Ranker Who Lives Twice

[An opponent from 'dream 98,564,875,443,134' has descended on the great holy territory of Olympus, 'Eurynome'!]

[An opponent from 'dream 342,342,368' has descended!]

[The great holy territory of Olympus has plunged into chaos!]

"What the hell is all that…!" After feeling the great holy territory shake chaotically, and having read the subsequent message windows that filled the air, Poseidon rushed outside.

After serving his confinement punishment, Poseidon had joined Olympus' senate and was living a relatively quiet life, like many of the first-generation gods of Olympus. Currently, though, his senate duties were the last thing on Poseidon's mind.

It was the same for the other gods in Olympus' senate. Startled by the sudden messages, everyone ran out of the senate building to look up into the sky. Above the several layers of barriers that surrounded the great holy territory, they could see 'beasts' that boasted enormous bodies.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Rumble! The beasts, each with bizarre appearances, endlessly pounded on the barriers. Their claws left large scratch marks on the barrier, and as their powers and skills exploded on the barriers, dark soot-colored spots appeared.

The barriers had recently been strengthened with darkness by Athena. Even though the barriers were many times stronger than they were before, it seemed as though they would shatter at any moment.

[The large barrier, 'Brilliant Spring' is in danger of being shattered!]

[The large barrier, 'Sunny Summer' is in danger of being shattered!]

…

[The large barrier, 'Cold Winter' has been shattered!]

[The shockwave has spread to the other large barriers!]

As soon as the first barrier was shattered, large cracks began to appear on the other barriers in quick succession. A sense of urgency rippled throughout the gods of Olympus. Their major forces had all left the society to carry out Yeon-woo's orders, so the great holy territory was essentially an empty nest. 'What the hell… How did they avoid our surveillance network and open a portal?'

The gods of Olympus were not idiots. They had made various preparations since they expected other societies to conduct surprise attacks. Thus, the gods of Olympus were at a loss on how so many large beasts were able to magically appear around them without triggering any of their warning mechanisms.

However, they did not have time to dwell on this question.

『What are you all doing?! Hurry up and repair the barriers! Are you all going to stand around and welcome your own deaths?』 Poseidon roared aloud. His voice was amplified with divine power. Though he should have been mindful about using his divine power reserves, as he was not at the same power level as before, Poseidon did have time to care.

Olympus was Poseidon's hometown, where he was born and raised. Although Poseidon was currently not on good terms with his brother, Yeon-woo, Olympus was still a place he had to protect. Even if he had to die fighting, he would not let foreign beasts from sullying his hometown.

The other elder gods of Olympus felt the same way. All at once, they released their divine powers up to the sky.

『'Authority of the Heavens'!』

『'Open Modulation'!』

『Bolster the barriers' weak points!』

Most of the elder gods had long since retired from active duty and were weaker compared to the days when Uranus reigned. At that time, many of these elder gods had traversed the expansive universe and often complained that the universe was too small. As if they seemed to have momentarily returned to their heyday, their collective output of divine power was considerable. However…

Boom! Boom!

Bam!

[All the barriers have been critically damaged!]

Rumble!

The opponent beasts were existences that had been around for much longer than any of Olympus' gods. No matter how much the gods of Olympus resisted, there was bound to be a limit in blocking the beasts with their barriers. Terrifying heads, like a dragon's or lizard's, pushed through the shattered cracks in the barrier. Their eyes, which were larger than the sun in the sky, rolled about as if searching for something.

Seeing the beasts with their mouths wide open and flames forming in their dark throats, Poseidon shouted out.『Get into your positions…!』

But before anyone could process Poseidon's words, the breath of the leading beast exploded in the middle of Olympus. Boom! After that single breath, a large portion of the great holy territory was instantly swept away. Furthermore, the gods who were in that part of the great holy territory had also been swept away.

Rumble! Boom! The first beast that pushed its head through the barrier landed in the middle of the great holy territory. Bam! As it fully spread its wings and cried out, the ground rumbled violently, rose up into the air, and overturned. The remaining pieces of the large barriers shattered like glass.

The gods of Olympus could not help but be in shock and astonishment. "That doesn't make any sense…!"

