Ranker Who Lives Twice

The successors of the Black King, also known as the executors, were mostly those who were filled with grudges and resentment against their worlds. Only then would they be able to lead the world to an end. Destroying the world you lived in with your own hands was no easy feat. One had to have the resolve, in other words, motivation and psychological mechanisms, to go against the resistance of those who opposed you.

'The fact that he appeared here means that he still has a lingering attachment to this place,' Yeon-woo thought to himself.

Yeon-woo and Yvlke had different origins and identities, but at the bottom of it all, they were nearly similar. It was because they were both categorized in the same concept of "the Black King." Not only that, but their legends and darkness had been mixed when they fought in the abyss. Yeon-woo thought of all the beings in this dream, he was the closest to Yvlke, but he was also the furthest from him at the same time. They were like the North and South Pole. They stood on opposite ends, but they couldn't get away from each other.

Yeon-woo knew Yvlke would definitely be somewhere around here. 'Where are you?' His Fiery Golden Eyes flashed as he released his range of cognition.

['Shadow Domain' carefully spreads throughout the Realm of Hungry Ghosts!]

Ssssss. As his shadow spread along the coordinates of the realm, Yeon-woo slowly disappeared within it. The shadow analyzed the data of whoever it contacted on the ground to retrieve any information relating to Yvlke.

[Analysis taking place.]

[No related data can be found.]

[Analysis taking place.]

[No related data can be found.]

…

[Analysis taking place.]

[Related data found successfully.]

Not too long after, Yeon-woo was able to find what he wanted. 'Found you.'

"Oh dear! You've come injured again. You should've been careful… Please wait here for a moment." A succubus with clipped wings was looking over injured hungry ghosts.

* * *

'A succubus.' Yeon-woo narrowed his eyes.

Succubi and incubi were demons that traveled dreams, so they were commonly called dream demons. However, they were located at the bottom of the demon hierarchy, so they could frequently be seen waiting on the Demon Kings or running their errands. Still, they were demons, so they were in a high position that hungry ghosts couldn't even dare to look at.

'But there's one here?' Yeon-woo quickly read information about the succubus from the system data.

[Succubus with one clipped wing]

[Name: Outline]

[Race: Fallen dream demon]

…

She is the only daughter of the Dream Demon King, who ruled a universe in the God Realm, the highest realm of the Six Realms. However, she was chased out after a coup. She has been hiding in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts since. She has fallen, and she is weakening…

Yeon-woo scrolled through the description to the section he needed.

…Feeling empathy for the hungry ghosts of the realm, she took in the lowliest hungry ghosts and is currently looking over them.

'She felt empathy and is caring for some hungry ghosts?' Yeon-woo's gut told him this section was the most important. 'When Yvlke was a hungry ghost, he was so weak that he walked on eggshells around other creatures.'

If what Yeon-woo saw of Yvlke's legends were true, it was likely this succubus was Yvlke's savior.

'The scent of Yvlke's magic power is strong here too.'

Yeon-woo didn't understand how Yvlke was so weak before becoming a face of the Heavenly Demon and ego of the Black King. 'But technically… I was like that too.' Yeon-woo hadn't even known about the existence of mana before he became an adult. He was a child of the king of gods, but his parents were both fallen, so it wasn't as if his genes were anything special. He had only come this far thanks to his own effort and will.

Yeon-woo thought Yvlke might be the same. 'Or he might have been unaware of his potential until something happened and he awakened his power.' Whatever the reason, it was clear Yvlke's attachment to this place was related to the succubus. From then on, Yeon-woo began to observe the succubus named "Outline."

"Don't fight, and chew slowly." The succubus left every morning and brought back a bunch of things to eat. It was low-quality food that no one would eat, like the corpse of a stupid creature that drank hellfire after mistaking it for water or the bones of hungry ghosts left behind by the meals of great hungry ghosts. However, it was a royal buffet for the baby hungry ghosts, who ravenously chewed up the food as it was tossed to them.

The succubus urged the baby hungry ghosts to share, saying she could bring more food if they needed it, but there was no way for the hungry ghosts with the intellect of beasts could understand her. If there was a fleshy bit, all of them would dash for it, even attempting to eat each other in the process. The succubus spent whatever energy she had left after finding food on preventing the hungry ghosts from fighting. A few of them became so excited by the smell of blood that they attempted to eat her as well. But even with the risks, the succubus never stopped.

