Ranker’s Return

The result of the second magic power rampage was gorgeous. The enormous amount of magic power brought about a number of changes. Among them, the most noticeable thing was the change in appearance. Viscount Ergal changed from the form of a person to a half man, half beast. His lower body was the same as before, with both of his legs firmly supporting his body.

It was his upper body that had changed. His body, which had been like that of a strong adult man's, was now deformed. The viscount's severed arm had already regrown, but his head was that of a cow instead of a human, and there were two small horns on his forehead.

“Kukuku... die... baron...” Viscount Ergal had completely lost his sense of reason. His eyes gave off an intense light as he focused his gaze completely on Hyeonu. He didn’t even look around at his surroundings at all.

“Stay away now.” Hyeonu placed Tang-E, who was hanging around his neck, in a corner of the room. Presently, he couldn’t afford to let Tang-E get involved in the fight. No matter how much Hyeonu looked after Tang-E, Tang-E wasn’t a part of his body, and it would cause problems.

“I understand, Master dude. I’ll definitely use magic.” Tang-E nodded in an understanding manner. He showed no signs of being disappointed or upset. Rather, he was busy staring at Viscount Ergal with serious eyes.

‘This guy... He has become sensible after the third awakening.’ Hyeonu smiled at the appearance of the now mature Tang-E. Then that smile soon disappeared. It was as if it hadn’t been there from the beginning.

‘I should get rid of this person quickly and give Tang-E the meat he likes.’

The laughter and enjoyment could come after defeating the enemy in front of him. Hyeonu’s eyes displayed a profound expression. In an instant, he focused on the battle. Only Viscount Ergal’s appearance was visible in Hyeonu’s eyes.

“Come, come!” Hyeonu extended his left hand and flicked his finger. Now it was his trademark provocation. There was a reason why he used it often—the effect of the provocation was great.

Viscount Ergal lost his sense of reason again and rushed at Hyeonu. He didn’t use the movement from before that jumped through space. Instead, he just moved quickly. Viscount Ergal’s fist collided with the Mysterious Sky Sword, and there was a deafening sound.

Viscount Ergal and Hyeonu each bounced back five meters. Then they charged toward each other again. The winner of this clash was Hyeonu. Viscount Ergal had charged quickly and swung his fist while Hyeonu had stood still and wielded the Mysterious Sky Sword. The ratio of power was equal in the initial collision, so it was natural for Hyeonu to win the second clash when he moved at the same time as Viscount Ergal.

However, it was with a very small advantage of the difference between 51% to 49%. This small advantage was the key to winning the battle. Hyeonu was the best at this part. The Mysterious Sky Sword was rapidly swung three times, and accordingly, Ergal’s fist stretched out three times. There were three collisions that followed in turn.

Every time the two people collided, black magic power spread out around them and destroyed the surroundings. This was the aftermath of the collisions. It wasn’t just the furniture and the room that were destroyed. The walls of the building were also broken and collapsed. Once the surroundings were destroyed, Tang-E moved quickly. He dragged a hard-looking metal desk and hid himself underneath it. Then he once again watched the battle between Hyeonu and Viscount Ergal.

‘Win, Master dude,’ Tang-E cheered for Hyeonu in his heart. This scene was very beautiful. No, it was almost beautiful. If only there was a piece of meat in Tang-E’s hand… 

***

‘He hid well.’

Glancing at Tang-E’s hiding place, Hyeonu saw that he was hiding in a very safe place.

‘Shall I fight properly now?’

Hyeonu poured out magic power and used it generously. The moment that over-10-meter-long pure energy was generated, it started gnawing at the walls.

Every time the Mysterious Sky Sword moved, it was like a young child’s doodles were added to a wall.

The wreckage of the cut walls fell to the ground. In addition, rubble fell from the ceiling. Once there were dozens of hits, the pure energy disappeared from the Mysterious Sky Sword. He took a step back after taking two steps forward. It wasn’t because Hyeonu was lacking magic power, but Viscount Ergal didn’t know this. He made a knowing smile once Hyeonu’s momentum weakened. “Di...e!”

Every time Viscount Ergal moved his feet, the floor was damaged. Just then, he moved like a flash of light. However, the moment Viscount Ergal reached Hyeonu’s side, dozens of black-red pure energies were generated in front of him and immediately started to explode the moment they emerged. Each one disappeared after leaving dozens of pieces of debris.

“Kuaaaaaah!!!” Viscount Ergal yelled and instinctively released magic power.

The magic power, which was amplified by several times, flowed out of his body and formed a small black wall that wrapped around him. Hyeonu’s hundreds of pure energies struck the black wall. At first, they were like timid knocks on a door. However, the black wall was silent.

The black-red pure energies’ knocks became more urgent. The moment the door didn’t open, they started to break down the door. Small cracks appeared in the wall as if to show that the pure energies’ efforts were working. Not missing this opportunity, the pure energies dug straight into the cracks, causing them to grow bigger before shattering like broken glass.

