Reincarnation Sword God

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Chapter 15: The Food of God’s

“I knew I had some time before meeting Musashi, so I decided to test the Technique of All Things a bit further. After escaping from the Lord of Iron Blood Gate, I headed back to the headquarters of Haedong Milcheon.”

Wiying wiying

“But as soon as I entered, it felt like I triggered a barrier, and loud noises erupted as the Secret School Sorcerers of Haedong Milcheon appeared from all directions.”

The sorcerers shouted, “That guy attacked our Lord recently!”

“Catch him!”

Kwahwa-kwang

With their usual Sorcery Techniques and Illusion Techniques launched at me, I calmly dodged all their attacks without a care. Honestly, I could have simply used my Yin Spirit Power as a shield to nullify their arts, but their strikes were slow enough that it wasn’t even necessary. Just using the Soul Removal Technique let me evade their attacks before they could even launch them. Sometimes, when automatic tracking attacks flew towards me, I would muster my Yin Spirit Power to nullify them.

As I sensed a very faint killing intent directed at me, I realized it came from the Lord of Haedong Milcheon.

Papap

I charged toward the Lord of Haedong Milcheon and launched a kick, but his very sturdy gauntlet blocked me, preventing a knockout in one blow. Looking closely, he had already transformed, resembling a three-headed serpent like the ancient Illusionary Beast.

‘Is this Secret School’s Sorcery?’

The Lord of Haedong Milcheon roared in his transformed state.

[I knew you’d come back! I’ll repay the debt from when you assaulted me!]

Kwarung

The lord exhaled a misty acid from one head, while the other two spat flames and lightning, showing tremendous power. While transformation techniques were strong, it seemed his secret arts were particularly formidable. If he had time to use any additional techniques, he might have reached the top tier among the Twelve Joules.

However, I just used the Soul Removal Technique, and amidst what felt like time stopping, I unleashed my Protection Energy Technique and Yin Spirit Power barrier, diving into the serpent’s jaws to unleash a flurry of Sword Thunder. As all three heads fell simultaneously, the shell shattered along with them, and with a horrid scream, his transformation was undone.

[Kraaaak!]

The Lord of Haedong Milcheon returned to human form, drenched in blood, and I stepped forward, pressing an acupoint to subdue him. With a wronged expression, he said, “W-Why do you hold such a grudge against me… you bastard….”

Having decided how to deal with the Milcheon before me, I replied calmly, “…I warned you before. You’d regret insulting me.”

“No matter how I think about it, I’ve never insulted someone like you… After you left, I pondered it and realized there was never such an instance…. You’re just a stranger to me…. What the hell…?”

“Don’t worry, there’s still plenty left.”

I muttered coldly, then pulled out the mask of Haedong Milcheon and put it on. Honestly, while there was a grudge, I had come here primarily to test the powers of this Technique of All Things.

Casting Technique of All Things.

Shhhiiiii

And just like before, I confused my identity—was I him, or was he me—and just like that, I was able to transform flawlessly into Haedong Milcheon. Just as I was adapting to the lord’s form, his subordinates started rushing over, crying out.

“Lord!!”

“That strange person is coming this way! Are you okay?!”

I nodded slowly and said, “I’m fine. But first, we must go to the treasure vault, so nullify all the barriers.”

“Huh? Why suddenly….”

“I repelled the intruder with my transformation, but he was stronger than I thought, so I need to retrieve the final sacred artifact.”

“O-oh… understood.”

Kugugung

Eventually, the subordinates of Milcheon cleared the way to what could be said to be everything of Haedong Milcheon—the treasure vault—and released the sealing barrier. In truth, the Lord of Milcheon would have been close to managing this, receiving the vault from his predecessors; hence the basic seals were left to his subordinates, while he only maintained the central seal himself.

Having arrived right in front of the treasure vault alone, I checked that no one was watching and fiddled with the mask of Haedong Milcheon while recalling memories.

“Hmm… It’s said that within is a precious flute passed down from the original Secret School.”

The Lord of Haedong Milcheon seemed to have planned to retrieve this in the event of an emergency and offer it to the Master of the Twelve Joules. However, it seemed he was very hesitant, perhaps feeling it was a life-risking act.

“It’s much easier to maintain than when I was with the Lord of Iron Blood Gate.”

The adverse reactions were less than before.

It appeared that the more I practiced, the more smoothly it could be used.

