3 Jiwon was startled to hear those words. “…The Battle of Hwangsanbeol?” “Yes. According to history, Silla wins that battle.” A hwarang was split in two by Wangin’s enormous blade. Silla should win this according to history…but the leader of the hwarang moved forward before I could finish. “No retreat! Do not turn back once battle has begun!” he yelled. All the hwarangs drew their weapons and cried out. “No retreat!” “Loyalty to the king! Serve with our lives!” “Loyalty to the king!” What the hell is he doing? [Every hwarang of Silla is under the effect of “The Five Commandments” Lv.2] “Ha-ha-ha! You must be eager to die!” Wangin Chu, the incarnation of Gyebaek, shouted with excitement. The leader of the hwarang ran while brandishing his spear. He was a good example of an incarnation following in their sponsoring constellation’s footsteps. [Character Wangin Chu has activated the stigma “Baekje Swordsmanship” Lv.4.] “Kuh!” The leader of the hwarang was thrown by a blow from the huge blade. I yelled at Jiwon, “Order them to withdraw!” “Retreat! Now!” [Character Jiwon Min has activated the skill “Command Army” Lv.2.] [The soldiers are in a state of frenzy.] [The skill has been deactivated.] “I said, get back!” Jiwon shouted anxiously, but the hwarang were under the spell of “The Five Commandments” and didn’t listen to her. Then came the sound of a window breaking from the museum’s second floor, followed by Gilyeong landing beside me. “Dokja, should I call Titano?” Gilyeong looked eager to use “Interspecies Communication.” “No, you don’t need to right now.” Sure, Gilyeong could summon a level-6 monarch species insect like last time, but he would be out for two days after. It also wasn’t easy to control a high-level monster, and our people could sustain some damage as well. Besides, Gilyeong was our secret weapon. I needed to save him for the War of the Kings. “Arghhh!” Several of the hwarangs on the frontline were down. Meanwhile, Baekje’s army had no casualties. I stretched my hand toward Sangah as she ran toward me. “Give me the relic…!” I took Ganpyeongui from Sangah. Ganpyeongui. Everyone else is trying to get the Four Tigers Evil Slayer, but this is the truly important item. The Four Tigers Evil Slayer is no use without it. “Kuh!” The leader of the Hwarang was attacked by Wangin again. His body was being destroyed. It was odd that the first attack hadn’t killed him. [Constellation Hwarang of No Retreat is getting anxious.] [Constellation Last Hero of Hwangsanbeol is overjoyed.] [Constellation Lady of the Sleeping Brocade is anxious.] As the Baekje Army’s morale rose, the Silla Army’s dipped lower and lower. I could almost see Gyebaek’s spirit shimmering over Wangin’s body. “Kill the damn Silla bastards!” When constellations encountered a condition similar to their historical situation, the sync between their incarnations went up, and their stigma’s power increased as well. Not only that, but two historically related constellations were meeting again… So it should be about time for the stage to appear. Bzzzt— “Whoa, what’s happening?” People were screaming in shock. Sparks appeared as the scenery began to change. The whole area of Gwanghwamun in Seoul started transforming into a rugged field. [Dramatization.] This happened when there was a fight between incarnations who had high levels of sync with their constellations, and whose constellations had a historical relationship. The time and the space in which the constellations fought would materialize in the present. Of course, it wasn’t like real space was changed. It was more like augmented reality. The problem was, the involved parties couldn’t distinguish reality from what was augmented, and were affected as if it were real. “Bwa-ha-ha-ha… Hwangsanbeol! How I’ve longed for this day!” Wangin cried out as his sync with his constellation skyrocketed. It looked like he believed he was the great general of Baekje himself. Gyebaek must be quite impatient. If a constellation tried this in an early scenario, the goblins would stop them immediately before plausibility could even become an issue. But it seemed Gyebaek was a lower-class constellation, so his actions weren’t restricted as harshly. “Oh! Ahhh!” Terrified hwarangs started retreating. Seongguk couldn’t believe it. “That guy isn’t even a king, but has that much power… How is that possible?” “It’s possible because Gyebaek is the main character on that stage.” Bam! Wangin rampaged like a man possessed. Once dramatization was activated, and the sync with their constellation went up, the power of an incarnation could increase threefold. I turned to Jiwon, who was trembling. “There are two ways to win here. One is to let Gwanchang die.” “What are you talking about?” Originally, Silla won the Battle of Hwangsanbeol thanks to Gwanchang’s sacrifice. So