Ranker Who Lives Twice

"Jeong-woo!" With blurred vision, Rhea saw a glimpse of her youngest son and wondered if she had seen an illusion.

However…

「Stop it you fuckin' bastards!」 Cha Jeong-woo's shouts clearly rang out.

Rhea felt a vaguely familiar touch on her fingertips. A certain intuition made her eyes flash. Boom! Rhea clenched her jaw and squeezed out her last remaining strength. Her light distribution blazed splendidly once more.

This burst of light was just like the splendid burst of light before a candle went out, or the bright flash of the sun's rays just before sunset. Rhea's light distribution emitted light that shone more splendidly than at any other moment.

Rhea grabbed Jeong-woo's hand and pulled him into her arms with all her might. Demonisms that had clung to her were thrown off.

Kikiki.

Always with such surprises.

Indeed. You are a Quirinale. It would be a shame to let you go. Quite a shame.

Amid the laughs and snide remarks from the Demonisms, Rhea hugged Jeong-woo tightly. Since it was just Jeong-woo's soul, Rhea was not able to feel the warmth of his body. However, this absence only made Rhea feel closer to Jeong-woo. She seemed to see the pain and difficult journey her youngest son had gone through. She could tell without hearing it in person. It was like a superpower that every 'mother' had. She just knew.

「Mother…!」 With a wavering gaze, Jeong-woo looked at Rhea. He had many things he wanted to ask his mother, such as how she actually got here. He had always seen his mother as an ordinary person, a thin and sickly human… How was such a person able to come to this place under such a different form and even think of saving him?

If anyone were to come to his rescue, Jeong-woo thought it would be his older brother. Although he had told his brother not to come, Jeong-woo was also desperately hoping for his brother's help.

If not Yeon-woo, Jeong-woo thought the next probable person would be his father. His father, whom he had seen since childhood, was always a mysterious person. Although his older brother hated his father, Jeong-woo knew his father was not an ordinary man. Jeong-woo vaguely guessed that the reason he received an 'invitation' to enter the Tower was all because he inherited his father's blood.

However, Jeong-woo never considered his mother in all of this. Jeong-woo always had a strong belief and conviction that his mother was a weak person that he and his brother had to protect and take care of. Thus, she was essentially the last person he expected to show up in this place.

Everything he wanted to say and convey to his mother was contained in the word 'mother'. This embrace, this body temperature, this touch… These were all the things Jeong-woo yearned to feel. Since he came to the Tower to find a cure for his mother's illness, this was the thing Jeong-woo wanted the most. He jumped into the Tower with the desire to hug his healthy mother one more time.

However, Jeong-woo's wish seemed to have been only half-fulfilled. He was able to hold onto his mother once more, but his mother's life was rapidly deteriorating. Thus, Jeong-woo sadly looked upon his mother as if telling her to stop.

Wham! Jeong-woo suddenly felt a ferocious slap on his back. 「Ouch! Mother, why are you hitting me?!」 Jeong-woo felt his mind clear up.

Rhea stared at Jeong-woo with piercing eyes. As if momentarily forgetting the situation surrounding them, Rhea shouted out in frustration, "Who taught you those words? Didn't I constantly tell you not to use curse words? Who was it? Who did you learn those awful words from?"

In an instant, Jeong-woo's eyes started darting all over the place.「Uhm… That would be…」

"Who?"

「…hyung…」

"Yeon-woo?" A fire blazed in Rhea's eyes.

Nod. Nod.

"When did he use those words?"

「While playing a computer game…」

"These cretins! Since your mother hasn't been home, you've been spending all your time on the computer! Didn't I say that you both can only use the computer an hour a day and spend the rest of the time studying?"

「Uhm… Mom…」 Jeong-woo could not help but feel small. He also felt confused. This was supposed to be a touching moment of reunion, so he wondered why he was being scolded.

"As a senior in high school, you should be studying, why are you wasting time on the computer…!"

It had been quite a few years since Jeong-woo entered the Tower, so even discounting the time he spent to fulfill his mandatory military service, Jeong-woo would have already graduated from college a long time ago…and then some. However, he did not dare state these things to his mother.

"Anyway, just wait until we get back! Both of you will get scolded! Do you understand?"

「…Yeah.」 Jeong-woo could not help but lower his head.

Whoosh! Rhea pulled Jeong-woo in and hugged him tighter.

"Such bad boys. What did you think would happen if you both went off and left your mother all alone…! Did you think I would be happy if you both did this?"

Jeong-woo did not miss the slight tremble in his mother's voice as she buried her face in his chest. Jeong-woo felt his chest area getting wet. Moreover, Jeong-woo understood the gist behind the meaning of 'such bad boys'. His brother must have also entered the Tower. Possibly even his father.

