"I have faith that you won't let him get away with this, Heewon-ssi," Lee Hyunsung stated firmly, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.
Kim Dokja was glad to see that he was being so supportive, and that Jung Heewon looked slightly more relaxed than before. She was still furious, of course, but she looked less like she was about to lose it.
Lee Jihye grinned widely. "Get his ass, unnie!"
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is excited for the fight.]
With an incredulous smile on her face, Heewon scoffs at Reinheit, wondering how he would dare to propose such a thing after the atrocities he's committed. As she speaks, close ups of the monsters and the fearful incarnations play on the screen. "Paradise? A place far away from the fear of the scenario?"
She realizes that Dokja was right—there's no such thing as 'paradise' in this world, and they're bound to continue the scenarios. When Reinheit gives her permission to kill him, she angrily says she doesn't need it before activating [Hour of Judgement]. However, rather than immediately activating, the constellations of the Absolute Good alignment contemplate her request.
What? They're contemplating it?
"Exactly," Yoo Mia scoffed as Jung Heewon rejected Reinheit's request. "He's stupider than ahjussi and ahjumma combined if he thinks that you would say yes."
As much as Kim Dokja wanted to protest, he knew that Yoo Mia wouldn't be convinced. In fact, if he stayed silent, her opinion of him would likely ironically go up. Kids were confusing like that.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is urging her incarnation to beat that ██████ up.]
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is reminding the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' to mind her language.]
The oppressive Eden filtering strikes again, apparently. Either way, Uriel was pissed, and Kim Dokja couldn't blame her at all. Not only had Reinheit intended to rope Jung Heewon into everything and make her complicit in this atrocity, but he had also lied to everyone and told them that everything was safe in this Paradise of theirs.
"There will be no peace until the damned Star Stream has been destroyed," Yoo Joonghyuk growled, narrowing his eyes at the screen. "Any 'peace' until then is short-lived or a lie."
Maybe Yoo Joonghyuk knew that from experience, in his last round. Kim Dokja had often wondered just what had happened in his second regression that had compelled him to get into a relationship in the first place, especially considering his opinions on people who succumbed to lust during the scenarios. While he couldn't blame the regressor for wanting some comfort and normalcy at the end of the world, it had always seemed a bit strange that he would set aside his priorities to have a child.
Maybe he had found some of that short-lived peace he had mentioned and had assumed that everything could be normal for a little while. Maybe it had been because of a scenario, or even a careless mistake. As curious as he was for the truth that hadn't been found in even 3149 chapters, Kim Dokja knew better than to ask Yoo Joonghyuk what had happened back then. The protagonist tried not to dwell on the past, and Lee Seolhwa had even asked that anything regarding their relationship in the previous round be left as nothing more than history.
Still, Kim Dokja couldn't help but wonder just what the protagonist was thinking about as he said something like that.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is surprised by the response of the demon 'reinheit von djerba'.]
"He says that Heewon-ssi has permission to kill him, but I doubt he'd go down without a fight," Yoo Sangah sighed. "At the very least, Heewon-ssi has the perfect set of skills to fight demons!"
That was true, and the kids seemed to lighten up as they remembered that she was the Judge of Evil.
"Heewon-unnie can't lose!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed excitedly. "It's all going to be okay."
However, only a moment later, Kim Dokja's smile dropped off his face as the constellations didn't immediately grant her request like they usually did.
Jung Heewon looked utterly baffled, staring at the screen in wide-eyed shock. "... What?"
Fuck, Kim Dokja hadn't been sure about that one.
As Heewon finds herself in a state of confusion because he's clearly evil after all he's done, the constellations decide to leave the decision to her. Looking at Heewon with a serious expression, Reinheit states that Paradise will end with his death, even telling her that she must have known the truth of this place. "There is no perfect paradise. You would've known the obvious truth that a beautiful place has a shadow."
As he says this, the screen splits, showing the dichotomy between the underground filled with monsters, misery, and death; and the happy families and demons existing above. Gritting her teeth, Heewon thinks that it would be a lie to say that she didn't know shadows would exist, but the reality of it surpasses all her expectations. Rather than answering, she demands to know what he plans to do with his mass-production of monsters.
