Episode 21. Things That Cannot Be Changed (6)>:
Jeong Heewon ran.
Her muscles, enhanced by [Time of Judgment], pushed her body to its absolute limit, while the [Demon Slayer] buff sharpened her movements to a deadly precision.
Uriel's [Hellfire Blaze] refined her combat power into its most ideal form.
The flames of judgment burned fiercely.
The one who deserved judgment was not Shin Yoosung.
Yet, the only one to receive those flames was Shin Yoosung.
[Celestial, 'Demonic Judge of Flames' watches the battlefield with sorrowful eyes.]
Jeong Heewon's blade declared the opening strike.
[Character 'Jeong Heewon' activates Saint Mark 'Hellfire Blaze Lv.1'!]
Even at only level 1, Hellfire Blaze easily burned through Shin Yoosung's ether storm as it surged forward.
The [Breath of the Beast King], empowered by demonic force, poured out, but Jeong Heewon remained unperturbed. If anything, as if confronting the disaster head-on, she gripped her sword tightly and drew a line connecting heaven and earth.
Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!
The [Breath of the Beast King], crashing like a tidal wave, met [Hellfire Blaze] and split apart with a hiss of smoke. Someone murmured:
"My god… what is that…?"
[Hellfire Blaze] was a Saint Mark that, at its final level, could evaporate the seas of a planet to clear a path. Even when the Messiah appeared in the original story, Uriel was the first to pave the way.
An archangel feared by all great demons, and the demon's closest adversary.
Shin Yoosung nodded toward the charging Jeong Heewon.
"I see… Uriel. So this is what you've been waiting for."
Even before the terrifying blessing of the archangel, the Disaster did not falter.
"This should be enough to conclude it."
In fact, her expression was almost relieved, as if finally fulfilling her duty.
The ether wrapped around Shin Yoosung's fist collided with the flames surrounding Jeong Heewon's blade. Shin Yoosung staggered, and Jeong Heewon relentlessly pressed the advantage. No matter how many powerful skills stacked, over-spec abilities only lasted so long.
Knowing this well, Jeong Heewon attacked without pause.
Fwaahhh!
The ground around them was bathed in sacred flames.
Despite her exhaustion, Shin Yoosung endured for a long time. Like a seasoned actor giving her final performance, she fought to the death for a timeline in which she never truly lived.
[Many new Celestials are excited by your design.]
Celestials watching via Dokgak's channel were thrilled.
[15,000 coins have been donated.]
As if they had never disliked me, the donations flowed in.
Affection or hatred, to the Celestials, it was all just fleeting amusement.
Unfortunately, for humans, that fleeting story was life itself.
[Celestials of the Korean Peninsula watch you with pitying eyes.]
Amid countless eyes observing me, I slowly began to sketch the ending of this scenario.
[Celestial, 'The Subtle Strategist' pays close attention to your choice.]
Meanwhile, Jeong Heewon's slashes tore through [Sensitivity of the Beast King], and the flames of [Hellfire Blaze] gradually burned Shin Yoosung. Injuries quickly accumulated across Jeong Heewon's body as well.
It was a close battle, but the tide did not favor the exhausted Shin Yoosung.
Jeong Heewon, ignoring all defenses, drove her sword into Shin Yoosung's abdomen despite the ether storm.
The blazing holy flames penetrated Shin Yoosung's body.
Fssssss!
The sacred fire incinerated the great demonic energy embedded within her. The surrounding black aura vaporized into smoke.
Blood gushed from the spot where the sword pierced. Shin Yoosung looked down at her own blood as if it were a prop on a stage and collapsed.
Finally, it was over.
Glancing to the side, I saw the fallen King Masswood and Heavy Metal Kong.
The [Monster Gate] closed, and the battle against the monsters was drawing to a close. I approached the slumped Shin Yoosung.
Her control over her body had returned, but her body was no longer normal. She looked at herself and asked:
"…Am I… going to die now?"
Normally, a Beast Road would not die from such injuries.
[Sensitivity of the Beast King] boasted regeneration comparable to Yoo Jung-hyuk's [Revival Knight].
