Chapter 400: 400

If you were to unpack the contents of my declaration, then they went along the lines of “kill us, and you will definitely die, too” .

At first, the Constellations were agitated, then they began whispering among themselves, and finally, silence descended in their midst . Some stared at Agares, while the others, at Metatron . They were the holders of the highest authorities on this battlefield, but they simply maintained their silence with unreadable expressions on their faces .

However, even though no orders were issued, the clouds of war unexpectedly began churning slowly on the outskirts of the gathered masses .

[ . We know very well what you’re trying to do . ] It was a Constellation from who roared out with true voice . [However, we still have a score to settle with you . ]

“I wonder about that . It’s hard to tell who is owing who here . “

My retort prompted the Constellations of to free their weapons from their sheaths .

[You said that you’re neither ‘Good’ nor ‘Evil’ . That also means you are both ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’, too . ]

Nebula had chosen to affiliate themselves with ‘Evil’ .

[We will kill all those b*stards that have sided with ‘Good’, at the least!]

What a wise decision that was . The Chaos Points only rose up when ‘Good’ fought against ‘Good’ and likewise, when ‘Evil’ fought against ‘Evil’ . had figured out a way to judge us without going against the rules of this battlefield .

[The Most Ancient Evil wishes for your elimination . ]

[The Most Ancient Good wishes for your elimination . ]

We were nothing more than viruses in this ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’; hosts that interfered with a system that was operating normally to spread infections around .

With as the centre, the waves of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ were growing larger and larger .

Constellations burning in animosity towards each other only a few moments ago were now all redirecting their hostilities towards us .

Ku-gugugugu!

The expressions of my companions froze up . Yu Jung-Hyeok changed his attitude and spoke . “Kim Dok-Ja . “

He must’ve known it, too – even if and for visiting .

… . If we clashed directly against them, then someone in our group would definitely die .

Suddenly, my perception sped up and time slowed down somewhat .

⸢Their advancing speed is quicker than I thought . ⸥

⸢Too many Constellations came to their decision too quickly . ⸥

⸢Maybe, I should’ve reached 80 in the Chaos Points first . ⸥

Several sentences flitted in and out of my head .

I recalled the ‘Ways of Survival’ . Who should I ask for help if I were to emerge victorious from this situation?

My adopted parents in the ?

‘The Great Sage the Equal of Heaven’, who hadn’t participated in the war yet?

Or, the Outer God-grade ‘Secretive Plotter’?

Cheok Jun-Gyeong and the Constellations from the Korean Peninsula?

Even the faces of my teachers and Jang Ha-Yeong floated up to the fore, too .

Especially Jang Ha-Yeong; although I desperately needed help, I thought that it’d be for the best if she didn’t show up .

[‘Fruit of Good and Evil’ is stimulating your guilty conscience . ]

Maybe, this could be my sense of responsibility . I hoped that Jang Ha-Yeong, born to this world because of me, wouldn’t get swept up in the scenarios . My small wish that she’d get to live her own story in her own terms .

The reason why I didn’t advise Jang Ha-Yeong to join or reveal the information on the future was that I felt such ambivalent emotions .

“Aaaahhhhk!”

The ranks of the Reincarnators meeting the enemies at the forefront were collapsing . They screamed as tsunami waves swept them up and tore them apart .

[Die!]

Han Su-Yeong looked at the Constellations and Demon Kings rushing at us while spouting trite remarks, and smiled nervously . “Looks like we’re going to win . Those muttering such lines would die the quickest, you see . “

The corners of the companions’ lips twitched energetically at her timely joke .

“Here they come . “

Their utterances might have been trite, but their Statuses were certainly not . ‘Good and Evil’ might have been the stalest of Fables in this world, but it was also one of the most powerful, as well .

The nervousness I felt through my skin was different from all the other battlefields I had experienced so far .

This was all for real .

This was the ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’, and this was the true power of the Constellations .

Kwa-kwakwakwakwa!

The Status of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’, seemingly large enough to completely blanket the entire great battlefield; its crashing waves had reached right before our noses in no time at all .

300 metres .

200 metres .

100 metres .

Yu Jung-Hyeok spoke . “Now . “

Everyone knew what their roles were . The members of unleashed their Statuses simultaneously .

[Narrators of Nebula have gathered . ]

[Fable, ‘Demon World’s Spring’, has begun its storytelling!]

[Fable, ‘Torch that Swallowed the Myth’, has begun its storytelling!]

‘Demon World’s Spring’ wrapped around us as if to protect us, and ‘Torch that Swallowed the Myth’ began screeching as if it’d rip anyone approaching us to shreds . Still, these two alone wouldn’t be enough to stop them from coming .

