As the murmuring of <Asgard> quieted down, the sky of Ginnungagap was once more covered in silence.

A sky where not a single star dared to shine.

It wasn’t simply because the veil of “Ginnungagap” hid the starlight. There was a being beyond that veil who had seized all the starlight in his grasp.

Kim Dokja let out a stifled laugh.

“You see, you can’t do it.”

The great-figure constellations shut their mouths without any retort to those words.

They must have felt it as well.

Just now, beyond that sky of “Ginnungagap,” one of <Asgard>’s stars fell. I didn’t know the modifiers or the true name of that star. Only, judging from the reaction of the great-figure constellations, it didn’t seem to be a weak one.

Such a star plummeted at once.

‘Is Yu Joonghyuk over there.’

Without answering, Kim Dokja looked up at the sky.

What Kim Dokja could see, I could see as well. But Yu Joonghyuk did not appear in Kim Dokja’s eyes. All that our two eyes reflected was only a landscape like a pitch-black blackout curtain.

—He’s there.

Even so, we could imagine it.

The fragments Kim Dokja had recovered were speaking to us.

「“Kim Dokja. Are you there.”」

It was a voice heard from the distant past.

Words from when the companions wandered searching for him.

「“Mr. Dokja.”」

「“Mister! Can you hear me? Mister!”」

Because this world line did not permit communication with them, their voices were nothing more than auditory hallucinations created by Kim Dokja’s memory.

Even so, we could know. Even if the voices were not exactly the same, even if the pitch and the content were different, <Kim Dokja Company> was searching for Kim Dokja beyond that stage.

Because this is “that kind of story.”

—In the end, what remains is only the story.

This story is the whole of Kim Dokja.

‘Do you want to see them.’

A faint ripple of agitation was felt like a wave and died down.

—I told you. That’s not my part.

Emotion surged up out of the blue.

I wanted to tell the Demon King of Salvation.

There is no need to be such a person. There is no reason that only you have to be that “Kim Dokja.”

But on the other hand, I was understanding his words.

His tale was speaking.

「This is the way of the ‘Demon King of Salvation.’」

He can only say it like that. From birth he was made to live only like that.

Just as that stubborn Yu Joonghyuk is so.

In that moment, such a thought came to me.

If every “Kim Dokja” each has a role of his own. If they live a tale suited to that role.

Then what on earth is my role as a “Kim Dokja.”

[‘Ginnungagap’ will soon be lifted.]

The pitch-black sky was shaking.

Relief at having survived rushed in first.

Once this “stage” is lifted, the constellations will no longer be able to harm us.

No matter that it is a scenario where the scale of plausibility acts, even if the opponent is <Asgard>, one of the “Big Three” nebulae, they would have no reason to accept any greater bleeding here.

However, the great-figure constellations showed no sign yet of giving up.

[Don’t bluff. No great being can cross that veil right now.]

The Daughter of the Valkyrie’s words were correct.

For the Yu Joonghyuk I know to descend here, at least a myth-grade constellation would have to appear and balance the scale.

But that “Odin” would hardly show up here just to catch us.

“That means no constellation who would help you can come, either.”

[We don’t need the help of other constellations. Just hunting you is enough with only us.]

“Three of you got ripped apart just now.”

At those words, a bright surge of tier flowed out from the Daughter of the Valkyrie, who had inherited the tiers of the seven great-figure constellations.

[I know what your ‘former self’ looked like.]

Kim Dokja of before?

[I saw it over and over in the tales of the myth-grade constellations who hunted you. It was so rapturous I had no choice but to keep watching it again and again. In those tales you were truly beautiful.]

I was curious.

Was Kim Dokja’s true body really annihilated as they claimed.

Even if it remains as a “tale,” that does not mean there is any guarantee that the event was true.

Some tales have their facts contaminated by false agitation.

The Daughter of the Valkyrie went on in a cold voice.

[You’re just a cast-off husk shed by a god, and yet you imitate that god well.]

Those words oddly gouged at my heart.

“A mimicry.”

The Demon King of Salvation laughed without particularly denying those words.

