Chapter 405: Episode 77 – Final Dragon (2)
[‘The 4th Wall’ is violently reacting!]
The prior generation’s Apocalypse Dragon flew up and generated a storm of Fables. My vision continued to waver precariously as I wobbled about like a scarecrow without a pole to hold me up.
In the blink of an eye, the creature reached high up in the air and screeched out a mighty howl, seemingly killing every other noise existing in the world at the same time. The heads of the Incarnation Bodies exploded, and the Constellations in the battlefield began vomiting out Fables while covering their ears.
Tsu-chuchuchuchu....
The parts of the sky where the Apocalypse Dragon flew by were torn apart to reveal a jet-black hole.
Other Dragons flying around in sheer confusion ran away in terror, while some of them who didn’t know their place rushed in only to become bloody sacks of meat after getting brushed by the Apocalypse Dragon’s wings.
In the centre of that chaotic sky, the ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ was waiting for the Apocalypse Dragon to arrive.
[Constellation, ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’, is staring at its enemy.]
It roared out and charged at the Apocalypse Dragon. The two mighty creatures got into a tangle and began a deadly battle in the sky.
However, rather than calling it a battle, it was closer to being fisticuffs between an adult and a fifteen-year-old kid, instead.
[Constellation, ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’, is enraged!]
It was several sizes larger than every other Dragon, yet when compared to its current opponent, it simply looked like a little hatchling.
“You better not lose!! If you do, I’m gonna kill you!”
Fables streamed out from Han Su-Yeong’s figure as she cheered for her sponsor. Her Great Fables were telling their stories for the sake of her sponsor right now.
“The most destructive apocalypse! The deepest abyss! I’ll say all those words as many times as you want, so don’t lose!! Please!!”
As if to answer her calls, the ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ spewed out a powerful Breath.
Other Dragons struck by the attack fell like burning kites. It was almost as if the entire sky was covered in the black flames.
[You’re indeed a powerful Dragon. Before I went to sleep, there was no one like you.]
[Don’t make me laugh, you geezer. I didn’t descend to this place just to hear your kkondae-like rubbish.]
[It seems that I need to fix your poor manners somewhat.]
The Apocalypse Dragon dodged the Breath with a flapping of its wings and went on the counter-offensive. It was so fast that there was no time to even think about evading it.
Shu-wuoooo....
The Black Flame Dragon was quick-witted enough to dodge that, however. It literally transformed into a 15-year-old boy in an instant and through the Dragon Voice magic, activated [Meteor Strike].
The Apocalypse Dragon was struck by the falling pieces of rocks and became enraged.
[....Polymorph? You were the same as the rest of them.]
[Screw you! You also polymorphed earlier too, geezer!]
[That is not what a pure Dragon should do.]
The Black Flame Dragon reverted back to his original form and roared out. [I will live the way I want to! Whether it’s as a human or an Orc, it’s my choice!]
[You seem to be a lacking candidate to represent all Dragons.]
Sparks danced wildly as the battle of biting and slashing continued on.
The Apocalypse Dragon silently absorbed the Black Flame Dragon’s attacks and eventually, its jaw slowly split open wide. The latter began charging up its Breath as well.
A clash of a Breath against another Breath; thick, heavy breaths made out of black flames collided with the Apocalypse Dragon’s crimson flames.
In the ensuing moment, the colours of the sky changed instantly, followed by the kind of heat that made me think there was a burning sun right in front of my eyes.
Although spectacular, I couldn’t stand there and admire the sight. Reincarnators that couldn’t withstand the intense heat turned into piles of ashes as the scenes of flames dancing entrancingly engraved themselves deeply into their minds.
[Great Fable, ‘Final Dragon of the Book of Revelation’, has selected its ‘Final Dragon’.]
The Abyssal Black Flame Dragon was the most eligible candidate to become the Final Dragon currently. But, if you flip that around, it also meant that it was still not the ‘Final Dragon’.
[The victor has been decided in the ‘Dragon’s Festival’.]
From below the churning crimson clouds, a creature powerlessly fell down to the ground.
“Black Flame Dragon!”
Its wing skin was on fire, and its body had suffered several tears. As it fell, its eyes were locked on me, conveying its words as if it was thoroughly unhappy about this outcome.
⸢Ah, ah... So, I guess it was too much of an ask, fighting with only one hand.... I’ll leave the rest up to you, boy.⸥
This development was exactly the same as the storyline from the original that I knew.
The previous generation’s Apocalypse Dragon possessed the power that rivalled a consummate-level Myth-grade Constellation. And that Dragon would evolve into a Calamity that surpassed far beyond the previous Status this time around.
Han Su-Yeong spat out another mouthful of blood and angrily shouted at me. “Damn it.... Kim Dok-Ja!! This wasn’t a part of your plan!”
