Nothing Happened...?
Upper demon king. What a truly fucking weight class.
Even now, with all the stat points I'd poured into magic, and [Predator-Prey Relationship] activated to boot. My mana shouldn't have been depleted by any ordinary spell.
Yet messages kept rising endlessly.
[First World Tree's Blessing rejects 'Mana Exhaustion'.]
[First World Tree's Blessing rejects 'Mana Exhaustion'.]
[First World Tree's Blessing rejects 'Mana Exhaustion'.]
... (repeating endlessly)
Without the World Tree's blessing, I'd have collapsed to the floor long ago—legs giving out wouldn't even cover it.
The mana consumption was utterly monstrous. For real.
'More than that.'
What made me flinch was Gamigin. The bastard was resisting [The Bizarre], if only a little.
He was enduring it purely through his sheer class.
Did [The Bizarre] even need explaining? Its power was self-evident.
'The thing I met in the shattered dimensional rift was the same.'
And Karim Jeba too—against the bizarre, that perfect fusion of two utterly alien concepts, they hadn't mounted any proper resistance.
Rumble—!
I kept my head cool and turning.
...If I hadn't had the [First World Tree's Blessing], could I have broken Gamigin?
No. Even squeezing out mana desperately, I'd have only made him stagger at best.
But I shoved those thoughts aside.
"A prostrated posture suits you best."
Whether from the buff's effect.
Or my pride.
Or as recompense for his desperate flailing.
Or because of Grandfell's setting, that once he spat words, he had to make them true.
I had forced the demon king of the fourth throne, Gamigin, to his knees.
Finally, I could see his eyes.
The moment I did, I knew.
The demonic eyes surveying the Arcana Continent from the heavens.
Gamigin's eye sockets glowed with pupils identical to those demonic eyes.
'Horrific.'
The [Demon Eye Telescope] that shared their view covered the entire Arcana Continent.
The continent's survival until now? The demonic eyes opening only at night was no small factor.
If I'd let Gamigin slip away like this...
'There'd be no safe time of day left on the Arcana Continent.'
In that sense, the Quirnburk Mechanical Tower—not to mention the Iron Castle Ho—wouldn't have lasted.
Well done, Grandfell.
Storm and stress.
Heaven and Earth Sole Respect.
Unbowed before anyone.
My black history had pulled off another one today.
And then.
"Akshan."
Truth be told, I'd already hit my limit.
The moment I'd flattened Gamigin, no more spells, not even twitching a finger, was possible.
"□□!"
But Gamigin was steadily plummeting into hell.
More precisely, being dragged there.
Hellfire that incinerated all demons had wrapped around Gamigin and begun pulling him down.
Roooar—
Amid that hellfire stood the demon hunters.
Akshan's demon hunters, who would hunt endlessly even in hell, unlike me.
'But if someone's calling, shouldn't they at least glance over?'
A twinge of hurt that they didn't even look my way, but that's Akshan for you.
Perfectly unfriendly, just like memories from over ten years and some ago.
Yet.
"I leave the rest to you."
That's why I could trust them.
Akshan—they'd rather shatter than bend.
They'd drown clutching their pride before abandoning it.
Crunch—!
Gamigin sinking between the splitting rift.
Hellfire slowly dying down.
Hell's gates closing.
With the exorcism ritual ended, frozen time finally flowed again.
The halted rift properly shattered.
'Tired.'
Recoil from pouring out vast mana even the World Tree's blessing couldn't fully handle.
Damn, my body felt ready to crumple any second.
But unlike Gamigin, who whined in the hellfire.
From my dirt-poor days, I'd been a pro at pretending to be fine, unflappable.
That I still had the presence of mind to maintain decorum...
Pat pat.
Brushing dust off my clothes lightly.
Straightening my attire, I stood ramrod straight.
Then, my vision flipped...
*
Rift cleared.
What remained for the players wasn't massive experience or loot, but experience.
