Lumia Subjugation Operation (3)
It was back when she was deep into Another World.
—Gotta go kill the Demon King again today.
Back then, Sisilia headed to take down the Demon King every single day. She'd only recently hit Sword God, so she was itching to show off her power. Besides, nothing short of the Demon King could even take a single hit from her—no real practice partners around.
Of course.
—Almost killed him that time.
She'd always pull back when the Demon King's health dropped to a sliver. She didn't know back then that slaying one just spawned a new one anyway.
But soloing the Demon King felt like a dick move. Hogging all the fun for herself.
That was around the 800th time she'd beaten him senseless.
The Demon King, who always spat the same lines like "Urgh... How dare a mere human...!", finally said something new.
—Please, stop! Just stop already!
—Huh...?
Her reaction? Like reuniting with an old friend. She'd figured it was just a scripted boss mob, but nope—turns out a GM was puppeteering it live.
—It's the 800th time already! Eight hundred! When the hell are you gonna finish me off?!
—But... I don't wanna end it just yet.
—This is pointless...! There's a next phase anyway—move on already!
—Next phase?
—Yeah! If you kill me, then comes—
Sisilia didn't want spoilers, so she offed him right there. But even after he died, nothing much changed. She left the Demon King Castle feeling a bit hollow.
She'd killed him on a whim, so she figured she'd hunt down a top-tier elixir and revive him somehow.
But the next morning, word spread: a new Demon King had been born.
Curious as hell, Sisilia returned to the castle.
—Huh, you're... the Four Heavenly King I spared because she was cute...?
Unimaginable. But it wasn't enough to hook her interest.
Killing the Demon King just spawned another? Felt like lazy dev padding for lack of content. Kinda ruined it.
If it's that kinda game, better off without it.
—Not a trash game for nothing, huh.
Furious, Sisilia moved to force-quit the server. That's when the Demon King pointed at her with a creepy smile.
—O Demon God.
For the first time since starting the game, Sisilia felt tension. Then pressure. Everything was new; chills ran down her spine.
—Come forth, and I shall offer you this world.
A spell only the Demon King could cast. Or was it even a spell? Felt like every injustice in existence bundled up.
—Slay Sisilia.
A spell made solely to kill the player Sisilia. Cost: the entire world. Target: limited to whoever killed the Demon King.
—Confirmed.
Sisilia checked that far, then jammed a knife into her own throat. Target gone, spell canceled. She respawned with a level penalty—but her scrambled brain didn't.
From then on, she obsessed endlessly. How to clear this game?
To Sisilia, Another World was memories. Shared through school days, still cherished. And surely, others out there held the same.
Was clearing it by destroying that precious world a true clear? Hell no.
Sisilia loved happy endings. Bad ends? Not real endings.
—Gotta find one.
She resolved then: a hero to slay the Demon King in my place.
Only way to dodge the "world's annihilation" price: three people kill the marked target the instant the Demon God manifests.
Needed someone to take down the Demon King for her. If she got marked, no way to grab or kill the Demon God.
But.
—No luck.
No matter how hard she searched, no one fit the bill. Specs were fine, but...
No one met the conditions for Demon King slaying. Couldn't teach them outright, so the fix? Newbies—raise 'em right.
—...Screw it all.
But Sisilia folded newbies more than raised them. Never found one before servers shut down.
Sisilia never cleared Another World. Not once.
—This time's different.
Since arriving here, joining the Windsor Knights, building a stable growth base—she pondered daily. How to raise a Demon King-slayer newbie and clear it.
Bonds grew, precious people multiplied, fueling her drive.
Sisilia would clear this game. Zero sacrifices. Perfect happy end.
For that...
'Once this moment passes, no second chances. "Cecilia" knows the same stuff I do.'
She felt it viscerally: Lumia subjugation was the turning point.
'Two Four Heavenly Kings left.'
Sisilia eyed Lumia's distant castle, nocking an arrow.
'Leave one as next Demon King candidate, so Lumia's basically the last.'
Dozens of failed attempts in Another World. No one met the conditions.
Lying on stiff medieval beds, she'd mulled: What went wrong? What more could I do?
Sisilia found the answer. Premise was flawed.
Don't find someone who meets conditions. Make them meet 'em.
"Betty, you know how to kill the Demon King?"
"I-I can't even grasp what you're doing right now, Sisilia."
One sword toss. The absurd sight left the Windsor Knights' eyes pinpricks.
Before they processed it, Sisilia meowed.
"No matter the power, no matter the priciest sword—can't kill the Demon King."
How to kill the Demon King?
"Stories. Only the tales built by the time the hero reaches Demon King Castle can slay him."
Weak? Bad luck? Level 1? Doesn't matter. Confidence to solo him now—that guts alone conquers this imagery-driven world.
But such folks? Rare as hell.
So Sisilia would force it. Create one.
She pulled a sword from inventory.
"...That."
Edward flinched. Eyes locked on her blade. Eerily familiar.
"Caladbolg...? The sword symbolizing the Eldrasion Empire's royalty—why do you have it?"
"It's a girl's tears."
Whoosh!
Sisilia hurled the empire's icon like a javelin. Mushroom cloud redux.
But she didn't stop. Reached out, nocked another.
"Sisilia! Did you make the Eldrasion Empress cry?! If true, that's a diplomatic incident!"
Edward gawked, but Sisilia was dead serious—no answer.
—She dodges tough questions anyway—
"This? Aramon's holy sword. Meh, just mythic-tier."
"Not 'meh' at all!"
"Beatrice! Stop her! That's the real deal!"
Too late—her tiny hand released. The 1,000-gold mythic sword slammed Lumia's castle, birthing a purple mushroom cloud.
Windsor Knights, once shocked by clouds, now by her spending.
"You nuts?! First shot was enough—stop!"
"If that doesn't flush her out, she's out shopping—please!"
"S-Sisilia. Gimme that sword first?"
Sisilia smiled quietly amid their wails.
'Love the reactions. Makes blowing cash fun.'
Best feeling? Spending sprees.
"This? Excalibur. Lake Betty gave it me."
"Beatrice?"
"...Y-you told me to grab a pretty-designed sword, so I did in a rush."
"How much?"
"1 gold."
Sisilia bit her lip, glaring murderously at Beatrice. Grabbed another.
"...Harpe? Why's the royal symbol with you?"
"Found it roadside."
"Liar! That's treasury-locked—how?!"
As Sisilia nocked Harpe, Edward paled.
"Anything but that. It's the real—"
BOOM!
Harpe flew before he finished. Sonic boom fluttered her silver hair, slapping his cheek.
"You okay?"
Sisilia tilted her head at slumped Edward.
"...L-look up."
Jerryway pointed, flustered.
"It's dawning."
Deep night, yet endless white light flooded. Bright, but cold. No warmth.
Sisilia beamed.
"Nope."
Domain revealing the hidden, exposing the concealed. High odds every spell's must-hit debuff applied.
"It's the White Night."
Her words dropped—Windsor Knights battle-ready.
Behind smiling Sisilia loomed a figure.
"First human to know White Night."
Lumia of the White Night emerged, breaking silence.
Her lips twitched.
"And first to smash my castle hundreds of times."
Lumia pointed, screaming uncontrollably.
"Don't you know moderation?! Did you have to go that far?!"
Sisilia gazed wistfully.
'Waited for this.'
Core of this Lumia fight: right now. Moment the hero party gains Demon King-slaying conditions.
The famed "famous for being famous" strat.
Sisilia said dreamily:
"Hero Jay woulda done the same."