[many constellations are suspicious of the intentions of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
"Please be careful, Dokja-ssi," Yoo Sangah said quietly, looking pretty nervous. He couldn't blame her for her concern or anything, but Yoo Joonghyuk probably needed it more than he did. Kim Dokja already had the sinking feeling that the regressor wouldn't hesitate to say something stupid.
At least he could try to reassure her somewhat. "Don't worry, I know exactly what he's capable of."
With any luck, Nirvana would be somewhat limited by the scenario's probability as well.
The third way to survive in a ruined world. The being who was the personification of this method—the reincarnator Nirvana.
Nirvana stands, backlit by the large, glowing mandala haloing them. Their attitude carries a hint of arrogance while their glowing golden eyes watch their target like a predator.
Someone who was a human, yet wasn't a human. Their mindset was different from that of any ordinary human being.
As Dokja is worrying over what to do since he can't take advantage of them easily, feeling his palms go sweaty from the stress, Nirvana arrives and spreads their arms wide. To the surprise of both men, Nirvana exclaims in an exhilarated voice, "Yoo Joonghyuk! Become one with me!"
Ah. I think I got an idea.
Dokja looks exhausted as the realization of what he can do hits him. Beside him, though, Joonghyuk looks a mix of disgusted and pissed.
"Right, that was one of the three ways," Jung Heewon remarked. "That means we've met at least one from each category, right?"
Kim Dokja nodded. "As we've seen, all of them are powerful and dangerous in their own ways."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is remarking that the incarnation 'nirvana moebius' doesn't look that strong.]
Not physically, but that wasn't his specialty either. Nirvana was a master of other disciplines, and unfortunately, they were in a niche that most other people had no defenses against.
"Huh, you're admitting that you can't scam him?" Han Sooyoung remarked with a stunned expression. "That's a first."
Kim Dokja grimaced in return. "Nirvana has too much experience to fall for anything I pull."
Lee Hyunsung tilted his head to the side, confused. "But… Dokja-ssi, you scammed constellations?"
He pointedly looked away, not wanting to verbally admit that sometimes those constellations were more gullible than normal people. He had to leave himself some plausible deniability, at least.
[a few constellations are offended by the implication of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is snickering at the other constellations.]
Thankfully, Nirvana opened his mouth and spouted some absolute bullshit before more constellations could join in, and Kim Dokja smiled with an exhausted look as Lee Jihye shrieked in horror.
"What!? No!" she yelled in an impassioned voice. "What the hell is this? Ahjussi, you're not going to let that guy say stuff like that, are you!?"
What did any of this have to do with him, past the fact that he happened to be standing behind the protagonist? Admittedly, considering all that he knew about Nirvana, it would be a bad thing for Yoo Joonghyuk to actually 'become one' with that madman; however, that didn't mean that he couldn't dangle the possibility in front of his face to try and manipulate him.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is intensely disapproving of the declaration of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
Glancing over, he noticed the irritated expression on Yoo Joonghyuk's face, matching the one on the screen. He wasn't going to be pleased if Kim Dokja actually did what he suspected he might, but hopefully he'd understand.
"Never," Yoo Joonghyuk hissed in response to Nirvana's fervent declaration, nearly baring his teeth in his anger.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is calling for snacks.]
Suddenly, the screen goes dark before the sound of droplets hitting water can be heard. Slowly, one droplet reflects an unknown lightsource as it hits the water below, and the light illuminates things just enough for the ripples to spread across the screen. Soon, narration starts with Nirvana's voice.
I remember the first moment I woke up in 'this world'. I was a diving beetle, and the moment I opened my eyes, I was eaten by a frog.
A beetle breaks the surface of the water, the surroundings brightening into a quaint pond. With the sound of a croak, a frog leaps onto a nearby lily pad and swiftly targets its prey.
In my next life, I was born as a frog. In that life, I was devoured by a rattlesnake.
A different frog comes into view, living a happy frog life before it hops a little further into a nearby forest. Not even a few steps in, a snake shoots out from a bush and swallows it with great speed.
