< Episode 7. Trauma (2) >
I couldn't believe it.
I couldn't believe that's really the 'Cheon Inho' I know.
「"If you won't end it."」
Cheon Inho's figure, that was standing on a blood tomb, disappeared.
「"I will."」
Wings of pitch black feathers spread from his back. And the next moment.
[The story 'When All the Stars Close Their Eyes' has begun its storytelling.]
I felt goosebumps.
'Cheon Inho' used a story.
What on earth had happened, what had he eaten to grow up this much, to make him so strong at
the 40th turn?
Kookookookookoo.
Yoo Joonghyuk, who grabbed the Splitting the Sky Sword, looked around. But there was no sign
of Cheon Inho.
There was only pitch blackness around him. No starlight could illuminate Cheon Inho's figure.
There was no sign of him, no smell.
「It was as if Yoo Joonghyuk was alone.」
At that moment, something invisible slashed Yoo Joonghyuk's cheek, then his forearm, then his
thigh.
Blood spurted everywhere, as if he was playing with him.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't fight back, but waited, holding the Splitting the Sky Sword.
I watched the battle with sweaty hands.
Neither his five senses nor my vision could detect the figure of Cheon Inho.
But Yoo Joonghyuk's growing wounds spoke for themselves.
Cheon Inho is here.
Yoo Joonghyuk used the [Red Phoenix Shunpo] to start his movements. Cheon Inho's attacks
became faster. The number of wounds quickly increased.
Shoulders, thighs, neck, calves.
But there were no fatal wounds.
Every time a blow touched his skin, Yoo Joonghyuk was controlling the depth of the wound with
an amazing technique. It was almost a miracle.
Very slowly, Yoo Joonghyuk's lips opened.
「"Open your eyes."」
And then,
[The story 'The King Who Leads the Stars' has begun its storytelling.]
The unbelievable happened.
「"Open your eyes, damn constellations."」
With Yoo Joonghyuk's words, the stars in the far reaches of the night sky began to shine. The
world's few remaining stars were burning themselves to create light.
[The constellation 'Lily Blooming in Aquarius' is looking at the incarnation of Yoo Joonghyuk.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is looking at the incarnation Yoo Joonghyuk.]
[The constellation 'Guardian of Youths and Travel' is looking at the incarnation Yoo Joonghyuk.]
Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael, the stars of
But their light was not enough to dispel the darkness.
Still, Yoo Joonghyuk said.
「"It's enough."」
For a moment, the uniform darkness shook in disparate ways, and an aggressive energy boiled
through Yoo Joonghyuk's entire body.
The slash on his side and the movement of his Splitting the Sky Sword happened at the same
time.
Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship (破天劍道).
Destruction Technique (絶技).
Breaking the Sky Meteor Strike (破天流星決).
The sword force[1] that could split the night enveloped the tip of Splitting the Sky Sword's blade.
Bright light cut through the darkness, and Splitting the Sky Sword slashed at something.
The blood bursting sound could be heard in the air, and for a moment, Cheon Inho's figure, who
grabbed his chest, was revealed.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't miss the opportunity to strike at Cheon Inho's abdomen.
Breaking the Sky Force Punch (破天崩拳).
Third Form (第三式).
Thousand Autumns Phoenix (千秋鳳凰).
A brilliant flame wrapped around Yoo Joonghyuk's fist, and an eardrum-bursting roar exploded
from Cheon Inho's abdomen, sending him flying, his body hit a pile of ruins.
Tsuchuchuchut.
Next, the stars in the sky began to extinguish one by one.
The stars that lit up the night sky, fueling all his stories, were dying.
Raphael's star was the first to go, followed by Gabriel's.
The last one was Uriel.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' pays homage to incarnation Yoo Joonghyuk.]
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at the spot where Uriel's star had disappeared for a long time, and then
muttered in a low voice as if talking to them.
「"I'm sorry."」
It was unbelievable.
