WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 64: Episode 13 - War of Kings (5)

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Min Jiwon, flustered by what I said, asked,

"...The Battle of Hwangsanbeol?"

"Yes. In the Battle of Hwangsanbeol, Silla originally wins. If history goes as recorded."

A Hwarang was split cleanly in two by Chu Wangin's charging greatsword. Certainly, according to history, Silla would win. If things followed history alone. But before I could continue, the Hwarang leader stepped forward and shouted,

"In battle, there is no retreat!"

At the same time, the Hwarang all drew their weapons and repeated it in unison.

"No retreat!"

"Serve your sovereign with loyalty!"

"With loyalty!"

That bastard?

[All of Silla's Hwarang are under the effect of The Five Commandments Lv.2!]

"Hahaha, you are hastening your deaths!"

Gyebaek's Incarnation, Chu Wangin, shouted in delight. The Hwarang leader charged forward, swinging his spear. They said an Incarnation took after its Patron constellation, and that bastard was exactly like his.

[The character Chu Wangin has activated the stigma Baekje Swordsmanship Lv.4.]

"Kuheok!"

The Hwarang leader's body went flying through the air after taking the blow from the greatsword. I shouted at Min Jiwon,

"Tell them to pull the formation back!"

"Pull the formation back! Hurry!"

[The character Min Jiwon has activated military command Lv.2.]

[The soldiers have lost their reason.]

[The skill activation has been canceled.]

"Tell them to pull back the formation!"

Min Jiwon shouted again in confusion, but the Hwarang, already fired up by the Five Commandments, didn't listen to her order. Then I heard the crash of breaking glass, and Lee Gilyeong landed beside me after smashing through the museum's second-floor window.

"Hyung, should I call Titano?"

Lee Gilyeong's eyes shone as if he were ready to use [Inter-Species Communication] at any moment.

"No, not right now."

If he could summon a grade 6 Monarch-Level Insect like last time, it would help, but afterward Lee Gilyeong had slept for two whole days. High-grade monster species were difficult to control, and if things went wrong, our allies would get swept up too.

More than anything, Lee Gilyeong was a hidden card. I had to save him until the melee among the kings began.

"Kyaaaak!"

Four or five Hwarang at the front were sent flying. Meanwhile, there wasn't a single casualty on Baekje's side. I stretched out my hand toward Yu Sangah as she ran over.

"Yu Sangah-ssi, the artifact...!"

I took the Ganpyeongui from Yu Sangah. Ganpyeongui. Everyone's attention was fixed on the Four Yin Beheading Sword, but in truth, this item was the one you absolutely had to obtain in the Fourth Scenario. Without it, even the Four Yin Beheading Sword didn't mean much.

"Keoheok!"

The Hwarang leader, struck yet again by Chu Wangin, was already battered all over. It was almost miraculous that he hadn't died in a single hit.

[The constellation Unrelenting Hwarang is growing impatient.]

[The constellation The Last Hero of Hwangsanbeol is pleased.]

[The constellation Lady of the Sleeping Brocade is growing anxious.]

The momentum of Baekje's forces kept rising, while Silla's morale kept breaking. It was as if General Gyebaek's spirit was flickering inside Chu Wangin's body.

"Wipe out those damn Silla bastards!"

Whenever Constellations faced a situation closely resembling the history they had once lived through, their synchronization rate with their Incarnations rose, and the power of their Stigma increased as well. And on top of that, the related Constellations had now encountered one another...

It was about time a stage formed.

Bzzzzzt-

"Wha-what?! What's happening?!"

Startled people screamed. Sparks burst through the surrounding space, and the scenery began to change. The broad expanse of Gwanghwamun in Seoul was turning into a field amid rugged mountains.

「Stage Transformation.」

A phenomenon that occurred when Incarnations with high synchronization and a historical relationship fought one another.

Stage Transformation summoned the very time and space where the Constellations had once fought into this place. Of course, the space itself wasn't actually changing. It was closer to augmented reality, but...

The problem was that for the very people who summoned this stage, it wasn't like that at all.

"Hahahaha... I've missed you, Hwangsanbeol!"

Chu Wangin shouted as his synchronization rose to a considerable level. Now that bastard seemed to believe completely that he was General Gyebaek. It seemed Gyebaek was pretty desperate too.

If a Constellation pulled something like this from the early Scenarios onward, the Administration Bureau would sanction them before they even got hit by a Plausibility storm. Still, Gyebaek was a Historical Constellation, so being lower-ranked, he seemed to be less affected by Plausibility.

"U-uaaah!"

The Hwarang, seized by fear, began backing away one step at a time. Lee Seongguk muttered as if in disbelief,

"He's not even a king, and he has power like that...? How can this make sense?"

"On that stage, Gyebaek is the protagonist. That's why it's possible."

Boooom!

The sight of Chu Wangin rampaging like a mad beast was truly that of an asura. Once Stage Transformation occurred and synchronization with a Patron constellation rose, an Incarnation could draw out several times its original power.

