981 Episode 59 What Kind of Ending (2)

Jung Heewon was the first to speak.

"Huh?"

Jung Heewon leaped through the swirling black dragon smoke, shielding me, and then asked with a suspicious expression.

"Isn't… that him?"

I nodded. He clearly didn't look like the guy I knew. But there, where the black dragon's massive body had disappeared, was undoubtedly 'Kim Namwoon'.

No matter how I looked at him, he appeared to be a young boy, barely ten years old. Yet, the child's face still held the nuance of the 'Kim Namwoon' that Jung Heewon and I remembered.

I quickly pushed through the smoke and carefully picked up Kim Namwoon, who was sprawled on the ground.

The shattered Kim Dokja, and even the Secretive Plotter who had overused his probability, had been reduced to kkomas. Was Kim Namwoon in a similar situation?

Jung Heewon asked in a worried voice.

"What could have happened to him?"

"He likely suffered the aftermath of summoning the 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon'."

The 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' was now a constellation of mythical status. It should have been impossible for an incarnation to even borrow his power, let alone summon his full descent.

But Kim Namwoon had performed a miracle, pulling the black dragon's massive form into his own body. It occurred to me then that Kim Namwoon, the Delusion Demon, was a comrade of Yoo Joonghyuk who had rightfully earned his place in the 『Top 100 Strongest』.

"Ah."

Kim Namwoon slowly opened his eyes in my arms. Drenched in cold sweat, he looked up from within my embrace and pursed his lips several times.

Ah. Ah. Ah.

I felt a wave of dizziness. What came out was not his own voice. The man's words, vomited from deep within his lungs, pierced right through me.

Kim Namwoon's voice, engulfed in a fierce black flame, was followed by a detached reply that felt chillingly familiar.

The moment I heard that voice, my heart sank.

'Snowfield Kim Dokja'.

It was unmistakable. This was a memory of Kim Namwoon confronting my brother.

But I couldn't understand it. Why had Kim Namwoon stood against him? And why had my brother deemed Kim Namwoon 'unnecessary'?

What I knew for certain was that 'Snowfield Kim Dokja' was responsible for Kim Namwoon's current state. It was one more reason I had to meet my brother.

"Dokja-ssi!"

The volume of stories flowing from Kim Namwoon was increasing steadily. As the narratives overflowed violently, I could feel his body gradually shrinking. If this continued, Kim Namwoon would completely disintegrate and vanish from this world.

Is that why Asmodeus said that? That bastard was planning to leave me with the exhausting work.

I took a deep breath and began to gather Kim Namwoon's scattered stories.

Stories possess an inherent resilience; if the shattered fragments can be kept from scattering completely, they can be restored.

The problem was how to anchor the fragments that had already lost their cohesion.

I began speaking to Kim Namwoon as if I were truly talking to him. I could feel his shoulders tremble as he continued to regress into a child. Just saying it's okay wouldn't fix him instantly—I knew that. All I could do was offer a different story to someone trapped in a nightmare.

One effective way to maintain the unity of a narrative is to plant 'another story' to bridge the gaps. By reconnecting the fragments of a broken tale with a different one, you create a new central axis.

I told Kim Namwoon the story of the 1,863rd round.

I chose this because the 1,863rd round was the world line where the 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' and the 'Water Character' Kim Namwoon survived to see the conclusion.

The reason Kim Namwoon's condition was so precarious was ultimately because the 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' was unstable.

If I could just hold the black dragon's attention, Kim Namwoon's chances of recovery would rise.

Indeed, as the narrative progressed, his condition improved rapidly. Color returned to his pale cheeks, and the scattered fragments of the narrative began to click back into place.

As I expected. The 1,863rd round was centered on that 'Han Sooyoung'. Since Han Sooyoung's sponsor in the 1,864th round was the Black Flame Dragon, it was inevitable that he would be drawn to her story.

Just as I thought I could stop recording, Kim Namwoon's lips parted again. This time, it wasn't a moan or a scream. He spoke a name.

"Lee Jihye."

I nodded, showing him I was listening. Kim Namwoon opened his mouth again, his lips trembling.

"Save... Jihye."

For a moment, my mind went blank. I hadn't expected to hear those words from him, of all people.

