Ranker Who Lives Twice

'How long have I been here?' Cha Yeon-woo thought it was probably pointless to ask himself that question. The flow of time here and the outside world was too different. No, in the first place, there was no such thing as time in here.

'Was the Heavenly Demon experiencing this all this time? This isn't something that anyone should have to do.' Yeon-woo couldn't help but appraise the Heavenly Demon in a better light, wondering how the Heavenly Demon even endured such boredom.

Yeon-woo also understood why the Black King's egos had always been divided instead of uniting as one. It wasn't possible for anyone to remain here with their mind intact. He also realized why the Black King was always attempting to wake up. He'd probably been dreaming the same dream Yeon-woo was. If it was a sleep that never ended no matter how long it lasted, even the greatest beings would become crazed.

So you've come all the way. Keekeekeek! Really, I didn't think a little punk like you would grow to this level. Amazing. When Yeon-woo had been battling the Demonisms, one of them had said this to him. To Yeon-woo, all the Demonisms looked the same, but he was able to realize who the one who spoke to him was. It was the guy who Kronos had discovered in the swamp of darkness and who inflicted pain on Kronos and Yeon-woo until now. Kronos had slashed him apart when he woke up, so Yeon-woo had thought he disappeared because he was nowhere to be found in the abyss.

It appeared the Demonism had actually been hidden where all these Demonisms were collected, fearing that Yeon-woo would retaliate now that he was stronger. At the time, Yeon-woo had wanted nothing more to reciprocate what the Demonism had done to him. However, the problem was that after Yeon-woo eliminated Sage/Yvlke, he started to combine all the Demonisms, and the Demonisms began to disappear one by one. They were destined to meet in the end.

Yeon-woo easily contained the struggling Demonisms. There was a gap in power between them that was too great to be overcome.

I was like you too. I foolishly believed I could obtain everything I wanted!

I don't remember it anymore, but I had parents, a wife, and children.

I wanted to return.

But I couldn't.

Why?

Because this damned cursed wheel showed no sign of stopping!

The Demonism must've thought it was meaningless to fight back, so he continued to scream as he was dying. He didn't have eyes, but it seemed like his eyes would be bloodshot.

So I became like another me.

And it's not just me! The other mes are all the same!

But you're not trying to get rid of all the other mes so you can be alone.

You. The word felt strange in this abyss. The Demonisms who had lived through the ages in this abyss didn't differentiate between me and you. It even included the executors of the future who would someday be bound to darkness. Sage/Yvlke knew that Yeon-woo would someday combine with the Demonisms and had called Yeon-woo "me" in the battle with Rhea.

However, this creature hadn't said "me," but "you." He must have wanted to differentiate himself between him and Yeon-woo, as Yeon-woo was trying to kill him. Moreover, he probably thought that Yeon-woo was too different from him, because he was struggling and doing anything to become free. But the beings in the darkness were all bound to it without any freedom.

Now, in these curses, restraints, and wheels…he would be alone.

You'll be alone in this disgustingly vast place where time doesn't flow, you can lie down, and there's no one to talk to. You can't even die here.

You're death itself. You might even die. You'll end as a small dream and eventually come back as you were anyway.

The Heavenly Demon was able to ingrain his existence into the world because he was an outstretching light, and he could plant his exuviae down there so he wouldn't be lonely, but you're darkness that can't even do that!

You'll sink and sink. Your family might see the light of day, but they won't see darkness. No one perceives darkness so you're going to have to watch your family from outside of their world.

Why do you think all those otherworld gods wandered around the universes? Why do you think their existences were continually erased outside of the grace of creation? It was because they were all "outside."

And you'll also be outside. No, you might even be placed further outside where no one can see or remember you. It'll be lonely and lonelier. The Demonism continued to curse until his last breath, endlessly spewing out letters. You'll be lonely. Until the end. Then, he disappeared.

But Yeon-woo just scoffed, actually finding hope in it. The creature probably didn't know how much the difference between "you" and "me" meant to him. "Yes. I'm not the 'me' you guys say. I'm going to be completely different."

It meant Yeon-woo was going to become entirely different from these creatures. From then on, he began to absorb the Demonisms with more rigor and was able to reach the last of them.

[You have successfully absorbed all Demonisms!]

[You have become a complete Black King.]

［Current State: Black King］

Yeon-woo felt all the darkness and abyss around him becoming bound to him. He was also now free from the limits of time and space, Pneuma and Quirinale. Although he was using an avatar of Cha Yeon-woo to maintain his ego, he didn't need a body like that anymore.

However, he realized that his consciousness was trapped in this place, as if he was being blocked by a firm shell. In the past, Yeon-woo was able to find an opening and express his consciousness, but he wasn't able to do that anymore. He wasn't allowed to use such shortcuts because he had become a complete Black King.

