[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is shrieking in excitement.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is relaxing somewhat.]
"Is that really you, Master?" Lee Jihye asked as she maneuvered the kids enough to look over at him with wide eyes.
He didn't respond, however. Instead, Yoo Joonghyuk was staring at him, wide-eyed and slightly flushed. He was probably just shocked and relieved to see himself, and maybe even surprised that Kim Dokja had recognized him from that single scene alone. Maybe he doubted that it was true?
Kim Dokja was absolutely certain and, on second thought, even the protagonist seemed to be convinced. Exhaling shakily, he braced himself for the next part of the fight. This could either improve things a lot, or everything would go downhill even faster.
Dokja braces himself as a wave of dust rolls over him, caused by the sudden explosion. Opening his eyes in shock, Dokja looks ahead and sees that Jihye has fallen to her knees, and he follows her gaze to see that she's looking straight ahead at a serpent's head pinned to the ground beneath a familiar black combat boot.
Holding a new purplish sword in hand while his former one stays sheathed at his waist, Joonghyuk once again seems to have come right out of an action movie as he stands over the constellation that just caused so much strife. In fact, his pose is eerily reminiscent of when he had burst into the meeting before this scenario. When Joonghyuk says Dokja's name and nothing else, Dokja grins and tells him that he's late.
"It really is Joonghyuk-ssi!" Lee Hyunsung exclaimed in relief, nearly slumping against Jung Heewon as he did. She looked both amused and relieved as well, and adjusted her posture a bit so he was more comfortable.
Kim Dokja had to hide his smile at that because there were more important things to worry about right now. It was really cute regardless, though.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is jumping up and down in excitement.]
Lee Gilyoung looked extremely conflicted for a moment, but Yoo Mia pinched his arm and he sighed. "You still suck, sooty bastard, but you did good saving hyung and noona there."
… Was that supposed to be a compliment? Kim Dokja glanced over at Yoo Joonghyuk in concern, and found himself extremely baffled when it seemed that the protagonist had straightened up as though he was preening or something. That was out of character for him, especially right after being insulted like that, but apparently Yoo Joonghyuk was seeing it as a compliment in some way?
Still, Kim Dokja had to swallow and take a deep breath when he took in the scene in front of him—completely disregarding the shiver that went down his spine at the deep rumble of his own name that came out of nowhere. Yoo Joonghyuk looked as amazing as always, and he truly had a presence befitting a protagonist. In the end, he had arrived right on time—as always, it seemed—and once again, he had arrived and crushed the enemy beneath his boots. He really did seem to do that often, regardless of what he said. Still, Kim Dokja couldn't help but admire the way that his muscles were only emphasized by the lighting—and his tight shirt—truly displaying just how strong Yoo Joonghyuk actually was.
"Holy shit," Han Sooyoung muttered in shock, seeing that Yoo Joonghyuk had managed to completely pin down the head that had previously been threatening Lee Jihye.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is excited to see the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' join the fight.]
This felt right.
Deep down, Kim Dokja knew that Yoo Joonghyuk's ideal path to the epilogue would be paved with the bones of constellations that he had torn from the skies himself, and Yamata no Orochi's corpse would make for a fitting first sacrifice to the protagonist's ideals. A form of glee rose inside of him at that thought, and Kim Dokja did his best to hold back the smile that was threatening to stretch across his face. It was truly a shame that Kim Dokja would inevitably have to be the one to land the last blow due to the scenario he had received, because it would have been glorious to witness the protagonist finally killing a star with his own hands.
The head lets out a deafening screech as Joonghyuk skillfully leaps out of the way of its jaws. The eight-headed beast surges forward, dragging the Izumi's limp shell of a body along with it as it speeds towards them.
Joonghyuk lands deftly on the wall beside Dokja, exchanging a tense glance with the other man before they both brandish their swords. As Joonghyuk keeps his eyes on their enemy, Dokja takes a moment to glance at Joonghyuk's new blade, which gleams like hope in these dark times.
He brought the sword with him, as expected.
"Please be careful, both of you," Yoo Sangah said worriedly, even though she was less tense than before.
Everyone also had to wince at the scene of Izumi's body getting dragged along with the rest of the constellation's shadow. That couldn't be pleasant, even if he was only barely alive at this point. The kids shuddered, and Lee Jihye stepped up as a big sister figure to squeeze them all just a bit closer.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is cheering for the incarnations.]
"Let's make this a good fight, Joonghyuk-ah," Kim Dokja said with another smile, and Yoo Joonghyuk's lips seemed to quirk up slightly in return. Why was he nearly smiling so often lately? It was weird and unsettling, to be honest.
"Okay, that is one cool sword," Jung Heewon whistled, impressed by the new sword in Yoo Joonghyuk's hand. Of course, Kim Dokja knew exactly what it was, and he was eternally grateful that the protagonist had managed to find it in time. While the sword alone wouldn't guarantee their victory, it would greatly increase their chances.
