Chapter 158 – The Iron Man's Martial Dance

[Conditions met, <Empyrean Earth Constitution (Unique)> and <Memory Inheritance (Unique)> are integrated.]

[<Clay Earth Cloud Boundary (Legendary)> is formed.]

Through Gobhan’s reincarnation, Henrietta’s body transformed into a kind of small-scale Yeto Divine Territory.

Her body became a cloud server storing the memories and achievements of those belonging to the swarm, creating a system where reincarnation into new bodies was possible as many times as needed.

“Death will no longer exist for you all.”

Henrietta said as she embraced the resurrected Gobhan.

Now, bodies were merely like clothes they could change into as often as they wished.

Even if they died disconnected from the swarm as this time, they could reincarnate as many times as needed through the data backed up in Henrietta.

And the completion of this system was sufficient achievement for Six-Star Promotion Completion.

[Feat, ‘Reincarnation System Formation’ achieved.]

[The Clay Constellation records Henrietta’s feat and altered history with great satisfaction.]

[Sixth Awakening Skill 《Cradle of All Life》 blooms.]

…….

With her Six-Star Promotion completed and her Historical Alteration finalized, the Yeto Divine Banner, having finished its task, attempted to return to reality.

“Pause for a moment.”

But Rough, who had been observing from the Dream Fantasy World, stretched out his hand.

Whoosh— Thud.

The Yeto Divine Banner changed direction and slipped into Rough’s grasp.

But at that moment.

—Huhu. It seems this is my chance to reclaim my Divine Realm.

Along with Maya’s voice.

[The Dream? Constellation grants the ‘Divine Realm Collection II’ mission.]

A new constellation mission was given.

Only after checking the message did Lee Hanseong realize he had completely forgotten one character of Mirinae’s Constellation Name.

Until he possessed the history, the memory remained somewhat, albeit vague….

It seemed it had been erased after all.

But Lee Hanseong wasn’t too disappointed.

Last time, hadn’t he unlocked the Constellation Name while completing the Primordial Divine Realm?

“Surely the subordinate constellations of Dream Chaos were Center, Yeto, Wind, and Steel.”

Rough’s Dream Fantasy World was already a Wind Divine Realm that drew upon the Dream Stratum.

With the Yeto Divine Banner, he could unfold the Yeto Divine Territory.

If he retrieved the Steel Divine Beast with Non and the Center Divine Bead that went to Utangka, he could complete Maya’s Dream Chaos Divine Realm.

Coincidentally, after Henrietta, the record closest to Rough’s present time was Non’s.

Originally, Alter and Henrietta were contemporaries, but as Alter’s history progressed relatively faster, Non’s present, being slightly in the past, was actually closer to Rough’s.

Srrrrrluk!

Henrietta’s colony, which had been spread across the Dream Fantasy World’s landscape, disappeared, and in its place, Non’s smithy appeared.

Inside the smithy, usually filled with the heat of the forge and the monotonous sound of hammering, was quiet.

‘Previously, Non’s history ended with him awakening his Demon Armor body into the Divine Artifact <Ruyi Divine True Iron Armor>.’

In the center of the tranquil smithy.

Non sat motionless, his eyes closed, lost in thought.

At a glance, one might mistake him for ordinary armor rather than a living Demon Armor.

Wheeeeeeng!

But then.

Suddenly, a driving sound came from inside the armor, and.

Flash!

Non’s presence, which had felt somewhat distant, became vivid.

It meant Non’s consciousness had stepped into the Dream Stratum where Rough and Mirkala were.

—Rough? You… came into my dream?

“…You realized it’s a dream?”

—I’ve been dreaming continuously even before you came.

Things became easier.

This way, there was no need to bother intervening in reality by detouring through dreams.

“That’s good. I happen to have something to give you.”

—Huh?

Step— Tap.

As he had done with Henrietta, Rough approached Non and touched him.

And he transmitted the evolved form of the skill Lee Hanseong had previously pioneered.

Wheeeeng.

[Conditions met, <Artisan (Rare)> evolves into <Genius (Unique)>.]

[Conditions met, <Special Crafting (Unique)> evolves into <Magnum Opus (Legendary)>.]

Artisan was the result of synthesizing skills of the same type, and Supreme Crafting, another material for Magnum Opus, was essentially already included in Special Crafting, so the skill evolution was instantaneous.

One and a half of the two Unique Skill Slots unlocked at 5-Star were now filled.

—This is…! So, that’s how it was.

Non, feeling that Artisan and Special Crafting alone were insufficient, repeatedly exclaimed in admiration.

