Chapter 802: Incarnation Spellcraft (4)

Lennok’s Incarnation and a martial artist spirit stood facing each other at an angle.

The moment both adopted the Ninefold Dorye stance with twisted central axes, the martial artist spirits moved first.

Whoosh!

The martial artists’ forms flickered like ghosts, scattering swiftly left and right.

In an instant, they sprinted to the Incarnation’s immediate vicinity and struck powerful, direct blows.

Thump!!

A violent roar. Just unleashing their punches caused intense waves of spiritual energy to explode.

Hazy mist billowed from all directions, instantly filling the entire corridor.

However, the Incarnation did not collapse or vanish on the spot from the martial artists’ assault.

Instead, it merely raised its hands, pushing them past its wrists in a sweeping motion, rotating its will-thought.

Wiiiiing!!

The moment the pale halo rotating at the Incarnation’s fingertips emitted an immense radiance, the entire corridor staircase exploded with a tremendous roar.

KWA-AAAAANG!!!!

“Guaaaahk!!!”

A corner of the Ghost Dragon’s Fortress shook violently, such was the immense power, radiating its shockwaves outwards.

Even Lennok momentarily raised a hand to shield his eyes from the aftermath, as the martial artists’ forms were flung out at incredible speed from all directions and crashed down.

Their limbs crushed, spiritual energy profusely leaking, the martial artists couldn’t even stand properly.

“Cough……!!”

“Impossible, such power from just a counter-attack……!!”

Unable to stand, they gasped in astonishment at the will-thought technique the Incarnation had just used.

With that single exchange, they had already realized the vast disparity between the Incarnation and themselves, inwardly accepting defeat.

‘It’s certain.’

Lennok watched silently from behind, then nodded.

The counter-attack the Incarnation had just used against the martial artists’ assault was unmistakably a technique also present in Lennok’s own memories.

‘Ninefold Dorye martial arts. And it can even manifest their true power.’

The Eight Forms of Ninefold Dorye martial arts, passed down as Dorye’s techniques.

Among them, the counter-attack [Eight Visions], specifically in pugilism.

Lennok’s Incarnation was freely using this martial art here, despite not having been explicitly taught it.

‘Mana consumption is also good. If it can freely use Ninefold Dorye without the risks I face….’

The Eight Visions Lennok used had peerless power, but each use came with an unsettling sense of losing his own senses.

Because of this, despite acquiring such a powerful technique, he had rarely used it in actual combat.

But if Lennok’s Incarnation could freely wield the Eight Forms of Ninefold Dorye in his stead, that alone would bring a significant increase in combat power.

If all went well, it might not be impossible to establish a vanguard and rearguard, adding stability to combat, just as Lennok had hoped.

[Master, aren’t you getting a little too excited?]

“……Let’s end this soon.”

Ignoring Davi’s words, Lennok lightly gestured towards the Incarnation.

With victory decided in a single exchange, there was no reason to prolong this battle.

There would be plenty of opportunities to test the Incarnation’s other abilities and combat prowess.

“Kugh……!!”

(…….)

The martial artists bowed their heads, having fallen without even attempting to resist.

But instead of continuing the attack as Lennok suggested, the Incarnation stopped there and looked at the martial artists.

An overt attitude, as if it wished this battle would not end here.

Lennok immediately noticed its subtle reaction and frowned.

“What are you doing?”

“Needless mercy……!!”

The martial artists, taking the Incarnation’s reaction as a provocation, moved their battered bodies and charged again.

Pa-ba-ba-bat!!

Two martial artists moved quickly from either side, unleashing fierce blows at the Incarnation.

They assailed it violently, giving it no chance to react, shaking its central axis to change trajectories and disrupt the sequence.

Heavy punches thumped the air, emitting clear roars.

Du-du-du-du!!

However, the Incarnation made no attempt to attack the martial artists. It merely stood and endured the martial artists’ onslaught from all directions.

It blankly dodged the swinging fists and twisted elbows. It controlled the flow of force to deflect it sideways, cleanly shedding even the shock that should have accumulated.

Kiiiiing!!

Pale white ripples spread like waves across a lake, rotating to nullify all attacks.

