Chapter 324: Episode 61 – Gigantomachia (4)
Over the years, the giants had forgotten the anger from the first Gigantomachia. The repeated scenarios took away their will and tarnished the glorious days.
Now the 60th scenario, Gigantomachia was merely a festival of constellations where several giants
were conscripted.
[Please go back.]
Rather than resisting the world, the giants chose to be forgotten from the world. Their despair was so huge that I was speechless for a moment. It would’ve been nice if Yoo Sangah was here right now. She was better at convincing people than me.
“The commanders of a mythical era… they aren’t a big deal.”
It was a uniquely rude tone. Surprisingly, Kim Namwoon was the first one to open his mouth.
“Lumps, you aren’t dead like me.”
Despite the terrifying status of the giants, his small mouth was still moving. Kim Namwoon shouted in a strangely heightened accent, as if it was his end and he wanted to have no regrets. “Those who are alive can change the future. Yet you’re already giving up? They say that G.o.ds are greater than humans and have enormous mental strength? ■king bull■! Whining after losing a few times…!”
A b.l.o.o.d.y aura rose from the giants. I quickly moved in front of Kim Namwoon to stop him. “You can still change. This Gigantomachia is completely different from the ones before.”
[History doesn’t change.]
“Have you already forgotten that you were betrayed by the G.o.d of Lightning? Have you forgotten how you fell to the abyss of Tartarus after helping him win t.i.tanomachy?”
Yoo Sangah wasn’t around but I remembered what she told me. Yoo Sangah was excellent in world history and mythology. I recalled the time when she persuaded King Heungmu the Great with her words. “How was it during Gigantomachia? It was a fight you could win. It was a fight you could win if it wasn’t for the help of human heroes. Do you want to be recorded as a myth that was forever defeated?”
[Cheeky child. You don’t understand…!]
“I understand. Your despair, I understand it all.”
It was a lie. It was because I didn’t know about them. However, it also wasn’t a lie.
“I know someone who was in the same position as you but he didn’t give up to the end, unlike you.”
We could only understand the other person through our stories.
“I knew a man who was desperate thoughts of times in front of a world greater than him, yet never gave up.”
Yoo Jonghyuk and Kim Namwoon looked at me. Briareus asked, [Whose story are you talking about?]
“The story of a hero I know. I can tell you if you like.”
Briareus laughed at my words. The deep distrust was filled with ridicule.
[Hidden behind the wall.]
…The presence behind the wall. At this moment, I heard the world creaking.
[I know that you have a fragment of the Last Wall. You are hiding behind it and avoiding the attention of other constellations.]
It was true.
[Do you think there is any authenticity in the words from such a coward? You can’t persuade us.]
Funnily enough, I couldn’t refute the words. It felt like he pointed out something that I had ignored for a long time.
[The Fourth Wall is indignant!]
[The Fourth Wall is saying not to listen.]
Unexpectedly, it was the constellations who helped me.
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ condemns the weakness of the giants!]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ thinks the ‘Strongest Storm’ is pathetic.
[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ is shaking his head.]
Briareus was surprised by the sudden burst of indirect messages.
[You have great sponsors in your channel… spectres of the scenario. You still remain? I wonder what the story is that you are chasing after this little boy.]
I stared at the indirect messages pouring from the air and worried for a moment. I didn’t take long to make a decision. “I’ll release the wall.”
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is looking at you with astonishment!]
[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ is watching you with serene eyes.]
“Then will you listen to my story?”
「 Kim Dok ja can’t do th at. 」
There were intense sparks around me as the Fourth Wall spoke.
「 I can’t d o it. 」
‘Just once. It is okay even for a moment.’
「 It wi ll be dan ge rous. 」
The Fourth Wall stood firm.
[The ‘Fourth Wall’ is s.h.i.+mmering faintly.]
In fact, I wasn’t confident either. I wondered if my mind could fully endure it once this wall was completely gone. Still, I had to do it.
「 Ab so lute ly not. 」
‘I will forcibly turn it off if you don’t listen.’
The Fourth Wall shook more strongly at my threat. The Fourth Wall that always protected me. I didn’t want to fight it. Eventually, the first one to yield was the Fourth Wall.
「 No t every thing… 」
‘Then?’
「One pa rt on ly. 」
The moment I was about to answer, I heard the sound of the sky collapsing. There was an artificial crack in something that was snugly wrapped around me. My head became cloudy and my calm heart suddenly became uneasy.
[Part of the Fourth Wall is opened.]
I started to feel like I was going crazy. My vision turned red and my heart jumped quickly. I was dizzy.
