I found the mask.

Then could it be that this thing in front of me is…

In an instant, I realized what it was. It was definitely not human but a god. Moreover, it was the very being I had feared and been cautious about most in this life. I glared at it and shouted.

“[Coming Chaos]!! What do you want now?!”

“…”

No doubt about it!

The Divine Thief declared itself as the mask, and with the owner of that mask being [Coming Chaos], its identity was as clear as day—even a three-year-old would know! I gritted my teeth and prepared for death.

“Are you trying to kill me while the world is falling apart?! Go ahead and try!!”

The being seemed surprised by my outburst. After a moment, it replied.

“… I can’t do that.”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

I was taken aback by its unexpected answer. It said it couldn’t, not wouldn’t. As I stared at it with a suspicious expression, it continued without a change in its gaze.

“I can never choose paths that aren’t fun. Absolutely.”

“……”

“That’s my only flaw.”

Fun?

What the hell does that mean?

Honestly, if it’s not fun, isn’t that just not doing it? Why say you can’t?

While I was confused, it spoke again.

“But, Mortal, have you truly enjoyed your life?”

“What… what do you mean by enjoying?”

“You seem to be having a blast. I’m jealous.”

It looked at me with a hint of envy and said.

“I might have scattered these masks around the world because I wanted to be like you.”

“……!!”

Masks!

Could it be… this thing might be my ultimate foe?!

With that thought, I asked in hopes of getting some info.

“Why did you scatter the masks? How many do you have?”

It brought its index finger to its lips, mimicking me.

“Of course, that’s a secret.”

“What?!”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be fun.”

“……”

“Hehe, no more digging for tidbits. That’s boring.”

More fun, huh…!!

Feeling enraged inside, I shouted out.

“To hell with your fun!! If you want a good time, you’re a divine being, so just create a palace of pleasures and enjoy it for a thousand years! Why bother tormenting innocent people?!”

What a nuisance!

Even though I thought I might get killed by it for saying this, I felt like I had to let it out. The next moment, I thought I might be shattered by its powers and squeezed my eyes shut, but surprisingly, it didn’t actually lift a finger. Instead, it looked deep in thought after my outcry.

“Hmm… why do I torment them? Because it’s amusing, I suppose?”

“You perverted freak!!”

It shrugged its shoulders.

“Well, that’s true. You just told me to build a palace of pleasure and have fun alone, right? I’ve already done that.”

“…You’ve done that?”

“Yep. I created a palace at the center of the universe over 23 trillion years, then smashed it about 9,492,182,674 times, regenerating it while stuffing it with all kinds of pleasures—gluttony, lust, thirst for knowledge, you name it. But it was pointless, haha…”

“…..”

What is this guy talking about…

I thought if it talks nonsense, it could at least make sense, but this was just too unreal. I scoffed at it as though it were just a braggart.

“Give me a break. So making humans suffer is the most fun? That’s ridiculous!!”

“It’s not that making humans suffer is the most fun. I’ve done plenty of that already. It’s just that this time, it’s something I must take seriously. So I’m stacking up things like a game of Go, building a foundation, and humans just happen to be a part of it.”

“……?”

“Oh dear. I even feel envious of your ignorance. I want to live with an empty mind too; how do I do that?”

This bastard is mocking me!!

Swish!

I clenched my teeth and lifted my sword to its throat. As it gazed blankly at my blade, I shouted.

“Now tell me why you came to find the mask!! Why did you show up here at the end of the Final Technique of Swordsmanship while everything is breaking down?!”

“……”

“Speak! I deserve to know at least that much!”

Though I didn’t know why, I felt like I could push it. If this was the guy that was on the [Throne], then making fun of him would be pointless, but I somehow felt like there was no need to cower before him.

And sure enough, it grinned.

“I see. As the one who stands at the end of True Martial Home, you deserve to hear that much, Mortal.”

It casually flicked its finger and brushed my sword aside. Strangely, I found myself unable to swing it in response to that movement. It was as if a barrier had formed that blocked my will to attack from the start. My swordsmanship, having reached the Absolute Realm, was capable of slicing beyond reflexes, so this was definitely not a mere suggestion or hypnosis.

“It’s nothing much. I’m here because I find it interesting that I’ve reached the [Left]. It was just one of the masks I scattered around the world for fun, but surprisingly the Martial God accepted me as one of the [Left]. I thought for sure they wouldn’t.”

“……!!”

