I remained within my crushed consciousness as Fables continued to send whispers in my direction.
当寓言继续向我的方向传送耳语时，我仍然保持着被压垮的意识。
[Fable, ‘Demon King of Salvation’, is continuing with its storytelling.]
[寓言《救恩之魔王》继续讲述故事。]
Yes, I’m still listening.
是的，我还在听。
I haven’t fallen asleep.
我没有睡着。
[Fable, ‘King of a Kingless World’, is sustaining you.]
[寓言《无王世界之王》支持着你。]
I endured on while eating the Fables I lived through like a newborn chick being fed. After every sensation from my skin and joints disappeared, it felt as if time had stopped moving. It was like a clock tasked with maintaining my inner balance was broken.
我一边吃着寓言故事，一边忍受着，就像一只刚出生的小鸡被喂食一样。在我的皮肤和关节的所有感觉消失后，我感觉时间停止了流动。就像一个用来维持我内心平衡的时钟被打破了。
[‘Final Dragon of the Book of Revelation’ is letting out a violent roar!] [Indescribable Darkness’ is glaring at ‘Final Dragon of the Book of Revelation’.]
启示录的最后一条龙发出了强烈的咆哮难以形容的黑暗正在怒视‘启示录的最后一条龙’
The contest of strength was still going on outside. A face-off, one calamity against the other.
外面的力量竞争仍在继续，一场对峙，一场灾难对抗另一场。
I could sense the vibration from the shockwave spreading from far away, even inside this fog.
我能感觉到冲击波从很远的地方传来的震动，即使是在雾里。
Although the Status remained strong, the size of the vibration was gradually weakening. As I expected, it seemed that the ‘Indescribable Distance’ was in a superior position.
虽然状态保持强劲，振动的大小却逐渐减弱。正如我所料，似乎“难以描述的距离”处于一个优越的位置。
The Apocalypse Dragon was so strong that it surpassed all possible imaginations, but as a calamity, it had woken up from its seal not too long ago. It’d not be quite enough to contend with the ‘Indescribable Distance’ that had been drifting around in the <Star Stream> for a long, long time.
天启之龙是如此强大，以至于它超越了所有可能的想象力，但作为一场灾难，它不久前才从封印中醒来。这还不足以应付在星流中漂流了很长很长时间的“难以描述的距离”。
So, the balance of power would slowly tilt towards the latter. The problem would be with its clones, though.
因此，力量的天平将慢慢向后者倾斜，但问题在于它的克隆体。
[Exclusive skill, ‘Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint’ 3rd stage is activating!]
[独家技能，‘无所不知的读者视角’第三阶段激活!]
I planned to not use this power on my comrades. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any other choice in my current situation.
我打算不对我的同志们使用这种力量。不幸的是，在我现在的处境中，我别无选择。
Tsu-chuchuchuchut!
楚楚楚！
Accompanied by the pain akin to my head being crushed, dim, indistinct images floated up to my view. The white noise was pretty intense, perhaps due to the worsening damage to the Fables, but I could still just about make out the contents somehow.
伴随着疼痛，就像我的头被压碎了一样，模糊不清的影像浮现在我的眼前。白噪音相当强烈，可能是由于寓言故事的破坏越来越严重，但是我仍然能够以某种方式辨认出里面的内容。
⸢”Go and save Kim Dok-Ja.”⸥
“去把金道子救出来.”
The chaotic battlefield appeared before me. And then, I saw the Ruyi Bang rocking the skies of that battlefield as well.
混乱的战场出现在我面前。然后，我看到如意爆炸震撼了战场的天空。
He did come.
他确实来了。
Golden-coloured thin fur danced entrancingly in the air. Jang Ha-Yeong, ably enduring the advent of the Great Sage, was releasing her new-found Status towards the sky. The Black Flame Dragon and Uriel were helping her out, and behind them, I also saw Kyrgios and the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint, too.
金黄色的薄毛在空中令人陶醉地舞动。张夏勇巧妙地忍受着大圣的降临，向天空释放着她新发现的身份。黑焰龙和乌列尔正在帮助她，在他们身后，我还看到了基叔和破天剑圣。
Hades and Persephone were protecting my companions from the clones. The ‘Mass Production-type Maker’ was busy loading the collapsed Constellations in his [X-grade Ferrarghini]….
哈迪斯和珀尔塞福涅在保护我的同伴免受克隆人的伤害。这位“大规模生产型制造商”正忙着把倒塌的星座装进他的(x级)法拉利跑车里.....。
And soon, a huge explosion noise resounded out from the centre of the battlefield, and a gigantic ship suddenly made its appearance.
