The boiling power of Chaos encroached into the blood vessels in my entire body. One by one, Fables began resisting against the invasion of this foreign power.
[Fable, ‘One who opposes Miracles, dreams of miracles.]
[Fable, ‘One who Murdered an Outer God’, is resisting against your change!]
[Great Fable, ‘Demon World’s Spring’, is protecting you!]
I barely managed to hold onto my wavering consciousness and staggered towards the sacred texts.
⸢…..⸥
I thought I heard voices coming from somewhere, which could’ve been a side effect of transforming into an Outer God. I figured that my consciousness breaking apart somehow automatically activated [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint].
However, it wasn’t only one person this time; as if I was seeing many people’s POVs, several voices came at me at the same time.
⸢…..I already knew.⸥
That was Yu Jung-Hyeok.
⸢It was just too obvious from the get-go, you know. I thought that it might as well be.⸥
Yi Ji-Hye.
⸢If he didn’t tell us up-front, then he must’ve had his reasons.⸥
Shin Yu-Seung.
⸢I, I already was suspecting it too, you know?! D-Dok-Ja hyung! Dok-Ja hyung!!⸥
Yi Gil-Yeong.
⸢….Dok-Ja-ssi?⸥
Jeong Hui-Won.
To these folks who understood it all already without being told – just what could I possibly say to them?
⸢What a powerful Sun Wukong he is….. Who could he be?⸥
….That was Yi Hyeon-Seong.
I ended up smirking softly.
Right, maybe it’s for the best that he doesn’t find out.
I sensed my memories beginning to crumble away. Once the transformation into an Outer God was over, all of my memories should scatter away like cosmic dust.
⸢Kim Dok-Ja was scared.⸥
[The 4th Wall] probably was aware of it already – that big talk of mine was nothing more than just a coward pretending to be tough.
⸢After losing all my memories will I still remain as ‘me’?⸥
I did die a few times so far, but never have I lost all of my memories. What would happen to the ‘me’ that remembers everything, from here onwards?
[What really scared him was not death.]
Even if I got to read them all again, would I be able to regain the emotions I felt back then in full?
[Fable, ‘Comrade of Life and Death’, is looking at you.]
[Fable, ‘One who Hunted the King of Calamities’, is looking at you.]
[Fable, ‘Liberator of Giants’, is looking at you.]
Would I really be able to feel the same emotions that I felt during the acquisition of all these precious stories?
⸢And finally, the ‘sacred texts’ were waiting for Kim Dok-Ja right before his eyes.⸥
The [Journey to the West Remake].
That book was the ‘Great Fable’ itself. The moment I grasp it, this Great Fable would become <Kim Dok-Ja Company>’s, as well as the Outer Gods.
⸢Kim Dok-Ja reached out towards the ‘sacred texts’.⸥
With this, we’d be able to complete this [Journey to the West].
Tsu-chuchuchuchu….
It was at this moment that something strange happened.
[Due to the unexpected event in the scenario, your transformation into the Outer God is being delayed.]
….It’s being delayed?
Sparks exploding all around me got even more violent while the roars from the Constellations grew further away. The flow of space-time was being warped strangely. Probability so powerful that it gave me chills and back-wetting goosebumps was being mobilised. It felt as if the entirety of the <Star Stream> was writhing around.
Someone was intruding into the scenario by breaking through the distorted space.
[Great Dokkaebi, ‘Heoju’, has incarnated to the scenario!]
[Great Dokkaebi, ‘Heoche’, has incarnated to the scenario!]
[Great Dokkaebi, ‘Harong’, has incarnated to the scenario!]
[Great Dokkaebi, ‘Haram’, has incarnated to the scenario!]
[Great Dokkaebi, ‘Haesol’, has incarnated to the scenario!]
Several Great Dokkaebis were incarnating before my eyes.
Tsu-chuchuchuchuchut!
