WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 470: Episode 89: Great Apocalypse (4)

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The moment the bombardment began, I grabbed Jihye. It felt as if the whole world had trained its sights on us.

Jihye turned the bow. All I could do was hope we weren't too late.

【Fire.】

The cannon blast tore at my ears, and the ringing drowned out the ocean. Every patch of foam nearby was turning to steam.

By a hair's breadth, the hull of the "Turtle Dragon" veered away. Even so, it hadn't escaped unscathed.

"Hyeongseong!"

With the sharp smell of gunpowder in the air, fable metal branched out and covered the entire deck. The steel surrounding the hull glowed white-hot.

The heat was enough to cook our skin.

Once the impact against the outer hull had lessened, Hyeongseong released [Steel Transformation]. The ship plunged toward the seafloor as though the ground had given way beneath it.

I activated "Demon King Transformation," spread my wings, and shouted.

"Jihye!"

Jihye hurriedly seized the helm and adjusted the ship's course. Flames bloomed beneath the hull, and the "Turtle Dragon" began to fly.

Only after it stabilized could we look around and see what had happened.

「And Kim Dokja could only gape.」

The ship had been in the middle of the sea, yet it was suddenly falling. That meant the seawater supporting its hull had disappeared.

Rumbleee!

The ocean had split in two, exposing a blackened seabed. Sea monsters flopped and writhed in agony, while groups of Outer Gods tore into them and fed.

【Kyaaaaaaaah!】

Groups of Outer Gods raced across the deep seabed toward us. Tsunamis surged in from both sides of the dried-up ocean.

"Move! Hurry!"

At my words, Jihye quickly turned the ship.

【Load.】

Then the second loading sound rang out. Just hearing the constellation's declaration was enough for fear to seep into my bones.

When I turned my head, Hyeongseong was pouring sweat like a waterfall. Even fable metal couldn't withstand attacks of that level more than a few times.

"Mister! Do something!"

I was already trying to.

I raised the "Perfect White Flag of Surrender," which I'd been halfheartedly making until a moment ago, as high as I could.

[The item Perfect White Flag of Surrender has been activated!]

[Your enemies will now notice your complete surrender even from a great distance!]

[Some Constellations are startled by your actions!]

[Some Constellations point fingers at your cowardice!]

Cowardice, my ass. Those bastards weren't even on the battlefield.

I waved the white flag with all my strength.

"Jihye! Over here!"

No answer came back to my shout.

Instead, our Jihye was the one who objected.

"Mister, are you insane?"

"It's an SSS-grade item, even if it doesn't look like one."

"She won't spare us just because we're surrendering!"

"That Jihye might be nice. Let's trust her."

"You're joking at a time like this?"

Unfortunately, I wasn't.

At last, the loaded cannon barrel began to shine. Right before it could fire, I waved the white flag and delivered my prepared line.

"Hey, Jihye! Did your master teach you to attack someone holding a white flag?"

Rumble...

For the first time, the movement beyond the waves stopped. The loaded cannon barrel had halted just before firing. Through the pale, drifting steam, a figure standing on the deck emerged.

The Outer God, "Owner of the Sunken Island."

Jihye from the 999th round stood there, her long hair fluttering in the wind.

Though she had lived through immeasurable years, she still looked to be in her twenties. It was as if her time hadn't moved even a step beyond the conclusion of the 999th round.

As though measuring the gap left by those years, Jihye's lips parted.

【Flag...】

"Yes, this flag. You remember it, don't you?"

Old pages turned within me. Scenes from the 999th round were being replayed. The sickening smell of blood. The darkness of a shadowy subway station.

[The Exclusive Skill Reading Comprehension has activated!]

[The Attribute Scenario Interpreter has activated!]

[Your words have awakened the target's old fable!]

「Yu Junghyeok stood in that darkness.」

Sparks flew from the headlights of the wrecked train. In the intermittent light, Junghyeok's sword gleamed after slaughtering monsters.

「That day, the Scarred Sword Demon met the Supreme King.」

Watching the Supreme King effortlessly defeat enemies she had struggled against, the Sword Demon trembled. As his sword's cold arc vanished, Jihye shouted.

