[The character 'Shin Yoosung's alignment is fixed as 'Evil.']
[The character 'Kim Dokyun's alignment is fixed as 'Evil.']
[Arrogant Incarnation. Did you think the Constellations would let this slide so easily? Humans have a habit of believing only what they want to believe.]
[The Great Tree is worried about your condition.]
[If we want to!]
It isn't time yet. No matter how much it hurts, no matter how hard it is, I must endure for now.
Just as it was when I was first banished from the scenario, if the Great Tree lent me its strength, I could resist this power—if only for a moment.
But a trump card is only effective when saved for the very last second.
Paul, your downfall will be your own arrogance.
"Wait, Yoo Joonghyuk."
"You have failed."
"Leave the child alone."
Wow, I know we have to stop the Disaster, but trying to kill a child? Really?
[That is exactly why I like her.]
[The Great Tree clears its throat and laments that it needs to put up a shield against that personality as well.]
I get that there are two personalities in there, but could you two try to agree before speaking?
One finds Yoo Joonghyuk amusing, while the other detests her behavior.
What is this even...
—Boom!
"Urgh! Brother!!"
"I... can't... move...!"
"I know you're being forced to move! Don't worry!! I'll find a way!!!"
Since Dokja is the only one capable of defeating me right now, I have no choice but to hope she faces me.
"My weakness is you, Manager—!"
"I'm your weakness? What does that even mean?!!"
—Boom!
"Sister!!!"
Shaken by my words, Dokja failed to dodge my attack.
"...?"
"Sister?"
"Pfft! So this was it!! This is the weakness!!! You can't hurt me. No matter what kind of Disaster you've become, your traits and skills remain the same!!!"
As expected of Dokja. She saw through my weakness effortlessly.
Now that she's realized it... all that's left is for her to strike me down.
—Slash!!!
"This might hurt! I'm sorry, Brother!!"
Dokja swung her sword, and my body was sliced through as easily as cutting tofu.
"...I've become completely vulnerable? This is even easier than cutting tofu."
Anyone else wouldn't have even been able to scratch me.
In terms of raw stats, I was nearly on par with the adult Yoosung.
Furthermore, I possessed regenerative abilities, making me an opponent nearly as difficult as Shin Yoosung herself.
[We are blocking the regeneration. But we won't be able to hold it for long.]
That's enough. That's all the time I need.
[...You're dying twice. Doesn't that feel unfair?]
It's too late to start complaining about that now. I've come too far.
[I suppose so. That's probably why we like you.]
Yoosung's thoughts and emotions, still faintly connected, flowed into me.
The hope she felt upon meeting us.
And the feeling of that hope fading, stained by despair.
Don't worry. I'll turn it back into hope.
***
"Aaaaaah!"
—Boom!
"...You stole the skill. But that alone isn't enough."
"I know. Support her, Yoo Joonghyuk."
A battle that no one wanted had begun.
As Dokyun had said, guilt was etched across Dokja's face, having failed to account for even the simplest variable.
On the face of the puppeted Shin Yoosung, there was a despair that looked like rage.
—Clang!
The moment the two clashed again...
A scale weighing sins appeared above Dokja.
Dokja raised her sword and charged at Shin Yoosung.
—Rumble!
"!!"
A vine?!!
Suddenly, a massive tree vine coiled around Shin Yoosung, pinning her in place.
[The Great Tree shakes its branches, declaring it will proceed as planned.]
...Brother.
Yoosung tried to look at Dokyun, but her head wouldn't turn.
Even if she could have, Dokyun wouldn't have been able to look at her.
He loved his family too much to witness the horrific sight of one family member having to kill another.
"I can't... resist... for long!"
[This is impossible! How can a mere cog like you!! How can you resist the 'Scenario Forced Execution Right'!!!]
"You are a storyteller who sees, hears, and conveys countless tales! The moment you scream 'impossible,' you prove you lack the qualities of a storyteller. You've just confessed that you've been conveying stories through a shallow lens!!!"
A Dokkaebi—in other words, a storyteller.
What is the most necessary quality for a storyteller, and what is the most dangerous trait to guard against?
The most necessary is 'receptivity'—the openness to accept any story.
The most dangerous is 'arrogance'—becoming so immersed in one's own thoughts that they twist the story to their liking.
The intermediate Dokkaebi, Paul, had become intoxicated by his rank and fallen into arrogance. He would certainly pay the price for manipulating the story in this scenario.
—Slash!!!
Kim Dokja's sword, aided by the vines, cut through Shin Yoosung.
—Clang!
—Screech!
—Whoosh!
Sword and fist collided.
Shin Yoosung leaped back, evading the blade and the vines.
"Ugh... Aaaaaah...!"
Normally, the remaining monsters would have interfered with Kim Dokja, but fortunately, since Dokyun had absorbed them all before being puppeted, that didn't happen.
However...
—Rumble!!!
"Sor... ry!"
Dokyun, having absorbed all those monsters, began to obstruct Dokja.
—Crack!
Dokja grit her teeth in anger.
"Everyone, attack! Don't let 'Brother' get in our way...!"
"Draw your swords!"
The people began to swarm Dokyun.
"...It seems you shook hands with a demon to cross world lines."
"How many minutes?"
"Thirty. And you?"
"Same here."
—Step!
[Hahaha, how amusing. Truly amusing. Now this feels like a proper scenario.]
Whenever Dokyun's vines lashed out, the incarnations threw themselves forward, barely managing to cut them back.
As Yoosung charged, Dokja and Joonghyuk blocked her path.
—Slash!
—Boom!
