Reincarnation Sword God

---

Dark Heaven Village

I snapped back to reality and looked around. I realized that this was a bizarre place I had never been to before. The architecture was unlike anything I’d seen in the earthly realm or during my travels, with floors covered in translucent gemstone-like material and enormous pillars inscribed with alien letters.

Gurgle…

Outside the building, I could hear the sound of water flowing. I guessed that what lay beyond the opaque darkness was probably water or perhaps the sea. An unsettling quiet enveloped the area, but within that silence, there was no killing intent or threat.

It was just quiet.

In fact, that silence felt unpleasant to me. What kind of place is this?

“Damn it. Should I scream or something?”

I felt uneasy, having suddenly been kidnapped while negotiating with Shennong. Whatever being had the power to transport me like that was definitely not ordinary. If we were going to talk, I wanted to get it over with quickly.

But soon, my instincts kicked in, and I realized that wasn’t a good idea. Some instinct warned me that moving carelessly here could be dangerous. I began to observe my surroundings carefully, enhancing my senses and moving as quietly as possible.

Slithery…

While I was sneaking around silently for about fifty steps, strange sounds started emanating from the opposite end of this long corridor.

[…come to me….]

It was a call.

As soon as I heard that voice, I knew with horrifying clarity who had me in their grip. Even with Shennong, there were nuances in the resonance that made it possible to distinguish individuals. That call, I had experienced before.

‘Oh no! It can’t be!!’

I turned around in disbelief. The horrifying alien architecture, the eerie bas-reliefs, and the small, tentacle-like plants sprouting around the pillars—I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed before.

I approached the wall of water blocking the way between the pillars and tried to break through it with my sword strength. The dark wall of darkness parted instantly, revealing a vast sea beyond and more bizarre structures on the other side. I noticed that this place was relatively elevated, offering a panoramic view of the city below.

“……”

No doubt…

I had been invited to the most nightmarish realm for mortals.

This was the underwater city. The legendary city where demons dwell, waiting for the stars to find their place. I couldn’t forget the hazy visions I had seen countless times through the golden lamp.

Schwaaa!!

Something indescribably evil burst forth from the sea, stretching its body like an eel. It was hard to believe, but the magical power radiating from that entity was on the level of the **Old Ruler**, causing me to shudder.

An **Old Ruler** casually walking about in this place.

The identity of the monarch waiting at the corridor’s end was all too clear.

If it was the **Evil Spirit**, it could easily have taken me out of Shennong’s hands.

“I guess I have to commit suicide….”

I reached that conclusion in an instant. Throughout my adventures, I had faced countless life-threatening moments, but choosing to end my own life was a different story. Yet here, I felt instinctively that I had to take that step. I knew that not only surviving here was impossible, but a total downfall awaited me.

Crack!

However, just as I was about to raise my sword without hesitation, my hand suddenly stopped. As I stood there, stiff with the sword pointing at my neck, the ‘voice’ echoed again.

[…come to me…]

That was power that couldn’t allow death.

‘Crap.’

I tried to disrupt my vital energy to commit suicide, but it didn’t work. His magical power seemed capable of stopping all my attempts to end my life. It was no surprise for an **Evil Spirit** to do that, but I felt an unbearable despair wash over me.

Why did I succeed in getting the essence only to confront an **Evil Spirit** now?

‘Ugh…, damn it…!!’

If I had a way out, it would involve resorting to my final method. But doing so would also mean invoking dreadful destruction and pain, so I hesitated to use it. As I writhed in anger and despair, the voice returned.

[…do not act like a human…sometimes…stay still….]

Swish!!!

“Ahhh!!”

I was unexpectedly ensnared by a gigantic tentacle that shot out from the other end of the corridor and pulled me away. It seemed to pass through dimensions as the scenery blurred from monochrome to rainbow-like shades, breaking through dimensional barriers. Indeed, this corridor had appeared ordinary, yet it was a bizarre space that was continuously sealed off by countless dimensional walls!

Thud.

I was thrown onto the floor of a horrifying temple filled entirely with tentacles. The ground felt surprisingly soft, so it didn’t hurt, but seeing the undulating membranes and the green liquid flowing beneath made my stomach churn. Additionally, the countless spores and tentacles swirling around resulted in a dizzying effect.

From the darkness of the temple, a voice echoed.

[The transcendent frequency… flows beyond understanding….]

As I quietly listened to the voice, the **Evil Spirit** continued.

[The wanderer of the guest… has lingered for far too long…. It couldn’t be helped….]

A guest?

Wandering?

Time?

I couldn’t decipher what the **Evil Spirit** was saying.

But one thing was certain.

‘This guy… is different from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.’

While there might not be a significant difference in power or authority at play, the **Evil Spirit** seemed to operate with entirely different intentions from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. If their goal was the existence and maintenance of the world, then the objective of this **Evil Spirit** felt completely apart, as if the destruction of the world held little interest for it. Its actions were totally unlike those of the other **Old Rulers**.

Indeed.

The **Evil Spirit** knew something the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors didn’t.

As I sensed that truth, the **Evil Spirit** spoke.

[The one… mastering life… the one who wields the threads of death and rebirth… when the blessings resound… have gathered the seven stars….]

“……”

[Awakening of the celestial comprehension… the blessings cannot be denied….]

What is it saying?