In my next life, I became a rattlesnake. I was swallowed by an anaconda in that life, and in my next life I was born as an anaconda. Eventually, I was able to evolve into a powerful monster.
The scene does a comical flip from a snake thinking about now being able to eat frogs to a still frame of it dying to an anaconda, a little halo with wings drifting from the belly of the anaconda where the snake resides. Then a repeat of the first frame now has an anaconda thinking of eating all the snakes.
As soon as Yoo Mia heard Nirvana's voice start narrating, she let out an exaggerated sigh. "I don't care about his sad backstory! He's being weird and creepy to my oppa!"
"I know it's uncomfortable, but any information is useful," Lee Seolhwa reminded her with a pitying smile on her face. She clearly didn't want Yoo Mia to have to endure all of that either, but they couldn't change what was being shown.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is agreeing with the incarnation 'lee seolhwa'.]
"Ha!" Shin Yoosung said triumphantly the second Nirvana-the-beetle was eaten by a frog. "Frogs are better than bugs! Take that, bug boy!"
Lee Gilyoung looked incredibly conflicted for a moment before he crossed his arms in a huff. "That one doesn't count! He's evil."
Shin Yoosung seemed to ponder that for only a few seconds before shrugging. Kim Dokja wasn't entirely sure what to make of it, but in all honesty, he'd probably be more concerned if either of them decided to defend Nirvana despite everything.
A moment later, she cringed when Nirvana turned into a frog. "Ugh, now the frog is evil too. This is so stupid."
Then, Nirvana-the-frog also died.
"Wow," Han Sooyoung drawled, "I'm actually impressed."
By what?
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is wondering about the thoughts of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
She turned to stare blankly at Kim Dokja. "Somehow he's managed to die as much as you, but faster. That's an achievement."
What the fuck? He didn't deserve this slander when Yoo Joonghyuk was the true sunfish here. That guy died over the stupidest things in some of his regressions!
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is snickering.]
Lee Jihye shuddered a bit when the snake appeared on the screen, looking somewhat uncomfortable. It made sense, considering that the anaconda was somewhat similar to Yamata no Orochi's heads. After witnessing yet another near-death, he couldn't blame the teenager for not particularly enjoying that scene either.
Soon after, when I was on the verge of being hunted by the incarnations, there was a man who tended to my wounds and released me back into the forest.
The joy the anaconda has quickly fades as countless people wielding weapons appear, attacking and leaving it bloody with arrows still stuck into its flesh. As it lays on the ground, waiting for death, a shadow approaches. A deep voice remarks that the creature looks injured. In a quick time lapse, the anaconda has recovered and lifts its head. In front of it, a familiar silhouette of a man in a jacket appears, backlit as the anaconda watches him. Even though Nirvana can't fully understand kindness, they never forget this man's hand.
And in my next life, I was born as a human. Afterwards, I found out about a great being known as a 'sponsor', and thus, I lived countless lives, experienced countless deaths, and was subjected to countless scenarios.
The scene zooms in on the anaconda's eye which then fades into a human one. A notification of being watched by 'Mandala's Guardian' appears as the now farmer looks up at the bright stars from his field. Then, the wheat becomes gold and gems as the farmer becomes a noble lady with a keen ear for music. The gems disappear, turning to blood as a berserk figure overtakes the screen, bathing it with the blood off their sword.
The figure, now with familiar short blonde hair, looks up at the stars while remarking how special they are for reincarnating with all their memories. They pause as it dawns on them how lonely it is.
"If he got killed by a person, wouldn't that mean he would reincarnate as a human in his next life?" Yoo Sangah wondered with a frown, trying to put the pieces together.
Unfortunately—or maybe fortunately—Nirvana-the-anaconda didn't die. Though he looked pretty pathetic and honestly a bit pitiable with all those injuries, Kim Dokja couldn't see past the massive threat he would become.
"Someone actually helped that guy? I think if they saw a snake that was that injured, most people would just ignore it or put it out of its misery," Jung Heewon sighed.
