[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is hoping that the fight will be exciting.]
Kim Dokja hoped so too, even if only to serve as a distraction. With any luck, Yoo Joonghyuk would hold out long enough against Nirvana's mental attacks to outlast the scenario. None of them knew which skill had been succeeded just yet, and there was always the chance that the reincarnator's entire fighting style had been adjusted to account for whatever skill they had chosen.
Outside the arena, incarnations start to cheer for their favourite of the two competitors to win, like they're at a regular sports match and not a duel to the death. Meanwhile, Dokja and Yoosung watch with worry evident in their gazes.
Like black-coated protagonists seem to do more often than others, Joonghyuk grabs his new sword and begins to dual wield, sending a flurry of slashes Nirvana's way. After dodging them, the reincarnator's eyes gleam menacingly as they are shadowed by the glow of the mandalas they summon.
Grimacing, Joonghyuk plants his stance a little wider as he deftly cuts them down, his coat flowing perfectly as he does. The blows cause deafening crashes against the barrier, causing the incarnations outside to let out another round of cheers.
As Joonghyuk skids back, panting heavily while blood runs from his arms down his swords, he looks forward. Above the dome, Ildo does his best to keep up his hobby of sports commentating on the happenings inside the dome while evading the pursuit of two murderous sword-wielding women.
"They're really treating this like it's just for fun and not a fight to death," Jung Heewon sighed in displeasure, slumping to her side and resting a bit of her weight against Lee Hyunsung. He welcomed it, even adjusting somewhat to make her a bit more comfortable.
At the very least, Yoo Joonghyuk had a slight advantage of his own. He had a second sword that he hadn't pulled out against Nirvana before, and that might help to make his movements a bit less predictable than last time.
[many constellations are thrilled by the exciting fight.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is eagerly cheering on the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
It was truly mesmerizing to watch Yoo Joonghyuk face off against an equal, and Kim Dokja couldn't look away from the screen. Every motion was calculated, and the sword moved like it was an extension of his own body. However, no matter how perfect his swordwork was, he couldn't block every single attack that Nirvana threw at him.
Lee Seolhwa's eyes narrowed as she took in his injuries, clearly already figuring out what would be required after the fight to make sure he was alright. "Be careful, Joonghyuk-ssi. That shoulder injury could restrict your range of motion later in the fight."
He had to have known that. It had been subtle, but Kim Dokja had noticed that the last block had missed on purpose. Was Yoo Joonghyuk attempting to bait Nirvana into thinking that they had a better chance and getting overconfident by allowing himself to take a relatively superficial injury?
Honestly, that was more strategy than he tended to use, but it also sounded like something he would do in a situation like this.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is shaking her fist at the incarnation 'jeon ildo'.]
"Ugh, he needs to stop running away so we can kill him," Lee Jihye muttered, clearly displeased with everything to do with that rat of a man. As much as Kim Dokja would love for that to happen, Jeon Ildo unfortunately had a self-preservation instinct, and was doing everything he could to evade all the strikes.
Lee Gilyoung looked over at Lee Jihye and shot her a quick smile. "My noonas are awesome, so you'll definitely catch him."
Clearly, that was the right thing to say, and Lee Jihye instantly perked up eagerly. "Hell yeah we will! Right, unnie?"
Jung Heewon nodded and gave them both a thumbs up with a grin. At least they were confident, which meant that Kim Dokja had full confidence in them in turn. They'd catch Jeon Ildo sooner or later, but he'd prefer it if they got him sooner.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is amused by the chase scene.]
Using the barrier to gain height, Joonghyuk leaps above Nirvana as the other incarnation taunts him to come, readying two mandalas. A dark mass appears around Joonghyuk's right arm, growing a phantom version of it to a great size, as he stabs down with the massive blade. As the ground is decimated—sending rocks the size of small boulders hurtling into the barrier—incarnations go speechless in awe, truly feeling as though they are watching the strongest duke it out.
As Joonghyuk stands on his massive blade, he notices something as the dust settles. Ghostly hands cling to the blade as they crawl their way up through the use of Nirvana's [Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara]. Under the weight of the blade, Nirvana strains and the arms barely keep it a foot away from his body. As the arms get a better grasp on the blade, they use the leverage to toss it off the reincarnator. Though on the surface, the fight seems like a simple confrontation of strength, they're both thinking intently. Dokja listens in, hearing the way the two of them are somehow trading mental insults about each others' skills and strategies.
