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00525 암천향 ————————————————————————=

[Oh… what do you expect me to do? A human Demon Sorcerer, of all things.]

Zhuge Sa looked at me and said,

“Baek Woong, are you listening?”

He continued slowly,

“It might be a way to stay affiliated with the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace and avoid the world’s destruction, but Hyun and I think the chances of Jeon Wook taking the Apostle’s body are too high. Right now, we are just helplessly watching.”

Jeon Wook laughed as if he found it amusing.

[Ha ha. An interesting assumption.]

“Isn’t it true, Jeon Wook? You Three Sovereigns will purify humanity, then acquire the method of creation and recreate them. You’re the masters of the Path of Demons and the rulers of ancient science. So, there’s no need to leave a remnant like Baek Woong here on earth, right?”

Jeon Wook looked at Zhuge Sa in surprise, as if shocked that a mere human understood his plan.

[That’s right. Once this purification is over, the Celestial Realm will clean up humanity. I will take my Apostle to the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace.]

“So you’re truly intent on annihilating humanity.”

[You are no different from puppets made of clay. When I remake you, I will ensure a higher quality.]

I was slightly shocked by Jeon Wook’s words.

‘Is this what the essence of the Three Sovereigns is…?’

I thought Jeon Wook treated me well and had a favorable view of humans, but in the end, his perspective wasn’t really different from that of the [Old Ruler]. His words were so resolute that I found it hard to doubt them.

Zhuge Sa spoke with a strange expression.

“Is that so? The Three Sovereigns are truly impressive. So, should we just sit back and take it? Is living as a ghost for a thousand years in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace and enjoying human flesh really enjoyable? I don’t mind, but I doubt our friends would.”

[……]

“Baek Woong. We will resist. We will save you and assert humanity’s will.”

Thwack!

Zhuge Sa immediately drew a dagger and stabbed it into his heart. Blood splattered, painting his upper body red, yet amidst that horrific scene, Zhuge Sa smiled broadly.

“Ha ha ha ha ha! This life was fun! Let’s play again.”

No!

But it was already too late. Dark power surged from Zhuge Sa’s heart and was sucked into a spot in the void. Suddenly, a dark Dimension Door opened, revealing countless eyes watching us from the other side.

Zhuge Sa’s corpse was slowly being drawn in.

I felt like I was going insane. In the end, I couldn’t stop Zhuge Sa from committing suicide in this life either. Because of me!

‘Damn it!!’

At the same time, a presence from beyond the darkness spoke to Jeon Wook. It seemed Jeon Wook couldn’t move his companions due to that presence.

[In exchange for the Nameless Ritual Book and the soul of the Demon Sorcerer… you cannot touch these people…]

Jeon Wook retorted annoyingly.

[What brings you, the ‘Old Ruler’ of the jungle, with such heavy steps?]

[Heh… Jeon Wook of the Sovereigns. Do you truly think you can calculate the Law of Cause and Effect?]

The [Old Ruler], nicknamed ‘Ruler of the Jungle’, chuckled as he stretched out his tentacles from beyond the Dimension Door.

[Perhaps a true Emperor could, but you are not. You lack the capacity to do so.]

Swish, swish!

Massive tentacles that seemed to cover heaven and earth were rapidly enveloping the space. Jeon Wook, irritated, exerted his power.

[Don’t underestimate me, a mere recluse!]

My body began to swell. My essence remained the same, but Jeon Wook’s divine body manifested in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace, transforming into a gigantic being of darkness. This dark giant reached out to the tentacles and tore them apart, with the severed tentacles emitting a grotesque sound as they burned away.

Kaboom!

A clash of divine presences! They manipulated time and space freely, unleashing immense magical power. The world twisted in darkness as dimensions crumbled into particles.

In that moment, I could clearly see the difference.

‘It’s not about strength or speed.’

The battle of divine presences didn’t adhere to the laws of physics or any unit of measurement. Each movement of theirs could manipulate time and unleash curses and techniques beyond description. The reason Dokgo Jun was helpless before the [Old Ruler] in the Imperial Palace was that he was caught in time manipulation.

