1064 Episode 67. The World Serpent (2)
...Unnie?
At the voice faintly heard, Jung Heewon frowned.
「 Is it an illusion? I definitely heard something like a girl's voice just now. 」
Moreover, that voice was something she had heard before. While the senses of a Transcendent differentiated time into extreme fractions, Jung Heewon gripped her sword even tighter. As expected, she must have misheard. Above all, there was no way this 'Great Disaster' could speak.
Kagagagak!
Her 'Mikazuki Munechika' struck the hide of the World Serpent and bounced straight off. Formidable recoil slammed into her grip. Jung Heewon frowned slightly.
'Is this not enough?'
Perhaps it was only natural. According to myth, the 'World Serpent' was an entity capable of crushing the entire space-time of this world.
'Once more.'
Jung Heewon concentrated the stories throughout her entire body. The history she had built upright was dwelling in her sword. Running atop the serpent's body, Jung Heewon slashed her sword. Cutting again and again, she ran across the abnormally gigantic 'World Serpent'.
Ooooooo!
As if such sword strikes were nowhere near enough, the body of the 'World Serpent' vibrated violently. The sword blade shook precariously as if about to snap at any second. The more it did, the tighter Jung Heewon gripped the hilt.
[Item, 'Mikazuki Munechika' resonates with you!]
Her sword was an A-grade item obtained from the Theater Dungeon in the early stages of the scenarios. It was a replica of a Star Relic.
「 "Why do you insist on such an old sword? It's not even genuine in the first place." 」
Those who saw her sword used to ask that.
「 "I'd rather forge you a new sword." 」
There were blacksmiths who offered to make her a new sword.
「 "It is a sword that can no longer be used. Must you insist on using this sword?" 」
However, she had never once changed her sword until now.
「 "Just repair it somehow. This is enough for me." 」
When roaming the scenarios, when walking through the Fear Realm, and when traveling through the New Murim District—she was always together with this sword.
「 While holding and swinging this sword, she felt as if she was protecting Kim Dokja. 」
A sword that had broken several times while coming all the way here.
「 Even if far away, even if unable to see in the end, even if this conviction cannot be completed. 」
Stories were condensing at the tip of Jung Heewon's sword.
「 Until the moment she drew her last breath, she would not let go of this sword from her hand. 」
Holding dazzling rays of light, the sword sliced through the serpent's hide following her will.
Formless Sword Qi (無形劍氣).
Jung Heewon's specialty that elevated her to a new Transcendent realm. A baptism of invisible sword qi began to lacerate the World Serpent.
Tzztzztzz!
And for the first time, a crack appeared in the hide of the 'World Serpent'. Jung Heewon did not miss that gap and continued her sword strikes.
Intent-Formed Sword (意形劍).
The Transcendent realm capable of finally severing even one's own [Fate].
「 Incarnation Jung Heewon shall kill the existence she most wanted to protect. 」
Her sword stance, tempered to sever that [Fate], transformed into twelve translucent formless swords. The supreme realm called 'Telekinetic Sword Control' by martial artists was at last realized within the scenario.
Obeying her will, the twelve formless swords struck a single concentrated point on the World Serpent. One blade, two blades, three blades. Finally, at the spot struck by all twelve formless swords, the trajectory of the Intent-Formed Sword was added.
Pushushushut!
And at last, the hide of the 'World Serpent' was sliced off. Stories reminiscent of thick poisonous mist burst like fireworks. Jung Heewon held her breath and retreated. Yet she could not control even the poisonous mist seeping into her skin.
[The protection of Constellation, 'Eight-Headed Lord' is with you!]
Just in time, the story of Yamata no Orochi she possessed activated. As Orochi's story repelled the encroaching poisonous fog, her breathing became much easier.
'I can do this.'
No matter how great a disaster, in the end, if she cut and cut again, it would eventually die. Furthermore, she had already killed a 'World Serpent' in the 'Hall'. Even though what she killed was not the genuine 'World Serpent', but 'Yamata no Orochi' who had descended as a degraded version.
[The protection of stories dwells within you!]
Jung Heewon raised her Formless Sword Qi once more and cut into the World Serpent.
Tzztzztzz.
Unable to withstand her stories, 'Mikazuki Munechika' let out a precarious sword ring.
「 "You've been using this until now?" 」
Kim Dokja, whom she met again after so long, looked at her sword and fell into deep silence for a while. He peered into that blade for a long time. Just from him gazing at that sword, Jung Heewon felt as if he recognized her history. As if he understood how she had fought, and for what purpose she had come all the way here.