Experience perhaps more precious than EXP or spoils.
"...The moment I speak, players and Arcana natives emerge from the rift! Everyone looks unharmed!"
Amid the surging crowd, players felt it anew.
We really survived that monstrous rift unscathed.
But they couldn't just rejoice.
Something kept nagging at them.
"...Um, can I ask one thing?"
"?"
"Did you see the message? The last one."
"I witnessed it too."
"No wonder your face looked like that."
[Demon King □□□ appears.]
The message that popped up the instant the rift cleared.
Clear even amid the rift's glow.
Players knew appearance messages better than anyone.
From Arcana's game days to now.
They tied directly to survival.
"We should've run at that point, right?"
A straight-up warning.
A monster beyond the area's level had spawned—get out now.
Some players even sighed in relief.
"Exactly! Lucky the rift cleared right then."
But relief turned to doubt.
The Arcana natives' expressions were off.
Not just them.
Giant Alliance.
The three guild masters knew the plan.
Nam Taemin spoke up.
"Hoyeol was right about everything. That appearance message means the upper demon king revived for sure. Using the demons we took down as sacrifices."
"...And then what?"
"The plan, as scheduled."
"Fuck, that damn plan."
Leoni Bellucci hadn't opposed the plan.
Objecting alone would've been awkward.
But she'd steeled herself.
If an upper demon king appeared before her.
She absolutely wouldn't sit idle.
Grip—
Hisagi Kazuma clutched his spear shaft.
"Yet we weren't even granted the chance."
Not just Leoni and Hisagi.
Nam Taemin, Harcon Kingsguard, everyone felt the same, just didn't show it.
Even the mighty Shadow Mercenaries.
"Goddamn it."
Grind.
Rackid gnashed his teeth.
He'd heard about the plan from Kichi.
Entering the rift solo was one thing—but hunting an upper demon king alone?
Put simply, their flashy employer was showboating solo again.
"Gotta repay the debt, but this ain't enough."
Rackid, devotee of moving pictures and TV.
Thanks to that, he'd witnessed his full defeat to Elcidoir that day.
Replayed it endlessly, realized: even thousands of fights, he couldn't beat the big-eared elf.
And.
"Considering this Rackid's worth, it's way short!"
If employer Hoyeol hadn't shown, he'd be dead or crippled for life.
So he'd rushed to finish his share quick and join Hoyeol.
Plans? He'd never followed one in his life anyway.
"I swear I heard hooves..."
But just as things were kicking off.
He'd been booted from the rift.
Rackid asked his partner, Alkari.
"Old man, one question."
"What?"
"Our captain's a whole different breed from me, right?"
"...You mean looks?"
Has the old coot lost it, spouting nonsense...? If I hadn't mooched potions off him...!
Rackid swallowed his anger, asked again.
"...No, I mean, does captain-level get some ability to resist getting kicked from rifts?"
"Dunno. Never chatted with Sir Hoyeol about it. But my guess? No one resists rifts—not even Sir Hoyeol."
"Why think that?"
"Heh heh, you think you could resist that?"
That thing...?
Rackid pictured the rift.
Nodded immediately.
"Yeah, that thing's whimsy boils over. Kicks us to this world, teleports a whole Frost-sized city in a blink!"
Right—no mage, no matter how skilled or mana-rich, could pull that off.
He nodded in understanding, but doubts lingered.
Rackid scratched his complicated head.
"Then how's our captain gonna catch it? That upper demon king bastard?"
"Tch."
Not even getting it right.
Too many questions, no tact.
'If I knew, would I be fretting here?'
As Alkari furrowed his brow.
News from the adventurers.
"Wait, last rift cleared too?"
"Where's the last one?"
"20th Throne!"
"...!!"
The 20th Throne—Sir Hoyeol's rift...!
Those in the know gulped.
Rift cleared meant one of two: plan success or failure.
...
[20th Throne]
Gathering at the rift's spawn point, they witnessed it.
