868 Episode 47 King of Fear (12)

The sky was splitting apart like a canvas. Beyond the shattered snowfield sky, a pitch-black energy could be seen flying. No, I don’t know if that can be called 'energy'. What was certain was that it was tearing apart the sky of this world.

That was Jaehwan’s stab.

Jang Hayoung muttered in admiration.

This is the 'Snowfield'.

Even if it was Jaehwan, the slayer of monarchs, it wouldn’t be easy to enter here to deal with Kim Dokja.

But what if he could attack the 'Snowfield' itself from outside of the 'Snowfield'?

If Jaehwan’s secret technique could shatter space and time, he thought it might be possible to temporarily dismantle the lines of this 'Snowfield'.

Fortunately, the gamble seemed to have paid off.

The moment the astonished Asmodeus turned around, he saw the two Kim Dokjas floating in the air disappear. They also sensed the danger.

The problem was this.

Kwakwakwakwakwa!

That thing is flying out of the air, and I don’t know how to get out of here.

The [□□] skill that determines entry into the snowfield was not listening, and contact with the first Kim Dokja through the [Fourth Wall] was also cut off.

There was only one person I could trust right now.

"Please save me."

Jang Hayoung said, her eyes widening at my request.

Jang Hayoung smiled and hugged me.

The next moment, my vision went blank and I was thrown out of the snowfield.

Now that I think about it, I wasn’t sure if I could return to my body like this.

My body is currently illegally occupied by Cheon Inho. No. Originally, that body belonged to Cheon Inho, so was it me who was occupying it illegally?

"Hmph."

I opened my eyes wide, wiping the saliva flowing from my mouth.

What is it? How did I come back?

Before I could even properly ask the question, a terrible pain shot through my stomach and other parts of my body.

I swallowed the pain and quickly looked around.

This was the 'big house'.

If that's true, the scars left all over my body must have been from the fight with Yoo Joonghyuk.

I grabbed my stomach, which was leaking blood, and frowned.

At least the [Fourth Wall] was reactivated, relieving the pain.

Yoo Joonghyuk, how much did you beat him up?

I crouched and held my hands on the floor, catching my breath. My knees were shaking, so I couldn't even get up. How on earth did Cheon Inho fight with this body?

"Cheon Inho?"

When I raised my head, Anna Croft, covered in dust, was standing there.

I smiled and waved my hand toward her, who was already raising her spirits with wary eyes.

"Ms. Kim Anna."

Anna Croft, who was startled, blinked her eyes in astonishment. Her eyes seemed to suspect that I was tricking her.

I smiled and continued to speak with narrowed eyes to help her make her judgment.

"Have you forgotten your own name?"

"...Are you back?"

"Yes."

Even in the midst of all that, she even had the sense to utilize [Lie Detection]. As expected, it was the quick reflexes of a prophet. Anna Croft, who confirmed that I was not the 'real Cheon Inho', ran over and grabbed my hands and supported me. Then she stood there awkwardly, as if she didn't know what to do, and lowered her head. I doubled over because I found the situation funny.

"You were worried, right?"

I thought she would naturally object strongly, but Anna Croft unexpectedly answered in a heavy voice.

"Yes."

I could feel her sincerity in her tone.

Come to think of it, we had been through a lot together, going through the fears of the Fear Realm and the Transcendent Alliance.

To build such a bond with that 'prophet'.

If Yoo Joonghyuk had heard it, he would have been shocked.

I quietly let go of her hand and looked around.

"Where is Yoo Joonghyuk?"

"The tyrant is…"

Following her gaze, I saw Yoo Joonghyuk lying on the floor. I hurriedly approached the guy and checked his pulse and breathing.

"Hey."

Even though I shook his shoulder, Yoo Joonghyuk didn't wake up.

Anna Croft added.

"He's been like that since a while ago. No matter how much I try to wake him up, he doesn't respond at all."

I had a rough idea.

The 'Snowfield' where the Kim Dokjas fought fiercely was Yoo Joonghyuk's inner world. However, since that world was torn apart for a moment by Jaehwan's blow, there was a possibility that the shock had affected Yoo Joonghyuk's reality.

"It'll be okay. I think he just fainted for a moment."

If he was really in a dangerous state, stories would have been running wild all over his body by now. However, his stories were surprisingly calm.

"What happened to Cheon Inho?"

Anna Croft asked back at my question as if it was absurd.

"Are you asking me that while you're in that body?"

"Yes."

Anna Croft shook her head at my shameless attitude.

"I don't know exactly. I saw the King defeat Cheon Inho, but..."

"What happened to his soul? Where did it disappear to?"

"The 'Eyes of the Great Demon' can't see that."

Even if it was Yoo Joonghyuk, he wouldn't have a way to destroy Cheon Inho's soul at that moment.

That means Cheon Inho voluntarily gave up his body to me.

It was hard for me to figure out his intentions.

Cheon Inho, who had a deeper love and hate for the main character than anyone else.

Why did that 'Evil Sophist' who struggled to be recorded on the 'Last Wall' give up his body again at a crucial moment?

...That's okay. It's not something that I can answer even if I think about it now.

"Kim Dokja."

Anna Croft, who had pulled up my sleeve, pointed her finger toward the cliff. The outside scenario area was reflected on the fault screen of the cliff.

—Kuaaaah!

—Run! Run away!

The Outer Gods still held sway under the protection of the Fear Realm.

But upon closer inspection, the situation was a little different than before.

The message from the constellations striking the scenario area. Although it was not a full descent but a half-descent, the intervention of the constellations in the scenario was still a spectacle.

