Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 300

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

The Broken Ranker

Devours Myths

Chapter 300

Blood Pact (10)

Similar scenes to what had unfolded at the center of the grape farm were happening everywhere.

“Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?”

“…Z-Team? How can you possibly be here?”

Zarya’s 1st Squad was attempting to escape to avoid being caught up in an explosion larger than expected, when they encountered an unexpected uninvited guest.

Right in the middle of the path they had secured as their escape route.

A man was standing there.

Though it was hard to make out his appearance since he wore a combat suit with a mask covering half his face,

his eyes alone gleamed ominously with a golden light.

Golden Eye.

The squad leader recalled Cheongroe’s sub-leader who was supposedly killed in action during the Gangneung incident four years ago, then shook his head.

Dead people don’t come back to life.

“Why? By now your comrades lurking outside should have subdued us, but they haven’t, right?”

When the man asked that question, the squad leader’s expression hardened.

The fact that the opponent knew about their operation meant only one thing.

“Everyone prepare for combat…!”

“It would be better if you didn’t move from there.”

The squad leader tried to immediately prepare for engagement upon realizing that everything from capturing Jet onwards had gone wrong,

but his expression stiffened when he saw the countless red laser dots that had somehow appeared on their foreheads and cheeks.

‘When did they…!’

Snipers had been lying in wait all around their escape route, aiming their guns at them.

The squad members who had been about to activate their Ascensions also froze stiffly and looked at their squad leader.

“…Your team has fewer than five members, and Spear Watch isn’t in a position to respond this systematically. Which means,”

The squad leader glared at Moon Su-chan, who was smiling leisurely.

“Astra? Or UN forces?”

“Pretty sharp, aren’t you? As expected of someone Oleg Perunov considers his right-hand man, your head works well.”

“I hadn’t heard that Astra had already entered South Africa… Which means you were already here before us… Don’t tell me…!”

“That’s enough speculation. I won’t waste words. Put down your weapons and surrender. If you do, I’ll guarantee your safety.”

“…And if we refuse?”

“You die.”

The man drew a dagger from his belt and pointed it at them.

At that moment,

Whoooosh!

[The myth ‘Primordial Sea’ opens its eyes!]

[Dragonic Pressure crushes everything around!]

“…!!”

The squad leader unconsciously stepped back in surprise.

Behind the man, with the illusion of a massive dragon opening its eyes,

the air grew hot as an invisible hand gripped their lungs tightly.

Dragon killing intent.

A power commonly obtained by becoming a dragon’s apostle or a related apostle.

But it was far more murderous and vicious than what the squad leader had understood before.

‘Tiamat…!!’

The squad leader belatedly realized whose apostle his opponent was and screamed internally.

‘From the 【Nest】… Tiamat has chosen an apostle…! This must be reported to headquarters…!’

【Primordial Dragon Tiamat’s Nest】 was like humanity’s terror, never knowing when a break might occur.

Moreover, the beings that occasionally emerged from there were famous for greatly despising humanity. Rabu was a prime example.

But the master of such a place had taken an apostle?

This was classified information that should be treated as top priority.

The squad leader hesitated for just a moment.

Setting aside whether they could break through Astra’s sniper encirclement and escape, it seemed even harder to get past the High Ranker in front of them.

“…Squad Leader.”

“Everyone put down your weapons. We surrender here.”

“But…!”

“The fact that Astra has approached this far means they’re reading our every move. It’ll be the same for the other squads.”

“…”

“So put down your weapons.”

When the squad leader first put down his gun and weapons on the ground, the other agents bit their lips and lowered their stance.

It was Zarya’s defeat.

The man, Moon Su-chan, only let out a light sigh and sheathed his dagger after confirming everyone had put down their weapons.

Hiss.

“This is Tempest. Mission clear. I repeat. This is Tempest. Mission…”

His voice spread to other team members through the radio item.

Soon similar reports arrived one after another.

* * *

Lightning bolts scattered in all directions, having lost their master.

At the center of that destructive scene,

Oleg Perunov looked at his severed right arm.

Top Ranker.

Perun’s axe, which had symbolized him as one of the top ranks even among the 9000s, had been cut off along with his shoulder.

“Pahaha! Pahahahahaha!”

But Oleg burst into loud laughter.

Laughter filled with madness.

“You devoured my myth? And a Divine Authority at that? A mere Ranker?”

But there was a subtle tremor mixed within it.

Shock, rage, and unfamiliar fear.

Lee Hyeon didn’t answer.

The Noeya-cha manifested behind him simply opened its hideous maw and devoured the remaining lightning energy.

Lee Hyeon spoke dryly.

“Pretty bland for a 9000. Your lightning doesn’t taste as good as I thought.”

“Taste, taste!!”

[Cheon Do-ggaebi’s epic laughs wickedly as it devours lightning energy!]

[Gingoa and Noeancheongjeong analyze the mythic essence forcibly absorbed through ‘Sacred Relic: Yeo-ui Swae’.]

