All scenarios in the <Star Stream> have a “scenario number”.

From 1 to 99. The scenario number represents the scenario’s difficulty, and it is designed to impose a level of plausibility appropriate to that difficulty.

It was like a kind of safety device meant to prevent the “transcendent beings” of higher scenarios from barging into lower scenarios as they pleased.

「The apocalypse region has no scenario number.」

I had forgotten that fact for quite a long time.

Even if it had no scenario number, it had crossed over from “murim,” which was a scenario region in the 20s, so I’d only vaguely assumed the “apocalypse region” would be a difficulty level befitting that.

「But is the difficulty of the ‘apocalypse region’ really at the ‘20s’ level?」

Thinking about it, it was strange.

Because the “apocalypse region” contained a special space called “time strata”.

Assignments that boasted wildly different difficulties depending on each stratum.

The “time stratum” I had even cleared was based on the “final scenario” of the 40th round, no less.

The final scenario.

No matter how much it was “experiential,” a place with that kind of absurd difficulty couldn’t possibly be only a “20s scenario.”

Kwakwakwakwakwa!

Only when the warships of <Olympus>, with Zeus at their head, surged in beyond the shattered “big house” did I finally realize anew that something was seriously wrong with the scenario of the “apocalypse region.”

Tsutsutsutsut.

The Backlash of Plausibility was whipping through the sky.

Normally, the moment the backlash whipped up, the stars in that sky should have been torn apart like scraps of tissue paper.

But what was being torn apart wasn’t the stars—it was the Outer Gods.

【Gueuaaa a a a a a a】

Outer Gods moving around near the cliff’s strata were being mercilessly trampled under the constellations’ boot heels.

The flash cannons fired from the warships were turning the cliffs of the “big house” into a wasteland.

I hadn’t seen a scene like that even in the final scenario of the 40th round. That was because, there, Cheon Inho and Yoo Joonghyuk had already crushed most of the nebula’s main forces.

“Ah, aah...”

Anna Croft staggered with a groan, and I too stood beside her and stared blankly up at the sky.

That was the true power of the “Great Nebulae.”

【O o o o o o o o】

The floor of the big house heaved, and the Otherworldly Divinities appeared.

A headless dragon cruising through the sky. Giant babies guarding the outskirts of the “big house”.

The “Dream Eater” also let out a roaring cry and thrust out its tentacles.

【Mak a mak a mak a mak a】

That wasn’t all. There were also horrors that had already been exterminated by the captains.

For example, the “One Who Eats Dragons,” the “Descending Darkness.” And—

【Ka ka ka ka ka ka】

I could even see the “Founder of the Absolute Throne” I had killed.

Like Jang Hayoung when she first appeared as a projection, Outer Gods covered in pitch-black shadows stood at the side of the “King of Terror.”

Outer Gods who drew their weapons for one purpose only—protecting Kim Dokja.

【P R O T E C T T H E K I N G O F T E R R O R】

If even a single one of these Outer Gods was dropped into a scenario region, that region would be turned into a wasteland. As I realized that fact anew, hope welled up.

Maybe.

If it was the power of the “King of Terror” and the horrors he ruled, it might even be possible to bring down a “Great Nebula” that was throwing its full strength into this.

【A a a a a a a a】

And.

【O o o o o o o o】

The war began.

“Hold hands! Hurry!”

Carrying Yoo Joonghyuk on my back and clutching Anna Croft’s hand, I hid my body between the pouring barrages.

[Fable, ‘Me and the Pebble’ begins its story.]

Relying on a single frail fable, we watched the sight of the “big house” where everything was crumbling apart.

Up until now, I’d thought the constellations were afraid of the Outer Gods. That was why I believed that whenever Outer Gods appeared, the constellations ran away or kept silent.

But not all constellations were like that.

[Nebula, <Olympus>’s Great Fable begins its story!]

The constellations that formed the mainstream of the story did not fear Outer Gods.

An arrow fired by Apollo, Almighty Sun, brought down the headless dragon that had been flying through the sky, and hero-grade constellations including Achilles and Jason took down the giant babies.

[Kuahahahahat! This is fun!]

Ares, the Savage War God, riding Gigantes, laughed as he cut off the legs of the “Dream Eater.”

[Fire!]

Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwa!

【O o o o o o o】

The “Dream Eater,” struck by the warship’s flash cannons, twisted its body and spilled a painful cry.

Right after that, the Gigantes unit commanded by Ares began to butcher the main body of the “Dream Eater.”

