Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Novel MTL - Chapter 710

Chapter 710

Of course. Here is the paraphrased chapter:

710 Episode 26 Star Ladder (6)

Cheok Jungyeong’s signature technique, a strike capable of felling a thousand in a single motion.

Ilgeomchamcheon.

I knew all about its immense scale and devastating effect. After all, I was the one who had originally written those words.

When was it? It was when Kim Dokja, trapped during the [Hundred Days of Seal], used ‘Ganpyeongui’ to summon Cheok Jungyeong.

「 A swordsmanship perfected over a lifetime by a prodigious talent that emerges only once in tens of thousands of years. The most perfect cut, conceived for the sole purpose of annihilation. 」

But witnessing it now, I felt that description needed an amendment.

Why had I never mentioned how excruciating it was to wield?

No. Maybe I had written it, but if so, it was not nearly enough.

It felt as if every joint in my body had been twisted in unnatural directions and then locked into place. Even with [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint] active, the agony resonated deep within my soul.

Staring at my mangled right hand, I wondered how Kim Dokja had ever withstood this.

—This is barely even a sword, youngest.

If this was just barely a sword, then what unimaginable level of destruction did Cheok Jungyeong’s three ultimate techniques, or the four that came after, truly represent?

—That very Cheok Jungyeong was halted at the ‘great-grade’. The enemies you will face are beyond even that.

I couldn’t begin to fathom it.

What kind of story would we need to build to reach such heights? Was it even possible?

How had Kim Dokja never shown fear when staring up at that impossible sky?

—You can do it. Because we’ve already done it once before.

The thick cloud of dust settled, revealing that only a single constellation remained where the blade had passed.

[How is this…]

The six brilliant stars of <Asgard> had been extinguished. Only one was left. ‘Valkyrie’s Daughter’ survived, but more than half of her incarnated form had been obliterated.

Her spear, which had been propped against the ground, disintegrated into dust, and Valkyrie’s Daughter collapsed.

[This technique… it belongs to that monster…]

The trembling woman seemed to recognize Cheok Jungyeong’s sword style.

Since Cheok Jungyeong, like Kim Dokja, had been cursed by [Fate] and made an enemy of the giant nebula, it was no surprise she knew of this power.

As her receding magical energy surged back, Valkyrie’s Daughter began to retch.

[This cannot be how it ends—]

And then.

[The ‘Ginnungagap’ concludes.]

I felt the surrounding curtain vanish. The staged ‘Ginnungagap’ field created by <Asgard> was finally dissolving.

[The effect of ‘Ginnungagap’ is activated.]

[Events that occurred within ‘Ginnungagap’ are not recorded in the world line.]

With the curtain gone, the ruined city of Washington was exposed. The incarnations nearby glanced around in confusion.

Valkyrie’s Daughter, still trapped in her ‘half-body advent’ state, also appeared disoriented.

[How did this happen…]

The reason her ‘half-body advent’ remained was likely because the power of ‘Valkyrie’s Daughter’ herself had been severely damaged.

Her reaction was puzzling, though.

[Wh-where is everyone! Constellations, explain this! Why am I—]

Valkyrie’s daughter, who had been ranting, suddenly choked, as if all memory of the recent events had been wiped away.

She wasn’t the only one acting strangely.

«Cheon Inho?»

Anna Croft, who had been observing the battle beside me, looked at me with a bewildered expression.

«What just happened? Why is Valkyrie’s daughter…? No, these traces…»

As she spoke, Anna activated [Past Tense]. But all she received in return was a faint spark.

All around, the incarnations in the area were stirring in confusion.

«What happened to the Black Beast?»
«What? Why am I here…»
«The black beast has been defeated!»
«It’s a constellation! A constellation has descended!»
«My head feels like it’s splitting apart.»

What transpired inside ‘Ginnungagap’ was not recorded. And this ‘record’ evidently included the ‘memories’ of both humans and constellations.

Anna Croft, who had been staring blankly into space, finally muttered in dawning realization.
«No way… ‘Ginnungagap’?»

She was a prophet, after all. Had she pieced together what occurred in that brief interval?

Regardless, it was a letdown.
The fact that none of the events within ‘Ginnungagap’ were recorded also meant they could not be transformed into stories. It was unjust that the feat of eliminating ten ‘great-grade constellations’ wouldn’t be acknowledged, but at least we had survived.

However, upon reflection, something felt off.

「 I remember everything that happened in ‘Ginnungagap’. 」

A chill ran through me as I felt the power of a story enveloping Kim Dokja and me.

[The story ‘Recorder of Things That Will Disappear’ is in effect.]

[You are immune to the record-erasure effect of ‘Ginnungagap’.]

[The constellations of the nebula <Asgard> are thrown into turmoil.]

[The nebula <Asgard> lodges a protest with the Bureau.]

.
.
.
[Your record is being transmitted to the <Star Stream>.]
[Your achievements are being recorded in the <Star Stream>.]
[You have accomplished a feat without precedent!]
[The <Star Stream> is reviewing your achievements.]

At some point, ‘Valkyrie’s Daughter’s’ expression contorted into a grotesque mask of horror as she looked at me.

[Impossible—How can you remember ‘Ginnungagap’?]

She too had realized what was happening.
She desperately looked up at the sky and unleashed a torrent of her mantra.

[Stop this! Constellations! He must be eliminated immediately! Now!]

Sparks of Probability swirled around ‘Valkyrie’s Daughter’.

[He remembers everything from inside ‘Ginnungagap’!]

The implication was crystal clear.
For some reason, the incident we were involved in was being recorded as a ‘story’.

[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ requests access to the records.]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ requests access to the records.]
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ requests access to the records.]
[The constellation ‘Commander of the Red Cosmos’ requests access to the records.]
[The constellation ‘Tiger Who Eats Rice Cake’ requests access to the records.]
…
An endless stream of indirect messages flooded in.

