novelGreat Apocalypse (3)
| ← Ch.467 | Ch.469 → |
It had become dark outside the windows. I wondered if the sun had set already, but when I took a closer look, I realised that insects were sticking to the glasses. Locusts were glaring at me while scurrying around, their antennae swaying threateningly about.
I glanced at the plague of locusts and spoke up. [Compared to how long you had to endure, your waiting this time wouldn't have been all that much. So stop exaggerating. ]
[You.... . what do you know.... about waiting?]
The creature's words kept being cut off. Its true voice sounded like an echo spreading out from beneath the emptiness that I couldn't even fathom. The surrounding air was bubbling with pitch-black Status. I adjusted my own aura and continued to speak.
[I know that you are the 'forgotten evil', at least. ]
It was here that the brows above Yi Gil-Yeong's white eyes quivered just a little. It felt as if bitterly cold air suddenly was blanketing us. I endured it and spoke again.
[The 'evil' that all the other stars have forgotten after too much time has passed by. The 'evil' that was even ostracised by other 'evil', and was sealed away within the Demon World's deepest underground. ]
Quite often, it was told that the deepest part of Hell was the dwelling of the 'Apocalypse Dragon'. The reason why the 'Great War of Saints and Demons' was so famous was because of the <Harmagedon> burning in the flames of this terrifying dragon.
The truth was, though, the Apocalypse Dragon wasn't the only calamity found in the early days of the 'Great War of Saints and Demons'.
The calamity of the stars that swept across the worlds with yellow-coloured storm clouds of insects - amongst all the names that had disappeared, there definitely existed a calamity with this title.
[Oh, the King of Locusts, the 'Ruler of the Deepest Pit'. ]
My words prompted a vicious storm to whip about in the air as a new message revealed itself.
[Character 'Yi Gil-Yeong's' Sponsor has revealed its Modifier. ]
[Constellation, 'Ruler of the Deepest Pit', is now looking at you. ]
The Ruler of the Deepest Pit, Abaddon.
Just like the other 'main characters' of the Great War of Saints and Demons, it too was an existence on the level of 'Myth-grade'.
However, the masters of the 'Wall Dividing Good and Evil' didn't acknowledge it as 'evil' for the sake of their own battles, and to make matters worse, didn't even let it enter the ranks of the'72 Demon Kings' of the Demon World.
And so, this being was more like an 'Outer God' now. Even though it was the 'Great Evil' that dyed the galaxy with locust plague once upon a time, this being had to spend tens of thousands of years locked away within the prison of forgotten memories.
This being was even betrayed by its own kins, the demons, while believing in the empty promise of others waking it up during the age of calamities.
⸢That was, until one human used 'grasshoppers' as the method to clear the scenario one day. ⸥
[Fable, 'Grasshopper Catcher' has begun its storytelling!]
Yi Gil-Yeong's Fable that sprouted from our scenario had managed to awaken the ancient demon from its slumber.
[State your reason.... for summoning me, oh the arrogant.... Constellation. ]
I could easily sense this demon's hidden pain from its voice filled with boundless hatred. It was ignored by its enemy, the 'Good', while it was betrayed by its supposed ally, the 'Evil'.
[What do you think? I called you here to make you stop exploiting a little kid after you forced him into signing a contract with you. ]
[.... . ]
[If you want to sign a contract with someone, then do it with me, instead. Wouldn't that be fairer?]
[I only... forgive... your insolence... because... you... wrecked the... Great War of Saints and Demons.... ]
Yi Gil-Yeong's lips twisted ever so slightly to form a grin. This guy, it possessed the qualification of Great Evil, yet it decided not to participate in the 'Great War of Saints and Demons' right till its conclusion. Hell, it even acted as if it didn't exist in the first place.
I kind of understood why, though. That particular Great Fable was no longer a festival meant for this creature.
[The Apocalypse Dragon and Eden.... the Demon World... Watching them being destroyed was.... gratifying. ]
[Is that so? But, is it over with only that?]
[Over.... . ?]
[Abaddon. You're still 'Evil'. ]
My words caused Yi Gil-Yeong's brows to quiver. [The Great War... of Saints and Demons.... is already... over.... ]
[Yeah, it has ended. But, it'll start again in the future. And the scenario where you're the calamity might get created during then. Where everyone remembers your Modifier, where everyone trembles from fear in front of your name. ]
[Why.... are you... saying such things?]
Abaddon smiled as if it heard rather sweet-sounding remarks.
