Awakening of the Incarnation Army
“Hm?”
As the alarm sounded, the shape of the Death Flame that had been emitting light began to slowly morph, turning transparent. Whoosh…!
A small flame flickered lightly within the glass-like transparent gem—the Flame of All Gods trembled faintly. Sizzle…!!
Then, flame soldiers appeared around me. As the seven summoned soldiers knelt in unison before me, the flames touched the swamp, sending up a loud hiss of steam.
“……!!”
They weren’t the flame soldiers I remembered. Unlike before, when they resembled flame spirits haphazardly wielding weapons, these soldiers now wore perfectly formed armor suited for battle. Not only that, their mismatched weapons had all unified into halberds with spear tips.
The Flame Soldiers have evolved under the influence of the divine object.
Flame Soldier → Huasin Army (Fire God Army)
Grade: Rare Grade
Unlike ordinary Flame Soldiers, the Huasin Army, transformed by divine power, can absorb more souls, move faster with higher intelligence, and perfectly execute their master's commands with just a thought.
Summonable Huasin Army: 7/7
(The number of summonable entities has increased.)
Clank— Clank—
The lead Huasin Army soldier rose slowly from its kneel and approached me.
Huasin Army (Fire God Army) - Leader
Grade: +Rare Grade
The leader commanding the Huasin Army. Before becoming a divine object, it was the strongest Flame Soldier among those that could be summoned.
I recognized who this one was. It was the Flame Soldier that had wielded a halberd among those I’d summoned before.
Did its influence cause all their weapons to unify into halberds upon evolution?
It felt strangely familiar.
You can generate a unique name.
“……Hm?”
A message appeared as it bowed, seemingly awaiting my command.
“A name, huh…”
I gazed at it for a moment before speaking.
“You wield a halberd, so from now on, I’ll call you Axe Halberd.”
The soldier simply nodded at my words and turned away.
Partial communication ability will be unlocked when the Huasin Army reaches Heroic grade.
I wondered if it liked its name, but there was no time for idle chat.
They can’t talk yet anyway.
Once the seven Huasin Army vanished, Yeomhwa-ryeong’s sniffling finally reached my ears.
She was covering her face with both hands, sobbing. But despite her distress, having acquired the Death Flame as a divine object and stabilized her divine power had changed her appearance as well.
“That crown suits you.”
After absorbing the Death Flame, a small crown had appeared atop Yeomhwa-ryeong’s head.
“Probably Parahum’s influence. He was a false lord, but his ambition to become king was real enough. That’s likely why the Flame Soldiers were sealed in the Death Flame.”
Yeomhwa-ryeong tentatively touched the crown on her head.
“Don’t feel too hard done by. Now you’ve gained authority as a lord yourself.”
“You know, those Huasin Army we just summoned. You can call them even without me. They’re your legion, in a way.”
Yeomhwa-ryeong’s eyes sparkled at my words.
“The legion you’ll lead from now on. And if my divine power grows, the divine object’s power will strengthen too, letting us summon even more Huasin Army, right?”
“It’s just seven now, but soon ten, a hundred… no, even more. You’re a god, after all—you need your own authority. Even the Curtain God has his followers.”
Yeomhwa-ryeong grinned vacantly, as if imagining leading a million Huasin Army.
Easy to handle, this one.
I smirked at the sight.
“For that, your role ahead will be crucial. We need to meet the gods on the continent.”
Just moments ago, she’d been whining about lions’ hearts or whatever, but now her eyes gleamed with excitement.
“Good. Then let’s see what you’ve got.”
Yeomhwa-ryeong nodded and took the worn ceremonial sword from my hand.
She flew to the center of the swamp and raised the sword overhead. Whoosh…!!
Purification of the sword has begun.
“Hmm.”
As expected, Yeomhwa-ryeong’s flames began stripping away the black scorch marks on the ceremonial sword.
The issue is how much divine power it consumes…
This was the Curtain God’s domain, so divine power recovered quickly. For now, recovery outpaced consumption, but if the flames grew larger, who knew.
Purification Rate: 10%
Black Eye, watching Yeomhwa-ryeong, shouted and walked over to her.
Whoosh…!!
Black Eye’s flames touched Yeomhwa-ryeong. Boom—!!
As his blue flames mixed with her divine power, a burst of sound rang out, and violet flames bloomed over the sword.
Perhaps from experience forging Young-geol’s sword, Black Eye calmly adjusted Yeomhwa-ryeong’s flames.
Purification accelerates due to divine power.
The sword begins new refinement.
Current Purification Rate: 25%
“……”
The sword absorbed the flames like it was devouring them, transforming beyond mere restoration into something new.
“Me? What do I do?”
The worn sword above Yeomhwa-ryeong’s head floated slowly toward me. The two flames were still connected, and cracks were forming in the rust, red light leaking through.
