The Martial God who Regressed Back to Level 2

Chapter 650:

'...That Id bastard. Did he merge with the transcendent being?'

The pure white light that came from Ashoka's body.

Was it too difficult for Id, a new human, to overcome the comfort of the transcendent being that even Seong Jihan and Jiang Shang struggled against?

Seong Jihan looked at Id's remains, with only the gleaming scalp left.

Suddenly, he recalled when he had killed Noah in the past.

'He emphasized that we should aim for the part where the light's power manifests.'

Hadn't he focused on stomping only Noah's eyes, saying that was the sure way to kill her?

But now, Id had disappeared leaving only the scalp where the power manifested.

Should this be considered a definite death?

Seong Jihan approached the scalp.

Then.

Flash...!

The scalp shone more intensely, and a wide curtain of light spread around it.

The scalp's defensive action, blocking external approach.

Seong Jihan examined it closely.

'Is this the last struggle of the light power's manifestation? Or is it still alive?'

Just looking at this reaction, it was impossible to judge for sure what was what.

He pondered if there was a good method, and then.

'Hmm... I wonder if this will work.'

Tap. Tap.

He approached the metal tree Yggdrasil and called upon the overseer authority.

['Yggdrasil's Registry' Modification]

[Server Change Data Update]

[Light Body Organ Creation]

[Ark Internal Observation]

The function he touched here was 'Light Body Organ Creation.'

Flash. Flash...!

A sphere of light fell beneath his feet.

"Son-in-law. What are you doing there?"

Jiang Shang expressed curiosity at Seong Jihan's actions.

"I'm trying to test if he might recover."

"Hmm... Recovery? How could he come back to life with only the scalp left?"

"It's the opposite situation from when he killed the new humans before."

"Huh... If he comes back to life with only that left, we might have to remove the 'human' from 'new human.'"

Jiang Shang spoke as if dumbfounded, but.

Swoosh.

As Seong Jihan threw the light sphere towards the curtain.

Sss sss sss...

Part of the curtain opened and began to absorb it.

And not long after.

Twitch. Twitch...

The scalp that had absorbed the light sphere began to move.

Fwoosh...!

As an intense light burst forth, Id's head began to form from it.

"...Is he really coming back to life?"

"It seems so."

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Seong Jihan shook his head and continued throwing light body organs.

Then, Id's body began regenerating even faster.

'It needs about 20 spheres to regenerate from that state fully.'

Finally, after throwing 20 light body organs, he was able to restore Id's body to its previous state.

"Ugh. Ugh..."

And, the revived Id.

"Why, why did you bring me here..."

As soon as he came back to life, he looked around with an astonished face.

Clack. Clack.

Clattering his teeth, he began to hug himself.

"C-cold. It's cold... Why, why did you pull me out here...! S-send me back!"

"Pull you out? We just revived you when only your scalp was left."

"Only the scalp was left...? No. Why! Why couldn't I merge with the transcendent being!"

Why was he asking him that?

Seong Jihan looked at Id with bewilderment as he raged after being revived, but.

Drip drip...

He was in agony over being revived, tears streaming from his eyes.

"I, I want to go back. Please... Please...! Ah! Right! Ashoka, was it? Give me the light again...! Let me return to the transcendent being!"

"...That is not something I can do by my will."

"Eeek! Then why did you make me receive the light in the first place!"

And with that, Id lay on the ground, flailing his arms and legs.

As he acted like a child throwing a tantrum despite being a grown adult, Jiang Shang's eyes grew cold as he watched.

"Tsk. Let's just kill that bastard."

"Kill him?"

"Yes. Think about it. Even after escaping the transcendent being, he's still this blindly devoted. Can we guarantee he won't mess things up if we take him inside? What if he interferes with us for the sake of the transcendent being?"

Indeed, it was a valid point.

Seong Jihan coldly assessed Id, who was rolling on the ground calling for the transcendent being.

Originally, he had planned to take him along to block the golden clock with the power of protection.

'With Jiang Shang joining, the northern passage has opened, so that need has greatly diminished.'

The path had opened, reducing the need to use the power of protection.

But the possibility of betrayal due to being influenced by the transcendent being had increased.

Was there really a need to take Id along in this case?

'The risk should be minimized.'

There was an insurmountable wall between the existence of the server and the new humans for him to be considered a true comrade.

Rather than risking betrayal after reaching the central part, it would be better to eliminate him here.

Seong Jihan's eyes turned cold.

"Id. Do you want to return to the transcendent being?"

"O-of course! Don't tell me... you have a way?"

"Yes. If you die, you'll return to the light."

"W-what?"

Swoosh.

As Seong Jihan nodded to Jiang Shang,

Bang!

His Infinite sword immediately struck the light curtain.

It was not for nothing that his power was 'protection'.

It withstood the Infinite sword's power once, but.

Screech...!

The curtain was being pierced in real-time, about to allow the sword to pass through.

Then.

"W-wait! No! No!"

Id, who had been rolling on the ground just moments ago, suddenly changed his expression.

He began to raise both hands.

"No use. This is the best for both of us."

"No, really! Wait a moment! Just stop for a second!"

"This guy's quite resistant."

As Jiang Shang was about to raise the energy of the Infinite sword without batting an eye,

"Stop for a moment."

Ashoka, who had been watching from behind, stepped forward.

* * *

"Huh... Stop? Are you, as a sage, opposing the killing of a person?"

As Jiang Shang sneered like that, Ashoka twisted the corner of his mouth.

