Chapter 145 — The Ultimate Sacrifice (4)

Translator: Rainbow Turtle

[Geez, this could end quicker than I thought?]

The dokkaebi giggled as he saw the bloody battle between Yoo Jonghyuk and Nirvana.

[If not one half, I thought at least a third of the incarnations would die...]

[This story isn’t interesting.]

In the air, three intermediate dokkaebis were looking down at the stadium. The incarnations outside the stadium froze at the appearance of the dokkaebis. Every time they appeared, something ridiculous happened.

[Is it worth giving a hints now?]

[It isn’t a big deal. Let’s release them a bit faster.]

The moment the dokkaebis spoke, the rankings of the incarnations started to appear on a board in the air.

+

The eighth strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome is ‘Moonlight Girl Yoo Sangah.’

The seventh strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome is ‘Armed Fortress Master Gong Pildu.’

The sixth strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome is ‘Judge of Destruction Jung Heewon.’

+

Three rankings were released in an instant and the reactions of people were almost explosive.

“Who is Yoo Sangah? Moonlight Girl?”

“Gong Pildu is seventh!”

Jung Heewon was also watching the electronic display in the sky. “Oh my, I’m sixth?”

“I am tenth... che. Unni, would you like to have a match against me?” Lee Jihye asked as she trampled on Jeon Ildo, who was trapped on the ground.

Jung Heewon also stepped on him and replied, “Hrmm, I’m sorry but it’s hard. My sponsor likes you.”

“What? Why?”

Instead of answering, Jung Heewon pointed her sword at Jeon Ildo. “Excuse me, Jeon Ildo-ssi who can’t even make it into the top 10?”

Jeon Ildo’s whole body shivered at the sight of the blade and he asked, “...Jung Heewon, how did you get rid of Thought Infection?”

“Don’t ask me questions. I’ll kill you if you don’t answer quickly.”

“If you kill me... you can’t... get rid of the dome.”

These were the last full words he said. The atmosphere was somewhat tiring so Jung Heewon punched Jeon Ildo one more time before going to find Kim Dokja.

“Dokja-ssi?”

However, Kim Dokja wasn’t present.

+

The fifth strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome is ‘Pure Steel Sword Lee Hyunsung.’

+

Lee Hyunsung and Gong Pildu fighting with the monsters outside the dome heard the message. Gong Pildu frowned and asked,

“...What is pure steel?”

“I-I don’t know either.”

Lee Hyunsung used Great Mountain Smash on the 5th grade monsters. For him who could use Steel Transformation,the disaster level monsters were no longer an enemy.

However, the number of monsters was more than they thought and the front line was slowly being pushed back.

Lee Hyunsung protected the armed fortress while thinking.

‘Dokja-ssi. Are things going well?’

He hoped that Kim Dokja would answer but of course, Kim Dokja didn’t respond.

+

The fourth strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome is ‘Black Flames Empress Han Sooyoung.’

+

At the same time, Han Sooyoung was laughing as she saw the board.

“...I’m really fourth?” Han Sooyoung asked as she looked down at Kim Dokja bleeding on the ground. He was stabbed so that he wouldn’t die instantly, but the bleeding was severe and he was sure to die soon.

Han Sooyoung bent down and touched the cheek of the bleeding Kim Dokja. “Kim Dokja. Are you really going to die like this? What if you are in third place?”

Han Sooyoung looked down at Kim Dokja with an uncomfortable expression.

“You look so carefree now.”

Of course, Kim Dokja didn’t answer. She was the one who stabbed him but once she did, she was really afraid that Kim Dokja would die. He didn’t even have an avatar... no, perhaps?

“Why am I worried about him...” Han Sooyoung complained before falling silent.

The lips of the unconscious Kim Dokja contorted with pain. She wanted to know what was going on but she didn’t ask.

Kim Dokja was having a hard time. Like her, he was an ordinary person before the world was destroyed. Such a person had jumped onto a stage to decide the world’s fate and was moving the main characters. Han Sooyoung had forgotten for a moment that Kim Dokja was also a normal human.

She stretched out a finger and touched Kim Dokja’s mouth. Then her face became a strange mixture of a smile and a frown.

Han Sooyoung giggled. “...It is really strange.”

