전생검신 84권 19화

If I had been alone, I wouldn’t have had a clue about what was going on, but I couldn’t help but marvel at Zhuge Sa’s brilliant mind for leading me this far.

Then, feeling something odd in Zhuge Sa’s words, I tilted my head.

“Hmm? Given your status, you must have at least a few treasures like talismans or something…”

This wasn’t just random chatter. If Zhuge Sa had been automatically gaining my memories to increase his strength, he would undoubtedly have become a formidable being surpassing the Great Immortal. Plus, considering Zhuge Sa’s tendency to use any means necessary to gain power, it’s only natural to assume he would possess strong magical artifacts. Moreover, Zhuge Sa was known to keep a hidden ace up his sleeve for emergencies, which further added to the oddity of him claiming he didn’t have any treasures.

Then Zhuge Sa spoke.

“I mentioned it earlier, right? Personal reasons… I’m currently in the middle of a promotion, so I’ve poured all my belongings into the enhancement ritual. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything left at this time.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“I’d like to offer you power even by sacrificing humans, but I know you’d definitely reject that.”

“Promotion?”

“I don’t usually enjoy fighting directly, but I’m beginning to feel the need for more power.”

Saying this, Zhuge Sa glanced at the sky and continued,

“For now, let’s go find the Master of the White Lotus Sect. In Luoyang, where the Master reigns, there should be sufficient artifacts to restore you.”

Zhuge Sa’s proposal was straightforward and easy to understand, so I nodded right away.

“Alright. When do we leave?”

“Right now.”

Fwoosh – Swoosh –

A moment later, a massive steam-powered steel vehicle, loud and intimidating, came rushing down the tracks near where we were. The front of this gigantic vehicle had several steel men adorned with red gems from before. Zhuge Sa casually walked into the vehicle, and as I followed, he said with a serious tone.

“Let’s head to Luoyang.”

[Your Lordship.]

Fwoosh –

Bzzz – !!

As the mechanical voice responded, the clattering noise echoed, and the steel vehicle began moving along the tracks, releasing steam. Zhuge Sa stretched out in the spacious interior as if he owned the whole place, staring out the window, while I sat across from him.

“As you know, it’s not very far from Gaebong to Luoyang. It’s only about five hundred li, so we’ll arrive soon.”

Five hundred li may seem like a long way for an ordinary person, but neither Zhuge Sa nor I were average humans. I couldn’t help but grumble, feeling a bit perplexed.

“Hmm. It’s comfortable, sure, but do we really need to rely on this external contraption? With your skills, Zhuge Sa, you could probably use something like teleportation to reach Luoyang in the blink of an eye.”

At my words, Zhuge Sa chuckled softly.

“Haha, that would have been possible if it weren’t for the Great Flood.”

“…?”

“Since we’ve already left Gaebong, it couldn’t have been more perfect. Look outside.”

Clatter, clatter

I looked out the vehicle as directed by Zhuge Sa, and moments later, my eyes widened in shock.

“What… what is that?!”

Swishhh……

It looked like a flow of blood-red sand! The crimson sand was spread across the ground outside the tracks, giving it a desert-like feel. The sky had quickly turned into a pitch-black realm, creating a horrifying contrast of black and red. To make matters worse, bizarre stick-like branches popped up here and there, resembling tentacles, alongside grotesque stele scattered all around.

This was definitely not the familiar landscape of the Central Plains!!

Realizing this fact, I panicked as Zhuge Sa continued.

“What do you think? Right now, if an ordinary human steps outside the city, they wouldn’t survive even for a brief moment. It takes at least a first-class expert to barely keep their life intact.”

“T-This is insane…”

“Moreover, the density of magical power is so strong here that most techniques can’t be executed normally. Even for me, exploring beyond the city becomes a considerable hassle, so I intentionally use the railway to travel to Luoyang. This vehicle was specially designed to chase away all magic.”

“Zhuge Sa, what the heck happened?”

Zhuge Sa peered out at the dark sky and muttered.

“It resulted from the Great Flood when Tsukuyomi unleashed [Night]. The entire world has become polluted with magical energy from the flood.”

My mind began to race with confusion as I absorbed Zhuge Sa’s words.

