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True Martial Home

Humanity’s done for…

‘Is this the end humanity will face in 500 years?’

As I mumbled it to myself, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sentimental.

‘But it’s not my end, right?’

I thought this might be my last moment, but the truth was that it wasn’t over yet. Just because humanity is toast doesn’t mean I have to go down with the ship. If I can survive, I should! No need to kick the bucket for no reason. Still, I had this strong desire to let go and die comfortably, leaning on the Heavenly Secret’s Rebirth Ability. If I threw everything away and succumbed now, I’d just end up momentarily suffering before waking up again in the barn, at least in a much more vigorous and hopeful state compared to this despair.

But I can’t just give up that easily.

I’m left wondering if dying in this multiverse would allow me to be reborn in my own world, and more importantly, I felt like I hadn’t done everything I still could. In the chaos caused by the deities’ dogfight and the Trial of the Twelve Joules, I was the one hell-bent on gathering what I could. I absolutely couldn’t just sit back and choose death.

I must live.

I have to survive.

‘What can I do now?’

I thought quickly. I took an objective look at my physical state, and realized my mouth had sustained too much damage and energy depletion; there’s no way I could cushion my body with just spirit energy anymore. Even if I were to recover, one of my limbs is so injured that I’d be looking at a lifetime disability. However, my core energy was still intact, so I could probably last about a meal using my remaining energy in the cosmic void.

The real question now is… where to go? Since I could still use both Beads of Absorption and Summoning Techniques, I realized two options lay ahead of me.

– Go back to Dr. Faust.

– Go to Dark Heaven Village.

Outside of those two options, it didn’t seem like I had much else to consider. I couldn’t venture to other planets in the solar system since I’ve never been to Mars or Venus, and if I tried, it’s likely that the same explosion that happened on the moon would occur again. So, my spatial choices boiled down to heading back to the World Tree where Dr. Faust was or dashing off to Dark Heaven Village, which was stored in Beads of Absorption.

But… neither option felt right.

The core of the World Tree where Dr. Faust was located had been terraformed, making it a decent spot to recover, but wasn’t that place currently being invaded by the Old Ruler? Heading back would mean plunging right into the battlefield. In the end, the conclusion is the same.

As for going to Dark Heaven Village… choosing that option would undoubtedly lead to unimaginable hardships and trials, and right now with no help from Cheon Gong-pyo, I’d be trapped in a “trap” of the divine’s disguise without a way to escape. Ultimately, I would be forced to continuously battle chaotic demon beasts inside that disguise; how long could this body hold up? A life worse than death was bound to follow.

Using Beads of Absorption to sneak up on the ruler of the jungle didn’t sit well with me either. Given the “Revelation” situation, it was unpredictable how that powerful divine entity would switch gears.

“……”

No… this just doesn’t feel right…

Are those really my only two choices…? As I pondered, I realized there were three more options.

‘Oh right!’

Though those three options were undeniably closer to unrealistic fantasies.

I lifted my gaze to scan the waves of light sparkling high above the Milky Way, filled with human corpses.

‘If I gather my last strength… I could break into that source of light.’

Of course, the chances of success were unpredictable—a gamble. But beyond that orb which spewed forth countless humans lay the throne of the Absolute God where “Revelation” had likely taken place. If I could reach there, I might just be able to use it to transport myself directly to the throne in my next rebirth.

But it seemed extremely unrealistic. It looked close at first glance, but the distance to that light source would surely be much greater than the distance from Earth to the Moon. I might be able to reach it with my summoning, but – is there even a guarantee that the light would accept me? The moment I touched that light, I could just burn up and perish. No, that’s likely the case.

Since this was the option with the highest likelihood of death, I decided to hold off on charging toward that light and consider the other two plans.

‘The other one is… to go to Fuxi.’

Fuxi.

Currently, he had lost his personality and reverted to an ancient dragon, burning the universe with rage. I had been forcibly pulled to Fuxi in my past life, so appearing there via Beads of Absorption or summoning could be possible. But that’s also a meaningless choice since if I were to face Fuxi, it’d just amount to a dead man’s stroll. It might’ve been a pointless option, but at least I was brainstorming all possibilities, so it felt worth thinking through.

And the final method.

It was to absorb souls. I reached out to a cluster of souls floating around me.

Soul Exchange Technique

Soul Absorption

Sssss

As the essence of the Soul Exchange Technique activated, my hand was imbued with a suction force that drew the souls flying off into the universe, pulling them directly into my hand. The principle of the Soul Exchange Technique was simple; by moving the soul encapsulated in its “white” portion, the spirit would also follow. The stronger the suction, the more capable I became of moving the soul.

