Ranker Who Lives Twice

Chapter 370 Sky Wings (8)

Team: HH, Yahiko, thursdays, Seven (temp)

“Some of you may not know each other yet, so let’s start with some brief introductions.”

Under Lam’s leadership, the players of the 13th troop lightly greeted each other.

“Hello. My name is Pam. I’m a swordsman.”

“Tordak. Lancer.”

“Sei. I’m an archer. I also double as a scout.”

Technically, the 13th Corps had too few people to be called a ‘corps.’

They typically attacked the upper floors but had come here for training.

However, each of them was strong. Most were well-known even on the upper floors.

Their skills had been verified since they had passed the ten gates, and their abilities continued to grow as they fought against divine beings.

Yeon-woo checked their skills with his Divine Draconic Eyes while listening to their names. He only revealed as much of his powers as he needed to.

“Paneth.”

The Elohim party’s leader only revealed her name. Everybody here knew who she was.

‘She’s the one who successfully assassinated a god.’

She was said to have caught Megaera.

Achieving the assassination of a god meant that not only did she have talent, but she also had skills that transcended beyond the norm.

‘Did Poseidon or another god descend? Or did they give her a similar power?’

Yeon-woo wondered what kind of hidden cards Paneth had. Poseidon and others clearly gave her some sort of blessing, but he had no clue what it was. It was hard to believe Paneth had killed a god with pure ability.

Because of her, his event of slaying Astraeus was halved.

Still, Yeon-woo thought that it would be hard for her and her party to wish for another fluke.

At that moment, Paneth finished her introduction and looked in his direction.

She seemed to be glaring at him, or perhaps she was telling him that it was his turn.

“Cain.”

Yeon-woo returned her gaze.

Paneth narrowed her eyes.

“Is that your real name?”

“Is that important?”

“It’s important. You’re someone I have to entrust my back to from now on. I don’t want to fight alongside someone who can’t honorably state his real name.”

“Cain. I have nothing else to add. If you can’t trust me…… I guess I’ll drop out or something.”

The players’ faces showed that they were taken aback.

They were so close to their objective. It was absurd to say that he would suddenly withdraw.

Kwang!

Then, Lam slammed the ground with the spear she was holding. She irritably looked back and forth between Yeon-woo and Paneth.

“Were you not warned that any unnecessary fighting between allies would lead to your throats being cut? Do you really want me to do that to you?”

Yeon-woo lightly shrugged, and Paneth took a step back and lowered her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Everyone listen up. It doesn’t matter to me whether or not you guys get along. But don’t ever cause trouble during a battle. Only focus on the present.”

After Lam issued this final warning, she confirmed that all players lowered their heads and started her explanation.

“The place we need to secure is called ‘Myeongbu-Jeon.’ We anticipate two titans to be there: Toeh and Kimo.”

Toeh and Kimo were known to be titans that could not absorb Kronos’s power properly. This meant that they were lowly ranked among the titans in terms of divinity. Other than those two, most of the forces at Myeongbu-Jeon were their subordinates. The rest belonged to Typhon.

“We’ll attack Myeongbu-Jeon with the 11th and 12th divisions. Stealthily and very quickly.”

“What will the 10th troop do?”

“They’ll move secretly in the rear while we hold up the two titans.”

Lam only explained up to that point. She didn’t say what the 10th division was aiming for.

However.

‘They’re making a diversion. While the three troops are drawing the titans’ attention, the 10th division will rush to occupy the temple in the center.’

Yeon-woo was able to see through Lam’s scheme right away.

‘Are they planning to light up the Torch and awaken Hades’s holy power?’

If so, that was an excellent plan.

Of course.

‘That’ll only work if Toeh and Kimo are pushovers.’

But one way or another, that plan was definitely worth trying out.

‘The treaty was broken anyway, so we don’t need to be held to it. Still, we don’t know when they’ll start attacking again. It’ll weaken our side if 30 percent of the troops are diverted here…… Or not.’

As Yeon-woo organized his thoughts, he realized that the battle was not going to end here.