[a constellation who likes swords is extremely interested in the new sword of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Enraged, the heads all shoot out towards them, battling for the chance to gobble them up as they writhe. Seemingly unfazed by the literal god trying to murder them, Joonghyuk and Dokja squabble about who's going to fight this time, with Joonghyuk trying to make Dokja stand down. Dokja knows that he needs to land the killing blow, but Joonghyuk is adamant that Dokja won't stand a chance against a foe of this level of strength.
Dokja frowns and his eyes narrow as they dart around the battlefield when notifications pop up from constellations who hate humans. Like Att█ck on Tit█n, the barely human looking disasters rip open the roofs of houses to pull out the screaming civilians.
I know a few of the constellations who are sending messages right now. They're the constellations who came into Bihyung's channel during the fifth scenario, the Yōkai constellations of the Tokyo Dome, that drove someone I knew to death.
Lee Seolhwa sighed, sounding long-suffering, as she looked over at the two men. "Dokja-ssi, Joonghyuk-ssi… I know you're both confident in your skills, but please save any bickering for after the fact."
Before Kim Dokja could even protest—because there was no way Yoo Joonghyuk would bother replying to something like that—Han Sooyoung groaned loudly. "They're a lost cause. Just let them have their bullshit foreplay fight or whatever."
Despite whatever Han Sooyoung—and Jung Heewon and Lee Jihye, judging by their extremely interested expressions—seemed to believe, their bickering was the furthest thing from 'foreplay'. The protagonist clearly didn't trust him to fight here, and unlike the occasional baffling situations with Yoo Joonghyuk sitting near him, Kim Dokja wasn't about to chalk his insistence up to something like concern.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is annoyed by the incarnations choosing to talk instead of fight.]
"They're awful people," Yoo Mia hissed, grimacing as she watched the Japanese incarnations terrorizing the people of Peace Land.
Shin Yoosung nodded along, and scowled. "Those constellations are awful too."
They were, and he tried to commit any modifiers to memory for future reference. He was pretty sure that Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't be particularly bothered by a constellation hit list, after all.
"I made a promise. So, I have to defeat that thing myself," Dokja declares as he steps forward while activating [Bookmark]. When Joonghyuk questions what he means by 'promise', Dokja replies that he promised to enact revenge on the constellations who killed her.
I promised three things to the Shin Yoosung of the 41st round. First, to beat the shit out of the dokkaebi. Second, to revive her. Third and finally, to enact revenge against the constellations that granted the plausibility have Shin Yoosung killed.
As Dokja narrates, the screen goes monochrome as scenes of the past appear, matching his words.
Joonghyuk looks at Dokja with eyes that are ever so slightly widened, as though Dokja's words have affected him, but he still proceeds to say that those words aren't enough for him to concede. As Dokja mentally calls the protagonist a brat for that response, the heads—angry at being ignored—let loose beams of dark energy from their mouths, which blast through the wall with ease. As the two men dodge the devastating attacks, Dokja notices the destruction left in the beam's wake.
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced over at him then, his gaze a bit softer than before. "That is a good promise."
Kim Dokja's stomach flipped for some reason, and he nodded sadly. "I know it hasn't even happened yet for us, but I'm glad I made those promises."
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is smiling fondly at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Yoo Sangah looked down sadly. "So much has already happened, it's almost hard to believe. At least you've managed to complete one promise, even if the other two are still in progress."
That was true, and Kim Dokja sent a grateful smile her way. Yoo Sangah was always good at looking on the bright side of things, and he greatly appreciated that about her.
Still, Yoo Joonghyuk's eyebrow twitched upon hearing Kim Dokja's internal insult, and Kim Dokja very pointedly looked away. Ah… damn his own thoughts; things had been going so well.
Lee Hyunsung glanced around awkwardly. "I know Seolhwa-ssi said this already, but please save your discussions for after the fight… it's dangerous."
Right on cue, the two of them had to cut off their conversation to dodge the constellation's attack which, by the looks of it, was absolutely devastating. Okay, so Lee Hyunsung had a point.
Did that mean he was actually going to change his habit of being chatty during a fight? Eh, probably not.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is sighing in exasperation.]
Yamata No Orochi. A being known as an evil yōkai of ancient Japanese myth. At this point, there's only one way to deal with it.
Skidding backwards and having to slow himself with a hand on the ground as he lands, Dokja mentally curses the amount of damage that a simple 'shadow' of the constellation is able to cause before turning and watching as Joonghyuk effortlessly lands on his feet. Catching his attention, Dokja remarks that Joonghyuk has managed to obtain the
[constellations who like foreign mythology are eagerly discussing where this scenario will go.]
Lee Jihye snickered as she watched Kim Dokja land on the ground. "Rough landing, huh ahjussi?"
That girl…
"I'm doing my best, okay?" Kim Dokja griped back, keeping his tone playful. "Not everyone can be as talented as our Joonghyuk-ie here."
