WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 478: Episode 91: A Single Fable (2)

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The Status of Great Sage Equaling Heaven, wrapping around my entire body, concentrated in the Ruyi Jingu Bang in my right hand. Just like the day I faced the Constellations at the Heavenly River. The difference was that this time, I was using Sun Wukong's power in full.

[The Great Fable Liberator of the Forgotten fully takes root within you!]

"I'll clear a path."

When I swung the Ruyi Jingu Bang, a huge hole opened at the center of the incoming tidal wave. Yet it filled in instantly.

【No no no no no no no】

Nameless Ones were crawling out of the island raised by Lee Jihye of the 999th round. There were far too many to fight, but Great Sage Equaling Heaven didn't seem particularly flustered.

[Break them.]

The arm I raised into the air began to tingle, and dark clouds covered the sky. Cloud Somersaults carrying thunderclouds rumbled through the heavens several times. Soon, dazzling blue light scattered across the sea.

A barrage of lightning tore through everything in the ocean, opening a path. The lightning struck again and again. It was an overwhelming Status. This was the power of Great Sage Equaling Heaven, who had reached the Final Scenario, the god called the strongest Constellation.

【Gagagagagagagagagak?】

Still, some of them barely endured the torrent of lightning.

They were slightly larger than the ones from before.

【Kill all Constellations】

【The ruin of all stars draws near】

Outer Gods capable of using more precise language. The higher-ranked beings were rising to the surface through tunnels beneath the sea.

"Shit..."

Han Suyeong shouted beside me.

Rumbleeeee!

The entire seabed shook, and lava boiled up from the depths.

"Everyone, fall back!"

We climbed aboard Jihye's Turtle Dragon and shot into the air.

The pale surface of the water was filled with writhing things.

【The destruction of the worldline will come】

The Outer Gods descended, spouting apocalyptic lines.

We had encountered beings like that before. It had been in the early days of the Scenarios, on the battlefield of Dark Castle.

[The Fourth Wall stirs faintly.]

Perhaps The One Who Devours Dreams, now a librarian inside the Wall, was watching this scene as well.

"How are we supposed to kill those things?"

Suyeong gritted her teeth and unleashed [Black Flame] from both hands.

When tentacles stretching for several kilometers rose from the sea all at once, the lava-covered tidal wave swelled like a mountain range.

A line from TWSA suddenly came to mind.

「The Calamity flowing from the raised island finally covered everything on the surface.」

If this continued, Earth in this worldline would suffer the same fate.

"Great Sage Equaling Heaven!"

Borrowing Great Sage Equaling Heaven's power, I faced the approaching tidal waves.

The Ruyi Staff, which grew in an instant, struck away the incoming Nameless Ones. It shattered waves as large as buildings and burst the flying tentacles. Even so, there was no end to them.

「The tidal waves only continued to grow larger.」

When we overcame one tidal wave, a second came. When we broke the second, a third crashed down on us.

At the center of all those tidal waves stood the Owner of the Sunken Island and the other Kings of the Outer Gods.

[This won't be easy.]

Even Great Sage Equaling Heaven said that.

At this rate, we would be defeated before we could even reach them.

"Is there any way to break through that?"

[I need time.]

After saying that, Great Sage Equaling Heaven began gathering his Status. The area around my heart rapidly grew warm, and the story veins throughout my body surged.

I knew what he was preparing, so I didn't press him further. If I was right, Great Sage Equaling Heaven was trying to use the technique that appeared in the Final Chapter of TWSA.

The problem was whether my Companions and I could hold out until then.

「If they wanted to buy time, they had to join forces.」

No matter how exceptional Uriel and Abyssal Black Flame Dragon were as Constellations, it would be difficult for them to hold out alone. On top of that, there were four kings on the other side.

Four?

Crashhhhh!

A shield of steel knocked aside the bundle of tentacles flying toward us.

I looked at the broad shoulders blocking my way.

"Hyeongseong-ssi."

Lee Hyeongseong of the 999th round turned toward me. His face was half worried, half consumed by confusion.

"I need your help. Please help us stop the Calamity."

Hyeongseong stared at me silently before asking,

【Can you promise me?】

I didn't ask what that promise was. I thought I knew.

"I don't know if I'll be able to keep it. But I'll do my best."