The perfection of the technique had reached a truly profound level, with almost no loss of power felt during the counter-attack.

Furthermore, with each use of the counter-attack, the rotating pale ripples reversed, pouring out with power that surpassed the initial strikes.

Puh-buh-buh-bung!!

The pale radiance erupted, relentlessly smashing the corridor walls of the fortress, sweeping the martial artists into self-destruction.

The martial artists, having keenly felt the power, shrieked in astonishment, and at the same time, wore peculiar expressions.

“To distort physical laws to this extent, how can a human body wield such martial power……!!”

“Why, when you can freely use such secret arts……?!”

Why was it prolonging the battle by only using counter-attacks?

Soon, the forms of the martial artist spirits, having lost their last shred of will, collapsed.

(……?)

But even after the battle ended, the Incarnation tilted its head, as if it didn’t understand its own reaction.

It quickly extended a fist towards a fallen martial artist, then merely waved it around as if caressing the air.

It seemed to completely fail to comprehend why it had taken such an action.

“……Troublesome. This wasn’t expected.”

But the moment Lennok saw that gesture, he realized what the problem was.

The Incarnation wasn’t merely choosing to use only Eight Visions in battle.

It simply knew only Eight Visions among all techniques it could use.

It wasn’t that it didn’t know the techniques; rather, its gestures suggested it knew them but couldn’t recall them.

However, Lennok’s gaze darted to the Incarnation’s arm, which continued to caress the air.

Pa-tsu-tsu-tsut!!

The Incarnation’s arm, formed of a pale flash, was shattering into pieces from the fist onwards, and vanishing.

A precarious sight, as if it would lose its form at any moment and return to a puff of smoke.

But the Incarnation paid no mind to its breaking arm and tried to swing its fist in the air.

As if trying to use the technique it had just recalled, over and over again before forgetting it.

“That’s enough.”

But Lennok raised his will-thought and stopped the Incarnation’s movement on the spot.

Kiiiiik!

(……!)

Though it wasn’t born in a normal way, it was truly Lennok’s own Incarnation.

He had only observed its reactions to confirm its abilities and nature; it wasn’t beyond his control.

He had temporarily unleashed it to confirm its power, but he had no intention of letting it self-destruct.

“Unless you want to disappear already, stay still.”

He attached mana threads to the Incarnation’s rigid body to restore its form and prevent its collapse.

Having successfully restored the Incarnation’s body to a suitable extent, Lennok checked the remaining facilities of the fortress beyond the shattered corridor.

Considering the distance to the fortress courtyard, there was likely only one more trial ahead.

As Lennok passed through the gate guarded by the martial artist spirits, he fell into thought.

“Incarnation Spellcraft. It was a much more demanding power than I thought…….”

Lennok’s Incarnation, linked to the martial artist from WORLD 1.0.

But deploying it in practice yielded results far different from what he had expected.

It was less like a fully formed warrior, and more like a tool that used pre-defined techniques in his stead.

And Lennok already had a hunch where the basis of that ability came from.

Just as when he fought the Military Spirits using Compassion of the Archangel, there was a strange commonality in the Incarnation’s actions.

Rapidly reviewing his memories and organizing their characteristics, Lennok found the answer.

“It seems the techniques the Incarnation can use depend on the caster’s knowledge or experience.”

Davi, understanding Lennok’s thought, asked in bewilderment.

[This glowing lump seems to have amnesia, unlike its Master?]

“……Something like that. But this, this could still be useful.”

If it could use Eight Visions freely without any cost, unlike Lennok, that alone would make it an excellent shield.

Lennok quickly organized his thoughts and contemplated the problems with handling the Incarnation.

“The problem is rather the Incarnation’s durability. No matter how I think about it, the strength is too low.”

As Yao Xun had explained, Lennok’s Incarnation was not constructed through a normal process.

The process of creating an incarnation through the repulsion of body and mind had failed, and its meaning was forcibly realized by Lennok’s talent.

“When using the counter-attack Eight Visions, it’s fine because it doesn’t take direct impact, but if it moves directly, some part of it inevitably breaks.”

