1037 Episode 63. Ragnarok (11)

"No."

The words she muttered without realizing it held her true feelings.

"No! No!"

Watching Kim Dokja vomit blood, Jung Heewon began to struggle frantically. Before her eyes, Kim Dokja was dying in real-time.

"It is useless to resist."

Snowfield Kim Dokja said with a smile.

"Because this record cannot be changed."

Jung Heewon shook her head violently.

There was no way.

She would kill Kim Dokja?

Of all people, she—would kill him? Why?

It made no sense. It was impossible.

Nevertheless, all of her senses were telling her that the words of that existence were not wrong. That [Destiny] would surely be executed.

Rage against herself and a sense of helplessness washed over her at the same time.

If this was the future she faced as a result of her efforts to protect him, why had she been swinging her sword all this time?

Amidst her fading consciousness, Yoo Joonghyuk's shout echoed like a memory.

"Jung Heewon!"

She had to answer. She had to escape from here. But her thoughts could not translate into actions.

With that, Jung Heewon realized. She would now never escape the [Destiny] she had seen.

"Of course, there is a way to avoid executing destiny."

As Snowfield Kim Dokja smiled, Jung Heewon suddenly lifted her head.

"It is to realize destiny first before it occurs."

A dazzling white light flowed from Snowfield Kim Dokja's hand.

"It is to imprison that [Destiny] inside you forever."

Feeling the pure white light encroaching on her mind, Jung Heewon lost consciousness.

*

Jung Heewon dreamed an endless dream. It was a harsh and terrible dream.

"Heewon-ssi."

In that dream, she killed Kim Dokja. She killed him again and again.

"Heewon-ssi."

The sensation of the sword blade piercing through flesh with a squelch. Every single time, Jung Heewon's hands trembled and she wailed. She did so even though she knew this was a dream. Because she didn't want to kill Kim Dokja, she struggled desperately to avoid killing him.

But no matter what she did, she eventually killed Kim Dokja in the dream. In the dream, that [Destiny] was being constantly executed.

At least while having this dream, [Destiny] would not become reality. This was the curse that 'Snowfield Kim Dokja' had placed upon her.

Proxy Realization of Destiny.

As long as this dream continued, she could avoid killing the 'real Kim Dokja'. By repeatedly executing [Destiny] while trapped in the dream forever, she could postpone his actual murder.

Turning away from the dream-world Kim Dokja who spoke to her, Jung Heewon swung her sword time and time again.

"Heewon-ssi."

She didn't want to see his expression.

"Heewon-ssi."

She didn't want to watch him die.

"Heewon-ssi."

The conclusion was always set.

Ten times, twenty times, thirty times.

Jung Heewon killed the dream-world Kim Dokja over and over.

Once Kim Dokja died, the dream rewound to the beginning just like always.

The desolate battlefield of Ragnarok. At the top of a steep hill, there was Kim Dokja standing with his back turned. Jung Heewon walked toward him. To kill the person she wanted to protect more than anyone else.

"Hmm."

It was then that she felt an unexpected, strange presence. It was clearly the exact same scene as before, but something was different.

An intense gaze felt from right beside her.

Almost convulsively, Jung Heewon turned her head. A person was standing there.

"If I had known my 41st turn self would be this pathetic, I wouldn't have lent you my body in the first place."

The moment she heard that voice, Jung Heewon realized who the other person was.

"You are—"

A memory suddenly flashed in her mind.

When she entered the Bush of the Missing, Jung Heewon had possessed the incarnation body of another 'Jung Heewon' who was not herself.

A body that was extremely trained and abnormally strong.

There was no mistake. The 'Jung Heewon' standing before her eyes now was the very same 'Jung Heewon' she had possessed back then.

The 1,864th turn. <Kim Dokja's Company's> Jung Heewon.

With trembling eyes, Jung Heewon looked at the 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon. In an instant, hope bloomed in her heart. Jung Heewon knew vaguely what kind of world the 1,864th turn was.

The worldline that had witnessed the 'conclusion' of this hellish scenario.

If it was this 'Jung Heewon', if she helped her, maybe she could escape from this situation. Maybe she could change the destined destiny.

"What are you doing? Go kill him."

However, the 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon had an indifferent expression.

"You're going to do it anyway. Hurry up and go kill him."

Jung Heewon couldn't understand her words. How could she, of all people, speak like that?

"No."

How could she tell her to kill Kim Dokja?

"Proxy Realization of Destiny."

The 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon clicked her tongue as if she already knew the whole situation.

"If you don't kill his illusion here, [Destiny] will manifest in reality."

"......"

"Are you going to let that happen? In the end, are you going to just let him die?"

Jung Heewon bit her lip hard.

She actually knew. Jung Heewon knew very well what she had chosen in order to prevent that.

"It was your choice. You chose a life of going mad alone, trapped here and endlessly killing that illusion. A hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times. You chose to kill him in your mind."

Jung Heewon shook her head violently. She thought she knew what her choice was. But listening to those words made her doubt.

Do I really know what I chose?

The 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon continued in a cold voice.

"So go kill him. Kill him again and again. Until that person disappears from your heart, until he is no longer precious to you."

"I don't want to—"

[Destiny] was forcibly realized, and her sword moved. Another Kim Dokja died. Feeling a pain as if her heart were being ripped apart, Jung Heewon screamed.

"No! I don't want to!"

The illusion shattered. Time rewound as if a regression had occurred. And once again, the back of Kim Dokja standing on the hill was visible.

