◈ Episode 176. Nothing Happened……?
A higher-ranking Demon King.
What a truly damned weight class.
The stat points I’d invested into mana all this time, and on top of that, with [Natural Enemy Relationship]
activated now. My mana shouldn’t be so shallow that any ordinary magic could reveal its bottom.
Messages rose endlessly.[The Blessing of the First World Tree refuses ‘Mana Exhaustion’.][The Blessing of the First World Tree refuses ‘Mana Exhaustion’.][The Blessing of the First World Tree refuses ‘Mana Exhaustion’.]…….
If not for the World Tree’s blessing, I would have collapsed to the floor long ago, far beyond just my legs giving out. What an absurd amount of mana consumption, truly.‘More importantly.’What made me flinch was that Gamigin, that bastard, was resisting [『Anomaly』]
even if only slightly. He was enduring the Anomaly purely with his weight class.
Did the power of Anomaly even need explaining?‘That thing I met in the rift of the shattered dimension was the same.’Even Karimjeva, too, had been unable to mount any proper resistance against Anomaly, where two completely different concepts had been fused.
Rumble!
I calmly turned my thoughts.……
If I hadn’t had [The Blessing of the First World Tree],
would I have been able to bring Gamigin down? No, even if I’d desperately wrung out every last drop of mana, I would only have managed to make him stagger.
But I stopped thinking such pointless thoughts.
“The posture of prostration is precisely the look that suits you.”
Whether it was the effect of a buff.
Whether it was thanks to pride.
Whether it was the reward for my desperate struggle.
Or whether it was because of Granfell’s setting, which must fulfill any words he has uttered.
I had made the Demon King of the Fourth Throne, Gamigin,
kneel.
Only then did I see his eyes.
The moment I saw them, I realized it.
The Demonic Eye of the heavens that had looked down upon the Arcana Continent.
At the corner of Gamigin’s eye, an iris identical to the Demonic Eye was shining.‘Horrifying.’[Telescope of the Demonic Eye], which shares the Demonic Eye’s vision,
illuminates the entirety of the Arcana Continent.
One of the reasons the Arcana Continent had managed to endure until now must have been that the Demonic Eye only opened at night.
If Gamigin had escaped as he was.‘There would have been no safe time left on the Arcana Continent.’In that case, not only the Quernberg Machine Tower, but even the Iron Castle wouldn’t have remained safe.
In that sense, well done, Granfell.
Storm and stress.
Peerless under heaven and earth.
One who does not bend before anyone.
My dark history has achieved yet another feat today.
And.
“Akshan.”
In truth, I had already reached my limit.
That meant that from the moment I flattened Gamigin to the ground, I could no longer manifest magic, nor even twitch a finger.
“□□!”
However, Gamigin was steadily falling into hell.
To be precise, he was being dragged there.
Because the flames of hell, which burn every last demon without fail, had wrapped around Gamigin and begun dragging him into hell.
Whooooo─Within those hellfires were demon hunters.
Unlike me, there were the demon hunters of Akshan, who would continue their endless hunt even in hell.‘But if someone calls you, shouldn’t you at least pretend to look?’I felt a little hurt that they didn’t even glance my way, but that was exactly what made them Akshan.
Indeed, they were as unfriendly as to awaken memories from more than ten years ago.
However.
“I leave the rest to you.”
That is why I can trust them.
Because I know that Akshan would break before they ever bent.
That they would drown with their pride in their arms before ever abandoning it.
Craaaaack!
Gamigin sank into the split fissure.
The hellfire slowly faded.
The gates of hell began to close.
Once the exorcism ended, the frozen time finally began to flow again.
The halted rift began to collapse properly.‘I’m tired.’It must be the recoil from pouring out such an immense amount of mana that even the World Tree’s blessing couldn’t handle.
Damn it, I feel like my body might topple over at any moment.
But unlike Gamigin, who had made a fuss over the hellfire.
Ever since I had nothing at all, pretending to be fine, pretending to be composed.
That, if nothing else, I was astonishingly good at.
Which means I still have enough mental strength left to maintain decorum…….
Pat, pat.
I lightly brushed the dust from my clothes.
Straightening my attire, I stood with my back upright.
Then, my vision changed…….*Rift cleared.
What remained for the players was neither an enormous amount of experience points nor spoils, but experience.
Experience that might be more precious than experience points or spoils.
“……
As I speak, players and Arcanians have emerged from the rift! Everyone appears to be safe!”
Amid the surging crowd, the players once again felt it sink in.
We really did come back alive from that monstrous rift.
However, they couldn’t simply rejoice.
Because something kept nagging at their minds.
“……
Excuse me, may I ask one thing?”
“?”
“Did you perhaps see the message? The one that appeared at the end.”
“If it’s that, I witnessed it as well.”
“I knew it. That’s why you had that expression.”
