Reincarnation Sword God

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Chapter 15: The Food of God’s

Humanity has perished…

‘Is this the end that humanity will face 500 years from now?’

As I chewed on those thoughts, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sentimentality.

‘But this isn’t my end.’

I wondered if this was truly my end, but in reality, it wasn’t. Just because humanity is dead doesn’t mean I have to follow suit. If I can live, I should. There’s no need to die unnecessarily. But I really had this strong desire to conveniently die by relying on the Heavenly Secret’s reincarnation abilities. If I just gave up everything and died, I’d probably just suffer for a bit and then wake up again in the barn, surely in a more vibrant and hopeful state than this desperate situation.

However, I couldn’t give up easily.

Even if I die in this multiverse, I was doubtful whether I could be reborn in my world, and more importantly, I felt like I hadn’t done everything I could possibly do yet. In the midst of the chaos caused by the dogfight of the gods and the trials of the Seven Luminaries, I had been the one fiercely charging forward, trying to gather what I could. There was absolutely no way I could just sit back and choose death.

Let’s live.

I must live.

‘What can I do now?’

I thought quickly. I objectively assessed the state of my body; my mouth was too injured and my stamina exhausted, so I couldn’t buffer my body with mere spirit anymore. Even if I were to recover, one side of my limbs was so injured I would have to live with it for the rest of my life. However, my spirit itself was still there, meaning I could probably hold out for another meal’s worth of time in space.

So, the question was… where should I go? Since I could still use both the absorption technique and summons. As I pondered, I realized I had two options left:

– Go back to Dr. Faust.

– Head to Dark Heaven Village.

Aside from those two choices, it felt like I had nothing else I could do. I couldn’t go to other planets within the solar system because I had never been to Mars or Venus, and even if I did, the same kind of explosion that happened on the moon would likely occur. Therefore, my spatial choices were either to return to the core of the World Tree where Dr. Faust was or head to Dark Heaven Village stored in my absorption technique.

But… neither felt appealing.

The core of the World Tree where Dr. Faust was was a terraformed place that would help me recover my stamina, but wasn’t that place currently being invaded by the Old Ruler? If I went back, it would be akin to jumping straight into the frontline of battle. The conclusion would remain the same.

It didn’t feel right to go to Dark Heaven Village either. The moment I chose to move there, I already experienced that immense hardships and trials awaited, and without the help of Cheon Gong-pyo, there was no way to escape the ‘trap’ of the divine disguise. In the end, I would have to live, constantly fighting the chaotic demon beasts within the disguise. How far could this body hold out? It was certain to lead to a life more miserable than death.

Going to bring the ruler of the jungle using the absorption technique also felt unappealing. In the situation of ‘the revelation’, it was impossible to know how that mighty divine entity would change.

“……”

No… something feels off…

Is it really just those two choices? As I pondered deeply, I realized there were three more options.

‘Ah, right!’

But those three were also undeniably unrealistic fantasies.

I raised my gaze towards the shimmering light beyond the galaxy filled with human corpses.

‘If I gather my last strength… I could enter that light source.’

Of course, it would be a gamble whose success rate was unknown. However, that light source, which spewed forth billions of humanity, surely contained the throne of the absolute god where the ‘revelation’ awaited. If I could reach it, maybe from my next reincarnation onward, I could use absorption to move directly to the throne.

But it was incredibly unrealistic. Although it seemed close, the distance to that light source was undoubtedly further than the distance from Earth to the moon. Using summoning, I could technically reach it, but – what guarantee was there that it would accept me? The moment I touched that light, I might burst into flames and die instantly. No, I probably would.

Since it was the choice with the highest chance of death, I set aside the thought of charging at that light and considered the other two plans.

‘One more is… heading to Fuxi.’

The Three Sovereigns’ Fuxi.

Currently, he had lost his personality and turned into an ancient dragon, a monster burning the universe with rage. Since I had been forcibly dragged before Fuxi in my past lives, I could probably try to go with either the absorption technique or summons. However, it too was a meaningless option since if I went to Fuxi, I would be a dead man anyway. It was a futile choice, but at least thinking of all possibilities was part of my strategy.

And the last method.

That was to absorb souls. I reached out towards a cluster of numerous souls floating around.

Soul Exchange Technique.

Absorption of the Soul.

Ssssss

As the essence of the Soul Exchange Technique activated, my hand gained an attractive force that began to draw the souls wandering throughout the universe toward me. The principle of the Soul Exchange Technique was simple: if you move the Bai that surrounds the Hun, the Hun would move along with it, and the stronger the attractive force of the Bai, the stronger the ability to move the Hun as well.

