WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 788: Episode 37: Graduation Ceremony (4)

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The fable, "Demon King of Salvation."

As the core fable that had placed Kim Dokja among the stars, it was extremely difficult to reenact.

[The conditions for Stage Transformation have been partially met.]

By then, the high-ranking demons had apparently been dealt with, and Lee Hyeongseong, Lee Jihye, and Shin Yuseong gathered around us.

Ji Eunyoo also emerged through the brush at just the right moment. Jeong Huiwon was on her back.

Including the fallen Lee Gilyeong, most of Kim Dokja Company's members had gathered.

Yu Junghyeok, their representative, glared at the distant Demon King of Salvation and muttered, "Is that guy the Great Demon?"

"Yes."

"You, what scheme are you plotting this time?"

"A scheme? It's a proper operation."

Since this was the Recycling Center and the Scenario was "Hunting the Demon King of Salvation," there was enough Plausibility for Stage Transformation.

The Demon King of Salvation kept nodding, as if he had seen through every detail of my design.

「This should be fun.」

I bit my lip without realizing it.

Could you say that even at a moment like this?

For him, who looked excited like a child, I now had to write the final sentence he wanted.

The Demon King of Salvation spread both arms wide, as if volunteering to become the villain.

"Now, let's begin."

Szzzt.

The stage opened against a rippling background.

As Jihye, Hyeongseong, Yuseong, and Kim Namwoon surrounded the Demon King of Salvation from all sides, Killer King, Chae Yerin, Lee Dansu, and Gyeong Sein joined them.

"Attack!"

With Jihye's shout, sharp sword light swept over the Demon King of Salvation's entire body. Hyeongseong and Gyeong Sein followed with shoulder charges through the rising dust.

The Demon King of Salvation raised both hands and caught them.

「The Allies were rushing towards him.」

While the Demon King of Salvation's hands were occupied, Chae Yerin activated [Versus Action Fighting], while Namwoon activated [Knife Fighting] and aimed for his back.

「In the Star Stream, existence itself is a "story."」

The combined attack of [White Pure Star Energy] and [Blackening].

The black-and-white Star Energy flayed the Demon King of Salvation's back.

「Beneath the countless gazes of stars pouring down from the sky, the story that would kill me was approaching one sentence at a time.」

It was a strange feeling. This was the story that had once killed him.

I remembered Kim Dokja Company from that time. None of them had truly wanted to kill Dokja.

But what about now?

"Your side is open!"

Jihye, Hyeongseong, and Namwoon swung their weapons at Dokja without the slightest hesitation.

Only Yuseong and readers like me moved hesitantly. Gyeong Sein and Dansu kept looking back at me, asking with their eyes.

「Is this really all right?」

They knew who the Demon King of Salvation was and why he was there.

They knew what he had sacrificed to protect this universe. Even so, I nodded at them.

That was the only way to change this story.

"Master!"

Junghyeok delivered the final attack. The Moon Halberd in his hand rushed forward, scattering black Star Energy. Golden Star Energy gathered on the blade struck the Demon King of Salvation's abdomen head-on.

Namwoon sneered.

"Did we get him?"

The Demon King of Salvation's figure emerged through the dust. Despite the Allies' combined attack, he was almost completely uninjured.

Namwoon muttered in shock, "What kind of toughness is that..."

"Master, can we really take that thing down?"

[The 73rd Demon King has entered a new phase!]

Along with Jihye's complaint, a message rang out in the air.

[The Status of the Great Demon King Demon King of Salvation is increasing!]

"Crazy. He's getting even stronger?"

Mana blades fired from the Demon King of Salvation's entire body. Using [Way of the Wind] to erect barriers, he casually faced the entire group.

「Youngest, this fable doesn't make me "weak." You haven't forgotten, have you?」

I remembered, too.

During the 73rd Demon King Scenario, he had survived the attacks of all Kim Dokja Company members.

Han Suyeong's [Avatar], Huiwon's [hellfire inferno], and even Yuseong's Chimera Dragon had failed against him.

He was the Scenario boss, the Demon King of Salvation.

"Yu Junghyeok!"

However, whether the opponent was a demon king or a Constellation, the effects of Stage Transformation were absolute.

"Take this!"

