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Rebirth Sword God Volume 84 Chapter 9

“The Sealed Place of the South Continent is the location where Tezcatlipoca can be resurrected!!”

I was shocked by Lee Hwan-woong’s unexpected words and paused to think. Then I said, “To create a solar eclipse, I could use the help of Heuk Woong to perform the Taepyeong Sorcery with divine power…”

Previously, I had to rely on the Eight Trigrams Formation and surrounding sorcerers because I couldn’t successfully master the Taepyeong Sorcery. Of course, the same is true now, but this time I can compensate for my lack of skill by consuming divine energy.

‘Without Heuk Woong, even with divine power, I would feel like it was all forced, but now I have Heuk Woong with me.’

Heuk Woong would calculate the complex techniques derived from divine energy for me. When I glanced at Heuk Woong beside me, he confidently said,

[Leave it to me. Raising a solar eclipse should be easy.]

“Alright. That’s settled…”

I interlaced my fingers, looking at Lee Hwan-woong.

“But even if we resurrect Tezcatlipoca, there’s no way to control him, right? It seems you didn’t answer my earlier question.”

To gauge the power of Tezcatlipoca at his peak, he was definitely on par with the Three Sovereigns level as an Evil God. It was said that the gods of the Memphis Divine Temple could only defeat him when they combined their powers. He was strong enough to be recognized throughout the universe. If someone were to resurrect him without any plans, there would be no way to control him.

Then Lee Hwan-woong gave a strange smile.

“Baek Woong. You’re so focused on the immediate issue that you’re not thinking about the details.”

“What’s that? Detail… what?”

Lee Hwan-woong slowly walked while clasping his hands behind his back and continued speaking.

“Let’s think about why Osiris originally handed over the Navel of the Sun God to us. If there was a real possibility that the Navel of the Sun God could resurrect Tezcatlipoca, would Osiris ever give you that artifact, even in a wager?”

“Hmm…”

“Osiris suspects that the Navel of the Sun God is a ticking time bomb with the evil sorcery of Tezcatlipoca sleeping inside it. He doesn’t think that it would specifically promote the resurrection of Tezcatlipoca. If Osiris was that confident, it means that the Navel of the Sun God is definitely not an object that seals Tezcatlipoca’s body. If it were in the Divine Temple, they would have sealed the Evil God’s body separately.”

“…So, you’re saying that taking the Navel of the Sun God to Uluru and unsealing it wouldn’t lead to Tezcatlipoca’s resurrection?”

In response to my question, Lee Hwan-woong shook his head.

“No. Osiris is unaware, but you know something different.”

“And what would that be?”

“Most people believe that Tezcatlipoca is a complete Evil God alone, but in reality, Tezcatlipoca embodies [Darkness] and belongs to the Yin. There’s also a separate existence that coexists with him, which can be termed as [Light] and a Yang Spirit—only you know about that.”

My face hardened in fear at Lee Hwan-woong’s words.

“Quetzalcoatl!! No way…”

“That’s exactly the case.”

Lee Hwan-woong muttered as he looked at the Navel of the Sun God.

“In my opinion, that artifact is something created to seal away his [Light], Quetzalcoatl, before Tezcatlipoca was sealed. Since Quetzalcoatl was an unforeseen element, Osiris’s side probably never realized its true identity.”

“…!!”

“If we infer Tezcatlipoca’s intentions, if he was going to be sealed anyway, he might have planned to let the Yang Spirit out. If the Yang Spirit were eventually unsealed and resurrected with increased power, he could use that energy to break free from the seal.”

Is that round thing really Quetzalcoatl?!

I stared at the Navel of the Sun God in disbelief, then snapped back to reality and said, “Wait… even if what you’re saying is true, then if we create a solar eclipse and offer it, wouldn’t Quetzalcoatl be the one to come back instead? What’s inside there is Quetzalcoatl after all.”

“…Don’t panic. Think carefully about the sequence of events.”

Lee Hwan-woong sighed and continued.

“Offering an artifact containing Quetzalcoatl means that the offering devoted to the universal principle disappears. Therefore, you can’t resurrect Quetzalcoatl by offering him. Conversely, if you offer Yang Spirit Quetzalcoatl, it would actually lead to the resurrection of the Yin Spirit Tezcatlipoca, based on the principle of cause and effect, wouldn’t it?”

“Ah…!!”

“If you proceed with the offering ceremony, the Yang Spirit Quetzalcoatl will be sacrificed, and in exchange, the Evil God Tezcatlipoca will be resurrected.”