“Is that safe?”
Black Eye’s words stung my pride a bit.
“Watch closely.”
Shing—I drew Tesaro’s sword, lips twitching.
Air condensed around the blade, creating a flow of energy. I’d used the 1st Sword countless times, but this was the first time gripping it with such focus.
Black Eye let out a low cheer.
“Hup…!!”
As I held my breath, a flash erupted from the sword. Clang—!!!
A sharp ring echoed.
“……?!!!”
Shock filled my face in that instant.
Yeomhwa-ryeong cried out. Thud!
“Cough…”
Incredibly, Tesaro’s sword had bounced off the worn blade, and the impact sent me tumbling backward.
I… got repelled?
Black Eye roared with laughter at my undignified sprawl.
Whoosh…!!
The flames on the worn ceremonial sword blazed fiercer upon impact.
The sword receives strong impact.
The sword begins new forging.
Purification accelerates further.
Current Purification Rate: 45%
“……At least I gave it the impact.”
I muttered, reading the changed messages.
“……”
Face burning with embarrassment and absurdity, I resumed my stance.
Crunch… Crackle…!
Unlike the 1st, I kept condensing energy past its limit.
The target isn’t moving anyway.
So I could pour everything in without thinking ahead.
Kaboom—!!!
Thunderous explosion as the sword swung, crashing into the worn blade.
“……!!”
The sword tried to repel the 2nd Sword just like the 1st, with fierce resistance. But once was enough for that humiliation. I gripped with both hands, forcing it to hold.
“Urgh!!”
Crackle…!!
The more it pushed, the harder I pressed.
“Hey, I just want to see your true form once…”
Crack…!
It pushed back harder, as if responding to my words.
“You’re resisting too much!!”
Snap—!
My arms screamed like tearing muscles.
Yeomhwa-ryeong watched anxiously. Clang—!!!!
The sword repelled upward with a sharp ring.
“……!!”
An inexplicable emotion surged through me.
What is this?
Not mere stubbornness. Not shame from the bounce.
“No way.”
I halted my raised arms and stared at the sword.
“You?”
For a split second, I’d connected with the dormant sword.
Is this the Connector’s power?
Or…
“Raaah!!”
I yanked my arms down with full force. Clang! Clang!!
But attacks without energy just scattered instinctive forms.
The sword absorbs the impact.
Purification speed slows.
Current Purification Rate: 52%
Clang! Clang—!! Clang—!!
Black Eye’s shout made Yeomhwa-ryeong yell back, but their racket faded from my ears.
“……What the hell are they doing in there?”
Nothing was visible through the fog, only the sound of sword strikes echoing.
“……”
As she tried to step into the fog out of frustration, Asera blocked her.
“He said he’d handle it, so wait.”
“Will he be okay?”
“What if he fails? At least it’s fortunate he’s not part of the Veil if he does.”
“……Pardon?”
Isabel Silver’s eyes trembled at Asera’s cold reply.
“Haa…! Haa…! Haa…!!”
How much time had passed? My arms kept moving, but I couldn’t tell if I was swinging the sword or it was swinging me.
Even in dreams… I don’t think I’ve swung this much… Damn it.
“Kek…”
Ironically, even as curses filled my mind, my mouth grinned.
Logically, gathering energy slowly despite bounces might be better for purification. But each strike unleashed an uncontrollable emotion, urging me not to stop.
From 1st to 4th, back to 2nd, then 4th to 1st, 1st to 2nd… Only three forms, but instinctually, I unleashed them to break it.
A bit more…
You exert extreme focus.
Understanding of Focus greatly increases.
Focus Lv3 influences your Mu-geuk trait.
Focus Lv3 is absorbed into Mu-geuk.
No time to check the influx of alerts; I kept swinging. Soon, even the alert sounds faded.
The two watched the resounding sword clashes.
Then—
Clang—!!
“……!!”
My frenzied body froze. The heavy sword suddenly felt light.
I slowly looked at the sword in my hand.
……Tesaro’s sword had broken.
Black Eye murmured lowly.
“Haa, haa, haa.”
Only then did I feel like I’d returned from the unconscious void to reality. The heat from the short sword paled against the boiling in my body.
I stared at the broken blade.
[Why tell me now?]
Yeomhwa-ryeong tilted her head, puzzled by Black Eye’s words. As a new god, she viewed enlightenment differently from humans.
Your Ki-ryeok Technique Lv1 greatly grows.
Ki-ryeok Technique Lv1 → Lv3
Ki-ryeok Technique Lv3 Effect: ‘Ki-hae’ unlock
Due to Ki-hae, your ki energy and divine power will fuse.
In that moment, a warm, cozy energy flowed through my body.
“……Huh?”
Then the final alert rang.