Shushushush

I used my hands to invoke the soul absorption technique, gathering around five hundred souls. They appeared to be in a state of confusion and despair, their souls still intact. I had never gathered so many souls using the Soul Exchange Technique before, but thinking about the fact that there were countless souls scattered throughout the universe made this gathering feel like a drop in the bucket.

Watching as the clumps of souls I gathered transformed into white masses the size of human bodies, I was filled with conflict.

‘What… should I… do?’

If I were the practitioner of the Soul Exchange Technique, the task I had to perform here would be crystal clear.

Devour the souls to recover my body!

The Soul Exchange Technique allowed the gathered souls to be converted into physical strength, spiritual energy, or sorcery power to replenish my own body. The act of consuming them was termed ‘Eating Souls’ and was a method often employed by sorcerers in emergencies to ensure survival. However, the downside was that the efficiency of soul absorption was low, which made it less preferred, but considering the imminent opportunity to consume five hundred souls, I could recover my body in one go.

However, consuming souls meant permanently extinguishing the unblemished souls from their reincarnation cycle, integrating them into my Bai. It was a kind of soul extinguishment. It was an act of cruelty, something I had always felt hesitant about learning, but Zhuge Sa had diligently taught me the techniques, saying there would come a time when it would be necessary.

And like Zhuge Sa said, that time was now.

Consuming the souls was nothing short of turning innocent beings into a meal. In a way, it was an act worse than murder, which left me in considerable conflict. But if I devoured five hundred souls at once, it wasn’t just about recovering my stamina; it could also significantly enhance my sorcery power, making it immensely tempting. The Soul Exchange Technique, the pinnacle of forbidden arts, made it possible to grow power at an alarming rate through such brutal shortcuts, leading people to view it with suspicion.

Can’t I just eat them?

This world seems on the brink of destruction anyway… wouldn’t it be more merciful for me to consume them rather than letting them wander eternally as wandering spirits? Moreover, even if I simply devoured about ten thousand from the hundreds of millions…

I sighed heavily amid my inner turmoil.

“Dammit….”

Huhwaat

I gave up on consuming souls and let them go. After all, I felt that consuming them just wasn’t right. Originally, I might have just eaten them outright, but the thought of Zhuge Sa had just crossed my mind.

Zhuge Sa being devoured by the [Old Ruler].

That thought sent shivers down my spine. Simultaneously, my image overlapped with that of the [Old Ruler], causing my heart to waver. Ultimately, I found myself questioning how I was different from the [Ruler] in trampling upon others for my own gain.

“…It can’t be helped. For now, I have no choice but to go to Dr. Faust.”

I could certainly pursue adventure, but I wanted to choose the safest method possible. I’ve learned through bitter experience that dying whimsically and adventuring are entirely different; therefore, I hoped to get all the information from Dr. Faust.

Pa-at!!

I used my summons to return to the terraforming base I had just visited. Indeed, there were tentacles and various nanomachines, advanced weaponry waging war all around me. The powerful AI Mephistopheles was busy synthesizing the organic materials of the World Tree with its computational abilities to create troops, while alien races used magic or tentacles to launch fierce attacks.

Realizing I wasn’t in the battlefield but on a rather elevated terrain, I shouted out loud.

“Dr. Faust!! Come out quickly!”

Swoosh

Moments later, the hologram of Dr. Faust appeared near my spot. He looked surprised and said,

[You’re alive! Where did you use the summons to go?]

“I went to the Moon’s Banwang Hall. And I got some treasures…”

I trailed off, gently tossing over the obsidian. After confirming the miserable state of humanity through the obsidian, Dr. Faust lowered his head in grief.

[Oh no… Is it possible that we couldn’t stop the destruction…?]

“Dr. Faust. I don’t have time. So please, just help me without further ado.”

[To help you…? What does that mean when everything is facing destruction?]

“You know there’s a chance I could cross the multiverse again. If I can be reborn, based on my experiences here, I could perhaps save the future.”

[Please wait a moment. I will discuss this with Mephistopheles.]

Zzzz

After a brief pause, Dr. Faust spoke.

[Mephistopheles wants you to bring out all the treasures you acquired from the Banwang Hall. He is capable of analyzing the effects of all treasures using nanomachines and scans.]

“Understood.”

Chatarak

I laid out all the treasures obtained from the Banwang Hall from the wooden armor. Dr. Faust contemplated for a long time before pulling out a certain quiver.

[You have an odd knack for pulling miraculous answers even in uncertain situations…]

“What is that?”

[This is the Red Bow White Arrow.]

“Ah!”

Now that I think about it!

I realized the arrows contained in that quiver looked familiar. I had initially absorbed them just using the absorbing power of the wooden armor, so I hadn’t examined them closely. Now I recognized they were indeed the Red Bow White Arrow.

