Ranker Who Lives Twice

[You have entered the Changgong Library!]

"Come in."

Nocturne felt thoroughly confused while following the Heavenly Demon. He wondered if he could really trust the Heavenly Demon. Nocturne did not know if he could believe the Heavenly Demon's words.

However, Nocturne could not help but follow along. Everything that the Heavenly Demon had stated shook Nocturne to the core. He did not know to what extent he should trust the Heavenly Demon's words. He was also unsure if the Heavenly Demon was deceiving himself and suppressing his pain of losing his son.

In particular, the Heavenly Demon that appeared in the memories that Nocturne had 'lost' was always distrustful, so it was hard for Nocturne to fully trust the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon knew of Nocturne's wariness and thoughts. Seeing Nocturne just standing at the entrance of the portal without moving forward, the Heavenly Demon could not help but give a bitter smile.

The Heavenly Demon was always a confident being. Even in the face of countless gods and demons, the Heavenly Demon never lost his composure. He had maintained his smile and pleasant temperament even when turning the 'wheel' during the entire duration of facing off against the Black King. Thus, it was uncharacteristic of him to make such an expression.

Whoosh. Then, Nocturne sensed a feeling welling up from his chest. Though his mind was operating in a logical fashion, it seemed his emotions still wanted to trust his own flesh and blood.

"Do you still…hate me?"

"…"

"Well. I understand. In your memory, I was nothing but a terrible father." The Heavenly Demon let out a long sigh as he scratched the back of his head. The current situation was difficult for him to wade through as well. If it was the Day or Night, they would have used force to make Nocturne submit, but the Heavenly Demon could not do that to Nocturne.

"Before anything, I want to ask you something." Nocturne spoke slowly.

The Heavenly Demon nodded his head to state that Nocturne should continue.

"Is what you said true?"

"Which part?"

"That I am 'real'."

The Heavenly Demon smiled bitterly and nodded.

Nocturne felt a heaviness in his chest. His voice quavered. "Then…what or who was Allforone?"

"That child was…" The Heavenly Demon took a deep breath before continuing his words. He spoke only after some time had passed. "He was also my son."

That answer was enough. It was a roundabout, general answer.

"Tell me what happened."

Thanks to the Heavenly Demon unlocking his memories, Nocturne was able to recall some of his memories. Therefore, Nocturne was able to understand what happened to 'himself' and what had happened to Nocturne and Allforone.

However, for some reason, to Nocturne, all those memories seemed distant, as if they belonged to a completely different person. It was as if he was a bystander watching a TV show or movie. Nocturne did not feel anything special or close to his memories. This was probably because his current identity was stronger than that of 'Son Jae-won' or 'Vivasvat'. Although the time he had spent being 'Nocturne' was relatively short compared to the other two identities, Nocturne still felt that his identity as 'Nocturne' was more precious.

Thus, Nocturne wanted to hear the story of his past directly from the Heavenly Demon. If he were to hear the entire story 'directly' from the Heavenly Demon, Nocturne felt that he would be able to tease the truth.

As if he had read Nocturne's thoughts, the Heavenly Demon smiled bitterly and decided to grant his son's request. "Where should I start…?" Unlike his normal self, the Heavenly Demon's voice trailed off. He did not know where to start. The past encompassed stories related to 'Son Jae-won' and 'Vivasvat' as well as incidents related to himself. There was a lot to sort out.

Then, suddenly, an incident popped into the Heavenly Demon's mind. It was the time when his 'son' ignored his warning and followed him into the Tower. The Heavenly Demon felt that this would be an appropriate starting point.

The Heavenly Demon had to take a few deep breaths. It was painful for him to bring up the past, which he had been neglecting to speak of for a long time. However, at some point, he knew he had to retrace his steps, and it was something he had to do to resolve his relationship with his son. Hiding and running away from speaking of the past would no longer serve anyone, and it would not be good for his son. No, it would only hurt his 'son'.

In the end, as if he could no longer avoid the inevitable, the Heavenly Demon lowered himself in place. Then, he gently waved his hand in the air and pulled a vial out from his personal space. It was Hua Zhu, an alcoholic drink made from ripe fruits picked by monkeys from the crevice of rocks and then fermented. In the past, Hua Zhu was the drink of choice between the Heavenly Demon and Sun Wukong, the other face of himself and who also became his mentor.

The Heavenly Demon only had a few Hua Zhus left now, but he thought it would be okay to share a drink with his 'son'. No, in truth, he could not think of any better time to share the drink. "Would you like a drink?"

Nocturne wanted to ask if it was okay to drink something in such an airy, old-fashioned library, but he realized that his 'father' was serious in contrast to his laidback tone of voice. Nocturne nodded and sat down across from the Heavenly Demon. 'I'm not the kind of person who cares about conventions anyway.'

Perhaps Nocturne's 'father' wanted to borrow the energy of alcohol to freely speak. Of course, there was no chance that the Heavenly Demon would get drunk, but the simple act of drinking would be enough to relieve some of his emotions.

The Heavenly Demon quietly handed Nocturne a cup, and Nocturne took it carefully. Plop. Plop. With a pleasant sound, a sweet fruity scent spread out. And then…

"…back then…" The Heavenly Demon slowly began to speak. He was speaking of a time so long ago that it took him a moment to clearly recall everything that had happened.

