Reincarnation Sword God

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Dark Heaven Village

As the Sword Demon was summoned, I decided to call back as many people as I could.

Mangnyang!

Zhuge Sa!

Sssss

Then, just like the Sword Demon, Mangnyang, who had already died, appeared in this space. Not only that, but Zhuge Sa was also standing beside him. They were momentarily bewildered but seemed to grasp the situation quickly. Then Zhuge Sa suddenly spoke to me.

“Baek Woong, hold on for a moment.”

“Why?”

“You’ve only summoned three people, right? You didn’t summon more than that, did you?”

“Yeah.”

Zhuge Sa thought for a moment before saying.

“Think about the distribution of the Seven Luminaries. Take a moment to ponder.”

“Oh! Right….”

To fight properly in this space, one prerequisite was holding the Seven Luminaries. No matter how strong a fighter was, without the Seven Luminaries, as seen when Wul-yo tried to seal Jin So-cheong just moments ago, they were likely to be instantly killed. In other words, the recommended maximum number was six. Moreover, the more Seven Luminaries possessed, the greater the amplification of their power, so there was an advantage when the numbers decreased.

I handed the summoned three people some obsidian to inform them of the current situation quickly. Especially in the case of the Sword Demon, I packed in as many memories as I could about what I had experienced so far. After a while, Mangnyang spoke.

“Baek Woong. So, can we summon Yeodong-bin or Jang Sam-bong?”

“I’ll give it a try.”

However, neither Yeodong-bin nor Jang Sam-bong was summoned. Mangnyang then ordered again.

“Lee Cheong-un, Miho, Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens, Miyamoto Musashi, Bright Dragon, Master of Zen, Tang San, Zhuge Yulong too.”

“Randomly summoning would be a bit….”

“No, since it’s like this, I think I need to know the definite rules of this space. If it’s not something we can do multiple times.”

“Understood.”

I felt a strange difference in the opinions of Mangnyang and Zhuge Sa. But Zhuge Sa said nothing and seemed to take the stance that it was right to follow Mangnyang’s opinion. I started summoning one by one as directed by Mangnyang.

Whoosh!

Then, the only successful summon was Master of Zen.

“Amitabha….”

Master of Zen appeared suddenly, looking surprised, but Mangnyang, after observing them for a moment, said.

“Xiang Yu, Celestial Sage.”

Whoosh!

Then, Celestial Sage appeared here. He looked around and seemed startled. Mangnyang spoke to me.

“Baek Woong, I suspect you’ve figured out the exact conditions for the Law of Cause and Effect summon.”

“What are they?”

“Only those who can acknowledge Baek Woong as king can be summoned to this space. It’s not just about loyalty; it’s those who can inwardly accept you as the king of mankind when you declare yourself as such. That’s what I think defines the relationship between a sovereign and subjects in this space.”

Mangnyang continued.

“Additionally, even if you had a connection in your past life, you cannot summon someone you’ve never encountered in this life.”

“Like Lee Cheong-un and Miho.”

“Correct. Simply having camaraderie or feelings of companionship wouldn’t allow for summoning. The key point is whether they can acknowledge you as ‘the emperor.’ The concepts of camaraderie and loyalty are different.”

“Hmmm!”

As I pondered for a while, I felt something odd.

“Why can’t I summon the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens?”

“She likely felt you were worthy as a king, but… there’s a high probability she possesses powers beyond the Law of Cause and Effect. There could be other reasons too. And….”

Mangnyang gazed intently at Zhuge Sa, then concentrated.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Zhuge Sa disappeared as if being drawn in and appeared beside Mangnyang.

“Huh? Teleportation?”

I tilted my head, but Zhuge Sa smiled bitterly.

“What a fascinating summoning system.”

“Indeed, uncle.”

Zhuge Sa spoke to me.

“As you can see, you’re not the only one who can be summoned, Baek Woong. Those already summoned can also summon others again. The conditions are likely the same.”

“Oh….”

