Episode 13 – War of Kings (5)

Min Jiwon was surprised by my words.

“…Battle of Hwangsanbeol?”

“Yes, Silla originally won the Battle of Hwangsanbeol. This is according to history.”

Chu Wangin’s sword ran through a Hwarang member.

Obviously, Shilla would win if it was like history. If it was like history. But before I could speak, the captain of Hwarang came forward and shouted, “Don’t retreat! There is no stepping back in a battle!”

At the same time, the Hwarang pulled out their weapons.

“No!”

“Victory! Loyally serve the king!”

“Serve!”

This bastard?

[All of the Hwarang of Silla are subjected to the effect of Mundane World Five Commandments Lv. 2!]

“Hahaha, you are pushing them!”

Gyebaek’s incarnation, Chu Wangin cried out. Hwarang’s captain came running towards him with a spear. He was following his damn sponsor.

[The character ‘Chu Wangin’ has used the stigma Baekje Kendo Lv. 3!]

“Keeoook!”

The body of the Hwarang captain flew through the air after being hit by a big sword.

I shouted towards Min Jiwon. “Tell them to set up the formations!”

“Take your formations! Hurry!”

[Character ‘Min Jiwon’ has activated Military Command Lv. 2.]

[The army has lost their sense of reason.]

[The skill activation is cancelled.]

“Set up the formation!”

Min Jiwon screamed again but the Hwarang were already inspired by Mundane World Five Commandments and didn’t listen to her order. In the first place, they were loyal to the beauty of Queen Jinseong, not her charisma.

I heard a sound. Then Lee Gilyoung landed next to me from where he broke through the window of the museum’s second floor.

“Hyung, should I call Titano?”

Lee Gilyoung’s eyes shone as he prepared to use Diverse Communication.

“No, it is okay.”

It would be helpful if Lee Gilyoung could call the 6th grade insect king like last time but then he would be unconscious for two days. High grade monsters were difficult to control and could also sweep away allies.

In any case, Lee Gilyoung was my hidden card. I had to save him until the beginning of the war with the kings.

“Kuaaak!”

The Hwarang in front of us were knocked out. On the other hand, there wasn’t a single dead Baekje person.

I reached out to Yoo Sangah who ran to me.

“Yoo Sangah-ssi, the relic…!”

Yoo Sangah handed me the Ganpyeongui.

The Ganpyeongui. Everyone was distracted by the Four Yin Demonic Beheading Sword but in fact, the Ganpyeongui was an essential item for the fourth scenario.

The Four Yin Demonic Beheading Sword had no meaning if this item didn’t exist.

“Kuheeok!”

The captain of Hwarang was a wreck as he was hit by Chu Wangin again. It wouldn’t be strange if he died in one more blow.

[The constellation Hwarang Knows No Retreat is in a hurry.]

[The constellation ‘Last Hero of Hwangsanbeol’ is happy.]

[The constellation ‘Lady of the Brocade Sleep’ is irritated.]

The momentum of the Baekje army grew while Silla’s morale broke down. It felt like the spirit of Gyebaek was flowing from Chu Wangin’s body.

“Destroy the damn Silla!”

The more that the constellations were in a situation similar to the history that they lived, the greater the coordination with their incarnation and the stronger the power of the stigma.

In addition, the encounter with ‘related’ constellations…

It was time for the ‘stage’ to be created.

“Uhh?

What?”

People screamed with surprise. Sparks filled the surrounding space and the scene changed. Seoul’s Gwanghwamun was transformed into a rugged mountain wilderness.

「Stage Transformation. 」

It was a phenomenon that occurred when the coordination was high between incarnations with historical correlations.

Space Transformation summoned the space-time that the constellations had fought in. Of course, the space wasn’t really changed. It was close to an augmented reality.

The problem was that this wasn’t the case for the people who summoned the stage.

“Hahahaha… I missed you Hwangsanbeol!”

Chu Wangin achieved a considerable level of coordination with his sponsor and shouted. Now he seemed to completely believe he was Gyebaek.

Gyebaek was in a hurry. If a constellation did something like this in the early scenarios, it was likely they would receive a sanction from the Bureau. However, Gyebaek was less likely to be affected than the low level constellations.

“U-Uwaaah!”

The frightened Hwarang started to step back.

Lee Sungkook muttered, “He isn’t one of the Seven Kings but he has such power… does this make sense?”

“It is possible because Gyebaek is the protagonist of this stage.”

Chu Wangin was like a mad monster as he ran around. Once Stage Transformation occurred and coordination with the sponsor increased, the incarnation’s strength would multiply.