「 "Thank you, Heewon-ssi." 」
Kim Dokja dripped a few drops of his own story onto her sword. Then, her sword, which had been enhanced with D-Coins, mixed with Kim Dokja's story and underwent repeated evolution.
[Item, 'Mikazuki Munechika' transcends its own limits!]
Her sword, born as a replica. That sword, reinforced once again by Kim Dokja's story, exceeded its limits to realize her story.
「 "Do you know how large a trajectory a human must draw to cut down the sky?" 」
Once, her master, the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint, had asked such a question.
「 "I have no idea." 」
It was too difficult a question for Jung Heewon. Cutting the sky. In the first place, humans didn't even know from where to where the sky extended. That was why Jung Heewon's answer was simple.
「 "Wouldn't it work if I just cut as long an area as possible?" 」
That answer was certainly not what her master wanted. Even so, she had walked the path of the sword faithful to that answer until now.
「 To humans, the sky is the size of the universe they can perceive. 」
Even if she could not cut down all the sky, what if she drew a trajectory to slaughter all of the sky visible to her eyes?
Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship (破天劍道). Secret Technique (秘傳奧義). Breaking the Sky Sword Lightning began to grow from her deep blue sword tip. The sword lightning that grew and grew soon exceeded one hundred meters, then two hundred meters. A sword aura easily surpassing several hundred meters. As if to sever the entire horizon, Jung Heewon lifted that heavy history. And—
Single Sword Cleaving the Sky (一劍劈天). She brought down her sword.
Kwakwakwakwa!
Along with a terrifying detonation, stories of the disaster sprayed in all directions. Looking at the haze of stories, Jung Heewon believed that this time she had landed a proper blow.
And in that instant, Jung Heewon vaguely sensed the entirety of the 'World Serpent' extending beyond this planet.
「 A single cosmic entity was present there. 」
With a stomach-churning shock, Jung Heewon staggered backward.
「 For that serpent encircled the world and bit its own tail once again. 」
A size more than enough to fully wrap around an entire planet. Exactly how massive that was, Jung Heewon had not been able to properly gauge until now. Only after slicing down all the surrounding sky could Jung Heewon vaguely perceive the scale of this disaster. A serpent embracing this world in its coils.
Was it an illusion? The disaster she glimpsed was a form closer to a dragon rather than a serpent.
「 Could that be called a 'monster'? 」
She had killed countless monsters until now, but she had never faced such an existence before.
It was then that a strange sensation brushed down her spine.
[Exclusive skill, 'Hour of Judgment' is pending activation.]
'Hour of Judgment' was still not activating. Why? She had clearly activated her exclusive attribute earlier. Jung Heewon activated the skill again.
[Exclusive skill, 'Hour of Judgment' is activated!]
However, the skill was not immediately activated. A belated memory surfaced.
「 Her 'Hour of Judgment' activates only when at least one Constellation shares the Probability. 」
She had fought relying solely on Transcendent abilities for so long that she had forgotten the activation condition of this skill. To make matters worse, with the Constellations in the channel all dead, she hadn't had the chance to use this skill for quite a while.
If Kim Dokja were here, he would have exercised the authority of 'Acting Constellation' to support her, but Kim Dokja was still in a deep sleep. Fortunately, she had a star that could assist the activation of this skill right now.
"Demon-like Judge of Fire!"
Uriel of the 1,864th round.
[Constellation, 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is greatly agitated.]
Yet why? Instead of agreeing to the activation of [Hour of Judgment], Uriel was staring up into the air as if dazed.
"Uriel?"
Was she overwhelmed by the size of the World Serpent? The archangel gave no answer to her call.
It was then that a voice was heard once again from beyond the distant firmament.
【Heewon unnie... you're Heewon unnie, right?】
A girl's voice that had no reason to be heard in a place like this. Thinking it might be the sophisticated bewitchment of an Outer God, Jung Heewon shook her head.
【See, I told you it's Heewon unnie!】
【It's really Heewon noona?】
Subsequently, a boy's voice was heard as well. Jung Heewon could not understand. Why on earth were the voices of a boy and a girl coming from inside this terrible World Serpent?
【Did noona also cross over to this world?】
【I think so? I can feel Uriel unnie too.】
Listening to the chattering voices of the two, Jung Heewon felt dizzy. What confused her even more was the deep warmth contained in their voices.
