Chapter 1726


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전생검신 97권 20화

I went down beneath the red pyramid following the [Black Sun]. As I descended, I watched humans dying because of his magical power.

“Save all those people.”

“Cough… That’s impossible…”

“Killing is so easy for you yet you say it’s impossible? You filthy bastard.”

Wham!

I immediately wrapped a light thunder soul around his neck and grabbed tightly. Because I used thunder soul, he couldn’t dodge my technique.

“Ugh.”

I glared at the struggling [Black Sun] while oozing killing intent.

“I’ll say it again. Save them all. If you can’t, then I’ll dispose of you right here.”

I was serious. Eliminating that guy wouldn’t stop me from extracting information about Tezcatlipoca.

“Gah… I understand…!”

Thud.

I tossed [Black Sun] by the collar, causing him to choke before rising and forming a spirit to activate his sorcery.

Soul Reversal Spell

Chapultepec

Tsuwaaaah!

Then, black powder began flowing out from the bodies of the people who had been contaminated by magical power, scattering into the air. Their bodies regained color and vitality, and they began to breathe, showing clear signs of resurrection.

However, on the contrary, waves of darkness began to surge chaotically around [Black Sun]. He was sweating blood, gasping for breath as crimson droplets continuously poured from him.

“Ugh…”

Swoosh.

After some time, as most people started writhing back to life, [Black Sun] weakly said.

“It… is done now…”

As I watched him, realization dawned on me, and I smirked.

“You used the source of your magic as an offering to restore their souls and cleanse the magical contamination.”

Of course, that soul reversal spell was no different from eating his own flesh for [Black Sun]. Resurrecting hundreds probably cost him a huge chunk of his magic.

“……”

“See? You’re quite capable, so why the drama?”

“Ugh… Now, please let me go…”

Swish.

That was when I felt the voices of countless souls reaching me.

Since my soul exchange technique had heightened, their voices naturally came through.

As before, many souls rose like a boiling pot from the pyramid, spewing out rage, resentment, and despair.

[Kill!]

[Please kill us!]

[We must kill!]

I couldn’t ignore their wishes.

[Got it.]

I answered within my mind.

And in that moment, I became aware that a law of cause and effect had formed between me and those souls.

While feigning innocence, I spoke to [Black Sun].

“What’s this? Hand over the information on Tezcatlipoca. You won’t be released until you do.”

“… Follow me…”

[Black Sun] walked with a defeated posture. He opened the door to the red pyramid, and upon entering, a vast temple-like space unfolded before me. Just like on the outside, the interior was suffused with a blood-like aura, making me scrunch my face in disgust.

“There’s a thick blood atmosphere here. Did they do human sacrifices inside this pyramid as well?”

“… That’s correct…”

“Scumbag. So why did you bring me here?”

After a moment of walking, [Black Sun] entered a large room with a massive altar and spoke.

“If we’re to talk about Tezcatlipoca, I had to come to this altar…”

His actions seemed suspicious at first, but I had an inkling it wasn’t a trap. After all, I could have obliterated him earlier, leaving behind just a speck of dust, so any trap he could set would hardly be enough to threaten me.

‘What a bizarre room.’

The entire wall was intricately carved with masks of various forms. Each mask was different, giving off an eerie vibe, clearly arranged with some ritualistic intent. Above all, for some reason, a strange vitality emanated from those masks that sent chills down my spine.

Even the altar was adorned with masks, making it seem as if it wanted something to be inserted into them. I had never seen an altar so focused on masks in my lifetime.

I gazed at the altar and asked.

“What’s that altar?”

“It is the altar of the Primordial Yang where Tezcatlipoca is sealed.”

“…!”

I flinched in surprise.

‘This is where the real Tezcatlipoca is sealed!’

Seeing my reaction, [Black Sun] quickly added.

“I was originally a demon sorcerer traveling the world when I received a great revelation, leading me to this hidden place… Upon entering the pyramid, I became the priest serving Tezcatlipoca through the altar of the Primordial Yang.”

