Chapter 370: 370 ⸢"I shall kill you, Yu Joong-Hyeok . "⸥ Everyone within the Library was looking at that text . ⸢( . . . . Looks like all of us might end up perishing at this rate . )⸥
['The 4th Wall' is vibrating intensely!]
The entirety of the Library was shaking around . The books that had been neatly arranged tumbled down and created a mess . However, no Librarian tried to clean it up .
⸢(How frustrating . Why aren't they communicating with each other? As I thought, these two lack enough desire to become one being . )⸥ ⸢(Our Su-Yeong didn't do anything wrong, yet . . . . )⸥ The 'Squid' used one of its tentacles to lightly poke the round eye . Meanwhile, the text continued on; every time Yu Joong-Hyeok's and Kim Dok-Ja's blades clashed against each other, Nirvana's teeth issued clattering noises . ⸢(Oii, newbie . What do you think?)⸥ When Yu Sang-Ah heard that, she stopped catching the books flying over her head and looked back at the Librarians . Her hand was full of Kim Dok-Ja's memories – the book she'd been reading up until just now . ⸢(Mm . I have two opinions about it . )⸥ ⸢(You have two of them??)⸥ ⸢(One . Miss Su-Yeong isn't dead . I know her very well and she's not someone to risk her life for a problem like this one . )⸥ The Squid's tearful eyes opened much wider from her reply . ⸢(What? But, you also read it, didn't you?)⸥ ⸢(Looks like you still don't know how it works . The heroine loses her consciousness, her hand falling away . And the male hero awakens! You see, in all the movies I've seen so far . . . . )⸥ Not minding what the Squid or the Simulation were saying, Yu Sang-Ah composedly carried on . ⸢(Two . They are currently talking to each other . )⸥ Yu Sang-Ah spoke as she stared at the texts that continued to pile up . ⸢(Even though no one in this world would call that a 'conversation', but still . )⸥
*
Fragments of Fables poured out from the cracked arm . They were fables that we had created together .
[Fable, 'Demon World's Spring', is pouring out its story!]
[Fable, 'Torch that swallowed the Myth', is growling threateningly!]
Like a dragon and tiger getting into a tussle, Fables collided with other Fables . Yu Joong-Hyeok, possessing the exact same 'Great Fables' as I, used the exact same power to fight me .
[Your share on the applicable Fable is higher than your opponent's!]
Even though my share on the Fables was supposedly higher, the shares held by Yu Joong-Hyeok didn't listen to my commands . Maybe that was due to all those years Yu Joong-Hyeok had gone through already . He had been telling his story far more fiercely than anyone else in , after all . Ch-chuchuchuchut!! The Probability of the 2nd generation was suppressing us . However, some things still managed to escape its suppression .
[Fable, 'the One who Opposes the Miracle', is thunderously roaring out!]
[Fable, 'the One who Opposes the Miracle', is bellowing out in anger!]
The exact same Fables created by experiencing the same history collided against each other .
['Master of the Island' is paying close attention to you . ]
[Many Constellations are watching your battle . ]
[Constellation, 'Demon-like Judge of Flames', is . . . . ]
The voices of the Constellations were getting fainter and fainter now .
[Unique skill, 'The 4th Wall' is activating!]
We both swung our swords, fully prepared to kill each other in the process . The blade that I desperately swung brushed past Yu Joong-Hyeok's waist, and his own blade attacking right back, stabbed into my shoulder . His combat intuition was higher, but my 'Status' was much higher than his .
[Great Fable, 'Demon World's Spring', is protecting you!]
The Transcender's sharp aura pierced past the thick layer of 'Status' and flew straight in . From that sword energy, I was able to read his true intention . I saw how desperately he was standing his ground right now . He didn't bother to ask, and I didn't bother to reply . No, we just swung our swords again and again . And instead of our mouths, our Fables told the tales for us .
[Fable, 'Paradise of Despair', is pouncing like a wild beast!]
The memories from the 'Paradise' . . .
[Fable, 'the One who hunted the King of Calamity', is roaring out!]
Traces from the [Peaceland] . . .
[Fable, 'Liberator of the Industrial Complex', is in mourning . ]
The moments from the revolution . . .
⸢None of those existed within the pages of the 'Ways of Survival' . ⸥
The times we've lived through didn't match up with any of the pages I read in the past .