Lennok hadn’t forgotten how the Incarnation’s arm shattered immediately after defeating the martial artists.

This meant that unlike when using Eight Visions, even impacts from direct movement were too much for the Incarnation’s spiritual body to endure for long.

Moreover, once it broke, Lennok had to repair it again with mana threads, doubling the mana consumption.

Excellent martial arts. Peerless power. But durability that easily broke with a single attack, requiring repair.

Davi, having heard Lennok’s explanation, summarized the Incarnation’s characteristics simply.

[It’s like Master’s boxing version. Now that I think about it, aren’t the master and the incarnation in the same predicament?]

“…….”

Lennok fell silent at Davi’s blunt remark, which was growing sharper day by day for a spirit.

(……?)

The Incarnation, walking behind them, merely tilted its head, observing the two.

[Master, then how do you plan to use this thing? Like this, cooperation or joint combat won’t work at all.]

“……There’s no rule that says I have to use the Incarnation only in a vanguard role.”

While he couldn’t expect it to act as a vanguard immediately, the fact that it could use Ninefold Dorye was certainly a positive.

The Incarnation, though possessing some will, ultimately moved according to Lennok’s will and manipulation.

Therefore, there were plenty of ways to apply it in combat.

Thinking so, Lennok extended his hand, slowly bringing his arm to the Incarnation’s forearm.

Wooooong!!

The Incarnation’s spiritual body shimmered indistinctly, overlapping with Lennok’s arm.

It was as if Lennok’s arm was covered in a pale white glow, softly radiating light.

Lennok looked at it and said,

“As I said earlier, overlapping my coordinates with the Incarnation like this significantly reduces mana consumption.”

[……And?]

“…….”

Instead of answering, Lennok immediately extended his hand slowly into the air.

Simultaneously, the Incarnation’s arm, overlapping with Lennok’s, also moved, then at some point detached and created a gap.

Kiiiiing!!

A bizarre sight, as if Lennok’s right arm had duplicated.

Lennok chuckled, looking at the sight.

“The answer to how I can use the Incarnation immediately is right here.”

Lennok subsequently traversed the fortress’s harsh environments, reaching the courtyard at its end.

A few times, fallen Military Spirits like before came rushing, but wielding the Compassion of the Archangel easily obliterated them.

Kashuin, the Old World Archangel dwelling within the artifact, had several fits sensing the Incarnation’s presence.

However, as Lennok focused solely on sweeping away the Military Spirits without releasing it, Kashuin grew tired and quieted down.

He would have to explain the situation to Kashuin later, but passing the final trial was his priority.

Thump!!

The vast form of a graveyard filled the courtyard garden.

What was peculiar was that countless participants, seemingly from the same trial, lay fallen all around the graveyard.

“Ugh, argh……”

“Cough, cough……!!”

Their bodies stiff, they lay sprawled across various parts of the graveyard, feebly gasping for breath.

They must be the participants who had entered the ritual a few days ago and undergone the trial first.

Ignoring them, Lennok walked further and found a middle-aged man, seemingly the gravekeeper, standing in the middle of the graveyard.

“Lord Yao Xun told me about your esteemed presence.”

The gravekeeper seemed to recognize Lennok and immediately bowed respectfully.

“Welcome to the final trial ground of the Spirit Transformation Ritual.”

“Final trial?”

“To realize the knack of wielding an Incarnation with pure will-thought power, through the estrangement of body and mind. That is the purpose of this Spirit Transformation Ritual.”

The gatekeeper replied.

“You, esteemed one, must have overcome various obstacles that isolate body and mind until now. Even if they weren’t explicitly designated as trials.”

“…….”

Only then did Lennok understand why so many fallen Military Spirits roamed the fortress. He had thought it was just a sign of age and neglect, but dealing with the fallen spirits was part of the trial.

The gatekeeper explained.

“The final trial of the Spirit Transformation Ritual is to prove that one can control spirit and flesh with pure will-thought.”

“How?”

“By breaking through the ancient guardian spirits residing in this graveyard and opening the door to the ossuary at the end of the graveyard.”

The gatekeeper said.

