Chapter 529

Yi Su-Gyeong was standing before the darkest star .

“Will you go with us?”

[Constellation, ‘Queen of the Darkest Spring’, is slowly opening her eyes . ]

The location Persephone rested in wasn’t the Underworld . That was because the passageway to her home had disappeared after collapsed . She was currently staying in the special guest room in the Industrial Complex . She stayed there, staring at the night sky every day – as if to comprehend the most ancient Fables .

[The fact that I’m still alive, it must mean that my ■■ isn’t in this place, at the very least . ]

She slowly turned her head, her eyes still radiating some warmth . Warmth, left behind by a certain someone . Yi Su-Gyeong knew whose Fable that was .

[Fable, ‘Promise of the Darkest Night’, is continuing on with its storytelling . ]

It was from the King of the Underworld, who swore to be by her side until the end of the world . And like he promised, he died instead of Persephone at the end of the world .

[Let us go . We must save that child . ]

*

Jeong Hui-Won knocked on a worn-down door of the Complex’s special guest room .

“Is anyone home?”

She turned the doorknob, and the door opened without resistance . What greeted her immediately afterwards a holographic figurine .

⸢⸢Kim Dok-Ja, escaping from the water dragon!⸥⸥

It was the figurine of Kim Dok-Ja during his escape from the water dragon . Not only that, but the line he uttered during the event also floated up below the hologram, as well .

⸢”Alright, then . Time to go outside . “⸥

Jeong Hui-Won stared at that bizarre 3D sculpture with a slightly dumbfounded face . That wasn’t the only figurine, though .

⸢⸢Kim Dok-Ja, destroying the Absolute Throne!⸥⸥

⸢⸢Kim Dok-Ja, liberating the Demon World!⸥⸥

” . . . . Not even Yu-Seung or Gil-Yeong’s rooms look like this . “

As if she came to sightsee, Jeong Hui-Won studied each and every figurine . As she followed the lines of these action figures arranged by the year and the scenario number, she abruptly recalled their past . Uriel must’ve been looking at Kim Dok-Ja during all of these moments .

Among these was a rear tentacle from a squid, seemingly a part of a ‘special limited edition’ collection .

⸢⸢Kim Dok-Ja the Squid’s last tentacle (made by Yangsan)⸥⸥

She looked at this thing with puzzled eyes, before reaching out to it . But, just as her hand touched the glass display case, a true voice could be heard .

[If you carelessly touch that, Uriel’s going to get really mad . ]

How long had it been? An Archangel with a rather wane complexion was sitting by the table near the display case . No, wait – not many would actually recognise her as an Archangel these days .

A woman who silently flipped the pages of a book, not even bothering to look even though she was the one who started the conversation . Jeong Hui-Won quietly stared at this woman’s long eyelashes before asking her . “Gabriel . Do you know where Uriel is?”

[Constellation, ‘Lily Blooming on Aquarius’, is revealing her presence . ]

The power of a Fable spread out like ripples from her entire figure . Perhaps this was the Archangel displaying her last vestige of pride .

[Oh, the last Incarnation of Eden . ]

Gabriel closed the book gently, her eyes gleaming brightly . It seemed that she had already figured out why Jeong Hui-Won came to visit .

[I’ve crossed world-lines before . And it was truly a dizzying experience, indeed . But what all of you are trying to do here exceeds that . You won’t make it out alive . ]

“Is that how Eden jinxes others?”

[This is your reality . You must not run away from it . You can’t seriously be considering undoing this ending you earned by finally bringing down the , now are you?]

The ‘reality’ . The weight of that word pressed down slightly on Jeong Hui-Won’s chest . Rather than replying, though, she looked around at the room’s décor again, instead . The bunk bed shared by Uriel and Gabriel was located on the corner . And the word was stuck above it like a poster .

⸢The Nebula ‘Eden’ was finished . No one could deny that truth . ⸥

“What makes one’s reality isn’t the environment nor the location . “

Even though Eden was finished, someone still chose to call this very room her Eden . Because, Archangels were still here .

