How a legendary returner lives - Chapter 325
The world.
It was flowing as if nothing had happened.
Both the Fantasia Empire and the Jin Kingdom.
There had been some chaos, but everything had been settled.
In the Fantasia Empire, Emperor Germanicus, who had become the new emperor, had resolved all the chaos, and purged everyone who knew the forgotten history of the past.
His own brothers, relatives, and even the close noble family of the Duke’s House.
A bloodstorm swept through, and it took exactly one year to calm all the bloodshed.
The Jin Kingdom was similar.
The Moonlight Dao Sect and the Blood Sect, who walked the path of magic, had collapsed.
What is magic?
It refers to those whose purpose is to kill people in order to achieve some means.
The Moonlight Dao Sect and the Blood Sect were the pinnacle families of magic. They didn’t just kill people, but would rip them apart alive, boil them, or extract their blood, refine it, and then consume it.
They killed people in any manner possible.
Of course, in a world where killing people was a daily occurrence, these groups went too far.
It wasn’t just killing—they ate them. They tore them apart and ate them, boiled them and ate them. What else would they need?
Their complete annihilation was the only solution.
The one who settled that chaos was the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, Danmok Cheondo.
Already a shining hero, he became the undisputed hero of the martial world by eradicating the magic path.
A year passed like that.
When the chaos of the Fantasia Empire and the Jin Kingdom had both subsided, another chaos approached them.
It was proclaimed by Danmok Cheondo.
The divine beings of the Elder’s Clan, who had ruled the current world, had ascended and become immortals.
The emperor of the Fantasia Empire made a similar announcement.
The divine beings of the Executors had scattered, becoming stars.
It was clear that Danmok Cheondo and the emperor had met and decided on the timing for the official announcement.
A massive uproar broke out.
Why had the magic users of the Jin Kingdom been left undisturbed?
Because the divine beings of the Elder’s Clan were their backers.
Why had the Fantasia Empire been able to maintain its state for ten thousand years? Because of the existence of the Executors who supported them from behind.
All the martial artists, who had been holding their breath in Central Plains, lifted their heads and declared the defeat of a certain region. A fierce power struggle erupted within the Jin Kingdom. War had broken out.
Although the Martial Arts Alliance had tried to resolve it as much as possible, it was impossible to avoid the impact.
The same was true for the Fantasia Empire.
Uprisings erupted everywhere.
The soldiers, who had been raising their forces and silently aiming for the sky, rejected the Empire and declared their independence.
The Empire was torn apart.
It took a full 20 years for this chaos to subside.
The most powerful organization in the martial world was undoubtedly the Martial Arts Alliance.
The head of the Martial Arts Alliance had a strict entry system, allowing only those with proper authorization to enter.
However, a woman dressed not in the typical Central Plains attire but in something resembling the Fantasia Empire’s clothes entered.
She raised her head.
“Your divine aura has grown stronger.”
“Heh… Does it really seem that way?”
Danmok Cheondo, the current supreme martial artist, smiled and approached the woman.
“So… are you still living there?”
“Where else would I go, if not there?”
Helena Myers.
She was a person who technically didn’t exist in this world, yet paradoxically, she was a woman with an overwhelmingly strong presence. Helena gazed at Danmok Cheondo’s face quietly.
“You’ve aged a lot.”
“I’ve been so caught up with work that the only thing that’s increased is the wrinkles.”
Danmok Cheondo.
He had originally appeared as a young man.
In fact, whether one was at the Half-Mu-Ik level, the Mu-Ik level, or even at the Divine level, all of them had the common trait of not being affected by the passage of time.
Danmok Cheondo could use the power of Half-Mu-Ik, but he couldn’t sustain it.
“Long ago,” after that incident, his internal energy had been greatly depleted, and he still hadn’t recovered from it.
It was natural for him to age.
“By the way, what brings you here today?”
“I was just bored, so I dropped by. You know, it’s not easy to just sit around there.”
Danmok Cheondo looked at the smiling Helena with a sense of pity.