But unfortunately, she had faced [Hellfire Blaze].
Fssssss.
The hellfire embedded deep within her burned not only all evil but also her life force. Uriel's Saint Mark would never extinguish until all of the evil within a person was consumed.
[Exclusive Skill, 'Fourth Wall' shakes.]
[Due to excessive immersion, 'Omniscient Reader Perspective' Stage 2 is permanently active.]
With the fire inside her, Shin Yoosung would not survive.
She looked at me and smiled weakly.
"I'm glad I came to this timeline. Listening to the captain was the right choice."
"It hurts… to disappear like this."
"Now I can finally die without regret. Who knows, maybe something will really change."
"I don't want to die…"
Omniscience is a curse.
To know someone's heart is always to deceive someone.
She smiled and gazed into the empty air.
The middle-ranking goblin, expression grim, was there.
"I'm about to die… a little melodrama is okay, right? This was a fine scenario."
[Some Celestials nod in agreement.]
[Some Celestials express dissatisfaction.]
The middle-ranking goblin remained silent.
Of course, it was not in its position to comment.
The scenario had been completed.
But things did not go according to his plan.
And now, he would pay the price for that intent.
When I looked back, Yoo Jung-hyuk had already approached.
"Are we… going to die?"
"…Probably."
"Seems you didn't hate me enough."
This bastard… even to the very end…
Yoo Jung-hyuk drew his sword. I was about to stop him, thinking he intended to kill Shin Yoo-seung—but his Jincheon Blade pierced right beside her head. The cold edge supported the dying Shin Yoo-seung's head. She spoke.
"Still trying to look cool until the end… I'm going to die soon, Boss."
Her calm whisper sounded to me like these words:
「There's something I really want to hear from you.」
「Just once.」
「If only I could hear it once, that would be enough.」
Words that could never truly be delivered.
Yoo Jung-hyuk, unaware of those words, spoke in his indifferent voice.
"I have a question."
"What is it?"
Seeing the faint hope lingering on Shin Yoo-seung's face, I felt a wave of despair.
Because I knew that hope could never be fulfilled.
"Which demon helped you cross the world lines?"
She stared blankly at Yoo Jung-hyuk for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"…As expected, Boss, you really are Boss until the very end."
「You never change.」
"Speak."
"Have you heard of the 'Demon of the Horizon'?"
「I admired someone like you.」
"I know the name."
"If your luck runs out, Boss, you'll meet him too. But never fight him. Even if you try your hardest, it's nearly impossible to defeat him…"
「For a long, long time… truly a long time…」
Her desperate sincerity never reached its intended destination; it ended with me. I wanted to tell it—to tell this foolish Yoo Jung-hyuk, who couldn't hear the clear voice coming right in front of him.
Just as I was about to speak, Shin Yoo-seung's hand grabbed mine.
And Yoo Jung-hyuk said:
"I remember."
With that final word, Yoo Jung-hyuk turned away.
I could hear his inner thoughts:
「I'll avenge you.」
The grief in that phrase made me shiver.
And I looked down at the catastrophe Shin Yoo-seung.
I see. He already knew.
Even without hearing it, he had already understood.
Something was slipping from Shin Yoo-seung's eyes. For the first time, I realized that [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] might not always be omniscient.
「Take care, Boss.」
「Thank you for everything.」
「I'll watch your back.」
「Rest.」
Only fragments of sentences, like an unfinished letter, remained inside me. I quietly paired them up one by one.
Even if they seemed not to reach, they certainly did.
I read this story completely.
Finally, Shin Yoo-seung's feet began to crumble and scatter into ashes.
「Pretty…」
The young Shin Yoo-seung appeared beside me, holding onto the collar of my clothes.
I wondered what it must feel like to see a future self disappearing.
No matter how many books you read, there are feelings you can never reach.
The catastrophe Shin Yoo-seung smiled at me and the young version of herself.
「…I envy you.」
Her lower body had nearly vanished.
The rate of her disappearance was accelerating.
[Celestial, 'Demonic Punisher of Fire' closes her eyes.]
[Celestial, 'Prisoner of Gingoa' sighs.]
