Ranker Who Lives Twice

The world seemed to flash, and the sound of the explosion only reverberated after the impact had already struck since the speed of sound hadn't been able to catch up. Even that was buried under the expanding aftershocks. When what seemed to be an endless parade of light and heat settled down, all the gods and demons watching the situation were shocked.

[The godly society <Olympus> is stunned.]

[The godly society <Asgard> suspects your level.]

[The godly society <Deva> is suspicious of what happened in the Changgong Library. They feel an intense urge for you!]

…

[The demonic society <L'Infernal> indefinitely extends the contract they were considering breaking off.]

[The demonic society <Jie Sect> swallows upon seeing your strength.]

…

The stage that had just been filled with blizzards and storms had turned into a land of death. The icy sea had evaporated, exposing the bare floor. Lava and sulfurous fumes flooded the scorched ground. The blue sky was also stained red.

The stage had become an uninhabitable land with no proper ozone layer or atmosphere, and the intense heat that pervaded it could burn off one's skin. The scent of death overpowered everything to the extent that it was possible that even transcendent beings might not be able to survive. Even though they were immortal, they weren't free of death, and the more quick-witted gods and demons realized that simply being close to the explosion would have resulted in their deaths.

The area which Sword Thunder had passed through was now Yeon-woo's very own holy territory, and all the functions of the stage were halted as the land was filled with death and fire. The only reason it hadn't been completely annihilated was due to the Tower's durability. However, it was so ruined, it was hard to tell how long it would take the Central Bureau to restore it. The trial would have to be suspended.

The demonstration displayed the amazing might of Sword Thunder. The gods and demons were understandably feeling endangered because they had disregarded Yeon-woo for being mortal and declared him as a common enemy. If they had known he had the strength to fight superior divine beings, they wouldn't have made their decisions so rashly. No matter how powerful the heavenly world was, it was a loss for them to turn someone who could stand against Allforone into their enemy.

[The godly society <Dilmun> is reviewing their declaration of enmity.]

[The godly society <Malak> has revealed they will postpone their declaration of enmity.]

…

[The demonic society <Niflheim> wishes to have friendly relations with…]

…

"No. You guys don't need to do that." But Yeon-woo just smiled crookedly at them. "Even if you don't want to come down, I'm on my way up." A fierce light flashed from his eyes. "So, everyone should wait patiently."

[Typhon, the leader of <Olympus>, expresses strong hostility toward you.]

[Heimdall, the chief gatekeeper of <Asgard>, grinds his teeth at your arrogant statement.]

[Metatron, the secretary of <Malach>, frowns.]

…

"That's all, so fuck off." As soon as he spoke, the fifty-second floor closed off.

[The entire fifty-second floor has temporarily become your holy territory.]

[The holy territory has been closed on your authorization. All functions except for ownership settings have been paused.]

[Intervention from the outside has been blocked.]

[All interference has been removed.]

[The gazes from the heavenly world have been blocked.]

He could block the gazes of the gods and demons by using Demarcation on the entire fifty-second floor. Since gods and demons had absolute power in their territories, it wasn't a difficult task for Yeon-woo to do this. The only reason that it was prohibited was that it breached the law of causality of the stage, and so Yeon-woo only set it as his temporary holy territory. After the time was up, the annoying eyes would be on him again, but at least, they wouldn't see him while he was fighting the Demonism.

He looked down at the exposed spirit body of the Demonism, who was thrashing in the black fire. 『Ahhh! What…what have you done to my body?!』 His twisted face was full of agony, and veins bulged on his skin. His body was cracked and covered in Blood Flowers as darkness dripped like blood from its mouth.

Yeon-woo had used an entirely new form of Sword Thunder, and even though the Demonism had released all the darkness it could to push away the approaching death, it couldn't do so because of the type of fight that Yeon-woo was using. The Demonism was poisoned through death, and fight was the enzyme that killed any antidotes he tried to produce. It was a strength that would kill even the strongest transcendent, and it was an ultimate technique that Yeon-woo had created after reading the revelations in the Changgong Library.

The heavenly world was probably in an uproar right now. They had realized how much Sword Thunder threatened them, but when Yeon-woo sealed the floor, they couldn't see just how much of a danger it posed. Yeon-woo had planned this all along, knowing that the anxious beings would begin spreading all kinds of rumors about his strength, leaving the gods and demons vulnerable to the fear of the unknown. He was aiming to be the bogeyman of the heavenly world.

[Aesma-daeva is amused.]

[Hel smiles wickedly.]

[Osiris nods in agreement at your actions.]

