[the constellations of the absolute good alignment are looking forward to seeing the extermination of an evil creature.]
Kim Dokja flinched slightly at that description. Though it would be necessary for the survival of all the incarnations of the Seoul dome, he didn't want to kill her—let alone calling it anything like an 'extermination'.
Still, as he held onto the kids, Kim Dokja forced himself to watch that which would come to pass.
As Dokja activates the newly added slot for a maximum possible duration of 30 minutes, Heewon's red translucent figure overlaps with him. In a digital crackle, a large set of scales appears behind him. [Time of Judgement] is activated, unsettling 'Scribe of Heaven' and the constellations of absolute good, as well as making the disaster jump back defensively.
Of course it's unsettling. Someone activating a skill only those with the 'Judge' attribute are allowed to use would take anyone aback, but you all have no choice but to allow me to use it. Because right in front of me is an entity that is classified as 'Evil'.
As Dokja narrates, the scene takes on a white background as it slowly pans over an image of Dokja brandishing his sword in front of him, bracketed by the scales behind him before it turns black when it changes to an upside down image of the disaster. Just as he declared, the constellations agree to the use of the skill, and with a shudder, the scales begin to tilt.
"Sorry ahjussi, I have to say it—unnie looks so much better with that skill than you," Lee Jihye said bluntly as she glanced over at him. Well of course she did; it was her skill!
Plus, he wasn't using it for the aesthetics or anything, so Kim Dokja just sighed. "What matters is that it works, not how it looks."
Admittedly, he had to agree with her deep down. Kim Dokja knew that he wasn't worthy of making those kinds of moral judgements, and it wasn't something that he enjoyed either. Unlike Jung Heewon, he wasn't a good person, and he was far from impartial. It wasn't a surprise that the absolute good constellations were unsettled.
Han Sooyoung snickered behind her hand. "You're totally mad about it, aren't you?"
No he wasn't. Shut up.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' believes that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will wield the skill responsibly.]
Well, if by responsibly she meant using it exactly once and then never touching it again, then sure. Kim Dokja was no Judge, and he had no intentions of stepping up a second time if there were any other options.
As the scales began to tilt, Jung Heewon winced slightly. "Ah, right, um… do you think your fourth wall skill will be able to protect you from compulsions?"
Kim Dokja frowned, looking confused. Compulsions? What was she talking about?
「PUNISH EVIL.」
All of a sudden, hundreds of layers of voices erupt in Dokja's head, momentarily disorienting him. It's overwhelming and paralyzing, and he's compelled to follow their command.
「PUNISH EVIL.」
Dokja's heart thumps in his chest, feeling as though every cell in his body is pushing him to bend to the will of the voices as they urge him to complete this divine mission. Bearing it and somehow managing to stay in control of himself, Dokja realizes that Heewon has to go through this terrible experience every time she fights for his sake.
「PUNISH EVIL.」
He and Heewon's image leap forwards, slashing a gash into the disaster's shoulder and drawing blood as she shrieks in pain.
Ah. No wonder Jung Heewon was concerned.
"I guess the answer is no," she muttered as she sent him a pitying look. "It might be worse for you because you don't have the attribute, too."
That was possible, but god… was that really what she experienced every time she activated this skill? How did she always seem so composed?
"Heewon-ssi, that looks really difficult to handle…" Lee Hyunsung muttered, his face paling as he watched Kim Dokja struggle to stay in control of himself against the will of the constellations.
She glanced over and smiled at him, and Lee Hyunsung's cheeks went slightly pink as a result. "It's fine! It doesn't affect me so much, honestly—I just tune it out most of the time."
[some constellations feel conflicted about the words of the incarnation 'jung heewon'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the constellations of the absolute good alignment.]
Suddenly, the scene changes to show an ancient mural. It's split down the middle by the stylistically drawn rays of the sun, dividing two sides of a battle. On the left, a group of people wearing armor and winged helmets draw their weapons and point them towards a group of demonic creatures on the right.
[Time of Judgement] was originally a skill used by the valkyries in the Holy Wars, which is why anyone who uses this skill receives the archangels' blessing to never fall in battle as long as the enemy is seen as 'Evil'.
Dokja clashes with the disaster once more, his sword wreathed in red energy and his eyes blazing. After she blocks a strike with her foot, the disaster dodges and retreats by leaping backwards. After jumping over one of Dokja's attempts to slice her, the disaster summons more beasts to come to her aid—large, small, earthbound, and airborne.