Petting the head of one of the atrocities, he explains that he has no plans for them as they're merely nutrients for Paradise. Looking up at the trunk, Heewon's eyes widen and a flash of the beautiful white blossom on the hill appears as she connects the dots. This tree is the root of the Perpetual Motion.
"Noona is right, he's clearly evil!" Lee Gilyoung protested, glaring at the screen as though it would make the constellations change their minds. "That's not fair!"
[the constellations of the absolute good alignment are conflicted.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is explaining that it is a similar situation to when the skill 'hour of judgment' was used on the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"But Master is different," Lee Jihye declared firmly. "He's definitely on the side of good! This guy is killing people!"
"Jihye-yah, Joonghyuk-ie kills people too," Kim Dokja reminded her gently. "What matters in the eyes of the constellations isn't the same as what matters to us. In their eyes, his motivations aren't 'evil'."
"That's bullshit," Han Sooyoung hissed. "What, do they believe that the sacrifice of the few is better or something?"
Kim Dokja looked directly at her. "Yes."
She met his stare for an uncomfortable moment before sighing and looking away. "That's fucked up."
It was, and Kim Dokja agreed. However, the absolute good constellations operated on an extremely lawful system. In their eyes, the only people being sacrificed were those who had already committed a crime, and therefore they weren't innocents. By sacrificing these people, then the innocents would live and those who had 'sinned' would be punished for their transgressions. Reinheit's intentions were to save all the people he could, so he could not be considered 'evil'.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is declaring that the constellations of the absolute good alignment are too rigid.]
Kim Dokja agreed with him, to be honest. In their eyes, there was very little nuance. Perhaps their only hesitation in this case was because he was a demon—something diametrically opposed to them.
Lee Seolhwa sighed sadly. "Every place has its dark side, but I agree with Heewon-ssi. This is beyond what anyone would logically expect."
It was the unfortunate reality of what it took to allow a place like this to exist under the jurisdiction of the Star Stream in the first place. Kim Dokja had always thought it was disgusting, even if it made sense.
"What the hell does he mean by 'nutrients'? I don't like the sound of that," Jung Heewon muttered darkly, grimacing as she did.
Unfortunately, it was exactly what it sounded like.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is groaning and demanding that someone get stabbed soon.]
As a branch wriggles past Reinheit, the demon starts to ask if she finds it strange why demons don't invade Paradise despite swarming the rest of the Dark Castle. Of course, Heewon had found it strange, but she had never truly thought about it before. As if responding to his words, countless branches whip out of the tree and wrap around some of the remaining incarnations. With a flick, they toss them into a bright gap at the base of the trunk.
After a bright flash, Heewon watches in horror as bulges form on the trunk, slowly moving upwards. As they do this, the view of the scene spins to a top-down view in a sickening motion. Finally, the hill where Reinheit lives appears as it slowly zooms in on the flower. A bulge emerges at the bottom of the stem and slowly climbs up with a gurgling sound. As it reaches the top, the flower flashes with a bright light. This tree, supplying nutrients to the barren soil of the Dark Castle, is the only reason that crops can be grown here.
Back underground, one of the fruits on the trunk starts to secrete red liquid before a dark figure forms within. When it grows too large, the fruit bursts open and a new chimera, one that bears the face of one of the devoured incarnations.
The Demon-creating tree, the Perpetual Motion! It was Paradise where all the demons were created.
"That's true," Lee Seolhwa admitted pensively, "it's almost as though the demons avoid this place. I had assumed that they were afraid of Reinheit as a fellow demon who's much more powerful than them, but I doubt that's the case now."
Kim Dokja nearly sighed. She was right that there was more to it than that, even if it was a factor. No, the demons had other primary reasons for avoiding Paradise.
The kids gagged as several incarnations were literally fed to the tree roots to fuel Perpetual Motion, and Kim Dokja couldn't blame them for pressing themselves even closer to him in their nervousness.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is concerned for the incarnations.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is pretty sure that's not how plants work.]
That definitely wasn't how normal plants worked.