Yoo Joonghyuk hated the constellations of the night sky more than anyone else in the world. In
particular, before he met Kim Dokja, he was the embodiment of vengeance who would not stop
regressing until he had knocked out every star in the sky.
And yet, he apologized to the constellations.
My head was spinning, I didn't understand what was going on.
Was this story in the 40th turn of 'Ways of Survival'?
If such a story existed, there's no way Kim Dokja wouldn't have known about it.
At that moment, the question arose for the first time.
「Did 'Ways of Survival' really record all of Yoo Joonghyuk's regressions?」
According to Kim Dokja's narration, yes.
Regressions where Yoo Joonghyuk went crazy and gave up quickly were gradually omitted, but
there were no regressions that were not recorded in the 'Ways of Survival'.
Then what is this view I'm looking at.
In Kim Dokja's recollections, Yoo Joonghyuk was not this strong in the early rounds. It took at
least hundreds of regressions for him to become strong enough to kill the constellations.
However, in the 40th turn, he seemed to be stronger than even the narrative-grade constellations
in the sky.
Not only was Yoo Joonghyuk stronger, but so was Cheon Inho.
Spreading his demonic wings and using the power of stories freely.
There was no way that the meticulous Kim Dokja, who had memorized every single one of the
1,863 turns of Ways of Survival, could not have remembered Cheon Inho like that.
If Kim Dokja knew, he would have thought of the 40th turn Cheon Inho as soon as he saw him.
Therefore, there is only one reasonable explanation to this whole situation.
There is a world that Kim Dokja has not read.
「There are world lines that are not written in 'Ways of Survival'.」
But how?
It was like a big bang in my head, like the moment when I thought of the false trauma.
「In the '41st turn', Yoo Joonghyuk sent Shin Yooseung to the past world line, and Shin
Yooseung became the 'Disaster of Floods'.」
The moment that thought popped into my head, I remembered the snowy landscape that I had
walked with Kim Dokja.
「'Ways of Survival' is the story of Yoo Joonghyuk after he turned Shin Yooseung into the
'Disaster of Floods'.」
In the snowy field where I had walked with Kim Dokja, the footprints split in two.
「Then, where is the story of Shin Yooseung before she became the 'Disaster of Floods' written
down?」
There were two footprints, one that went on indefinitely, and one that disappeared in the middle.
「The story of the 41st turn with Yoo Joonghyuk before Shin Yooseung became the 'Disaster of
Floods'.」
The story remained only a brief flashback in 'Ways of Survival'.
It wasn't even properly recorded in the 'Ways of Survival'.
If I'm looking at the memories of that world right now.
「"Stop pretending, Cheon Inho, I know you're alive."」
At those words, Cheon Inho rose from the pile of ruins.
「"Now you've lost even your last colleague, Yoo Joonghyuk."
"...."
"No star is watching over you anymore."」
Two swords clashed in the air.
One was Yoo Joonghyuk's Splitting the Sky Sword. The other.
「"Black Heavenly Demon Sword, you have been in Murim."
"Not only in Murim."」
The black imprints on Cheon Inho's neck and the backs of his hands were smeared like blood.
Demon Force (魔氣).
Cheon Inho was using demonic energy.
The energy that enveloped the Black Heavenly Demon Sword formed into sword force, which
then crashed down on Yoo Joonghyuk.
In response, Yoo Joonghyuk's entire body turned golden.
Transcendent Form (超越形).
Kookookookookoo!
It was a bloody battle.
Cheon Inho's and Yoo Joonghyuk's magical powers intermittently burned the darkness, and the
blazing stories bit into each other's flesh.
Covered in blood, Yoo Joonghyuk shouted, and Cheon Inho's left arm flew through the air. Next,
Cheon Inho's sword pierced Yoo Joonghyuk's side.
Finally, all the light around them disappeared. The two men's magic power was completely
exhausted.
