Ranker Who Lives Twice

"Where is it?"

The intensity in Yeon-woo's eyes made Erlang Shen blurt out a reply with a bewildered expression.

Erlang Shen felt as if he had no other choice but to answer. "Earth."

The light in Yeon-woo's eyes intensely shone.

***

'Where the hell did he go?' Jeong-woo barely stopped the curse words that were at the tip of his tongue from coming out. He forcefully calmed himself down and tried to sort out his thoughts. Others might say that the world would come to an end if he pursued after his brother, but… 'Who cares about the end of days?'

Yeon-woo wanted to preserve the world wherein his family could live happily ever after. Thus, Yeon-woo had concluded that he had to sacrifice himself to realize his objective.

Perhaps there was another solution other than the erasure of Yeon-woo's existence, an option where Yeon-woo would not have to be 'forgotten in the world'. And Jeong-woo planned on finding that alternative solution.

However, since Yeon-woo was not an idiot, he probably already came up with various hypotheses and scenarios. He must have concluded that his current plan was the most optimal. And since he knew how his family would react, Yeon-woo had hidden his plan from the rest of his family.

And just as Yeon-woo expected, Jeong-woo immediately protested. From Jeong-woo's point of view, his family was going through a crisis because of his actions. Since Jeong-woo decided to enter the Tower, their father had subsequently been detained by Allforone, his mother had to sacrifice herself, and his older brother had to become the Black King's ego.

Of course, the ultimate plan was put in place by Sage/Yvlke…and Jeong-woo had reacted to the best of his abilities under the circumstances of that time… But it was still true that all these happenings and hardships were occurring due to his initial action. And it was his older brother who had suffered and was planning to suffer, the most.

To have such a brother suddenly disappear forever… This was not an idea Jeong-woo was willing to entertain or tolerate.

Yeon-woo clearly wanted to preserve this world's 'dream' and 'wheel'. However, Yeon-woo wanted to do it by completely erasing his identity. Jeong-woo was unwilling to accept that. Even if it meant that this 'dream' would come to an end, or if chaos would be brought from the violent spinning of the Executor's wheel spin, Jeong-woo couldn't care less. What meaning would there be in a 'dream' without his older brother!

Even if Yeon-woo was not the designated Executor in the first place, Yeon-woo, along with everyone else, would have disappeared anyway during the end of days. However, the only reason the end of days had not come yet was because Yeon-woo was holding it back. Thus, since Yeon-woo calculated that he would have to sacrifice himself in either scenario, he was trying to make sure that he would get what he wanted out of the exchange.

[The Heavenly Demon silently looks down at the Opponent who has a positive opinion about the end of days.]

Therefore, Jeong-woo planned to stop Yeon-woo. He wanted to talk to Yeon-woo and change Yeon-woo's mind. Even if they could not see an alternative solution now, Jeong-woo had no doubt that they would be able to resolve the issue. If he and Yeon-woo worked together, Jeong-woo felt that there was no obstacle they couldn't overcome.

'So, stopping Yvlke and forcing yourself to sleep should be something of a last resort.'

If Yeon-woo continued to pursue Yvlke and became successful in devouring Yvlke, he would become the Black King's main ego. At that point, everything would really become irreversible. Having thought up to this point, Jeong-woo focused on where Yeon-woo could be. 'Immediately, I should focus on narrowing down the possible places hyung could have gone to.'

Naturally, the first place that came to Jeong-woo's mind was Li's Tomb, where Yvlke supposedly was.

'But he's probably not there. Even though he's pursuing Yvlke, hyung is not someone who would rush into pursuit.'

Even if one had one's opponent in a corner, things could still go wrong if one recklessly pushed one's advantage. Moreover, it was clear that the other side had the Bull Demon King and Tongtian Jiaozhu, who seemed to have come from a different 'dream'.

Rather than being afraid of them, Jeong-woo was concerned that there would be a greater chance that the 'dream' would end once a fierce battle took place.

'Whether the fight brings the end of days lay with hyung's decision on how much power he decides to utilize… Hyung probably wants to definitively end the fight.'

Thus, to definitively end the final fight and still maintain control, Yeon-woo was probably making some preparations. Wondering what those preparations could be, Jeong-woo did not have to think for long. 'Hyung will probably try to weaken the Seven Demon Kings and forcefully separate them from the others on their side.'

