Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

Ripple

As soon as I entered the giant's ruins, I noticed my form flickering like a halo around the moon. My body wavered in multiple layers, rippling greatly. I stopped to check myself, wondering if I'd been cursed, but there was no sign of anything like that.

"..."

This was some kind of strange space.

I had an instinctual feeling that if I took another step forward here, something bizarre would happen. I debated whether to force my way ahead or consult Master Zhuge for advice first, and that's when it happened.

Swoosh

Suddenly, something teleported in front of me, blocking my path. What appeared out of nowhere was a figure draped in a large crimson robe. From his attire and appearance, I could guess his identity.

'The Zhu Rong Clan!'

"Your thoughts can't be read. A human's mind unreadable? How is this possible?"

"..."

"State your identity."

I responded to the Zhu Rong clansman.

"Zhu Rong clansman. What I want isn't to ransack these ruins—it's to meet your clan's leader, the great Sorcerous King."

"...!!"

Swoosh

Swoosh-swoosh

No sooner had I finished speaking than hostile Zhu Rong clansmen appeared one by one—two, three, five—until dozens surrounded me.

'Doesn't seem like they were waiting from the start.'

It looked like the system summoned them via teleportation whenever an intruder entered the ruins. These ruins clearly held great significance for the Zhu Rong Clan, so they weren't letting their guard down.

Being surrounded by dozens of Zhu Rong clansmen wasn't pleasant, but the one in front of me spoke.

"We just received your information from the mother star. You're the one who traded weapons with our king."

"You checked on me. Good."

"But our king wishes to completely sever ties with this world due to the baleful star. We're only guarding these ruins as a precaution. We have no intention of lingering here any longer. Our king asks that you withdraw, as we plan to discard these human bodies."

A bad premonition made me frown.

"Hmm... How selfish. So, can I meet the Zhu Rong Clan's king or not?"

"The king is too busy to see you."

"Then get out of my way. I need to explore these ruins."

The Zhu Rong clansman crossed his arms and responded firmly.

"We can't allow that. This is a place we protect."

"You telling me to scram?"

"Yes."

So that's how it is? I sneered and said,

"Then I'll have no choice but to keep bothering you all."

The expression of the Zhu Rong clansman in front of me soured.

"What did you say?"

"You may not know this, but the Prophet has already betrayed our pact once. Whatever I do won't violate any code of honor. I'll harass you relentlessly, using every trick in the book so you can't even escape easily. And I have full confidence in that."

"You dare threaten a great race, you mere human?"

He gnashed his teeth in anger, but I continued calmly.

"Isn't there a way that's easier for both of us? Accept one of my two conditions, and I promise I won't bother you again."

"You want an audience with the king or permission to explore the ruins?"

"Yes."

"......"

The Zhu Rong clansman tilted his head back, gazing into empty space. The dozens of others around him did the same, clearly communicating telepathically with somewhere—or someone. After a long pause, he spoke.

"The king grants you permission to explore the ruins."

"But no meeting with him?"

"The king is busy. Be satisfied with one condition granted."

"Hmm, fine."

If they weren't willing to meet anyway, I couldn't force it—and truth be told, I had no desire to see the Prophet's face again. Thinking about how he'd sold my information to Changhil made me want to punch it. Just imagining the ordeal I'd gone through in this world fifty years from now ground my teeth.

Rustle

Moments later, the dozens of Zhu Rong clansmen vanished, leaving only one behind. Curiously, this one was a woman—a cold beauty with an utterly emotionless face. She spoke slowly.

"I'll guide you. Follow."

"You're not human either, are you?"

"......"

"What happened to the original owner of that body?"

When I questioned her, she replied.

"The original owner's name is Margil. She is safe."

"You didn't seize it by force?"

"You must not know how we share minds with natives. We borrow a native's body for a set period and, in exchange, send their mind to our homeworld. They are honored under our laws."

Step

As I walked and listened to her explanation, I made a hideous face.

"What? So the human's mind gets shipped off to another planet?"

"When the rental period ends, we switch back. They don't age while we borrow their bodies and gain strong mental abilities afterward. Our race doesn't violate the Galactic Ethical Code."

"......"

I let out a groan at this far stranger mind-swapping method than I'd imagined. If what she said was true, the natives who swapped minds with the great race were semi-forcibly spending decades on another planet? They called it honoring them, but it sounded like a nightmare that could drive an ordinary human mad.

'Even these guys count as the benevolent moderates among the great races.'

This world was truly twisted by terrifying chaos and the law of power. Could I really defeat the [Ancient Ruler] and change this mad world?

As I pondered deeply, she spoke.

"This is the Hall of Resurrection."

The place called the Hall of Resurrection appeared open and spacious, but its internal space was enormously vast, filled with bizarre, unidentified devices. At its center stood a massive indigo glass vat bubbling and boiling, fully ten zhang in size.

Inside the ten-zhang indigo glass vat, something shadowy writhed. It seemed the giant vat held something within. Recalling the name "Hall of Resurrection," I stared piercingly into it.

"Is that a sealed giant clan member?"

"Yes."

Remembering I'd simply strolled through corridors to get here, I muttered,

"Such a simple structure—how have they kept it sealed for thousands of years?"

"You entered easily because the king permitted it. Normally, dimensional distortion fields and rift barriers prevent anyone from entering."

"Hmm..."

Without the ability to manipulate dimensions themselves, entering this seal casually would be impossible. With technology this advanced, even if I tried forcing my way in with the Demonic Crucible, I'd just get repelled.

