Reincarnation Sword God

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Dark Heaven Village

Jin So-cheong thought this might be her last battle. And it was likely true. No matter how positively one might assess the situation, her chances of survival against the Eight Parts of the Divine and Mahuraga were thinner than a hair. She was the one who understood this fact best. With her current abilities, even surpassing a single immortal was nothing but a pipe dream.

But she had to fight.
She had no choice but to fight now.

Jin So-cheong kept repeating this in her mind as she pushed forward, her gaze fixed ahead, wrapped in the light of the Thunder Spirit Technique.

She had her reasons.
And that reason had been shaped by her battle against the Master of the White Lotus Sect.

Just moments ago, Jin So-cheong had clashed with the Master, who was on the brink of death. Her assigned role was merely to stab the Young Master and inflict the Master’s reverse-scale wound, yet she had insisted on confronting the Master. It was because she didn’t want to bring a meaningless death to someone worthy of respect as a martial artist.

At first, Jin So-cheong approached with a somewhat sympathetic heart, but as the battle progressed, she was deeply shaken. The Master couldn’t escape death, and whether she won or lost, it was a battle that would end in despair; yet, she fought without giving up, doing her utmost. Utilizing her Primordial Spirit to its fullest, the Master had pushed Jin So-cheong into a crisis. While originally the Master was indeed stronger than her, even in this state of wounding, they were nearly equal. One could almost say it was a defeat for Jin So-cheong.

What drives the Master?
Having witnessed the Master’s relentless spirit and resolve until the end, Jin So-cheong suddenly realized what she lacked and the Master possessed.

The will to save humanity!

It was altruism turned towards ultimate self-interest, but they were prepared to dedicate everything for their true goal. The Master felt she alone could save humanity and fought with all her might until the very end.

Jin So-cheong never imagined she could fight that hard for someone. Let alone a mere obsession for a non-existent collective called humanity, that was something beyond the imagination of an ordinary person. It was entirely different from the purest will aspiring for martial excellence, and while one could say it was marred by time, it nonetheless manifested a level of mental strength that could overwhelm the pure path of martial practitioners.

They were, at the very least, those who put their will into action. They showed what their life truly meant through their deeds.

She kept pondering as she arrived here.
What am I fighting for?
What do I have?

… The answer was, in fact, nothing.
Jin So-cheong’s longstanding depression stemmed not from the cowardly act of exploiting the Master’s oversight, but from the sudden realization that she was, in truth, an empty vessel. There was no resurgence of the Thunder God lineage, no lengthy journey against the Old Ruler, no revenge against the Emperor who killed her father, nor any wrath against the otherworldly beings who treated humanity like mere toys. She had simply been doing what she could after Baek Woong’s reincarnation.

This situation wasn’t inherently wrong. The masters of the three great forces and figures like Baek Woong were anomalies that couldn’t be found in history, and Jin So-cheong was perfectly normal.

However.
What reason was there for those completely uninterested in the ultimate martial form to pursue madness for their goals, resulting in a strength that transcended the essence of martial arts? As she contemplated the nature of madness, Jin So-cheong reached a single conclusion.

She too must go mad.
If she simply complacently waited for time to pass in a safe place, she would never surpass them. Even if, by objective comparison, she later became stronger than they were, she would never display the tenacity to move the world with that strength.

She had to actively utilize her violent talent – to cross the fatal line.
Only then could she surpass their heights.

Jin So-cheong wanted to fill the unbearable void that existed within her.
After all, she had never properly enjoyed life until now.
Was it too tragic if this was merely an instinct presented by her talent, a product of that talent? In reality, some kind of soft sensation kept urging her to fight, and somehow that sensation felt like it would become reality.

Jin So-cheong forcefully ignored the fleeting thought.
“I have to surpass them.”
I must overcome this impossible battlefield.
I must surpass myself.
I must embody the concept that martial arts is about self-mastery.
Merely being used as a pawn was not going to help Baek Woong in the future, so she decided to stir herself.

Tuwong.
With the acceleration of the Thunder Spirit Technique, she arrived at the battlefield. For a brief moment, she caught sight of the azure giant, Mahuraga, and the Eight Parts of the Divine all at once, confirming the tremendous power they held. And a wave of sheer despair washed over her until her lips turned pale.

There’s no way I can win against them.
Not a single one of them here is someone I can defeat.
They have all transcended humans, long ago!

Why on earth did I come willingly to this place of death?
The moment she confirmed that despairing reality, a strange feeling washed over her heart. A refreshing sensation, akin to tricking the human brain, but muddied with something vile and gross, a certain tainted euphoria bloomed in her heart like a flower.

Yes – this is what madness feels like.

And so began the battle of the human Jin So-cheong.
What is this?
The first to notice her presence was Mahuraga. He was employing the broadest perspective to capture all three of the Eight Parts of the Divine at once. With the divine sense wielded by a god, how could he ignore the arrival of a human shooting toward him at incredible speed? However, upon confirming that human’s combat strength, he quickly lost interest.

Just a bug.

