〈Episode 14. The Owner of the Throne (1)〉
Kim Yusin's stigma, 'Great Hwarang Assembly', is a skill that summons the elite Hwarang who died in history—the Yonghwahyangdo.
Graaaaaah!
Put simply, it was the land-based version of the 'Ghost Fleet' that Lee Jihye once used.
In terms of sheer power, it couldn't be compared to Admiral Yi Sun-sin, but even so, among the large-scale army-type stigmas used by hero-grade constellations, it ranked near the top.
"Go!"
The Yonghwahyangdo—who should have long since crumbled into dust as bare bones—rose as one and lifted their weapons toward the Baekje army. Some Hwarang had no eyes, others were missing arms or legs.
It was cruel.
As long as Kim Yusin remained here, they would rise again and again, taking up their swords—until their souls were worn away, their rage eroded, and even their hearts ground down to nothing.
The soldiers who once fought to prevent their nation's destruction…
Now fought for a nation already destroyed.
"You're still as cowardly as ever, Kim Yusin! Now you even push the backs of your dead subordinates?!"
"······."
"Come at me! If you're a general, then face me in single combat!"
Despite Gyebaek's provocation, I remained still. Kim Yusin did not wish to move. Gyebaek smashed through the Yonghwahyangdo with overwhelming force, the magic radiating from his greatsword mercilessly carving through the air.
Puhk! Puh-guh-guhk!
"Kim Yusin—!"
As his fearsome roar shook the sky, even the emotionless mass of Yonghwahyangdo hesitated.
That was Gyebaek.
The last great general of Baekje, Gyebaek.
In terms of pure physical enhancement, Gyebaek surpassed Kim Yusin. In fact, during the Battle of Hwangsanbeol, Gyebaek never fought Kim Yusin one-on-one.
To be precise, it would be more accurate to say that Kim Yusin avoided the duel.
[Character 'Chu Wangin' activates 'Fight to the Death Lv.2'!]
In history, Gyebaek's detached force resisted Kim Yusin's army—ten times their number—and won again and again on an impossible battlefield.
Although Kim Yusin ultimately emerged as the victor, until the final act of Hwangsanbeol began, Gyebaek had not lost a single battle.
A battle-crazed patriot bound together by near-mad devotion and grim resolve.
Though I now bore Kim Yusin's blessing, had circumstances been different, I might have summoned Gyebaek instead of Kim Yusin.
Unable to bear the sight, the incarnation of Gwanchang shouted,
"General!"
"Do not move."
Kim Yusin spoke through my mouth, his expression unchanged even as he watched the dying ranks of Yonghwahyangdo.
The boundless calm of Kim Yusin's inner state was transmitted directly to me.
Gyebaek shouted,
"Even as a constellation, your cowardice remains unchanged!"
That was true. Kim Yusin was a coward.
He feared death and dreaded defeat.
And precisely because of that, he was strong.
He did not act rashly, nor was he swept away by emotion.
He destroyed enemies he could defeat, using methods that guaranteed victory.
That was why, despite suffering defeat four times, he could claim victory at the final Battle of Hwangsanbeol.
"Kraaaaah!"
The sight of Gyebaek fighting a desperate melee against hundreds of Yonghwahyangdo was tragic. His incarnation had sustained wounds so severe he could no longer survive. His entire body was drenched in blood; his thighs, both arms, and his flank were grievously injured.
And yet, he continued to cut down the Yonghwahyangdo, step by step advancing toward me.
"Kim… Yu… sin!"
[Stigma, 'Request for Reinforcements', is activated!]
Ghostly soldiers appeared like shadows behind Kim Yusin and hurled their spears at Gyebaek. Judging by their differing attire, they were likely not Silla troops.
Perhaps they were Tang dynasty reinforcements, once summoned during the fall of Goguryeo.
Truly befitting of Kim Yusin. To him, only victory mattered. Whether that victory relied on foreign forces or not was irrelevant.
Puuuk!
The sound of countless spears piercing flesh.
Unable to withstand the pain, Gyebaek's incarnation dropped to his knees.
"Kuh—!"
Even the mighty incarnation of Gyebaek had reached his limit.
Gyebaek laughed.
"…How unjust. Even on this false stage, I cannot reach you. I wished only to cross blades with you, even once."