很快，一个巨大的爆炸声从战场中心传来，一艘巨大的船突然出现了。
⸢This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come.⸥ (TL: Genesis 9:12)
这就是我与你们，并与你们一切活物所立的约的记号，是后世所立的约。(《创世记》9:12)
The Fable of the Ark as written by <Eden> began dyeing the battlefield. It seemed to me that Metatron had come to a decision. Indeed, he must’ve realised that sealing the Apocalypse Dragon away would be too difficult at this point.
伊登所写的“方舟寓言”开始染指战场。在我看来，梅塔特隆已经做出了决定。事实上，他必须意识到封印启示龙在这一点上是非常困难的。
⸢”Ahjussi….”⸥
大叔
Shin Yu-Seung and Yi Ji-Hye aboard the Ark were looking up at the sky. The former was supporting Yi Gil-Yeong, who seemed to have blacked out. It was her duty to stop the boy from going on a rampage, and thankfully, my Incarnation seemed to be performing her duty admirably.
申玉升和易智惠在方舟上仰望着天空。前者支持易吉英，后者似乎晕过去了。她的职责是阻止这个男孩继续横冲直撞，谢天谢地，我的化身似乎正在令人钦佩地履行她的职责。
Constellations and Incarnations had evacuated onto the Ark, and then, I heard the sound of the Island collapsing.
星座和化身已经撤离到方舟上，然后，我听到了小岛坍塌的声音。
[Constellation, ‘Guardian of the Mandala’, is looking at you.]
[星座，‘曼荼罗的守护者’，正在看着你。]
I thought that a faint outline of the Buddhist rosary had appeared before my eyes, and that was when I heard his true voice.
我以为佛陀念珠的轮廓已经模糊地出现在我眼前，这时我听到了他真实的声音。
[Oh, dear child. It has finally come to this.]
哦，亲爱的孩子，事情终于到了这一步
I could only smile weakly towards him.
我只能淡淡地朝他微笑。
‘You knew this would happen already.’
你早就知道会发生这种事
The 108 rosary beads that appeared before my eyes began emitting wondrous light.
出现在我眼前的108串念珠开始散发出奇妙的光芒。
Sakyamuni must’ve predicted this moment as soon as I appeared in his radar.
释迦牟尼一定是在我出现在他的雷达上的时候就预见到了这一刻。
To him, the flow of time wasn’t in a straight line but actually, one giant circle. He might not know of the detailed information on the future, but through the events of the past, he was able to read the present.
对他来说，时间的流动不是一条直线，而是一个巨大的圆。他可能不知道关于未来的详细信息，但是通过过去的事件，他能够读懂现在。
[The history of this island comes to an end here. And things will get rather busy from now on.]
[这个岛的历史在这里结束了。从现在开始，事情会变得相当忙碌。]
I already knew why he’d get ‘busy’ thanks to the ‘Ways of Survival’.
我已经知道为什么他会因为生存之道而变得忙碌。
The rosary beads vibrated all at once as they became whiter and whiter. Soon, this island would be closed. And just like what happened tens of thousands of years ago, this island would seal the Apocalypse Dragon once more.
随着念珠变得越来越白，它们立刻振动起来。很快，这个岛就要关闭了。就像数万年前发生的事情一样，这个岛屿将再次封印启示龙。
This island would become a giant rosary that contains the Apocalypse Dragon.
这个岛屿将变成一个巨大的玫瑰园，里面有天启龙。
‘Please, allow my companions on the Ark to escape from the island.’
“请允许我在方舟上的同伴离开这个岛。”
The rosary before me emitted a faint trace of light. It was a sign of agreement.
我面前的念珠发出一丝微弱的光芒，这是同意的信号。
[However, you can’t be saved, my child.]
然而，你是救不了的，我的孩子
I nodded my head.
我点了点头。
I thought as much.
我也这么想。
Well, I was stuck right in the middle of the Apocalypse Dragon and the Nameless Mist, after all.
毕竟，我被困在了《启示之龙》和《无名迷雾》之间。
[Oh, dear child, I pray for story’s…..]
[哦，亲爱的孩子，我祈求故事的......]
His true voice was swept up by the shockwave as well as the wave of the fog of darkness and got erased.
他真实的声音被冲击波以及黑暗的迷雾卷走，消失得无影无踪。
My whole body began shuddering like a lone leaf in the wind. The rate of my fragmented Fables disintegrating was speeding up. I curled up even more.
我的整个身体开始像风中的一片孤独的叶子一样颤抖。我那支离破碎的寓言正在加速瓦解。我更加蜷缩起来。
I was almost there.
我差一点就到了。
If I endure this part, then <Kim Dok-Ja Company> would acquire a brand-new Great Fable.
如果我能忍受这个角色，那么金道子公司将获得一个全新的伟大寓言。
We’d be able to meet the condition of ‘Climax (轉)’ that leads us towards the Final Scenario.
我们将能够满足“高潮(something)”的条件，引导我们走向最后的剧本。
[Fable, ‘King of Kingless World’, has stopped its storytelling.]