Yeon-woo's connection with the Seven Demon Kings was straightforward. It was through the Monkey King's exuviae.

'Great Sage… I'm certain hyung is seeking Sun Wukong's true body.'

Li was the 'first' face of the Heavenly Demon. Considering that Sun Wukong was also the face of the Heavenly Demon, Jeong-woo was certain that he would find his brother where Sun Wukong was located. He quickly made some deductions.

'Where can I find Sun Wukong?' This was the main issue. Jeong-woo had no idea where Sun Wukong may be. If he utilized the power of Day, Jeong-woo would probably be able to find it eventually, but he was too short on time at the moment. Since this was the case, Jeong-woo eliminated that from his options. So all that was left would be…

'Is it just a full-frontal assault?' Jeong-woo narrowed his eyes. He was still engaged in battle with Hou Yi, who was working hand-in-hand with Yvlke. Considering that Hou Yi was considered the right arm of the Heavenly Demon and a founding member of Trinity Wonder, who established the Tower, the battle should not have been simple.

'I have to completely overwhelm him!' Jeong-woo was not just planning to defeat Hou Yi but forcefully overwhelming and subduing him. Only then would Jeong-woo be able to force Yvlke's plan and purpose out of Hou Yi's mouth and guess Yeon-woo's path. Of course, it was much more difficult to subdue than to kill one's enemy. Jeong-woo had to display an overwhelming power gap.

'At times like this, I envy hyung's set of skills…!' If Jeong-woo possessed Yeon-woo's ability to force the soul of a target to be subordinated to him through a Soul Collection and manipulate the soul at will, Jeong-woo would not have to think so much. But what could Jeong-woo do? He had to do the best that he could with what he had.

And, as if he read Jeong-woo's thoughts, Kronos transformed into Scythe and flew into Jeong-woo's hand.

[Characteristic 'Perfect Adaptability' shines brilliantly!]

[Tuning the frequencies of all Channels you possess to seek the most optimal connection with Scythe.]

Kronos was able to achieve unity with Yeon-woo because Yeon-woo absorbed his body and realized his divine factor, and since Kronos was also once an Apostle of the Black King, the wavelength of their souls matched well.

On the other hand, although Jeong-woo was Kronos' son, it was impossible to achieve unity because the attributes they possessed were completely different. Regardless, Jeong-woo did not concern himself with the restrictions.

Jeong-woo was able to utilize absolute power in a specific space, and he had an overwhelming talent to decipher and analyze the data contained in a divine being at once.

It was the same in this case. Just like when he had to quickly decipher and implement Rhea's data when Cronus turned off the firewall surrounding his divinity, Jeong-woo was able to read his father's data completely.

[The sun of 'Day (Eros)' shines brilliantly!]

Based on his findings, Jeong-woo was able to find a way to unite with Kronos and finally achieve what he wanted. Whoosh! In an instant, his cognitive domain expanded and multiplied several times in size, and Jeong-woo tasted the ecstasy that came with the sense of spreading his powers throughout the universe.

『Wake up!』

Jeong-woo had been in danger of losing his consciousness and becoming part of the natural law. He only woke up after hearing Kronos' warning. Bam! Jeong-woo rushed towards Hou Yi while holding the Dragon Slayer in his right hand and Scythe in his left.

Boom! Hou Yi was once more restricted through Ruling Steps, so he was forced to raise his sword to block the incoming attack. He was just barely able to manage a block.

"Hmpf! The Ruling Steps of the Heavenly Demon and the aggression of the Black King… This is a bit difficult." Hou Yi gave a bitter smile as blood ran down from the side of his lips. "Originally, I was just trying to buy some time, but it seems I may have to risk my life."

Hou Yi did not forget to glance up towards the sky, where the Heavenly Demon was probably looking down from. Even though the situation had turned into such a mess, his harsh master had no intention of coming out.

However, Hou Yi stopped worrying about his troubles. He reached out towards his left shoulder, where his Sun-Shooting Bow was hanging from. His two eyes shone sharply. It was difficult for Hou Yi to counterattack because he kept getting restricted by Jeong-woo's Ruling Steps. Since this was the case, Hou Yi had no other choice but to show off his overwhelming firepower.

