〈Episode 13. War of Kings (5)〉
At my words, Min Jiwon asked in shock.
"······The Battle of Hwangsanbeol?"
"Yes. The Battle of Hwangsanbeol is originally a victory for Silla. Historically speaking."
A Hwarang was cleaved cleanly in two by Gyebaek's greatsword as it came crashing down.
Clearly, according to history, they win.
If things proceed exactly as history dictates.
"Advance without retreat! In battle, there is no withdrawal!"
Before I could continue, the Hwarang commander stepped forward and shouted.
At the same time, the Hwarang drew their weapons and roared in unison.
"None!"
"Serve the king with loyalty unto death!"
"Unto death!"
That bastard?
[All Hwarang of Silla receive the effect of 'Sesok Ogye Lv.2'!]
"Hahaha, you're hastening your own deaths!"
Chu Wangin, the incarnation of Gyebaek, cried out gleefully.
The Hwarang commander charged forward, swinging his spear.
They say incarnations follow their sponsoring constellation's nature—so that guy must be his match.
[Character 'Chu Wangin' activates the Stigma 'Baekje Swordsmanship Lv.4'!]
"Keugh!"
Struck by the greatsword, the Hwarang commander's body was sent flying through the air.
I shouted toward Min Jiwon.
"Order a retreat of the formation!"
"Pull back the formation! Hurry!"
[Character 'Min Jiwon' has activated 'Army Command Lv.2'.]
[The soldiers are in a state of lost reason.]
[Skill activation has been canceled.]
"Pull back the formation!"
Min Jiwon shouted again in panic, but the Hwarang—already inflamed by the 'Sesok Ogye'—did not heed her command. In the first place, they were men who pledged loyalty to beauty, not to King Jinseong's charisma… so there was nothing to be done.
Clang—
A sound rang out as Lee Gilyoung smashed through a second-floor museum window and landed beside me.
"Hyung, should I summon Titano?"
As if ready to use [Multi-Species Communion] at any moment, Lee Gilyoung's eyes gleamed.
"No, it's fine for now."
If he could summon a Grade-6 Loyal King species like last time, it would help—but afterward, Lee Gilyoung had slept for two whole days. High-grade monster species are difficult to control, and if something goes wrong, even allies can be swept away.
More than anything, Lee Gilyoung was a hidden card.
He had to be saved until the chaos of kings truly began.
"Gaaah!"
Several Hwarang at the front were struck down in quick succession.
Meanwhile, not a single casualty could be seen among the Baekje forces.
I reached out toward the approaching Yoo Sangah.
"Yoo Sangah, the relic—!"
I took [Ganpyeongui] from her.
Ganpyeongui. Everyone was distracted by the Four Yin Decapitating Sword, but in truth, this item was the one you absolutely had to obtain in the fourth scenario.
"Kuh—ugh!"
Struck yet again by Chu Wangin, the Hwarang commander was already covered in wounds.
It was a miracle he hadn't died in a single blow.
[Constellation, 'Hwarang of Advance Without Retreat', is growing impatient.]
[Constellation, 'The Last Hero of Hwangsanbeol', is delighted.]
[Constellation, 'Maegum Jijeon', is anxious.]
The momentum of the Baekje army continued to rise, while the morale of the Silla army crumbled.
From Chu Wangin's body, it looked as though Gyebaek's restless spirit was flickering.
"Wipe out those damned Silla bastards!"
The more a situation resembles the history they once lived through, the higher a constellation's synchronization with its incarnation becomes—and the stronger its stigma grows.
And with related constellations encountering one another…
It was about time for the 'stage' to be set.
Chijijijik—
"Wah?! What is this?!"
Startled screams erupted from the crowd.
Sparks flew through the surrounding space, and the scenery began to change. The vast Gwanghwamun Plaza of Seoul was transforming into a rugged, mountainous plain.