As if it had turned into stone, my hand reaching out towards the ‘sacred texts’ froze up in place.
This shouldn’t be happening.
[You cannot acquire that story.]
Dokkaebis weren’t able to interfere with the main scenarios.
No, actually, some did try indirectly to pick fights with us, but there had never been an instance where a Dokkaebi with “Great” as its classification personally distorted a scenario like this.
However, these ones had betted away their Probability and did indeed intervene with the scenario.
[<Star Stream> is violently convulsing!]
Great Dokkaebis were also a part of the <Star Stream>.
Even if they were tasked with controlling the system, they were not exempt from the consequences of abnormally abusing the Probability.
Perhaps that was the reason why the powerful sparks were dancing around wildly on the bodies of the Great Dokkaebis.
[The forgotten ones need to remain forgotten.]
I thought I could understand just a little why they were willing to go this far. If I took the ‘sacred texts’ and acquired the ‘Great Fable’ in the process….
[AhAhAhAhAhAh]
[OhOhOhOhOhOh….!]
Then, the Outer Gods they had been excluding from the story would officially be incorporated into a ‘Great Fable’.
Outer Gods were beings that couldn’t be controlled fully by the system they possessed. Never mind the mid-to-lower grade [Old Beings], if the higher-ranked Outer Gods were to enter the scenarios indiscriminately, then the <Star Stream> would fall into unbridled chaos.
Even then, I simply had to complete this task.
[Give up.]
Statuses from the Great Dokkaebis had tied my entire body down like chains, and my fingertips reaching out to the ‘sacred texts’ came to a dead stop only a single hand span away. However, I didn’t get flustered.
As the Great Dokkaebis appeared here while going against the Probability, there’s was no doubt that another creature tasked with fixing the tilted balance of the distorted Probability would appear soon.
Ku-gugugugu!!
Speak of the devil – a whirlpool suddenly formed in the middle of the sky. It was the [Great Hole]. And an existence revealed itself and looked down at me from beyond the opening.
[Take the ‘sacred texts’, oh apostle of ■■.]
It was none other than the Wenny King, the one I met back in the N’Gai’s Forest.
Great Dokkaebis discovered the Wenny’s presence and roared out in sheer astonishment.
[How dare….!]
[The devil of the horizon, how dare you show yourself here!]
[You do not possess the Probability to appear in this scenario!]
The Wenny King sneered back at them. [It’s the same story for you, too.]
The Statuses of the Great Dokkaebis and the Wenny King collided, and my previously-restrained body regained its freedom. And my hand crossed that final distance.
[Outer God transformation has resumed.]
The Wenny King smiled brightly.
[Oh, dear <Star Stream>. The worlds you have erased shall advance once more.]
The moment my hand touched the ‘sacred texts’, my consciousness faded away within the brightly-lit storm of electricity.
I could barely sense what might happen from here onwards.
I looked behind me and slowly closed my eyes.
⸢The only thing he could trust now was….⸥
*
Showers of light exploded and scattered in the distant sky.
Even the Nine Stars, even the 28 Mansions – they all had no choice but to look at the explosion in that moment.
[Every Constellation of the Nebula, <Emperor>, is freaking out!]
Yi Gil-Yeong atop the Dragon Horse was busy evading the Nine Stars’ attack until then, but even he had to bring his mount to a stop.
“….Shin Yu-Seung?”
Shin Yu-Seung regained her consciousness and opened her eyes on top of the saddle. The moment she did, her eyes quickly snapped towards the western sky where Yi Gil-Yeong was also looking at.
Her heart was beating powerfully.
[Something has gone wrong. Eliminate these small fries quickly, and….]
The Lords of the Nine Stars and <Emperor>’s Historical Figure-grade Constellations recovered from their fluster and hurriedly rushed towards Yi Gil-Yeong and Shin Yu-Seung once more.
The boy spoke up, his gaze still fixed to the western skies. “I’ll create a path, so get going.”
