"When I talked about you burning through those extra lives in six months, that was supposed to be a fucking joke," Han Sooyoung burst out, looking at Kim Dokja with a fiery gaze. "It wasn't supposed to be, I don't know, a green light to go and off yourself!"
Letting out a sigh, Kim Dokja tried to relax somewhat. "At least I can come back from it. Isn't that better than having to kill someone permanently?"
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' says that it's not fun if death isn't permanent.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is extremely exasperated with the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"While that is true, Dokja-ssi, that doesn't mean that we have to like it," Yoo Sangah said in a vaguely disappointed tone. They might not like it, but it would be necessary and they'd understand it eventually.
He sighed again. "Can we just drop it for now? We can't change any of this anyway, and for all we know, our version of this scenario might go completely differently."
Yoo Joonghyuk looked at him intently for a moment, but even he seemed to relent a few seconds later. Ultimately, none of them really knew what was going to happen after they finally escaped from this scenario… whenever that happened to be.
As the party walks down a desolate street, filled only with corpses of both humans and monsters, the notification continues to ring in Dokja's head. Suddenly, a voice calls out Dokja's name, drawing him from his thoughts. Looking over, he spots Heewon waving at him from where she and Hyunsung are supporting each other. As they get closer, Heewon commends Dokja on his declaration of war and states that she's fine, but that Hyunsung's a little injured. Hyunsung immediately responds by giving a thumbs up and saying that he's fine, prompting Heewon to laugh and call his bluff as the lieutenant blushes.
Lee Hyunsung has started to fully inherit the fable of the 'Master of Steel'. It's not a bluff; I can already feel the status of a real fable from him. Perhaps Lee Hyunsung became strong enough to become one of the top five incarnations in the Seoul Dome.
Dokja watches the two of them fondly for a moment before his eyes sharpen as he remembers lines from Joonghyuk's 51st regression in TWSA.
Strength and weakness in the 'Star Stream' has nothing to do with your strength or your proficiency in a particular skill. It's because the source of your power comes from your 'Story'.
The 'Strength' of this world is determined by the 'Status' of the fable. Perhaps I was ranked as the 'Strongest Incarnation' because the fables I accumulated in this life were all considered to be nearly impossible to obtain.
"I'm still mad at you for not saying anything," Jung Heewon said suddenly, but she sighed a moment later. "But I'm glad that we're reuniting at least."
They had more strength in numbers, after all. It would be easier for them to hold off the members of the Salvation Church so long as they had their full team.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is relieved to see that her incarnation is doing well.]
Lee Hyunsung laughed awkwardly. "If we heard that, you really did broadcast that message everywhere, didn't you?"
Yep, it was required since they didn't have more than a general area of where Nirvana could be hiding. It was better to just cover all their bases anyway.
"Hyunsung-ssi, Heewon-ssi, at least the two of you don't seem too injured," Lee Seolhwa said as she sounded relieved. "I had been worried that Hyunsung-ssi would be worse off."
The man flushed a little, especially as he finally processed the way that he and Jung Heewon were holding onto each other's waists in the future. Clearly, he was still reeling from everything that had happened, and he smiled a bit in her direction. They really were cute together, and Kim Dokja was hoping that everything would go well.
[the constellation 'master of steel' is proud of his incarnation.]
"Top five? That's awesome!" Lee Gilyoung exclaimed as he shot a wide grin at Lee Hyunsung.
"That can't be right," Lee Hyunsung muttered, looking like a confused dog. "There are definitely other people way stronger than me."
Kim Dokja allowed a small smile to cross his lips. That was right, most people didn't know how these strength rankings actually worked.
[several constellations are nodding in agreement.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is extremely proud of his own fables.]
"Oh I get it," Shin Yoosung muttered thoughtfully, "it's because the Star Stream likes stories, right?"
That was essentially it, but rather because your story was your deepest essence. As Persephone had shown, one's story was equivalent to a soul. If each fable was a chapter in someone's life, then the strength and magnitude of those fables would determine the quality of the incarnation. For Kim Dokja, whose four fables were extremely difficult to obtain and which skirted on the verge of what was allowed by probability, his were of a different quality than others that regular incarnations would have managed to accumulate.