Though Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened as he used a partial version of [Gigantification], he seemed to agree with his actions, even nodding approvingly. He was using both gravity and his own innate power to ensure that the strike would be even more powerful than usual, and in Kim Dokja's opinion, it was even more impressive than his usual tactics.
[a constellation who likes swords is very intrigued by the skill used by the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"Oh wow," Yoo Sangah gasped, her eyes widening in shock as the ground where Yoo Joonghyuk stabbed was completely destroyed. At the very least, they knew that the barrier would prevent other incarnations from getting crushed by more flying rubble, which was debatably a good thing.
However, when the dust cleared and Nirvana was dusty but relatively unscathed, Yoo Mia let out a frustrated yell. "No! That's so stupid!"
"Yeah," Shin Yoosung muttered, scowling at the screen. "Growing more arms is cheating."
Unfortunately, it wasn't cheating, but it was a stupidly overpowered skill. Though Yoo Joonghyuk's attack was impressive visually, it was a testament to both Yoo Joonghyuk's skills and strength that Nirvana was barely able to get it away from their body.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is impressed by the strategizing of the two incarnations.]
"You're both thinking so much in the middle of all that?" Lee Hyunsung remarked in surprise, and considering the sparkles in his eyes, he seemed extremely impressed by their prowess. Of course, that was expected—Yoo Joonghyuk's skills were extremely admirable. And Nirvana was there too, he supposed. Also, even though the protagonist normally seemed to brute force everything just because he could, it was always a treat whenever he had been forced to outwit his enemies in TWSA. Kim Dokja had liked those fights even more than epic clashes of skills, and he had spent hours with his notebook working out how the fights would go alongside the protagonist.
Sometimes he had agreed with the chosen strategy, and other times he would take notes on ways he thought it could have been improved. All of Kim Dokja's tactical skills had been built off the protagonist's back, and because of that, he knew Yoo Joonghyuk's preferred strategies better than anyone.
Because of that, though, Kim Dokja knew that this fight wouldn't be in his favour forever, and he narrowed his eyes. If something didn't change, then Yoo Joonghyuk might lose.
[the constellation 'bald general of the peasant's army' is cheering while waving his stick.]
As the crowd lets out a loud 'Ooooh…' in response, Dokja watches awkwardly. A memeworthy expression comes over his face as he feels a little disappointed since, despite the prowess being displayed in front of him, he's somehow the strongest. However, Dokja continues listening, and as both combatants think multiple steps ahead, he manages to piece together what he believes will be the 'result' of this confrontation.
Steeling his gaze, he exits the crowd, leaping onto a nearby roof. Standing with his hands in his pockets, he calls out, "Han Sooyoung. I know you're watching, so hurry up and get over here."
A purple portal opens in the air as Sooyoung, now clad in a new blue jumpsuit, emerges while asking how he knew. Frankly, Dokja states there's no way she wouldn't have shown up after his announcement. When 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' makes his presence known, Dokja is completely unsurprised that he became her sponsor. As he looks at her disgruntled cat-like face, an image of a moderately intimidating dragon appears behind her.
"It's okay, hyung," Lee Gilyoung reassured him eagerly as he hugged Kim Dokja tighter, "you're so much cooler than the sooty bastard and the evil frog."
Honestly, Kim Dokja wanted to laugh so hard at that. Nirvana wasn't even a frog anymore, but apparently the kid had latched onto that fact hard. As he patted Lee Gilyoung's head, he had to sigh. Watching a fight like this really showed the difference between the strength that came from skills and training, compared to the strength of stories.
"Stop being foolish, Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed, tossing a side glance in his direction. "You know the value of stories already."
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is nodding in agreement.]
[several constellations are wishing they had stories like those of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"I know, but it's hard to think otherwise when I'm watching the two of you destroy things like that," he replied with a slight laugh.
Of course, the fun couldn't last forever, either. Just as he had suspected, the tides would turn soon, so he'd have to make his move.
"Ahjussi, where are you going?" Yoo Mia wondered nervously, clinging just a bit tighter to her brother. "You're not going to do something stupid, right?"
