The Return of the Genius Ranker of All Times - Chapter 278

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

Chapter 278

Episode 278.

Meanwhile, before they could contain their astonishment.

When Babylon was gaining the upper hand due to Cheonma’s intrusion.

“Th-this is impossible.”

“Good Lord.”

Similar reactions were coming from Dohyun’s side, who were fighting the war a little distance away.

Thwack! Thud!

Swoosh- Stab, scrape!

It wasn’t from the guild members’ side where a large-scale battle was taking place.

Unlike them who still didn’t know the situation here, these were the ones in a position to watch over Dohyun and Demian.

They were Raveon and Marphad, the vice masters of the two guilds.

‘What am I looking at right now?’

When the Kashin Church intruded, when they were pushed back after being judged unable to provide much help in their fight.

Even when the fanatic fought on equal terms with Leon.

He could say with certainty that he hadn’t been this shocked.

Thud.

“Urgh…”

“Ow, my hands are tingling. Damn thing’s really hard.”

It was natural.

Those were just unexpected situations or variables, but this wasn’t something of that level.

‘The Master… the Master is on his knees?’

Damian Alexander.

The iron-blooded Tank and father of all Tanks.

The one who was always ranked first when choosing Godose’s strongest Tank was on his knees.

Swish.

With a cold sword pointed at his throat.

His shield was thrown aside pathetically as if he had no strength to hold it, and there wasn’t a single spot without sword marks from how brutally he had blocked attacks.

For Marphad, who respected Demian immensely, it was a shocking sight.

It was the first time in his life seeing such a scene.

‘This doesn’t make sense. Something must be going wrong.’

‘The Master losing in a one-on-one fight? No, that’s impossible.’

‘Ah…’

The surrounding sounds became muffled as if submerged in water, and reality faded away.

Then a voice from the left grabbed their heads and pulled them back to the surface.

“Looks like it’s over there?”

“…Seems so.”

It was the voices of the Empress and Ahdeo.

They had been continuing their deadly close-combat battle, but after glancing this way, they withdrew their crossed swords.

Then the Empress frowned at Ahdeo’s appearance as he sheathed his sword without hesitation.

“What are you doing? Stopping mid-fight.”

She was quite displeased that the guy who was still fresh immediately gave up the battle.

But Ahdeo was resolute.

“Shao’s side was also losing. We needed to gain the upper hand here, but now that Demian has been defeated, is there any reason to continue fighting?”

“You never know. You or that guy might win, right?”

At her words, Ahdeo glanced sideways.

He could feel the sincerity in Leon’s eyes as he fought desperately and in his sword-wielding movements.

He was so focused that he hadn’t even realized Demian had fallen to his knees.

It was the first time in a while seeing his serious side, but the fanatic wasn’t being pushed back at all and was skillfully wielding his massive greatsword.

“Well.”

His expression as he chuckled was subtle.

Looking uncertain, when his eyes met the Empress’s, he spoke calmly.

“His request was to add our strength to a certain victory to prevent any possible variables. Empress, it wasn’t to have an uncertain life-or-death battle with you.”

I’d say the debt is fully repaid at this point.

Watching Ahdeo say this, the Empress finally nodded as if she understood.

“Tch, I wondered why you were being so half-hearted. How boring.”

“I think that was mutual.”

“When you’re not fighting properly, it’s no fun.”

“There was also the option of ending it quickly and helping Kaiser?”

“Help? Him?”

The Empress picked her ear as if hearing nonsense.

Then she raised the corner of her mouth and spat out.

“My companion isn’t such a shithead that he’d lose to a slowpoke like that.”

“…Is that so.”

The strongest Tank had instantly become a shithead, but Ahdeo didn’t bother to argue.

After all, he was directly witnessing Demian’s defeat without being able to do anything, just as she said.

‘Once. Just once would have been enough.’

Objectively speaking, the ability gap between Demian and Kaiser was extreme.

Kaiser being strong for his level was true, but that was all.