No one needed to explain it to them. The story they were searching for was over there.
“Go and rescue Dok-Ja hyung!”
That was where Kim Dok-Ja was.
Shin Yu-Seung could sense it. Maybe, far better than anyone out there.
Just as Yi Gil-Yeong jumped off from the Dragon Horse and unleashed his Status, Shin Yu-Seung made her mount break out into a dash. The horse reverted back to the Jade Dragon and flew forward like a speedboat on the river’s surface. A nostalgic scent of a Fable wafted in from the distance.
That’s where she could see the starlight from her Sponsor that protected her for a long time.
It was shining so brightly like that, yet…. why hadn’t she been sure of it before?
Countless questions raged on in her head before slipping away.
Why was Kim Dok-Ja in this place?
Why didn’t he reveal his true identity to anyone?
Shin Yu-Seung couldn’t answer any of that. However….
…She felt that if Kim Dok-Ja was lost again in that place, she’d never be able to see him ever again.
Kwa-kwakwakwakwa!
Beams of light fired by the Nine Stars slammed into the Dragon Horse. Shin Yu-Seung screamed as she plunged into the river water.
However, there were creatures that dragged her back out of the water.
[KimdokjaKimdokjaKimdokjaKimdokja]
[WeareWeareWeareWeareWeare]
From when did this happen? Yogoes that had been previously floating around gathered into a large group and were crossing the river.
Somehow, she ended up on top of the group. Yogoes were floating up like stepping stones and created the path forward.
[SavehimSavehimSavehimSavehimSavehim]
And as Shin Yu-Seung ran on top of the Yogoes, she belatedly realised it.
⸢The reason why ahjussi is here, it’s for the sake of these guys.⸥
The moment she realised it, something welled up from deep inside her.
She saw Kim Dok-Ja’s Fable scattering away within the blinding rays of light.
She didn’t need anyone to explain to her that he was clearly in serious danger right now.
⸢Why does ahjussi, always alone….!⸥
The first emotion she felt was resentment.
Why didn’t Kim Dok-Ja ask his companions for help?
⸢There must’ve been a reason for that.⸥
She knew that. But….
⸢He probably thought that this is for the best.⸥
Even then, there were some things that remained difficult to accept.
It was the same story back in the Dark Castle, and also in the Demon World. And even during the ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’, too. Their lengthy scenario was simply Kim Dok-Ja’s history of continued sacrifices.
⸢And that was why this resentment wasn’t directed at Kim Dok-Ja, but towards Shin Yu-Seung herself.⸥
She was none other than Kim Dok-Ja’s Incarnation and that’s why she felt this sadness. The pain she was experiencing right now was nothing when compared to his determination.
⸢For sure, Kim Dok-Ja would’ve said something like “Yu-Seung-ah, listen. There’s no ‘weight’ to sadness.”⸥
Shin Yu-Seung didn’t agree with those words.
Sadness did indeed have ‘weight’.
The despair of a person risking his life trying to save someone else, and another’s grief borne from powerlessness while watching that feat unfold, would never carry equal weight.
In the end, to every human being, the most precious thing was themselves.
And Kim Dok-Ja risked everything of his, always.
It was right at that time that the river water suddenly exploded in front of her eyes. Constellations of <Emperor> vomited out as they crashed back down to earth.
[Come, you disappeared stories!]
Accompanied by the voice reverberating throughout the world, the entire world began changing.
Several [Great Holes] opened up in the various parts of the sky, and creatures possessing unimaginable Statuses started to cross over.
They were no longer the ‘Outer Gods’.
[■?■?■■ is participating in the role of ‘Extra’!]
[■■?■ is participating in the role of ‘Extra’!]
They were Yogoes from the Journey to the West.
(This was the final war to determine the owner of the ‘sacred texts’.)
(The horde of shadowy demonic beings rushed in to put the finishing touches to the final pages of this lengthy tale.)