They were so rare and so difficult to obtain, in fact, that they outweighed what fables Nirvana had managed to accumulate over their long life. Yoo Joonghyuk had to obtain all of his anew in every regression, so Kim Dokja wasn't overly surprised that his stories managed to be more powerful, even if they likely shared some similar ones.
[several constellations are salivating at the thought of the stories of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is smiling mysteriously.]
Dokja grimaces as the notification dings once more, letting its constant presence be known. He sighs internally, showing that this is not the first, and shan't be the last, time the message has dinged at him. Honestly, he's embarrassed every time he hears it because he knows he can't guarantee victory against Joonghyuk even if he uses all his strength, and that he barely managed to beat Nirvana.
Noticing that the four hour break period is almost up, Heewon asks if the other incarnations will be okay. Dokja tells her not to worry, as they should be fine here. As he says this, the view of a bunch of incarnations seething and calling for Nirvana's blood rush onto the scene, gathering around the 'arena' for the fight.
Even if many new incarnations have joined, and no matter how rampant the Salvation Church was, the majority of Seoul's population is made up of existing incarnations. All they needed was a common enemy.
As the message continued dinging, Yoo Mia sighed. "Maybe it's good that my oppa isn't the strongest because he would get a headache from the notification noise."
Yeah, he would get fed up with it so quickly that he'd probably just regress to be rid of it, not even taking the survival of the other incarnations into account.
Lee Jihye snickered. "Ahjussi, it really has to be because of those stories because there's no way you'd win in a fight against Master right now."
[many constellations are agreeing with the words of the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
[a constellation who likes swords is insistent that the incarnation 'kim dokja' needs to improve his swordplay.]
He really didn't want to fight against the protagonist anyway, so what did it matter? The guy would probably kick his ass, especially at this point since Kim Dokja only had his first fable and the protagonist's stats were already way too OP. Besides, it was a good thing that all the incarnations seemed to be gathering in Gwanghwamun because it would make the area far easier to defend rather than to have people spread out all across the city.
"Um, my one concern is that it'll be too dangerous for everyone to be this close to the fight between Nirvana and Joonghyuk-ssi," Yoo Sangah admitted hesitantly. To be fair, that was an extremely valid concern. Any fight between the two of them—especially if they went all out—would be extremely destructive. Maybe they'd have to clear the area a bit more before the fight could actually begin.
"A common enemy is right," Jung Heewon muttered. "If the Salvation Church has been attacking everyone this whole time, then that's a lot of resentment building up right there."
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' greatly disapproves of the actions of the 'salvation church'.]
Somewhere in the crowd, an incarnation begins a chant, calling for the Salvation Church's downfall. Sighing, Pildu states that South Korea is really done for, sounding most upset about the chance of not getting his land returned to him because the people in charge must all be dead. Beside him, Jihye deadpans while wondering why this is his priority.
Changing the subject, Pildu asks if Dokja is going to save Sangah because he heard she was captured. Dokja states that they will, but not right away. Mentally, he calculates that Nirvana wouldn't be so rash as to mess with the pawn of Olympus, lest they set off a war between the nebulae.
At that moment, the second hint appears, announcing Gilyoung as the ninth strongest. Letting out a happy little squeal, Gilyoung's eyes sparkle as he turns happily to Dokja, eager to get doting headpats from his Dadja. Meanwhile, Jihye enters the pit of despair due to being weaker than a bug-obsessed elementary schooler.
Seeing as how the second hint was announced, it means that the second wave is about to begin.
Han Sooyoung snorted in amusement as soon as the crowd began chanting. "Okay, that's fucking funny."
Yeah, it looked a lot like a massive protest against a politician, something almost normal and mundane that would have happened back before the apocalypse, despite the ruined state of the city. Even though the world was coming to an end, the desire for justice still hadn't changed at all.
"Future me is so right," Lee Jihye remarked, "what is that ahjussi's problem? It's not like he'd keep any land after the dome breaks later or whatever."
Yeah, especially because what hadn't been mentioned before was that the dome would seal itself off again once everyone was out. Seoul would be lost to them for a very long time.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is agreeing with the words of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'lover of the abandoned labyrinth' narrows her eyes threateningly.]