I tried my best to understand Lee Hwan-woong’s words.

After finally grasping the situation, I said, “…Isn’t that something we shouldn’t do? Why would we sacrifice good Quetzalcoatl to resurrect an Evil God?! Now that I think about it, it sounds strange!”

Quetzalcoatl was the good guy who stood by me in battles against Nyarlathotep in the outer universe, while Tezcatlipoca was the evil god who bombarded me with hundreds and thousands of spells. With that memory, the idea of sacrificing Quetzalcoatl to resurrect the Evil God made no sense.

As Lee Hwan-woong fell silent, I continued forcefully.

“Then let’s just unseal the Navel of the Sun God and resurrect Quetzalcoatl! That would be a hundred times better.”

“Hmm. I knew you would say that…”

Lee Hwan-woong let out a groan before replying.

“I’m only mentioning this as a last resort because it’s practically impossible.”

“What? Impossible?”

“The gods from the Divine Temple were also unable to identify the nature of the sorcery bound to the Navel of the Sun God and gave up. That means it’s sorcery that even a group of hundreds of ancient gods can’t break. The reason is that the Yang Spirit contains Tezcatlipoca’s last hope, so it would be a seal embodying all of his wisdom and magical power. How on earth do you think you would break that?”

“….”

“No matter how little you estimate, it would clearly take tens of thousands of years. Actually, mortals are basically incapable of even attempting it.”

As I lost my words, Lee Hwan-woong continued.

“In any case, Quetzalcoatl, the Yang Spirit, is fundamentally weaker than Tezcatlipoca, the Evil God. Therefore, sacrificing Quetzalcoatl to resurrect Tezcatlipoca and forming an alliance with him to quickly grow your influence is much more realistic.”

“No way, damn it… Where’s the logic in giving up without even trying?”

“From my perspective, it’s all the same in the end, so I just don’t see the value in making an attempt.”

Lee Hwan-woong said decisively, looking at me before continuing.

“When it comes down to it, what does it matter to you whether the divine beings are good or evil? You’re already on friendly terms with everyone from the Old Ruler to the Ancient Gods, right? So when considering efficiency, there’s no need for Quetzalcoatl specifically.”

“……!!”

“You asked me how to control him, but honestly, once you resurrect Tezcatlipoca, you can use the cause and effect of having resurrected him to draw him into the corporation in the same way. And, in fact, you don’t necessarily need to control him.”

“Don’t need to control him?”

“With your skill, escaping from a newly resurrected Tezcatlipoca would be quite easy. After all, humanity is still in a primitive state, so what difference does it make if an Evil God is resurrected? There are even more monsters running rampant in this era, so you wouldn’t have to feel any burden—risk is practically negligible.”

“…….”

“Once you’ve resurrected him, you can negotiate, and if he doesn’t accept, so be it… That’s all there is to it.”

Lee Hwan-woong spoke as if it were smooth, but I was left dumbfounded, unable to comprehend his mindset.

‘This… this guy… his moral compass is completely different from a normal person!!’

He was solely focused on efficiency and results!

In some aspects, he could be compared to Zhuge Sa, but unlike Zhuge Sa, this guy wasn’t mixing any personal feelings or values into his choices. He pursued pure efficiency mechanically, showing no particular thoughts on good versus evil, which set him apart from Zhuge Sa.

…I felt like I had encountered someone with this mindset before…

I blanked for a moment before snapping back to reality and saying, “…Still, I want to resurrect Quetzalcoatl if possible!! Isn’t there another way?”

“Hmm….”

I clenched my fists and shouted.

“If you’re a strategist, don’t just think about realistic solutions; bring out something wondrous that can break the reality!”

“You’re saying all sorts of things as if you’re not the one doing the thinking… In future society, people like you will be avoided the most.”

With a somewhat tired tone, Lee Hwan-woong muttered for a moment before stating.

“…There is a way to get help from the girl.”

“Ah! Then let’s go to the girl right away.”

“Wait a moment. No matter how much the girl is on our side, you have to think of all her help as debt. How much do you intend to rely on someone whose true intentions you cannot understand?”

“…….”

“It’s not an immediate issue, so let’s try to find a way to resolve it with our own strength.”

“That makes some sense.”

“We need more information about obsidian. I didn’t receive the memory transfer, so I don’t know many details your memories contain. If you know something, could you please share it?”

“Obsidian… you say….”

