Chapter 295: Episode 56 – Reader and Writer (1)
It was noon when the march began. It was an army containing 200 elite incarnations. As numerous constellations watched, Lee Hyunsung raised a horn at the front of the army.
[The item ‘Battlefield Horn’ is activated!]
[The morale of the allies has increased significantly!]
[The attack power of the allies has increased slightly!]
As expected of Han Sooyoung. She had already prepared such consumables. Lee Hyunsung blew the horn once again and the incarnations cheered. Everyone seemed excited.
Shin Yoosung glanced at me and spoke politely. “That… thank you for saving me last time.”
“Ah, yes. It was nothing.”
Shin Yoosung smiled at my words. She was raised to be kind and polite, unlike Kim Namwoon. I glanced to the side and saw Han Sooyoung making an unknown smile.
…I don’t think Shin Yoosung grew up like this because someone raised her. Yoosung was originally a good kid.
“Kim Dokja-ssi is also participating in this scenario?”
“Nope. I’m not qualified.”
“Ah yes… I’m sorry. I heard that we can get a giant story if we clear this scenario.”
I didn’t feel regret. It would be great if I could acquire Liberator of the Apocalypse Dragon here as the second giant story. However, this wasn’t the direction I wanted. The giant story I wanted was in the third round.
In the front, Lee Seolhwa was wiping sweat from Lee Hyunsung’s forehead. Lee Hyunsung smiled weakly.
“…I’m nervous. I don’t know if we can do it well.”
“It’s going to be fine. We’ve done a good job so far.”
I could hear Kim Namwoon and Lee Jihye’s voices behind me.
“Hey, Lee Jihye. What will you do at the end of this scenario?”
“Well, it is clearing another scenario.”
“How long will you only clear the scenario? Sometimes we need to have some fun. Come play with me after this scenario is finished…”
Kim Namwoon was watching Lee Jihye’s eyes while wearing the coat I lent him. As I told him, gloves were on both hands. His hair was still white and there were bandages wrapped around his arms…
Then thunder struck in the sky. The armies of the nebulae participating in this scenario were approaching in the distance. They were nebulae I had already encountered and nebulae I hadn’t met.
Han Sooyoung’s companions were strong enough but the number was inadequate to deal with all the enemies. Han Sooyoung stepped towards Lee Hyunsung and declared. “We have only one objective. It is to liberate the ‘dragon’ sealed in the sphere.”
Her white coat fluttered as Han Sooyoung kept speaking. “As you know, liberation the ‘Apocalypse Dragon’ will destroy the peninsula. However, as long as we have completed the clear conditions, we can move onto the next stage. Then no one on this earth will die.”
The determination of the incarnations solidified at Han Sooyoung’s declaration and they shouted again. They chanted Han Sooyoung’s name. It was a somewhat familiar sight.
…All of this was once done by Yoo Jonghyuk.
The 95th scenario, the Second Coming of the Apocalypse Dragon. This was a scenario to awaken the apocalypse dragon that was sealed at the time of Eden’s fall. It was accomplished by collecting five ‘swords’ scattered around the world and plugging them into the keyhole of the seal.
In fact, Yoo Jonghyuk accomplished this scenario and gained the giant story.
“Let’s go to the next scenario!” Han Sooyoung shouted and the incarnation army moved towards the sealed sphere. However, enemies could be seen running from the other side.
[Take the sword! We must take the keys!]
[Over there! Han Sooyoung!]
They were the incarnations and constellations hiding all over the Korean Peninsula. They wished to acquire the story by awakening the apocalypse dragon.
“Stop them!”
The people beside me scattered and pulled out their weapons. Lee Hyunsung, Lee Jihye and Shin Yoosung ran while emitting magic power.
“Hahahahat! Come! Abyss Dragon!”
Kim Namwoon was also jumping into the battlefield. His blackening reached the peak. The Kim Namwoon of this world was different from the Kim Namwoon I knew. Still, Kim Namwoon tearing all the enemies approaching him was clearly the Delusional Demon I knew. I didn’t know what terrible things he had done to reach this point.
Then Han Sooyoung pulled out several swords. The star relics gave off a brilliant light. They were the keys to be used to clear this scenario.
