The Outer God Needs Warmth

When the words of the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign ended, Bohyeonjin was outside Kunlun Mountain.

And when the words of the Outsider, who was draped in Choseol’s flesh, wrapped up, the bud resembling a chunk of meat bloomed widely.

Instead of nine petals, nine arms spread out, revealing the flesh within.

In the center of the flower, a small sun was blazing.

It was originally a special weapon.

A special organization created in the Empire to handle aberrations.

A special public institution that sits between the tiger-catching members and an urban fantasy’s anomalous phenomenon containment agency.

A general leading a large troop among them.

It was something he carried just in case.

It was called the son of Hwahi, and knowing that Hwahi is the name of the goddess of the sun gives a hint about what kind of object it is.

That object is the spear of extreme positive energy.

Its form resembles that of a hydrogen bomb, but it erupts like a solar explosion.

This means it’s not just about heat. This object is a weapon that descends to earth as a sun mixed with various mythical powers, tearing apart the unreal. It’s such a weapon that a general would possess it for emergencies.

And he used it properly.

However, in the moment the Outsider was about to explode, they twisted reality down, suppressing it.

If it had detonated like that, the realm of humanity and Taoism in Kunlun would have been engulfed in flames and melted away.

That weapon bore flames capable of melting down all defensive capabilities present, burning even the passage leading to where the immortals of Kunlun reside.

But to someone using Choseol’s body, it was nothing at all.

At the moment the explosion was just beginning, they forcibly twisted the human and melted the weapon they carried into a single tool.

The advanced biotechnology of Daegon, which surpassed one world, lent its aid. But it was still somewhat lacking.

The foundation of imagination that would seal the explosion belonged to another side.

When the Outsider was human, the saying that a person’s mind resembles a world.

There was knowledge, and a guiding ideology behind it.

These two fused malignantly.

In the place where the light, which had flowed in and dissipated, once existed, they introduced physical light.

In other words, the identity of a meat chunk with a bomb inside that had exploded but stopped is a single flower.

If that were to bloom, it would mean the following.

As the mind opens, the previously paused explosion resumes what it was meant to do.

At that moment.

There was light in the place where the Outsider and the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign stood.

The explosion indiscriminately burned all space centered around the detonation point with solar power.

The epicenter literally evaporated, and more than half of the vast space of Kunlun was covered in flames.

Amidst a tremendous heatwave, accompanied by radiation scattering everywhere.

Choseol stood, wearing a flower that had just bloomed like an umbrella. Just like avoiding the heat on a hot summer day, without a single wound.

“It’s nice that there’s a function to protect the user, but the flame can’t be reloaded. It’s a one-time use, this thing.”

The principle is simple. If the flower’s calyx can hold the sun, the opposite is also possible.

But that’s all.

It only offers protection; beyond that, it has no other function.

To cross the space turned into a blazing hell, another means is necessary. As the Outsider struggled without such means and looked around.

“I was thinking of suicide by bomb, but is that a personal space shielding technique?”

At that moment, a voice too young to be heard from a place where living things are impossible echoed.

When the Outsider turned to the sound, they spotted a boy floating in the air, quite a distance away. Despite the shell having changed, the Outsider recognized him immediately.

“This time it’s not something but a living person.”

While staring at the white light surrounding the boy, the Outsider opened his mouth.

“Primordial Heavenly Sovereign.”

The boy, clad in fluttering garments from all directions, stood in the air, looking down at the Outsider. A half-taekuk wrapped in the shell of a girl.

Compared to when they fought the Tongcheon 교주, he looked incredibly weak.

It’s rather strange that something they cannot defeat shows no signs of power at all.

No matter how you look at it, what’s in front of them is simply a human girl.

That’s terrifying.

About fifty days ago, the news that something had gone wrong with the Tongcheon 교주 reached them. After exterminating the division under the name Cheonma Church, which was a pact with the human world, they heard it.

When they followed the traces of the pact, they found only the ruins of a massive city deep underwater, and reports suggested that it had evaporated in a single blow from a powerful immortal.

And they found video materials capturing the scene of the city disappearing far from the epicenter. It was presumed to be a former stronghold, but there were no survivors.

Those who had been in places far from the explosion were all found dead, having taken their own lives in horrific states.

Those who fought Daegon directly knew of this phenomenon.

When Tongcheon 교주 Daegon revealed his true body, unless a certain level of consciousness was reached, Daegon’s overwhelming presence would tear apart frail souls without distinguishing friend from foe.

That there are so many bodies that took their own lives means the main body has manifested, and yet still suffered a desperate defeat.

Who killed the Tongcheon 교주? Or did he really die?

The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign began the investigation.

At that moment, someone came.