Among the injured gods was Poseidon. With his shaky vision, Poseidon saw the lead beast head towards the temple located in the very center of the great holy territory.

The less shocked and uninjured gods of Olympus tried to utilize their powers to stop the rushing lead beast, but the other beasts that followed blocked their attacks.

Bam! As if looking for something, the lead beast swung its gigantic claws at the temple and repeatedly slammed its snout deep inside the claw-marked crevices. Then, a being riding atop the head of the beast jumped down.

"…what? No way…?" Though the being was too far away for Poseidon to see the being's face properly, judging from the being's physique and the aura of its divine power, Poseidon felt he knew the being's identity. And if Poseidon was right, everyone would be in trouble.

Poseidon felt that he needed to do something…anything. Thus, he forced himself to get up and move towards the beast. However, Poseidon's insides instantly started to churn. He was on the verge of collapse as he pushed his physical limits. At that moment…

"Brother, you pretended to be so high and mighty, but look at you now."

Once Poseidon approached the area, his worst fears turned out to be true. He soon heard Zeus' voice as Zeus stepped out of the temple with the being's assistance.

The being who released Zeus was an existence with a dull expressionless face and the appearance and temperament of a giant.

Poseidon knew the being well—Atlas, a loyal follower of Poseidon's father, Kronos. From the early days of Kronos, Atlas was famous for being the most decorated general and right-hand man for the king of gods. Even amid Kronos' downfall, Atlas had remained a loyal follower until the end. However, at some point, Atlas had disappeared. Many suspected that Atlas had been annihilated in an unknown place… But Atlas had not been annihilated. He was alive and well, and he had come to save Zeus.

"…" Atlas looked at Poseidon with a solemn and expressionless face. It was the same aura that Poseidon and his siblings had felt and feared as children.

"You…!"

"Hahaha. I never thought I would be saved like this. Wait. This isn't right." Zeus forcibly squeezed out his divine power to speak using divine speech.

『I never considered this possibility.』It seemed Zeus thought that, even if his body was severely damaged, he should speak using divine speech to maintain his dignity as a god.『Anyway, how about we brothers support each other?』

"What…are you talking about?"

『I'm asking if you're willing to provide nourishment for this ill little brother of yours. There's a very nice process called spirit eating that I can utilize. No, is spirit dining a better term?』

"…!" When he heard Zeus openly state that he was planning on killing and devouring his own brother, Poseidon hurriedly tried to pull himself back.

Flash! Zeus was about to step forward to catch the backpedaling Poseidon, but before he could take a step, he was stopped by Atlas' outstretched arm. Zeus frowned before looking at Atlas, who was blocking him from his prey.

Atlas shook his head. Moreover, at the same time, Zeus felt Atlas' will, which seemed to state that Atlas would leave Zeus behind if he decided to act on his own accord.

『Hmpf!』Zeus scornfully laughed while clicking his tongue.『Well, it doesn't matter. After all, there's no one who can chase after me here.』After speaking those words, Zeus turned around and got atop the beast.

Atlas looked at Poseidon with his dull, emotionless eyes, then climbed back onto the beast's head. Atlas' large body covered Zeus.

Rumble! The beast roared loudly, flapped its wings, and rose high into the air. Throwing strong gusts of wind in all directions, the beast took off. Another beast took its place as it continued to wreak havoc on the surrounding area.

'I must stop them somehow…!' Poseidon instinctively knew that he could not let Zeus escape. He felt that allowing Zeus to escape would bring constant bad fortune to Olympus.

But in his current state, Poseidon was out of options. He thought of sending Yeon-woo a message, but Poseidon was sure that Yeon-woo already knew what was happening at Olympus. And if Yeon-woo was not making a move, then it must mean that Yeon-woo was having a tough enough time on his side, wherever he was.

Poseidon clenched his jaw at his inability to do anything. And then…

Sss.

[Your divinity is being consumed.]

[In return, your divine power has increased!]

As Poseidon gave off a bright light distribution in return for his whittling soul… Whoosh! Poseidon flung himself towards Zeus and Atlas.

'Father…come quickly.' For the first time in his life, Poseidon called out for his father, an existence that Poseidon had always resented.

***

[The opponent of 'dream 232,115,675' is descending!]

