WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 328: Episode 61: Gigantomachia (6)
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The pitch-black ceiling of Tartarus was opening.
[Cracks have formed in some zones of Tartarus!]
[Someone is attempting an abnormal prison break!]
Warning messages sprang into the air as the entire underworld shook.
[The judges of the underworld have noticed the actions of the Demon King of Salvation!]
Persephone spoke in a sulky voice.
[This is the only time, so remember that, Demon King of Salvation.]
The area was swept by seismic waves, and a faint portal began to form above the wide-open ceiling of Tartarus. Persephone had opened an exit to the surface.
Watching the scene, the giant Briareus asked,
[What on earth did you say to make the Queen of the Underworld help you?]
"I just threatened her a little."
Thirty minutes earlier, I had sent Persephone the following message.
―If you refuse to cooperate, I'll spread every recording taken in Tartarus across the entire Star Stream.
Tartarus held many secrets hidden by the underworld. Things such as the Colossus they were secretly developing and Tartarus's facilities concealed in the shadows. Tartarus was a treasure trove of secrets the underworld could not afford to let its enemies or Olympus discover.
Briareus tilted his head.
[The Queen gave in over such a small threat?]
"She's on our side. She just needed an excuse to let me go. She'll need an excuse to fall back on if things go wrong later."
If this Gigantomachia failed and Olympus questioned the underworld about what had happened, the underworld would surely be in trouble. My threat would probably give them a way to defend themselves then.
Of course, that only applied if this Gigantomachia failed, and I had no intention of letting that happen.
Briareus said,
[It seems you do not know the King and Queen of the Underworld very well.]
"What?"
Instead of answering, Briareus gave an unreadable smile.
[You have received the Giant's Oath.]
[You have acquired a new quasi-Mythical-grade fable!]
[You have acquired the fable Liberator of Giants!]
[The fable has been incorporated as part of A Single Fable!]
Liberator of Giants.
This was the first fable I needed to obtain in the war against Olympus.
[Liberator of Giants. The giants here will soon join Gigantomachia. Is there anything you especially wish for from us?]
"There isn't. Just do what you want."
[I grow more curious. What is the ■■ you seek to reach after going this far? No Constellation has ever built a story with such an introduction, development, twist, and conclusion. Could it be that you dream of a perfect fable?]
A perfect fable.
Some called A Single Fable by that name. A story made by gathering fables that had never existed before, a story that had never existed and never would exist.
"I just want to see the end with my companions. Without losing anyone, together with all of them."
[That would be the hardest story in the world. No such story has ever existed.]
It was true. There was no myth in the world without sacrifice.
[The Plausibility of the Star Stream always moves by demanding sacrifice. Fate will not let you go easily.]
"We won't know until we try. And I've already overcome [Fate] once before."
I remembered the [Fate] those damned Olympus bastards had imposed on me. Even now, just thinking about it made me grind my teeth.
Briareus's expression turned strange.
[You overcame Fate?]
Something suddenly came to mind. According to TWSA, all Titans were born with the power of prophecy.
[Liberator, Fate is a far broader and greater concept than you think. The Fate imposed by Olympus is no more than touching a speck of dust in this world. True Fate cannot be avoided, and if it is circumvented, Plausibility will inevitably be distorted. Someone else must then resolve that distorted Plausibility in their stead. That is why a perfect fable cannot exist.]
"Don't put a damper on it. If I say I'll do it, I'll do it. And my companions aren't weak enough to bow to Fate."
I spoke as I jumped into the portal.
"Then I'll see you at Gigantomachia."
Briareus nodded.
[May the blessing of stories be with you.]
* * *
"Elder Kyrios."
"Yes."
"I think we'll need the blessing of stories after all."
Jang Hayoung muttered as she watched the Returnees charging in like a herd of cattle.
"If you'd trained diligently, you wouldn't need blessings."
A sword that scattered silver-white light was drawn from Kyrios's back.
Pure White Paradox.
It was a sword forged by the master craftsmen of Kyrios's homeland, peace land, who had worked together for over ten years. After traveling through countless battlefields, it had gained power comparable to a constellation artifact. It was Kyrios's signature weapon, and the fact that he had drawn it despite rarely using a weapon proved this opponent would not be easy.