“And if someone who is already summoned is called again, it’s not about being revived, but they are just moving from one space to another.”

I realized what was happening.

‘Mangnyang summoned Zhuge Sa.’

The reason summoning was possible is that Zhuge Sa evaluated Mangnyang as a king and thought in his heart that it was fine if Mangnyang became a king. Since it’s not about summoning the dead, they merely switched locations in the space.

This was something I hadn’t considered, and I couldn’t help but admire Mangnyang’s quick-wittedness. It felt like this could be strategically utilized.

Mangnyang said.

“The summoning conditions seem quite strict. Even for you, Baek Woong, who has gone through so many adventures, there aren’t many allies you can realistically summon…. However, since those summoned can summon again, I feel we can find a way out.”

“That makes sense.”

“One more thing to test….”

Mangnyang stared at Zhuge Sa intently. But nothing happened.

Then Zhuge Sa spoke.

“You just tested if you could send me back, didn’t you?”

“Exactly.”

“But it seems it didn’t work. Once someone is summoned, they cannot be sent back. Ultimately, you must die to exit this space.”

“……!!”

I looked at Mangnyang in shock. Why would he want to send back his uncle, a critical asset in this place? But soon, I understood Mangnyang’s intent.

‘Anyway, I have to test reverse summoning. However, I won’t intentionally send someone back. So Mangnyang took the initiative to test it. He’s saving time….’

Mangnyang likely didn’t want to play the villain either. I realized that every action of his had a reason, and it was all focused on supporting me. Mangnyang continued.

“The only remaining question is how many times you can summon. However, considering Qin Shi Huang is summoning a massive army to fight, I think it’s likely unlimited summoning. If there were limits on the number of summons, it would be impossible to break the trial of the Seven Luminaries.”

“Hmmm….”

As I made a perplexed expression, Mangnyang reassured me.

“Baek Woong, don’t think too deeply. The fact that you were summoned because someone acknowledged you as a king means they are willing to endure repeated deaths.”

Mangnyang, as if reading my mind, emphasized the point succinctly.

That’s true.

While repeatedly summoning and fighting would certainly lower the difficulty of the Seven Luminaries Trial, that was just a conclusion based on results. There would definitely be at least ten deaths before completing the trial, and that would undoubtedly be a great pain. While those trained as warriors might endure it easily, there was a risk of mental exhaustion leading to madness. However, Mangnyang comforted me, stating that only those willing to endure such suffering would be summoned.

At that moment, Zhuge Sa said.

“Furthermore, considering the tremendous gains Qin Shi Huang is getting from this system, it seems essential for you, Baek Woong, to vastly reconsider your strategies from previous lives.”

“Hmm?”

“Now’s not the time for this discussion. Anyhow, what’s important now is how we can pass the trial of the Seven Luminaries….”

Zhuge Sa glanced at Celestial Sage and then said.

“Alright, let’s give all we have to the Celestial Sage. For now, let’s focus our power on him.”

That’s the strategy?!

Following Zhuge Sa’s instructions, we all gave our Seven Luminaries to the Celestial Sage. Cheon Gong-pyo looked ill at ease, but perhaps sensing the difficulty of the Seven Luminaries, she didn’t express any dissent.

Whoosh!

However, the Celestial Sage, who received the Seven Luminaries, suddenly began to shine brightly. Then he shouted.

“Whoooa…! This…this is incredible…!”

He quickly tossed away the Seven Luminaries, and the shining phenomenon ceased.

Breathing heavily, the Celestial Sage said.

“I almost became a god and was on the verge of being expelled from here.”

“…What?”

“I felt something transcending the Law of Cause and Effect….”

Confused by what he meant, Mangnyang explained.

“It seems this method won’t work. While it would be the most powerful strategy to give six of the Seven Luminaries to the Celestial Sage, it also means his power would surpass the limits and reach a level subject to the Law of Cause and Effect.”

“Ah!”

He glanced at Cheon Gong-pyo and continued.

