918 Episode 52 Mad Sword Emperor (3)

A suffocating storm of white and blue struck the manor.

The three Ascendants, their faces paling, simultaneously dodged.

A spark of probability erupted eerily from the dust.

Sentences then emerged.

Sentences that seemed to be the inner thoughts of the Recorders. They didn't seem to have been written directly by them; perhaps they were part of their subconscious.

"Everyone, wake up! The record is leaking!"

The 'Unchanging One' warned, and the intermittent lines of text abruptly cut off.

"Don't panic! It's the same as a Narrative-grade! And there are three of us!"

Perhaps not yet fully grasping the situation, the Ascendants seemed to be regrouping. I said to those guys.

"They're not the same Narrative-grade."

Five stars shining from my entire body. I gradually drew on the power contained within the Constellation.

Power acquired after enduring the 1,863rd Round with Han Sooyoung.

AKA 'Demon King of Salvation' mode.

Use time is approximately 5 minutes.

Instantaneous combat power is 'late stage of Narrative-grade.'

"Wh, what... the level keeps rising!"

"Don't be intimidated by the level alone! I've heard information about that guy! That Constellation's combat prowess isn't that great compared to its level!"

I was a little surprised by the accuracy of the information.

As he said, the 'Demon King of Salvation' didn't have great combat skills compared to his level.

But the reason the 'Demon King of Salvation' is so scary isn't because of his 'powerful techniques'.

"Heir-ah, I'll borrow another story."

With a tsutsutsu, a new story was added to the constellation.

Story 「Insect Massacre」.

A story that unleashes overwhelming power when the opponent is 'weaker' than the story's owner.

The sphere surrounding my incarnation body began to glow even brighter.

The reason the Demon King of Salvation is so terrifying is because his story affinity is unparalleled among other Constellations.

The story's power, instantly activated, took control of the entire area through my body.

"That's—"

The Ascended beings, recognizing the story, retreated.

But it was too late.

In a flash, Baekcheong's sword swung, slicing off the head of one ascended being.

"First, one."

Even if it were the 'Insect Massacre' unleashed by the 'Demon King of Salvation', this story, born of 'Great-grade' origins, wouldn't work well against beings possessing a certain level of power.

For example, with someone like Yoo Joonghyuk, who had only faced overwhelmingly stronger opponents, 'Insect Massacre' couldn't fully demonstrate its capabilities.

But the ones before me were different.

"R-R-Run! We must inform the other Ascendants!"

The Ascendants before me had relied solely on their own power, crushing only weaker opponents. That was why they were dying now. Their history had become their weakness.

"Two."

As the two incarnations crumbled in vain, the constellation's terrifying scream echoed through the air.

Interestingly, the recorders who recorded them are in a similar situation.

It seems the Recorders of Fear who signed a 'Recording Contract' take a major blow when the contracted incarnation dies.

So that's why Bihyung said I only need to deal with the contracted incarnation.

In any case, this leaves only one thing.

I turned my head to see a terrified Yoon Hyunseok preparing to flee.

Normally, he would have thrown a tantrum, having been cornered.

Unfortunately, the guy's sponsor seemed to have made an unusual choice.

"Spo-Sponsor?"

Feeling his own status rapidly diminishing, Executive Director Yoon Hyunseok wore a blank expression.

"Hey, wait. Don't come! I told you not to come!"

If he were to lower his synchronisation with the incarnation in this situation, his purpose was clear.

Since this was a losing battle anyway, he'd probably lower his synchronisation to lessen the damage to his true form.

But I couldn't just let him run away. I pulled the 'Four Yin Demonic Demonic Sword' from my pocket.

Originally, it could only be used with the power of the Big Dipper, but at the level of a Narrative-grade Constellation, it could be replaced with one's own Constellation.

My stories were imbued into the hilt of the 'Four Yin Demonic Demonic Sword', and a bright starlight was engraved on its blade.

Swinging the 'Four Yin Demonic Demonic Sword', it slashed at its chest.

Immediately, a horrifying scream and the Constellation's message were heard.

Leaving Yoon Hyunseok behind, who had collapsed to the ground, spilling his stories, I retrieved the D-Coins dropped by the dead executives.

As expected of an Executive, he had quite a lot of D-Coins.

At this rate, I should be able to collect 100,000 D-Coins in no time.

Just then, the time limit for 'Salvation Demon King Mode' expired. I tasted blood on my tongue. I forced myself to remain calm and swallowed my breath.

A faint spark coursed through my body.

I guess five stories is still too much.

"Benefactor, are you alright?"

"Inho-ssi—!"

I saw Namgung Myung and Kyung Sein, who had retreated for a moment, approaching.

I held out my palm to them, signaling them not to move.

Yoon Hyunseok's lifeline was still attached.

"Keuk..."

