บท 396: Chapter 396
Seong Jihan's eyes gleamed with interest.
Ashoka.
He knew this man was extraordinary, but…
'To think he noticed what even Dongbang Sak couldn't.'
Though Dongbang Sak had lived 600 years longer than in his prime during the Kang Sang era, and his martial arts had definitely grown stronger, he had also become senile.
The sword he had casually unleashed, One Sword Breaks the Sky, was a supreme technique that even the current Seong Jihan would find difficult to handle.
Yet, what Dongbang Sak had failed to notice, Ashoka had perceived immediately upon arrival.
"A guest, could it be…?"
"This person is inside the tree. Would you please come out?"
"…Step aside. I'll draw them out myself."
Ashoka spoke with conviction.
And behind him, Dongbang Sak was raising his fighting spirit with a terrifying expression.
Seeing his momentum, Seong Jihan roughly gauged his strength.
'At Dongbang Sak's current level, he should still be a worthy opponent…'
Though he had progressed significantly compared to his prime in the Kang Sang era,
Seong Jihan had also become much stronger since unlocking the outer formation of the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams.
Moreover, his opponent had not perfected the Taiji Sword.
All the martial arts Dongbang Sak used could be learned through martial soul.
So, while fighting him carried some risk, it seemed worth a try.
'But Ashoka poses a problem.'
Ashoka, who had instantly pinpointed Seong Jihan's location.
The extent of his power was completely immeasurable.
Recalling their previous encounter during the succession ceremony, he was certainly an extraordinary existence back then as well.
But apart from reversing time, he hadn't really displayed anything overwhelming in terms of martial prowess.
At that moment,
[This is an emergency. Please release the seal immediately.]
Text urgently appeared before Seong Jihan's eyes.
The red World Tree, which had only been advising to release the seal until now, had raised its tone by a level.
[If you release the seal, I can immediately expel the two from this space. Now is the time for a decision.]
Releasing the seal sure enables a lot.
However, after a brief contemplation, Seong Jihan decided,
"No, I'll go out and meet them."
He chose to encounter the two.
'If I release the seal, it feels like everything here will come to an end…'
Before this world reset itself,
He needed to find out what Ashoka and Dongbang Sak had schemed together during this time period.
But as Seong Jihan tried to exit,
Rumble…!
The space inside the tree shook, and the area Seong Jihan could move in grew narrow.
[You cannot leave until you release the seal.]
The red World Tree revealed its true colors.
Seong Jihan smiled wryly at this.
"Hey, I actually don't know the release code, you know?"
[I know you know it.]
No, I really don't, yet it insists obstinately.
'Then I'll have to break through by force.'
Whoosh!
Seong Jihan drew upon the power of the Crimson Divinity.
Perhaps because he had gained so many stats from the Red Administrator's hand,
The flames, far more intense than before, burned the tree to ashes.
[This power… To think you can control the Crimson Divinity so well…]
The World Tree tried to regenerate itself with a powerful life force,
But the crimson flames did not allow it to recover.
As the tree that had repeatedly tried to block his path burned to ashes,
[As expected of the master… I shall open the path.]
The red World Tree gave up its resistance and opened the space on its own.
Swish…
Beyond the cleared space,
"…Who are you?"
Dongbang Sak glared at him, emanating a murderous aura.
Compared to his prime in the Kang Sang era, he had a haggard appearance, the leisurely air gone from this old man.
But the killing intent he exuded was incomparably sharp.
At that moment,
Step. Step.
"Please calm your excitement for a moment."
Ashoka stepped in front of the agitated Dongbang Sak.
"This guest is precisely the reason and result of the 'proposal' I made to you."
"He is…?"
At Ashoka's words, Dongbang Sak, his killing intent subsiding briefly,
Looked at Seong Jihan.
"…He seems lacking to entrust with that great task."
"But he found his way here."
"Hmm…"
The two exchanged meaningful words among themselves, nodding their heads.
Seong Jihan frowned at them.
"Stop talking about things only you two know, and fill me in too, Ashoka."
"Ashoka? Is that my name?"
As Seong Jihan said that to Ashoka, his eyes widened slightly.
"…That bastard. He doesn't even know your name properly. Can we trust him?"
"No, I grow more certain. Let me ask again. Is that my name in the 'future'?"
The future?
The fact that he had immediately found Seong Jihan's location earlier, too.
He certainly seemed to be on a different trajectory in this sealed world.
But judging from his reaction, was Ashoka's original name something else?
"…Yes. You were called Ashoka. What is your current name?"
"Let's go with Ashoka."
As he said that, he looked at Dongbang Sak, putting a finger to his lips.
Signaling him not to say anything.
Seeing that, Dongbang Sak gave a fake cough.
"Ahem… Yes, Ashoka. He is Ashoka."
"Making a fuss over a name when you don't even know his real one."
"There must be a reason my future self deliberately changed my name. I simply trust my own judgment."
"Future… How are you so certain I'm from the future?"
"Well."
Swish.
Ashoka looked around, smiling.
"Because this place is a virtual space sealing Dongbang Sak's memories and the World Tree."
* * *
"Wh-What do you mean…? Saying this place is a virtual space."
"Haven't you been vaguely suspecting it?"
In response to Dongbang Sak's question, Ashoka spoke with a smile.
"Try to recall your memories in detail. Before he arrived, was time actually passing in this space?"