“…”

It was obvious. He must have gained knowledge and magic from Tezcatlipoca, using it to become stronger as a demon sorcerer, eventually cultivating the once small nation of the Aztecs. After the Aztec Empire was fully established, he surely resorted to any means to conduct human sacrifices without remorse.

“Long ago, the ancient gods of the Memphis Divine Temple imprisoned Tezcatlipoca within this altar, and he has been trying to break free ever since. I have worked hard for a long time to awaken him.”

“Shut your filthy mouth. Just hearing about your efforts makes me nauseous.”

I raised my finger threateningly, causing [Black Sun] to cower in fear.

“Ugh…”

“So? You’ve slaughtered countless beings at this altar and the pyramid beyond, yet Tezcatlipoca shows no sign of awakening. Seems like you’ve wasted your time utterly.”

I wasn’t just throwing random jabs. In the history of the Great Bear Empire 500 years later, there would be no records of the evil god Tezcatlipoca rampaging. When I returned, it was barely less than 20 years before the apocalypse, so realistically, the possibility of Tezcatlipoca reviving in the future seemed very low.

Then [Black Sun] said.

“My role is not to resurrect the Great Being. It is to accumulate the law of cause and effect until the Primordial Yang revives.”

“What? Accumulate the law of cause and effect?”

In response to my question, [Black Sun] looked cautious but explained.

“I’m not entirely sure, but… among all the souls sacrificed within this pyramid, 90% belong to Tezcatlipoca. The remaining 10% I have obtained… I suspect that absorbing the 90% of those souls into this altar might somehow convert them into law of cause and effect.”

“You know too much to claim ignorance. Are you really not going to talk properly?”

Should I start considering killing him soon?

I pressed my finger to the tip of his nose, and [Black Sun] screamed in horror.

“Ahhhhh! I-I’m just speculating based on the ancient grimoire of the Memphis civilization found in this place! The great Tezcatlipoca has never spoken or explained anything to me! It’s all uncertain!”

“… The grimoire of Memphis! Is there really such a thing?”

“Wait a moment! I’ll get it!”

Rumble.

[Black Sun] hastily pressed a mechanism near the altar, and a secret passage revealed itself with a heavy sound. He entered the passage and, after a while, came back holding a grimoire covered in what seemed to be thousands of layers of mysterious blue thread.

[Black Sun] respectfully offered me the grimoire with both hands.

“This is the [Black Book of Osiris], a grimoire sealed with the altar. It seems somewhere in the world there is also a [White Book of Osiris], but it does not exist here in this library.”

I brightened up when I saw the name of someone I had met during the Takrok Era.

“Osiris? You mean that guy, the leader of Memphis?”

[Black Sun] seemed slightly startled by my familiarity with Osiris.

“Uh? Yes… indeed… I don’t know the details since it’s a legendary grimoire, but… this Black Book contains warnings about the dangers of the Primordial Yang altar and methods of managing it, from which I inferred the great Tezcatlipoca’s intentions…”

“Hm, let me see.”

I grabbed the Black Book of Osiris and flipped through the pages. It seemed it was written in an ancient script, but soon, I realized I could read it easily. Even though it was the first script I had ever seen, it felt as natural as interpreting Central Plains language in my mind.

‘Huh? Why is it being translated automatically?’

I felt puzzled, but in any case, I found information on the heretofore mentioned Primordial Yang altar and the law of cause and effect within this grimoire.

‘Moreover, it records some powerful spells and techniques worth considering, given that it can call upon the powers of ancient gods.’

It seemed that it truly was a grimoire written by Osiris himself. Would it be beneficial if I brought this to my companions?

‘But there’s quite a bit of content here. I’ll have to read it later when I have time.’

After casually browsing, I turned to [Black Sun] and said.

“The book states that Osiris warns everyone to keep their distance from the Primordial Yang altar because it’s exceedingly dangerous, yet you discarded all those warnings.”

“……”

“Whatever, that’s not what’s important now.”

I opened my chestpiece and casually stuffed the Black Book of Osiris inside, then asked him.

“What I want to know is the location of the [Navel of the Sun God]. Where is it now?”

“……!”

At my words, [Black Sun] flinched in surprise.

“You know of its existence…! How far does your knowledge extend?”

