Reincarnation Sword God

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Cosmic Fragment

“Have I finally revealed my true colors?”

I had a feeling that after receiving a joint attack from the Master of the Twelve Joules and Master Yun, I wouldn’t last long before I either died or got captured. So, I decided to prepare for death.

Sure enough, my body suddenly floated up and was tossed into an unexplainable white space, followed by a chilling and gigantic transparent hand wrapping around me.

As a murderous assault unfolded before I even had a clue as to what was happening, I felt a crisis approaching, but I resolved to stick to my training.

[Right. The opponent could use a contract to block your method of suicide. It’s entirely plausible. I don’t know why you’d let yourself get caught in such a snare, but I suppose you have your dull moments.]

The words of Zhuge Sa when I was training on ways to take my own life replayed in my mind.

[Then just die by other people’s hands.]

[What do you mean?]

[The techniques under the ‘Action Prohibition’ spell will inevitably measure your ‘will.’ That means it will first sense your ‘will to commit suicide’ and then block all the actions stemming from that will. So, if you don’t possess the intent or direction to commit suicide, you could do it freely.]

[Does that even make sense? How can you act without will?]

[Listen. It’s definitely a feasible method of suicide.]

I gritted my teeth and tightly gripped my sword.

‘Zhuge Sa’s 17th method of suicide…’

Soul Exchange Technique!

Automatic Control Art!

Wiying!

In that moment, my consciousness plunged deep into the abyss of unconsciousness, as if tossed into an endless ocean, and I found myself floundering in the torrent of information in my mental realm. The subtle waves and flows I usually managed in my brain came crashing down on me unchecked, leaving me feeling like I was going insane. Yet, I remained calm, waiting for the Soul Exchange Technique to activate.

Snap!!

As my body seemed to fully adapt to the commands of the Soul Exchange Technique, my vision began to connect delicately. I waited at the boundary of the unconscious, and after a moment, I felt ‘Baek Woong’s body’ move on its own.

‘Alright, this is good!’

The white space enveloping my body and the transparent hand were swiftly sliced by Sword Thunder, and ‘Baek Woong’s body,’ having severed the enemy’s spell, quickly moved its fingers to activate a hastily but effectively cast Great Destruction.

As the points of the Great Destruction opened one by one, my body charged immediately toward Master Yun.

Bang!

With the sound of my sword slicing through the air, I cut through Master Yun’s neck in a flash. He couldn’t react to the speed and was instantly beheaded. After all, outside of the super experts of the Absolute Realm, I could confidently call myself the fastest sword in the Central Plains. There was hardly anyone capable of blocking or dodging my sword at such close range.

Just as Master Yun’s head flew off with a bang, I felt a talisman suddenly lodge into my back.

It was the Master of the Twelve Joules, Ha Eun-cheon, who had quietly approached and joined his fingers to cast.

“Seal.”

Sssssss –

In the blink of an eye, my body was wrapped tightly in thousands of paper talismans, rendering me completely unable to breathe. It was obviously a top-tier sealing technique crafted by the Master of the Twelve Joules. Breaking out of a seal of this level was impossible with my current skills.

I observed the scene through my connected vision at the boundary of unconsciousness and thought.

‘I used up my evil spirit’s spells and I barely have any left… Even if I used my body myself, the result wouldn’t be significantly different. Even if I did hear the water element, Ha Eun-cheon would still have the wooden element as well…’

In that moment, my options were clear: I could either fight or flee. That was because the recent contract had eliminated the choice for suicide. Whichever option I chose, the outcome would lead me to being captured and sealed by the Master of the Twelve Joules.

However – the Soul Exchange Technique wasn’t something to underestimate.

On the contrary, the real power of the Soul Exchange Technique was just getting started.

I commanded ‘my body’ with my will.

[Baek, move the side nucleus.]

I heard the sound that signified the disconnection inside. I realized I could clearly control my brain, and with newfound confidence, I continued issuing commands.

[Destroy all shells in the brain. Cut off all connections to associative and individual meetings.]

Would this be enough to die quickly? I thought a bit more and then gave Baek one more command.