“…Forgive me, but I’d like to ask again what I asked before. Would that be alright?”
“Even if you ask, my answer will be the same.”
“Still, I want to ask. How about returning home at this point?”
Helena shook her head.
“Forty years have already passed.”
The chaos in both countries had been resolved, the deaths of the divine beings were known, and the subsequent chaos had been quelled.
Decades had passed since then, and now everything was stable.
A time of peace.
Helena had played a significant role in achieving this.
One could say her contributions were immense.
She always worked from behind the scenes.
Her power was the true meaning of “the greatest in the world” in the present era.
Weakened Danmok Cheondo, and no one in the Fantasia Empire was as powerful as Helena.
She never sought glory. She simply did her job and ended it.
When there were those plotting rebellion, she would go and assassinate them.
After finishing each task, she would head back to the Elder’s Sect of the Jin Kingdom.
She had been spending time there, and now, after ten years, she appeared.
Why had she come?
Although Helena claimed she was just bored, Danmok Cheondo knew it wasn’t the real reason.
“Do you have about a month left?”
Without denying it, Danmok Cheondo nodded.
“No regrets?”
“Heh… Would I have any? I’ve achieved everything I wanted. I eradicated the magic path and brought peace to the martial world. Of course, I couldn’t mediate or resolve every conflict in the world, but at least I created a world for those who practice righteousness and harmony. It’s all thanks to you, Helena.”
Helena shook her head.
“It’s thanks to Lord Jin Shi Hu. How could it be because of me?”
“There is merit in what he did, and there is merit in what you did. I’m simply grateful for the opportunity you gave me.”
Danmok Cheondo respectfully took a bow. Helena smiled.
“If you have no regrets, then that’s enough. Honestly, when Lord Jin Shi Hu said he’d spare you, I was skeptical, but watching you, he was right.”
“You flatter me.”
“You’ve had a hard time. Have you properly chosen your successor?”
“Of course. I’ve already selected someone full of righteousness. If there’s an opportunity, I’d like to introduce them to you… Would that be alright?”
Helena shook her head.
“Just let them know of my existence. And please tell them to keep a good heart and never change.”
“…Understood.”
“Good luck, and we’ll meet again ‘next time.'”
Helena turned her body.
Danmok Cheondo, silently watching her as she walked away, spoke.
“I truly hope that what you wish for happens. I mean it.”
Helena turned her head.
She smiled quietly without saying a word.
Then, turning again, Helena continued her walk.
There was something she had never told anyone.
What had been the last sight she saw of Jin Shi Hu?
As she was sent outside the space with the words “Be happy,” that was not the image Helena remembered.
No, there was more after that.
Jin Shi Hu’s body exploded.
His limbs burst apart, and his neck shot up toward the sky.
After that, the space completely closed.
Jin Shi Hu had not intended for this, but Helena, having witnessed it, could not find peace in her heart.
She had been told to return to the Middle World, but she couldn’t.
No, she didn’t return.
For 40 years.
Helena had never slept properly even once.
No matter how superhuman she was, and how meaningless her lifespan was, sleep was still necessary. However, whenever she tried to fall asleep, Jin Shi Hu’s final image would overlap in her mind.
There were countless times she woke up in a cold sweat, trembling uncontrollably.
Jin Shi Hu had a deeper impact on Helena than she had realized.
How did Helena endure in the Infinite Arena?
She endured with a single thought—she was determined to help Jin Shi Hu.
She had returned to help in any way she could, but the last thing she saw was that image.
“Return?” How could she return?
Helena had been training.
She had to reach the level that Jin Shi Hu had attained.
She had to reach it.
Only then could she help.
Jin Shi Hu was certainly not dead. The enemy had not died either.
They were still fighting, no doubt.
More than 40 years had passed here, but in that other place, time might have passed for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.
Helena had returned to the Temple.
The Room of Time.
She needed to figure out how to operate it.
It was not here.
By killing all the powerful Mu-Ik-level warriors, the very concept of it had vanished.
So now, in this relentlessly flowing time, she was pushing herself.
