「The ending of 『Infinite Wardens』 is unknown. Because it has never been written.」

*

Another flash of lightning struck down before Killer King’s eyes as he patrolled the forest. Right after, an upper demon fell with a thud.

“Ohh! We took down another one!”

“Amazing.”

As Gyeong Sein and Lee Dansoo cheered, Cha Yerin shook her head.

At their reactions, Killer King shrugged and swaggered.

“It’s nothing much.”

The power to defeat an “upper demon” without so much as a scratch. What was even more surprising was—

“For guys like that, a single word is enough.”

—that Killer King really had taken them down with just “a few words”.

The way Killer King defeated the upper demons was simple.

“Judging from your appearance, I doubt your original epithets amount to much.”

[W-what nonsense is that! What would the likes of you know about me—]

Chchchchch!

“If you’re so confident, reveal your true name.”

[I am from the mighty <Olympus>— ggegegegegek! H-how come— ggegegegegek!]

Chchchchchch!

The name of this world setting was 『Infinite Wardens』. Every person in this place had their own role, and thus, they could only speak within a set category.

Simply put, in this world setting, any utterance that did not fit the composition of the setting was not permitted.

What happened if you kept talking while ignoring the world setting?

[ggegegegegegek!]

You ended up like that.

“Wow, my god.”

At first, they thought it was just luck.

But when the upper demons collapsing in that manner hit one, two, three, four…… and soon passed ten, a look of reverence appeared in Gyeong Sein’s eyes.

“Here, Kill… no, Mr. Kang Ilhun is the strongest.”

Watching Gyeong Sein, who couldn’t hide her admiration, Killer King snorted.

“They’re just pathetically weak.”

In this world setting, the trait value Killer King had been given was “Delusionalist”. And the Delusionalist was the only existence in this world setting who was allowed to “say whatever he wanted”. It didn’t matter if he directly mentioned <Star Stream> or the true names of constellations.

Because everything he said was “delusion”.

How many demons had he stir-fried with Plausibility like that?

“Everyone, scatter.”

For the first time, an upper demon appeared who did not turn into “Plausibility roast” at Killer King’s provocation. It wasn’t particularly because this one was strong.

[The suppressive power of the world setting is weakening!]

The binding force of Plausibility in this world had weakened.

He didn’t know why.

Was it because he had abused the traits of the world setting?

The next moment, a flash of light flickered in the distance and the sky opened. Killer King, who had been running, Cha Yerin, and Gyeong Sein and Lee Dansoo, who had been letting out exaggerated screams, all fell silent for that moment as they looked up at the sky.

From the stars in the universe beyond the sky, things were falling.

The upper demons chasing them collapsed to the ground, and from somewhere came the sound of a great Backlash of Plausibility roaring in.

It was a sight that made even a Delusionalist, and even those who were not Delusionalists, think of the same name in that moment.

“Kim Dokja.”

Without even properly knowing who that name now referred to, they murmured it.

*

rlaehrwk37 : It’s finally starting

*

Back in high school, I once wrote a graduation speech as the representative of the graduating class. Somehow, because I had been a prizewinner in that year’s writing contest, I was picked as the representative, and I still clearly remember the Korean teacher’s evaluation after he first read the speech.

“You did write it well, but… hmm. How should I put it… You should write it in your own way. Don’t you think so?”

“In my own way? What’s that supposed to be?”

“You said you want to be a writer, didn’t you?”

Was it because of the rebelliousness of being nineteen, or because of the teacher’s provocation?

The first time I heard that question, my attitude had been crooked from start to finish.

What did it mean to be “in my own way”.

In the first place, how did that guy know what was “my way”.

The question I had held back then naturally faded with time. It wasn’t because I found the answer. Using being too busy as the reason, or making excuses that I was past the age to be asking such questions, I simply forgot.

Now, more than a decade later, I felt as if I might finally know the answer I had been searching for all that time.

So that’s what it means to be “in my own way”.

In front of me was the Demon King with a face similar to mine. A Demon King with a pale face.

He was a being that had branched from the same root as me. A star who loved stories more than anyone in this world. My backer constellation and my eldest hyung. The person who had taught me who Kim Dokja was.

I opened my mouth toward him.

“Hyung. Let’s stop now.”

Even as I said it, I already knew the answer that would come back. Before I could hear that answer, I answered first.

“…If we could really stop just because I said that—”

“This story would never have started in the first place.”

Watching him bother to respond to that answer, I sensed that he was still my backer constellation.

We smiled faintly at each other.

“You’re a mess.”

“Mm. You’ve grown into quite a fine man, though.”

“You actually are satisfied with your own face, aren’t you?”

“In the bathroom mirror, it’s not bad.”

I thought about my backer constellation, the “Demon King of Salvation”. Not the Demon King of Salvation that appears in [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint]—the Demon King of Salvation who spends every single day repeating sacrifice—but the Demon King of Salvation I knew.

For example, that awkward greeting we exchanged the first time I met him.

「Hi.」

I still remember that way of speaking that was nothing like Kim Dokja. A person who was somehow subtly different from the Kim Dokja of [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint] I remembered.

I learned many things from him.

「Do you know the Extermination Method?」

Through his holy relic, I read the long and tedious “Extermination Method”.

「Phew, that was a good sleep.」

I learned the shamelessness of buying a pillow with someone else’s coins and taking a rest.

「Now then, shall we go take a look at 41st round Joonghyuk’s back of the head.」

I learned how to smack the back of the innocent Yu Joonghyuk’s head.