"They got eaten…?" Lee Hyunsung asked in rapt horror, staring at the screen like he couldn't believe his eyes.
Yoo Joonghyuk huffed. "This is the only reason crops can grow here. Their lives become fertilizer."
"I think I feel sick…" Yoo Sangah muttered anxiously, covering her mouth with her shaking hands. Though her future self was a bit more jaded than she was, this was a horrifying sight nonetheless. Yoo Sangah was an empathetic person, and she was probably imagining just how terrified those people must be.
Han Sooyoung grimaced. "This is fucking disgusting."
That was a good way to sum it up, yeah. Kim Dokja had expected this, and that was probably the only reason he was holding it together this well. However, reading about the way the plant worked and actually having to see the bleeding fruit was a different story. Kim Dokja was just glad once again that they couldn't smell the death and decay that was surely putrid in there.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is displeased with this bastardization of the cycle of life and death.]
As if talking about the weather, Reinheit explains that they release the produced demons to the outside at certain times each month because there's a limit to how many can be held in the prison. As the constellations remind her to make a choice, Heewon realizes that killing Reinheit would mean that this prison would collapse, and then the people wouldn't be able to live here anymore because they wouldn't be able to grow food. Then, in the end, they would all be torn apart by the monsters.
Barely able to speak through her anger, Heewon manages to ask how he could do such a thing. Unbothered, Reinheit states that someone had to do it and that he had to create a place for the losers to live. He also says that these sinners' lives are being used to sustain the lives of everyone else, making them into martyrs. Enraged, Heewon yells that he should have helped them continue on if he really cared.
Once again petting a monster, Reinheit states that the enemy in the next scenario isn't one that can be beaten, cluing Heewon into the fact that he's been to the upper floors before. Ignoring that, Renheit states that even if the next scenario is cleared, another will always follow.
"What even is this place? This is a nightmare," Lee Hyunsung muttered, finally tearing his eyes away from the screen to glance at Jung Heewon. She looked furious and a bit anxious, and Kim Dokja just hoped that she'd be alright.
Glancing back over at Lee Hyunsung, Kim Dokja sighed. "This place is a demon farm. They have to come from somewhere, after all."
"That's so gross," Shin Yoosung whimpered. "We have to destroy it, right?"
Ideally, yes. However, Kim Dokja could sympathize with Jung Heewon, who was going through a morality crisis in the future.
[constellations who like philosophy are debating this problem.]
"That's a horrible choice to have to make," Yoo Sangah whispered, thankfully looking a bit less pale than earlier. "If this continues, then people are being sacrificed knowingly. If this stops, then everyone will die anyway."
"This is why he isn't considered 'evil'. His choice means that some people will live, compared to letting everyone die," Kim Dokja admitted, looking away from the others just to avoid seeing their expressions.
There was silence for a moment before Lee Jihye spoke hesitantly. "... then are we just dooming everyone by trying to bring this place down?"
Jung Heewon stiffened up as she sucked in a breath. It was killing her inside to even think of ignoring the situation in Paradise, but Kim Dokja was sure that she would come to the decision she thought was right in the end.
"No," Yoo Joonghyuk insisted suddenly. "Paradise would have fallen sooner or later anyway."
[several constellations are hoping for the fall of 'paradise'.]
"Just because someone had to do it doesn't mean that it doesn't fucking suck either way," Han Sooyoung scoffed. She clearly wasn't impressed, and Kim Dokja thought that was rather ironic considering how eager she had been to sacrifice all the Prophets at the beginning of the scenarios. What made this situation all that different from hers, other than the fact that hers only had to succeed once?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is incredibly frustrated with the demon 'reinheit von djerba'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes at the words of the demon 'reinheit von djerba'.]
Ah, there it was. With that, he had admitted that he had challenged the next scenario and failed, and everyone picked up on it.
"So? Just because he couldn't clear it doesn't mean it's impossible. My oppa got past the 10th scenario last time," Yoo Mia said with a roll of her eyes. "All that means is that my oppa is better than him!"