Originally, he had learned via a communicator that there was someone looking for the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign. However, he ignored it as he was too busy searching for the one who killed Daegon.

But when that someone claimed he had killed Daegon, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign sensed danger and immediately acted.

He urgently evacuated all immortals in the heavenly realm of Kunlun, commanding those helping him in reality.

Afterward, he sent a puppet to meet that someone, controlling it from a distance to talk, buying time to observe her and decipher her identity by gathering all resources from Kunlun.

The power and knowledge built up by Kunlun and Cheongyo showcased their true value in such a situation.

The interpretation concluded quickly.

Instead of malice, it became evident that one was standing in a position essentially symmetric to this world.

And his judgment was correct.

The meaning of the words that Tongcheon 교주 was dead was barely grasped by the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign.

Still appearing merely as a human, within that skin is something that not only combines all worlds but might not even be capable of being harmed.

With traces of the Jade Emperor and the Tongcheon 교주 mingled, carrying a living weapon.

“At least.”

It’s full of gaps. A tall woman utterly unskilled in fighting stands there. So, everything seems false.

Thus, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, as he had done until now, began a conversation, seeking openings.

It appears that it has a surprisingly earnest quality when engaged in conversation, and he decides to take advantage of that.

“Could you at least tell me why you’re attacking Kunlun? You blamed us through Bohyeonjin for the death of someone you care for like family. Is it revenge?”

The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign was well-versed in tragedy.

Living long means overcoming many tragedies as well. That’s why he questioned the seemingly human-like monster.

Did we make some mistake?

Did it only create a chain of revenge?

But the monster shook its head.

“No. I don’t know much about the reason behind the world’s principles, but I do understand human morality to some degree. Judged from that perspective, my Cheonma Church was evil itself, deserving to be completely eradicated. If the era had developed a bit more, the lives worth saving would have been distinguished, and the living would have been corrected, but that’s not possible in this world.”

To the ears of the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, it sounded like this.

What you did was the right thing, and I hold no anger for that.

“But you condemned us?”

“If someone you lived with like family were murdered, isn’t it natural to react with at least that much? Thus, I’m not blaming you. The fault lies strictly with the other side, and you are the right ones.”

“No, even from a human perspective, excessive slaughter is wrong. We dealt with you all as a single unit, without distinction. This was undoubtedly our fault.”

This was the true heart and also a means to rattle the monster before him. If they acknowledge our sin, what terrors might follow?

To watch its risk with calm eyes.

But the monster’s reaction was different from what was anticipated.

“You’re a good person.”

A pure compliment. It was so awkwardly sincere that it was problematic, and the monster stated while looking directly.

“In the end, the bad ones are us.”

The monster crossed its arms.

“I know that souls stripped of warmth are discarded like garbage, and despite this, I will continue to extend the harvesting period to gain warmth. Forever. Absolutely, unceasingly. Until the chill within me dwindles.”

In some eras, this is expressed as sociopathy.

If there exists someone who commits evil acts due to suffering and pain, then there are those who perform righteousness no matter how harsh.

Even if it is only reasonable to be corrupted by suffering and commit mischief, on the strict logic of right and wrong, that is classified as wickedness.

Even if society deems that correct in a certain era, evil is still evil, as such.

If not, any form of killing someone’s heart to death could become a righteous act in any culture. Even if it were deemed right in such an era, it must still be labeled as wrong.

The monster asserts this.

“So, the ones I called family, have already become my harvest. If I dump them in the trash bin and seek revenge, that would be shameless.”

The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign was all sorted out there, but he discovered traces of something once existing.

But before he indicated that, the monster continued to speak.

“You shine brightly, but compared to Daegon, that light is as small as a speck of dust. It might be unfair to compare you to Daegon, who layers offering after offering to enhance his glow. But you’re not large enough to obtain warmth through such a fight.”

That speaks of souls, and they both understood this. The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign remembered the immense power of souls that Tongcheon 교주 had amassed.

The one before him now, found it deliciously sweet and deemed such small light less than expected. Yet, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign could predict what would follow.

“So, I fought Daegon with that tiny light. That knowledge. Truly a wonderfully remarkable technique.”

With a greedy gaze, the monster looked at him. Knowing well that it was walking a path of pure malice, it sought what it needed, committing sins to its heart’s content.

“What will you do with this knowledge?”

“Everything I can.”

The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign nodded at that declaration.

Judging that there was no more information to gain, he summoned various tools.

A multitude of refined tools that moved in an organic form, blending wood and metal, appeared targeting the monster.

“Then, I will do everything I can to obstruct you.”

The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign hardened his expression, pointing at the monster as he opened his mouth.

“Gravity Tenfold.”

Ignoring the flower calyx that surrounded the Outsider, the force of gravity piercing through the world struck the monster.

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