⸢Even if there were only two . ⸥

“It’s a cool-looking Eden, though . “

Jeong Hui-Won turned around to find Gabriel looking at her with trembling eyes .

“Can you tell me where Uriel is?”

[… . Behind you . ]

Jeong Hui-Won looked back and sure enough, Uriel was there .

She must’ve been coming back from her junk food shopping trip, because her small figure was holding large bundles filled with all sorts of snacks .

Her emerald-hued eyes were opened wide as if she was quite startled at the moment .

Jeong Hui-Won stared at her Constellation sponsor for a long while .

The brilliant light of an Archangel couldn’t almost be felt from Uriel . Her wings, that used to be on her back, had long disappeared . Even her clothes had changed . Instead of her favourite black dress, she was kitted out in a grey hoodie and a pair of track pants .

[Hui, Hui-Won-ah . ]

Jeong Hui-Won knew better than anyone why Uriel ended up looking like that .

“Uriel . “

⸢Wouldn’t Uriel be happier if she remained here, honestly speaking?⸥

Uriel the Archangel had carried out the scenarios far, far longer than herself . In that case, was it the right thing to do, dragging her back into the depths of hell one more time?

Rather than opening her mouth, though, Jeong Hui-Won squeezed her fist tightly . When she did, a faint lick of flame rose up from there .

The [Hellfire] .

The purest flames in this world, given to her by her Constellation sponsor .

The moment that flame was lit up, the ever-so-slightly dim darkness of the room was illuminated by yet another sculpture emitting the exact same flame . Jeong Hui-Won turned her head towards it without thinking too much, and saw a figurine sporting the same face as hers . It wasn’t only ‘Kim Dok-Jas’ in this room, as it turned out .

As if she was under a trance, Jeong Hui-Won approached the glass display case and looked inside . There she was, wielding the [Judge’s Sword] and firing pure-white [Hellfire] .

⸢⸢My one and only Incarnation⸥⸥

Jeong Hui-Won worked hard to suppress the emotions powerfully welling up inside and spoke . “Uriel . “

[Hui-Won-ah . ]

The moment she heard that warm, gentle voice, Jeong Hui-Won realised something . Her Constellation sponsor already knew everything .

“Please, cheer me on as I live that life one more time . “

She slowly turned her head and saw Uriel smiling sorrowfully . As if to ask whether this would be alright or not . And towards such Uriel, Jeong Hui-Won knelt down .

“Please, become my Constellation sponsor one more time . “

*

“Where did that idiot Black Flame Dragon disappear to? Flame Dragon~!”

“General-nim! Where are you, my general-nim??”

Those voices came from Han Su-Yeong and Yi Ji-Hye, currently searching for their Constellations . And in the middle of the chaotic sea of people, Yu Jung-Hyeok was looking at his young sister next to him . She had this huge pout on her face, probably angry at something . He sighed deeply . “You’ll be safer by remaining here . “

” . . . . . “

“This world will soon stabilise . And this world will . . . . “

“But, you aren’t going to be here, oppa . “

This would be Yu Mi-Ah’s first time not using honorifics .

Yu Jung-Hyeok was about to reply to that, but changed what he wanted to say at the last second . “We will return . “

“When?”

“After we get through to the end of the other world-line, and after we rescue Kim Dok-Ja . “

“And when will that be?”

Yu Jung-Hyeok couldn’t answer .

“It’ll be too dangerous . I can’t take you there . “

“Liar . “

A faint trace of the transcendental aura leaked out from Yu Mi-Ah’s figure . That was unmistakably the Status of a Transcender .

Rather surprisingly, Yu Mi-Ah had awakened the first stage of the Transcender after training only for the past few months . She was the youngest Transcender in history, which was truly a shocking level of talent .

“If you were going to say that now, why didn’t you stop me from training? I received the same training as Gil-Yeong oppa and Yu-Seung eonni, didn’t I?”

” . . . “

“Please be honest with me, oppa . “

Yu Jung-Hyeok looked into the girl’s eyes that showed not a hint of wavering, and slowly closed his .

They came up with a plan, so that no one would be lost . And it was far more foolproof and perfect than any other .