Junghyeok caught the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds that I threw. In that instant, he seemed to understand why I had thrown him the sword.

"Someone with a resurrection attribute."

The Demon King of Salvation answered in my place.

"That's right. Even if I die, I revive."

"This sword can erase a resurrection attribute."

"That's true."

The Demon King of Salvation nodded in agreement, then grinned playfully.

"Though I'm not sure you can do it."

Instead of answering, Junghyeok swung the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds.

「The power gained through fables will eventually collapse through fables. My resurrection attribute, "Eight Lives," originated from the power of the Constellation Yamata no Orochi.」

The trajectory of [Sky Splitter Sword Art] settled over the blade of the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds. Just as the sword strike that could erase even a resurrection attribute reached the Demon King of Salvation's chest, his lips moved faintly.

[The reenactment of Stage Transformation is wavering.]

Junghyeok's startled sword strike wavered, and the Demon King of Salvation waved both hands and knocked the sword away.

It was unbelievable.

The power of Stage Transformation was absolute. No matter how powerful the Demon King of Salvation was, he should not have been able to withstand the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds.

I staggered towards the battlefield. Junghyeok, who had jumped back, blocked my way.

"Don't come any closer. You'll die in that state."

"What did he say just now?"

I had definitely seen it.

The Demon King of Salvation had said something to Junghyeok, and Junghyeok's condition had changed from that moment on.

Junghyeok hesitated for a moment before admitting in a low growl, "He said I wouldn't be able to use this sword properly."

He couldn't use the sword?

I wondered what that meant, but a message immediately appeared.

[The current target is suffering from the side effects of Truth's Restraint.]

Truth's Restraint.

One of Junghyeok's Fable Engravings, which sealed some of his memories in exchange for great power.

I abruptly looked up and asked, "Don't tell me you forgot how to use a sword?"

"I can't use it as I did before."

I see.

The main weapon of Junghyeok from the 41st round was a spear. So he must have offered his knowledge of swordsmanship as the Sacrifice for his Fable Engraving.

The Demon King of Salvation sneered at me from afar.

「You only realized that now?」

I answered as calmly as I could.

「I expected it.」

「Really? Then you must know how to solve it, too.」

Was it because exhaustion had piled up? My consciousness kept growing hazy. It flickered several times in a brief moment.

It felt like I could do that now.

"Yu Junghyeok. Think of me now."

"What nonsense are you..."

Junghyeok glared at me, his face hardening. Then the skill activated.

[Exclusive Skill Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint has activated!]

The moment my Incarnation body collapsed, my soul entered Junghyeok's Incarnation body through [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint].

Junghyeok spoke in surprise. "You, how..."

'There isn't time to explain! Hold the sword!'

The Demon King of Salvation entered another phase.

The Allies were no longer pushing him back. Instead, they were being driven away in a panic. Every light gesture from the Demon King of Salvation created enormous shockwaves that pressured them.

Junghyeok shook his head. "In my current state, I can't use this sword properly. It would be better to take up a spear..."

'No. This time, you must hold the sword. And those, too!'

Junghyeok picked up the two holy swords that had fallen beside my Incarnation body, Ray Bringer and Light Wish.

[Exclusive Skill Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint has activated to its limit!]

[Exclusive Skill Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World has activated!]

Then the text of TWSA began to emerge.

「In the darkness, Yu Junghyeok held a sword.」

Following the flow of the text, Junghyeok gripped the sword once more.

「Within the Dark Dimension's Time Stratum, Yu Junghyeok swung his sword again and again.」

Junghyeok had undergone extreme training to become a Transcendent. The Record of that Junghyeok was once again being passed to him through me.

As if he had realized what was happening, the smile on the Demon King of Salvation's lips deepened.

「Impressive.」

This was a strategy Dokja had once used. Awakening Junghyeok's forgotten fables through TWSA.

「You've grown so much, youngest.」

The Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds clashed with the Ground Rat Sword.

A rending sound tore through the sky.

The two swords aimed at each other's necks, chests, and shoulders again and again. Thighs tore open, shoulders split apart, and blood splattered across cheeks.

Even so, the swords did not stop.

This wasn't enough.

The Demon King of Salvation had probably known I would use TWSA.

