Reincarnation Sword God

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00525 Dark Heaven Village ————————————————————————=
[Hmm… What do you want, human Demon Sorcerer?]
Zhuge Sa spoke while looking at me.
“Baek Woong, are you listening?”
He continued speaking slowly.
“Staying affiliated with the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace to avoid the world’s destruction is one option, but Hyun and I think the probability of Jeon Wook taking the Apostle’s body directly is too high. If we just sit back and do nothing, we’re just being powerless spectators.”
At those words, Jeon Wook laughed heartily as if he found it amusing.
[Ha ha. An interesting guess.]
“It’s true, isn’t it, Jeon Wook? You Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors will purify humanity, then acquire human material and formulas for creation, and recreate them. You are the masters of the Path of Demons and owners of a profound science. So, why would you need to leave Baek Woong, a remnant of the ancient humanity, on this earth?”
Jeon Wook looked at Zhuge Sa in surprise, as if shocked that a mere human had managed to grasp his plan.
[Indeed. Once the purification is completed, the Celestial Realm will clean up the remnants of ancient humanity. I will take my Apostle to the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace.]
“You truly intend to annihilate humanity.”
[You are no different from dolls made of clay. When I remake them, I plan to make them even more perfect.]
I was slightly shocked by Jeon Wook’s words.
‘So this is the essence of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors…?’
I thought Jeon Wook treated me well and was friendly towards humanity, but in reality, his perspective wasn’t much different from that of the Old Ruler. Jeon Wook’s words were so resolute that doubting them felt futile.
Zhuge Sa spoke with a strange expression.
“Is that so? The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are truly extraordinary. So, must we just accept it and wait? Would living as ghosts in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace for a thousand years, feasting on human flesh be enjoyable? I’m fine with it, but our friends probably wouldn’t be.”
[……]
“Baek Woong. We will resist. We will save you and uphold the will of humanity.”
Puck!
Without hesitation, Zhuge Sa thrust a dagger into his own heart. Blood splattered, dyeing his upper body crimson, and amidst that horrific scene, Zhuge Sa grinned.
“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 point in the void. Then, a portal of darkness suddenly opened, revealing countless eyes and pupils watching us from beyond the darkness.
Zhuge Sa’s corpse was slowly being pulled in.
I felt like I was about to lose my mind. Ultimately, I couldn’t prevent Zhuge Sa’s suicide in this life either. And it was all because of me!
‘Damn it!!’
At that moment, an entity from beyond the darkness spoke to Jeon Wook. It seemed that Jeon Wook couldn’t move against his companions, aware of that presence.
[I’ve received the Nameless Ritual Book and the essence of the Demon Sorcerer… You cannot touch these people…]
Jeon Wook replied irritably.
[What brings the Holy Bone, which was buried deep in the jungle, to take heavy steps?]
[Heh heh… Are you, Jeon Wook, believing you can calculate the Law of Cause and Effect?]
The Old Ruler, the ‘Ruler of the Jungle,’ chuckled as he extended his tentacles from beyond the dimension.
[If you were an Emperor, perhaps, but you are not. You lack the capability.]
Swish, swish!
Giant tentacles, as if covering the heavens and earth, quickly enveloped the scene. Jeon Wook, furious, unleashed his power.
[Don’t underestimate me, you hermit reclus!]
My body expanded. Its essence remained the same, but Jeon Wook’s divine body descended into the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace, transforming into a gigantic dark giant. The dark giant reached for the tentacles and tore them apart, making bizarre sounds as the torn tentacles burned away.
Boom!
The clash of divine beings! They used tremendous magical power, manipulating time and space as they wished. The heavens and earth twisted in darkness, and dimensions shattered into fragments.
Now that I shared the same divine perception as Jeon Wook, I saw it clearly.
‘It’s not about strength or speed.’
The battle of divine beings didn’t rely on the units of strength or speed used in the material world. They were unaffected by the laws of physics. Each of their movements could independently manipulate time and unleash curses and techniques beyond description. The reason Dokgo Jun couldn’t resist against the Old Ruler in the Imperial Palace was precisely because he was constrained by time manipulation.
