I'll End It (2)
Breaking news pours in.
["Deny me first, if you can."]
Even more comments flood in.
Demon monsters wield the highest status ailment, [Terror], relentlessly pressuring players with patterns tougher than most named or boss monsters. To players, they were the stuff of nightmares.
What about demon boss monsters—the demon kings?
The demon kings' first appearance. The Battle for Frost's Recapture. Back then, humanity had plunged into despair.
Decarabia, little more than the lowest-ranked demon king. Who could've imagined it would fell the northern metropolis, Frost? Players familiar with Frost's grandeur were stunned speechless.
But Frost had Hoyeol.
Starting with Decarabia, he overwhelmingly hunted demon kings of every rank. He brought the winds of counterattack not just to humanity, but to the entire Arcana Continent.
The opponent wasn't a demon or monster, but Raymond Sean—Arcana's creator in all but name.
If Hoyeol had crushed demon kings, Raymond Sean deleted them all with a single patch. Reactions to Hoyeol's declaration split sharply.
No matter what Hoyeol had shown so far, a mere declaration couldn't fully shift the momentum. Players' views were no different.
Back at Seoul Station.
Hoo— the cigarette smoke still lingered.
"So how exactly are you gonna prove you're untouchable?"
I scratched my head. With my already tangled thoughts, grasping Hoyeol-style rhetoric wasn't easy.
But such minor doubts didn't last.
Didn't I say it? Even now, rift collapse rates were skyrocketing. With players losing motivation, other forces had stepped in to fill the void.
Suddenly, commotion erupted at Seoul Station.
"Wait, what the hell is this?!"
Citizens buzzed. Players finally stood, checking the source.
It was a rare sight.
"...Wh-what?!"
The Lion Heart Knight Order, led by Captain Harcon Kingsguard. The empire's strongest knights, seen only in videos, stood before them.
The knights moved systematically, assessing the area. Spotting the rift, they sprang into action.
Harcon issued a crisp command.
"All units, swiftly seal the rift!"
Arcana natives assaulted the rift. It was shocking enough, but not just Lion Heart.
"N-no way? Mage Tower's appeared overseas?!"
"Goddess Church in Busan...!!"
"And what's with Yusra Kingdom forces?"
Nearly every Arcana force in reality mobilized. Depressed players watched them tackle rifts in their stead.
"What in the world...?"
The reason was obvious. They were the Holy War Alliance forces, led by none other than player Hoyeol.
"...?"
Shock was brief. Players staring blankly at the rift jolted.
Less than ten minutes since entry, brilliant light poured from the rift.
Gasp after gasp.
"Al-already cleared?!"
To the Holy War Alliance, it was routine. They'd battled ultra-high-level demons with vicious patterns. That crucible forged experience into growth.
Compared to that, Lv.100-200 rifts? Clearing in seconds was natural.
Victory reports echoed everywhere.
Awe was fleeting. Players realized.
Yes.
"A single player..."
The Holy War Alliance shaking the world stemmed from one player: Hoyeol.
One player wielding massive influence over Arcana and reality...?
From creator Raymond Sean's view.
"...This feels like a taunt, right?"
An infuriating situation, no doubt.
Raymond Sean deleted demon kings for "balance." From that lens, Hoyeol was the outlier needing adjustment.
Players murmured.
"He's proving it outright...!"
"Like, bring it if you dare!"
"So it wasn't just talk?"
Rifts worldwide cleared at breakneck speed. Not the picture Raymond Sean wanted.
Players grew certain.
"If he can, he'll patch Hoyeol for sure...!"
But if no balance patch on Hoyeol appeared?
It'd prove his declaration true. Evidence his fears were baseless.
Tension mounted. Someone spoke.
"Wait, does that even count as proof? Uniting Arcana forces is impressive, sure... but it ain't personal power? Does that need balancing?"
A sharp player insight.
But who was Hoyeol? He anticipated everything. No room for complaints in his execution.