As the Celestials watched her, I slowly knelt and held the hand of the catastrophe Shin Yoo-seung. Surprised by the unexpected gesture, she looked at me.
With the last of my mana, I activated [Beast King's Sensitivity].
I had a parting gift to give her.
Our senses briefly connected—the mysterious senses only beasts can share.
The passing wind whispered something.
A story that neither Celestials nor goblins could hear.
The dying catastrophe Shin Yoo-seung opened her eyes in disbelief.
「…Are you serious? Really?」
Thankfully, it seemed the message had been properly conveyed.
Her chest had already turned to ash, but now she could no longer speak.
「Why…」
Tears slowly welled up in her trembling eyes. She tried to speak something to me, but a chilling wind blew it away. The worldlines that had followed, the film that had been connected, were breaking apart again.
Pash-s-s.
The fragments that made up her being crumbled into dust and scattered. Eyes, nose, mouth—all gone. The thousand years that had shaped her existence swirled into pure white ash and scattered like snow.
The ashes formed a tail and disappeared into the sky.
As if on a long journey, or perhaps dancing.
We stared for a long time at the faint traces drifting through the void.
Unable to believe this was reality, the young Shin Yoo-seung clutched at me.
"Is… she really dead?"
I steadied my heart.
"Is it really… something that cannot be changed?"
And I nodded.
"Ah… ah… ah…"
Lee Gil-young, who held onto my sleeve, wiped my tears on my collar. Yoo Sang-ah's eyes were wet, and for some reason, Lee Hyun-sung was crying too. The only ones not crying were Yoo Jung-hyuk—and Lee Ji-hye, who didn't fully understand the situation.
"Why is everyone crying? It makes me feel sad too."
I felt a chill on my forehead. From the blurred sky above, sleet began to fall.
Neither snow nor rain, but something in between.
That cold sensation reassured the people. Ironically, humans feel most alive when they witness the death of something else.
"Ah…"
The tension in the Seoul Dome eased, and people slumped in places—some laughing, some crying, some angry.
Seongjwas were sending support funds from everywhere. Their reactions differed, but there was one thing everyone agreed on:
The "Flood of Calamity" Shin Yoo-seung was dead.
I looked up at the sky. There, a stunned mid-tier dokkaebi remained. Bi-hyung, silently observing the scene, finally spoke.
[Mid-tier dokkaebi. Please conclude the scenario.]
[How… how could this happen…]
[If you won't, I will finish it.]
Moments later, a message came through.
[The fifth main scenario has concluded.][Reward distribution is being prepared.]
Finally, even the scenario itself declared her death.
The future Shin Yoo-seung was dead, and the calamity had ended.
This was the ending of the fifth scenario.
Everyone thought so. Everyone believed so.
.
.
.
To be precise, everyone except me had to believe it.
From beginning to end, everything had to be a perfect performance.
A play that declared the unchangeable as unchangeable.
A desperate tragedy to deceive the Seongjwas and the scenario itself.
Because this was the only way the 41st iteration of Shin Yoo-seung could escape this damn scenario.
In that moment, Shin Yoo-seung's hand beside me burned like fire.
"I'll kill them…"
The girl's eyes were fixed on the mid-tier dokkaebi floating in midair.
"That dokkaebi… I'll kill it."
Just as she was about to rush forward, sparks flew in the air.
Pats-ch-ch-chut!
The sky tore open, forming a portal. Through it came twin white dokkaebi. The lower-tier dokkaebi nearby all instinctively backed away upon seeing the two in white armor.
Understandably so.
These were the dokkaebi that no one wanted to encounter until all dokkaebi were dead—the Management Bureau. Specifically, the dokkaebi from the [Executive Division] responsible for the scenario's "plausibility." The fearsome duo approached the mid-tier dokkaebi and immediately restrained it.
[…Executive Division. What is the meaning of this?]
The mid-tier dokkaebi was instantly subdued, and a voice from the Executive Division spoke.
[Mid-tier dokkaebi 'Baal,' you are under emergency detention for violation of the Star Stream regulations.]
< Episode 21. The Unchangeable (6) > End