I went straight to the topic. [Let me not beat around the bush. You've saved up enough of your strength. Now, lend us your aid. ]
[And... why... should I?]
[Because even you would be annihilated if you don't. You already know very well that other Constellations will never give you the time of day after we're all gone. ]
[... I am... the ancient... Evil.... ]
[The Constellations on the side of 'Absolute Evil' will never acknowledge you as the 'Most Ancient Evil'. No one will stand on your side. And I guess you must've forgotten it, but there is that monster, 'Baal', waiting in the 'Final Scenario', too. ]
[Ba-al.... !]
Abaddon's voice trembled as if it was having a seizure.
Baal - the Demon King ranked number one in the pecking order. The sole existence from the Demon World that had entered the 'Final Scenario's' area, and also the Demon King who had imprisoned Abaddon in the deepest pit, as well.
[You help us and stop the 'Great Apocalypse', then we shall grant you an opportunity to take your revenge on that guy. ]
The surrounding air was trembling viciously.
I continued to withstand the Status tumbling within the air current and spoke up. [Oh, the Ruler of the Deepest Pit. Become the 'Most Ancient Evil' in the world we wish to create. ]
When choosing to get in bed with the devil, you need to offer up a bait of this scale, at the least. I definitely needed Abaddon's powers in order to stop this calamity.
*
[One hour and 5 minutes remaining until the start of the Great Apocalypse. ]
Finally, all the preparations were complete.
I looked at my companions waiting on the side of the plaza and asked them."Has Yu Jung-Hyeok woken up yet?"
".... No, not yet."
Yi Seol-Hwa replied, and I nodded my head.
If he hadn't woken up yet, then we had to go with Plan B.
"I'll believe in you, everyone. We have no other choice now."
The Plan B was actually the same with A - split into two groups and each fight an 'Outer God King'. The only thing different would be the composition of each group.
"The 'Outer God' the first team will fight is the 'Living Flame'."
The Living Flame - the 'god name' of Uriel who lived during the 999th turn.
"The one appearing in the Pacific Ocean is the 'Master of the Sunken Island', but once the Great Apocalypse begins, the 'Living Flame' will definitely make her appearance. She's targeting the 'Secretive Plotter', after all." I glanced at the sleeping 'Secretive Plotter' still trapped within the sealing sphere and continued on."For the time being, this is the list of the participants."
Companions stared at me with tense eyes.
"Jeong Hui-Won, Yi Gil-Yeong, Shin Yu-Seung, Yi Seol-Hwa, Gong Pil-Du, Yu Sang-Ah, Han Su-Yeong...."
The main damage dealer of this group was Jeong Hui-Won. The one possessing the strongest space restricting power was Yu Sang-Ah, while no one even came close to Han Su-Yeong's ability to conduct the battles. These three were going to form the 'mains' of the team.
Of course, that wasn't the end.
"Uriel, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, the Great Sage...."
Sparks began dancing wildly in the air as soon as I said that.
[Constellation, 'Demon-like Judge of Fire', is nodding her head. ]
[Constellation, 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon', grumbles that it doesn't wish to be ordered around. ]
[Constellation, 'Most Ancient Liberator', is guessing your intentions. ]
Since our opponent was going to be Uriel from the 999th turn, we definitely had to send out our own Uriel. If luck was on our side, we might be able to see the [Disconnected Film Theory]'s effects once more. The Black Flame Dragon would no doubt be a great help here, and there was no need to even mention the Great Sage now that he had become a Myth-grade Constellation himself.
"I'd like Breaking the Sky Sword Saint, Kyrgios, Jang Ha-Yeong, and.... the rest of the Transcenders to be their back-up, please."
"Leave it to us!"
The clearly-excited Jang Ha-Yeong shouted out after she finally got a proper mission of her own. However, her enthusiasm should take a turn for the worse once she gets there.
Both the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint and Kyrgios nodded their heads, so I continued on."Finally... Hades, Persephone, I'd like you two to accompany the first team, please."
[Constellation, 'Father of the Rich Night' is silently nodding his head. ]
[Constellation, 'Queen of the Darkest Spring' is looking at you worriedly. ]
The expressions of my companions quietly listening until then finally began changing somewhat.
The first one to open her lips was Jeong Hui-Won."Hang on a minute. Is there a need to focus all the combat personnel on the first team? Basically, everyone is in the first team, isn't it? Who will be in the second team?"
"Yi Ji-Hye, Yi Hyeon-Seong-ssi, and I will form the second team."
"What about other Constellations?"