Hyeongseong watched me for a moment, then slowly blinked.

The next instant, his eyes shone silver.

【I will believe in your fable.】

A massive branch of steel began growing from the side of the ship. It grew in an instant and formed walls on all sides, continuing its rapid growth as it collided with the Nameless Ones in the tidal waves.

Before long, a square passage with an open center had formed before us.

It was a passage created by racing walls of steel.

【Go.】

I nodded and ran through the passage.

After running for some time, I saw a familiar figure at its end.

"Huiwon-ssi!"

Jeong Huiwon was swinging her sword amid the Nameless Ones. My Companions and I crossed the passage and helped her.

"I'm sorry. I just can't break through them."

Huiwon bit down hard on her lip and muttered helplessly. Despair filled her voice. Unable to even approach the 999th-round Uriel, she was desperately cutting down the Nameless Ones flying toward her.

【Gyaaaaaaah!】

With a heavy crunch, the steel wall shuddered. The Outer Gods charged at us as though they would swallow us whole at any moment. If we took even one step outside this passage, the swarming creatures would tear us apart like piranhas.

Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of Nameless Ones chewing through the metal wall reached us.

"Watch out...!"

Nameless Ones were rushing toward us from the passage exit. They charged like rabid dogs, tongues hanging out.

【Aaaaaaah!】

The next moment, something like a flash of light fell from the sky and cut apart everything before us. Someone had severed the passage where we stood from the outside. Beyond the severed passage lay the battlefield of the Great Apocalypse.

The dead Nameless Ones had formed an island of corpses. The children gagged at the sight of the forgotten fables that had died so miserably.

For a moment, I, too, forgot how to speak as I looked out over that battlefield.

Someone muttered in a tearful voice.

"Why does it have to go this far...?"

This was the Great Apocalypse. The Scenario the Yu Junghyeok of the original work had fought through.

That Yu Junghyeok was still confronting the Kings of the Outer Gods at the center of this battlefield.

Boom!

A flash seemed to burst from one side of the clear sky, then a roar echoed from the other. Movements too fast to follow with the eye. The ones who had cut apart the passage where we stood were fighting.

I forgot this was even a battlefield as I stood overwhelmed by the sight.

[The Great Fable Delusional Design displays its might!]

[The Great Fable Eternal Hellscape continues its story!]

The strongest beings of the forgotten worldline were competing with their fables.

[Sky Splitter Sword Art] clashed with [hellfire inferno]. Residual [Black Flame] mixed into them and formed a vortex. Torrents of Sword Aura collided between the dark clouds, and ancient fables roared like old dragons. The fables screamed as though they would tear the sky apart.

Living history collided and vanished before my eyes. At the center of every one of those stories was Yu Junghyeok's Black Heaven Demon Blade.

I couldn't let the time Junghyeok had bought go to waste. I pointed ahead.

"The cause of the tidal waves is the Sunken Island itself."

Nameless Ones swarmed like clouds of dust. Behind them were higher-Status Outer Gods causing the tidal waves. At their center stood the Sunken Island.

The 999th-round Jihye was likely at the center of that island.

"Sinking the island comes first. The best option would be subduing the 999th-round Jihye."

I assessed the oncoming tidal waves.

The culprit behind this Great Apocalypse.

If we subdued the 999th-round Jihye, the Owner of the Sunken Island, the disaster would subside. The problem was finding a way to get there.

Suyeong said, "The 999th-round Kim Namwoon and Uriel are over there, too. Let's say Junghyeok is handling Uriel. What are you going to do about Namwoon?"

"Don't worry. I have a plan, too."

Our forces were still at a disadvantage. We had lost a considerable part of our strength in the earlier battle. Still, it wasn't entirely hopeless.

"Gilyeong, Yuseong. Release the insects and beasts to hold back the Outer Gods as much as possible. Sangah-ssi, wait for an opening and debuff the 999th-round Jihye one more time. Suyeong, deal with the Nameless Ones approaching from behind us."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to clear a path. Huiwon-ssi, come with me."

The moment Huiwon nodded, I opened my Status.

[The Constellation Demon King of Salvation has opened his Status!]

At just the right moment, I felt Hyeongseong's fable wrap around my body. The outer shell created by [Steel Transformation] was growing over my skin. Going to <Oz> had definitely paid off. Hyeongseong's fable metal was essential if we wanted to efficiently break through the shells of those Nameless Ones.

