Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
The Majesty from Another World (2)
It was there.
Ju-Heon leaped into the air.
He hurled Gungnir, but the Arc de Triomphe did not budge in the slightest.
The reason was simple.
[Narrative of World B-187487]
- First: Curse of the Tower of Babel (Language) manifested (Resolved)
- Second: Curse of Vishvakarma (Tools) manifested (Resolved)
- Third: Curse of the Nile (Records) manifested (Resolved)
- Fourth: Curse of Fuxi (Future) manifested (Completed)
- Fifth: Interdimensional Gateway Opened / Arc de Triomphe Invasion Begins (NEW)
- Sixth: [LOCKED]
Majestic inscriptions were engraved across the surface of the Arc de Triomphe.
- The Great War. Proof of Victory.
- Total Death Toll: 230,000. Conquest Complete.
The records repeatedly appeared and disappeared across its surface.
Then, toward the center of the city—
"Ah... A declaration of conquest. From this moment onward, this world shall be incorporated into the dominion of Majesty Mars O'Connell."
Ju-Heon stiffened.
Majesty Yoo Jae-Ha spoke.
BOOM!!
"You've heard it from the Rulebook too, haven't you? This is a Majesty War."
The relic released an overwhelming aura like a gigantic meteor.
At the same time, a tremendous shockwave erupted.
And then...
"A declaration of conquest."
Just as expected, a status window appeared before Ju-Heon.
[The Majesty of Conquest has declared a Majesty War.]
[A Majesty from another dimension has activated their .]
[Privilege: 'Remove All Status Effects' has been activated.]
[Target: The Entire World]
The air and light, which had been frozen in place, suddenly began to move again.
The flock of pigeons that had been suspended mid-flight took wing once more.
The signs on the skyscrapers swayed as time itself resumed.
The time that Ilya had frozen was beginning to flow again.
And that wasn't all.
"Outsiders are not permitted entry without authorization from the High Priest~"
People began moving like NPCs following a predetermined script.
Their eyes looked perfectly normal, yet every action repeated along a fixed routine.
Not a single person spoke freely.
[This world is now being conquered as a 'Historical Drama.']
At the same time, notifications exploded one after another.
The very atmosphere surrounding the world changed.
The citizens paused before suddenly speaking in completely different tones.
"Long live His Imperial Majesty!"
"The Imperial Army has claimed another victory today!"
"A rebel has been spotted! We must report them immediately!"
[Citizens are transforming into NPCs.]
[They will repeatedly perform only designated actions.]
[A 'Conquest Relic' is overwriting the world's rules.]
[All citizens will begin searching for and plundering relics under the Empire's orders.]
"...Ha. That's insane."
Apparently, the Arch of Victory was a relic capable of rewriting the world itself in order to ensure victory.
But that wasn't the important part right now.
"Really? That actually works out nicely."
"...What?"
"If people die, the contracts on bound relics will be broken. That means I'll be able to collect plenty of bound relics too."
[The halted flow of time is about to resume.]
This lunatic...!
This was bad.
Julian hastily mounted Ilya's summoned creature and shot into the sky.
Facing the Arc de Triomphe, he shouted,
At this rate, countless people will die.
"Can you hear me?! You can't let frozen time resume! If it does, a massive airplane disaster could happen!"
That had to be stopped first.
Originally, the plan had been to duplicate the translation relic while time was frozen and distribute copies everywhere.
But Yoo Jae-Ha—the only one capable of doing that—had been turned into a cup of instant noodles.
What do we do...?
"The one who replaced it with the Majesty's Heart was you. Do you think something on that scale can be solved with mere duplication?"
At that moment, Ju-Heon looked toward Majesty Yoo Jae-Ha.
Avoiding his gaze, Yoo Jae-Ha let out a sigh.
"You... can create relics, can't you?"
At those words, Yoo Jae-Ha's eyes turned icy.
"...A Majesty who hasn't even awakened yet sure knows a lot."
"Quit making excuses and answer me."
"What are you talking about? My ability is forgery, duplication—"
"Cut the crap."
Majesty Yoo Jae-Ha sighed as though giving up.
Ju-Heon interrupted him firmly.
"You have the power of creation. You're the one who recreated Gungnir, built that execution platform, and even created Yoo Jae-Ha's heart yourself."
"...Fine. You're right."
"My real ability is 'Relic Creation.' But I can only create relics that exist within story structures I already know. There are limits, but I can create almost anything."
"So what?"
"Then create the relic I'm about to describe."
"A negotiation between Majesties? And what's my compensation?"
"...!"
Ju-Heon slowly curled one corner of his mouth upward.
His eyes gleamed.
"At the end of the day, aren't you just another Majesty who came to my world to steal relics?"
"So you're saying if I don't want to die, I should make it? What makes you think that?"
Ju-Heon grinned fiercely.
"The Rulebook that appeared earlier... you made that too, didn't you?"
For the first time, the smug expression on the other's face cracked.
Only for a moment.
He quickly regained his composure and smiled again.
"Unfortunately for me, one of my subordinates happened to be Yoo Jae-Ha. Without that restorer, I can't use relics anymore."
"Ha. You're accusing an innocent man. Got any proof?"
"I don't have proof."
"But I know your weakness."
"...What?"