“The [Navel of the Sun God] contains the Yang Spirit of Quetzalcoatl sealed within. And if Quetzalcoatl is freed, it’s likely that the yin spirit, Tezcatlipoca, will also be released from his slumber…”

“……”

Seeing his face go pale with distress was oddly satisfying to me. I couldn’t help but taunt him.

“By the look on your face, it seems you didn’t know about this.”

“Ugh….”

[Black Sun] lost his words, which was only natural.

The [Navel of the Sun God]!

The trigger for this knowledge came from a gamble with Dongfang Sak during the Takrok Era over who would obtain the most prized treasure of Memphis first, the [Navel of the Sun God]. Then I also happened to meet Osiris, the divine being of Memphis, and learned about what kind of entity the [Navel of the Sun God] was. It was likely that there was no one in this present age who understood the [Navel of the Sun God] and its true identity better than I did.

I continued calmly.

“Originally, the [Navel of the Sun God] was carefully guarded by Osiris, the leader of Memphis. However, that was during the Mythological Age, tens of thousands of years ago. By now, in this era of human civilization, I have no idea where it might have gone. Do you know its whereabouts?”

The only reason I hadn’t killed that bastard yet was that I needed this. I had to obtain the [Navel of the Sun God] in South America if I hoped to proceed with anything.

“… If you promise to save me, can I tell you what I know?”

“If what you say is truthful, I’ll consider it.”

At my answer, [Black Sun] thought a bit before speaking.

“In truth, I was also receiving the divine revelation of Tezcatlipoca, searching for the [Navel of the Sun God]. According to my best information, that item is located within the ruins of the Lemuria continent.”

I raised an eyebrow at [Black Sun]’s words.

“What? The Lemuria continent?”

“That’s correct.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well… Even if you ask if I’m sure… I can only speculate based on the grimoires I’ve read in various places.”

“Speculation again? What led you to this conclusion?”

In response to my question, [Black Sun] answered calmly.

“… Do you know that there used to be a civilization called Memphis on this southern continent, along with its Divine Temple?”

“How could I not! That civilization existed thousands of years ago.”

Having seen Osiris and the hundreds of divine beings from that temple, and thousands of spirit beasts, how could I not know?

“However, Memphis suddenly perished one day… and the Divine Temple disappeared without a trace. Originally, Memphis was one of the most powerful and prosperous civilizations, but with the entire ruins and cities vanished…”

“Hmm. What could have caused that?”

What [Black Sun] was about to say made me shiver in surprise.

“It was because of Le Rue…”

“…?!”

Le Rue?!

Stunned by the unexpected mention, I listened as [Black Sun] continued.

“Thousands of years ago, a malignant god descended upon the Lemuria continent with the power of chaos, and in a single night, that continent was destroyed… The gods of Le Rue invaded this continent and attacked the Memphis Divine Temple. The Memphis Divine Temple, realizing it was at a disadvantage, decided to retreat from this continent, and for a long time, that land was left devoid of civilization.”

“……!”

It made sense. The divine beings from Le Rue that I had experienced firsthand were absurdly powerful. Among them were those stronger than the Three Sovereigns, making me seriously doubt whether even with the maximum use of my thunder soul, I could survive against a united assault of the top-tier beings.

“There’ve been various opinions on why the gods of Le Rue attacked Memphis… However, in the book you hold, there’s Osiris’s own conjecture.”

“What conjecture?”

“Perhaps the emperor of Lemuria sought to seal a location exuding nefarious energy, borrowing the [Navel of the Sun God] from the Memphis Divine Temple, and performed a sealing ritual using Quetzalcoatl’s powers, but it failed. When the malignant god descended, that god attacked Memphis which tried to hinder its descent…”

“……”

In that moment, memories from the past flashed through my mind.

[Master, upon arriving in Lemuria, I sensed an ominous energy. While you were fighting, I focused on finding traces of that energy.]

[This crystal cave is linked to the underworld of the Lemuria continent and a dimension door. It was locked with numerous security measures to prevent unauthorized access, which felt suspicious, so I wanted to check it out. This might be the hidden shame of Emperor Lemuria I.]

