Frogs at the Bottom of the Well
In this world, there exist beings who transcended entirely by their own will.
Transcendents.
Monsters of singular, peerless selfhood who forged their own Seats and look down upon the world. Among developed nations, unless a country counted among the great powers, this was the term for those who proclaimed themselves gods within their borders — and were worshipped as gods.
Beings who could topple a nation single-handedly, whose mere existence raised the value of the state that housed them. Beings beyond all reason.
The world called them Transcendents.
Fewer than ten existed in this world, and the influence each one exerted upon it was immense. It was the same reason no nation could truly restrain Paewang, even as he roamed the globe alone, killing whatever displeased him.
'There's even a saying that touching Paewang summons the tendrils of Villains and demons.'
Even so, what nation would fail to protect the citizens that sustained it? And yet Paewang could ignore even that.
"Old man. Which one are you taking?"
"Hmm. I shall take Jan-ak. Being measured against him has long grated on my nerves. He received another's power and was treated as my equal — it is high time he learned his place."
"Then I'll take Hyung-ak. Same opinion as the old man here. Hey, Seo Yebin. You just go guard the civilians."
"How utterly absurd, you wretched fool."
With those words, Seo Yebin turned her gaze toward the White Divine Palace.
"However, this once I shall grant your request. The situation is grave. We may even end up facing the White Divine Palace in battle."
"...The White Divine Palace?"
"What's the matter? Are you afraid?"
"Nonsense. There is nothing in this world that this body fears."
"Why, only recently, someone was drowning his sorrows over his drinks, weeping that Kim Ara had gone missing—"
"HAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Quiet."
Banter, nothing more.
And yet even as the banter continued, not one of the enemy moved. No — more precisely, they could not move. An intangible pressure hung over them, coiled and waiting, as though it might crush them flat at any moment.
Hyung-ak stared them down with dark, sunken eyes. Jan-ak twisted his mouth into a crooked grin as he looked at us.
"False beings. Do you truly believe you can defeat us?"
"'False beings'? How laughable. You trash who sold this world out to the Outer, groveling for power."
Paewang cracked his knuckles as he spoke.
"False beings. This world was their territory from the very beginning. You basked in their grace, dragged others into it, and carved out a territory of your own. Now the time has come to return this land to their embrace. Today marks the beginning of that great work."
"A sellout is a fool, plain and simple."
Paewang did not waste words. These things were fanatics. Even the old saying that the whip is medicine had no purchase here.
"You people always drone on and on. Come at me, then. Unless you're scared."
"Puhah."
Hyung-ak spread his enormous wings. Bat-like wings of darkness. In an instant, his figure sank into shadow.
Demonization.
A power that belonged to nothing of this world — twisted, perverse, repulsive mana wrapped itself around his body. His frame swelled and distended. The mana from the Outer had granted him the strength to bring ruin to a world.
"I have always longed to crush that pride of yours. The Boundary never allowed a proper fight. Paewang — frog at the bottom of a well, who has known nothing but the world of humans. I shall teach you why we are called the Evils who reached the summit."
"Frog at the bottom of a well, is it."
Paewang laughed.
Frog at the bottom of a well. Half of it was true. They were Transcendents, wielding power on an entirely different plane from ordinary beings.
And yet even among Transcendents, the measure of their rank was divided. Who had forged the most complete vessel? Whose law was etched most vividly into the world? How deeply did their own inner vision erode reality itself?
As the worlds layered and collapsed into one another, this world had fused with countless others.
Murim had merged with China.
The temple where the White Divine Gods dwelt had descended upon America.
Korea had gained great, glorious heroes and ley lines of power.
Germany had met a vicious enemy in the Nazi Empire victorious from the Second World War.
And Paewang had met a race of Giant Gods.
His ancestors.
The primordial Giant Gods who had held up the world — and the universe itself.
From them, he had received so very much.
He learned how vast the world was. He came to know the beings who roamed the cosmos. He acquired countless kinds of knowledge that were denied to him even now.
And that was why Paewang could grow stronger, endlessly, without end.
He extended his hand.
He had learned from his ancestors what power they had granted him, and what power he was able to wield.
The four great elements.
And a power that dug deeper still, toward the very root of things.
The Origin.
A pure-white sphere came to rest in Paewang's palm.
What Paewang did next was simple.
He flew straight at Hyung-ak,
"Die."
— and drove his fist into his face.
Hyung-ak had concentrated his power into his defense, trusting in the mana that composed his very being — an act of arrogance. The fist, wreathed in the Origin, punched clean through that barrier.
"That's — that's impossible—!"
KWAAAAAAAANG───!!
The fist that had buried itself in Hyung-ak's face warped the surrounding space, and the accompanying shockwave hurled him backward by the kilometer.
"Why is it you demons always run the same tired routine? 'Beings of the Outer.' 'False beings.' God, it's boring."
Paewang curled one corner of his mouth upward.
"Utterly ignorant, the lot of you."
