A space painted in monochrome. There hung a single whiteboard of plain design.

Kim Dokja　　Company

Lee Gilyoung stared blankly at the words written on the board. The board bore traces of many people’s handwriting written and erased.

When Han Sooyoung first wrote those letters, Lee Jihye had asked,

“Didn’t our company dissolve?”

Hearing that, Han Sooyoung muttered, “For once that actually makes sense,” and corrected the writing.

<Han Sooyoung Company That Used To Be Kim Dokja Company>

Then Lee Seolhwa tilted her head.

“Wasn’t it Han Sooyoung Corporation?”

While Han Sooyoung, tilting her head as well, murmured vacantly, “Did I lose my memory when we made the [Avatar] last time?” the companions holding pens each wrote different words on the board.

<Kim Dokja Mister–Searching Company>
<Kim Dokja Therapy Company>
<Kim Dokja Collection Company>
<Kim Dokja ★ Company>
<Kim Dokja Lee Gilyoung Company>

Someone laughed, and someone else corrected what another had written. As they erased and wrote again several times, the whiteboard became messy like melted snow.

“Joonghyuk, don’t you have any ideas?”

Yu Joonghyuk, as if he had no intention of joining, looked at them with disdain and only stared out the window.

Writing and erasing like that dozens of times.

Kim Dokja　　Company

In the end, the only letters left to them were those. The only letters permitted to them were those.

Lee Gilyoung reached a hand toward the blank space between “Kim Dokja” and “Company.” A blank where only the traces of countless writings and erasures remained.

“Shin Yuseung. Should we have done nothing at all?”

Without answering, Shin Yuseung, like Lee Gilyoung, stared blankly at the blank between “Kim Dokja” and “Company.”

Within that blank lay the history they had lived.

Crossing world lines to reach the 41st round in search of Kim Dokja. Meeting a new “Kim Dokja” there. Interfering with the world line to change the story of the 41st round. And...

The door suddenly burst open and Lee Seolhwa poked her head in. Yoo Sangah, looking slightly tired, was with her.

Leaping up from his seat, Lee Gilyoung asked,

“Noonas. How did it go? What about Sooyoung unni?”

It had already been a week since the connection to the 41st round was cut off. It was called a week, but there was no knowing how long that was on the other side.

“It’s not... right?”

Unlike the others, Han Sooyoung had infiltrated the “41st round” directly without going through the “Tale Connector” made by Lee Seolhwa.

There she used massive plausibility, opened a tale, and as a result rescued Lee Hakhyun, who was 49% Kim Dokja.
And then—

“Sooyoung unni went in as an avatar, right?”

Han Sooyoung’s avatar rescued Lee Hakhyun and vanished.

“Even if the avatar dies, it’s fine so long as the main body doesn’t die.”

The only one among the group who could freely handle the [Avatar], Han Sooyoung. The person who understood “Eradication Method,” and this world, better than anyone.

As a contingency, Han Sooyoung had left her main body here, so that even if something untoward occurred in the 41st round, she could recover consciousness here.

And yet—why.

“Why on earth isn’t she waking up.”

After the “Absolute Throne” scenario of the 41st round ended, Han Sooyoung did not wake up. At first they figured she must be sneaking around somewhere else, using the [Avatar] in secret again. But a day passed, two days passed, and even after a week the sleeping Han Sooyoung did not wake.

More precisely—

“Why is it that I can’t feel any tale at all from Sooyoung unni.”

No tale could be felt. What that meant was clear. In the <Star Stream>, existence is precisely “story.” But the fact that that story had stopped—

“She’s alive.”

Yoo Sangah spoke.

“She’s definitely alive. You know what kind of person Sooyoung is.”

What kind of person is Han Sooyoung. Neither Shin Yuseung nor Lee Gilyoung could readily answer that question anymore.

They weren’t even sure if the Kim Dokja they had known was truly Kim Dokja. What had they been looking at of Kim Dokja. Had they even been properly seeing one another.

“What about the black guy.”

To make matters worse, contact with Yu Joonghyuk was also cut off. The last time they’d reached him had likewise been right after the “Absolute Throne” scenario.

It was about time for him to come back—so why was there no contact at all.

[‘Tale Connector’ responds to a flood of plausibility!]

At the suddenly heard message, the party all raised their heads at once.

