The Outer God Needs Warmth

If you catch it, you’ll reach it.

Without needing to rise from the depths, I can strike at you directly from this body.

The light is huge.

It’s truly enormous. If a person were an apple, then that being called Tongcheon is like the moon. It’s so large that I wonder if it’s okay to even touch something this big.

But then again, if it’s this big, couldn’t it contain me?

What would happen if I struck with all my might?

I push myself into the light.

“What is this?”

I reached the light. In the past, I would cover it the moment I touched it, but this time it takes time.

“Let go, let go! I said let go!”

Is that why I’m convulsing? So, I loosened my grip and stepped back a few paces.

“I let go of my hands.”

Even though I let go of my hands, I’m still in contact.

To put it simply, it’s like this.

There are two circles drawn on a white sheet of paper. To touch, the black edge of the circle must connect.

Even if the two circles stick together and fall apart, if you place a black paper underneath, even if the two circles part, they are essentially still connected, aren’t they?

I reach upwards from the black paper.

When I create something or heal a wound, it’s like I’m going up from the black paper below.

As I touch, the light shakes around.

Even the memories come in very slowly.

No, to be precise, there’s just too much information. So I can’t finish it all at once like a person. It’s just like when the first world fell onto me.

Back then, the sheer volume of light took a long time to comprehend; now, this takes a long time because of how vast the light is.

A person could cover it all in an instant, so I didn’t notice, but now that I’m trying to cover such a large thing, I’ve realized something.

First of all, if I don’t cover all the light, it’s hard to tear away the warmth.

I think I can suck it in bit by bit, but somehow if I do that, it feels like there will be a counterattack, so after covering it all, I plan to snatch it away in one go.

Since this is the first kind I’m snatching, I’ll approach it cautiously.

Just then, the leader of Tongcheon reached out with four twisted lines behind him. As the four became entangled into a fork, he extended that towards me.

Crack.

“Diagonal Sword. A weapon used to kill the enlightened ones. I don’t know who you are, but it seems I can’t stop this.”

Two holes pierced my head, neck, and chest. It’s not just simple holes; something invisible flows in through the wounds.

Just like a river flows without visible water. That means you can only see the stones and sand flowing within, right?

It digs in and meticulously tears apart my flesh.

Upon checking the status, each blade destroys different areas. The two that are embedded in my chest rip my flesh apart. But one crushes mainly the meat, while the other flows through my veins, entering the bones and melting them down.

I can’t tell at all about the ones in my neck and head.

Except for the initial hole, nothing else seems to move.

So… what do I do with this?

I don’t feel any obstacles at all. My body may be destroyed, but when have I ever done anything with my body?

I raised my arm and grasped a talisman-like device.

“What? The flesh, soul, and destiny must be broken!”

Flesh, soul, breadth. Is that why there are four blades?

But, Tongcheon. You’re too distracted by just a glass jar, aren’t you?

I continued to reach out and slowly stained him with my color. The pure white light gradually turned into a dark purple.

Can’t you see this?

Can’t you feel this?

You call yourself a god, right?

Or is this just nothing for you?

Slowly, my body seems to be turning into dust. Just before my vessel completely breaks, I crushed reality.

Crack.

A tremendous fissure bloomed from me that was unimaginably larger than when my body shattered. It bloomed in all directions like a flower blooming around me.

And then my body returned to normal. The weapon that had pierced me melted away at the parts that touched the fissure and vanished.

“If you continue like this, the world will collapse, foolish girl! Do you think you can escape from this sword of extremes by twisting reality? Your fate is already over!”

Tongcheon shouted loudly.

But that’s something I should be saying.

It took time, but I covered all of his light.

I licked up the light completely.

And grabbed the light to seize the warmth…

Hehe.

Hehehe.

Hehehehe!

Ah, what in the world! It’s warm!

Not faint warmth, but heat! There’s actual heat! Yes, this is it!

This is it! The warmth I can obtain from now on!

“Aaaaaaaah!”

Is this guy screaming?

Ah, right. Originally, if you only take warmth while alive, you turn into a monster, right?

My whole body swells up as if it’s bursting, transforming into a giant fishman, and as the fishman’s figure peels away, a monster that’s a mix of fish and amphibian bursts forth from behind.

And as my body twists, my eyes pop out, and from that spot muscles and tentacles burst forth, while on the opposite side, ribs and shoulder blades break through the flesh, losing their original shape.

Thinking gods were a bit more spiritual, it seems they aren’t so different from living beings.

But no.

I can’t escape.

It’s warm.

It’s mine.

It’s mine.

It’s mine!

It’s cold.

I’m cold. Cold and, cold and, cold and cold until I lose my mind again. But I can’t go mad.

Ah, ah. Again. No! Is this not enough? Is this heat not sufficient? Can I never stay warm? Until when do I have to be cold?

Or should I be hunting something like you, not bugs or humans?

Huh? Leader of Tongcheon. Daegon.

Or should I squeeze you further to release more warmth? More?

