1050 Episode 65. The Last Banquet (1)

Meihouwang, who had previously shown nothing but hatred toward Poseidon, expressed a completely different emotion for the first time. The Mass-Production Maker, who immediately verified the source of the information beside him, nodded meaningfully.

At the Mass-Production Maker's confirmation, Jung Heewon composed her breathing as if tense, and Meihouwang's expression turned far more serious. On the other hand, there was one fellow who was inexplicably triumphant all by himself.

As the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon puffed out his chest and muttered, Meihouwang snapped at him in disbelief:

The Abyssal Black Flame Dragon glared lightly at the growling Meihouwang, then looked toward me as if feeling wronged. Come to think of it, I had promised to make the 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' into the Apocalypse Dragon.

Chuckling softly, Poseidon shook his head in amusement and spread his palm over the table. Instantly, the scent of the sea wafted in, and the scenery on the table changed.

The table was filled with a lavish feast fit for constellations. There were dishes made from rare elixirs like Sacred Fruit, Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, and Ten-Thousand-Year Fleeceflower, as well as ingredients representing each nebula like 'Soma' and 'Amrita'. And that wasn't all.

Looking at dishes prepared from parts of mythical creatures, the Kings let out small groans. Terrine made from Minotaur meat and steamed Hydra cheeks. On top of that, soup topped with crispy fried Siren fins... These were dishes that could only be prepared in <Olympus>.

When Meihouwang asked with a scowl, Poseidon chuckled and replied:

I stared down silently at the food Poseidon had brought out. Perhaps these were dishes meant to be served at the table of the <Round Table>. Poseidon's intention was clear. Like the final meal given to condemned prisoners, since these dishes would be useless by tomorrow anyway, he was dumping them on us instead.

I picked up a piece of the Minotaur terrine in front of me and put it in my mouth.

"It's delicious."

At my reaction, Meihouwang opened his mouth in disbelief. Regardless, I continued eating. I ate the Hydra cheeks and the Siren fins. Mythical creatures that had likely been farmed by constellations. I ate while faithfully imagining their Fables.

Staring at me eating casually, Poseidon's eyes flickered. I offered a faint smile and asked:

"What? You said it's the last supper, didn't you? We have to eat well to fight well."

Hearing my words, Jung Heewon also picked up her chopsticks, as if coming to a realization. Taking a slice of the terrine and tasting it, she exclaimed in admiration:

"It really is delicious."

"Right?"

"It's completely different from the terrine eaten at funerals."

"I suppose that's because it's a funeral for stars."

At that, the Mass-Production Maker beside us also poked at the food with his fork.

Meihouwang also seemed to come to a decision, tearing wildly at the Minotaur front leg in front of him while muttering:

For someone spouting rough curses, his appetite was remarkably vigorous. Following him, the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon also nibbled on the dessert made of Sacred Fruit in front of him.

Watching us actually enjoying the banquet, Poseidon narrowed his eyes and spat out:

With the last supper laid out before them, how many condemned prisoners could truly enjoy the feast? But the five gathered here were precisely the kind of lunatics capable of doing such a thing.

"So what?"

"We've always come this far thinking we might die today."

The scenarios were always hell. Ever since the very first scenario. Suddenly, every human's remaining lifespan became 30 minutes, which soon shrank to 10 minutes. During those 10 minutes, all who failed to prove their worth died. Kim Dokja—and I—had lived through such a story every single time.

"If destruction is tomorrow, we actually have plenty of time. Don't we?"

Poseidon sat blankly without replying, watching us eat the food. Seeing me scoop up Hydra cheek meat over red soup and eat it, Jung Heewon made a comment:

"Eating it like that makes it look like gukbap."

"Ah, gukbap calls for a glass of soju. Right?"

"Exactly. Hey, fish mister over there. Pass us any leftover alcohol if you have some."

Having even his drink snatched away unexpectedly, Poseidon stared at us with dazed eyes.

Jung Heewon, I, and the three Kings ate and drank until we were full. The dishes served by high-ranking constellations at their own banquets naturally couldn't be anything less than delicious. Until we finished our meal, Poseidon remained silent.

Looking at Poseidon, who was blankly staring at a corner of the table, I spoke:

"It's pitiful."

Snapping his head up, Poseidon glared at me as if asking what I meant.

"I find it pitiful that you can't put anything in your mouth because you're too worried about tomorrow's destruction, even with a feast right in front of you."

"Why did you drink? You can't even get drunk anyway. No matter how much your status has fallen, there's no alcohol capable of getting a Myth-grade constellation drunk."

It wasn't just Poseidon; the same applied to me and the other Kings. We drank, but with status at our level, there was no way alcohol would get us drunk.

"Why? Now that it's time to die, did you feel like playing human?"

Poseidon looking intoxicated wasn't because of alcohol. The only thing that can intoxicate a star is a story. He was merely drunk on the overwhelming Fable of the approaching final act.

At his unexpectedly honest answer, I let out a dry laugh. It felt like I might actually be able to talk to the current Poseidon.