While the lower beings would assess that bug by breaking it down into several tiers, it held no meaning to him as a divine being. What did it matter if a cicada was stronger than a ladybug?
Mahuraga would rather watch the bug self-destruct during the battle than swat it himself. Having a sadistic personality, and being brutally ruthless, he decided to simply let Jin So-cheong be while enjoying the sight of her making unnecessary moves and the despair of the Eight Parts of the Divine.

The Eight Parts of the Divine also noticed Jin So-cheong a moment later. However, as they didn’t know what she was about, they simply stared. They were already struggling to handle Mahuraga; why did they need to worry about a human intruding upon their battle?

Jin So-cheong was utterly ignored for an instant, but she gathered her will and unleashed the Infinite Internal Power of the Absolute Realm.

Absolute Realm.
Thunder Spirit Technique.
Thunder Transformation.

Her body became hazy and suddenly transformed, infused with the essence of the Thunder. However, unlike the time with Lee Cheong-un, it was not a complete lightning form but seemed to ripple across the contours of her body. This was because Jin So-cheong had a considerable understanding of the Thunder Spirit Technique, yet lacked the extraordinary internal power required to fully implement it. Like a force she could only draw upon momentarily during battle, her basic offensive and defensive capabilities were far inferior to Lee Cheong-un, who activated Thunder Transformation at will.

However, that didn’t mean the level she achieved was low. Regardless, she understood the Thunder Spirit Technique, allowing her to fully utilize the abilities of that essence. Jin So-cheong transformed her spear into lightning and immediately hurled it at Mahuraga of the Eight Parts of the Divine.

Ting!

A loud resonance erupted around Mahuraga as an automatic barrier unfolded, blocking Jin So-cheong’s lightning spear. Upon confirming the disrespectful human as an enemy, Mahuraga’s expression turned extremely displeased as he uttered a command.

“Die!”

Kieeeng—
In that moment, Jin So-cheong realized a soundwave was hurtling toward her, piercing and slicing her body. She could dodge at the speed of sound, but Mahuraga’s command was a special ancient sorcery, rendering it impossible to evade with mere divine techniques or reaction time. Furthermore, the force contained within Mahuraga’s command began to shatter Jin So-cheong’s spirit, extracting her soul.

Craack!
The Thunder Transformation unraveled playfully, revealing veins popping all over Jin So-cheong’s body. Had it been under normal circumstances, she would have turned into a sanguine mist in an instant from that one strike, but as she fought against it with her will…

“Khuh-ehk.”
She screamed, quaking at Mahuraga’s power. How could it be that she, in the Absolute Realm, was in grave danger of being killed in an instant by the attack of one of the Eight Parts of the Divine? It wasn’t a lie that the power of the Eight Parts of the Divine surpassed even the techniques of divine swords. Even Mahuraga, who was comparatively weak among them, could kill the current Jin So-cheong like a bug.

Mahuraga’s brow twitched.
“You can withstand that? For a human, quite…”

The celestial being beside him remarked crudely.
“Either way, they’ll soon be combat ineffective. Ignore them and focus on Mahuraga.”
“Indeed.”

Puk!
As if to confirm their words, Jin So-cheong’s arm burst open. Though she resisted with her will, she could no longer bear the spells’ force. Now, with one arm lost, it seemed Jin So-cheong had no chance of recovery left.

Kwahraaang!
Paying no heed to Jin So-cheong, countless beams rained down between Mahuraga and the Eight Parts of the Divine, igniting the sky in a volcanic eruption of overwhelming scale. As this grand battle continued, something that shouldn’t be permitted in this era, Jin So-cheong was plummeting from the void.

Whee-iiing!
Amid the air blazing with flames and madness, looked bloodied, Jin So-cheong thought. There was no sense of loss from losing her arm.

“Why is that?”
I’m like a bug.
She was clearly perceived as such by the foes and truly was one.

She should be tasting the despair of dying like a bug but—
“It’s fun.”
She couldn’t hide the exhilaration bubbling within her heart. Just by surrendering herself to madness, she felt an unexpected joy like never before. It was unbelievable to think this was actually fun. With a smile, Jin So-cheong reached out.

Let’s enjoy it.
Whiiip!
By chance, a lightning spear flew into Jin So-cheong’s grasp as she fell. She felt as if she understood the flow of this chaos and knew what she needed to do in this tumultuous battlefield. Though it was beyond verbal explanation, each sensation buried deep within her body awakened and advised her on what to do.

Her body tingled.
She wanted to fight.
Absolute Realm!
Zhintian (Bursting Sky)!
This time, Jin So-cheong soared through the air without utilizing the Thunder Spirit Technique. Already exhausted in terms of internal power and will, it was akin to throwing eggs at a boulder. But now, her target was none other than Garuda. If she left his divine flame alone, she’d surely be burned to death soon.

Of course, it went without saying that Garuda was no mere fool who spat out flames without thought.
“Hmph.”
Possessing divine senses and reaction speed, Garuda immediately detected Jin So-cheong’s killing intent and without turning to face her, conjured a pillar of flames in the air and launched it at her. Though he hadn’t cultivated martial arts, his physical prowess was not inferior to that of the masters of the Absolute Realm.

