Chapter 237: The Paired-Wing Celestial God, Namgung Jin-cheon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 237: The Paired-Wing Celestial God, Namgung Jin-cheon
Deep within the Underworld.
Namgung Jin-cheon opened his eyes.
[Sinner Namgung Jin-cheon, hear me...!]
Color bled back into a vision that had long been stained pitch-black.
Namgung Jin-cheon lifted his head. His surroundings were bathed in an oppressive, entirely crimson hue. He could hear the faint, distant wails of the damned and the wet, sickening crunch of bone and flesh being ground into dust.
Standing before a massive judicial dais, a colossal being looked down at him.
[The crime of disturbing the order of the Underworld by clinging to the soul and memories of the deceased!]
His body felt incredibly heavy. It was as if he had been dragged back to a distant past, to a time he barely even remembered—long before he had ever taken his first steps into martial arts.
[For that alone, your sin is heavier than Mount Tai!]
Staring at the giant before him, Namgung Jin-cheon instinctively realized the entity's name.
Yama.
The God of the Underworld, the supreme judge of all sins committed during one's mortal life.
[Bring forth the sinner, Yeon So-hee!]
His mind snapped to absolute attention. Yeon So-hee. It was a name he had not forgotten for a single, fleeting moment.
[My lady...?]
A woman was dragged forward by the rough hands of a prison guard. Thrown unceremoniously to the ground, she raised her head. The moment her eyes met Namgung Jin-cheon’s, tears began to stream down her face.
[My lord... I am so sorry... Because of me, even you have ended up like this...]
Her voice. Every small, trembling fragment of it seeped directly into his heart.
He didn't know why she was apologizing. He didn't care. In his eyes, she had done nothing wrong.
Even if she had committed a grave sin against the heavens, it wouldn't have mattered. His heart hammered wildly against his ribs simply because he could see her face with his own two eyes again.
Thump— Thump—
The beating of a heart that should have surely died and vanished flooded Namgung Jin-cheon’s pale face with sudden vitality.
Yama’s voice boomed like thunder.
[The sinner Yeon So-hee left a portion of her soul and memories in the Mortal Realm, disrupting the sacred flow of reincarnation! Do you admit to this?]
Yeon So-hee grit her teeth.
[I did not know it would come to this...! Even if it was a mistake, how can you hold my lord accountable for my fault...!]
[Impudence...!]
The laws of the afterlife were absolute. If a deceased person's soul did not remain whole within the Underworld, they could not undergo the trials of reincarnation.
The sinner Yeon So-hee had caused a massive disruption in the cycle of reincarnation by imbuing a fragment of her soul into the sinner Namgung Jin-cheon’s sword. The nature of her crime was unforgivably grave.
Of course, she did not naturally possess the ability to do such a thing. It was something closer to a miracle.
But to the heavens, even a miracle was a sin if it broke the rules.
The sinner Yeon So-hee had been locked away in the deepest dungeons of the Underworld, waiting until the lingering rest of her soul finally returned. Now that her soul was whole, she was to be judged for her crimes alongside the sinner Namgung Jin-cheon.
Yama passed his judgment.
[The sinner Namgung Jin-cheon and the sinner Yeon So-hee shall have their souls—!]
[My lady.]
Yama’s booming declaration was abruptly cut short.
Namgung Jin-cheon smiled brightly. It was a warmer, more radiant smile than any he had shown in over two hundred years.
Swoosh—
At that moment, a gentle wind blew. A sweet, fragrant breeze—entirely out of place in the depths of hell—softly ruffled Yeon So-hee’s hair.
Her eyes met his. In that bright, unwavering smile, there wasn't a single trace of reproach or blame.
He was truly happy. There was no reason for him not to be.
The greatest man under the heavens had finally reclaimed his missing piece, reaching past the very end of life itself to find her.
[I am sorry for being so late.]
[My lord...?]
[I shall never let go of you again.]
Yeon So-hee could only stare blankly at his comforting smile.
[Why would you... for me...]
[What do you mean 'why'? I am your husband. And you are my one and only wife.]
[...I have committed an unpardonable sin against you, my lord.]
[Who says that was a sin?]
