Ripples of Annihilation: Three Demon King's Castles Crushed in Minutes
Three Demon King's Castles emerged with the regular update. Concerns had erupted over the shocking update details. But those worries proved utterly unfounded.
"...Hey, Sugyeom. What the hell am I looking at right now?"
After Lee Hoyeol sprang into action, everything was over in a mere ten minutes.
Park Minjae, head of the AAU Korea branch. A stickler for protocol. No, his question came from a superior like the sky itself. But Yoon Sugyeom had no mind left to answer.
Pinch— His cheek stung from the pinch, so it wasn't a dream. Having confirmed it was reality, next came...
"I'm trying my best to wrap my head around it, Branch Chief."
He had no choice but to acknowledge the situation. Yet it was hard to believe. Yoon Sugyeom barely continued.
"...Let's say, for argument's sake, the Mage Tower's firepower far exceeded our predictions. And not only did their senior mages mobilize, but the Shadow Mercenary joined in too."
And that was just the start? The Goddess Church's Holy Knights. The Empire's Lion Heart Knights. Forces whose names alone stirred the heart had plunged into the Demon King's Castle rifts.
So he desperately tried to make sense of it. Seong Hyunjun, listening in, nodded vigorously.
"Right, like Senior said. I can buy the Temperance Demon King's Castle and the Lust Demon King's Castle. But the Hunt Demon King's Castle? How the hell does that even make sense...!"
Temperance Demon King's Castle: roughly ten thousand foes. Lust Demon King's Castle: about a hundred. But for the final Hunt Demon King's Castle, only three had entered.
"This is insane, seriously."
All of them former Arcana developers turned AAU staff. The update details alone made it clear. In terms of raid difficulty, the Hunt Demon King's Castle was at least twice as brutal as the other two.
Knowledge reveals all. That was why the shock hit so hard.
Swipe— Park Minjae let out a hollow laugh, wiping cold sweat.
"...What level are you even at, Lee Hoyeol?"
It wasn't just about raw strength or levels. Soon, a caption appeared on the monitor.
As the media proclaimed, this wasn't mere victory—it was utter domination. The Demon Kings hadn't even twitched their filthy claws before being crushed.
The reason it was possible?
"This isn't something brute force alone can achieve."
"You're right, Branch Chief."
"Plus, the collapse rates were skyrocketing..."
As if they'd known the Demon Kings were coming beforehand. No, precisely the Demon Kings plural. As if they'd anticipated not just their arrival, but three Demon King's Castle rifts at once. The moment the regular update popped up, they'd moved without hesitation.
"And leading an Arcana all-star lineup like that."
Even rethinking it, the feat was absurd. Suddenly, Park Minjae flinched.
...No way it's a dream, right?
He'd been pushing hard lately... but not so far gone he'd confuse reality and dreams. He was no innocent. It was just too unbelievable.
Park Minjae started to pinch his cheek like Yoon Sugyeom but stopped.
"Nah. Forget it."
On the monitor, netubers captured Hoyeol's figure. His unchanging poise, same as always, proved this was no dream.
-"No questions."
Even his prickly attitude remained.
"...How can a person be like that?"
"If it were me, I'd be flexing hard, strutting around."
"What do you expect from a hero? That's why they call him the Great One."
*
Demon King annihilation. A warning and declaration of war against demons. The victory report's effects rippled first across the Arcana Continent.
Flying fortress, Iron Castle Ho. The dwarves' leader, Chainwalker, gazed down at the land.
"Truly unbelievable."
The last demon hunter. That he was an adventurer. That he'd detected the Demon Kings' presence from a world utterly apart from Arcana Continent. That he'd devised a plan to hunt them. And executed it flawlessly!
"At the very moment they appeared before us, to think he faced two Demon Kings simultaneously. We on the Arcana Continent didn't even notice..."
Of course, they'd learned thanks to Hoyeol's arrangements—High El.
Chainwalker gnashed his teeth.
"If not for this infernal weather..."
"I could have met you face-to-face."
But it was fortunate. Per High El the spirit, if they timed and placed it right, reunion was possible.
Of course, Chainwalker couldn't stop marveling.
This genius calamity, grasped to that degree.
Dwarves saw rifts as unstoppable heavenly disasters. Even their brilliant minds couldn't fathom the cause. Yet someone predicted their emergence to some extent. And that someone was Akshan's survivor, the last demon hunter.
"High El, spirit."
Chainwalker called her name politely. His awestruck gaze turned earthward. He continued softly.
"Convey this to Akshan's survivor in our stead, without missing a detail. Tell him your feats have utterly transformed the Arcana Continent's morale."
At his earnest plea, High El took in the landscape below.
Overnight. No, even that overestimated it. Mere ten minutes in reality. Barely dozens of minutes in Arcana time. A blink compared to the scale.
In that blink, the Demon King's Castles vanished without trace.
One of the three Demon Kings, Phlauros, erased entirely. Cast into hell where no descent was possible.
This shocking event struck terror into demons. Courage into those resisting them.
Chainwalker continued.
"Do you see?"
"The Empire's remnants held the village."
"Akshan's decisive weapon recaptured the metropolis, Saxen."
"Piranyti Lake regained its original luster."
...Endless victory reports. An unbelievable butterfly effect. But this was one reason Hoyeol had annihilated the Demon Kings.
High El replied calmly.
"He foresaw even this."
Of course, the dwarves, unaware of the circumstances...
