Chapter 399: 399
- Kugugugugu!
Inside the screen, Constellations of 'Good' and 'Evil' were emitting scary auras towards each other . The taut tension was stretched firm like a rubber band, ready to snap at any given moment . And it was the smallest, but also bright, Nebula that managed to maintain the balance .
[It's been truly a long time since I last saw everyone from 'Good' and 'Evil' gather in one place . . . . ]
The 'Guardian of the Mandala', Sakyamuni, was looking at the screen with an unreadable expression on his face . Ancient memories were flowing within his irises .
The scenario before the scenarios, the era when 'Good', 'Evil', and the keepers of neutrality were working together . The tale of everyone working together to fight the Dragon of Apocalypse, in order to prevent the advent of the apocalypse itself… .
- I'd also like to help my companions .
Sakyamuni heard that voice and shifted his gaze towards a small cistern . A small ball of soul glowing faintly was speaking to him while hovering inside the tank .
- When will I able to reincarnate?
[That place isn't your battlefield, oh dear child . You shall reincarnate as a being born to carry out an even greater purpose . ]
- They are my purpose .
Even after becoming a soul, Yu Sang-Ah's voice remained resolute .
- If I don't get to save them in that place, then my reincarnation will have no meaning .
[Meaning, is it . . . . ]
Sakyamuni shifted his gaze again, this time to another cistern located on the opposite side of Yu Sang-Ah's . There was a female Incarnation Body wearing a Buddhist robe inside this one .
[You shall be entering the body of a child that I cared about . ]
- I'll enter someone else's body? But, I thought I was going to reincarnate?
[You'll reincarnate with that body as your Incarnation Body . ]
- But, what about the original owner of that body?
Sakyamuni didn't reply .
Would Buddha feel sorrow, as well?
Yu Sang-Ah realised something in that moment .
- Is that person your 'meaning'?
Without saying anything, Sakyamuni continued to observe the Buddhist robe-wearing woman inside the cistern .
[She has returned to the providence of the cosmos, that is all . Everything is simply an empty revolution of the wheel . ]
- Is that really how you feel? You cared about her greatly, yes?
[You shall understand it soon enough, child . Becoming a Reincarnator is precisely that, after all . ]
- I'm not a Reincarnator yet .
[You'll soon realise that there is no meaning in being bound by such shackles – in how everything you held dear was simply an exercise in futility . ]
- … . Is jinxing someone else your hobby?
[I only speak of the truth, dear child . ]
Sakyamuni looked at the battlefield inside the screen once more . Constellations that had lived for a very long time were in there .
[Constellations suffer from insomnia for all of their lives . They can't fall asleep without the scenarios, and even when they dream, they still ingurgitate the Fables of others . Through this greedy devouring, they wish to erase the scenarios they find themselves in . And they feel anxious all the time, even though they don't understand why they feel that way . ]
The most ancient Constellation among all of them, Sakyamuni, continued to speak . [As if they are stuck in the eternal daydream, they can't escape from the scenario . They look away from death, so they don't know its true meaning . And because they don't know death, they can't wake up from the scenario's illusion . They all mistakenly believe that there is one story somewhere that might save them . ]
Constellations either sponsoring or being hostile towards them were sending indirect messages inside the screen .
Sakyamuni slowly moved its gaze towards the middle of that busy screen .
[However, Reincarnators are different . ]
That was where the Reincarnators from this island could be found .
They had followed after . And they were still being forced to slave under the great Fable after joining the side of either 'Good' or 'Evil' .
Sakyamuni looked at them and spoke . [Reincarnators will live on forever like Constellations, but they must die and be reborn again . They know what it means to awaken since they understand death, and because they know the meaning of awakening, they also come to realise that they are simply a cog in the scenario's machination . Reincarnation is to comprehend the scenario's true essence . ]
Reincarnators with low Status will lose their memories along with their death, but that was not the case for everyone . There were some who retained their former memories, like Nirvana, when they reincarnated . They would reincarnate into various species and various genders and continue on with the scenario .
As a human, as a toad, as an Orc, as an Elf, as an ant… .
