/
The next moment,
“...!”
Kang Chul-In found himself standing on a spire of the Ancient Empire’s castle.
“What now...?”
Kang Chul-In muttered to himself in absurdity. He was no longer portraying Julius and was back to himself.
Why was that so?
Why did Kang Chul-In, who was witnessing his past memories through Julius’ eyes, now exist as himself?
“How was that?”
Suddenly, a voice could be heard.
“...!”
Kang Chul-In turned around immediately.
“Kang Chul-In, my reincarnation.”
The speaker… stood in front of the spire’s entrance.
Long, black hair.
Crimson-red eyes.
Sharp features and with Kang Chul-In’s height.
The two were similar.
Other than the hair length and the eye color, Julius Berlineta Pon Aurangzeb was almost identical to Kang Chul-In in appearance. It was almost as if they were reflections in a mirror.
“You bastard.”
Kang Chul-In spoke.
“You must be that Emperor of Blood and Iron, whom I’m sick and tired of hearing about.”
Kang Chul-In made a caustic comment.
“The bastard who kept dropping strange subplots in my path.”
The existence of the Emperor of Blood and Iron was nothing but an annoyance for Kang Chul-In, who strived solely to become the greatest emperor of the Pangaean continent.
Furthermore, he didn’t even know of this stranger’s existence before his return to the past.
“I expected that response.”
The Emperor of Blood and Iron replied with a smirk.
“According to ancient literature, a man’s personality and traits are carved deeply into his spirit.”
“What bullshit are you spewing?”
Kang Chul-In asked with a grin.
“It means, I can understand why you are reacting this way.”
“...?”
“I would have reacted the same way in your shoes. After all, I, Julius Berlineta Pon Aurangzeb, am you, Kang Chul-In. And vice-versa.”
Julius’ theory based on ancient literature had a catch, but the main point was simple and concise. He was claiming that Kang Chul-In was his reincarnation.
“The Wheel of Three Lives.”
Kang Chul-In spoke.
“Are you telling me that you revived and reincarnated using that item?”
“Well, I’m not telling you per se. I just wanted to show you.”
“Show me?”
“Judging from your personality, you wouldn’t have believed a single word of explanation. Why would I bother?”
“...”
“I just requested the witch Agrippa to let you see, hear and feel my memories from my perspective.”
Kang Chul-In was confused.
What was this man’s intention?
“The reason?”
He asked.
“Now’s not the time for explanation.”
The Emperor of Blood and Iron shook his head.
“For now, just know that you were me in your past life. And also, remember that the Wheel of Reincarnation is the reason why you could overcome your failures and enjoy a second life.”
“The Wheel of Reincarnation? Are you referring to Soul Backup?
“Whatever you call it.”
Julius shrugged.
“The name ‘Soul Backup’ is made up by the system ‘Erinyes’ for you to understand easily. Its original name is the Wheel of Reincarnation.”
“So… you even foresaw my failure and planned everything accordingly?”
“Of course.”
“...!”
“I contemplated what would happen if you claimed great power with that personality of yours.”
“And?”
“I came to a simple conclusion. You would go on a rampage.”
“...!”
“Seems like my prediction was right. I hope you realized by now how dangerous a half-assed power is.”
The Emperor of Blood and Iron was spitting out cold hard facts.
He saw through Kang Chul-In completely from the very beginning!
“Ah?”
Kang Chul-In was about to give a sarcastic remark when,
Chulkuk!
The Demon Sword Kaiforce swung at lightning speed and stopped right before Julius’ throat. Kang Chul-In could no longer hold back his bad temper.
“Go on.”
Kang Chul-In pressured the Emperor of Blood and Iron.
“Tell me what you, you bastard, are planning.”
“As expected of my reincarnation.”
Julius, however, was calm and composed.
Swish!
Kaiforce released a pitch-black light and slashed through Julius.
Julius, however, was uninjured.
He was just a form of an apparition. The place they were at was also not real.
“I do wish to tell you everything as well.”
“Bullshit.”
Kang Chul-In growled.
“You dare to say that without telling me all the important details? Are you trying to play charades with me?”
“That’s not true.”
Julius shook his head.
“There’s an order to everything.”
“Do I need to guess that order of yours?”
“Certainly not… but you need a qualification to hear the rest of my story.”
“A qualification?”
“Conquer Pangaea!”
The Emperor of Blood and Iron reiterated Kang Chul-In’s goal.
“Only the true conqueror of Pangaea deserves to know the truth. You, my reincarnation, are no exception. Hence, let me ask you, Kang Chul-In.”
“...!”
“Can you conquer this vast continent and rise as the one and only emperor?”
The great emperor of the Ancient Empire, also known as the previous ruler of Pangaea, was asking the man who dreamt of becoming his successor whether he was determined to fulfill his ambition or not.
“No shit.”
Kang Chul-In gave a smirk confidently.
“Good, as expected of my reincarnation.”
Julius laughed along.
“When you become the emperor someday, we shall meet again. With that confidence of yours, I doubt it’s going to take long. So, why the haste to dig out the truth?”
That made sense.
The Emperor of Blood and Iron hadn’t had the slightest intention to leak the story’s crux to Kang Chul-In.
“...”
Kang Chul-In remained silent. He knew he couldn’t force the emperor to continue his story.
“Let me tell you one thing.”
Julius added.