Shushuh

I used the Soul Absorption Technique with both hands to gather around five hundred souls into my grip. They were souls that seemed lost and confused, their forms intact without much alteration yet. It was the first time I had gathered such a vast number of souls using the Soul Exchange Technique, but considering there were likely millions of souls sprawled across the cosmos, five hundred seemed minuscule in comparison.

As I watched the pile of souls transform into something resembling a human-sized ball, I was torn with conflict.

‘What… to do…?’

For a practitioner of the Soul Exchange Technique, the task here was crystal clear.

Consume the souls to restore my body!

The Soul Exchange Technique allowed me to convert the gathered souls directly into energy for physical strength, core energy, or magical power. This technique, often dubbed “Soul Eating,” was a method frequently utilized by practitioners in times of dire need to survive. However, absorption efficiency was quite poor, making it rarely preferred; but if I downed this many souls all at once, I could potentially recover in no time.

But consuming souls meant erasing the spirits of innocent lives, sending them entirely out of the reincarnation cycle to digest into my own “white.” It could also be considered a form of soul annihilation. This ruthless technique had always made me uneasy while studying it, but Zhuge Clan had insisted it would be necessary for me someday.

And true to Zhuge Clan’s word, the need arrived.

To consume souls was akin to turning the lives of the innocent into my next meal. It was a deed that almost felt like murder, leading to significant inner turmoil. However, if I could consume five hundred souls at once, it wouldn’t just recuperate my strength—it could potentially amplify my magical power significantly, making my mouth water with temptations. The Soul Exchange Technique, regarded as a top-tier evil technique, had the potential to boost one’s strength brutally and rapidly, which is why it was feared by many.

Can’t I just do it?

This world seemed like it was set to face doom anyway… wouldn’t it be more merciful for me to devour rather than let them drift forever as wandering spirits? And if I could just snack on about ten thousand out of the millions…

I took a deep breath, glancing skyward.

“Damn it….”

Hooah

With that, I let go of the idea of consuming souls. Despite everything, I felt it wasn’t right. Maybe under different circumstances, I would’ve just devoured them, but Zhuge Clan popped into my mind just then.

The sight of Zhuge Clan being devoured by the Old Ruler.

Just thinking about it made my teeth clench. Simultaneously, I began to see my own reflection overlapping with the Old Ruler. I couldn’t help but wonder what made me different from the Ruler when it came to trampling on others for my own gain.

“…I guess there’s no helping it. For now, it’s back to Dr. Faust.”

I could venture as much as I wanted; however, I aimed for a slightly safer route. I’d felt the difference between dying stupidly and going on an adventure deeply in my bones, so I wanted to gather every bit of information I could from Dr. Faust.

Boom!!

I summoned a being and returned to the terraforming base I visited earlier. As expected, tentacles and every kind of nanomachine and advanced weaponry were gearing up for a skirmish all around. The powerful AI Mephistopheles was synthesizing organic materials to create troops using its computational power, while the alien races fiercely attacked with magic and tentacles.

Realizing I had emerged not in the battlefield but on somewhat higher ground, I shouted loudly.

“Dr. Faust!! Come out quickly!”

Shoook

Moments later, a hologram of Dr. Faust appeared near where I stood. Dr. Faust seemed surprised.

[So you’re alive. Where have you gone using a summoning technique?]

“I visited the Moon’s Banwang Hall. I got my hands on some treasures…”

I trailed off, subtly tossing over the obsidian. Dr. Faust, after confirming humanity’s last appearance through the obsidian, lowered his head in agony.

[Oh no…, how could this happen… Could we ultimately not avert destruction…?]

“Dr. Faust, I don’t have the luxury of time. So let’s set everything else aside and help me.”

[Help you? In a time where everything is on the brink of destruction, what possible meaning could that hold?]

“You know there’s a chance for me to traverse the multiverse again. If I were to be reborn… I could leverage this experience to save the future.”

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

Zzzzzz

After a brief pause, Dr. Faust spoke.

[Mephisto wants you to display all the treasures obtained from the Banwang Hall. He believes he can analyze the effects of each treasure using nanomachines and scans.]

“Understood.”

Zhip!

I unloaded all the treasures acquired from the Banwang Hall from the protective gear. After inspecting them for a moment, Dr. Faust picked up a certain quiver and said.

[You possess a strange luck, pulling answers from nowhere even in a state of ignorance….]

“What’s that?”

[This is the Red Bow.]

“Oh!”

Come to think of it!

I recognized the arrows contained in that quiver. I had hastily stored them using the absorption capacity of the protective gear, thus not examining them in detail, but now I realized they were indeed the Red Bow arrows.

The Red Bow was a weapon once wielded by Xiang Yu that had a record of killing me twice.