[The inhuman karma settled in body and soul absorbs all the mythic essence that completed analysis.]

Yeo-ui Swae’s Energy Drain, Gingoa’s interpretation, Noeancheongjeong’s intuition, and inhuman nature.

All these traits combined to grant a unique quality to Cheon Do-ggaebi’s epic.

Predation.

And digestion.

What Lee Hyeon had previously absorbed by purifying divine power as much as possible, now Noeya-cha could tear apart and devour myths.

As a result,

[Cheon Do-ggaebi’s narrative has succeeded in stealing ‘Divine Authority: Perun’s Axe.’]

[The corresponding authority has been granted to ‘Martial Art: True Dharma Drum,’ greatly enhancing axe-handling skills.]

…

[Congratulations! You have achieved a remarkable Achievement.]

[Your rank has increased.]

Having accomplished the utterly absurd Achievement of stealing divine authority.

At Lee Hyeon’s nonchalant attitude, Oleg’s eyes rolled back halfway. Madness consumed the corners of his eyes.

“How insolent! Fine, then try taking another lightning bolt!!”

[Perun is furious about his stolen myth.]

Oleg forcibly squeezed out what little true power remained. Lightning that burned even his life force erupted once more.

Lee Hyeon clenched his teeth tightly. Though the metallic smell of blood swirled around his lips, he forced himself to swallow it.

In truth, though he didn’t show it outwardly, he too had reached his limit.

The Evil Slash he had unleashed moments ago was his final move.

Even if lightning energy remained, his stamina could not keep up.

[Fatigue: 93]

If he continued fighting here, he would be at a disadvantage instead.

‘It should be time now…!’

Just as Lee Hyeon gripped his axe again, thinking to endure a bit longer,

Whoooosh!

Suddenly, a cold and alien energy completely different from the high temperature created by the two lightning bolts intervened.

‘They’re here!’

Despite the grape farm being completely destroyed by the explosion, the sickeningly sweet fragrance of wine suddenly spread.

The air began to ferment.

Purple madness that made one’s mind hazy just by contact.

[The myth ‘Vineyard That Calls Madness’ seeks to dominate the battlefield!]

In an instant, Oleg’s complexion hardened stiffly.

“This divine presence… surely not!!”

“Such a beautiful vineyard scene fills this place. What a waste, such a waste. How can you ruin this scenery with the acrid smell of gunpowder?”

Between the two people about to clash, grape vines suddenly burst through the ground, tangling with each other before erecting a tall pole.

Thud!

A man lightly stepped onto it.

Wearing a purple robe that symbolized gods and emperors in ancient times, holding a golden cup in one hand.

The plaster mask on his face created an eerie atmosphere as if performing theater on stage,

Yet displayed the dignity and majestic divine presence as if a god from 【Olympus】 above had directly descended to this earth.

“Dionysus… how are you here…?”

One of the two leaders commanding Zeus’s sons, and the chairman who presided over meetings.

He had arrived at this very place.

The moment when the fiercely raging battlefield faced a new phase.

“Originally, gods are beings who point the way to answer human calls. When there are calls seeking gods, I can appear anywhere, so where in this world could there be a place this body cannot go?”

Dionysus answered Oleg’s question with exaggerated gestures and speech.

It was hard to think of as belonging to a modern person living in this era.

“This place, far south from Greece. When I heard that our brother was gravely injured in this place where our blessings have not yet fully reached, how my heart was torn and pained.”

“…”

“Therefore, I came to this place personally. If I, who barely revived from death, do not personally save my brothers, who could save them?”

Dionysus’s eyes within the plaster mask curved greatly.

“So I arrived at this land to understand the exact situation, and hearing there was a commotion, I rushed here with hope in my heart.”

The explanation was long, but the reason was ultimately simple and clear.

Because it was noisy.

He rushed over wondering if it might be related to their affairs.

Creak!

Having run on the front lines for so long, Oleg knew very well what kind of person Dionysus was.

Though he too was a madman obsessed with fighting, this was a real lunatic who could dismiss someone like himself as ‘mere trash.’

Persuasion or logic didn’t work on that guy.

To one who truly believed himself to be a god, the voices of mortals would neither be heard nor reach him.

“It’s you.”

Oleg instinctively seemed to know why that madman could come to this place.

His gaze turned to Lee Hyeon.

“You brought that crazy bastard here.”

Only Lee Hyeon had not been surprised by Dionysus’s appearance.

Sure enough.

“Therefore, human.”

Dionysus’s gaze turned to Lee Hyeon on the opposite side.

Haa-

Haa-

[Yeo-ui Swae’s Super Recovery ability activates, rapidly reducing fatigue.]

[Internal injuries begin to heal.]

[Magic circuit overload decreases.]

“Why did you call me to this place? Did you not say through Rhadamanthys that you had something to tell me about the cult?”

The reason Dionysus suddenly appeared.