[The malignant god will take this opportunity of breaking the contract to fully seal you! Using vile wisdom, it will wipe out the contract and make you a puppet!]

That was it.

The crystal cave of the Lemuria continent!

In that place, sensing an unusual dimension door, I encountered the malignant god, and after being pursued by that god, I utilized the Mirror of Clarity and passed through the [Great Cycle] to return to reality.

The memories from that time were vividly clear, sending a chill down my spine.

‘So, in the ‘original history,’ it seems that the malignant god and Le Rue descended through that crystal cave!’

Although I had a vague idea from the words of Ajidahaka in the future, this realization struck hard.

Moreover, the [Navel of the Sun God] was used in the original history to prevent the malignant god’s descent! However, the ritual failed, and the [Navel of the Sun God] ended up remaining in the Lemuria continent.

It felt strangely intriguing how seamlessly the experiences from my Takrok Era and the ancient history revealed by [Black Sun] intertwined. I felt a bizarre intersection of the past and present as I spoke.

“Does this mean I need to explore the submerged ruins of the Lemuria continent to obtain the [Navel of the Sun God]?”

“That might be possible… but the grimoire of Osiris doesn’t actually hold any details about the location or how to access the Lemuria continent. So I’ve been digging around for clues.”

“What kind of clues?”

“…”

Looking determined, [Black Sun] knelt before me.

“Please… if you promise me I won’t die for revealing this, I’ll tell you. I don’t want to die!”

“……”

I realized now that he had been spilling information because he wanted my promise to let him live!

I stared at him coldly and asked.

“Why do you want to live so desperately?”

“Th-that’s…”

“If I let you live, won’t you end up performing human sacrifices and conducting vile magic again? That would bring nightmares to the people of this continent once more.”

“I swear I won’t do any human sacrifices or commit evil acts again! So please…”

“Really? Then swear on this altar that you’ll never again perform human sacrifices or do evil deeds.”

I stared at the Primordial Yang altar and continued.

“Swear on your name before Tezcatlipoca that you’ll never again conduct human sacrifices or evil acts.”

“Ugh… Ugh…”

At that, [Black Sun] fell silent, trembling. I smirked at him.

“Looks like you can’t do it. After all, if you break that promise, Tezcatlipoca would immediately swallow your soul and kill you.”

This guy was a lost cause.

He was just talking big and harboring plans to continue his wicked ways.

[Black Sun] seemed to realize he had no way out, so he snapped.

“Ahhhhh…! Why are you doing this! You’re clearly an existence beyond the divine! Your power and wisdom are beyond what I can perceive!”

Gurgle.

Responding to his emotional outburst, his body began to swell and transform into an otherworldly form. He was so imbued with magical energy that even a change in emotions could cause him to manifest that power, no longer resembling a human.

“What’s so special about these pathetic humans?! I can bring you far greater benefits than those insignificant bugs!”

“……”

“The souls of these bug-like humans find no peace in death! The underworld has collapsed, and the [Old Ruler] is devouring human souls! What’s with your obsession with the souls of these trivial humans?!”

“You seem to know everything. Nothing surprising there.”

“No, if you knew, then why…?”

“Well, I’m still human, aren’t I?”

I spoke curtly and thrust my palm towards him.

“I hope you realize before you die that you’re also just a bug to someone else.”

“Wait! If you kill me….”

Thunder Spirit Seal

Boom!

In the next moment, the thunder spirit I unleashed completely annihilated [Black Sun]. I could hear his soul screaming in agony, continuously burning in the thunder spirit’s power.

[Ahhhhh! Aahhhh!]

That sound gradually quieted down after a while.

I sensed that his soul had been destroyed and whispered.

“This must feel so satisfying.”

Whoa.

Having annihilated the demon lord [Black Sun], I felt the law of cause and effect within me expanding immensely, and my heart turned a bit heavy.

‘That’s quite the amount. It signifies the depth of the grievances from those murdered…’

A single demon lord causing the continent to be ravaged for hundreds of years and millions slaughtered.

It was unbelievable that such harm could be inflicted by a subordinate of a god, especially one not even considered a deity.

