Past Life Returner

The Fire Spirit King had once appeared around last June at the Franklin Dukedom, so it was the major topic of discussion between the Awakened. Kim Ji-Hoon and Olivia had heard multiple times what it looked like and how a single wave of its hand incinerated the Awakened.

Nonetheless, facing it directly was a whole different matter. The moment he encountered it, it made him think about death. Even Kim Ji-Hoon and the citizens of the Savior’s city, who had crossed the threshold of death numerous times, couldn’t help but think that the dying was inevitable this time.

The Fire Spirit King, Seleon, emerged, exerting oppression on everyone. However, the world changed again when Osiris showed up. Although he simply stood there, the Spirit King was unable to hold its ground, buried under all sorts of sinister things that Osiris summoned.

Then, everyone, including Kim Ji-Hoon, Kwon Seong-Il and Olivia, turned around simultaneously. They ran and ran with terrible injuries. Eventually, they stopped at a place far away from the battlefield. From there, the magnificent flames emitted by the Spirit King were barely visible, and the evil spirits that filled the sky looked like distant dark clouds. However, the heat of the Spirit King’s flame could still be felt, along with the ominous aura of Osiris.

Nevertheless, they couldn’t move further away as there would be no way to check the situation on the battlefield. Therefore, Kwon Seong-Il stopped first.

“Ugh…”

He groaned as he slumped down. Steam was rising faintly from his entire body, but that couldn’t cover all the wounds on his body.

Kim Ji-Hoon and the citizens of the Savior’s City also collapsed beside him. Olivia was the only one standing, excluding Valkyries.

“Go back to the base. I will stay and watch here,” she said.

Seong-Il complained, “What the hell is this girl talking about? Ugh…”

“She is telling you to go back to the base.”

“Who the fuck does she think she is? No one ever orders me to do something except Odin. Caliber hasn’t backed down yet at all.”

His teeth were chattering from the pain that made him feel like his entire body was still burning. However, who knew when they would have another chance to witness a collision between transcendental beings if not now. He had no intention of going back to the base.

I need to see it at least once more. There are more spirit kings other than Seleon. And Osiris… he has become a terrifying emperor.

Osiris was glowing with dark energy. He did not move at all from his position.

From everyone’s view, the Spirit King was struggling with the evil spirits, the dead, and the mysterious energies that were occasionally raised by Osiris. Only Kwon Seong-Il could see the true nature of the mysterious energy extending from Osiris’s body. His pain was slowly subsiding. As soon as he could concentrate more with his eyes, he confirmed what he wanted to see.

That is something like a ghost, too!

What jumped out of Osiris’s body was his soul. It repetitively struck the Spirit King after charging before returning to Osiris’s body. This was the first time Kwon Seong-Il had witnessed something like this.

A mental entity. Kwon Seong-Il was aware of the existence of the soul during the process of breaking down the tower, but he had never imagined that it could be drawn out in a visible form and smack the transcendent entity, the Spirit King.

Damn… He has grown incredibly strong.

Gulp.

Did you say Undead Emperor, Mary noona? I am not sure how Odin could handle such a guy. Odin created a monster.

Gulp.

Osiris’s loyalty is great, but he is too strong to cover up what’s going on. You know, noona. I don’t trust anyone but you. Even if it’s Tae-Han… What are we going to do if Osiris betrays us?

***

Kwon Seong-Il then looked at Kim Ji-Hoon, who was the leader among the citizens. Kim Ji-Hoon often denied that there was no leader among the citizens, but he didn’t hesitate to act as a leader.

As expected, Kim Ji-Hoon’s face was stained with an awe he could not hide as he gazed at Osiris on the battlefield. The deepening gaze when he mentioned Odin proved it. Kwon Seong-Il was not disappointed as he knew what kind of guy Kim Ji-Hoon was.

Now he is going to suck up to Osiris. The citizens of the Savior’s City will become friendly to Osiris. This is not only a good thing… In a sense, the Undead Emperor and his party are no longer considered human.

Kwon Seong-Il said, “I asked earlier.”

“Excuse me?” Kim Ji-Hoon turned his head toward Kwon Seong-Il.

“You definitely died. Your heart stopped. If he had been a little late, your body would have burned up. So what happened?”

“...Maybe Osiris resurrected me? Look at all the ghosts in the sky, hyung. Among the corpses that came out of the ground, there were ghouls that used to be Awakened. Osiris has taken control of the power of death.”

Kim Ji-Hoon’s pain had eased considerably, thanks to the temporary surge in Health up to the challenger level.

Kwon Seong-Il pointed out, “But you are not a ghoul. Your heart is still beating.”

“Only Osiris would know the truth.”

As Kim Ji-Hoon answered, a thought crossed his mind. He felt like the King of the Dead was not giving his all to confront the Spirit King. Osiris seemed to be testing his own greatness. He was checking what was possible with the grand power of governing death.

Kim Ji-Hoon suddenly realized he had spoken in excitement, so he softened his voice, “Osiris must have been brought by Olivia, right?”