「Stage Transformation.」
A phenomenon that occurs when incarnations with high synchronization fight, especially when their sponsoring constellations share historical ties.
「Stage Transformation」 summons the very time and place where those constellations once fought.
Of course, the space itself doesn't truly change—it's closer to an augmented reality.
The problem is, for the ones who summoned the stage, it isn't like that at all.
"Hahahaha… How I've missed you, Hwangsanbeol!"
Chu Wangin shouted, his synchronization having risen to a considerable level.
Now he seemed to truly believe himself to be General Gyebaek.
Gyebaek must have been quite desperate.
If a constellation pulled something like this from the early scenarios, they'd normally be sanctioned by the Bureau before the storm of narrative plausibility even hit them. Still, Gyebaek was a hero-grade constellation; being of relatively lower rank, he seemed less affected by plausibility constraints.
"U—uaaah!"
Terrified, the Hwarang began to retreat step by step.
Lee Seongguk muttered hollowly.
"That level of power, and he's not even one of the Seven Kings… Does that make sense?"
"On that 'stage,' Gyebaek is the protagonist. That's why it's possible."
Kwaaaang!
The sight of Chu Wangin rampaging like a mad beast was nothing short of a yaksha incarnate.
Once a 「Stage Transformation」 occurs and synchronization with the sponsoring constellation increases, incarnations can exert several times the power of their true selves.
Looking at the trembling Min Jiwon, I spoke.
"There are two methods. One is to let Gwan Chang's incarnation die."
"W-What are you talking about?"
Originally, the Battle of Hwangsanbeol is a battlefield won on the sacrifice of Gwan Chang.
So if Gwan Chang dies, half of this battlefield is already complete.
"Now that the stage transformation has begun, this place is effectively a historical battlefield. If Gwan Chang's incarnation dies, the rage will raise the morale of the Silla army. That's how history records it."
Without waiting for Min Ji won's response, I continued.
"The second method is to change history."
I looked down at the [Ganpyeongui] in my hand.
Ganpyeongui, an astronomical observation instrument created in 17th-century Joseon.
Sensing something ominous, Min Ji won asked,
"What happens if that fails?"
"Your country will fall."
"Then obviously the first—"
Anyway, this is exactly why King Jin seong—
It's not for nothing that he's evaluated as an incompetent ruler.
"I wasn't asking you to choose. I'm going with the second option."
"Then why did you even ask?!"
"I gave you a chance. Right now, what Silla needs isn't you."
I manipulated the two disks that made up the Ganpyeongui.
These two disks are called the Celestial Plate and the Terrestrial Plate ; the upper one is the Terrestrial Plate, and the lower one is the Celestial Plate.
In Ways of Survival, the Ganpyeongui is defined very simply.
「'Ganpyeongui' is an item that allows one to find 'constellations' in the sky.」
As I slowly turned the Terrestrial Plate, the constellations engraved on the Celestial Plate began to blaze brilliantly.
[The special option of 'Ganpyeongui', 'Echo of the Stars', is activated.]
[Through 'Echo of the Stars', you may request aid from a hero-grade constellation.]
[The constellation may refuse your request. If the constellation accepts, the remaining number of uses of Ganpyeongui will decrease.]
There were seven constellations remaining on the Celestial Plate.
In other words, there were seven uses left.
If the relic had been in better condition, there would have been more constellations remaining. But it couldn't be helped.
Lee Seong guk, standing beside me, seemed to realize something and asked,
"Is it possible to receive help from a constellation using that?"
"Not all of them. Only hero-grade constellations."
When I answered, Lee Seong guk exclaimed in admiration. It seemed he had finally grasped the true value of this item.
"Even that is incredible!"
He spoke excitedly.
"What about summoning Lü Bu or Xiang Yu? If you called a constellation of that level, you could probably face Gyebaek."
"You have to know the constellation's modifier."
