WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 250: Episode 47: The Demon King Trials (2)

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In the Star Stream, Destruction Scenarios were broadly divided into two types.

The first were Great Apocalypse Scenarios that had become well-known through nebulae and turned into a kind of myth. Ragnarok and Gigantomachia belonged to this category.

The second were Destruction Scenarios that occurred irregularly. The Great Hole that had opened before my eyes was one of them.

"It isn't a Constellation."

The Sky-Splitting Sword Saint's gaze darkened as she looked up at the swirling sky. If it wasn't a Constellation and yet possessed such an overwhelming presence, then there was only one answer.

"They are Outer Gods."

Perhaps it was because I had become a Constellation. I could vividly feel the power of the gods casting their shadows beyond the Hole.

I had certainly encountered fragments of those things several times before. Yet what I felt now was on an entirely different level. A blind man wouldn't go blind from seeing the sun. For the first time, I almost hated the fact that I had become a Constellation.

Junghyeok muttered, "...Why is a Destruction Scenario starting now of all times?"

Having already lived through the first and second rounds, Junghyeok knew the future of the First Martial World just as I did. Even in the original story, the First Martial World was destroyed by the Outer Gods.

But this was far too early.

Originally, it shouldn't have happened for at least several more years.

Yet something had brought that moment forward.

What was it? What had gone wrong...?

...Wait. Could it be?

Junghyeok seemed to have reached the same thought, because he asked me, "Am I right?"

"I think so."

I answered tensely. Destruction Scenarios tested the potential of Incarnations. Unless enough Plausibility had accumulated through consistent gains, a Destruction Scenario would never begin.

Tsssss!

And recently, only one event in Blue Dragon Castle had triggered that much Plausibility.

The Sky-Splitting Sword Saint said, "The Martial Arts Tournament."

The Martial Arts Tournament. Several Constellations, including the Predator of the Hasty Swamp, had joined in and supplied Plausibility. That had ultimately become the catalyst that summoned this catastrophe.

[Some Constellations who dislike you are delighted.]

Those bastards.

"Kim Dokja. What the hell did you do over there?"

Junghyeok, who didn't know exactly what had happened at the Gourmet Association, snapped at me. I had nothing to say in my defense. There was no way to turn back a Scenario that had already begun.

[The Destruction Scenario will begin shortly!]

[The Outer Gods are preparing an invasion!]

[Non-participants in this Scenario are advised to promptly leave the Scenario!]

With the messages ringing out from the sky, a commotion began in the center of Blue Dragon Castle.

"What the hell is that?"

"Run! Hurry!"

Unlike other Scenarios, Great Apocalypse Scenarios offered a choice to participate.

Incarnations who had been wandering through Sub Scenarios like us hurried to leave the area. The peddlers selling files containing martial arts formulas, and the martial artists of Blue Dragon Castle who had become masters by learning those formulas... The moment the Hole appeared in the sky, every expression changed. Before that Hole, the distinction humans made between masters and novices became utterly meaningless.

"What? What's going on...?"

Startled, Hayoung and Myeongoh ran out of the estate a moment later.

"We have to escape, so get ready."

Gasp.

Hayoung caught her breath and pointed at the sky.

Enormous clusters of tentacles were pushing through the Great Hole. It was undoubtedly one of the Outer Gods I had encountered in peace land and Dark Castle.

【I shall co vet the sto ries of the li ving】

The vicious presence permeating every syllable made my body tremble. The enormous greed dwelling in its context made fleeing masters collapse as they pissed themselves.

"U-uaaah!"

A vast chaos that shattered minds with nothing more than a constellation's declaration. It was impossible for me to face something like that now, and no matter how much stronger Junghyeok had become, it was impossible for him as well. Even weak Outer Gods possessed enough power to trample Constellations with ease.

It would also be difficult to hope for another stroke of luck through [The Fourth Wall], like when I faced The One Who Devours Dreams.

[30 minutes remain until the Destruction Scenario begins.]

There was no choice but to run. Maybe it was for the best.

"Sky-Splitting Sword Saint-nim."

When I looked at her, she looked back at me.

It was an expression I couldn't fully understand.

「To the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint Namgung Minyeong, the First Martial World had been her hometown.」

All I knew were the lines written in TWSA. And according to those lines, the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint had no particular reason to defend this place.

「But naturally, not everyone likes their hometown.」

To her, the First Martial World had only been a breeding ground for a corrupt world.

A world that had lost its humanity and chivalry.

「"Long before the martial world was destroyed, it had already been destroyed."」

There was no reason the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint, who had said even that much, would remain here.

The First Martial World would be destroyed like this. More precisely, it had to be.

"Master."

Junghyeok urged her to leave.

Yet for some reason, the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint didn't move. Standing tall as Mount Tai, she simply watched the other side of the narrow road in silence.

The sight of a city thrown into chaos by riots and escapees. And a group of people approaching through that scene. Each was a master striving for transcendence or one who had already reached that realm. I recognized who they were.

"Sky-Splitting Sword Saint, it has been a long time."

The Clan Heads of Blue Dragon Castle had come to find the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint.

* * *

It wasn't hard to guess why the Clan Heads had come here.

The Outer Gods had come to the martial world, and its destruction was inevitable.

Before destruction, martial artists had two possible reactions. Run, or fight. Those with little to lose would choose the former, but Incarnations who had lived here for a long time and settled down were different. They had built factions, accumulated wealth, and created fables. And so, they had eventually risen to the peak of power in the martial world.

