Ranker Who Shatters Myths - Chapter 315

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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 315

Sons of Zeus (5)

Corner of the meeting hall.

Hermes and Hephaestus were breaking out in cold sweat as they watched Ares and other rebels being executed.

“…Did you see that?”

Hermes spoke up.

His voice was slightly tense.

Hephaestus opened his eyes slightly as if surprised.

“You…. Hmm.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No. It’s just not like you.”

“….”

“Weren’t you the one who remained relaxed even when Dionysus and Apollo were on the verge of splitting?”

“….”

“You acted like you didn’t care who seized power, so I thought you’d be the same this time.”

Hephaestus shrugged his shoulders while looking at Hermes, who had his lips tightly pressed together.

Hermes was a god symbolizing freedom and boundaries even in mythology.

As a result, the masked figure claiming his role showed unruly behavior, not bound by the organization and not even following his brothers’ decisions.

But now he was different from usual, which aroused Hephaestus’s suspicion.

‘It’s true that Gwiroae is strong enough to overwhelm even Ares…. But can he really defeat Dionysus? I’m still not sure about that. Hermes can’t be unaware of this fact either.’

Hephaestus thought that whoever seized power would inevitably covet his smithing skills.

He just needed to avoid harboring unnecessary greed like Ares. The same should apply to Hermes.

But….

“Still don’t get it?”

“Get what?”

“That overwhelming lightning…. That belongs to ‘Father.'”

“Of course it would. He’s Father’s apostle,”

“He’s not just some mere apostle!!”

Hephaestus had never seen Hermes display such passionate emotion before.

Behind the finely trembling mask.

Hermes’s eyes were filled with terror.

A fear that seemed to have taken root even deeper than the brothers who were gripped by the terror of possibly losing their inheritance.

No, this could even be called madness.

“That’s something no mere apostle could ever imitate! Destructive force! Overwhelming radiance! Plus the divine authority to freely collect and distribute his children’s inheritances…! Can’t you see it even after witnessing this?”

Only then did Hephaestus realize what Hermes was trying to say.

“You, don’t tell me?”

“That’s right!! Father Zeus has… mmph!”

Hermes was about to scream when Hephaestus blocked his mouth with his thick hand, making him struggle.

“Don’t shout! The other brothers are looking this way!”

The brothers were looking their way, wondering what was happening.

Hephaestus stomped the ground hard with his lame foot.

Bang!!

A wall rose from the marble floor, enclosing the two brothers.

When he removed his hand, Hermes screamed again.

“Puha! Zeus! Zeus might have directly descended by borrowing that body!”

“…!!”

Only then did Hephaestus remember.

Hermes was the only messenger god who could travel between the World of the Living and the Underworld, between the Heavens and the Surface.

He had the [eyes] to see what they could not see.

“Otherwise, there’s no way such dignity, such power, such lightning would be permitted! What kind of being is Father!!”

Indeed, the arrogant Zeus did not freely share his lightning even with his children and apostles.

Lightning was the authority and power that symbolized him.

Being able to directly wield it meant….

‘Father has come to personally witness our loyalty…!!’

Hephaestus’s face also turned pale as he realized the gravity of the situation.

“We too awakened the divine factor sleeping in our genes through these masks and only then realized who we were. We still can’t remove our masks because we’re not complete yet!”

“….”

“If that was all Father’s scheme! If he’s testing his children to see if they’ll properly follow his commands on the Surface…! If he’s now come to reap those results…!! I!!”

Hephaestus felt Hermes’s madness infecting him as well.

Thinking he couldn’t leave things like this, he grabbed Hermes’s arms with his thick hands and twisted them.

He spoke while meeting his still trembling brother’s eyes.

“Then what are you saying we should do? It’ll be war when Dionysus returns.”

“…We need to pick a side.”

Hermes finally spoke after a long silence.

His eyes gleamed.

He was the god of thieves and merchants.

Even under fear and oppression, he had an exceptional ability to smell profit.

“We need to side with the strongest to survive. Dionysus is mad, but he ultimately can’t defeat the ‘King.'”

“That means….”

“From now on, we,”

Hermes slyly stepped back while glancing toward the exit.

“Become Father’s loyal hunting dogs.”

“…!?”

Just as Hephaestus widened his eyes wondering what this was all about,

“Hey, what are you doing over there?”