Even if they were the same ‘Great Fables’, the time experienced was different . That enormous gap couldn’t be bridged with the 50 years in Kaixenix Archipelago .

Even then, this was our story .

30 metres .

Yi Ji-Hye finished loading the cannons and raised her sword up high .

Just as the Dragonhead figurehead began reddening up as the ‘Maritime War God’s’ blessing descended upon us . . . .

“Wait!!”

I stopped Yi Ji-Hye . Her jaw slackened from shock; I reached out and grasped her sword faltering aimlessly in the air . The cannon on the verge of firing withdrew its energy .

“What the hell are you doing, ahjussi?!”

Other companions were also surprised by my unexpected action . To think, I’d suddenly interfere when we found ourselves in a situation where we’d surely die even if we struggled with all our might .

Rather than a verbal answer, I pointed towards the opposite side, instead .

“Uh?”

With exactly ten metres to go, the waves of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ had come to a standstill as if it was all a lie .

Tsu-chuchuchuchut!

… . As if, they were being powerfully restrained by something .

The faces of Constellations grumbling away and the Demon Kings spewing out choice words could be seen pretty close to us . Some carried dissatisfied expressions, while others looked relieved .

” . . . . But, why so suddenly?”

I realised the reason pretty soon .

A single Constellation and a single Demon King were floating up above the frozen tsunami wave, that was why .

They were Metatron and Agares . Two of the strongest beings in this battlefield had for the first time, unleashed their true voices .

[All Constellations, withdraw your hostilities and return to your positions!]

[The battle will be paused for the time being . ]

I raised my head up towards the air above after hearing their sudden declaration of a cease-fire .

The reason for the cease-fire could be seen etched in that spot .

[Chaos Points have surpassed 80 . ]

[Countdown to Apocalypse has begun . ]

*

Chaos Points of 80 .

It really was a close call, too close for comfort .

What saved us wasn’t Constellations or the Demon Kings . No, it was the weakest faction in this battlefield, instead .

“There must’ve been the cases of the same camps clashing during the Reincarnators dying at the frontline . “

Weak ‘Good’ was still ‘Good’, and weak ‘Evil’ was still ‘Evil’ . The ‘Good and Evil’ became obsessed only with killing us, and as a consequence of disregarding such ‘weaklings’, it was now on the path towards the apocalypse .

[From here on, Chaos Points will rise by one point every thirty minutes . ]

Once the Chaos Points exceeded 80, its rate of increase would speed up . Even if there was no clash from here onwards, it’d continue to climb up, and in exactly ten hours, it’d reach the critical point .

In other words, the revival of the Apocalypse Dragon would commence .

[The Most Ancient Calamity at the deepest part of Hell is feeling pleased . ]

One of the absolute worst calamities in the history of the , the Apocalypse Dragon . Whether it be the ‘Good’ or ‘Evil’ camp, none wanted to see its revival .

Once the dragon revives, at least a quarter of all Constellations in the would die, that was why . Anyone from this battlefield could become part of that quarter .

[Great battlefield of ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’ has come to a temporary standstill . ]

[Representatives of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ are currently in an emergency conference . ]

And so, that message floating in the air signified both ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ struggling bitterly in order to survive no matter what .

[You have accomplished a feat no one has achieved so far!]

[A Myth-grade Fable is germinating within you!]

[Your new Modifier will reflect this Fable . ]

“Chet . I wanted to see how much stronger I got, though . “

I patted Yi Gil-Yeong’s head as the boy grumbled to himself .

We were currently sitting inside the passenger compartment of the battleship, [Turtle Dragon] . Jeong Hui-Won and Shin Yu-Seung were nursing Yi Hyeon-Seong as he lay unmoving like a dead man, while Yi Ji-Hye looked wholly unconvinced by something else .

“Is this really the end? But, we haven’t even fought for real, though?”

Even though she said that, there was a relieved expression on her face as well .

[Constellation, ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’, is congratulating you on your success . ]

[Constellation, ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’, is feeling apologetic towards you . ]

” . . . . Uriel? It’ll be fine to speak in your true voice . “

Uriel currently squatting by the corner of the cabin lowered her head towards me . For some reason, I thought I could understand where she was coming from, just a little bit .

Right now, she felt responsible . The fact that her Nebula had attacked , and then, in regards to the things done by those claiming to be ‘Absolute Good’, too .

[Constellation, ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’, is looking up at you with tearful eyes . ]

“You don’t have to worry, Uriel . We don’t hate you . And as for . . . . Honestly speaking, my grievances towards them aren’t much . We’ve received their help before, too . “

[Constellation, ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’, asks if you’re telling the truth . ]

I was lying .

However, it’d only hurt Uriel if I revealed how angry I was .