Did she have so little faith in him? It wouldn't be stupid, even if everyone else disagreed. Kim Dokja had a pretty good idea of what he would be doing next, and all that mattered was ensuring Yoo Joonghyuk's survival here. His own was inconsequential in comparison.
"Ah shit, you're dragging me into this now?" Han Sooyoung grumbled, looking utterly miserable. Eh, she'd be fine.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is jumping up and down in excitement.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is extremely excited about the current events.]
At the very least, she seemed to be very pleased that she had ended up with the sponsor that she wanted. If she decided to cooperate with them, then they'd have a lot of options available to them in the future that would be extremely useful. Of course, there was also the possibility that she'd take off at the first opportunity and try to avoid all of the trouble their group seemed to get into fairly often.
Honestly, Kim Dokja wouldn't even blame her if she did.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is congratulating the incarnation 'han sooyoung' for getting a sponsor.]
Addressing the current situation, Dokja moves to look over the edge as he asks her why she isn't focusing on clearing the scenario and is instead having fun sitting back and watching the fight. Sooyoung starts to go off, annoyed as she states that she's here to find out who the strongest is, trailing off as she realizes that Dokja already knows who the strongest incarnation is. She immediately asks if Joonghyuk's the strongest, and when she gets a negative answer, she sighs in relief about how troublesome it would be if the bastard regressed and took the world with him.
With an easy smile, she pulls out a dagger, tossing it in the air as she rhetorically asks about killing the leader of the Salvation Church. Dokja immediately dampens that eagerness as he declares, "They're not the strongest either."
Catching the dagger, Sooyoung turns wide-eyed as she asks who she's supposed to kill then. When she meets Dokja's grim gaze, she goes quiet and whispers her next words. "...Don't tell me?"
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is amused by the question of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Han Sooyoung raised a brow at him. "Why wouldn't I be sitting back and watching a show like that?"
Okay, fair point.
"Sooyoung-ssi, you could still help protect the area," Yoo Sangah reasoned, smiling gently at her. "With your [Avatar] skill, we'd be able to cover a lot more ground and have better communication."
The author seemed to be a bit more pensive after that, but she just shrugged. "Maybe next time. Right now, I just want to see what this asshole wants from me. What does he think he's doing, disturbing me while I was having fun?"
Probably enlisting her as an accomplice, but whatever.
Yoo Joonghyuk did look a bit constipated as Kim Dokja confirmed that he wasn't the strongest, but he at least understood why they were so concerned. If the entire world imploded the second the protagonist was gone, then his sacrifice would be for nothing anyway.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is wishing that the incarnation 'nirvana moebius' was the strongest.]
Clearly, the Great Sage would be thrilled if Nirvana died. It was a very good idea, but Kim Dokja knew just how difficult of a feat that would be to accomplish.
"Ahjumma, do you seriously think you could kill them?" Shin Yoosung wondered in a deadpan tone.
Han Sooyoung groaned and frowned at her. "I'm sure I could get a good hit or two in, anyway. What'll they do against an assassination?"
Fair point, but the chances of that working out were pretty slim, especially with that stupidly annoying barrier still up. She'd have to wait until the fight was done to even get a shot at either of them.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is suspicious of the plan of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Jung Heewon's eyes widened and she turned to look at Kim Dokja worriedly. "Hey, you're not seriously going to…"
Kim Dokja looked away, really not wanting to see the anger in her eyes. "And if I am?"
She was totally pissed. At least Yoo Sangah spoke up after a moment, though her voice was quiet. "You'll really come back to life after doing this?"
"I will," Kim Dokja confirmed. "You all saw me get the attribute in Peace Land."
"I don't think that any of us like this, Dokja-ssi, but if that's what has to be done to end the scenario and you're certain that you'll be alright, then I can't argue against the choice that saves more lives," Lee Seolhwa admitted. She looked uncomfortable, as expected, but at least she understood why he was making this decision. Besides, it would be a nicer death than the last two, which had been utterly agonizing.
"Hey," Han Sooyoung burst out, turning to shoot a glare at Kim Dokja while pointing accusingly at the protagonist, "don't I get a fucking say in this too? Do you seriously think that I want that bastard coming for my neck the second he realizes what you did?"