[Pardon...?]
Namgung Jin-cheon carefully reached his hand out toward her.
[It was thanks to you that I was able to endure until now. Had you not been there, I would have crumbled to dust and never stood again.]
[B-but...]
His thumb gently wiped away the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. He let out a small, bashful laugh before conveying his honest, unpretentious feelings.
[I’ve worked very hard. Instead of an apology, won't you give me a word of praise?]
[You wretch...!]
Enraged by their blatant disregard, Yama struck down with a massive hand.
In the Underworld, the deceased were strictly forbidden from exercising any power. That was an absolute law ordained by the heavens. Any sinner who committed the crime of defying heaven was to be sentenced to immediate, eternal extinction.
Yama’s suffocating energy pressed down heavily on Namgung Jin-cheon.
Namgung Jin-cheon’s brow furrowed in annoyance. He carefully withdrew the hand he had extended to his wife.
[I am sorry. Just for a moment—wait for me one last time.]
[N-no, my lord...! Yama is...!]
[My lady.]
Namgung Jin-cheon smiled reassuringly. Over his soul, with his hands tucked casually behind his back, a vivid blue robe manifested out of thin air.
The appearance of a soul was the truest form of one's self, the image engraved most deeply within their core.
Upon the shoulders of the greatest man under the heavens, now proudly clad in the traditional robes of the Namgung Clan, a single sword materialized.
[Your husband does not lose, even to a god.]
BOOOOOM—!!
Yama’s colossal hand slammed down directly where Namgung Jin-cheon had been standing.
[My lord...!!]
Yeon So-hee screamed. She wailed in despair, feeling as if something inside her chest had just been violently torn apart.
[It is alright, my lady.]
As the dust cleared, Namgung Jin-cheon stood tall, his expression now twisted into that of a vengeful demon.
[I shall return shortly.]
With a sharp thud, Namgung Jin-cheon kicked off the ground and leaped through empty space. The fabric of reality naturally severed itself, willingly opening a path for him.
Yama’s enormous eyes flew wide in shock.
[You dare...!]
A new god had awakened. As Namgung Jin-cheon stepped into the air, visible ripples formed beneath his feet.
Vwoom—
The spreading blue ripples painted a vibrant sky directly over the Underworld.
[I shall execute the high traitor here and now!]
Yama grasped at the empty air. His Mental Intent forcibly took shape, manifesting into a truly massive greatsword.
Rumble—
Unbound by a physical body, Yama’s true size transcended all human common sense. When he unleashed his full power, the greatsword in his hand boasted a size large enough to span the entirety of the Central Plains.
Namgung Jin-cheon tilted his head back. The falling blade of Yama filled his entire field of vision.
It looked as if divine punishment itself was raining down upon the world. It was an apocalyptic force—not the kind of thing any mortal man, even the absolute greatest under the heavens, could ever hope to stand against.
Yet, Namgung Jin-cheon simply reached out. His cold, piercing eyes locked onto the God of the Underworld.
[Do not interfere.]
————————!!
A single sword shot forward, tracing a brilliant blue trajectory through the dark sky.
It was a pathetic-looking strike in comparison. Yama’s sword boasted a size comparable to a continent. Before that apocalyptic blade, Namgung Jin-cheon’s sword was not even a speck of dust.
Common sense dictated that Namgung Jin-cheon would be the one to break.
However, to a god, common sense held no value whatsoever.
Crrraaaaack—!!
The blue trajectory drawn by the insignificant sword extended without end. The moment the two blades collided, the continental greatsword shattered into a million pieces.
Piercing straight through the cascading fragments, the blue sword continued its path forward.
Shhhk—!
The blue streak finally pierced Yama’s chest. To the colossal god, it was a microscopic wound that shouldn't have even tickled.
Nevertheless, Yama’s face contorted in sheer agony.
[This... is...!]
Namgung Jin-cheon nonchalantly raised his hand. His palm was completely empty, yet he gripped the air as if holding a hilt.
As his hand swung horizontally, Yama’s waist was cleanly severed in two.
CRAAAAASH—!!!
The colossal god of unfathomable size collapsed, his top half sliding off his bottom.