As if he thought I hadn't heard him correctly, he spoke again.

"Save... Yoosung."

Had I ever seen Kim Namwoon ask for anyone's help? Even after writing and reading so many sentences, I still didn't fully understand this story. I felt a sense of bewilderment and a subtle elation at the same time.

What kind of picture was my brother painting as the world line neared its conclusion? And why was Kim Namwoon excluded from that landscape?

"I will."

I couldn't tell if the fainting Kim Namwoon had heard me.

"Definitely."

However, his closed eyes looked more serene than they had before.

Mitra, who had been observing the situation from a distance, raised his massive form.

It was time to set out in search of the 'Missing Bush'.

To cut to the chase, the search for the 'Missing Bush' was not easy.

"I don't think it's here either."

Mitra had marked five potential locations for the 'Missing Bush'.

We had already failed to find it in three of them.

"Is that map actually defective?"

Mitra cleared his throat in response to my question.

As Mitra spoke, he led his subordinates forward, his massive body swaying. Frankly, I was dissatisfied with our pace, but I wasn't in a position to complain.

Even now, we were being pursued by those a few hundred meters away. They were likely remnants of Papyrus or another giant nebula.

Anna Croft, watching Mitra's sluggish gait, approached me.

"I think we're wasting time."

"He's badly injured. His wings were torn off."

"It's his wings, not his legs. Our progress is too slow. It feels as if he's waiting for something."

Anna Croft spoke with a suspicion that rivaled my own. Jung Heewon, who was carrying Kim Namwoon on her back, joined in.

"I agree. He was a sinister constellation from the start."

I knew Mitra was listening, so I didn't acknowledge it openly, but I wasn't oblivious to their doubts.

Even if Mitra was a mythical constellation, this was a 'super-large battlefield'. With the Round Table potentially intervening and the variable of the 'Black Flame Dragon' looming, maintaining this slow pace suggested a hidden agenda.

Just then, a message regarding the Sanctuary appeared.

Mitra stopped walking. Several of the constellations escorting him began to whisper in low voices.

The Sanctuary was one of the key events of this 'super-large battlefield'.

Only five minutes. If they could survive five minutes in that zone, they could proceed directly to the 'Main Battlefield'. For the constellations of Valhalla Hall who had been forcibly dragged here, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Even though Mitra was holding back, I could sense the number of constellations gathering in the surrounding area increasing rapidly.

The Sun Hunter seemed determined to seize the opportunity. While I felt a sense of regret, his goal was to find his transcendent friends; it was only right that we part ways.

"Thank you for everything."

It was unclear what exactly he was warning us about. However, for some reason, the Sun Hunter turned his gaze toward Mitra. I followed his look. Sensing our eyes on him, Mitra began to approach. The 'Sanctuary' must have appeared. I thought I was finally about to hear Mitra's plan—

The unexpected news made me jump. We had finally found it.

But Mitra's expression was grim.

"Why?"

Outer Deity. Even though I had acquired the power of the 'Fear Realm', an 'Outer Deity' was still a significant burden.

Furthermore, if Mitra, a mythical constellation, described it as 'strong', it wasn't just any deity. It was a natural disaster.

In the worst case, a being equivalent to the 'End-of-the-World' was lingering within those bushes.

If a presence of that level existed, even the 'Fear Realm' wouldn't be enough to counter it easily.

But I couldn’t back down. The 'Missing Bush' was my only clue to finding Dansu ahjussi. I had to enter, no matter what.

"Where is it?"

As if waiting for the question, Mitra pointed. As I looked where his finger indicated, a vast compression occurred at the vanishing point. This was likely Mitra’s vision. At the end of that compressed field, the bush was there.

The moment I confirmed it, I understood Mitra’s warning. The immense narrative energy emanating from the thicket was so intense it made me shudder.

The deity within that bush was clearly one I shouldn't dare confront.

And yet, a chuckle escaped me anyway.

"It doesn't matter. I'm going in."

Mitra narrowed his eyes, questioning my sanity.

As he had said, what lay within that bush was, by this worldline's standards, an unmistakable 'outer deity'.

The reason I didn't hesitate was simple.

The 'outer deities' within that bush were people I knew very well.