"...Wh-what?! Is that true?!"
...plunged into shock once more.
***
Rifts bridging Arcana Continent and reality. With rifts existing, changes on Arcana inevitably rippled into reality. Players noticed first, naturally.
Player community site. Boards overflowed with similar vibes.
Those annoying status-inflicting pests. The thorn-in-the-side demon monsters were gone. Only one reason came to mind.
Lee Hoyeol! He'd crushed the demons' kings—the Demon Kings. Three of them, trampled flat. Demon spawns quieted down for sure.
Timeline matched the speculation perfectly.
"This isn't just 'impregnable rift cleared overwhelmingly, impressive, what's his level?' That's kid stuff."
"Why do you say that?"
"Look around! The ripples from Lee Hoyeol clearing the Demon King's Castle rifts. Demon monsters, our biggest headache, vanished!"
Players dove into rifts more aggressively. Levels rose. Humanity bolstered against rift erosion...
Every channel buzzed with the effects.
Beep— Bleep— Beepbeepbeepbeep—
No matter the channel, Nam Taemin finally spoke amid the remote racket.
"Dude, you gonna break it?"
"Shut it."
"No idea why you're pissed. Beats me."
"Pissed my ass."
She said it, but Leoni Bellucci was sulking for real.
Demon King's Castle rifts appeared. Hoyeol and his forces moved instantly. They weren't included.
Obvious, really. Slick. Hisagi Kazuma polished his spear—extension of himself—and said,
"Inazuma, Berserker, Gaon. Even united, entering Lv.800-appropriate Demon King's Castle rifts would've been suicide."
Yeah, yeah. Nam Taemin nodded. Coldly assessed their power.
"Thanks to Hoyeol, we focused on growth, but we're still short."
The three-guild alliance was potent. Of course...
"...But why's your order like that?"
"?"
"Inazuma, Berserker, Gaaaooon? Why are we dead last?"
"No meaning. Habit."
"What?! Habit?!"
As seen, perfect sync was impossible. Still, rifts cleared easier, EXP surged.
That's why I was hyped...
Leoni bit her lip. Demon King's Castles reminded her of the gap with Hoyeol.
No despair, though.
"...I see."
Goal: stand with Hoyeol. Not chase him.
Now they had clear targets. Those who'd stood with Hoyeol in the rifts. Reach their level at least. Worth sulking over, right?
"Fine. Good."
Thus, their task was simple. Rift clears, as always.
Knowing that, Leoni flinched.
"...You think he annihilated the Demon Kings to quiet demons because...?"
So we wouldn't get held back by demon mobs. Grow faster...?
No way...
Leoni's instincts were dull. Nam Taemin and Hisagi had sharp ears.
"What're you on about? Spill."
***
Somewhere, an annex. No need for lights. All knew each other's faces—or true natures.
"Been a while since we gathered like this."
"Everyone's auras more vicious."
"Thanks to this comfy world, eh?"
In pitch darkness, only black eyes gleamed. They watched the monitor. Looped: Demon King's Castle clears.
Someone spoke.
"Quaint, outdated thinking and action."
"Hey! Watch it. Our Demon King Majesties might hear."
"Let 'em. If they can."
Creepy chuckles briefly. Words resumed.
"They know too little of this world. Old tricks might work on Arcana Continent, not here."
"Throwing themselves into the grind."
"Our Majesties handle demons fine. Humans? Clueless. Fresh air after ages?"
Possession. Wearing human skins taught them. Humans feared not primal terror.
"Use your heads, not brute force."
"Still, good news for us."
"Right. No more squeezed between Majesties."
Trashing Demon Kings showed it. No true unity or loyalty among demons.
Even here, reunited after ages, they schemed backstabs.
Knowing that, they'd avoided meetings. But today, reason drew them.
"So, lay low for a bit?"
Even these demons united by one existence's emergence.
Hoyeol.
"Outdated or not, they're Demon Kings. Power undeniable. Yet crushed in ten minutes. By Lee Hoyeol and his forces."
"...Wary, yes."
"No need."
"?"
"Just hold position as usual."
Lee Hoyeol? Mage Tower? Shadow Mercenary? Strong, sure. Problem only if enemies.
"We use these skins like now."
Possessed humans? Unrecognizable. No rash moves, no issue.
Avoid suspicion, and this flow benefits them.
"Hide, build strength quietly."
Silence. No dissent. But eyes turned to one.
"Why stare? I get it."
Black eyes flashed in dark.
"Worried I'll supernova?"
Supernova. Players unbound by means for power. Perfect demon vessels. Demon of True Names, Desqui, possessed this man for that.
Desqui waved in shadows.
"Crazy. I got sense."
Lee Hoyeol sent three Demon Kings to oblivion. Targeting him? Suicide.
But curiosity inevitable.
How strong exactly?
Desqui licked lips.
"I'll just watch. From afar. That's fine, right?"
*
Demon appearances dwindled. Temporary from Demon King annihilation, but...
I earnestly hoped. Low demons, True Name demons, whatever. Just three before my eyes.
Simple reason. Demon King Amdusias. Demon King Kimaris. Demon King Phlauros.
Spoils from slaying three: demon items. I itched to test those three epic-grade effects.
Especially me, savoring Omens of Pure Knowledge from Demon King spoils...!
"Afternoon tea rivals gold."
...Not morning apples, what? This cringy line too, as always.
I calmly sipped from my teacup. Peacefully checked the Demon King spoils' info.