No stars shone upon them. No stories recorded their battle.
「Only I could imagine their fight in this darkness.」
A full night. Two men were fighting. Something was slashed, something was torn.
They didn't stop. The sound of stabbing and slashing echoed through the blackness of no
conversation.
Blood dripping, blades breaking, and then,
the sound of someone falling.
「"Are you satisfied now?"」
Yoo Joonghyuk asked.
「"Satisfied with what?"」
Cheon Inho replied.
The sound of someone falling was heard once more.
「"With ruining this world."」
Silence followed.
The hard breathing of the two men echoed intermittently.
A voice spoke again.
「"I should have killed you the first time I saw you."
"But you didn't."
"It was a mistake."
"Did you kill them all in the other turns?"
"I did."
"Then I've succeeded in avenging the last turn. Though I don't remember it anyway."」
I heard the sound of blood dripping out. It was impossible to tell whose blood it was.
「"I never asked you before."
"What do you mean?"
"Why you live the way you do."」
A laugh of disbelief.
「"I just lived hard. I've only lived a little longer this time."
"Honestly, I was surprised this time. I didn't think you'd take on all the Ten Evils."
"You underestimated the capabilities of this body."
"I admit it."
"You should have had me as a colleague sooner."」
They fought and fought and fought, finally reaching the end of this terrible war.
It was only at this moment that Cheon Inho's joke was possible.
Because he had fought as hard as he could.
And because they both realized that this moment was the end of this world.
After a pause, Yoo Joonghyuk's serious voice continued.
「"I should have. But it's too late for this life."」
A muffled laugh echoed in the darkness.
「"Do you mean to say that in your next life, you will have me as a colleague? The body of the
Ten Evil, Evil Sophist, your arch enemy?"
"...."
"Why don't you answer me, Yoo Joonghyuk?"
"That wasn't enough to be my arch enemy."」
After a short silence, Yoo Joonghyuk spoke.
「"If the world were to repeat itself once more, would you be willing to live a different life?"」
Cheon Inho was speechless for a long time.
Just as I wondered if he was dead, the voice continued.
「"Are you serious? I killed your colleagues."
"I know."
"And you still want me as one of your colleagues?"
"Not quite a colleague, but close."
"...Are you out of your mind?"」
Cheon Inho's voice was filled with hatred for Yoo Joonghyuk and grief for this world.
「"Why would you need my help? You can repeat the world infinitely anyway. No matter how
difficult the scenario is, if you try again and again, you'll eventually clear it."
"...."
"Don't think of making me your colleague. I will be your enemy in the next turn, and I will be
your enemy again, and again, and again."」
As he spoke, Chen Inho's breathing became weaker and weaker. Little by little, his physical
strength was declining.
「"Hurry up and press the reset button. Face me as an enemy forever."」
There are heroes and there are villains.
Cheon Inho chose the path of the villain.
He dismissed all the possibilities and declared that he would become a clown, a villain who was
constantly resurrected.
Then the hero asked.
「"Why do you think resets are infinite?"」
I heard someone inhale. Maybe it was my breath.
「"Cheon Inho."」
For a moment, a nameless star twinkled somewhere in the deep night sky.
The moon, which had been hidden in the darkness, received the light and illuminated the ground
once more.
「"I can only press the reset button once now."」
A chill ran down my spine.
In the dusky moonlight, Yoo Joonghyuk was looking this way.
He seemed to be speaking to me across a distant world line.
「"In the next turn, everything in this universe will be destroyed permanently."」
Author's Note
Thank you.
[1] 검강(劍罡) is a martial arts term which roughly translates to 'high level swordsmanship' that
is used by martial artists in Chinese fantasy novels. They are even capable of using their bodies
as weapons. '검강' is basically of stronger version of 검기 ("aura of a sword; sword aura; sword energy"). (Explanation from Hardcore Leveling Warrior fandom wiki)