Ranker Who Lives Twice

While the magic region with the Devil Army was becoming clamorous, there was a group that had escaped becoming destroyed when the wheel was rewound: Asgard. They were living on the land that only the chosen ones could live on.

"The path to descend is blocked." Asgard's king, Odin, slowly opened an eye.

Unlike the other Sky Fathers, who represented completion, dignity, authority, and sanctity, Odin had a great fault. He only saw through one eye and used a blindfold.

Other Sky Fathers considered beings with faults to be stupid or weak. Because beings like them were made from spiritual bodies and not physical bodies, they could easily restore any fault as long as they had enough holy power.

The fact that Odin still only had one eye could mean he wasn't powerful enough to overcome his heavenly form. It was only natural he was judged to be unworthy of being a Sky Father. However, nobody thought that of him. They all knew he had lost an eye to gain something greater: the power of foresight. He had the ability to see the future.

Odin was the reason the small society that was always in conflict over battles between the Aesir and Vanir was able to grow this much. And right now, Odin was looking at a new scene. It was the destruction of Asgard.

Caaaw! Caaw! The two crows on Odin's shoulders, Hugin and Munin, screeched.

It's the end, the end!

We're all going to die!

We'll die if we stay here!

We'll die even if we attempt to leave!

The heavenly world was currently locked shut after Yeon-woo interfered with the system. Due to this, Asgard and many other societies were busy attempting to get through the "mysterious" block. However, as things didn't go their way, they sought Odin to find a way.

Odin activated his foresight for five days without any rest, not stopping to sleep or eat, but he was only able to reach a conclusion after using most of his holy power. As someone who had spent most of his life to grow Asgard to their position today, Odin was disbelieving of what he saw.

'Was it the Martial King…? The end of the wheel I saw before was a result of that mortal. However, it's different this time. It's him…but not him.' Odin was considered one of the wisest of all the Sky Fathers, but at this moment, he could not come to a decision. "What should we do?"

Caaaaw! Caw!

We'll die this way or that way!

Then we need to search for the one who'll make us die!

But we don't know who that is!

Who is it?

Don't know!

Who's most likely?

Niflheim?

No!

They're weak!

Then the one who closed up the heavenly world!

It's him!

We can kill him!

And the guy we saw before!

Let's kill him!

Kill him! Kill him!

Odin stroked his chin. Even if they seemed like they were blabbering, Hugin and Munin's advice opened Odin up to new thought processes, and that was currently the case now. "Getting rid of all the creatures in the way…"

This was the most attractive choice. Even if Odin didn't kill the being, if only he could somehow manage to make some deal… Odin gazed below with his eye. Whoosh! Suddenly, the air rippled around the throne he was sitting in to create a new scene. An image of the One-horned tribe where the Martial King and Yeon-woo appeared.

Watching the bustling village preparing for the wedding, Odin narrowed his eye. "…Hmm."

* * *

While Asgard made preparations for new movements, there was another godly society that was busy: Olympus. It was a society where Yeon-woo was the current supreme god, and beings of this society still longed for Kronos and Rhea, who were the rulers during Olympus' golden age.

"Lord Yeon-woo really appeared?"

Hermes smiled strangely at Athena's frantic question. "Yup."

"Then why didn't he come here and is still down there…!" Athena looked very confused.

After Yeon-woo appeared, the heavenly world was shut, and the channel to him was still disconnected. As Yeon-woo's chief apostle, Athena couldn't help but be flustered. She didn't know that Yeon-woo had come from the far future after rewinding the wheel, so she was even more confused.

Hermes amusedly looked at his sister who was so attached to their young uncle. "Do you know what's more entertaining?"

"…There's something else?"

"Lord Kronos is here too."

"Well, that's because he's always next to Yeon-woo—!"

"In his complete form."

"What?" Athena's eyes widened as big as saucers.

"And Lady Rhea is there too."

"T-That means…!"

"Both of them have resurrected completely."

"…!"

"And both of them are currently in the One-horned tribe's village. What do you think this means?"

"…" Athena was silent for a moment. The One-horned tribe was not only where Yeon-woo's teacher, the Martial King was, but it was where his one and only lover lived. But he had taken his parents there? What else could that mean? Athena jumped up from her seat.