He was stronger than other rankers, but clearly weaker compared to the Top 10 Guild Masters.

On the other hand, Demian was a man whose defense was the best even among the Top 10 Guild Masters.

The fight between these two was truly like hitting a rock with an egg.

‘…But he broke through.’

Slowly, but surely.

Without allowing a single critical hit, he dodged while landing every attack.

After knocking away the shield, the accuracy and venom with which he persistently targeted one spot made even Ahdeo click his tongue.

‘Demian’s high defense became his weakness instead.’

If that defense had gone into speed or damage instead, the story would have been different.

Indeed, thinking of several people who came to mind, a different picture would have unfolded.

But even considering that, he couldn’t help but be an absurd guy.

It’s easy to say, but as humans, concentration tends to waver, yet that man truly didn’t allow even a single mistake as if he were a machine.

Could he himself have done that?

Thinking so, his head naturally shook.

‘I’d like to face him if I get the chance.’

Meanwhile, while Ahdeo was seriously burning with competitive spirit, Demian himself felt like his insides were burning up.

‘Damn it…!’

What the hell kind of situation is this?

In shame and frustration, Demian couldn’t bring himself to lift his head.

Marphad’s gaze from behind felt so distinctly clear.

‘What went wrong?’

It was clearly a won fight.

It was such a certain fight that any gambler would bet on him without hesitation, so why did it turn out like this?

Because the Empress interfered? Because the Kashin Church intruded?

“You were running your mouth well, but now you’re quiet?”

At the low voice that cut through his complicated thoughts, Demian lifted his head and ground his teeth.

“This… this doesn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t make sense? That guy’s repertoire never changes.”

“I was clearly superior in everything. So why am I the one on my knees instead of you!!”

At his cry that was close to screaming, attention was drawn.

“…Master?”

“Why is Master…?”

“Even Lord Ahdeo gave up?”

“Wh-what? Then we lost?”

The pupils of the guild members who had been continuing the battle shook greatly.

The defeat of Demian, who had been like their pillar of support, must have been quite shocking.

With their morale broken, they looked like they didn’t know what to do.

It wasn’t just them whose attention was drawn.

“Demian? Why are you doing that there…?”

“You’re letting your guard down.”

“Damn it! Get away from me! This isn’t the time for…”

“For heretics, there is only death.”

Leon’s eyes, who had been engaged in a bloody battle with the fanatic, also shook greatly.

His appearance was clearly more urgent than before.

He looked like he never imagined he would be defeated by someone much lower in level.

“M-Master! This is terrible!”

“They say Cheonma has appeared and Cheonoechen is being overwhelmingly pushed back. We need to go provide support quickly… Master?”

To make matters worse, Xiao’s side was also in chaos.

The robed man who had come running hurriedly to make his report froze like stone when he saw Demian kneeling.

His eyes asked why he was doing that there.

“Ah…”

Though he belatedly grasped the situation and closed his mouth, it was already too late.

“…Cheonoechen is being pushed back? Then what do we do?”

“More than that, wasn’t Cheonma on our side? What’s this, then less than half the masters agreed to this.”

“Are we breaking our unwritten rule now?”

“Th-there was no talk of this!”

The guild members who learned of the unfolding situation began to have breakdowns as if they had panic disorder.

Forget their broken morale, they had lost the will to fight.

“Eliminate the heretics!”

“Yes!”

“Aaahhhhh!!”

“G-get away! We have no intention of fighting anymore!”

“Damn it, this isn’t the time. Run!”

There was no way such people could engage in proper combat against the Kashin Church members rushing at them like hungry wolves.

Those who were busy fleeing in panic began to die even more helplessly.

“Ah… ahh…”

Taking in all that scene with his eyes, Demian collapsed, kneeling on his other knee as well.

His guild was crumbling.

The carefully built tower he had constructed was collapsing beyond control.

“Everything was advantageous, so why did it turn out like this?”

Dohyun approached the despairing man and answered as if asking what was so obvious.

“Because you’re weaker. What other reason could there be? If I were weaker, I’d be the one doing that.”