Staring at his back together, the 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon said,

"Then you shouldn't have made such a choice in the first place."

Jung Heewon wanted to say that there was no other way. She wanted to say that this was the only way to prevent the realization of [Destiny].

"How do you know whether that [Destiny] will manifest or not?"

She couldn't help but know.

If anyone else, not just Jung Heewon, had been in that position, they would have had no choice but to know that 'Snowfield Kim Dokja's' words were the truth.

"And even if such a [Destiny] were to manifest, do you think Dokja-ssi would just let it happen?"

Jung Heewon was left speechless. Those words were correct. If Kim Dokja had learned of her [Destiny], he would certainly not have left it alone.

But before she could reply, the 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon spoke again.

"No. That man might actually have left it alone. Because if it's a situation where he can die alone and save you, he is definitely the type of person who would sacrifice his own life."

The Kim Dokja that Jung Heewon knew was indeed like that. A person who would sacrifice himself rather than let anyone else get hurt. That was Kim Dokja. That was why she couldn't speak of the [Destiny] she faced.

However, the 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon's words were not finished yet.

"But the Dokja-ssi I know is at least not someone who would turn everything into a tragedy."

"......"

"No matter how many times he dies and sacrifices himself, he is someone who ultimately struggles to find the correct answer. He's someone who would never imprison his companion in a [Destiny] like this."

Jung Heewon had no response. The only thing she could do was accept the scolding from another version of herself from another worldline.

"So you should have trusted him."

Jung Heewon wanted to ask. How did you know Kim Dokja so well?

But instead, she asked something else.

"What...... should I do?"

"What do you mean, what should you do? You already made your choice."

"You said Dokja-ssi might know a way to change destiny. Then I, too......!"

"That's only possible for that crazy human."

"If I go crazy, can I change it?"

Stories began to leak from Jung Heewon's entire body.

Watching that story, the 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon muttered in admiration,

"It really is a crazy story."

Watching another Kim Dokja die, Jung Heewon asked again,

"How crazy do I have to be? As crazy as the stars in the sky? Or—"

Suddenly, a man came to mind. A man wearing a pitch-black coat. A human who was stronger than anyone she knew, like a distant wall.

"As crazy as that person named Yoo Joonghyuk?"

"He's pretty crazy in his own right."

The 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon fell silent as if thinking for a moment. In the meantime, another Kim Dokja died. Time rewound, and Kim Dokja's back appeared in the distance again.

The 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon said,

"Well...... okay. It's difficult, but not impossible. You don't want to kill that person, right?"

"I want to stop [Destiny]."

A ring of chaos momentarily flickered in the eyes of the 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon. As if trying to read all the stories woven into this [Destiny], her eyes sharply stared at Kim Dokja.

After finishing her thoughts, the 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon spoke.

"Then first, let's practice killing him painlessly."

"What?"

"You are still too weak to overcome [Destiny]."

According to the 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon, to overcome [Destiny], there was no choice but to become stronger than the existence that bestowed that [Destiny].

"It happens to be a good place to grow stronger. Now, swing your sword."

"You want me to kill him again?"

"To avoid killing him, you must kill him."

She couldn't understand what that meant.

After hesitating for a moment, Jung Heewon had no choice but to swing her sword.

"Too slow."

Every time she swung her sword, Kim Dokja died.

"Faster."

Kim Dokja kept dying.

"Look closer. You must watch him die precisely. Don't look away. Look clearly at where you swung your sword and what you cut."

Even though she couldn't understand why she had to do that, Jung Heewon did as she was told. She cut Kim Dokja, and did not take her eyes off the dying Kim Dokja. Even though she felt a heartbreaking sadness every time, she did not look away from what she had done. Like that, she swung her sword and killed Kim Dokja again.

With every swing, Jung Heewon felt herself becoming better and better at killing Kim Dokja. And as she became better at killing him, she felt as if she was also learning how to avoid killing him.

Where Kim Dokja's weak points were. What kind of reaction he showed when surprised. How his breathing and muscle movements worked.

Just to kill him with the minimum amount of pain, Jung Heewon swung her sword even more precisely.

Jung Heewon's sword qi became sharper and, at the same time, thinner. Gradually, her sword qi was approaching formlessness.

After killing Kim Dokja how many more times, Jung Heewon became able to cut him before he could even notice her.

Then, the 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon gave another instruction.

"From now on, do not swing your sword."

"Are we not killing him?"

"No, you have to kill him. You have no choice."

That was true. Her body was being forcibly dragged by [Destiny]. If she could avoid killing him just because she didn't want to, she would have done so long ago.

The only thing she could choose was the method of killing Kim Dokja.

"Without swinging your sword, you must be able to cut him solely with the thought that you have swung it."

For a moment, Jung Heewon wondered what on earth that meant.

"Your will becomes the blade."

Suddenly, a story she had once heard from the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint came to Jung Heewon's mind.

"It is a realm that Transcendents call the 'Mind Sword'."

The Mind Sword.

A sword strike that materializes one's own will.

The 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon said,

"If you can cut your opponent with only your will, you can give them the sensation of being 'cut' without actually harming them. A Mind Sword that has reached a certain level can kill the opponent without actually killing them."

She vaguely understood what that meant.

The 1,864th turn's Jung Heewon quietly stared at the 41st turn's Jung Heewon who was listening intently, and then slowly drew her sword.

"And a Transcendent who has trained that Mind Sword to the absolute limit—"

Her beautiful sword strike moved as if cutting an invisible thread in the empty air.

"Can cut their own [Destiny] with their sword."