929 Episode 53 Record War (5)

...

It was the first time I'd ever witnessed such a violent storm of messages.

The sentences that had been strengthening Agni shattered beyond recognition, and Agni's story, which had filled the incarnation body, swelled and burst forth.

Agni's roar echoed through the scene, resembling a volcano erupting.

<Olympus>, <Vedas>, and the other Constellations of the 'New Murim District' were all engulfed in the suffocating atmosphere.

A moment later, a staggering shadow of a god appeared through the acrid smoke.

Is the Constellation that reached 'Lokapala' truly different?

Even after being struck by that horrific aftershock, Agni remained alive. Although severely damaged and reduced to less than half his size, he still radiated a force befitting a great man.

Agni, staggering, swung his broken axe at me.

Even if his strength had been diminished, it was a threatening blow for me, who still lacked the full power of the 'King of Fear'. But I didn't panic.

The Mad Sword, which had endured through the ages to avenge its master, was rushing toward me.

The trajectory of Jung Heewon's [Breaking the Sky Sword] swung slashed Agni. The dehorned goat collapsed with a groan, and the god's massive body collapsed to the ground. Jung Heewon, exhausted of all her power, collapsed to the ground, as if leaving it to me.

His upper and lower body severed by the Breaking the Sky Sword, Agni’s voice leaked out from the cracks in the shattered stories.

Even the last of his pride, his mantra, crumbled, and the great star's wretched inner self was revealed to the world.

A star so dazzling that even a glimpse was impossible. Where its brilliance had faded, a grotesque figure lay.

It was a tiny baby.

Its skin burned as if scorched by fire. A pitch-black body soaked in oil. From its small head, long-rotted, rotten eyeballs oozed out.

For a Constellation that had lived a life of feasting on stories, perched atop the great heavens, its true form was absurdly pitiful.

Hunting 'Lokapala', the reward for that achievement was appearing before my eyes in real time.

I approached Agni, feeling the pulsating story.

Agni was crawling desperately. He was desperately trying to survive, to get as far away from me as possible.

I called out his modifier. I accurately analyzed the Constellation context and grasped his true name.

His expression, soaked in fear, trembled, as if he already knew the [Fate] he had been given.

The King of Fear's other power is 'collection'. All beings who succumb to him and become 'Fears' are trapped in the 'Time Fault' he created.

Agni's story began to be sucked into my hands.

Agni, the flame of purification, his brilliant history as a Lokapala of the Vedas entangled with my fingertips.

A shadow floated over Agni's expression. The shadow of a wall filled with distant strings began to envelop his soul.

The Constellation cried out like a newborn baby. His trembling body seemed to reject its own ■■, yet at the same time, it seemed to finally accept it.

The soul of the Constellation, facing eternal rest, was dispersing. All of its records were seeping into that distant 'Time Fault'.

But at that moment...

Someone stopped me.

A Constellation radiated a light far more divine than Agni's flame, though not as fiery.

I thought I heard a train whistle coming from somewhere.

He was so powerful that he could face me in 'King of Fear' mode. The dazzling light emanating from his entire body proved who he was.

The Constellation of Vedas that had stopped Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk in the Demon Realm.

The strongest Lokapala, rivaling Agni. The Supreme God of Light, Surya, directly attacked the 'New Murim District'.

Amidst the overwhelming whirlwind of probability, I suddenly realized what had happened.

The moment Agni exploded, caught in the aftershock of probability, the scales of probability should have tilted back toward me. The opposite scale had lost its opponent, a worthy opponent for my 'class'.

But the scales didn't tilt, and the aftershock didn't blow.

His arrival here must have meant that Vedas had decided not to stand idly by.

I asked nervously.

No matter how strong I'd become, I wasn't in a position to engage in a full-scale war against a single Giant Nebula.