Moon Su-chan, wearing Perseus’s mask, approached with cold eyes. To him, Hermes and Hephaestus were also targets of thorough surveillance.

But then,

“It’s nothing! If you have anything for us to do, just give us any order!!”

“…??”

Moon Su-chan tilted his head wondering why this guy was suddenly acting like this, but thinking it was nothing special, he gestured with his chin.

“We’re planning to move the items here to Guam soon, so help out.”

“Understood! We’ll follow with complete loyalty!!”

Moon Su-chan looked at the two with an expression like he’d seen all kinds of weirdos, then left.

Hermes soon smiled sinisterly.

“Hehehe! You saw that, right? From now on, our main enemy is none other than Perseus. I’m going to make Perseus let his guard down as much as possible, then win Gwiroae’s favor.”

“….”

“Then I can immediately become second-in-command. I’ll become Father’s most beloved son!”

“….”

“Follow me, Hephaestus! You’re the only brother I can truly share my heart with, so I’ll help you become third-in-command!!”

Hephaestus felt like the conclusion was going in a somewhat strange direction, but since it wasn’t exactly wrong either, he nodded dumbly.

Though it was a huge misunderstanding that started from a minor misconception,

Hermes was confident that his eyes were never wrong and clenched his fist.

Crack.

* * *

Thousands of meters underground.

Or perhaps somewhere in the gap between dimensions.

Dionysus and his brothers were rapidly passing through the path.

Squelch.

The sound heard with each step was not the sound of stepping on earth.

Sticky and unpleasant digestive sounds, as if walking through the entrails of a giant beast.

This place was not land.

Instead of sky, there was a ceiling covered with dark red flesh, and instead of earth, an endless swamp mixed with coagulated blood like rotten jelly stretched out.

[Warning! This is ‘the belly of some beast’ where the laws of ‘the Island’ do not apply.]

[Mental contamination level is rapidly rising.]

The Abyss Swamp.

In this terrible space where all living beings could only instinctively feel disgust, contempt, and nausea,

an alien purple fragrance began to spread.

“The air is murky.”

Dionysus smiled as he tilted his golden cup.

“Perfect for washing clean with my wine.”

Whoosh!

As he emptied his cup, the contaminated muddy water of the swampland instantly transformed into red wine.

It wasn’t just the surrounding area.

Wherever Dionysus stepped, wherever his gaze reached, wherever his elegant hands extended, everything was dyed purple.

It was not a miracle, but madness.

The monsters of the swampland that caught the scent of wine, masses made of tentacles, or formless maws that had been targeting Dionysus’s party stopped and began dancing while tearing each other apart in clusters.

The elite soldiers that the Jiseo Order boasted of, and the ‘dregs’ of the underworld deities born from the swampland,

were ultimately nothing more than entertainment for these brothers.

Their path-clearing proceeded without hindrance.

“This squelching is just annoying! We need to clear it quickly and move on!”

“The resistance put up by the underworld deities’ minions is truly unpleasant beyond measure. We should clear them out quickly.”

Heracles swept away the tentacles with his club as if they were bothersome, while Minos followed a beat behind, commanding his brothers.

“But it’s good that we don’t need to find a separate path. Wherever our king walks becomes the road. Ah, how intoxicating!”

Minos had recently been thinking more highly of Dionysus after leaving Apollo.

Wouldn’t Dionysus, who sought to burst forth somehow, be much better than Apollo, who always only restrained his brothers?

The warriors including Heracles had all recently shown a strong tendency to follow Dionysus.

‘Dionysus is mad. If I could just put a proper bridle on that madness… if I could just present the right carrot…! Wouldn’t it be natural for me to become king?’

In mythology, Minos was a great ruler and demigod who led the golden age of the kingdom of Crete and built a great civilization.

But he was equally a tyrant who committed intense ambitions and evil deeds that he couldn’t control.

How else would he have become a judge of the dead alongside his brothers Rhadamanthys and Aeacus even after death?

His deeds were recorded in detail even in Dante’s “Divine Comedy.”

Therefore,

Minos always found it extremely unpleasant to have someone above his head.

The only reason he had been enduring it was because Apollo and Dionysus possessed great dignity as gods.

But watching the recent situation unfold, it seemed like his opportunity would come soon.

‘Nietzsche said it. Apollo straightens order based on reason and self-discipline. Conversely, Dionysus is a force that bursts forth from deep within, so these two need to be well harmonized.’

