---

**Rebirth Sword God, Volume 84, Chapter 14**

I stepped slowly into the depths of the Crystal Cave. As I walked, a chilling aura spread around me, and suddenly the colors of the world turned crimson. It was a clear sign of the otherworldly characteristics permeating the air, causing me to frown.

‘I’m starting to feel something…’

Undoubtedly, up ahead was a Demon Cave. If an ordinary person felt such an obvious aura of evil, they would surely go mad or hallucinate, succumbing to the magic around them. However, I remained unaffected, as the current level of magic could barely touch me.

What bothered me the most was the malevolent intent emanating from this magic source. If I were to visualize it through a human lens, it could only be described as a horrific tragedy. The kind of gruesome malice that even the most vile humans would struggle to conceive was prickling my brain. Such an unfathomable and otherworldly evil!

Surprisingly, I hadn’t encountered this level of malevolence since coming to this past. Even when I met those whom I dubbed Evil Gods, they were so powerful that they didn’t feel the need to exude evil. I reflected on the level of malevolence I had only felt when the world was plunged into extreme chaos, mumbling a moment later.

“… This isn’t Divine Malice.”

[You are perceptive, Master.]

Heuk Woong, who followed me, chimed in.

[This is the malice and magic of those who worship the Evil God. However, it was contained within the protective barrier that we just passed, making it hard to detect.]

Was he referring to that orange glow I felt just moments ago?

In that case, Heuk Woong’s ability to sense the concealed magic from such a distance was impressive.

Nodding thoughtfully at Heuk Woong’s words, I asked, “Does Emperor Lemuria I know about this?”

[He must. The dimensional passage leading here seems infused with science and technology.]

“Hm…”

Could this truly be a place hidden by Emperor Lemuria I?

I mused quietly and proceeded carefully, while Heuk Woong came up beside me, saying, [There’s a den of small fries up ahead. Let me go clean them out first.]

“Huh? I can handle it myself…”

[The evil ones use very dirty tactics, so using martial arts against them would be foolish! Conserve your power, Master. This place feels peculiar; it may be wise to prepare for a quick escape if needed.]

“Hmm.”

Is it possible there are foes I can’t handle even with my current strength?

‘Can such a monstrous being really be hiding in this stinking dump? No way…’

Despite thinking there was no way, I nodded at Heuk Woong’s words.

“Okay, I’ll leave it to you.”

Guuuur!

Moments later, a portion of my power was transferred to Heuk Woong, who grew to an enormous size, reaching the cave’s ceiling. As soon as he expanded, Heuk Woong soared forward like a ghost, and soon after, loud screams filled the air ahead.

[Kiieek!]

[Kraaaak!!]

Phwaaa!

Kwah!!

Hearing the sounds of something bursting apart, I pushed forward and eventually saw the remnants Heuk Woong had cleared away. Once again, I couldn’t help but frown.

“The entire earth is tainted by magic.”

As I ventured deeper, it became like a different world altogether. An indescribable stench filled the air, with warped creatures sprawled out on the ground, their eyeballs rolling along the walls. It seemed many small monsters had existed, but they were completely ripped apart by Heuk Woong’s hidden weapon.

Chwap!

While I was walking, a massive tendril-like appendage, torn apart by the hidden weapon, suddenly sprang to life and attacked me. I lightly grabbed the writhing tendril and examined it closely.

‘It definitely suffered under the cave’s magic. Yet its inherent life force is so strong that it attempts to regenerate, regardless of the magic devouring it.’

To think it could awaken against the magic here! I had hardly seen such a strong Demon Beast before.

Phwaaa!

I tightened my grip and crushed the tendril, moving forward once again.

‘Trusting Heuk Woong turned out to be the right choice.’

Had I attempted to breach this myself with martial arts, I might have found it surprisingly tedious. It was reassuring to have someone like Heuk Woong by my side.

A bit later, I spotted Heuk Woong floating nearby. Having already covered a distance of five ri, he had shattered thousands of entities and now stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing at something. I approached him, startled.

“What is this?!”

Swooooooosh—

Before Heuk Woong lay a massive ocean!

A dark sea engulfed in cloud seas stretching infinitely to the horizon!

I cried out in disbelief.

“Isn’t this supposed to be close to the abyss of the underworld?! Why is there an ocean here?!”

