1066 Episode 67. The World Serpent (4)

Lee Hyunsung looked up at Lee Jihye with a hardened expression. In the eyes of the girl who had now become an adult, a cold resolve dwelled.

Lee Jihye finished speaking with a frigid expression and promptly extended her right hand. At that, the cannons of her battleship reminiscent of a turtle ship—Turtle Dragon—aimed at the ground all at once.

The moment Lee Jihye's hand was about to move downward once more, a shadow wavering beside Lee Hyunsung entered her field of vision. Accompanied by slowly dilating pupils, Lee Jihye's voice trembled faintly.

Jung Heewon, who had been awkwardly gripping her sword hilt beside Lee Hyunsung, also looked at her. The moment the two gazes met, memories rose.

Jung Heewon remembered Lee Jihye. Because in this world, she had fought alongside Lee Jihye several times. Yet the memories that surfaced were not just one.

Along with sparks of tzztzztzz, memories from a time she had never lived rose in her mind. Jung Heewon realized that this was a memory of the 1,864th round. A faintly welling dizziness and an emotion of yearning that densely filled her heart. Even though they were not her own emotions, Jung Heewon stumbled for a moment, intoxicated by that story.

After gazing at Jung Heewon for a moment, Lee Jihye slowly turned her head and asked.

Just by looking past Jung Heewon, Lee Jihye seemed to have noticed that she was not the Jung Heewon she remembered.

At Lee Jihye's sharp tone, Lee Hyunsung let out a soft sigh.

Though Lee Jihye was sometimes aggressive, she was not someone who would say such words to her companions. If she gave such a retort, there was only one reason.

No one here wanted to point swords at each other. They were once companions, and people who wanted to see the end of the same story. Even though the conclusion they chose was different, perhaps even that conclusion ultimately originated from their feelings toward a single person.

Along with the churning of the Giant Story, flames flickered over Lee Jihye's eyes. Lee Jihye was not a Great Disaster like the 'World Serpent', but she had been summoned as a kind of guardian protecting that serpent.

As her Twin Dragon Swords pointed to the ground, an ocean began to churn above the melted sky.

The next moment, Jung Heewon's figure vanished. [Red Phoenix Shunpo] narrowing the distance in an instant. Startled, Lee Jihye countered with [Ghost Walk].

Accompanied by a sharp screeching friction, the two swords let out a violent cry. A strong story pressure felt in her grip. Lee Jihye opened her mouth in a voice mixed with pure admiration.

"A mere 41st round. I really want to stop hearing that."

Instead of answering, Jung Heewon swung her sword. Watching that sword trajectory, Lee Jihye activated a skill as if intrigued.

[Ghost Slayer].

Brilliant ghostly flames bloomed in Lee Jihye's pupils. Jung Heewon countered with the same [Ghost Slayer]. If Lee Jihye's [Ghost Slayer] was a skill trained to its limit, Jung Heewon's [Ghost Slayer] was slightly different. Even if its proficiency fell short, it was because she had the attribute effect of 'Butcher of Madness'.

Kagagagak!

Receiving the synergy of the attribute effect, Jung Heewon's physical capabilities were on par with Lee Jihye's for a moment. After pure sword strikes collided several times, the first to step back was Lee Jihye.

Subsequently, Lee Jihye's Twin Dragon Swords changed their position. Lee Hyunsung, as well as Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung watching the fierce battle from the firmament, recognized that technique of Lee Jihye's.

Lee Jihye's fatal technique that sent the heads of even the stars in that sky flying in a single strike.

When Lee Hyunsung's roar echoed, her Twin Dragon Swords had already approached Jung Heewon's throat. A strike that could not be handled with reflexes. Almost instinctively, Jung Heewon swung her sword.

Dozens of strands of Formless Sword Qi unleashed from her entire body subtly bent the sword tip of Instant Kill. Subsequently, her reflexes, reacting a beat late, barely dragged her body out from the domain of Instant Kill.

Spat.

Seeing Jung Heewon dodge the attack by a split-second interval, a smile bloomed on Lee Jihye's lips.

A chain of strikes of [Instant Kill] unfolded. A barrage of blows that could not be dodged by mere luck alone. Gritting her teeth, Jung Heewon unleashed Formless Sword Qi to deflect the trajectory of [Instant Kill] somehow. Realizing the situation was turning urgent, as Lee Hyunsung ran over, Lee Jihye spread her left hand.

At the bombardment pouring from the battleship, Lee Hyunsung could not dare approach, shouting Lee Jihye's name.

The martial power to pin down Lee Hyunsung with bombardment and overwhelm the 41st round's Jung Heewon, who could compete with a Myth-grade Constellation.

Yet the 41st round's Jung Heewon did not collapse easily either. She had a reason why she must not collapse. As if already knowing that reason, Lee Jihye changed her stance once more.

The Giant Story possessed by Lee Jihye moved.

Blessed by the 'Giant Story', the cannon barrels of Turtle Dragon began to glow red.

Belatedly, Shin Yoosung moved the 'World Serpent'.

However, bound by the Giant Story, the 'World Serpent' rejected her control. Not missing that opening, Lee Jihye's Twin Dragon Swords pointed at Jung Heewon.