Thus, despite size or appearance, the outcome is determined by the powers they possess. For a mortal, if a god could manipulate time and space, they would be utterly powerless.

However, Jeon Wook was using my body as an Apostle to reduce the burden of the Law of Cause and Effect. Plus, since he wielded two of the Seven Luminaries, he easily wielded dual blades to chop away at the tentacles of the ‘Ruler of the Jungle.’ The situation favored Jeon Wook, making it an unavoidable victory.

A fierce battle raged on. Just as my consciousness began to fade, I heard Mangnyang’s shout from beyond.

“Baek Woong!!”

Mangnyang and Cheon Woo-jin formed a barrier with their techniques, and Miho, the Sword Demon, and Jin So-cheong flew towards us. I quickly understood Mangnyang’s plan.

‘They intend to land a hit on Jeon Wook!’

How reckless!

Wasn’t even Musashi in the Absolute Realm unable to leave a scratch on Jeon Wook? Especially now that his true body had descended to the mortal realm; it was an act of foolishness. But as they drew closer, the trio compressed their powers and attempted a pinpoint breakthrough, charging at Jeon Wook like a spear.

Jeon Wook swung his hand lazily. I realized that with that one action, not only would my comrades be annihilated, but every human city in a straight line would be destroyed, killing millions.

‘No!!’

I tried with all my will to stop Jeon Wook.

In that moment, Jeon Wook hesitated.

[Hmm… Blessing of the Sky… how bothersome.]

With the Blessing of the Sky, I could stabilize Jeon Wook’s move, but the situation continued to spiral downwards.

Pffft!

“Cough, Baek Woong… wake up…”

The first to die was the Sword Demon. He collapsed, unable to withstand Jeon Wook’s power and died on the spot. He hadn’t even been directly attacked; his mortal body couldn’t endure being exposed to divine energy.

Next was Jin So-cheong.

Whoosh!

Jin So-cheong, after compressing his energy over several feet’s distance, shot a spear filled with spirit energy toward me, instantly closing the gap. In that split second, he concentrated the teachings of the Absolute Realm and poured in all his might. But perhaps that was his limit; Jin So-cheong’s spear technique shattered utterly.

“… Is this the end…?”

Jin So-cheong left a final message as he was whisked away in the storm of light.

“Baek Woong.”

As the distance closed, Miho flew in, her tail transforming into a mythical form. When she reached near Jeon Wook, her entire body was stained black. But using her Spirit Power, she resisted and reached out to me, gripping my hand tightly.

I saw Miho’s face up close.

She smiled while holding onto my hand.

“I will protect you… even in the next life.”

No.

No.

No!!!

In the next moment, everything went bright. Miho detonated, releasing all her spirit energy. Her life glowed, and my consciousness felt shattered.

Jeon Wook, for some reason, swayed slightly from the explosion that had reached near his heart.

[What… What is this? Could a mortal reach my actual body…?]

Jeon Wook seemed incredulous, unable to believe it. Perhaps the eruption of Spirit Power managed to inflict some shock upon the Three Sovereigns. But I couldn’t afford to care about his reaction.

‘Why…’

This life had already been lost.

Everyone felt it at the moment we were cornered, anticipating the celestial ruler. That’s why our attack on Mount Tai, attempting to eliminate Gin Nara, felt almost like a desperate struggle. Resisting Jeon Wook in this situation would just prolong the suffering after death.

Yet my comrades fought, throwing their lives into the fray to save me. I was confused and didn’t understand why. We couldn’t defeat Gin Nara; it was obvious we couldn’t conquer the Three Sovereigns either.

I heard Mangnyang shout towards me.

“Baek Woong!!”

He looked like someone who had already given up on life. However, his will remained unyielded as he shouted at me,

“You’ve shown us the possibility. So… so…”

Mangnyang staggered. It seemed he could no longer withstand Jeon Wook’s divine energy, and his body was beginning to crumble. With a voice mixed with cries, he yelled,

“Don’t give up!!”

