Broken Ranker Devours Myths - Chapter 88

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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 88

Jet (8)

 

 

 

Qing Xiao urgently opened her eyes.

“……Haa! Haa!”

“Lady Qing Xiao? Why are you suddenly in this body……!”

The unit member who had been specially managing the possessed doll under Qing Xiao’s orders widened his eyes.

Cai Ruyun (蔡如云).

A puppeteer with exceptional skills in doll manipulation.

He was also a Ranker.

Belonging to Ping Xin.

The dolls that Cai Ruyun controlled were traditional Chinese paper dolls, different from ordinary dolls.

 

[Paper Puppet (紙糊人偶)]

Paper dolls created as ritual offerings for Buddhist and Taoist ceremonies since the Northern Song Dynasty. They are ritual items used when sealing anomalies that bring about strange phenomena.

-Type: Ritual tool.

-Origin: Folk tale ‘July’s Wailing’

 

‘……My body is too heavy. My senses are weak too.’

Qing Xiao gritted her teeth as she raised her upper body.

The paper puppet was a doll made by layering tough paper repeatedly.

While it was good for possessing the ice spirits bestowed by Xu Changyou and using them as soldiers,

it wasn’t quite suitable for an actual human soul to enter and operate.

Cognitive information mixed chaotically, making her feel nauseous.

It was fortunate that the aftereffects were only this mild because it had been specially crafted for her emergency use, making it similar to her original body.

Still, it was sufficient for moving her body, so she forced herself to walk out of the coffin.

“Baien…… Haa…… Where is Lord Baien?”

“Well, Lord Zhang Baien is still hunting the Collapse Demon King inside the crater……. No, more importantly, what’s happening!?”

Zhang Baien.

Originally Korean, he became one of Ping Xin’s top executives in a short time after following Xu Changyou to China.

Since he originally had ice attribute as his inheritance, he received the greatest blessing from the baptism.

Didn’t he become a High Ranker just a few months ago?

Thanks to that, he was running at the front lines for this operation to capture the Collapse Demon King.

The perpetual snow and ice fortress that had settled on the crater were all his creations made in that process.

‘I was sure the capture would be almost complete this morning……!’

The battle with the White Night Unit was also close to a preemptive attack to eliminate potential interference in advance.

This meant her calculations were wrong.

She had thought the Collapse Demon King would be captured by now.

“This won’t do. I need to go there directly…….”

“No, without even adjusting your senses? If you jump into the crater in that state, the doll could completely burn up!”

“No. Now is not the time to be doing this……!”

Just as Qing Xiao was about to shake off Cai Ruyun’s restraint.

Kwa-kwa-kwang!!

“Enemy attack!”

“Qinglei is attacking the fortress…… Kraaaak!”

Suddenly, commotion could be heard from outside.

‘Already!?’

Qing Xiao felt a chilling sensation for a moment.

Perhaps she had fallen for Lee Hyeon’s scheme…….

She hurriedly opened the barracks and went outside.

And,

Rumble!!

 

[The inheritance ‘Goblin Dance Formation’ is running wild!]

 

She could see a hellish scene of devastation.

The ice fortress was collapsing.

“……!!”

The ice fortress, built not only to prevent the Collapse Demon King’s escape but also to block external intrusion,

crumbling like a sandcastle felt too surreal.

Dozens of ice knights and soldiers desperately tried to block Lee Hyeon’s approach.

 

[Following commands infused by ‘Sacred Relic: Pure Ice Crystal’, the knights and guards of move!]

[Ice knights and snow soldiers seek to eliminate the intruder.]

 

However,

Crackle!!

There was a fierce blue-white lightning blazing as if to melt such bitter cold.

Lee Hyeon was at its center.

 

[Summoning locked fifth Skill Information. Would you like to unlock ‘Phantom Yard’?]

 

Phantom Yard was an area skill that used lightning to create various illusions or hallucinogenic effects.

Its content was similar to folk tales commonly called goblin play.

Folk tales where countless goblins appeared like an army throughout the night to frighten villagers, only to turn out to be mere nighttime pranks created by a single goblin.

It could show quite good effects in such one-against-many battles.

 

[Unlocked Phantom Yard (D)!]

[Additional function effects connected to trait ‘Frozen Human’ are added, upgrading to a new skill.]

……

[Congratulations! ‘Torch Wind’ has been born.]

 

[Torch Wind (A)]

The chaotic wind swirling from all directions is like a divine wind that drives away evil spirits or shakes the entire situation at once.

Goblins bend like wind, strike from behind, and disappear as if forgotten. Upon use, leaves afterimages while switching positions with the opponent, presenting a lightning bolt as a surprise gift.

-Type: Skill. Counter-type mobility skill.