[寓言《无王世界之王》停止了它的叙事。]
But then, Fables began cutting out one by one.
但后来，寓言故事开始一个接一个地被剪掉。
[Fable, ‘Returnee’s Disciple’, has stopped its storytelling.] [Fable, ‘Gourmet Association’s Heretic’, has stopped its storytelling.]
[寓言《归来的门徒》停止了它的叙事][寓言《美食家协会的异教徒》停止了它的叙事]
It became harder to breathe and my vision grew dimmer.
呼吸越来越困难，我的视线也越来越模糊。
[Fable, ‘One Who Is Loved By an Archangel’, has stopped its storytelling.]
[寓言《被大天使所爱的人》停止了它的叙事方式。]
I knew that everything would be over if I lose my consciousness here.
我知道如果我在这里失去意识，一切都会结束。
[Fable, ‘One Who Hunted the King of Calamity’, is curling up.] [Fable, ‘One Who Murdered an Outer God’, is resisting.]
[寓言，‘寻找灾难之王’，卷曲][寓言，‘谋杀外在上帝的人’，拒绝]
That was why I desperately held on to my consciousness.
这就是为什么我绝望地保持着我的意识。
I filled my head trying to get away from me with intimately familiar words.
我满脑子都是亲密熟悉的话语，试图摆脱我。
Right, let me recall the ‘Ways of Survival’.
好，让我回想一下“生存之道”。
For some extraordinary reason, though, what appeared in my mind wasn’t the contents of the ‘Ways of Survival’, but my life during my middle school years. Memories of me sneakily using the PC without the knowledge of my cousins to read the ‘Ways of Survival’, or when I was doodling on the corners of the school textbook. Memories, when I transcribed the contents of the novel on a notebook, or when I drew up the chart of the power scale of all the characters.
不过，出于某种特别的原因，我脑海中出现的不是《生存之道》的内容，而是我中学时代的生活。记忆中，我偷偷地使用电脑，却不知道我的堂兄弟们在阅读《生存之道》，或者我在学校教科书的角落里乱涂乱画。记忆，当我把小说的内容转录到笔记本上，或者当我画出所有人物的力量表时。
– Dok-Ja, would you like to become a writer when you grow up?
-Dok-Ja，你长大后想成为一名作家吗？
A teacher asked me that after discovering my doodling. I replied that what I wanted to become wasn’t a writer, but a reader. The teacher formed a strange expression after hearing that, but eventually smiled back at me.
一个老师在发现我的涂鸦后问我这个问题。我回答说，我想成为的不是作家，而是读者。老师听到后露出了奇怪的表情，但最终还是对我笑了笑。
– That’s not such a bad idea. Because a book needs a reader to be complete, you see.
这主意不错，因为一本书需要读者来完成。
That teacher-nim who said that to me passed away four days later due to a car accident.
那位对我说这番话的尼姆老师四天后因车祸去世了。
That was life.
这就是生活。
I knew that. I knew that life was not some story.
我知道，我知道生活不是什么故事。
[Fable, ‘Demon King of Salvation’, has stopped its storytelling.]
[寓言《救恩之魔王》停止了它的叙事。]
However, even still….
然而，即便如此.....。
[Fable, ‘Companion of Life and Death’, is continuing on with its storytelling.]
[寓言《生与死的伴侣》继续讲述它的故事。]
I would’ve liked this life to become a story.
我希望这样的生活成为一个故事。
‘I want to live.’
我想活下去
I reached out, but there was no sense of anything.
我伸出手，但是什么也感觉不到。
From afar, something was breaking past the battlefield of the Apocalypse Dragon and the Outer God to approach my location. Although it was an incredibly faint general outline of a person, I recognised who it was right away.
从远处看，有东西突破了天启龙和外神的战场，来到了我的位置。尽管这是一个人难以置信的模糊的大体轮廓，我还是马上认出了他是谁。
[<Star Stream> is acknowledging your stunning achievement.]
[星流是对你惊人成就的认可。]
[You have acquired a new ‘Great Fable’.]
[你获得了一个新的“伟大的寓言”]
Warm rays of light leaked in from somewhere and enveloped my body. Just as I tried to say something, a voice came to me from somewhere.
温暖的光线从某个地方透进来，包裹着我的身体。正当我想说点什么的时候，一个声音从某个地方传来。
*
I want to save him.
我想救他。
I definitely want to save him.
我一定要救他。
Han Su-Yeong bit her lips hard enough to draw blood and thought to herself over and over again.
韩素英用力咬着嘴唇，抽出血来，一遍又一遍地想着。
[Constellation, ‘Demon King of Salvation’, is currently activating ‘Will to Live Lv.1’.]
[星座，‘救世魔王’，现在正在激活‘活吕1’。]
Anyone who heard that message would think the same as her.