‘Are they going to another holy territory after taking over this place? A blitzkrieg. The key was how many holy territories they could light up with the Torch overnight.’

Dis Pluto had already been pushed to its limits. They had found a way to counterattack in the meantime, and they might be able to turn the tides completely. Continuing to be isolated as they were now would only ensure their loss.

“Then, let’s move.”

At Lam’s command.

The 13th division began to move quickly.

* * *

Myeongbu-Jeon was one of the closest holy territories to the Temple of the King of the Underworld.

Of course, even with that, Tartarus was huge, so it would take quite a long time to reach there. Furthermore, it would take more time to avoid the titans’ and giants’ subordinates.

『Tartarus. I’ve always wanted to visit this place at least once. But this place is noisy. Like always.』

Jeong-woo looked at the area through Yeon-woo’s eyes and lightly clicked his tongue. This hidden stage was fascinating for him since he couldn’t pass through all ten gates.

Yet he wasn’t particularly impressed. All there was to see was the sky stained with red light and a dying earth. He felt like if he stayed for a long time in this sort of place, his mind would similarly be ruined.

『But, Hyung.』

‘What?’

『What are you going to do now?』

Jeong-woo’s voice was low.

『The wings are still incomplete. Though you don’t have to show off your skills this early…….』

‘No. I have to.’

Yeon-woo smirked.

‘This way, they’ll back down on their own. Or get hit.’

『……Just what are you thinking?』

Jeong-woo couldn’t guess at how Yeon-woo would act.

‘I think I’ll do it like this.’

Yeon-woo grinned and stepped forward.

As he lowered his stance, the soldiers who were waiting for the timing to storm Myeongbu-Jeon looked towards him.

“I’ll take the lead.”

Lam narrowed her eyes. Then, she twisted one side of her lips.

“You think you can do anything because you killed a god? Stop your bullsh*t and stand by.”

“If you’re waiting for the 10th troop, they’ve already arrived.”

“What are you saying……!”

It was when Lam was about to yell.

Hwiik, pung—

Suddenly, blue firecrackers spread through the sky, signaling that the 10th troop had arrived at its target position. Once this signal showed up, the 11th, 12th, and 13th troops would start their attack. Then, when Lam detonated a golden firecracker, the 10th division would start to move.

Lam looked at Yeon-woo in surprise. How had he known that the 10th division had arrived?

She too had a keen sense that ordinary players couldn’t compare to, but Yeon-woo’s perception was preposterous. The 10th troop was too far away.

“Then, I’ll go first.”

But Yeon-woo seemed to have no intention of clearing Lam’s confusion as he kicked the ground and pushed forward.

Waaaah—

At the same time, shouts came from the north and the west. It was the sound of the 11th and 12th troops moving.

Lam, who had spaced out, belatedly snapped to attention and raised her voice.

“Everyone, charge!”

The players began to run forward with a roar. Yeon-woo’s party was mixed among them, as was Paneth’s party, which was disconcerted from being unable to foresee Yeon-woo’s movements.

Creutz pulled out the holy sword Zulfikar and summoned a turquoise, which symbolized victory, to load the party with huge buffs. Victoria engraved large letters in the air with shining hands.

The rune broke into tiny pieces. As it washed away Tartarus’s curse over living beings, the party found it easier to move about.

『Thanks.』

Receiving the fantastic effects in succession, Galliard thanked Victoria and loaded his arrows.

The bow he was using, Atraxia, was made by Henova, with whom he had become great drinking buddies during their stay in Tartarus.

However, the skill put into Atraxia could not be attributed to something made out of ‘boredom.’

The bow was weaved from the hard-to-obtain branches of the World Tree, meaning that its functions far exceeded that of others.

It was enough to change Galliard’s mind that a good tool spoiled a hunter’s senses.

More than anything. Galliard liked how the bow stuck to his hand.

This was definitely the first time he had used it in action, but it didn’t feel that way. The bow fit him so well that it felt like he had been using it for a long time.

‘Though I never thought I’d receive this much help from a dwarf.’

Truthfully, elves and dwarves never got along.