-Origin: Folk tale ‘Goblin Play’

 

The knights and guards couldn’t trap Lee Hyeon in their encirclement.

Even before that,

Flash!

 

[You have stepped on Whirlwind (A). Your position will be forcibly switched with your opponent.]

 

Suddenly, a swirling wind stabbed at his back, and before he knew it, Lee Hyeon had switched positions with him.

“……!?”

In the original spot, there was only an afterimage left by Lee Hyeon instead of Lee Hyeon himself.

As he hurriedly tried to turn his body to find the vanished Lee Hyeon,

Crackle!!

 

[The afterimage explodes!]

[Lightning strikes down.]

 

The afterimage exploded like a landmine.

Rumble-

“……!!”

Because of this, the knights and guards were helplessly swept up in the explosion and sent flying backward.

While suffering severe burns.

Naturally,

Swoosh-

Lee Hyeon wasn’t one to miss such an opening.

 

[Activating Fury Strike (S) to unleash a wild barrage of attacks!]

 

The axe blade infused with blue-white lightning struck without exception at the necks of those knights and soldiers.

Solid ice armor?

It meant nothing to Lee Hyeon.

The fury of Dueoksini that he boasted was already intense enough to melt and shatter even ice.

Moreover,

‘There probably aren’t many people who know the Ring of Extreme Cold as well as I do now.’

Lee Hyeon’s lips twisted into a wide grin.

 

[The narrative of is applied, reading the Skill Information filling the Boss Room.]

[Combat Sense (S) identifies the weaknesses of the ice attribute currently pervading the Boss Room.]

 

Even with the help the Snow Queen provided.

Everything could be easily destroyed.

Crash!!

 

[The knights and guards of are being destroyed at a merciless speed!]

[The event is progressing rapidly.]

 

[Current number of spirits rescued: 24/120]

 

Every time he swung his axe, all the ice cracked and shattered.

The flashing lightning streaks amid the swirling ice powder

were eerie enough to send chills just by looking at them.

“Gaaah!”

Even if an ice knight somehow managed to block Lee Hyeon’s axe technique, the result was the same.

They couldn’t counterattack.

Already before that,

 

[Stack has accumulated.]

[Lightning strikes down!]

 

Boom!!

The lightning bolts raining from the sky relentlessly scattered the formation of knights and guards.

The proper combination of Whirlwind and Fury Strike caused stacks to accumulate rapidly,

Whoosh!

Wherever Lee Hyeon trampled and passed, hot winds invariably swept through, melting the eternal snow.

Of course, the newly acquired Whirlwind wasn’t invincible.

He couldn’t just switch positions with any target he wanted.

‘The range where the skill operates is roughly within 5 meters?’

Even then, if the opponent’s weight was too heavy, there could be limitations to position switching, or they might not budge at all.

‘The afterimage explosion is the same. After the position change, there’s over a 1-second delay until the explosion. If this wasn’t such a chaotic battle, it would have been easily detected.’

In other words, it was a skill with limited usefulness unless in chaotic combat.

However,

Lee Hyeon was sufficiently satisfied with just this.

The skill’s shortcomings could be supplemented with combinations with other skills or his own abilities.

Rumble rumble rumble…!!

Meanwhile,

“Wh-wh-wh-where the hell did such a guy come from…! N-no matter how much it’s J-Jet… he wasn’t this strong…!”

Cai Luwin’s legs trembled as he watched Lee Hyeon’s tremendous charge.

The elite soldiers he had painstakingly created were being mercilessly torn apart.

Soldiers created with the Committee’s full support solely for possessing the knights and soldiers of .

No matter how outstanding a Ranker might be,

even if it was Jet who had experienced the Curse of Extreme Cold,

this simply didn’t make sense.

He could guarantee that even Xu Changyou, the owner of Pure Ice Crystal, couldn’t create such a scene.

‘Unless Jet completely understood and mastered the Ring of Extreme Cold… No, unless he completely accepted the ‘s inheritance… Wait, accepted the inheritance?’

Cai Luwin belatedly realized the truth and widened his eyes,

Whoosh-

Thunk!!

But Taotie’s Fangs had already flown this way and embedded in his skull.

Thud-

The headless corpse collapsed lifelessly.

 

[You have defeated a Ranker!]

[A new Achievement has been added to . Your ranking has increased.]

 

Seeing this scene, Qing Xiao moved urgently.

‘I have to escape somehow!’

Nine Dragon Divine Bird.

Just moments ago, she tried to reactivate Nezha’s Sacred Relic that had saved her life to switch to a new body, but,

“I won’t let you escape this time.”

 

[‘Skill: Monstrous Pressure’ draws in the target!]

 

“……!!”

