– Kugugugugu!
-酷酷酷酷！
Inside the screen, Constellations of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ were emitting scary auras towards each other. The taut tension was stretched firm like a rubber band, ready to snap at any given moment. And it was the smallest, but also bright, Nebula that managed to maintain the balance.
在屏幕内部，正邪星座相互之间散发出可怕的光环。绷紧的拉力像橡皮筋一样绷紧，随时可能断裂。它是最小的星云，但也很明亮，星云设法保持了平衡。
[It’s been truly a long time since I last saw everyone from ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ gather in one place….]
[我已经很久没有见到‘善’和‘恶’的所有人聚集在一起了......]
The ‘Guardian of the Mandala’, Sakyamuni, was looking at the screen with an unreadable expression on his face. Ancient memories were flowing within his irises.
“曼荼罗的守护者”，释迦牟尼，看着屏幕，脸上带着难以辨认的表情。古老的记忆在他的虹膜里流淌。
The scenario before the scenarios, the era when ‘Good’, ‘Evil’, and the keepers of neutrality were working together. The tale of everyone working together to fight the Dragon of Apocalypse, in order to prevent the advent of the apocalypse itself….
在这些场景之前的场景，正义、邪恶和保持中立的人们一起工作的时代。这个故事讲述了每个人为了阻止世界末日本身的到来而联合起来对抗世界末日之龙..。
– I’d also like to help my companions.
我也想帮助我的同伴。
Sakyamuni heard that voice and shifted his gaze towards a small cistern. A small ball of soul glowing faintly was speaking to him while hovering inside the tank.
释迦牟尼听到了这个声音，把目光转向一个小水池。一个小小的灵魂球在水箱里盘旋，微微发光，对他说着话。
– When will I able to reincarnate?
我什么时候才能转世？
[That place isn’t your battlefield, oh dear child. You shall reincarnate as a being born to carry out an even greater purpose.]
那个地方不是你的战场，亲爱的孩子。你应该转世投胎成为一个生物，以实现一个更大的目标
– They are my purpose.
他们是我的目标。
Even after becoming a soul, Yu Sang-Ah’s voice remained resolute.
即使在成为一个灵魂之后，余相娥的声音依然坚定。
– If I don’t get to save them in that place, then my reincarnation will have no meaning.
如果我不能在那个地方拯救他们那么我的转世就没有意义了。
[Meaning, is it….]
[意思是......]
Sakyamuni shifted his gaze again, this time to another cistern located on the opposite side of Yu Sang-Ah’s. There was a female Incarnation Body wearing a Buddhist robe inside this one.
释迦牟尼再次转移了目光，这次是在于相雅对面的另一个蓄水池。在这里面有一个女性化身身体穿着一件佛袍。
[You shall be entering the body of a child that I cared about.] – I’ll enter someone else’s body? But, I thought I was going to reincarnate?
你将进入我所喜爱的孩子的身体我会进入别人的身体？但是，我以为我会转世呢？
[You’ll reincarnate with that body as your Incarnation Body.] – But, what about the original owner of that body?
[你将以那个身体转世为你的化身身体]那尸体的原主人呢？
Sakyamuni didn’t reply.
释迦牟尼没有回答。
Would Buddha feel sorrow, as well?
佛陀也会感到悲伤吗？
Yu Sang-Ah realised something in that moment.
余相娥在那一刻意识到了一些事情。
– Is that person your ‘meaning’?
那个人是你的”意思”吗？
Without saying anything, Sakyamuni continued to observe the Buddhist robe-wearing woman inside the cistern.
释迦牟尼一言不发，继续观察着池中的佛袍女子。
[She has returned to the providence of the cosmos, that is all. Everything is simply an empty revolution of the wheel.] – Is that really how you feel? You cared about her greatly, yes?
她只是回到了宇宙的天意，仅此而已。所有的一切都只不过是车轮的空转你真是这么想的吗？你很关心她，是吗？
[You shall understand it soon enough, child. Becoming a Reincarnator is precisely that, after all.]
