WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 408: Episode 77: The Last Dragon (5)

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A dark yet warm current wrapped around me from behind.

Knowing whose Status it was, I smiled faintly.

[To think you made the underworld bear the Plausibility for the summoning...]

"I'm still at the age where I want to rely on my parents."

[I heard that young people on the Korean Peninsula become independent early. It seems I was mistaken.]

I remembered the day I first left my relatives' home and moved into a small boarding room.

I was seventeen then. I deliberately shrugged and smiled.

"There have to be young people like me to keep the balance, too."

[The Constellation Queen of the Darkest Spring has manifested in the Scenario!]

A corner of my heart suddenly ached. Back when I was still a student, my parents' seats had always been empty whenever there was a school event. I had always wondered how my friends felt. What did it feel like to have someone in those seats, someone who would come running when you called?

[The Constellation Queen of the Darkest Spring has revealed her Status!]

Now, I thought I understood.

Persephone stood beside me, looked at Hades as he endured the scorching heat wave, and said,

[We agreed that I would ride Pluto this time. You're always in such a hurry.]

The remnants of the blazing heat Hades had blocked scattered through the air like ash.

As if it sensed a powerful opponent had appeared, the Apocalypse Dragon intensified its momentum.

Rooooar!

Pluto, enduring the heat at the front line, was gradually being pushed back. It couldn't be helped. Hades hadn't fully revealed his Status yet.

[The Constellation Father of the Rich Night hesitantly looks back at his wife.]

[I told you that you couldn't do it alone, didn't I?]

[The Constellation Father of the Rich Night looks back at his wife with a miserable expression.]

Seeing how things were going, I could roughly guess what had happened.

Fables wriggled and surged across Pluto's armor as Hades rode it.

[The fable If You Listen to Your Wife, You'll Get Rice Cakes Even in Your Sleep begins its story!]

Persephone let out a long sigh, then raised her hand toward the sky as if she were conducting. Small things like musical notes rose from her fingertips. A fable was opening like the introduction to a classical piece.

[The Constellation Queen of the Darkest Spring is mobilizing the Plausibility of the underworld!]

The underworld didn't belong to Hades alone.

Persephone wasn't the "Queen Consort" of the underworld. She was its "Queen."

In other words, the two of them were a married couple with equal shares in the underworld nebula.

Hades's attributes were darkness and fire.

The true Status of the guardian of Olympus's night and hell was awakening.

[The Constellation Father of the Rich Night has unleashed his Status!]

In that instant, a tremendous shock struck me as though my entire body had been beaten. I staggered and raised my head through my spinning vision, only to see Pluto standing there like an Incarnation of darkness and fire.

[The Constellations of the Final Scenario are deeply displeased!]

[The Constellations of the Final Scenario are keeping Father of the Rich Night in check!]

[The Constellations of the Final Scenario blame the underworld for interfering!]

[A considerable number of Constellations admire Father of the Rich Night for joining the battle!]

Agni of Veda was dead, and the Constellations who handled fire in Asgard or Emperor had already fled. Surya, who created imitation flames from his own light, was still struggling, but the fables throughout his body were half-destroyed as well.

A Calamity that even hundreds of Constellations rushing in couldn't stop.

Hades was holding back that Calamity alone.

[Hades, it's been a long time since you've run wild like this, hasn't it?]

Persephone continued conducting forcefully in time with Hades's roar. The fables flowing from her fingertips settled throughout Pluto's body.

The hidden strength of the underworld, concealed beneath Olympus's long shadow. They were proving their power.

[The Fable Weapon Pluto has used the constellation artifact Aegis's Shield!]

The Constellations of Olympus lent their strength as well. Athena lent her shield, while the others sacrificed even the Plausibility of their own Great Fables to help.

Until now, I had never thought the Constellations in the night sky were amazing.

Today, that might change for the first time.

[Many Constellations are grateful for the manifestation of the King of the Underworld.]

[The overwhelming majority of Constellations respect Father of the Rich Night.]

[The overwhelming majority of Constellations praise Queen of the Darkest Spring!]

Watching Hades prevent the world's destruction, I understood for the first time what a myth was.

The willingness to spare not even one's own life when the world's fate was at stake. Perhaps that was the heroic narrative the First Generation dokkaebis had wanted to show the Constellations.

"What are you standing there dazed for? It's not over yet, so get a grip."

I turned around to find Junghyeok glaring at me with a stiff expression.