"Ah, that is true," Yoo Sangah admitted sheepishly. Unlike messing with an incarnation whose constellation was part of a powerful nebula, it would be significantly worse to pick a fight with the nebula on its own. This was especially true because while the nebula as a whole was sponsoring Yoo Sangah, individual constellations could still have their own incarnations as well. In a situation where a battle broke out between the nebulas and Mandala's Guardian, then there was the chance that other incarnations contracted to Olympus' constellations would get dragged into the fight too.
"It's the next hint!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed excitedly, only for her expression to turn into one of dismay as the ninth strongest turned out to be Lee Gilyoung.
"Hyung, it's me!" he nearly shouted before looking up at Kim Dokja with excitement and joy glimmering in his eyes.
[several constellations are congratulating the incarnation 'lee gilyoung'.]
He seemed genuinely happy, both here and in the future, and that was a sight that Kim Dokja wanted to protect. With a small smile on his face, he ruffled the kid's hair.
"It still makes no sense, even with the story strength thing!" Lee Jihye yelped in affront. "How does he have stronger ones than I do!?"
Lee Gilyoung huffed pridefully. "Because I have a super awesome sponsor."
… Who even was the kid's sponsor, anyway? Now that he thought about it, that had never come up before.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked over at Lee Gilyoung contemplatively for a moment, and Kim Dokja genuinely wondered what he knew. After all, with his [Eye of the Sage], he likely already knew that information. Could his sponsor be part of the reason why the protagonist had tried to recruit him back then too?
[a constellation who likes grasshoppers is pleased by the current events.]
As Dokja tells everyone to stop chatting and get ready, a bunch of portals open elsewhere in the city, setting free a monster tide rivaling that of the 'Disaster of Floods'. Back with their group, Dokja states that this must be finished within four hours as they won't be able to withstand the next wave.
As such, Dokja begins delegating tasks. He assigns Hyunsung and Pildu to set up a defense system, resulting in the older of the two muttering that this place will be his land after the scenarios conclude in return. For the rest, he asks them to follow him.
As they approach a dome set up in the courtyard as the battle area, complete with a hideous amount of coloured spotlights, an announcer begins talking from the top of the dome. "To all incarnations, who is our 'real enemy'? Why are we currently pointing our spears and swords at each other?"
As the slimy and snakelike voice speaks in a sympathetic tone, it's revealed that the announcer is Ildo using [Voice Amplification]. Continuing his speech, he tries to spread the creed of the Salvation Church. However, the enraged incarnations care not for his words.
"Oh shit," Han Sooyoung cursed as more monsters came pouring through their summoning portals. It was obvious just looking at them that they were far stronger than the others had been, and just as his future self was saying, a third wave would be devastating.
Shin Yoosung, on the other hand, sat up a bit straighter and her grip was a bit looser on Yoo Sangah as she watched the monsters. With how calculating her gaze was, she was likely trying to decide if she should try taming any of them in the future. He wasn't sure if they'd be within her abilities at that point, but none of them were worth using her SSS-Grade item on either.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is very excited for more fighting.]
"Delegating is a good idea," Lee Seolhwa agreed, nodding her head once.
It made plenty of tactical sense to leave behind their best defensive fighters, even if Lee Hyunsung looked like he was wilting in the present. It was clear that he wanted to stay near the rest of the group—and probably Jung Heewon—but he also knew that this was where he'd be of the most use. Jung Heewon seemed amused, and she gently bumped his shoulder with hers in encouragement.
Just like that, the man looked like a tomato again. Yep, they'd be fine.
[many constellations are confused by the setup.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is flabbergasted.]
[several constellations are critiquing the pointless display.]
[a few constellations are feeling even more excited for the fight.]
Kim Dokja felt his expression contort into one of disgust as he realized that Jeon Ildo was behind this utter disaster of a fight stage. Seriously, did he spend the past few hours wasting his time and coins to set up a pointless show? No amount of flashy lights would ever be able to match up to Yoo Joonghyuk's breathtaking swordsmanship anyway.