Most likely, they acquired those expressions after experiencing countless reincarnations .
- They all seemed to have resigned themselves .
[That's because they understand nothing will change regardless of who wins . ]
- Scenarios can be changed . That's what we have been doing so far .
[However, that hasn't changed the fact that it's still a 'scenario' . ]
- So, you must give up now? Because, no matter what you do, the scenario will remain as a scenario? That's just you trying to run away . That's the same as conceding defeat without even fighting first .
[Oh, dear child . You're now insulting the lives of the Reincarnators . They have continuously fought against scenarios through their countless lives . . . . ]
- Have you ever fought with everything on the line, not giving up on a single lifetime in the process?
Sakyamuni shut his mouth after hearing that question .
Not giving up on a single lifetime, she said .
Before he could reply, though, Yu Sang-Ah spoke first .
- There is a person who hadn't given up on his life even if it went past 1800 times .
Yu Sang-Ah looked at the screen . There was a man wearing a black coat within it .
- There's another person who had lived that life alongside him, too .
And then, a man wearing a white coat standing next to him was observing his companions . His gaze stopped last at Yi Hyeon-Seong collapsed on the floor .
[This body has experienced a far-too extensive period of time to count the numbers . However, there is one number that I can still count . ] Sakyamuni continued on as he looked at Yi Hyeon-Seong . [One more will be added to this island's Reincarnators . ]
*
"Not yet . "
I felt for the unmoving Yi Hyeong-Seong's pulse . It wasn't beating . He wasn't breathing either, and only whites could be seen after his eyelids were opened .
" . . . . . Really?"
Jeong Hui-Won looked at me with a face of someone wanting to believe in miracles .
I looked at her whitened hair and guessed what had happened here .
"For sure, he's not dead . "
My companions all carried complicated expressions . Yi Ji-Hye seemed to think that I was lying out of good intentions, while Gil-Yeong looked as if he'd believe me even if I was really lying .
Han Su-Yeong asked me . "Have you decided to change the definition of death now?"
"If Hyeon-Seong-ssi has died for real, then the 'Master of Steel' would've been kicked out of the scenario, too . "
I looked up into the sky . Although I couldn't hear any indirect messages to that effect, the 'Master of Steel' hadn't been ejected out of this scenario .
Jeong Hui-Won urgently grabbed my arm . "Then, why Hyeon-Seong-ssi is . . . . "
"Just like how you've awakened, Hyeon-Seong-ssi has also awakened, Hui-Won-ssi . "
I shifted my gaze down to the faint fragments of a Fable flowing on Yi Hyeon-Seong's skin, the Fable of 'Steel' .
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It was not visible from the outside, but his inside should be filled to the brim with the Fable of 'Steel' by now .
[Character, 'Yi Hyeon-Seong', is on the verge of Attribute evolution . ]
It was not for nothing that Yi Hyeon-Seong was referred to as 'the Greatest Shield' in the original story .
Protecting someone by sacrificing himself would let the 'Emperor of Steelsword' to reach the final stage of the 'Steel Transformation' . By the time he regains his consciousness, he should have become the world's sturdiest shield .
Jeong Hui-Won asked me in a trembling voice . "In, in that case, he's still alive?"
"Yes . "
"Is that the truth? You're not lying?"
Tears trickled down her collapsed cheeks . She then placed her hand on Yi Hyeon-Seong's chest . His heart wasn't beating . While feeling that indifferent silence, she spoke again in some difficulty . "But, I can't hear anything . . . . "
"It'll be like that from now on . "
" . . . . Pardon?"
I looked at Yi Hyeon-Seong again .
His heart had hardened like steel boasting a 100% purity rating . It'd never beat again . The current Jeong Hui-Won wouldn't be able to understand what that meant, though . . . . .
"However, Hyeon-Seong-ssi is definitely alive . So, please, don't worry . "
"In any case, he won't be of any use to us now," said Yu Jung-Hyeok indifferently as he unleashed his Status . "Every one of you, keep your wits about you . This isn't the time to wallow in sadness . "
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