I couldn't defeat him with a story he already knew.

Therefore.

「A story the Demon King of Salvation did not know.」

I had to write this story again, the story I had once left unfinished.

I calmly pictured an old scene in my mind.

It was the story of a warden who ruled over infinite time.

「Ma Hyeonseong looked at the Great Demon.」

A flicker of bewilderment crossed the Demon King of Salvation's face.

「On closer inspection, the Great Demon somehow resembled Ma Hyeonseong. Or perhaps Ma Hyeonseong resembled the Great Demon instead. Over the course of their long battle, they had finally become parts of one another.」

'Yu Junghyeok!'

「Ma Hyeonseong knew that the story would not end even if Ma Hyeonseong defeated the Great Demon here. Ma Hyeonseong knew that, after reaching the end of that long battle, Ma Hyeonseong would be lonely. Once the Great Demon, the only adversary who understood Ma Hyeonseong, disappeared as well, Ma Hyeonseong's world would be filled with emptiness.」

Ray Bringer and Light Wish shone brightly, then became a single sword.

The Holy Sword.

Light Bringer.

It was the final-battle weapon of Ma Hyeonseong, the protagonist of 『The Infinite Prison Warden』, and the only weapon that could deal an effective blow to the Great Demon.

「Even so, Ma Hyeonseong decided to walk towards that emptiness.」

With a brilliant ray of light, the Holy Sword Light Bringer radiated light.

「Ma Hyeonseong decided to cut down the only one who understood Ma Hyeonseong and see the end of the forest where nothing would remain.」

One of the Demon King of Salvation's arms flew through the air. His fluttering coat tore, and the Ground Rat Sword broke apart.

I saw the Demon King of Salvation hurriedly change Thought into Unbreakable Faith.

But that was a mistake.

[The reenactment rate of Stage Transformation has increased!]

The Ground Rat Sword had increased the reenactment of the Geumho Station stage. In the same way, Unbreakable Faith contributed to the reenactment of the "Demon King of Salvation" stage.

"Ah."

As if by magic, Junghyeok's right hand moved.

A sword crossed the ray of light revealed by Light Bringer. A Sky-Splitting strike that shattered the sky full of hanging stars gathered at the end of the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds.

With the sound of flesh being pierced, an expanding wave of Mana swept through the center of the battlefield like a storm.

[The Constellations of the nebula Olympus open their eyes wide!]

[The Constellations of the nebula Veda cannot believe your accomplishments!]

[Some Constellations of the nebula Asgard attempt to invade the Recycling Center!]

[All Constellations of the Recycling Center are watching the battlefield!]

……

[You have achieved a nonexistent achievement!]

[All dokkaebis of the Administration Bureau are astonished by your fable!]

……

[The Exclusive Skill Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint has deactivated!]

I woke up, vomiting blood. I took several ragged breaths with my ruined Incarnation body, then struggled to my feet.

I began to stagger forward.

"Please."

That was when someone took my hand.

"Don't kill him."

The hand holding me vanished along with the fading voice. I couldn't sense anyone's presence.

Perhaps it had been Lee Gilyeong.

I stared for a moment at the place where Gilyeong had disappeared, then staggered forward again.

The Allies had fallen where black dust settled. Jihye, Hyeongseong, Namwoon, Yuseong...

And at the center of the dust storm, someone was kneeling.

I called his name.

"Kim Dokja."

He didn't answer. I called him again.

"Demon King of Salvation."

Then he raised his head.

My older brother was there, his abdomen pierced by the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds, blood running from the corner of his mouth as he smiled.

[The Great Demon King Demon King of Salvation meets his Fate.]

The old nebula's prophecy was once again approaching fulfillment.

「The Constellation Demon King of Salvation will die within the story he loved.」

He smiled softly as he faced that Fate.

Was this truly the story you wanted? Could you say you loved even a story like this?

[Your Patron has fully transferred their Status to you.]

The star that had hung in the endlessly high sky. The star that had watched over me from that sky again and again.

Now, that star was close enough to touch if I reached out my hand.

I slowly knelt before him.

"What a shame."

Like someone who had finally graduated from this story, the Demon King of Salvation smiled brilliantly.

"I want to read it one more time."

Footnotes:

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