Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 301

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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 301

Six Brilliant Stars (1)

Just before the clash with Oleg Perunov.

No, to be precise, even before launching the full-scale operation in South Africa,

Lee Hyeon had separately attempted to contact Zhu Bajie.

A video conference through a hotline.

“I’d like to request contact with Mossad. We need to move Dionysus.”

『Dionysus… you mean Maksus?』

“Yes.”

『What are you planning to do this time?』

Throughout his conversation with Lee Hyeon, Zhu Bajie couldn’t wipe the fascinated expression from his face.

The game Lee Hyeon was trying to design was far too intriguing.

『Turn the Sons of Zeus’s attention to the Dijiang Sect to save Guam from crisis, and then properly ignite the flames? Even inciting Dionysus?』

“To completely eliminate the Dark Side of the Moon’s influence extending into South Africa, just clashing won’t be enough.”

『True. You’d need to move at least the leader of an axis of evil to make UN intervention much easier and more impressive.』

Zhu Bajie stroked his chin with his hand. His mind raced with complex calculations.

『And if you save South Africa from crisis, the justification and capability of the cooperative organization being prepared will be perfectly demonstrated.』

“If it’s hard to flip the board immediately, we can expand it beyond their control and then flip it.”

『True. There’s even a saying about muddying the waters to catch fish. I understand. Haha!』

Zhu Bajie slapped his knee and nodded approvingly.

『Certainly, doing that would allow us to lead South Africa by the nose, and the 【Nest】 would practically fall into our hands too, so it’s a perfect result…』

Suddenly, Zhu Bajie trailed off and narrowed his brow.

『But you need to handle Dionysus carefully. In some ways, he’s an even greater madman than the Dijiang Sect’s Prophet.』

Almost no information about the secret society Sons of Zeus was known to the outside world.

Except for the fact that it was a two-headed organization led by two people wearing the masks of Dionysus and Apollo.

Even then, Apollo only interfered with internal affairs and discipline, while most knew that Dionysus held the real power…

The organization’s nature had gradually become more radical from that point on.

Truly the god of wine, ecstasy, and madness.

“I’m well aware. We don’t know Dionysus’s real name, face, or even have a guess at his power level.”

『That means he’s full of mysteries. And according to Astra’s assessment… ah, here it is.』

Zhu Bajie rummaged through a drawer on one side and pulled out a bundle of documents stamped with a red ‘TOP SECRET’ seal.

“…Isn’t that classified national intelligence?”

『Oh, this? It’s fine. I collected this information, so who’s going to complain if I use it? At worst they can fire me. Hehe.』

Lee Hyeon let out a hollow laugh.

He sometimes forgot, but Zhu Bajie was Son Wukong’s disciple.

That temperament didn’t go anywhere.

『Here it is. Dionysus… estimated to be at a similar level to the Nine Heavens. Massacred about 1,400 people in the conflict in Chiapas, Mexico, with 12 High Rankers among them… can you see this part?』

Zhu Bajie showed a section of the documents and tapped it with his index finger.

『The 13 axes of evil usually move secretly, and since the damage is so great, most of it isn’t well publicized to external media. It would only create fear.』

Lee Hyeon nodded quietly.

“Yes. That’s why the leaders of the axes of evil, except for cases where their power is publicly revealed, are mostly announced in diminished terms.”

『Dionysus is the same.』

Thud!

Zhu Bajie said as he closed the documents.

『He’s dangerous. While it might be right to bring in a monster suspected of already reaching Top Ranker status to oppose Zarya, it could also be inviting a tiger into the house.』

Meaning it could become even more dangerous.

However,

“You’ve got the order wrong.”

『Hm?』

“It’s precisely because he’s a madman that I want to drag him into this game.”

『…!?』

“Because we need a hunting dog that will tear apart the Dijiang Sect without regard for consequences.”

『…!!』

“And,”

Lee Hyeon grinned.

“It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t come. I won’t lose to Oleg Perunov either.”

『Ha!』

Zhu Bajie let out a hollow laugh, but didn’t deny Lee Hyeon’s judgment.

『Understood. I’ll follow the game you’ve designed.』

The relationship between Astra and Mossad was very close.

So Zhu Bajie immediately moved Maksus through Gabe Kepler…

And the situation in South Africa began to fluctuate uncontrollably.

Dionysus moved, and Astra led by Logan tracked Zarya.