When the hungry ghosts all ate their fill and napped with full stomachs, the succubus looked at them adoringly like there was no cuter sight. "Gosh! This is why I can never hate you."

Yeon-woo couldn't understand her standards. 'Well, to each his own. I suppose gruesome-looking creatures might be someone's taste in this world.'

Yeon-woo clicked his tongue, then narrowed his eyes. 'But which one is Yvlke?' No matter how much he watched the hungry ghosts from the shadows, he couldn't distinguish which one was Yvlke.

There were hundreds of hungry ghosts the succubus was caring for, and all of them felt similar. They were all low-class creatures and their souls were all inferior, so it wasn't surprising that there were no major differences between them… But it was like they were all manufactured from the same factory. If a single one of them had a unique trait, Yeon-woo wouldn't have thought this.

'Should I eliminate the succubus first? Will Yvlke appear then?' Yeon-woo had planned on holding the succubus as bait and stealing the Li's Light from Yvlke, so he was frustrated with how slowly things were moving. 'I have no other choice. If I give Yvlke more time, he might finish the Torch.'

Just when Yeon-woo raised the shadow toward the succubus' neck, a new thought entered the succubus' mind. When is he coming? It's definitely time for him to be here.

It seemed as if the succubus was waiting for someone to return from an errand, but Yeon-woo didn't miss the greed that appeared in her thoughts for the first time. She was exuding a true demon's evilness that wasn't like the kind saintess-like succubus who cared for pitiful hungry ghosts. He has to come. He has to…! Only then can I return to my spot!

Why! Why! Why isn't he coming? Did he not read my message? Why? He must have read it! He must have! There's no reason for me to be rotting away in a place like this if he didn't! The one she was waiting for didn't appear, and the succubus anxiously bit her nails. Blood dripped down her hands and her nails were ruined, but she didn't seem to notice.

Suddenly, the succubus looked up as if sensing something. H-He's here!

Yeon-woo, who felt the laws of the realm had been wriggling since a while ago, quietly watched.

Ssssss!

[The 'New Reaper of the Dream Demon King' appears!]

Dark clouds whirled in the sky, a massive portal appeared, and a pressure that could easily crush most demon kings descended on the entire realm. No, it wasn't just descending, it was crushing.

"K-Kegh!" The succubus couldn't fight against the gravity and collapsed. With her hands stuck to the ground, her shoulders broke, and her wing was compressed, blood spurting on the earth. The hungry ghosts around her couldn't handle the pressure and their bodies exploded like fireworks. The surroundings quickly became a chaotic mess.

"How dare a lowly being like you raise your head in front of me?" A cold voice rang in the succubus' ears, whose head was still on the ground. Unlike the succubus, who was wearing rags after becoming fallen, the incubus in front of her had an extravagant appearance with a proud lift of his chin.

'How dare he…! He was a mere hunting dog that licked at my feet…!' The succubus gritted her teeth with red eyes.

"Haha! You seem very mad. Why? Are you furious that a mere eunuch that chased after you is acting so arrogant? Hm?" The incubus raised a corner of his mouth as he used his right foot to grind the succubus' head into the ground.

The succubus held in her breath. If the incubus exerted a little more pressure on his foot, her head would burst open like a watermelon.

And when the succubus didn't show any reaction as he expected, the incubus clicked his tongue and turned to another direction. "Is that what you were talking about?" The hungry ghosts were trembling at the end of his gaze.

The others had all died, and there were only about ten left. However, the incubus' gaze was fixed on the smallest of the creatures. Even the hungry ghost was small, its eyes were unfocused, and it showed no sign of being scared. It was difficult to tell if it was foolhardy or just stupid, but it seemed different from the rest.

"Y-Yes, sir."

The incubus stroked his chin with interest at the succubus' response. "A rumored face of the Heavenly Demon?" Then, he furrowed his eyebrows in doubt. "It just seems like a low-class hungry ghost. How are you sure he has the soul of such a mighty being?"

"I-I confirmed it several times, and it's true. P-Please see for yourself."

"Hmm."

"S-So please reinstate my status…!"

Listening to the conversation, Yeon-woo quickly realized what was going on. 'I was wrong. The succubus wasn't Yvlke's savior.' He knew this was the timing Yvlke would appear. 'She's a mortal enemy who told him off.'

"Finally. Found. You."

"My. Dear. Old. Traumas."

The baby hungry ghost's eyes focused, and its mouth opened wide to reveal its sharp canines.