[你很快就会明白的，孩子。毕竟，转世正是转世。]
– I’m not a Reincarnator yet.
我还不是转世呢。
[You’ll soon realise that there is no meaning in being bound by such shackles - in how everything you held dear was simply an exercise in futility.]
[你很快就会意识到，被这样的枷锁束缚是没有意义的——你珍视的一切都只是徒劳无益的行为。]
– ….Is jinxing someone else your hobby?
-...是不是你的爱好是不是让别人更倒霉？
[I only speak of the truth, dear child.]
我只是说实话，亲爱的孩子
Sakyamuni looked at the battlefield inside the screen once more. Constellations that had lived for a very long time were in there.
释迦牟尼再次看着屏幕里的战场。生活了很长时间的星座都在那里。
[Constellations suffer from insomnia for all of their lives. They can’t fall asleep without the scenarios, and even when they dream, they still ingurgitate the Fables of others. Through this greedy devouring, they wish to erase the scenarios they find themselves in. And they feel anxious all the time, even though they don’t understand why they feel that way.]
星座一生都在遭受失眠的折磨。没有这些场景，他们无法入睡，甚至当他们做梦的时候，他们仍然在吞噬别人的寓言。通过这种贪婪的吞噬，他们希望抹去他们发现自己身处的场景。他们总是感到焦虑，即使他们不明白为什么他们会有这种感觉
The most ancient Constellation among all of them, Sakyamuni, continued to speak. [As if they are stuck in the eternal daydream, they can’t escape from the scenario. They look away from death, so they don’t know its true meaning. And because they don’t know death, they can’t wake up from the scenario’s illusion. They all mistakenly believe that there is one story somewhere that might save them.]
其中最古老的星座——Sakyamuni——仍在继续说话。就好像他们陷入了永恒的白日梦，他们无法逃脱这种情景。他们把目光从死亡上移开，所以他们不知道死亡的真正含义。因为他们不知道死亡，所以他们不能从这个场景的幻觉中醒来。他们都错误地认为有一个故事可以拯救他们
Constellations either sponsoring <Kim Dok-Ja Company> or being hostile towards them were sending indirect messages inside the screen.
星座或者赞助金道佳公司，或者对他们怀有敌意，都在屏幕里间接地发送信息。
Sakyamuni slowly moved its gaze towards the middle of that busy screen.
释迦牟尼慢慢地将目光移向繁忙的屏幕中央。
[However, Reincarnators are different.]
(然而，转世是不同的。)
That was where the Reincarnators from this island could be found.
在那里可以找到这个岛的转世。
They had followed after <Kim Dok-Ja Company>. And they were still being forced to slave under the great Fable after joining the side of either ‘Good’ or ‘Evil’.
他们紧随金道子公司之后。他们在加入正义或邪恶的一方之后，仍然被迫屈服于伟大的寓言之下。
Sakyamuni looked at them and spoke. [Reincarnators will live on forever like Constellations, but they must die and be reborn again. They know what it means to awaken since they understand death, and because they know the meaning of awakening, they also come to realise that they are simply a cog in the scenario’s machination. Reincarnation is to comprehend the scenario’s true essence.]
释迦牟尼看着他们说。转世会像星座一样永生，但他们必须死后重生。他们知道觉醒意味着什么，因为他们理解死亡，因为他们知道觉醒的意义，他们也开始意识到他们只是剧本策划中的一个齿轮。转世是为了理解情节的真正本质。]
Reincarnators with low Status will lose their memories along with their death, but that was not the case for everyone. There were some who retained their former memories, like Nirvana, when they reincarnated. They would reincarnate into various species and various genders and continue on with the scenario.