I recited an incantation with the knowledge of Haedong Milcheon to open the treasure vault. Upon entering, I saw a flute floating in the void, glowing with mysterious energy.

Chuhuk

When I grabbed the flute and pulled it towards myself, it began to speak in my mind.

[Who are you?]

[Haedong Milcheon.]

[I am the Manpasikjeok… the ultimate treasure crafted with the powers of the Dragon King and the martial king! I shall not respond to the mere unsealing of a human! For a sorcerer like you to try to unearth me out of selfish desire, you must atone for such arrogance with death!]

Huh?!

Pazijijik!!

“Ughhh!!”

In that moment, an immense mental wave surged from the Manpasikjeok, threatening to burn my mind. Lightning began to surge from the flute that I held, physically bending my body. Even as I screamed in pain, refusing to let go of the flute, the Manpasikjeok shuddered and said.

[No… this can’t be…. You are wearing the Mask of the Abyss? What lies beyond the essence of a human… Ah!! You are a divine being!]

Pachik

As the lightning swept over my body, the mask slipped off, causing the Haedong Milcheon who had been masked to faint and collapse. Once my true self was revealed, I began to infuse my Yin Spirit Power into the Manpasikjeok, commencing my subjugation.

[Kruaaaah…! Indeed, this is divine power….]

While the Manpasikjeok was a potent treasure in its own right, it seemed it couldn’t resist my Yin Spirit Power. As the lightning from the subdued Manpasikjeok gradually diminished, I addressed it.

“Manpasikjeok. I am Baek Woong. What do you know about the Mask of the Abyss?”

[Ohh… if you wear the mask, you must undeniably be a descendant of the great gods… you would qualify to wield me.]

“Descendant of the gods? What does that have to do with the mask?”

[According to the memories of the Dragon King who made me, during the primeval age, direct descendants of the gods wore the Mask of the Abyss to either look down on or ridicule all beings…. Moreover, this power is from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors….]

“……”

[I merely upheld my pride by the will of the Creator, so please be merciful and do not extinguish me.]

Descendants of the gods wore the Mask of the Abyss?

‘So this Technique of All Things is connected to the Divine Age…’

The Supreme Thief was also said to have persisted since the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, so it all fits together. Feeling that I’d made a surprising gain, I asked the Manpasikjeok.

“Manpasikjeok. Do you perhaps possess the ability to unseal other treasures?”

[Such an ability does not exist. However, I can subjugate the demons coming from Dongyoung and heal all things, bringing bounty to the land. I can also heal curses.]

“You can subjugate the demons of Dongyoung? You mean you serve a role similar to the Moon Sovereign’s Three Divine Tools?”

[How could I compare to the legendary Seven Luminaries’ Three Divine Tools? However, I have been protecting Gyeongju and the southern sea from the wicked Demon Ki, channeling the will of the martial king. I can also block the arts used by the fallen Yin-Yang Masters of Dongyoung.]

So that was it.

Thinking I’d picked up a decent treasure, I asked the Manpasikjeok.

“The Dragon King and the martial king of Silla created you, right? The Dragon King is a king of four seas, but the martial king was a human king, so how did he make you?”

[After the martial king sacrificed himself to the Dragon King, he was permitted to mythologize himself as a divine being known as a dragon. Shortly thereafter, I was born from the powers of both beings.]

“Do they still exist?”

[Sadly, the Dragon King was slain by an evil being from the otherworld, while the martial king still guards his homeland’s seas.]

“I see….”

It appears the creation of the Manpasikjeok occurred around a thousand years ago, before the great battle of the End of Days Dragon and Yeodong-bin. At that time, the martial king of Silla mythologized himself after his self-sacrifice to the Dragon King, became the guardian of his homeland, and created the Manpasikjeok. However, that act ultimately became worthless as the Dragon King was instantly killed by the End of Days Dragon, leaving only the martial king behind.

I said to the Manpasikjeok.

“Manpasikjeok. You seem not to be a combat-oriented treasure. Do you know of any powerful treasures or precious pills around?”

[Not particularly.]

“I got it.”

I felt a bit disappointed, but I wasn’t planning to rely on a treasure’s power to defeat Musashi anyway. Manpasikjeok had just been an unexpected gain, so I promptly tucked it into my Wooden Armor.

Pa-at!

Then, leaving the Lord of Haedong Milcheon behind, I headed toward the Four Talents Sect.