However, variables always had a way of rearing their heads without warning . And Yu Mi-Ah, she could potentially fall into danger . Yu Jung-Hyeok lowered his gaze, got down on his knees slightly, and looked straight at Yu Mi-Ah .

” . . . . . I’d like you to come with us . “

That . . . was the reply she wanted to hear .

Her small hand patted him on the head .

” . . . . As soon as you regress, our comrades will rush to fetch you . “

“You’d all have died without me during the ‘Capture the Flag’ battles, anyway . “

After saying that, Yu Mi-Ah opened her mouth wide . Yu Jung-Hyeok peered deep inside her mouth, and was about to say something with a deep frown on his face . But then . . .

“Hey! We found them all!”

Han Su-Yeong performing a deadly headlock on the Black Flame Dragon was walking over there while waving her hand . And behind her, Yi Ji-Hye clinging onto the arms of the Maritime War God and Goryeo’s number one swordsman could be seen .

Yu Jung-Hyeok frowned at them instead . “And where is the monkey?”

Han Su-Yeong wordlessly pointed with her chin .

[Constellation, ‘Most Ancient Liberator’, is currently acting self-important . ]

Yu Jung-Hyeok narrowed his eyes and looked up in the air . The smirking Great Sage was floating up there .

“When did you arrive?”

[Aren’t your preparations just too slow? If my maknae dies because of your tardiness, I’m going to rip you apart limb from limb where you stand . ]

It seemed that, even though his Status had fallen and was destroyed, a Myth-grade wasn’t called a ‘myth’ for no reason . Only the Great Sage was capable of emitting such vigour even when the ‘system’ had long disappeared .

Yu Jung-Hyeok replied tersely . “If you get in my way, I will not hesitate to cut you down . “

The Great Sage smiled, his pearly-white teeth in full display .

[Why don’t we end that unfinished battle of ours during the next turn? Let’s find out if you can get anywhere remotely close to the ‘Secretive Plotter’ . . . . ]

“Okay, okay, sure thing . Is everyone finished with their preparations?”

Han Su-Yeong’s voice caused tense expressions to form on the faces of the waiting Incarnations .

All the members of participating in this regression trip gathered around . Yu Sang-Ah, Jeong Hui-Won, Yi Hyeon-Seong, Shin Yu-Seung, Yi Gil-Yeong, Yi Ji-Hye, Yi Seol-Hwa, and Jang Ha-Yeong . In addition, even Yi Su-Gyeong and Selena Kim, too .

The Industrial Complex’s residents came out to bade them goodbye .

“Conquering King, please remember what I told you . “

“Fei Hu, the future of the continent rests on your shoulders . “

“Ranvir Khan–“

And among the crowd, a small Dokkaebi was floating in the air .

“Biyu . “

Shin Yu-Seung reached out even without realising it . Biyu, staying back along with the rest of the residents, carried a vaguely sorrowful expression .

⸢Biyu couldn’t go with them . ⸥

Just like how it was with Han Myeong-Oh’s daughter, Biyu too was an existence born after the world’s destruction had begun . She couldn’t become the ‘storyteller’ during the path they were about to walk on .

Biyu spoke as if to console the companions . [Don’t be too sad . Whichever world-line you end up, I’ll always cheer you on . I’m the ‘Dokkaebi King’, you know . If I train a little bit harder, and if I uncover more of the inheritances the Wennys left behind, I should be able to cross the world-lines, too . In that case, we should be able to meet up again . ]

“We’ll wait for you . Even if it’s tens of thousands of years later . “

Biyu cried out “Ba-aht!” . And firecrackers went off all over the Industrial Complex like big-scale fireworks .

“We are heading out . “

[Stigma, ‘Group Regression Lv . 1’, is activating!]

Finally, Yu Jung-Hyeok commenced the regression . The moment his Stigma activated, the figures of Yu Jung-Hyeok and his companions were dyed in the shower of resplendent light . It was then .

“You stinking bastards!! You didn’t even come to fetch me . . . . !!”

