NOVEL NEXT Chapter 829
Chapter 15: True Martial Home
“Ugh! Aah!!”
I screamed and slumped to the ground. Both my arms had been torn off at once. My right arm was sliced away by the Moon Sovereign’s Heavenly Gathering Cloud Sword, while my left arm was yanked off by the Cosmic Fragment like it was a rag. The excruciating pain almost made me pass out, but soon enough, a green light gathered around my shoulder, and my arm reformed.
Grrr…
“Get up and get ready.”
“……”
“Alright, here we go.”
No way!!
I focused all my energy to cast the Peerless Technique, but at that moment, another overwhelming attack, far beyond my expert instincts, came crashing in. Before I could even cast the technique, my two legs were torn off, flinging me skyward.
Thud!
I soared through the air with my leg stumps and slammed into the ground, rolling as I landed. Blood pooled under my tongue as I shuddered for a moment, then, once more, that green light flowed over my legs, regenerating them.
“Get up and get ready.”
“Ugh…”
“Alright, here we go.”
Damn it!!
I cursed inwardly, but there was nothing I could do. The attack from the Master of the Twelve Joules was overwhelmingly stronger than anyone I’d faced before, comparable to the powers of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Right now, if the Master of the White Lotus Sect attacked with full strength, I could activate the Peerless Technique—but what was this power?!
This was beyond human!! The strength I faced surpassed even the most powerful humanoid foes I had encountered, leaving me speechless. Stumbling to my feet, I managed to ask,
“What the heck is that power…?”
The Master of the Twelve Joules responded emotionlessly.
“You’re asking too soon. You’ve only died five times so far.”
“Wha—”
Before I could finish, I felt all my teeth shatter as the Cosmic Fragment pierced my mouth. A regular iron shard would’ve burst my lips, and with his attack lodged in, it was undoubtedly a fatal wound.
Pain surged through my mouth as my tongue was shredded, and I felt the word ‘death’ stamped in my vision like a wedge. My tongue burst forth from my throat, painting everything in blood.
This… this is…
But as I stumbled, that green light washed over me once again, restoring my body. The Master of the Twelve Joules, who had revived me with his powers, calmly spoke.
“Don’t worry. It’s not instant death.”
“……”
“You seem very afraid of torture, but you’ve rarely experienced real torture. So let me give you a taste.”
I wanted to retort, but the vivid pain from moments ago, where my teeth and tongue were smashed into pieces and my throat was pierced, stole my words away. Yet, I kept my mental strength focused.
“This time, I’m going to pop your eyeballs.”
Whoaosh!
Once again, the Cosmic Fragment came crashing down through the air. This time, it wasn’t the overwhelming force of before; it was in the range where I could finally cast the Peerless Technique. I couldn’t tell if he was underestimating me or giving me a chance, but either way, he left me an opening.
Peerless Technique!!
Just as I quickly harmonized the energies of Yin and Yang to counter the Master of the Twelve Joules’ energy, he suddenly withdrew his attack and activated the Moon Sovereign’s Eight Trigrams surrounding him. Also known as the Eight Foot Jade, it emitted light, and suddenly, I felt an intense Yin Fire erupt all over my body.
Grrrahhk!
“Aaaah!!”
I felt my mental strength rapidly deplete as the blue flames consumed me. The Master of the Twelve Joules chuckled.
“Using the Peerless Technique just because you can manage to land a hit—if you’d aimed it properly, you wouldn’t have to resort to these cheap tricks.”
“Ugh… the Yin energy…”
With the ability to control Yin hidden within the Moon Sovereign, he must have disrupted the balance of Yin and Yang I was controlling, forcefully amplifying the Yin energy! However, as he said, if I had cast the Peerless Technique at the precise moment, it wouldn’t have been so easily broken. I had rushed to execute the Peerless Technique simply because his uncounterable attacks kept coming at me.
Whoosh!
“Ugh… Aaaah!”
I let out a diminishing scream as I staggered. Just as the Master of the Twelve Joules had warned, that Moon Sovereign’s Heavenly Gathering Cloud Sword sliced through and cut both my eyes out, blood gushing from them.
“Now, you can at least use your mind’s eye, right?”
It felt like he had deliberately robbed me of my sight, even knowing it could fatally wound me.
‘Oh, no.’
I hadn’t used my last resort yet, but now was truly a moment of danger. I quickly pulled out the National Seal from my Wooden Armor and maximized its spirit power. At the same time, I channeled all the Yin Spirit Power from the National Seal into the Water Element technique.
Kwahahahah!
There was no choice but to forcefully unleash the Seven Luminaries!!
I was wide open, but the Master of the Twelve Joules didn’t attack me during this moment. Instead, he said, sounding amused,
“Sure, you’d resort to that. Let’s see if you can break the seal of the Seven Luminaries with sheer force.”
Kwoooom!
Lightning crackled around the Water Element. An overwhelming force circulated like it was a rain cloud gathering above me, but I quickly realized that the power of the Water Element wasn’t awakening. No matter how much I poured power into it, it just continued to store up within the Water Element without bursting forth, without awakening the Seven Luminaries.
