Ranker Who Lives Twice
chapter-738

At that moment… Bam! Fine particles swirled around Yeon-woo before he absorbed them. At the same time, a burst of light flashed. Flash!

[There are many saved clips. Would you like to play the clips?]

[You have selected to play the clips.]

[Loading the saved clips in sequence.]

[Loading…]

[Clips are being played.]

***

'This place is…?' Having been thrown into an unfamiliar place, Yeon-woo looked around his surroundings. He was in Olympus' great holy territory, the supreme god's quarters. Although it was a familiar place for Yeon-woo, it somehow felt unfamiliar at the same time. Apparently, the quarters had drastically changed over the years.

『Your mother must have gathered her divine powers to leave behind various thought vestiges. This place seems to be the Olympus of about 7,000 or 8,000 years ago. I think it was around this time when I was imprisoned in Tartarus…and when Olympus was imprisoned within the Tower.』 Appearing out of nowhere, Kronos looked around at the surroundings and spoke.

Yeon-woo flinched and turned towards Kronos. '…Father.'

『What? Is something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?』 Kronos pretended to be indifferent and raised his chin high while speaking calmly. However, no matter how much he tried to hide the fact, Yeon-woo could see that Kronos' eyes were already burning red from overwhelming emotion.

'Do you know that your nose is running?'

『What? Ahem!』

'Just kidding. How could a transformation robot have a runny nose?'

『This bastard… Wait, what? Transformation robot?』

'You often separate and then merge with me, right? You can transform at will. You're the type of toy that little kids would love to have.'

『…』Kronos momentarily struggled as to whether he should slap his son's head. He understood that Yeon-woo was trying to lighten the atmosphere, but Kronos could not help but feel that he was being made fun of.

Seeing Yeon-woo with a brazen expression on his face, which seemed to ask 'What, is something wrong?', Kronos felt thoroughly exasperated. For a moment, Kronos felt that his prestige and loftiness as a father kept dropping.

Should he do something about this? After having these thoughts fly past his mind, Kronos shook his head. He knew that any effort to get even on his part would fall short. Wouldn't it only be his loss if, after unity, Yeon-woo stuck him in an awkward place like last time?

'Father.'

『What?』

'Look over there.'

Kronos looked in the direction that Yeon-woo indicated with a wary expression, thinking that Yeon-woo was not done making fun of him. However, Kronos soon became startled.

In the corner that led to a connecting room, Rhea was sitting in a chair. She had the same appearance as the remains that Yeon-woo had just absorbed. It was Rhea during the days of her reign as Olympus' supreme god. She was silently painting with a brush on a large canvas.

'…'

『…』

While looking at the picture, Yeon-woo and Kronos were left speechless. Rhea was painting one of the many paintings that hung on the walls within the Quirinale treasury. She was painting a scene where Kronos and Rhea were having a sincere, loving conversation with their six children. The overall tone was bright, and the faces of the characters all had smiles on them. The happiness exuding from the painting seemed so real that Yeon-woo and Kronos could almost feel it.

However, while painting this scene, Rhea had a downtrodden expression. Yeon-woo could read the deep sense of sadness embedded in her expression.

The room was filled with other paintings, which were scattered all over the place alongside sculptures. All of them were items in the Quirinale treasury. They all depicted scenes of peace and happiness.

As if she needed to complete the painting, Rhea focused her gaze on the canvas. Her brushstrokes were full of power, and many small wounds could be seen on her fingertips. Furthermore, the more brushstrokes that Rhea made, the more Kronos' face became distorted.

『Rhea…why are you…』Kronos' voice trembled. With his lips constantly parted, Kronos had wanted to call out to Rhea multiple times. However, this scene was just a stored thought, an illusion. Rhea did not see them. No matter how much one shouted, one's cry would never reach Rhea's ears.

'Someone is coming.'

『Who?』

'Probably…' Yeon-woo turned his head towards Rhea's room door, which opened with a loud bang.

Zeus glared at Rhea with a face full of anger. "Mother!"

Even though her son had entered her room without permission, Rhea did not give him a single glance. She treated Zeus as if he was an invisible being.

"Mother! What the hell is all this?!" Zeus, apparently dissatisfied with Rhea's actions and appearance, slammed his fist against the wall. Rumble. Rumble. A thunderbolt had shot out from the tip of his fist and streaked throughout the room, smashing and tearing all the statues and paintings. None were left intact.

『That bastard…!』Kronos felt outraged. With a burning red face, Kronos rushed to stop Zeus, but, of course, his fingertips passed through Zeus. Kronos clenched his jaw.

Contrary to his father, Yeon-woo just silently stared at Zeus. Though Yeon-woo understood that he was observing a clip of a past event, a sense of annoyance rose in his chest. However, he forcibly suppressed his anger to focus and watch the clip until the end.

Rhea seemed all too familiar with this kind of scene. She just stared at the ruined works with a calm expression. When the cloud of dust kicked up by Zeus action's slowly settled down, Rhea's gaze turned to the floor before going to Zeus. Her actions made Zeus even more furious.

"My words! Can't you hear the words of the new king? How many times have I told you to stop doing these silly things?!"

"You said it many times." Rhea spoke in a low voice. However, her words clearly rang out.

Yeon-woo felt that his mother's voice seemed familiar yet unfamiliar. In his memory, his mother's voice had always been full of warmth and love. However, Yeon-woo could not sense any of those comforting feelings in her current tone of voice. His mother's voice was clear yet empty.

"Then why are you continuing to do these stupid things?! It's all over!"

"Right. It's over."

"Then why…!"

"Since it's over, isn't it okay?"

"What?" Zeus widened his eyes. It appeared he was going to meet a divine punishment at any moment.