“Stop the nonsense. Do you really not know? Does it make sense to resurrect a dead person? You must have felt something when you were revived.”

When Kim Ji-Hoon was recalling the astonishing experience of looking at his own body…

Stump! Stump! Stump!

The Valkyries moved and formed a strong shield wall. Olivia’s Jin[1] also spread a blue protective barrier to the surrounding area. She said briefly, “It’s coming.”

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Then, immediately…

Woooooooosh-

A storm of scorching heat rolled in from the center of the battlefield. Everyone was startled. They all agreed that they would have been swept away by the storm if they had been a few steps out of the barrier.

It was a hair-raising moment, especially for Kwon Seong-Il, as he had experienced the storm once from the defense line.

After the storm passed, Kwon Seong-Il looked into the distance when he came out of the shield wall. The ashes of the ghouls were floating in the air, and the evil spirits were all over the Spirit King. The Spirit King’s flames were not the same as before. It was writhing as if it was in agony. Then, its movement became intense every time Osiris’s soul waved his hand that was buried in the Spirit King’s face.

Eventually, only the corpse of the Spirit King was left where it had been standing. The huge flames that made up the Spirit King had vanished without a trace.

“…….”

“…….”

Everyone was silent. The vast lands ahead were all ablaze from the clash between the two transcendent beings. The ghosts that were as dark as thick clouds were being absorbed into Osiris as a few remaining entities. There was nothing left of the corpses that had risen from the ground.

The Fire Spirit King Seleon versus the Undead Emperor Osiris. The fight between the two had come to an end. While Osiris was walking towards the survivors, piercing through the flames, Kwon Seong-Il broke the silence.

“Listen carefully, Ji-Hoon. Osiris did not grow that strong by himself.”

“...”

“It is Odin who made him so. It’s all his doing.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Ji-Hoon protested.

“If you blabber nonsense…”

Ji-Hoon shook his head vigorously. “Nah, I’m not that type of person!”

“If I hear nonsense, I will shut you up first. Tell that girl the same thing. Hurry up. He is coming. Come on, come on.”

Kwon Seong-Il put strength into his waist instead of his neck as he didn’t want to stand bent over in front of Osiris.

***

“Citizen of the Savior’s City, Kim Ji-Hoon, meets Lord Osiris.”

Kim Ji-Hoon lowered his head deeply. However, Osiris only stared at the breastplate Kim Ji-Hoon was wearing without giving attention to what he was saying.

An alarm rang inside Kim Ji-Hoon’s head. From that point, he could not breathe. It was not because of Osiris’s overwhelming presence.

This was happening in a realm that neither Kwon Seong-Il nor Olivia could perceive. Olivia hurriedly spoke when she saw Kim Ji-Hoon choking and suffering.

“H…he said… Odin said…to ask for your help…in an emergency.”

Osiris frowned.

Olivia had just witnessed Osiris’s terrifying power, and the dark gaze of Osiris staring at her was filled with horrifying pitch-black darkness. It was an endless abyss of darkness. It seemed as if something was pulling her into it.

Her Jin reacted before Olivia did. It stood between the two as if protecting Olivia, but Olivia continued to speak after retrieving Jin. She said with difficulty, “Please…release…ugh… Kim Ji-Hoon… Stop harming…us… Heup! Argh!”

“Whoa!”

Kim Ji-Hoon and Olivia both gasped for breath at once. Olivia felt the force that had been pressuring her disappeared. Only then was she able to speak properly.

However, even though she had prepared herself mentally, she couldn’t stop her voice from trembling.

“The A… Association is retrieving His belongings and I am looking for something to offer Him. Please help me accomplish my mission. The defenses have been breached.”

Olivia shifted her gaze to Kwon Seong-Il. Osiris followed her glance and turned to him as well.

Kwon Seong-Il resented his significant injuries. When the body was in pain, one’s mind weakened. If he were in his usual condition, then he wouldn’t have avoided eye contact even if he was a bit nervous.

Ugh, you shouldn’t get scared, Seong-Il.

Kwon Seong-Il, who had avoided Osiris’s gaze unconsciously, looked straight at him again. As he maintained his gaze on Osiris, he asked Kim Ji-Hoon, “What nonsense did that girl blabber? She backstabbed me, right?”

Ji-Hoon said, “Please inform Osiris about the situation on the defense line, hyung.”

“Fine. Interpret for me.”

Kwon Seong-Il opened his mouth towards the eyes that were flickering with an eerie light of death.

“Eh hem. You seem to be capable of everything at the current moment. Don’t worry about the circumstances and go clean them up. Then, I will take care of the rest after that.”

Kwon Seong-Il had only heard of Osiris’s voice a few times in his life. Osiris did not respond. He transformed himself into a puddle of blood and began to flow along the ground. He disappeared at a speed that no one could follow.

Everyone was silent for a while.

They wondered what kind of warning it was. They had only been entangled in the eyes that Osiris had swept over them at the last moment. What Osiris left them with was not relief. It was another fear. It was not something that could be shaken off even if they were on the same side.

1. Her summoned creature. ☜