Then the pure energies entered past the black wall, and blood gushed out from Viscount Ergal’s entire body. Seeing the splatter of blood, Hyeonu wanted to deal the finishing blow. The problem was that he couldn’t launch it. The moment Hyeonu attacked, he might also die. This was because Viscount Ergal’s room was collapsing. The falling stones were a sign that the walls would soon split apart.

‘It might’ve been more troublesome, but I should’ve adjusted my magic power...’

Regardless, it was too late to regret it. The room was already collapsing. Hyeonu turned his head to look at Tang-E. The desk Tang-E was hiding under looked very hard. It was made of metal, not wood, and didn’t seem to be cracked or broken.

‘Yes, that desk will hold on.’

After making that judgment, Hyeonu moved immediately, sliding across the ground. Stones fell in the middle of his route, but Hyeonu caught them with his body. In any case, his health didn’t even decrease when hit by something like this.

“Master dude, what should we do?” Tang-E asked when he saw Hyeonu curling up under his desk.

“We will go out once the building has collapsed,” Hyeonu said.

They couldn’t leave their current position as they might get hurt if they moved from there. Of course, the biggest reason was Viscount Ergal. Hyeonu couldn’t let go of the prey he had caught. The prey would obviously be different the next time they met.

‘It will be a headache if other nobles get involved.’

He might have to give up on acquiring this city if there were helpers next time. Of course, Hyeonu would need to look at the level of the helper first, but he would clearly have to flee if it were an earl.

‘That would be like fighting two boss monsters.’

He couldn’t do something so stupid. His opponent wasn’t a low-level boss monster but a demon noble. If another monster like Viscount Ergal popped out, dealing with both of them at the same time would be...

‘It’s possible I’ll lose...’

Of course, this was if the two opponents were in sync. There was no risk factor if they didn’t cooperate well. Just then, the building started to collapse with a huge roar. Hyeonu hugged Tang-E in his arms and covered Tang-E’s body as much as possible.

***

‘Is it over?’

The collapse that lasted for a long time finally stopped. Hyeonu saw the stones in front of him and frowned. He couldn’t see anything else or hear anything from outside. The only thing he heard was Tang-E’s breathing.

‘I should get rid of these first.’

Hyeonu reached out his hand, forming a small bead on his palm. The small bead soon emitted magic power, and he began removing the stones with this magic power. He removed them neatly without leaving any dust behind. After making enough space to move, Hyeonu pushed himself through the narrow passage without any hesitation in order to escape the rubble of the collapsed building.

Arena wasn’t reality. He was hundreds or thousands of times stronger here than in reality. So this level of rubble was nothing.

“Um...”

It wasn’t just clear, fresh air that welcomed Hyeonu. There were thousands of demons waiting, and their gazes were all directed at him.

‘What should I do?’ 

Hyeonu’s brain seemed to stop running momentarily. He was troubled about how to resolve the situation in front of him.

‘Let’s endure it first.’

Hyeonu’s choice was to buy time until Viscount Ergal revealed himself. To be exact, it was until he was rescued from the stones burying him.

‘I will act the moment he appears.’

“How did this building suddenly collapse? Hey, you over there. Come here.” Hyeonu started acting. His concept was that of a noble with high pride.

“Huh? Yes.” A demon looked around like he didn’t know if Hyeonu was pointing to him. Then he realized whom Hyeonu was pointing at and rushed over to him.

“Is it time for you to look around with your hands behind your back? Viscount Ergal is buried somewhere here. You are really good. Are all demons so free with nothing to do? The demon king will love it when he sees it. There are many demons with energy to spare,” Hyeonu snarled at the demon.

His voice was flat but contained an intense power.

“Huh? No, that isn’t it. I will save the viscount quickly.” The demon’s face turned red because he found it hard to endure the pressure from Hyeonu.

Hyeonu continued on as if he didn’t care about the demon.

“Are you just acting with your mouth? You can still speak? You should’ve moved first before answering. Good, good. I didn’t act like this when I wasn’t a noble... The kids these days...” Hyeonu spoke loudly to himself.

The demons who heard Hyeonu’s words started to move quickly. Ranging from carrying the stones to those destroying the stone with strong power, they used various methods to clear the rubble of the broken Colosseum. Meanwhile, Hyeonu turned his head and looked around. He needed to know exactly what the current situation was.

‘Part of the Colosseum has collapsed.’

The Colosseum had literally crumbled on one side. It was the aftermath of the battle between Hyeonu and Viscount Ergal.

‘The number of demons is increasing...?’

The news of the Colosseum’s collapse had spread, and the number of demons was increasing. There were even quite a few demons who were fully armed and looked like guards. Just then, a demon shouted loudly, “The viscount! The viscount is here!”

They had finally found Viscount Ergal. Hyeonu quickly moved to the location where Viscount Ergal was discovered.

‘He’s in bad shape.’

Viscount Ergal’s body had shrunk like a deflated balloon. It was a side effect of his magic power rampage. The demons quickly cleared the remnants of the Colosseum that covered Viscount Ergal and succeeded in rescuing him. Just then, Viscount Ergal’s head was cut off by a red flash of light that came from nowhere.

“From this moment on, I am the ruler here,” Hyeonu declared as he held up the blazing Mysterious Sky Sword with a black-red pure energy, which was over 10 meters long.