However, Rhea continued speaking in an indifferent tone. "I saved you."

"What…!"

"But that didn't mean that I wanted you to kill your father."

"…!" Zeus gritted his teeth. After dragging his father down from the throne, Zeus had crowned himself the new king. Due to Kronos' tyranny, Zeus' actions were largely seen as justified, but there were still many beings who doubted his qualities and qualifications. "What if I didn't kill him? Do you think Olympus would naturally fall back into order without chasing him out?"

"I know. That's why I also abdicated my position so that you could rise to the throne."

"I-I…!"

"What I was hoping for was just…!" While saying something, Rhea stopped speaking and sighed. Her dignified appearance was nowhere to be seen. In its place was a sense of bitterness so deep-seated that it seemed to have brewed and developed over several decades but, in reality, had appeared overnight. "…Forget it. All of this is my fault. I should have taken better care of my ill husband and looked over my children. However, Zeus, my dear youngest son, will you please grant me my last wish? How many times have I told you that I'll not disturb you and that I'll live a quiet life? Do you really need to interfere with your mother's life to this extent?"

"…" Zeus could not offer a reply after hearing Rhea's earnest request. In fact, he still did not understand why his mother, Rhea, missed Kronos so much.

Did Kronos not confine his own children into the emptiness, provoke instability, and ultimately drive a nail through his wife's heart? Although some still viewed Kronos as a great being, continuing to refer to him as the King of Gods, there were many more beings who had suffered under Kronos' hands.

Even so, Rhea still missed Kronos and forcibly conjured a happy everyday family life, which never existed. His mother, who was living in a fantasy world of her own making, made Zeus feel disgusted.

Zeus grew up without the warmth or love of his parents. Thus, he always longed for his parent's love and believed that, after saving his mother from a 'crisis', he would be showered with overflowing appreciation and love from his mother. But that belief was shattered. Although his mother was physically present in front of him, she was trapped in the past. Therefore, Zeus could not help but feel a sense of anger, sadness, and annoyance.

However, Zeus had always lived a life of twists and turns, so he did not know how to share his feelings. The only feeling he knew how to express was anger. Feeling an increasing sense of frustration, Zeus eventually got angry. Bam! Unable to control his rising rage, Zeus left the room in a huff.

"How can he act so childish even after living so many years… Ah! Mother, are you okay?" Coming after hearing the commotion, Hades cautiously entered Rhea's room.

Rhea gave a bitter smile and shook her head. "I'm not injured, so don't worry."

"…Zeus is not a bad-natured being. He's just acting out because not everything is going according to his plan. He's just acting out like an immature child. What's more, recently… Have you heard about his recent defeat to the Heavenly Demon?" Hades smiled bitterly. "Because of that, it has been a bit noisy around here. Moreover, it seems we've been imprisoned within this Tower or whatever, so everyone is on the verge of losing their minds. Everything has also become quite sensitive…"

"The outer world is now your responsibility. You guys need to figure it out."

"…Yes, mother." Hades could not continue speaking. He did not state that Rhea's youngest son had fallen very sick.

Zeus was suffering from something called the Heavenly Demon disease, and because of that, Zeus' foundation was in danger of imploding. Luckily, with Poseidon and Hades beside him, Zeus was managing to hold out, but it would not be strange if Zeus collapsed at any moment. They needed their mother's help.

But if Hades said these words to Rhea now, she probably would not be able to hear anything. Even if she heard the words, they would not register. His words would be falling on deaf ears. A person who was so deeply suffering and grieving could only escape that suffering and grief through their own accord.

『…Ugh.』Watching the unfolding scene as a third-person observer, Kronos could not help but feel his heart wrench. Observing their interactions, Kronos began to understand the pain that each of his children and his wife carried within them.

"Anyway, what about what I asked you for?"

"I… I have it here." Hades quietly pulled a pile of parchment and handed it over to Rhea.

While scrutinizing the documents, Rhea's eyes continued to flutter. "From Tartarus to Erebus, everything was meticulously traversed and analyzed. As mother expected, the site where the Tower was embedded was originally the site of the swamp of darkness…"

"Then, this place is……"

"Yes. It's an installation to stop the Heavenly Demon's 'wheel' and the Black King's 'wheel'. It seems that all the gods and demons, including the gods of Olympus, were imprisoned within this installation to add weight to the Ruyi Bang to prevent the swamp of darkness from rising."

While sculpting and painting, Rhea was secretly conducting an investigation into the origin of the Tower through Hades. Because Tartarus and Erebus, Hades' holy territories, were in the lower world and not the heavenly world, it was comparatively easier for Hades to research these things. Since Allforone had yet to accomplish the Great Divide during that time, it was fairly easy for Hades to move up and down the Tower's floors.

"Does mother…still think that father will come back here someday?" While looking at Rhea, who was still carefully perusing the parchment documents, Hades carefully asked a question.

Rhea nodded without even raising her head. "Yes."

"But…"

"You're going to say that your father is dead?"

"…the Titans also know this to be a fact. That's why they're up in arms."

"To be precise, your father is in a state of 'stop'."

"Is that different from death?"

"It's different." Rhea spoke in a direct manner. "Darkness attracts darkness. No matter how far away it is separated, it will eventually come together. Your father may be orbiting one side of the universe somewhere… Still, he has no choice but to come back to this place. We must find out exactly when and where he'll return. Additionally, you have to prepare yourself for his return."

Rhea slowly raised her head. "That is…" Though she was speaking with firm, narrowed eyes, Hades could not help but feel that his mother was in a weak, precarious state of being. "…the only way to counteract our family's current misfortunes and the misfortunes that will inevitably occur to us in the future."