At this moment, a huge shock wave occurred in the dome. The battle between Yoo Jonghyuk and Nirvana was coming to an end.

[Haha, there are three people left to look forward to. I wonder who they are? Just wait! The rankings will soon be made public!]

[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ is shutting off his heart.]

[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is sweating and has lost hair.]

[The constellation ‘Bald General of Justice’ wipes his head.]

Yoo Jonghyuk listened to the incoming messages and raised his sword again.

There was a gruesome sound as the Thousand Hands of Avalokiteśvara were pierced and a mechanical sound came from deep muscles.

Yoo Jonghyuk felt his presence slowly collapsing. It was the side effect of Giant Body Transformation. It was the cost of bearing the power that he couldn’t afford.

The colossus had clearly warned him when he was given this power.

「 Never use this skill until all your stats have reached three digits. 」

However, the colossus expected him to receive this skill through Transmission. He knew Yoo Jonghyuk wouldn’t listen to his warning.

Yoo Jonghyuk had to walk the sura path, the impossible path, and he had to use every means he had to pass. The frustrating thing was that the end of the road was still invisible.

Yoo Jonghyuk squeezed out all the magic power in his body and aimed his sword. There was a huge blast of blue magic power towards Nirvana.

「 Splitting the Sky is an explosion.

Don’t hide yourself. Expand, blossom, flood. Don’t allow the heavens to be above you. 」

It was the words of the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint, who taught him Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship.

In the middle and second half of the second regression, the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint fought against the alliance of returnees and died alone. At that time, Yoo Jonghyuk saw a thick sky that he couldn’t break. There was definitely such a sky in the world.

“Yoo Jonghyuk―!”

However, Nirvana wasn’t that sky. Nirvana was a strong reincarnator. He would become stronger in the future. He wasn’t yet as strong as a heavenly demon or the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint.

‘Thus, I can kill you.’

Yoo Jonghyuk released all his magic power and crushed Nirvana’s entire body. Nirvana’s Thousand Hands of Avalokiteśvara was broken to pieces. The flesh hit by the magic power was torn apart. This was the limit of a hastily inherited skill.

“Kuaaah!”

Nirvana’s body smashed into the ground and a huge shock wave occurred inside. Yoo Jonghyuk was sure of his victory.

This strike was sufficient. Nirvana might have a number of hidden cards but he couldn’t reverse a blow like this.

‘He became aware of Kim Dokja so he would’ve inherited a close range skill.’

Yoo Jonghyuk pulled up his remaining magic power and prepared the final blow. The moment he emerged from the pit to deal the final blow. A beep suddenly rang in his head.

[The exclusive skill ‘Advanced Mental Barrier Lv. 3’ has reached its limit.]

[The exclusive skill ‘Thought Vaccine Lv. 1’ has eroded it.]

...What? It wasn’t possible. Thought Vaccine was a counter-skill to Nirvana’s Thought Infection and Eternal Prison. Why was it used on him?

‘Don’t tell me.’

He gained sudden enlightenment. The present Nirvana was still weaker than the Nirvana of his past life. What if Nirvana didn’t inherit a close combat skill?

Despite the variable called Kim Dokja, Nirvana’s only goal was Yoo Jonghyuk from the beginning.

‘Shit, it is 108 Worries.’

[The exclusive skill ‘Advanced Mental Barrier Lv. 3’ has been destroyed.]

[108 evil spirits have started to gnaw at your mind.]

At this moment, Yoo Jonghyuk’s eyes turned black and his five senses started to run wild. He should’ve noticed something strange when his thoughts became unusually heavy. Nirvana laughed from inside the pit.

“Yoo Jonghyuk! Only I can understand you!”

It was obvious that Nirvana had been enduring only for this moment. 108 giant beads shone behind Nirvana.

“Stop now and become one with me.”

Light rose and Yoo Jonghyuk felt fragments of agony piece his mind. He wouldn’t be able to guarantee his next regression if he fell to this skill.

‘It is up to here.’

He had to regress now. Yoo Jonghyuk exercised final control over his body and brought the Heaven Shaking Sword to his neck.

-Don’t imagine that you will get better if you throw away this round.

Why did those words appear at this moment?

