Ranker Who Lives Twice

『Huh? Mother?』 Cha Jeong-woo suddenly looked at Yeon-woo with an expression that seemed to ask what absurd nonsense Yeon-woo was talking about this time. They had just met after a long time, so he didn't understand what was this about seeking their mother.

Still, Jeong-woo's eyes gleamed with a strange light. The fact that his father had been found and recovered but his mother had yet to be caused a lingering stigma to remain in his mind.

"Your half is there too."

『…Isn't that expression a bit strange? If Ananta were to hear what you just said, it might cause a misunderstanding! Anyway, tell me what the hell happened!』

Fighting a war with Night for over ten years as the successor of Day, Jeong-woo could not help but feel frustrated at not having his soul.

An existence was basically composed of the soul, which could be represented as the skeleton, and the spirit body, which would represent the skin. In the absence of one of these, only half of an existence existed.

Although his spirit body had achieved a breakthrough based on the achievements he had accumulated in his past, Jeong-woo was not yet able to reach complete transcendence. This was because there was no soul to be the subject of transcendence, so there was a limit to his rise in power.

Of course, in the case of Rebecca, Yeon-woo's familiar, she had been able to gain divine status. However, that was only possible because Cernunnos, who was the god she originally served, provided Yeon-woo with a steady stream of blessing, which Rebecca was essentially able to feed off of.

Jeong-woo's spirit body, an independent existence, did not have that option. He was currently like a sandcastle built without a skeleton. One wrong move and he would collapse entirely.

But now, Yeon-woo was stating that they had finally found Jeong-woo's 'skeleton'. If he were to recover his soul, Cha Jeong-woo would be able to complete his existence. If he were to complete his existence, Jeong-woo would no longer be the successor of Day but the complete ruler of Day. In addition to this, he could also save his mother. Naturally, Yeon-woo's words lit a fire within Jeong-woo.

Yeon-woo calmly began to describe the thoughts of Rhea's vestige, which Yeon-woo and Kronos had seen.

『…』Jeong-woo remained silent for a while. Once he heard that his mother had come to find him, Jeong-woo crumbled onto the ground.『…Yeon-woo』

"What."

『What did I ever do?』

"…"

『You…and father… And now, even mother. How come everyone is suffering because of me…!』

Jeong-woo's sorrowful voice rang out. If his vestige spirit body was able to shed tears, Jeong-woo would be crying a river.

Kronos could not look directly at Jeong-woo's face, so he turned his head to the side and tried to calm his trembling heart.

However, Yeon-woo still had a calm expression on his face. No, to be more exact, his expression was somewhat cold. "Hey."

『…?』

"Don't change the subject."

Flinch!

"Those curse words you said in front of mother… Those were the exact words that you used whenever you played video games. But in front of mother, you said I used those words. Are you serious?"

『…』

A very brief silence ensued. And then… Poof! Jeong-woo's vestige spirit body disappeared in an instant. Poof! Yeon-woo's figure disappeared almost at the same time.

『Huh?』Wondering what the hell was going on, Kronos tilted his head to one side with a face full of bewilderment. In the distance, Kronos could see Jeong-woo's receding back as he ran away with his Sky Wings fully unfurled. Yeon-woo was closely chasing after Jeong-woo.

『S-Stop! It's not my fault!』

"What do you mean?"

『I didn't say those things! My soul said it! So, you shouldn't be blaming me…!』

"Your soul is a part of you."

Jeong-woo continued to protest, stating that he was being unfairly treated, but Yeon-woo's fist was not willing to heed his brother's words.

Bam!

***

"I don't bother to curse. I just respond with my fists."

Clap. Clap. Yeon-woo lightly dusted his hand together as he spoke coldly.

Kronos looked at his two sons with a blank expression.

『…Damn it. I don't get how you're my older brother.』Jeong-woo, with a black bruise around one of his eyes, groaned while pouting his lips.

"Do you feel you've been unfairly treated?"

『Of course! I didn't do anything!』

"If you're upset, then go to your soul and ask him why he said such things yourself."

『…』Jeong-woo was barely able to hold back the curse words that were about to exit his mouth.

"So, you think you've been unfairly treated, huh."

『Ugh, what!』

"I wanted you to resist a little more. I thought you would be stronger by now. It seems you've lost some backside."

『Damn it! You know as well as I do that resisting any further only means more pain!』

"That's why I'm a little disappointed."

『…』

Shake. Jeong-woo's fists trembled. He wanted to smack Yeon-woo. Though Yeon-woo was his older brother, Jeong-woo thought he could give anything to smack his older brother. This singular thought kept running through Jeong-woo's mind.

