Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 289

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Broken Ranker

Devours Myths

Chapter 289

Shedding Skin (6)

Energy Drain.

When Lee Hyeon first devised this strategy, he had pondered two facts.

―Would it really be okay to absorb pure Outer Sea magic power?

―Wouldn’t the divine power of the Underworld Deities contaminate my soul?

He had already experienced absorbing Outer Sea magic power when facing the ‘Left Hand’ of the existence that had devoured the Jade Emperor.

But back then, there had been a separate filtering device to absorb the thoughts of various gods including the Jade Emperor,

whereas this time he truly intended to absorb the divine power of the Underworld Deities in its pure form, so he had worried whether he could do it well.

However,

「Kekekek! What are you so worried about?」

Sha Wujing dismissed Lee Hyeon’s concerns as if they were nothing.

“Will it be okay?”

「You know what, Chosen One?」

“…?”

「You are currently in a state full of mysteries even to us brothers.」

“…!?”

「The inexplicable nature you’ve begun to possess at some point. Whether there’s truly a limit to it is the question we’ve recently started having.」

“What do you mean by that? The inexplicable is ultimately just….”

「I know. It’s merely a small attribute derived from dokkaebi tradition.」

“Then why…?”

「Aren’t you curious too, Chosen One? Why that ■■ back then… The filtering kicks in again. Anyway, why that existence took interest in you.」

Sha Wujing seemed to have already caught a glimpse of what the ‘Left Hand’s’ true identity was.

“I don’t know.”

「I think it’s probably because they liked the characteristic of dokkaebi tradition that loves making friends so much.」

“Ah.”

「Come to think of it, you blended in with us so well from the moment we first met. Even when we met as enemies, you always opened your heart and became friends, and now we’ve become brothers.」

Lee Hyeon scratched his cheek with an embarrassed expression.

Sha Wujing burst into laughter.

「Kekekek! Would the Outer Sea be any different, that’s the first reason, and the inexplicable nature is the second reason.」

“….”

「The inexplicable is, when you think about it, an undefined narrative. Like an incomplete manuscript that can never be finished. It’s the unknown and mysterious.」

Sha Wujing curled up the corners of his mouth.

「I think such a thing drew the interest of those Outer Sea beings who lack proper karma and narrative. They always want to peer inside this world.」

Like readers wanting to read a book. Sha Wujing added those words as he continued.

「So naturally, absorbing the Underworld Deities who have no narrative won’t be difficult either. Your narrative is still being written by you, so what’s the problem?」

“….”

「If it becomes a problem, you can just write it and then erase it. I’ll lend you that eraser.」

Lee Hyeon could finally feel at ease with those words.

“Understood. I’ll give it a try.”

Thus, the second trap was prepared.

When Moon Su-chan had acted as bait to lure them into the canyon, he had secretly hidden Ruyi Jingu Bang among some of the ones who died trapped in the encirclement.

The Prophet, who needed a vessel, absorbed them without knowing this.

Thanks to that, he had voluntarily become stuck full of Ruyi Jingu Bang in both soul and body.

And….

* * *

Kwadrrrrrk!!

The terrible sound of joints being forcibly twisted in all directions.

The balance of the body that had been barely held together by force was collapsing again.

“Kruuuuk!”

[You are absorbing Outer Sea divine power at a fierce rate!]

[You have comprehended the Outer Sea attributes possessed by the Underworld Deities.]

[You have become able to gradually read the broken narratives of the Underworld Deities.]

…

[As the body’s collapse accelerates, the time limit for the emergency event decreases proportionally.]

[Time limit: 2 minutes 33 seconds.]

Ding!

Ding!

In the midst of the endlessly pouring messages,

the creature seemed to be barely managing to press down on blood vessels that were swelling as if they would burst at any moment.

“What the hell… did you do…!!”

“If it’s a strategy that can only be used once anyway, I thought it would be better to use it as quickly as possible.”

Lee Hyeon smiled coldly while still wearing Perseus’s mask.

“Do not worry, Prophet. The divine power you leave behind will be well purified and put to good use for ‘Father’s’ resurrection.”

The archaic speech pattern of an ancient hero, as if he had truly become Perseus.

Moon Su-chan was amazed by Lee Hyeon’s deception and scheming that was as natural as breathing, but he matched the act without showing it as much as possible.

“What are you talking about? You promised to give me the divine power left over from the sacrifice?”

“Ah, of course it must also be used to strengthen the stigmata. You are now a proper comrade of ours.”

“…You bastards!!”

The Prophet’s eyes blazed with fury.

If he had thought calmly for just a moment, there were several circumstances that could have made him notice something strange,

but for the Prophet, who was about to lose all the magic power he had painstakingly gathered while wandering the Nine Heavens, it was like hearing something snap in his head.

