Ch 439: Ep. 83 - Dokja's Incarnation, I

The boiling power of Chaos encroached into the blood vessels in my entire body. One by one, Stories began resisting against the invasion of this foreign power.

I barely managed to hold onto my wavering consciousness and staggered towards the sacred texts.

⸢…⸥

I thought I heard voices coming from somewhere, which could've been a side effect of transforming into an Outer God. I figured that my consciousness breaking apart somehow automatically activated [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint].

However, it wasn't only one person this time; as if I was seeing many people's POVs, several voices came at me at the same time.

⸢…I already knew.⸥

That was Yoo Joonghyuk.

⸢It was just too obvious from the get-go, you know. I thought that it might as well be.⸥

Lee Jihye.

⸢If he didn't tell us up-front, then he must've had his reasons.⸥

Shin Yoosung.

⸢I, I already was suspecting it too, you know?! D-Dokja hyung! Dokja hyung!!⸥

Lee Gilyoung.

⸢…Dokja-ssi?⸥

Jung Heewon.

To these folks who understood it all already without being told – just what could I possibly say to them?

⸢What a powerful Sun Wukong he is… Who could he be?⸥

…That was Lee Hyunsung.

I ended up smirking softly.

Right, maybe it's for the best that he doesn't find out.

I sensed my memories beginning to crumble away. Once the transformation into an Outer God was over, all of my memories should scatter away like cosmic dust.

⸢Kim Dokja was scared.⸥

⸢After losing all my memories will I still remain as 'me'?⸥

I did die a few times so far, but never have I lost all of my memories. What would happen to the 'me' that remembers everything, from here onwards?

Even if I got to read them all again, would I be able to regain the emotions I felt back then in full?

Would I really be able to feel the same emotions that I felt during the acquisition of all these precious stories?

⸢And finally, the 'sacred texts' were waiting for Kim Dokja right before his eyes.⸥

The [Journey to the West Remake].

That book was the 'Giant Story' itself. The moment I grasp it, this Giant Story would become <Kim Dokja's Company>'s, as well as the Outer Gods.

⸢Kim Dokja reached out towards the 'sacred texts'.⸥

With this, we'd be able to complete this [Journey to the West].

Tsu-chuchuchuchu…

It was at this moment that something strange happened.

…It's being delayed?

Sparks exploding all around me got even more violent while the roars from the Constellations grew further away. The flow of space-time was being warped strangely. Probability so powerful that it gave me chills and back-wetting goosebumps was being mobilised. It felt as if the entirety of the <Star Stream> was writhing around.

Someone was intruding into the scenario by breaking through the distorted space.

Several Great Dokkaebis were incarnating before my eyes.

Tsu-chuchuchuchuchut!

As if it had turned into stone, my hand reaching out towards the 'sacred texts' froze up in place.

This shouldn't be happening.

Dokkaebis weren't able to interfere with the main scenarios.

No, actually, some did try indirectly to pick fights with us, but there had never been an instance where a Dokkaebi with "Great" as its classification personally distorted a scenario like this.

However, these ones had betted away their Probability and did indeed intervene with the scenario.

Great Dokkaebis were also a part of the <Star Stream>.

Even if they were tasked with controlling the system, they were not exempt from the consequences of abnormally abusing the Probability.

Perhaps that was the reason why the powerful sparks were dancing around wildly on the bodies of the Great Dokkaebis.

I thought I could understand just a little why they were willing to go this far. If I took the 'sacred texts' and acquired the 'Giant Story' in the process…

Then, the Outer Gods they had been excluding from the story would officially be incorporated into a 'Giant Story'.

Outer Gods were beings that couldn't be controlled fully by the system they possessed. Never mind the mid-to-lower grade [Old Beings], if the higher-ranked Outer Gods were to enter the scenarios indiscriminately, then the <Star Stream> would fall into unbridled chaos.

Even then, I simply had to complete this task.

Statuses from the Great Dokkaebis had tied my entire body down like chains, and my fingertips reaching out to the 'sacred texts' came to a dead stop only a single hand span away. However, I didn't get flustered.