「I kept the constellation epithets, but I couldn’t afford the Demon King epithets.」

I learned the boldness of selling off even his own epithets when necessary.

Was that all?

Just because he didn’t have coins, he even stole his own incarnation’s share…

“It was fun, wasn’t it?”

Smiling brightly, he knew what I was thinking, what story I was recalling.

“Yes, it was fun.”

There were so many things I wanted to ask him. As time passed, some questions lost their meaning, and some questions naturally resolved themselves.

And some questions remained between the lines.

As if drawing out those questions left between the lines, we both drew our weapons.

“That sword.”

I spoke as I looked at the sword held by the Demon King of Salvation.

A sword that anyone would see as “Unbreakable Conviction”.

“It’s mine.”

But I recognized that that sword was not Unbreakable Conviction.

“It’s mine right now.”

The Demon King of Salvation swung the sword lightly through the air.

[Holy relic, ‘Thoughts on Almost Everything’, hums.]

It was the holy relic I had lost when I entered the Recycling Center.

The “Thoughts” that could turn into anything as long as the conditions were met was crying out in the Demon King of Salvation’s hand.

“You should’ve kept better track of it.”

“If you picked up a lost item, you should return it to its owner.”

“Owner?”

The sword in my hand was the real Unbreakable Conviction.

The sword Han Sooyoung had used when she visited this world line.

It felt strange.

This sword was the weapon of the “real Kim Dokja”. And yet right now, the one holding Unbreakable Conviction was me.

[The fable, ‘Successor of the Eternal Name’, smiles faintly.]

My insides churned over and over.

It wasn’t easy to look at him as he smiled. For the first time, I felt like I didn’t want to see the next page.

“You really caused a spectacular incident.”

“I learned from my backer constellation.”

We looked up at the sky at the same time. The one and only scenery we could share, we who had to point our swords at each other.

“There are a lot of stars today too.”

“There always have been.”

The dazzling galaxy of <Star Stream>.

The falling stars and the ones that did not fall were all watching us.

「That is why we have to fight.」

Was it me who activated [Wind’s Path] first, or him? I didn’t know.

I only knew that when I came to my senses, we were standing on [Wind’s Path].

“You did well putting Gilyoung to sleep.”

“That’s basic. I don’t want to fight you when you’re a myth-grade constellation.”

Standing at the center of the raging wind, he did not exude the overwhelming grade he had when confronting Lee Gilyoung of <Kim Dokja Company>.

[The grade of Great Demon King, ‘Demon King of Salvation’, is decreasing.]

The Backlash that had subsided since earlier.

It was natural. Now, his opponent was not Lee Gilyoung but me.

The scales of <Star Stream>, which had tilted abnormally, had returned to a level appropriate for my capabilities.

“Well then, let’s see how much the youngest has improved.”

A grade lowered to something similar to mine. Even so, he was still a constellation blessed by the scenario. He was a star stronger than any boss I had fought thus far.

Seugak!

We thrust our swords at each other. A single strike that could easily kill the other crossed.

We both knew we had no desire to hurt each other. Even so, this duel had to continue.

[Constellations of nebula, <Olympus>, are watching your battle.]
[Constellations of nebula, <Asgard>, are watching your battle.]
[Constellations of nebula, <Veda>, are watching your battle.]

The [Baekcheong River Qi] contained in each other’s sword strikes let out a sharp metallic screech as it tore through the air, and nothing was cut.

[Constellation, ‘The One Who Brought Ten Lambs’, is watching your battle.]
[Constellation, ‘Black Flame Dragon of the Abyss’, is watching your battle.]
[Constellation, ‘Dragon That Lies Down’, is watching your battle.]
[Many constellations are watching your battle!]

Only our uncut chests hurt.

“If you don’t dominate the fable, you end up living the way the fable wants. Have you forgotten?”

Then the Demon King of Salvation laughed.

“Sometimes, being swept along by the story isn’t so bad.”

Looking down at Lee Gilyoung lying on the ground, I said,

“You really do sound like a constellation.”

“Because I am a constellation.”

[Constellation, ‘Black Flame Dragon of the Abyss’, makes a displeased expression.]
[Constellation, ‘Demonic Judge of Fire’, hides sad eyes.]
[Some constellations are displaying hostility toward the Great Demon King, ‘Demon King of Salvation’.]

Hearing the voices that resented him, I bit down hard on my lip.

He was the final boss of this scenario. A calamity designed to guard this forest and kill the academy’s students.

The crude stitch marks crisscrossing his body were proof of that.

“You used the demon’s body that was in the Washington Dome.”

The body of a marquis-class demon.

The very demon who had once impersonated the “Demon King of Salvation”.

“This guy was a ‘Demon King of Salvation’ too.”

That damned Demon King of Salvation.

With a bitter smile, I asked,

“Isn’t it about time you stopped with that ‘Demon ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) King of Salvation’?”

“I can’t. Without that name, I’m nothing.”

“How long are you going to be the ‘Demon King of Salvation’?”

“Until there’s only one person left.”

The Demon King of Salvation knew how this story had to end.

And so did I.

“I don’t want to write that kind of story.”

“From now on, what you have to write is an ‘impossible story’.”

“The kind of story you like, right?”

My backer constellation smiled, as if satisfied with my answer. Unable to meet that gaze, I dropped my head, and Cheonchongungom lying on the ground was shining white.

“Right.”

There was only one way to resolve this scenario.

「From here on, I have to kill my backer constellation.」