Seeing the incarnation of Gyebaek with reddened eyes filled me with conflicted feelings.
Gwanchang lived, and history had changed.
Yet some histories remain unchanged, no matter what.
Kim Yusin asked,
"Gyebaek. Why did you do this?"
"······."
"If you die in that state, you won't be able to choose an incarnation for some time. Why abandon the accumulation of myth so suddenly?"
Gyebaek merely stared with sharp eyes and formed a faint, unreadable smile.
After waiting, Kim Yusin drew his sword.
I hurriedly seized back control of my voice.
"You must not kill him with your own hands."
[Why?]
"…There is a restriction."
The King of Non-Killing must not personally take a life.
If he were to kill even a single member of his own kind with his own hands, he would be stripped of his kingship.
Kim Yusin nodded as if he understood.
[…I see. I think I understand roughly what you mean. Do not worry. I swear upon the honor of the stars: the one who executes Gyebaek now is not you, but I—Kim Yusin.]
"But…"
[…If it still troubles you, very well.]
At Kim Yusin's gesture, one of the Yonghwahyangdo who had risen from the ground nodded.
I yielded my voice back to Kim Yusin.
"Gyebaek, let us meet again in the next world."
Gyebaek's incarnation looked up at us in silence. He seemed as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, his lips never parted. In his final moment, his face looked less like Gyebaek and more like that of a bit-part actor who had finished all his lines.
And then the incarnation's head quietly flew through the air.
[「Stage Transformation — Hwangsanbeol」 has ended.]
[You have re-experienced the 'Battle of Hwangsanbeol'.]
[You have obtained 1,000 coins as an experience reward.]
Looking around, the Baekje army had been completely annihilated.
[The authority of 'King of Non-Killing' is maintained, as the indirectness of the killings is taken into account.]
Thank goodness.
The King of Non-Killing is stripped of his authority only when he kills someone with his own hands.
The lives taken by the Yonghwahyangdo are not counted as acts of murder.
"CEO! Are you all right?"
Lee Seongguk's voice came from within the dust.
Yoo Sangah let out a sigh of relief, and Lee Gilyoung wore a dissatisfied expression—probably because he hadn't gotten much of a chance to shine. And Min Jiwon…
"What on earth was that just now…?"
She looked completely dazed.
I shrugged and said,
"If you want to become a king, you should probably start by studying history."
I had summoned Kim Yusin, but I wasn't particularly on Silla's side or Baekje's side.
It was simply that Kim Yusin was the most appropriate choice to deal with Gyebaek.
In any case, it was fortunate that the outcome was better than expected.
I'd been able to thoroughly test the performance of [Ganpyeongui], and more importantly, I'd managed to collect some of the coins and items the Baekje forces had been carrying.
[You have obtained 5,400 coins.]
[Coins owned: 74,950 C]
Now, even if the final phase of the fourth scenario arrived, it didn't feel particularly frightening.
"We don't have time—let's move north immediately."
[3 minutes remain on the duration of the blessing.]
Kim Yusin's blessing was still in effect.
Since I'd already used [Ganpyeongui], I might as well make efficient use of the remaining time.
It could only be used seven times—wouldn't it be a waste not to squeeze every bit of value out of it?
"Rise, Yonghwahyangdo!"
As the shattered ranks of Yonghwahyangdo stood up once more, I pointed my sword to the north.
"Advance!"
The consumption of magical power was enormous, so there wasn't much operating time left for the Yonghwahyangdo. The horde that had awakened from the soil began marching north, indiscriminately sweeping away small and medium-sized groups in their path.
At this rate, it might even be possible to wipe out all the other kings' forces gathered near the old palace museum.
Groups that had been brawling along the main roads screamed from all directions.
"What the hell are these skeleton bastards?! Aaaah!"
Puhk! Puh-guhk!
Incarnations that charged at me were crushed by the Yonghwahyangdo's attacks.
Since I wasn't the one attacking, I wouldn't incur any penalties even if they died by accident.
Yeah—now this was the kind of catharsis I liked.
Kim Yusin's true utterance echoed in my mind.
[You are a strange one. To remain sane even after hearing my true utterance…]
"My mental fortitude is pretty strong."
I said it casually, but honestly, even I was a little surprised.
There's a reason constellations usually use 'indirect messages' to communicate.