[Surplus plausibility has arisen in the world line!]

Surplus plausibility. No one had to explain what that meant.

“I’ll connect.”

For some reason, the world had come to have spare plausibility. In other words, right now they could interfere with the 41st round at minimal cost.

“This time I said I would go.”

Shin Yuseung exuded killing intent toward Lee Gilyoung, who growled.

Yoo Sangah, restraining the two kids who looked ready to come to blows any moment, said,

“I’ll go.”

“You can’t, unni! You have to guard this place.”

“No, I’ll go and summon bugs! Whether constellations or whatever, I’ll just sweep them all—”

The one who cut off their conversation was Lee Seolhwa.

“Someone’s already drawing in and using the plausibility.”

That made no sense. The plausibility flood had just occurred—who on earth was already drawing plausibility to use?

The companions all looked at one another at the same time. The first to open her mouth was Yoo Sangah.

“Biyu. Show us the region where the plausibility flood occurred.”

Beeeep—

A sound came from somewhere, and a moment later a screen rose up.

“The black guy!”

Beyond the screen was Yu Joonghyuk, confronting ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) constellations.

*

Right after failing to break through the Void Veil, Yu Joonghyuk hid nearby within the “Context of Constellations,” waiting for the right moment.

Hounds that had pursued him—those who had followed the one who interfered with the world line—were searching nearby. Fortunately, he had one companion who was of some use.

—Damn it! You didn’t bring me here just to clean up after you, did you?

A man named “Jaehwan” whom he had brought from the world of 《Fantasy Beast》.

Leaving the “Hounds of the Abyss” to him, Yu Joonghyuk concealed his presence with the minimum plausibility possible and waited for an opening. Normally, he would never have waited this inefficiently. But this time, the situation was a little different.

Han Sooyoung.

Right after Han Sooyoung disappeared, something had pierced the Void Veil and invaded the 41st round.

Yu Joonghyuk immediately recognized what it was.

Kim Dokja.

It was unmistakably Kim Dokja. At least, a large part of the Kim Dokja he remembered.

So Yu Joonghyuk waited.

For some reason, right after Han Sooyoung vanished, Kim Dokja had appeared.
If it was certain that beyond that Void Veil was truly Kim Dokja—if that Kim Dokja was the same Kim Dokja he remembered—

「That guy will definitely twist plausibility at least once.」

Yu Joonghyuk believed that.

He endured the collapse of his tale, endured the erosion of his memories, and waited, and waited.

And then—

[Grand Tale, ‘Ginnungagap,’ begins to tell its story.]

At last, the signal came.

From behind the moon, Yu Joonghyuk immediately checked the state of the 41st round’s Earth. The planet was covered by the Void Veil, so he could not see inside, but he could tell what was happening.

The Grand Tale “Ginnungagap.”

If <Asgard>’s Grand Tale was moving at this point in time, it could only be related to Kim Dokja. Because such a thing could never happen unless that bastard had done something outrageous.

[The Scale of Plausibility tilts!]
[Additional plausibility floods in!]

Yu Joonghyuk sprinted across the universe. Explosive tales accelerated his entire body. Normally, it would be impossible—he had no remaining plausibility allowed to him.

But this scenario was different.

[The rule of ‘Scale of Plausibility’ is active within this scenario.]

In this scenario, if someone else first shifted the scale, he too could intervene—defying the laws of plausibility to interfere in the scenario.

[What the— you—]

Just then, a constellation trying to enter the Void Veil with borrowed nebula power found its throat seized by Yu Joonghyuk.

The constellation, choking in Yu Joonghyuk’s grasp, thrashed and spewed its tale. Flames rolled from the incarnation body, red-hot like molten metal—it must have been a fire-related constellation.

But Yu Joonghyuk didn’t budge.

“Great-figure grade, huh.”

Without another word, Yu Joonghyuk crushed the constellation’s neck and detonated his tale. The constellation’s incarnation body disintegrated entirely into powder. Tales that had once been fragments of a star scattered against the veil and shattered into dust.

Yu Joonghyuk stared silently at the fleeting remains of the star, then spoke.

“Come out. Trash.”

Then, from around the veil’s perimeter, the hidden incarnation bodies of constellations revealed themselves. Judging by their stiff faces, they must have witnessed the previous battle.