“It’s going according to the original story.”
“What does that even mean?! Are things going well or not??”
I heard Yu Jung-Hyeok’s message coming in from behind.
Constellations were busy gathering right behind him. They were all staring at the sky with stupefied faces.
Ku-gugugugu!
The humongous frame of the Dragon that seemed to have sucked in all the light in this world began gathering the Probability of the <Star Stream>.
[Just what is that.....?]
The Apocalypse Dragon’s revival was already set in stone. A scenario needed an incident, and this creature was that incident itself. As long as the <Star Stream> willed for an incident to happen, its revival was a guaranteed thing.
Back in the original story, several varied attempts were made to stop its revival, but not one of them succeeded.
There was a reason why I stuck around searching for the Apocalypse Dragon even though I knew that; why I chatted to it regarding the Fables featuring Dragons, and even why the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon sacrificed its Status to continue with the battle it was certain to lose; all of those were to... to buy us more time.
[Great Fable, ‘Final Dragon of the Book of Revelation’, has begun its storytelling!]
The smartphone inside my inner pocket began buzzing noisily and emitting light at that moment.
⸢The Calamity from the Book of Revelation opened its eyes within the hottest place in Hell.⸥
It seemed that the Apocalypse Dragon’s revival was supposed to happen even within the final revised version sent by tls123.
⸢Dragons that lost their lives within the extremely difficult Fable roared on, and....⸥
⸢The crimson season of the apocalypse in full swing has come knocking.⸥
The falling Dragons cried out in sorrow. The countless score of them, sacrificed to the Fable and became frozen in names only after even their souls were ripped away from them, were paying their reverence towards their king.
On the other side of the sky, I saw Metatron and Asmodeus; it seemed that the conference venue’s battle had ended just then.
Metatron spoke while looking up at the humongous body of the Apocalypse Dragon.
[You have finally come, oh, Evil Dragon of Harmagedon....]
The Evil Dragon of the Great Fable, [Harmagedon]; although it was the symbol of Evil once upon a time, even the Most Ancient Evil couldn’t bear the weight of this primal evil.
And that very Evil Dragon was looking down at the Constellations of ‘Good and Evil’ in an aloof manner.
[Oh, aged Fables. It’s now time to uphold the promise of Armageddon.]
The air exploded violently and the Apocalypse Dragon’s giant frame pierced straight through the atmosphere. An unbelievable amount of sparks danced outside the sky where the creature had disappeared.
[The Main Scenario is being updated!]
[Calamity’s Probability has exceeded the scenario’s limit.]
[Scenario’s difficulty is automatically being adjusted.]
[Scenario befitting the Calamity’s difficulty is being reassigned.]
I knew that would happen. If I remembered correctly, the ‘Apocalypse Dragon’ was the 85th main scenario’s Calamity back in the original storyline. And the ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’ was the 80th.
[Scenario jump has occurred!]
[Calamity’s difficulty is abnormally high.]
[Due to the excessive scenario jump, abnormal conditions have developed in your Incarnation Body.]
....
.......
.......
[89th Main Scenario is starting.]
<Main Scenario #89 – Final Dragon of the Book of Revelation>
Type: Main
Difficulty: Indeterminable
Clear Condition: Defend against the ‘Calamity of the Book of Revelation’.
Time Limit: Applicable scenario does not have a time limit.
Reward: Great Fable related to ‘Final Dragon of the Book of Revelation’, ???
Failure: Destruction of the <Star Stream> will accelerate.
* This scenario will be divided into different phases. Refer to the System Messages for more info and prepare for the Calamity.
I calmly read the scenario messages.
....89th scenario, was it.
The scenario’s number was higher than compared to the original storyline. The thing was, the later it got in the scenarios, the higher the amount of Probability being allowed.
Meaning, the Apocalypse Dragon about to descend would be stronger than when it appeared in the original story.
[Calamity warning is ringing throughout the entirety of <Star Stream>!]
[Soon, the revived Apocalypse Dragon will start its actions.]
[Every region within the <Star Stream> will now be considered the location of the 89th scenario.]
“Dok-Ja-ssi, we’ve brought them all.”
I looked back to find Jeong Hui-Won and <Kim Dok-Ja Company>, plus the Constellations that followed us.
Only a few hours ago, they were busy fighting each other; these were now our new allies that Yu Jung-Hyeok managed to rally together while the Black Flame Dragon and I managed to buy us some time.
[My apologies. We didn’t gather as many as we thought.]
Dionysus scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Constellations from <Olympus> stood behind him.
The ‘Goddess of Love and Beauty’, Aphrodite.
The ‘Atrocious War God’, Ares.
The ‘Spokeswoman of Justice and Wisdom’, Athena.
The ‘Master of Skywalk’, Hermes.