Thus, regardless of size or appearance, it came down to the powers they possessed. For mortals, there was no way to resist a god manipulating time and space; it was not even a fair match.
However, Jeon Wook was using me, an Apostle, to reduce the burden of the Law of Cause and Effect, and with two pieces of the Seven Luminaries in his possession, he easily swung his twin swords, cutting down the tentacles extended by the ‘Ruler of the Jungle.’ The conditions were different; it was a battle Jeon Wook was bound to win.
As the intense battle raged on, just when my mind was about to fade away, I heard Mangnyang’s shout from afar.

“Baek Woong!!”
Mangnyang and Cheon Woo-jin created a barrier with their techniques, and Miho, the Sword Demon, and Jin So-cheong soared towards us. I quickly deciphered Mangnyang’s plan.
‘They intend to land a decisive blow on Jeon Wook!’
It was reckless!
Even the invincible Miyamoto Musashi couldn’t leave a scratch on Jeon Wook, could he? Let alone now, with his true body having descended into the mortal realm; this was nothing short of madness. But as they closed in, the three compressed their powers, attempting an all-out breakthrough, charging towards Jeon Wook like an arrow.
Jeon Wook swung his hand as if to dismiss them. I realized that with that single action, not only would our allies be annihilated, but every human city in a straight line would be destroyed, resulting in the massacre of millions.
‘No!!’
I tried with all my will to stop Jeon Wook.
In that moment, Jeon Wook hesitated for a moment.
[Hmm… The Blessing of Great Creation… This is troublesome.]
With the help of the Blessing of Great Creation, I managed to block one of Jeon Wook’s moves, but the situation continued to spiral downwards.
Pff!
“Cough, Baek Woong… awaken…”
The first to die was the Sword Demon. He couldn’t withstand Jeon Wook’s power and crumbled, dying instantly. He hadn’t received a direct attack, but merely being exposed to divine energy was too much for a mortal’s body to handle.
Next was Jin So-cheong.
Fwoosh!
Jin So-cheong, when only ten paces away from me, struck with a spear infused with spirit energy, and in an instant, compressed the distance to six paces. It was a fleeting yet concentrated effort of absolute realm understanding, pouring all his energy into it. But that was his limit; Jin So-cheong’s spear technique shattered into pieces.
“… Is this it…?”
Leaving behind his last words, Jin So-cheong was also engulfed by the storm of light.
“Baek Woong.”
When they closed in closely, Miho flew towards me, transforming her tail into a divine form. As she reached near Jeon Wook’s skin, her entire body turned black. Yet, resisting the divine energy, Miho reached me, clasping my hand tightly.
I could see Miho’s face before me.
With a grin, she held onto my hand.
“I will protect you… even if it’s in the next life.”
No.
No.
No!!!
In the next moment, my vision brightened. Miho’s body detonated, releasing all her spirit energy. Her life sparkled as my mind felt shattered.
Jeon Wook, seemingly affected by Miho’s explosion that reached near his heart, staggered for a moment.
[Ugh… What is this? Could it be a mortal reached my main body…?]
Jeon Wook looked incredulous despite being attacked. Perhaps the shock from the Spirit Energy explosion could hurt even the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. But I couldn’t afford to pay attention to such reactions.
‘Why…’
This life was already lost.
This harsh reality dawned as we awaited our next lives, everyone instinctively feeling it. That’s why attacking Mount Tai to eliminate Gin Nara was almost a desperate attempt. Resisting Jeon Wook in this situation only prolonged our post-mortem suffering.
Yet my companions fought valiantly to save me, risking their lives against Jeon Wook. I couldn’t understand their reason; I was confused. It was obvious we couldn’t defeat Gin Nara, let alone the Three Sovereigns.
I could hear Mangnyang calling out to me.
“Baek Woong!!”
He wore the expression of someone who had given up on survival. Yet his will remained unquenchable as he shouted to me.
“You showed us a possibility. So… so…”
Mangnyang staggered. He could no longer withstand Jeon Wook’s divine energy, his body seemingly collapsing. His voice was a mix of despair as he shouted.
“Don’t give up!!”