A bitter smile crossed Minos’s lips.

‘But Apollo ultimately lost order and disappeared. Conversely, Dionysus couldn’t control his madness and fell into a swamp of self-destruction. Then who else but me, who possesses both, could lead the brothers?’

The best scenario for Minos would be the mutual destruction of the Jiseo Order and Dionysus…

‘Hmm?’

That’s when it happened.

Minos tilted his head in confusion as his sacred relic [Daedalus’s Bracelet] suddenly rang.

The vineyard was a secret place created after torturing someone who possessed Daedalus’s legacy to the extreme.

Naturally, the situation there was set to be reported to Minos immediately.

But…

[Warning! Authority over 【Olympus Vineyard】 has been forcibly transferred.]

[Apollo has sat upon the Jade Throne.]

[The System worships the new sun.]

“…!?”

In an instant, Minos’s steps came to a halt.

“What’s wrong, brother? Why did you suddenly stop walking?”

Heracles looked at Minos with a questioning gaze.

Minos fiddled with various System Messages in midair, then looked at him urgently.

“…Heracles, didn’t you say you definitely killed Apollo?”

“I’m certain. I saw the mask break with my own eyes. What’s going on?”

“Then how is this possible…!”

Red error messages filled Minos’s retina.

[Error! All system authority has been revoked and access is impossible.]

[Error! No commands can be given. The System refuses your access.]

[Error!]

[Error!]

…

[To access the System, please request authority from Apollo, the new supreme administrator.]

…

“What the hell are you talking about! Stop beating around the bush and speak clearly.”

As Heracles glared with hostile eyes,

“It’s Yu.”

Dionysus’s casually thrown words caught his brothers’ attention.

Eyes that became transparent like glass, as if the madness shown just moments before had been a lie.

Gulp.

Minos felt his heart sink, as if not only the vineyard incident but even his own ambitions had been discovered.

“Yu? Why is that guy’s story suddenly coming up?”

Then, Heracles’s eyebrows twitched, having experienced humiliation at the hands of Guile Pater.

Dionysus let out a sneer.

“It seems Apollo has drawn Guile Pater into the vineyard.”

“…!!”

“Apollo, that old man is finally hastening his remaining fate? Robbing an empty house like a rat?”

Heracles could finally understand the situation.

Crack.

Blood vessels bulged from the grip strength applied to his club.

“Dionysus, then,”

“No. It’s still too early to break up the drinking party.”

Dionysus turned his gaze to one side with gleaming eyes.

Deep in the swampland.

A crumbling rock-built building gradually came into view. The sound of a giant heartbeat could be heard.

“Isn’t the appetizer right before our eyes? We need to take that so we can properly entertain our new host.”

* * *

Creeeeak-

Lee Hyeon stepped into Dionysus’s chamber.

For a room where the god of wine and madness had resided, the interior was excessively organized.

No, it even had a solemn atmosphere.

However,

「…Tsk. I’ve seen countless beings in my time, but this. Hmm!」

“Yes. His mental state seems severely twisted.”

The walls of the room were completely covered with paintings and sculptures.

But the subject depicted was only one.

The sun.

Or the god Apollo.

But it wasn’t the brilliant and wise appearance commonly known.

A sun strangled by grape vines, suffocating.

A sun burned black and turned to ash.

Even a sun contained in a wine cup, being swallowed.

‘This isn’t an office. It’s an altar.’

An altar containing both vicious worship of Apollo and, simultaneously, a terrible curse.

Lee Hyeon picked up a parchment journal that happened to be placed on the desk.

Flash!

Blue light swirled around his eyes.

[Activating ‘Sacred Relic: Neuan Cheongjeong’ to decode the thoughts contained in the journal!]

At that moment, text unfolded before his eyes like a panorama.

―Father ‘created’ me.

‘…Father?’

That word particularly caught Lee Hyeon’s attention.

The Sons of Zeus call each other ‘brothers.’ The only one they refer to as ‘father’ is Zeus.

Yet the one Dionysus was calling wasn’t Zeus.

Lee Gun-san.

‘Could it be, this guy is also like us…?’

The panorama continued to flash by.

―Father gave me power and taught me how to control madness.

―Father called me his ‘sharpest blade.’

The handwriting was neat at the beginning, but became shakier and more smudged toward the end.

―But at some point, he stopped looking at me. He’s waiting for someone.

―Not me,

―but another ‘true master.’

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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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