Hermes barely contained his laughter. Athena's face was more serious than ever. She probably had this expression when she'd been standing against Persephone. Her eyes were blazing red. Of course, Hermes didn't mention it. 'It's more fun to watch from the sidelines. Why should I?'

Hermes was the type who slowly savored a delicious meal.

"Hermes!"

"What?"

"What is Olympus?"

Hermes decided to give Athena the response she wanted. "Of course, it's Lord Yeon-woo's umbrella and Lord Kronos and Lady Rhea's bedrock."

"Right. And the entire One-horned tribe village is moving right now, hm? Then do you think it makes sense for Olympus to do nothing?"

"Of course not."

"Yes! Exactly!" Athena clenched her fists. She didn't seem to want to lose, whether it was against the whole group or a particular someone. "Hurry up and get ready! We're heading down there too!"

"Hehehe. Okay, sister."

Hermes' laughter strangely got on Athena's nerves, but she didn't pay any mind to it. Right now, the only thought on her mind was to descend to the lower world.

* * *

In a thick darkness, hidden figures spoke mysteriously.

『Death.』

『…The death that disappeared for a short while has returned even greater than what it used to be.』

『It's not just great.』

『It's primitive…』

『It's original…』

『It's a dim-witted darkness that's existed before death.』

This was the conscious territory shared by gods and demons of death who were known to be heretics.

『It's certain he has finished everything in a timeline we haven't reached and has returned here to save us.』

The beings in this place already had a guess as to what Yeon-woo had become since the moment he appeared in this timeline. It was because all their powers originated from him.

『So…』

『The king』

『The one who has become the true king.』

Yeon-woo was no longer the executioner or apostle of the Black King. He was the Black King himself.

『Let us go hail him.』

『We shall go greet him.』

And so the subjects decided to go and see the king who didn't seek them out.

『We are the residue he has left behind in the universe. It's only obvious we do.』

With those words, darkness shut. Clunk!

* * *

Many beings of the heavenly world were busy because of Yeon-woo, but there were also those who were silently watching.

In the underground of the Tower, also called the Tower's backend, there was the Unreal World. Someone opened their eyes in the world that existed and did not exist. Although everything was faint and had no shape, the creature seemed to have the dignity and grace of a lion… Leo.

There was a hierarchy among the beings who called themselves stars. To be a star named after the lion, which was the king of beasts, meant he was one of the strongest stars there were. He was one of the two kings who ruled over the stars.

『What an amusing turn of events.』

Leo spent most of his time asleep like most real lions. He was asleep three-fourths of the day, and he was only awake for the other fourth.

Some might think he was lazy, but the ferocity the lion constellation showed when he was awake made the other stars tremble in fear, so no one argued with him about it. Rather, they thought the fact that he slept deeply and for so long meant he was just that strong.

However, Leo's sleeping times had become shorter and shorter recently. It was from when he began to observe a certain being.

『Dim-witted darkness. I see you are trying to live your life in that tiny corner of the universe.』

The being was someone who all stars, all those born in this world, and all living creatures had to know. The being was the universe itself. He was the Black King, who fell into an eternal sleep, and his ego, Cha Yeon-woo.

『Marriage?』Leo scoffed.『Why does such an all-mighty being choose to limit himself to laws of causality… Does he want to play house in this dream?』

Leo lived by the theory that those who were powerful must be worthy of holding such power. The actions Yeon-woo was showing these days were all hard to understand from Leo's perspective. He seemed ridiculous trying to play house in the dream.

If Leo was Yeon-woo and had that much power, he never would've used it like that. There was so much Yeon-woo could do with that power, but why was he stopping there? Leo wondered how someone who wasn't ambitious in the slightest was able to get to such a position.

『I want to know he's thinking.』

However, Leo's questions would never be answered just by observing Yeon-woo, so Leo decided to act on it. He would meet Yeon-woo for himself.

Of course, it wasn't the time for stars to fight against the Black King and the Heavenly Demon yet, so he knew it was dangerous, but he thought it would be all right if he approached in good nature. Even if Yeon-woo was hostile, there was no need for Leo to avoid him either…

『Let's go see, shall we…?』Leo slowly stood up. It was his first trip in a long while.

And like that, many beings throughout the universe were preparing to attend Yeon-woo's wedding.