“Lord Yao Xun awaits you there.”

Clunk, clunk!!

No sooner had he finished speaking than the graveyard floor stirred, and things began to rise one by one from beneath the ground.

Spearmen in old armor. Martial artists who had died of old age. Mages with spear shafts embedded in their chests. Priests whose heads were split in two…….

The corpses that should have been slumbering beneath the graveyard slowly raised their heads from all directions, scattering an eerie magical aura.

Pale spiritual bodies floated behind these corpses, directly injecting power into their forms.

Shaaaeek!!

A long spear shaft descended from behind, as if waiting.

But instead of gripping mana threads, Lennok raised his hand towards the falling blade.

A reckless gesture, as if to catch the blade bare-handed.

Immediately after, a pale Incarnation’s spiritual body emerged above Lennok’s hand, directly catching the falling blade.

A gesture as if another arm had sprung from his elbow to take the attack in his stead.

Kiiiiiiing!!

With just that, white ripples rotated above Lennok’s arm, completely deflecting the impaled spearhead.

The explosively unleashed powerful rebound force traversed the empty space of the graveyard, shimmering with dazzling light.

KWA-AAAAANG!!!

“……!!”

Such power, without even using magic, just by raising a hand.

The guardian spirits, surprised by his unbelievable defensive ability, paused, and Lennok nodded with satisfaction.

“Yes, this should be quite useful for a while.”

A new defensive method Lennok had devised to use the Incarnation’s Eight Visions without risk.

It involved overlapping Lennok’s and the Incarnation’s spatial coordinates, allowing the Incarnation to take attacks aimed at Lennok.

“I don’t like having to disable both shields and barriers to move, but……”

If he considered it another means of survival, it was more than enough.

The moment Lennok muttered that and took a step.

Whoosh!

The shadow robe transcended space, appearing dozens of meters away on the spot.

The guardian spirits, raising their magic and rushing in from the surroundings, let out cries of astonishment.

“Spatial Displacement!!”

“Especially dangerous among specialized systems……!!”

Pa-ba-ba-bat!!

Lennok’s form flickered like a blink, sprinting past the guardian spirits.

He twisted to avoid pursuing sword strikes, shattered confronting shields, and lashed out mana threads everywhere, entangling them.

Chwararak!!

A curtain of threads, radiating like a vast net, instantly filled the corridor and hindered movement.

“It’s a manipulation spellcraft that has completed Property Transformation. Don’t touch it!”

“Don’t pursue, go around and cut him off from the front!!”

Lennok swiftly broke through the guardian spirits blocking the graveyard paths, as if toying with them.

Amidst the flashes of light, each with a different trajectory and direction, Lennok maximized his will-thought.

Thud!

Above Lennok’s pale, shimmering skin, the Incarnation’s spiritual body undulated and overlapped.

Simultaneously, the Incarnation’s Eight Visions activated in unison against the onslaught pouring in from all directions.

Kiiiiiiing!!!

A sword strike impaled on his shoulder. He parried the wrist gripping the sword.

He collided elbows to twist rotation axes, stepped on hips to break balance.

He overlapped ankles, pressed knees, and twisted legs.

Dozens of gazes intersected in different directions.

Lennok’s two eyes, mimicking the Kaleidoscope and Revelation Ability, gleamed fiercely blue.

Pale ripples repeatedly flashed around Lennok, pressing down all of the guardian spirits’ attacks.

Du-du-du-du!!!

“Ahk!!”

“M-my body!”

The forms of other guardian spirits tumbled and were pushed back, exploding and scattering in all directions.

He pushed past bodies that had lost balance, crushed the center of gravity of those rushing after him, and advanced.

Without even using physical enhancement, this was the extreme of counter-attack, focusing purely on deflecting and destroying axes of motion.

In an instant, Lennok trampled and crushed the guardian spirits all around the graveyard, speeding through the damp bushes.

Leaving his defense solely to the Eight Visions wielded by the Incarnation, and pouring out Spatial Displacement and manipulation spellcraft to sweep away all the guardian spirits, he found it.

“You’ve come.”

Lennok was able to face a man guarding the entrance to the ossuary.