‘The world has transformed into a Demon Realm.’

While it didn’t seem anywhere near as intense as Aokigahara Life Sea or Dark Heaven Village, the places I had seen were isolated spots away from the mortal realm. The current situation unfolding here was something different—it was global.

Shaking off my thoughts, I asked Zhuge Sa, “What do you mean by Tsukuyomi’s [Night]?”

Beep –

Clatter! Clatter!!

The steam noise and the grinding sounds of the railway tickled my ears. Zhuge Sa looked at the outside scenery and opened his mouth.

“[Night] and the Great Flood came simultaneously. To be precise, it was actually the moon god Tsukuyomi who first cast [Night], darkening the world before the flood began. And the magical energy from [Night] blended with the flood, tainting anything submerged in it.”

“……!!”

“We tried all sorts of methods to kill Tsukuyomi, the source of all evil, collaborating with the Celestial Realm, but it was useless.”

“Why? Was Tsukuyomi really that strong?”

“No. The problem was, we couldn’t even locate him. So no matter how much help we got from the deities, it was all pointless…”

“……”

What?

As I stood there dumbfounded, Zhuge Sa wore a bitter smile.

“Look at the sky again. Doesn’t something seem off?”

“Um… what’s wrong?”

“The moon is missing.”

“Ah.”

Now that he mentioned it, there wasn’t a single glimmer of light in that gloomy sky. I had assumed it was simply a moonless night, but apparently, that wasn’t the case. My expression turned serious, and Zhuge Sa continued.

“That’s not just a regular night; it’s the state of Tsukuyomi’s [Night] being enacted. In this world, there is no day; it’s perpetually night. The moon has long since vanished. The blue sky you saw while in Gaebong was due to the magical interference being blocked.”

“……!!”

“Additionally, in this state, no one can find Tsukuyomi’s existence. Even the assistance from the [Old Ruler] proved fruitless. It seems to be impossible, as suggested by Susanoo.”

“Impossible…!!”

“Plus, even if you were to locate him, that would only be the beginning of the problem. According to Susanoo, Tsukuyomi is invincible in the state of [Night], and there’s simply no way to defeat such an opponent, at least from the level of humans or immortals.”

“Um…”

This situation was worse than I imagined. As I let out a groan, Zhuge Sa reassured me.

“There’s no need to worry too much.”

“How can I not worry? If this continues, the world will be lost!”

“That’s right. But it’s you who returned, isn’t it?”

Zhuge Sa said in a relaxed tone.

“The world can be destroyed if it must. All that matters is that you can achieve something great in that scenario.”

“……”

“What about now? Are you still feeling drowsy and too weak to move?”

Prompted by his sudden question, I checked my own state and subtly nodded.

“Yeah. I still feel out of it and endlessly sleepy…”

Although I was forcing myself to stay awake, I was on the verge of dozing off the entire time. Since gaining monumental internal power, I hadn’t felt this drowsy unless I was before Master Mangnyang. It felt as if a demon was gripping my brain tightly, causing irritation.

Hearing this, Zhuge Sa nodded.

“Keep your wits about you. If my assumption is correct, the moment you fall asleep is the end.”

“Ah, got it.”

Just then.

Screechhh – !!

The massive steam vehicle barreling down the tracks suddenly screeched to a halt with an alarming sound. Zhuge Sa showed no sign of disturbance despite the sudden inertia, and neither did I, feeling almost weightless. Curious about this strange sensation, Zhuge Sa just asked.

“What’s going on?”

[Lord Zhuge Sa, ahead, the Chugma Army is engaged in battle with the Demon Beasts.]

“Hmm, understood. It’s the patrol enhancement period.”

Zhuge Sa spoke as if he knew exactly what was happening, but I was left confused, tilting my head.

“Chugma Army?”

“Ha, what a coincidence. Let’s go check it out.”

“……?”

“Follow me.”

Zhuge Sa stepped out of the vehicle, heading toward the outside of the tracks. As I trailed behind him, my feet touched the swaying red sand of the desert, and I was surprised by the intensity of the magical energy resonating through my toes.

‘The magical density is substantial. An ordinary person would go mad here.’