But with this type of support, species and race were irrelevant. He’d never put much stock into that sort of thing anyway.

Pat!

Galliard kicked the ground to jump, thinking that he should treat his drinking buddy to some nice alcohol later.

〈Shunpo-Fighting Current〉

Galliard soared into the sky at once, creating a dust devil on the ground. Elven eyes could see accurately even when they were kilometers away from their target, and his were fixed firmly onto Myeongbu-Jeon.

Myeongbu-Jeon was an old holy territory of Hades that was ruined beyond description. The ramparts were broken and the land was dead. They showed how much the enemies had ravaged the place.

Beyond that, Galliard could see what looked like titans moving about busily. The titans’ underlings were about to pour down on the holy territory. They finally noticed Dis Pluto’s presence.

‘Shall I give it a go?’

Galliard smirked likely at the thought of attempting to kill a god like Yeon-woo did.

“Brahm!”

He called the name of his close friend.

As he did, Brahm, who had been below, took out a booklet from his chest pocket. He grumbled with a dissatisfied expression.

“Even if you don’t tell me to, I was going to do it.”

〈The Book of Jupiter〉. He had created it along with the Book of Mars after the Book of Mercury was broken. As expected, Henova contributed to its making, like Atraxia.

Hwaak!

After he lightly uttered a spell, a magic circle appeared under Brahm’s feet and a golden glow rose in the air.

That moment, Galliard felt a great strength enter his body. Yes, this was it. With a satisfied smile, he pulled back the bow string as far back as it would go, then released it.

〈Whole-Body Favor〉and 〈Black Crow’s Feather〉.

It was a combination attack created by the two friends who had been by each other’s side for a long time. Each arrow had devastating power.

Kwang.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwakwakwa—

And the arrows boasted as much destructive power as their confidence.

Each time the arrow made contact, the degrading walls exploded.

The titans’ subordinates that had been rushing out were buried below those walls.

Those who just barely managed to escape being buried alive were still in danger. Galliard did not rest and continued to shoot arrows, and they had no opportunity to evade his shots.

The surface of the ground turned upside down indiscriminately. The enemy troops were caught up in the explosions and thoroughly killed in the center.

『The dream…… is ending.』

Yeon-woo’s subordinates also began to take action.

First, Nemesis appeared and melted into the air, cursing their enemies and blessing their allies. A whirlwind blew about everywhere, tying up the feet of the titans’ forces. Those who were chaotically running out were further blocked, creating a bottleneck situation.

Shannon and Hanryeong aimed for that spot. Together with Rebecca, they swept away the enemies with a blade that was more elaborate and explosive than before.

In the sky, the space ripped apart at an angle, revealing two open eyes.

「Die.」

Boo’s magic was improving by the day as he regained Faust’s memories. With some light words, magic circles punctured the air, one after the other, and magic rained down on the titans’ subordinates like a shower and wiped them out.

Kiaaak—

Kkak! Kkaak!

Explosions and ripples rocked over the enemies continuously. The enemy forces were dying indiscriminately.

Thus, the 11th, 12th, and 13th troops, who had been tirelessly running to Myeongbu-Jeon, stopped on the way, staring blankly at the battlefield.

Their enemies were collapsing at a rapid rate even without their help. Rather, they thought they would be a hindrance if they tried to participate.

However.

The disaster hadn’t even begun yet.

“Domain Declaration.”

A rather low voice from somewhere drew everyone’s attention.

Then, they opened their eyes wide.

The world around Myeongbu-Jeon was twisting around. As if they were surrounded by an invisible barrier, the titans’ subordinates ran helter-skelter, unable to move forward.

Kieeek!

They screamed pathetically to try to break through, but.

Above their heads.

Yeon-woo was floating.

With his left wing fully extended, radiating a black light.

The wings, which were divided into three sections, were so large that their black flames seemed to touch the sky.

And as the wings caused great amounts of damage, Yeon-woo awakened all 666 authorities hidden in the feathers.

…….

A deep silence settled in Yeon-woo’s area.

The titans’ subordinates, of which there had been so many, all died at once.

Without a sound.