927 Episode 53 Record War (3)
Kugugugugu.
I could hear the sound of probability gathering around the request to activate [Time of Judgment]. However, it wasn't a moment to relax.
The key activation condition for [Time of Judgment] requested by the 'Judge of Demon Destruction' was 'the consent of all Constellations within the channel'.
If even one Constellation consents to the activation, [Time of Judgment] will be activated.
【Heewon-ssi, please tell him exactly what I say from now on.】
Watching Jung Heewon nod across the screen, I observed the constellations' reactions.
[Some Constellations shook their heads.]
[A very small number of Constellations question the appropriateness of viewing the 'Flame of Purification' as a 'monster'.]
The reactions were as expected.
[The Constellation, 'Bald General of Justice', asks if he's a monster at that level.]
Of course, there were other Great-grade Constellations, including 'Bald General of Justice', who were sympathetic to us, but even they weren't likely to agree to [Time of Judgment].
For a Great-grade Constellation, not even a Narrative-grade, to oppose a massive Nebula would be to invite disaster.
Agni laughed, perhaps thinking we were cornered.
「 [It was an interesting strategy, but do you dare think there's a star that can oppose <Vedas>?] 」
As Agni had said, the sky was calm to the point of indifference. It was only natural.
No Constellation here would think Jung Heewon could defeat Agni.
But I wasn't fazed.
「 "There are no Constellations, but there are incarnations." 」
Jung Heewon calmly recited the lines I had given her.
「 "If the Supreme King were here, he wouldn't have said such things." 」
Agni looked down at Jung Heewon, as if she were saying something out of the blue. Jung Heewon, who was actually saying it, looked somewhat worried.
She probably doesn't understand why I made her say that.
I didn't really explain.
Because—
「 "Supreme King? Did you just say Supreme King?" 」
The reason I made her say that was because he had just appeared from among the ruins.
「 "Mad Sword Emperor! I knew it! You really knew something about the Supreme King!" 」
Nirvana, the leader of the Salvation Church, had been chasing the Mad Sword Emperor. He had finally appeared on the battlefield.
「 "Tell me! What on earth do you know? Why are you using the Supreme King's swordsmanship! 」
Agni's expression twisted at the unexpected intruder.
「 [Is there a child who hasn't run away yet?] 」
「 "You cheeky Constellation, isn't this body speaking right now?" 」
As expected, Nirvana, in a fit of madness for Yoo Joonghyuk, remained undaunted even before that Narrative-grade Constellation.
Agni murmured, glancing at Nirvana with a strange gaze.
「 [Is that Seokjun's pet?] 」
Agni sighed softly, perhaps because rumors about Nirvana had already spread to Vedas.
「 [I'll close my eyes once I see him. Get out.] 」
Agni unleashed his power, and a heavy burden fell over the area once again.
Nirvana's expression hardened for a moment, then reacted.
「 "Are you ordering me to do this?" 」
Even though he was the Leader of the Salvation Church, his opponent was a Constellation of the 'Late Stage Narrative-grade'. Even though running away was not something to be ashamed of, he showed no signs of retreating. Then it's time for someone to light the fire.
【Savior. If you help me here, I'll give you what you want.】
Jung Heewon repeated my words, and Nirvana cheered.
「 "Good. Mad Sword Emperor! Then become one with me and—" 」
「 "The regression of the Supreme King ends with this Round." 」
Nirvana's eyes slowly dilated.
「 "If you want to hear more, save me." 」
The next moment, Agni's fiery heat enveloped my vision.
Thankfully, a palm pierced through the fierce flames, protecting the two. Nirvana's [Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara] had activated.
「 "What do you mean? This Round is the end? Where on earth did you hear that?" 」
Nirvana, glaring, added in a faintly dazed voice.
「 "And… why do I smell my 'follower' on you?" 」
I smiled bitterly. As expected of a reincarnated being, he's quick-witted.
「 [Foolish mortals...] 」
Agni's fiery anger was intensifying.
But even Nirvana was no easy opponent.
「 "I'm not a mortal, but a reincarnated being, you foolish Constellation." 」
「 Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara, charging forward with a desperate resolve, blocked the fiery anger. 」
Of course, even Nirvana wouldn't be able to defeat Agni. At best, he'd only be able to hold out for a few minutes.
I had to make good use of the precious time he'd given me.
【Are you planning to use that 'method' from earlier?】
Bicheonhori already seemed to know what I was planning.
【That method?】
【A method to temporarily become a Constellation.】
【What you mentioned is a good method, though.】
If I activate 'Demon King of Salvation Mode', I can temporarily wield powers equivalent to a 'Constellation'. Then, perhaps, even briefly, it might be possible to agree to [The Hour of Judgment]. But...