Hoyeol, standing straight as ever.
As always, his appearance and expression gave nothing away.
Marcelo and Harcon Kingsguard exchanged glances.
Nod—
Nodding, they approached Hoyeol.
Asked the still-back-turned Hoyeol.
But.
"Sir, the plan...?"
No reply, despite the polite address.
Unthinkable for decorum-obsessed Hoyeol.
So they realized soon enough.
"...Marcelo!"
At Harcon's call, Marcelo didn't hesitate.
Vast mana rippled.
Marcelo manifested a portal.
...
Mage Tower.
Bellie Yusia spoke.
"Seems he simply lost consciousness."
Sighs erupted everywhere.
No one had imagined Hoyeol passing out.
Banggrit Tom muttered thickly.
"...Standing tall to the very end."
Yes.
Hoyeol had fainted upright.
Poke—
Bensy William elbowed Banggrit's side.
Whispered to the clutching mage.
"Banggrit, must you ooze commoner vibes like that?"
"...Sorry."
"Not sorry—that's not why! Mind the eyes on us. We're Mage Tower seniors. Never lose dignity."
Sniff—
Of course, Bensy's scolding voice trembled unlike usual.
Truly unforeseen.
Marcelo summed up.
"Pushing to unconsciousness proves he launched the plan. Though results stay unknown till he wakes."
Harcon said bitterly.
"Just like him."
Silent Nam Taemin spoke.
"You may know, but in our world, Hoyeol's a symbol of peace. If he wavers, the world does."
Nam Taemin clenched a fist.
"...You know that best. So even unconscious, he couldn't fall. Had to force himself to look fine, stand straight."
Thanks to that consideration?
Only those gathered knew he'd collapsed.
In other words, at this moment of his fall.
The world reveled in sweet victory news.
Kichi swept back her long black hair.
'Worrying us like this, employer. So many sins.'
Shadow Mercenaries.
They weren't the type to visit sickbeds.
Captain Kichi came as rep to the Mage Tower.
'...Though I owe the Tower plenty too.'
As expected, the Tower choked her.
No friends, acquaintances... maybe just Leoni, who'd clicked at the meeting.
Kichi glanced sidelong at standing Leoni.
'But even our cute sis...'
Was in bad shape.
Short, only her crown visible.
But slumped shoulders screamed emotion.
Honestly, Kichi didn't get it.
'Shouldn't you be thrilled? That guy's... no, our captain came back alive? Fainting's nothing. I pass out drunk daily.'
Whatever the result, cheap win.
Kichi spoke to lighten the mood.
"Anyway, shouldn't he rest? Watching's nice, but maybe give space?"
Monitoring Hoyeol, Bellie said.
"Right. Wake up, and you all might catch hell."
"...I'll return my magitech first."
Whoosh—
Bensy bolted from the side room, others following.
As Marcelo turned to leave last.
Bellie stopped him.
"Chief Marcelo."
"Listening, Senior Bellie."
"Not sure, but feels like I should say."
"...?"
Shimmer—
Only then did Bellie's mana disperse from Hoyeol's body.
She continued confidently.
"Seems the chief succeeded in the plan."
"...How do you know, Senior Bellie?"
"His collapse ties to it, I think."
"That means... he didn't just overexert?"
Healing magic cast.
Scanning Hoyeol's body with mana, Bellie had sensed it.
The immense energy rippling near his heart...!
A mage's heart harboring vast energy? Surely.
Bellie's green eyes sparkled.
"Looks like the chief slew the upper demon king as planned and advanced a step—as a mage...!"
Yes.
That was a circle attained in the realm.
One only advanced mages could hold: a 『Circle』.
*
...I opened my eyes.
Filling my vision: messages.
What the hell were these unfamiliar ones?
...Not the Arcana Continent, but spacetime?
What, traaaanscendeeeeent?!
No time to react.
Suddenly, a heartbeat.
Twing!
...Wait, why's metal clashing from my heart?