I looked at the trembling Min Jiwon and opened my mouth.

“I have two ways. One is to let the incarnation of Gwanchang die.”

“That…what do you mean?”

Originally, the Battle of Hwangsanbeol was a battlefield that Shilla won thanks to  Gwanchang’s sacrifice. One half of the battle was complete if he died.

“As soon as Stage Transformation began, this has become the battlefield of history. If the incarnation of Gwanchang dies, the morale of the Silla troops will rise due to their anger. This is recorded in history.”

I didn’t listen to Min Jiwon’s answer.

“The second way is to change history.”

I looked down at the Ganpyeongui in my hands. Ganpyeongui, an astronomical observation device produced by Joseon in the 17th century.

Min Jiwon felt uneasy and asked, “What will happen if it fails?”

“Your country will perish.”

“Then of course it will be the first option…!”

This was truly Queen Jinseong. She was considered an incompetent ruler for a reason.

“I didn’t mean to give you a choice. I will do the second method.”

“Then why did you mention it?”

“I gave you a chance. You are not what Silla needs right now.”

I manipulated the two discs that made up the Ganpyeongui.

The two discs were called the sky disc and the earth disc respectively. The top was the earth disc and the bottom was the sky disc.

There was a simple definition for Ganpyeongui in Ways of Survival.

「 The Ganpyeongui is an item that can find the constellations in heaven.」

As I slowly turned the earth disc, the constellations engraved on the sky disc started to burn brightly.

[Ganpyeongui’s special option ‘Echo of the Stars’ has been activated.]

[‘Echo of the Stars’ allows you to ask for the help of a constellation.]

[The constellation can refuse your request and the number of times Ganpyeongui can be used is reduced when the constellation responds to the request.]

There were seven constellations left on the sky disc. In other words, I can use it seven more times in the future.

It would’ve been good if there were more constellations left on the relic. Well, it couldn’t be helped.

Lee Sungkook seemed to have noticed something and asked, “Are you going to get help from a constellation with that?”

“Not all the constellations are available but there are some great people.”

Lee Sungkook was filled with admiration at my answer. He belatedly found out the true value of this item.

“That’s it!” Lee Sungkook cried out excitedly, “How about calling Xiang Yu or Lu Bu? If you call them, you can easily deal with Gyebaek.”

“I have to know the modifier of the constellation.”

In the world of Ways of Survival, the modifier was like the constellations’ space-time coordinates. The modifiers were like the the X and Y axis coordinate system in the Star Stream.

“Ah… then…”

Lee Sungkook made a sad expression. He thought that I didn’t know the modifiers of Lu Bu and Xiang Yu. But that was an illusion. There was no one in the world who knew as many constellation modifiers as me.

“I’ll call a constellation.”

[The great constellations hear your voice flowing through the stars.]

Of course, the constellation I was calling wasn’t Lu Bu or Xiang Yu. There was no guarantee they would respond to this request and there was someone more fitting for this battlefield.

I stared at the stars in the sky. I faced the numerous stars and opened my mouth.

“I want to call Hwarang Leader King Heungmu the Great.”

[The star navigation has begun.]

A part of the sky darkened and a shadow fell to the ground. The battle between Silla and Baekje stopped.

“What nonsense are you saying?”

Chu Wangin sensed something suspicious and started running towards me.

“Representative-nim, we will stop them.”

Lee Sungkook pulled out a sword. I didn’t know how long the hypnotist would be able to endure but I should have some time.

After a while, one of the stars in the sky shone brightly. He finally appeared.

[The constellation ‘King Heungmu the Great’ is looking at you.]

“General.”

[The constellation ‘King Heungmu the Great’ is listening to you.]

“There are people here who need your help. I am calling you because your people are dying.”

[The constellation ‘King Heungmu the Great’ is silent at your words.]

King Heungmu the Great. He wasn’t royalty but he was the only person who was given a posthumous name of a king of Silla.

He probably wouldn’t reject my request. It was because Hwangsanbeol was his battlefield.

But something unexpected happened.

[The constellation ‘King Heungmu the Great’ doesn’t want to be involved in the history of modern life.]

[The constellation ‘King Heungmu the Great’ will reject your offer.]

…What? The constellation was about to fade away when Yoo Sangah interrupted.

“General, please listen to my words!”

The smart Yoo Sangah noticed who King Heungmu the Great was.

[The constellation ‘King Heungmu the Great’ is looking back.]

“I’m well aware of General’s story! The Battle of Hwangsanbeol, the Siege of Pyongyang…! I’ve read all about it in the records!”