“But before I could retrieve it, Chi You caused a ruckus, so I couldn’t catch this mask escaping to another dimension. The outer universe is beyond my reach, making it hard to get there. Though, now that the True Martial Home’s chaos is happening, cracks in the world allow for entry.”

“……”

I blinked for a moment at its words. Then something clicked, and I shouted at it.

“Don’t tell me… you plan to use the Divine Thief to infiltrate the Martial God’s [Left]!!”

It didn’t answer my question, just smiled.

“You don’t need to worry about that. This is merely a petty scheme I don’t take seriously.”

“What?!”

In that moment, a wave of despair crashed over me.

‘What should I do now?!’

The thing before me is ridiculously powerful. It’s a universally acknowledged fearsome [Old Ruler], the orchestrator of a colossal scheme! If this embodiment of chaos infiltrates the Martial God’s left…!

‘The source of the divine killing, the Martial God’s left could be destroyed by [Coming Chaos]!!’

If this creature were to dominate the realm of martial arts and drown it in chaos, it wouldn’t matter how many times I reincarnated; my existence would be pointless. Even if I amassed power through chaos and martial arts skills, I could never foil this being’s schemes!

While I was in sheer anxiety, it suddenly showed a glint in its eye.

“Hmm… I thought this was a joke you don’t even need to consider… You’re quite slow, huh? A smart mortal would have taken that as a lighthearted jest.”

“What?!”

“Those folks are filled with the spirit of the Martial Extreme… They wouldn’t shake with this degree of scheme… I acknowledge a worthy opponent. But I suppose a mortal like you wouldn’t know?”

“……”

Feeling increasingly belittled, I felt a surge of anger.

It spoke again.

“Reality is starting to crumble…”

Grumble, grumble!!

As it finished speaking, everything around me began to collapse, sending shivers down my spine. Just as reality was described, the composition of all matter warped into chaos, visibly twisted. If it reached this point, the world’s destruction truly loomed ominously, so I tightly closed my eyes.

‘It’s over…’

It wouldn’t be strange if I died any second. As I shut my eyes, the being spoke slowly.

“I came here just in case a Reborn Person was around, but I wasted my time. Perhaps I’ve restricted my powers too much…? Well, now this level is what makes the game interesting.”

“……”

“Then, farewell. Let’s have some fun in the next universe, Mortal.”

Swish, swish, swish!

Its form began to fade away slowly. As I watched, a wave of relief washed over me.

‘… It has no idea!!’

It doesn’t know I’m a Reborn Person!!

True, I had a few encounters where beings that looked like its avatar found out about me being a Reborn Person, but for some reason, this main body seemed clueless. Plus, in this life, I’d painstakingly concealed that fact, leading it to think until the last moment that I was just some mortal who happened to be here.

While I was feeling euphoric, a faint voice began to flow through my head.

[… Oh…]

“Huh?”

[… Baek… Woong… Can you hear… me…]

“……!!”

As soon as I heard that faint voice, I felt a jolt.

‘Divine Thief!!’

The voice of the Divine Thief flowed continuously in my mind.

[I haven’t… completely lost the mask’s identity… to the main body… I’m resisting with the Martial God’s help…]

“……”

[I cannot forgive that being… So I have… a request…]

Request?

Hearing the Divine Thief’s next words made my hands tremble from the dilemma.

[Steal that guy’s mask…!!]

Me?!

That being is one of the strongest of the [Old Rulers]; how can I even attempt that? It’s not some avatar—we’re likely in the presence of the real deal! How could I steal a mask from such a monster? I’d already sensed the level of its power when it brushed away my sword with a finger just earlier. It looked like a human, but inside, it was an entity of cosmic magnitude.

[I will transfer… all my karma to you… Then… just for a moment… you’ll be able to utilize the Divine Skill…]

“……”

[This is my last request… Junior.]

Junior.

I felt an unexplainable sentiment swelling up from that single word.

‘… I have no choice.’

Honestly, not doing it would be the right choice. If I could smoothly pass without revealing the highest secret of being a Reborn Person, that would be better than anything. After all, I had obtained everything I could in this life; was there really any need for more effort? I could say dying here would be a small price to pay.

In this situation, attacking to provoke that monster would yield no benefits. It would only lead to further attempts at extracting the Divine Skill’s usage.

But.

But… a thief has loyalty. That’s why it differs from a common burglar!

Swish, swish, swish!

As my thoughts swirled, an oddly strange energy seemed to flow in. In a fleeting moment, I caught sight of a blue ‘thread’ flowing like water before my eyes, and that thread flowed into my body. However, this felt different from typical qi, spirit power, or magical power; I sensed it directly enhancing my strength.