if he died, they’d be halfway to victory. “Since the dramatization has begun, this place is just like that historical battleground. If the incarnation of Gwanchang dies, it will boost the morale of the Silla Army, because that’s how it’s written in history.” I continued without giving time for Jiwon to protest. “The other way is to change history.” I looked at Ganpyeongui in my hand. Ganpyeongui was an astronomical observation tool from the seventeenth century. Jiwon seemed anxious. “But what happens if it doesn’t work?” “Your kingdom will fall.” “Then of course I’ll choose the fir—” I guess the description of Queen Jinseong written by historians was right. “I wasn’t asking you to choose. We’re changing history.” “Then why did you even bother asking—?” “I wanted to give you a chance. But you’re not the one Silla needs right now.” I worked on the two discs that made up Ganpyeongui. The bottom disc was called the Sky Disc and the top one was called the Earth Disc. This was how Ganpyeongui was described in TWSA. [Ganpyeongui is an item that can be used to find a constellation in the sky.] [Ganpyeongui’s special ability is “Echo of the Stars.”] [You may ask one historical-grade constellation to aid you.] [The constellation can reject your request. If they accept, Ganpyeongui’s number of uses decreases by one.] There were seven constellations on the Sky Disc. That meant Ganpyeongui had a total of seven uses. If it was in better condition, the relic would have had more uses left. It was too bad, but there was nothing I could do about it. Seongguk, who had been watching over my shoulder, seemed to catch on. “By any chance, can you get help from a constellation with that?” “Not from every constellation. We can get help from historical-grade constellations.” Seongguk was amazed by my answer. He had realized the true value of this item. “Amazing! How about calling upon Lu Bu or Xiang Yu? With that kind of constellation, you can deal with Gyebaek,” he suggested excitedly. “You have to know the epithet of the constellation you want to summon.” A constellation’s epithet was just like coordinates in space and time in TWSA. Star Stream’s constellations existed within the words making up their epithet, as if they were x and y coordinates. “Oh, then…” Seongguk looked disappointed. He thinks I don’t know the epithets of Lu Bu or Xiang Yu. Of course, he’s wrong. There is no one in this world who knows more constellations’ epithets than I do. “I will call upon a constellation.” [In the flow of the stars, historical-grade constellations hear your voice.] Of course, I wasn’t going to call up Lu Bu or Xiang Yu. There was no guarantee they would answer my call. Besides, there was someone perfectly suited for this particular battleground. At my call, the stars in the sky seemed to shine brighter. I spoke while countless stars were looking at me. “I want Great King Heungmu, leader of the hwarang.” [The stars begin their voyage.] Part of the sky instantly became dark and cast shadows on the ground. The armies of Silla and Baekje paused and looked up. “What’re you scheming?!” Wangin sensed something was going wrong and came after me. “Sir! I’ll try to hold him off.” Seongguk stepped forward and drew his sword. He’s a hypnotist. I don’t know how long he can last, but a little bit of time should be enough. A constellation in the sky twinkled. He is finally here. [Constellation Great King Heungmu gazes at you.] “Hear me, general.” [Constellation Great King Heungmu listens to you.] “Many here need your help. Your people are dying with the name of your country on their lips.” [Constellation Great King Heungmu remains silent.] Great King Heungmu was the only figure in Silla who was honored as a king after his death. He wouldn’t be able to reject my request because Hwangsanbeol was his battleground. However, something unexpected happened. [Constellation Great King Heungmu does not wish to interfere with the current timeline.] [Constellation Great King Heungmu will reject your request.] …What? Just as the stars began to dim, Sangah spoke up. “General, please hear me out!” The quick-witted Sangah had realized who Great King Heungmu was. [Constellation Great King Heungmu looks back.] “I’ve heard so much about you! The Battle of Hwangsanbeol and the Siege of Pyongyang… Although it’s only from reading historical records!” Sangah took a quick breath before continuing to talk. “I understand your wish to respect history that has already passed. But some history continues even after it’s written!” That clear and sincere voice—the voice of the Sangah Yu I’d known since before the world was changed. There was a calm determination on her face. This was what she was best at. “Don’t you have any regrets? The young hwarang whose lives were cut short, and the countless innocents who