I shoved myself towards the convulsing Daegon, who was screaming in the water.

The light turned black and shrank. But it’s still big enough. Even if I combine all the light from the creatures nearby, compared to this shrunken light, it’s too small. That’s how gigantic Daegon’s light is.

“Kiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!”

At that moment, spears made of bones, muscles, blood, or organs burst out in all directions from Daegon’s body.

A very small warmth comes to me.

Ah. Didn’t you know?

If you take away warmth from me, no matter how much warmth you seek, it comes back to me. Because it’s connected to me. Cold, right? It’s chilly, isn’t it? That’s what I feel.

You were warm, weren’t you?

Isn’t that right?

You were always happy, right?

Then it’s okay for you to be unhappy now, right? Yes? Right?

I watched Daegon, glowing in search of warmth. How does that cold feel? Is it unbearable? You call yourself a god, right? Why can’t you endure it? You should be able to. Or what would I become if you didn’t?

Or are you thinking of saying you’re not a god?

But you called yourself a god. Didn’t you?

You.

Or are you not a god? In other words, is this warmth I’m stealing okay? Yes?

Daegon condensed blue light in his mouth.

It wasn’t a malice directed at me. He was trying to kill to gain more warmth.

I know.

When you get unbearably cold, you only think about where to get warmth.

Then warmth becomes visible.

So, how did living beings take something from other beings until now?

They kill and eat.

Instinctively, to escape that terrible cold, they act.

The direction in which the light is pointing is beneath the surface.

A massive underwater city where countless warm colonies are gathered deep underwater.

A huge metropolis where the fishmen live, incomparable to the Cheonma Church. It carries a lot of warmth.

And that place vanished as Daegon released that flash of light.

Hehe.

Warmth is coming in.

Yes. You won’t get it, Daegon.

Despite his face being torn to shreds, I could see his troubled expression. Simultaneously, an incredible shockwave originating from the epicenter headed this way.

Is this how it’s done?

I reached out for Daegon’s arm, consuming the innards that had turned to sludge and those materials he cherished deeply.

As a result, the bubbles Daegon had created moments ago appeared.

The shockwave Daegon unleashed bounced off the bubbles.

I can control my body. Knowing this made me realize how small people were. Only with such a huge being filled with ways to use its strength could I understand.

I learned how to manipulate it when I licked the light.

Hehe.

Swirrllyrrrlraa

Huh?

The parts used to create the bubbles burst. It doesn’t explode; it’s drawn in like something being blended in a mixer.

I’ve seen something similar to this.

When Cheonma unfurled the veil, that monster that was getting sucked in and dying.

Ah, I see. That is my body that has come into contact with reality through Daegon’s body.

It’s the opposite of the laws that make up this world, as Cheonma said. So it collides and disappears with all the principles around it.

I thought it was antimatter colliding with matter, but unlike pair annihilation, there’s no particular heat. It simply gets cold and sucked in, disappearing.

As Daegon panicked, the remaining parts of him began to regrow arms and legs. Simultaneously, the senses linked with Daegon told me.

There’s a lack of fuel.

I can’t feel all that fuel, but through experience, I’ve learned it must be Qi or magic power.

In other words, he can’t mutate or regenerate, right?

Suddenly, one thought occurred. A wrinkly black light. Could I use this to emerge just like in the first world?

I subtly pushed myself in.

Kagagagagak!

Like an art piece formed by striking the tempered glass, a tree of fissures grew through Daegon’s head.

So heavy…

Hah.

I can’t seem to create anything with this material.

But I’ve gained something.

If it’s a substantial body, I can push myself in and control it.

But I have to consume a lot for this. The principle is the same. Moving Cheosol or Rebecca’s body is no different from moving Daegon’s body.

A thoroughly crafted vessel designed to contain something.

A body capable of holding gods.

The zero point imprinted in reality.

Only that can contain me wholly, and when I move, it doesn’t get ground down.

I’ve learned a lot. A whole lot.

And a new prey has appeared. Not a little warmth that slightly alleviates the cold but a warm warmth.

These beings that call themselves immortals, who think they are gods.

Those who can cross between worlds.

Kehehe.

Yes. You who were at the bottom.

You were incredibly warm.

I caressed my face. Then I turned around.

Over there, Cheonma stood with a tense expression, staring at me. But he didn’t draw his blade.

As he looked at me, he closed his eyes, as if to say, if you’re going to kill me, then do it.

I took a glance at the bubbles that were blocking the water around. There’s still quite some time before Daegon’s body is completely consumed. There’s no rush.

I slowly approached Cheonma.

“How foolish.”

And I cupped Cheonma’s cheeks with both hands. I’m taller than him, you see. Startled, Cheonma slowly opened his eyes. His black pupils glowed a bright blue.

“Go back. I’ve caught the fool.”

Joyous at having found the target to seize warmth from or turn into harvesting material, I took hold of Cheonma and returned to the house where Soo-oh was waiting.

---