-Maybe this is the round where you will see the end of this world as a ‘human.’”

Yoo Jonghyuk was in a terrible state of mind and had a thought for the first time.

‘Kim Dokja...’

Then his vision gradually dimmed.

-You jerk, you think quickly.

He was mistaken. A familiar voice was heard.

-Take a break.

Despite his reluctance, Yoo Jonghyuk felt relieved by the voice and easily closed his eyes.

***

I slowly opened my eyes and felt like I was overflowing with power.

The height of my field of view had changed and the feeling of the combat muscles made me feel good. An adequate amount of adrenaline was secreted. I was full of confidence that I could do anything.

[The 1st person protagonist’s point of view has been activated!]

Crazy... this was the ‘real’ 1st person protagonist’s point of view. This was how Yoo Jonghyuk usually felt. I could never be strong like this.

“...How did you get your mind back from 108 Worries?”

I could see Nirvana’s figure in the distance. I glanced outside the stadium.

The fact that I was attached to Yoo Jonghyuk meant that Han Sooyoung had done her job properly. If it was as scheduled, there were five minutes remaining until my breathing completely stopped.

Nirvana’s eyes were fierce as he aimed a skill at me again.

[The character ‘Nirvana Moebius’ has used 108 Worries Lv. 2!]

108 Worries. It was originally a skill to raise a person’s enlightenment level by frightening their own spirit but when used on others, it would invoke terrible delirium. In particular, the effect was worse than Thought Infection or Eternal Prison for regressors like Yoo Jonghyuk.

Of course, this would only happen if I was Yoo Jonghyuk.

[The Fourth Wall has completely neutralized the effect of 108 Worries!]

I’m sorry but I wasn’t the normal ‘Yoo Jonghyuk’ now.

“This feeling is... who are you?”

As expected, the reincarnator noticed quickly. I rushed over and punched him in the mouth.

“Kuaaaak!”

Nirvana went flying with a scream. The body of a regressor was truly excellent. I had this much speed and destructive power without even using Electrification.

Nirvana’s physical strength was exhausted and he couldn’t resist as he flew through the air.

It was a very pleasant feeling.

However, Nirvana could still withstand it. It was natural. He would be used to pain and death. I once again hit him and said, “You have been through death dozens of times so you don’t know ‘death’. It’s funny.”

Death was death and it only happened once. A human’s ‘present’ was important because there was nothing after death. This was why Nirvana didn’t know ‘death’ or the ‘present.’

“A person who can’t live in the present preaches about the present. There is no contradiction.”

“How about me... keok!”

“I know. The reason why you want to be one with Yoo Jonghyuk, why you are spreading the Salvation Church and what you ultimately want to reach.”

I understood, which was why I had to stop him now. Nirvana hesitated. Still, he was a reincarnator and quickly regained his composure.

Nirvana shouted, “Foolish person! It is useless to do this. Even if you do this, Yoo Jonghyuk will die. No one can stop the destruction of the scenarios. Even if this life is ruined, the world will repeat. I will reincarnate and Yoo Jonghyuk will regress! We will end up as one!”

Yes, this was the mindset of a reincarnator. However...

“Do you really think so?”

At this moment, a message appeared on the message board. This was the right timing.

+

The third strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome is ‘Supreme King Yoo Jonghyuk.’

+

Nirvana’s expression became strange. “The third? Yoo Jonghyuk?”

I nodded and smiled. “Yoo Jonghyuk will never go to the next regression.”

“What?”

“No matter what, Yoo Jonghyuk will survive. It is either you or me.”

“Don’t make me laugh! I am the strongest incarnation, Nirvana Moebius. A trivial person like you...!”

+

The second strongest incarnation in Seoul Dome is ‘Salvation Leader Nirvana.’

+

...Damn. I didn’t know the second place would already be released. I looked up and saw the dokkaebis giggling like it was funny. Maybe they decided the game was settled. Nirvana’s body started to tremble. “...This is... ridiculous...”

“Nirvana, you said that you wanted to live in the present?”

“Perhaps... you...?”

Nirvana’s body shook like he encountered a topic that could never be interpreted. I stared at Nirvana and opened my mouth.

It was a very low voice, like the whisper of a reaper. “I will tell you about your ‘death.’”