"A sage? In human history, there's likely no one who has killed more people than me."

Killed many people?

Was that because of his cooperation with the Martial God's infinite regression?

"Hmph... You're being self-deprecating over unnecessary things."

Jiang Shang looked at Ashoka with dissatisfaction and withdrew his sword from the light curtain.

Id, who had been panicking saying he was really about to die as it was almost pierced through,

Only then breathed a sigh of relief when he withdrew his sword.

"Huff. Huff... I really almost died..."

Unlike earlier when he was clamoring to be sent back to the transcendent being, now he was focused on saving his own life.

"Your attitude is different from before. Didn't you beg to be sent to the transcendent being?"

"Kuk... Wait a moment."

At Seong Jihan's words, Id glared at him, then brought his hands to his head.

Then.

Fwoosh...!

His already shining head began to shine even more brightly.

As if creating a halo, light began to bloom behind his head.

After some time had passed.

"...Phew. Now I've regained my senses a bit."

Id, who had shown extreme emotional fluctuations after escaping the transcendent being, was now gradually regaining his composure.

"What did you do?"

"I tried to protect myself."

"Yourself?"

"Yes... To be precise, my mind, my sense of self."

Sss sss...

As he said this, Id gathered the light he had raised like a halo.

Seong Jihan looked at him with curiosity.

He thought the power of protection was only for defending one's body.

Was it possible to protect the mind too?

'This guy's power is quite useful after all.'

Should I have learned the power of protection too, even if it meant becoming bald?

As Seong Jihan was reevaluating the power of protection,

Id slowly stood up, glancing at Seong Jihan and Jiang Shang.

"I do miss the inside of the transcendent being... But dying here would just be a meaningless death. Wouldn't true fusion be joining it as a 'normal person' rather than a new human?"

"So you still want to merge."

"Of course. The transcendent being is the ideal that humanity should pursue... Even now, with my mind protected and able to make rational judgments... the desire to enter that place hasn't changed."

So even in his right mind, he wanted to join the transcendent being.

Unlike Seong Jihan and Jiang Shang, who felt fear towards the transcendent being but tried to overcome it Id, as a new human, naturally thought he should join the transcendent being too.

"So you'll follow the transcendent being even in your right mind. I'll acknowledge your spirit."

"Huh? What spirit...?"

"Saying you'll follow the transcendent being in front of us is the same as asking to be killed, isn't it?"

"No... Then are you saying you'll defy the transcendent being? Seriously?"

As Id asked with wide eyes,

Swoosh.

Jiang Shang raised his Infinite sword again and looked towards Ashoka.

"You heard him clearly, right? Don't stop me this time."

A new human who would cooperate with the transcendent being is ultimately an enemy to the server beings like them.

Now that he's clearly stated his intentions, it's better to eliminate the future threat right here.

Jiang Shang expressed his will like that, but.

"His death is what the transcendent being wants."

"...What?"

"The transcendent being desires for the power of protection to be reclaimed."

Ashoka said with sunken eyes.

"The transcendent being... wants my power? Doesn't it already contain all powers?"

"Not so. If he were such an omnipotent being, Urd wouldn't hinder him. The power of protection would act as a variable to break the stalemate with Urd."

"I, I was that significant...?"

As Id was dumbfounded by this unexpected high evaluation, Ashoka looked at Seong Jihan.

"You. What did you see inside the transcendent being? What did he promise you?"

"The transcendent being... said he would preserve Server 4212 for me."

If he cut down Urd and joined the transcendent being.

He said he would acknowledge his merit and preserve Server 4212.

'And I, towards such a transcendent being, said it was fine. That he shouldn't waste effort on such futility...'

That was how much ‘warmth’ the inside of the transcendent being was.

Once you enter, you couldn't help but be influenced by its structure.

As Seong Jihan answered like that, Ashoka now looked towards Jiang Shang.

"What about you?"

"Me...? he told me that if I cut down Urd, he would restore my destroyed world. And..."

Jiang Shang glanced at Seong Jihan and continued.

"He said if I dealt with my son-in-law too, he could restore it even faster."

"So, how did you respond?"

"...At that time, I said there was no need to restore my world. I just said I would follow the will of the transcendent being."

He would restore the world faster if Seong Jihan was dealt with?

In that world full of light, was what each person heard so different?

As Seong Jihan was pondering Jiang Shang's words,

"Leaving seeds of discord between the two, and reclaiming the power of protection... This was the transcendent being's strategy."

Ashoka grasped what the transcendent being wanted with a cold, sunken face.

"No. Back then I was just entranced, but now I have no intention of cutting down my son-in-law."

"That may be true now. But if you had to choose between the Empire and your son-in-law, what would you pick?"

"T-that..."

"Of course it would be the Empire."

If he put himself in his shoes, this was natural.

Seong Jihan answered for Jiang Shang, who couldn't finish his sentence, and then turned his gaze to Ashoka.

"Then, how should we respond?"

"This situation arose because of the transcendent being's light that came from my body. Yet, can you still trust me?"

"And you saved me from that light, didn't you? Of course I trust you."

If it weren't for the Thousand Hands Thousand Eyes, he would have already been influenced by the transcendent being and it would have been over.

If he didn't trust Ashoka who pulled him out of there, who could he trust?

As Seong Jihan immediately gave a firm answer,

"...Thank you."

He smiled slightly and.

Raised his right foot slightly.

"I'll take responsibility for this incident."

And as that raised foot touched the ground again.

Sss sss sss sss...

The floor of the Ark began to turn blue.