Ranker Who Lives Twice

Yeon-woo's first impression after seeing the 'ark' for the first time was very simple. 'It's much smaller than I thought.'

Since the ark had been used to help many people escape, Yeon-woo thought the 'ark' would be large. At the very least, he thought the ark would be the size of a large container ship, ships often seen on Earth. However, the ark was only the size of an ordinary family house. Yeon-woo wondered how the ark was able to accommodate so many people with its small size.

'I guess it's possible. Quirinale didn't represent space for nothing.'

The space provided inside the ark boasted a size large enough to easily fill an entire floor's stage. It wasn't for nothing that Quirinale was called one of the most prestigious organizations within the Day. Since Quirinale represented space, the space device was most likely very sophisticated and advanced.

However, what surprised Yeon-woo was not the ark but the subspace where the ark had been kept.

'A personal subspace… No, can this be called a simple personal subspace?'

As Yeon-woo looked around the subspace surrounding the ark, Ananta added an explanation. "Since leaving the world of the Tower, the ark has been kept in this subspace. To be honest, I don't know what other uses the ark has other than for escaping… I come here occasionally to see if anything needs management, but I'm still surprised by the sight."

The place where the ark was located could not be called a mere subspace. It seemed to be another world, a world that existed in a completely different way from the existing universe or dimension. The subspace possessed a sky, sun, moon, and stars. A refreshing wind blew, and blades of grass swayed. It was a place that made one feel relaxed and refreshed just by being there.

The sun was so warm and comforting that it would lull one to sleep if one stood still. That feeling was all too familiar to Yeon-woo. It was a vague feeling that had faded away after the passing of many years…but it still remained in his mind.

'Mother.' Yeon-woo wondered if it was a coincidence that he first thought of his mother when entering the space.

Time did not seem to flow in this world. All the cycles of a day were happening naturally in normal intervals, but that was all. In this place, nothing died or was born. Day and night remained stationary.

"Please, have a look around." Ananta saw Yeon-woo immersed in thought, so she left a few words and disappeared. She returned to Earth using a door leading to the outside.

"Father."

At Yeon-woo's call, Scythe disassembled and then reassembled into a human form. Kronos shook his head as if he already knew what Yeon-woo was going to ask.『No. I don't know. I didn't know anything about this.』

Yeon-woo furrowed his brow. "But…"

『I know what you want to say. Still, I don't have any explanation. You also know that I didn't know I'm the descendant of Pneuma or whatever, right? If it wasn't for you, I'd never even know of the existence of Quirinale.』

Since it was something related to his mother, Yeon-woo thought that his father would know something.

Was it a foolish thought on Yeon-woo's part?

'Well… In the first place, their marriage to each other happened because of a political alliance, not love. It's probably not farfetched to think that father doesn't know much about mother's past.'

The ark must have been something Yeon-woo's mother left behind before coming to Earth to find Yeon-woo's father.

The divine power that Yeon-woo felt everywhere within the space resembled his mother's unique characteristics. Yeon-woo couldn't be more certain of this. The main question was, why did his mother leave this…? Did she leave it to be used by one of her children in case the Tower collapsed one day?

However, it had been hidden too secretively for that purpose, and only the beings of Day knew of its existence.

'I have no choice but to visit By the Table.' Yeon-woo was planning to pay them a visit anyway, so it seemed he would have to work things out with the By the Table members.

『Son, besides that…』 Yeon-woo turned his gaze toward Kronos, who continued to speak.『You have an easier way to see your mother, so… Why are you progressing things in a roundabout way?』

For a moment, Yeon-woo was left speechless at Kronos' words. However, Kronos' was being serious.

『I've been curious about it for a while. I feel like you're actively fighting against the urge to summon your mother. Am I wrong?』

"…"

『I haven't been a proper father to you two brothers, but still, I always wanted to ask why you're not using the easier method to contact your mother.』

Yeon-woo gave a bitter laugh. Then, after hesitating for a moment, Yeon-woo carefully unveiled his inner emotions and thoughts. "What you say…is correct."

『Huh…?』

"I could readily summon mother and find her soul right now if I wished, but I wanted to delay it as much as possible."

『Why…?』

"As you can see, father, our family is not really in a good state."

『…』

"Jeong-woo is seriously injured and in a precarious situation, and it's difficult for me to say that I'm in a proper state of being as well. Besides, father, you have also been seriously injured… I was planning to actively search or summon her when things got better for our family."

『Hmm…!』 Kronos was silent as if he was trying to resolve a swath of conflicting emotions. He understood Yeon-woo's thoughts and feelings to some extent. In fact, if he was in Yeon-woo's position, Kronos would probably not act much differently.

What would Rhea think if she saw how the family was? Wouldn't she blame herself for everything? Rhea may perhaps think that her whole family was suffering due to her decisions. When Rhea became seriously ill, Cha Jeong-woo had entered the Tower to find a drug to cure her illness but, in the end, Jeong-woo became a spirit body. Kronos, who tried to save Jeong-woo, had also gone through hardships.

After going through many trials and tribulations, Yeon-woo managed to find his father and younger brother. Still, the complicated ordeal was still ongoing. Moreover, the situation of the other children that were left behind in Olympus was not very good.

As a result, Yeon-woo was hesitant to search actively for his mother. Even though he could use Summon of the Dead on Rhea if he wanted, Yeon-woo did not dare to do so.