【Heewon unnie!】
The voice of someone deeply cherishing another.
【Please answer! It's unnie, right?】
Jung Heewon stiffened her expression and replied in a harsh voice.
"I don't know who you are."
【What are you talking about? Unnie, didn't you cross over to this worldline? When we parted at the portal back then—】
Only then did the pieces of the puzzle come together in her head.
"I am not the Jung Heewon you are looking for."
Jung Heewon gripped her hilt and spoke.
"I am."
It didn't matter even if the archangel didn't help. She didn't know who they were, but what she had to do was clear.
"The Mad Sword Emperor who will kill you."
She swung her sword. At the Formless Sword Qi she unleashed, the sound of the 'World Serpent's' hide peeling off was heard. Along with the sensation of the World Serpent's massive body writhing, true words were heard from atop the serpent.
【She's right. She's not the Heewon noona we know.】
At the same time, the movement of the 'World Serpent' began to change. As if stopping it, the girl's voice was heard.
【Lee Gilyoung, don't. That unnie is Heewon unnie too.】
【What are you talking about? We have to do this.】
Jung Heewon reflexively retreated several steps.
【You saw it too. How the end of this world turns out. This is the only way to reach the conclusion.】
Unusual stories were flowing from the World Serpent's entire body.
【Chimera Dragon.】
And in the next moment, Jung Heewon collapsed on the spot feeling a headache as if her skull was splitting.
「 The World Serpent was crying. 」
It was vomiting out a profoundly deep cry containing the stories they had lived through.
「 A distant story that had seen two 'ends' was present there. 」
The story of those who fought solely to reclaim a single existence. Under the overwhelming pressure of stories flooding in as a whole, Jung Heewon felt as if her mind would shatter.
「 "Dokja ahjussi!" 」
「 "Dokja hyung!" 」
The universe they had fought through to reclaim one person. That universe seemed to be speaking to her.
「 This is not a 'stage' someone like you can interfere with. 」
Noticing her condition, the boy spoke.
【Noona, just stay still. If you faint for a little while, everything will be over.】
Clutching her bursting heart, Jung Heewon resisted.
"Cut the... bullshit."
The history before her eyes was forcefully crushing her. As if the scenarios she experienced were nothing. As if only the story they lived was the sole existence in all this universe.
'I too—'
Jung Heewon wanted to say it. She understood what kind of tragedy they had experienced. But—
With a crushing sound, unable to bear the pressure, one of her knees broke. Amidst her crumbling vision, Jung Heewon looked up at the World Serpent.
She wanted to reach them. She wanted to prove it. That she was just as desperate as they were. That her desire to protect someone fell short to no one.
[Story, 'Regret, Ruin, Obsession' continues its storytelling.]
Yet she possessed no story to slay such a mythical existence, nor a stage to borrow. All she possessed was a single line of history lived relying solely on a single sword.
「 If only I had another history as well. 」
She was envious. Envious of the history of other worldlines, and envious of the tragedies they had experienced.
'Even if just once.'
She also wanted to reach that story. She wanted to surpass that world blanketed in stories.
「 At that moment, her history began to move. 」
A breeze blew in from somewhere.
「 With a mere single sentence. 」
Her collapsed vision began to rise again. Jung Heewon realized that someone was supporting her.
"Yoosung-ah, Gilyoung-ah."
At first, she wondered if it was Kim Dokja. But he was not Kim Dokja.
"Heewon-ssi is not someone who should be treated like that by you two."
A gentle and firm voice. A voice she also knew. Tall stature and strong muscles. The man who stood her back up on her feet stepped in front of her and spoke.
"Do not kneel. Even if you are not the 'Heewon-ssi' I know—"
A back reminiscent of a sturdy shield.
"You too are 'Jung Heewon', are you not?"
Slowly turning his head, the man looked at her. It was a face she knew.
"This is the second time seeing you in person."
Looking at her with somewhat sorrowful eyes, a story vast as a great mountain flowed from the man's entire body.
「 He was the shield who protected Kim Dokja closer than anyone else. 」
As if introducing himself to someone he was meeting for the first time, the man looked forward again and spoke.
"Former member of <Kim Dokja Company>. Special Monster Warfare Command—Colonel..."
He was about to say his name, but closed his mouth as if swallowing something deep. Subsequently, silver armor covered the man's entire body. Covered in radiant armor, the man stood by her side looking up at the disaster.
"From now on, we shall commence the subjugation of the 'World Serpent'."