[Cease the functions of the brainstem, cerebellum, and frontal lobe. Prohibit all commands to my organs, including the heart.]

No answer came back. It was not possible for there to be one.

Silence.

However, I soon realized my body was rapidly collapsing into sleep, transforming into death itself. I realized that my suicide technique was nearly successful and smiled faintly.

‘Just wait and see, Master of the Twelve Joules.’

Then, it happened.

Boom!

“……!!”

I felt my consciousness suddenly rebounding back to life, and the sealing magic that had wrapped around me was also released. As I rose from the pile of paper talisman like a bundle of trash, the Master of the Twelve Joules looked at me, bewildered.

“…Impressive. To think you could find such a loophole in the contract.”

“What do you mean?”

“No need to play coy. I’m genuinely impressed right now.”

The Master of the Twelve Joules stared at me.

“Did you let your artificial soul control your body while you sank your consciousness into a trance? And while I was oblivious, your body acted in mock combat, only to be sealed away, allowing the artificial soul to destroy your own body in silence for a successful suicide….”

“……”

“The Soul Exchange Technique is truly remarkable. And you’ve got some skill too.”

Have I been spotted?

‘Would it be to my advantage to have a showdown now…?’

I gripped my sword tightly again. I had thought I’d had a good opportunity, but it had slipped away due to the opponent’s interference.

That’s right.

This was Zhuge Sa’s method of suicide, the Soul Exchange Technique’s automatic control!

Regardless of how powerful the magic or contract invoked, assuming the ‘soul’ and ‘body’ were unified states, one would not deem it a ‘will’ if the mind lost control of the body and sunk into unconsciousness. However, the Soul Exchange Technique, as a spell created by the Demon King, pierced through that flaw, allowing the caster to be sent into the boundary of unconsciousness without losing consciousness, thus being able to manipulate the body layered with the artificial soul.

It was no wonder the previous Fengshen War had managed to pass the interrogations of Miho and the Sword Demon; once descended to the boundary of unconsciousness, almost all mental spells and sealing techniques lost their efficacy. Unless one was a top sorcerer like Cheon Woo-jin, whose domain was dreams, it was nearly impossible. In other words, the reason Cheon Woo-jin was the natural enemy of those practicing the heretical Soul Exchange Technique.

Practitioners of the Soul Exchange Technique can layer their artificial soul onto their own body and issue simple commands for automatic execution. The artificial soul has no self or will but will carry out the commands given.

Thus, considering the Master of the Twelve Joules’ suspicious nature, while I could have killed myself right away, I had only left a command for my body to counteract while pretending to maintain consciousness, and my body, having learned incredible martial arts over time, showed no signs of discomfort as it went about its task.

And when I was bound by the sealing technique, I immediately issued commands from the unconscious to destroy my brain!

A being whose brain is destroyed cannot be revived by any means.

‘But then that guy must have sensed discomfort at that moment and leveraged the recovery ability of the restored wooden element to save me….’

Honestly, I thought with the application of the Soul Exchange Technique, no matter how genius the opponent, they would be completely unaware of my suicide method, but that moment had slightly dented my pride.

I glared at the Master of the Twelve Joules and said.

“You could have just sealed me again, yet you chose to release me?”

Now that the probing phase was over, there was really no need for formalities. As I growled, the Master of the Twelve Joules replied.

“Because it’s meaningless… Unless I can ascertain how well you can conceal your self with the Soul Exchange Technique, and whether you can use the Transference Technique, there’s no point in sealing you.”

“……”

“Impressive. Why has such a technique as the Soul Exchange Technique not been passed down in my era?”

The Master of the Twelve Joules sighed. I could roughly gauge his thoughts.

‘He’s wary of the Transference Technique!’

The Transference Technique!

That was the ultimate skill for the practitioners of the Soul Exchange Technique, allowing them to move their soul into a body already layered with the Soul Exchange Technique after death instantly. Originally, when summoning a divine being of the Zhuge clan, it was normal for a human sorcerer to perish, but this was also the secret behind Zhuge Sa’s survival. If the body could be transitioned even after death, sealing a practitioner of the Soul Exchange Technique would be nearly impossible.