She was absolutely correct. Reinheit was strong, but his power was intrinsically linked to Paradise. Beyond its lands, his power was diminished, and he wouldn't have been able to challenge the next scenario with all his cards in hand.
"There has to be an end at some point," Jung Heewon protested as Reinheit told her that there will always be another scenario. "Dokja-ssi said it before, right? Something about a final boss?"
Yoo Joonghyuk looked intently over at Kim Dokja until he felt pressured to respond.
"I… don't know what lies at the end of the scenarios. I know how to get right up until the final battle, but I don't know anything about it," he admitted, hoping that his voice wasn't too shaky.
Yoo Sangah smiled at him nonetheless. "If we can make it that far, then I'm sure we'll win."
That may be true, especially if everyone kept growing at a constant rate. However… Kim Dokja couldn't predict what would lie on the other side. For all he knew, what he thought was the final boss was actually only a mini-boss, and there would be more scenarios after it. It wasn't unusual in stories for something to be called the 'final battle' only for it to reveal that it wasn't actually the end.
[many constellations are curious about the scenarios known by the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Not backing down, Heewon declares that they'd just have to overcome it all—that one day they'll come to the end of the scenarios.
"Do you truly think that we would be able to clear all the scenarios?" Reinheit asks, wondering if peace will come afterwards, and if there is even a single being who has managed to reach the 'end of the scenario' at all. Heewon argues that there's the constellations, making the demon smile wryly before asking why she thinks that the constellations have cleared them. As she says that they exist outside of the scenarios and that means that there's a way to escape, Reinheit begins to laugh before explaining that even the constellations are currently undergoing scenarios of their own.
A cold sweat of despair washes over the swordswoman as she stands in the dark, surrounded by the dead and the deformed. Reinheit continues, explaining that none of the constellations are absolute beings or gods, as well as the fact that none of them have managed to reach the 'end'. No one is free from this endless cycle.
"This world is an eternal hell." With Reinheit's final line, a mass of scenario windows appear on the screen before it zooms in on the stack of the nine scenarios to date that belong to Earth.
"Noona is right," Lee Gilyoung exclaimed with a grin. "We'll do it!"
Unfortunately, his enthusiasm was slightly curbed by Reinheit's next words. Ah, now this wasn't a reality that Kim Dokja wanted everyone to discover just yet. As far as most of the group had known, the constellations were all-powerful beings who watched them merely for entertainment, but Kim Dokja knew better. This was their escapism from their own scenarios and struggles.
[several constellations are silent.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is sighing.]
"That can't be right, can it?" Lee Seolhwa whispered, glancing up at the ceiling. Her voice was shaky and betrayed her anxiety, so uncharacteristic from such a normally composed person.
[the constellation 'guam divine doctor' admits that the demon 'reinheit von djerba' is telling the truth.]
Kim Dokja couldn't look at anyone's expressions, not knowing what to say to them. The kids' trembling was hard to ignore, though, and the moment he tightened his grip even a bit, they clung to him like they were terrified.
What could he even do? Telling them that it would be okay would only sound like empty words, in a situation like this. He could feel everyone's motivation slowly dying, and Kim Dokja didn't know what to do.
"Stop thinking foolish things," Yoo Joonghyuk said suddenly, making Kim Dokja's eyes widen.
Right, the protagonist. Though his mental health was fragile and he sometimes stumbled, his willpower was befitting of his role as the protagonist. He'd trudge through the worst of circumstances even when everyone else would have given up, and he was more motivated to reach the end than anyone.
Without wavering even a bit, Yoo Joonghyuk spoke firmly. "When we put an end to the Star Stream with our own hands, then this hell will be over. Only the weak-willed give up so easily."
Though the protagonist wasn't particularly charismatic when he didn't need to be, Kim Dokja still felt his heart warm. At a time like this, Yoo Joonghyuk's determination and confidence would do leagues more than any of Kim Dokja's honeyed words.
[the constellation 'master of steel' is encouraging the incarnations to persevere.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is looking forward to toasting to the success of the incarnations.]
Yoo Joonghyuk looked at everyone firmly, his dark gaze lingering on each of them for a moment. "Pull yourselves together. We have a fight to win."