Broken Ranker Devours Myths - Chapter 91

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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 91

Demon King of Collapse (3)

 

 

 

Crackle.

『Beta, cleanup complete.』

『Gamma, cleanup complete. Survivor rescue also fully completed. 19 out of 33 members of the White Night Unit survived. Repeat. Confirmed that 19 out of 33 members of the White Night Unit survived. Moving back to base camp.』

A report coming through the radio item.

The content indicated they no longer needed to worry about enemies down the mountain.

Kim Min-jeong also let out a sigh as she had just finished dealing with the remaining stragglers.

Crackle.

『Alpha, crater area also cleared. However, the leader is currently engaged in combat with the enemy commander.』

Kim Min-jeong continued speaking while examining the frozen crater through her telescope.

Perhaps because Lee Hyeon had bombarded it once with lightning strikes,

Lava and smoke were gushing up between the shattered ice sheets, preparing to resume activity.

『Request partial unit support.』

Crackle.

『Beta, order confirmed. Will provide support after handing over survivors to Gamma.』

『Gamma, order confirmed.』

Ping Xin, which was said to have been created by imitating Blue Thunder, was definitely strong.

Strong enough to never fall behind compared to the numerous special forces from other countries that Blue Thunder had faced.

So they absolutely couldn’t let their guard down until the very end.

Even conquering that stage covered with eternal snow reminiscent of the …

‘Seo Chang-woo.’

Kim Min-jeong bit her lower lip.

‘Why exactly are you going this far?’

The Gangneung incident from four years ago still remained as a deep trauma for her.

The annihilation of colleagues who used to laugh and chat together.

The retirement of the trusted leader.

The sudden forced dissolution of the unit.

None of these were events that could be easily accepted, happening one after another.

The reason many colleagues took off their military uniforms when the unit was dissolved was precisely because of this.

Because continuing to wear military uniforms seemed to bring back the pain of that time.

It was PTSD.

Even unit members with the strongest mental fortitude couldn’t breathe properly during that time.

That’s why Kim Min-jeong, who had planned to dedicate her entire life to the military and country following her military parents, eventually had to take off her uniform too.

Thus, the catalyst for all of this was precisely the .

But…

Seo Chang-woo’s group was using the power obtained from the all too well, as if showing off.

Creating Ping Xin,

And now even trying to cause a dungeon break on Ulleungdo.

‘If they simply coveted that power, they could have just absorbed it themselves. Why are they so persistently targeting us like this…’

The reason Kim Min-jeong received Lieutenant General Lee Gun-san’s call and participated in the operation was precisely because of this.

Because she wanted to know that thought.

What exactly did we do wrong to you,

‘That you continue to act so maliciously even after that day?’

She came because she wanted to hear that thought and blow that head away,

Because she wanted to put an end to the specter that had tormented her for four long years.

And,

Probably the other colleagues felt the same way.

‘If you’re going to act like that, then we have no choice but to go to the end too.’

It was right when Kim Min-jeong’s eyes flashed coldly.

Rumble rumble rumble-

A sudden trembling of the crater.

She wondered if it might explode from being stimulated,

KWAAAAANG!!

But before that, all the ice sheets shattered and a blue-white pillar shot up high.

Lee Hyeon was at its tip.

‘Senior!’

He looked too clean to be someone who had dived into lava.

However,

The killing intent gathered at his coldly smiling lips was quite chilling.

“…!?”

Kim Min-jeong hurriedly raised her gun and brought her eye to the scope.

A beat later, there was a shadow chasing Lee Hyeon.

‘Jang Baek-eun.’

An old friend who had also been Kim Min-jeong’s classmate in history.

He was wearing armor like a medieval knight.

But,

‘No. That guy.’

Strangely, while he had a familiar face, the feeling was strongly different.

Should she say it was like someone else wearing Jang Baek-eun’s mask?

Like Qing Xiao, she wondered if an ice spirit had possessed him, but…

‘That doesn’t seem right either, no, wait!’

Kim Min-jeong’s eyes widened slightly as she noticed an unexpected fact,

“…Whew.”

Kim Min-jeong took a long breath and tried to calm her surprised pulse as much as possible.

If her speculation was true, she needed to be careful from now on.

There was only one chance.

She had to be able to deliver a fatal blow to that bastard.

Concentrating all her consciousness on the scope,

She calmly and slowly placed her index finger on the trigger.

 

* * *

 

Whoooosh-

As Lee Hyeon shot up into the air, he thought.