As much as Kim Dokja wanted to deny that Yoo Joonghyuk would do such a thing, the protagonist's intense glare said otherwise. He looked so goddamn mad, but even he couldn't argue when faced with how good of a deal this was for all of them.
Kim Dokja just shrugged. "Just don't get caught then."
Han Sooyoung swore at him under her breath again, and Kim Dokja was honestly a bit impressed by how creative she was getting with some of them. It was also pretty telling that she didn't seem to be that opposed to killing him in general, but the only thing that was making her hesitate was the protagonist's potential reaction in the future. Clearly, Han Sooyoung would take it as stress relief after all he'd put her through—which, honestly… fair.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is fretting worriedly.]
As rubble flies through the air, Nirvana and Joonghyuk continue to clash, and their differing colour palettes add to the dramatic effect. As the fight goes on, both quickly accumulate more and more injuries as exhaustion allows for more attacks to slip through their defences.
As more dokkaebi gather, they decide to reveal the hints faster because the story isn't interesting if it ends too quickly. With the snap of one of their fingers, the eighth, seventh, and sixth strongest are revealed to be Sangah, Pildu, and Heewon respectively.
Seeing the names, some incarnations murmur in confusion over Sangah's name being listed since they've never heard of her, while others feel gratified about knowing that Pildu would be on the list. As Jihye grumbles about only being tenth, all while pressing her foot into a thoroughly beaten Ildo's face, Heewon seems pleasantly surprised about her ranking.
While Ildo groans, Jihye asks if Heewon will have a match with her after they finish beating the shit out of the man. With a laugh, Heewon responds that it would be difficult because her sponsor likes the younger girl.
"C'mon, Master! You can do it!" Lee Jihye cheered as she watched the screen intently. However, no matter how loud she was, her words would never be able to reach the future Yoo Joonghyuk. Despite that, he was holding up remarkably well against Nirvana, even in a more drawn-out fight.
Deep down, Kim Dokja was pleading for Yoo Joonghyuk to hold out just a bit longer too. He didn't know how the timelines matched up now that they were separated, and he really hoped that he'd make it in time if things started going downhill.
[many constellations are curious about the rest of the list.]
As the next three names were revealed, Yoo Sangah and Jung Heewon exchanged a surprised glance.
"That's awesome, unnie!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed, hugging Yoo Sangah to congratulate her.
Lee Hyunsung also shot Jung Heewon a beaming smile. "You've worked hard!"
They both had, and even with powerful sponsors, it was admirable that they were both able to rank that highly. It was the same with Gong Pildu, honestly.
[the constellations of the nebula 'olympus' believe that their incarnation should be ranked higher.]
[the constellation 'defense master' is pleasantly surprised by this turn of events.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is cheering on her incarnation.]
Naturally, though, Jung Heewon looked even more excited by the revelation that she and Lee Jihye had caught the Neutral King than she had by the fact that she was the sixth strongest incarnation in the entire Seoul Dome. That checked out for her. Plus, with how mad she had been at him before, Jeon Ildo was lucky that he wasn't already dead, if Kim Dokja was being honest.
Lee Jihye's eyes glimmered. "Oh, that sounds awesome. Please unnie, can we spar later? That would be super cool!"
"Sounds good to me!" Jung Heewon replied cheerfully. "I'm not contracted with Uriel yet, though, so I hope that doesn't bother you."
"Not at all!" Lee Jihye exclaimed before smiling up at the starry ceiling. "And thank you for liking me!"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is extremely fond of the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
Dumbly deciding to speak up, Ildo asks how she broke free from [Thought Infection]. As a response, Heewon stomps hard on his thigh while threatening to kill him if he doesn't release his stigma. Just before he faints, he states that the stigma won't be released even in death. Looking at the unconscious fool, they lament that this is going to be difficult. Heewon takes the opportunity to punch Ildo one last time before going to find Dokja. Raising her sword, Heewon starts to call down to Dokja only to see the two kids standing alone. At her questioning gaze, Gilyoung just shrugs.
As the wave of monsters continues in Gwanghwamun, incarnations begin to fight them from the rooftops while Hyunsung is announced as the fifth strongest. When Pildu asks about the moniker the lieutenant was given, Hyunsung just blushes heavily and stutters out an 'I don't know', while meleeing the monsters. With a firm punch, Hyunsung sends one of them flying into a building. As he pauses and flexes his wrist, he wonders if Dokja is sure that things are going well.