[……]

“Could it be a subspace?”

To my question, Heuk Woong shook his head.

[No. Rather, it seems like the entire dimension has been fused together.]

“You fused dimensions?”

[And it seems they’re directly connected to the faraway Star Realm… But to attach it to this fragile reality is nothing short of staggering power.]

“……”

[That ocean likely possesses a true otherworldly space located billions of light-years away. The troubling part is that the ocean’s depths may contain a red giant.]

“Eh? What did you just say?”

Pointing at the ocean below, Heuk Woong said.

[Focus. There’s an immense heat buried deep under there.]

“Hmm…?”

Following Heuk Woong’s instructions, I concentrated my divine power to sense the ocean. As he had said, I detected something incredibly large and hot buried at an unfathomable depth, its size astronomical in nature. When I realized it was a red giant, I was taken aback.

“There’s an ocean capable of containing a red giant?! How can such a dimensional realm exist…?”

What else could this be called but cosmic in scale?

Staring at the nonsensical space before me, I felt my mind going blank.

[The universe is vast; it might be possible. And such feats can only be achieved through divine power.]

Heuk Woong crossed his arms and continued.

[It seems we can still turn back without digging deeper. If we enter that ocean, we’re sure to encounter a divine being, but the choice is yours, Master.]

“Hmm…”

I pondered for a moment before asking Heuk Woong, “You said Emperor Lemuria I would know about this as well. Did he have a hand in creating this place?”

[…… I don’t think so. While he might be a renowned magician capable of transforming into an elemental spirit, his level is too low to have influenced this space.]

“Then?”

[He’s likely aware but desperately hopes the master of this space doesn’t break into reality.]

“That sounds plausible.”

As I nodded at Heuk Woong’s deduction, he asked, [What will you do?]

A moment later, I made my decision.

“Let’s go in.”

[Are you sure?]

“I promised to protect the continent of Lemuria. And the master of this place is highly likely to be a threat to that realm. Given the situation, it makes sense to eliminate the source of the problem.”

[That makes sense. But…]

Heuk Woong hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

[No. I will follow your will.]

Guuuur!

Heuk Woong expanded his hidden weapon moments later. The enormous hidden weapon grew to the size of hundreds of blades, flying forward at his command, appearing to be absorbed by an invisible barrier.

Kskk… Crack!!

Then, moments later, it seemed that the absorbed hidden weapon shattered the space, creating a new passage. Heuk Woong easily broke the dimensional seal and shrank back down, returning to my side.

[Master, promise me you’ll flee if things go south.]

“Of course.”

Swish…

As I stepped into the dimensional door, I felt a splash of sound and found myself standing on the cloud sea. The moment my foot landed, I realized my shoe’s sole instantly melted away.

“Whoa!”

It wasn’t just my shoes that melted. My clothes disintegrated in an instant! My body remained unharmed, leaving me perplexed, but Heuk Woong beside me explained.

[The temperature of this ocean seems to exceed billions of degrees. Naturally, any tangible material would melt away. If you hadn’t enveloped your body with divine power beforehand, you would have perished in less than 0.1 seconds.]

“What the hell! How is water not disintegrating at that temperature? Does this even make sense scientifically?!”

[It’s a space created with divine power, so why would it adhere to typical physical laws? This ocean isn’t genuine water but another cosmic entity.]

“Damn… there’s no helping it.”

Splash!

I quickly created clothes made solely of divine power. Normally, I wouldn’t go to such lengths, but this place was far too bizarre. I flew over the endless foggy sea, but even at my full speed using Light Body Technique, the scenery changed not at all.

‘Damn it… The distance must be cosmic, right…? I can’t possibly be traveling light-years at that speed…’

What on earth was the intention behind fusing such a space with the earth’s mantle?

Was this person nuts?

As I pondered, I sensed a colossal shadow of darkness approaching from the horizon.

I halted, realizing something was advancing, and soon dark clouds filled the sky, causing starlight to shimmer brightly. Suddenly, stars that had never appeared before manifested in the sky, and as I looked up, a divine voice echoed in my ears.

[I have been hiding the light of the Twelve Palaces of the Yellow Emperor, which was obstructing the maintenance of the space. However, due to your divine power interfering, I had no choice but to reveal the constellations.]

Thud!

That one voice sent a tremble through my chest. The weight of the immense [power] attached to that utterance was intense.

