Ranker Who Lives Twice
chapter-720

Currently…

"Ah!"

"What is this…?!"

"It's a tsunami! Run for your life!"

"I can't escape…!"

Yeon-woo sensed an outpouring of cries from all around him. Feelings of fear and horror were inundating his senses.

Not only had the sea violently fluctuated due to the resulting shockwave from their clash, but the atmosphere was also violently compressed and pushed outward over a wide area, causing a strong and violent gust of wind. In addition, the surface of the seabed had cracked.

The sudden weather change had wreaked havoc. Nearby islands had been completely submerged due to a series of tsunamis. Towns and villages on or near the beachside were caught off guard, as homes were swept away, and people drowned without the opportunity to run away.

In addition to Australia and New Zealand, numerous archipelagos in the South Pacific, the western coast of South America, Japan, and even the western shores of the United States were all affected.

Though humanity had largely conquered mother nature with its ingenuity and intelligence, in the face of an unnatural disaster that boasted a power far beyond a normal natural disaster, humanity and its constructs would be rendered helpless and inevitably collapse.

"Save me...!" Though various voices clamored for help, Yeon-woo focused on how he should evade Vimalacitra's incoming attack.

Regardless of whatever Yeon-woo was thinking, Vimalacitra continued to pour out sword strikes. As Vimalacitra unleashed strike after strike, each successive strike became more powerful.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Feeling that nothing good could come about by letting Vimalacitra continue his attacks, Yeon-woo clenched his jaw in frustration. If it was just a one-on-one fight, Yeon-woo would not have concerned himself too much. However, since Vimalacitra was sending out reckless attacks that would inevitably cause widespread damage to the surroundings, the longer the fight continued, the more damage that would be sustained on Earth… This was why Yeon-woo had confined his opponents into his illusory world before fighting against them.

Yeon-woo used his divine power to find the weakness within each of Vimalacitra's strikes and nullify them with his sword. Each time Yeon-woo did so, Vimalacitra's sword strikes shattered into pieces and became powerless.

Step! Yeon-woo jumped into the air. Then, as the space folded and unfolded, he appeared behind Vimalacitra.

<Shukuchi>

Yeon-woo had used one of Allforone/Vivasvat's signature skills. In fact, Yeon-woo had made this skill completely his own. To be more precise, he was now able to use Shukuchi much more skillfully than Allforone/Vivasvat ever had.

Vivasvat's legends were among the countless 'dreams' that Yeon-woo had relived. Yeon-woo had lived and observed all the years Vivasvat had lived, the life Vivasvat had dreamed of, and the wishes Vivasvat had. Thus, Yeon-woo's understanding of Vivasvat's signature skill, which was created with Vivasvat's underlying thoughts, goals, and endless training, also deepened.

"Ho!" However, Vimalacitra did not show any signs of surprise and only shouted out a word of admiration. Vimalacitra soon turned his body in the opposite direction and raised his 'Shizu Sword'.

Boom! When Vimalacitra's Shizu Sword and Yeon-woo's Scythe collided, a larger shockwave spread out from the collision, a shockwave much larger than before.

As the ground on which they stood upon was compressed downward, several tens of kilometers of earth was instantly blown away, and the lava flowing under the ground erupted upwards from the deep cracks in the crust.

Whoosh!

"You're much more skilled in the use of that skill than the original user. Allforone… I never really felt the need or desire to go against that individual. However, seeing you use Allforone's skill, it feels completely different." Vimalacitra burst out into laughter and murmured to himself, 'You are definitely a friend that I acknowledge.'

[Most demons watching the battle gulp with nervousness.]

[A small number of demons rub their eyes after seeing Vimalacitra broadly smile and laugh. They are wondering if they saw something wrong.]

[Everyone has shut their mouth after feeling the shockwaves of divine power and magic power reach the location of their respective societies.]

[The godly society, <Memphis>, expresses concern about the clash between the Black King's ego and Vimalacitra.]

[The godly society, <Dilmun>, remains silent.]

[The godly society, <Avesta> remains silent.]

…

[The godly society, <Chan Sect>, is carefully examining the Black King's ego, who was once their ally.]

Even though Vimalacitra was eventually defeated by the Heavenly Demon and imprisoned in the Tower, the demons thought that if there was one being strong enough to contend against Allforone/Vivasvat, it would be Vimalacitra.

Although Allforone/Vivasvat's position as the Tower's incarnation had allowed him to monopolize the faith and belief of all those who resided within the Tower, from mortals to divine beings, many divine beings believed that Vimalacitra, who had fought in numerous battlefields and faced a seemingly uncountable number of strong foes throughout his lifetime, could overcome such limitations and defeat Allforone/Vivasvat.

As an Asura, Vimalacitra reflected a strong propensity to overcome oppression the more he received it.

Among the four Asuras in the Jie Sect, three had failed to contend against Allforone/Vivasvat. However, many felt that the last Asura was the most powerful amongst the four and had the best chance to go up against Allforone/Vivasvat.