"Sky-Splitting Sword Saint. We need your help."

From left to right stood the Clan Heads of the Zhuge Clan, Murong Clan, Sichuan Tang Clan, Hwangbo Clan, and Namgung Clan. All five Clan Heads of the factions that formed the backbone of the First Martial World had gathered here. It was likely a rare sight even in the entire history of the martial world. The leaders of several great sects stood behind them as well.

"Please, lend us your strength for the sake of the martial world."

Namgung Minyeong slowly clenched and unclenched her fist before replying, "You need my strength..."

At her chilling voice, several Clan Heads flinched and stepped back. The first to step forward was the quick-witted Zhuge Clan Head.

"Please help us. We beg you."

It was easy enough to understand why they were acting this way. The Ice Flower Divine Maiden, who had called herself the strongest in the martial world, had been defeated not by the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint herself, but by her Disciple. And the gap in their abilities had been overwhelming.

The shock of the Martial Arts Tournament had probably warned countless masters who had pursued only easy paths.

Power capable of defeating even a descending Constellation.

The martial artists had once again begun longing for the old path to transcendence, and in the face of the martial world's approaching destruction, they remembered someone they had long forgotten.

"Great-Grand Aunt, please look kindly upon your descendants."

At last, even the head of the Namgung Clan, the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint's original family, joined the plea.

A middle-aged man with a dignified face. He was probably Namgung Jincheon, one of the Top Ten Masters. Though it was only half, the blood of that clan still ran through the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint. Perhaps because of that, even her proud gaze wavered for a moment.

Unable to watch any longer, I stepped forward.

"How laughable. Weren't you the ones who drove the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint-nim away first?"

Normally, I wouldn't have done something that would earn their collective resentment. I might have even considered bringing them along to the Demon King Selection. But right now, the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint took priority.

"It seems you've all forgotten what you did when the Constellations and dokkaebis first came to the martial world."

"...Who are you?"

The Clan Heads' expressions changed as they understood the meaning behind my words.

They probably remembered why the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint, who had ruled at the peak of the martial world, had ended up establishing an estate along a fallen backroad.

Only Junghyeok, who knew all the circumstances, quietly bit his lip at my words.

The Sky-Splitting Sword Saint Namgung Minyeong was a stubborn eccentric, but she understood chivalry.

Because she wasn't swept up by worldly affairs, she didn't blame others. Because she didn't pursue honor, she didn't covet empty glory and shame. That was why martial artists had used her, and why she had eventually been abandoned here.

Leaving the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint behind as a symbol of the fallen martial world, the Clan Heads had built their own castles and ruled the martial world.

"Head of the Namgung Clan, you are no different. Great-Grand Aunt? You have never called the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint that before, have you?"

"Th-that was..."

"If you had even a little sense, you wouldn't have dared come here. I can't tell whether you're brave or stupid. Surely you don't know why the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint severed ties with the Namgung Clan?"

A child born of mixed blood between the giant race and humans.

I knew the trials the young Sky-Splitting Sword Saint had endured while growing up better than anyone in this world, perhaps even better than Junghyeok.

「"How could a girl...!"」

「"She carries the cursed bloodline of the giant race."」

The Sky-Splitting Sword Saint looked puzzled. She must have wondered how I knew such things. I considered that fortunate. If only to resolve that question, the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint would have to come with me.

"What do you know, you bastard...!"

"Shut up! Sky-Splitting Sword Saint, who is this man?"

As the agitated Clan Heads approached me threateningly, Junghyeok drew the Black Heaven Demon Blade.

It might have been for the best.

If a conflict broke out here, we could use it as an excuse to leave without trouble. But before the furious Junghyeok could let out a roar, the Zhuge Clan Head suddenly threw himself to the ground.

"Sky-Splitting Sword Saint, I repent for the wrongs of the past. I also know full well that they cannot be undone."

...Damn it. Every world had clever people like this.

The other Clan Heads were flustered by the Zhuge Clan Head's sudden action. Throwing away all dignity and decorum, the Zhuge Clan Head pleaded with the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint with a desperate expression, like someone praying to the god of the martial world.

"If you don't help us, the First Martial World will be destroyed."

The eyes of a believer who could demand a god's mercy whenever they wished, while always remaining ready to abandon that faith.

Then the god of the martial world answered the believer's voice.

"Once, small trees gathered together to form a forest."

At those unexpected words, the Zhuge Clan Head looked up at the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint.

"But now, all the small trees have been uprooted, and only a few great trees occupying that land have stretched out their branches and covered the sky."

With expressionless eyes, the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint looked over Blue Dragon Castle. The spires of the clans, rising as if competing with one another, pierced the sky higher than the battlements. It was as though they meant to watch over the people in place of the heavens.

Only then did I understand the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint's words.

"The leaves and branches are plentiful, but only a few trees remain. What do you think? Can that still be called a forest?"

The martial world had died long ago.

The Sky-Splitting Sword Saint had just declared as much.

"Let us go."

The god of the martial world quietly turned her back on the world and betrayed it.

Things seemed to be going more easily than expected, and I followed after the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint with satisfaction. Junghyeok, who had been staring blankly at me, and Hayoung and Myeongoh, who were gathering dumplings in the back, quickly picked up their belongings as well.

Then, at that moment, a strange message rang out.

[Your actions have greatly influenced the course of ■■.]

...What?

[The Second Revision update has begun.]

Footnotes:

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