According to information from Moral, the Giant Nebulas in the higher-level scenarios were all focused on 'Ragnarok', making it unlikely they'd be deployed here. However, I didn't expect them to use such a powerful force to descend, even after Agni.

If I were to fight Surya now, would I be able to win?

While the situation was different from when Kim Dokja fought in the 'Demon King Selection Tournament', with the ability to use the 'Demon King of Salvation' story, the odds weren't completely out of the question.

The problem was buying time to switch modes.

Surya's light, which had been weighing on the area, was fading. Did that mean he had no hostility?

Slowly bending down, Surya picked up Agni's torn soul. Agni, eyes closed and trembling, drooled in his arms.

If I could take the soul of 'Lokapala' here, I could use it in some way for a bargain.

Not just any other Constellation, but a soul of the Lokapala class, there would be countless stars drooling.

I stared at Surya for a moment, then asked.

As if to prove his point, the probability of <Vedas> no longer seemed to be present in the sky.

The light emanating from his entire body testified to the truth of his words.

In a sense, 'Agni' was a kind of mediator, carrying Surya's light to the earth.

Thinking about it, I began to understand why Surya had come here.

I slowly withdrew my hand and said. Since Surya had already blocked my path, there was no reason to forcefully seize Agni's soul. After all, I had already defeated Agni and obtained the story.

Surya bowed his head to me in gratitude and said,

A dull horn rang out from the sky, and Surya and Agni's bodies instantly emerged from the scenario. The constellations, watching for an opportunity to intervene in the fleeting events, began to emit bright light.

I looked up at the sky. Unfortunately for the Constellations, this was the end of the stage.

I silently summoned Bihyung, and he appeared in the sky with sparks.

This was my contract with the Management Bureau.

When I signaled Bihyung, he promised to turn off the channel for a moment for inspection.

It was a favor I received in exchange for dealing with the Recorders in this area.

—This time, I was genuinely impressed. Perhaps, if it really were you…

The sound of the channel closing was heard along with Bihyung's voice coming through the 'Dokkaebi Communications'.

Feeling the starlight fading, I deactivated 'King of Fear' mode. This was to prevent the aftershock of the tilted balance beam after Surya's disappearance.

The Great Hall closed, and my body, deprived of its external powers, plummeted to the ground.

Holding the story of the King of Fear had drained most of my energy, leaving my incarnation body with no energy left to even activate [Way of the Wind].

But...

A woman ran toward me, calling my name from afar. She, who had inherited the story of the 'Flying Squirrel' from the 'Recycling Center', activated [Way of the Wind] with all her might and rushed towards me.

"...ssi."

Kyung Sein called out, embracing me as I fell through the air.

"Dokja-ssi."

Holding my incarnation body, scorched by the probability, Kyung Sein was calling me Kim Dokja again.

I gently placed my arm around her shoulder, holding back tears, and said,

"I told you. I'm quite strong now."

Jung Heewon, who got up from afar, was looking this way.

We stared at each other for a moment.

Just by exchanging glances, we could tell what each other was thinking.

Jung Heewon was the first to speak.

"You're alive."

I nodded and replied.

"Yes."

Without asking any further questions, Jung Heewon approached silently, leaving me wanting more. There was much to say and hear, but for now, it was time to simply savor this quiet reunion.

Mighty Constellations had vanished, and the once-extinguished sky was brightening again. The long night had passed, and dawn was dawning on the 'New Murim District'.

Even though a Constellation had disappeared tonight, the scenario still continued.

"Let's go see the end of this world together."

Soon, word would spread among the Vonstellations.

The news that an Outer God who had defeated one of the Locapalas of the Vedas existed in the 70th scenario would spread throughout the Star Stream. The Battle of Agni was merely a prelude to the great war that was about to begin.

As if to prove that truth, the story pulsing within my heart began to beat violently.

Perhaps, by now, across the sky, that guy is thinking the same thing I am.

I smiled, thinking of him.

The 'Final Record' of this worldline will soon begin.

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