—Thank you, Rough. Thanks to you, I can organize my ideas on how to use the Steel Divine Beast.

“Don’t mention it. But were you dreaming to organize your ideas?”

—Yes, the Steel Divine Realm unfolded with the Steel Divine Beast I obtained this time is a domain that freely manipulates matter. If I use it without precise planning, unintended changes could occur in material structures.

“Ah, so that’s why….”

Rough, finally grasping Non’s situation, nodded his head.

Meanwhile, Non was filling in his shortcomings as he realized through Magnum Opus.

Gigigigigigik!

Physical changes occurred in the Demon Armor’s structure, inversely causing changes in the Skill Circuit as well.

It was a kind of skill creation through Magnum Opus.

[Using <Granting Magic: Enchant (Rare)> and <??? (Rare)> as materials, <Switch (Unique)> is created.]

[Using <Ideal Type View (Rare)> and <Hunting Studies (Rare)> as materials, <Countermeasure View (Unique)> is created.]

A different method of skill evolution from existing skill integration.

Enchant expanded to fill the remaining Skill Slot, becoming a skill that imprints on/off switches on equipment.

Ideal Type View and Hunting Studies evolved into a skill that views ideal techniques to deconstruct a target’s structure.

[<Genius (Unique)> + <Countermeasure View (Unique)> = <Grand Master (Legendary)>]

And finally, skill evolution concluded with the existing method of integration.

A Legendary Skill that naturally merged into one because it was created from the start to interlock with the Genius skill’s circuit.

As if preparations were complete, Non, stopping his work, looked at Rough and spoke.

—Would you be my test opponent?

“Of course. But what should I do?”

—Just fight me in martial arts.

“Alright. Then, I’ll go first.”

Although Non was still 5-Star and Rough was 6-Star, Lee Hanseong didn’t underestimate his opponent.

Non, who used a Divine Artifact as his body, couldn’t be judged simply by Grade.

Whoooosh—!

Swinging the Yeto Divine Banner, Rough aimed at Non’s lower body.

Chwarararak!

Non’s leg transformed into an axe blade, attempting to strike the banner pole.

In response, Rough imparted a spinning rotation to the spear, not meeting the axe-like leg head-on but deflecting it.

Bang.

Using the deflected leg, Non stomped the ground and surged forward, closing the distance with Rough.

Flutter!

Fluttering the banner in front of his opponent’s eyes, blocking his vision.

Chwajwajwajwak!

In response, Non’s two arms, transformed like blades, seemed about to clash but drew a trajectory that narrowly avoided collision, tearing the banner.

However, in that gap, Rough rotated the pole and thrust the other end at the solar plexus.

It was a strike that precisely pierced the momentary opening when Non’s arms were outward, tearing the banner.

Whoosh—

But the pole thrust into empty air.

Because Non leaned his upper body back at the same speed as the thrust, evading it.

A movement impossible without prior preparation.

Moreover, that posture didn’t become a subsequent opening.

Non, continuing the momentum of falling backward, went into a handstand and, rotating his legs transformed like blades as if breakdancing, wrapped them around the banner pole.

Feeling he might lose the spear if things continued, Rough hastily tried to spin and pull back the Banner Spear, but.

“……?!”

Crack— Ting! Whirlik.

Suddenly, as if rejecting him, the Yeto Divine Banner bounced out of Rough’s grasp and flew away.

Swoosh.

Following that, Non aimed a hand blade at Rough’s neck, now empty-handed.

“I lost.”

Rough raised both hands and surrendered.

“The movements you just showed, they were all ones I taught you before, right?”

—Those were the only useful movements I knew.

Non was someone who lived his whole life as a blacksmith.

Even though he didn’t use the sword, Lee Hanseong’s main weapon, the level of his Banner Spear Arts mastered through All Streams Return to Origin could be called extreme.

Yet Non fought on par with Lee Hanseong’s martial arts.

And not with proper martial arts, but with movements derived from the dance and techniques Rough had shown before.

‘Is this the talent granted by the Grand Master skill!’

Lee Hanseong could understand up to this point.

But one thing.

He couldn’t understand at all why the Yeto Divine Banner, connected to him, suddenly rejected him and bounced away.

If Non had granted <Switch>, which disarms equipment, the moment he wrapped his legs around the pole, such a rejection reaction might occur.

But interfering with a Divine Artifact with a Unique Skill didn’t make sense.

“What kind of magic did you use? Mr. Non”

—Didn’t you notice? Magnum Opus.

“Ah…!”