['Angel Transformation' is activating!]
Wings broke past my shoulder blades . My Status instantly increased and permeated into [Unbreakable Faith] . Issuing a loud, explosive noise, Yu Joong-Hyeok's body flew up in the air after being unable to withstand the impact force . "Come at me with everything you've got, Yu Joong-Hyeok . Because I'll do the same, too . "
The light in his eyes changed . The outline of his Status rising up around him began distorting visibly . It was powerful enough to twist the space itself . The true power of the high-level Transcender was being unleashed for real now . Yu Joong-Hyeok's figure, wrapped in the brilliant golden light, disappeared from my view .
[2nd Stage of the 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' is still in activation . ]
His blade moved so fast that my eyes couldn't even follow it . Claaaang!! One sword, against another . The louder the grinding metallic noises became, the heavier my wrist got . Fables poured out from my thigh, and Fables flowed out from Yu Joong-Hyeok's shoulders . And naturally, his voice could also be heard .
['The 4th Wall' is activating strongly as if to fight back!]
Yu Joong-Hyeok had begun telling his story now . ⸢You . . . . ⸥ I tried to guess which words would follow that . Without a doubt, he'd blame me . Just as Han Su-Yeong had said, you were that kind of a person, after all . ⸢Why did you choose to remain in that particular turn?⸥ Memories of the 1863rd regression brushed past my head . ⸢"I won't return to the 3rd turn . I'll remain here and see this thing to its end with the people of this place . "⸥ The decision I made was coming back to me in full . The [Unbreakable Faith] was now issuing cracking, breaking noises . Back then, that was the best choice available . I thought that, after witnessing the end of the 1863rd turn, I would be able to return to the 3rd turn safely . That was why I tried to find the story where everyone could be happy . However, what if Yu Joong-Hyeok of the 1863rd turn didn't help me out back then?
What if Han Su-Yeong of the 1863rd turn carried murderous intentions towards me? Would I have been able to return to this world unscathed? Even though I thought that I knew the scenarios better than anyone, could it be that I just got lucky and managed to survive until now? ⸢Your comrades are here . ⸥ Yu Joong-Hyeok's first sword slash sliced apart my shoulder . And . . . ⸢Your own world-line was here . ⸥ His second strike split open my elbow . ⸢You told people to live their lives in this world . ⸥ The third strike punctured a hole in my wing . It hurt like hell . But what hurt even more than that, though, was the rage and disappointment contained within Yu Joong-Hyeok's voice .
⸢Incarnation 'Yu Joong-Hyeok' is refusing to regress . ⸥
Yu Joong-Hyeok who gave up on the path of regression and decided to live out his 3rd turn because of me was now looking back . The being who loved this world more than anyone, and wanted to protect it because of that, was staring straight back at me . ⸢But then, you . . . . ⸥ Certain types of rage and some types of betrayal couldn't be described in mere words . No matter how omniscient one was as a reader, one would never be able to read them . Yu Ho-Seong said as thus:
- A Fable may not look all that amazing at first glance, but it'll present a maze-like abyss to all those who dare to peek deeper into their inner core . It's the same story, regardless of how small a Fable is .
What I was seeing shouldn't be Yu Joong-Hyeok's everything . I'd never get to fully understand the reason why he was so furious like this . Because, everything could be his reason, or conversely, nothing could be his reason, too . But, one thing was for certain, and that would be Yu Joong-Hyeok had decided not to be under the thumb of anyone anymore . Not controlled by me, and not controlled by himself . And, maybe not even by those d*mn Constellations who should be watching right us now .
⸢Answer me, Kim Dok-ja . ⸥ While receiving the outpouring of the sword strikes, I began faltering . Most likely, Yu Joong-Hyeok was aware of the truth – that I was still reading him even right now . But, even though he knew that I was reading him, he continued to think non-stop . ⸢Answer me . ⸥ Just like how I observed him past this 'wall', he too was ceaselessly writing something just beyond it, hoping that someone would get to read it sooner or later . Unfortunately, I couldn't reply . Because, if I do, then… .
['The 4th Wall' is getting thicker . ]
… . Then, you'd end up becoming a mere character of the story .
['The 4th Wall' is getting even thicker . ]
Because . . . you definitely couldn't become a mere character .