That was true, especially in the apocalypse. For them, it would probably look like an easy food source, too.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' approves of the good deed.]
Then, Kim Dokja squinted at the screen when a familiar voice spoke, and he turned to look at Yoo Joonghyuk with a strange look of bafflement on his face. "You saved Nirvana in a past life?"
The protagonist, to his surprise, looked just as confused as he did. "I have no memory of this."
No memory of it at all? Did everything that happened in the second regression scramble his brain a bit more than Kim Dokja had anticipated?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is confused by the current events.]
[several constellations are wondering about the actions of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"You're being suspiciously nice there," Han Sooyoung remarked, raising a brow in Yoo Joonghyuk's direction.
Now that Kim Dokja thought about it, that was true. Even though he had been far more human in his early regressions, 'nice' still wasn't a word he would have ever used to describe Yoo Joonghyuk back then. That seemed oddly out of character for him, but it was hard to deny that it had happened when they had to watch it like this.
Yoo Joonghyuk, however, looked even more confused than before. "I don't remember ever doing this in my past two lives."
For an instant, a fleeting thought ran through Kim Dokja's brain. 'Maybe… no, it couldn't be. There was never any information about it in TWSA…'
Still, he couldn't help but glance over at the protagonist again, his mind whirling with questions. He couldn't be sure, but there was one round that was never even mentioned in the novel—one that had to have happened, but was never written. Could this scene have happened then?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is feeling hostility towards the sponsor of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
Many of Nirvana's lives ran across the screen, giving barely an insight into just how long he had lived, and how many different people he had become. It was incredibly interesting to read about on a page, but in reality… Kim Dokja honestly couldn't blame the guy for being lonely.
"That does seem pretty lonely," Lee Hyunsung lamented, looking like a kicked puppy. "He's not a good person or anything, but I feel bad for him."
[constellations who enjoy solitude are rolling their eyes.]
[several constellations pity the fate of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
Pristine cogs cover the screen, turning seamlessly as a golden 'soul' drifts past. They decide to enjoy everything, living each life as though it's their last, until they become unable to feel lonely. 'Mandala's Guardian' pities them as they've been caught by the Great Wheel of Time, subjecting their reincarnation cycle to it.
Finally, Nirvana stands across from Joonghyuk in the scenarios of the 8612th planetary system, looking at him with wide eyes. Their eyes never leave him as the protagonist stands in front of them, protecting the reincarnator. As the scene plays in silence, all that can be heard is Nirvana's obsessive and devout thoughts, declaring Joonghyuk as another person just like them—the only one who can understand them in the entire universe—and deciding that he is their salvation.
'I failed in my previous life. However, it will be different this time.' As they think this, time returns to the present with Nirvana's enthusiastic statement. Clearly pissed, Joonghyuk 'kindly' tells them to fuck off before he kills them.
"I know it's all connected to time and stuff, but I really don't like that Master and this guy have the same imagery," Lee Jihye muttered in displeasure.
The difference was that Nirvana's cogs were clean, while Yoo Joonghyuk's were rusted and covered in blood. It made sense—unlike Nirvana, Yoo Joonghyuk never got a clean slate.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is wailing from displeasure.]
"Did that one happen?" Jung Heewon wondered, gesturing to where Yoo Joonghyuk was defending Nirvana on the screen.
Grimacing, the protagonist nodded. "It wasn't a long-term alliance, and it wasn't a pleasant one either."
Considering the reincarnator's utterly obsessive thoughts that followed, Kim Dokja could easily see why that would be so uncomfortable. At that moment, he felt a prickle at the back of his neck, and he spun around to see her staring at him intently for some reason. He didn't know why she was doing that, or what her look of disapproval was meant to convey, but he steeled his will and forced himself to look back at the screen, keeping his breathing carefully under control.
Yoo Sangah looked extremely uncomfortable as she leaned slightly back from the screen. "That's… quite creepy."
It was, and it wasn't okay.
[several constellations are impressed by the dedication of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is exceptionally entertained by the current events.]