Even if Kim Yusin was a relatively low-ranked hero-grade constellation, in most cases, just hearing a true utterance would make someone soil themselves or faint on the spot.
That was something I'd been worried about myself…
[Remember this: you owe me a great debt. To help you, I had to shoulder more plausibility than necessary.]
There was an ominous undertone to his words.
I quickly expressed my gratitude.
"I'm truly thankful. I'll make sure your help is remembered for generations, General."
[You're a hasty one. It doesn't look like you even have a 'next generation' yet…]
"...Someday, won't I? When I have children, I'll be sure to pass down what happened today."
[More importantly, it seems you have no sponsoring constellation.]
My bad feeling was right.
Damn it. I'd been wondering why this old fox kept talking to me.
[I like you. If you're willing, I would like to become your sponsoring constellation in this world and travel the world together with you.]
It sounded grand, but he was really just saying—at great length—that he wanted to use me as a slave in this world.
"That would be difficult."
[Why? You've seen my power. With my stigma alone, you could become the strongest of this era.]
I admit that [Great Hwarang Assembly] is an excellent stigma.
But there's a reason Kim Yusin has been called a 'fox' by historians.
The strongest of this era?
Even scams should have their limits.
For a hero-grade constellation to spout something like that—if the Great Sage Equal to Heaven had heard it, he would've plucked out at least ten strands of hair.
"This isn't the Three Kingdoms era anymore, old sir. You're getting on in years, so you should go back and get some rest."
It was fun while it lasted, and now let's never meet again.
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' snickers toward 'King Heungmu'.]
[You have received a sponsorship of 300 coins.]
Kim Yusin fell silent for a moment, his pride apparently wounded.
I thought it would be nice if he withdrew quietly like this, but suddenly a sharp pain stabbed through my head.
[You haven't forgotten that my blessing is still in effect, have you?]
At the moment, Kim Yusin and I were connected through [Ganpyeongui].
The muscles throughout my body spasmed, and an ominous sign appeared.
No—no matter what, surely not a Korean historical hero…?
Then again, precisely because he was a Korean historical hero, maybe he would.
Damn it.
[You would do well to reconsider.]
Yoo Sangah looked at me with concern.
"Dokja-ssi?"
"Yoo Sangah-ssi. Get away. Now!"
My trembling right hand, acting of its own accord, drew the 'Unbreakable Faith' and began pointing it toward Yoo Sangah.
Kim Yusin had started exerting coercive control over my body.
[You mentioned there were restrictions on killing, didn't you? I'm curious what kind of restrictions they are. Would it be all right if I killed that woman right now to find out?]
"Kim Yusin, this would be your will. It won't accumulate as my karma."
[Heh heh. Who can say? If I release my blessing the instant the blade pierces her, wouldn't it still be recognized as your act of killing? And from the looks of it, that woman seems rather precious to you.]
"...Please, stop."
[Swear it. Swear that in the next 'Sponsor Selection,' you will choose me, Kim Yusin.]
The old fox's intention was obvious.
When the fourth scenario ended, the stage of would open once again.
Kim Yusin was trying to exploit this chance encounter with me to wring a vow out of me.
If I hadn't read Ways of Survival, it wouldn't have been a bad choice.
Kim Yusin was a reasonably decent constellation, and with 'Great Hwarang Assembly' alone, one could clear the scenarios smoothly until the mid-game.
But if I were going to choose a sponsoring constellation in the first place, why wouldn't I have picked the Great Sage Equal to Heaven from the start? Why choose Kim Yusin now?
"I said no."
Besides, because of my contract with Bihyung, I couldn't choose a sponsoring constellation anyway.
Kim Yusin's voice hardened.
[You're a young man with considerable backbone. But that is the wrong choice. Let's see how long you can endure.]
The hand gripping the sword finally began to move toward Yoo Sangah.
"Yoo Sangah-ssi, hurry—!"
But Yoo Sangah had frozen in the face of the sudden situation.
Watching my right hand move against my will, I finally had to make a decision.
Damn it. I showed him respect because he was a great historical figure, and this old geezer really…
I steadied my breathing.
This is my body.
Constellation or not, I will never hand it over to the likes of you.
[Exclusive Skill, 'The Fourth Wall,' has been activated!]