Jang Baien’s viciously contorted face was really ugly.

How could someone live with a face like that?

Do Chinese people not care much about appearance?

‘A fragment of pure ice crystal. Of course it can’t do anything when brought out in front of its original owner.’

During the battle, if he had to choose the skill that grew the most, wouldn’t it be the Emblem of Bitter Cold?

 

[‘Sacred Relic: Banner of Extreme Cold’s proficiency has greatly increased. Various functions have been unlocked.]

[Connection circuits with 6 physical enhancement functions have been strengthened. Physical abilities are enhanced.]

[All abilities have increased by 5.]

 

Pure ice crystals weren’t simply just the Snow Queen’s sacred relic.

They were the Snow Queen’s heart.

They were practically the dungeon core of the .

Naturally, the cold energy they contained had to be beyond imagination.

Lee Hyeon finally understood what the Snow Queen meant when she said the Ring of Extreme Cold wasn’t just a simple curse.

‘The Ring of Extreme Cold is the way the Snow Queen built her palace and ruled her people. Karma engraved upon the soul itself.’

What had tormented Lee Hyeon for the past 4 years wasn’t a curse.

It was a part of the Snow Queen’s own soul that she had left behind.

That’s why after the curse was lifted, her consciousness awakened in Lee Hyeon’s subconscious world.

‘So the more pure ice crystals I absorb, the more I recover the Ring of Extreme Cold, the stronger the Snow Queen’s narrative becomes.’

The reason he could recover not just fragments of pure ice crystals, but also the eternal snow and icebergs covering the crater, was precisely because of this.

 

[The narrative says much more is needed for her power to recover.]

[The narrative demands more enemy blood.]

 

‘Wait just a little. That guy is still just small fry.’

Lee Hyeon focused his eyesight with all his might.

 

[Tracking enemy movement with ‘Sacred Relic: Golden Eyes of Truth’!]

 

Whether there were still ice crystals he hadn’t recovered,

Zhang Baien was activating baptism to chase Lee Hyeon.

‘No, is he adding his own myth on top of just the ice crystals?’

Zhang Baien’s legend was Gutu.

The toad god said to live on the moon.

 

[Gutu]

An immortal being living within the moon in the legend of Chang’e of the Moon Palace. Sometimes serves as Chang’e’s guardian deity or possesses independent divinity.

Represents poison, regeneration, and the hidden aspects of the moon.

-Origin: Legend ‘Classic of Mountains and Seas’

 

With such strong yin energy, it wouldn’t be strange if he activated baptism and possession on his own.

Having lost ice crystals and now even magic power, he was using his last resort.

 

[The narrative explains that the vassal he’s currently possessed by was a minister she particularly cherished.]

[The narrative warns to be careful as this vassal was the palace’s first knight.]

 

In that moment, Lee Hyeon’s eyes flashed.

‘The knight commander who guarded the front of the boss room… That’s him.’

He definitely remembered him as no pushover.

Lee Hyeon recalled barely defeating him only after activating his divine authority.

Swish swish swish swish!

Right then, Zhang Baien vigorously slashed his sword several times through the air.

Clean movements that were too refined for someone who was originally a sorcerer.

 

[Ice blades rain down!]

 

Sword energy.

Or what could also be called aura – over ten blade winds reached right before Lee Hyeon’s eyes,

Flash! Flash!

Lee Hyeon countered by fiercely swinging down Taotie’s Fangs.

The sword energy shattered and ice fragments scattered.

At the same time, water mist spread wide.

Whoosh!

The moment Lee Hyeon quickly swept it away, Zhang Baien had vanished from his original position.

 

[Combat Sense (S) warns of enemy ambush!]

 

He had appeared behind Lee Hyeon and was swinging his sword.

Slash!

The sword mercilessly cut through Lee Hyeon’s upper body.

However,

Whoosh-

It disappeared like a phantom.

 

[The afterimage left by Whirlwind (A) explodes.]

[Lightning bolt strikes down!]

 

Boom!

The phantom exploded. Lightning bolt added to it and struck down.

“Kugh!”

Zhang Baien crossed both arms to block it, but the shockwave still slammed him into the ground.

A crater where the ice had half-melted and lava was ready to erupt at any moment.

Crash!

As he fell, ice powder scattered,

 

[Appearing while stepping with Steps of Eodukseoni.]

 

This time Lee Hyeon appeared beside Zhang Baien half a beat late and swung down his axe.