“That would apply to Cheon Gong-pyo as well. If we give all the Seven Luminaries to a strong person, they will become a god and ascend, leaving only losses for our army. Furthermore, according to Qin Shi Huang, a god-like being transcending the Law of Cause and Effect cannot challenge this trial, making it impossible for them to be summoned again.”

“Hmmm….”

“It seems the true objective of this trial is to defeat the enemies by coordinating the powers of mortals, not gods. This makes it inevitably challenging….”

Is that really so?

I understood that Mangnyang’s analysis was reasonable, but I felt it wasn’t that simple. My intuition was telling me otherwise.

‘Even if I summon comrades who’re easy to die without the Seven Luminaries, it won’t matter much against a mighty opponent like the spirit of the Seven Luminaries…. A cat won’t fare well against a tiger, no matter how many gather… But….’

The spirit of Wul-yo emphasized that this summoning ability might be the most critical tactic, and so did Qin Shi Huang. It seems they stressed it for reasons beyond merely increasing our numbers and reducing the chances of annihilation; something more vital must exist.

At that moment, Master of Zen declared resolutely.

“Amitabha… I don’t fully understand the situation, but I shall repay the debt to the previous ruler.”

“Thank you.”

There’s no longer anything worth testing. Now the issue is how to distribute the Seven Luminaries, and Zhuge Sa spoke.

“Baek Woong. You should offer the Seven Luminaries and observe from behind. It’ll be best for Celestial Sage to take two, while Cheon Gong-pyo, Jin So-cheong, Cheon Woo-jin, and the Sword Demon each take one.”

“What? Just sit back and watch?”

“Normally, that wouldn’t be the case, but as you’ve been acknowledged as a king in this space, you are likely the only one who can revive your fallen allies. If the one responsible for recovery and resurrection takes the frontlines and dies unfortunately, the entire strategy fails. While there may be those who venerate you as a king, there aren’t any who you have venerated as such, right?”

“……”

“It’s like chess. The king usually doesn’t move.”

With that, Zhuge Sa began to focus on the front.

“Hyun and I will protect you and support with strategies and intelligence. In the meantime, I’ll also bring out Zhuge Bu and set up the Eight Trigrams Formation. This way, we’ll be more or less prepared.”

Sssss

Thanks to Zhuge Sa’s quick directives, the strategy was set, and as I got ready, I realized it was almost time to restart the battle.

“Wul-yo! I’ll go again!”

[Come forth, those who challenge the throne of kings!]

Boom!

The battle erupted again. Wul-yo, a blend of mirrors and bells, summoned a pure white mirror that seemed to act as an absolute defense, fiercely receiving the joint attacks of those with the Seven Luminaries. As the Celestial Sage began to rampage with the two Seven Luminaries in hand, it was clear that our side had the upper hand than it did while fighting earlier.

Possibilities emerged.

I mumbled in a moment of powerlessness.

“When will I be strong like the Celestial Sage…?”

“Well, probably within a thousand years would be pushing it, huh?”

“…….”

“Even two thousand years of training might not be enough. Even Yeodong-bin can’t catch up to Celestial Sage yet.”

Zhuge Sa casually replied, continuing.

“But it’s not necessary for a king to be the greatest warrior.”

“Huh?”

“No matter how strong and smart you become, in comparison to someone else, you’ll always fall short. Even if you study sacred texts and accumulate knowledge for a thousand years, you won’t surpass Hyun in intelligence. Although you may have overwhelming knowledge, intelligence and quick-wittedness are innate traits.”

“…That’s true.”

I always felt this while observing Mangnyang, Jin So-cheong, Cheon Woo-jin, and others.

Even if I were to grow continuously through my reincarnations, catching up to their brilliant talent’s innate power was ultimately impossible. From the start, we were different. I could hone my skills, but I couldn’t cultivate talent itself.

“That applies even if you, Baek Woong, aren’t a fool but are rather a considerable genius. Thus, a king doesn’t need to be the best; they must be someone who commands those who have reached the highest position.”