In the world of Ways of Survival, a constellation's 'modifier' is essentially a coordinate in space-time. Just as a coordinate system has an X-axis and a Y-axis, the constellations of the Star Stream exist within the clauses of their modifiers.
"Ah… then…"
Lee Seong guk looked disappointed.
He was probably thinking that I didn't know the modifiers of Lü Bu or Xiang Yu.
Naturally, that was a misunderstanding.
In this world, there is no one who knows more constellation modifiers than I do.
"I will call upon a constellation."
[Within the flow of the stars, hero-grade constellations hear your voice.]
Of course, the constellation I intended to call was neither Lü Bu nor Xiang Yu.
There was no guarantee they would accept the request—and more importantly, there was a general far more fitting for this battlefield.
The stars shone dimly yet majestically across the sky.
Under the gaze of countless stars fixed upon me, I spoke.
"I seek the National Immortal of Silla, King Heungmu the Great."
[The movement of the stars begins.]
In an instant, part of the sky darkened, casting a shadow upon the earth.
The clash between the Silla and Baekje forces, swords pointed at one another, suddenly came to a halt.
"What kind of nonsense is this?!"
Sensing something ominous, Chu Wangin charged toward me.
"CEO, I'll stop him."
Lee Seong guk stepped forward, drawing his sword. I didn't know how long a hypnotist like him could hold out, but he could buy a little time.
Moments later, a single constellation shone brilliantly in the sky.
So you've finally appeared.
[Constellation, 'King Heungmu the Great', is looking at you.]
"General."
[Constellation, 'King Heungmu the Great', is listening to your words.]
"Right now, there are those here who need your help. Your people are dying while calling your name."
[Constellation, 'King Heungmu the Great', remains silent at your words.]
King Heungmu the Great.
The one and only man who, despite not being of royal blood, was posthumously enshrined as a king of Silla.
He would likely be unable to refuse my plea.
Because Hwangsanbeol was his battlefield.
But something unexpected happened.
[Constellation, 'King Heungmu the Great', does not wish to intervene in the history of the present age.]
[Constellation, 'King Heungmu the Great', will refuse your proposal.]
…What?
Just as the constellation began to fade, Yoo Sangah stepped in.
"General, can you hear me?!"
Quick-witted, Yoo Sangah seemed to have realized who King Heungmu was.
[Constellation, 'King Heungmu the Great', turns back.]
"I've heard much about you, General! The Battle of Hwangsanbeol, the Battle of Pyongyang Fortress…! Though I only know them through written records!"
Taking a short breath, Yoo Sangah began to speak.
"I understand your wish to respect what has already passed, to honor history that has already flowed away. But General! Some histories do not truly end even after they are recorded."
Clear and upright—just as I remembered Yoo Sangah's voice.
"Don't you regret it? That field where young Hwarang were sacrificed, where the deaths of countless people were buried—your battlefield…! Have you already forgotten it?"
[Constellation, 'King Heungmu the Great', listens to the words of incarnation 'Yoo Sangah'.]
"Of course, history that has already passed will not change. The soldiers on that field will still not be comforted, and the lives of the young Hwarang will not return. But General! There is history here that has not yet flowed past! If you come here, at the very least, you can change the history of this place, right now!"
I had forgotten.
Just how good Yoo Sangah was with words.
Back when she was a rookie, she had been the queen of presentations at Mino Soft.
"General! Your Hwangsanbeol may have ended… but we are still standing on Hwangsanbeol."
[Constellation, 'King Heungmu the Great', quietly closes his eyes.]
There are moments in life like that.
Moments when, even without anyone saying a word, you know exactly what is about to happen.
[Constellation, 'King Heungmu the Great', accepts your request.]
One of the constellations on the Ganpyeongui disappeared, and a beam of starlight shot down from the heavens, illuminating me.
A tense Yoo Sangah smiled and looked at me.
"Well done, Yoo Sangah."
[You are temporarily blessed by the constellation 'King Heungmu the Great'.]