I looked at the trembling Min Jiwon and spoke.

"There are two methods. One is to let Gwanchang's Incarnation die."

"What are you talking about?"

Originally, the Battle of Hwangsanbeol was a battlefield won through Gwanchang's sacrifice. So if Gwanchang alone died, half of this battlefield would already be complete.

"Now that Stage Transformation has begun, this place is no different from a battlefield in history. If Gwanchang's Incarnation dies, Silla's morale will rise from that fury. That's how history recorded it."

Without waiting for Min Jiwon's answer, I continued,

"The second method is to change history."

I looked down at the Ganpyeongui in my hand. Ganpyeongui, an astronomical observation instrument made in seventeenth-century Joseon. Min Jiwon, apparently sensing something ominous, asked,

"What happens if we fail to change history?"

"Your country will fall."

"Then obviously the first one...!"

Honestly, this was exactly why Queen Jinseong had that reputation. It seemed later historians hadn't been entirely wrong either.

"I wasn't asking you to choose. I'm going with the second one."

"No, then why did you ask?!"

"I was giving you a chance. Right now, Silla doesn't need you."

I manipulated the two discs that made up the Ganpyeongui. These two discs were called the heaven disc and the earth disc, with the earth disc on top and the heaven disc below.

In TWSA, the Ganpyeongui was defined simply.

「The Ganpyeongui is an item that can find Constellations in the sky.」

As I slowly turned the earth disc, the constellations engraved on the heaven disc began to blaze brightly.

[The special option Echo of the Stars of the Ganpyeongui has activated.]

[Through Echo of the Stars, you can request the aid of a Historical Constellation.]

[The Constellation can decline your request. If the Constellation accepts, the remaining uses of the Ganpyeongui will decrease.]

There were a total of seven constellations left on the heaven disc. In other words, that meant I had seven uses remaining. If the artifact had been in better condition, there would've been more constellations left on it. Well, it couldn't be helped.

Lee Seongguk, standing beside me, seemed to catch on to something and asked,

"Can you receive a Constellation's help with that?"

"Not every Constellation. Only Historical ones."

When I answered, Lee Seongguk let out an admiring sound. It seemed he'd only just realized the true value of this item.

"Even that is incredible!"

Lee Seongguk said excitedly,

"What about calling Lu Bu or Xiang Yu? If you summoned a Constellation on that level, you could probably deal with Gyebaek."

"You have to know the modifier of the Constellation you want to call."

In the world of TWSA, a Constellation's modifier was effectively a coordinate in time and space. Just as a coordinate system had an x-axis and a y-axis, the Constellations of Star Stream existed between the phrases of their modifiers.

"Ah, then..."

Lee Seongguk looked disappointed. He probably thought I didn't know the modifiers of Lu Bu or Xiang Yu. Naturally, that was a misunderstanding. There wasn't anyone in this world who knew more Constellation modifiers than I did.

"I will call a Constellation."

[Within the flow of stars, the Historical Constellations hear your voice.]

Of course, the Constellation I would call wasn't Lu Bu or Xiang Yu. There was no guarantee they would answer my request. More than anything, there was a commander better suited to this battlefield than either of them.

The stars lit the sky in solemn majesty.

Under the gaze of countless stars fixed upon me, I opened my mouth.

"I seek Silla's National Saint, Heungmu the Great."

[The stars have begun to move.]

In an instant, part of the sky darkened, and a shadow fell across the ground. The battle between Silla and Baekje, their blades aimed at one another, halted in that moment.

"What idiocy are you pulling?!"

Sensing something was wrong, Chu Wangin charged toward me.

"Representative, I'll stop him."

Lee Seongguk stepped forward with his sword drawn. I didn't know how long a hypnotist like him could hold out, but he should be able to buy me a little time. A moment later, a single constellation shone brilliantly in the sky. He had finally appeared.

[The constellation Heungmu the Great is looking at you.]

"General."

[The constellation Heungmu the Great is listening to your words.]

"There are people here who need your help. Your people are dying as they cry out for the country where you once lived."

[The constellation Heungmu the Great is silent at your words.]

Heungmu the Great. The one and only figure who, despite not being of royal blood, was posthumously honored as a king of Silla.

He probably wouldn't be able to refuse my request. After all, Hwangsanbeol was his battlefield. But something unexpected happened.

[The constellation Heungmu the Great does not wish to intervene in the history of the present world.]

[The constellation Heungmu the Great will refuse your proposal.]

...What?

Just as the constellation was about to fade, Yu Sangah stepped in.

"General, can you hear me?"

Quick-witted as ever, Yu Sangah seemed to have realized who Heungmu the Great was.

[The constellation Heungmu the Great turns around.]

"I've long heard of your story, General! The Battle of Hwangsanbeol, the Battle of Pyongyang Fortress... Though all I've done is read about them in records!"

Yu Sangah took a short breath and began speaking.

"I understand very well your wish to respect the history that has already passed. But General! Some histories still aren't truly over even after they've been recorded!"