‘This guy… is strong!’

I immediately felt it. This figure before me had to be the [Old Ruler]!

I turned my gaze toward the eerie figure appeared above the dark sea, questioning, “Are you the master of this space… huh?”

And in the next moment, I stumbled over my words from the familiar feeling that washed over me. I felt as if I had seen this figure somewhere before.

Moments later, the feeling of déjà vu struck me, and without realizing it, I shouted, “[The One Who Turns the Stars]?!”

[……]

Yes.

Standing before me was a bizarre creature, half-human, half-cephalopod! While it wasn’t much different in size from an ordinary human, the power it possessed far surpassed any common sense!

The [One Who Turns the Stars] let out rays from its white eyes and spoke.

[To discern my identity at a glance, you are indeed an uncommon being of divine status.]

“No, it’s just that…”

I found myself fumbling for words, unable to articulate my thoughts.

Why on earth was it here?!

I’d met this being when I was fighting against the Sea God in the past. Jeon Wook had fought against the [One Who Turns the Stars] back then. Although Jeon Wook hadn’t used his full power, he still hadn’t easily defeated [The One Who Turns the Stars] due to its unparalleled magical prowess.

What is going on…?

I felt as if I’d overlooked something important.

As I continued to flounder in confusion, [The One Who Turns the Stars] briefly fluttered its wings before saying,

[I kindly ask you to leave. It is unauthorized for outsiders to enter this space.]

“……”

[Also, please agree not to return. If you do not leave, I shall demonstrate my powers.]

Kukukuku!!

With that, [The One Who Turns the Stars] unleashed an intense magical power, summoning countless magic circles around itself. Each circle was imbued with incredible energy, unmistakably indicating that the being was dead serious.

‘This is insane…!!’

There was no denying the formidable foe standing before me.

Based on what I had seen in the past, this being was undoubtedly equivalent to the Three Sovereigns in power.

In fact, under usual circumstances without divine power backing me, facing such a celestial being was unimaginable.

‘And it specializes in magic… If I mistook it, I could be in serious trouble.’

Through and through, I sensed that challenging [The One Who Turns the Stars] here was a dangerous gamble. I’d need to bring a formidable ally if I wanted any chance against it.

Thus, I reluctantly opened my mouth, unable to resist the tension.

“Okay…”

But just then.

“……?”

[The One Who Turns the Stars] had made an appearance to save the Sea God during the time I fought it.

Then, why had it tried to save the Sea God?

Simply as an ally?

… No, the [One Who Turns the Stars] had clearly looked down on and despised the Sea God as a lesser being.

Yet, there must be a compelling reason for its desire to save the Sea God.

That reason is undoubtedly tied to ‘that city’s’ guardian.

In a flash, understanding dawned on me, and I murmured unconsciously.

“Le Rue.”

[The One Who Turns the Stars]’s eyes sparkled intensely.

From that reaction, I gained a glimmer of assurance and pressed on.

“… Le Rue is here, isn’t it?”

Le Rue.

A legendary city in the underworld where hundreds of [Old Rulers] are said to slumber.

This place is rumored to be located somewhere in the sea, and I had witnessed its scenery countless times while using Golden Lamp.

[……]

[The One Who Turns the Stars] didn’t reply to my words, merely gazing at me intently.

Without a doubt.

I punctuated my thoughts by pointing at the dark sea beneath my feet.

“Le Rue hasn’t yet manifested on the surface, has it? Because it needs time to be summoned from that distant Star Realm!!”

[……]

“And you are the guardian of this space until that summoning ritual concludes!”

At my shout, [The One Who Turns the Stars] raised a hand.

Then, slowly lifting both hands, it began to applaud.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Its human-like gesture held my gaze, and for the first time, [The One Who Turns the Stars] seemed to smile in an eerie way.

[Excellent. To uncover the truth is indeed praiseworthy.]

“……”

[However, you would have done better to flee rather than reveal that fact to me. Now you’ve given me yet another reason to treat you as a threat.]

Then, after a brief pause, the next words from [The One Who Turns the Stars] plunged me into darkness.

[My master shall descend now.]

Kukukuku

The constellations of the Twelve Palaces of the Yellow Emperor were being devoured by the dark sky.

And I – met the gaze of the evil god beyond the void’s shadow.