I didn't reply to her, prompting her eyes to narrow to a slit.
"Yet another nice-sounding suicidal plan...."
I spied Yu Sang-Ah next to her smiling gently just then. R-right, if it's her, then she might side with me on this one.
[Someone is reciting the Constrictive Sutra.... ]
Her gentle lips began reciting something truly terrifying. I then spotted Han Su-Yeong in the distance with her hand massaging her temples while shaking her head.
'I told you, it's not going to work. '
I urgently shouted out."H-hang on! It's not a suicidal plan. It really is a proper plan. That's why I'm bringing along both Ji-Hye and Hyeon-Seong-ssi."
"H-mm...."
"I'm a Myth-grade Constellation now. You all saw how strong I've become earlier, didn't you?"
"Sure, we saw you hiding behind Jung-Hyeok-ssi and cheering him on."
"Please trust me. You all know what kind of an existence a Myth-grade Constellation is. It's none other than a Myth-grade! Poseidon! Zeus! The Great Sage, Heaven's Equal! The Demon King of Salvation!"
"Sounds like something weird is mixed up in there, though...."
My companions seemed to have fallen into the trap of uncertainty after I repeated the 'Myth-grade' several more times. Indeed, the best brainwashing method was to repeat yourself.
It was then a thunderclap exploded in the sky.
[Constellation, 'Most Ancient Liberator', is glaring at you. ]
The Great Sage spent his own Probability to materialise his Incarnation body and made his grand entrance along with the flashy lightning show. His majestic platinum-hued hair danced above the Somersault Cloud.
[Maknae, have you lost your mind?]
"I-it's fine to send an indirect message, you know... You need to conserve your Probability...."
[Not all Myth-grades are equal 'myths'. You're just a hatchling who has stepped into this domain only recently. ]
This was my first time seeing the Great Sage come out this forcefully, and that flustered me somewhat. I deliberated on my options, before sighing out grandly and told everyone the truth.
"... I too don't believe the combined strengths of the second team will be enough to kill a King."
"Then, what were you planning to do?!"
"The core of our plan this time is 'blitzkrieg'."
Currently, we didn't have Yu Jung-Hyeok, the core of the second team, with us. If we couldn't borrow the powers of the 1863rd regression turn, then didn't matter how the teams were split up, we still didn't have any guarantee of victory.
Just one mistake, then forget about dividing and conquering our enemies, we'd get conquered, instead. In that case, there was only one way remaining to ensure everyone's survival.
"The survival of the second team is dependent on the first. You must defeat the 'Living Flame' as speedily as possible and head to the Pacific Ocean. The goal of my team, Ji-Hye, Hyeon-Seong-ssi, and I, is to endure until all of you come and join us."
This was the first stage in the plan that I came up with.
*
30 minutes later, Yi Ji-Hye, Yi Hyeon-Seong, and myself disembarked to the Pacific Ocean. Right up until our departure, my companions were trying to change my mind, but I simply shook my head at them.
The 'Master of the Sunken Island' managed to destroy the American continent simply by rising up. If we waited for that guy to get closer to the Korean Peninsula, then every single nearby island would be destroyed even before the battle got underway.
Going out to face our enemy head-on was the right call even when considering the accompanying risk.
[Constellation, 'Maritime War God', is reading the water route with a deeply meaningful stare. ]
Both Yi Ji-Hye and Yi Hyeon-Seong looked quite tense. Especially the latter, as he was returning to scenarios after a period of absence. His expression was far more solemn than before.
[Constellation, 'Bald General of Justice', is busy polishing his head. ]
[Constellation, 'King Heungmu', is saddened by the fate of the Korean Peninsula. ]
The [Turtle Dragon] scythed past the ocean waves to go past the islands of Ulleundo and Dokdo.
Perhaps the sights of the latter left an impression on him, because Yi Hyeon-Seong suddenly placed his hand on his chest and shouted out.".... We shall protect our motherland!"
[Constellation, 'Last Hero of Hwangsanbeol' is nodding his head. ]
I found it a bit hard to watch such a serious declaration, so I promptly went for a tackle.".... Hyeon-Seong-Ssi, you said you quit being a soldier, didn't you?"
"It's not just soldiers that protect our nation, you know."
He muttered his reply and looked down at his dog tags with sorrowful eyes. Before we parted ways from the rest of the companions, Jeong Hui-Won fidgeted around with those tags for a long time before letting him go.
Yi Hyeon-Seong, now with a face of an innocent little bull, looked up into the sky and nodded his head.