「I'm…sorry.」 Jeong-woo apologized, wondering how much damage had the whole family suffered because of one person. He realized then just how wrong his actions had been. His mother, who had looked larger than life just a moment ago, seemed to whittle down.

'Have I grown that much, or has my mother gotten smaller?' Jeong-woo could not quite figure it out.

I'm sorry to disturb your reunion. At that moment…the letters began to chaotically move about once more. It's not good for 'us' either to just let you leave like this.

Jeong-woo lifted his head.

Sage stretched out his hand towards where Jeong-woo was with his mother. Darkness, creating a huge vortex, approached Jeong-woo and his mother's direction.

Was it the same as what he had seen before? Jeong-woo tried to spread his Sky Wings after seeing, at first glance, a secret skill that looked like the Heavenly Bracket's Five Elements, which Jeong-woo happened to see in use one day from the Devil Army.

Although his soul was on the brink of collapsing, Jeong-woo was not going to allow his mother to sacrifice any longer. However…

Rip.

Whoosh! Suddenly, a small crack appeared in front of Jeong-woo and his mother, and as it widened, a gap was formed.

That's? Sage's eyes widened.

"Jeong-woo, now!" Jeong-woo did not know what was going on, but as soon as he heard Rhea's urgent cry, he quickly threw himself into the crack.

<Sky Wings>

As Heaven Wing's signature skill, which was the 002 numbered skill, was used, the two were soon sucked into the crack after a huge flap of Jeong-woo's wings. The darkness that Sage had thrown at them passed through their afterimage without any effect. Clank. Boom! Just as soon as the crack opened, it closed.

Damn it! The letters that represented Sage were arranging sentences that were filled with disappointment.

Did she find a piece of the 'dream' on the other side of the darkness and plant her divine power there?

If she did, then that was probably how she was able to build a small yet firm illusory barrier around her…

Is it the greatness of the Quirinale's, or should I say that being is amazing?

From the moment she first entered the darkness' gate, and from the time she recognized Jeong-woo's soul, Rhea seemed to have planted her divine power in a piece of some 'dream' that wandered around in the darkness. She must have done this as a failsafe to escape the darkness at any moment.

Rhea would not be returning to the same 'dream' from where she had come from. She and Jeong-woo would be entering into a past 'dream', one that had already run its course. Thus, her activity would be limited. Still, she had successfully escaped this place, which was nothing less than a tiger's den for her and her child.

The reason that Sage had not grasped Rhea's intent was because of the characteristics of Quirinale. Either that or he was too careless.

Anyway, Rhea seemed to understand and know the limits of her ancestor's powers. She had utilized the powers much more proficient than the countless members of the Quirinale family that the Sage had come across before.

This is why I've been trying to get my hands on a Quirinale. Moreover, I've let the opponent slip through my hands. Things are going to get messed up because of this. Hmpf! However, unlike the contents of the arranging letters, Sage did not seem very concerned about the development. Although Rhea's move was unexpected and somewhat cute, its effects were limited in the end. First, I need to find out whose 'dream' fragment she touched.

***

In a world full of emptiness, this was an ambiguous space. It wasn't exactly the darkness, the boundary line between Day and Night, or even the leftover that was not able to be reconstituted during the recreation of the universe.

In someone's forgotten illusory world, where only the shadows of past gods wandered, long-forgotten fragments of reality floated around. In that space…

「Mom? Mom! Can you hear me?」 With tears streaming down his face, Jeong-woo continued to shake Rhea to wake her up.

Blink. Blink.

Rhea's body trembled as if to highlight her precarious grasp on life. It seemed she was on the brink of annihilation. A lot of static noise rang out from Rhea's body. Jeong-woo tried to somehow connect his mother's broken, fading body, but it was a tall order.

"Jeong…woo." Rhea looked at her youngest son through a trembling gaze.

Surprised by the sudden response, Jeong-woo looked at his mother.「Mom! Yes, I'm here!」

"You…need to figure…out a way to get…out… At least you…"

「…!」Jeong-woo was left speechless for a moment.

It was the same as before. At the hospital, every time she went through a crisis and was in pain, Rhea always worried and showed concern for her children first. Even now, his mother was more worried about her son than about herself.

"At least…you should…" His mother's voice trailed off. Jeong-woo could see her eyes closing. If things were left to progress any further, Rhea was going to fall into irrevocable danger.

「No! No! Yeon-woo and dad haven't come yet, so you can't go anywhere!」 Jeong-woo hurriedly grabbed onto Rhea's hand. He tried to share his spirit power with his mother, but he was unable to as he was also in a similar precarious state. If he could bring his mother back to life with what little he had, Jeong-woo would absolutely take that trade. However, what little power he had was not enough for his mother, who had already used up all her powers.

