Demon shrieks pierced the air as five lesser demons appeared from their hiding places, dragged into visibility by cosmic forces beyond their comprehension. Their forms—humanoid but wrong, flesh that shifted between states—scrambled desperately against inevitable doom.
All utterly helpless.
The first demon tried to activate so defensive ability. Fire erupted around its form, protection that had saved it from countless battles.
The singularity consud fla and demon alike without pause.
[You have killed Level 13 Lesser Demon (Epic)]
A second demon attempted escape against the impossible gravitational pull. Its claws raked furrows in corrupted sand as it fought against it.
[You have killed Level 12 Lesser Demon (Epic)]
The remaining three tried coordinated resistance—so demonic formation that channelled their combined power into a shield.
Crimson energy swirled around them, forming a protective barrier.
The black hole expanded slightly.
Barriers, energy, demons, and the sand beneath their feet all compressed into a point smaller than a grain of rice. Then expanded.
[You have killed Level 11 Lesser Demon (Epic)] [You have killed Level 12 Lesser Demon (Epic)] [You have killed Level 13 Lesser Demon (Epic)]
The notifications cascaded through Arthur's consciousness as the skill completed its devastating work.
Where the outpost had stood monts before, only a perfectly spherical crater remained. Smooth walls descended twenty ters into bedrock that had been fused into glass by impossible pressures.
Complete annihilation. Not a trace remaining.
The singularity collapsed with a sound like reality exhaling. Silence returned to the corrupted desert—deeper silence than before, as if the land itself held its breath.
From Arthur's shoulder, Neko purred approval at Aether's work.
The void dragon's eyes held satisfaction that bordered on bliss.
"That was satisfying," he rumbled.
Below them, his other summons continued their relentless advance. The path of destruction now stretched nearly sixty kilotres—a scar across the landscape that announced Arthur's intentions to anyone with eyes to see.
This ti, Arthur chose not to summon the fallen demons. His existing summons were maintaining excellent pace across the corrupted terrain, their coordination flawless.
My next summons need to be at least Superior-rank bosses. I won't settle for less. Unless it's a creature with exceptional talent that I can evolve.
Quality over quantity. His army was already devastating—adding weaker entities would only dilute his power.
As Arthur continued his aerial journey toward Village 419, sixty kiloters behind him, Charles had already begun mobilizing their forces.
...
The village square erupted with activity as Charles's voice bood across the gathered crowd.
"All fighters level ten and above—report to the north gate imdiately! We march within the next five minutes!"
Players scattered like startled birds, but with intent rather than panic. ssage crystals flashed throughout the village as word spread with supernatural speed.
Marcus, the veteran warrior who'd led hunting parties in the forest, received the notification from a friend while examining his equipnt. His eyes widened as he read Charles's directive.
"Northeast toward Village 419. Full combat deploynt. Swordmaster is leading the pack."
He grabbed his improved gear—rare weapons courtesy of Fateless's earlier generosity—and sprinted toward the rally point.
"Sarah! Elena! Move out!" he shouted to his usual party mbers. "The Swordmaster is already en route!"
The Swordmaster leads from the front. As always.
"Finally," she breathed, joining the stream of players moving toward the gates.
At the eastern training grounds, a group of level eleven fighters received the ssage simultaneously. Their leader, a grizzled veteran nad Torres, read the coordinates with growing excitent.
"Village 419?" His voice cracked with emotion. "My brother's stationed there!"
The news rippled through his squad. Several players had friends or family mbers who were in different villages.
"The Swordmaster's already moving!" Torres bellowed, hefting his massive two-handed sword. "We follow the trail of destruction!"
Word spread beyond the village proper. Players hunting deeper in the forest received urgent ssages, abandoning their grind to answer the call.
A party of level nine adventurers encountered another group heading in the wrong direction.
"Where are you going?" the first group's leader called out.
"Back to the village," ca the confused reply. "We heard there's so kind of ergency—"
"Northeast!" The leader pointed toward the horizon. "Apparently, Village 419 lies in that direction! The Swordmaster's already started the assault!"
The redirected party imdiately changed course, excitent replacing confusion.
Near the village outskirts, a rchant caravan received the news from a breathless ssenger.
"The swordmaster moves to war!" the young player gasped. "Village 419 falls under our banner! We must save our people!"
As fighters converged on the northeast route, spontaneous chants began echoing across the landscape.
"For Village 420!"
"For our people!"
The massive mobilization created its own montum. As more players joined the march, others felt compelled to follow. The sight of organised force moving with unified purpose drew stragglers and fence-sitters into its wake.
...
It had been almost thirty minutes since Arthur began his march, and within that brief span, the landscape itself had transford.
In thirty minutes, I have killed close to a hundred lesser demons.
Crater after crater marked where demon settlents had stood, each one erased by Aether's power.
Arthur's interface blazed with continuous notifications.
[You have killed Level 14 Lesser Demon (Epic)]
[You have killed Level 12 Lesser Demon (Epic)]
[You have killed Level 13 Lesser Demon (Epic)]
But where are the true demons?
Arthur's eyes narrowed as concern gnawed at his satisfaction.
Lesser demons were cannon fodder. Yes, they might be extrely dangerous to ordinary players, but they were hardly worthy of his consideration. The real threats should have responded to such massive incursions.
Maybe they hide deeper in their territory?
The absence of superior bosses felt wrong. Demons were hierarchical creatures, with greater powers commanding lesser ones.
Unless...
Arthur dismissed the thought. Speculation served no purpose when action provided answers.
Below them, another crude settlent appeared on the horizon. Wooden stakes, bone fraworks, and the sa primitive construction that marked demon expansion efforts.
"Aether," Arthur commanded without emotional investnt.
The void dragon's response was quick, once again wipining the settlent off the map.
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