I'd have no choice but to brute-force it with the Four-Faced Buddha...'

Reminded that I couldn't come here often, I observed my surroundings in detail, committing everything to memory. Approaching the indigo vat, I peered inside at the giant. Surprisingly, it looked less like a monster and more like a colossal human—simply a scaled-up human body.

"You called it the Hall of Resurrection, so these giants are dead right now?"

"Comatose."

"Why comatose? To endure eons without aging?"

"No. Unlike your inferior race, the giant clan has no fixed lifespan—they're nearly immortal. These are elite giant warriors gravely wounded in the Ancient War of Pangea."

As she replied, she slowly stroked the outside of the vat.

"They survived Emperor Gonggong Hwanwon's power in that fierce battle, proving they were the giant clan's finest."

Her answer startled me.

"Emperor...!! You mean these fought the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors' Emperor?"

She responded coldly to my question.

"You've seen enough of the Hall of Resurrection. Let's move on."

She clearly didn't want to elaborate.

Flash!

The next instant, I was in a vast chamber embedded with lustrous jade-green gems sparkling everywhere. This place was a treasure trove of jewels.

"Where's this?"

"This is the engine room maintaining the next site. A third of our race's capital is invested here, so it's called the Hall of Apotheosis. The galaxy's rarest power stones and facilities operate within."

"Is the next site the last?"

"Yes."

Flash

As soon as she finished, we shifted from the Hall of Apotheosis to a mephitic wasteland with swirling gray mists. Visibility was near zero from the fog, but even through it, I could make out an enormous "something" on the horizon, filling my entire field of view.

Was that—a mountain?

No. It's a giant.

An existence of unimaginable scale, reminiscent of the moon, stood frozen amid pitch-black chaos. Dozens of thousands of iron chains dangled from its massive body, densely packed with all manner of ornate sealing devices.

"This is the Hall of the Heavenly Demon. All power generated in the Hall of Apotheosis supports the millions of seals here in the Hall of the Heavenly Demon. That's how we've barely kept that one contained."

"......"

To imprison a single giant, a race with terrifying technology poured a third of their capital into millions of seals? I couldn't even fathom the power of the obsidian giant before me and swallowed hard.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"Top secret. I can't say."

She brushed it off lightly and waved her hand. I was whisked from the Hall of the Heavenly Demon back to the ruins' entrance. Crossing her arms, she said,

"That concludes the tour. Leave now."

"Wait! Ask the king again."

"What about?"

"What's your relationship with Zhu Rong? And you great race—did you betray the giant clan alongside Zhu Rong in the past?"

"......"

"And tell me where Zhu Rong is now."

Her face suddenly turned fierce. She exploded in rage.

"Betrayal?? How dare an ignorant human...!"

"Then just say no and explain why. Is that so hard?"

"You inferior scum...!!"

Her eyes gleamed with eerie light, as if unleashing mental powers. My body began to stiffen, my tongue drying up. This one seemed a high-ranking psychic among the great race, capable of subjugating my mind in moments.

But I shook my head, and the mental suppression vanished like mist.

"Cut it out!"

"Ah... no? How can a human...?"

"Just relay my questions to the king."

She blinked in disbelief, then reluctantly connected. After a long while, she said,

"The king has permitted sharing that information."

"Then answer. Did you betray the giant clan?"

"It was no betrayal. Absolutely not!"

"Then what?"

She replied in a stern voice.

"We never intended to oppose the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors from the start. We were mere observers, maintaining amicable relations even with the [Ancient Ruler]. But then disaster struck out of nowhere, dragging us into the battlefield against the Emperor."

"What disaster?"

"A... mutant appeared."

She spat it out bitterly, as if enraged, then continued.

"To avoid unnecessary war with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, we decided to restore order. We subdued the giant clan, who defied the world's natural flow, and ended the war. We spared as many giants as possible, so we committed no moral wrong."

"Betrayal is betrayal. You Zhu Rong clansmen are part of the giant clan too..."

"We're not giants! We are ourselves. Belonging to the Zhu Rong Clan was mere coincidence."

She snapped irritably, whipping her head away.

"I'll answer your last question. Zhu Rong is currently..."

Swoosh

She vanished the moment she revealed Zhu Rong's whereabouts. She clearly found even facing me repulsive. But I had no time to care about her disgust—I was mulling over Zhu Rong's location in my mind.

"Ryeo of the Myriad Ghosts Citadel."

Ryeo, the second-in-command of the Myriad Ghosts Citadel and Jeon Wook's right-hand man!

That being, said to be Jeon Wook's son, was in fact—the giant god Zhu Rong.

'What the hell?'

I'd seen Ryeo when I was in the Myriad Ghosts Citadel. He appeared human then, but radiated immense yin energy like a yin spirit. There was no hint of a giant clan's form. Zhu Rong was a fearsome fire giant of immense firepower—completely opposite to Ryeo.

After deep thought, I returned to base and relayed what I'd learned to Master Zhuge and Mangyang. Master Zhuge said,

"Things are getting more complicated by the minute. If Zhu Rong became Ryeo, the Myriad Ghosts Citadel's number two, there's no real way to seal that chaos flame."

"You think so too?"

"As the Myriad Ghosts Citadel's second-in-command, he's far stronger than Yeol, the administrator of the Five Ghosts Heavenly Gate who taught you the Apostle's power. And if he was originally the giant god Zhu Rong, he's beyond what any human can handle. Only the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors could touch him."

"......"

Master Zhuge grinned.

"But there is a way to lift the public curse. It's a loophole, but it works."

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