However, Jeong-woo knew this was an impossibility. In the end, only he would get hurt. Although he came to fight the war as the successor of Day, Jeong-woo could not compare to his older brother, who had struggled every day as the Black King's ego. It was most likely that his older brother was stoking Jeong-woo's anger to set an intentional trap and release some of his pent-up stress. Just as Jeong-woo expected…

"So, you're not going to come at me, huh? Sheesh."

『…Father! Older brother is tormenting me!』In the end, Jeong-woo sought Kronos' help.

Kronos pressed his index fingers onto his temple as if his head hurt.『Even though you guys are older, you're still acting like little kids…!』

In fact, even when they were on Earth, Kronos' two sons quarreled often. Siblings who were only one or two years apart in age tended to fight a lot, so how quarrelsome would it be for twins born at the same time on the same day… The funny thing was that, even though they fought like this all the time, their friendship was solid.

While Kronos was having these thoughts… Bark!

『You found Cha Jeong-woo's soul?』Agares approached the brothers with Fenrir. Unlike Fenrir, whose eyes were filled with innocent intent, Agares' eyes were burning brightly with lust.『Then, you must take me with you!』

Jeong-woo frowned.『Why do you need to come with us?』

『Because that soul belongs to me! What other reason would I have but to obtain what is mine!』

『…Uh, that soul is mine.』

『Everything that is yours is mine!』

『…Ugh.』

Bark! Bark! While Jeong-woo and Agares were arguing, Fenrir panted while wagging his tail cutely at Yeon-woo. Fenrir seemed to be saying that he wanted to tag along as well. Yeon-woo nodded as if to express that he understood and approved. Fenrir barked loudly at Yeon-woo's approval.

Seeing this unfold, Agares could not help but shout aloud.『Me too! Take me along as well!』His actions and appearance were just like a petulant child's.

The demon lords of L'Infernal, who had followed Agares, quietly turned their heads to the side in embarrassment. Based on what they previously experienced with their new leader, it was best to just pretend they didn't see anything.

Meanwhile, the archangels of Malach, including Michael, were quickly exchanging Channel messages amongst each other with serious expressions. They exchanged messages in a Channel that belonged to Malach, so it was a private conversation.

『Michael, if Heaven Wing finds his soul, his existence will become complete. Once that happens, he'll be in total control of Day…!』

『Right! With a common enemy in the Night, we've been working towards a common goal, but what will happen afterward? If he becomes subordinate to Night and the Black King's ego, what will happen then? We have to make preparations.』

『…』

Despite Raphael and Uriel's urgent concerns, Michael only smiled quietly and did not respond.

At that moment… Smile. Yeon-woo looked at the three and smiled coldly.

Unable to understand the meaning of Yeon-woo's sudden smile, Raphael and Uriel's backs snapped straight up. Yeon-woo should not have been able to hear their communication, but they could not shake off a feeling of insecurity.

Only Michael smiled back at Yeon-woo's gaze.

***

"Athena, guard this place. If the Channel on my side is cut off for a while, don't worry too much." Yeon-woo gave Athena an order to lead the Day in Jeong-woo's stead.

Athena, who had wanted to see Yeon-woo, whom she had not seen in a long time, felt a little crestfallen at not receiving some praise for her hard work. "I can follow you and focus on protecting…!"

『Make sure to pay attention to Michael.』Athena's eyes widened at Yeon-woo's following Channel message. However, just as quickly as her eyes widened, she regained her composure.『By that, you mean…』

『Jeong-woo, Malach, L'Infernal… They have no shared interests or common ideals, so they formed a loose alliance because of the legacy and dying will of their predecessors. Moreover, the existence of a common enemy allowed this weak alliance to be maintained up to now. However, if Night does not present an issue anymore…the story will be different.』

『…!』

『Based on my assessment, Malach will be the first to make a move. L'Infernal is still wary of Agares and is relatively loyal to him. But this is not the case for Malach. Moreover, it doesn't make sense for absolute good and absolute evil to continue holding hands when it no longer provides any benefit for them, right?』

『If they act suspiciously or act hastily, I'll react without delay.』

Instead of answering, Yeon-woo nodded. He did not expect Michael to make a move right away. Michael wasn't stupid enough to make a move without having a certain level of certainty. However, Yeon-woo still thought it would not be a bad idea to keep a close eye on Michael.

Yeon-woo and his party soon came upon the boundary line that separated Day and Night. Entering this boundary space, Yeon-woo felt that it was not all too different from the feeling of swimming through the darkness when he entered Kronos' legends to make Scythe. Actually, there was almost no difference. This was probably because this boundary space was originally a realm ruled by Olympus during Uranus' time. It was one of the early places that existed during the universe's creation, when the war between Day and Night was in full swing…

[You have entered 'Night (Nox)'!]

[All laws have been warped.]

[Eye of the Heavens and Ear of the Heavens have been activated. The activation has corrected your shaking senses.]

[A correcting calibration has been achieved.]