Two figures flew at the front of the Returnees.
One was a man in flamboyant red martial robes, while the other was a middle-aged man in black martial robes embroidered with a sect's symbol.
"Strange. I heard the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint was here."
"Did we get it wrong again?"
"Everyone, find the Sky-Splitting Sword Saint!"
Their voices held immense inner energy. At the same time, Kyrios shot into the sky. His Status alone seized control of the heavens, and the startled martial artists all stopped at once.
Kyrios opened his mouth.
"So you are the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Demon."
"Who are you?"
Kyrios answered by releasing his aura. Lightning flashed amid the gathering black clouds, and some of it settled into Kyrios's body. Kim Dokja's primary technique, [Electrification], now radiated a noble aura from its creator's entire body.
"You will not know my name."
The startled Returnees stepped back.
"You'll be dead soon."
Lightning from Paradoxical White Purity shook the sky. Anyone from the Martial World would know that name.
"Could it be Paradoxical White Purity?"
Kyrios pointed his sword toward the sky.
Tzzzzzt!
Leaving behind traces of rampaging Plausibility, Kyrios's Status collided with the Returnees. The tremendous wind pressure pushed Hayoung and the Sky-Splitting Divine Dog back. At the center of the sky, the Heavenly Demon, the Blood Demon, and Kyrios exchanged sword strikes.
With every exchange, space screamed as though thunder were pouring down. It was an unprecedented bloody battle, too fierce to believe it was a fight between humans.
Hayoung watched the battle in a daze.
‘Could I become that strong someday?’
―Hayoung! Protect the industrial complex with the Sky-Splitting Divine Dog!
Hayoung snapped out of it at Kyrios's [Telepathy] and moved with the Sky-Splitting Divine Dog. Even excluding the Heavenly Demon and the Blood Demon, there were still around a thousand Returnees left.
The most troublesome among them were the Top Ten Masters from each Martial World.
Hayoung let out a loud kiai, and a small whirlwind raged from her fist.
"Argh!"
Several Returnees were blown away by the wind pressure, but dozens more stepped on their bodies and leaped forward. There were too many of them.
"Everyone, evacuate toward the industrial complex!"
Their side had only Hayoung, the Sky-Splitting Divine Dog, and barely more than ten Returnees, including Flying Fox. Aside from Kyrios, there were few who could face Transcendent-level Returnees.
A huge fortress-like structure rumbled toward them from the northern area of the industrial complex.
Hayoung's face brightened.
"Pildu Gong!"
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
Mana shells poured from the fortress and struck the Returnees, producing casualties in an instant. The Returnees soon reorganized their formation and began defending against the shells.
"Destroy that fortress first!"
Pildu's [Armament Fortress] was a Stigma suited for defense, not attack.
Around two hundred Returnees formed a separate unit and advanced toward Pildu's [Armament Fortress]. The remaining Returnees numbered four hundred. They climbed over the fortress battlements and entered the industrial complex. As if they had been waiting, the Wanderers responsible for defending the complex moved.
Jo Yeongran wielded the power of Joseon's Greatest Sorcerer.
Lee Boksun aimed an anti-materiel sniper rifle.
Jeon Woochi's Daoist arts colored the air, and the incoming bullets pierced the Returnees.
"Argh!"
"It's a Daoist sorcerer! Kill the Daoist sorcerer!"
Innocent civilians died in droves like fish swept up in a tidal wave.
Yeongran and Boksun began to suffer injuries under the flood of sword aura unleashed by the onrushing Returnees.
As the Wanderers' line was pushed back, one of the Returnees shouted,
"Leader of the Seoul area, listen! If you offer your life, there will be no more meaningless sacrifices!"
The core of the Returnee War was defeating the leader of each force. The Returnees who had invaded Seoul this time also had the core Scenario objective of killing Seoul's leader.
A moment later, a dazzling light burst from inside the industrial complex.
Yeongran, who had been holding the line, went pale.
"No! Sukyeong!"