All kinds of agents and human intelligence assets moved actively in the shadows to not miss the right timing.

And,

“What… is this?”

While Lee Hyeon proposed to SSA Director Tabo Mncwolisi that they hire them as mercenaries,

He handed him a black sphere.

Tabo looked at it with suspicious eyes.

“Don’t you want to protect South Africa’s sovereignty?”

“…What?”

“It’s the satellite control device for Grigori’s Eye.”

“…!!”

Tabo’s eyes widened.

As the head of an intelligence agency, he couldn’t not know about Astra’s greatest secret weapon.

[Grigori’s Eye]

The Watchers guard the entrance to the garden from which the first humans were expelled and still look down upon the earth from heaven.

When necessary, they can cast flaming swords down to earth to lead enemies to destruction, but their mission given by God is only surveillance. Punishment is entirely up to the humans who pray for it.

-Type: Special Communication. Satellite Control. Heavenly Surveillance Linked Device.

-Origin: Scripture ‘Book of Enoch’

A Sacred Relic equipped with the satellite weapon ‘Flaming Sword’. No, an artificial satellite.

Something gifted from 【Malakh】 that Astra created after long research?

Because it could attempt attacks anywhere in the world, the United States remained the strongest nation even in the Hunter era.

“Also, Astra is on standby outside your territorial waters.”

“…!”

“When you feel it’s necessary, press that. If you’ve hired mercenaries, you should use them properly, shouldn’t you?”

Only then did Tabo receive the sphere with trembling hands.

The moment he pressed this, South Africa would step deeply under American influence.

But if he didn’t press it?

Two monsters, Russia’s Zarya and the Dijiang Sect, would butcher his homeland’s heart.

A moment of binary choice.

And,

Lee Hyeon’s eyes were asking this:

—Will you be killed by the lion?

—Or will you join hands with the zookeeper?

Tabo finally gripped the orb tightly.

That was the beginning of this entire ‘blitzkrieg.’

And….

* * *

Present.

The grape farm was filled with the smell of corpses, burnt grape scent, and the fishy lingering traces of lightning.

Tabo Mncwolisi stared blankly at the scene.

‘…I can’t believe he actually pulled it off.’

The monster who tore off the arm of Russia’s pride, the 9th rank Oleg Perunov, and devoured his divine authority.

When he first said he could eliminate the influence of not only the Dijiang Sect and Sons of Zeus, but even the Dark Side of the Moon, Tabo hadn’t really believed him.

But now that it had all come to pass, his mouth felt parched.

However….

That monster was now facing an even greater madness.

A man wearing a purple robe and holding a golden cup.

The divine majesty of Dionysus emanating from behind the mask was more impressive than what was known to the world.

Divine authority that easily transcended human senses.

Fatal madness that fermented the very air itself, making one’s mind hazy.

But,

“Sorry to keep you waiting so long. The drinking party got a bit rough, didn’t it?”

Lee Hyeon remained calm despite his blood-soaked appearance.

Even with the Noeya-cha that had devoured the 9th rank’s arm not completely withdrawn.

‘What exactly… is his identity?’

A team leader of some guild?

A secret agent of Astra?

There was much information speculating about Lee Hyeon.

But,

One thing was certain.

‘No. Nothing like that.’

Lee Hyeon was an existence that could never be confined to any framework.

People usually call such individuals by this name.

—Hero.

That arrogant attitude of looking down on, or rather seeming to look down upon, the leader of the axis of evil as an equal.

It was the composure that only a designer who held this entire game from beginning to end could possess.

Gulp… Gulp!

Tabo was beginning to feel afraid of Lee Hyeon.

An emotion beyond fear and respect.

—Awe.

In Tabo’s eyes,

Lee Hyeon felt more like a god than Dionysus.

* * *

The ruins of the wine cellar scattered with the remnants of battle.

Lee Hyeon and Dionysus didn’t need to go far, using that place as their negotiation venue.

Dionysus fingered his golden cup while staring at Lee Hyeon.

“Interesting. Too vicious to be human, too clever to be a demon. You… are you really human?”

Behind the plaster mask.

A gaze filled with madness pierced through Lee Hyeon sharply.

“Somehow you seem to carry the scent of gods who enjoy our nectar.”

Lee Hyeon momentarily thought the negotiation shouldn’t drag on too long.

