Ranker Who Lives Twice

When the Resident of the Border slowly reopened his eyes…

"Back already?"

He had arrived in an entirely different place. He was a being who had walked on every boundary line. Thus, he could open his eyes wherever he wanted.

Oceanus was standing in front of the Resident of the Border. While speaking calmly, Oceanus gave a bitter smile.

Yes. Back.

The vestige thoughts that the Resident of the Border uttered was very brief. It seemed as if the Resident of the Border did not want to have a long conversation with Oceanus.

Oceanus' bitter smile became a frown. "In the end, your answer…was this."

Just like when he visited regarding Vimalacitra, Oceanus had sought out the Resident of the Border once more. It was to ask the Resident of the Border if he would be willing to join Oceanus' side.

Oceanus' side was composed of beings that were left behind after each iterating ‘dream', and they pursued a different goal than the Resident of the Border did, namely, they wanted to create a ‘dream' that would never disappear.

Though they pursued different objectives, Oceanus still visited the Resident of the Border. The Resident of the Border told Oceanus to stop speaking nonsense, but Oceanus stated his suggestion regardless and told the Resident of the Border to consider it. Oceanus mentioned that their goals were not very different.

And now, after meeting Yeon-woo and stating that he would withhold his allegiance, the Resident of the Border had decided to disband Night. By that act alone, the Resident of the Border had given an answer to Oceanus' suggestion.

I. Am. Father's. Son.

The Resident of the Border was the son of the Black King, so he would never betray his father.

"Yes. You were the Black King's most cherished child. You're also the child who most fervently pursued after the Black King. However, didn't you think that being ‘cherished' has put you in an unreasonable position? No, since it's you, you probably already knew." Oceanus let out a resigned sigh. "Isn't it true that you hated the Black King as much as you admired him?"

A deep silence ensued. The Resident of the Border stared at Oceanus silently but did not say anything.

"A dull-witted being who always acts as if he is waking up yet goes back to sleep… And whenever he does wake up, he is indecisive, unable to decide which children to seat next to him. Aren't you the ones who give unconditional love but never receive anything back in return? To remain so faithful even in such a situation… I can't help but say your devotion is amazing."

Another long silence ensued.

"That's why we decided to reach out to you. Just like us, you were abandoned in the ‘dream' and thus separated from your father, putting you in the same position as us. Perhaps you were seeking a new ‘dream' that would never end… At least, that's what I felt. Furthermore, I can see that you desire this as well."

He. Is.

My. Father's. Alter. Ego.

"Just like your side, we also have a ‘father' that we follow. Don't you think it's stupid and useless to use that as an excuse?" Oceanus cut off the Resident of the Border's words.

The Resident of the Border was about to say something more, but in the end, he thought it was unnecessary. His large eyes just narrowed.

There. Many. Fathers.

But. Those. Fathers.

Are. Not. Real.

"You're saying the father on my side is not real? No way. To be honest, he exists at the very top of the darkness. Moreover, he controlled and dictated the will of the Black King up to now. He is the closest being that could be called your father…"

No.

This time the Resident of the Border cut off Oceanus' words.

This. Being.

Is. Real. Father.

"Do you know what your words mean? Doesn't that mean that you're going to subjectively choose who your father is?" Oceanus made an exasperated expression. "If you pick and choose whatever ego suits you best, then…!"

You. Are. The. One.

Who. Does. Not. Know.

"What…?"

A. Father.

Is. Not. That. Kind. Of. Existence.

Father. Is. Father.

Regardless. Of. Wheel. Or. Dream.

Father. Just. Exists.

That. Is. Why.

He. Is. Father.

The Resident of the Border said that his decision had nothing to do with the number of egos that comprised the darkness. It did not matter when an ego made an appearance. It did not matter from what ‘dream' an ego originated from or what purpose the ego had… In the end, someone was to become their real father. The Resident of the Border was stating that it was Yeon-woo.

The Resident of the Border was also stating that all the other candidate beings were just momentarily filling and occupying that empty space.

"…It seems you saw something." Oceanus sighed lightly. His expression was filled with a sense of deep frustration.

In the past, Oceanus had tried to convince Vimalacitra, but that did not work out, and in the end, the Demonisms suffered a defeat. It seemed that the Resident of the Border was unwilling to follow their will as well.

‘Is it because of that?' When Oceanus raised his head, the aura and momentum surrounding him had instantly changed. Oceanus still had a sad expression on his face, but the divine power that he exuded in waves was full of life.

"Then you must have also seen something like this in the future that you observed." Oceanus placed his hand on the scabbard hanging from his waist. "To be caught and dragged away by us, right?"

Ignorant. Fool.

The Resident of the Border expressed displeasure at the fact that a young spring chicken, who had not lived very long compared to himself, would dare to provoke him.

As the two's divine power collided, the world shook violently.

Bam!

Whoosh.

"Master."

‘What?'

While Yeon-woo was passing through a wormhole with his younger brother and familiars, Yeon-woo suddenly heard Shanon's whining voice.

"These things are so noisy. Can't you do something about them?"

"The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young screams that, if given a chance, she will one day reveal her father's greatness!"

"The Source of Uncleanliness claims that he is the one who will be loved the most by father!"

