전생검신 96권 04화

It was a story I couldn’t make heads or tails of, but before I could even think about the essence of it, I suddenly noticed that the surroundings I stood in were brightening up.

Light Flooding!

With a vast amount of light pouring down like a waterfall, I found myself standing in a space resembling a star crossroad where darkness and light coexisted. Here, the light created countless wavelengths, forming an invisible flow that felt entirely different from the air in the world I lived in. In front of me loomed a gigantic tree.

This tree was too small to be the World Tree. However, in this space, it radiated an overwhelming presence, continuously exuding immense spiritual energy as if it were a source of power. It felt like I was acutely aware of this plant’s breathing, which made me slightly uncomfortable, causing me to hesitate for a moment. Soon enough, a voice echoed through the air.

“What brings you here?”

Finally, the question emerged, just as Solomon had described. He had mentioned that he received the same question during his Thousand Sacrifices, and I braced myself, feeling like this was the true beginning, as I answered the Voice.

“I come to offer the waves of my Thunder Soul. And I desire a worthy return for that.”

“…….”

The Voice fell silent for a while.

Whoosh!

Then, slowly, a leaf from the tree fell irregularly, transforming into the shape of something real in an instant.

The transformed shape of the leaf was a woman with mysterious beauty and silver hair. Her attire was so different from any civilization I recalled that it added to her enigma. The silver hair reminded me a bit of Miho, yet she seemed entirely devoid of the energy that a living being should possess. I didn’t sense any divine power in her either, so I couldn’t gauge what kind of background she had.

I asked, feeling tense.

“Are you the Sealed One?”

“Yes. You stand before the Demiurge of this age.”

The silver-haired woman nodded slowly. She revealed her identity without hesitation and opened her mouth.

“Do you understand what the wave you offer truly is?”

I responded to the Sealed One‘s question.

“I don’t fully grasp it. But this isn’t divine power… I sense it absorbs the power of stars.”

“……. “

“It seems valuable to me, but if not, then there’s nothing I can do.”

The silver-haired woman lifted her eyes to gaze at me.

“Foolish one. Do you really think others will accurately assess the value of a treasure you do not even understand?”

Ugh…

I felt a sudden sting of realization hit home. Though stated indirectly, she was pointing out my thoughtless transaction. Still, I tried to shrug it off casually.

“Everyone learns from making losses on their first sale. If you’re deceiving me about its value, then I simply won’t trade with you next time, so it’s no big deal.”

“Ah, what a truly Demiurgic thing to say.”

For some reason, it felt laced with sarcasm. I couldn’t help but pout in response.

“So, do you truly understand what the Demiurge is? You’ve been spouting strange things since a while ago.”

“I know it well… I couldn’t not know.”

She muttered as if lamenting, then said after a moment.

“But it would be wise to correct that habit. Ultimately, it could become a trap that harms you.”

“Why are you suddenly lecturing me? Why should it concern you if I make a loss?”

I snapped back, feeling annoyed, but to my surprise, she delivered an unexpected remark.

“Should a choice arise as a binary option with no ‘next time,’ will you be able to make a selection you won’t regret?”

“……!!”

That statement felt like a sudden arrow to my gut. This situation encapsulated everything I unconsciously feared and worried about until now.

Binary options…

“The Reborn Person’s instinct” continued to amplify the dread connected to that term.

Is there something lurking in there?

As my mind went blank and my thoughts became muddled, she continued to speak.

“Inertia is fearsome. The Demiurge can overcome every other existence, but it cannot easily conquer its own inertia.”

“Inertia? What do you mean?”

“Even if your life repeats itself a myriad of times… The direction of life itself is cause and effect. The process and result are all part of life.”

Her eyes seemed to glow faintly.

“You may find yourself increasingly ruled by inertia, relinquishing your free will. The only thing that can assess the true value of a Demiurge is the footprints of the life you’ve walked so far.”

“…… Are you saying I should abandon my free will?”

I pondered the Sealed One‘s words, furrowing my brow.

“That doesn’t make sense. Inertia or whatever, I’m me. I’m always making choices for myself. Why should I forsake my free will in a binary choice?”

“How many repetitions have you undergone?”

It seemed she already knew I was a Reborn Person, so I didn’t bother to hide it.

“30 times.”

The Sealed One appeared slightly shocked at my answer.

“Is that so? That’s quite remarkable. You’ve accumulated such power in merely 30 repetitions?”

As she marveled, the Sealed One continued speaking.

“You may not fully grasp it yet since your count is still too low. However, as your life progresses, the karma itself will crush your self-identity.”

“You’re talking nonsense. Karma? What are you on about? Are you saying that as I reincarnate, I end up forming a goal that’s out of my control?”

“It’s not a goal. Rather it should be called regret and delusion.”

“……?”

“Life’s choices seem like infinite chaos, yet the very freedom you possess breeds greater self-restriction. Certain choices become impossible to achieve due to past karma, no matter how desperately you wish for them to come to fruition. If that accumulation of choices creates an inertia, resulting in cause and effect…”

She slowly cast her gaze into the void.

“Even if… you know that choice is wrong, there are times you must make it anyway…”

……

What on earth is she trying to say?

