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**Rebirth Sword God Volume 95 Chapter 08**

Thwack!!

The fierce punch of the Thunder God Fist pierced near the core of the Old Ruler, Ranimolthus, as tentacles burst forth, burning along with the thunder light. Ranimolthus screamed as if this strike had caused it immense pain.

[Kyaaa!! You bastard!]

Whoa!

At the same time, I felt a powerful magical energy surge from Ranimolthus’ entire body, greatly distorting the flow of time and space, causing me to tense up.

‘… Divine power is manifesting! That means…!!’

Is it moving the Small Cycle?

And my guess was not wrong. The moment I sensed that Ranimolthus’ divine power had reached its peak, the body that the Thunder Soul was mercilessly pounding was restored without a scratch in the blink of an eye!

Whoosh!

An act of returning time to the past and recovering! The most basic method of using divine power and the most effective strategy that makes existential beings recognize the overwhelming difference! No matter how much damage was done, reverting time to restore the damage would lead to inevitable despair. I was already well aware of how advantageous that ability was from my experiences in the Training World.

‘Ugh. Should I fight properly now?’

Of course, I possessed divine power too, so I wasn’t weak enough to lose my fighting spirit to such a trick. However, I was still unaccustomed to the sudden situation of having an all-out battle against an Old Ruler.

Grrr…!!

‘Ah, this thing again!’

I was startled when the Thunder Soul began to roar from within me, exuding strong violence again. For some reason, it seemed to be rampaging as if it had its own will. Since I still struggled to control this Thunder Soul, I could only watch as it went berserk once more.

Roar!!

Energy filled my left arm, radiating thunder light so intensely that it briefly illuminated the cosmic space, and then suddenly, it reached out to grasp Ranimolthus’ tentacles tightly.

Flash!!

Smash!

‘……!!’

At that moment, something unbelievable happened. As if the time and space were shattering like glass, Ranimolthus’ restored body was being reverted back to how it had been just before! Covered in blood and rags, Ranimolthus seemed quite startled and screamed.

[Ugh… to turn back the Cycle again… Are you asking for it? Don’t you realize that if this thread is unraveled, both you and I will be left bloodied?!]

What…?

Before I could even think about the meaning of those words, the Thunder Soul let out a ferocious scream.

Kyaaa!!

Bang!

Without restraint, countless blows from the Thunder God Fist rained down, and along with the rumbling sound, Ranimolthus was left hit senseless. At the same time, I realized that this Thunder Soul was progressively drawing on my own divine power.

Ugh… This thing, could it be that Ranimolthus is loading my divine power into its fists to make it hard for me to recover from the Small Cycle?

I was flabbergasted by the thought that this Thunder Soul was rampaging without my command while also having a systematic strategy of its own. How could a bundle of Thunder Soul move so autonomously?

But it seemed Ranimolthus wasn’t about to just take it either.

[Alright… Let’s properly fight then!]

In an instant, a dark light rose from Ranimolthus’ colossal eyes, and I felt like the entire cosmos was tinted green for a short moment.

Grrr! Grrr!

An intensely terrifying green that almost dulled the senses! It felt as if I was trapped in a swamp, and the stars all around were dissolved in green. Ranimolthus filled the incomprehensible range with its magical power and declared its spell in divine words.

[From the shadows of the gate, oh seed of decaying chaos, melody that traverses the universe! I command, in the name of God, bring forth a curse that even immortals will fear!]

……!!

Normally, if Ranimolthus had been performing some magic, I wouldn’t have sensed it so quickly, but having learned about magic to some extent, I began to feel an overwhelming sense of crisis. According to the knowledge from the Necronomicon, only a God could unleash a spell in such a manner. Moreover, compared to merely swinging divine power, the strength was drastically amplified.

And naturally, it was clear that a powerful Old Ruler like Ranimolthus wouldn’t hold back on executing a divine spell, which would certainly result in my instant death if I took it head-on.

‘Ugh… This isn’t someone I can simply ram into… Listen to me, you bastard!’

I shouted urgently, focusing all my will with the tactics of the Sorcerous Dance, sending the command for the Thunder God Sword Dance to the Thunder Soul. As expected, the previously rampaging Thunder Soul halted abruptly, and I seized the opportunity to take control, sealing my hands as I shouted.

‘Trimurti!’

Whoa!

Fortunately, even in this situation, it seemed Trimurti activated, and in an instant, I was greeted by a space with red gems embedded within from my inner world. Since my opponent was also a God, there was no time to hesitate—I hastily mixed in divine power and activated Trimurti.

