Ranker's Return

Chapter 812

“Edward is alive? What do you mean all of a sudden?”

Lebron stared at Hyeonu like he was looking at a strange person.

“Edward is alive? Are you saying he died? Who found that guy in the desert and killed him? No one is that diligent...”

John Blake didn’t know the details, so he simply responded with surprise.

“Edward once led a force out of the desert. He struck the entire empire at the same time. The level was so low that the adventurers made great contributions and stopped them without much damage.”

Lebron briefly explained Alkyl’s matter to John Blake.

“Did that happen? Stupid guy. He should’ve lived quietly. Why was he so greedy?”

John Blake clicked his tongue. John Blake had also taught Edward. As a member of the imperial family, Edward’s talent wasn’t bad. The problem was that the person Edward was always being compared to was the current emperor, Alexander. Edward was too lacking compared to Alexander.

There were things he was ahead in. Pride for the imperial family, love for the empire, and a broad tolerance—these were virtues that an emperor should possess. However, it was something that only shone when he rose to the position of emperor.

“I was commanded by His Majesty the Emperor to finish off the traitors. Then I cut off Edward’s head myself.”

Lebron told John Blake what happened at the end of the main scenario.

“It can’t be helped. It was different when he was hiding, but he couldn’t be left alone once he exposed himself.”

John Blake took Lebron’s actions for granted. There was only one ruler of the empire. The authority of the throne had to be so high that no one could ever surpass it.

“Explain in detail how Edward has survived.”

Lebron shifted the topic back to the beginning.

“I don’t think it was Edward whom Teacher killed at that time. It is believed to be an avatar made inside Alkyl. The real body was hidden somewhere else.”

“Is that so? Well, this isn’t bad either. Honestly, it did bother me a bit. We were close at one time.”

Lebron nodded at Hyeonu’s words. It was something that could be understood considering that Alkyl was mainly made up of black magicians.

“So what? I don’t think it is worth that much of a fuss.”

However, this wasn’t enough for Hyeonu to say that it was a big deal. In the first place, the power of Edward’s force, Alkyl, was considered crude in Lebron’s eyes.

“Edward did something stupid. He absorbed the fragments of the demon god. Therefore, he is on the verge of being eaten up by the demon god.”

“What? What did he absorb?”

“Crazy guy.”

Lebron and John Blake reacted furiously to Hyeonu’s words. They didn’t know precisely what the fragments of the demon god were, but it clearly wasn’t a good thing based on the name alone.

“Edward doesn’t seem to know either. The magician under his command just said he could gain strength...”

Hyeonu’s explanation continued. It wasn’t a situation that could be explained in one or two words. Still, it wasn’t that long.

“Idiot. I told him to train diligently.”

John Blake cut off Hyeonu’s words with a click of his tongue.

“Didn’t he say that Edward didn’t know? You have to listen properly.”

Lebron shook his head and stopped John Blake.

“This isn’t the only problem. It will create problems for the two of you if Edward is completely swallowed up by the fragments of the demon god.

“To us?”

“If the demon god takes control of Edward’s body... it will be hard for the two of you to escape the influence of the demon god.”

Hyeonu carefully told the story he heard from Callioraks.

“Then we just have to kill the demon god. What is the problem?”

“Or we can go back to the middle world right away.”

Lebron and John Blake reacted cheekily. They weren’t particularly afraid of the demon god. It was enough to leave the demon world.

“It isn’t something that will work out that easily, humans." Just then, the purple-haired Callioraks appeared. The appearance of Callioraks was too natural, as if he had been here from the beginning.

“Callioraks, please explain what you didn’t finish earlier.”

Hyeonu wasn’t surprised by Callioraks’ appearance. He knew that the dragon could show up at any time.

“The two of you can’t return to the middle world without the permission of the demon god.”

Then Callioraks explained to Lebron and John Blake what he hadn’t mentioned to Hyeonu.

“The demon god is regaining strength through the fragments. This means he is showing signs of waking up from sleep. This alone can exert a powerful influence on those who are bound to the demon king. It isn’t enough to control your minds, but it is enough to keep you from escaping the demon world.”

“Is the demon god’s influence that much? Even if he isn’t in his best condition?” Hyeonu wondered. It didn’t make sense. Was the demon god so strong? The demon god that Hyeonu knew was defeated by Larenix even after he joined forces with the god tribe.

“A title is given when you become a demon king. From that point on, you are already under the influence of the demon god. Additionally, you use magic power of the dark attribute. That is the problem.”

Hyeonu’s expression became serious. Callioraks didn’t care about Hyeonu’s appearance and continued to speak, “Still, you don’t need to worry. I can solve the problem.”

Callioraks looked at Hyeonu.

‘Why is he looking at me?’

Hyeonu blinked like a goldfish at Callioraks’ action of staring intently. After a few seconds, Hyeonu figured out what Callioraks wanted.