…

He didn't think the gods and demons of death would blabber anything to their societies. Their passionate support of the Black King came before their affiliations to their societies, and they were now nearly one with Yeon-woo.

[Vimalacitra shows interest in how you'll fight.]

[Cernunnos observes your plans.]

There were also the two beings who'd been with him for some time.

Whoosh.

Yeon-woo thrust his Sky Wings open. Three pairs of black and red wings eclipsed the sky. Black fire sparked around his body. The entrancing sight was reminiscent of the angel of death.

『You!』 But all the Demonism could see was the accursed creature who had brought his pride to the ground. He opened his jaws, thinking of swallowing Yeon-woo up. Krrr! When he bared his teeth, emptiness opened within his maw.

* * *

Boom! Rumble. The stage was destroyed again and again as Yeon-woo and the Demonism clashed. Sword Thunder tore through space when it shot down. Emptiness spread each time, trying to swallow Yeon-woo.

Clatter. Clack! Chains flew, tying them both down. The chains stretching from Yeon-woo's left arm bound the Demonism's feet, while the chains of emptiness the Demonism lashed out wrapped themselves around Yeon-woo's neck. They fought as they constrained each other at the same time, so it was a slow battle.

Whenever each of them attempted to gain the upper hand, their supply of holy power was choked off.

"Haa…haaa…"

『Dammit…!』

Yeon-woo and the Demonism both panted, exhausted. But unlike Yeon-woo, who was still rational thanks to his Cold-blooded trait, the Demonism was angry with frustration. Yeon-woo had become stronger than he'd expected.

Once, Yeon-woo had been so weak that the Demonism could have knocked him over with a finger, which was why the creature had waited for him to ripen. However, Yeon-woo had surpassed his expectations and was now standing on equal ground. The Demonism couldn't help feeling how absurd the situation was.

Because the Demonism was using Vigrid as his temporary vessel, there was a limit to the magic power he could access, and it took a significant amount of energy for him to stay awake. The Demonim couldn't focus all his strength on Yeon-woo.

However, Yeon-woo was struggling, as well. He'd intentionally postponed his exuviation because of Allforone. Even though Allforone was at odds with the heavenly world, it was likely he would be more concerned about a new transcendent being arising from the lower world. Due to this, Yeon-woo was limited to using the strength of a mortal. Technically, he and the Demonism were fighting under similar disadvantages, but the Demonism had slightly more drawbacks.

Yeon-woo could focus on the battle and refresh his magic power with the Sin Stone and the Dragon Heart, but the Demonism had a limited window to maintain his spirit body. The longer the battle, the more disadvantaged he would be.

『To be…this humiliated…by my food!』 The Demonism ground his teeth as he looked at Yeon-woo in exhaustion and rage. His sharp canines seemed like they would break at any moment. 『Next…time…!』Chhhh. With that, his spirit body faded, and Vigrid, stained black, dropped to the ground. Clatter.

Yeon-woo quickly extended more chains to wrap around Vigrid to prevent the creature from moving even if he awoke again. The Demonism would be tightly sealed since the chains were of divine iron. 'It's a shame I can't use Vigrid…but nothing can be done until I find a way to get rid of the creature.'

Yeon-woo clucked his tongue. He disliked sealing Vigrid like this since he hadn't been able to awaken all its true names yet. But it was better to carry a sealed Vigrid around than to be caught unawares by the Demonism. Because he hadn't seen the entire revelations, he didn't know how to eliminate or absorb the creature. Yeon-woo planned on keeping it in emptiness until he found a way. The chains tightened around Vigrid as they dragged it into emptiness.

Yeon-woo could only catch his breath after the emptiness closed with a clank. He was weary from reawakening Sky Wings and fighting the Demonism, however, he was proud that he had grown stronger.

He released the settings of the holy territory. Messages exploded and countless gazes poured down, but he blocked anything except for what he needed. He no longer needed to be concerned about them. Instead, he opened the Channels directed below and searched for Doyle.

『…Hyung?』 Suddenly, he could hear Doyle's voice. He sounded surprised. It was understandable since it had only been a few days for him but Yeon-woo had grown overwhelmingly strong. Doyle was probably wondering if he was imagining things.

"What's been happening?" Yeon-woo chuckled and asked for an update on the resisters and the war, as he hadn't been able to find anyone on the fifty-second floor.

Doyle quickly got himself together and responded. 『We fought well at first, but White Dragon suddenly started helping the other side. The fight became really difficult, so we retreated to the fiftieth floor, but… 』 Doyle laughed in disbelief. 『They just suddenly lost.』