The sun of Amaterasu, the power of the Wheel King, the power of commerce!

Goooh!

The powers of Amaterasu and the Wheel King intertwined into the form of Tai Chi, spinning around. This was the kind of blend I had hoped for. As I combined with the power of commerce, I infused my will.

I will ‘consume’ my Yin-Yang divine power to buy myself the right to evade my opponent’s spell!

The spell that could not be blocked by merely erecting a barrier of divine energy required me to sacrifice divine energy to enhance my defensive capabilities using Trimurti.

Zing!

In the next moment, a green fog surged from all around, and a storm that felt like it could rip my body apart rushed towards me. Despite the Thunder Soul’s mighty armor, I quickly perceived that I was being torn apart in the face of this spell.

Crackle! Crack!

Damn it… Is this really a spell that could tear apart even stars?

Had I not prepared, there was no way I would have survived against a single blow of this magnitude!

I gritted my teeth while enveloping myself with the Tai Chi generated by Trimurti. Thus, the rights I had purchased with the power of commerce were granted, and at the same time, my opponent’s divine power automatically distorted, bypassing the Thunder Soul.

Fshhhh…

As I withstood Ranimolthus’ spell, I could tell they were taken aback.

[The power of a creator God!! Were you of the creator’s blood?]

For some reason, it seemed that those who looked at Trimurti immediately recognized it as a power related to creation. Taking this moment to think about escaping, I hastily declared.

‘Yes! My body isn’t responding to my wishes, so let’s end this fight! What’s the point in this struggle? There’s been a misunderstanding!’

[Hmm… Really… ]

It seemed Ranimolthus was taken aback by my unusual state, hesitating. It seemed they knew that this might be the only chance to halt the battle.

Phew… Finally, we can talk…!!

I let out a sigh of relief and opened my mouth.

‘My body won’t obey me, and what’s happening is that the Thunder Soul seems to be moving on its own!!’

Boom!

Suddenly, without my consent, the Thunder Soul’s mouth opened wide, blasting forth a beam that devastated Ranimolthus’ body.

[Argh!! You bastard!!]

‘N-no, that’s not it—AHHH!!’

Flash!

This time, the two hands of the Thunder Soul glowed as it familiarized itself with the Thunder Spirit Seal, flying towards and piercing Ranimolthus’ core heavily, prompting a scream from Ranimolthus as it started to disintegrate.

[Were you planning to catch me off guard…!! You cunning bastard… There will be no more complacency!]

‘……’

I had no words left, standing in silence. At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel it.

I couldn’t control this Thunder Soul!

If this continues, I’m merely going to watch it rampage!

Whether it became food or not, securing control over this Thunder Soul would be my top priority.

In reality, the outcome of this battle was secondary at this point.

How can I prevent this Thunder Soul from rampaging on its own and bring it under my control?

After all, wasn’t it like letting go of the reins of a wild horse while trying to ride and fight with a sword? Letting go of the reins would only lead to a tumble.

…Wait a minute. Did the Thunder Soul just freely utilize the techniques of the Thunder God lineage earlier?

How could it wield the Thunder God techniques that I had trained without my instruction?

As I contemplated why this Thunder Soul could use the Thunder God techniques without ever learning them from me…

The realization struck.

‘… Thunder God Sword Dance…!! That’s it!’

Whoa!

I released my hold on the Soul Exchange Technique while feeding the command for Thunder God Sword Dance to the Thunder Soul just as I had done before. I had noted that when I used this technique, the Thunder Soul would pause momentarily at my command.

‘Trimurti!’

Sephiroth’s power, Jeon Wook’s power, and the Thunder Soul (雷魂)!

Chiching!

Not stopping there, I then drew out divine power and created a massive Thunder Sword suited to the size of the Thunder Soul. Physically, this sword exceeded thousands of Li in length!

To prevent the Thunder Sword from breaking easily, I infused it with the power of Sephiroth, gave it attributes of darkness with Jeon Wook’s power, and added the essence of thunder itself, forming the Thunder Sword. The resulting sword seemed to become a magical sword infused with the dual attributes of lightning and darkness.

I seized hold of the Thunder Sword, focusing as divine light radiated from my two eyes.

The Thunder God Sword Dance will not stop.

I will indeed move this Thunder Soul to unleash the Thunder God Sword Dance!

Pah-bang!

I quickly unfurled the sophisticated aspects of the Thunder God Sword Dance.