However,

Whirl!

Clang!

Zhang Baien twisted his body in mid-air to block the axe, and simultaneously,

Swish-

This time he untied his belt with his left hand and whipped it like a lash.

The ice thorns that had formed densely on the belt felt menacing.

 

[Dueoksini’s Collar flutters!]

 

It was too late to dodge immediately.

Lee Hyeon raised his defensive power to maximum to block the attack, but couldn’t prevent part of his collar from being brutally torn away.

At the same time, the guy closed in tight and thrust a dagger.

Very agile yet savage movements.

‘Exactly the same as back then.’

Even in front of the boss room, he had been incredibly strong.

Strong enough that many of the Blue Thunder unit members nearly died.

Lee Hyeon also had memories of nearly losing an arm.

Whiiiiiing!

In that instant, something spun inside his head.

 

[The Golden Headband operates rapidly, enhancing intuition!]

 

Along with white heat, an illusion occurred as if time in the world had slowed down.

Lee Hyeon judged how Zhang Baien’s movements would continue and swung up the axe in his left hand with all his might.

Clang!

Blade clashed against blade with a tremendous sound as they scraped past each other,

and simultaneously the slowed time returned to normal.

However,

Lee Hyeon’s vision clearly captured the enemy’s predicted trajectory left by the Golden Headband.

Crackle-

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Fierce strikes accompanied by each other’s attributes continued.

Rumble rumble rumble-

Lee Hyeon and Zhang Baien clashed fiercely again and again

on the precariously swaying ice that could flip over at any moment.

Slash!

A sword cut deep through Lee Hyeon’s thigh.

The axe embedded itself in Zhang Baien’s left shoulder.

A tense battle where neither gave an inch.

The more they fought, the more the ice swayed like a seesaw, and lava slowly crept inward.

The cracks in the floor grew deeper and deeper.

“Kaaaaaaah!!”

Zhang Baien let out a furious roar, saying he was extremely angry.

Clearly he had risen to High Ranker status and should be much stronger than Lee Hyeon,

yet he couldn’t even inflict any significant wounds, let alone gain an advantage, which frustrated him.

 

[Stack has accumulated.]

[Lightning will strike!]

 

Zhang Baien hastily retreated backward. Lightning struck where he had been standing.

But that was a mistake.

Crackle-

The already weakened ice completely collapsed.

Splash!

Zhang Baien fell straight into the lava.

Lee Hyeon activated Dueoksini’s Swift Thunder to pull his body back as much as possible while forcefully throwing his axe in that direction.

 

[Dueoksini’s Rage explodes!]

 

Rumble!!

Blue-white lightning falling from the sky struck the axe, loading it with tremendous destructive power.

He intended to bury that bastard deep underground in the crater so he could never emerge again.

To finish him off for certain, he even activated the steel balls of Bulgasal.

It was right at that moment.

 

[Combat Sense (S) reacts sensitively to an unknown presence!]

 

‘…What?’

Lee Hyeon suddenly felt that the bastard’s aura had distinctly changed.

Whoosh!

Sure enough.

Just before Zhang Baien fell, he suddenly raised his leg high and roughly stomped on the lava’s surface.

Hiss hiss hiss hiss!!

In an instant, the surface spanning over ten meters in width froze solid,

and Zhang Baien roughly slashed his sword vertically upward.

Clang!

The axe was deflected. In that moment, the bizarre sight of lightning freezing solid and then scattering into powder occurred.

A blizzard swirled. Each snowstorm filled with magic power became a barrier that blocked even all the steel balls.

Clang clang clang clang!

Divine techniques that had never been shown before.

And,

Crack!

Whiiiish-

The bastard fiercely threw the sword he was holding toward this direction.

It was an extremely sharp and fast speed.

Clang!

Lee Hyeon deflected it to the side.

The sword embedded powerlessly in the ground beside him,

but the tingling pain that rang through his wrist was different from before.

Lee Hyeon somehow felt that Zhang Baien was looking at him and smiling.

An unpleasant smile that reminded him of someone.

Lee Hyeon’s face hardened.

Instinctively, he seemed to know who that bastard was.

Zhang Baien was no longer there.

‘Seo Chang-woo.’

And…

A new voice was added to that bastard’s voice.

A voice he could never forget.

“Long time no see, friend? You’ve become quite vicious while I haven’t seen you?”

At that moment,

Flash!!

Lightning sparked from Lee Hyeon’s eyes.

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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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