Because he was too immersed in performing Banner Spear Arts with Rough’s body, his thinking was short.

Since Magnum Opus was a crafting-type but Legendary Grade, it was sufficiently possible to temporarily add a switch function to a Divine Artifact.

The Grand Master’s vision views the connection structure between the Divine Artifact and the user.

Magnum Opus adds a switch by deconstructing it.

And the moment the switch is turned off, the equipment is forcibly removed.

The moment Lee Hanseong realized this principle.

[Feat, ‘Tap to Unequip’ achieved.]

[The Steel Constellation belatedly records Non Smith’s feat and altered history.]

[Fifth Awakening Skill 《Disarmament》 blooms.]

…….

Non’s 5-Star Promotion was completed slightly late.

Perhaps because the event occurred in a dream, the Steel Constellation’s observation was delayed.

Anyway, as Non completed 5-Star and reached 6-Star again with the Blessing of Transcendence.

Srrrluk.

The vividness faded from Non’s appearance, feeling distant, and Non awoke in his reality.

Chwarurururuk!

In reality, Non’s Ruyi Divine True Iron Armor was being turned inside out and reassembled.

During this process, the Steel Divine Beast also intervened, unfolding the Steel Divine Realm.

Clackclackclackclack—

The essence of the world as interpreted by the Steel Constellation was matter.

Thus, in the Steel Divine Realm, everything could be materialized.

Even if it were starlight or soul.

Jurururuk.

Non’s soul dwelling in the Demon Armor materialized into ectoplasm, flowing down like liquid and mixing with the components inside the armor.

Chwarurururuk!

Using all that as material, he began to refine a human body.

Not the talentless body Non had discarded in the past, but an ideal body was being created through Magnum Opus.

However, this was work done while forcibly materializing the soul through the Steel Divine Realm, so the harmony between soul and body wasn’t perfect.

‘Ah, that’s not how you do it.’

For Lee Hanseong, who possessed <Spirit Particle Manipulation>, the flaws were even more apparent.

So he had no choice but to intervene in Non’s work from the Dream Fantasy World.

Woong.

Using Omnipresent Star, he copied his <Spirit Particle Manipulation> and transmitted it through the dream.

“If I give you this, you can handle the rest yourself, right?”

Woowoong!

As if answering his muttering, Non’s soul emitted a resonance.

Starting from that point, the slightly prominent flaws were gradually tidied up.

A body perfectly harmonizing soul and flesh, no different from a Primal Spirit God, was completed.

“Hooooo—”

The sound of breathing came from inside the Ruyi Divine True Iron Armor.

“This sensation the body gives, it’s been so long.”

Non’s voice was now a living voice, not a mechanical tone.

Chwarararak—

As Non temporarily converted the Ruyi Divine True Iron Armor into a spiritual state, his newly completed body was revealed.

The robust body of a young man with golden proportions.

Even just standing still, the perfection of that body was visible.

[Conditions met, <Heavenly Martial Constitution (Unique)> blooms.]

[Keyword ‘Martial God’ is unlocked.]

Who would have thought a spirit would obtain the identity of Martial God not in Arthalia, where Murim exists, but in Ardenia, closer to arcane punk.

While Rough inwardly felt bewildered yet pleased at Non’s new possibilities.

[Great Feat, ‘Imaginary Human Transmutation’ achieved….]

[The Steel Constellation records Non Smith’s Great Feat and altered history….]

[Sixth Awakening Skill 《Fantasy Realization》 blooms….]

…….

With Non’s Six-Star Promotion Completion, his Historical Alteration also ended.

Whoosh— Thud.

And just as he took the Yeto Divine Banner when Henrietta’s Historical Alteration ended.

As Rough stretched out his hand, retrieving the Steel Divine Beast, which was about to leave after Non’s Historical Alteration concluded, was completed without issue.

With this, three of the four Divine Realms needed to complete the Dream Chaos Divine Realm were filled.

But obtaining the last one seemed something to postpone until the very end.

Because Utangka’s era, where the Center Divine Realm could be obtained, was over tens of thousands of years in the past from Rough’s present.

“The next closest is… Alter’s record, I guess.”

Observing the remaining spirits’ records in order would eventually lead to Utangka’s record.

Instead of rushing, Rough calmly switched the Dream Fantasy World’s scenery anew.

Srrrluk.

Non’s smithy disappeared, and the underground space of an ancient imperial tomb ruin was newly revealed.

However, it wasn’t the time when the future Rian would find that place with Rough.

It was the moment right after Alter, having left arrangements for Rian and facing death, fell asleep in the time-freezing sleep device.