「 A deep, bloody scent burned from the distant stories Agni lived in. 」
「 The blood of the living creatures he slew with his own axe filled the surroundings like fog. 」
「 The ceaseless, pulsating heat burned the fog, like waves... 」
The sentences of the recorders flowed in real time. The pace of the sentences was so fast that catching and erasing them one by one seemed impossible.
At that moment, a peculiar sentence flashed before my eyes.
「 Agni often glanced warily at the sky. As if he was reluctant to allow anyone to interfere in this battlefield. 」
【If my thoughts are correct, there will be a Constellation that will aid us.】
【Are you waiting for <Kim Dokja Company> or the Constellations of other worldlines?】
How wonderful that would be.
I shook my head with a wry smile.
【This time, it's a different Constellation.】
【There's no way a Constellation could stand against Agni.】
「 "Gyaaaaaaaah!" 」
Finally, unable to withstand Agni's heat, the [Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara] melted.
【No, there is.】
[The activation conditions for 'Hour of Judgment' have been met.]
Amidst the message, a terrifying energy wave surged from Jung Heewon's body. Jung Heewon leaped up in one breath and activated [Vermilion God's Treasure], striking with a flash of lightning.
The black goat Agni was riding let out a cry as if in a fit of convulsion. A pitch-black story leaped into the air. Agni muttered in shock.
「 [No way—] 」
The moment he raised his head, a single Constellation shone brightly in the sky.
[The Constellation, 'God of Wine and Ecstasy', consents to the activation of 'Hour of Judgment'.]
Dionysus, God of Wine and Ecstasy. He agreed to Jung Heewon's [Time of Judgment].
Agni glared and unleashed a mantra.
「 [Foolish prodigal son of Olympus! How dare you side with that incarnation?] 」
Dionysus also unleashed an indirect message at that terrifying mantra.
[The Constellation, 'God of Wine and Ecstasy', pretends otherwise.]
Even if Dionysus was one of the twelve gods of Olympus, confronting the Locapala of Vedas head-on was a risky undertaking.
Nevertheless, Dionysus chose the 'Mad Sword Emperor'.
【Suddenly, 'Dionysus'?】
I smiled, and Bicheonhori asked, his voice threatening.
【Could it be that you planned this? Since when?】
【Since I heard the information from 'Moral'.】
Moral said. Dionysus is currently independent from Olympus. In that situation, I was certain he would take a different path than the existing Olympus.
【Could it be that you used [Fate] on Dionysus?】
【Similar.】
【Even if it were [Fate], it wouldn't be possible to force the choice of a Narrative-grade Constellation.】
That's right. Even for a Recorder, manipulating a Narrative-grade being by imposing [Fate] on them is nearly impossible. [Fate], granted improbably, has its limits, and above all, all characters possess 'free will'.
【I didn't force it.】
I shrugged and showed him the sentence I'd written.
「 Dionysus thought. 'A Mad Sword Emperor. A Transcendent that chooses a direct confrontation with Agni, the Lokapala?' 」
Bicheonhori glared at my sentence,
as if trying to discern some hidden interpretation hidden beneath the words.
【This is all there is to the [Fate] you wrote?】
My task was simple: to make Dionysus interested in the Mad Sword Emperor.
【Dionysus will undoubtedly need a new 'base' after the independence of <Olympus>.】
For now, I thought that was enough.
Just by making him aware of the Mad Sword Emperor, Dionysus would have deemed her useful in the 'next scenario'. Bicheonhori exclaimed in admiration.
【You're truly crazy.】
【Thank you for the compliment. Please donate some coins.】
The atmosphere on the battlefield changed with Dionysus' intervention.
Kugugugugu.
His body, strengthened to the limit by the power of [Time of Judgment], Jung Heewon's sword began to move as if dancing.
「 It's not enough. 」
The trajectory of the [Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship], which she had swung tens of thousands of times every day, was becoming darker.
Faster, stronger. Listening to her thoughts, I slowly closed my eyes. The stage was set, so it was my turn to step forward.
「 What does it take for a character to unleash their full potential? 」
Bichonhori said.
【I can't give you coins, but I can lend you a line or two.】
With that, a phrase flashed through my mind. It was a line from Bicheonhori, author of 「The 100 Strongest」.
「 "You can't always say life is better than death." 」
A line from Jung Heewon, who was simply called the 'Mad Butcher', unable to even find her own name in the main story.
「 "It would be even more so if there was nothing to protect." 」
The story of her suffering, unable to protect what was precious, had been passed down across the worldline to this place.
「 IhavetoprotectIhavetoprotectIhavetoprotectIhavetoprotectIhavetoprotect... 」
A round that seemed to continue on for eternity. Beyond the thoughts, I felt as if I could grasp the years she had lived. Bicheonhori added with a pleased smile.