"The Harbinger says that he has just finished a hymn for his father and wants to sing it!"

"Green Flame insists that he will dance alongside the hymn for his father!"

…

"Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young replies that she too will show off her skills!"

"Source of Uncleanliness says it will not lose out!"

…

"The Night"Nox" that has blended into the shadow roars loudly!"

"They are very satisfied to be reunited with their father!"

Yeon-woo's shadow fluctuated non-stop as the countless number of vestige thoughts spread out from within. Considering that Night had always been filled with silence, it was weird to see such a different image.

After such a long wait, they must have been very excited to finally meet someone who they could call their real father. In addition, when this father woke up from his ‘dream', he declared that he would always be by their side from now on, so of course, they had no choice but to be excited.

Of course, these thoughts and feelings were unfamiliar to the beings of Day. Even though Jeong-woo was rationally aware that there was no need to worry anymore about the Night since they were now completely on Yeon-woo's side, Jeong-woo still could not help feeling uncomfortable.

Even though Jeong-woo had seen the entire scene unfold before his eyes, he still did not understand how Yeon-woo had been able to bring the Night onto his side. It seemed like it would take quite some time for Jeong-woo to get used to this new normal.

However, it was Shannon and the other familiars who screamed bloody murder. They had resided in Yeon-woo's shadow the longest, so they were frustrated at having to share their space.

To be precise, the most vocal voice was Shanon. Hanryeong and Rebecca were not the types of people who cared much about the surrounding noise. Rather, Hanryeong and Rebecca maintained a wary state, preparing just in case the beings of Night changed their minds and decided to attack Yeon-woo. This went for Boo as well.

On the other hand, Shanon, who was the most vocally outspoken, was different. For him, the shadow space he had been prancing about like a king was suddenly filled with a bunch of savage familiars who he could not find endearing, no matter how much he looked. Thus, Shanon had tried to tell them to be quiet, and he also tried to gain sympathy from Yeon-woo.

However, the beings of Night were undeterred from any of Shanon's actions.

"That's right! These newbies don't know their place! If they don't go quiet, I'll round up all those below me and give them a piece of my mind!"Laplace, like Shanon, vowed to take this opportunity to exemplify his seniority over his perceived juniors, who were not listening to him.

"Green Flame states that ugly people should stay quiet!"

Laplace's words were met with insults.

"W-W-Who are you calling ugly? I'm being called ugly by something that looks like a squid that's only been half-cooked!"

"Green Flame shouts that, if that's the case, then Laplace looks like a rat trapped at the bottom of an outhouse!"

"A rat! Apologize! I'm definitely a cute and adorable rabbit, yo!"

"Green Flame laughs at the hairless rabbit!"

"Hey… I have a lot of hair…!"

"Green Flames makes fun of Laplace, saying that Laplace's head is barren!"

"Hey!"

"Green Flame tells Laplace that he should trim his bald head!"

"I'll kill you! Ah!"In the end, Laplace, who could not stand it any longer, abruptly climbed out of the shadow. Laplace, wearing bunny ears over a shiny skinhead, roared with a flushed red face."I dare you to come out!"

"Green Flame states that he is blinded by Laplace's bald head and cannot possibly fight in these conditions. Green Flame declares surrender!"

"This squid-like guy!"

Laplace squeaked as he bit his rabbit ears, but he could not stop Green Flame from continuously teasing him. The more he was teased, the louder Laplace shouted for Green Flame to come out and ‘play'.

Laplace was the successor to the Lord of the Pole. The Lord of the Pole and Green Flame were originally like ice and fire, respectively, so they did not get along very well even when they were in Night. That was why things had progressed up to this point.

Yeon-woo felt something strange when he saw Laplace, who had always acted brazenly and made Yeon-woo frustrated, getting served his own frustrating medicine.

It was doubly strange that this was being done by Green Flame, who was absolutely faithful to Yeon-woo. Green Flame had always bowed deeply to Yeon-woo and showed tremendous respect after joining his shadows.

‘I'm glad everyone's getting along well.'

If Shanon heard this thought, he would have protested fiercely, saying that Yeon-woo was once again spewing nonsense. However, it was true that Yeon-woo was concerned that the beings of Night may conflict with his existing familiars. After all, they had been fighting each other tooth and nail just moments before.

However, Boo, who was the representative figurehead of his familiars, did not seem to care much. Moreover, the Ghost Giants and dragons of death did not seem to mind as well.

"Master! Stop laughing and do something!"

‘Shanon.'

"What!"

‘By the way, aren't you always wearing that same helmet? Is it because you're bald as well?'

"…What are you trying to say?"

‘You should just shave your head as well instead of hanging on to those few scraps.'

"This damn master!"

"You have reached your destination!"

"Hyung?"

"Yeah." Yeon-woo returned to reality after receiving the message that he had arrived beyond the darkness' border. Shanon kept screaming, but once Yeon-woo turned off the Channel, Yeon-woo heard nothing. Yeon-woo quickly scanned the world where countless fragments of ‘dreams' swirled around.

"There!"

At the sound of Kronos' urgent cry, Yeon-woo turned his head.

There…was Jeong-woo's soul asleep with his mother. They were nestled together and enwrapped in Jeong-woo's huge Sky Wings.