“Do you think you bastards can properly use the power of our god just because you take it…!”

“That’s not for the likes of you to know.”

“…!”

“Now I’d like you to hand over that head of yours too.”

Flinch!

The Prophet hesitated for just a moment.

Should he run away from here?

Or should he kill them here even if it meant overexerting himself?

Whoosh—

Then, as Lee Hyeon launched his body toward him, he quickly made his decision.

‘I’ll kill them!!’

He didn’t know what method they were using to drain his magic power,

but he had the intuition that no matter how far he ran, he wouldn’t be able to escape from the trap.

But if he could switch to Lee Hyeon in front of him as a vessel and even recover the stigmata, he could somehow block this Energy Drain!

Kwaang!!

As Lee Hyeon’s curved sword Harpe and his fist collided violently, white lightning shot up to the sky,

Gooooo—

“How dare you… I’ll fix that very thought of trying to do something to me.”

The Prophet’s eyes gleamed sharply.

Flash!!

[Summoning the madness of the Outer Sea causes your soul to fall into a trance state!]

[Energy Drain speed increases, shortening the time limit once again.]

[00:01:49]

[00:01:48]

…

Despite the time limit suddenly dropping to the 1-minute range, the Prophet showed no signs of concern whatsoever.

“Do you know who I am? Unlike you who are corrupted by peace, I am one who has crossed the ■■ and traversed the Outer Sea to ■■■■ the ■■■■■. You who are nothing more than dolls cannot ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■…!!”

Kwaaaaang!!

Shwaaaek-

Lee Hyeon wanted to listen more since he felt he might learn secrets about the Outer Sea, but the Prophet gave him no such opportunity.

Sweeping Fist Strikes. The deadly aura that had been spreading became a storm.

Kwakwakwakwa-

Lee Hyeon clashed head-on with the offensive.

‘Definitely… not easy!!’

Even though his overall abilities had greatly increased from achieving the 3rd Awakening, it wasn’t easy to unleash his full power without activating the Thunder Breath of the Heavenly Dokkaebi.

His opponent was a formidable enemy where victory would be difficult to guarantee even if he gave his all.

Paaaaat-

Even if Moon Su-chan stepped forward to help, it wouldn’t be easy to completely endure the remaining time.

The Prophet would try to crush him with overwhelming power in his own way.

‘What should I do…!’

「Kekek! Why think so hard about it, Chosen One?」

Just then, Sha Wujing suddenly poked his head out above Lee Hyeon and laughed cheerfully.

「Don’t you have advantages that others lack, Chosen One? If not, I could help you out?」

‘Advantages…? Ah!’

Lee Hyeon belatedly remembered something and twisted his lips into a grin.

‘Thank you for the offer, but I think I need to handle my own affairs.’

「Kekekkekek! As expected! I knew the Chosen One would say that!」

Even if Sha Wujing protected his side, ultimately it was his own power that would accumulate karma.

Suddenly, Lee Hyeon’s eyes blazed with fire as he faced the Fist Strikes.

Brilliant white electric light.

“…!?”

The Prophet felt an ominous feeling for a moment and tried to restrain Lee Hyeon, but Lee Hyeon was already reacting quickly before he could.

He rapidly converted the absorbed Divine Power of the Outer Sea into Lightning Power and slammed it directly into his nervous system.

From sensory nerves to motor nerves. Lee Hyeon momentarily experienced a transcendent sensation as if his body was floating, along with flashing lights before his eyes.

‘This is…!’

A sensation as if he had stepped into a gap in a moment sliced into differential units of time.

Or it felt like physically embodying the accelerated thinking he had been speeding up all along.

He achieved temporary ability enhancement by trapping the lightning that was trying to escape his body within himself.

And,

This momentary change also led to a reinterpretation of his Divine Authority.

[‘Divine Authority: Three Steps of Pātāla’ has been activated. Taking the first step.]

[The Divine Authority’s effects have been partially modified.]

[The absorbed magic power of the Outer Sea has added partial modifications to the narrative inscribed in the Divine Authority. The narrative of the Heavenly Dokkaebi partially mixes in.]

[Mahabali looks at you with slightly surprised eyes!]

Kwaaaaang!

The Fist Strike that the Prophet swung with all his might was blocked by Harpe.

Despite having destructive power similar to what had blown away the entire cliff just moments before.

Instantly, the Prophet’s eyelid twitched.

The appearance of being pushed back by his offensive just moments ago had disappeared, and suddenly he was displaying power rivaling his own head-on.

The Prophet thought it must be coincidence and unleashed 2nd and 3rd waves of fist winds,

Kwakwakwakwakwa!

But each time the fist winds were intercepted midway and scattered in all directions along with white lightning.

[Taking the second step. Lightning Power brings your senses to their peak.]