For some reason, Yoo Joonghyuk looked almost amused at that, even as Han Sooyoung groaned even louder off to the side.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is nodding vehemently.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is surprised by the identity of the sword of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Yoo Mia perked up as soon as the sword was discussed, looking exceptionally proud. "My oppa went out and got the key to completing this scenario!"
He absolutely did, and Kim Dokja was grateful for it.
Still, there was one thing bothering him… unless Yoo Joonghyuk had run into a Japanese incarnation—who he would likely have proceeded to persuade into giving him information—how would he have known to go out and get the sword? Though the serpent was usually active to some extent in Peace Land in some regressions, that wasn't always the case.
Kim Dokja just sighed and shook it off, mentally adding it to the list of things that were getting increasingly suspicious about the protagonist.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is watching the current events with a critical eye.]
[Impu….dent…ver…min,] the constellation hisses, using its true voice and subjecting everyone to the repercussions of that decision.
Dokja's eyes widen as probability sparks, causing soldiers and their allies alike to spit up blood in reaction to hearing the 'Serpent's' true voice. Feeling only a slight prickle due to the MVP, [The Fourth Wall], Dokja decides to pull out his tried and true secret move of taunting the already enraged constellation. As the heads now begin to breathe fire, Joonghyuk deftly dashes between the flames, using all surfaces around him to maneuver, even running horizontally on a wall.
[many constellations are surprised by the use of a true voice.]
Shit. While Yoo Joonghyuk would likely be okay thanks to being the protagonist and having the [Mental Barrier] skill, and Kim Dokja would be unfazed due to [The Fourth Wall], the same could not be said about anyone else in the area. Sure enough, he had to grimace when he saw everyone else beginning to suffer and get overwhelmed by the constellation's power.
"That's awful," Lee Seolhwa muttered, clenching her hands into fists in her lap. "I wish I knew where I was because I could be helping, but I would likely end up in the same state…"
Kim Dokja paused, frowning for a moment. Where was Lee Seolhwa? She certainly hadn't shown up with Yoo Joonghyuk, and she wasn't pictured anywhere else in the chaotic mess of the castle as far as he could tell.
The protagonist hadn't just ditched her somewhere to rush on ahead, had he? Admittedly, that wouldn't be out of character for him, to an extent, but Kim Dokja hoped that she was safe wherever she was.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is greatly disapproving of the use of a true voice.]
"And now you're taunting it," Han Sooyoung stated dryly, shooting a look of disbelief in Kim Dokja's direction. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Normally people will lose their cool and mess up," Kim Dokja admitted, but he winced a bit when the heads suddenly started breathing fire all over the place. Okay, so that might have been a bad idea.
"Lost its cool is right," Jung Heewon muttered sarcastically. "The fact that Joonghyuk-ssi is just avoiding all of that like it's nothing is seriously impressive, though."
Absolutely! Despite the heat and chaos of battle, he didn't have a single hair out of place yet, nor any sweat beading on his perfect forehead.
[a constellation who likes handsome men is applauding the composure of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
As he makes one last jump forward, he activates [Gigantification], which counteracts the [Miniaturization] penalty and causes Joonghyuk to grow large enough to be back to his usual impressive stature. With skilled movements as he dodges and attacks in quick succession, he swiftly slices off two of the heads, causing purple blood to splash cinematically across the screen whenever it decides to go slow motion for extra cool points.
As Joonghyuk narrows his eyes and lands back on the ground, the serpent screams in agony.
[several constellations are surprised by the skill of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"He has a skill to get big again!?" Shin Yoosung gasped, sounding almost offended, before her voice dropped into a threatening whisper. "If he tries to put ahjussi in his pocket, I'm gonna get a snake to bite him."
Okay, first of all, that would never happen. Secondly, Kim Dokja—or someone more sensible like Lee Seolhwa or Yoo Sangah—really needed to have a chat with those kids, considering how Lee Gilyoung agreed and then the two of them proceeded to bicker with both Yoo Mia and Lee Jihye over it.
Besides, Kim Dokja was too busy staring in awe at the protagonist's skills as he continued contending against the constellation in front of him.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is raising a glass to the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk']
Cheers erupted when the severed heads fell to the ground with a hefty thud, and Kim Dokja's heart beat rapidly in his chest as he was overwhelmed with adrenaline. There were just too many cool scenes, several even slowed down so he'd get to appreciate the subtle movements that helped Yoo Joonghyuk adjust in midair, and the sheer fluidity of his swordwork.
"Wow," Kim Dokja breathed out, his eyes blown wide. That was… god, he didn't even have the words to describe it. In a single moment of a battle, Yoo Joonghyuk had managed to effortlessly steal both his words and his breath.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is pleased that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' is showing off in front of his companion.]
[many constellations are looking forward to seeing what the incarnations 'yoo joonghyuk' and 'kim dokja' do next.]