Yi Ji-Hye watched this spectacle unfold and whispered something in my ear."Ahjussi, why does this feel like our death flag?"
".... . We'll be fine. If anyone's dying today, it'll be Hyeon-Seong-ssi only."
"By the way, will just us two, me and Hyeon-Seong ahjussi, really be alright?"
"Ng."
I spread out a sheet on the ship's deck while explaining myself. This sheet was a DIY item I bought just now from the [Dokkaebi Bundle]. My new goal was to complete this thing before we encounter our new enemy.
"I don't get it, though? Sure, I get why with Hyeon-Seong ahjussi, but me? Is it because we're on the sea?"
"Something like that."
"But, my Sponsor is a Historical... No, a Fable-grade. But, you clearly said that even a Myth-grade can't stop the guy about to show up, didn't you?"
For sure, what she said was correct. The Maritime War God was an excellent Constellation, sure, but he was a long way off from being referred to as <Star Stream>'s greatest Constellation.
"It's not the General, but you that I believe in."
".... . Eh?"
"The Constellation being a Fable-grade doesn't mean his Incarnation is also a Fable-grade, you see."
Yi Ji-Hye blinked her eyes as if she didn't really get it, but eventually, a smirk formed on her lips."What are you on about? I'm not even a Constellation, you know."
Well, true, you aren't one now.
Yi Ji-Hye had no idea of her own potential. She had no clue just how far she reached back in the original story.
[Constellation, 'Maritime War God', nods his head after hearing your words. ]
Perhaps the General was already well aware of it.
Yi Hyeon-Seong finished shooting the solo performance of Romeo and Juliet, and approached us."By the way, Dok-Ja-ssi? What have you been making until now?"
"Ah, this?"
I showed him the item I'd been making. Its explanation immediately popped up when I did.
<Item Information>
Name: The White Flag of Complete Surrender
Grade: SSS
Explanation: It's a surprising item that allows the enemy to see your surrender from very far away. Be careful to not let your allies discover you using it.
Yi Hyeon-Seong formed a disbelieving expression as if he had seen something weird and rubbed his eyes a few times before he looked at me.
I grinned back."I told you, I'm not planning to die this time."
"B-but, this, isn't this...."
"The moment you see them, we must surrender. Then we try to talk to them. Understand? Fighting won't buy us any time whatsoever. As soon as they show up.... ."
"Ahjussi! Something's coming!"
Almost at the same time with Yi Ji-Hye's cry, we all spotted a ginormous wall approaching us from the horizon. It was a wall of waves reaching hundreds of metres high. That wall was steadily encroaching upon us.
[You have entered the 'Great Apocalypse Scenario' area prematurely!]
[You're recommended to exit the scenario area immediately!]
[If you fail to exit, the 'Great Apocalypse Scenario' will begin!]
Of course, I wasn't planning to leave.
[Hidden Scenario - 'Great Apocalypse' has begun!]
[The invasion of 'Outer Gods' has commenced!]
[Please survive this calamity!]
The moment the scenario explanation ended, the gigantic waves of Status crashed into us. This Status was so great that all the hair on my body was standing up real high, even though I was supposed to be a 'Myth-grade Constellation' now.
⸢The calamity that not even stars can't survive. This is the 'Great Apocalypse'. ⸥
The march of the 'Outer Gods', for the annihilation of a world.
[Fable, 'Demon King of Salvation', has begun its storytelling. ]
I unleashed the appropriate Fable to protect my companions and looked up at the wall of waves. The howl of the 'Outer God' resounded out from somewhere.
The 'Outer Gods' were piled up like layers in between the waves.
And a lone battleship rode on top of this wall as if to reign over it. The vessel was an intimately familiar shape. The dragon-shaped figurehead spat out a violent lick of flames.
The [Turtle Dragon].
That was definitely the Turtle Dragon. If one wanted to point out the obvious difference between that one and our own Turtle Dragon, then the enemy's was at least twenty times larger.
"A-ahjussi...."
The frightened Yi Ji-Hye was now staring at me, her expression asking me if I knew this already.
I nodded my head. I wasn't 100% sure, but did expect this to happen. I knew the list of survivors from the 999th turn better than anyone, after all.
⸢The calamity of the western world, the 'Master of the Sunken Island'. ⸥
Beyond the waves splitting up, we could hear the voice of a certain girl who had witnessed the 999th turn's 'Conclusion'.
[Load the cannons. ]
<Episode 89. Great Apocalypse (3)> Fin.
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