【As expected, what strengthens a stage is 'repetition' and 'utilization'.】
Above the maddening prelude laid by Bicheonhori, the history she and I had built began to flow.
「 "Heewon-ssi... I love you... It's true..." 」
「 "What are you doing?" 」
The moment I first met her at Geumho Station.
「 "Can you support me from behind?" 」
"I'd love to, but my arms are like this."
"Support me with your back. Like this!"」
The time we were eaten by a dragon and, after many twists and turns, escaped together.
「 "Good job, Heewon-ssi." 」
And the death of Sergeant Jung Moonho at Seoul Station.
Even the moment we witnessed the sound together.
「 That's how Jung Heewon became the 'Light Sword Emperor'. 」
I intervened in her life, and she willingly became my story. She became a sword, unbreakable by any tragedy.
So now, she and I were thinking the same thing.
「 I will never let you die. 」
We will not let each other die.
「 The Axe of God and the Sword of Man clashed in the air. 」
The scenery distorted, and a violent thunderbolt struck the sky.
[The Constellation, 'God of Wine and Ecstasy', cannot take its eyes off the battle.]
[The Constellation, 'Bald General of Justice', stops wiping his hair.]
[The Constellation, 'Lying Dragon' closes the book he was reading.]
[The Constellation, 'Monarch of the Small Fries, widens his eyes.]
All the Constellations in the channel were focused on the battle, perhaps not expecting such a bloody battle in just scenario number 70.
[The Constellation, 'Monarch of the Small Fries', cannot take his eyes off the battle between gods and humans.]
The pure power of the story, captivating even the Constellations of the Giant Nebulae and the small and medium Constellations.
[The Constellation, 'Maritime War God, has entered the channel.]
[The Constellation, 'Maritime War God, feels a strange sense of deja vu during your battle.]
[The <Star Stream> begins to show the presence of that area.]
As the stage grew larger, the density of probability filling Agni's entire being also increased.
「 [With just such a piece of history.] 」
A divine strike, peeking at the Myth-grade position. An axe engulfed in fiery flames struck the ground. Nirvana, caught in the raging winds of red flame, collapsed on the ground without even a scream.
A god's shadow fell over Nirvana's incarnation body.
「 [Do you truly believe you can stand against a 'god'?] 」
Nirvana struggled, trampled by Agni.
The vastly longer history between gods and humans unfolded before our eyes.
「 As the flames engulfed the land, the mountain ranges blackened like giant altars, and rivers evaporated and rose into the sky. Countless starlights were absorbed and scattered by the flames, and even the sun wavered before them like a faint lantern. 」
「 What I heard was the language of fire, the heartbeat of the universe as flames collided with each other. 」
「 Purification is Agni's declaration of liberation. Mother Nature's command to be purified by fire and reborn. 」
A force that became [Fate] simply by repeating history.
I saw Bicheonhori shaking his head.
【It was an interesting fight, but it was a match that was impossible from the start.】
「 The God of Flame was there. 」
Even I, looking beyond the screen, felt a shiver. An enemy that even a Transcendent Stage 4 [Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship] couldn't cut.
I saw Jung Heewon's face darken, biting her lip.
【You provoked the Constellations too much. The Flame of Purification is a 'Locapala'. Did you really think a mere incarnation could defeat him, who was on the verge of Mythical promotion?】
Perhaps it was something I wouldn't have done before. Using Jung Heewon to provoke the Constellations and expand the stage—there was absolutely no benefit to doing something like that right away.
【What on earth were you thinking…?】
But right now, this was the only way to save Jung Heewon.
【This is my thought.】
[The aftershock of probability is coming!]
The excessive abuse of probability finally led to the aftershock of probability.
Agni frowned and stared into the sky.
[The 'Balance of Probability' is beginning to tip!]
Due to the intervention of the Recorders and the Giant Nebulae, Agni used probability beyond what was permitted in the 'New Murim District'.
「 The scales of probability are fair, so if one side of the scale tilts, a corresponding 'probability' is inevitably opened up on the other side. 」
In other words, the conditions for a being comparable to Agni to be powerful in this city have just been met.
[The 'Great Hall' is being created!]
The sky in the scenario turned pitch black, and the 'Great Hall' appeared.
I said.
【The 'Great Hall' has the characteristic of summoning 'otherworldly deities' with deep temporal, spatial, and lore ties to the area.】
「 And the 'Outer God' most closely connected to this 'city' is... 」
Tsutsutsu, a portal swirled open before my eyes.
[The story, 'King of Fear' is with you.]
The scenario was calling me.
【Watch closely, Bicheonhori.】
I glanced at Bicheonhori, who was glaring at me, and stepped into the portal.
【Because the ending I'm about to write begins here.】
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