[Hey, who just died?]
[The Guardian of the Small Horns.]
[He was just about to advance to tale-grade… and got taken out in one hit?]

Yu Joonghyuk lightly circulated his magic power, checking his condition.

Maybe because he’d stayed too long in another world line, his tales didn’t obey him as they should.

“Less than half of my full power available.”

His body was a wreck, his tales unresponsive—but even so, this was enough to fight. At least enough to stop the constellations from interfering in the 41st round.

And if luck was on his side, maybe he’d find a way down beneath the Void Veil itself.

“Asgard. Why are you here?”

At Yu Joonghyuk’s voice, the stars flinched.

“Answer me. Why was ‘Ginnungagap’ activated? The Earth’s only in the seventh scenario—why did you decide to intervene?”

The instant Yu Joonghyuk stepped forward, a small distortion arose in the distant cosmos. The interstellar void twisted, space contracting and expanding repeatedly.

The nearby constellations gasped and retreated.

[O— it’s coming—]

Yu Joonghyuk felt it, too.

Something was coming. Something ancient and powerful.

[Constellation, ‘Goddess of Love and Cats,’ casts her gaze upon you!]

A crushing force surged before him, and soon four constellations stood in front of Yu Joonghyuk.

[Constellation, ‘God of Harp and Horn,’ shows hostility toward you!]
[Constellation, ‘One Who Lost His Arm to the Wolf of Destruction,’ frowns at you!]
[Constellation, ‘Guardian of the Great Horned Bridge,’ warns you!]

The tale-grade constellations representing <Asgard>.

Recognizing them, the surrounding great-figure constellations shouted in awe.

[Th-the tale-grade constellations—!]
[Unbelievable…!]

The Goddess of Love and Cats, Freyja.
The God of Harp and Horn, Bragi.
The One Who Lost His Arm to the Wolf of Destruction, Tyr.
The Guardian of the Great Horned Bridge, Heimdall.

All were <Asgard>’s tale-grade constellations, on par with the Twelve Gods of <Olympus>—beings whom even great-figure constellations could scarcely encounter.

And now, four such stars had manifested at once.

Even more shocking—

[Is that the ‘Puppet of the Discarded Dream’?]
[As Father said, his presence truly is extraordinary.]

Only now, with the four tale-grade representatives of <Asgard> appearing, did the broken balance of the Scale finally begin to settle.

[You mean that one alone equals the four of us?]

The one who stepped forward with a scowl was Tyr, the One Who Lost His Arm to the Wolf of Destruction. Carrying the blood of giants, Tyr advanced toward Yu Joonghyuk, his massive body radiating his tale without restraint.

Yu Joonghyuk looked up at him and murmured,
“Smaller than my master.”

[What?]

As Tyr repeated the word, Yu Joonghyuk took a step forward.

Two steps. Three steps.

They were just steps.

And yet—why.

Seeing Yu Joonghyuk walk across the void toward him, Tyr felt an unexplainable tremor. He had felt this same fear once before, long ago.

It was unbelievable. He was a tale-grade constellation—one of <Asgard>’s very top ranks. The only beings he feared were the Wolf of Destruction that had bitten off his arm, and his father, greater than any star in existence.

“Do you want to lose your other arm too?”

As Yu Joonghyuk slowly drew his sword—

Kuroooong—

A tremendous wave of power shook through the cosmos. A sound like thunder crashing from across the universe.

If hit head-on, even Yu Joonghyuk might not survive that force.

A strange light crossed his expression. He knew exactly whose lightning that was.

[Constellation, ‘One-Eyed Father,’ casts his gaze upon you!]

The One-Eyed Father.

Odin, <Asgard>’s strongest myth-grade constellation.

Though not intervening directly, the mere expression of will by a myth-grade being was enough to shake the heavens.

Kugugugung—

A thunderous roar echoed beyond the Void Veil. Something was clearly happening on the other side as well.

“I see.”

Yu Joonghyuk’s <Black Heaven Demon Sword> flared with brilliant golden light.

“If you want to go down there, I’ll drop you all myself.”

At his signal, the stars moved.

A massive storm of meteor clusters surged down upon him.

The trails of constellations’ tales and the arc of <Heaven-Sundering Swordsmanship> intertwined, flooding the sky of the <Star Stream> with blinding light.

From the night sky, the stars began to fall.