Four swords. They were still lacking one to complete the key.
“Kim Dokja. Give me your Arondite.”
“…You knew?”
I smiled as I pulled out a sword. The Dragon Slayer Arondight. This was the key to ending this scenario.
“Then send Yoo Jonghyuk to the seal.” I stared at Han Sooyoung after hearing her words. Han Sooyoung was smiling. “Didn’t I say I would kill him? Have you forgotten?”
I didn’t like the look in her eyes. At this moment, I realized something. “You killing Yoo Jonghyuk is the condition for your Outer World Covenant.”
Han Sooyoung’s eyes flashed. “Yes.”
“That’s why you’re fixated on Yoo Jonghyuk?”
“Quickly give me that sword.”
The cold texture of Arondight was felt. In fact, I knew what Han Sooyoung was going to do.
“Holy Sword Ascalon. Thunder Sword Gram. Dragon Sword Ridill. Old Dragon Sword Næġling and the Dragon Slaying Sword Arondight.”
I called out the names of the swords and Han Sooyoung’s expression strangely stiffened.
“There is one problem. One of the swords I just mentioned has a different character.”
“What are you doing now?”
“You’re fooling the people.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Let’s go to the next scenario?”
I continued speaking, “Don’t pretend. You don’t want to clear this scenario.”
Han Sooyoung’s eyes shook. Her eyes were filled with something close to madness. The four swords were shining white beside her. “Continue.”
“You don’t want to free the Apocalypse Dragon. It is actually the opposite. You are going to seal this ‘Earth’ with the Apocalypse Dragon.”
“Why do you think that?”
I pointed to an object in Han Sooyoung’s hand. “You have Næġling. This sword is the only ‘sword’ with a different attribute.”
The five swords that made up the 95th scenario were all related to dragon slaying stories. Only one sword, the ‘Old Dragon Sword Næġling’ was different.
“That sword is a failed dragon slaying sword. If you use that sword as a key, the seal won’t be released. It is actually the opposite.”
An improper key would strengthen the seal, not release it. The seal would realize it wasn’t yet time for liberation and become a bigger and stronger barrier. It would soon cover the entire planet with a seal.
“The time here will stop and Earth will be sealed with the Apocalypse Dragon. It will remain forever fixed in the 95th scenario.”
I couldn’t read the expression of Han Sooyoung, who had bowed her head. I continued speaking,
“This is how you will kill Yoo Jonghyuk.”
I looked back at Yoo Jonghyuk. Yoo Jonghyuk was watching me with blank eyes. As long as there was his sponsor, Yoo Jonghyuk wouldn’t die. Once he died, he would return again and again. However…
What if there was eternal sleep in the world? An eternal sleep with no dreams and no waking up. Such a thing was no different from ‘death.’
“You have decided to seal Yoo Jonghyuk forever in this turn.”
Yoo Jonghyuk would be trapped in the seal and fall into a sleep that no one could wake up from. He wouldn’t regress or suffer anymore. He would fall asleep eternally and a new world line wouldn’t be created.
This was the ‘death’ of Yoo Jonghyuk. It was the death of a regressor.
I turned and saw Han Sooyoung smiling faintly. “Better than expected. How did you know? I never showed you exactly what my next plan was.”
“You didn’t show me.”
I had seen Han Sooyoung’s mind. I saw the world she dreamt and read the information she had shown. Obviously, almost everything was perfect. However, there was one crucial thing missing from the world.
“There were no signs of ■■ in your story.”
The end of all the scenarios, ■■. However, not everyone reached ■■. Some stories ended without even going near ■■.
Thunder was heard from the sky to the west. Rain started to fall from the dark clouds. The voices of those shouting in the distance and the true voices of the constellations engaged in battle came out. Lee Hyunsung, Lee Seolhwa and Lee Jihye.
They were all desperate. It was in order to survive. Survive and go to the next scenario. It was Han Sooyoung who brought them here.
“Is this the conclusion you came up with?”
Han Sooyoung was now trying to finish their story. “That’s right. This is the end of the world that I thought of.”
“If it was going to end this way, why did you save everyone? Why stick to such a perfect development?”
Han Sooyoung didn’t answer.
“You betrayed them.”