地位低的转世会随着他们的死亡失去他们的记忆，但是并不是每个人都如此。有些人在转世的时候还保留着他们以前的记忆，比如涅槃。他们将转世进入不同的物种和不同的性别，并继续这个剧本。
As a human, as a toad, as an Orc, as an Elf, as an ant….
作为一个人，作为一个蟾蜍，作为一个兽人，作为一个精灵，作为一个蚂蚁..。
Most likely, they acquired those expressions after experiencing countless reincarnations.
最有可能的是，他们是在经历了无数轮回之后才获得这些表情的。
– They all seemed to have resigned themselves.
他们似乎都听天由命了。
[That’s because they understand nothing will change regardless of who wins.] – Scenarios can be changed. That’s what we have been doing so far.
[那是因为他们明白不管谁赢了，什么都不会改变。]-情况可以改变。这就是我们迄今为止所做的。
[However, that hasn’t changed the fact that it’s still a ‘scenario’.] – So, you must give up now? Because, no matter what you do, the scenario will remain as a scenario? That’s just you trying to run away. That’s the same as conceding defeat without even fighting first.
(然而，这并没有改变事实，它仍然是一个“情景”。)那么，你现在必须放弃了？因为，无论你做什么，这个场景仍然是一个场景？那只是你想逃跑。这就等于没有战斗就承认失败。
[Oh, dear child. You’re now insulting the lives of the Reincarnators. They have continuously fought against scenarios through their countless lives….] – Have you ever fought with everything on the line, not giving up on a single lifetime in the process?
哦，亲爱的孩子。你现在是在侮辱转世的生命。在他们无数的生命中，他们不断地与各种情况作斗争......]-你有没有在战斗中不放弃一个人的一生？
Sakyamuni shut his mouth after hearing that question.
释迦牟尼听到这个问题后闭上了嘴。
Not giving up on a single lifetime, she said.
不要放弃一生，她说。
Before he could reply, though, Yu Sang-Ah spoke first.
不过，还没等他回答，余相娥就先开口了。
– There is a person who hadn’t given up on his life even if it went past 1800 times.
有一个人，即使他的生命经历了1800次也没有放弃
Yu Sang-Ah looked at the screen. There was a man wearing a black coat within it.
余相娥看着屏幕，里面有一个穿黑色外套的人。
– There’s another person who had lived that life alongside him, too.
还有一个人曾经和他一起生活过。
And then, a man wearing a white coat standing next to him was observing his companions. His gaze stopped last at Yi Hyeon-Seong collapsed on the floor.
这时，一个穿白大褂的人站在他旁边，正在观察他的同伴。他的目光最后停留在李铉成倒在地板上。
[This body has experienced a far-too extensive period of time to count the numbers. However, there is one number that I can still count.] Sakyamuni continued on as he looked at Yi Hyeon-Seong. [One more will be added to this island’s Reincarnators.]
[本机构经历了太长的时间，无法统计这些数字。然而，还有一个数字我仍然可以数。]释迦牟尼继续看着李贤成。[还有一个将会加入这个岛的转世]
*
“Not yet.”
“还没有。”
I felt for the unmoving Yi Hyeong-Seong’s pulse. It wasn’t beating. He wasn’t breathing either, and only whites could be seen after his eyelids were opened.
我感觉到了一动不动的李祥祥的脉搏。它没有跳动。他也没有呼吸了，睁开眼睛后只能看到白色的东西。
“…..Really?”
“...真的吗?”
Jeong Hui-Won looked at me with a face of someone wanting to believe in miracles.
郑慧媛看着我，脸上带着一种想要相信奇迹的表情。
I looked at her whitened hair and guessed what had happened here.
我看着她白白的头发，猜想这里发生了什么事。
“For sure, he’s not dead.”
“当然，他没有死。”
My companions all carried complicated expressions. Yi Ji-Hye seemed to think that I was lying out of good intentions, while Gil-Yeong looked as if he’d believe me even if I was really lying.