Ku-gugugugu!! Yu Joong-Hyeok glared at me with his trademark blazing eyes . Here he was, existing in this place and time, destroying me in order to prove that he wasn't just a mere character of a story . ⸢Is that so . ⸥ His words floated up above the 'wall' . ⸢So, that is your choice . ⸥
['The 4th Wall' is getting even thicker . ]
⸢Even during this regression, I didn't have any comrades, then . ⸥ If I were to say something, anything, as a reply, it was possible that he'd have forgiven me . Maybe, a miracle might happen and he'd accept me, even . However, even if that happened, Han Su-Yeong wouldn't return, and the hurt we inflicted on each other would not be erased, either . We would never become comrades ever again . Whether it was Yu Joong-Hyeok or me, we both knew that truth all too painfully well .
['The 4th Wall' is getting even thicker . ]
And that was why we held our swords as we dashed towards each other .
['The 4th Wall' is getting even thicker . ]
The full-on attack collided with another full-on attack and issued a loud explosive noise . Thick, choking dust was kicked up in the air; neither of us could withstand the impact force and crumbled to the ground . The first one to stand back up was me . I staggered towards Yu Joong-Hyeok lying on his back, his entire body now looking like a torn rag, and pointed my blade at him . He didn't offer any resistance, but instead, looked up at me to speak . " . . . . . I've persisted with this regression for far too long . So, end this . " Yu Joong-Hyeok murdered Han Su-Yeong . He had already crossed the line that shouldn't have been crossed . The sword aura of the [Unbreakable Faith] trembled noticeably . And the moment I raised my sword up high, I recalled what Han Su-Yeong of the 1863rd turn told me .
- If my novel was a rip-off of 'Ways of Survival', then whose rip-off are you?
The answer to that question was right in front of my eyes now .
⸢Kim Dok-Ja had learned how to live from this man . ⸥
This man was my father; my brother; and my oldest friend .
['The 4th Wall' has increased its thickness . ]
For a long time, I had been looking at him through this thick, thick wall . I was saved by him many times, and while looking at his story, I managed to survive . The [Unbreakable Faith] slowly clattered back on the ground . I couldn't kill this guy . Nor could I beg for his forgiveness, either . I had never learned to be that cowardly . No, I was taught to pay the price for the things I've done . Yu Joong-Hyeok was still looking up at me . And I too, stared back at him . ⸢I'm right here, in this place . ⸥ I know . ⸢Even then, you only chose to read and nothing else . ⸥ … . Because, that is our way of living . You acted, and I read you doing it . ⸢If you're unwilling, then I shall do it myself . ⸥ Yu Joong-Hyeok slowly got back up and grasped his blade tightly . I thought I could hear the sound of a story coming to an end . The 'Mass Production-type Maker' once told me this – that a certain Fable would end without ever getting closer to the ■■ . However, if this place was the endpoint for all the stories, and if I was destined to die right here, then wouldn't it be fine to at least say one thing? " . . . . Hey, Yu Joong-Hyeok . " He stopped his actions when I spoke up . "You probably know this already, but I'm not a prophet . No, I am as far removed from such a being as you can get . " Ever since we got into a tussle back on the Dongho Bridge, I had never introduced myself properly once . To Yu Joong-Hyeok, I was the prophet, a man with a mysterious background . "I'm not the 'Demon King of Salvation' . "
[Fable, 'Demon King of Salvation', has stopped its storytelling . ]
"I'm also not the 'King of a Kingless World' . "
[Fable, 'King of a Kingless World', has stopped its storytelling . ]
One by one, my Fables stopped their stories . Excluding my own, everything else became dead still . "My name is Kim Dok-ja . " The wings on my back disappeared, and the ballooned-up muscles shrunk back, too . "Twenty-eight… . No, wait . I was twenty-eight, and I was an employee of a game company . My hobby was reading web novels . . . . " As if I was talking to someone I met for the first time, I continued to tell my own story . "It's pathetic, right? Well, this is who I am . . . . . Yu Joong-Hyeok, who are you?" To me, Yu Joong-Hyeok was someone I 'knew' since from a long time ago . To be more specific, he was someone I read about all by myself . That was why I had never heard about his story in his own words . He finally opened his mouth . "I am Yu Joong-Hyeok . " His blade slowly moved and cut me down . "Yu Joong-Hyeok, a former Regressor . "
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