With that shout, both Mangnyang and Cheon Woo-jin turned to dust, scattered as if a single breath from Jeon Wook had obliterated them.

“……”

Could it be that they sacrificed themselves just to show me how helpless our power was against the Three Sovereigns, to share that tiny bit of information? Was it to help in our next life, to stand against the gods? To share the experience of battle against the Three Sovereigns?

That alone couldn’t explain it.

‘Ah.’

After a moment, I understood the reason not with my head, but with my heart.

Because they were comrades.

Because they were comrades, they sought to save me.

More than any other reason, everyone rushed towards me with that resolve.

Everything else was secondary.

I wanted to cry.

I wanted to go crazy.

‘No…’

I couldn’t forgive myself. Once again, I had to watch everyone die because of my own helplessness. But to lash out in revenge would be foolish against such a giant entity, and right now, I could barely hold onto my own identity.

What was it like to confront a transcendent being that none in the world could stand against – an existence like the [Old Ruler]?

Anger, helplessness, and despair intertwined in chaos.

Then suddenly, I thought about how many others might have felt the same despair as I did now.

Surely, many.

There must have been more people kneeling before unyielding power than grains of sand in the desert.

The history of that intense anger and despair was reality itself, the very essence of the world I lived in.

I bit my teeth hard.

‘I can’t give up.’

What can I do in this situation?

I’d lost everything.

Since I lost everything, there’s something I can do.

‘If only I could decide just a bit faster…’

While regretting deeply, I shouted from my core.

[Ruler of the Jungle! I wish for it.]

The entity responded as if waiting for me.

[What do you desire?]

That guy had devoured Zhuge Sa’s soul in my 19th reincarnation, mocking my life. So I absolutely didn’t want to bow my head or submit. The reason I’d refrained from using the power of reversal all this time stemmed from those feelings.

But now, I put aside that petty pride, fully determined to rush towards destruction instead. Because now, I had nothing left to lose. Even being tormented in the fires of hell for eternity was acceptable if it meant avenging my comrades.

I wouldn’t mind if my life ended here.

I just hoped this gamble would be successful.

[I will offer everything I have, so please eliminate the Three Sovereigns.]

The Ruler of the Jungle gave a wicked smile. Of course, that guy had come here only when I decided to give everything up.

[Very well… your despair is quite delightful…]

Was I to be used and then die…?

There was no guarantee that he could overcome the Three Sovereigns or Jeon Wook. But I still wanted to watch Jeon Wook’s downfall. Otherwise, I felt I might go insane.

Boom!

At that moment.

[No?!]

Jeon Wook was shocked. It wasn’t just him; the Ruler of the Jungle, who had been fighting with tentacles, also showed signs of panic.

[This cannot exist in the universe! This isn’t a soul…]

Boom!

Something strange was happening. The tentacles of the Ruler of the Jungle exploded all at once, and the jungle burned in chaos. Even the [Old Ruler] seemed unable to handle the flames, as the Ruler of the Jungle hastily attempted to elevate his body to escape the fire.

Screech!

A corner of Dark Heaven Village visibly collapsed in space. The avian servant race serving the Ruler of the Jungle was slaughtered. Chaos surged up, voraciously devouring life. It looked like a prelude to destruction.

The Ruler of the Jungle watched the marks of ruin in silence before muttering,

[The center of time has closed.]

Jeon Wook was greatly disturbed.

[What did you do?!]

Suddenly, time began to tremble, making the space Jeon Wook stood upon extremely unstable. The force he was controlling was restoring and breaking down time, reverting to chaos.

Boom!

At the same moment, Jeon Wook stared in a daze as his arm was blown off.

[How can… how can I, of all people, not withstand the chaos of time…? No… that can’t be…]

Whoosh!

From the cosmos, something was approaching this land.

An absolute silence surrounded us.

A moment later, the Ruler of the Jungle seemed to realize something.

[At this moment, the Great Cycle is… moving…!!]

Flash!

With a flash of light, everything disappeared.

That marked my 22nd death.

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