Sitting cross-legged, she meditated.
She fought against virtual enemies, again and again.
Sweat poured from her, and all her energy was spent.
She struggled desperately to reach enlightenment.
A month passed.
Late one night, Helena quietly made her way to Danmok Cheondo’s residence.
“Heh… I didn’t think you’d come… but you’re here after all.”
“I had to. It’s the last time.”
Danmok Cheondo smiled softly.
Helena asked him.
“You have no regrets, right?”
“No, none. I’ve lived without regrets, achieving everything I wanted. I look to the heavens without shame. This, then, is the true meaning of ascension.”
Danmok Cheondo tightly gripped Helena’s hand.
“I hope you also achieve what you wish.”
It felt slightly different from what he had said a month ago. Perhaps it was because death was near.
“You’ve had a hard time.”
The next morning, Danmok Cheondo passed away.
Helena watched his funeral from a distance.
It was grand.
Thousands, tens of thousands, even millions.
A long procession of mourners from all over the Jin Kingdom and the Fantasia Empire, those who revered Danmok Cheondo, came to pay their respects.
She watched for a while.
Then, she turned away.
After returning to the Temple, she threw herself back into her training.
One year passed, then ten, then twenty.
Helena’s eyes widened.
Tears.
Fell.
It couldn’t be helped.
The space before her eyes.
Shuddered.
It was the first time in over 60 years.
Something inside would definitely reach a ‘conclusion’ in some way.
***
An interesting fact emerged.
Now, he could no longer use the technique of cloning.
No, was that even called cloning?
She wasn’t sure. It seemed more like a physical split, but it didn’t really feel like a clone.
The sound of cracking echoed as his face jerked back. Blood splattered. He reached out without hesitation.
Crack.
The enemy’s face was caught.
“It hurts.”
[…Stubborn bastard…]
He applied more force.
Crack. The enemy’s face shattered. He kicked, and with a boom, the enemy’s body exploded. The scattered pieces of flesh flew in all directions but, like reversing time, they gathered back together in midair, reforming into a single mass.
Thud.
The enemy landed.
He gasped for air.
A laugh escaped.
“Looks like you’re starting to get tired.”
[…You… What exactly are you?]
He shrugged.
“Well, I’ve told you over and over again. Do I need to explain again? Haven’t we had this conversation thousands of times already?”
[…How can someone like you, a mere human, possess such mental strength?]
He shrugged again, as he had already heard these words, but didn’t mind.
[I am of divine lineage. How could someone like you, not of the divine bloodline, possibly…]
“Has our Lord been suffering from dementia after hundreds of thousands of years of fighting? Did you forget that when one reaches the Transcendence state, they surpass their species?”
[You! Don’t play word games. Even if you transcend your species, there are limits to that transcendence. Only those of divine blood possess the mental strength to endure tens of thousands, or even millions of years. A mere human like you could never achieve such a thing. This is an impossible situation!]
He couldn’t help but laugh.
He had heard all the truths coming from the enemy’s mouth.
The war that occurred before the creation of this world.
Why did it happen?
It started with too many people, leading to intensified ideological conflicts.
Those who supported the throne of Heaven and those who wanted to bring down the throne.
The war escalated, and the land of Fantasia was destroyed.
It could easily be called a war of the gods.
Why did Heaven decide to move to the Transcendence?
It was simple.
Fantasia had been turned into ruins due to the war.
It had become a land where no human could survive.
No matter how powerful a being with the power of creation might be, they couldn’t create everything on such a massive star.
Would the ravenous beings stay idle while such a process drained power?
Of course not.
Like sharks drawn to the scent of blood, when a god bleeds, the first ones to tear at them are the gods’ own followers.
Heaven had to make a decision.
To cooperate with the opposing faction, led by Yin, and revive Fantasia, or to create a new star to migrate to.
Heaven chose the latter.
He didn’t trust Yin, and he didn’t trust the gods’ followers.
Even though Heaven was powerful, creating a new star required all of his own strength, but creating a new star with the power of the gods’ followers was possible.
