Reincarnation Sword God

진공가향(眞空家鄕)

What the… am I being punked?!

I was flustered but at the same time focused on preserving my vitality. I pumped up my energy to compensate for the feeling of my heart disappearing, and I tried to bolster my blood flow to ensure my spirit energy wouldn’t leak out.

But for some reason, it didn’t work. Every technique of moving meditation I tried was nullified, and blood just kept gushing out of my heart. While I was panicking again about that, I suddenly realized I wasn’t even feeling any pain.

As I stood still, the Supreme Thief just grinned.

“Looks like you’re a bit clueless but somewhat perceptive.”

“This isn’t reality, so getting hurt is pointless?”

“Exactly. This is ‘that’ kind of space. In the first place, not even a moment has passed for you in the real world.”

“……”

Ah, I see.

Since I had encountered this weird space a few times when facing Jeon Wook or divine beings, I quickly adapted. As I stood still, my torn-out heart gradually returned to its place, and the injuries and blood disappeared as if washed away. Once I regained my composure, the Supreme Thief spoke again.

“That may be the case, but it’s still true that you’ve been dealt a fatal blow in my game.”

“Isn’t that a trick? If you’re a divine being in this space, you could manipulate time and space to do something similar.”

As I shot him a suspicious look, the Supreme Thief shook his head.

“No. While I can utilize divine powers in this seat, that doesn’t help much other than allowing me to practice divine skill without regard for the law of cause and effect.”

“…Divine Skill!!”

I shouted at the Supreme Thief.

“Can you really use that? A technique that even transcends the Absolute Realm….”

“Ah, I can use it. Of course.”

“……!!”

Since the opponent’s technique, Illusory Escape, was a divine skill, it made sense I was hit with a single strike. At the same time, I became excited thinking it was an opportunity to understand the “divine skill,” which up to now had only been a trace I’ve seen through my reincarnations but never grasped its essence. After all, the Supreme Thief wasn’t being hostile towards me.

“Please tell me what the divine skill is about.”

“Is it even meaningful to know without reaching the Absolute Realm?”

“Still, I want to know.”

“Hmm… well, this is considered a secret. Am I allowed to share it?”

The Supreme Thief scratched his cheek.

“I’ll be benevolent. When I pass on my True Martial Arts, I’ll have to mention it once anyway, so I might as well give you a rough idea.”

“Thank you.”

“But before I explain, what made you aware of the existence of the divine skill?”

“That’s….”

I detailed my fate with Yeodong-bin and the caster of the divine skill, Jin So-cheong. I was worried about the dark energy contained in the story, but since my current opponent, although a remnant, was a divine being, I didn’t worry too much about it.

The Supreme Thief listened for a while before speaking.

“I see. The existence of the divine skill wouldn’t generally be known in the martial world or the world in general, so I was curious how you came about it.”

“It couldn’t possibly be unknown?”

“That a divine realm exists was already common knowledge in my time a thousand years ago. In fact, there are many talented geniuses and masters in the world, and it’s been known throughout history. But the divine skill is a bit different.”

The Supreme Thief crossed his arms.

“Becoming aware of the divine skill happens when chosen ones open the [Gate] and enter. And those who have entered lose significant interest in mundane conflicts or the martial world and only pursue the superlative martial arts, even gaining an obligation to keep secrets. It can’t be revealed even if you wanted to.”

“…….”

As I pondered the Supreme Thief’s words, I responded.

“Supreme Thief, something seems off.”

“What is it?”

“When I saw Yeodong-bin’s memories, he heard that a hundred people were supposed to open the [Gate] from the Martial God. But you said one has to open the [Gate] to ascend to the Martial God’s seat, which seems contradictory, doesn’t it? Why would they open a door that has already been opened by a hundred others?”

“Heh heh heh….”

The Supreme Thief chuckled lightly.

“I can’t go into too much detail, but let’s just say those are two different [Gates].”

“Different, you say?”

“When you properly earn your qualifications and come here, you’ll understand what I mean.”

“Hmm.”