At Boksun's cry, a woman floated outside the industrial complex window.
The King of Wanderers spoke.
"I am Seoul's leader."
Lee Sukyeong held the shattered Eight-Jewel Bell in one hand and a Lute-shaped Bronze Sword in the other as she looked down at the Returnees with dignified eyes. Several Returnees stepped back at the strange aura flowing from the Heavenly Seal in her hand.
"There's nothing to fear. She can't even use her Patron's power anyway!"
The Returnees rushed at her with a cry, and Sukyeong gave a bitter smile.
Most of the Status once released by the Mother of the Founder had disappeared during the battle at Dark Castle. Still, that did not mean she had no way to fight.
「When she established her center through intent, it became wind.」
The Lute-shaped Bronze Sword in Sukyeong's hand shone brightly.
[The Constellation King Heungmu is startled by the actions of Incarnation Lee Sukyeong.]
[The Constellation One-Eyed Maitreya warns that doing such a thing is dangerous!]
[The Constellation One-stroke Scholar...]
The Constellations of the Korean Peninsula warned her at once.
She knew. She already knew what would happen to her if she did this.
Sukyeong turned her head slightly and glanced into a side room of the industrial complex. Yu Sangah's sleeping face flickered before her eyes.
She thought of the children who had joined the war against Olympus for Sangah. The dependable soldier Hyeongseong, Huiwon, who could not tolerate injustice, the cheeky but courageous Gilyeong, and the calm, clever Yuseong.
Seolhwa, warm-hearted and attentive to her companions, and Suyeong, who often complained but had sharp instincts.
Then she thought of her own child.
The time her child would live. The story her child had dreamed of for so long. She remembered the time she had failed to protect.
The Lute-shaped Bronze Sword's light flared like the sun.
Sukyeong quietly muttered,
"O Wind God of the Heavenly Emperor."
Each Heavenly Seal, a constellation artifact of the Korean Peninsula, had a related Constellation. The Lute-shaped Bronze Sword Sukyeong held was one such Heavenly Seal.
[The Constellation Wind God of the Heavenly Emperor looks down upon Incarnation Lee Sukyeong.]
The Wind God of the Heavenly Emperor. One of the three Fabled-grade Constellations who serve the highest god of Hongik.
Sukyeong was making her final gamble by placing her lifespan on the line.
"Come, Fengbaek!"
The moment the sky opened, a vivid blue aura rippled around the Lute-shaped Bronze Sword. The Returnees blinked at the strange light.
When Sukyeong looked up at the sky, the sky looked down at Sukyeong.
‘Even if only for a moment, give me the strength to cut them down.’
Then the sky issued a warning. Black and blue lightning struck down, and Sukyeong answered that warning.
‘It doesn't matter.’
The next moment, Sukyeong's entire body was covered in sparks of Plausibility.
Every joint in her body was crushed, and her skin was burned black. Amid that pain, the right hand gripping her sword grew heavy. The immense force of wind, too great for a human to bear, had settled into her right hand.
This was the power of Fengbaek, one of the Korean Peninsula's strongest Constellations.
From left to right, Sukyeong swung her sword, and space split apart.
As if the world had been divided in two from the beginning, everything around the path of her sword was torn apart by absolute wind pressure.
"Wha-what..."
Ten, twenty, thirty... the number of exploding Returnees quickly passed one hundred. Every Returnee charging over the battlements fell from the air with their waists severed. Their expressions showed they could not comprehend their deaths even in their final moments.
Sukyeong held her trembling right hand and gasped for breath.
With one strike, most of the Returnees had perished.
But not all of them were dead. A few Returnees had sensed the danger in that brief instant and escaped the attack's range.
They were the Top Ten Masters of the Third Martial World and the Fourth Martial World.
"It's over. Kill her."
Sukyeong smiled as she watched the Top Ten Masters charge at her.
She had done everything she could.
Dozens of swords and sabers rushed toward her falling figure. Sukyeong felt death amid the horrific sound of flesh tearing. Yet even after some time passed, she felt no pain from being pierced.
When she opened her eyes, she saw someone's back.
It was a broad back carrying her.
Footnotes:
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