Even though he couldn't use the power of his sponsor, I couldn't let my guard down forever.

I approached him, maintaining [Baekcheong-ganggi].

"S-Spare me, spare me… "

I looked down at him and said,

"I have some questions for your 'Recorder'."

When I mentioned the Recorder's existence, Yoon Hyunseok's body trembled as if struck by lightning.

Then, as if waiting, a message flashed through my mind.

There was a reason I kept him alive in the first place. There was information I needed to uncover.

What on earth are so many Recorders plotting in this city?

What are the Dokkaebis thinking hiring these guys?

Perhaps this 'Recorder' before me knows all that information.

"What do I get if I spare you?"

"That's not necessary."

Considering what happened to my Eldest Brother, I had no intention of letting any of them live.

Still, I finally got the information. I couldn't miss this opportunity to rip it out.

But the next moment, instead of his answer, I heard his inner thoughts.

Huh?

Records Archive?

Sensing something odd, I was about to swing my sword at Yoon Hyunseok's arm when...

A bright light emanated from Yoon Hyunseok's entire body, and soon a translucent energy surged through him.

The next moment, what looked like a pen mark the guy had left rippled through the air. I reached out and firmly grasped it, and a message flashed before my eyes.

Seeing the message, something occurred to me.

It seems I've finally figured out where the 'subspace' Bihyung spoke of was.

A pure white, circular space reminiscent of a gigantic Colosseum. Fierce sentences were floating in real time above the space's margins.

As various incidents unfolded in the city, a dozen or so recorders scribbled on the screens, examining each one.

What was unusual was that each recorder wore a mask. Most were blue or purple, but occasionally green and orange masks were seen.

The recorder wearing the orange mask spoke first.

The green mask beside him answered.

The orange mask spoke in a dejected tone. The city's scenery was reflected in his eyes behind his mask.

Until now, this city has been divided into two parts, the remnants of the fallen Fear Realm. Its lifespan was sustained by the power of the three.

The fragments of the Fear Realm that were occasionally unearthed were refined into 'D-Coins', and these 'D-Coins' were transmitted to the constellations in the higher scenarios, proving their worth.

However, the vitality of such a system was limited.

When the orbital elevator was destroyed, the D-Coin circulation route was blocked, and naturally, the Ascendants who had become stronger through D-Coins also found their path to ascending blocked.

A single incarnation brought the entire city's system to its knees.

The Mad Sword Emperor was merely a trigger. Perhaps the constellations in the higher scenarios simply concluded that the city had outlived its usefulness.

The orange mask, who had been thinking so, shook his head.

At that statement, the recorders in the room whispered.

The orange mask, listening to the recorders' conversation, asked.

The orange mask stared at the <Tamra Heavy Industry> headquarters on the screen.

In the basement of that company, a monster once sealed by the recorders was imprisoned.

The orange mask smiled faintly, as if thinking about something.

The objective of every 'Recorder of Fear' is clear. It was about completing the 'ultimate sentence' to be left on the 'Final Wall'.

However, not all Recorders were able to achieve this ultimate sentence. Only the chosen recorders left behind great records.

Therefore, most recorders wanted to write 'commentaries' to accompany such a 'great sentence'.

The Recorders' eyes were filled with fear and excitement. It was understandable, for they were the 'high-ranking recorders' of the <Star Stream>, beings they couldn't even dare to listen to, let alone look at—even their true names.

But what if they could help these high-ranking Recorders complete the 'One Sentence'...?

Just then, one of the recorders, who had been scanning the screen, ran over.

Stopped writing. The weight of these words made all the Recorders' expressions harden for a moment. For the Recorders, the 'stop writing' was a punishment akin to eternal destruction, in terms of constellations.

The orange mask asked.

The orange mask's eyes narrowed.

No matter what they did in this city, it was unlikely to cause an incident worthy of 'stopping writing'.

The orange mask spoke in a grave voice.

The tense recorders exchanged glances.

The order was finally given.

The 'Recorder of Fear' trembled before my eyes.

To put it simply, it was like this.

He moved to this 'Recording Center' as soon as it was two o'clock, and I followed him.

He was jubilant, thinking he'd escaped safely, but then he turned to me and looked as if he were about to faint.

Hurriedly, he collected his expression and began to speak.

I stared at the 'Unchanging One'.

I expected him to have some impressive appearance since he was called a 'Recorder of Fear', but he was just a young man wearing glasses. Compared to 'Asmodeus' and 'Bichonhori' I'd met before, he felt like a mere idiot. My silence must have been what the guy was thinking, as he fell to the ground and cried out.

I watched him for a moment before opening my mouth.

But no sound came out. Is it impossible to speak audibly in this space? In that case…

At that moment, the 'Unchanging One' heard my voice and opened his eyes wide.

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