「Again…!」 The leader of the Ghost Giants, Valdebich, gave an exasperated sigh as he saw the appearance of another descending beast.

As long as he was in Yeon-woo's shadow, Valdebich could be resurrected at any time, but he still faced a limit due to mental fatigue. Nothing good would come about by prolonging this seemingly endless fight. But there was something else that concerned Valdebich. 'Jeong-woo.' It was the fact that Valdebich could only look at his emotionally shaken friend without the ability to provide any support.

Over the past decade, Valdebich had conversed often with Jeong-woo. Occasionally, Leonhardt, who came to the Day and Night battlefield along with the rest of Arthia, drank together with Valdebich and Jeong-woo. They talked and cleared up many of the misunderstandings and prejudices that each of them had regarding the past. They had apologized and rekindled their friendship.

However, Valdebich still felt he owed Jeong-woo. Valdebich felt guilty that he was not able to be by Jeong-woo's side during the most critical moment. This absence lingered in his heart and remained a heavy burden.

And now, seeing Jeong-woo, who had been completely resurrected, being swayed due to sorrow rather than enjoying a sense of happiness, Valdebich felt heartbroken. He wanted to help Jeong-woo. As he was having this thought…

『Valdebich.』

Valdebich heard Yeon-woo's voice through their pairing.

「Yes, my lord?」

『I need to ask you for a favor.』

「…?」

『It has to do with Jeong-woo. I need your help.』

「…How?」 Valdebich widened his eyes. The god he worshiped, Yeon-woo, was a being that gave commands and not a being who asked for favors. Wondering what Yeon-woo was planning, Valdebich gulped.

『A little later…』

Valdebich could not help but widen his eyes even more after hearing what Yeon-woo had to say.

***

Yeon-woo planned on slipping away while Hou Yi and Jeong-woo were occupied in battle. If he wasted any more time, Yeon-woo felt he would not be able to catch Yvlke.

[Power, 'Shukuchi' is operating!]

Yeon-woo was just about to go to Yvlke's location…

Boom!

"Where do you think you're going?!"

[Space transition has been cut off due to the intervention of an external force!]

['Shukuchi' has failed.]

As if reading Yeon-woo's mind, Jeong-woo intervened and immediately cut off Yeon-woo's Shukuchi. Since Jeong-woo was one step ahead of Yeon-woo in the ability to handle space, it was possible for Jeong-woo to forcibly cancel any skill or power related to space transitioning.

Jeong-woo was dealing with a mortal enemy and an older brother who had some unknown other ideas, so Jeong-woo planned to keep them both in front of him. Although it was like facing off against two opponents, his Perfect Adaptability was operating at full capacity. So, if Jeong-woo put his mind to it, there did not seem to be anyone or anything that Jeong-woo could not face. The ability to deal with space was that formidable.

Yeon-woo became desperate. 'It can't leave things like this.' Aside from knowing that he would have no chance in convincing Jeong-woo, Yeon-woo also knew that Kronos was also looking for an opportunity to constrain him to prevent him from escaping. However, Yeon-woo could not sit by idly and allow Yvlke to have his way.

Yeon-woo had to become the main ego of the Black King. Whatever Yvlke's ultimate objective or goal was, it was clear that this 'dream' would soon come to an end if Yeon-woo did not do anything. Yeon-woo was determined to not let that happen.

'I didn't want to do this, but…' The only remaining method was the one that Yeon-woo wanted to avoid using until the very end. Of course, if Yeon-woo was willing to fight his family members, he probably would be able to escape, but he did not want to hurt his brother or father. Yeon-woo felt that, if anyone were to get hurt, it was best if it was himself. With that in mind, he came to a decision.

[The Alternate Ego of the Black King has discovered a hidden possibility and fate that he had always possessed!]

Sensing that Yeon-woo was up to something, Jeong-woo, Kronos, and the others quickly turned their heads towards Yeon-woo.

[Your destiny as the Executor has begun!]

[The end of days apocalypse has begun to accelerate!]

"…!"

"…!"

"…!"

Jeong-woo, Kronos, and even Hou Yi had shocked expressions as the unexpected message popped up in front of them. They all turned their attention toward Yeon-woo.

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