That morning was the same as usual.

We woke up at dawn and busily tidied up our faces (Han Sooyoung made me), did some simple stretching (Han Sooyoung made me do that too), then sat side by side and ate sandwiches made using the 81st round Yoo Joonghyuk’s recipe (we agreed on that).

"I have something I’m curious about."

"What."

Han Sooyoung, crunch crunch chewing on a sandwich made from mole cricket hind leg meat, glanced at me.

"I get stretching, but is there any point to tidying up our faces?"

"The constellations are watching."

[A constellation, 'War God of the Seas', nods at the handsome face of a worthy descendant.]

[A constellation, 'Supreme Horseback Archer', says a clean incarnation is nice to look at too.]

Honestly, I was impressed. Even at the final scenario, was this person really worrying about crap like that?

"Even when we’re not washed, they’re still watching, aren’t they?"

"That’s why they’ll like it even more if you wash."

[A constellation, 'Commander of the Red Cosmos', nods.]

In the meantime, I’d also grown fairly attached to the constellations of the 1,863rd round.

Stars burning the little fable I had left, shining on me.

"Ready?"

Now it was goodbye to them too.

"Yes."

"And what I taught you?"

"I’ve learned most of it."

Over the past 20 days, what Han Sooyoung had intensively taught me was how to awaken the potential I already had.

「"You’re already strong enough. You just don’t know how to use the power you have."」

I briefly told her what happened in the 41st round, and after she grasped the situation, she advised me like this.

「"Don’t get scared just because it looks like you’re going to fight myth-grade constellations. Trust the fables you’ve built up."」

The enemies I had to fight were constellations close to the Three Chief Gods of <Olympus>.

And maybe even 'Kim Dokjas' who had more fragments than I did.

「"If you collect those 'Kim Dokja fragments', you get stronger, right?"」

「"In theory, yes."」

「"But in my opinion, I don’t think gathering a lot of fragments is the only way to get stronger. In other words, it’s like this. There’s no rule saying the 41st round Yoo Joonghyuk has to be weaker than the 1,863rd round Yoo Joonghyuk."」

I listened to her as if entranced.

「"The amount of fables you have matters too, but what’s more important is how well you understand the fables you have."」

I agreed too. I’d felt that truth vividly even while fighting the 'Demon King of Salvation' and the 'King of Terror'.

「The total amount of 'Kim Dokja fragments' I currently have is close to 30 percent.」

The total amount of fragments the first and second had wasn’t much compared to what I had. But with only that amount of fragments, they’d shown influence that shook <Star Stream>.

Which meant the top priority I had to solve right now was 'properly understanding' the fables I had.

"[Avatar]?"

"I still can’t use it."

"Hmm."

Even with all the training, in the end I still didn’t master [Avatar].

Han Sooyoung seemed to think it was strange, but she didn’t argue further. It looked like she thought it was a task I had to solve on my own.

"You didn’t forget the promise, right?"

I nodded.

"Together, we go to the 'Last Ark' and get the fable core."

"And after that?"

"We hand the 'fable core' over to the winner of this duel."

It was a simple contract.

If she obtained the fable core, she would be able to revive the comrades preserved in the headquarters warehouse.

And if I obtained the fable core, I would be able to safely return to the 41st round world line.

"I won’t go easy on you just because it’s the last one. You know that, right?"

"I don’t want you to."

All this time, I’d fought countless matches against Han Sooyoung. And not once had I beaten her.

With a chilly smile, Han Sooyoung pointed her sword at me.

"Then let’s see how much you’ve grown."

A sharp presence rose from Han Sooyoung’s entire body. She drew a long sword from her waist.

"That sword is……."

I recognized it at a glance.

"First time I’m showing you? This is my main weapon."

With a faint smile, the Grass-Cutting Sword was held in her right hand.

The weapon Kim Dokja had used when he visited the 1,863rd round.

It seemed Han Sooyoung had been keeping that weapon all this time.

"Come to think of it, you gave 'Unbreakable Conviction' to Kim Dokja."

Maybe that Grass-Cutting Sword was now her new 'conviction'.

But her weapons weren’t just a single Grass-Cutting Sword.

Ssssss.

It seemed like the number of sword hilts at her waist multiplied, and in an instant, her six [Avatar]s split apart and each seized a sword.

The holy sword Ascalon.

The thunder sword Gram.

The single-dragon sword Ridill.

The slaughter-dragon sword Naegling.