Namgung Jin-cheon didn't even spare a single glance at the falling Yama. He walked carefully through the air, descending until he stood right before Yeon So-hee.
Dropping to one knee, he looked deeply into her eyes. His own reflection was perfectly mirrored in her pupils, which were still blurred with tears. It was a sight he had longed for so desperately. His hands trembled with raw nerves.
[My lady...]
Gazing solely at his wife, Namgung Jin-cheon slowly extended his trembling hand.
[Will you... be with me once more?]
Yeon So-hee’s eyes quivered. Her entire vision was filled with Namgung Jin-cheon.
The husband she thought she would never see again.
She had felt nothing but guilt. Because of her selfish mistake, even he had been dragged down and branded a sinner.
But her lord said he wanted her. He was a man of many inhibitions, a man who rarely spoke so openly. For such a man to express his desire for her in such clear, undeniable words...
She was no longer afraid of the Underworld or Yama. She wasn't afraid of anything, because the man who had always looked only at her was right here.
Because her hero, stronger and more radiant than anyone else, was here.
[Yes, my lord...]
[...Thank you, my lady.]
Tears fell freely from her eyes. They were tears of pure joy.
Feeling his very existence finally becoming whole, Namgung Jin-cheon spoke his Divine Name.
[Paired-Wing Heaven.]
In the dead center of the Underworld, a brilliant blue sky shone with blinding radiance.
The Jian Bird—a legendary creature where the male and female each possess only one eye and one wing, forever unable to fly unless they pair up.
At the very end of his life, the Jian Bird that had finally found its missing mate spread its wings wide.
[Ah...]
Simultaneously, the radiance enveloping Namgung Jin-cheon’s body shot straight toward the heavens. A thunderous, overwhelming sense of fulfillment filled his perfected soul.
Floating gently in the air, Namgung Jin-cheon murmured the name of his completed Domain.
[Heaven of Blooming Flowers.]
Fwoooosh—!!
Radiant, ethereal flowers bloomed and filled the Underworld. The empty, deep blue sky regained its vitality, warmly embracing the dark world below.
[You wretch...!!]
Yama’s severed upper torso reached out desperately, but his hand never reached its mark.
Starting from his fingertips, Yama’s colossal body scattered into ash and drifted into the sky.
One who had only just reached the realm of godhood had utterly and completely overwhelmed the God of the Underworld.
Holding Yeon So-hee’s hand tight, Namgung Jin-cheon ascended the stairs of light. The flowers blooming throughout the Underworld scattered beautifully around them.
Yeon So-hee looked down at the realm of the dead as she walked beside her husband.
Yama and his subordinates, caught within the expanding blue sky, were rapidly fading away.
She could instinctively tell that this sky, which had permanently colored a portion of the Underworld, would never disappear.
[Will it be alright, my lord...?]
[It is fine.]
That was merely one of Yama’s many avatars anyway. There would be a permanent loss of power on the god's end, but Namgung Jin-cheon had no reason to care about that.
[More importantly, there is much I wish to discuss with you.]
Up until now, he had shared countless conversations with her memories dwelling within his sword.
But those were merely Namgung Jin-cheon’s memories, a fragmented part of Yeon So-hee. They were never Yeon So-hee herself. He had merely been exchanging endless words with an illusion of the woman he loved.
Namgung Jin-cheon remembered every single one of those conversations, saving them all so he could tell her when they finally met again.
[Did you know? We have a son-in-law now.]
A deep, genuine smile spread across Namgung Jin-cheon’s lips.
For a long while, there would not be a single day without conversation.
The Paired-Wing Celestial God Namgung Jin-cheon and his wife Yeon So-hee ascended into the Celestial Realm together.
* * *
The scenery shifted along with a flash of brilliant light. A man slowly approached the couple as they walked hand in hand.
"Welcome. I am called Geum Hwi-je."
The Sword God, who had personally come to greet them, wore a deep, welcoming smile.
"I have been waiting for you."
* * *
"I had a dream..."
Warm tears flowed freely from Namgung Su-ah’s eyes as she woke.
"No, it wasn't a dream...!"
A bright, beautiful smile bloomed like a flower across her face.