我的同伴们都带着复杂的表情。易智慧似乎认为我撒谎是出于好意，而吉英似乎相信我，即使我真的在撒谎。
Han Su-Yeong asked me. “Have you decided to change the definition of death now?”
韩素英问我:“你现在决定改变死亡的定义了吗?”
“If Hyeon-Seong-ssi has died for real, then the ‘Master of Steel’ would’ve been kicked out of the scenario, too.”
“如果贤成思真的死了，那么《钢铁大师》也会被踢出剧情。”
I looked up into the sky. Although I couldn’t hear any indirect messages to that effect, the ‘Master of Steel’ hadn’t been ejected out of this scenario.
我抬头仰望天空。虽然我没有听到任何间接的信息，钢铁大师并没有被驱逐出这个场景。
Jeong Hui-Won urgently grabbed my arm. “Then, why Hyeon-Seong-ssi is….”
郑慧媛急切地抓住我的手臂。“那么，为什么贤成思......”
“Just like how you’ve awakened, Hyeon-Seong-ssi has also awakened, Hui-Won-ssi.”
“就像你已经觉醒一样，贤成思也觉醒了，慧媛思。”
I shifted my gaze down to the faint fragments of a Fable flowing on Yi Hyeon-Seong’s skin, the Fable of ‘Steel’.
我把目光转移到李铉成皮肤上的模糊的寓言碎片上，这是一个关于“钢铁”的寓言。
It was not visible from the outside, but his inside should be filled to the brim with the Fable of ‘Steel’ by now.
从外面是看不见的，但他的内心现在应该充满了《钢铁寓言》。
[Character, ‘Yi Hyeon-Seong’, is on the verge of Attribute evolution.]
[人物，‘YiHyeon-Seong’，处于属性进化的边缘。]
It was not for nothing that Yi Hyeon-Seong was referred to as ‘the Greatest Shield’ in the original story.
李贤成在原著中被称为“最大的盾牌”，这不是没有原因的。
Protecting someone by sacrificing himself would let the ‘Emperor of Steelsword’ to reach the final stage of the ‘Steel Transformation’. By the time he regains his consciousness, he should have become the world’s sturdiest shield.
通过牺牲自己来保护某人，可以让“钢剑皇帝”达到“钢铁转化”的最后阶段。当他恢复意识的时候，他应该已经成为世界上最坚固的盾牌。
Jeong Hui-Won asked me in a trembling voice. “In, in that case, he’s still alive?”
郑慧媛用颤抖的声音问我:“在那种情况下，他还活着吗?”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“Is that the truth? You’re not lying?”
“这是真的吗?你没有撒谎?”
Tears trickled down her collapsed cheeks. She then placed her hand on Yi Hyeon-Seong’s chest. His heart wasn’t beating. While feeling that indifferent silence, she spoke again in some difficulty. “But, I can’t hear anything….”
眼泪顺着她崩溃的脸颊流了下来。然后她把手放在李贤成的胸前。他的心脏停止了跳动。她感觉到了那种无关紧要的沉默，不知怎么又开口说话了。“但是，我什么也听不见......”
“It’ll be like that from now on.”
“从现在开始就是这样了。”
“….Pardon?”
“什么?”
I looked at Yi Hyeon-Seong again.
我又看了一眼李宪成。
His heart had hardened like steel boasting a 100% purity rating. It’d never beat again. The current Jeong Hui-Won wouldn’t be able to understand what that meant, though…..
他的心像钢铁一样坚硬，拥有100%的纯度等级。它再也不会跳动了。现在的郑慧媛不会明白这是什么意思，但是..。
“However, Hyeon-Seong-ssi is definitely alive. So, please, don’t worry.”
“不过，贤成思肯定还活着。所以，请不要担心。”
“In any case, he won’t be of any use to us now,” said Yu Jung-Hyeok indifferently as he unleashed his Status. “Every one of you, keep your wits about you. This isn’t the time to wallow in sadness.”