Everyone was exhausted, but did the gods’ followers still have the strength to tear into a bleeding god?
Of course not.
Heaven left behind a few loyal followers who had helped him create the Transcendence, and sacrificed those who could have become the seeds of rebellion.
That was how the war ended.
The Middle Realm began the task we all know, with Yin, the second ruler of the heavenly throne, at the center, and Heaven, who had expended great energy in creating the Transcendence, fell into eternal rest.
It wasn’t that big of a deal.
There was no great truth to it, but in fact, the struggles of gods and humans were the same in the end.
Who benefits?
Who betrays?
Who becomes the variable?
Interests, relationships, variables, will, loyalty.
That’s all. There’s no difference here or there.
He just smiled. And at that moment, Heaven punched him.
He fell backward.
His heart was pounding wildly as if it might explode. Just one punch, and the entire area felt like it was shaking. His limbs tingled.
He placed his hands on the ground and got up.
Heaven froze, his fist still extended.
He then swung his foot.
Crack!
Heaven was sent flying, crashing into the unseen air. His body shattered like a marionette with its strings cut, but his eyes still burned with life.
He wanted to rush forward and crush his head right then, but that wasn’t so simple.
He, too, had his limits, and so did the enemy.
The enemy struggled to rise.
“Disgusting.”
[…You are… an existence that can’t be explained.]
He grinned.
“How is this phenomenon possible? Want me to explain?”
[….]
The enemy didn’t answer, but it was clear that he wanted to hear.
So, he explained.
“Like you said, there are those who are born different from the start. Dragons, divine bloodlines, they’re different, right? I get it. But do you know what transcends all those species and has no differentiation?”
He reached out.
In his hand, the “Heavenly Sword” appeared.
This was not the same Heavenly Sword he had used before. That one had been shattered into dust from his ongoing battle with the enemy. This one was newly created, by his own power of creation.
He continued speaking quietly.
“It’s Wu-hak (No Learning). There is no end to Wu-hak. The starting point isn’t that different.”
[…….]
“Do you know why I clung to Wu-hak in Titan?”
[…….]
“To fight dragons, there was no other answer. How could I fight and defeat monsters that are master-level from birth?”
It might sound contradictory at first, but it wasn’t.
The difference from birth isn’t about mastery over Wu-hak.
Dragons use power equivalent to a master level from birth, but that’s just a racial characteristic, merely calling forth that amount of energy in some form.
Newly born dragons don’t have Wu-hak.
They only have different types of energy they can use.
Wu-hak has no end.
“That’s what I clung to. Learning magic… creating circles, meeting all kinds of people. In the end, I was right.”
He swung the Heavenly Sword down.
Crack.
Heaven’s body was split in half.
“I was right, so this fight is possible now, isn’t it?”
The enemy’s body, which had been split, began to reunite.
[…I too have reached the end of the Wu-hak you speak of.]
“Probably.”
Heaven didn’t do anything.
That was right.
To bring out the final “move” he had been hiding until the very end, it was best to recover his strength now.
Same for him.
There was no reason to have this trivial conversation.
The end was near.
He had already lost all sense of time. He had no idea how long it had been.
He could only vaguely guess.
Millennia? Hundreds of thousands of years? Who knows.
During all that time, he had killed the enemy thousands of times and had been killed by him just as many.
And through all that time.
There was one technique he had never used.
One he had saved solely for this moment.
He looked around.
The entire space had cracks in it.
He had reached his limit. So had the enemy.
Now.
They both had to squeeze everything out.
All at once, they had to throw everything away.
In the end, there would be only one victor.
Or.
Both might die.
The enemy’s body split again. He muttered.
[Heavenly Principles.] [All Laws Unified.] [All Things in One.] [All Existence One.]
Suddenly, a tremendous energy began to radiate from his body. No, it spread throughout the space. The cracked space began to close.
Space-time warped.
He could feel it.
The inevitable consequence of causality pierced him.
The rules of this confined space had completely changed.
If he breathed, he would die.