【U u u u u u u】

Even if it wasn’t their true body’s full force, this was the first time I’d seen a great Otherworldly Divinity being treated so helplessly.

Of course, not every Outer God was only being helplessly beaten. There were Outer Gods that dove into the midst of hero-grade constellations and carried out merciless slaughter.

【Ka ka ka ka ka ka ka ka】

It was the “Founder of the Absolute Throne.”

Every time the famous swords held in its four bone-made hands drew their trajectories, the hero-grade constellations of <Olympus> were sliced apart like toys.

But there was a constellation who blocked its path.

With a harsh metallic sound, the constellation that exhaled a breath as hot as lava spoke.

[I’ve wanted to have this guy’s weapons.]

It was Hephaestus, the volcanic smith, swinging a massive hammer.

[Kraaaah!]

When Hephaestus stomped the ground with his huge right foot, a raging tide of fables erupted in an instant, and large and small scars formed across the whole body of the “Founder of the Absolute Throne.”

But the “Founder of the Absolute Throne” didn’t stay still either.

【D I E】

Just two syllables. At the lion’s roar packed into those syllables, the hero-grade constellations within dozens of meters crumpled. The incarnation bodies of the fallen hero-grade constellations were all bleeding from their ears.

Hephaestus, who had taken that lion’s roar head-on, also ground his teeth with bloodshot eyes.

[Athena! Artemis! Join in!]

Was it because he thought he couldn’t do it alone? At his request for reinforcements, two of the Twelve Divine Seats joined in.

Athena’s 「Aegis」 protected Hephaestus from the “Founder of the Absolute Throne,” and an arrow from Artemis, aimed at an opening, pierced the “Founder of the Absolute Throne” in the thigh and forearm.

【Ka ka ka ka ka ka】

Against three of the Twelve Divine Seats, the “Founder of the Absolute Throne” fought desperately. Even as its arms broke and its legs bent, it kept the dignity of a king to the very end.

[Kraaaagh! Damn Outer God bastard—!]

In the middle of that, the “Founder of the Absolute Throne,” having even succeeded in blowing off one of Hephaestus’s arms, clacked its skull and laughed.

Maybe it was an obvious result.

The Outer Gods attacked with their lives as collateral, while the constellations were only taking cautious offensives to avoid even a single wound.

Watching the Outer Gods’ resistance, I didn’t let go of the thread of hope. We just had to hold on a little longer. No matter how much it was a “Great Nebula,” no matter if this was the “apocalypse region” with no scenario number, the Backlash of Plausibility wouldn’t allow a sight like this forever.

But it seemed I wasn’t the only one thinking that.

[Move aside.]

A true word that made it feel like my heart was dropping just from hearing it.

As Hephaestus’s shoulders trembled and he stepped aside, a gigantic trident pointed forward.

「Since the boundary of the sea was created in the trajectory of his spear.」

The moment goosebumps rose at the blooming fable, an enormous wave covered the area.

Clutching Anna Croft and Yoo Joonghyuk tightly, I hid behind the severed leg of the “Dream Eater.”

Kwaaaaaaah!

The horrors the “King of Terror” had painstakingly gathered were disappearing from the world one by one. ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) The headless dragon, the Dream Eater, the Founder of the Absolute Throne.

The “horrors” revealed under dazzling starlight were no longer horrors. They were only drifters who had been driven out of the scenario and lost a place to stand.

The “Spear That Draws the Boundary of the Sea”—Poseidon—who had recovered Traiana, declared.

[Dispose of them.]

Constellations backed by the Great Nebula’s fables began slaughtering the fleeing “Otherworldly Divinities.”

Before a scene that rendered the imagination I possessed powerless, I just stood there trembling.

What would have to come to stop their violence?

Someone blocked the constellations’ path in front of the Outer Gods, instead of me just thinking.

White-shining butterfly wings reflected the light pouring out from the constellations.

【Stop.】

Zeus, having found the “King of Terror,” aimed Astrape once more. The warships spewed light.

Kukwakwakwakwakwa!

A truly horrific bombardment. The savage assault of a Great Nebula, one that no living creature could survive. No matter if it was Kim Dokja, no matter if it was the King of Terror, it was an attack they couldn’t endure.

“Damn, that hurts. Take it easy.”

But there was an existence that took that attack in his place.

Between the beams of light scattering faintly, an old man waved a hand dyed pitch-black and clicked his tongue.

“Hehe, to think the dream-eater I finally raised would end up like this.”

The “Dream Eater” collapsed on the floor cried sorrowfully. When the old man lightly patted the head of that Outer God and gave a bitter smile, the boy who appeared beside him said.