"The Rulebook."
"What kind of bullshit is that? Do I look like the type who'd make a psycho book like that?"
"Stop denying it."
"You said it yourself."
"...Said what?"
"You said... the Rulebook could be tracked."
Silence.
"A relic being tracked by someone who isn't even its owner?"
"..."
"Then there's only one answer."
"..."
"Unless..."
Ju-Heon let out a faint chuckle.
His eyes flashed.
"You were the one who scattered the Rulebooks in the first place."
"...?!"
"You can do it because they're your creations."
"..."
Yoo Jae-Ha snapped back.
But for the first time, the talkative Yoo Jae-Ha fell silent.
Majesty Yoo Jae-Ha looked at Ju-Heon with open disgust.
The smile disappeared from his lips, and the warmth vanished from his eyes.
"Why were you tracking the Rulebooks?"
"...Why would I?"
"Then explain it."
"Weren't you the one who spread the Rulebooks, killed other Majesties, and tried to devour their worlds?"
When Yoo Jae-Ha couldn't answer, Ju-Heon sneered.
Stepping down on Majesty Yoo Jae-Ha, he said,
"So in the end, you're no different from the rest."
"You're a thief too."
Majesty Yoo Jae-Ha simply turned away, as if he didn't even want to respond.
But—
"The creator of the Rulebooks that go around destroying countless worldlines..."
"If the other Majesties found out about that, it'd be quite a spectacle."
"You'd probably end up on the Interpol Red Notice list."
BANG!
Just then—
Majester Yoo Jae-Ha screamed.
At Ju-Heon's gesture, Domajul shot forward and tightly bound Majesty Yoo Jae-Ha.
"The Rulebooks you created."
"...!"
"Create another relic."
"If only to erase those things."
"...!"
"You're not getting away."
Yoo Jae-Ha bit his lip.
"...What do you want me to make?"
Ju-Heon raised his head and pointed toward the sky.
The Arc de Triomphe still loomed overhead, crushing the city beneath its presence.
The symbol of that declaration of conquest.
The object that had transformed every citizen into an NPC.
High above, the flight path of a passenger airliner flying across the city was beginning to drift.
The precise route had been thrown off by the frozen time.
And the outcome was obvious.
"Damn it..."
"We need a relic capable of destroying that thing."
Ju-Heon frowned.
Then he turned back and glared at Yoo Jae-Ha once more.
Yoo Jae-Ha clenched his teeth.
But then—
[Warning: Three aircraft have deviated from their flight paths.]
[Collision Risk: 397 seconds remaining.]
"...Before that, there's something even more important."
"What?"
"We stop the plane crashes first, idiot."
"That damn Arc can wait."
"..."
"Starting now..."
"We're going to unify the language of everyone in the world."
Yoo Jae-Ha ground his teeth.
His pupils trembled.
"A relic like that exists?"
"Any relic I create has to be based on a story I already know..."
"I can give you the exact source."
Ju-Heon stepped right in front of him.
"...You're really going to use that?"
"Yeah."
"Create the relic based on that record."
"Heh."
"If the narrative doesn't line up, it'll explode."
"But I suppose there's no harm in trying."
"The whole world had one language and one common speech."
—Genesis 11:1
Majesty Yoo Jae-Ha raised his hand.
The authority of a Majesty shone from his fingertips.
"Huh?"
CRACK!
"It's the passage from the myth of the Tower of Babel."
"We're going to use Babel's curse in reverse."
A golden fissure began splitting the earth.
As though reciting an incantation, Yoo Jae-Ha muttered,
"The Tablet of Genesis, Chapter 11."
RUMBLE—!!
"It's finished!"
"But it still might not activate!"
"What? Why?"
"A myth on the level of the Bible requires overwhelming Dominion—or exceptional compatibility!"
"I'm not even a professional clergyman. How am I supposed to use it?!"
Something burst upward from the earth like blazing fire.
A gigantic stone tablet rose toward the heavens like the judgment of God.
It looked like a fragment of the fallen Tower of Babel...
Or perhaps someone's enormous gravestone.
At last, radiant golden letters began engraving themselves across its surface.
A professional clergyman...?
The team's eyes immediately turned toward Ilya, the former Catholic priest.
But Ilya shouted with bulging veins,
"I'm a fallen priest!"
"The whole world had one language and one common speech."
—Genesis 11:1
Well...
He was still a priest who used demons.
And among everyone here, there was only one person who possessed that much Dominion.
"Looks like I'm the only one."
"An unawakened Majester can't possibly use it."
"It's impossible anyway—"
Before he could finish—
Ju-Heon placed his hand upon the stone tablet.
"You never know until you try!"
At once, an overwhelming torrent of Dominion poured into it.
Seeing a level of Dominion he had never witnessed before, Majesty Yoo Jae-Ha's jaw dropped.
The instant Ju-Heon infused it with his Dominion—
A golden shockwave erupted in every direction.
Every citizen.
Every animal.
Every living being.
For a single instant, all of their eyes glowed gold.
[Divine Relic Activated: The Tablet of Genesis, Chapter 11]
[Synchronizing the language of all created beings into a single language.]
[Targets: Humans, Relics, Majesties, Animals, and All Living Creatures.]
The entire city shook violently.