I wanted to dismiss this as nonsense—a pile of drivel—but somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to voice that opinion. The Sealed One’s words, though seemingly airy, resonated within me, holding a peculiarly captivating mystery. While logically they made no sense to me, my intuition told me that each phrase could hold significant clues regarding my past journey.

Suddenly, the Sealed One reached out her hand and summoned something from thin air.

Whoosh!

It was a book. Startled, I found myself gazing at the title and color of its cover.

“The Dead Sea Scrolls!”

After ten days of training in the dark arts on Planet Belial, I had memorized the format of this grimoire because Solomon had constantly shown it to me!

The black and gold fibers intertwined, bearing the insignia of the five stars of darkness in crimson relief—the title of the Dead Sea Scrolls was inscribed in some incomprehensible alien language, which Solomon had confessed he couldn’t read either.

Why did she summon the Dead Sea Scrolls?

As I wondered, the Sealed One held the scroll in her hands and started flipping through its pages. After a moment, she stopped and spoke.

“Oh Demiurge, I ask you. Do you believe there exists an immortal goodness?”

“……!!”

Here it comes!! Just like what Solomon had spoken about!

The Sealed One seeks a conviction about goodness!

I hadn’t imagined she would lay it out so plainly, but since I had anticipated the question, I didn’t become too flustered. I shared the thoughts I had contemplated throughout the past ten days.

“There is no immortal goodness, but there exists immortal evil.”

At my words, the Sealed One gazed at me with a piercing look.

“Explain why you think that.”

“Those who do good often think they themselves could turn evil. Meanwhile, those who engage in evil acts are well aware of their wickedness. If all morality is relative, then it implies that everyone has a greater chance of becoming evil—thus this world itself embodies evil, doesn’t it?”

“…….”

The Sealed One closed her eyes, deep in thought.

“This isn’t your own belief. Did Solomon tell you that?”

Huh!

I’ve… been caught!

I twitched slightly but forced myself to maintain a calm façade.

“Well… if it’s not wrong, then it doesn’t matter, does it?”

“What’s important is whether you resonate and agree with that answer. Do you have conviction in your words?”

“…….”

After pondering for a bit, I finally spoke.

“I don’t think it’s incorrect. No matter how good a person is, the world allows for easy corruption, doesn’t it?”

“Just because it’s not wrong doesn’t mean it’s right. Viewing the world itself as evil is a different dimension of the matter.”

“If in the relentless flow of the world the good suffer while evil flourishes, one could indeed argue that the world is fundamentally made of evil.”

At that, the Sealed One sighed.

“Ah! Within you already lies a lingering fury against the world. An unquenchable conflagration nests there, much like during the Tetra Grammaton era…”

“…….”

“O Demiurge, this indeed is the karma and inertia I spoke of earlier.”

“What do you mean?”

Her subsequent words shocked me.

“You carelessly brought Solomon’s answer, yet ultimately, you harbor your own agreement with it. That all stems from the karma built through your past life, your way of thinking… Do you think you can change that value system in an instant during life’s most crucial, irreversible moments?”

“……!!”

“Your free will has already become ambiguous. Your karma governs you.”

Ah!

The moment I realized the meaning of the Sealed One’s words, an overwhelming sense of embarrassment washed over me.

It felt as though no one had ever offered such insights before.

I murmured as if in a daze.

“…… Sealed One, you’re not fixated on goodness.”

Perhaps she was merely observing the karma that led me to that conclusion.

If that’s the case…

Thump.

At my words, the Sealed One closed the Dead Sea Scrolls. Then, she said,

“Remember, young Demiurge. The wall that all wise beings and superhumans have failed to surpass across the three thousand worlds is not the wall of ability… but the wall of one’s own karma.”

“…….”

“As long as you remain unaware of the one thing that can transcend karma, you shall never escape the bondage of this book…”

Whoooosh!!

In an instant, the air crackled between us, and light began to whirl chaotically. The world became so bright I could hardly see in front of me, and I felt as though every inch of my body was being penetrated by light, rendering me completely transparent.

This tremendous light… Did I feel it once before?!

Could it be…?

Zzzt!

The Sealed One’s form began to change. The beautiful silver-haired woman vanished, replaced by a giant with a body of light and horns, whose wings started unfurling. In that moment, this being showcased its power, and I felt an involuntary shrinkage of my entire being.

The universe contorted like crazy.

In the presence of that being, concepts of time and space became irrelevant.

The unfathomable might accumulated over eons was beyond my capability to gauge.

“Ugh… Ugh!”

This… doesn’t make sense…

This felt like the Metatron I had once vaguely sensed… yet beyond that power!!

The magnitude of the authority emanating from the Sealed One instilled such profound fear within me that I lost composure. How could the power of the Sealed One bound to the World Tree be at this level?!

As I stood there in daze, the giant with the horns flapped its wings dramatically and reached its hand towards me.

“My name is Demiurge Sophia. I am the wisdom that spans eons… In response to your Thousand Sacrifices, I will grant you your due.”

“……!!”

“The waves of stars you offered… Truly serve as the source of the laws of cause and effect that form the Great Universe… I acknowledge it as a great offering.”

I could see the giant’s eyes blazing with brilliance.

“You will become the agent of the World Tree for millennia to come.”

Bang!!

In the next moment, I felt it.

I was now connected to the World Tree.