Somehow… Jeong-woo felt he must somehow find a way. Only that singular thought lingered in Jeong-woo's mind. His mother had saved him from a situation where there seemed to be no chance of escape. There must be some way he could save her. Jeong-woo was sure that there was something.

At that moment…

'Ah!' A thought passed through Jeong-woo's mind. Rather than his mother, Jeong-woo had expected someone else to show up.

'Brother.' Jeong-woo's eyes lit up. 'Yeon-woo and father remain, right?'

Knowing that the two had already entered the Tower and made their move, Jeong-woo and his mother had to just wait for them to arrive.

Whoosh!

<Sky Wings – Maximum Power>

Jeong-woo's two wings shone splendidly, brighter than ever before. Just like Rhea's scattering light distribution, a shimmering light cascaded down his wings. His spirit power, which had stalled for a moment, became amplified and began to circulate throughout his body at a high speed. His senses expanded, and his cognitive realm greatly expanded.

'Quickly. It must be finished as soon as possible.' Jeong-woo understood there was only a short amount of time wherein he could squeeze out all his strength like this, so he focused all his spirit energy on his two eyes.

<Draconic Eyes>

A dragon's pupil widened in both Jeong-woo's eyes. Focusing solely on Rhea, Jeong-woo was able to obtain the enormous amount of information that comprised Rhea and store it in his mind. 'Ugh…!' Jeong-woo clenched his teeth.

Dragons sought the truth. Draconic Eyes were eyes that made it possible to 'observe' such truths. Among potential subjects to observe, there was probably no better object of study than information about a god who held the truth.

Information from a god, which would normally be 'locked', was pouring into Jeong-woo in large quantities as his body was weakening.

'This Quirinale or whatever power… Mother's powers were strong enough to defeat those things that resided in the darkness. There must be some answer in those powers. As mother's child, I must have a talent for utilizing those powers as well.' Jeong-woo intended to 'copy' all the powers of his mother immediately. He was going to copy and embed the powers onto himself.

Of course, since Jeong-woo was nothing more than a mortal, it was crazy for him to imitate his mother, who was once a transcendent being. It was like committing suicide, as his soul was already declining. However, Jeong-woo did not have the time to consider all these restrictions and difficulties. And above all, Jeong-woo believed in his own talent.

<Perfect Adaptability>

Jeong-woo possessed a talent to smoothly accept all energy regardless of attribute and the ability to apply it onto himself with his high level of understanding. Considering this and the natural talents he inherited from his mother, Jeong-woo thought there was definitely a chance. Thump. Thump. From somewhere within his soul, a thumping sound seemed to ring out.

'Just a little bit. A little bit more…!'

Jeong-woo's Sky Wings were overheating. His soul was burning red. Amid the huge flood of information streaming into him, something kept getting ripped off. Jeong-woo felt dizzy, as if he would lose his mind at any moment.

But Jeong-woo somehow persevered and endured. He felt that, if he could overcome this tough spell, he would be able to achieve exuviation and transcendence, things he had only dreamed of before. No, he must have already begun the process.

The sound Jeong-woo heard in the background must be the sound of his soul casting off its limitations. In accordance with the sound, his Sky Wings started emitting a light distribution and grew larger.

However, Jeong-woo had no time to pay attention to any of this. What he wanted to find was his mother's 'Quirinale', and the moment he fully analyzed it…

'Done…!' Based on the divine power he was able to realize, albeit vaguely, Jeong-woo applied the Quirinale's first power.

<Closed Space>

Jeong-woo's Sky Wings, which were dozens of times larger than their original size, folded inward and surrounded Jeong-woo and Rhea. Jeong-woo hugged his mother tight in his arms, seemingly stating that he would never let go of his mother no matter what. He forcibly stopped the flow of time while encircling himself and his mother in a thick barrier.

In this space, Jeong-woo was the creator and ruler. Time manipulation was possible. If he could maintain this, he could maintain his mother's precarious state of being so that she did not fall apart. It was like a sort of suspended animation confinement.

Of course, to maintain this space, Jeong-woo also needed to confine himself, as he was the caster who had to maintain the power. However, Jeong-woo did not fret or care about this fact. He firmly believed that, one day, his older brother and father would come to rescue them.

「Still, it'd be nice if you both came sooner rather than later, brother… Father…」

And then… Whoosh! The two fell into a state of hibernation, a state of suspended animation.

***

[All playback is complete.]

[No further information found.]

Have reviewed all the remnant vestige thoughts…

"Father."

『Yeah. Let's go. Your mother and brother are waiting for us.』

Yeon-woo and Kronos started moving right away.