Junghyeok was the same when it came to sacrificing himself for the greater good.

What was he thinking as he watched Hades?

[Hahaha, subway grasshopper man! This is my real power! Kihihihihit!]

Kim Namwoon's voice came from Pluto's head.

Right, he was there too.

[The Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon likes Pluto's madness.]

No wonder they were partners in the original story.

[The second phase will end soon.]

At any rate, the situation wasn't bad.

The flames of the scorching heat wave had diminished sharply, and Hades was holding on well. Pluto's durability was sufficient, and the number of Constellations adding their Plausibility slowly increased.

After who knew how much longer, the flames of the scorching heat wave finally ceased.

[The second phase has ended.]

[Congratulations. You have safely endured the second shockwave of First Tail Swipe!]

Everyone's cooperation was the reason we had survived this phase.

If Huiwon and Suyeong hadn't held on, if Jihye hadn't charged her ship forward, if the underworld hadn't arrived in time...

If even one of those things had been missing, we never could have stopped it.

[The overwhelming majority of Constellations like this Great Fable.]

[The Constellations of the Final Scenario are uncomfortable with this Great Fable.]

At last, we had survived two of the three phases.

All phases of First Tail Swipe had to be suppressed early to minimize the damage. In the original story, dozens of nebulae would have already been destroyed by now, and one-eighth of the sky would have collapsed.

Now, we would be given another period to prepare for the next phase.

Rumble!

"Dokja-ssi! Over there!"

At Huiwon's shout, I turned to see something flowing from the Apocalypse Dragon's tail.

The scorching heat wave phase had definitely ended. This was impossible.

Metatron spoke as if voicing my thoughts.

[It is much faster than expected.]

[Scenario Plausibility has been adjusted due to intervention by a Mythical Constellation.]

[The Scenario's Plausibility has increased the phase's progression speed.]

[The third phase will begin in 30 seconds!]

As if trying to stop the phase from beginning, Hades pressured the Apocalypse Dragon with his Status. Persephone and the other Constellations all wore grave expressions.

If the third phase began now, not even Hades could stop it.

Hades's attributes were fire and darkness.

He wasn't a Constellation suited to stopping the third shockwave.

I asked Metatron, "How much longer will the seal take?"

[I do not know if we can complete it in time.]

A faint despair drifted across Metatron's face. He was probably beginning to realize what he had done.

[I will buy time.]

It was Michael, who had been storing up his Status all this time.

Perhaps Hades's performance had stirred him. Beating his wings, he released his full Status.

Half good, half evil.

Metatron looked at the fables flickering across Michael's face and said,

[Demon King of Salvation, as you know, only a being with the power of chaos can stop the third shockwave.]

In the distance, the shockwave began to stir.

Strictly speaking, the two shockwaves we had faced so far weren't shockwaves at all. They had only been signs of the "third."

The shockwave we would face from now on was the true essence of First Tail Swipe.

Metatron asked,

[Does your side have a being with the power of chaos as well?]

I looked over my allies and the Constellations.

There was no need to look. Even Junghyeok couldn't use the chaos attribute.

That was because chaos wasn't an attribute, but an anti-attribute.

Originally, chaos wasn't a power granted to Constellations or Demon Kings.

[The power of the Fruit of Good and Evil stirs within you.]

And I was both a Constellation and a Demon King.

A Demon King who had eaten the Fruit of Good and Evil.

A being who couldn't be defined as either one.

[You may be able to do it.]

I nodded.

The essence of chaos was anti-order.

As someone who could destroy both orders, I should be able to counter the power of chaos as well.

Then someone grabbed my shoulder.

"I can do it too."

"Huiwon-ssi?"

A ring of chaos appeared in Huiwon's eyes. Her bleached white hair floated in a mysterious and ominous aura.

In that moment, I realized what she had awakened as.

"All right. Let's do it."

I looked up at the sky.

There was a Constellation whose presence I had been searching for in the night sky for some time, but it was nowhere to be seen. If that Constellation helped, we might be able to pull this off somehow. I had already made a plan around that...

[The third phase has begun!]

It seemed to be too late this time.

[The Demon King King of Fallen Angels has released his Status!]

[The Constellation Savior of Corruption has released his Status!]

Two modifiers belonging to one being.

Michael revealed his true power and charged forward.

It was a Status worthy of such confidence.

[Judgement Field].

His signature skill, the one that had beaten me senseless, stretched toward the shockwave of chaos. An absolute wall of judgement bestowed by divine grace.