Even the vastly retreating monster seemed unaware that a ‘thread’ was flowing from its body towards me, showing no reaction at all.

Could it be… that it can’t see this ‘thread’?

Eventually, I instinctively sensed I was ready.

And I sighed inwardly.

‘Damn it! Why do I keep repeating foolish choices?!’

The bitter desire of the weak.

I felt I could hardly ignore it anymore. Sometimes my selfishness led me to neglect it, but ultimately, I kept getting pulled into situations where I could secure my own benefits. There had been times I faced a pointless death in the pursuit of meaningless justice.

When did I become like this? I used to be somewhat selfish, and I still am…

… That’s right. It started after meeting Mangnyang.

“Hey. You bastard.”

“Huh?”

Breaking the silence, I called to the being. Then, at the moment it glanced my way, possibly a Outer God possessing my body, I charged forward.

“Hand over the mask!!”

Unconsciously, my karma activated, and the stored Divine Skill erupted like boiling lava. Karma, known as the embodiment that allows me to use the Divine Skill tailored for me, granted me one-time usage since the owner of the [Left] permitted it.

… 2,000 years of desire embodied in the ultimate technique of the Martial World’s greatest thief, the Divine Thief’s final technique.

Divine Skill: One Hand Seizing the Soul!!

Bang!!

In the next moment, the mask floated from behind the opponent’s head and shattered perfectly in half. I had no clue what technique I just executed, but I knew all my fingers cracked and shattered.

‘Gahhhhh!!’

Ahhhhh!! All my finger bones shattered!!

In an instant, I felt an extra burden, and outrage brewed within me. This life seemed to provide frequent instances of bodily harm, leaving me miserable. The problem was that even though I executed it, I had no clue what power it held as I turned to see the being staring at me with what seemed like curious amazement. It looked as if a thousand masks were overlapping, making its face visible yet impossible to comprehend. As I gaped in shock, it spoke.

[This is quite amusing… so amusing… ha ha ha…!!]

Hissssss!

And in the next moment, I realized that our bodies had swapped. To be precise, the body I had exchanged with the Divine Thief had reverted back again! At that moment, a golden bird soared high, letting out a loud shriek.

[The place where I shall entrust my soul is with Baek Woong, not you, [Coming Chaos]!!]

Wooooosh!

And along with the golden bird, the Four Great Spirit Deities flew towards me and attached themselves to my body. It appeared they wished to follow their newly recognized master.

The gaze of chaos flickered coldly.

“Oh? You can’t significantly affect causation, can you? Die.”

Thud!

As the golden bird tried to fly to me, the one in Huang Wu’s body pointed at it with a finger. The golden bird, Quetzalcoatl, shattered into pieces and vanished.

“……!!”

With a mere flick of a finger, it took down Quetzalcoatl, a being with ancient power and the strength level of an [Old Ruler]?!

No matter the size, Quetzalcoatl possessed immense power!

As my eyes widened in disbelief, it began to walk towards me slowly.

“I would have enjoyed playing longer… Baek Woong, was it?”

“……”

As it took each step, I froze, unable to think of anything.

What now?

There was no chance of winning a fight against it…

Suddenly, it raised both hands, as if surrendering.

“Well… it’s a pity. I used up all my causation.”

“……”

“It was a very good strategy. I had fun!”

Swishhh!

As if giving up, its body began to swirl and get sucked into the chaos of the air, disappearing! I was left dazed by the unexpected vanishing.

‘Did it really use up all its causation?!’

I couldn’t fully grasp the situation. But one thing was clear: in the end, I had avenged the Divine Thief, and as a price for that gamble, I regained my original body. I felt over my body for a moment and called out to the Divine Thief.

“Senior. I did it.”

A silence fell, and no response came.

The greatest thief under heaven must have vanished along with his burdens.

“……”

I shook my head.

‘Damn it. What good does crying do.’

Feeling ugly tears flowing, I forced myself to hold them back. Instead, I smiled.

Following Zhuge Sa’s advice felt like the better choice for my spirit.

Moments later, the light before me began to brighten gradually.

‘The end of the Final Technique of Swordsmanship…’

Is it really death?

It felt extremely long.

I decided to accept the last moment in silence.

Grumble, grumble, grumble!

[I will remain with you until the end…]

In a split second, I saw the light emanating from the corpse of the golden bird, Quetzalcoatl, glimmering as it was infused into the divine pattern Vajra.

Flash!

And the world perished.

That was my 27th death.