Chapter 661: Scythe (11)
[This legend isn't appropriate for properly materializing 'Eight Extremes of Sword Thunder!']
[The power hasn't appeared during this time period. It is not appropriate for it to appear now.]
[The power needs to meet complicated conditions to be materialized. This legend does not meet those conditions.]
...
[The legend of fight fulfills a few of the unmet conditions.]
[The legend of fight fulfills a few of the unmet conditions.]
...
Crash. In the first place, Yeon-woo didn't expect to be able to use Sword Thunder to perfection. The legends Kronos had and the legends he had were too different, so materializing Sword Thunder fully was impossible. Most importantly, he was currently in the young Kronos' body, which had lower physical abilities than his own.
The king of gods' body during his prime might have been apt, but the body during this time period would only be severely worn out afterwards. Even now, the lungs in his body felt tight, and the body seemingly threatened to collapse at any moment. If Yeon-woo took a single misstep, everything could come crumbling down like a sandcastle. 'Is he a sunfish? Why the hell is he so weak? What did he do before becoming the king of gods...?!'
Yeon-woo allotted most of the burden to his awakened domain of fight. This could possibly have a negative influence on the domain of fight, or it could cause the domain to fight, but the basic fundamentals of "fight" were to stand against something. And the "fight" that Yeon-woo had contained a more abstract trait: standing against the impossible... Yeon-woo'd overcome the impossible by completing Jeong-woo's revenge by bringing down the Eight Clans. He now controlled dragons and giants, and was trying to defeat Allforone, who no one had been able to stand against.
The domain of death gave Yeon-woo immense power, but his true motivation had always been his ambition to climb higher.And the domain of fight adopted its owner's traits, fighting back and resisting the more it was pushed into a corner. It was disobedient and did as it wished. Even now, when his body was overloaded, the domain of fight resisted to show that this wasn't enough to defeat the domain.
[The domain of fight roars!]
Although this would leave its trace in Kronos' peaceful legends, the Sword of Thunder materialized and struck the Lord of the Pole.
[The external legends are recorded.]
[The balance of the legends is crumbling!]
Kroooo! The creature's miserable cries shook the universe. Although the being didn't have any medium to deliver sound waves, Yeon-woo felt like he could hear the cries clearly.
The Lord of the Pole was in severe pain, and he hadn't experienced such hurt throughout his very long period of existence. He must have considered mortals as mere bugs and, since he was ranked highly in the otherworld, he probably ordered other otherworld gods around. Thus, he only grew more furious after being humiliated by Yeon-woo, who was supposed to be a source of amusement.
Hurts... This hurts. I'll kill you. The Lord of the Pole exuded rage as he tried to catch Yeon-woo. The black fire around him blazed beautifully, lashing at Yeon-woo like a supernova was about to explode. Meteors that could easily crush most planets poured down from the sky, while the spinning black fire repeatedly ignited on the ground to burn Yeon-woo.
Each time, Yeon-woo released his Sword Thunder to explode the meteors and extinguish the flames. Then, he began to move quickly to find the Lord of the Pole's core.
Their corner of the Night became noisy from battle, so Yeon-woo kept his guard up watching his surroundings even while fighting the Lord of the Pole. The Crawling Chaos got on his nerves the most, because he had no clue as to why the being kept observing them. The interest of the other otherworld gods also put pressure on him. Usually, he didn't have to care about otherworld gods, because he could easily sweep them away with Sword Thunder. 'But there are too many Outer Gods.'
There were a few otherworld gods who were far away, pretending not to care, but they continued to show interest in Yeon-woo. They were on the same level or as powerful as the Crawling Chaos. The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, the Nameless Mist, the Source of Uncleanliness, the Green Flame, and the Harbinger... They were beings Yeon-woo had only seen in the revelations. To be exact, they were creatures who the heavenly world's beings only observed and had never actually faced.
They had the traits of distorting reality, manipulating causality, and appearing ubiquitous. From the perspective of the imperfect divine beings, the Outer Gods were so powerful that they seemed omniscient and omnipotent.
The orderly beings of the heavenly world were born when the universe was created, so the heavenly world creatures didn't designate any special names for the otherworld gods and the Outer Gods. They simply called them the Eight Gods of Disorder—the eight divine beings who ruled over the vast, unimaginable universe. And because they had existed with the Black King, they could show phenomena that most beings couldn't observe.
The heavenly world didn't know too much about these otherworld gods either, feeling wary and fearful of them. For transcendents, anything in the realm of uncertainty was fearful. Yeon-woo was only able to know about them after becoming the Black King's successor and seeking a part of the revelations.
However, none of that has occurred during this period yet. The concept of an "otherworld" hadn't been established. The Tower hadn't been built yet, and the gods and demons were busy dealing with the Heavenly Demon, who was getting started with his mission. The transcendents were also arrogant, believing they were everything in their universe and dimensions.
Yeon-woo became more curious about Uranus, who was dealing with this existence called the Night. But of course, he didn't have time to think about that right now. He was already getting a headache dealing with the Lord of the Pole and the Crawling Chaos, but the Eight Gods of Disorder were starting to focus on him too...