Rumble!

The invincible field shattered far too easily. It couldn't even buy time, much less stop the shockwave.

Michael screamed as he watched [Judgement Field] break like glass.

The Calamity of the 89th Scenario. The shockwave of chaos, even greater than the one in the original story, was crushing Michael's body and blowing it apart.

Junghyeok's voice came from behind me.

"Get out of the way!"

He must have noticed something too. This shockwave was on an entirely different level from the two that came before it.

Just as I made up my mind and tried to step forward, Huiwon blocked my path.

"Huiwon-ssi."

"Shut up. I knew this would happen."

As if she knew exactly what I was going to do, she stood with her back to me without moving an inch. Hyeongseong's huge body was slung over her back. His face was that of someone who had fallen into a steel sleep to protect another person.

I spoke again.

"Huiwon-ssi. If someone has to risk their life-"

"Don't even hint at it. I'll really go crazy."

[The fable Demon King of Salvation begins its story.]

[The Great Fable Spring of the Demon Realm begins its story.]

As if resonating with that emotion, the two fables began their stories.

Fables obtained by going through similar things.

[The Stigma Will to Sacrifice Lv. 8 is activating!]

It was a Stigma obtained through similar experiences. I knew how much pain this Stigma caused her.

Even so, I had to say it.

"If we can't stop that, Hyeongseong-ssi will really die."

I had to be crueler than anyone else.

"There is a way to stop it. If you were me, Huiwon-ssi, what would you do?"

"I don't want to hear it, please!"

Huiwon turned around, her eyes red.

"There's another way, right? I know! You're that kind of person, Dokja-ssi! You have some damn method that only you know, and if you use it, you'll die!"

"I think you're misunderstanding something. I'm not going to die."

She didn't have [lie detection].

"This time is different from before. Huiwon-ssi and the others aren't the same as they were back then, either. This is a choice I'm making because I trust all of you. So..."

I turned my head and said, "Please make sure you save me, Huiwon-ssi."

The power of [Way of the Wind] and [Electrification] hurled her backward.

"Kim Dok-"

The instant I faced the shockwave bearing down right before my eyes, I unleashed a constellation's declaration with all my strength.

[Surya!]

A train rushing in from behind picked me up at my cry. It was an improvised train, so it had the strange form of a train with only a locomotive.

[Let's go.]

Feeling Surya's Status support the flow throughout my body, the train departed.

[The Great Fable Holy Flame That Devoured Myth begins its story!]

Using the Great Fable as fuel, the train charged forward.

Past the fragments of fables and into the shockwave of chaos.

Crack!

The impact felt as though my entire body were breaking apart, and fragments of the train flew everywhere.

In the storm, Michael's half-destroyed Incarnation body was looking at me.

[You bastard-]

I ran past him and continued forward. My mind felt like it was fading away. [The Fourth Wall] sent out warnings, and every fable I possessed screamed.

I couldn't endure this.

All my fables cried out as one that I would definitely die.

Beyond the shockwave that erased existence itself, I could feel the Apocalypse Dragon's gaze.

「You cannot stop me.」

Feeling that gaze, I smiled.

That's right. I couldn't stop you. You weren't something that could be killed. You were Calamity itself. Something that far surpassed even Constellations and Demon Kings. There was no way a mere Constellation like me could fight a Calamity like that.

And...

I knew another Calamity like that.

[The Constellations of the Star Stream have realized your true intentions and are horrified!]

[The Constellations of the Final Scenario are shocked by your thoughts!]

[All dokkaebis of the Administration Bureau... the Scenario's Plausibility...]

Terrifying sparks swept through the air. Simply calling its name caused a reaction this severe. As I detonated into the air all the Plausibility the Constellations had given me, I called out a name once more.

A being no one invited into a Scenario, even knowing its True name.

[Come! ■■■■■■■■!]

Beyond the sky of the shockwave, I saw the universe of the Star Stream.

The backlash caused by distorted Plausibility surged in. Stars and nebulae were being erased amid the advance of immense dark mist. A shudder filled my mind. From beyond the endless fog, a gigantic eye stared this way.

I had seen that being once in the 73rd Demon Realm. Back then, what I saw had only been one of its split bodies.

But not this time.

[Indescribable Distance looks down at the Final Dragon of the Apocalypse.]

An Outer God born from chaos.

The great Calamity that had destroyed my Demon Realm was approaching the Island of Reincarnators.

Footnotes:

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