were swept into this battle—your battle… Have you forgotten it all?” [Constellation Great King Heungmu listens to incarnation Sangah Yu.] “Of course, history already written won’t be changed. The souls of the soldiers lying dead on the field will not be comforted, and the young hwarang will not come back to life. But general, there is another history here that has yet to come to pass. With your help, we can at least change the course of this history.” I’d forgotten. This woman could be more eloquent, more persuasive than anyone. Her nickname at the company was “the Queen of Presentations.” “Your Hwangsanbeol is over, but here we stand, on our own Hwangsanbeol.” [Constellation Great King Heungmu quietly closes his eyes.] In life, there are moments when you just know what’s about to happen. [Constellation Great King Heungmu accepts your request.] As a constellation disappeared from Ganpyeongui, the light of a constellation in the sky shone down on me. Sangah exhaled gently while looking nervously at me. “Great job, Sangah.” [You have temporarily received constellation Great King Heungmu’s blessing.] Every muscle in my body twitched in shock. My heart pumped as if it was going to explode. In my head, light and darkness swirled in turn. Something was awakening from within my being. [This is the foolish regret of an old man who could not forget the past.] The true voice of a constellation. My very existence flickered before the weight of those words. [So please lend me your voice for a moment.] I opened my eyes and nodded. Everyone in the gloomy Hwangsanbeol was looking at me. Wangin Chu, the incarnation of Gyebaek, was stunned. “You are…?” I wasn’t even possessed. I had merely received his blessing, but I was still able to feel the historical-grade constellation’s power. This was the power of a constellation. “It has been a long time, Gyebaek.” There was a strange depth in my voice. In the distance, Gwanchang wobbled to his feet. “Hwarang Gwanchang need not show me respect. Stand at ease.” “G-General…!” Great King Heungmu was observing the world through me. He looked at Gwanchang, Gyebaek, and the ruins of Seoul. And I was also watching the world through Great King Heungmu. The setting sun shined on the lonely field of Hwangsanbeol. “How funny. Our history is already over, so why are you all gathered here?” Wangin laughed manically after hearing those comments. A laughter filled with anger and resentment. At that moment, Wangin Chu was General Gyebaek. [Constellation Last Hero of Hwangsanbeol has possessed his incarnation’s body.] “What other reason could there be than to clash blades with you once again on this fateful battlefield?” [Character Wangin Chu has activated “Baekje Swordsmanship” Lv.4!] Wangin swung his sword with the power of a legendary hero. If it was the original me, I wouldn’t have been able to avoid it, but I was able to avoid it easily. “Gyebaek. Why have you possessed your incarnation’s body? Did you forget about the restriction of plausibility? You will be extinguished with your incarnation.” He’s right. As a reader of TWSA, even I can see that Gyebaek is way too immersed in this situation. “Kim Yu-Sin…I guess you haven’t heard about this world.” “What do you mean?” “It matters not. My wish has come true since I met you here. I, Gyebaek, have no regrets even if I die.” For some reason, the incarnation of Gyebaek was crying as he said that. “I am Buyeo Seung of Baekje. I am Gyebaek of Hwangsanbeol. I’m here to do what I couldn’t in life.” There was sorrow in Great King Heungmu’s eyes as he gazed at Gyebaek. He spoke through my mouth. “I am Kim Yu-Sin, the fifteenth leader of the Hwarang. “I will console the souls of constellations who fell on this battlefield and correct the current history.” The determination of the great general who had led the Battle of Hwangsanbeol took hold of my body. I moved my right hand. Bright blue light began wrapping around my sword’s handle. [The Sword of the Hwarang has arrived on the battlefield.] [Your Unbreakable Faith has been imbued with the power of the constellation artifact, Blue Dragon Sword.] Blue Dragon Sword was raised skyward, then brought straight down onto the soil of Hwangsanbeol. Rumble—! It was like the whole of Hwangsanbeol was screaming. An enormous amount of magic power rushed through me, and fissures began to form all around. [I call upon the brave warriors who served me in life. Arise and lend me your blades once again.] [Stigma “Calling All Hwarang” has been activated.] Something was rising from the cracks. The forgotten souls buried throughout history. Hwarang warriors who had once lived in this world and fought for honor, but were forgotten, now arose as skeletons. Raaah! From a lost page of history, Kim Yu-Sin’s elite soldiers revealed themselves.
Chapter 53
13 min read