“…….”

Thud!

He threw down the corpse of another wizard, impaled by mana threads and reduced to a rag.

The man looked at Lennok, subtly twisting his body, and began to adopt a stance.

“It is an honor to meet a martial artist of the same school here.”

“……Same school?”

Lennok immediately understood the meaning of those words upon seeing the stance the man adopted.

The basic stance of the Eight Forms of Ninefold Dorye martial arts, which he had seen several times in this fortress.

With just that, the space around the man seemed to sink heavily, giving the illusion of rotating ponderously.

Wooooong!!

The most powerful martial artist among the superhumans and Military Spirits Lennok had encountered in this fortress.

“We guardian spirits are beings remaining in the secular world through a pact with the Ghost Dragon, inhabiting the bodies of the deceased…… we are failures filled only with lingering regrets.”

The man, eyes closed and fists clenched, murmured.

“I, too, carry the regret of having mastered a great martial art but never truly unleashed it.”

“Do you think Ninefold Dorye is a great martial art?”

“Of course.”

The man nodded without hesitation.

“Though it is called the technique of Dorye, the Berserker, I am certain it is the martial art of a master who surpassed him.”

“…….”

“Eight weapons and one pugilism. Especially this bare-handed martial art, which contains the foundation and essence of all arts!”

The man asked Lennok, who remained silent.

“Did you not also think so, which is why you, like me, practiced martial arts?”

“……Well.”

Lennok mumbled with a wry smile.

“Perhaps the reason wasn’t so grand after all.”

When he first started WORLD 1.0, what was his reason for choosing a martial artist?

It was so long ago that he barely remembered.

Unlike Lennok, what thoughts must have driven the man, left alone in the first world knowing nothing, to train his talent?

Starting with only two fists, succeeding in ascension, becoming the god of a failed world, and ultimately becoming a hotbed of madness.

To understand that, he was collecting the memories and power the man had left behind, one by one.

“……Indeed. We both carry regrets that should not linger.”

Perhaps having sensed something in Lennok’s reply, the man’s aura changed, becoming even more explosive.

Koo-goo-goo-goo!!!!

The man murmured.

“Our encounter, too, perhaps must end as briefly as this coincidence.”

“…….”

“I’ve spoken too long. I will go all out.”

Wooooong!!

The will-thought that erupted from the man became a tangible pressure, pouring down on Lennok.

The secret art of the mindscape, using will-thought itself as a weapon, unleashed through the medium of pugilism.

The moment Lennok intuitively realized this was the ultimate secret of the Eight Forms of Ninefold Dorye martial arts, pugilism.

(……Ah.)

With a faint whisper, a fierce resonance began to echo within Lennok’s mind.

Wooooong!!

Just facing this martial artist, there was a strange sensation as if the Incarnation was responding.

A powerful sense of unity that awakened his entire senses, as if recalling forgotten memories.

The moment Lennok realized this was the first step to wielding an Incarnation, as Yao Xun had mentioned before,

The martial artist and Lennok assumed the same stance and moved identically, almost simultaneously.

Ninefold Dorye Transmitted Secret Art

Will-Thought Invocation of Heaven

A new secret art of Ninefold Dorye, unleashed by directly manipulating the Incarnation.

At that moment, a pale halo unfolded before Lennok’s eyes, and a pure white gauntlet struck the martial artist, pulverizing the gateway itself.

“……!!!”

KWA-AAAAANG!!!

The iron door, unable to withstand the gauntlet’s force, shattered in a single blow. The martial artist’s form was crushed and scattered.

Lennok’s form, scattering iron fragments and smashing through the ossuary, dropped into the underground cavern beyond the door.

Thump!!

A vast cavern shrouded in hazy mist.

At the end of the cavern, spread out like a circular stadium, lay a colossal gate, sinking into a pitch-black light.

The Reverse Gate of the Infinite Void, whose origins were unfathomable, the deep darkness he had seen with his own eyes when he faced Mugan in the Memorial Tower, was there.

After meeting the Court of Soul Pacification and returning, he had continuously sought its existence, and now the Reverse Gate of the Infinite Void was before him.