Yoo Joonghyuk's sword clashed with Shin Yoosung's fist.
—KABOOM!!!
The resulting shockwave was powerful enough to blow away any ordinary incarnation just by being near it.
—Drip.
Tears streamed down Shin Yoosung's face.
Kim Dokyun closed his eyes.
"Aaaaaah!!!"
When Yoo Joonghyuk fell, Kim Dokja stepped forward.
When Kim Dokja fell, Yoo Joonghyuk stepped forward.
—Slice!
Kim Dokja succeeded in severing Shin Yoosung's remaining arm.
—KABOOM!!!
The 'Beast King's Breath' finally forced Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja to their knees, and the impact caused Kim Dokyun to open his eyes once more.
Is that so? Were you two not enough?
How will you stop us?
—Boom!
"...Don't worry. They're coming now. The person who will stop you."
"I'm sorry. Am I too late? I have a rough idea of the situation; my Sponsor wouldn't stop chatting on the way here. Leave it to me and take a break."
[The Great Tree cautiously mentions that the Sponsor in question feels a sense of guilt toward you.]
"I'll end this damn scenario for you."
—Whoosh!
[That Stigma is incredibly powerful... 'Hellfire.' It will be the most lethal attack possible against a tree and an 'Evil' being like you.]
Ready for the last dance?
[We've been ready for a long time. Both of us.]
—Crack!
—Rumble!
"I am a Tree Giant!!!!"
"Run!!!"
"He still has that much power...?"
[One of the Great Tree's fruits, '■■■■■■', falls.]
[The last remaining fruit groans.]
"When someone resists and then stops... people tend to assume they are no longer capable of resisting."
[You still have the strength to resist? Who are you? Just who the hell are you!!!]
—Rumble!
The vines of the Tree Giant, now stronger than ever, bound Shin Yoosung tight.
***
Obey → Resist → Obey (Paul's lapse in judgment) → Resist again and screw him over.
This was my Plan B.
A plan devised with the fruits of the Great Tree, the only ones whose voices I could hear.
I didn't expect that fruit to be '■■■■■■', though.
I wondered why they knew so much about Paul.
"O hunter of evil, O lumberjack who shall fell the wicked! Strike us down!!"
A bit of cheesiness at the end is fine, right?
[The Great Tree smiles, agreeing that you are correct.]
—Slash!
—Thwack!!
Jung Heewon... cut us down.
"It's over."
"I guess so. Just as you said, Brother, I'm glad we came to this turn. I'm glad I listened to the Captain. I wanted to save you... I'm sorry."
"...Trees are more resilient than you think."
[The Great Tree squeezes out its last bit of strength to heal you.]
[Plan successful. Congratulations.]
[The final fruit, '■■■', falls.]
[The trait 'Soul-Burning Great Tree' vanishes.]
"You're right. I'm regenerating already. With you here, Brother, maybe something will actually change this time."
"Are you leaving?"
"Probably."
Yoo Joonghyuk seemed unchanged until the very end, but I couldn't know for sure if something had shifted.
No one can truly know another's heart.
I didn't even know the heart of the Dokja standing right next to me; how could I possibly know Joonghyuk's after everything?
"It seems your hatred for me was insufficient. I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Who was the demon that helped you cross world lines?"
"...The Captain is the Captain until the very end."
Returning to the scenario in this state had taught me one thing about Yoo Joonghyuk: he does care, in his own subtle way.
Perhaps he asked so he could take revenge on my behalf.
"Yoosung. Let your brother ask you one—no, two things."
"Anything for you, Brother. But make it quick. There isn't much time left."
"First. Do you want to see this turn change with your own eyes?"
"...Of course. Why even ask that?"
Shin Yoosung let out the tears she had been holding back.
"Then, if you survive this... will you let Dokja be your older sister?"
"That again? Fine... I'll give it a try."
"Right. That's enough."
Activating skill, 'Unfair Equivalent Exchange.'
[Please specify the target and the item for exchange.]
Target: Shin Yoosung. Exchange: Shin Yoosung's death for my survival.
[The Star Stream is monitoring your actions.]
[The Disaster, 'Shin Yoosung', is granted survival.]
"Are you serious? You've seen everything, and you still call her the Disaster, Shin Yoosung?"
[The Star Stream accepts your protest.]
[The youngest, 'Shin Yoosung', is granted survival.]
[The eldest son, 'Kim Dokyun', is marked as deceased.]
—Crack!
"?! Brother!!"
Shin Yoosung's arms regenerated, but my own arm vanished.
It was as if the damage itself had been exchanged.
"Shin Yoosung lives, and I die in her place."
"What?!"
"It's just my skill. Dokja, you have to be good to Yoosung, just like I was to you, okay?"
Silence fell over everyone.
I wondered how the Constellations were reacting.
Farewell.
My body began to stiffen.
As if I were truly becoming a tree.
[The youngest, Shin Yoosung, is no longer a Disaster.]
A little bonus? I like it. I don't know if you can hear me, but thanks.
[You have died.]
.
.
.
"Just a sapling. That's what's left."
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' closes her eyes.]
[The Constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' laments.]
—Squeeze.
"...Did he really die? Is there no way to change it? Really?"
When the memories of the adult Shin Yoosung passed to the child, they included the memories of her time with Kim Dokyun.
The memories that made the adult Yoosung smile during her hardest times—those happy memories now belonged to the child as well.
[Intermediate Dokkaebi, please end the scenario.]
"Why? I'm the Disaster. I'm the one who should die."
[...If you will not, I shall.]
[The fifth main scenario has ended.]
[Reward settlement is in progress.]
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