However, Vimalacitra had never once crossed paths with Allforone/Vivasvat. In the first place, Vimalacitra never considered Allforone/Vivasvat an enemy or even a worthy opponent. His reasoning was simple. In his eyes, Allforone/Vivasvat was a being who was wholly dependent on the Tower's system, so it was difficult for Vimalacitra to regard Allforone/Vivasvat as a worthy adversary.

Although Allforone/Vivasvat did not neglect his training and created seven signature skills, in Vimalacitra's eyes, Allforone/Vivasvat was just a system-dependent being who only wanted to achieve a specific, personal interpretation of 'victory'. So, Vimalacitra felt that it was self-demeaning to point his Shizu Sword at Allforone/Vivasvat.

Furthermore, Allforone/Vivasvat was someone who did not seek out a fight unless challenged, so there was no reason for the two to cross paths. However, in Vimalacitra's eyes, Yeon-woo was completely different from Allforone/Vivasvat.

Didn't Yeon-woo rise to his current level through constant fighting? Of course, though it was true that Yeon-woo had used some shortcuts, one could not ignore the great achievements Yeon-woo had accumulated. No, on the contrary, Yeon-woo had exploited those shortcuts to become more powerful and achieve greater achievements. In the end, wasn't it Yeon-woo who ultimately overcame and destroyed the Tower, a feat that no one else was able to accomplish?

From the moment Yeon-woo toppled the Tower and defied the Black King, Vimalacitra started appreciating Yeon-woo for his greatness. Thus, Vimalacitra felt that Yeon-woo was the only being in the world fit for him to clash swords with.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Vimalacitra continued to swing his Shizu Sword without hesitation. There did not seem to be any specific skill or technique behind his attacks. On the surface, his movements seemed haphazard and rough.

Yeon-woo deflected Vimalacitra's attacks, nullified their power, and counterattacked. All the while, Yeon-woo could not help but think that Vimalacitra's attacks were not easy to deal with. 'He's ignoring the concept of flaws. How can I describe this? It's not flawless… Is it full of flaws? Or should it be regarded as a perfect solution to resolve flaws?'

All beings living in the world, regardless of if they were mortals or transcendents, all possessed a set of 'unique characteristics', or flaws. This was because no one could live fully assimilated to the natural laws of the world. However, by removing such 'unique characteristics' one by one, one would become closer to perfection, and the higher the level of one's soul, the total number of flaws one possessed would reduce.

Only when an existence no longer possessed flaws or 'unique characteristics', could the existence be said to have transcended time-space and become an emperor-level being. For Yeon-woo, the Heavenly Demon and Black King represented such beings.

But, peculiarly, Vimalacitra was exhibiting too many flaws, more than even the average mortal. Rather, to be more precise, Vimalacitra was disregarding all his flaws. Ordinary beings were bound by their flaws, so if another could exploit those flaws, the ordinary beings would easily collapse. But Vimalacitra seemed to positively react to the exploitation of his flaws and respond with ever stronger attacks.

Moreover, Vimalacitra's Shizu Sword continued swinging with complete disregard to the restraints and limitations that his flaws should have exhibited on it. Rather, the haphazard movement of Shizu Sword created an ever-increasing number of flaws. It almost seemed as though Vimalacitra, a being filled with flaws, was a singular existence that was far removed from the natural laws of the world.

The moment he saw this, Yeon-woo understood what kind of achievements and legends Vimalacitra had accumulated.

Vimalacitra was an existence outside of the framework and limitations of the world. If Vimalacitra were to be bound by something, he would break that bondage. And if he were limited by some limitation, he would break through that limitation and eventually rise above it. Therefore, Vimalaictra possessed countless flaws, but 'ignoring' such flaws became his achievement.

Such an existence had no choice but to ignore all the natural laws that applied to the world. Moreover, it would be difficult to interpret such an existence into the conventional categories of 'god', 'demon', or 'emperor'.

Thus, for this reason, Yeon-woo felt a little bit of pressure while dealing with Vimalacitra. Yeon-woo was not concerned about facing Vimalacitra. His own achievements were also based on 'fight'. He had also fought while breaking free from existing frameworks and limitations. The problem for Yeon-woo was that the battlefield was Earth.

Rumble. Rumble. Rumble… Boom! Bizarre geographical anomalies had occurred in succession. Due to their clash, terrain arose to create mountain ranges that had never previously existed, forests were forcibly flattened and brought on sudden desertification, and arid areas became wetlands from the sudden downpour of rainfall.

Currently, the continent of South America had been split into dozens of separate pieces and had scattered into different directions. The sky gradually turned red as it was covered with gas and dust from the South American continent. In addition, the mantle underneath was starting to flow in a chaotic manner. If things continued like this, the Earth would inevitably crumble upon itself.

Fortunately, Yeon-woo absorbed the majority of the shockwaves from Vimalacitra's attacks by pulling them into his 'dream', or he occasionally utilized his divine power to activate a 'cleaning effect' to nullify Vimalacitra's attacks altogether. Thus, Yeon-woo had limited the impact of Vimalacitra's attacks. Still, even these efforts could not prevent the changes to the Earth's natural geography.