‘Damn it…’
As despair washed over me, the Master of the Twelve Joules continued,
“You can’t break it.”
“……”
“The seal of the First Character isn’t easy to break. It’s connected to both Changhil and the Emperor.”
“Even if I can’t break the seal, there’s still something I can gain.”
“Huh…?”
Ssssssss…
In that instant, I felt a powerful spirit burst forth from within the Water Element. Though I couldn’t see it now that I’d lost my sight, it spoke to me through the spiritual language.
[You! Have you awakened my existence?]
“…Yes.”
I replied to it.
“O spirit of the Water Element, fight the enemy before you.”
[Very well.]
Spirit Awakening!!
Yin Spirit Power is originally the power to awaken spirits that dwell within treasures or divine artifacts. Though my own level of Yin Spirit Power wasn’t enough to awaken a spirit of the Seven Luminaries, I had hypothesized that if I channeled all the power of the National Seal into it, the spirit would awaken!
As a result, the Master of the Twelve Joules spoke, his tone tinged with bitterness.
“A spirit awakening of the Seven Luminaries. It’s an achievement that would take generations of geniuses to research, and yet you—a medieval man from a bygone era—accomplished this by sheer will… I’m really jealous.”
Whoosh!!
While the Master of the Twelve Joules was still relaxed, I activated both my intuitive eye and the Palace Examination Technique to sense my surroundings and strike. In time with my movements, the Water Element’s spirit did the same, and as we launched a joint attack, it seemed the Master of the Twelve Joules couldn’t just stand by idly; he raised a hand.
Demon Beast.
Moon River Silent Night Sword.
At that moment, the gloves he wore burst with light, instantly freezing the Water Element’s spirit. I was startled; even though the spirit of the Water Element should have had great power, it was surprised to be frozen in a single strike.
Could it be Absolute Zero?!
I’d never considered the incredible power of Ha Eun-cheon’s Wuwei, but that Moon River Silent Night Sword seemed terrifying as well. A divine artifact powerful enough to seal the spirit of the Seven Luminaries couldn’t be easily found among humans and was more potent than an ordinary treasure. As I severed Ha Eun-cheon’s throat, he didn’t even glance my way, responding coolly.
Heavenly Unrestrained Technique.
Thwack!
Simultaneously, I took a counterattack, my chest collapsing. The counter was so exquisitely timed that I couldn’t find a way to nullify it. It seemed impossible to catch such a perfect angle and moment unless I had foreseen it, yet it happened. As I coughed up blood and fell to the ground, the hand of the Master of the Twelve Joules rested just above my head.
“……”
“Baek Woong, how does it feel?”
As I knelt down, the Master of the Twelve Joules spoke up.
“If you fight properly using the Seven Luminaries, it feels like you’re just winning through sheer strength. I challenged you with skill instead, but it still wasn’t a match, right? If I use techniques, then you won’t even touch the hem of my garment. Just a few spirit puppets created with the Light Soul Symbols will leave you powerless and dead.”
That was the truth.
I felt the overwhelming disparity in our strengths, yet I didn’t show it as I replied.
“Why aren’t you smashing my head in?”
“Don’t rush. After all, I’m going to kill you until you give up.”
The Master of the Twelve Joules spoke as he withdrew.
“Hey, why is it always you who has to save the world?”
“……?”
What does that mean?
When I raised my dimming eyes to look at the Master of the Twelve Joules, he healed my eyes with the powers of the Moon Sovereign. The Master of the Twelve Joules looked me in the eye and said,
“You’re someone who, aside from being lucky enough to possess the Heavenly Secret, has no advantages—no, you’re at the very bottom among all humans. Do you truly believe you can defeat the [Old Ruler] and the Outer God to save everyone?”
“That’s nonsense. I’m doing this because I want to. Why must I justify my ‘qualifications’ to you?”
“I find it amusing that I have to say this, but you are already a twisted being. If you revisit the memories of the Obsidian, there is a reason for you to save the world, but the obsession to get there isn’t human. Did that never strike you as odd?”
“……”
It felt like I’d heard this a few times before. After a moment’s silence, I finally replied.
“It is odd.”
I had to acknowledge the truth.
“Yeah. Hand over the Heavenly Secret to me. I could finish everything and save the world before I die ten times. I shouldn’t have to walk this terrible path of a savior living hundreds, thousands of times without anyone acknowledging it.”
“Maybe so.”
I slowly stood up. Then I glared at him and said,
“But, Ha Eun-cheon. There’s no reason it has to be you who saves the world, right?”
As I refused to break, the Master of the Twelve Joules seemed taken aback.
“…What do you want? Do you want to repeat your past life a few more times until you gain the throne of the world’s king? You don’t want to give up your greatest power, the Heavenly Secret, and your reincarnation ability, do you?”
“What I want… is simply to see it through to the end now that I’ve started.”
“……”
“Admittedly, I do have ambitions about reincarnation. However, my life is no longer mine.”