With that last shout, both Mangnyang and Cheon Woo-jin dissolved into dust, obliterated with just a single expression of distaste from Jeon Wook.
“……”
Could it be?
Did they offer their lives to show me how futile our strength was against the Three Sovereigns, merely to convey that tiny piece of information? Did they fight against the god for the sake of future lives, to share the experience of battling the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors?
It couldn’t be explained otherwise.
‘Ah.’
After a moment, I didn’t understand with my mind but with my heart.
It was because they were my comrades.
Because they were my comrades, they tried to save me.
More than any other reason, everyone rushed towards me with that resolve.
Other reasons were mere trifles in comparison.
I wanted to cry.
I wanted to go insane.
‘No…’
I couldn’t forgive myself. I was overwhelmed by the helplessness of seeing everyone die once again because of me. Even if I wanted to rampage for revenge, the enemy was far too immense, and it was difficult just to steady my own self.
Facing an unparalleled transcendent being – an entity on the level of the [Old Ruler] – was what it felt like.
Anger, powerlessness, and hopelessness intermingled amidst chaos.
And suddenly, I began to ponder just how many had felt despair like mine at this moment.
Surely, many.
The weak who knelt before an unimaginable force must have outnumbered the grains of sand in the desert.
The history of that brutal rage and despair was the very reality in which I lived.
I clenched my teeth with determination.
‘I cannot give up.’
What could I do in this situation?
I had lost everything.
But having lost everything also meant there were things I could do.
‘If only I could make a decision a little faster…’
In the midst of extreme regret, I shouted loudly from within.
[Ruler of the Jungle! I desire it.]
The entity responded as if it had been waiting for my words.
[What do you wish for?]
That being consumed the soul of Zhuge Sa during my 19th reincarnation and toyed with my life. Hence, I didn’t want to bow my head and didn’t want to submit. The reason I hadn’t used the power of reversal until now was due to these emotional reasons.
But now, I set aside such petty pride and was ready to charge solely towards annihilation. I had nothing left. I would gladly burn in the fires of hell for eternity if I could take revenge for my comrades.
Even if this marked the end of my reincarnation right here.
I hoped only for this gamble to succeed.
[I will offer everything, so please eradicate the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.]
The Ruler of the Jungle grinned wickedly. It seemed he had been waiting for me to give up everything to come here.
[Very well… your despair is quite delightful…]
Was I going to die, just being used like this?
There was no guarantee that this being would defeat the Three Sovereigns or Jeon Wook. But I still wanted to see Jeon Wook’s downfall. Otherwise, I might just lose my mind.
Kugugu!
It was at that moment.
[No?!]
Jeon Wook was startled. He wasn’t the only one; Ruler of the Jungle, who was extending his tentacles to battle Jeon Wook, appeared confused.
[This should not exist in the universe! This is not a soul…]
Puff puff!
Something strange happened. The mass of tentacles belonging to the Ruler of the Jungle exploded simultaneously, and the jungle he resided in ignited in chaos. That fire seemed so intense that even the [Old Ruler] couldn’t contain it; the Ruler of the Jungle hurriedly tried to elevate himself from the flames.
Kiiyaaak!
A corner of Dark Heaven Village visibly crumbled, where the bird-like servant races of the Ruler of the Jungle were slaughtered. Chaos surged, violently devouring living beings. It seemed to herald destruction.
The Ruler of the Jungle silently observed the signs of destruction before muttering.
[The center of time has closed.]
Jeon Wook was incredibly startled.
[What have you done?!]
Suddenly, time began to ripple, causing the very spacetime Jeon Wook stood on to become highly unstable. The divine entity, which had been controlling time with his powers, was now fluctuating between recovery and destruction, reverting into chaos.
Boom!
Simultaneously, Jeon Wook stared in shock as his own arm exploded.
[I… I cannot bear the chaos of time…? No… that’s…]
Woooosh!
From the cosmic void, ‘something’ approached this land.
Absolute silence enveloped the area.
Moments later, the Ruler of the Jungle seemingly realized something and spoke.
[At this moment, a great wheel… is moving…!!]
Flash!
Everything vanished in a blinding light.
That was my 22nd death.