"You were like that in that world, too."

Poseidon asked back reflexively before his expression stiffened. Even without my explanation, he realized on his own. Which world I was referring to.

"Having lost everything, you were just like an ordinary old man."

Poseidon opened his eyes wide in slight surprise, then grimaced and avoided my gaze.

I remembered Poseidon trapped in the 'Third's World'. Holding a recorder in his hand, wearing a marine cap.

"No, it wasn't. Above all, you in that world never gave up until the very end. Even while captured by the Great Sage Heaven's Equal, you kept watching for a chance to escape. Even after losing all your status and becoming a ordinary old man, you never lost your pride as a once-great star."

The Poseidon of that world had spirit. Even while being mocked by enemies with status far lower than his, when the only miracle he could perform was spouting strong water from his mouth, he never gave up resisting until the very end.

"There must be a reason why you were the last to survive among the stars of damn <Olympus>."

"You definitely fought hard, didn't you?"

"Because an arrogant constellation like you, a 'Spear Drawing the Boundary of Seas' whose pride would rather choose death over defeat, survived even in that state because you still had stories left that you wanted to see."

Now I could see it. What dwelt in his intoxicated eyes wasn't despair.

"You are still dreaming of a miracle. That's why you play human every day and drink alcohol. To forget despair. To survive even one day longer and resist the conclusion until the very end."

Poseidon remained silent for a long time. Bit by bit, as if refusing to admit it, he bit his lip several times before barely opening his mouth.

"You already know why I came."

Poseidon looked at me as if I were a strange creature.

"You were never quite normal to begin with."

A Myth-grade constellation who used to barge into scenarios at every opportunity to cause chaos. A strange feeling washed over me once again. Right now, I had become allies with a star that had been an enemy for the longest time.

Noticing my gaze, Poseidon spoke:

Pressing his temple firmly with one hand, he continued:

A recorder sound.

"Looking at it, it seems you're not the only one."

Smiling faintly, I stood up from my seat and stared into a corner of the command tent. Crouched in that corner was the constellation who had entered the tent alongside Poseidon.

Poseidon said:

A star taking the incarnation body of a frail old man was curled up in the corner, carving something. Scattered around him were various carvings. Divine relics of constellations. I recognized who each of those relics symbolized.

The one who lost an arm to the Wolf of Destruction, Tyr.

The guardian of the Bifröst Great Horned Bridge, Heimdall.

He was currently carving the dead constellations of <Asgard>.

"Odin."

Now, calling his true name right before him produced no sparks. Whether it was because this was the final phase of the scenario or because his status had fallen, I couldn't tell.

"You haven't forgotten, right? This scenario is the 'Great Destruction Scenario' of your <Asgard>. And the real 'destruction' hasn't arrived yet."

Odin continued carving without any reply. I spoke once more:

"You know, don't you? What the 'true conclusion' of Ragnarok looks like."

At my words, Poseidon and the four Kings held their breath.

In truth, this 'Ragnarok' hadn't properly built up to its true 'conclusion' yet. And as long as Odin remained alive, we still had a chance to write that conclusion.

"Odin."

Releasing the status of my entire body, I spoke to him:

"If you still have one eye left, count clearly the number of stars remaining in this sky."

Only then did Odin slowly raise his head to look at me. Staring into his eyes, which reflected the ruined <Asgard>, I said:

"In 'Ragnarok', there are core battles that construct its epic."

"The real Ragnarok isn't a flag-capturing war like this. It doesn't matter how many fortresses we lose. As long as we win the key battles, we can change the conclusion of 'Ragnarok'."

The core narrative of the Giant Story 'Ragnarok' wasn't merely a war between disasters and constellations. The primary narrative of 'Ragnarok' was slaying the disasters born to destroy the world—especially the core 'Great Disasters'.

Coincidentally, the first Great Disaster of 'Ragnarok' had already been awakened directly by Odin and <Asgard>.

Currently, that role was being performed by 'Snowfield Kim Dokja'. <Asgard> had fielded Heimdall as its adversary to face him, but unfortunately, they ended up losing the battle.

"Although the first battle was a defeat, other disasters remain. We just need to awaken all the other disasters and fight them."

The foundation of this 'scenario' was the Giant Story of 'Ragnarok'. As long as a 'stage' capable of overturning the scenario was created, reversing the tide of battle was possible at any time.

However, at my claim, the other 'Kings' seemed somewhat flustered. Meihouwang in particular wore an expression as if he had heard something absurd.

At that moment, Odin, who had remained silent all along, opened his mouth.

With those words, Odin placed a newly made carving onto the ground. I looked down at the carving. It wasn't Thor's relic, nor was it Tyr's or Heimdall's. It was the weapon of a man I knew very well.

Naturally, there was only one person in this world capable of spouting such nonsense. I picked up Odin's carving in my hand.

Forged like a pitch-black moon, the exclusive weapon of the 41st regression Yoo Joonghyuk.

At that moment, a chilling sensation brushed through my mind.