Ranker Who Lives Twice

"… Ugh!" Inside a cave leading to Li's tomb, Yvlke suddenly opened his eyes wide and coughed out blood while walking down a narrow long passageway.

"Hmm?"

『What's wrong?』

The Bull Demon King and Tongtian Jiaozhu, who were walking beside Yvlke, frowned as they turned their gaze towards him.

Crack! Crackle! A static crackle seemed to occur in the body that made up Yvlke's 'existence'. It seemed that something was negatively affecting his powers. Thanks to this, Bull Demon King and Tongtian Jiaozhu were able to briefly glimpse Yvlke's soul code.

In an instant, Bull Demon King narrowed his eyes.

Yvlke's existence had always been shrouded in mystery. Even though the Bull Demon King existed since the beginning and had experienced virtually everything, the Bull Demon King still found Yvlke difficult to properly comprehend.

Yvlke was an incarnation. It now became certain that Yvlke's body was a vessel. The vessel was controlled by vestige thoughts from a remote place, with the existence's true body existing somewhere else. However, the Bull Demon King was still unable to see what lay beyond. 'It seems to possess the face of the Heavenly Demon…but the strange thing is that it doesn't give off the Heavenly Demon's aura.'

The Bull Demon King once formed a relationship with the Heavenly Demon before the Heavenly Demon gained his lofty stature. At one point, the Bull Demon King even briefly taught the Heavenly Demon. Moreover, the signature skill that the Heavenly Demon was known for, the Heavenly Demon Reigning Step, was derived from the Bull Demon King's own skill, Bull Step.

The Bull Demon King understood the Heavenly Demon had gone through many previous lives and reincarnations, and even though these existences all shared the same soul, they each had different personalities, goals, and identities, and each moved separately. However, all those existences essentially originated from the same source, the existence that alighted the first flame and keeper of the light, 'Dawn Demon Li'.

In this sense, the Bull Demon King could not sense that unique characteristic from Yvlke. For the Bull Demon King, it felt as though Yvlke was an existence that had 'intentionally' removed the unique properties of Li and the Heavenly Demon. Thus, Yvlke's existence did not give off any sort of designated aura or color. It seemed like an empty vessel that did not contain any characteristics that anyone would have…

Still, Yvlke's body was a sturdy vessel. And the Bull Demon King could not quite get a sense of what contents lay within. This meant only one thing… Some being was hiding his identity by putting his true body in a completely different place while operating with this vessel. The level and power of this existence were so high that the existence could never be read or understood with the average 'eye'.

'Maybe it's part of the darkness… Perhaps that's the case.'

Did a face of a Heavenly Demon have a connection and the power of the Black King? This thought was surely absurd and full of contradictions. However, it was not impossible. If this was not the case, then how come the Bull Demon King could not see into Yvlke's true existence with his own two eyes?

In any case, the Bull Demon King did not know Yvlke's true identity. Right now, for strategic reasons, Bull Demon King was holding hands with Yvlke, but the Bull Demon King still made sure to keep his distance.

Just a moment ago, they were walking without any trouble. Why did Yvlke suddenly show signs of collapsing? It could only mean one thing.

'It seems that the main body located in an invisible place has been severely damaged.' Maybe it was a threat big enough to destroy Yvlke's true existence…this was what the Bull Demon King thought.

『That's an interesting sight to see.』 The same thought must have passed through Tongtian Jiaozhu's mind. Tongtian Jiaozhu stroked her chin with her hand and slyly smiled. It seemed that she was considering taking advantage of the situation at any moment.

Tongtian Jiaozhu was also very interested in Yvlke's true identity. She felt that if she could somehow get ahold of the vessel, she would be able to experiment on it and obtain some interesting data. She also had some questions regarding Vimalacitra, the being who had ultimately brought her into this 'dream'.

However, both the Bull Demon King and Tongtian Jiaozhu did not take any action. Although Yvlke's existence was disturbed, his eyes were still sharp. Moreover, the smell and vicious aura of the various beasts that opened their eyes in his shadow also emanated out.

Rumble! The two did not dare to put their private thoughts into action, as they would be placing themselves in danger if the cave happened to collapse from any potential struggle and disturbance in such a narrow, confined place.

Of course, beings like them were not really concerned about death, but they were concerned about something happening to Li's tomb, which absolutely could not happen. At that moment…

"Phew…!" Yvlke let out a long sigh. The static noise that had shaken his existence fell silent once more.

However, Bull Demon King and Tongtian Jiaozhu had already noticed that nearly half of Yvlke's powers, which were made up of various elements, had suddenly disappeared. It seemed that Yvlke's power level, which had been shrouded in mystery due to its un-gaugeable levels, had been lowered by several levels.

Of course, even though this was the case, Yvlke's power level was still at such a high level that normal transcendents would not be able to recognize or gauge it. Still, from this slight opening, the Bull Demon King was able to accurately read Yvlke's background, which he had previously not known.

'The darkness! Hmpf! I thought it might be, but it really is the darkness?' The Bull Demon King felt exasperated. He wondered what kind of backstory this little goblin had that he was fortunate enough to have the face of the Heavenly Demon but ended up turning his back and serving the Black King.

'No… Based on his power level, he's not just serving the Black King, but at the level of being one of the Black King's egos. He possesses the face of the Heavenly Demon but also the ego of the Black King. What a terrifying existence indeed.' The Bull Demon King gave off an exasperated laugh at the realization.

"Hmpf…!" Tongtian Jiaozhu must have come to the same conclusion. However, her eyes had become quite sharp. She had a history of once lusting for absolute power and pursuing the position as the Black King. The fact that her divine domain was 'dream' was proof of that.