The moment Lee Hyeon reached out toward her and made a grasping motion,

Crack!

Qing Xiao felt intense pressure as if an invisible giant’s hand was gripping her.

His breath caught in his throat.

The feeling of his body being crushed.

‘N-no…!’

Shrieeeek!!

There was no resistance.

When she came to her senses, she had already arrived right in front of Lee Hyeon.

And,

Taotie’s hideous fangs welcomed her.

Crunch!!

Qing Xiao’s head flew off.

This time, she couldn’t even dream of resurrection.

Her breath was cut off before that.

 

[You have defeated a Ranker.]

[A new Achievement has been added. Your ranking rises slightly.]

 

[You have saved the glacier guard ‘Samiin’.]

[Current number of spirits saved: 36/120]

 

The futile end of the strategist the Central Hero Committee had been so proud of.

 

[Nezha looks at you with eyes filled with hatred.]

[The divine society, , begins to properly perceive your existence.]

[A considerable number of gods belonging to show displeasure toward you.]

 

Lee Hyeon snorted lightly at the warning that wasn’t quite a warning from .

After all, they were in a relationship that could never coexist.

「Kekeke! Our apostle, how truly bold! Yes. If one is to be a man, one should know how to show that level of audacity and ambition! Kekekekeke!」

Sha Wujing had a very pleased expression at Lee Hyeon’s performance,

「…….」

Son Wukong gritted his teeth as he felt the aroma buff growing stronger yet weaker.

‘Just a little more. Just a little more and…!!’

Clench.

Strength entered his cute little fist.

 

* * *

 

Lee Hyeon thoroughly devastated the ice fortress.

So that nothing would remain.

 

[The base camp made of pure ice crystals collapses!]

[Current number of spirits saved: 49/120]

 

[‘s narrative expresses gratitude to you.]

[The proficiency of ‘Sacred Relic: Banner of Extreme Cold’ has greatly increased.]

 

In the end, all that remained around the crater were collapsed ice fragments and streams of water flowing as the eternal snow melted.

Even those were evaporating and disappearing due to the hot geothermal heat of the active volcano.

Hiss.

『All Ping Xin members attempting to escape have been eliminated.』

Even Kim Min-jeong’s report.

With this, Ping Xin could no longer rampage in this place.

Now there was one place left.

Lee Hyeon stood before the massive crater.

The lake that should have been filled with boiling lava was covered with thick ice.

‘Down there, the Peng Demon King is fighting with Ping Xin’s capture team.’

 

[‘Sacred Relic: Golden Eyes of Truth’ activates to infer information based on traces remaining in the crater.]

……

[Inference complete.]

[Based on various evidence, there is a 75% possibility that the figure currently here is the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven, Peng Demon King.]

[The ‘well’ located in the crater is a place suitable for rest and recovery due to its compatibility with the Peng Demon King’s attributes.]

[However, he is in a state of greater injury due to the ‘Ring of Extreme Cold’ set by those who pursued him.]

[His power is fading. Swift rescue is needed.]

 

‘The fact that the lava has frozen this much means their preparations were thorough and the Peng Demon King has been cornered.’

Lee Hyeon’s Golden Eyes of Truth glowed eerily.

‘From here on, I too must risk my life. So I’ll break through at maximum power.’

Among the capture team detected below, there seemed to be High Rankers as well.

A guy Lee Hyeon knew well.

Zhang Baien. Zhang Bai’en.

Seo Chang-woo’s sworn brother.

If he sent that head to China, wouldn’t Seo Chang-woo be so delighted he’d jump for joy?

Lee Hyeon brought his mouth to the radio.

『Good work. From now on, I’m counting on you to stand guard. Anyone who approaches the crater area without permission may be killed.』

『……Senior, surely you’re not planning to go in there alone? I’d rather—』

『No. We don’t know when Ping Xin reinforcements might appear. Keep a good watch so nothing happens.』

『…….』

『You understand, right?』

『……I understand. But if it becomes dangerous,』

『I’ll request support immediately.』

From here on was Lee Hyeon’s domain alone.

No matter how close Kim Min-jeong was, he couldn’t allow her to approach.

Hiss.

『Then I’ll be going.』

Crackle!

Lee Hyeon stood on the ice sheet of the crater,

Kwaaaaang!!

And stomped his foot violently.

 

[Dueoksini’s Specter leaps up!]

 

At that moment, large and small cracks spread mercilessly like a spider web from where his footprint was stamped,

Crackle-crack-crack—

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa……!!

Boiling lava erupted over the cracks, and the thick ice chunks began to melt or surge.

Soon,

The ice sheet Lee Hyeon had been standing on flipped over, and the violently rising wave of lava swallowed Lee Hyeon whole.

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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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