Before I realized it, the fear of the **Evil Spirit** was gradually fading, replaced by confusion filling my mind. To my knowledge, the **Evil Spirit** never explained things so kindly to mortals, being the very embodiment of terror that everyone feared the most. Yet it felt almost as if it wanted to convey something to me.

I shouted into the darkness, where its form was barely visible.

“What is the reason I must achieve the celestial comprehension?!”

The celestial comprehension or blessings, those were surely just metaphors or allegories. There had to be some meaning behind them, and I wanted to know their significance, even if that meant dying.

Then, the **Evil Spirit** began to speak slowly.

[You are… not the first…. I will take this opportunity… to tell you the secrets of the stone tablet….]

“What?!”

[You are the evidence of the counterfeit…. The beginning of all things…. Ultimately, you are the celestial….]

Whoooool!!

At that moment, just as the **Evil Spirit** was about to continue, the essence of **Sunday** hidden in my bosom began to emit a blinding light. Surrounding me was engulfed in a golden glow, started expanding rapidly, and seeing this, the **Evil Spirit** appeared to be laughing.

[Great Emperor, did you understand the laws until here?… The one who took the bait… to prevent the secret from being revealed… wants to destroy the world….]

As the light intensified, overtaking the space itself, the **Evil Spirit** said.

[Good… wait until the end of hope….]

Bang!!

I started rising above the sea alongside **Sunday**. I’m not entirely sure, but it felt like I was escaping from the city where the **Evil Spirit** dwelled and making my way back to the earthly realm. As I emerged above the surface, I could feel **Sunday** enveloping me in a protective barrier.

**Sunday…. Incredible.**

Could it seriously save me right in front of that **Evil Spirit**?

I felt the true power of **Sunday**. The **Evil Spirit** might have power similar to or even greater than that of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, yet it was unfathomable that it would openly allow my escape. No other **Seven Luminaries** would have done that.

“It isn’t moving….”

The issue was that this barrier wouldn’t respond to my will. I could only float on the surface, unable to do anything but sit still. I had no choice but to wait for the barrier to move when suddenly, I started to perceive something odd happening.

Boom boom boom…

The entire star seemed to tremble.

“The sky….”

I could see the stars in the sky beginning to spin as if rotating. I was baffled by the sight, but soon I realized the sun far in the sky was growing larger.

“……!!”

Isn’t it way too big?

I noticed the sun was three times the size I usually saw, and my eyes widened in shock. At the same time, the ocean began to dry rapidly, and the surface seemed to shrink significantly. It made sense; the sun’s growing size implied it was getting closer to this star.

As I stood with my mouth agape, the sun continued to swell, soon becoming five times larger than usual.

“It’s too hot…!!”

A tremendous heat suddenly overwhelmed me. I felt like I had been thrown into a sauna in the middle of a desert. Only then did I grasp the consequences of the sun’s size.

‘No… the sun isn’t just getting closer. It’s….’

The sun itself is expanding!!

That was the only way I could explain it. If the sun was drawing closer to this star, it would have created more dramatic changes; it must be undergoing expansion itself, causing this relatively minor disturbance. Or it might not be, but one thing was sure: I was experiencing an unprecedented environmental anomaly.

Zzing…

The sky flickered in yellow. I realized that as the sun’s size kept increasing, the **Sunday** I held began to pulse with light. The conclusion was unavoidable that this atmospheric anomaly’s root cause was **Sunday**.

“…….”

Is it **Sunday** calling the sun?

At the same time, I thought this absurd disaster might be happening because I failed to match the **Seven Luminaries** with the gem embedded in the tree at the end of the trial. Had I done that, the power of the **Seven Luminaries** would have stabilized, allowing me to transition to the ‘next stage,’ but now, since that hadn’t happened, only the power of **Sunday** was going wild.

If that was the case, I had to hand this over to God quickly! I raised my voice and called out to Shennong.

“Shennong! I offer **Sunday**, please take it quickly!!”

There was no response.

“…….”

Could it possibly have already left this star?!

Wiiiiiing…

Wiiiiiing…

[&&*%^%]

[#&^@@#*@….]

My thoughts weren’t wrong as enormous beings resembling **Old Rulers** began rising into the void, slowly disappearing one by one. The rulers muttered in an alien tongue that sounded like whining.

They looked like they were avoiding the effects of **Sunday**, as if burned by flames. I quickly shouted to the **Evil Spirit**.

“Phew! **Evil Spirit**, I offer **Sunday**!!”

…….

It seemed even the **Evil Spirit** wouldn’t accept it. I panicked when all the gods I had unknowingly relied upon fell silent, and I called out to each of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. But none of them responded to my pleas.

As if now was just not the right time!

‘What the hell?! Why was I urged to offer **Sunday** get it and now—?’

Kugugugu!

While I was panicking, the sun continued swelling. Before long, it had grown so enormous that it occupied a third of the sky, and I felt my skin burning painfully in response. It felt like the very end of the world was rapidly approaching.

What the heck?!

What did I do wrong?!

“Uwaah!!”

At this rate, I’d burn to death while alive!!

Realizing I had no other choices left, I bit my lip hard.

“C… damn it….”

Crack!!

My vital energy burst, and my body was drenched in blood.

[…start again. Until you reach the celestial realm….]

In my fading vision, I heard the voice of a being positioned right in the center of the sun.

Could it be that guy…?

That was my 24th death.

---