Semigod War (2)
The demon hunter's senses, now even sharper, were telling me clearly.
'No doubt about it. I've grown.'
This was growth beyond mere level or stat increases. To put it simply, it felt like the skill proficiency of [Predator-Prey Relationship] had risen—though that skill didn't even have proficiency in the first place.
'That doesn't mean I can butt in between those two.'
Don't forget. Know your place. Even if [Predator-Prey Relationship] activated, my combat power was pitiful compared to those demigods.
And furthermore.
"Leave the demons to you, Chief Lee Hoyeol!"
Senios didn't seem to want me joining the fight. So my role on this battlefield was simple. Stick to what I do best. Yeah, demon hunting.
A gaze looking down from on high at those below. Truly a view befitting Grandfell. I stared at the demons pouring out from the rift's gap.
From their appearance, they were clearly different from ordinary demons.
'As expected, the demon king's army.'
Their looks resembled the demons I'd seen with Decarabia. They advanced in perfect formation toward me and Senios—the demon king's forces.
But of course.
"How insignificant."
There was no sense of intimidation. No, it was only natural that I couldn't feel any. Leaving aside Grandfell's lofty pride, which stood tall before any demon...
'Compared to that question mark from Banggrit...'
Yeah, I had experience. That demon that shattered a rift to appear, the nameless one that even swung around shards of the rift— I'd sliced off one arm of that monstrous bastard with [『Strange』].
Yes, this was grounded confidence. I quietly opened my mouth.
"No further approach will be permitted."
At this moment, with demons pouring out, the rift's collapse gauge must be rising rapidly. Just like with Decarabia, demon kings sacrificed even their own demon subordinates as offerings.
I couldn't just stand by and watch demons flood into the rift, the ritual site.
But that didn't mean...
"However, flight will not be permitted either."
I couldn't send demons back to the already ravaged Arcana continent. So, bound by heavy pride, I had no choice but to hunt the pouring demons.
I shut my mouth. A creed: no unnecessary talk with prey. Yes, silence was my declaration of war.
Rooooar—!
Mana surging from the effect of [Predator-Prey Relationship]. And I'd come prepared to the max, chugging mana-regen potions to the limit without overlaps.
I manifested magic immediately.
Krunch—!
Search and interference skipped.
"!!!!!"
The ground where the advancing demon king's army stood rippled like a carpet.
To me, who had mastered all knowledge of minerals through [Flawless Knowledge of the Pentagram], the earth and bedrock were no different from the palm of my hand.
Kaboom—!!!
Demigod. If Karimjeva created lava and Senios froze the air, then I could trigger an earthquake too.
"?!?!!!"
Splitting earth. Demon king's army plummeting below. How far they'd fall, I couldn't tell—but one thing was certain.
'Tough as expected.'
Demon king's army. High-ranking demons under an upper demon king, no doubt. Of course they wouldn't drop from one quake. No level-up messages proved it.
But no hesitation. Manifest again.
Krunch—!
Not chaining earthquakes. Even with [Predator-Prey Relationship] and potion buffs, I couldn't spam demigod-scale magic.
'No matter the efficiency.'
I was level 333. My absolute mana was even lower.
But in this moment.
Rumble—!!
The ground shook with roars just like before. The split maw began sealing shut, as if to swallow the fallen demons forever.
"Haha. What say you, Karimjeva? Does he still look like a green adventurer to you?"
"……!"
"All we've done is grow bloated heads. We're no better than senile fools—time to step aside. But how long will you keep looking away?"
It was a spectacle that drew even the battle-focused Karimjeva and Senios's eyes.
……Even I thought it looked impressive. Magic that split like a massive quake then reverted. Sounded like top-tier high magic just hearing it.
But only I knew the truth.
'It's just reversal magic.'
Yes, plain reversal magic. The humble kind that reshaped a silver dagger and restored its durability. Same principle, just scaled up. And the mana cost was still negligible.
'Easy to mistake.'
To Karimjeva and Senios, unaware of my pathetic circumstances, it must've looked like high magic manifestation.
Of course, naturally, I had no intention of spilling this shabby truth.
Thud—!
Reversal. As the split earth returned to normal, the demon king's army numbers had visibly dwindled. The survivors hesitated to move.
I looked down at the ground and declared.
"Your permitted place is solely the underground abyss."
Yes, this was my best. And soon, the results of that best appeared in messages.
Fracture occurs on Demon King Army Cavalry.
Suffocation occurs on Demon King Army Infantry.
Burn occurs on Demon King Army Centurion.
……
The weight of the earth they'd feel underground. And the geothermal heat.
'Just basic science, at best.'
If this counted as strange, then it was [『Strange』]. Proving it, messages piled up.
*
The portal from the Mage Tower vanished. The news spread quickly.