"There is no need to worry. You will be dying soon enough yourself."
A figure could be seen giggling. A face warped by burns, welts blooming across every inch of his body. A horrifically grotesque sight.
"I've heard of you. So consumed by your hatred for the world that looked upon you with loathing, you refuse to change that body of yours."
"Heh heh. Then do you know what ability I am using?"
"Of course I do."
Cheongyeon looked at Jan-ak — one of the Evils, who had gained the twisted power of curses and dragged an entire city down into hell.
"Unnervingly calm of you, isn't it? Even Transcendents writhe in agony under my curses."
"That is so. Truth be told, under ordinary circumstances I would have found meeting you quite disagreeable."
"Don't tell me you put faith in the existence of prophecy?"
"Ah, that child is not yet fit to join this battle. Even offering her life, she could at best drag down a single top-rank demon with her in mutual destruction."
Cheongyeon said this, and smiled.
"Then do you believe Hyung-ak will lose? However he may appear, Hyung-ak clings desperately to his own life. He will batten down his defenses from here on."
"Hardly. I am a mage. I do not wager on uncertain odds. I place my trust in my own power."
Cheongyeon smiled brightly, and spoke.
"You see, I recently encountered a most fascinating being."
Cheongyeon raised his hand.
A negative force.
As though it meant to negate every existence but its own, a black flame was devouring and denying his very curse.
"...What is that power?"
Jan-ak had spoken before he could stop himself. Instinctively, he had realized that his own power and that one stood in an utterly absolute hierarchy — master and insect.
"You think I would tell you? Keeping this power sustained is exceedingly difficult, you see. And it is a power I could never harbor within me besides."
This was a small fraction of my power, borrowed for a time.
Were he to harbor it, he would be immune to every curse and every illusion. But Cheongyeon could never harbor this power — for it was an absurd force that would deny even the resplendent throne he had built for himself.
"Then let us begin quickly, shall we? I must be getting old of late — this power has started trying to deny even my own ability."
Cheongyeon scattered Yeokcheon energy across his palm as he spoke.
'He can actually do it.'
Before the fighting began, Cheongyeon had spoken to me.
"Might I borrow your power for a brief moment?"
'Sure, but... how?'
"Draw your power out for me, just for a moment."
'You mean like this?'
"I have witnessed it several times already, but it is an absurd power indeed. To think that merely handling it for an instant could be this taxing."
'Can you actually use it?'
"With your assistance, for a moment. But it is far from easy. Regardless — my thanks. I shall repay you properly later."
And in truth, Cheongyeon was handling my power to a considerable degree.
"Even I can handle it, you know! Yeongcheon was constantly infused with Yeokcheon energy by the Heavenly Demon!"
'...Wasn't that basically abuse?'
"It absolutely was! That's exactly why Yeongcheon loves Master Seoha so, so much."
Yeongcheon nuzzled her cheek against my leg with a contented squeak. Perhaps it was because she was a fox. The feeling was wonderfully soft.
I turned my gaze. I could see Seong Hanbyeol wearing a dazed expression, and beyond her, Seo Gayeon and Hong Yuhwa.
"...If this is how it was going to be, why did you even bother calling us here?"
Hong Yuhwa said with a pout.
"What do you mean?"
"The Transcendents can finish this without our help anyway."
"No, that's not it."
I turned my head toward where the White Divine Palace stood.
At the end of collapsed space, a temple of pure white floated in the void.
Even with the situation as it was, the White Divine Palace remained silent — despite having been granted the right to descend upon this place.
"You suspect the White Divine Palace."
"...Yes."
"A reasonable suspicion. The gods have most likely split among themselves."
He was right.
Even now, within the White Divine Palace, each god suspected the others. And the gods of the highest ranks were cutting through that web of distrust as they moved.
"You want me to go there, don't you?"
"Yes. Things are urgent here as well, but if the White Divine Palace falls, this place won't be able to hold."
"Which is why you brought Seo Gayeon along."
Violet eyes came to rest upon Seo Gayeon.
"I know what it is you desire. Resolve this incident well, and I shall lend you my aid."
"Isn't that close to what you want as well, Headmistress?"
"Though the endings you and I desire resemble one another, they are not the same. Worry not."
With those words, Seo Yebin looked at me briefly, then set off toward the White Divine Palace.
"So then... what do we do now?"
"We repeat what we were doing just a moment ago."
I gestured toward the magic soldiers.
"Leave the Transcendents' fight to the Transcendents. Our fight is ours to finish."
"...I see. So that's why you came looking for me and Seo Gayeon."
"Yeah. So I'm counting on you."
"Where are you off to this time?"
"Yep."
With Seong Hanbyeol, Hong Yuhwa, and Seo Gayeon present, the magic soldiers shouldn't run into any serious trouble — so long as nothing barged in midway.
I slipped Heukcheon into the Baekhong, then headed toward where the Transcendents were fighting.
Ever since earlier, the sword spirit's senses had been screaming a warning.
That maybe, today — I might die.