‘Is it this?’ Hyeonu raised his hand to his chest and released his magic power. A small, purple magic power burned around Hyeonu’s hand.

“You know that this guy originally used the dark attribute magic power, right? Now he uses the chaos magic power. I made it that way. If the two of you do me a favor, I will allow you to use the chaos magic power as well.”

“Why don’t you accept the offer, Teacher?” Hyeonu added while looking at Lebron.

“I’ll make a decision once I hear what the offer is.” The answer came from John Blake. John Blake could definitely feel Callioraks’ strength. Therefore, he didn’t react much despite the sudden appearance. He quietly listened to Callioraks’ words and was wary.

“I have to fight once a month. If I pour my magic power into the two of you, I won’t be able to fight the battle properly. This means you have to replace me.”

Callioraks’ proposal was still vague. This was why neither Lebron nor John Blake gave an answer.

“What is the battle specifically, Callioraks?” Hyeonu asked on behalf of the two men.

“It is a battle with five guardians who protect the temple of the demon god. It is a battle to get rid of the magic power that gathers in the temple.”

“Huh? The magic power that gathers in the temple?” Hyeonu heard Callioraks’ words and asked with a surprised face.

‘Magic power gathered in a temple? Get rid of it?’

Hyeonu’s mind was busy. The fragments of the demon god, the resurrection of the demon god, the temple of the demon god, and the magic power that gathers in the temple—one conclusion was reached by combining the keywords that Hyeonu knew.

‘Is he preventing the resurrection of the demon god? Callioraks? Why?’

Hyeonu’s brow furrowed. He couldn’t understand the meaning of Callioraks’ actions.

“Callioraks, why are you doing this?”

“It is to prevent the resurrection of the demon god. In the end, even killing the demon god. That is the destiny given to me.”

Callioraks’ eyes were rarely serious.

“By the way, how is the magic power gathered? Are those guardians gathering it?”

“They can’t move. They never leave the temple for even one second.”

“Why can’t they leave the temple? Is there some type of curse on them?”

“Curse? No, it is because all the others are dead and only the strongest five are left. They don’t leave the temple because they know they will die if they leave it for even a moment.”

There was no need to ask who killed the guardians of the demon god’s temple. The answer was already there even if they didn’t ask.

‘Callioraks killed the other guardians or at least had something to do with it.’

The one in front of Hyeonu—it was very likely that this being, the only dragon in the demon world, was the culprit.

“Then how is the magic power gathered? Are they using magic?”

“That’s right, they are using magic. It is once a month. Magic power is gathered in a way that you know very well.”

“How do I know it?”

Then something passed through Hyeonu’s head. It was something that provided immense magic power in the demon world. There was only one thing.

“The magic power stone...”

“That’s right, the 72 magic power stones. It was the demon god who made it and the guardians who installed the magic power stones in their current position.”

“By the way, I know that the magic power of a magic power stone can be absorbed once every three months...”

“After the magic power used for the resurrection of the demon god, they leave only the minimum amount of magic power left in the magic power stone. This is what you absorb every three months.”

It was an amazing story. Based on Callioraks’ words, all the major cities of the current demon world were thoroughly arranged by the demon god. Additionally, the magic power stone. This was the most surprising thing. It was more surprising because Hyeonu had experience using it.

‘It increased my magic power so much... yet it was just the leftovers?’

In the end, the magic power absorbed from the stone was what was left after most of the magic power flowed to the demon god. Thinking about it this way, the amount of magic power flowing to the demon god was unimaginably enormous.

‘Yet he used up all that magic power?’

At the same time, he was amazed by Callioraks’ unfathomable strength. The guardians who served the demon god couldn’t be weaker than the demon kings. In a way, they were the hidden power of the demon world.

‘Can the three of us handle such guardians?’

He was worried. Replacing the role of Callioraks meant that a certain amount of work had to be done, even if it wasn’t perfect.

“Now answer me. Will you do it or won’t you?”

As Hyeonu was struggling, Callioraks repeated the first question to Lebron and John Blake.

“If the attribute of my magic power changes... are there any disadvantages in the battle against the guardians?” John Blake asked with a cautious expression.

“Of course. The chaos magic power was created by my tribe in order to get revenge on the demon god. Rather, it can be seen as an upper compatibility.”

“Then let me fight one battle on your behalf. Of course, I might not be able to completely remove the demon god’s magic power like you. I hope you know that.”

John Blake had the worst situation in mind. He was able to examine some parts of Callioraks through countless battles and endless training. Callioraks was ridiculously stronger than John Blake himself. He was like a god. It was absurd that he, Lebron, and Hyeonu could deal with the guardians that even Callioraks couldn’t handle.

“I didn’t expect that much in the first place. My request is simple. I will deal with four guardians. The three of you just have to deal with the one that is remaining.”

Callioraks smiled. From the beginning, the role of the three people in his plan was just this much.