『…I understand your concerns. I probably would do the same in your shoes. However, don't you think your mom will be shocked and emotionally hurt if you summon her only after everything is over?』

"…"

『Your mother is a person who has always made sacrifices for our family. She is a very kind person, though she always thought she was lacking. By not including her, you may be driving a bigger nail into her heart, no?』 Kronos glowered at Yeon-woo.『I don't want to see that happen to your mother.』

Yeon-woo opened and closed his mouth several times as he contemplated how to respond to his father. "Father."

『What?』

"I can't explain things now. Just this once, don't ask me anything about this, and just trust me, alright?"

『…do you have some sort of plan?』

"…" Yeon-woo looked at Kronos silently without answering.

It seemed that there were many things that Kronos wanted to say. Kronos had no idea what Yeon-woo was thinking, so he was extremely curious. At the same time, he also felt anxious. Though he had been with Yeon-woo in the darkness, Kronos had no idea what kind of decision Yeon-woo had made during that time. Moreover, the general attitude Yeon-woo was currently exhibiting made Kronos feel that Yeon-woo had decided to disappear…

'Though he has a temperamental personality, he wouldn't do such a drastic thing in front of his parents.'

Kronos let out a deep sigh and stopped his line of questioning.『Well, you've done what you had to up to now, so I'm sure you have some sort of plan.』

"Thank you."

『However, keep in mind… If your mother…』 Kronos narrowed his eyes for the first time.『If you ever make her cry, I won't leave you alone. I'll make sure you die by my hands.』

"…!" Yeon-woo smiled unconsciously, since he had never seen this side of his father. Yeon-woo felt that it was refreshing to see a different side of his father, as Kronos had been acting melancholy lately. "Don't worry. More than that…"

『What?』

"I'm stronger than you, so how would you be able to beat me?"

『…』Kronos could not respond.

***

"Come out."

Sss. At Yeon-woo's simple command, his shadow stretched out, and Zeus, bound by chains, appeared above it.

Zeus was worse for wear. He looked as though all his vitality had been sucked out of him. The only sign of Zeus' existence was that he was still breathing. Because of his state, Zeus' power had drastically diminished, and Zeus was unable to replenish his divine power. It was surprising that Zeus was still alive.

『Hahaha. Who's this? It's my younger brother. Yes. I guess you wanted to see this older brother of yours, huh?』 Regardless of his state, Zeus smiled while glaring at Yeon-woo as if not to lose his dignity. His shattered eye sockets glistened with blood.

Zeus continued to speak using divine speech. If he continued using divine speech, it was clear that Zeus' remaining divine power would be exhausted, but it did not seem like Zeus cared. He was in such a pitiful state that Kronos could not bear to continue looking at Zeus, so Kronos turned his head to the side.

Yeon-woo also did not want to show his father Zeus' ugly appearance, so he separated the space so that only he and Zeus could see each other. He stated, "There are a lot of things I want to ask you, but since father is here, I'll just ask a few short questions and finish this up."

『Hahaha. I guess I should be thankful to father. Up to now, he's only been a thorn in my side.』

"Where is Yvlke?"

『If you asked, did you think I'd simply answer you?』

"No. I knew you'd be too proud to answer."

『Then why are you asking?』

"Because I wanted to check something."

『…?』 Zeus furrowed his brow, not knowing what Yeon-woo was talking about.

However, Yeon-woo took a step back from Zeus and sneered. "You don't know where Yvlke is. Furthermore, your link with him has been severed."

For the first time, after hearing Yeon-woo's words, Zeus' expression faltered and shook.『You… You're not planning to…?』

"Didn't you know that souls originate from the darkness?" Yeon-woo's eyes shined with brilliant golden color.

[Draconic Eyes]

[Fiery Golden Eyes]

[Black Gubitara – Philosopher's Eyes]

[Eye of the Heavens]

Yeon-woo saw through Zeus's spirit body and everything around him. He not only grasped all the blessings and protections that Zeus possessed but also grasped every single spirit characteristic of Zeus' soul. Thus, it was just a matter of time before all of Zeus' legends were revealed in their entirety to Yeon-woo. Everything from Zeus' divine domain, divine power, and divinity was revealed to him.

Naturally, Zeus' divine power and divinity had already been revealed to Yeon-woo, so even if Zeus was lucky enough to recover later, it was clear that Zeus would no longer be able to resist Yeon-woo.

Yeon-woo had dug into Zeus' 'data' and found out all his weaknesses. Additionally, Yeon-woo was able to confirm that there were no links between Zeus and Yvlke.

『Cha Yeon-woo…!』

Cough! Cough! Splatter! Zeus, overcome with anger and rage, stopped screaming and suddenly flung his head onto the ground. Blood drained out from his head for a long time.

Zeus' blood was black and dead. Due to his sudden enraged anger swelling up, Zeus' remaining divine power had reversed in his system, causing him to spasm out of control.

If Yeon-woo left Zeus in this state, Zeus would soon perish, so Yeon-woo had to take some action. Having these thoughts, Yeon-woo pushed Zeus back into the shadows. Yeon-woo felt Zeus' resentment the entire time, but he did not care at all.

Sigh! Yeon-woo heard his father sigh aloud from behind him. However, he did not care. The shadow that Yeon-woo had detached from his main shadow had just returned. It was the bait Yeon-woo had thrown out to Yvlke. It was the shadow Yeon-woo had planted on Zeus' Soulstones, the two Soulstones that had been left for Yvlke…