Taking advantage of the gap in the probability scale due to the Fear Realm, the constellations appeared in the scenario and fought against the Outer Gods.

Under the command of the constellations, the Outer Gods of the Fear Realm began to push back little by little toward the portal.

The enthusiasm of the incarnations responding to them was also great.

—Oh!

—The constellations have arrived!

—That's it! Just push a little harder!

That was expected. The constellations that had been hiding until now are now appearing in the scenario area to help them, so the incarnations cannot help but be moved.

Anyway, even if the scale of probability was broken, it was surprising that the constellations themselves stepped forward.

The constellations probably had their own calculations. There may have been an agreement with the 'Giant Nebulae', or there may have been a behind-the-scenes deal with the Administration.

In any case, they were working on the scenario with one mind and one heart for once.

The 'Nameless Things' writhing in pain was running inside the portal again.

I shouted at the top of my lungs into the air.

"Second brother! Let's stop now!"

No matter how many powerful Outer Gods remained in the second Kim Dokja's Fear Realm, he couldn't fight against the entire <Star Stream>. In the end, he would lose and his Fear Realm would be sealed.

"If we keep fighting like this, we'll all die! You didn't become the 'King of Fear' to see this kind of thing!"

Did he hear my voice?

An ominous fog swirled around the center of the large house, and soon the 'King of Fear' appeared. Perhaps because of the battle in the snowfield, his expression looked very exhausted.

"O Watcher of Light and Darkness!"

I shouted his modifier. But he didn't look back at me. Instead, he was looking up at the sky.

When did it start?

The sky reflected in his compound eyes was splitting apart.

Only then did I realize what was happening.

Tsutsutsu.

The ceiling of the large house was collapsing.

"Oh my God."

Anna Croft muttered as she backed away in fear. After checking the dark clouds hanging over the collapsed ceiling, I hurriedly looked for Jang Hayoung.

"Jang Hayoung!"

Jang Hayoung appeared as the empty space behind her rippled. As expected, her expression was clearly bewildered.

"No."

At first, I thought Jaehwan had been angry at my message and was stabbing me again.

But something was different. Unlike Jaehwan's dry stab, the story that was now breaking through the ceiling was clearly filled with malice.

The next moment, a flash of light flew through the crack in the ceiling. The floor of the 'Big House' was on fire with enormous heat.

Smoke spread acridly.

I swallowed my cough and looked up at the sky.

The enormous power of a story condensed in the flash. It was a 'giant story' that felt familiar somewhere.

"No way."

As hundreds of flashes bombarded the 'Big House', Jang Hayoung finally stepped forward.

An enormous force flowed out from Jang Hayoung's entire body.

I realized once again why Jang Hayoung was called the 'King of the Transcendents'. The story surging from her entire body was proving who she was.

The [Invisible Sword] that Jang Hayoung created drew a translucent trajectory and pointed at the ceiling.

Breaking the Sky Sword.

Seasonal.

Pacheonseonggyeol.

The [Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship]'s seasonal, Pacheonryuseonggyeol, collided with the flash like a rising meteor. The Pacheonryuseonggyeol's strong energy, which was offset by the flash, soon lost its strength and began to break apart.

Jang Hayoung did not stop.

Jeon Inhwa.

Baek Cheongmun's secret technique, [Jeon Inhwa], was activated, and Jang Hayoung's entire body was covered with Baek Cheong's aura. Baek Cheong's tension poured out from her fist with a fierce explosion.

At the moment when the momentum was faltering, Jang Hayoung moved the formless sword once again.

The third form.

The three swords of Cheok Jungyeong, created to cut the sea, exploded in Jang Hayoung's swordplay.

The harmony of [Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship], [Jeon Inhwa], and [Samgeom-sik].

Jang Hayoung was drawing a landscape that three captains of the Transcendent Alliance could create on their own.

This was the true power of the 'King of Transcendents'.

Jang Hayoung's three swords, which finally pushed away the flash, detonated something beyond the ceiling.

I could feel the fierce waves of stories that shook the axis of the earth gradually diminishing.

It seems that Jang Hayoung cannot unleash 100% of her power in exchange for crossing the world line.

Nevertheless, when the dust cleared, Jang Hayoung was still firmly holding her position. Although her entire body was burnt black, she succeeded in defending the 'Big House' alone.

However, Jang Hayoung's expression was serious.

Her eyes were filled with anger as she confirmed with her own eyes the being that appeared through the crack in the ceiling.

At the same time, the sound of something firing was heard from beyond the crack once again.

Jang Hayoung, whose complexion had changed, turned around and shouted.

With a dazzling flash of lightning, Jang Hayoung's body crashed into the floor of the 'Big House'.

It was unbelievable. There was an entity out there that could take down Jang Hayoung, the 'King of the Transcendents'?

Once again, the ceiling of the 'Big House' shook, and the sound of something squeezing into the ceiling was heard.

Kkuddeuk.

Dozens of ships appeared beyond the broken ceiling.

I knew those ships well, too. The 'Story Weapons' of the giant nebula that I witnessed in the final scenario of the 40th round.

The ship of <Olympus>, the 'Argo', took the lead.

The moment I confirmed the constellation leading them from the front, I thought I would accept Jang Hayoung's defeat.

Why on earth did that being appear here now?

At first, with an ominous feeling of foreboding, I felt as if the god aboard the 'Argo' recognized me.

But that couldn't be the case.

The fierce battle I had with him all happened in the time rift of the '40th round'.

No, wait a minute.

Damn it.

<Olympus>'s strongest, Zeus, one of the three gods, aimed his holy relic, Astraphe, at the 'Great House'.

The incantation fell.