Her gaze turned ice cold, and she was so quietly furious that everyone could feel her palpable hatred for the man on the screen. Unconsciously, Kim Dokja shivered, feeling uncomfortable. At the very least, she had already vowed to deal with the Neutral King in advance, so hopefully this wouldn't come to pass in their world.
"It's good that no one is listening to him because it's all bullshit," Han Sooyoung remarked, saying precisely what they were all thinking.
Moving onto the main event, he introduces the reason they're all here—to watch the two 'heroes' duke it out, and for the strongest to sacrifice themselves. In a flourish of mandalas, the opaque dome turns translucent to reveal the two already standing within.
Seeing this, Dokja rushes forwards through the crowd, slamming his fist into the dome, but nothing happens. Unfortunately, the dome is revealed to be the product of Ildo's stigma, [Fair Duel], which prevents any physical outside interference. Dokja grimaces as he looks up at Ildo's annoyingly smug face, not expecting the other man to have already activated the stigma of 'Prince Gwanghae'.
Looking over his shoulder, Dokja observes the nervous looks on the faces of the gathered incarnations, guessing their thoughts. Naturally, they're wondering if they can all be saved if either of the two end up dying.
All humans are cowards. And Nirvana knew when humans would become the most cowardly. That was when they would try to obtain their 'unattainable future'.
What was he—
Fuck. Kim Dokja's eyes went wide as he realized that both of them were already inside the dome, and a bolt of fear shot through him.
[several constellations are shocked by the current events.]
Yoo Joonghyuk's jaw was tense—even more than usual, especially now that he knew that neither of their deaths would actually save anyone—and his eyes were locked on the screen intensely. Kim Dokja had no doubts that the protagonist would spend the entire scene taking in all their strategy and re-evaluating his own in order to stand a better chance if he ever had to fight against the reincarnator in the future.
"Ahjussi, that's bad isn't it?" Yoo Mia asked, her voice trembling in fear. "Oppa might be in trouble, right?"
He wasn't sure how to answer her, but he took a deep breath and tried anyway. "With the barrier up, no one can help him in case things start going downhill."
At least, not physically anyway. He figured that his original plan likely hadn't counted on that damned stigma getting activated, even if he probably should have expected it. Maybe he had anticipated it appearing at some point, but not right from the beginning.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is praying for the victory of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
All those people were really ready to watch those two battle to the death in the hopes that it would lead to their survival. While Kim Dokja didn't give two shits about Nirvana, there was no way that Yoo Joonghyuk was allowed to die on his watch. The protagonist would not be sacrificed today.
With a calm face, he orders the two swordswomen to kill Ildo, and they both unsheath their swords with serious expressions on their faces before rushing off to complete their task. With a crackle of probability, a dokkaebi appears in midair, remarking on the fun event they've arranged. As a treat, they set up a large screen in the air above the dome to allow for better viewing.
The scene slowly zooms into the bluish screen before everything returns to the correct colour, displaying the inside of the dome as both incarnations charge at each other—one with calm fury, and the other in exhilaration. Above the dome, Jihye and Heewon surround Ildo as Hyunsung and Pildu hold off the advancing monsters in Gwanghwamun.
On the ground, Dokja stands like a boss. With his hands in his coat pockets and his two kids by his side, they all look prepared for anything.
Jung Heewon's eyes blazed with fury, but she seemed rather satisfied to see that she was getting to go over and beat the hell out of the Neutral King. Lee Jihye was cheering herself and her unnie on, so they'd probably be fine.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is waving his stick in the air.]
"And now the dokkaebi are making a fucking show out of it, great," Han Sooyoung sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Where the hell am I anyway?"
That was a very good question, and one that would likely get answered soon enough if Kim Dokja's hunch about his own plan was correct.
"Do your best, oppa," Yoo Mia whispered, curling in closer to him, and Yoo Joonghyuk nodded as he wrapped his arms around her, surprisingly gently despite his serious expression.
"I always do."
His confidence was reassuring—it always was—but Kim Dokja couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Nirvana was probably the worst possible opponent for Yoo Joonghyuk, even if he had spent some time building up his mental defenses. This wasn't going to be easy—not by a long shot.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is curious to see the outcome of this scenario.]