Ranker Who Lives Twice

“The Protogenoi kid had an accident?”

Hades chuckled slightly as he held his chin in one hand. Of course, this wasn’t a happy smile. Instead, it was one of cynical amusement.

Lam, who was making the report, bowed her head.

“Are you going to leave them be?”

Hades laughed once again. This time, it wasn’t cynicism. He was laughing because he truly found it amusing.

“What if I don’t let them be?”

“Over the past few years, they’ve traveled not only in the holy territory but also throughout Tartarus. Doesn’t Olympus already know our whole situation by now?”

Everyone above the rank of lieutenant in Dis Pluto knew that Paneth and her party were under the protection of Poseidon and the others.

Who knew how much information Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, Hera, and the others had gained after their eyes and ears explored the entirety of Tartarus?

Paneth and the others sustained the flimsy excuse that they were helping in the war. However, it was definitely a problem for Poseidon to break the agreement between the three brothers not to interfere with each other’s territories. And he was doing it in such a rude manner by having his subordinates travel around Tartarus without permission.

In addition, Hades had been keeping a tight control over Tartarus for the past hundreds of years without spilling any information about what happened there. He hadn’t even been in contact with Persephone.

However, recently, it seemed that Hades was no longer paying attention to controlling the flow of information.

Even though Hades grew more cynical as the war continued, it would certainly be upsetting for her, considering the fact that he had somehow kept everything under control for such a long time.

In Lam’s eyes, Hades had progressed past cynicism and was now pessimistic.

He was a responsible person, so he wouldn’t let go of his blade till the end, but it was clear that his shoulders were slowly sinking.

When did this start?

Right. Since then.

When Yeon-woo and his companions brought Persephone’s message.

Hades, who had always had a firm resolve, was shaken for the first time.

At first, she thought he’d simply changed his mind since he received a message from his spouse after a long time.

Looking back, it seemed that that wasn’t the case.

It was because Hades remembered that he’d intentionally avoided Persephone.

At that time, Hades had no choice but to control the flow of information. And because of that, he didn’t create a point of contact with Persephone.

Within Olympus—no, the whole 98th floor—there was no one who didn’t know the passionate love and compassion that Hades had for Persephone.

There were even rumors that Hera would rip into Zeus, who often messed around with this woman or another, by comparing him to Hades.

The fact that Hades was avoiding Persephone meant that something was definitely going on.

But instead of looking happy upon receiving Persephone’s message, he appeared subdued.

Lam couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened between the couple.

It was the same now.

Hades didn’t show any reaction despite hearing about the dispute between the players.

Just a few months ago, he would have definitely punished them for disturbing the order in the army.

Now, it seemed he wasn’t even motivated enough to do so.

“The war against the titans and giants has already reached its peak. At this time, it’s impossible to stubbornly try to block outside interference. So don’t pay attention to that any more. Sooner or later, Olympus will get their response.”

“…..”

“But it’s true that disputes between the players will have a bad effect on the army’s morale….. just handle it as you’ve always done.”

Lam bit down hard on her lower lip.

Hades was once again expressing his intention to abstain.

Fortunately, his trust in his subordinates remained strong, so he left the work to them without hesitation.

“Then. As your Apostle and lieutenant, may I ask you a favor?”

“Say it.”

“In addition to control over the players, I’d like you to give me command of three troops.”

The corner of Hades’s lip curled up.

Interest seemed to appear in his tired eyes.

“Do you intend to fight a battle?”

“As per your command, I’ve been paying close attention to the surroundings of the ‘Myeongbu-Jeon’ and ‘Jicheon-Jeon’ for the past few days. And I was able to confirm that the alertness of the troops stationed there is very lax.”

Myeongbu-Jeon and Jicheon-Jeon were Hades’s former holy territories. Along with the ‘Temple of the King of the Underworld,’ they were two of the thirteen temples which illuminated Tartarus and subdued the titans and giants.

But now, they had been taken away by Typhon’s attack.

Following Hades’s orders, Lam had traveled quietly to these two old sanctuaries without informing anyone.

Then, she realized one thing.

‘They can be recovered quickly.’

No matter how fierce the offensive of the titans and giants was, it was incredibly difficult for them to project their influence to the Myeongbu-Jeon and Jicheon-Jeon, which were very far from their home base.

Moreover, there was still a lot of Hades’s divine power in both locations.

That wasn’t all.

Recently, most of the titans and giants’ troops had been gathered on the side of ‘The Colossus’s Bead’ in order to attack the Great King’s Temple.

It was clear that a lot of troops had already been withdrawn from Myeongbu-Jeon and Jicheon-Jeon as if they had already abandoned them.

Naturally, Lam couldn’t help but feel a little greedy.

Since the enemies’ vigilance was as low as it was now, it would be a great opportunity to recover the two lost holy territories.

“I also received a report from the Cyclops Arges that it is possible to restore the ‘Torch.’ So this is the best time to recover the holy territories.”

The Torch.

To be specific, it was referring to the ‘Holy Fire.’

They were flames that were created in the void during the explosion that first created the universe.

The flames soon became light and blended with the void, creating various worlds and dimensions one after the other.

Gods then arose from the remnants of these flames. Naturally, they tried to protect the radical Holy Fire.

In fact, the clan that could receive this Holy Fire gained an enormous amount of authority over the universe.

This Holy Fire was the initial reason behind the struggle for leadership between Ouranos and Kronos and then to Zeus.