The dragon-slaying sword Arondight.

All of them were swords used when sealing the Apocalypse Dragon.

Feeling the overwhelming aura flowing out of the six holy relics, I swallowed.

Han Sooyoung really intended to bring me down here.

"Come."

Before I could even finish speaking, the blade of the dragon-slaying sword stabbed toward my Adam’s apple.

I barely deflected it and swung 'Unbreakable Conviction'. With a sharp screech, the thunder sword Gram and the single-dragon sword Ridill flew in from both sides, aiming for my flank and thigh.

[Wind’s Path].

「Tenacious Murim Master」.

'circulation delay'.

[Long Horn Breathing].

The skills, fables, and traits dwelling within me manifested at the same time.

[Storm Surge Flash].

I rotated my body nimbly and extended a sword strike, and from the opposite airspace, the slaughter-dragon sword Naegling and the dragon-slaying sword Arondight flew in.

[White Wolf Flash].

White-and-blue sword aura surged out from my sword like wolves running across the prairie, charging toward Han Sooyoung.

She blocked the chained strikes of [Storm Surge Flash] and [White Wolf Flash] with concise movements and said,

"You know that won’t be enough, right?"

When Han Sooyoung raised the Grass-Cutting Sword, dark storm clouds gathered in the sky.

Between the clouds, the shadow of an imugi with eight heads.

The eight-headed sovereign, 'Yamata no Orochi'.

The Grass-Cutting Sword she held was a sword made from the tail of that Yamata no Orochi.

The fable dwelling in the Grass-Cutting Sword was resonating with her [Black Flame].

That was the true power a 'holy relic' possessed.

"Black Thunder."

The imugi’s shadow gaped its mouth, and the eight heads spewed pitch-black lightning down to the ground.

A monstrous wide-area attack that reminded me of Zeus’s thunderbolts.

My mouth fell open without me realizing it, but it wasn’t the time to admire it.

"I—"

Drawing in as much breath as I could, I hurled words into the air.

"I am Kyrioos Lodgraim, the Paradoxical White Azure."

The combination of [Incite] and [Bookmark].

When [Personalization] activated, pure-white White Azure lightning coiled around my entire body.

[Your current body composition differs from the body composition of the corresponding character.]

[With your current body composition, you cannot use 'Personalization'.]

[A powerful skill penalty is devouring your body!]

Kyrioos was a 'small person'. Normally, due to the different incarnation body composition, I had no choice but to receive a penalty.

[Your 'status' overcomes the skill penalty!]

That was only the case when your 'status' was lacking.

Kwak wak wak wak wak!

I swung [White Azure Qi] nonstop toward the pouring [Black Thunder].

Han Sooyoung smiled and said,

"So it’s the combination of 「Successor of the Eternal Name」 and [Incite]."

The combination of Kim Dokja’s [Bookmark] and Cheon Inho’s [Incite].

I’d used that combination several times before meeting Han Sooyoung, but this was the first time I’d shown it in front of her.

"On top of that, it looks like you were aiming for even a stroke of luck with 「Staging」 too. Am I right?"

"You’re sharp."

For a moment, I’d hoped that the 「Staging」 that activated when I defeated Yamata no Orochi in 'Peace Land' might activate, but unfortunately the stage didn’t open. It seemed my conditions were somewhat lacking to fulfill staging.

"You’ve improved a lot, but you’re still lacking. Do you think you can topple myth-grade constellations with just that much?"

Sparks began flying up from Han Sooyoung’s entire body again.

An intense pressure you could feel just by meeting her eyes.

It wasn’t simply because of the amount of fables she had. For example, it was a difference in interpretive power.

A star that understood its own fables better than anyone.

The unique status that being emitted was pressing down on my entire body.

I was sure of it. The Han Sooyoung in front of me right now wouldn’t be pushed back even if she fought those terrifying myth-grade constellations.

"Black Thunder."

The whole sky turned pitch-black again as ink-colored lightning fell to the ground once more.

A lightning strike several times bigger in both number and size than before.

I desperately swung my sword toward the air, but the moment it collided with the lightning, a tremendous shock swept through my entire body.

A horrific pain that swallowed even screams. A shock that even [Personalization] couldn’t bear shook my mind. Blood ran from my tightly bitten lips.

"I—"

Once more, I used [Incite] and [Bookmark] at the same time.

"I am Kyrioos Lodgraim, Captain of the 1st unit of the Transcendent Alliance!"