「"If I follow you, can I become stronger? Can I survive in this goddamn world?"」

Crackleee!

Intense sparks burst before my eyes. The Plausibility Backlash sweeping through the area made it impossible to see clearly. The sea monsters and Outer Gods charging at us were caught in the sparks and writhed.

【Whatwhatwhatwhatwhat】

The Outer Gods looked toward their king. But their king was no longer there.

As if wandering through distant memories, Jihye from the 999th round reached out into empty air.

【Mas... ter.】

Just as I expected.

It had been the same when I first met Secretive Plotter, and when I met Uriel from the 999th round. None of them were in their right mind.

[The character Owner of the Sunken Island bares her teeth in pain.]

Normally, a being that became an Outer God turned into something completely different. They lost their memories of the life they had lived and were reborn as a new being.

But that was the case for ordinary Outer Gods. These Kings were different.

They still had the memories and emotions from when they were alive.

Secretive Plotter had separated and stored his fables by round, while Living Flame had crumpled her sense of self into her obsession with revenge.

Then what about the Owner of the Sunken Island? Did she properly remember who she was?

"Jihye! Remember who you were!"

I didn't know why Jihye from the 999th round had become an Outer God.

Still, there was one thing I could guess.

"Don't destroy this worldline! This place is the same as the world you lived in! Yu Junghyeok is here, Hyeongseong is here, and Jihye is here!"

Crackleee!

[The Star Stream is watching your actions.]

[Some Great Dokkaebis frown upon your actions.]

The fables of the 999th round flowed before my eyes.

"Don't close your eyes! Look carefully at who you're killing!"

「"Don't close your eyes. Remember clearly who your sword kills."」

The Yu Junghyeok whom Jihye of the 999th round remembered was there.

Junghyeok, who taught her Swordsmanship and how to survive.

The "Capture the Flag" began, and Junghyeok, who had occupied Chungmuro Station, spoke.

「"Remember the deaths of those you kill. That is how you can avoid becoming a Sword Demon, even if it hurts you."」

Junghyeok's flag, still white at the time, fluttered brilliantly there.

That flag would become red, then black.

Looking at the flag shining proudly on the man's back, Jihye thought.

「I want to become like that person, too.」

It was a thought I had often shared.

[The fable of the character Owner of the Sunken Island shakes violently!]

I didn't miss that opening and fired off words like a machine gun. Without hesitation, I poured out everything I remembered from the 999th round.

"Have you forgotten everything Junghyeok said then? 'Spare those who surrender in advance! Those with ulterior motives are usually smart! We're short on manpower, so put even those people to use!'"

Jihye beside me stared with her mouth open. She apparently hadn't expected me to persuade an enemy this way. Even if she cursed me for using a cowardly method, it couldn't be helped. Buying time was the priority, even if I had to stir up memories from the original story. There wasn't even any guarantee it would work.

【Fire.】

Damn it, was that still not enough?

Kwoooooong!

The second barrage began.

It was clearly weaker than before, but it still had too much destructive power to face head-on. At least this time, it wasn't one massive strike but grapeshot.

Watching the shells tear through the ocean toward us, I bit down hard on my lip.

"Hyeongseong!"

"I'm not fully prepared yet!"

Perhaps because he had lent fable metal to the other Allies, Hyeongseong's Mana was recovering painfully slowly.

The steel covering the hull was only half as thick as before.

We would have to endure this turn without [Steel Transformation].

Avoiding the falling grapeshot, the Turtle Dragon began reversing at full speed. Yet while the ship moved backward, Jihye stepped forward, protecting Hyeongseong and me.

"You two, get back. I'll handle this somehow."

I looked at Jihye, surprised by her words.

She stared ahead with an expression I had never seen before.

"This is my fight."

I didn't know what had moved her. One thing was certain, though. Jihye had chosen her battlefield.

"I don't know what the 999th round is, or what happened there. But if there's another version of me trying to destroy this world because of the tragedy of another round..."

Ghostly flames bloomed in Jihye's eyes as her resolve hardened.

"I can't forgive that version of myself."

[The Constellation Naval Warfare God has opened his Status!]

I silently watched Jihye.

This sea was her greatest battlefield.