任何听到这个消息的人都会和她想的一样。
It wasn’t from just anyone, but from that Kim Dok-Ja.
不是任何人送的，而是金道子送的。
“It’s still not too late.”
“现在还不算太晚。”
Han Su-Yeong heard Yu Jung-Hyeok’s words and wiped the blood trickling down her lip before forming a grin. “You know, I’ve never yielded to anyone in my life before.”
韩素英听到了余重赫的话，擦了擦嘴唇上淌下的血，露齿而笑。“你知道，我这辈子从来没有向任何人屈服过。”
“I know that you’ve reached your limit.”
“我知道你已经忍无可忍了。”
“You talking about yourself?”
“你在说你自己吗?”
“I can endure longer than you.”
“我能忍受的时间比你长。”
Kim Dok-Ja wasn’t too far from them now. However, both time and their situation didn’t look good at all.
金道子现在离他们不远了。然而，时间和他们的处境看起来都不怎么好。
The forward momentum Jeong Hui-Won added earlier could only take them this far. With their remaining energy, they were unable to fight against the clones nor break past that thick fog of darkness.
郑惠元之前加入的进攻动力只能让他们走到这一步。他们用剩余的能量，无法对抗克隆人，也无法突破黑暗的浓雾。
Ku-gugugugu…
古古古古..。
From Han Su-Yeong’s bandages, now unwrapped, a mixture of blood and Fables flooded out. Her complexion was now incredibly pale.
从韩素英的绷带里，现在打开了，血和寓言的混合物涌了出来，她的脸色苍白得令人难以置信。
Yu Jung-Hyeok spoke. “Are you planning to meet a dog’s death here?”
于重赫说:“你是不是打算在这里见死不救?”
“It’s just that, I can’t trust you 100%, that’s all.”
“只是，我不能100%信任你，仅此而已。”
Something cold flitted in and out of Yu Jung-Hyeok’s eyes just then.
就在这时，一个冷冰冰的东西掠过了余正赫的眼睛。
She still asked him, though. “You know that I possess [Lie Detection], right?”
尽管如此，她还是问他:“你知道我有测谎技术，对吧?”
“Of course.”
“当然。”
“Do you really consider Kim Dok-Ja as your comrade?”
“你真的认为金道子是你的同志吗?”
“You’re asking an unnecessary question.”
“你在问一个不必要的问题。”
“I know that the two of you went through all sorts of crappy scenarios and built up some sort of a bond in the process. But, separate from all that, there is something I still can’t wrap my head around, you see.” Unlike what she said earlier, she didn’t activate [Lie Detection] during her speech. “You originally didn’t have any allies and stuff like that. But, you’ve changed so much after entering this regression turn.”
“我知道你们俩经历了各种糟糕的场景，在这个过程中建立了某种联系。但是，撇开这一切不谈，你知道，有些事情我仍然无法理解。”与她之前所说的不同，她在演讲过程中没有激活[测谎]。“你最初没有任何盟友之类的东西。但是，在进入这个回归转折点之后，你已经改变了很多。”
“…”
“ ... ”
“That’s why I can’t trust you. You used to forsake your allies all for your great cause, so why are you trying to rescue Kim Dok-Ja now?”
“这就是为什么我不能相信你。你过去总是为了你的伟大事业而抛弃你的盟友，那么现在你为什么要试图拯救金道子呢?”
Yu Jung-Hyeok’s gaze met Han Su-Yeong’s.
于重赫的目光与韩素英的目光相遇。
It had been such a long time since she last saw him in a pitch-black darkness that for a moment there, she involuntarily ended up shuddering. It was possible that she had touched something she shouldn’t have. Because, she didn’t know much about Yu Jung-Hyeok’s regression turns, to begin with.
她已经很久没有在漆黑的黑暗中见到他了，有那么一会儿，她不由自主地打了个寒颤。有可能她碰了什么不该碰的东西。因为，首先，她对于于正赫的回归曲线知之甚少。
He replied to her. “Once these scenarios come to an end, there is something I must confirm with Kim Dok-Ja.”
他回答道，“一旦这些情节结束，有些事情我必须和金道子确认。”
One couldn’t read any emotions or thoughts from his face. That was like his version of despair, maybe his rage, or even his hellish loneliness. Or, it was possible that none of that belonged to Yu Jung-Hyeok but to Han Su-Yeong herself, instead.
人们无法从他的脸上读出任何情绪或想法。这就像是他版本的绝望，也许是他的愤怒，甚至是他地狱般的孤独。或者，这些东西可能都不属于俞正赫，而是属于韩素妍本人。
“And that is why, until then I….”
“这就是为什么，在那之前，我......”
As things stood, there was only one truth she could glean from what he said. “Okay, so, you’re planning to keep him alive, is that it?”