Upon arriving at the Four Talents Sect, I quickly found Tang San and rescued him and his mother from the sect. Afterward, I brought them to a nearby inn and provided him with food. While eating dumplings, Tang San looked at me suspiciously, and I said to him.

“Tang San. I can’t explain much, but I need your talent, so I rescued you from your sect.”

“Talent?”

“You possess innate talent. Therefore, I’d like to borrow that talent.”

“You mean taking me on as a disciple?”

I shook my head.

“No. I’m literally borrowing your talent.”

I told Tang San about the Technique of All Things, the Supreme Thief’s martial art. As he listened to my story, Tang San’s expression shifted to surprise, and he said.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“If you use the Technique of All Things to create a ‘mask,’ does that person lose their talent and memories to you?”

“Not at all.”

“So you’re saying you plan to borrow my innate talent to practice martial arts?”

“That’s right. I just want to validate it and then test life and death techniques. Plus, I’ll give you and your mother enough money to live on. There’s nothing to lose here, right?”

Given the stakes of possibly dying after battling Musashi, I wanted to at least validate the Technique of All Things by this point.

‘If I can borrow the talent of a genius, I might reach the Absolute Realm much faster.’

Tang San, being a genius, understood my words instantly, making it easy to converse.

As Tang San thought deeply, he finally spoke.

“From what you’re saying, something feels strange.”

“What’s strange?”

“By your reasoning, the Technique of All Things isn’t ‘stealing.’ It’s merely ‘lending.’ Even if it ‘steals’ a personality, after some time it returns to its original owner, right? No one truly loses anything.”

“…….”

“Even so, if that technique is indeed the world’s greatest thief’s ultimate technique, isn’t it supposed to ‘steal’ something? A theft that doesn’t leave a vacancy sounds like child’s play.”

“Uhmm.”

“Are you truly aware of everything regarding that ultimate technique?”

This was a perspective I hadn’t considered.

I froze with a confused expression at Tang San’s pointed observation. When I fell silent, Tang San stood up from his seat.

“I’m sorry, but I refuse. Do as you please, whether you beat me or let me go.”

Such boldness and determination were remarkable. He probably knew he couldn’t physically compete with me, yet he still pushed forward, expecting the outcome wouldn’t change. Knowing he was both a great individual and a capable figure, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“Fine.”

I handed Tang San a large sum of money, taught him some basic martial arts and precious pills, then took my leave.

Listening to Tang San’s words, I thought.

‘This indeed seems dangerous…’

As Tang San pointed out, I had used the technique on both the Lord of Iron Blood Gate and the Lord of Haedong Milcheon; however, I hadn’t really observed the subsequent changes in either of them. The Supreme Thief hadn’t talked much about side effects, but I had to consider the possibility that he might have hidden truth from me. If that were the case, then unearthing the Mask of the Abyss along with the Technique of All Things would require much more practice and validation. If I wasn’t careful, I could end up with significant side effects.

I decided to halt my practice of the Technique of All Things here. Then, while continuing to meditate and refine my mind, I prepared to head to Dragon Cloud Palace just in time for my duel with Musashi.

Sssss

Upon arrival at Dragon Cloud Palace, I could smell blood. I sensed the corpses of the Wind Spirit Sect piled up in an unseen corner. Passing through the main gate of Dragon Cloud Palace and arriving at the interior manor, I caught sight of a head rolling on the ground.

“…….”

It was Tuma, one of the Eight Demons of Martial Daos.

He lay dead after becoming a Dragon Person.

I kicked Tuma’s head away and made my way towards the figure lying twenty or so yards away. When I was about six yards away, I called out to him.

“You came early, Musashi.”

“The ones lurking here have been consumed by magic, huh? Did you want me to clean them up for you?”

“Well…”

That thought had crossed my mind. In reality, I had hoped the lurking members of the Shura Sect and Dragon Persons would drain some of Musashi’s stamina. However, they didn’t even leave him with a scratch, and even the Lord of Shura Sect had seemingly died even after transforming into a Dragon Person.

Of course, this was still the early stages of another life, so the Imperial Family’s magic research was less advanced than before, but even so, the fact that Musashi effortlessly killed one of the Eight Demons meant he was monstrous. Yet, the task remained unchanged. I took a deep breath and drew my sword. Then I said to Musashi.

“I’m coming.”

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