“…”

Demian closed his mouth.

In fact, he knew too.

That what overturned the overwhelming battle wasn’t because of the Empress and the fanatic, nor because of Harrington and Cheonma’s betrayal.

“Ah…”

He just didn’t want to admit it.

That his strongest defense, which had been his pride, was just a slightly sturdier punching bag to him.

The one who couldn’t grasp his place wasn’t him, but himself.

“If you thought about trampling someone, you should have been prepared to be trampled in return.”

Dohyun spoke in a chanting, cold voice to the dazed Demian.

“Well, it doesn’t look like I need to step in this time.”

“…What?”

“It seems like you broke the unwritten rule?”

“…”

Breaking the unwritten rule was tantamount to losing qualification as a Top 10 Guild.

If he had overwhelming support, it might be overlooked, but if he was defeated this disgracefully…

“I’m looking forward to it. How your future will turn out.”

“Kaiser, you bastard…!”

Demian, who received his own words back at him, struggled and got up, but immediately a blizzard blocked his vision and the White Lion wrapped around his body.

—-!

Even as he staggered in his awkward position, he turned his wide eyes upward.

Heavenly Transformation was striking down.

Slash-!

That was the end.

A death that was utterly futile and unsightly for the end of a Top 10 Guild Master.

Not even knowing exactly how he died was his last memory.

Therefore, he couldn’t hear it.

Ding-

The cheerful notification that sounded the moment he died.

The guild members who were fleeing and the Kashin Church members pursuing them.

And it was a notification that rang simultaneously for everyone, including Dohyun, the Empress, and Ahdeo.

“…Huh?”

“What’s this? What appeared?”

“Eh?”

That wasn’t all they heard.

Rumble!

Thud!

Every time the footsteps of something massive were heard, the ground shook.

“Aaahhhhh!”

“Graahhh!”

“What the hell is this crazy… What is this!?”

“Sh-shit, run… Gahh!”

Then terrible screams followed from behind, along with the sound of something being trampled.

The sounds were getting closer, and soon they could realize.

“…That’s our group’s side, isn’t it?”

“It’s coming toward us… huh?”

That it was none other than the guild members of the Top 10 Guild Alliance who were screaming.

That the source of the screams was not only coming this way, but had reached right in front of them.

Looming.

At that, the guild members who were fleeing and the Kashin Church members who were pursuing.

And everyone, including Dohyun, the Empress, and Ahdeo, stopped what they were doing as messages appeared simultaneously before them all.

“Why is this guy still fighting!”

“Atone for your sins with death.”

…Except for Leon and the fanatic.

Their tenacious bloody battle that seemed like it would continue was forced to come to an end.

“Argh! Really, this crazy bitch… huh?”

Leon, unable to bear the fanatic following him like mad, made a large leap backward and landed, only to find the sky had darkened.

No, only the place where he was had darkened.

“What the…”

The moment Leon instinctively felt danger and quickly turned around.

Crack-!

[‘Grasp of Ruin’ has taken effect.]

[Warning! Being caught in the grasp results in instant death.]

[Player ‘Leon’ has died.]

Something grabbed Leon’s head and immediately crushed it like cracking a walnut.

The sound of sharp intakes of breath echoed through the labyrinth that had fallen deathly silent at the shocking sight.

“Fucking hell….”

What followed was a brief curse word.

But no one criticized it.

Everyone felt the same way.

-…Owner, that thing, don’t tell me.

-Risa….

-Mmm….

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

Dohyun was just as tense.

However, the difference between him and the others was that what appeared above his head was an exclamation mark, not a question mark.

[More than half of the labyrinth’s stone statues have been destroyed.]

[A powerful being sealed in the Labyrinth of Denial has awakened.]

[You encounter the sealed Abyss, ‘Commander of the 4th Legion of Ruin’.]

‘…What was bound to come has come.’

When he had seen something hidden with the Eye of Truth.

This was the moment when ‘that thing’ guarding the red something finally appeared.

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