“You can just raise it again, old man.”

“That’s what I’m saying, you brat. It might take a few hundred years.”

Even within a landscape like hell, those who resisted starlight. Faces that were calm, as if they’d been through a pandemonium like this hundreds of times over, were there.

[Transcendent Alliance.]

With Poseidon’s true word, the captain-level figures of the Transcendent Alliance stood protecting the “King of Terror.”

[Stars. From here on, we cannot allow it.]

Kyrioos of the Paradoxical White Azure.

[I’m curious—how many stars have to gather before it becomes a ‘cluster of stars’.]

Namgung Minyoung, the Heaven-Breaking Sword Saint.

[Hahahahahat! At last, the day has come to have a round with you bastards!]

Even Cheok Jun-gyeong, the Number One Sword of Goryeo.

But even with the appearance of the Transcendents, the expression of Zeus holding the lead did not waver. Rather, a faint smile formed at Zeus’s lips, as if he welcomed their appearance.

[The offerings to place on the scale of plausibility have increased.]

The Twelve Divine Seats under Zeus rushed at the Transcendents.

Athena and the Heaven-Breaking Sword Saint clashed, and Kyrioos and Hephaestus smashed weapons together. The Number One Sword of Goryeo Cheok Jun-gyeong and Ares, the Savage War God, let out lion’s roars and tested each other’s monstrous strength.

When Zeus raised up the holy relic “Astrape,” the warships began their bombardment once more.

This time too, the one who blocked the bombardment was the overall commander of the Transcendent Alliance, Cheongheo of the God of Despair.

As if Cheongheo annoyed him, Zeus warned.

[Move aside. Mortal of another dimension. This is not something you should be involved in.]

“Hehe, sorry, but it’s a situation where we have no choice but to be involved.”

Cheongheo continued, standing firm in front of the King of Terror.

“If you break this ‘apocalypse region,’ it’ll become hard for us to maintain our existence too.”

After saying that, Cheongheo turned his head again and looked around.

By coincidence? His eyes were staring exactly at me, the one using 「Me and the Pebble」.

Cheongheo gave me a light nod.

“At least for now, I can’t die for you. I just found out that a guy I really want to meet is alive.”

As if Zeus no longer felt any need for conversation, he leapt down from the lead and swung his spear directly.

Before the martial display shown by a myth-grade constellation, Cheongheo of the God of Despair bravely met it and swung his sword.

The sky of the apocalypse region flashed like a gigantic lightbulb, and unceasing lightning strikes came down toward the ground.

Even as his whole body burned pitch-black, Cheongheo of the God of Despair was bearing Zeus’s fables.

A hair-raising life-and-death fight. A battle I couldn’t dare intervene in. And yet, on the other hand, I felt like I had to intervene.

Because right now, I had the Great Fable I’d obtained in the time stratum of the 40th round.

「I have faced ‘Zeus’ before.」

I know the situation is different from then. I know the difference in grade is absurdly severe.

Even so, if only I could recreate that stage once again.

—Don’t think nonsense.

The one who stopped me was Cheok Jun-gyeong. While fighting against the Savage War God, Cheok Jun-gyeong was sending words to me through [Voice Transmission].

—It’s not time to use that yet. You can’t handle this fight.

I shook my head. I know I’m no help right now.

But...

—Disciple.

The moment I heard Cheok Jun-gyeong’s next voice, I realized Cheok Jun-gyeong was terribly exhausted.

And that wasn’t all.

Kyrioos, the Heaven-Breaking Sword Saint, the other Transcendents—they were all terribly exhausted.

Maybe it was only natural.

It hadn’t been long since they’d returned with me from the time stratum of the 40th round.

I grew anxious.

What should I do? What could I do to help them?

—There’s something you have to do.

As if he’d read my thoughts, Cheok Jun-gyeong continued.

—Go and press the “button”.

Button?

A memory surfaced in an instant.

When I first entered the apocalypse region and visited the “room of the time stratum,” I had seen a certain “button” there.

A button at the very top of the time stratum.

The 0th-unit vice-captain Ryunad had said this about that button.

「“Press that. That’s the ‘reset’ button for this ‘apocalypse region’.”」

The reset button of the apocalypse region.

—If you press that button.

I saw Cheok Jun-gyeong’s sword shatter under the spear swung by the Savage War God.

With his belly skin pierced through, Cheok Jun-gyeong smiled at me and said.

—Everything that happened in the ‘apocalypse region’ will become ‘something that never happened’.