If Han Sooyoung’s plan succeeded, all of them would never reach the end. They would fall asleep in the eternity of this 95th scenario.
Han Sooyoung stared at the four swords floating around her with emotionless eyes. “The end of the world isn’t necessarily bound to ■■. This will make Earth safer. Neither Yoo Jonghyuk or the other constellations will know how to unlock the reinforced seal of the apocalypse dragon.”
“It is a deception.”
“Some call it salvation.”
“Then the companions who have trusted you so far―”
“In any case, this isn’t a world that I made.”
Tragically, I understood Han Sooyoung’s mind. I wanted to return to the original world because this world wasn’t my world.
“Is this the price of the Outer World Covenant that you received? In exchange for killing Yoo Jonghyuk, you will get the power to make your own world?”
A powerful air started flowing from Han Sooyoung’s body. She intended not to waste any more time.
“Give me the sword, Kim Dokja. This is the best way for everyone. Yoo Jonghyuk wanted it.”
The plagiarist who wanted to go beyond the original probably knew. To go beyond the original, you had to get out of the original. This was impossible as long as she was a plagiarist.
I laughed. “I don’t intend to kill Yoo Jonghyuk.”
“What are you saying? Are you going to give up on the Outer World Covenant?”
“Of course not.”
As soon as I finished talking, Han Sooyoung moved.
“Yoo Jonghyuk, block it!” I called out and Yoo Jonghyuk stepped forward to block Han Sooyoung’s swords. I put away the shining Arondight and pulled out another sword.
It was the Four Yin Demonic Beheading Sword. An item that cut off the links between a constellation and incarnation. I focused my attention on the sword as I stared at Yoo Jonghyuk.
[The star relic ‘Four Yin Demonic Beheading Sword’ is opening up its power!]
Han Sooyoung’s eyes widened as she confirmed the energy dwelling in the sword. “Don’t tell me you…”
Death had a variety of meanings in the Star Stream. For example, my fate in the past.
“It is useless Kim Dokja! That method…!”
At that time, I died as ‘Incarnation Kim Dokja’ but ‘Constellation Kim Dokja’ lived. Then what about Yoo Jonghyuk?
“Gabriel, Jophiel! Please help me!”
[The constellation ‘Lily Pin of Aquarius’ is looking at you.]
[The constellation ‘Commander of the Red Cosmos’ is looking at you.]
I heard Han Sooyoung yelling but I didn’t listen. My senses were concentrated on a single black thread rising above Yoo Jonghyuk’s head. It was Yoo Jonghyuk’s link that I could see using the Four Yin Demonic Beheading Sword.
No one in Ways of Survival had ever tried this method. However, if I succeeded… If I could break this link for even a moment, I might be able to save Yoo Jonghyuk.
“Yoo Jonghyuk, keep your mind straight!”
Now Yoo Jonghyuk had a sufficient amount of stories to become a constellation. If the connection was temporarily disconnected and he got a new story from this scenario… he might be reborn as ‘Constellation Yoo Jonghyuk.’
It meant he would die as an ‘incarnation.’ This way, Yoo Jonghyuk might not regress even if he died. I might be able to go back to the third round without having to seal Yoo Jonghyuk. The power of a demon king and the archangels’ power was imbued in the Four Yin Demonic Beheading Sword.
The opponent was Yoo Jonghyuk’s sponsor, whose identity was unknown. This much power would be needed to break the link.
I swung the Four Yin Demonic Beheading Sword. Then I did it again. One more time. Again and again, repeatedly striking.
The huge shockwaves from the link swept away the surrounding constellations and incarnations. Han Sooyoung couldn’t easily approach through this storm.
How many times did I hit him? Finally, I heard a sound. It was the sound of the Four Yin Demonic Beheading Sword breaking in half. I looked at Yoo Jonghyuk’s link that didn’t have any scratches.
[The constellation ‘Lily Pin of Aquarius’ is feeling an unknown fear.]
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[The constellation ‘Commander of the Red Cosmos’ is astonished.]
At this moment, I felt the vast universe staring at me. I couldn’t imagine the origin or fathom the enormity.
[The sponsor of incarnation ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’ is looking at you.]
TL: Rainbow Turtle