The realm of the Demon Path’s No-Name is characterized by minimal movement, even the absence of movement while drawing forth divine energy as a Sorcerous Dance. Until now, I had used this state to relay my consciousness and halt the Thunder Soul, but briefly acting with the Sorcerous Dance’s thoughts wouldn’t be enough to entirely control the grand power of the Thunder Soul.

So the answer became simple. I needed to continuously use the No-Name technique while executing the Thunder God Sword Dance! During the time I performed the Thunder God Sword Dance, the Thunder Soul would have no choice but to cooperate instead of rebelling!

Of course, merely performing the Thunder God Sword Dance alone wouldn’t resolve the situation. In fact, it could make me more vulnerable as I would be unable to take any actions other than the Thunder God Sword Dance.

Still, I determined to keep the Thunder God Sword Dance unfolding, directing all mental faculties towards that move.

‘The Sorcerous Dance is the Dance…!!’

The last piece of advice left by the Necronomicon!

‘The Sorcerous Dance is akin to a martial art…’

Whether it was a dance of sorcery or a dance of martial prowess, it seems they are fundamentally the same.

As a technique to draw out the power of sorcery, the Thunder God Sword Dance and the completion of the Thunder God techniques ultimately signify reaching the same realm.

I didn’t need to understand everything now; I felt that just that analogy was helping me approach the essence of martial arts.

Movement may involve two but existence is one.

Could that mean a technique for dividing one heart into two?

No… It isn’t.

This is merely a technique based on the Upper Dantian to harness Qi. The heart of the duality does not differ from the No-Name technique.

The notion of an intangible form—as able to draw forth divine strength while projecting possibilities into reality—is becoming clearer to me.

I feel like I now understand.

While unable to articulate it precisely, I’m beginning to grasp the nature of this vast structure of multiple realities coalescing into one!

I can’t alter this structure, but simply by recognizing it will yield a different outcome than if I remained unaware of it.

Is this the true divine sense?

In that moment, I felt the rhythm of the Thunder God Sword Dance respond authentically to my will and began to twist and writhe. From that writhing, I sensed a pathway existed for me to guide the flow in my desired direction.

Buzz…

Simultaneously, I realized that the divine energy that had been concentrating on the tip of my sword surged with greater intensity. Acknowledging that this energy would ultimately converge into a wave, I let out a silent breath.

‘A gamble… Is it then?’

Ultimately, there never was a safe way to win from the beginning, it seems.

However, perhaps that is indeed the way to properly command the art of dance and martial skill.

Here we go!

No longer prolonging my realizations, I resolved to act and extend the sword path toward the Old Ruler present beyond the cosmic illusion.

There was no line of sight.

No sense of space.

Yet—invariably—there’s cause and effect.

Thus, this wave must surely reach my enemy.

Thunder God Sword Dance

Mysterious Heaven

Formless Wave Sword

Flash!!

In a flash of light, the movements of my Thunder God Sword Dance came to an abrupt stop. At that same moment, from all directions, the spells of the Old Ruler surged in like clouds, erratically enveloping my body. It undeniably felt like I’d failed in my defense, and my body was about to collapse.

‘Ugh…!!’

Crunch!

But just as my Thunder Soul was halfway to disintegration, the spells of destruction suddenly faded as if washed away. Though my fragmented body overwhelmed me with pain, I quickly realized what this change meant, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Heh… heh heh.’

And in the next moment, the cosmic haze lifted, followed by a scream ringing out from the other side of the universe.

[Khahhhhhh!!]

The Thunder Sword I had released vanished from my hand and had embedded itself directly into the core of the Old Ruler, Ranimolthus. Ranimolthus tossed its crab-like legs about in anguish while its tentacles writhed in chaos.

I had succeeded.

As the wave of the Thunder God Sword Dance propelled the Thunder Sword, it pierced through, landing an unexpected counterstrike on the opponent.

I had never imagined executing such a move, but the property of the wave within the Thunder Soul had provided me the chance to penetrate my enemy’s spell and set off a reversal.

Chichichiching…

I noticed that the barrier obstructing my escape had also dissipated due to the serious injury Ranimolthus sustained. In a heartbeat, I pondered whether I should finish off Ranimolthus while I still had the upper hand, but I shook my head.

‘… I got lucky.’

From the degree of power I had just witnessed, Ranimolthus seemed to embody a stronger divine being than I during those previous minutes. Just because I inflicted a severe injury doesn’t guarantee that I could take it down completely. Instead, seizing this opening to escape would be the wisest choice. Meeting someone of that caliber—potentially comparable to the Three Sovereigns—by pure happenstance was ludicrous, but I should feel satisfied with the combat experience I gained from battling a God.