Yoo Joonghyuk seemed like he was the opposite of pleased, especially when the reincarnator reaffirmed his desire to succeed in this life. As Yoo Sangah had said, that was exceptionally creepy, and if the legal system was still a thing, Yoo Joonghyuk probably could have gotten a restraining order against him.
"Hyung?" Lee Gilyoung suddenly whispered, looking up at Kim Dokja with a confused expression. "Last time we only heard the disaster's thoughts because you were in her head, so that made sense. Why are we hearing this guy saying weird stuff about the sooty bastard now?"
Kim Dokja paused and blinked for a second. "I… honestly have no idea."
Why was Nirvana narrating?
An eerie shiver ran down his spine as he looked back at the wall behind the screen. Could that be connected somehow?
At the very least, Yoo Mia let out a loud laugh when her brother insulted Nirvana, and that was enough of a distraction that Kim Dokja was able to set aside that problem for now.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is feeling extremely exasperated.]
Dokja, having retreated closer to the Hwarang forces, is wearing a matching look of apprehension with Jiwon. Nirvana blinks a couple times, mumbling part of Joonghyuk's words before smiling brilliantly as though the abrasiveness doesn't bother them whatsoever.
Walking forward once more, they declare that they will help the protagonist and that only they can be his true companion, referencing his failure in his past life and claiming that they will liberate Joonghyuk from the wheels of eternity. While saying this, their misguided thoughts interpret Joonghyuk's scorn as acting cute and secretly desiring them.
Cutting off Nirvana's next explanation, Joonghyuk declares that he doesn't need them. Sounding both confused and devastated, Nirvana asks, "What?"
Joonghyuk glances over his shoulder to the man behind him before speaking again. "Because, I already have a companion."
What ensues is Dokja looking like Joonghyuk just announced that he'll eat shit as he doubts everything he heard and Nirvana mechanically turning their head to blankly stare at Dokja with wide eyes—so caught off guard by this declaration that they didn't even lower their arms. Everything is quiet, and if it wasn't for the faint fluttering of Nirvana's sari, the screen could easily be mistaken for being paused.
…What did this bastard just say?
Kim Dokja groaned, grimacing at the screen. "How is he just completely unaffected?"
Most people would be offended or something—Kim Dokja knew that he absolutely would be—but not this guy, apparently.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked even more irked than before, and it was honestly kind of ironic. He sucked at dealing with people in general, but the one time it always worked out, the other person was obsessed with him in a bad way.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is amused by the current events.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is greatly offended by the declaration of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius']
Lee Seolhwa giggled a bit behind her hand. "I suspect that he'll regret saying that in a few moments."
Yoo Joonghyuk took companionship extremely seriously, after all, and there was no way that Nirvana qualified whatsoever. The protagonist didn't need to be 'saved' in the way Nirvana wanted, after all.
Kim Dokja nearly choked when Nirvana thought that Yoo Joonghyuk was actually into him somehow, staring up at the screen in bafflement. "Wait, that guy seriously thinks that the sunfish bastard is a tsundere!?"
In unison, Han Sooyoung, Yoo Sangah, Jung Heewon, and Lee Jihye all turned to look at him like he was a moron. As they stared at each other, Han Sooyoung looked increasingly judgemental, and Kim Dokja had no idea why that would be the case.
"You're fucking stupid," is all she said before turning back to the screen with a huff.
Well fuck her too, apparently.
[many constellations agree that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' doesn't need the help of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
Exactly, he worked fine on his own—
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is foaming at the mouth in excitement.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is worried for the wellbeing of the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
Had he really just…? Again…?
"Joonghyuk-ah, as much as I appreciate you acknowledging our…" Kim Dokja trailed off for a moment, wondering what word he should use there. Friendship didn't feel quite right, even though they had (somehow) made progress, so it was probably best to just default to the word he used. "... companionship, I really don't think that was a good tactical decision."
And somehow the bastard had the audacity to look offended by that.