Of those, there was one creature that stressed Yeon-woo out more than others. 'Resident of the Border.' There was a colossal eye watching Yeon-woo from the seams of the Night. He had a powerful divinity that made Crawling Chaos and the other large Outer Gods seem tiny. The massive gaze shook Kronos' legends with a single glance.
[Every being in the 'Night (Knox)' focuses on you.]
[The 'Resident of the Border' observes you.]
[The 'Resident of the Border' is very interested in the fact that other beings live outside of the 'Night (Knox).']
[The 'Resident of the Border' is curious why he can smell a familiar scent from you, a being from outside the 'Night (Knox).']
Yeon-woo didn't know much about the Resident of the Border because he had only seen a part of the revelations. However, from what he knew, the being was interested in the realm of order but couldn't influence the Tower due to his limitations from birth.
When Yeon-woo first learned of this, he thought it was a relief. There was nothing known about the Resident of the Border because nothing good would come out of clashing with him. But now, the creature was showing interest in him. It wasn't a good sign.
[The 'Eight Gods of Disorder' observe you.]
[The 'Eight Gods of Disorder' attempt to observe you.]
[The 'Eight Gods of Disorder' attempt to analyze you.]
[The 'Eight Gods of Disorder'...]
...
[The observance of the 'Eight Gods of Disorder' negatively influences your existence.]
[A foreign matter (substance of chaos) has been mixed into this legend.]
[A foreign matter (substance of disorder) has been mixed into this legend.]
...
[Warning! If too many foreign matters are mixed into the legends, the identity of the legends will be shaken. It can lead to the destruction of the ego, so take caution.]
[Warning! This legend has been exposed to an unauthorized location 'Night (Knox)' for too long. It can lead to the collapse of the legends, so leave as soon as possible.]
The Eight Gods of Disorder could be said to be "Night" itself. The Resident of the Border, in particular, was their king. And the fact that they were observing Yeon-woo meant the world of the Night was trying to bind him. As the warning messages said, this wasn't good... The greater their interest and the longer Yeon-woo stayed in here, the grip of this world on him would become tighter. It was a dangerous situation. At this rate, Yeon-woo could be tied to this world or captured by the creatures, even if he somehow managed to escape.
'Grandfather wouldn't have thrown me into this den of beasts for amusement, so what're his intentions?' Yeon-woo understood Uranus wanted him to awaken the concept of time. He also understood that time was just a relative concept based on its observer.
'The messages stating I've discovered the substances and awakened Pneuma have popped up. Then, after that? What am I supposed to do?' Yeon-woo wondered how he could extract and use the substances after finding them. He also thought about how he could apply it to Pneuma and proactively utilize them.
Yeon-woo'd been sensing the substances for a while now. When Eye of the Heavens and Ear of the Heavens were connected, he could feel something strange at his fingertips. It didn't budge now, but it felt like he'd be able to use it upon tapping into his holy power. However, since he didn't know how to use it efficiently, it'd only be a bother... There had to be a way to use it.
'By using these things called substances, there has to be a way to move the concept of time. Can I turn the attention of the otherworld gods towards that?' Yeon-woo quickly found his answer, since he had been thinking of it for some time now. He deduced that the solution was within Time Difference. 'Time Difference sped up my thoughts so the world around me seemingly slowed down. But what if I actually slowed it down instead of making it seem so?'
Yeon-woo racked his brain. 'I don't need to make the entire world around me slow down, but just the places I can see and feel... If I can slow down the 'wheel' in this small place...' He finally began to see the big picture when the pieces of the puzzle came together.
'The substances are the shafts of the cogwheel that make up the small wheel. Pneuma is the handle that moves these shafts...and Time Difference is how the cogwheel is moved?' Yeon-woo's eyes suddenly lit up once he reached that answer.
[Congratulations! You have realized the concept of Pneuma!]
[Pneuma (πνεύμα) is 'the breath left alongside something that awakened the beginning of time.' By feeling this breath and accepting it, your soul will become richer, and you'll be closer to freedom.]
[You have obtained the back pages of the revelations you weren't able to see.]
[You have successfully taken a step closer to the secrets of the universe.]
[You have obtained clues about the beginning and end of time.]
...
[The Black King smiles as he watches you.]
[The Black King watches his successor's growth in amusement.]
...
[You have realized the foundation of 'Pneuma's Sky!']
Messages of the Black King's interest popped up in his peripheral vision, but Yeon-woo didn't have the mental capacity to care. 'I need materials to expand the traits of Time Difference outside of me, and that material...is probably my consciousness... I need to make Thought Control stronger than it is, so my thoughts can move the wheel of the world.'
[You have realized the application of 'Pneuma's Sky.']
[The concept of consciousness has been added to the Pneuma category. You are now able to use Pneuma as you wish.]
[The power 'Pneuma's Sky' has been created!]
'I have to slow down the wheel of time.' Yeon-woo swept aside the Lord of the Pole's flames, and his eyes darkened.
[The power 'Pneuma's Sky' has activated and interferes in the 'Small Wheel!']
[The speed of the 'Small Wheel' drastically decreases.]
[The laws of causality are activated.]
[Time is drastically slowed down within the scope of a fixed area!]