Some of my stories released their voices.
[The story ‘h.e.l.l of Eternity’ has begun.]
[The exclusive attribute ‘Scenario Interpreter’ is activated!]
The things I had been through in the 1863rd round were floating around in my head. I looked out and letters were pouring out from me. It was the story of Ways of Survival that I had read. In the feast of fascinating stories, I lost my breath for a moment.
There was Yoo Jonghyuk. It was Yoo Jonghyuk of the original novel that no longer existed. Some of the rounds I remembered became fragments and they were pa.s.sed on to the Hecatoncheires. I started retching.
「 I killed him. 」
「 It shouldn’t be like this. 」
「 I could’ve stopped it. 」
Even so, I didn’t lose my mind. I was obliged to tell this story. Only I remembered this story.
「 “I won’t give up. One hundred times, a thousand times. I will go back a few times and surely kill all of you.” 」
There was Yoo Jonghyuk fighting against Olympus.
The 150 eyes of the giants widened in unison.
「 “I will kill all of you without leaving a single thing left.” 」
Yoo Jonghyuk’s rounds were flowing out. Yoo Jonghyuk fought. In the 211th round, he killed one of the 12 G.o.ds. In the 325th round, he killed two of them. In the 438th round, he killed four. The number of rounds suddenly exceeded four digits.
「 “I told you. You will die.” 」
He declared. He swung his sword. He put his words into practice. In the meantime, there were the Gigantomachia scenarios where the giants were defeated. Yoo Jonghyuk held the heads of the 12 G.o.ds and laughed.
「 “You can’t survive forever.” 」
The eyes of the giants were amazed as they looked at the heads of the G.o.ds. There was Yoo Jonghyuk who kept fighting and fighting. In the 1863rd regression, Yoo Jonghyuk slaughtered the constellations.
Every time Yoo Jonghyuk killed, the fists of the giants shook. In the eyes of the giants, something long lost was waking up again. In the end, the only way to convince someone was the story.
The lost sensibility was woken up. Their old willpower was being rekindled. They were being told that life was possible. It was just a story.
[The exclusive skill ‘Fourth Wall’ is activated!]
The story was soon cut off. I lost strength and collapsed, only for somebody to help me. They were Yoo Jonghyuk and Kim Namwoon.
The giants were looking at me.
[So…] The giants asked me. [What happened next in the story?]
[What happened next?]
I was well aware of the desire seen in these eyes. “Do you want to know?”
While hating the scenario, they were curious about the next scenario.
[…I want to know.]
“Find out for yourself.”
At my words, the eyes of the giants shook again. The chapped lips that declared they weren’t curious about the next story were twitching in unison. The answer came back after a long time.
[…Do you think you can win?]
I knew what they were asking and answered confidently. “I can win.”
300 eyes were looking at me. How long had it been? The number of eyes started to increase. 300 became 400 and then 500. In the darkness, countless Gigantes appeared around the three Hecatoncheires brothers.
[Giants, listen.]
The feet of the myths descended.
[We… will fight in Gigantomachia.]
There was an earthquake along with the sound. All the giants in Tartarus started swarming. One by one, the giants started stomping their feet.
Kung. Kung. Kung. Kung.
The sound of the feet unceasingly moved to the beat. The giants rose in unison and a grand spectacle unfolded.
Kung. Kung. Kung. Kung.
A step towards ruin. I barely breathed as I watched the giants rising like waves in the darkness.
It was pretty hard but it was successful. At this time, Persephone’s true voice was heard in the air.
[You better hurry, Demon King of Salvation. Olympus has already taken out the ‘giants’ to join Gigantomachia.]
“…Why have they already pulled out giants?”
[You don’t know. Gigantomachia has already started.]
“What do you mean? There is still a week.”
[Have you forgotten that time flows differently in the Underworld?]
I made a mistake. The moment I was about to ask for the time outside, I heard the voices of the giants.
[How many were taken to Gigantomachia?]
[This year, there are four.]
…Four?
“There is no way. There should be five giants in this scenario.”
The giants gazed at me and answered, [Four.]
I quickly opened the smartphone and checked Ways of Survival.
「 There are five giants in this year’s Gigantomachia. 」
There was no doubt. According to Ways of Survival, there should be five giants in this year’s war.
Yet only four were pulled out? At this moment, I got s.h.i.+vers.
I glanced back and saw that Yoo Jonghyuk had a serious expression. “Kim Dokja.”
All the giants in the Star Stream were trapped in Tartarus. Apart from one. Apart from the half-giant we knew.