"You are a fool, Kim Dokja," he huffed, and Kim Dokja seriously wanted to smack him for it.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is encouraging the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' to express himself more.]
Nirvana's divine glow disappears as rage fills them, and they stare at the two men, unblinking, as they ask what was said. Rubbing salt into the wound, 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire' decides this is the best moment to pop in and ask what's going on, prompting 'Secretive Plotter' to explain it to her while giggling.
Looking panicked, Dokja quickly asks Joonghyuk what he's saying, trying to guide the other man into dismissing his words about them being companions. Unfortunately, Joonghyuk's answer and blank expression don't help as he just states that he wasn't thinking of Dokja in particular.
Finally understanding what she missed, 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire' begs for a repeat of the previous line. When nothing happens, she decides to fuel the fire by calling the situation a love triangle and sponsoring 2,000 coins.
Holding his head in misery, Dokja mentally denies the allegations of a love triangle while feeling that everything is being derailed since he's still in the middle of putting together a good plan.
Kim Dokja wanted to hold his head in his hands as the screen focused on Secretive Plotter being a gossip and telling Uriel, who had only just arrived—something that was extremely uncharacteristic of both of them, for some reason—about what had just been said. At least Lee Jihye looked like she was having a good time, but he honestly couldn't care less.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is amused by the actions of the constellation 'secretive plotter'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing at the current events.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is devastated that her future self missed a brilliant display of companionship.]
"Are you trying to deny it?" Yoo Joonghyuk hissed, looking almost hurt beneath his layer of automatic hostility. "I will not take back my words."
Ugh, did he seriously have to be so stubborn. "Joonghyuk-ah, I really do appreciate it, but I think that's just going to piss Nirvana off more, which is not what we need right now."
The protagonist just glared harder. What was his problem?
When the future Yoo Joonghyuk declared that he wasn't thinking of Kim Dokja in particular, though, he oddly switched to glaring directly at his future self.
Han Sooyoung snorted, looking at the protagonist in amusement. "You really fucking suck at this. You straight up looked at him, and now you're pretending you weren't talking about him? Wow."
Also, wasn't Kim Dokja the only person who he had declared as a companion in this round? Who else would he even be talking about in the first place?
"Shut up, Han Sooyoung," Yoo Joonghyuk hissed, which unfortunately backfired as she only laughed harder.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is excited by the idea of a love triangle.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing and rolling his eyes.]
How the fuck could this even be mistaken as a love triangle!? It was clearly just a single line from Nirvana towards Yoo Joonghyuk, and there was no way in hell it was reciprocated.
Jung Heewon was snickering, and even Yoo Sangah and Lee Seolhwa seemed amused. Lee Jihye, on the other hand, was loudly denying the allegations of a love triangle. Finally, someone was on his side.
He just hoped that her avid denial didn't have anything to do with her usual bullshit, though.
Yoo Mia sneered, wrinkling her nose in displeasure. "Ugh, ahjussi would be a better option than this weirdo."
While he wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that, he was glad that he ranked above Nirvana at the very least. Honestly, he'd probably be offended if he didn't.
[many constellations are extremely amused by this turn of events.]
"But why… why not me…?" Nirvana spits out, seeming furious already and alarming both Joonghyuk and Dokja with the hostility. With a crackle, Nirvana's mandala reappears brighter and larger than before, but with a distinctly reddish-orange glow. Ferociously, Nirvana shrieks, "How could you become one with someone other than me!?"
Dokja takes a few nervous steps back, wondering why everyone around Joonghyuk is always so anxious to be acknowledged as his companion. He urgently scurries behind Joonghyuk as he whispers for the protagonist to say that he likes Nirvana too, but Joonghyuk firmly and bluntly rejects the idea. As Dokja continues to attempt to convince him to say it just once, Nirvana shrieks again, enraged that those two are whispering in front of them.
"I have no interest in men!" Joonghyuk loudly declares in response as Dokja just looks like he has given up on humanity. 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire' immediately coughs up blood and donates more coins, but she is taken aback when Nirvana passionately responds, "I am not a man! Of course, I'm not a woman either!"