"Oh wow, that's a skill with an interesting backstory, Heewon-ssi," Yoo Sangah gasped in awe as they looked at the mural.
Honestly, Kim Dokja had to agree with her. One of the things that he loved about TWSA was all the world building, and it had been exhilarating to learn that every skill and constellation had some kind of story lurking just under the surface. Though some might be more well known than others, they were all there, just waiting to be uncovered.
Though some stories had never existed outside of the pages of TWSA, they had existed to Kim Dokja, and that was enough.
"Wait, so unnie can't lose if the enemy is evil?" Yoo Mia asked curiously as she shot a glance in Jung Heewon's direction. "That's pretty awesome."
Kim Dokja shouldn't be jealous. He shouldn't be, but it did sting a bit that the girl only named Jung Heewon there, considering that he was the one currently using the skill.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is smiling fondly at the incarnation 'jung heewon'.]
"It's okay, hyung," Lee Gilyoung said innocently with a smile, "I think you look cool."
Thank you, Gilyoung-ah…
Shin Yoosung nodded in agreement. "Yeah! You're as cool as Heewon-unnie!"
Okay, that he would take as a compliment. Jung Heewon was pretty damn cool.
Shards of ice kicked up by the beasts fly everywhere, reflecting the light of Dokja's sword. As they charge forward in an effort to overwhelm him, the disaster screeches in pain as her eyes turn purple, causing Dokja to notice that her power is growing. The more 'Evil' she becomes, the stronger she gets, and Dokja quickly realizes that he won't be able to win alone—not even with the advantages of [Time of Judgement]. Surrounded by beasts, Dokja yells to the bystanders, urging them to join and attack the monsters that are still emerging from [Monster Gate].
The battle devolves into chaos as the other incarnations join in, slashing and smacking the monsters to the best of their abilities. If they can distract the monsters for long enough that Dokja can attack the disaster directly, then they've succeeded. Snippets of Hyunsung fighting the Kong and the children watching a battle between the two massive ichthyosaurs play on the screen before Sangah appears. Running in with her thread, she calls out that she'll restrict the disaster's mobility. Nearby, Jihye summons the [Ghost Fleet] on the now-unfrozen river, declaring that she'll take charge of cover fire.
As she hears this, the disaster grits her teeth in determination.
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes narrowed as he observed the beasts charging towards Kim Dokja, and he seemed intensely displeased with something. What, was he frustrated that Kim Dokja hadn't just handled them in a second, or something?
It's not like the protagonist would be able to accomplish that yet either, so there was no point in being upset about it. Still, he had to do something or else he'd end up getting overwhelmed.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is excited for a good fight.]
Lee Seolhwa's eyes widened. "Her power is getting stronger? That's not good…"
It wasn't, and Kim Dokja knew it. It wouldn't be so bad if he had some backup, but with so many people out of commission, then who would even be available to help right now? Especially since those who remained had their hands full dealing with the monsters.
"I think they're too big for me to be able to effectively handle multiple targets at once, so I may not be much help against the monsters," Yoo Sangah admitted anxiously.
Lee Hyunsung rushed to reassure her, at least. "It's okay! Sangah-ssi, remember that having a realistic assessment of your own capabilities is very important too."
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is agreeing with the words of the incarnation 'lee hyunsung'.]
Lee Jihye cheered excitedly when she heard her own declaration, and she grinned widely. "Don't worry, I'm here now! Leave the cover fire to me and my sponsor-ahjussi!"
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is praising the confidence of his incarnation.]
Now that the river was unfrozen, that backup would be invaluable.
"Thanks, Jihye," Kim Dokja said while smiling brightly at her. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her smile dropped off her face as she stared at him for a moment, and Kim Dokja felt very confused by that reaction. Had he done something wrong…?
Then, Lee Jihye turned to look at Yoo Joonghyuk. "Master, I'll admit that you have good taste."
… in what?
Then, Kim Dokja found himself doing a double-take. Did Yoo Joonghyuk just nod? What the fuck was he agreeing with?
Han Sooyoung wheezed after seeing the expression of utter bafflement on Kim Dokja's face, and Jung Heewon joined in too. Why couldn't someone just explain what they were talking about??
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is losing her mind.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is glaring at the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Okay, if Uriel was that excited, then Kim Dokja probably didn't want to know what was going on here.
After a quick heal with a whoosh of green energy, Joonghyuk steps forward into the chaos and informs Dokja that a demon was involved in sending 41st Yoosung across the worldlines. Immediately, Dokja realizes that he used [Resuscitation] to recover just enough to be able to fight.