***

Vivasvat was a name Son Jae-won started using from a certain point. It was a name that his mother used to call him in passing, like a pet name. If such a thing as a 'previous life' existed, she said that his father would have been called 'Vivasvat'.

Son Jae-won's mother played a lot of mischievous pranks, so Son Jae-won did not seriously consider his mother's words at the time. However, now, Son Jae-won knew that his mother was speaking the truth. His mother was just as mysterious a figure as his father. 'The first human to set foot in the underworld and the original existence of the god of death and the underworld. Yama.'

Son Jae-won, who had lived an ordinary life, realized that he was a special being, as he was born from a father who had all but created the universe and a mother who was a god of death and the underworld.

Thus, since he was born with such a special bloodline, Son Jae-won was always confident that he could achieve whatever he wanted if he was willing to pursue it. He was probably an existence that all beings in the world looked up to, even gods. Even the highest-ranking supreme gods. However…

'I will not become a god.' Son Jae-won, no, Vivasvat, drew a clear line in his growth and development. He vowed to never become a god.

A god was something unacceptable for Vivasvat. This was because all the gods that Son Jae-won came across were all terrible beings. The gods treated mortals like livestock just because mortals were smaller and weaker than them. Mortals were often only kept around as slaves to be enjoyed in order to gather faith, the origin and source of their continued strength.

Of course, there were also good gods, but roughly eight out of ten were terrible. Even if a god could be classified as a good god, that god would never resort to him or herself to get too close to mortals. No matter how good-hearted a person may be, he or she would not want to seriously understand the psychology of mere ants. Ants were useful for research purposes only. This was what gods thought of mortals. Therefore, Vivasvat did not attempt to transcend nor exuviate, even though he had already obtained the power to defeat most gods with ease.

To achieve a legend meant to break free from one's limits and be reborn as a new being, a new 'me'. In other words, a different 'me' was created instead of the 'me' that one currently perceived. However, could that new 'me' really be one's true identity? Vivasvat was certain that it was not. For him, a recreated self through achieving legends was simply deceiving oneself. The new re-creation would possess the name of Vivasvat and his memories, but a completely new identity would come into existence.

Of course, even if Vivasvat did not actively seek out to achieve a legend, his achievements piled up, creating a new legend. 'That should be fine. The new power that originates from my achievements will come in handy.'

In the end, for Vivasvat, everything he achieved was nothing more than a 'tool' to kill gods and demons. Thus, he killed and dealt with the gods one by one. One day, gods and demons would disappear completely from the vast universe. Then, the nonsense that mocks and drives mortals into misery would no longer exist.

"If you meet Buddha, kill Buddha; if you meet a monk, kill the monk. Thus, if I don't go to hell, whoever will?" Vivasvat recalled the words he heard from a high priest who he had met one day in passing. He walked down this path, over and over again, silently and by himself.

***

Vivasvat traversed various worlds and universes to defeat gods, and at the same time, he tried to find the whereabouts of one person—the Heavenly Demon. There was so much he wanted to hear from his father, who created this damn, forsaken universe.

Vivasvat wanted to know why his father created such an absurd world. Thus, he wandered around the world chasing after the traces left by the Heavenly Demon, but none of the traces led him anywhere. However, Vivasvat became certain of one thing. 'My father's legends are slowly disappearing from people's minds.'

The legends of the Heavenly Demon had not completely disappeared. In every corner of the world, there were always a group or two who knew of and followed the Heavenly Demons. But in the various creation legends understood across the universe, the ratio of the Heavenly Demon's legends kept decreasing. In some places, the Heavenly Demon was called by other names and his feats were often minimized, and in some cases, the Heavenly Demon was described as an evil being that was associated with evil spirits and death.

Such convoluted legends were usually fatal blows for ordinary gods, so there were many cases where gods would try to 'correct' these misunderstandings directly. However, the Heavenly Demon showed no sign of taking any similar action. It was as if the Heavenly Demon did not care at all. Although he seemed to be meticulously planning things, it seemed as though he did not bother with the little things.

This was just like the father that Vivasvat knew. Whenever he had this thought, Vivasvat could not help but give a bitter laugh. At the same time, Vivasvat wondered if it was okay to let things progress as they were. If things continued down this path, the prestige and power of the Heavenly Demon would inevitably be destroyed.

Regardless of what went on, the Heavenly Demon never showed up. No, the Heavenly Demon's inactions had led to a seemingly unfathomable result. His traces had largely disappeared from a certain point forward. It was almost impossible to see anything related to the Heavenly Demon. He had essentially disappeared, as if he had gone into hiding.

'Did he get in an argument and lose to someone? Is he being stuffed into a corner that he can't get out from?' Based on what Vivasvat recollected about his father, it was not a far-fetched idea that his father, who had a significant temper, would piss off the wrong people and be put in an unenviable situation.

One day, Vivasvat opened a portal in search of a new civilization, hoping to somehow find traces of the Heavenly Demon.

[An 'Invitation to the Tower' has arrived.]

'…Tower?' Vivasvat received a message, one that would change his fate.