What a complete mess.
"Why would he ever pick you?" Lee Jihye scoffed, narrowing her eyes at the screen. "Creep."
Yoo Mia nodded vehemently, and even Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung seemed to agree as well.
"I don't like the sooty bastard, but that guy is just weird," Lee Gilyoung declared, shooting a glance in Yoo Joonghyuk's direction.
Shin Yoosung nodded along too. "Yeah, plus he's trying to hurt ahjussi, so he's a bad person."
Those weren't really the justifications Kim Dokja would use but, hey, whatever worked.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing loudly at the words of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
"Excuse me what?" Kim Dokja wheezed as Nirvana accused Yoo Joonghyuk of 'becoming one' with him.
"That definitely hasn't happened," Lee Seolhwa laughed slightly, even though it came out fairly nervous. And also somewhat exasperated, for some reason.
"Unfortunately," Han Sooyoung groaned. "Instead, we have to deal with this asshole's utter stupidity."
Excuse him, but what the fuck? What did she mean by that!?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes at the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
And why did Yoo Joonghyuk look contemplative for a split second there? He wasn't planning on doing something stupid out of spite for Nirvana, was he?
"Ahjussi, did you seriously just hide behind my oppa?" Yoo Mia asked him, looking somewhat unimpressed.
Kim Dokja just shrugged. "He promised to protect me, didn't he?"
He might not like the whole situation, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't take advantage of it as much as possible. Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to be a bit more satisfied for some reason, but if he had no problems being Kim Dokja's meat shield, then this might actually end up working out a bit better than expected.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is laughing at the current events.]
Yoo Sangah looked over at Yoo Joonghyuk—who was looking like he had just eaten a lemon again—and then glanced nervously at Kim Dokja. "Dokja-ssi… I don't think that Joonghyuk-ssi has any intention of saying anything like that to him."
"I don't," Yoo Joonghyuk confirmed darkly, looking incredibly pissed off.
Kim Dokja actually did groan this time as Nirvana only got more upset because they were whispering something that he couldn't hear. Did he seriously think something weird was going on!?
Then, Yoo Joonghyuk made the passionate declaration that he didn't like men. While Kim Dokja just sighed because he knew this was only going to worsen the situation, he had no idea why Han Sooyoung looked like she was utterly done with life, or why Lee Seolhwa and Yoo Sangah were looking doubtfully over at the protagonist while Jung Heewon was just snickering and Lee Jihye looked distraught. Yoo Mia just sighed and patted her brother on the arm consolingly, to Kim Dokja's confusion.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is severely pained by the words of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[many constellations are confused by conflicting information.]
Yoo Joonghyuk's brow twitched in irritation, clearly because of the constellations spouting bullshit.
"Master, why…?" Lee Jihye asked, and for some reason, she had genuine tears in her eyes.
Even Lee Hyunsung seemed affected. "Joonghyuk-ssi, it's okay to be honest, we accept you."
What the fuck was even happening?
And why did Yoo Joonghyuk look even more annoyed than before?
Before Kim Dokja could even get a grasp on half of what was going on, Nirvana responded that he (she?) wasn't a man. And apparently not a woman either. They (?????) were really just finding the completely wrong loophole here, weren't they? It's not like Yoo Joonghyuk would suddenly like them more if they weren't a man.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is displeased by confusing things.]
[a constellation who likes to change genders is thrilled by the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
Dokja just stands there, blank eyes watching the chaos in front of him as a slight exhausted smile rests on his lips. It's not a natural smile, but rather one that someone would have if they were trying to convince themselves that everything was fine while drinking coffee in a burning building. Behind him, Jiwon looks like she's still processing what's going on.
Snapping out of it, Dokja informs Joonghyuk that Nirvana is, in fact, confessing some sort of attraction and that maybe Joonghyuk could make use of that fact. In the face of Nirvana's growing rage, Joonghyuk refuses, calling Nirvana dangerous.