As Yoo Joonghyuk guessed, the custody of Shin Yoosung's soul has been leased to a demon. And the demon in question gave away her soul to the damned dokkaebis.
Dokja asks Joonghyuk how long he has, trying to judge how quickly they need to end this fight. Joonghyuk states that he only has thirty minutes, which aligns perfectly with the maximum time that Dokja can maintain [Bookmark]. Grimly looking at the disaster's furious expressions and altered body, Dokja and Joonghyuk leap into action as a team.
Far above the scene, the intermediate dokkaebi laughs cheerfully, basking in the joy of seeing an intense fight. The constellations are thrilled, and this is exactly what that dokkaebi wants.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is jumping up and down in excitement.]
"Joonghyuk-ah?" Kim Dokja exclaimed in shock, glancing over at the protagonist. For some reason, he was looking in Kim Dokja's direction already, and he seemed somewhat pleased, though Kim Dokja couldn't fathom why that would be.
Han Sooyoung snickered. "Ooh, your protagonist's instincts sensed a damsel in distress, didn't it?"
"You don't know what you're talking about," Kim Dokja grumbled as he shot her a judgemental look, and completely missed the absolute death glare that Yoo Joonghyuk sent her way. Who the fuck was the damsel in distress here!?
Han Sooyoung just shrugged. "You'll come around eventually, just wait and see."
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is amused.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is adamant that the incarnation 'kim dokja' could do better.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is threatening the constellation 'secretive plotter' to mind his own business.]
Okay, ignoring whatever the fuck was going on there, Kim Dokja decided to focus back on the fight. It was so damn cool to see himself fighting alongside Yoo Joonghyuk and working together to go after the disaster. Plus, the protagonist was actually cooperating with him and not just blazing ahead and issuing commands.
He almost teared up, honestly. Character development was a beautiful, beautiful thing.
"Only thirty minutes…" Kim Dokja muttered before smiling brightly at Yoo Joonghyuk. "Well, we have to make them count, right?"
Yoo Joonghyuk's expression did something truly strange for an instant before Han Sooyoung, Lee Jihye, and Jung Heewon once again burst out laughing.
Seriously, what the fuck was wrong with them?
The disaster gathers her breath and breathes out a blast which takes on the appearance of a black and purple tiger. Dokja identifies it as the [Breath of the Beast Lord] and quickly uses the wing-like ends of his coat to become a shield and tank the hit while Joonghyuk leaps over it. Now fighting two-on-one, the disaster can't pin both of them down at the same time.
With a crackle of energy surrounding his sword, Joonghyuk slashes at the disaster from midair, causing shards of ice to go flying. Dodging it, the disaster leaps into the air and whirls around to kick Joonghyuk, but he does the same and their legs collide in a furious strike. Midair, the two begin exchanging a series of fast-paced blows, causing shockwaves with every strike.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' thinks that the skill of the 'disaster of floods' looks cool.]
Of course he would—it was black and purple, and looked like something straight out of a teenager's power fantasy. Kim Dokja would have been more surprised if the dragon hadn't liked it, to be honest.
"Be careful, ahjussi," Shin Yoosung whispered, looking on with determination as Kim Dokja blocked the attack. He'd be alright, now that he had backup.
Beforehand, she could overpower him and prevent him from getting too close, but with the monsters being held off by the other incarnations, she mostly had single-target attacks. Now that Yoo Joonghyuk was acting as a vanguard, though, Kim Dokja could fight more defensively and support him instead.
"Don't worry, Yoosung-ah," Kim Dokja told her with a pat on her head, "we'll win."
She looked relieved, and Yoo Mia scoffed loudly. Still, Kim Dokja could tell that the other girl was equally glad to hear that Kim Dokja was confident.
"Of course you'll win," she declared with a grin, "my oppa is there now!"
Well, Kim Dokja was just going to sit back, relax, and enjoy watching Yoo Joonghyuk fight seriously. This is what he had hoped to see when Yoo Joonghyuk had defeated the Disaster of Ice, and he was still frustrated that it had been skipped over. All he wanted was to see the protagonist kick some ass; was that too much to ask for?
Still, this was equally mesmerizing, and Kim Dokja found himself practically entranced by the complexity of the battle. Their speed was inhuman, and the force of their strikes alone might as well have caused shockwaves. Honestly, it could be hard to tell which of them was the true 'disaster', at this point.
[many constellations are cheering for the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]