“Hmm….”

“Now isn’t the time to feel powerless. Given the situation, we need to utilize our time effectively.”

With that, Zhuge Sa turned to Master of Zen and spoke.

“Master of Zen. Share everything you know about Jin Cheon-hwi. Spill the details on the Poison Arts technique and Internal Martial Arts, as well as the Shaolin Temple’s teachings. You’re currently no help at all.”

Master of Zen nodded vigorously.

“I understand. Thanks to your obsidian, I’ve realized what’s important…. I’d be honored if I could assist in determining the human king.”

Master of Zen shared the Shaolin Temple’s greatest divine art, Golden Hall’s Great Truth, and also disclosed the strong martial arts techniques preserved in the temple. He mentioned all the methods to easily break the One Hundred and Eight Arhats and disclosed the weaknesses of all formation techniques. Of course, I couldn’t grasp everything after just one hearing, but it seemed Mangnyang and Zhuge Sa understood and memorized it in one go.

The enlightened Master of Zen continued.

“Just one thing to note, Golden Hall’s Great Truth is mistakenly thought to be Shaolin Temple’s best martial art, but it isn’t. The true pinnacle of martial arts is the Legendary Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic.”

Mangnyang’s eyes gleamed.

“You mean the legendary skill said to have been created by the first Zen Master, Dalma? I thought it was just a myth, but it actually exists?”

“Indeed. However, it has gone missing today. A few centuries ago, a powerful Demon Lord stole the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic…. That Demon Lord is assumed to be an expert beyond the Absolute Realm, and no one could stop him. It’s a humiliating affair that the Shaolin Temple has kept quiet about… Those who learn the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic are said to gain unfathomable strength…”

If I were to reincarnate, it would be my wish to find that classic….

Zhuge Sa quickly glanced at the ongoing battle and irritably spoke.

“Damn it! Isn’t now the time to talk about the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic? Even if a legendary expert were to arrive, it wouldn’t help much in this fight right now. That’s enough. Let’s discuss Jin Cheon-hwi.”

“Alright.”

Master of Zen began.

“Jin Cheon-hwi is…”

Kaboom!!

Just then, with a tremendous noise, Celestial Sage transformed into a massive monkey, performing powerful kicks, while Cheon Gong-pyo fiercely swung her Sabre Sword. Jin So-cheong had somehow taken over the roles of Fire Elemental and Water Elemental, penetrating the defense of Wul-yo like I did earlier. Wul-yo had split into three clones, and if not defeated within a set time, would revert back to its original form after already experiencing that process once.

Particularly with the Sword Demon joining in, the cooperation began flowing much more smoothly than before. Since Jin So-cheong had previously been both defensive and auxiliary, his vulnerabilities were quite exposed, but with the Sword Demon’s help, he was neutralizing Wul-yo’s terrifying energy beams using Mind Control Technique.

‘The Sword Demon’s skill is currently comparable to Jin So-cheong’s…!!’

Those two were undoubtedly the strongest martial artists on earth right now. Just summoning the Sword Demon was a colossal boon to our attack on the Seven Luminaries. As time passed, their combined efforts finally resulted in Wul-yo letting out a scream.

[Oooo… those who challenge the king…! I, the spirit of Wul-yo, acknowledge your power…!!]

Fssshhh!

With a sound resembling bubbles bursting, Wul-yo’s form completely vanished.

Zziiiing—

And as soon as Wul-yo dissipated, the three treasures we had been wielding began to shimmer with a rainbow light. The Celestial Sage, wiping the sweat off his forehead while watching the dazzling display of the Seven Lights, said.

“Wow, that was tough. What was that strong?”

“Are you all alright?”

“…Ha, not particularly. It’s infuriating.”

“Hmm….”

“If a spirit like that existed on earth, the world would’ve been destroyed long ago.”