News reached players.
"...Hold up, Hoyeol himself is moving?!"
Not ordinary rift clears.
"Which rifts? Ours?"
A man, forgetting his burning cigarette, asked his neighbor.
"Lemme check. One in our country. One in Osaka, Japan. One in the US. One in Canada. One in Italy... Wait, how many is this?!"
Not a few, not dozens. A hundred rifts assaulted simultaneously.
Post-cataclysm, Arcana's norms shattered. Outlier forces materialized.
Performance scales with spectacle.
'I declared it, so I must uphold it.'
Deny me first if balance demands it!
Confidence dripped from the bold claim. To realize it, I first had to prove I transcended balance.
Maybe from raising a trash class like demon hunter before. Or my knack for self-objectification.
'I'm the balance breaker myself.'
Precisely, thanks to Grandfell. Magic manifested just by watching. Stunning looks, elite lineage aside, connections spanning Arcana could down dragons mid-flight...
'Still can't get used to it.'
Settings that'd make my face burn just reciting them, realized alongside me.
Raymond Sean, craving both worlds' ruin, leaving me be? That said it all.
Creator my ass.
"Claiming omnipotence—laughable."
Sealing Omen boosted my confidence further. But I'd never seen Raymond Sean as omnipotent anyway. Grandfell's towering pride forbade it.
"Time to bare your pathetic true face."
Yet the world couldn't grasp our intricate power play. My overt taunt at Raymond Sean was blatant.
These rift assaults? Part of it.
Lv.250-300 at best. Naturally, for me past Lv.700, they were a waste of time. No EXP gain whatsoever.
"I salute your unwavering valor."
Grandly monologuing, I manifested a portal.
Hopping rifts, slaughtering charging monsters—zero real gains. But it looked impressive.
'One-man army, literally.'
Like monopolizing a hundred hunting grounds in Arcana's early days. Not just occupying—massacring.
All eyes on me, inevitably.
"Regrettable that I cannot match your valor."
Grandfell ignored public gaze. But I, Lee Hoyeol, found it excruciating...
'This monologue's embarrassing as hell.'
Even dead serious, spouting grandeur at Lv.200 trash mobs? Really...?
'...Whatever, focus on clearing the hundred.'
Not bad in that sense. Big and flashy was my specialty.
Clack— stepping into the next rift's glow.
You have entered the rift, 'Grizzly's Den'.
Kraaaang!
"A grand welcome."
Entry message and swarming monsters. Dropped right into the heart of enemy lines. Boss encounter effortless.
'To me, just mobs anyway.'
Still, dead serious always. Swordsmanship, magic, tenacity—even against weak foes.
This'd make my outlier status crystal clear.
'That Raymond Sean can't touch me proves no creation or deletion powers.'
Realization soon, with players catching on quick.
Plus, Mage Tower news incoming.
AAU contacted me. Their database held initial 'Twilight Descendant' settings.
'Circumstantial to hard evidence.'
Didn't I say my grudges linger?
Not satisfied sealing Omen.
'I'll nail you airtight, Raymond Sean.'
Chewing resentment—
"...!"
Suddenly, a presence prickling my senses. Few irk Grandfell's lofty—or overlooking—disposition. He's merciful by default.
'Kind even to humans and monsters.'
One he openly loathed.
I spoke coldly.
"I smell inferior kin."
A demon.
But different. No [Predator-Prey Relationship] activation. No demons nearby.
Yet my steps led naturally. I halted.
Bloodstains entered view.
Yes. Dried blood reeked of demon. Demon hunter senses, hyper-refined.
I intuited the growth reason.
Why? Akshan revival, obviously.
Akshan had me tearing up nonstop. Mourning, reunions, now sheer absurdity.
'Hero of the New Era, Akshan' materializes.
Black Akshan uniform fluttered in the air.
...So I fell for that look?
Ugh, add shame-tears...