The strongest 'Kyrioos' I knew.

I [Incited] {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} myself into 'the Paradoxical White Azure', Kyrioos Lodgraim, captain of the Transcendent Alliance.

[Your understanding of the corresponding person is insufficient!]

[Your interpretive power supplements your insufficient understanding!]

[Your tenacious interpretation generates a new understanding of the corresponding person!]

Seeing me, whose status had risen several times in an instant, Han Sooyoung’s expression turned shocked.

No matter how much my interpretive power improved, to reproduce a character of this level with [Incite] and [Bookmark] required enormous plausibility.

"You said it yourself. You told me to try having a proper conversation with the 'fables' I have."

"Just because you have a conversation, it makes sense for a fable’s status to go up?"

Of course it didn’t make sense.

But right now, I could.

Because over the last 20 days, the 'fable' I’d attempted to communicate with the most was—

[Your 'Giant Fable' is looking at you.]

My own 'Giant Fable'.

A giant fable that still didn’t have a name. A fable I didn’t even know since when, or for what reason, it had sprouted in me.

I kept talking to that fable incessantly, and though only partially, I’d found a way to draw power from it.

[Your 'Giant Fable' bears the insufficient plausibility together with you.]

Kyrioos Lodgraim, captain of the 1st unit who hunted the Outer Gods of the apocalypse region.

My incarnation body, transformed into a single streak of light, pierced through the lightning of [Black Thunder] and surged toward Han Sooyoung.

With a thunderous roar, the two swords collided. Han Sooyoung’s sword no longer felt heavy.

[A constellation, 'War God of the Seas', cannot take its eyes off your battle!]

[A constellation, 'Bald Militia Commander', hurriedly wipes its head!]

[A constellation, 'Commander of the Red Cosmos', watches the battlefield with anxious eyes.]

In an instant, we exchanged over a hundred blows.

Because I’d abused fables excessively, sweat poured from my entire body like crazy.

My vision kept trying to blur. Even so, my mind was clearer than ever.

「One more sentence is needed.」

A single sentence to bring her down.

Han Sooyoung’s eyes, swinging her sword at me, were shining brightly. She knew too. This match would be won by whoever found the 'next sentence' first.

The one who moved first was me.

[Exclusive skill, 'Incite Lv.???', is activated!]

"Kim Dokja—"

What I needed was a single moment of carelessness. And there was only one sentence that could draw out that carelessness.

"I like the novel you wrote!"

I couldn’t tell whether [Incite] worked or not. But for a moment, Han Sooyoung’s breathing faltered, and my sword moved. With dazzling sparks, her Grass-Cutting Sword went clattering across the ground.

Staring at the sword edge of 'Unbreakable Conviction' aimed at her throat, Han Sooyoung muttered,

"All right……."

I smiled bitterly.

"I lost. The fable core is yours."

I looked at Han Sooyoung for a moment, then sheathed my sword and said,

"No. I won’t take the fable core."

"What?"

From the beginning, even if I won, I had no intention of using the 'fable core'.

"Let’s go get the 'fable core' together. Reviving your comrades comes first."

Even if I didn’t use the 'fable core', there would be a way for me to return to my original world line. For example, making a contract with an Otherworldly Divinity like she did.

The conditions and methods would be difficult, but if I tried hard, I’d surely be able to find one.

But Han Sooyoung’s expression was strange. Along with a bizarre sense of discomfort, an alarm bell rang in my head.

「Did Han Sooyoung not anticipate this fight?」

No matter how unique a tactic I came up with, my opponent was Han Sooyoung.

Could she really not have anticipated that I wouldn’t take the 'fable core'?

No, from the start, was it logically possible for me to defeat her with only the cards I had?

My heart began beating slowly.

The battle up to now replayed rapidly in my head.

「While fighting me, she didn’t use [Predictive Plagiarism] even once.」

The fact that she hadn’t used her specialty [Predictive Plagiarism] meant it was a situation where she couldn’t use it. For example—

"Han Sooyoung, don’t tell me—"

She was already using the authority of [Predictive Plagiarism] somewhere else.

With a boom that rang out from the sky, I reflexively lifted my head.

The half-destroyed Last Ark. From the stage of the 'final scenario', our destination, black dust was rising.

Along with Han Sooyoung’s faint smile, the 'single sentence' she found echoed through my head.

[Someone has cleared the 'final scenario'.]