His grumbling wasn’t just a joke; there was genuine trembling in his voice. The Celestial Sage honestly appeared shaken by the difficulty of the Seven Luminaries. Despite having fought in countless battles as an Overlay Technique, he acknowledged this formidable opponent as one rarely encountered.

Mangnyang remarked, gazing at the horizon.

“…It seems the trial of Mok-yo has opened.”

“…….”

Silence fell over us.

As he said, an earthy-colored light appeared at the far side. Half a moment had already passed since the trial of Su-yo opened, and now the fourth trial, Mok-yo’s trial, had commenced. This meant we had spent well over half a moment just to pass Wul-yo.

We were running out of time.

‘The light of Hwa-yo is extinguished. Qin Shi Huang must have resolved it, but….’

There were no signs of resolution for Su-yo. Given Qin Shi Huang’s pace through the trials, it was highly likely we would barely finish off all the Seven Luminaries in time. Moreover, with an even more powerful and troublesome foe in Mok-yo appearing, the possibility of our annihilation seemed grim. Cheon Woo-jin, who stood beside me, commented.

“It seems Qin Shi Huang has begun his challenge with Su-yo.”

“Then we must head to Mok-yo.”

“Exactly. Time is running short.”

Cheon Woo-jin declared firmly.

“If we cannot defeat Mok-yo within half a moment, we will fail the trial.”

We hurried towards the Mok-yo trial on the opposite side. There, it looked as if a giant World Tree was stretching up to the heavens, and standing in front of the tree was an ethereal woman in green robes emanating a sacred aura.

The woman in green looked at me and said.

[Baek Woong. Did Ha Eun-cheon not come to this place?]

Feeling odd at her question, I responded.

“What do you mean? Are you…?”

Mok-yo slowly nodded.

[I have been Ha Eun-cheon’s possession for a long time and have watched over him. I’ve also come to learn his secret, which is a tremendous hidden truth. Furthermore, having learned of the clan of Dan and the three masters’ affairs, I thought this spirit of Mok-yo was suitable for a king of mankind, gathering all power to prepare for the future while facing inevitable destruction.]

“…….”

[Yet, he ultimately could not overcome the karma of the past and was defeated… Baek Woong, who defeated such a hero, has piqued my interest in who you truly are.]

“If you know Ha Eun-cheon’s secret, please tell me. What secret does he hold?”

At my inquiry, Mok-yo wore a subtle smile.

[If you summoned Ha Eun-cheon here as king, I would have told you… But, it seems that you have arrived here without earning his acknowledgment. Then I too must uphold my loyalty to that secret.]

“That’s unreasonable! What does his will mean at this point?! Do you not understand that a human king is being determined right here and now, and that the Seven Luminaries will be liberated? Tell me!”

As I shouted, Mok-yo responded.

[That is none of my business as a spirit…. We are merely followers of the divine dragon Shenglong and the owner of this planet; it matters not if humanity is annihilated. However, I personally hold respect and favor for Ha Eun-cheon.]

“…It seems there’s no use in trying to talk.”

I sighed and had one more question.

“How powerful is the guardian of Il-yo? Do you know their identity?”

[That person is our lord.]

“Could it be the Emperor?”

[Not at all. The true master of this world will come directly.]

The master of this world?

I tilted my head, but Mok-yo seemed unwilling to elaborate more.

She just fixed her gaze on me, wearing an oddly strange smile.

And the Sword Demon beside me warned.

“Baek Woong. Be cautious.”

“Is there any way I can not be cautious here?”

“Not that kind of caution. It’s different from before. Wul-yo was merely undergoing its trial.”

The Sword Demon, with his white hair flowing, gazed at Mok-yo’s spirit with deep, mysterious eyes.

“That entity harbors personal malice toward you, communicated through the Primordial Void.”

“…….”

At that remark, I felt a chill run down my spine.

“Even if you don’t step onto the battlefield, Mok-yo will actively try to kill you. Please watch your back. Should you die, it’s over for you, the king Baek Woong.”

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