Yu-hyun had a chance to make a choice.
No, should he even call this an opportunity?
‘After all, there's only one path I need to take.'
He could have aligned with Logos, wielding the power of this Fragment, and become a usurper to prepare for the next universe.
Perhaps he could have lived a far more stable life, built in the next universe.
But Yu-hyun didn’t want that.
‘I am only me. The human Kang Yu-hyun can’t be replaced by anyone else, nor can he become someone else.’
What meaning is there in living with a false shell covering oneself?
And even if he survived in the next universe, then what? And what about the one after that?
How long would he have to live a false life, mock himself with lies, and bow his head to Logos?
Yu-hyun didn’t want that.
“Let’s fight. Together.”
As those words left his mouth,
Praytion beamed with a smile, and the Bookworms in the gaps between the bookshelves trembled with excitement.
“As expected, my eyes weren’t wrong.”
“Just don’t try to manipulate or use me recklessly like before.”
“Not anymore. I don’t intend to. Back then, I had no choice but to make that decision.”
Praytion, in fact, wanted to approach Yu-hyun before anyone else and reveal the truth of this world.
But at that time, Yu-hyun was in the lower world, and Praytion, living in hiding, couldn’t reach out easily.
Besides, even if he had tried to tell Jin Cheong-woon and asked him to convey the truth to Yu-hyun, the wall between the upper and lower realms was simply too thick.
So Praytion was grateful to have been able to reveal the truth now and felt that he had fulfilled a long-held wish.
“So, what will you do from here on?”
“We’ll have to prepare for war. With the Shrine making moves, the harvest season is near.”
“Was it the same in the previous universe?”
“I don’t know the details. I only know of it indirectly through the Codex.”
Praytion gave a brief explanation about the history of his origin.
“I don’t know what number this universe is, but from some of the Codex’s contents, I’d guess that in the early universe, Logos handled everything himself—collecting and creating all stories personally. But as time went on, he created beings to help with his work.” ȑα
“That’s what you mean by the Kings of Stories.”
“The background that led to our existence isn’t that old. It’s been over a thousand cycles, if I had to guess.”
“......So even the Kings of Stories were created and destroyed repeatedly.”
“Exactly.”
Praytion knew well what had happened to the previous Praytion.
In the end, they didn’t defy their creator’s will and willingly accepted death. They silently walked the path to become the fertilizer for the next world.
Praytion couldn’t understand that.
Even if one were created by someone else, any being born into this world carried the duty of living out life.
Simply bowing one’s head and submitting to the command to die wasn’t the right thing.
Continuing life—that was the destiny and purpose of all living beings.
Therefore,
Now that he had learned of his predecessor’s death through the Codex, he intended to defy his fate.
He didn’t want to end his life as just a tool to collect and gather stories under Logos.
‘Perhaps... all of this, even my own choices, are what Logos intended.’
Certainly, he had such anxieties. But even if Logos had granted him this free will, it was his own choice to feel it and rebel against his creator.
That was enough for Praytion to dismiss his worries.
“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“What is the Bookmark?”
“Ah. Now that I think about it, you’ve been living with the Bookmark holder.”
Yu-hyun nodded.
Though he was the owner of the last Fragment of the Codex, Kwon Jia was the owner of the Bookmark that had been with the Codex.
“The Bookmark... is a being that can start from a fixed point alone, while all universes end and begin in cycles.”
“Why did Logos create it?”
“To observe changes in eras.”
“What about revealing the Shrine’s atrocities?”
“I thought of that too.”
Praytion shook his head bitterly.
“There’s no way to inform the entire world, including the Hybrid World, of this truth.”
“What?”
“Did you forget? All Divine Spirits receiving a unified story was solely possible through the Genesis Network. But now, the three organizations that used to relay such stories have closed their doors.”
“......Information control.”
“Exactly. Perfect control is impossible, but at least it will delay the spread of news significantly. The Great Armies near Camelot must have already analyzed the situation, but what about those farther away?”
This world was not solely dominated by the Great Armies.
There were also normal Divine Armies smaller than the Great Armies, and in their midst were lords considered powerful, ruling lands.
The recent Camelot incident would likely not have reached those people’s ears.
“For someone called the Supreme Being, he acts very shrewdly. That’s Logos.”
Yu-hyun shared the same thoughts as Praytion.
Though Logos held the power to reset the universe, his actions were exceedingly cunning.
Trying to control the flow of stories in a world entirely built upon them?
‘Yes. From the beginning, organizations like the Heavenly Stock Company, Exodus, and the
Comedy Troupe were nothing more than tools to assist Logos in his work.'
The fact that the Kings of Stories simultaneously stopped broadcasting stories was also because the harvest season was approaching.
If stories continued to circulate freely in the Hybrid World beyond this point, there was a heightened risk that unwanted truths might spread.
This led to another question. Although it was shocking for Logos to act this way, did he really need to go to such lengths?
“Perhaps...”
“Hmm?”
“Logos might not be as omniscient as we think.”
“...Why do you think that?”
“Though this method is effective, if he were truly a creator who could make and destroy this world on repeat, would he even need to do this? An omniscient being capable of anything wouldn’t avoid the most efficient route and take a roundabout way.”
“
Even Praytion hadn’t considered this, and his eyes widened as if surprised.
Now that he thought about it, it was strange. If he could do anything, he could simply snap his fingers and wipe out all those who opposed him.
Didn’t do it?
That’s not it.
Couldn’t do it—those words were more accurate.
To the Divine Spirits and humanity, Logos was regarded as a true god... but even he had limits.
“He needed to control information, and he also needed the help of usurpers who would follow him. Why?”
“...Even for Logos, it would be troublesome if every Divine Spirit, desperate not to die, were to resist.”
“The existence of usurpers is like an internal spy that prevents this side from uniting its forces. The fact that anyone can become a usurper serves to prevent Divine Spirits from coming together.”
“And there’s also the existence of Bookworms, which could be called a public enemy.”
“Divine Spirits see Bookworms as enemies and seek to exterminate them.”
To go to such lengths emphasized the limitations of Logos’ power.
“Perhaps he chose this method because, in a cycle long ago... he suffered a major setback.”
“That’s highly likely. That’s why he divided the tasks, set clear boundaries, and implemented strict control, unlike before.”
The only lingering question was why Logos was doing all this while repeating this cycle.
However, Yu-hyun and Praytion quickly suppressed their curiosity. It wasn’t important at the moment.
“I understand that if we could somehow unite the remaining forces, there’s a possibility. But... the problem is still grave. Time is running short, and now there’s no way to spread this news.”
“Because all the Libraries have shut their doors.”
“Yes, exactly. The libraries operated by the Tellers’ organizations have all disappeared as they closed down.”
“No.”
Yu-hyun shook his head, denying Praytion’s words.
“Not all of them have disappeared.”
There was still one.
One that remained.