Yoo Sangah took a deep breath before starting to talk.

“I understand that you want to respect the past and history. But General! Some histories don’t end after they are recorded.”

Yoo Sangah’s voice was clear and straightforward.

“Don’t you regret it? The battlefield where the young Hwarang are sacrificed and countless people are buried…! Have you already forgotten?”

[The constellation ‘King Heungmu the Great’ is listening to incarnation Yoo Sangah’s story.]

“History won’t change. The soldiers on the field won’t be comforted and the lives of the young Hwarang won’t return. But General! The history here hasn’t ended yet! If you come here, at least you can change the history in this place!”

I had forgotten how good a talker Yoo Sangah was.  During her early days, she was the queen of PT at Mino Soft.

“General! Your Battle of Hwangsanbeol is over… but we are still at Hwangsanbeol.”

[The constellation ‘King Heungmu the Great’ has silently closed his eyes.]

There were such moments in life. I knew what would happen from now on, even if no one said anything.

[The constellation ‘King Heungmu the Great’ has responded to your request.]

One of the constellations on Ganpyeongui disappeared and a light from the star in the sky shone on me.

I smiled at the nervous Yoo Sangah. “Well done Yoo Sangah-ssi.”

[You have temporarily received the protection of constellation ‘King Heungmu the Great.’]

The muscles in my body twitched like they were surprised. My heart pumped and light and darkness crossed several times in my head. Something was being constructed inside me.

[This is just on old man’s reminiscence of the past.]

This was the mantra of the constellation. Just listening made my existence at stake.

[Please, lend me your voice for a while.]

I nodded while opening my eyes. Everyone on the field of Hwangsanbeol was looking at me.

The incarnation of Gyebaek, Chu Wangin was astonished. “That person…?”

The spirit of a constellation was felt despite him not descending directly. This was the size of the existences called constellations.

“It has been a while, Gyebaek.”

There was a strange depth in my voice. In the distance, the incarnation of Gwanchang staggered.

“Hwarang Gwanchang, there is no need to pay respect to me.”

“G-General…!”

King Heungmu the Great was watching the world through me. He looked at Gwanchang, Gyebaek and the broken Seoul. I was also watching the world through King Heungmu the Great. The sunlight covered the plains of Hwangsan.

“It is funny. Why is it that all of you have gathered here again?”

Chu Wangin laughed madly at these words. It was a laugh filled with deep-seated resentment. At this moment, he really was Gyebaek.

“Don’t you know? It was to meet you again on this field!”

[The character ‘Chu Wangin’ has used the stigma Baekje Kendo Lv. 4!]

Chu Wangin’s sword filled with power and moved. Originally, it was an attack that I wouldn’t have been able to avoid or block. But I avoided the attack without much difficulty.

“Gyebaek, why are you doing this to your incarnation? Have you forgotten the constraints of plausibility? You will destroy your incarnation.”

It was as he said. Gyebaek was acting unreasonably. I also wondered this as a reader of Ways of Survival.

“Kim Yushin… You must’ve heard nothing about this world.”

“What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t matter. My wish was achieved the moment I met you. I’ll have no regrets even if I die now!” The incarnation of Gyebaek cried out. “I carry on Baekje’s legacy of Buyeo, Gyebaek of Hwangsanbeol! I will settle my lifelong regret here!”

King Heungmu the Great watched Gyebaek’s incarnation with sad eyes and opened his mouth through me.

“I am the 15th captain of Hwarang, Kim Yushin.”

King Heungmu the Great, Hwarang Leader Kim Yushin.

“I will comfort the soul of the unfortunate constellation and correct the history of modern humans.”

The man who led the Battle of Hwangsanbeol to victory sent me his will. I moved my right hand. A bluish glow grew from the hilt.

「 The sword of the Hwarang leader is now on the battlefield. 」

[The power of the star relic ‘Blue Dragon Sword’ is temporarily stored in Unbroken Faith.]

The blade of the Blue Dragon Sword soared high into the sky of Hwangsan.

All of Hwangsan seemed to scream. Enormous magic power escaped and a large crack appeared in the earth, centred around me.

「 Dragon Flower Tree unit, come to this place right now. 」

[The stigma ‘Gather the Hwarang’ is activated!]

Something was happening in the crack.

The forgotten ghosts buried in the eternal history. There were no names left but they were Hwarang who once lived on this land and who fought only for honour.

Kuoooooh!

The Dragon Flower Tree, Kim Yushin’s elite unit showed up from the pages of history.