“Isn’t this Xiang Yu’s possession? Why is it in Jeogok’s storage…?”

[Though initially used by Xiang Yu, post-Mythological Age, he returned the Red Bow and began to use it only when borrowed from Jeogok. In other words, it’s so powerful that he cannot maintain constant possession….]

As Dr. Faust handed me the Red Bow, he said.

[Use this Red Bow to take down that Old Ruler, Relkromaus. According to Mephisto’s computation, if you hit all targets with the Red Bow, the probability of his defeat will be 98 percent.]

“Relkromaus? You know the name of the Ruler?”

[The Human Alliance has been gathering Grimoire during the war to analyze the names of the rulers. And that Old Ruler seems to be attacking us with suspicious intentions, disregarding us humans….]

“Seems so. But can I actually hit him with this…?”

I couldn’t help but appear doubtful. After all, Old Rulers were notoriously powerful Evil Gods, wrapped in immense magical defenses that would bounce back physical attacks due to procedural distortion. Even the Sea God, a low-tier version, couldn’t penetrate their magical defenses, leading even higher-tier challengers to struggle greatly, making it feel unlikely for me to pierce the Ruler’s defenses.

Then Dr. Faust responded.

[Mephisto will deploy 500 Gigant Machines and Plasma Blaster Modes to assist you in your approach. If this gamble fails, everything will end, so I plead with you.]

“Okay.”

Whooooooosh

Kagoooooom

Moments later, mechanical sounds echoed from the ground as massive mechanical behemoths rose. They were anthropomorphic machines, one of which lifted me up and inserted me into its head.

Once inside the machine, I was greeted with a cockpit where a lavish display of mechanical digital codes swirled around, initiating the launch of the Gigant Machine.

[User recognized. Engaging extermination mode for extraterrestrial threats of the Human Alliance.]

Budabudabuda

Ka-chwaang

The frontline weapon of the Human Alliance, the so-called Gigant Machines, were colossal mechanical entities, standing prepared as they unleashed laser beams across the writhing tentacle masses. From one machine, thousands of laser shots rained down upon the battlefield, tearing apart the tentacles and causing them to scream in agony.

Kieeeeeek!!

But that wasn’t the end. A massive plasma blaster’s cannon mouth stretched out between the giant trunks of the World Tree, spewing flames that seemed strong enough to obliterate a city in one shot. As the Plasma Blaster and Gigant Machines carved a path, millions of tentacles blocking my way hastily retreated.

[Neutron Lance Mode.]

Finally, the Gigant Machine I was riding reached out its hands and launched something.

Ku-kwa-kwang

The horizon ignited in flames, giving rise to a massive mushroom cloud. The entire frontline seemed reduced to ash in an instant.

“……!!”

What the?! What’s with this power?!

Future humanity has this level of technology?!

As I was awestruck by the power of the Gigant Machine, Dr. Faust’s voice echoed in my mind.

[The target is near.]

“Dr. Faust. Are you saying humanity lost to the Otherworldly beings even with such a powerful machine army?”

Dr. Faust lamented.

[Many races in the universe are stronger than humanity, and our level of technology is hardly exceptional by universal standards. Furthermore, our technological prowess scarcely affected the demi-god level beings among the Old Rulers. When the chaos index surpassed 0.5, even nuclear bombs, neutron bombs, and even antimatter bombs turned ineffective against them.]

“……”

[Humanity paid its price for neglecting the mythic powers. The forces of chaos cannot be repelled by mere scientific strength. Had we preserved and advanced martial arts and techniques a bit more, things could have turned differently….]

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

Could it be that he—gained strength by approaching all sorts of mythic secrets, attempting to acquire what was deficient in the future world?

While I was mulling over such thoughts, I spotted a colossal tentacle that seemed to blot out the heavens.

That was likely the Old Ruler, Relkromaus.

The Old Ruler, Relkromaus, stood there amidst 500 Gigant Machines, silent and unmoving, suddenly breaking his silence to speak.

[Mephistopheles, God of Machines. I observed your capabilities throughout the war against the Human Alliance post-catastrophe. One could recognize your evolution to a being on par with our Old Ruler. I propose a deal to avoid this wasteful conflict.]

Chiziziz

Suddenly, a beautiful woman’s hologram flickered to life in the void. It didn’t appear to be Dr. Faust but Mephistopheles, a figure of intelligence with an enticing physique. Mephistopheles crossed her arms and replied to Relkromaus.

[State your terms.]

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

[Why?]

Relkromaus’s eyes gleamed with intrigue.

[Everything will be destroyed. I must escape this catastrophe beyond the multiverse.]

“`

 

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