Right now, all I could trust was Jihye and her warship.

[The Plausibility of the nebula Kim Dokja Company dwells within the Incarnation Lee Jihye!]

My Great Fables poured their Status into her.

A brilliant golden aura enveloped Jihye.

Her eyes widened, and she gave me a faint smile.

"Thanks, Mister."

Jihye's warship surged forward. Avoiding the incoming grapeshot, the Turtle Dragon's prow figurehead spewed fire.

"All forces, advance!"

[The Great Fable Holy Flame That Devoured Myth displays its might!]

Flames from the small dragon-head figurehead collided with the enemy shells and scattered. Our history, turned into fables, was colliding with the fables of the 999th round.

[The Great Fable Spring of the Demon Realm aids the Incarnation Lee Jihye.]

[The Great Fable Season of Light and Darkness begins its story!]

In terms of the Great Fables' influence alone, we wouldn't lose to any ordinary nebula.

[The Constellation Naval Warfare God has transferred command to his Incarnation.]

[The character Lee Jihye has activated Ghost Fleet Lv.???!]

Her specialty, Ghost Fleet, appeared over the ocean. Massive warships that had surpassed cruiser-class and now nearly rivaled aircraft carriers.

Those warships spewed fire in unison as they escorted the Turtle Dragon.

"Load!"

Jihye's Ghost Fleet charged forward at high speed. But the enemy's bombardment came first. A tidal wave of flames swept over the sea. The fleet rushed toward it.

A colossal wall of waves blocked the way.

She focused on only one point.

"Fire!"

Focused fire blew apart one side of the wave wall. The fleet burrowed through that small gap and continued forward. The ships formed a straight line and opened fire in every direction. The Outer Gods struck by the shells howled in pain.

Trampling over those screams, Jihye pressed forward, then farther still.

Even as she coughed up blood from excessive Mana consumption, she didn't let go of the helm.

「Even one shot.」

Jihye's eyes, shining with a chilling light, remained fixed on a single point. That thick wall of waves. The one warship beyond it.

【Load.】

"Load!"

[The Constellation Bald Army General supports the Incarnation Lee Jihye.]

[The Constellation King Heungmu supports the Incarnation Lee Jihye.]

[The Constellation Joseon's Greatest Sorcerer supports the Incarnation Lee Jihye.]

[The Constellation The Last Hero of Hwangsanbeol supports the Incarnation Lee Jihye.]

[The Constellation One-Eyed Maitreya supports the Incarnation Lee Jihye.]

[The Constellation One-stroke Scholar supports the Incarnation Lee Jihye.]

The Constellations of the Korean Peninsula were watching over her.

Watching her carve a path through an overwhelmingly unfavorable battle, I, too, recalled a page from the old original story.

[The character Lee Jihye's Attribute Evolution is imminent!]

The final Attribute Evolution she had experienced in the original story was about to happen before my eyes. It was possible only now.

The Plausibility sent by the Constellations of the Korean Peninsula. The fables she had accumulated at an abnormal pace. The miracle born from Jihye's resolve to risk even death.

[The Constellation Naval Warfare God looks at his Incarnation.]

High in the sky, Naval Warfare God, Jihye's Patron, looked down at her. He was the Constellation who had protected and supported Jihye for a long time.

I knew what he was thinking. It was something I could sense because we were the same kind of star. He was experiencing an event only a very few Constellations ever went through.

「The Incarnation surpassing the Status of her Patron.」

Naval Warfare God would realize it then. The moment had come when he had no choice but to acknowledge it. It was time to let his Incarnation leave his embrace.

「And so, the sea desired one sovereign to command its raging storms.」

As though offering a blessing to a young bird making its first flight, Naval Warfare God recited a fable.

「For this ocean had no need for two sovereigns.」

[The Attribute of the character Lee Jihye has evolved!]

[The character Lee Jihye has acquired a Legendary-grade Attribute!]

At last, the Scarred Sword Demon was heading toward her own sea.

[The Attribute of the character Lee Jihye has evolved into Lord of the Great Sea!]

【Fire.】

"Fire!"

With the distant thunder of cannon fire, everything before us was swallowed by a flash of light.

Footnotes:

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