As the Great Dokkaebis appeared here while going against the Probability, there's was no doubt that another creature tasked with fixing the tilted balance of the distorted Probability would appear soon.

Ku-gugugugu!!

Speak of the devil – a whirlpool suddenly formed in the middle of the sky. It was the [Great Hole]. And an existence revealed itself and looked down at me from beyond the opening.

It was none other than the Wenny King, the one I met back in the N'Gai's Forest.

Great Dokkaebis discovered the Wenny's presence and roared out in sheer astonishment.

The Wenny King sneered back at them. [It's the same story for you, too.]

The Statuses of the Great Dokkaebis and the Wenny King collided, and my previously-restrained body regained its freedom. And my hand crossed that final distance.

The Wenny King smiled brightly.

The moment my hand touched the 'sacred texts', my consciousness faded away within the brightly-lit storm of electricity.

I could barely sense what might happen from here onwards.

I looked behind me and slowly closed my eyes.

⸢The only thing he could trust now was…⸥

Showers of light exploded and scattered in the distant sky.

Even the Nine Stars, even the 28 Mansions – they all had no choice but to look at the explosion in that moment.

Lee Gilyoung atop the Dragon Horse was busy evading the Nine Stars' attack until then, but even he had to bring his mount to a stop.

"…Shin Yoosung?"

Shin Yoosung regained her consciousness and opened her eyes on top of the saddle. The moment she did, her eyes quickly snapped towards the western sky where Lee Gilyoung was also looking at.

Her heart was beating powerfully.

The Lords of the Nine Stars and <Emperor>'s Historical-grade Constellations recovered from their fluster and hurriedly rushed towards Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung once more.

The boy spoke up, his gaze still fixed to the western skies. "I'll create a path, so get going."

No one needed to explain it to them. The story they were searching for was over there.

"Go and rescue Dokja hyung!"

That was where Kim Dokja was.

Shin Yoosung could sense it. Maybe, far better than anyone out there.

Just as Lee Gilyoung jumped off from the Dragon Horse and unleashed his Status, Shin Yoosung made her mount break out into a dash. The horse reverted back to the Jade Dragon and flew forward like a speedboat on the river's surface. A nostalgic scent of a Story wafted in from the distance.

That's where she could see the starlight from her Sponsor that protected her for a long time.

It was shining so brightly like that, yet… why hadn't she been sure of it before?

Countless questions raged on in her head before slipping away.

Why was Kim Dokja in this place?

Why didn't he reveal his true identity to anyone?

Shin Yoosung couldn't answer any of that. However…

…She felt that if Kim Dokja was lost again in that place, she'd never be able to see him ever again.

Kwa-kwakwakwakwa!

Beams of light fired by the Nine Stars slammed into the Dragon Horse. Shin Yoosung screamed as she plunged into the river water.

However, there were creatures that dragged her back out of the water.

From when did this happen? Yogoes that had been previously floating around gathered into a large group and were crossing the river.

Somehow, she ended up on top of the group. Yogoes were floating up like stepping stones and created the path forward.

And as Shin Yoosung ran on top of the Yogoes, she belatedly realized it.

⸢The reason why ahjussi is here, it's for the sake of these guys.⸥

The moment she realized it, something welled up from deep inside her.

She saw Kim Dokja's Story scattering away within the blinding rays of light.

She didn't need anyone to explain to her that he was clearly in serious danger right now.

⸢Why does ahjussi, always alone…!⸥

The first emotion she felt was resentment.

Why didn't Kim Dokja ask his companions for help?

⸢There must've been a reason for that.⸥

She knew that. But…

⸢He probably thought that this is for the best.⸥

Even then, there were some things that remained difficult to accept.

It was the same story back in the Dark Castle, and also in the Demon Realm. And even during the 'Great War of Saints and Demons', too. Their lengthy scenario was simply Kim Dokja's history of continued sacrifices.

⸢And that was why this resentment wasn't directed at Kim Dokja, but towards Shin Yoosung herself.⸥

She was none other than Kim Dokja's Incarnation and that's why she felt this sadness. The pain she was experiencing right now was nothing when compared to his determination.