“Are you talking about the weight of the souls of your past comrades who sacrificed for you?”
“Yes.”
“Ha ha ha…”
The Master of the Twelve Joules, who had been smiling bitterly, slowly turned around, distancing himself from me. Still facing away, he said,
“Does anyone not feel this way? Do any not feel that way, you bastard!!”
Bam!!
Once again, the Master of the Twelve Joules activated the power of the Seven Luminaries, turning me into a pushover. He pressed my head down into the sea of blood while saying,
“Have you ever seen a sworn sibling being eaten alive by tentacles? Have you ever witnessed a friend offered as a sacrifice to a dark god?”
I couldn’t answer. I was thrashing about, feeling like my head was going to burst from the pressure of the Master of the Twelve Joules’ power. His voice turned venomous as he applied more weight on his foot.
“Have you imagined your lover, risking everything to save your country’s citizens, being toyed with by that dark god, all while the [Old Ruler] devours millions upon millions of lives? And this after that great hero has fallen, becoming an agent of the gods?”
“……”
“I’ve… seen it happen firsthand. It’s a damnable horror. Hah.”
The Master of the Twelve Joules bowed his head. The rage that filled his real eyes pierced into my own.
“I cannot fail. I must not fail. I’ve sacrificed everything to overcome that end. When I came to this world, I put all my cards on the table for a single chance. And now to think I could gain infinite opportunities…”
“……”
He gripped my collar tightly and spoke fervently,
“Baek Woong… Give me the Heavenly Secret. With this power, I’ve been saying I can save the world in your stead, haven’t I? You haven’t failed yet, but I have already failed… Please.”
I didn’t know what to say.
The Master of the Twelve Joules, who had killed me countless times and kept deceiving me, infuriated me to no end, but on another note, I couldn’t help but feel a strange reflection of his passion and despair, as if I were looking in a mirror. Just like when I faced the true feelings of the Master of the White Lotus Sect, I realized I couldn’t simply hate him.
Suddenly, I grasped an undeniable truth.
– If I were to fail in the future, I would become just like him.
Determined, I placed my hand atop the one that gripped my collar.
And I said,
“Get lost. I’m not giving up.”
The Master of the Twelve Joules’ gaze turned even colder.
“Fine. Let’s see you try.”
Boom!!
At that moment, the ceiling exploded, and the ground trembled violently. The Master of the Twelve Joules impaled my limbs with the Cosmic Fragment, glancing upwards before saying,
“Master Yun, what’s going on?”
Swoosh!
In an instant, the beheaded Master Yun returned to his original form, appearing unscathed. He then said,
“My lord, an Asura has invaded the vessel!”
Ha Eun-cheon appeared flabbergasted.
“Damn it… So the rumors that the Eight Parts of the Divine are truly the strongest were true? This was the location designed to stop the [Old Ruler], yet he forced his way in? And what about the Wind Master and Yu?”
“They’re dead.”
“I shouldn’t have asked. Just bringing it up spoiled my mood.”
Muttering to himself, Ha Eun-cheon commanded the Master Yun,
“Seal the spirit of the Water Element that’s stuck due to the Moon River Silent Night Sword. It should be freed soon. Also, compartmentalize the ship.”
To that, the Master Yun was taken aback.
“My lord!! You have to escape immediately! The Asura cannot be stopped by compartmentalization. His power is…”
“I know. But now that I’ve drawn out the power of the Seven Luminaries, don’t you get it? I’m putting everything on the line here. The likes of an Asura doesn’t matter. Getting the Heavenly Secret from this brat before me is a hundred times more important.”
“But… if things stay this way, the entire ship will collapse.”
“I don’t care. If I can’t get an acknowledgment of surrender from Baek Woong, it would be the same anyway.”
With those words, Ha Eun-cheon shot me a piercing glare.
“Though it came sooner than planned, Baek Woong, shall we conduct a historic experiment together? Follow me.”
“What… are you talking about?”
“Heh.”
Ha Eun-cheon subtly took out the Heavenly Secret from the depths of my clothes. After momentarily gazing at it, he grinned widely.
“Here, I’m going to channel the waves of the Primordial Void.”
“……!!”
“If you don’t give it to me, there’s nothing I can do. I’ll test how to gain reincarnation by any means necessary.”
I gasped in shock.
“Stop!! Do you have any idea what could happen…?”
“I do. After the fusion of the Primordial Void and Chaos, the world will restart… You know this, right? I’m only trying to artificially trigger that reaction.”
“The world could be destroyed.”
“Ha ha.”
Ha Eun-cheon chuckled, then gripped my collar and lifted me off the ground. Whispering into my ear he said,
“Weren’t you always like this?”
Bam!
As he clicked his fingers, the Reincarnation Cannon appeared before us. Aligning its barrel and angle, Ha Eun-cheon placed the Heavenly Secret into it and took a step back.
A moment of silence.
Then, Ha Eun-cheon spoke.
“Fire.”
At that instant, the Reincarnation Cannon exhaled flames.