According to my expectations, Nirvana's current combat power is at least on par with Yoo Joonghyuk's. If all the members of the Salvation Church join in as well, then there's no certainly that we'll win.
Both Nirvana's pupils and the whites of their eyes glow a bright white as they lose their sense of reason. At this moment, Dokja moves in front of Joonghyuk, holding out his hands as he attempts to mediate the situation. In doing so, he lies that they were debating about joining Nirvana's Salvation Church and claims that Joonghyuk is just bad with words. Continuing to spout bullshit, Dokja claims that he agrees with their doctrine, before deliberately bumping against Joonghyuk's shoulder. "Joonghyuk-ah, don't you think so too?"
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is agreeing with the exhausted feelings of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
This was a whole mess, and Kim Dokja didn't know what to even think about this.
Yoo Joonghyuk still looked pissed off, and that only got worse when Kim Dokja's future self suggested that he take advantage of Nirvana's feelings for him. Okay, so that was not going to be an option.
"I'm not stupid enough to get involved with them," Yoo Joonghyuk muttered angrily.
Right. To be fair, Nirvana was crazy enough that they'd probably just try to 'become one' with Yoo Joonghyuk right then and there. Thinking about it in that way… yeah, Kim Dokja didn't particularly want to see that happen either. It felt exceptionally uncomfortable to think about, and it felt like there was a pit in his stomach. It was probably just because of how disappointed and upset the protagonist was right now, because even though they were companions, he could only push the man so far before he'd snap and go for Kim Dokja's throat again.
[many constellations are surprised by the strength of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
"He's— uh, they're really that strong?" Lee Hyunsung muttered, his eyes widened in worry. "Don't make them more mad…"
"It's that asshole, making people mad is his specialty," Han Sooyoung scoffed, but even she looked somewhat worried.
Everyone looked at him judgmentally when Kim Dokja tried lying that they were considering joining the Salvation Church, and okay fair, that was a pretty boldfaced lie. His future self must be running out of options because that was just sad.
Jung Heewon winced. "You didn't actually think that was going to work, right? Let alone that Joonghyuk-ssi was going to agree with you."
It was a stretch, and apparently the grimace on his face told them that he thought it was a stupid move too.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is sighing and shaking his head.]
This seems to temporarily calm Nirvana enough for their reason to return. Unfortunately, they then demand to hear Joonghyuk's answer, and the protagonist immediately sabotages Dokja's attempts by calling it a load of crap. Dokja lets out a despairing wail while trying to stop the situation from falling apart further.
Nirvana grits their teeth before launching themselves forward and declaring that the two men can go to hell together. With a click of his tongue, Dokja realizes that he doesn't have another choice and swiftly reaches for his sword.
As he tries to activate [Bookmark], he gets the ever-so-helpful reply that it will be updating for the next five minutes. Looking up, he sees a loading circle on the book cover that's spinning around a percentage which declares that the update is only 7% complete.
'What? Now of all times?'
"I can't believe that sort of worked, what the fuck," Jung Heewon gasped. "That shouldn't have worked."
Kim Dokja blinked rapidly, equally surprised. How the fuck did that work?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is exasperated with the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"Joonghyuk-ah, I almost managed to de-escalate the situation, why did you have to say that?" Kim Dokja practically whined, holding his head to stave off the inevitable headache.
"I refuse to lie," Yoo Joonghyuk replied, and Kim Dokja wanted to turn the tables and choke him for once. Why did he have to be honest to a fault!?
And now Nirvana was attacking them. Lovely.
"See that?" Kim Dokja said in exasperation, gesturing to their shrieking foe. "That's what happens when you don't lie sometimes."
[a few constellations agree that lying can be useful.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is encouraging the incarnations to be honest.]
"Ahjussi!" Shin Yoosung yelled suddenly, and Kim Dokja cursed internally when he realized that his one useful combat skill was updating. Updating.
He stared at the screen in utter bafflement, and only one thought was running through his mind—WHAT KIND OF FUCKING SKILL NEEDED TO UPDATE!?