It was the clear, upright voice I knew so well from Yu Sangah. The expression of someone steadfastly doing what she did best.

"Don't you regret it? That field where you sacrificed a young Hwarang and buried the deaths of countless people, your battlefield... Have you already forgotten it?"

[The constellation Heungmu the Great is listening to the story of the Incarnation Yu Sangah.]

"The history that has already passed won't change. The soldiers on that field still won't be comforted, and the lives of those young Hwarang won't return. But, General. There is still a history here that hasn't passed yet. If you come here, then at least the history of this place can be changed."

I'd forgotten how well Yu Sangah could speak. Back when she was new at the company, her nickname had been the Queen of PT.

"Your Hwangsanbeol is over, but we're still in Hwangsanbeol."

[The constellation Heungmu the Great quietly closes his eyes.]

There are moments in life like that. Moments when no one needs to tell you anything, because you already know what is about to happen.

[The constellation Heungmu the Great accepts your request.]

One constellation vanished from the Ganpyeongui, and the light the Constellation shot down from the sky fell on me. Yu Sangah, breathing lightly, looked at me with tense eyes. I gave her a faint smile and nodded.

"Well done, Yu Sangah-ssi."

[The blessing of the constellation Heungmu the Great has temporarily settled upon you.]

The muscles all over my body twitched as if startled. My heart pumped as though it would burst, and in my mind, light and darkness crossed several times. Something that wasn't me was swelling inside my existence.

[This is merely the regret of an old man who cannot forget the past.]

This was the Constellation's true speech. Words that endangered one's very existence just by hearing them.

[Please, lend me your voice for a short while.]

The moment I nodded, I quietly opened my eyes. On the bleak plains of Hwangsan, everyone was looking at me. Chu Wangin, the Incarnation of Gyebaek, was staring in shock.

"You are...?"

He hadn't descended directly. I was merely bearing his blessing, yet even so, the presence of a Historical Constellation could be felt in full. This was the sheer scale of beings known as Constellations.

"It has been a long time, Gyebaek."

An unfamiliar depth colored my voice. In the distance, Gwanchang's Incarnation staggered to his feet.

"Hwarang Gwanchang, do not pay your respects to me."

"G-General...!"

Heungmu the Great was seeing the world through me. He looked at Gwanchang, at Gyebaek, at ruined Seoul. And I, too, was seeing the world through Heungmu the Great. The setting sun dyed the lonely plains of Hwangsan.

"How ridiculous. All history has already fallen into dusk, so why have you all gathered here once again?"

At those words, Chu Wangin burst into mad laughter. It was laughter knotted with resentment and a deep old sorrow. In that moment, he truly was Gyebaek.

[The constellation The Last Hero of Hwangsanbeol is identifying with his Incarnation!]

"Don't you understand? It is to meet you again on this plain!"

[The character Chu Wangin has activated Baekje Swordsmanship Lv.4.]

Chu Wangin's greatsword, filled with oppressive force, moved. It was an attack that the original me would've found difficult to block or avoid. But I deflected it without much trouble.

"Gyebaek, why are you already identifying with your Incarnation? Have you forgotten the restraints of Plausibility? If this continues, you will be destroyed together with your Incarnation."

That was exactly right. Gyebaek was overreaching, enough to puzzle even me, a reader of TWSA.

"Kim Yusin... It seems you have heard nothing about this world."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter. Since I have met you, my long-cherished wish has been fulfilled. Now I, Gyebaek, can die without regret."

As he said those words, Gyebaek's Incarnation was crying for some reason.

"I am Buyeoseung of Baekje, Gyebaek of Hwangsanbeol. Here, I will resolve the grudge left unfinished in my past life."

Looking at Gyebaek's Incarnation with sorrowful eyes, Heungmu the Great spoke through me.

"I am Kim Yusin, the fifteenth leader of the Hwarang."

Heungmu the Great, the National Saint Kim Yusin.

"I will comfort the soul of this unfortunate Constellation and set right the history of the present world."

The great commander who had led the Battle of Hwangsanbeol to victory sent his will into me. I moved my right hand. A brilliant blue light began to gather around the hilt in my grasp.

「The sword of the National Saint has now arrived upon the battlefield.」

[The power of the constellation artifact blue dragon sword has temporarily infused Unbreakable Faith.]

The blade of the blue dragon sword rose high into the sky and then drove straight down into the plains of Hwangsan.

Ruuumble!

It felt as though all of Hwangsan were screaming. As an enormous amount of Mana poured out, a massive fissure split the earth around me.

「All Dragon Flower Hwarang are to arrive here at once.」

[The Stigma Grand Hwarang Assembly has activated!]

Something was rising from within the fissure. Forgotten ghosts buried in the defiled soil of history. Though now not even their names remained, they had once surely lived on this land. Hwarang who had fought for honor alone were rising as bare skeletons.

Groooooooan!

Kim Yusin's elite Dragon Flower Hwarang revealed themselves from the vanished pages of history.

Footnotes:

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