[Taking the third step. Maximally amplifying the destructive power of your attacks.]

Kururururung-

A typhoon swirled, and lightning struck.

Moon Su-chan found no opening to jump into that deadly battlefield at some point. The same went for Oh Su-heon’s group and the Dungeon giants.

Lee Hyeon had now reached a level beyond nervous system elevation to what could be called ecstasy or samadhi.

A situation where he displayed extreme concentration, making only himself and his opponent visible in this world.

No, more precisely, he infinitely expanded his ‘self’ outward so that everything appeared as an extension of his ego.

[‘Trait: Tujuan Style’ is being automatically applied!]

[You are realizing enlightenment about secret techniques.]

[You have gained deeper enlightenment about mental intention.]

[You have gained deeper mastery of martial arts.]

…

[You have found a clue about your own martial theory.]

[Congratulations! You have achieved mastery of ‘Secret Technique: Evil Instant Kill’. You can now imbue Evil Instant Kill with mental intention.]

Though he was completely unaware of it himself, Lee Hyeon had been in a state where he couldn’t achieve complete unity with the separated demonic senses.

Due to human physical limitations, unless he intentionally opened his demonic senses, he could never see the world from a demon’s perspective.

But now he had achieved complete assimilation with the myth of 【Journey to the West】 through his 3rd Awakening,

And with the added blessing of 【Sipjeon City】, his demonic senses reached their peak.

Moreover, by meeting various types of demons and inhuman beings in the 【Nest】,

And by meeting Moon Su-chan and Tiamat, he had also grasped the realm of inhuman beings beyond demons.

The narrative of dragons and tigers fighting. There were also effects from dragon blood and six souls.

So,

Under the constraint of not being able to properly activate his Divine Authority, achieving unity with demonic senses allowed all the potential he had accumulated to fuse…

[‘Demonic Senses’ and ‘Attribute: Mysterious’ have fused.]

[Demonic Senses break free from their existing limitations and establish themselves in a new form.]

[Congratulations! You have realized ‘Inhuman Senses’.]

—Inhuman Senses.

This naturally became the foundation for deeper understanding of Tujuan Style.

He finally awakened to the intention contained in Evil Instant Kill, which he had only learned the form of until now.

And the result,

Was immediately revealed.

‘Evil Instant Kill.’

Chwaaaaaaaak!!

“…!!!”

The pure white trajectory that tore through all the miasma of the Outer Sea in an instant blew away the Prophet’s left arm.

Shocked gazes followed Lee Hyeon’s movements,

Flash!

The Evil-Severing Strike that Lee Hyeon unleashed again this time aimed for the Prophet’s right arm.

The Prophet, as if unwilling to lose, swung his right hand with all his might. Whirlpools of the Outer Sea were densely gathered in his palm.

But just before the two attacks could collide,

[00:00:01]

[00:00:00]

[The time limit has completely ended.]

[You have successfully completed the ‘Emergency Event: Prophet’s Rampage’. The Prophet’s possession has been canceled.]

[As a reward, your access authority to the Outer Sea has increased by one level. From now on, slightly less filtering will be applied.]

Crumble—

The Prophet’s right hand suddenly began to crumble. The Evil-Severing Strike swept through empty air.

“…Damn it.”

The Prophet spat out curses with his half-crumbled face. But his voice was solemn.

“You… what is your real name? Having pushed me this far, I cannot help but acknowledge you as a warrior.”

An attitude that acknowledged Lee Hyeon as his equal opponent.

The Prophet was a proud warrior who knew honor before being a priest who followed the Underworld Deities.

Beneath the plaster mask, Lee Hyeon’s eyes flickered coldly.

“Nimiengsang.”

“Nimiengsang…. What an unusual name. Nimiengsang, Nimiengsang. I’ll remember it. I am the 36th Prophet of the Church and Captain of the Imperial Knight Order of the ■■■■ Empire, Aeldari. When we meet next time, let’s properly compete to determine the victor.”

With those words, the Prophet completely turned to dust and disappeared. With the possession ended, he had returned to the Nine Heavens.

“…Phew.”

Only then could Lee Hyeon finally catch his breath as he removed his mask.

His nervous system was so overheated that if he had dragged it out just a little longer, the aftereffects would have been tremendous.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I really thought I was going to die. I’ll have to be more careful next time.”

But Moon Su-chan’s gaze as he supported Lee Hyeon looked quite suspicious.

A face that seemed to have much to say.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“That name you gave earlier, it means ‘your face,’ doesn’t it?”

Grin!

Lee Hyeon smiled silently,

“…Crazy bastard.”

Moon Su-chan let out a sigh.

What on earth had happened while he was away? It didn’t seem like he was this bad originally….

It was truly incomprehensible.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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