Of course, I still couldn’t use the Transference Technique. My mastery of the Soul Exchange Technique had developed significantly over time, but I certainly couldn’t call it complete. If I attempted to use it now, while possible, my success rate would be incomparable to Zhuge Sa’s. However, from the Master of the Twelve Joules’ perspective, that low success rate seems to pose enough of a threat to warrant caution.

I said to the Master of the Twelve Joules.

“Just give in already.”

“What do you mean give in?”

“I’m not looking to oppress or torment you just because I can reincarnate infinitely. Well, there are feelings involved, but if you become my companion, I will treat you as best as I can. Why must we humans fight when gods are poised to destroy the world?”

“……”

I cried out in frustration.

“Master of the Twelve Joules! Just tell me everything you know! Even if not now, one day it will help save the future! What reason is there to stubbornly cling to your reincarnation abilities?”

“There’s a clear reason.”

“What reason is that?”

The Master of the Twelve Joules stared blankly at me for a moment before replying.

“The world you’re trying to save is not my world.”

“What….”

“Indeed, I know it’s foolish. It could just be my delusion. But….”

Clank!

The Master of the Twelve Joules unveiled the Cosmic Fragment. I felt the fighting spirit surging through his body and gritted my teeth. It was evident he was genuinely preparing to fight.

“I don’t care about this era. If it means saving 10 billion people in the future, I will do whatever it takes.”

“Damn…!!”

“Just like you, Baek Woong.”

A cold glint filled his eyes.

“I will never give up.”

There’s no escaping this fight!

With my resolution set, I clashed with the Master of the Twelve Joules as our first basic techniques met. I raised my sword, cloaked in the faint energy of the hastily cast Great Destruction, striking at the Master of the Twelve Joules, whose silver sword suddenly appeared in his left hand.

Clang!

I gritted my teeth as I recognized the identity of the sword he wielded.

“The Moon Sovereign’s Heavenly Gathering Cloud Sword!”

The strongest sword of Dongyoung, and one of the three divine tools that symbolize the Moon Sovereign!

Indeed, it was clear he possessed the Moon Sovereign.

“Is this not the moment to end it with my own suicide? Heh.”

“Right. Let’s test our martial arts.”

“Fine. You bring out your water element too. That way it will be a fitting match.”

“Understood!”

I took a step back, stowing away my steel sword and retrieved the water element from the wooden armor. Though the water element hadn’t been unleashed yet, the Master of the Twelve Joules’ Heavenly Gathering Cloud Sword was radiating immense power, indicating it had already been released. It wouldn’t be wise to face the unleashed Seven Luminaries with my ordinary steel sword; Ha Eun-cheon might have given me a chance. Normally, one must use a Seven Luminaries to fight against another Seven Luminaries.

Holding the water element and lying in wait for a gap in Ha Eun-cheon’s defense, the Master of the Twelve Joules spoke.

“Hey, Baek Woong. Do you know what my first thought was when I saw the memories of your obsidian?”

“What is it?”

Wiying!

In the next moment, a torrent of silver energy surged from Ha Eun-cheon’s entire body. And from the Cosmic Fragment in his right hand, power emanated, making the three divine tools of the Moon Sovereign revolve and resonate. He was enveloped in a light swarm and grinned.

“It’s a waste for a fool like you who doesn’t even know the true usage method of your own technique.”

BAM!!

“……”

I looked down at the huge hole ripped through my chest, staggering and collapsing right where I stood.

In a single strike.

Yet, I had not perceived the attack from the Master of the Twelve Joules in the slightest. The power and speed were just too tremendous. I couldn’t even catch the fleeting aura that an expert of the Peak Master would feel, it was as if I had transcended something.

Could this be…

The moment he wiped out the three parts of the Divine on his own…

And the Master of the Twelve Joules standing before me clanked the Cosmic Fragment and said.

“I’ve claimed victory.”

“……”

“Get up.”

Woong.

The energy of the wooden element circled around my chest, and my fatal wound healed instantly. As I staggered and regained my stance, the Master of the Twelve Joules aimed his Heavenly Gathering Cloud Sword at my forehead and said.

“Let’s continue until you realize your inadequacies.”

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