The ‘Volcanic Blacksmith’, Hephaistos.
The ‘Pure Moonlight’s Hunter’, Artemis.....
They were folks responsible for creating ‘Gigantomachia’ with us.
[I did call Father and the fish uncle, but....]
The ‘Lightning Throne’ Zeus or the ‘Spear that Draws the Boundaries of the Sea’ Poseidon didn’t seem to have joined us. When looking back to the splendour the Myth-grade Constellations exhibited back in ‘Gigantomachia’, it sure was quite a regretful thing.
[This isn’t going to be enough, right?]
“If I’m being honest, then.... Yes, it is.”
<Olympus> was indeed powerful, but it was still impossible to stop the Apocalypse Dragon with only these people. If the ‘First Tail-Flick’ was exactly as described in the original story, then our current combat force would barely get to survive the first impact wave of that tail.
And then, I heard someone else’s true voice.
[My old comrades say that they shall aid you, ‘Demon King of Salvation’.]
Blinding rays of light formed from the northern sky.
[Constellations of the Nebula, <Vedas>, have incarnated into the scenario!]
Several Constellations broke past the thick clouds accompanied by the rapturous flames and made their entrance. The moment I saw their exterior appearances, pages of the ‘Ways of Survival’ flipped open all on their own in my head.
I expected to run into them sooner or later, but I certainly didn’t think we’d meet like this under the current circumstances.
The ‘God-King of Yakshas’, Kubera.
The ‘Purifying Flames’, Agni.
And on top of that, even the ‘Unending Storm’, Vayu.
They were all Fable-grade Constellations affiliated with ‘lokapala’ of <Vedas>, alongside the ‘Supreme God of Light’, Surya.
[Where is the bastard named Apocalypse Dragon?]
[We now have a chance to acquire a pretty decent Fable after a long while.]
[Indra’s wounds were too severe and he couldn’t come.]
This was only the beginning.
[Constellations of the Nebula, <Papyrus>, have incarnated into the scenario!]
From the eastern skies...
[Constellations of the Nebula, <Guardian Tree>, have incarnated into the scenario!]
And then, from the western skies....
[Constellations of the Nebula, <Asgard>, have incarnated into the scenario!]
[Constellations of the Nebula, <Twelve Zodiac>, have incarnated into the scenario!]
.....
One-time enemy Constellations were gathering together in front of the Star Stream’s Calamity.
Yu Jung-Hyeok, Han Su-Yeong, and the companions of <Kim Dok-Ja Company> stood close to me as the blindingly bright stars continued to incarnate next to us. They all carried tense expressions.
“There’s no need to be so timid, everyone. We’re one of them, after all.”
For sure, the gazes of the Constellations looking at us were different compared to the past. If the eyes staring at us back when <Kim Dok-Ja Company> had been created were close to contempt and disdain, they were much closer to jealousy and envy now.
<Kim Dok-Ja Company> had reached this far with our own strengths. And again, we’d reach the ‘Final Scenario’ with our own powers.
After the Constellations of the regional conflicts that hadn’t yet entered the great battlefield joined us, the overall number easily surpassed five hundred.
Unfortunately, there was a problem with the mentality of the newly-joining folks.
[A Great Fable just because of a single Dragon? What a profitable business opportunity this is.]
[All of you, scram. Our Nebula shall hunt the Apocalypse Dragon down.]
[Nope, that Apocalypse Dragon shall be hunted down by none other than us, <Guardian Tree>.]
[Surya, will you give us a ride to that Apocalypse Dragon?]
Surya heard them yapping away and formed a dumbfounded expression. [Have you all lost your minds? Didn’t you witness what happened just now?]
[Ah, ah. We all saw the scenario’s weird ‘direction’.] It was the ‘Morning Star Goddess’, Vakarine, who said that as she entered the conflict zone. [It’s simply not possible for one measly little monster to possess a Status as ridiculous as that, Surya. Maybe, you were in need of extra coins after exiting <Vedas>?]
[We were not acti....]
[It seems that the train’s conductor is scared today, so us alone should start the conquest, then.]
Not every Constellation in the <Star Stream> knew what the Apocalypse Dragon was. The last time it revived was already tens of thousands of years ago, that was why.
A certain myth would come across as just another story from the distant past even to Constellations. The length of time was more than sufficient enough for those who survived the Calamity, and those born after it, to forget all about it.
Metatron spoke as if to warn them. [You must all compose yourselves first. Acting individually is inadvisable, everyone. That Apocalypse Dragon is....]
[You, shut up and stay out of this. The whole ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’ Fable went down the drain because of your actions.]
As if it was waiting for this moment, the System Message rang out once more.
[‘Final Dragon of the Book of Revelation’ has started its actions!]
<Episode 77. Final Dragon (2)> Fin.