A spectacle akin to the world meeting its annihilation played out.
And in the centre of that apocalypse, Kim Dok-Ja with his two blank eyes was wandering among the Yogoes.
Was Shin Yu-Seung mistaken when she thought that he no longer seemed to be ‘Kim Dok-Ja’, but a Yogoe?
‘I need to stop him.’
On top of the broken Yogoes’ path, Shin Yu-Seung looked down at her small hand. It was a hand that she believed was capable of achieving things far greater than any adult could. And it had done precisely that many times before. However, at least in this moment….
….She felt that it was nothing but a child’s small hand.
[■■■■■■■■■■■■…..!!]
The heavens split up and the ground caved in. The Tongtian River’s waters overturned in its entirety, and the living creatures atop it died in their droves as blood and Fables flooded out.
[Judge, ‘Sakyamuni’s Successor’, is looking at you.]
It was exactly then that she felt someone’s gaze and heard that person’s voice.
[Yu-Seung-ah, only you can do it.]
It was a voice she knew so well.
“Sang-Ah unni??”
[At this rate, Dok-Ja-ssi won’t be able to come back. Only you can prevent that.]
There was not enough time to ask how something like this was possible. So, Shin Yu-Seung only asked the necessary question first. “What, what should I do?”
Yu Sang-Ah didn’t answer her right away. However, what she did say sounded like a Buddha bringing up a new topic for a conversation.
[Do not forget your role.]
Shin Yu-Seung stared momentarily at the sky in stupefaction, before her gaze shifted over to Kim Dok-Ja’s direction. A golden headband glowed faintly on top of Sun Wukong’s head.
She looked down at her fist again. It was still that of a little child’s. But at the same time, it was the fist of ‘Tang Sanzang’, as well.
“….Can I really do it?”
Her voice was trembling.
Kim Dok-Ja’s figure staggered about in the distance.
[Fable, ‘Demon King of Salvation’, is continuing with its storytelling.]
Finally, the tears she was holding back broke free. “But, that could be what ahjussi wants, you know?”
And to such a child, Yu Sang-Ah spoke.
[He has been alone for a very long time.]
Kim Dok-Ja (金獨子).
[To someone like that, telling him that he’s not alone a few times won’t suddenly change anything.]
Shin Yu-Seung was Kim Dok-Ja’s Incarnation.
[You need to tell him, always be next to him, and reaffirm it for him.]
As she cried, Shin Yu-Seung stepped forward.
[Until he realises that he’s truly not alone anymore.]
She gathered every little scrap of her Status and began running hard. Just like Kim Dok-Ja using the [Way of the Wind], she too gave everything she had and ran on top of the river.
While stepping on the water’s surface sinking in bit by bit, Shin Yu-Seung shouted out loudly as if to tear out her vocal cords.
“Ahjussi!!”
Kim Dok-Ja wasn’t listening. In the midst of the bloody battle between Yogoes and the Constellations, he was looking back at her with empty eyes as he slowly morphed into another Yogoe.
His body was changing. Kim Dok-Ja was scattering away.
“Don’t go! Please!! Please don’t go!”
She watched her Sponsor slowly disappear right before her eyes and shouted even louder and louder. It didn’t sound like words, but screams, instead. These were things that couldn’t be conveyed with mere words.
[A brand new Fable is sprouting within you!]
Not everyone could use special methods to communicate, and that was why Fables existed. Words that couldn’t be conveyed would become stories eventually.
The golden letters of the Constrictive Sutra had become a Fable and they began emitting bright light now.
⸢I’m not going to give up. Just like how you keep rescuing me, ahjussi, I….!⸥
As the meteors rained down all around her, Shin Yu-Seung looked straight at her ‘star’ and told her tale.
⸢I’ll definitely save you, too.⸥
<Episode 83. Dok-Ja’s Incarnation (1)> Fin.