"Ohyohyo! I must apologize for showing the both of you a sorry sight." Yvlke smiled politely and returned to his previously affable demeanor. Although he had lost a lot of his power, he showed no signs of disorientation.

"Are you okay?"

"Ohyohyo. What are you talking about?"

"The mask you're wearing right now. It seems that you've received some shock to your true body, which has affected your vessel, so I'm asking if it is okay for you to proceed."

Yvlke chuckled to himself while briefly remaining silent. It was because he thought that the Bull Demon King's words could not be more accurate. 'A mask…' Yvlke's true self was utilizing such a vessel to hide his original identity, so the expression was apt. His real personality and tone of voice were also very different from what he portrayed through Yvlke.

"Thank you for your concern."

"It's not that I'm really concerned about your well-being. If we venture further inside and happen to face some trouble, I'm just concerned whether we're walking into a dicey situation."

"Ohyohyo. You don't have to worry about that either." Yvlke smiled widely. He lost the Quirinale and Pneuma right before his eyes. He had also lost quite a lot of darkness in the process, so he was fuming inside.

However, Yvlke also knew that he had other ways of dealing with this unforeseen situation. If the things he was chasing kept running away in all directions, he would have to turn over the existing chessboard and force them all to congregate in one place. "I've already taken preparations."

***

『Son. I'm asking you a question.』

"…"

『Can you please answer me?』

Despite Kronos' continued interrogation, Yeon-woo kept his mouth shut and did not offer any explanation.

Because of the tense atmosphere between father and son, neither Jeong-woo, Rhea, nor Yeon-woo's familiars dared to intervene.

『Cha Yeon-woo!』In the end, Kronos shouted out of exasperation. All his life, Kronos felt sorry for his twin sons. He especially felt sorry for Yeon-woo, who he had burdened terribly. Because of how much trouble Yeon-woo was going through, Kronos had held back in saying anything negative to Yeon-woo as much as possible.

After waking up, Yeon-woo occasionally did things Kronos could not fathom, and though Kronos observed with concern, Kronos never questioned Yeon-woo's decision. Yeon-woo was, after all, a good boy and someone who had done well for himself up to now, so Kronos was willing to give Yeon-woo the benefit of the doubt.

However, Kronos was unwilling to let this occasion pass. He had peered into Yeon-woo's feelings and thoughts when they were united. When Yeon-woo and Sage's existences were being mixed, Kronos had briefly glimpsed Yeon-woo's ultimate plan. That plan was too terrifying.

『Your plan with the darkness…』

Seeing Rhea and Jeong-woo's concerned expressions, Kronos stopped shouting and sent a direct message to Yeon-woo so that only Yeon-woo could hear.

[A message has arrived from Kronos.]

[Message: Did you plan to annihilate yourself? Answer me, Cha Yeon-woo!]

"…" Yeon-woo remained silent.

『…Ah. It seems I'm right.』 In an instant, Kronos' shoulders slumped down. Various emotions flashed past his face, from anger and sadness to compassion and surrender. Moreover, Kronos felt a sense of disillusionment with himself. As Yeon-woo's father, Kronos had given his son this fate.

In fact, looking at Yeon-woo's plan objectively, it was not too difficult to achieve.

To prevent this 'dream' from being exposed to the threat of ending… I will become the Black King and fall into eternal sleep.

When the Black King wakes up, the dream of this world would come to an end. And when the Heavenly Demon put the Black King back to sleep, a new 'dream' would begin. Facts, memories, and existences would all be reset in the new 'dream'. Following the end would be a new creation, a new dream.

Yeon-woo was planning to get rid of that threat. If the Black King never woke up, the end would never come. Then, this 'dream' would go on forever. Moreover, the 'dream' would no longer possess the threat of Night or the confusion brought upon by Day. It would be a world where everyone would live in peace, a world where families would no longer have to suffer and could live happily ever after.

For that objective, Yeon-woo was willing to make any sacrifice. As he had always done, Yeon-woo saw his own life as a tool to achieve his ultimate goals.

And because Kronos had read all those thoughts, Kronos had become angry yet sorrowful. He believed that his son had come to this conclusion because of his worthless parents.『You… Do you really think we'll be happy if what you plan comes to pass? Do you really think we'll live happily ever after…?!』

"You don't have to worry about that."

『You know I'm not talking about whether it can be done!』

"…"

Once Yeon-woo fell asleep as the Black King, Kronos knew what Yeon-woo was planning to do—annihilation. Yeon-woo's existence would disappear from everyone's memory, and even the fact that Yeon-woo ever existed in this 'dream' would disappear without a trace. People would not even be able to honor or mourn him.

Even though Yeon-woo's plan was thoroughly absurd, once Yeon-woo became the Black King, he could carry out his plan easily.

『Ah! You really…!』 Kronos covered his face with his hands. He did not continue arguing with Yeon-woo. However…

"…"

"…"

"…"

A heavy silence fell upon everyone who was watching. At that moment…

"…Father." Jeong-woo approached cautiously. He was not stupid. Jeong-woo could easily tell that Yeon-woo was caught trying to do something ridiculous. Thus, with a firm expression, Jeong-woo was just about to ask his father what Yeon-woo's plans were.

But right then… Bam! Suddenly, everyone's eyes turned towards the direction of the loud sound. It was the place where Day's camp used to be.

[Olympus and Malach have started a war!]

Everyone's eyes widened at the sudden unexpected message that appeared in their minds.

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