…

[The world is revealed!]

『Ah…! I always feel like shit whenever I enter this place.』Jeong-woo nervously shook his hand at the overwhelming sensations bombarding his senses.

Jeong-woo had gone in and out of this area several times during the war, but it seemed that he would never get used to this foreign feeling. There was nothing more unpleasant to a being than the overwhelming power to devour existences and break laws.

Agares and Fenrir must have felt the same as their impressions soon hardened. They were preparing to open their magic powers to counteract the external influences. Additionally, their vigilant eyes were directed toward the various gazes scattered throughout the realm of Night.

Whoosh!

[The 'Polluted Source' bows its head at the appearance of the great father!]

[The 'Unborn Being' shakes its head and states that that is not their father!]

[The 'One who Awaits the Outside World' states that the being may not be their father, but it possesses similarities with their father. Thus, it raises the question of whether they should regard the being as their father!]

[The 'Eyes of the Childish Soul' is unable to decide. It rolls its eyes before carefully looking around!]

......

['Night (Nox)' is confused. They are not able to come to an agreement on what to do regarding the new existence, which they had never come across before!]

['Dancing Green Flames' proposes that they first have a conversation with the being and then make a decision!]

['Darkness from the Stars' nods his head saying that the proposal seems reasonable!]

['Blood-drenched God' agrees with 'Dancing Green Flames' proposal!]

…

[All eyes in 'Night (Nox)' are focused on the Black King's ego who suddenly appeared!]

Originally, once an intruder entered their area, waves of uncontrollable senses would have rushed in from all directions, causing the intruder to face a state of sensory overload. However, Yeon-woo's level of achievement was much greater than those of the Night, and above all, Yeon-woo's foundation was close to that of Night, so it was easy to understand the Night's confusion and subsequent cautious approach.

Of course, Jeong-woo and the others who tagged along with Yeon-woo were still in a vertigo state of mind. Since those within the Eight Gods of Disorder, who essentially led the Night, had shown their agreement with the proposal, the confusion within the Night camp seemed to have momentarily subsided.

However, Jeong-woo saw a green flame briefly appear above Yeon-woo's head, as if returning to Yeon-woo's side after doing something and stating 'I did good, huh?'. Then, the green flame quickly disappeared. Jeong-woo wondered if he was mistaken by that sight…

At that moment…

[The 'Resident of the Border' has opened his eyes!]

The highest-ranking being amongst the Eight Gods of Disorder, and the head of the Night, appeared.

As if a door opened, a huge pupil made its appearance in front of Yeon-woo as it cleared away the darkness of Night. Jeong-woo and Agares were startled by the leader's sudden appearance and immediately took defensive postures. However, Yeon-woo extended his hand to calm them down.

The Resident of the Border did not pay attention to the two. They were not beings who he needed to consider. The Resident of the Border focused solely on Yeon-woo.

You. Have. Come.

"I told you before that I'd be returning soon." Yeon-woo did not hide his powers and completely revealed his existence. From now on, Yeon-woo had to be recognized as the Black King.

Rumble! The space that made up the Night's area shook. Jeong-woo, who was standing next to Yeon-woo, looked at Yeon-woo with a nervous expression.

[All beings of 'Night (Nox)' look at the Black King's ego with admiration!]

[The 'Resident of the Border' looks at you with widened eyes.]

We. Have. Not.

Come. To. A. Conclusion.

And. Have. Not. Made. A. Choice.

The content of the Resident of the Border's words meant that Yeon-woo had not yet been acknowledged by Night.

One of Yeon-woo's eyebrows twitched as he stood with his weight swayed on one leg and his arms crossed. "Why?"

You're. Not. Complete.

You're. Blocking. The. End.

Unfulfilled. Requirements.

Yeon-woo had not yet become the main ego of the Black King. Furthermore, he was delaying the ending of the 'dream'.

"So what? Are you saying you won't accept me?" Yeon-woo curtly replied. There was a chance he would have to fight against these beings and use up his remaining reservoir of the law of causality. However, Yeon-woo could not afford to show any weakness.

Need. Show. Proof. Eligibility.

"Proof?"

Proof. Of. Father.

The Resident of the Border was stating that Yeon-woo had to show proof that he was the Black King in order to get their approval and be recognized as their father.

"I don't know any father who needs to prove his existence and get the approval of his children." Yeon-woo snorted and said in an arrogant tone. "But fine. If necessary, I'll show you."

['Green Flame' is paying close attention.]

[The 'Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young' eagerly stares.]

['Nameless Mist' is eagerly watching.]

[The 'Source of Uncleanliness' is focusing.]

['Harbinger' is closely observing the unfolding scene.]

The eyes and attention of the Night and the Eight Gods of Disorder were fully focused on Yeon-woo. The world around Yeon-woo changed.