The message that appeared the moment the rift was cleared.[Demon King, □□□, appears.]
The appearance message that had been clear even within the light of the rift.
The players knew appearance messages better than anyone.
From when Arcana had still been a game until now.
Their lives had depended on appearance messages.
“Most of the time, you have to run away, right?”
In a word, it was a warning.
A signal telling them that a monster above the appropriate level had appeared in the area, and that they should flee at once. Thanks to that, some players even let out sighs of relief.
“Exactly! It’s a good thing the rift cleared right then.”
But that relief soon turned into doubt.
Because the Arcanians’ expressions were anything but ordinary.
No, it wasn’t only the Arcanians.
The Great Alliance.
The three guild masters knew about the plan.
Nam Taemin opened his mouth.
“Everything Hoyeol said was right. Judging by the appearance message, it’s certain that a higher-ranking Demon King has revived. By using the demon we defeated as a sacrifice.”
“……
What happens next, then?”
“It’ll go according to plan.”
“Fuck, that damn plan.”
Leoni hadn’t opposed the plan.
Being the only one to oppose it would have made her stand out too much.
However, she had steeled herself.
If the higher-ranking Demon King appeared before her eyes.
She would absolutely not stand by quietly.
Clench─Hisagi gripped the shaft of his spear.
“But it seems we were not even given the chance.”
It wasn’t only what Leoni and Hisagi thought.
Nam Taemin, Harkon, and everyone else merely didn’t show it, but they felt the same.
Even the Shadow Mercenaries, of all people.
“Damn it.”
Grind.
Rockkid ground his teeth.
He had heard about the plan from Kitch.
Not satisfied with entering the rift alone, he was going to hunt some monster called a higher-ranking Demon King alone too?
Simply put, wasn’t that just their esteemed employer saying he was going to act cool all by himself again?
“This isn’t enough to repay my debt.”
Rockkid was an avid viewer of the moving picture frame, the TV.
Thanks to that, Rockkid had witnessed everything that happened on the day he fell to Elsidore.
He had watched it back several times and realized it.
That even if he fought thousands of times, he could never defeat that long-eared bastard.
And.
“Considering this great Rockkid’s worth, it’s nowhere near enough!”
The fact that if his employer, Hoyeol, hadn’t appeared, he would either be dead or crippled for life. That was why he had intended to quickly finish off his assigned share and join Hoyeol.
A plan?
He had never kept to things like that in his life anyway.
“I’m certain I heard the sound of hooves…….”
However, just as something was about to begin in earnest.
He had been expelled out of the rift.
Rockkid asked his partner, Alkari.
“Old man, let me ask you one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Is our commander-in-chief a different kind of being from me?”
“……
Are you talking about appearances?”
Has the geezer gone senile, spouting nonsense out of nowhere…….
If I hadn’t received potions from him……!
Suppressing his anger, Rockkid asked again.
“……
That’s not what I mean. I’m asking if, once you’re at the level of commander-in-chief, you gain some ability that keeps you from being thrown out of a rift.”
“Hmm, I have never had such a conversation with Sir Hoyeol, so I cannot say. So this is merely this old man’s guess……. But I imagine that not even Sir Hoyeol, nor anyone else, can resist a rift.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Kle-kle. Do you think you could resist something like that?”
Something like that……?
Rockkid recalled the rift.
Then he immediately nodded.
“True, that thing’s whims are worse than a boiling stew. Sometimes it kicks us out into this damned world, sometimes it moves a metropolis the size of Frost in an instant!”
Yes, no matter how skilled in magic or overflowing with mana one might be, something like that would be impossible. Even after nodding in acceptance, the question still remained.
Rockkid scratched his complicated head.
“Then how is our commander-in-chief supposed to catch him? That higher-ranking Demon King bastard?”
“Tsk.”
He cannot even understand properly.
Yet he has far too many questions.
On top of that, he has no tact.‘If I knew that, do you think I would be sitting here with my heart in my throat?’Just as Alkari furrowed his brow.
New news came from the adventurers’ side.
“Wait, they say even the last rift has been cleared?”
“What, where was the last rift?”
“The Twentieth Throne!”
“……!!”The Twentieth Throne is the rift Sir Hoyeol entered……!
Those who knew about the plan had no choice but to swallow dryly.
Because the rift being cleared meant one of two things.
Success of the plan, or failure....
Portal manifested.[Twentieth Throne].
Those who gathered at the place where the rift had formed witnessed it.
Hoyeol, standing upright as always.
As expected, nothing could be guessed from his appearance or expression.
Marcelo and Harkon exchanged glances.
Nod─After nodding, they stepped toward Hoyeol.
Then they asked Hoyeol, who still had his back turned.
However.
“Sir, the plan……?”
Even when addressed politely, there was no answer.
Considering Hoyeol’s personality, which placed great importance on etiquette, that was impossible.
And so, they soon realized.
“……
Marcelo!”