"That's…"
"And how could a guest from the future come when you haven't even accepted my proposal yet?"
"…"
As Dongbang Sak listened to Ashoka's words with a grave expression,
Swish.
He suddenly drew his sword.
"I still cannot trust him. Martial artists must converse through their weapons to understand each other. I must test him."
What?
So in the end, he wants to fight?
Seong Jihan smiled, looking at Dongbang Sak raising his fighting spirit.
"I'd rather appreciate that. Dongbang Sak, please upgrade my martial arts."
"What?"
"I just learned this inside the tree."
Swish…
The sword Eclipse bloomed in Seong Jihan's hand.
Fundamental Divine Arts,
Heavenly Dark Shadow Technique:
One Sword Breaks the Sky
As the tip of the dark sword pierced through a space,
Crack!
In the world beyond Dongbang Sak,
Sword marks were engraved everywhere.
A deep void left traces in the sky and earth, slowly fading away.
Seeing this, Dongbang Sak's expression stiffened more than ever before.
"The essence of One Sword Breaks the Sky lies not in splitting the heavens, but in perfectly annihilating a single point."
"…"
"The collapse of the sky is merely a secondary result of the excessive power contained in a single strike."
"You sure know a lot."
Swish!
Ten swords hovering around Dongbang Sak flew over,
Their tips squarely aimed at Seong Jihan.
"Go on, keep using that meager skill of yours."
"Don't hold back your martial arts. I'll learn them all."
"You bastard…!"
Dongbang Sak approached with a pale face, his killing intent flashing.
'Well, shall I take everything he's got?'
Clang!
Seong Jihan's eyes sparkled as he crossed swords with him.
* * *
2 hours later.
The world inside the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams, once barren,
Was now completely devastated.
Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted from all directions,
And the earth was dug up everywhere except where the World Tree was planted.
And,
Swish!
An old man and a young man, stepping on the ground in the same way.
Dongbang Sak's face turned scarlet as he saw Seong Jihan using the same footwork as him.
"You took even this!"
"Ah, the light steps were already taught to me by the future Dongbang Sak. Try using something else."
"Hah…!"
"But as expected, the future Dongbang Sak is still better at using martial arts. There's not much for me to learn here."
"Not much to learn, you say…!?"
Unable to contain his anger at the smirking youth, Dongbang Sak.
As he tried to use more power,
"Dongbang Sak, don't you think this much is enough to acknowledge him?"
Ashoka, who had been leisurely watching their fight, spoke up.
"Not yet!"
"Your martial artist's pride is truly inflamed. Hmm, well… he seems to have already learned a lot from your future self, so why don't you try using that sword instead?"
"That sword, you mean…"
"The sword that destroys souls."
At those words, deep wrinkles formed between Dongbang Sak's brows.
"…The Taiji Sword is incomplete."
"I couldn't learn that from you in the future either. Teach it to me this once."
"M-My future self… completed it…?"
"Yes, he drew out the sword of light."
"The sword of light…?"
At those words, suddenly suppressing his fighting spirit,
"The sword of light… Have I been thinking wrongly?"
Dongbang Sak sat down cross-legged.
Whoosh…
His body floated up on its own, and the ten swords began to circle around him.
'What, instant enlightenment?'
He asked him to teach him how to use the Taiji Sword, but he entered his own world just from hearing about the sword of light.
As Seong Jihan looked at him dumbfounded,
"I observed your conversation well."
Ashoka approached Seong Jihan with a smile.
Ashoka, who had no dust on his clothes despite the explosions all around.
Seong Jihan closely observed his appearance.
'I deliberately let a few attacks slip by, but he blocked them completely…'
To gauge Ashoka's power, he had launched a few sword energies at him while fighting Dongbang Sak,
But Seong Jihan's attacks disappeared in an instant before even reaching him.
"As expected, there was a reason my future self chose you."
"Well, the future you said my talent was ambiguous."
"Calling this talent ambiguous… I suppose the opponent has become that much stronger."
By 'opponent,' he probably meant the Martial God.
Thinking that, Seong Jihan asked Ashoka,
"Now, would you mind telling me what you've been scheming?"
"Alright. I suppose I can tell you."
Ashoka looked at the red World Tree.
The World Tree that had regenerated instantly despite Seong Jihan and Dongbang Sak's clash.
"In the near future, that will ignite a conflagration that will engulf this planet."
"A conflagration… You mean the red World Tree?"
"Yes. A fierce blaze that no human will be able to survive."
That World Tree possesses such destructive power?
Seong Jihan looked at the red World Tree with a dubious expression.
After burning it a bit with the Crimson Divinity, it had opened the path on its own,
So he didn't think it would display such overwhelming destructive force.
However,
'It could be different if the seal is released.'
The red World Tree that kept asking him to release the seal.
If he had done as it said, it might have exhibited a different output than what he saw now.
As Seong Jihan gazed at the red World Tree,
Ashoka continued,
"I persuaded the one trying to cause the conflagration through the World Tree. I told him there was a better way than that."
"You… persuaded him?"
"Yes. I said, wouldn't it be a waste to use and discard humanity only once?"
Swish…
Behind Ashoka's back, a golden wheel rose.
The one used by his future self.
Unlike the Golden Wheel's eerie appearance with a golden skull and red bones,
This wheel was dazzling,
And felt sacred.
"I said I would keep turning back time to the past. So I asked him to postpone the destruction."
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