[The Management Bureau is reviewing your ‘new story’!]

I spoke, trying to suppress my racing heart.
‘Constellation-nim.’

If this incident was recognized as a ‘story’, I would receive a narrative about slaughtering ‘ten great-grade constellations’ within the seventh scenario.
An impossible story told on a stage where recording was forbidden.
An achievement not even the Kim Dokja of the original storyline had attained.
I couldn’t begin to imagine what kind of story I would get.

Yet, Kim Dokja—the ‘Demon King of Salvation’—seemed strangely apprehensive.
—This is bad.

‘It’s bad?’
—Youngest, remember the [fate] I was given?
Of course I remembered.
Because of that [fate], Kim Dokja had died multiple times and was even exiled from the scenario during the tenth turn.
—That was in the ‘eighth scenario’. But if this is recognized in the seventh scenario, what do you think the giant nebulae will do?
‘Ah…’
—Damn it. I thought we were safe because it was ‘Ginnungagap’.

I recalled what the ‘giant nebulae’ were.
In this <Star Stream>, they were the most voracious in their fight for resources. They were the ones who had invoked [Fate] to stop Kim Dokja.
There was no chance they would stand idly by while we, who had just defeated ten ‘great-grade constellations’, were rewarded.

The intervals between thunderclaps, mirroring our growing anxiety, grew shorter and shorter.
I asked, swallowing down a sense of dread.
‘Will they send more constellations?’
<Asgard> must have already suffered massive losses just by deploying ‘Ginnungagap’. I wanted to believe that no nebula, no matter how large, could easily absorb further damage.

—It would be good if that’s all…

[‘Bookmark’ has been released.]
[‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’ has been temporarily disabled.]

A tremendous recoil hit me, and my vision went dark as if a fuse had blown, but it slowly returned.
Anna Croft caught me as I stumbled.
«Cheon Inho? Are you alright? Cheon Inho!»
I nodded and, with her support, forced myself to stand upright.
«What is this? What happened in ‘Ginnungagap’?»
«I’ll explain later. Right now, Yoo Jonghyuk—»

As I spoke, sparks of light traveled through my body, restoring a sliver of my vitality.
[‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’ has been activated again!]
—Additional Probability has been paid.

Additional Probability?
—Something’s wrong. Be careful, youngest.

This ‘scenario’ balances the scales by offsetting repercussions. The fact that extra Probability was arising on our side meant someone else was expending an equivalent amount on the opposite end of the scale.

What emerged from the portal were incarnations dressed in exotic attire. From their appearance, they seemed to hail from the Balkan Peninsula or the Mediterranean.
Anna Croft, who spotted them, was the first to speak.
«Are you the Greek incarnations?»

A man from the group nodded.
«The scenario is over. You may leave.»
It was just as Anna Croft had said.
[The current sub-scenario has ended.]

Yoo Jonghyuk, who had become the black beast, was defeated, and the ‘sub-scenario’ reward was now Kim Dokja’s responsibility.
So why were additional forces being deployed now?
The situation was dire no matter how you looked at it. Ignoring Anna Croft, the newcomers quickly scanned their surroundings.
«As expected, <Asgard> was first to arrive.»
The man who spotted the fallen ‘Valkyrie’s Daughter’ muttered. Other incarnations moved to assist her.
«You fools. Did you truly use ‘Ginnungagap’?»
«You paid that price just to handle a single incarnation?»

‘Valkyrie’s Daughter’ growled, her eyes wide with fury.
[You. Who are you?]
The angry mantra she spat out caused a stir, yet the incarnations remained completely unphased by the constellation’s outburst.
«How pathetic. You even used ‘Ginnungagap’ and still failed.»
They were clearly incarnations, but their demeanor was anything but.
The enraged ‘Valkyrie’s Daughter’ unleashed another mantra.
[This is the territory of <Asgard>! I don’t know who you are, but—]

Her words were cut short. Her head was already severed and sent flying.
The Greek man, wiping blood from his shamshir, grinned, picked up the severed head, and shook it.
«Good things should be shared, friend.»

To cut down a constellation in ‘half-body advent’ in one stroke, even in a weakened state, was a fearsome power.

[The constellation ‘Gatekeeper of Thebes’ grins.]

Thebes? Damn it. It can’t be.
—I know who these are.

[The constellations of <Olympus> are looking at you.]

After <Asgard>, now it was <Olympus>.
‘They must be here for the fragments too.’
—It seems word got out that we’re a prime target.

The incarnations that had appeared were all vessels for <Olympus>. Judging by the flow of Probability around them, the constellations of Olympus were controlling them by pushing their synchronization rates to the absolute limit.

Kim Dokja, using my voice, spoke.
«You seem to be under a misconception. This is neither the ‘Holy Demon War’ nor ‘Gigantomachia’.»
Even in a scenario where the ‘scale of probability’ functions, there are limits. If the weight becomes too great for the scale to bear, it will shatter, ending the scenario in catastrophe.
«Did you all come here just to be struck down by lightning? No matter how absurd the probability—»

As if to confirm his words, lightning flashed across the sky. Yet, in the same instant, a new portal opened.
And it wasn’t alone.
Incarnations wearing various cultural garbs poured out from dozens of portals that ripped open simultaneously.

[The constellations of the nebula <Ghost> are looking at you.]
<Ghost>.
[The constellations of the nebula <Tree of Protection> are looking at you.]
<Tree of Protection>.
[The constellations of the nebula <Vedas> are looking at you.]
…<Vedas>.

As I registered their presence, I heard Kim Dokja’s voice.
—Youngest.
‘Yes.’

We began our retreat, hauling the unconscious Yoo Jonghyuk with us.