Gong Pil-Du ran in from the distance and shouted angrily, before jumping into the shower of light belonging to the regressing party .

Kwa-kwakwakwakwakwa-!!

The world began breaking down .

The companions held each other’s hands tightly and stared at the disappearing world . Biyu’s bright smile was distorting away .

Could they meet again?

Pain akin to their souls shattering into tiny little pieces followed soon after . Shin Yu-Seung clenched her teeth tightly .

⸢Yu Jung-Hyeok always had to endure these moments all by himself . ⸥

Fortunately, he wasn’t alone this time .

Shin Yu-Seung soon realised that she was travelling in the distant galaxy . The background was getting further away from her at a speed too fast to see . And different from other world-lines could be seen, as well . The Outer Gods, abandoned inside the ashes of those stories were calling out to the companions .

[[Aaaaaaah]]

[[Overhereoverhereoverhereoverhere]]

Han Su-Yeong gripped Shin Yu-Seung’s hand even tighter and raised her voice . “Keep your wits about you if you don’t want to get sucked in there . “

Shin Yu-Seung repeatedly looked back to the Outer Gods growing further away from her . Kim Dok-Ja saved ‘Outer Gods’ during the last regression turn . He gave names to these forgotten stories . Even then, this universe was still filled with so many other forgotten ones .

Han Su-Yeong spoke again . “We’re not Kim Dok-Ja . We can’t save all those worlds . “

Not just Shin Yu-Seung, but the other companions knew that .

⸢The current ‘them’ were in too much of a hurry to save a single world before their eyes . ⸥

… . But, someday .

⸢Stories that couldn’t see the end were all flowing towards somewhere . ⸥

The Outer Gods in the distance all changed back to the beautiful galaxies . Every tragedy looked so captivating when viewed from afar .

Han Su-Yeong shouted out . “Hey! Was this thing supposed to take this long? Are you sure we’re on the right tr . . . “

It was right then that they were slammed by the thunderous noise of a book being ripped apart .

Riiiiiiip-!!

[World-line has detected the activation of the ‘Group Regression’!]

[ is pointing out the Probability of the applicable Stigma!]

[Applicable Stigma is a power that exceeds the limit of the Probability!]

Something had gone wrong here .

Tsu-chuchuchuchut!

Just as Han Su-Yeong was about to shout something out, the view out front was swallowed up by the darkness and it simply vanished . And when she opened her eyes again, she found herself abandoned in a plain resembling a blindingly-white snowfield .

” . . . . What the hell?! Where am I??”

Her companions were nowhere to be seen . The only one she could see was Yu Jung-Hyeok carrying a stupid expression on his face .

” . . . . . The world-lines got entangled,” said Yu Jung-Hyeok .

“What dogshit are you talking about?! Didn’t we make all the right preparations??”

Yu Jung-Hyeok closed his eyes and began sensing something, before opening his mouth again . “We did prepare accordingly . And as for the rest of our companions . . . It seems that they reached the 1865th turn safely . Only we ended up here . “

“And where is ‘here’?”

” . . . . Most likely, we’re entrapped in the gap between the world-lines . “

Han Su-Yeong surveyed her surroundings once more .

Several massive, pitch-black structures were floating up here and there within this snow-white field .

“Wait for a moment . I shall gather more Fables and reactivate the Stigma,” said Yu Jung-Hyeok .

“How long will that take? Hurry up, will ya? If we get there too late, our plan or whatever will go down the drain!”

Yu Jung-Hyeok seemed to be in deep concentration already, as he didn’t bother to reply .

Han Su-Yeong abruptly got up from her spot and extended her hand towards the nearest structure . When she did, something akin to jet-black graphite particles stained her hand .

“What the heck is . . . . “

And right next moment, the overall shape of the structure was drawn out inside her mind .

⸢ㅁ⸥

She was sure of it . This structure, it was shaped like this . And as for that other structure just beyond her . . .

⸢ㅓ⸥

Slowly, so very slowly, a creeping chill ran down her spine . She began reading the structures one by one . And each one soon became a single phrase .

⸢The Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint⸥

Fin .