In the past, Luciel tried to devour this Holy Fire arbitrarily, but he fell due to the resentment of the gods and demons.

However, after Zeus fell asleep, the Holy Fire’s power weakened for some unknown reason, causing a sense of crisis to ripple throughout Olympus.

It was around this time that the Holy Fire, which Hades had been using to subdue the titans and giants, extinguished.

In fact, it was for this reason that Typhon was able to take over Kronos’s forces.

But the youngest Cyclops had reported to Lam directly.

It was possible to rekindle the flames.

Until now, he had been stomping his feet because he had no way to extract the flames, which was the raw material for the Holy Fire’s Soulstone, but now that the other brothers had returned, the method had been recovered.

If they could put the torches back on the darkened holy territories that had been occupied by the titans and giants, the holy territories would regain their functions, and the divine power that Hades lost would be restored.

Then, his subordinates, Dis Pluto, would gain another power boost.

The strength of the subordinates varied according to the strength of their master, and the strength of the powers they possessed varied greatly.

“So, please allow it. I will bring the troops back to the holy territory. The players need the merit, and Poseidon and the others have a reason to help Tartarus, so they wouldn’t refuse.”

“Even though Kronos’s body separates the two places?”

Lam recalled Kronos’s body, which was large enough to divide Tartarus in two, before nodding heavily.

“I’ll do it.”

It had already been a long time since Yeon-woo had broken the agreement even before it was properly invoked.

So even if another battle was to take place, there would be no problem.

Hades suddenly wondered if he should send out the troops who had just begun to arrange themselves for battle.

‘…..She’s not like me.’

But seeing Lam’s burning gaze, he couldn’t refuse.

Unlike him, who had lost his motivation, his subordinates were still facing forward with hope.

He could not extinguish that fire with his own hands.

“Do what you want.”

And just like that…..

The order to go into battle had been given.

* * *

Hades’s orders had been passed down in secret.

According to Lam, who proposed this campaign, this plan could never be leaked.

A blitzkrieg had been planned without even the troops’ knowledge.

Therefore the 10th, 11th, and 12th Corps, who would be participating in the operation, were still waiting in their respective barracks following the emergency standby order.

The 13th Corps, which had gathered the players separately, had also stopped what they were doing and gathered in their barracks.

As Yeon-woo had yet to complete the Sky Wings, he wanted to remain in the underground prison as long as possible.

‘It can’t since there’s no other way to get Kynee.’

Yeon-woo, who needed to complete the frame for the Black King’s set, had to participate.

It wasn’t just that.

‘The same goes for Elohim.’

Although they were in the same troop, Yeon-woo still clicked his tongue lightly when he saw the barracks being divided into two.

Familiar faces could be found in his section.

It was Aether and Elohim’s party, whose hands had been chopped off by Lam.

They were staring in his direction with glowing eyes. Although Lam was the one who beat them, they seemed to think it was Yeon-woo’s party’s fault.

Fortunately or unfortunately, one of them was a professional healer, so they were able to reattach their severed right hands .

Their expressions weren’t good, but they were able to hold themselves back this time. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Lam’s occasional glance over as she came in and out of the barracks, they might have tried to stir trouble again.

Of course, Yeon-woo’s party was either ignoring them or openly laughing at them, not caring whether they were being targeted.

The night after the incident with Paneth’s party, they’d explained themselves, and several people had sided with them.

Moreover, Yeon-woo was now with them after leaving the prison, so there was no longer a need for them to endure any resentment.

Yeon-woo had already given them permission to slit their throats without hesitation if they tried to start a fight again.

So they weren’t sure if this was good or bad.

There wasn’t any significant hostility in the 13th Corps so far. Naturally, factions were divided according to their relationships and interests, but it was clear that they valued their identity as members of Dis Pluto above all else.

Paneth and her teammates were aware of that, so they were no longer making trouble.

Of course.

Yeon-woo knew that wouldn’t last for long.

‘They’re looking for an opportunity.’

Yeon-woo chuckled when he saw Paneth and Aether looking at them with a calm gaze.

He was sure they didn’t think they would get caught.

‘Because I know Poseidon is looking at me.’

[Hermes points out that a god (1, Olympus) who hasn’t disclosed their name is looking at you.]

[Ares laughs and points out that a god (2, Olympus) who hasn’t disclosed their name is looking at you.]

The gods and demons who were connected by the channelings told him that others were looking at him, and he’d be a fool to not know who they were.

Of course, because of the rules, they couldn’t give any names outright. But they could bypass this by giving subtle hints.

Moreover, even without their tattling, he would be able to tell.

Yeon-woo had more channelings than any of the other players. No, he had far surpassed them to the point where he had to make a cloud server. Naturally, it wasn’t a problem to peek at some of the channelings that other players had.

In such a situation, Poseidon had led more gods to come to him. And he even encouraged a quarrel.

It was impossible for him to miss what that meant.

Yeon-woo didn’t think it was too bad.

It was possible for him to complete the right wing while on the move. Rather, he wanted to find the right place to use the completed Sky Wings, but now, the stage was set.

Furthermore.

In this unthinkable situation, it seemed he had received a windfall.

Aether was his younger brother’s problem; he had something else to deal with.

‘Thank you for the meal.’’

Yeon-woo smiled lightly at the thought of Poseidon, who was kindly giving him a lot of his daily god blessing.