Rumble. The duel between Jeong-woo and Hou Yi grew more and more intense.

***

'Earth.' Yeon-woo gave a bitter smile since he did not expect to return to this place. He recalled that the Monkey King's exuviae once mentioned that Earth was a popular destination for Sun Wukong. However, since this was the case before the Tower was established, Yeon-woo did not consider the information very highly.

'Why the hell did he go there?' It was time for Yeon-woo to find out. Sesha and Ananta were residing on Earth. Yeon-woo had to be cognizant of hiding his existence as much as possible lest he gets recognized by making a foolish mistake.

[Power, 'Dream Transplantation' is unfolding!]

[The divine power is locked.]

[The divine power is locked.]

[The divine power is locked.] ……

[Existence is locked!]

Yeon-woo chose one of his most appropriate identities and placed its image on his face. Then, his divine powers were condensed before falling into his shadow. Soon, a seemingly ordinary human being appeared.

Bang! Yeon-woo was in the middle of a crossroad where two avenues intersect. A line of cars suddenly formed as the cars suddenly braked due to his appearance in the middle of the road. The sound of cars honking could be heard.

"Hey! Are you crazy? Get off the road!"

"Fuck! What the fuck are you doing in the middle of the road!"

Yeon-woo glanced at the drivers, then tapped his toe and disappeared.

"Wait, huh? Did I see something wrong?"

The drivers blinked in confusion, wondering if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

At the same time, Yeon-woo walked along a street with sparsely populated trees.

"Your face is very unfamiliar. You feel like a completely different being." Erlang Shen walked alongside Yeon-woo. Since someone had to guide Yeon-woo to Sun Wukong, Erlang Shen decided to accompany him. Erlang Shen glanced up and down at Yeon-woo with curious eyes.

It was easy for a divine being to change one's face, but it was almost impossible to change one's presence and aura.

"I brought out a being from a past 'dream'."

"Hmm! Does that mean you're an existence that should not exist in the first place? The Black King's ego that I've only heard of… Should I understand it as you taking the identity of one of the ego fragments?"

"It's similar. What about you? Where did you get your body?"

Although Erlang Shen had a similar appearance to his true body, Yeon-woo hardly sensed Erlang Shen's divine presence. Yeon-woo thought that Erlang Shen obtained a mortal body somewhere and imbued his thoughts into it.

"One of the candidates to become my Apostle."

"I guess you haven't chosen an Apostle yet."

"No one has caught my eye. I've been busy, too." Yeon-woo quietly nodded.

Considering that many societies had paid attention to Earth around the time Yeon-woo woke up, it was not strange that Erlang Shen had secured a few Apostles and followers.

Yeon-woo felt that this situation was fortunate. If Erlang Shen's true body descended, it would attract the attention of many societies around the world because of his spirit aura. For now, Yeon-woo wanted to contact Sun Wukong as quietly as possible.

"But what is the Great Sage doing here?" Yeon-woo tilted his head as he glanced around. All he could see was a forest of gray concrete buildings. Seeing that the signs were written in Hangul, it seemed he was in a Korean city. Judging by the way people spoke, it seemed to be somewhere in Kyongsang-do.

'Blue Sea Festival! Guest Singers: Will, You and Me Band, Shin Mi-young…' Large banners were hung up everywhere and swayed in the wind.

Yeon-woo could faintly smell the sea. "What is the Great Sage doing here?"

"I don't know. Based on my Apostle candidate's words, he's surfing…? Well, he seems to be enjoying his time here."

So, the Great Sage was resting and playing. Yeon-woo nodded and was about to ask where they should go…when he suddenly stopped his footsteps. '…!'

"We need to go to the beachfront area called Haeundae… What's wrong?" Erlang Shen stopped his explanation on where they were headed and tilted his head. He saw that Yeon-woo's gaze was fixed on the crosswalk leading to their side of the street, where numerous humans were seen passing each other. He was about to ask what was wrong, but his eyes soon grew wide when he overheard Yeon-woo muttering, "…Heavenly Demon?"

In the place where Yeon-woo was looking…there was a man with the same appearance as the Heavenly Demon, who Yeon-woo saw in the Changgong Library, crossing the crosswalk with a guitar over his shoulder.

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