[Constellation, ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’, says that the Scribe isn’t such a bad being . . . . ]

“I also know what kind of a Constellation Metatron is . Please, you should rest for a bit,” I said, before leaving the cabin .

[30 minutes have elapsed . ]

[Chaos Points are rising up by one . ]

[Current Chaos Points: 82]

Alongside the messages entering my ears, there it was, a giant grey sphere floating up in the air .

Its inside couldn’t be spied on . Most likely, every single top-ranked Demon King and Archangel was in there, having a conference right about now .

And it was also quite likely that the ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ were talking crap about and ‘Demon King of Salvation’ in one voice, too .

“Kim Dok-Ja . “

I flinched and looked back to find Han Su-Yeong staring at me .

I spoke first . “Whenever you call out my name lately, I can’t help but get scared first . It’s like, you must’ve caused another accident . “

“It’s you who causes accidents instead,” complained Han Su-Yeong, before shifting her gaze over to the sphere and asking me . “What are they really thinking about?”

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t this whole thing unfolding too smoothly?”

“It’s because they don’t want to die, either . “

“You really think that’s all?”

She narrowed her eyes and glared at me .

[Fable, ‘Predictive Plagiarism’, is continuing its storytelling . ]

Judging from the whitish fragments of the Fable floating around, it seemed that she had activated ‘Predictive Plagiarism’ and kept it up ever since that conference had commenced .

I asked her . “What do you think, then?”

“They are just too quiet . Even if they are terrified of the Apocalypse Dragon… . Something just feels off, you know . “

Indeed, the instincts of an author could be very sharp; actually, I agreed with her opinion, too .

A conference of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ – it sure sounded nice . However… . The Metatron I knew would never back off in such circumstances . He was the type of guy who’d sacrifice anyone in order to perfectly fulfil the Absolute Good’s premise .

I stared at the grey sphere and spoke . “I don’t know what they are cooking up over on that side, but there is a way to find out what will happen in the future . “

“What is that?”

I looked straight at Han Su-Yeong . And soon, her jaw dropped .

“God damn it, we had that method, didn’t we . “

Whether it was a conference or war, it’d come to an end in the next nine hours .

And if it was that sort of a near future, then we knew of a being who could read it better than anyone else in this world .

We quickly dashed towards the cabin at the rear . The thing was, the person we were looking for was already with us by now .

“Hey, Miss Prophet!”

We barged in to the room, only to find an unexpected guest there . Yu Jung-Hyeok and his scary scowl were busy grabbing onto Anna Croft’s collars at that moment .

He spoke . ” . . . . What bullshit are you talking about?”

“It is exactly as I said . “

The shocked Han Su-Yeong hurriedly shouted out . “Hey, you crazy bastard! What are you doing?!”

Yu Jung-Hyeok looked back at us with an emotionless expression before releasing Anna Croft’s collars . She formed a refreshing grin after discovering us and waved her hand .

“Thank you for saving me . As expected of the ‘Demon King of Salvation’ . “

“Well, I wasn’t really trying to save you or anything, but . . . . “

“You came to see me for the same reason, I suppose?”

Han Su-Yeong and I stared at Yu Jung-Hyeok . And he glared right back as if to ask why we were looking at him .

As expected, he was really quick with things like this . He came up with a solution to this situation way quicker than us, in other words . Han Su-Yeong began gnashing her teeth as she was unhappy about this . Sadly, though, he didn’t carry the expression of a victor .

Anna Croft spoke . “Let me get right to it, then . I can’t see the future . “

“What do you mean by that?”

Several thoughts floated up in my head, then .

Now that I thought about it, Anna Croft couldn’t predict the future related to me . I remembered that [the 4th Wall] had something to do with it . What did she say back then? Was it, there’s noise hiding the future as if someone drew graffiti all over it?

But then, Anna Croft was shaking her head . “It’s not the noise obscuring the future, but I simply can’t read it at all . It’s not as if someone has doodled on the page, but more like the page with the doodling on it didn’t exist in the first place . “

Han Su-Yeong and I exchanged glances . An ominous foreboding slowly crept up over me .

“Kim Dok-Ja, this . . . . . “

Not like doodlings on a page, but the page itself had disappeared . No matter how hard I thought about it, there could only be one type of future like that .

” . . . . Can it be?”

As if it was waiting for this moment, messages suddenly floated up in the air .

[Chaos Points is rising up by one point . ]

[Current Chaos Points: 83]

“But, it hasn’t been 30 minutes yet?”

“It’s not rising up because the time has elapsed,” said Yu Jung-Hyeok in a hardened voice .

Time hadn’t passed by, yet the Chaos Points had risen up . In that case, there could only be one possibility .

[Members from the same camp have clashed!]

[Current Chaos Points: 84]

Someone was trying to destroy this world .

Fin .