Some players could use portals too. But their effects paled compared to the Mage Tower's.
"The mana cost is enormous. And it drains the same amount every time the user enters. So right now, players entering rifts quickly is impossible..."
No wonder guilds worldwide flocked to Korea, Seoul, home of the Mage Tower.
Of course, some learned of it even before the world. And they sprang into action.
"We have to face reality and choose."
Nam Taemin continued. "At our level, covering all eleven rifts is impossible. Especially now without portals. So we need clear targets."
Jessie Haynes. Camilla. Hisagi Kazuma. Leoni. Each a ranker player who could stand with the best.
Yet none could refute Nam Taemin. They'd grasped the situation.
'We might not even be needed.'
'No, the portals vanishing from the Mage Tower means...'
'That's definitely the intent.'
But they couldn't just watch. Others might not know, but they understood the burden Hoyeol carried.
Turn a blind eye knowing? In Hoyeol's words... Yeah, it went against pride.
"Our target: the nearest rift."
Nam Taemin's plan was simple. Enter the closest rift regardless of Hoyeol. Clear it. Not sure how much it'd help, but if it lightened Hoyeol's load even a bit...
"Hoo—"
It'd ease their heavy hearts some.
Same destination, no need to split. Boarding Gaon's private jet swiftly, someone spoke up.
"Huh?"
Breaking news that turned the jet around.
"……A rift got cleared?!"
What? Emergency update just an hour ago. Surprising, but if it was Hoyeol...
But.
"Wait, this one's different from that one, right?"
"Huh? No way, positions are different?"
"Different means two rifts cleared already!"
Yeah. Not just one cleared. Two. No, three. In real time.
"……Wait, does this even make sense?"
Breaking news flooded in. Not tabloid rumors—official AAU announcement.
The world flipped again at the news.
Did it reach the studio too? From a video someone played, an agitated host's voice rang out.
Rift collapses, missiles, nukes—extreme talks had flown. This hopeful news in that chaos? The world erupting was natural.
Even players on Gaon's jet buzzed. Relief sighs everywhere.
"……Good."
Rifts clearing in real time meant above all Hoyeol was safe.
But they couldn't just rejoice.
As they'd said. They knew.
"Damn it."
Crack—
Nam Taemin clenched his fist unwittingly. Suppressed emotions surged.
Leoni muttered. "In the end, alone again this time..."
*
Vanishing strange space, the rift. Manifesting a portal, Marcelo said.
"Now two rifts remain."
Marcelo and senior mages had closed nine rifts. Joining from cleared ones sped things up.
But Marcelo knew. The demon king Decarabia's descent ritual in Frost.
'Sir said not all demons are equal.'
Even excluding demon kings, hierarchies existed in their armies.
So he'd observed demons closely while closing rifts.
'But no standouts.'
Thus his intuition. "The remaining rifts differ from these."
High-rank demons and arch-traitor Karimjeva in the last ones. Proof right before them.
'Sir Hoyeol and Senios are still inside.'
Hoyeol and Senios hadn't joined. Meant they were still in a rift.
Marcelo eyed the portal. "We must hurry."
As Hoyeol said. This outing wouldn't benefit from publicity.
Marcelo knew how the adventurer world worked.
'Sir said once we close rifts, everyone knows.'
Hide the outing's purpose? But not the closures.
So, representing the sidelined Mage Tower, Hoyeol bore responsibility again.
Step—
Senior mages entering the portal. Pausing, Matis told Marcelo.
"Chief Lee Hoyeol must be exhausted."
Matis knew, hence the words.
"Indeed. With us unable to act, Sir shoulders this closure alone. He'll face plenty of rumors."
Their talk ended there. Another debt to Hoyeol. Repay by moving faster. No words needed; understanding passed.
Frustrated was Banggrit Tom, watching silently.
'……Wait, isn't that good? Getting world's attention?'
Shake shake.
Banggrit shook his head, dropping the thought. Knew his place. How could his simple mind grasp the two chiefs and senior Matis's grand intent?
*
Real combat's importance. I felt it in my bones.
Beyond rising levels. Boom—! Clashing flames and ice roaring. Karimjeva and Senios. The magic exchanged in those veteran mages' duel dwarfed anything I'd seen.
Not even classifiable as high magic.
Pinnacle of fire and ice magic. Their spells were the extremes of those schools.
Secret arts unknown to others manifested.
"How's that? Still banking on elemental advantage, Karimjeva?!"
Countered by secrets against secrets.
"Shut it, fool."
Their duel. 『Innate magical talent allows mimicking most spells just by sight.』 Opened my eyes to a higher realm.
No demon could interrupt my immersion in that sight.
Fear occurs on Demon Legion Commander Shartan.
Even if the interrupter was a demon legion commander.