At Harkon’s call, Marcelo did not hesitate.
A massive surge of mana wavered.
Marcelo manifested a portal....
The Magic Tower.
Bellier opened her mouth.
“It seems he has simply lost consciousness.”
Sighs broke out from all around.
That Hoyeol would lose consciousness and faint.
It was something no one had dared even imagine.
Bangrit murmured in a choked voice.
“……
To think he remained standing upright until the very end.”
That was right.
Hoyeol had fainted while still standing perfectly upright.
Poke─Bensch jabbed Bangrit in the side with his elbow.
To Bangrit, who clutched his side, he whispered softly.
“Bangrit, must you really make your commoner origins so obvious?”
“……
I apologize.”
“I did not say that to hear an apology! Think of the eyes upon us. We are senior mages of the Magic Tower. We must never lose our dignity.”
Sniff─Of course, Bensch’s voice, as he scolded him, was trembling unlike usual as well.
Truly, it was a situation no one had expected.
Marcelo organized the situation.
“The fact that Sir has overexerted himself to the point of losing consciousness is surely proof that he carried out the plan. Of course, we cannot know the result until Sir awakens.”
Harkon spoke bitterly.
“How very like him.”
Nam Taemin, who had been silent, opened his mouth.
“I don’t know if you are aware, but in our world, Hoyeol is no different from a symbol of peace. If Hoyeol wavers, the world wavers with him.”
Nam Taemin clenched his fist.
“……
Because he knows that better than anyone. Even after losing consciousness, he couldn’t allow himself to collapse. He must have had no choice but to force himself to pretend he was fine, to stand upright.”
Perhaps it was thanks to Hoyeol’s consideration.
The only ones who knew that Hoyeol had collapsed were those gathered here.
In other words, at this very moment when Hoyeol had collapsed.
The world was intoxicated by sweet news of victory.
Kitch swept up her long, straight hair.‘Making everyone worry, you’re quite the sinner, Employer.’The Shadow Mercenaries.
They were not exactly the sort to come visiting someone in the hospital.
As their leader, Kitch had come to the Magic Tower as their representative.‘……
That said, I also have many sins when it comes to the Magic Tower.’As expected, the Magic Tower was a suffocating place.
She had no close friends, and as for acquaintances…….
The only one was Leoni, perhaps, with whom she had seen eye to eye in the meeting.
Kichi glanced sideways at Leonie, who was standing beside her.
‘But our cute sister too…….’
She’s not looking so good.
She was short, so all that was visible was the top of her head.
But the emotions were conveyed through her slumped shoulders.
Honestly, Kichi couldn’t understand it.
‘No, shouldn’t you be happy? That bastard……. No, our Commander came back alive. That alone is amazing, isn’t it? What’s the big deal about fainting? I pass out all the time from drinking myself senseless.’
Regardless of the outcome, he got off easy, that’s what this was.
Kichi opened her mouth to break the heavy atmosphere.
“Wouldn’t it be more important for him to rest? It’s good to worry by his side, but I believe it’s about time we gave him space.”
Bellier, who had been observing Hoyeol’s condition, spoke.
“That’s right. If he wakes up, he might just give everyone an earful.”
“……
I’ll be off first to return the magic artifact.”
Scurry— Bency quickly slipped out of the private room, and the others followed after her.
It was the moment Marcello was about to take his leave.
Bellier called out to him.
“Chief Marcello.”
“I’m listening, Senior Bellier.”
“I’m not certain, but I felt I should tell you.”
“……?”
Fsssh— Only then did Bellier’s mana disperse from Hoyeol’s body.
Soon after, Bellier continued in a voice filled with conviction.
“It seems the Chief has succeeded in the plan.”
“……
How did you know that, Senior Bellier?”
“I believe the reason the Chief collapsed is related to that.”
“If that is the case……. Does that mean the Chief did not simply collapse from overexertion?”
The manifestation of healing magic.
Thanks to that, Bellier, who had been examining Hoyeol’s body with mana, could feel it.
The powerful energy flickering near Hoyeol’s heart……!
If it was the powerful energy dwelling in a mage’s heart, then indeed.
Bellier’s green eyes sparkled.
“It seems the Chief slew a high-ranking demon king according to plan and advanced one step as a mage……!”
So that was it.
That was a mage who had reached a higher realm.
Without a doubt, it was the 『Circle』 that only they could possess.*……
I opened my eyes.
And what entered my vision was a message.
What the hell is this unfamiliar message?
[Your achievements resound throughout spacetime.]
[The beings of spacetime speak of your qualifications.]
[You acquire the title, ‘Transcendent’.]
……
Not even the Arcana Continent, but spacetime?
Wha, Traaansceeeendent?!
It was a fleeting instant without time to react.
Suddenly, a heartbeat was felt.
Clang!……
Wait, why is there a clashing sound of metal coming from my heart?