Ranker Who Lives Twice

'The Black King…' Yeon-woo didn't know how to feel. Technically, he wasn't the "complete" Black King but his main ego. Still, since this position was one that represented the Black King's will, he thought something would have changed, but there was none of that. He already had powers near omniscience and omnipotence, so it didn't feel too different.

ραпdα nᴏνa| сom Rather, Yeon-woo felt more restricted. When he was just an ego, he was able to act independently because he was somewhat free. However, the moment he became the main ego, it felt like everything around him was tying his hands and feet down. He felt heavier.

'And…I'm sinking.' At that moment, Yeon-woo realized that sleep was slowly crawling up on him.

[Darkness awaits you.]

[Abyss waits for the main ego.]

[The Black King who was awake for a short moment starts to close his eyes again.]

Yeon-woo understood why the Black King was always sleeping. Because he was so massive and had a vast mind, it took up a significant amount of energy just to stay conscious. Moreover, maintaining a colossal form composed of countless Demonisms was a very inefficient way to use energy.

Trying to stay awake was also a problem. If the main ego continued to move, the Black King would awake completely. Yeon-woo would be asking for the end of things to come if he did that, so he had no choice but to return to the abyss.

'Unless I dominate the other Demonisms and take authority like Yvlke did…it'll be impossible. Even if I do, no one knows how far the dream will have progressed either.' Yeon-woo bit his lower lip. 'I didn't even get to say my goodbyes yet.'

Yeon-woo contemplated a way to wake up on the outside again. If he fell asleep like this, he wouldn't be able to see his family for a long while. He wanted to tell them not to worry since he'd return no matter what. And…he wanted to see Edora, who he wasn't able to see once because he had focused on getting to where he was now.

Abyss was flooding into the toppled Illusory World and had already reached Yeon-woo's ankles. Just then, he heard a knocking sound.

Tak! Tak!

[An alien being knocks on the door of the abyss.]

'What's that?' Yeon-woo turned to the direction it came from. The abyss was now up to his knees.

Tak, tak!

[The alien being waits for a response.]

Yeon-woo definitely wasn't hearing things; it was the sound of knocking. Thinking about an alien being that came to the abyss, Yeon-woo nodded. He had an idea of who it was.

[The alien being enters the abyss with permission from its owner.]

[The Heavenly Demon descends!]

The abyss was torn apart and a golden light that contrasted the darkness fell in front of Yeon-woo. Then, it slowly took the form of a human who had a familiar face. The Heavenly Demon's mischievous expression was exactly like Yeon-woo had seen in the Changgong Library.

"Hey. Long time no…!" The Heavenly Demon waved his hand at Yeon-woo with a smile, then jumped back in surprise at the lightning that aimed for his throat.

Swish. Rumble! Dark lightning sparked where the Heavenly Demon had been. The intensity of Sword Thunder was amplified multiple times after absorbing Yvlke.

'It works.' Unlike when he'd been beaten up powerlessly in the Changgong Library, Yeon-woo thought he now had a chance. He speeded toward the Heavenly Demon. Crash, crash! Krrrrr. Krakrakra! Yeon-woo stuck close to the Heavenly Demon and swung Sword Thunder at him over and over again. He simultaneously activated his powers, tying the Heavenly Demon's feet down.

The Heavenly Demon quickly shot out golden waves and scattered the attacks, then shouted, "Hey! What's wrong with you?!"

"Just once."

"What?"

"I'll hit you just once."

"Don't you think you're being too unfair?" The Heavenly Demon muttered in a flabbergasted tone.

However, Yeon-woo didn't care. He'd greatly suffered in uncountable ways because of the Heavenly Demon until now. From when they met at the Tower to this very point, the Heavenly Demon had only watched and didn't take any action.

In the process, the Heavenly Demon's son, Allforone/Vivasvat had even died. Yeon-woo had no choice but to defeat him since they were enemies, but he was angry at the Heavenly Demon's lax attitude. He didn't know how precious the Heavenly Demon's ideals were, but he didn't think it was worth sacrificing his own family for them. It was a decision that Yeon-woo didn't even want to try and understand as someone who considered family over all else.

Pew pew pew! Yeon-woo wanted to try landing a punch on the Heavenly Demon and listen to what he was thinking. He wanted to know just what it was that the Heavenly Demon sought and was looking toward.

Du du du!

'It's working.' Contrary to the past, Yeon-woo's power was now working on the Heavenly Demon. The Heavenly Demon wasn't retaliating, just scratching the back of his head, but still. It felt different from before. They were probably on the same level now.

'No… Am I still at a disadvantage?' The Black King's pure strength was definitely equal to the Heavenly Demon's, since the two were direct opposites. However, the reason why the Black King had fallen asleep again without being able to resist the Heavenly Demon's deterrence was because he wasn't able to unite all his energy as one. His energy was inefficient. His movements were slow and dull because of all the egos he had. But Yeon-woo thought this gap in power could be closed soon.

Boom, boom! Yeon-woo and the Heavenly Demon clashed fists, and they were both pushed back to opposite sides. The abyss that filled the world was now up to their waists.

"You feel better now?" The Heavenly Demon glowered at Yeon-woo with annoyance.

Yeon-woo crossed his arms with a scoff. "You think I would've been appeased with that?"

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"One punch."