⸢For sure, Kim Dokja would've said something like "Yoosung-ah, listen. There's no 'weight' to sadness."⸥

Shin Yoosung didn't agree with those words.

Sadness did indeed have 'weight'.

The despair of a person risking his life trying to save someone else, and another's grief borne from powerlessness while watching that feat unfold, would never carry equal weight.

In the end, to every human being, the most precious thing was themselves.

And Kim Dokja risked everything of his, always.

It was right at that time that the river water suddenly exploded in front of her eyes. Constellations of <Emperor> vomited out as they crashed back down to earth.

Accompanied by the voice reverberating throughout the world, the entire world began changing.

Several [Great Holes] opened up in the various parts of the sky, and creatures possessing unimaginable Statuses started to cross over.

They were no longer the 'Outer Gods'.

They were Yogoes from the Journey to the West.

(This was the final war to determine the owner of the 'sacred texts'.)

(The horde of shadowy demonic beings rushed in to put the finishing touches to the final pages of this lengthy tale.)

A spectacle akin to the world meeting its annihilation played out.

And in the centre of that apocalypse, Kim Dokja with his two blank eyes was wandering among the Yogoes.

Was Shin Yoosung mistaken when she thought that he no longer seemed to be 'Kim Dokja', but a Yogoe?

'I need to stop him'.

On top of the broken Yogoes' path, Shin Yoosung looked down at her small hand. It was a hand that she believed was capable of achieving things far greater than any adult could. And it had done precisely that many times before. However, at least in this moment…

…She felt that it was nothing but a child's small hand.

The heavens split up and the ground caved in. The Tongtian River's waters overturned in its entirety, and the living creatures atop it died in their droves as blood and Stories flooded out.

It was exactly then that she felt someone's gaze and heard that person's voice.

It was a voice she knew so well.

"Sangah unni??"

There was not enough time to ask how something like this was possible. So, Shin Yoosung only asked the necessary question first. "What, what should I do?"

Yoo Sangah didn't answer her right away. However, what she did say sounded like a Buddha bringing up a new topic for a conversation.

Shin Yoosung stared momentarily at the sky in stupefaction, before her gaze shifted over to Kim Dokja's direction. A golden headband glowed faintly on top of Sun Wukong's head.

She looked down at her fist again. It was still that of a little child's. But at the same time, it was the fist of 'Tang Sanzang', as well.

"…Can I really do it?"

Her voice was trembling.

Kim Dokja's figure staggered about in the distance.

Finally, the tears she was holding back broke free. "But, that could be what ahjussi wants, you know?"

And to such a child, Yoo Sangah spoke.

Kim Dokja (金獨子).

Shin Yoosung was Kim Dokja's Incarnation.

As she cried, Shin Yoosung stepped forward.

She gathered every little scrap of her Status and began running hard. Just like Kim Dokja using the [Way of the Wind], she too gave everything she had and ran on top of the river.

While stepping on the water's surface sinking in bit by bit, Shin Yoosung shouted out loudly as if to tear out her vocal cords.

"Ahjussi!!"

Kim Dokja wasn't listening. In the midst of the bloody battle between Yogoes and the Constellations, he was looking back at her with empty eyes as he slowly morphed into another Yogoe.

His body was changing. Kim Dokja was scattering away.

"Don't go! Please!! Please don't go!"

She watched her Sponsor slowly disappear right before her eyes and shouted even louder and louder. It didn't sound like words, but screams, instead. These were things that couldn't be conveyed with mere words.

Not everyone could use special methods to communicate, and that was why Stories existed. Words that couldn't be conveyed would become stories eventually.

The golden letters of the Constrictive Sutra had become a Story and they began emitting bright light now.

⸢I'm not going to give up. Just like how you keep rescuing me, ahjussi, I…!⸥

As the meteors rained down all around her, Shin Yoosung looked straight at her 'star' and told her tale.

⸢I'll definitely save you, too.⸥