I diligently rummaged through my memories. After a moment, something came to mind, and I shouted, “That guy from the Black Sun once said that if you use obsidian containing the power of the constellation, you can gain the most powerful blessing during a solar eclipse!”

“Hmm…!!”

I remembered that detail from the 28th life within Sagong Lin’s memories. After hearing my words, Lee Hwan-woong’s expression showed curiosity as he said, “I’d like to know more. Can you explain the circumstances?”

I detailed the memories from Sagong Lin during my 28th life. After listening, Lee Hwan-woong muttered something as he thought and then spoke.

“…I see. Then it might be possible.”

“Is there a method?”

“I think there might be.”

A little while later, Lee Hwan-woong’s eyes sparkled as he declared, “Let’s search for Lemuria!! There just might be answers there.”

“…Lemuria?”

What was that again?

For a moment, I couldn’t remember and tilted my head, but Lee Hwan-woong spoke.

“You just mentioned that Oreycalcos, the king of Atlantis, talked about Lemuria. And the difference between Lemuria and Atlantis civilizations was constellation (星座).”

“Oh, right.”

“The king of Lemuria is an existence descended from the constellation. Also, a representative of the Ancient Gods. Considering that fact, there’s a high chance he knows something else about obsidian, which reacts most powerfully to the ‘power of the constellation.'”

“Oh!”

“And if it were me, I’d be confident in negotiating easily with the king of Lemuria.”

“Huh?”

What kind of confidence is this?

I stared at Lee Hwan-woong, bewildered, and he smiled confidently.

“Look at this.”

Whoosh!!

In the next moment, a strange machine was summoned near Lee Hwan-woong’s body. It looked unlike any machine from the civilization I knew, and as I watched, its form seemed to change slightly each time. The machine, which appeared to distort space itself, had something that sent chills down my spine.

“What’s that…?”

“That’s the ancient artifact known as the Lemuria Codex. By the time I lived, Lemuria had already perished, and the artifact of the Lemurian Emperor lay deep under the sea, but humanity discovered the Lemuria Codex during their exploration of ancient civilizations to battle aliens.”

“Hmm…!!”

“This has the ability to find any target regardless of what dimension they go to, but it has another power that… well, I’ll share that later.”

“Why keep something so amazing a secret?”

“I think it will definitely become evident while searching for Lemuria. Hehe.”

“Hmm.”

I pondered for a moment and then nodded.

“Alright, let’s find out where this Lemuria is.”

“Understood. It won’t take long.”

Whoosh!!

In the next moment, Lee Hwan-woong lifted the Lemuria Codex onto his palm and began to chant some strange ancient language.

[User control code 0000. I shall return to the left of the Lemurian Emperor!]

Swish…!!

Then, a rainbow light burst from the Lemuria Codex, creating a dimensional door in the air leading somewhere. Lee Hwan-woong glanced at the door and gestured to me.

“Go in first.”

“Why do I have to go in first?”

“This is the control code to directly enter the Lemurian Emperor’s palace. But it’s likely to be too dangerous since humanity has never tested this code. We don’t know what kind of traps there might be…”

“Ha, fine.”

When it came to the traps of ancient civilizations, it was reasonable to be cautious. So it made sense for me, who could disregard most traps with the power of divine energy, to go in first.

Swish

As I stepped inside the rainbow-lit dimensional door, I found myself standing in a vast palace filled with static energy. I had Heuk Woong check for any dangers in this place, and when Heuk Woong assured me it was alright, I brought Lee Hwan-woong in.

Gooo…

‘This is so different from any architectural style I know…’

I marveled as I surveyed the Lemurian palace only to see Lee Hwan-woong summoning the Lemuria Codex again.

Then he commanded the codex.

[User control code 0003. Probability variation initiated!]

Swish

In the next moment, it felt as if water was being sprinkled all around, and Lee Hwan-woong’s body seemed to take on a translucent form. I looked at Lee Hwan-woong in confusion, and he suddenly sharpened his gaze and said,

“……They’ve come!! That is….”

Boom!!

A massive creature made of dark rock suddenly appeared in front of us. The creature manifested in a distorted state of space-time, and I could feel its hollow eyes looking down at me. After a moment, it opened its mouth.

[Who are you to invade the royal palace bearing the seal of the Lemurian Emperor?]

I faced the creature directly and said, “I am Baek Woong. Are you the Lemurian Emperor?”

[…….]

After a brief pause, the creature slowly replied.

[Yes. I have heard of your reputation, but what is your business? O Great Being Baek Woong.]