The Red Bow White Arrow was a weapon used by Xiang Yu, which previously claimed my life twice.

“It originally belonged to Xiang Yu, but why is it in Jeogok’s storehouse…?”

[Although Xiang Yu mainly used it, after the Mythological Age, it was returned whenever needed, reserved for use by Jeogok. In other words, it’s a powerful artifact too strong to be given out casually….]

Dr. Faust handed me the Red Bow White Arrow.

[Use this Red Bow White Arrow to defeat that [Old Ruler] over there, Relkromaus. According to Mephisto’s calculations, if you hit with all the Red Bow White Arrows, there’s a 98 percent chance he will be defeated.]

“Relkromaus? You even know the name of the ruler?”

[The Human Alliance collected Demon Books during the war to analyze the names of the rulers. And that [Old Ruler] seems to be attacking us for suspicious reasons, caring little about humanity….]

“It certainly looks that way. But can I even hit the [Old Ruler] with this…?”

I couldn’t help but exhibit a negative demeanor. Because the [Old Rulers] were all powerful evil gods wrapped in incredible magical power, and physical attacks were often deflected by law distortion. Even the lowest tier sea god couldn’t penetrate that magic defense, while high-tier warriors struggled mightily against it, so there was no guarantee that I could land a weapon on the ruler.

Just then, Dr. Faust said,

[Mephisto will mobilize 500 Gigant Machines and plasma blaster cannons to assist your approach. If this gamble fails, everything is over, so I earnestly beg you.]

“Understood.”

Wiiiiih

Boom!

Shortly after, mechanical noises reverberated from the ground as enormous machines emerged. These mechanical structures took on a humanoid form, and one of them placed me within its head and took off.

Upon entering the machine’s head, I found a cockpit where magnificent machine language buzzed around before the Gigant Machine launched.

[User identified. Humanity Alliance’s alien extermination mode activated.]

Tat-tat-tat

Boom!

The frontline weapon called the Gigant Machine was a massive machine of divine scale, and it unleashed laser beams against the countless tentacles scattered about with arms crossed. Tens of thousands of lasers covered the sky from just one, and as they struck the tentacles, they cried out in agony.

Kyaaa!!

That was just the beginning. A colossal plasma blaster’s long barrel extended between the gigantic World Tree’s trunks, unleashing a light wave powerful enough to erase an entire city in one shot. As the plasma blaster and Gigant Machine cleared the path, the hundreds of millions of tentacles that initially blocked my way hastily retreated.

[Neutron lance mode.]

At long last, the Gigant Machine I was riding stretched out its arms forward and fired something.

Boom!

As the horizon lit up entirely, a vast mushroom cloud billowed upwards. The entire frontline felt like it had been incinerated in an instant.

“……!!”

What?! What’s this power?!

Does future humanity possess this level of technology?!

I was astonished by the might of the Gigant Machine, just when Dr. Faust’s voice resounded in my mind.

[The target is getting close.]

“Dr. Faust. How could humanity have lost to the alien races, even with such a powerful machine army?”

Dr. Faust lamented.

[There are many species in the universe more powerful than humanity, and technologically, we do not stand out on a cosmic scale. Furthermore, our scientific advances were practically useless against the apostle-level beings of the [Old Ruler]. Any being with a chaos level exceeding 0.5 could withstand nuclear bombs, neutron bombs, and even antimatter bombs.]

“…….”

[Humanity paid the price for neglecting the mythical powers. The beings of chaos cannot be defeated solely with scientific power. We should have preserved and improved martial arts and sorcery more.]

In that moment, I recalled Ha Eun-cheon of the Master of the Twelve Joules.

Could it be that guy – having approached all manner of mythical secrets – had sought to gain what was lacking in the future world?

While I was lost in thought, an enormous tentacle, seemingly big enough to cover the universe, caught my eye.

That must be the [Old Ruler], Relkromaus.

The [Old Ruler] Relkromaus remained silent and motionless, surrounded by 500 Gigant Machines, before suddenly speaking in an ominous tone.

[Machine god, Mephistopheles. I have been observing your capabilities in the war against the Human Alliance after the end. I can acknowledge that you have evolved to become equal to us [Old Rulers]. Isn’t it pointless to engage in such a wasteful fight? Why not make a deal with me?]

Chijijij

Then, a beautiful woman’s phantom appeared in the air. It wasn’t Dr. Faust, but Mephistopheles, a sensually voluptuous figure with an intelligent appearance. Mephistopheles crossed her arms and retorted to Relkromaus.

[State your terms for the deal.]

[It’s simple. Hand over the fruit of knowledge.]

[Why?]

Relkromaus’s eyes glinted.

[Everything will perish. I must escape this finality beyond the multiverse.]

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