And, in such a world steeped in wickedness, if the apocalypse and revelations were to come, would humanity truly survive?

I felt my thoughts deepening but shook my head and muttered.

“Phew! Whatever. I don’t need any of the clues that guy provided.”

The clue [Black Sun] presented about entering the Lemuria continent!

In truth, I didn’t need that much.

Because I had already entered the Lemuria continent several times and knew all the locations and access methods!

‘The Lemuria continent is in the Pacific. And it can’t be accessed physically. However, I have this…’

Swoosh.

I took out the golden lamp and stared at it blankly.

This lamp possesses the ability to take me to places I’ve already visited!

However, it has a limitation: it cannot penetrate through magical barriers.

‘If Lemuria is the same as I remember, there should still be a magical barrier around it. If I activate this lamp, I might just bounce back from the coordinates. What if I use it now?’

After a brief contemplation, I remembered the Lemuria I had been to previously and activated the golden lamp.

Boom!

Swoosh!

Whirrrrr…

In an instant, I felt a resistance as if something blocked me, and suddenly I found myself deep underwater. Realizing I was underwater, I thought.

‘Looks like the barrier is still intact… I can’t be sure if this is near the barrier. But one thing is clear.’

The Lemuria continent must be submerged somewhere underwater.

As long as I know that, the method is simple.

‘All I need to do is find the barrier and break through it! There should be a variety of methods, but… there’s an easier way!’

That guy probably knows, right? At the very least, he’s a demon sorcerer above [Black Sun].

Once my thoughts concluded, I returned to the Primordial Yang altar.

Boom.

“Phew. As for the matter of entering Lemuria… I’ll finish dealing with things here first.”

I murmured that and climbed onto the altar of the Primordial Yang, placing my hand on the ground.

‘There’s something that’s been bothering me since earlier.’

[Black Sun] said Tezcatlipoca was sealed here on this altar. He also mentioned that many offerings have been made here to accrue Tezcatlipoca’s law of cause and effect.

But… could that really be true?

I concentrated as much of my inner divine power as I could and focused my mind, placing my palm against the altar and calling out.

“Tezcatlipoca… can you hear me?”

Crumble!

Pouring all my thoughts and essence into it, I shouted loudly using the technique of No-name Stage.

“I’m Baek Woong! The Baek Woong who has fought by your side countless times! If you can hear me, respond!”

……

……

There was no answer, no reaction whatsoever.

‘As expected…’

I didn’t believe that this seal was so strong that Tezcatlipoca couldn’t hear me. After all, if that were the case, he wouldn’t casually reach out for contact to a mere human sorcerer to grant revelations and impart magic and power.

The mere ability to command [Black Sun] meant he shouldn’t remain unresponsive to my shout after channeling my divine energy via the No-name Stage technique. Moreover, given that I had just exterminated the disciple [Black Sun] near the altar, it was an enormous provocation, making it even more likely that Tezcatlipoca would want to show up.

I realized my initial suspicion had been confirmed and sighed.

“Damn it… I’d thought the magic power [Black Sun] wielded was definitely not that of Tezcatlipoca’s!”

Now I could be sure of it.

This altar of the Primordial Yang does not belong to Tezcatlipoca.

In fact, it wasn’t the [real] altar of the Primordial Yang. Tezcatlipoca is definitely not sealed here.

Moreover, this altar must be an artifact from some other god pretending to be Tezcatlipoca.

But…

Then who is this mysterious presence pretending to be Tezcatlipoca and using [Black Sun] like a puppet?

Who on earth orchestrated these horrific human sacrifices on the continent using [Black Sun]?

It was cleverly done.

‘The Black Book of Osiris was genuine.’

By placing the genuine book describing the dangers of the Primordial Yang altar, anyone who found this ruin would unconditionally believe it was the altar of the Primordial Yang. In reality, it might even have been extracted from the actual location of the true altar of the Primordial Yang to be hidden here.

It was sheer cunning. If I hadn’t had a significant connection with Tezcatlipoca, I might have indeed been deceived by this ruin’s trap.

“……”

In that moment, an instinctive feeling brushed past me.

Perhaps at this very moment, that enigmatic entity is watching me from the shadows.


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