Kuwaaaang!
In an instant, the very ground where Jin So-cheong had stood blazed into a lifeless wasteland. Thinking he had successfully exterminated the annoying bug, Garuda tried to dismiss it but the next moment, he felt an unsettling emptiness in his chest.

“……?”
A silver thorn had penetrated his body. In fact, it was Jin So-cheong’s spear. Holding the spear in one hand, Jin So-cheong’s body casually finished her attack while standing without a care.

“Huh?”
Then suddenly, Jin So-cheong aimed her spirit and unleashed the Absolute Slash of Lan, tearing Garuda’s body apart.

Pwooook!
Jin So-cheong’s face remained eerily calm. With the spear embedded in Garuda, Jin So-cheong didn’t stop and immediately charged towards the celestial being beside her. The celestial being sensed something utterly unbelievable was happening but quickly invoked his ancient sorcery to attack Jin So-cheong.

“Guhk!”
Splurt!
As the spells’ symbols etched themselves into Jin So-cheong’s body, blood gushed forth. Even with the Thunder Transformation, she could not evade the celestial being’s sorcery at all.

“What the…?”
The celestial being was briefly thrown into confusion. As his technique hurtled toward her, Jin So-cheong took it head-on, only to find herself hovering in the air, her combat ability seemingly intact. Normally, a regular human would have died from that many strikes over…

“Could it be that human neutralized the spell using their will?”
With what kind of trick?
Theoretically, it might be possible, but he had never heard of such a prodigious sense.

To naturally resist against the fluctuations of his sorcery by harmonizing with his force—in theory, such a feat might be achievable among those of the Heavenly Realm, but none had existed among the celestial beings he had encountered until now.

“Haaaah!”
Yet the moment Jin So-cheong’s eyes, transformed as if made of blood, surged with a radiant light and she launched a counterattack against the celestial being, both the celestial and Mahuraga suddenly realized one fact.

This guy.
He has become stronger than before.

Pwoook!
Realizing this too late, the celestial being’s neck was pierced by Jin So-cheong’s spear. The potential contained within her spear was too much for the celestial being’s barrier to withstand.

“……”
Of course, it wasn’t a fatal wound. She wasn’t struck by the Seven Luminaries nor by Mahuraga, thus the celestial being, who had just suffered an unexpected strike from Jin So-cheong, would soon resurrect in no time. He too would only temporarily vanish, firmly believing in his quick revival.

This was the disparity between one of the Eight Parts of the Divine and a mere human. A fight in which one could never lose.

Still, the being clad in radiant white light, the physical form of the celestial being, was engulfed in a strange feeling. The sight of this one-armed human rampaging madly left even this non-human feeling impressed.
“Remarkable… I’ve never seen a human like you.”

Swaak!
The celestial being momentarily vanishing left behind those words of admiration. It was because he instantaneously comprehended that Jin So-cheong’s skill was of such a level that it couldn’t be cast aside merely because she was human. Mahuraga realized the same, his expression one of astonishment.

“Khahahaha!! A rather sprightly bug, aren’t you? I’m entertained…”

As the two watched the farce unfold before them, Mahuraga laughed heartily. But before his words could finish, Jin So-cheong lunged toward Mahuraga, plunging her spear with full force.

Kwahhhh!!
“……”
Mahuraga was rendered speechless. Unbeknownst to himself, he had instinctively used divine power to defend against Jin So-cheong’s strike. This meant that even he, who possessed a divine body, had recognized it as a potential danger, and at the same time, indicated that Jin So-cheong’s potential had risen to a level capable of shredding the gods.

But despite that, Mahuraga felt dumbfounded.
“How… how dare you.”
No matter how much the situation escalated, he never imagined a crazy human could boldly brandish a blade against someone like himself, who stood directly beneath the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. The sheer outrageousness of it left him too stunned even to feel anger. After thousands of years, this situation was one of the most bewildering Mahuraga had experienced.

Bloodied, Jin So-cheong gasped for breath. She realized that she had now exhausted her physical strength and energy; with just a few more clashes, she would surely die without exception. Yet, she didn’t care. After all, there was no way left to escape. The plans of the Zhuge Clan had been wildly twisted, but such things were not her concern now.

Even now, she was getting stronger. Though she didn’t quite understand why, it was just something she knew.

In the next clash, she would grow even stronger.
Like a star guiding her through the darkness, Jin So-cheong followed that flow unhesitatingly.

That was – the Absolute Realm’s Zhintian.
A state that couldn’t be described by any basic techniques, martial arts theory, or cultivation methods.
Anomaly that denied the thousands of years of martial arts history only through talent.
This contradicting phenomenon only revealed itself when she could truly relish the fight amidst extreme situations.

“Let’s give it our all.”
To achieve maximum efficiency through giving up on the path of survival seemed so paradoxical. Yet, as Jin So-cheong began to accept death and immerse herself, rather than cry, she aimed her spear at the giant Mahuraga and said,
“Shall we go again?”

Jin So-cheong was enjoying herself.
For the first time in this life.

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