Pouring bombardment. In the distance, Lee Hyunsung, having used Steel Transformation, was rushing over, but the bombardment had already arrived right before Jung Heewon's eyes.

Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship. Secret Absolute Technique. Single Sword Cleaving the Sky.

Heavy sword gang cleaved the sky. Bombardment exploded like fireworks in the firmament. Yet even with the Secret Absolute Technique containing all her power, she could not block that bombardment. The sound of blood splashing and bones breaking. In an instant, her vision wavered, and one of Jung Heewon's knees buckled under the bombardment.

As if attempting to utterly break Jung Heewon's will, Lee Jihye's second bombardment poured down. Jung Heewon unleashed Single Sword Cleaving the Sky once again. The sword gang had noticeably decreased in size. More than half of the bombardment was offset by the sword gang, but the remaining bombardment grazed past Jung Heewon's arms and legs.

"What is so proud about experiencing the scenarios twice?"

One step. And then another step. Jung Heewon continued to advance through the artillery fire.

"So what did you gain after seeing the end twice?"

As another round of bombardment passed, Jung Heewon noticed that sensation had vanished from her left shoulder.

The third bombardment began. Now, the sword gang of Single Sword Cleaving the Sky did not even reach a few meters. Even so, her sword gang shone brightly amidst the thick artillery fire. In a voice as vivid as that sword gang, Jung Heewon spoke.

"All you're doing is coming all the way here to destroy someone else's worldline."

Was it because of the resentment dwelling in that vividness? In a somewhat agitated voice, Lee Jihye pushed back.

Jung Heewon's other knee, which had been barely enduring, buckled as well.

Toward Jung Heewon collapsing to the ground, Lee Jihye's final bombardment flew in.

Along with Shin Yoosung's voice, the 'World Serpent' burst into a cry. With an expression of 'ah', Lee Jihye hurriedly withdrew the Giant Story. But some of the bombardment had already reached Jung Heewon's proximity. Arriving at a razor-thin timing, Lee Hyunsung deployed Steel Transformation to take the brunt of the shelling.

Kugugugugu!

The moment Lee Jihye, barely catching her breath, was about to open her mouth again.

Crash!

A deafening roar that tore the eardrums was heard from behind. Looking back, explosive smoke was soaring from Lee Jihye's Turtle Dragon that had been dominating the firmament. It was not something Lee Hyunsung or Shin Yoosung had done. Shells flying from somewhere. Someone was pouring artillery fire toward Turtle Dragon.

"Unnie!"

A voice full of déjà vu heard from somewhere. Hurriedly swinging her Twin Dragon Swords to deflect the incoming artillery shells, Lee Jihye looked in that direction.

Kwakwakwakwakwa!

Though not as powerful as that of 'Turtle Dragon', it was nevertheless a bombardment of a sufficiently bothersome degree. Frowning, Lee Jihye released her status to clear the dust, and beyond the undulating night sky, she saw a fleet aimed toward this direction.

Lee Jihye's eyes slowly widened. Without a doubt, the Ghost Fleet. But it was not her Ghost Fleet.

In the distant sky, a single battleship appearing in midair was seen dropping off two incarnations before vanishing. Familiar faces disembarking from the ship were running toward Jung Heewon.

"Unnie! We're here!"

Hurriedly supporting Jung Heewon, the two could be seen glaring this way and shouting.

"Did that person make unnie like this? I'll teach her a—"

The 41st round's Lee Jihye, who had not yet seen the end of the scenarios, glared this way with smoldering eyes. And a moment later, bewilderment surfaced in her pupils.

"Uh?"

Did she see the woman with a face identical to her own? The 41st round's Lee Jihye blankly opened her mouth.

Receiving that still-innocent gaze, the 1,864th round's Lee Jihye—the 'Monarch of the Great Sea'—tightly shut her eyes.

The one who sent the 41st round's Lee Jihye and Shin Yoosung here was probably that 'Kim Dokja'. The Kim Dokja who had possessed Cheon Inho's face and briefly visited their world.

Opening her eyes again, she saw the figures of the 41st round's Lee Jihye, Shin Yoosung, and Jung Heewon still looking this way.

Memories surged like waves. The Great Disasters from the '999th round' that had appeared as the end of the world. To block them, she too had stood in that spot.

Lee Jihye looked down at her palms. Atop those palms, the stories she had plundered to come all the way here opened their mouths as if shrieking.

The term referring to evil gods existing outside the scenarios, plundering the stories of those who live the scenarios. Only then did Lee Jihye realize what she had become.

Lee Hyunsung, who had raised his body from amidst the shelling, spoke.

She had known that kind of thing from the start. And it was not words she wanted to hear from Lee Hyunsung's mouth.

Perhaps the 41st round's Jung Heewon was right. She was merely a 'disaster' to this worldline. Whatever circumstances she had, whatever tragedy she had experienced, from the perspective of this world, it was none of their concern.

Even so, she had come all the way here.

That story written by Han Sooyoung, lived by Yoo Joonghyuk, and read by Kim Dokja—she too had read it as she came here.

Slowly curling her hands into fists, Lee Jihye spoke.

She was a disaster of this worldline. Her purpose was to destroy this world and seize the 'conclusion' granted to it.