The air surrounding us began to vibrate. Led by the Daughter of the Valkyrie, the seven constellations were drawing near while burning their full power.

“Ginnungagap” had not yet ended.

‘What will you do.’

With three stars already exited, the remaining great-figure constellations would now stake their lives and rush us.

‘If you use [Full Incarnation] one more time—’

—Then you die.

I know. But there is no method.

—There is a method.

Having cleaved the empty air and flown in, the Daughter of the Valkyrie scattered a chilling tier and hurled her spear. The spearplay, which raised a fierce gale as if the surrounding space were compressed, grazed my waist.

A tremendous tier.

Even if it was not tale-grade, at this level if we took a single hit it would be instant death.

Even in such a situation, Kim Dokja was still glib.

“Seven of you gang up on a mere husk? Then we have no choice but to call our side too.”

[There is no ally of yours in this place—]

Kim Dokja slipped his hand into his bosom and threw something forward.

With a small explosion, smoke spread acridly.

“A Poison Bomb.”

It was a spoil obtained when dealing with those Five Poisons guys in the Star Labyrinth.

Naturally, it was an item that would inflict no damage on constellations.

[With such a mere cheap trick!]

“A cheap trick?”

Startled by Kim Dokja’s words, the constellations halted for an instant.

And then, instead of immediately rushing this way, they raised wind pressure to blow away the smoke of the Poison Bomb.

They suspected Kim Dokja might have set a trap.

But that was exactly the effect Kim Dokja had aimed for.

“Anna Croft.”

At Kim Dokja’s call, Anna Croft, who had been standing in the back, flinched.

Reaching his hand out to her, Kim Dokja spoke abruptly.

“The heart.”

The processing of the “Low-grade Dragon Heart” he’d asked for earlier had just finished.

Seeing that sight, the Daughter of the Valkyrie warned her.

[Prophet! What are you trying to do right now!]

At the murderous voice, Anna Croft’s movement stopped.

[You aren’t about to betray <Asgard>, are you.]

At those words, Anna Croft, and Selena Kim and Christina Page who were at her side, all turned pale.

[Have you forgotten whose incarnation you are.]

It was entirely thanks to the support of the nebula <Asgard> that ‘Zarathustra’ could become as strong as it had.

In a situation where I had come to be at odds with <Asgard>, to help me would be no different from betraying her backing nebula.

I saw Anna Croft’s “Eyes of the Archdemon” flush red for an instant.

Tzzzt.

With sparks spitting in midair, Anna Croft frowned and staggered.

She had attempted to read the future with [Future Sight]. Judging from her expression, [Future Sight] had likely failed.

After watching us for a moment, Anna Croft bowed her head low and spoke.

“I am indeed an incarnation of <Asgard>.”

I understood.

The price in the seventh scenario for betraying a Big Three-grade giant nebula would be obvious.

If she helped us now, Anna’s group would be ruined. Therefore, her judgment right now was extremely rational.

“But.”

Slowly lifting her head, Anna Croft looked at the Daughter of the Valkyrie and continued.

“I’m not sure you can represent <Asgard>.”

The moment I looked into Anna Croft’s eyes, gooseflesh slowly crept up my back.

I had forgotten for a moment.

That she was the “Gambler of Las Vegas.”

[What are you talking about right now.]

“This stage is the primordial ‘Ginnungagap.’ What happens here is not recorded. Since it is not transmitted, no one outside will know what happened in here.”

Just now, Anna Croft had placed a bet.

“If all of you die here, who will remember what I did.”

[What nonsense are you saying, Prophet!]

A gamble with slim odds.

Ordinarily, the “Anna Croft” I knew would never have intervened.

Even so, now, Anna Croft staked all her stake on the swindler she hated most.

“Cheon Inho. Can you do it.”

Whether Cheon Inho could do it or not, I didn’t know. Only, the one answering now was not Cheon Inho.

“It’s possible.”

Realizing something had gone wrong, the constellations shouted in alarm.

[Strike!]

In the meantime, we received the “Refined Low-grade Dragon Heart” from Anna Croft.

I wanted to ask her.