Fortunately, due to pushing the Thunder God Sword Dance to its extremes, the Thunder Soul was acting cooperatively now. It seemed that the Thunder God Sword Dance indeed strengthened my control over the Thunder Soul.

Whoosh!

As I used divine energy to quickly traverse through time and space to flee, I heard Ranimolthus’ vengeful cries echo within my mind.

[You… I shall never forget the grudge I hold against you… I shall surely take revenge…!!]

‘……’

I stayed silent as I listened to those words, finally responding.

‘Most who say that to me have regretted it, and you’ll inevitably do the same one day.’

[……?!]

Ranimolthus appeared stunned, but I wasn’t speaking out of thin air.

Because I had a nature to consistently retaliate against anyone who bore a grudge against me.

What did it matter who started what?

One day I would sneak in and beat Ranimolthus down!

Boom!

How long had I run? I realized that the now-crippled Thunder Soul had lost much of its spirit and no longer rampaged like before. It seemed that following the eating of the satellites and planets, it was overflowing with vigor, but after Ranimolthus’ spell, it was left weakened.

I was left perplexed as I moved forward.

‘Ugh… It feels like wherever I go, I only cause trouble…’

Having been attacked by the prophet’s clan and now bearing a grudge from an inexplicable Old Ruler, it felt like everything went awry whenever I took action. Yet I couldn’t just waltz back toward Earth where the Three Sovereigns, including Fuxi, were blocking me with barriers, leaving me feeling like I was lost in space.

While I was pondering this, a deep and resounding voice suddenly echoed around me.

[Who’s this reckless rookie… where do you come from?]

Whoa!

‘……!!’

At that moment, I realized I had been sucked into an unknown space.

Where… is this?

I hadn’t even realized I was pulled in!

Simultaneously, I felt an odd sense of familiarity from the force that had drawn me in, as if I sensed this energy from somewhere before. Though I couldn’t place it, I knew I had encountered this kind of potent aura before.

As I looked around, this place, while not the universe, felt like an enormous star, just as vast. Below me, a boiling sea of flames bubbled up, and the heavens glowed a brilliant white, with unimaginably colossal trees penetrating interstellar orbits. Countless dragons soared through this scene.

A dragon’s nest!

Moreover, each of these dragons appeared planet-sized, vastly different from the dragons I imagined in the human world. They only appeared as dragons because they possessed wings and horns, but some bore three or six eyes, had peculiar skeletal structures, or even six limbs. Weakening my stance was a flock of monstrous dragons flying all around.

Where could I possibly be…?

Lifting my gaze, I noticed that in the midst of the whitish sky, a gigantic dragon eye was gazing intently at me.

Grrrh!

‘Ugh…!!’

In an instant, I felt overwhelmed by the presence of this being that was clearly a cosmic force. To feel such pressure confirmed that this creature was indeed someone who lorded over the universe. From that fog-like haze, the eye, which seemed to be locked onto my person, began to speak.

[… An Outer God is watching here… What is your relation to the Outer Gods?]

……!!

W-what…

It knew that simply by looking at me?!

I realized that this being was something far beyond the likes of Ranimolthus, who I encountered moments ago. Its power and divine essence were merely secondary; the realization that it recognized my connection to the Outer Gods from just a glance suggested it also possessed the potential to overcome the Great Cycle. Throughout my past life, I had only met a handful of beings with such stature.

‘W-who are you?’

As I trembled in fear, the immense dragon eye fell silent for a moment before speaking again, amused.

[Heh… Were you not the high-ranking archivist of the Void Record? I shall temporarily close your attention, as I find your prying unpleasant.]

Thud!

Something akin to a book’s page closing resonated with an odd sound.

…No way…?

I felt a sense that this being was doing something unbelievable, yet I couldn’t find the courage to confirm it.

And in that moment, the fleeting memory of Dracula’s face popped into my mind.

S-say it isn’t so…

With a tremor in my voice, I finally questioned.

‘… A-are you… Lord Niratsa Dag…?’

The creature blinked at my words.

[Indeed.]

Niratsa Dag!

The High Dragon of Original Sin and the Primal Dragon.

An equal to Fuxi in strength and a Prime Evil god, a being whom even Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen would dare not treat carelessly—

The entity known as ‘the White Mist Residing in the Celestial Sphere’ now stood before me.