“无论如何，他现在对我们已经没有任何用处了，”于正赫在宣布自己的地位时冷淡地说。“你们每个人都要保持警惕。现在不是沉溺于悲伤的时候。”
Kugugugugu!
酷酷酷酷！
Two camps glaring at our Nebula could be seen on the other side of the battlefield. One camp was ‘Good’, while the other, ‘Evil’. To us, they were simply enemies, though.
战场的另一边可以看到两个耀眼的星云阵营。一个阵营是善良的，而另一个阵营是邪恶的。然而，对我们来说，他们只是敌人。
The centres of those two camps were manned by ‘Scribe of Heaven’, Metatron, and ‘Ruler of East Hell’, Agares.
这两个集中营的中心由“天堂的抄写员”、梅塔特隆和“东方地狱的统治者”阿加雷斯管理。
[Who defeated Barbatos?]
(谁击败了巴巴托斯?)
That question caused the murmurings to spread out through the battlefield.
这个问题引起了战场上的纷纷议论。
Barbatos, ranked 8th in the Demon King rankings, had died. However, rather than looking stunned, the Demon Kings present carried entertained expressions, instead.
在恶魔王排行榜上排名第八的巴巴托斯去世了。然而，在场的恶魔国王并没有表现出惊讶的样子，而是带着愉快的表情。
[To think you’d interfere with the ‘Great War of Saints and Demons’, you all have lost your minds.]
[想到你们会干涉《圣魔大战》，你们都疯了。]
Their gazes, locked onto my companions, were filled with clear ridicule. Their jeers were filled with the confidence of knowing that we’d not be able to rely on luck to survive anymore, like how we’d been doing until now.
他们紧盯着我的同伴的目光，充满了明显的嘲笑。他们的嘲笑充满了信心，知道我们再也不能依靠运气生存下去了，就像我们一直以来做的那样。
Their guesses were right; the members of <Kim Dok-Ja Company> were in no shape to fight properly at the moment. Yu Jung-Hyeok’s magical energy reserve had almost bottomed out from the fight against Indra, while Han Su-Yeong was also in an extremely fatigued state after fighting against the Archangels.
他们的猜测是正确的，金道子连的成员目前没有能力进行适当的战斗。在与因陀罗的战斗中，余重赫的魔法能量储备几乎触底反弹，而韩素英在与大天使的战斗中也处于极度疲惫的状态。
There was no need to mention the collapsed Yi Hyeon-Seong or the worn-out Jeong Hui-Won, either.
也没有必要提到倒下的李贤成或者老态龙钟的郑慧媛。
The ones that would prove to be helpful were the three kids who went to the ‘Next City’.
其中有三个孩子去了“下一个城市”，这被证明是有帮助的。
“Ahjussi, don’t you worry. I’ll sweep them all away.”
“大叔，别担心，我会把他们都扫走的。”
Yi Ji-Hye pounding her chest while saying that, and Shin Yu-Seung nodding her head along, instilled much confidence in me. Like how I imagined it to be, they must’ve experienced incredible growth in ‘Next City’. Even Yi Gil-Yeong’s eyes were sparkling brightly, as well.
李智慧一边说一边捶胸顿足，申玉升点头表示同意，这给我灌输了很多信心。就像我想象的那样，他们一定在《下一个城市》中经历了难以置信的成长。就连李吉英的眼睛也闪闪发光。
“Hyung, who should we start killing first? Who will give us the highest experience points?”
“兵哥，我们应该先杀谁?谁会给我们最高的经验积分?”
Even though we were in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position, he spoke as if he was playing a game.
尽管我们处于非常不利的位置，他说起话来好像在玩游戏。
[Incarnation Yi Gil-Yeong’s sponsor is looking at you.]
化身李吉英的赞助商正在看着你
I shook my head.
我摇了摇头。
It was too early. It wasn’t the time to utilise Yi Gil-Yeong yet. And even if I did, there was no guarantee of victory.