They say that within madness exists intuition that surpasses wisdom.

Perhaps he might even detect the Perseus mask he was hiding, or the Snow Sapphire of Astrape.

‘Actually, this Snow Sapphire has been reacting strongly from within Kibisis since a while ago.’

[Snow Sapphire has discovered a large fragment of Astrape!]

[Astrape anticipates absorbing the fragment.]

Lee Hyeon poured magic power into Kibisis to prevent the creature from detecting it.

[Cheon Do-ggaebi’s narrative has suppressed Zeus’s myth.]

‘By the way… is this guy actually a god? It doesn’t feel like the myth simply remains as legend, but rather unified with flesh.’

[Reading the opponent’s magic power with ‘Sacred Relic: Noeancheongjeong’!]

From the creature, he could sense not just magic power but divine power as well.

An operating method of a different caliber from the Perseus mask’s legacy.

If possible, he wanted to steal that mask and explore its structure.

“In any case, whatever you may be, the price for summoning a god to the surface is quite steep.”

Then, a chilling madness tinged Dionysus’s voice.

“If you intend to offer a worthless price, like Arachne or Icarus who mocked the gods, you too will not escape destruction. The sin of daring to use a god as a chess piece is not light.”

Gooooooo!

The killing intent of a god descended to earth.

It approached with the magnitude of a god truly having descended to this land, just as seen through Noeancheongjeong.

“…!!”

Director Tabo beside him nearly fell to his knees from that pressure alone.

Logan, feeling displeased in his own way, stepped forward to intervene, but when Lee Hyeon showed no particular reaction, he didn’t bother to step in.

The master of this stage was Lee Hyeon, not himself, after all.

[Golden Headband analyzes the components of magic power contained in the killing intent.]

‘Still… he’s not a real god either. Fortunately.’

Having already encountered countless divine beings, Lee Hyeon couldn’t shake the thought that Dionysus’s divine power was insufficient.

How should he put it?

It felt like a god trapped in a very narrow prison?

So even his divine power felt like it was leaking out but getting blocked midway.

It was no different from a dam whose water level had risen tremendously from the rainy season, wanting to release water outside but only able to let a tiny amount flow due to narrow floodgates.

[Cheon Do-ggaebi’s narrative reacts violently!]

Paaang!!

The narrative of the Cheon Do-ggaebi bearing the form of Noeya-cha recklessly shattered such divine power of Dionysus.

There was no need to show weakness on this side.

Twitch!

In an instant, one of Dionysus’s eyebrows twitched,

and Lee Hyeon pulled out contents from the team inventory, not from Kybisis.

Thud!

“Since we’re both busy, I won’t make this long. First, take a look at this and then speak.”

What fell to the floor was something blackly rotting and emitting a terrible stench.

“What is this?”

“A piece of tentacle from Aeldari, the Prophet of the Dijiang Sect.”

“I have eyes, so I could tell at first glance that disgusting thing came from the ‘Outside.’ What I’m asking is why you’re showing this to me.”

“It’s the appetizer for the ‘toast’ that Russia’s Oleg Perunov and the Dijiang Sect were going to share.”

“A… toast?”

“Zarya coveted South Africa’s mines, and the Dijiang Sect was to receive stigmata in return for helping them.”

In that moment, a strange light flickered in Dionysus’s eyes.

It meant he knew about the stigmata.

That made things much easier to discuss.

“We ‘coincidentally’ learned of this fact and tried to stop it together with the SSA.”

Tabo, who had already coordinated their story, said nothing from the side. Only his gaze grew more intense as he looked at them like monsters.

‘This guy got completely caught up in it too.’

Logan only smiled lightly, understanding the meaning behind that look.

“In that process, the owner of that leg spoke directly. He said, ‘The Sons of Zeus will soon become the sacrifices needed for His arrival.'”

“…What?”

Dionysus’s eyes narrowed.

The light beyond his mask swirled in violet.

“The Dijiang Sect… those vermin dared to blaspheme Father’s name?”

“That’s correct.”

“Those bastards…!!”

Bang!

Dionysus slammed both arms down on the armrests and shot up.

‘Got it.’

That was it.

Lee Hyeon was now trying to pit the Sons of Zeus against not only the Dijiang Sect, but also the Dark Side of the Moon.

「Here we go again! Kahahaha!」

Sha Wujing’s delighted laughter rang out thunderously.

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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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