with chaos, and monsters became empowered by divine forces?

“Thus, as the war dragged on, humanity dug up ancient and medieval martial arts to study. While researching Qi, they stumbled upon what you recognized as the Primordial Void.”

Having said that, the expression of the Master of the Twelve Joules sharpened.

“The essence created when Qi is fully decomposed, the Primordial Void! Thanks to discovering the resonance of the Primordial Void, humanity’s lifespan was extended by several more years, since sending the resonance of the Primordial Void dissolved beings of chaos.”

“It dissolved?!”

“Yeah, it melted away. It completely negated them.”

Hearing that, I was filled with ecstatic joy.

‘Just as I thought!! Using the power of the Primordial Void could lead to Divine Killing!’

My choice to delve deeper into martial arts and reach the Absolute Realm wasn’t misguided!

I cheerfully asked him, “Where’s the weapon that emits the resonance of the Primordial Void? If I have that…”

“Unfortunately, it’s not a mass-produced weapon. We only managed to create one using all of humanity’s technological prowess. And that ultimate weapon is right here, on the Old Continent.”

Snap

Fingers snapped by the Master of the Twelve Joules, and with a humming sound, a bizarre weapon with six barrels appeared from thin air.

Though it looked small enough to seem like a single person’s size, he declared, “Though I called it an ultimate weapon, this Reincarnation Cannon isn’t usually employed for combat. It’s primarily used for observing multiverse phenomena.”

“Multiverse phenomena?”

“The true value of the Primordial Void isn’t merely its capacity to dismantle chaos. Its real ability manifests when fused with chaos.”

Flabbergasted, I widened my eyes at the Master of the Twelve Joules’ next claim.

“When the Primordial Void merges with pure chaos, you can traverse through the multiverse, allowing time jumps.”

“……!!”

“Of course, even the Reincarnation Cannon alone wouldn’t provide the necessary output for a singularity, so when I came to this era, I relied on the World Tree’s fruit, the Apple of Good and Evil. Even uniting two divine artifacts was a risky gamble.”

Only then did I grasp the words of the Master of the Twelve Joules.

“…If the Heavenly Secret has the ability to cross the multiverse, it could react with the Primordial Void’s Reincarnation Cannon to allow for ultimate free ‘Rebirth’.”

“Exactly! Hehe. You won’t even need the hassle of harvesting the World Tree’s fruit to leap through the multiverse.”

The Master of the Twelve Joules walked amiably beside the Reincarnation Cannon and continued, “If you bring me on as a companion and I succeed in researching the Heavenly Secret… you’ll avoid your hard-trained companions from resetting.

Every other companion would transition to the next cycle as well, and with just a century’s effort, you and your companions might just casually defeat the Three Sovereigns. Particularly, if you nurture Jin So-cheong or Cheon Woo-jin well, they should easily take down regular apostles!”

“Umm.”

“It doesn’t seem like you need to deliberate any further. Now, hand over the Heavenly Secret.”

I was deeply tempted by the Master of the Twelve Joules’ words.

At this point, it truly didn’t seem reasonable to refuse solely based on that ‘gut feeling’. With such enormous gains in sight, it would be absurd not to give it!

Alright, I made up my mind.

I shouted resolutely, “I still refuse!”

“……..”

“I won’t give you the Heavenly Secret.”

Lurch

The Master of the Twelve Joules seemed taken aback, stumbling momentarily. My response appeared genuinely unexpected, revealing his surprise even through the veil.

There was a stark difference from how he had reacted earlier; it truly looked like he revealed a crack in his composure. In a somewhat flustered voice, he asked, “…Why?!”

I answered that with conviction.

“Even if I don’t know what a multiverse is, it doesn’t imply that crossing it guarantees a ‘reset’ can be achieved.”

“What…?”

“Isn’t that so?”

Swish

I unsheathed my sword and glared at him.

“Master of the Twelve Joules, Ha Eun-cheon. Your desire for my Heavenly Secret isn’t merely for its ability to inherit the Rebirth through the Reincarnation Cannon.

Rather, it’s because… there’s no replacement for my Heavenly Secret anywhere in this world.”

“……”

“‘Multiverse’ and ‘Great Cycle’ aren’t the same thing.”

This wasn’t just intuition.

It was an undeniable, ice-cold discomfort!

He was not providing clear explanations about the ‘multiverse’ and ‘Great Cycle’, only skimming over the vague details where he tossed words that suited him. Such a conversational style was only utilized when someone was trying to deceive another!

If the multiverse and the Great Cycle were indeed different, then why did Ha Eun-cheon claim there was only a ‘one-time’ opportunity?

Standing next to the Reincarnation Cannon, Ha Eun-cheon remained silent.

He only stared at me quietly.

I declared firmly, “I’ve made my decision. Whether it leads to my death, I will no longer compromise with you.”

“Well…”

In the next moment, I felt the Master of the Twelve Joules give a smug grin.

“You’re no fool after all. Then it seems I have no choice but to seize that ability by sealing it.”