"Argh! I wish I could beat you up like the old days." The Heavenly Demon's fists trembled, but Yeon-woo didn't seem affected. Then, the Heavenly Demon sighed. "Hey. Even if you hate me, I'm here to help, okay? What are you gonna do if I run away because you're being annoying?"

The reason why the Heavenly Demon had entered the darkness himself was plain and simple: to deliver Yeon-woo's words. After all, Yeon-woo was now the Black King. he had to fall into a deep sleep. No one knew how long the sleep would last.ραпdα `nᴏνɐ| сom

Yeon-woo told Cha Jeong-woo and the rest of his family that he'd return after transcending, but that was easier said than done. If Yeon-woo was able to do that so easily, Sage/Yvlke, who had ruled as the main ego for eons, would've hoarded the Black King to himself already. Or the Heavenly Demon would've made the wheel stop… The battle of the dream and wheel was able to last so long precisely due to these reasons. It was why Yvlke had despaired at the unchanging reality and attempted to create a safe haven. It also meant Yeon-woo's attempt could fail.

The Heavenly Demon came here to deliver Yeon-woo's message to his family since it could very well be his last words. He knew Yeon-woo was angry because of what he'd done so far, so he tried to placate Yeon-woo's impertinent attitude. He didn't know how many times he'd have to clash against Yeon-woo as the Black King in the future, so he'd also intended to intimidate Yeon-woo now that he had the opportunity.

"Go ahead." Yeon-woo responded with his arms crossed, somehow even more impertinent than before.

"...What?"

"If you can escape, go ahead. But I'm going to abandon this position and escape too."

"…!" The Heavenly Demon gaped at Yeon-woo's unexpected attack.

"It seems the reason why you were watching without interfering was that you wanted an ego of the Black King who would work with you…but you barked up the wrong tree. To be honest, I don't really want this position or need it. I just want to throw it away and escape." Yeon-woo smirked. "But that's not the case for you, is it? You finally have the chance to put the Black King down, but if I leave, it'll become chaos again. Things will get complicated for you. Am I right?"

The Heavenly Demon stayed silent for a moment then asked in disbelief, "…Were you also like this?"

"I learned from a Mr. Son who lives in some library."

"What a smart mouth." The Heavenly Demon ground his teeth, but he became certain that Yeon-woo wasn't going to leave this place. The abyss was now at their stomachs. "So. What do you have to say?"

"Before that, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"When did you choose me?"

"Oh, that?" The Heavenly Demon hadn't known about Yeon-woo when they met in the Changgong Library. No, to be exact, he didn't seem too interested in the Tower's events. It might've been an act, but there was no reason for the Heavenly Demon to do that with his overwhelming power. That meant he hadn't chosen Yeon-woo from the beginning. "I didn't really choose you, per se."

"What…?"

"My job is simple. To make the Black King sleep and spin the frozen wheel. That's all."

"…!"

"I just watch. Sometimes I get rid of things that get in the way of the wheel, but my mission is the same."

Yeon-woo recalled what Allforone always shouted toward the sky: "the path between heaven and earth." He referred to splitting the barrier between the heavens and the earth.

"I keep the heavens and the earth separate and leave alone the ones who live on the earth. That's why I make the Black King sleep. Mortals and divine beings alike will feel fear and despair if they know such an absolute power exists. They won't be able to do anything if they know."

"…"

"Moving forth with hope no matter how dark the situation is, and creating your own path. These are my ideals and the world I want."

Had the Heavenly Demon ever spoken his mind like this? Yeon-woo didn't remember. The only things he knew about the Heavenly Demon were things he assumed. It felt strange to hear the Heavenly Demon speak of these things with his own mouth.

"Your accomplishments are purely your own, and they're what I've been waiting for. So you're free and on your own now. You can decide whether or not to stand against me like Yvlke did, or transcend from all of the Black King's limits and return everything to how you wish."

Yeon-woo felt the fog in his mind clear. He'd been concerned that he had just been a chess piece on the Heavenly Demon and Black King's game board. His fate would be too pathetic if that was the case. But fortunately, that wasn't what happened.

Perhaps the Heavenly Demon had continued to wait for humans to break out of their own shell while the wheel spun countless times, producing executors and opponents.

"All right, that's enough of talking about me." The Heavenly Demon clapped. The darkness was now below their chins. "I can't stay here any longer. Say what you want, and make it short."

Yeon-woo hesitated. The Heavenly Demon shouted in frustration, "Hurry up! It's up to my nose now!"

"…ove them a lot."

"What?"

"Please tell them I love them a lot." Yeon-woo looked away from the Heavenly Demon after speaking. The Heavenly Demon saw the tips of Yeon-woo's ears were red.

"Okay. I will."

Pft! The Heavenly Demon disappeared with that. The abyss now reached the top of Yeon-woo's head, and the world became dark. Thud! He heard the sound of a door closing from somewhere. And when he opened his eyes again, countless Demonisms were glaring at him.

What an interesting "me."

Give me. Your spot.

No. To me…!

Yeon-woo dashed toward the loud Demonisms, creating Li's Torch after finding his true identity.

[Sky Wings]

Yeon-woo planned on swallowing all the Demonisms here and becoming the real ego. Then, he could attempt to transcend. He didn't know how long the battle would last, but he would do it to see his family again.

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