It was precisely because Lee Hyeon had sent a message through Zhu Bajie to Mossad.

Mossad’s second-in-command, Maksans Degremont, had connections to meet directly with Dionysus.

All of this was exactly according to the plan he had designed.

“That is,”

“That is?”

“Let’s finish that later, Dionysus. After dealing with the uninvited guest first.”

When Lee Hyeon smiled artificially, this time Dionysus’s eyes within the mask narrowed thinly.

Just as he was about to say something,

[The myth ‘Brilliant Celestial Wolf’ reveals itself!]

This time, sacred radiance gathered beside Lee Hyeon, took the form of a wolf, then transformed back into human form.

A build that didn’t fall short compared to Oleg. Dark skin and a feathered crown around his head were impressive.

“Even Logan Redsky…!”

One of America’s two top Rankers and ASTRA’s commander.

Logan smiled coldly like a wolf.

“It’s been a while, Oleg. Hahaha. A month since the Middle East? You look quite interesting after not seeing you?”

“…Your being here means,”

“Ah, if you’re worried about your subordinates, don’t worry. I’ve gathered them all nicely in one place. Unfortunately, there weren’t that many casualties.”

“…!”

Oleg’s expression hardened even more at the sight of him clicking his tongue in disappointment.

“Oh, and,”

Logan pointed his index finger at midair.

Wooooong!

After the explosive sound faded, only then did Oleg finally hear some kind of loud mechanical noise in his ears.

A sound like a swarm of bees buzzing around.

“I wouldn’t recommend thinking about pretending to be crazy and charging in more. Those things have been filming this way since a little while ago.”

Oleg raised his head to the sky.

Far away, countless drone squadrons were illuminating this direction.

“…No way.”

“All the scenes from this place are being broadcast in real-time via hotline to intelligence agencies of all other countries.”

“…!!”

At that moment, from the drone squadron, SSA Director Tabo Mncwolisi’s aged voice spread loudly through amplification magic.

『Oleg Perunov! The entire process of Zarya’s operation is currently being broadcast live to UN headquarters. Any further engagement will be considered Russia’s declaration of war-!!』

Logan laughed triumphantly.

“Zarya’s forcible violation of South African sovereignty and interference in domestic affairs. An imperialist newly emerged in the Hunter era. How about it? Isn’t the wording absolutely brilliant?”

“…Ha!”

Oleg was no longer even angry.

In fact, this mission only had meaning if they could seize command of both Draconis Watch and SSA secretly and through blitzkrieg.

Even if the UN tried to impose sanctions later for violating another country’s sovereignty, there would be no way to handle it if everything was already finished.

But if they were being exposed so blatantly to all overseas intelligence agencies like this… this operation had become meaningless.

No, rather it had become a situation where they only suffered massive damage.

From now on, all nearby countries would view Russia’s goodwill through colored glasses first.

It was tremendous damage.

Moreover, there was the problem that Zarya’s reputation had also been thrown into the gutter.

Despite mobilizing even top rankers, hadn’t Zarya, which possessed the world’s strongest military power, been humiliated by just a few Koreans?

Moreover, he had lost one arm like this.

By now, the entire world would be in an uproar.

All intelligence agency heads would be running around until their feet sweated, trying to collect additional information about Jet and make new assessments.

Sure enough.

The drone squadron’s cameras were filming the shabby-looking Oleg and the confidently standing Lee Hyeon together in contrast…

‘…It’s over.’

Oleg felt all strength drain from his body.

Even if he forced himself to try to eliminate Lee Hyeon here, Dionysus and Logan would intervene to stop him.

If that happened, both he and Zarya would be finished.

Checkmate.

It was a perfectly designed game from beginning to end, with no way to overturn it.

In the end,

everything had been ruined by just one person.

No, they had been completely played.

Jet.

By that one young man who appeared from a small country in the Far East.

“Who would have thought a small fry from the ‘Inner Sea’ would have teeth this sharp.”

Oleg looked at Lee Hyeon with eyes that had become dry and emotionless.

“Let’s call it here for today. Instead, I will never forget your name. Jet. No, Jang Lee Hyeon.”

Red lightning tangled like oak tree roots and wrapped around Oleg’s form.

Flash!

Oleg disappeared with an explosive sound.

“Whew… I’m dying.”

Only then did Lee Hyeon buckle his knees and plant his axe on the ground.

Every muscle in his body screamed.

[You have succeeded in achieving a draw with a top ranker!]

[Your saga is deeply engraved on the heavenly tablets.]

Lee Hyeon staggered and pulled off his mask. Sweat droplets were carried away by the cool breeze.

Fortunately, with this, Russia and the Dark Side of the Moon had completely withdrawn their claws from South Africa.

However,

to completely take South Africa into his hands and secure the safety of the 【Nest】, one last thing remained.

“Thank you for waiting so long. Shall we continue our conversation then, Dionysus?”

Lee Hyeon’s calm gaze turned toward the mysterious figure in the plaster mask.

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