“To get back to the point, the divine skill is literally a realm and technique created for mortals to step into the domain of the divine.”

“A level much higher than the Absolute Realm.”

“High…? I guess you could say that, but that’s not its essence.”

The Supreme Thief continued walking slowly, speaking.

“It was created to overthrow the evil and great divine beings that govern the entire universe with martial prowess. Naturally, to defeat a god, one would seek a higher level of power, but we can’t definitively say the divine skill is above the Absolute Realm from the start.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Isn’t this just the same thing?”

“No, there’s a difference. What is the Absolute Realm?”

“It’s altering the laws of the world through the Heavenly Pillar of intent to achieve the absolute level of one’s martial art.”

“Many techniques under the divine skill are not too different from that principle. Even when using the divine skill, there might be instances where its physical destructive power or potency could be weaker than that of the Absolute Realm’s martial arts.”

“……!!”

“The important thing is whether you can step into the divine domain using that technique. Whether you can exterminate chaos is what matters. Increasing power or scale is merely a secondary factor to eliminate that chaos.”

“Uh-huh….”

It’s one of those explanations that kind of makes sense yet doesn’t.

‘So what’s crucial is defeating gods, huh…’

But something felt off.

While the Supreme Thief had given me many explanations about the divine skill, it felt like he had withheld the essential part.

‘Is he hiding the true nature of the divine skill?’

The difference from the Absolute Realm seemed suspicious when put down simply as the purpose of the divine skill, but somehow I felt the Supreme Thief wouldn’t answer if I asked. So, I posed a different question.

“Then, regarding the Martial God, does that mean he’s gathering a hundred people to take down the [Old Ruler]?”

“Who knows?”

“Who knows? Didn’t you just say earlier that the divine skill was for defeating gods?”

“That’s true. But whether that’s the Martial God’s real intention, I have no idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Martial God doesn’t really show himself. Even if you’re the one in the seat, you’ve never truly seen or communicated with the Martial God’s essence. He could be described as a truly non-personified god, so how could anyone dare to measure his intentions?”

In other words, he was saying that the being was so great that just attempting to figure out what he wanted could be sacrilegious. Simultaneously, I could realize another fact.

‘Even the lord of the Seat can’t meet the Martial God.’

If that’s the case, what’s the point of having the Seat?

As I was lost in thought, the Supreme Thief spoke.

“It seems you have many curiosities, but I can’t explain all of them, nor do I have the will to. Just know enough about the divine skill as that. You need to be at this level to at least think about challenging a god.”

“That’s true, but….”

Out of nowhere, I suddenly remembered and asked the Supreme Thief.

“Yeodong-bin! Can’t Yeodong-bin or Jang Sam-bong also use the divine skill?!”

The Supreme Thief nodded.

“If they’re in the Seat, they can use it. They likely have their own brand of divine skill.”

“But they haven’t used the divine skill on the mainland. That seems odd….”

How could they not have used such a powerful divine skill despite being capable of it? Even when they faced death or the world was on the brink of destruction, they had shown no sign of the divine skill. Then the Supreme Thief replied with an uncomfortable tone.

“They can’t use it.”

“They can’t use it? What do you mean?”

His following words were shocking.

“Due to the law of cause and effect and the restrictions of the Martial God, they are unable to use it. Even I, the Supreme Thief, can use techniques from the Absolute Realm when I return to the human realm, but I cannot cast the divine skill like I did with you just now.”

What?!

I felt a sense of bewilderment. I had not anticipated the mention of the law of cause and effect here. At the same time, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Could it be that in fifty years, Jin So-cheong used the divine skill and died….’

The Supreme Thief continued, seemingly uncomfortable.

“Damn it… I’ve said too much; I should shut up.”

“Who’s saying that?”

“The neighbors next door. Tsk.”

The Supreme Thief mumbled, then said.

“Alright, let’s begin; I’ll teach you my martial arts, so pay attention! The key is to steal well.”

Ssss

The Supreme Thief’s hand rose, creating a strange flow of energy. He moved it toward my sleeve and gently caught the cuff. He looked at me intently before saying.