After walking approximately fifty paces behind Zhuge Sa, I found a battle unfolding.

Clang!! Bang!!

With loud metallic clashes, the air crackled with vibrant sword qi and saber qi. I raised my eyebrows as I watched about ten humans dart quickly, attacking the enemies.

‘Martial Arts Experts! Exceptional ones at that!’

If they could wield sword qi with such ease, they were definitely people regarded as masters in the martial world. Just as I was thinking they were likely elite disciples from a prominent sect, I noticed something peculiar about their appearance.

‘But why do these experts look like that?’

Each of them wore a strange mask that covered half of their faces and donned armor resembling that of military generals. The armor gleamed black, looking like it had been specially processed.

This was rather unusual. Generally, martial arts masters—especially exceptional ones—would prefer light clothing in combat since their qi-based attacks were immensely powerful, making heavy armor less practical. While military experts might wear armor, it wouldn’t be for dueling with other skilled martial artists; it was primarily for facing large numbers of enemies in battle.

Seeing masters dressed in such heavy armor was a rare sight.

And those masked experts were facing none other than Demon Beasts.

Grrrr!!!

Screaming with a bizarre cry, a shark-human hybrid beast, the size of a three-hallroom, swung its massive scythe, mercilessly attacking the humans. There were five of these shark-like monsters, outnumbering the humans two to one, but their massive size made it difficult for the humans to counter them.

As I watched the struggle between humans and monsters, something struck me.

“…Why are those Demon Beasts using martial arts techniques?”

Although they fell short compared to the refined techniques of the humans—at best, only second-rate—they were indeed displaying martial arts movements! They were even using basic footwork! No matter how large they were, the fact that they could engage in combat with twice their number of exceptional experts indicated why this was possible.

This sort of thing had never happened before. Whether at Aokigahara Life Sea or Dark Heaven Village, every Demon Beast relied only on their innate special abilities and physique; they never utilized martial arts techniques. The same went, more or less, for monsters as well.

“Hahaha!! You noticed!”

Zhuge Sa couldn’t help but laugh and said,

“They aren’t mere Demon Beasts. They can be classified as a new race.”

“A new race?”

“I’ll give a detailed explanation later. For now, we need to focus on our path ahead.”

Saying this, Zhuge Sa extended his hand forward, mimicking a grabbing motion.

Crackle!!

[AAARRRGGH!]

[AAAHHH!]

In an instant, the shark-human creatures crumpled like pieces of paper, dropping dead. The sight of massive creatures of such size dying in an instant was shocking, and the armored experts turned their gazes toward us.

Wide-eyed, I stared at Zhuge Sa.

“Zhuge Sa, what was that power?”

“What are you so surprised about? That’s clearly telekinesis.”

“B-but, your telekinesis is this strong…?”

I couldn’t help but be amazed. The distance between Zhuge Sa and the shark-human monsters was at least thirty paces, yet with a mere gesture, he crushed creatures that size! I had never seen anyone with such immense telekinetic powers, comparable only to the likes of Zhu Xian from the Great Bear Empire. What’s more, Zhuge Sa was originally a specialist in forbidden laws, meaning his telekinesis wasn’t supposed to be this strong!

With this level of telekinesis, Zhuge Sa could likely bend over and kill any average peak expert from a distance. As I stood there stunned, Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“Originally, landlord doctrines combine well with psychic capabilities. You just jumped several stages too quickly, but it’s natural to awaken supernatural abilities alongside—I’ve been training for quite a while.”

“Oh…”

“The only reason I can’t use all my power now is because I’m in the middle of a promotion.”

With that, Zhuge Sa addressed the approaching armored experts.

“Did I interrupt something, Chugma Army?”

Clank!!

The leading figure in black armor sheathed his long sword and removed his mask. The appearance of a Central Plains person was revealed—his face appeared to be in his forties and he offered a polite bow to Zhuge Sa.

“I am Woo Seol-chao from the 12th Chugma Army, here to meet Lord Zhuge Sa. Thank you for your deep graciousness.”

“Being from the 12th Chugma Army means you’re affiliated with Luoyang. What brings you all the way to Gaebong?”

“`

 

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