The muscles throughout my body twitched as if startled. My heart pumped as though it would burst, and flashes of light and darkness crossed my mind again and again. Something that was not me was expanding its volume inside my very existence.
[This is merely the regret of an old man who could not forget the past.]
This was a constellation's true utterance.
Words that endangered one's very existence just by hearing them.
[Please, lend me your voice for a moment.]
As I nodded, I quietly opened my eyes.
On the bleak plains of Hwangsan, everyone was staring at me.
Chu Wangin, the incarnation of Gyebaek, was aghast.
"That man is…?"
The sheer mass of an unfathomable presence weighed heavily on my mind.
He hadn't descended directly—this was merely a blessing—yet the aura of a hero-grade constellation could be felt in full.
This was the magnitude of beings known as constellations.
"It has been a long time, Gyebaek."
An unfamiliar depth resonated through my voice.
In the distance, the incarnation of Gwanchang staggered to his feet.
"Hwarang Gwanchang, do not bow before me."
"G-General…!"
King Heungmu the Great was seeing the world through me.
He saw Gwanchang, Gyebaek, and the ruined Seoul.
And I, too, was seeing the world through King Heungmu the Great.
The setting sun dyed the desolate plains of Hwangsan in lonely hues.
"How laughable. All history has already set—so why do you gather here once more?"
At those words, Chu Wangin burst into mad laughter.
Laughter knotted with resentment and deep, lingering sorrow.
In that moment, he truly was Gyebaek.
"Hahaha! Do you still not understand? It is to meet you again on this very plain!"
[Character 'Chu Wangin' activates 'Baekje Swordsmanship Lv.4'!]
Chu Wangin's greatsword, imbued with crushing force, moved.
An attack that, in my original state, would have been difficult even to block or evade.
Yet I deflected it without much trouble.
"Gyebaek, why have you already immersed yourself so deeply into the incarnation? Have you forgotten the constraints of plausibility? At this rate, you will perish together with your incarnation."
It was exactly as I said. Gyebaek was overreaching.
So much so that even I, a reader of Ways of Survival, found it strange.
"Kim Yushin… it seems you've heard nothing about this 'world' either."
"What are you talking about?"
"It doesn't matter. Having met you again, my long-cherished wish has been fulfilled. Now I, Gyebaek, can die without regret!"
For some reason, the incarnation of Gyebaek was crying as he spoke.
"I am Buyeo Seung of Baekje, Gyebaek of Hwangsanbeol! I will settle the grudges unfinished in my previous life here!"
Looking at Gyebaek's incarnation with sorrowful eyes, King Heungmu the Great spoke through me.
"I am the 15th Pungwolju of the Hwarang, Kim Yushin."
King Heungmu the Great, National Immortal Kim Yushin.
"I will console the tormented soul of an unfortunate constellation and set right the history of the present age."
The great general who had led the Battle of Hwangsanbeol to victory conveyed his will to me. I moved my right hand. A brilliant blue light began to coil around the hilt of the sword clenched firmly in my grasp.
「The sword of the National Immortal has now arrived upon this battlefield.」
[The power of the holy relic, 'Blue Dragon Sword ', is temporarily imbued into 'Unbreakable Conviction'.]
The blade of the Blue Dragon Sword, soaring high into the sky, came crashing straight down onto the plains of Hwangsan.
Kugugugugu—
It was as if all of Hwangsan screamed.
As an immense amount of magic power drained away, massive fissures spread across the earth with me at their center.
「All Yonghwahyangdo, assemble here at once.」
[Stigma, 'Great Hwarang Assembly ', is activated!]
Something was stirring within the cracks.
Forgotten ghosts buried in the polluted soil of history.
Though even their names were now lost, the Hwarang who had once unquestionably lived on this land and fought solely for honor were rising as white bones.
Groooooo!
The Yonghwahyangdo—the elite unit of Kim Yushin—emerged from the forgotten pages of history, revealing themselves once more.