Vimalacitra only saw the Earth as a battlefield to fight Yeon-woo, so he had no consideration for earthlings or any other living being. Vimalacitra probably never even considered this as something to think about. He was singularly focused on fighting and enjoying his battle against Yeon-woo.

Because of this, just like when he fought the other magic region rulers, Yeon-woo wanted to move the battle into his illusory world. Whoosh! Yeon-woo's shadow moved. Dozens of dark shadows rose from the ground and tried to embrace Vimalacitra.

Slice! However, each time the shadows approached Vimalacitra, the shadows were cut down by the Shizu Sword. Yeon-woo's illusory world was destroyed before it could even be built, and since the illusory world could not be created in the first place, Yeon-woo could not imprison Vimalacitra.

"I'm sorry, but I want to clash with you with the full utilization of my powers. It's no fun if I have to wield my sword while locked up in a confined place, right?"

Yeon-woo frowned at Vimalacitra's response. The way Vimalacitra smiled and spoke, Vimalacitra seemed quite happy to see Yeon-woo squirming and feeling uncomfortable. Vimalacitra's response further illustrated how he considered this clash with Yeon-woo as a mere act of entertainment, a fun 'play'. The problem for Yeon-woo was that the sword clashes that had occurred so far were nothing more than light swordplay.

[All gods watch the battle between the two beings with bated breath.]

[All demons are filled with fear, yet they show a strong sense of curiosity about who will be the victor and loser of the fight.]

The fight between Yeon-woo and Vimalacitra was at such a high, shocking power level that the transcendents were left virtually speechless. Of course, the impact was even greater for earthlings.

At that moment… Whoosh! The aura flowing around Vimalacitra suddenly changed.

"It seems we've spent enough time greeting each other, so we should start in earnest now, right?" Vimalacitra's smile widened.

[The demonic society, <Jie Sect> realizes what Vimalacitra is preparing for and is in an uproar!]

[The demonic society, <Niflheim> strongly warns you to be careful!]

…

Magic power became tightly woven and condensed around Shizu Sword's blade. It appeared as if all the world's existing magic power was being pulled and compressed tightly around Vimalacitra's blade.

The power and aura emanating from Shizu Sword made one's soul tremble just from looking at it, and it seemed to invite the onlooker to become absorbed into the sword's condensed magic.

<Black Gubitara>

Yeon-woo instantly recognized that it was the final version of the power that Vimalacitra had bestowed upon him. If left alone, even if Yeon-woo were to absorb the resulting shockwave in his 'dream', the attack would blow away the solar system, let alone Earth.

<Black Gubitara>

Yeon-woo confronted the attack with his own Black Gubitara. His Black Gubitara was created by reinterpreting and deconstructing his 'dream', just as Yeon-woo had done with Allforone/Vivasvat's Shukuchi.

Boom! Boom! Boom! When the two huge storms of divine power were released, interlocked, clashed, and distorted, affecting the surrounding Earth's terrain at random… Yeon-woo focused his cognitive domain and quickly looked for something. He recalled the conversation he had with Sesha before coming here.

Vimalacitra's magic region is different from the other magic regions.

In what way?

The other magic regions had their ecosystems completely changed so that humans could not access the region, but in Vimalacitra's region, Vimalacitra just reigned over a designated area.

What does that mean?

Vimalacitra unconditionally drew his sword against those who opposed him. This was the reason why all the armies in South America perished. However, he allowed those who put their faith in him to live within his magic region. Moreover, unlike the other magic regions, there was no monster wave in South America. In fact, Vimalacitra protected those in his magic region…

Then, why was the area considered a magic region?

Because an Untouchable resided in the area. The Association was also unable to deploy any forces in the region…

Hmm…

What is it?

Vimalacitra's behavior and actions are inconsistent with what I know and have experienced.

As far as Yeon-woo could recall, Vimalacitra had no concept of protecting or governing anyone. Though Vimalacitra had the title of Asura King, it was not because he ruled over the race called Asura, but because he reigned as their apex existence. Vimalacitra was an existence that was never bound by anything or anyone.

Like a wrecking ball, Vimalacitra crushed whatever existence he bumped into and brought chaos to whatever was in order. Vimalacitra's Association with the Jie Sect had simply been out of necessity. He was never forced to join. Thus, when he left the Jie Sect, no one could apply any sanctions against him.

For such an existence to not leave the continent and oversee the continued existence of a magic region… This should never have happened.

'Is there someone else behind all this? Is he being influenced?'

I'm not entirely sure, but I heard that a girl, a child, is sticking around next to Vimalacitra.

A girl? A child?

Yes. It seems that he's trying to protect her… Among the eyewitnesses who escaped from South America, there seems to be a rumor that Vimalacitra is choosing not to leave South America because of that child.

Yeon-woo had no idea why Vimalacitra was paying so much attention to a human girl. If what he heard was true, Yeon-woo could not ignore this critical piece of information. Thus…

「Yay! Master, I found her!」

Among the shadows that Yeon-woo scattered all over the place, Yeon-woo stretched his hand in the direction where Laplace had sent his message.

A small girl was hiding quietly within a barrier. The girl's shadow squirmed before rising high into the air. Laplace maniacally laughed from within the girl's shadow.