Of course, it wasn't impossible to fully break Yeon-woo's consciousness. If he pushed himself, he could escape from the abyss and expand his consciousness outside. The Demonisms had most likely attempted to do this out of boredom too. But what about after that?

'I'll completely awaken from the dream.' Waking from his sleep meant Yeon-woo'd be abandoning the dream, and the worlds and universe would come crumbling down if he did.

[The Heavenly Demon is observing you from the outside.]

And after that, he'd get into another fight with the Heavenly Demon. Yeon-woo didn't intend on falling asleep so mindlessly like the past Black King did. The past king was inefficient, but Yeon-woo knew how to utilize the power he had. But what did all that matter when none of the people he wanted to see were here?

［You have made a great accomplishment that no one from the beginning of time to the present has achieved.］

［You can now choose from choices.］

［You will be choosing your stance as the Black King.］

［You can continue to dream as the original Black King did, or you can try to escape from the dream.］

[However, the Heavenly Demon will attempt to put you back to sleep if you choose the latter.]

[If you choose the former, your existence will escape the perception of the world and you will be outside of it.]

[You can also choose a separate third option that you create for yourself.]

[What will you choose?]

Yeon-woo thought all these messages were being sent by the Heavenly Demon, who was probably asking Yeon-woo to choose what position he'd take. And unfortunately, the Heavenly Demon already knew what decision Yeon-woo could make. It had been what Yeon-woo wanted in the first place too.

[You have chosen the third path!]

[You have decided to once again create your own path.]

[It will be a dangerous path filled with obstacles.]

[May luck be on your side.]

Yeon-woo thought to himself the Heavenly Demon was acting out of character with how cringey he was being. After taking in a deep breath, he attempted to take the next step: transcendence!

['Hades' Spirit Eating Sword' is starting to absorb all the darkness and abyss!]

[Existence is being swallowed. 1, 2%… 5%…]

[Digestion is starting.]

[Harmony is commencing.]

[Variables are created.]

[Transcendence is starting!

Clack. Clack. This time, Yeon-woo attempted to swallow the existence of the Black King instead of the Demonisms. Exuviating was to break out of one's shedding, and transcending was going beyond that once again.

Yeon-woo intended on taking apart the components that made up the Black King and reassembling them to his own tastes. It was the moment that darkness that had been fixed to the bottom of the world for eons was starting to change for the first time.

[Darkness moves.]

[Darkness moves.]

However, there was a grave issue with this. What made up the Black King was too vast, so the rate of change was critically slow. It could potentially require more time than was taken to absorb the Demonsims.

No, the fight against the Demonisms was far superior. At least Yeon-woo hadn't been bored in those battles. But here, he was so very alone. He needed to continue with this process with a resolve of steel. If his determination faded in the slightest, everything would be refused to ashes. He had to keep running forward without rest. The Heavenly Demon had probably encouraged Yeon-woo since he had also once gone through this in the past.

'Still… I'm going to do it.' To return to his family, Yeon-woo would do it.

Crunch, crunch! The sound of Hades' Spiriting Sword chewing at darkness echoed sadly.

* * *

[The rate of change is slowing. 22, 23, 24%…]

As time went on, the process didn't speed up, but it went slower. Still, Yeon-woo persevered and persevered. Waiting was his specialty, was it not?

* * *

[The rate of change slows even more. 35, 36, 37%…]

It became slower.

[The rate of change slows even more. 47, 48, 49%…]

And even slower.

* * *

[The rate of change cannot be calculated. 51%.]

At a little over the halfway mark, the process didn't continue any further. It was moving forward extremely slowly, but it was essentially paused. Yeon-woo felt more urgent. Although it had been slow, the change had been steadily moving along, so he hadn't been too worried. But now, even that had come to a stop.

Yeon-woo tried to search for the cause. He could only move forward if he found the malfunctioning section and fixed it. The problem was how he was going to find such a small malfunction in this vast darkness…but he had no other method.

You will be lonely. Until the end. The words of the Demonism weighed heavily on Yeon-woo's heart, but he gritted his teeth through it.

* * *

Yeon-woo eventually found the cause. But the cause…was so insignificant it was futile. It was so small he was only able to find it after 51% of the change had occurred. The identity of Cha Yeon-woo—this was the only obstacle that blocked the change of the Black King. But this would all be for nothing if he had to kill himself to meet his goals.

The reason why Yeon-woo attempted to change the Black King was because he wanted to change, not because he wanted to disappear so futilely like that. If he had known he had to do that, he would've closed his eyes eternally under darkness.

But it was then… Clunk. Creeeeak. Outside the darkness, where nothing should've been able to reach, he heard the sound of two large objects being interlocked.

[Deus Ex Machina has successfully interlocked his cogwheels with darkness.]