If he moved, he would die.
If he opened his mouth, he would die.
If his eyes scanned the surroundings, he would die.
If he existed in this world, he would die.
Every action became restricted. He had to break the law of causality.
No.
He couldn’t.
He couldn’t help but laugh.
So this was the secret move.
If it were the usual me, I would have responded by perfectly breaking causality, but now it was difficult.
There was only one way forward.
He reached out.
Heavenly Rest…
Wait.
His thoughts accelerated exponentially.
Heavenly Rest Seal, was this my domain manifestation?
No.
This wasn’t my domain manifestation.
The memories that had been sealed, the past experiences of reaching the end of Wu-hak.
All the things he hadn’t remembered while fighting, everything now reassembled in his mind.
His eyes gleamed.
The name Heavenly Rest Seal no longer fit.
It was a name that clouded the essence.
What I have is different from the Six Paths Immortal’s.
His Wu-hak and mine are not on the same plane.
It was only now that he realized it.
Stopping time is absolute, but one cannot escape causality.
It’s not just time; it’s stopping all the laws of the world.
Becoming an absolute being that can completely step outside the flow of the world.
That is.
My domain manifestation.
A smile forms.
[Heaven Above, Earth Below, I Alone Am Exalted.]
Rumble!!
The world stops. Causality stops.
Heaven looks panicked. I couldn’t help but smile.
In the past, I had said that I had never manifested my domain. That wasn’t true.
I had manifested my domain.
It just hadn’t unfolded because my level wasn’t high enough.
My soul.
Had already sought truth and was pursuing its end.
What I realized from the sealed memories, the end of Wu-hak and truth.
What I had temporarily attached as a name was indeed my domain manifestation.
Its essence is revealed.
An absolute being.
A god, a being above that.
A being that can grasp all things.
I reached out.
My hand shields Heaven.
And then.
Boom!!
With a deafening roar, the space collapses.
I slump down.
For a moment, I was dazed.
I briefly lost my sense of where I was.
There’s dense foliage. Huge trees in the distance. In a corner… I see something like a jar. Beyond the jar, which seems about to collapse at any moment, stood a woman.
She stood up quickly.
“…You haven’t left yet?”
Helena.
Helena, crying, ran toward me and embraced me.
We both crashed to the floor.
I think I heard a thud. Blood spilled from my mouth.
Helena looks greatly startled.
“Are… Are you okay?”
Cough “Uh… could you move? Why have you gotten so heavy?”
“I… I thought… Jin Shihu was dead…”
Helena trails off. Her eyes gleam.
She stepped on my chest and leapt up. Cough, more blood spills from my mouth. Lying on the floor, I raise my head.
There, a strange, skeletal form of Heaven was walking toward me.
[…I’ll… kill… you…!]
At the sight of his face.
Boom!!
Helena struck with her fist.
Heaven’s body, with no head, fell backward.
Slowly.
It shattered into dust.
Helena turned her head.
She struggled to get up.
“I have so many questions… but…”
She didn’t ask.
Helena ran toward me and kissed me.
I collapsed back onto the ground.
Soon, as she passionately kissed me, she lifted her head, smiling as if happy.
So.
“How long has it been?”
“…85 years and 38 days.”
“You’ve been counting that whole time?”
“Should I tell you the time too? 4 hours, 33 minutes, 21 seconds.”
She really doesn’t listen.
But, I don’t think there has ever been a woman who wanted me this much.
I leaned against the nearby tree.
She smiled.
Everything was over.
The Middle Realm would be safe, and the True Realm would be safe too.
We would live our best lives in each other’s worlds.
“Helena.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go back now.”
I gently patted Helena’s head as she lay in my arms.
Now, I think I should live a little for myself.
I was curious about how the Earth, rebuilt as Fantasia, had changed. But, there probably wouldn’t be any major issues.
My sister would take care of it.
It wasn’t the ruined Fantasia that existed in the distant past. It was the newly rebuilt Fantasia.
Life had taken root in the scattered stars. Thousands of stars formed together as one. They were no longer the same.