“I’m not using the divine skill. I’m going to steal what’s in your sleeve. Try to block it.”

“Alright.”

Tap!

In an instant, the two powers exchanged hands. It was evident this time that, whether he was using the divine skill or not, I could detect his movements even if he was fast. I grabbed his technique trying to pick my pocket with my own skill and simultaneously blocked his path, sealing his actions in response to my nimble movements.

Just when I thought I had blocked the Supreme Thief’s next move, his hand quickened even more before transforming into something like a beam of light! I unleashed a thunderclap as I fended off his next attempt while draining every technique I had learned from the Thunder God Lineage and the Seven Great Techniques. I put up a fierce fight for a couple of exchanges before he momentarily retreated.

The Supreme Thief wiped the sweat from his forehead and said.

“Wow, you’re pretty good! If you were in the human realm, I wouldn’t want to fight you.”

“You’re too kind.”

“Still, I stole something.”

“Uh-huh.”

He was right. His grip and arms had bright red marks left on them, but he had successfully stolen the silver coin from my sleeve and placed it on his palm. Unlike the divine skill from earlier, this was indeed a technique reaching the true level of mastery, leaving me in awe for a different reason.

“Impressive….”

To steal so openly from me while I was on guard. If he had approached me stealthily, I wouldn’t have been able to defend against his pickpocketing skills at all.

I felt worlds apart from my own reliance on infantile sleight of hand. The Supreme Thief right in front of me was indeed the epitome of a master thief.

Chuckling, the Supreme Thief spoke.

“This is the technique evolved from Illusory Escape, the Thief King’s Heaven Web! Once you master this Thief King’s Heaven Web, you won’t fear any traps and techniques in the world, claiming the title of king among a million thieves. I’ll pass this Thief King’s Heaven Web onto you.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, should we have a bout using divine techniques?”

Ssss

Suddenly, the space shifted dramatically. It was as if a vast field designed for a race had taken shape, with two flags placed on the horizon. The Supreme Thief said.

“Whoever runs around the flags and arrives here first wins. If you win, I’ll give you a gift.”

“Okay.”

“Ready, set.”

*Tydaht!*

“……!!”

You cheater!

The bastard took off before finishing his sentence! Caught off guard by the unfairness, I lost a breath and raced to catch up, finding the distance to the flags to be significant.

‘I MUST WIN!!’

I don’t know when I might get to come back to this bizarre place. I have to obtain whatever I can at all costs!!

With no choice, I hurriedly unleashed the only strategy I had to overcome this situation, the Soul Removal Technique, fiercely utilizing all my internal energy.

Tatata

WOOOOO!!

I’d never put this much effort into using the Soul Removal Technique in my life. Forgetting everything in a trance, I madly ran without restraint, and as I surpassed a certain moment, I experienced something strange.

[Congratulations on achieving the Peak of the Soul Removal Technique… Shit, where the hell am I? Damn it! Just RUN, descendant of the Thunder God!]

An image of an ancient martial artist flickered before my eyes, and my body suddenly lost all sense of control over my own will. As the seals I had carefully inscribed to control the Soul Removal Technique unraveled, the technique itself morphed entirely into something different in my mind!

I felt something other than myself occupying my body. As that entity fully claimed control, I was suddenly moving at double the speed I had before.

KUUUAAAAA

I couldn’t handle my own speed, crashing into the ground at dozens of times the speed of sound. I hadn’t even used the Great Destruction technique, but I’d never expected to reach such velocity, leaving me dazed and unable to speak.

“…….”

What just happened?

Ssss

Suddenly, the space shifted back to the earlier void, and the Supreme Thief spoke to me.

“You won the bet. Originally, I was only going to teach you the evolved form of Illusory Escape, the Shadowless Escape, but I’ll share another secret technique with you.”

“Haah… haah….”

“But just what was that technique you used? It was incredible.”

“A technique? I didn’t use any techniques.”

“Don’t lie.”

The Supreme Thief stared at me with narrowed eyes.

“You just used Spirit Summoning, didn’t you?”