Why she had decided to help us.

In a situation where the future could not be seen, what on earth she believed in to place a bet on us.

“In no round did I receive recognition as a ‘companion’ from the Conqueror.”

Anna Croft’s gaze was turned toward the fallen Yu Joonghyuk.

“If such a Conqueror acknowledged you as a companion, there must be enough reason.”

Anna Croft had intuited that this round was the end of the world line. Therefore, she too must have placed her final bet.

“Joonghyuk has an eye for people.”

The constellations who had swept away the toxic mist each sent their armaments flying.

Foremost once again was the spear hurled by the Daughter of the Valkyrie.

The thunderous strike contained within the spearplay flew while overturning the entire stretch of ground.

[Kill him! Retrieve the fragments!]

Kim Dokja immediately swallowed the “Low-grade Dragon Heart” and evaded the spear.

[You use ‘Refined Low-grade Dragon Heart.’]

My heart thudded greatly and my body shook violently. The magic power spewed by the dragon’s heart was fusing with my own heart. I felt the body break through its limit as a chrysalis metamorphoses into a butterfly.

[Your body evolves!]

[The tale of ‘Dragonkin’ dwells in your °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° heart.]

But the opponents were constellations.

Merely having absorbed a single “Low-grade Dragon Heart,” merely having increased the total amount of magic power, we could not overcome the disadvantage.

The spearplay that had grazed us circled the far sky and was flying back toward us.

Judging by the fact that the range of lightning released was larger than before, it did not look like we could avoid it by luck again.

This time we had to clash at full power.

—Youngest.

“Yes.”

As the heart beat greatly, the dragon’s heart carried rough magic power throughout my whole body.

With the pain of blood vessels tearing, pages began to turn over in my head.

[Exclusive skill, ‘Bookmark’ activates!]

We are Kim Dokja.

A reader fights in the reader’s way.

—The figure we need right now is.

“A monster who can face seven great-figure constellations.”

—[Full Incarnation] alone will be hard. The body specs don’t match so the consumption of tier is too great.

“Then the Heaven-Sundering Sword Saint won’t do either.”

A character who could take down seven great-figure constellations.

Many figures came to mind, but a figure who could take them down without excessively upsetting the balance of the scale did not readily surface.

—There is one.

“But will it work? That figure is a ‘constellation.’”

Originally, [Bookmark] activates only on a “person.”

In fact, in the main story of ORV, Kim Dokja not once borrowed a constellation’s power through the bookmark.

—Perhaps. We also happened to obtain a ‘Dragon Heart.’

But it wasn’t impossible.

There had certainly been a time when the comprehension of the bookmark toward a “constellation” had risen.

“Then let’s try it.”

A being at the limit that my current body can endure and permitted by the plausibility of the scale.

「“He’s been strong from birth.”」

When the turning pages stopped, his history lapped at my ear.

「“He was born bearing the bloodline of dragons.”」

In the main story there had been no chance to borrow his power through the “bookmark.”

Because the comprehension had not been sufficient.

[You possess the ‘Dragon’s Heart.’]

[Your body’s specifications correspond to the body’s specifications of the relevant figure.]

But how about now.

[Bookmark No. 21 is activated.]

My heart pounded greatly and the vision before my eyes warped.

The charging constellations shouted as if in desperation.

[We don’t know what you’re trying to do—but—]

[Kill him! At most he can use only the power of a great-figure!]

At most a great-figure.

But even among great-figures there is a pecking order.

[Exclusive skill, ‘Three-Sword Style Lv.???’ activates!]

He is the strongest great-figure constellation.

A being who, in life, is said to have never swung his sword more than three times against the same opponent.

A warlord who with one sword cut down a thousand men, with two swords brought down a mountain, and with three swords split the sea.

[Bookmark No. 21, ‘Goryeo’s Greatest Sword, Cheok Jungyeong’ is activated!]

Only belatedly realizing something, the constellations in the rear shouted.

[Wait, stop! Daughter of the Valkyrie! Something is wrong! Right now the author—]

Before the bastard’s words were even finished, the scene before my eyes tore apart in its entirety.