"Wow, this guy seriously doesn't fucking know when to shut up, does he?" Han Sooyoung remarked with a roll of her eyes. She was absolutely right, and apparently Jeon Ildo was a sucker for punishment or something because he shouldn't have been surprised that Jung Heewon would be pissed off by that.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes at the incarnation 'jeon ildo'.]
Fuck, it wouldn't even get released then? If Kim Dokja recalled correctly, then that stigma would only be released once the duel inside had been resolved. Dammit.
However, once they realized that Kim Dokja had slipped away with no one being the wiser, Jung Heewon clenched her hand into a fist. She was pissed, but Lee Hyunsung squeezed her other hand and seemed to be trying to calm her down despite his own worry. Her anger was nothing compared to Yoo Joonghyuk's simmering fury, though.
His aura of sheer displeasure was so strong that Kim Dokja almost wanted to flinch away. Honestly, he had no idea how Yoo Mia was immune to it despite sitting on his lap. Maybe it was just because she was also pissed off at Kim Dokja and was only adding to the aura. He genuinely had no idea, but anything could be possible with those two.
[the constellation 'master of steel' is praising his incarnation for working hard.]
"Ah, it's me?" Lee Hyunsung remarked, looking pleasantly surprised. "Dokja-ssi, it seems that you were right when you said I'd be in the top five."
Hell yeah, all his years of power scaling weren't in vain!
Jung Heewon snickered at Lee Hyunsung's expression and bumped her shoulder against his playfully again. "Nice one."
"Right!" Lee Hyunsung yelped with a burning red face. "Thank you!"
He was so pathetic that it was funny. At least Jung Heewon seemed to like that in a man.
[many constellations doubt that the incarnation 'kim dokja' is okay.]
Normally he'd protest, but that was kind of the point this time. If he was still okay by the end of this plan, then Han Sooyoung really fucking sucked at killing a willing target.
When Sooyoung is announced as the fourth strongest, she seems decently pleased before the smile drops off her face as she looks at the body lying nearby.
"Kim Dokja. Are you really going to die like this?" she asks, looking at her dagger pierced in his chest precisely so he'd bleed to death slowly. His face looks pained as sweat drips from his brow, but his posture betrays his compliance. Sooyoung then smirks again. "Just to make me third place?"
"Shit, I'm fourth?" Han Sooyoung blurted out before a wide grin crossed her face. "Fuck yeah!"
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is roaring in excitement.]
And then that smile dropped off her face as the scene shifted to show Kim Dokja's body lying on the roof, barely clinging to life. Fuck, that looked painful. At least with the dragon there had been only a second or two of pain before he died, and while he had survived longer after getting disembowelled by the Disaster of Floods, Kim Dokja honestly wasn't sure that he would have still been capable of feeling pain by the time he had died. He definitely wasn't looking forward to experiencing that, but hopefully the protagonist would learn from this scenario and wouldn't be a stupid sunfish.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is looking sadly at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'guam divine doctor' is concerned by the choice of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Dokja-ssi… you really chose that?" Lee Seolhwa asked weakly, her lips twisting into an uncomfortable frown. He understood why she was thinking that, too. She had likely assumed that Kim Dokja would allow Han Sooyoung to end him in a single, swift, painless strike to end the scenario as soon as possible. Instead, he had been stabbed in such a way that he'd die slowly of blood loss rather than anything else.
It was going to be agonizing, but at least he wouldn't be in his own body for the worst of it.
"I had to," Kim Dokja said firmly. "Trust me, I have a plan."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is extremely touched by the sacrifice of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is feeling somewhat conflicted about the decision of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Lee Gilyoung trembled as he held onto Kim Dokja, and Yoo Sangah gently urged Shin Yoosung to return to him. She didn't even waste a second before flinging herself back to his side, plastering herself there and holding him as though she was afraid he'd slip out from her grasp if she didn't. He hated that the kids were seeing this, but he had no other choice. Under these circumstances, how could he decide to do anything else?
If he wanted Yoo Joonghyuk to live, then he'd have to die. It was as simple as that.