But 85 years…
She’d be a grandmother by now.
***
Thousands of stars gathered as one, and unimaginable chaos followed.
War broke out every single day.
Beings with the same name.
Beings with the same soul.
And, although different in form, the same conflicts.
To resolve all of this, a central figure was needed.
Jin Songyi acted.
She killed those who started wars.
She killed those who schemed.
She killed, day after day.
It was necessary bloodshed.
She didn’t show any signs of fatigue. She didn’t even wipe the blood off her hands.
She walked the path of the supreme ruler.
She was at the peak of the world.
The strongest being in the world, and the only ‘Wu-geuk-gyeong’ master.
She settled all the chaos.
And placed the entire world beneath her feet.
Thus, the nation was founded.
Fantasia.
The first emperor,
The Founder, Jin Songyi.
She was a hero.
She ended all the wars, founded the nation, and received oaths of loyalty from all kings and rulers.
The handprints they made in blood on the oath are still clear to this day.
All of this took 40 years.
And now, 45 years had passed.
Jin Songyi was on the rooftop of the Salvation Guild building that once stood in the Republic of Korea on star #2403.
She was guarded by werewolves and vampires.
Among them, one man stood out.
He approached Jin Songyi.
“Your Majesty, it’s cold.”
Jin Songyi smiled faintly.
To Lazarus, the Prime Minister of the Fantasia Empire, she said,
“It’s been a while since I’ve felt anything like that. You didn’t know?”
“Of course I knew. It’s just… well, you know why I’m like this.”
This was the rooftop of the Salvation Guild building from the past on star #2403, the Republic of Korea.
Jin Songyi spent at least one hour here every day, no matter what happened.
She was waiting.
“Do you think he’s dead?”
“…I can’t say it’s impossible.”
There were three possibilities.
He had either perished in the same place, been defeated, or was still fighting.
It didn’t make sense to wait aimlessly.
She had to build strength until the moment she reconnected with the True Realm.
An invasion could come, or it might not.
But when you’re in a position of responsibility, you always have to prepare for the worst.
Jin Songyi extended her hand. As if waiting for her, a pig from the corner approached.
She petted the pig’s head.
“Do you really think he’s dead?”
“….”
“I don’t think so.”
Lazarus awkwardly smiled.
“Then Your Majesty’s judgment must be correct. I will wait with you.”
Jin Songyi had never doubted for a single day.
My little brother would never die.
Since we were children, he always came back smiling no matter what happened.
Even when he fought against five people several years older than him and was covered in blood, he still smiled when he came back.
Even if no one in this world believes it, Jin Songyi wanted to believe it.
Because he was family.
My younger sibling will return.
Two hours passed like that.
Unfortunately, it seems today is not the day.
Jin Song-yi, who was about to turn around, froze.
The hairs on her body stood on end.
She slowly turned her head.
The sky was opening.
From there.
Two people appeared.
The two landed smoothly in front of Jin Song-yi.
A smile blossomed on Jin Song-yi’s face.
In over 85 years, she had never cried even once.
Uncontrollable tears streamed down her face.
She spoke to Lazarus, who was gaping beside her.
“See? I told you. I said he wouldn’t be dead, that he would definitely come back.”
The one and only man in this world walked towards her.
She jokingly asked,
“Isn’t it a doppelgänger?”
Jin Si-hoo smiled faintly.
“Do you think it’s a doppelgänger?”
“Guess not.”
“But it looks like you didn’t get married.”
I didn’t.
Jin Song-yi was still single.
The two of them faced each other in silence for a moment.
They stared at each other’s faces, gazing into each other’s eyes, continuing to look.
There was no doubt.
Without a word, they embraced each other.
Jin Song-yi, crying, patted Jin Si-hoo’s back.
“You’ve had it tough. Really.”
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Shine
Ehhh, we forgot about Balmung (the ego sword) he still doesn’t have a human body and that ascendant ismael body might’ve been already rotten after 80+ years, how could you forget about Balmung Jin sihoo ಠ︵ಠ