"Now!"

We leaped from the steel wall in the air and dove toward the tidal wave.

The Outer Gods noticed our movement and let out shrieks.

Ratatatatat!

Pildu Gong's shells, coated in [fable metal], flew in from afar. The bullets pierced through the shells of the Nameless Ones. With the roar of his cannons as our accompaniment, we ran over the tidal wave.

Suyeong burned away the tentacles flying at us from every direction.

[The Constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon roars!]

The Outer Gods let out agonized screams in the flames of [Black Flame].

Huiwon and I ran along that path. I could feel space-time around the island faintly twisting. Sangah was using her power.

"Dokja-ssi, over there!"

Far away, I saw the massive Turtle Dragon occupying the island's summit. On its prow, the 999th-round Naval Commander was commanding the Outer Gods.

【Hahaha! Where do you think you're going!】

As though he had been waiting for us, the 999th-round Namwoon appeared.

【I'll protect my Jihye!】

He seemed to have enough room to interfere even while fighting Junghyeok. Maybe Junghyeok's condition was more serious than I thought. I signaled Huiwon.

"Don't worry about me. Go help Junghyeok. He's probably reaching his limit by now."

"Don't die, okay?"

Huiwon immediately spread her wings and disappeared to help Junghyeok.

【How touching. Don't worry, I'll send both of you on your way in no time!】

Namwoon's figure moved smoothly. Countless figures sprang out from shadows that had split into hundreds.

「Kim Dokja thought. This couldn't be avoided.」

Hundreds, no, easily thousands of daggers targeted my entire body at once. Daggers that moved as if they were alive. The essence of the knife fighting Namwoon had mastered was contained in every one. Each was a lethal attack.

Despite that, I smiled calmly.

"You swung a knife at me when I first saw you, too."

【I've never seen you before.】

"Kim Namwoon, aren't you curious how you died in this world?"

At those words, one of Namwoon's figures frowned.

【Why the hell would I care how that bastard died!】

I blocked the incoming daggers with the Ruyi Jingu Bang. Several daggers deeply slashed my thigh and shoulder, but Hyeongseong's fable metal took the brunt of the attacks for me. Even so, cracks were beginning to form in Hyeongseong's steel under the barrage that struck like heavy rain.

As though faithfully recreating a memory, I evaded the incoming attacks.

「Right flank」

「Right eye」

「Left thigh」

Tsst. Tsst.

Faint sparks scattered.

I took a few more daggers and stepped back.

"You were trash in this worldline. You were the punk who tried to clear the first Scenario by killing a helpless old man."

【That's what the first Scenario is like. I don't care about that crap...】

"You swung daggers around just like you are now, then got down on your knees and begged for your life in the most pathetic way possible. Then your head exploded, and you died miserably."

For the first time, Namwoon's movements stopped. His playful expression was gone as he glared at me.

"Aren't you curious who killed you like that?"

A dagger flew toward my left eye.

"O sword tempered to slay the sleeping giant. Descend here now!"

Boommmmm!

With a tremendous shockwave, everything before me distorted.

A giant of steel summoned across dimensions stood there.

Tartarus's strongest Fable Weapon, Pluto.

Namwoon's cheerful voice came from the cockpit.

[Hahahaha! Long time no see, Grasshopper Man...]

But I couldn't smile. The method I was about to use was terribly cruel to him.

[Huh? What's this?]

Namwoon tilted his head after noticing something small floating right in front of him.

Then, almost at the same time, the Namwoon on the other side muttered blankly.

【A giant robot?】

[Aaaaaaah!]

Crackle!

[Identical beings from different worldlines have met for the first time!]

The 999th-round Namwoon had no fable of fighting me.

But what about now?

[Broken Film Theory has activated!]

Memories connected. Two beings from different worldlines met, and their previously disconnected fables temporarily became one.

The 999th-round Namwoon, the Great Abyssal Lord, glared at me with wide eyes. He must know everything now.

【You...】

"That's right. The one who killed you in this worldline..."

The space-time around us was changing. The subway of the first Scenario.

The place where I killed Namwoon.

I smiled and continued.

[Stage Transformation has activated!]

"It was me."

Footnotes:

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