“Everything was pre-planned from my reincarnation and return to the past, but the conclusion isn’t. If you lose and fail to become the emperor, my plans fail as well.”
“...!”
“The Wheel of Reincarnation is no longer available. Remember that.”
Kang Chul-In replied to that.
“What are you, a coward?”
“What?”
“Speaking of redundancy.”
Kang Chul-In’s expression had both confidence and derision towards Julius.
“Don’t talk about failure in front of me, Emperor of Blood and Iron.”
“...!”
“The Wheel of Reincarnation? One was enough. No, it was more than enough. Did you underestimate me so much, thinking that I need more than two reincarnations?”
“Whoa...”
“Get lost, Emperor of Blood and Iron. You can blabber on about your stupid plans next time, so suit yourself.”
Kang Chul-In hated dealing with things that were out of his control.
“Alright, I shall.”
Surprisingly, Julius nodded in compliance. He was also notorious for his bad temper.
…This bastard.
Kang Chul-In felt a strong unease from this response.
There was disparity in action.
The Emperor of Blood and Iron was in a different league from Kang Chul-In. Having already reached the summit, he was calm and composed despite Kang Chul-In’s vicious demeanor.
Watch me you bastard.
Kang Chul-In gritted his teeth.
If Kang Chul-In was truly the incarnation of the Emperor of Blood and Iron, it was ironic how he was feeling inferior to his past self.
“Well then, until we meet again.”
Julius bid farewell.
Ssss…!
The emperor of the Ancient Empire began to vanish like mist.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
Julius spoke before he completely vanished into thin air.
“Take good care of my daughter, Arshelly. My only regret in life is not being able to protect her to the end.”
“Ridiculous.”
Kang Chul-In smirked.
“Why are you, you bastard, worrying about my daughter? Mind your own business.”
“What bullshit are you saying, Kang Chul-In?”
The Emperor of Blood and Iron rebutted Kang Chul-In.
“Arshelly is Julius’ daughter.”
“She is Kang Chul-In’s daughter.”
“I’m her biological father. You are claiming to be her father without having a single drop of your blood in her?”
The Emperor of Blood and Iron began to lose his composure.
“Let me reiterate. Although you may be my reincarnation, Arshelly is my...”
“Too bad. Try coming back to life, then.”
“...!”
“Get lost, you lousy father.”
Kang Chul-In mocked Julius, who had vanished completely.
It was silly banter, but he was satisfied for having enraged the Emperor of Blood and Iron.
***
Kang Chul-In woke up.
“Husband!”
Ninetails noticed first and wagged her nine tails.
“Are you alright?! What if...”
“I’m fine.”
Kang Chul-In grasped Ninetails’ hand firmly, which she was holding while he slept, to comfort her.
“It was slightly disturbing… but not bad overall.”
He witnessed Julius’ memories and Arshelly’s birth, and also learned that his Soul Backup originated from the Wheel of Reincarnation.
He also learned that this gigantic system, Erinyes, was one of the Emperor of Blood and Iron’s arrangements.
“Good job, Kang Chul-In.”
Circe the Witch grinned.
“Do you regret signing up for my ritual?”
“Not really.”
“That’s good then. It’s a win-win for both of us.”
“Win-win?”
“I upheld my predecessor Agrippa’s prophecy, while you gained insight into your past. Don’t you feel less burdened?”
“I see.”
“Oh, and...”
The following conversation was done via telepathy.
I won’t tell anyone that this is your second life. My lips are sealed.
“Right, I forgot about this issue.”
Well, I don’t want to die to be honest. You are the kind of man that would cut my throat without hesitation.
“Hmm...”
That’s why...
Circe offered a deal to Kang Chul-In.
“Hmm...”
Kang Chul-In pondered for a while.
“Alright. Deal.”
He then sent an OK signal to Circe.
A few hours later.
“Catch you next time, then. Let’s go.”
Kang Chul-In stepped out of the Jeonse Mushroom.
“Yes, dear husband!”
“Yes, your Majesty!”
The crew was about to leave.
“Wait!”
A familiar voice could be heard.
“Wait for me!”
Dorian Explorer was struggling to get out of the Jeonse Mushroom.
Wriggle, wriggle!
A few vines began to sprout out in front of the Jeonse Mushroom.
Whip!
They wrapped around Dorian’s ankle and pulled him back.
Thump!
“Ahhhhh!”
Dorian crashed onto the floor.
“S-Shit! W-What’s going on?”
Dorian shouted in confusion.
“Hoho~! I wonder what indeed?”
Circe the Witch replied to him.
“My cutie, where do you think you’re going?”
“...!”
“Let’s have some fun together, shall we?”
“E-Eeek?!”
“Even your surprised face is cute. Makes me want to claw at it.”
“Huk…!”
Dorian gasped.
“K-Kang Chul-In! Help me!”
He requested help out of desperation.
“Quick, let’s leave.”
Kang Chul-In told the rest and pretended he never saw anything.
“H-Husband? How about Mr. Dorian...”
“I sold him out.”
“Huh?”
Ninetails’ eyes widened in surprise.
“60 days.”
Kang Chul-In explained.
“Circe wanted to borrow him for just two months.”
“...!”
“Hence I sold him out. A good deal for me.”
“...”
“Well then, let’s make our way.”
Indeed, that was the secret deal between Circe and Kang Chul-In.
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