Chapter 67: Now, I’m Going to Smash It (1)

Indonesia.

A country boasting a population of 100 million (which drastically decreased with the upheaval), one of the world’s top three most populous nations.

Although it never made it to the top four, it was a powerhouse everyone recognized.

But even such a powerful Indonesia fell to ruin in a single attack, destroyed by the Demon King’s Castle’s Magi Cannon.

“Kukukukung!”

The terrain made up of massive islands was split in half.

“Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!”

A vortex born of the tremendous shock was swallowing everything.

Even nuclear weapons—the most powerful modern arms—could not unleash such devastation.

No, even if all modern science was combined, it would be impossible to scorch a landmass as vast as Indonesia.

But it happened.

Without even a chance to use a Defense Ticket, the surprise attack from the Magi Cannon instantly wiped out the population of 100 million.

Through Commander of the Plague Legion, Salmora’s large-scale ritual vision sharing, the whole world witnessed that scene as if it were live broadcast, and was plunged into shock.

“Where did the Demon Clan come from? Aliens? Dimensional travel?”

“What is the Demon Clan’s purpose?”

“Can they coexist with humans?”

“Is the Demon Clan’s proposal a devil’s temptation, or an angel’s blessing?”

Yet what the media focused on even more than the destruction of Indonesia was the Demon Clan itself. 

More precisely, it was about what kind of change their appearance would bring to humanity and the world.

[United States, China, Russia, Japan, United Kingdom, France… Several countries release pro-Demon Clan statements.]

[Is the Demon Clan’s proposal a radical change? No, it should be called evolution.]

Humanity now stands at a crossroads of evolution.

It’s only natural to choose evolution according to the environment.

Of course, the Demon Clan rules the world from the shadows.

Even the press could only publish positive stories about their arrival.

What comes with evolution? 

The development of the body. 

An increase in lifespan. 

The immortality that humanity once dreamed of.

[Evolutionists are gradually increasing in number. This is humanity’s revolution!]

Some slyly highlighted only the advantages of evolution and Demon Transformation, pushing people to choose.

But the public was not so foolish in their choices.

Especially in South Korea’s Awakened Bamboo Grove, heated debates over this evolution were in full swing.

– Yeah, right, evolution my ass. Those are monsters, not some sort of higher form.

– Man, exactly what I’ve been saying. No matter how you look at it, turning into a monster isn’t evolution.

– Surely there aren’t any suckers falling for such a simple temptation?

– But isn’t it technically evolution? The form might be a bit grotesque, but you get more power and lifespan.

– So did you evolve?

– No, not yet. Honestly, I’m hesitant.

– Looking at the power and longevity, maybe it’s evolution, but it’s scary. I’m afraid I’ll stop being myself.

– It’s not about not being yourself, it’s about not being human. Think about it. If you become a monster, what will you eat?

– Whoa! I never thought about that. Now that you mention it, if you become a monster disguised as an evolved being, what do you eat? I don’t think they’ve ever addressed that.

– Simple. Like how vampires have to drink blood, wouldn’t monsters have to eat humans?

– Jesus!

Craving power is a natural human desire.

Especially for Awakeners, who risk their lives climbing the Tower for that very strength.

To them, power was more valuable than anything else, but this time, it was different.

If it were just a hideous change in appearance, it wouldn’t even be worth considering.

But a monster.

If you could only gain power by becoming a monster who might have to eat humans, how could you not hesitate as a human being?

Especially South Korea, which has always been hostile to the Demon Clan (having clashed with the United States, China, and Japan), could not help but be wary of following their so-called evolution.

Of course.

– Setting evolution aside, are we even going to be okay?

That was the reality that everyone knew but pretended not to know.

― The Demon Clan already rules the world, and they’ve declared they’ll purge anyone who doesn’t join them. Indonesia got hit first. So… aren’t we next?

Anxiety.

The fact that South Korea could be the next to fall after Indonesia.

In fact, it wasn’t just speculation.

The country that had interfered with the Demon Clan’s every move was South Korea, and Kim Si-won.

Even recently, acting president Hosik Jeong publicly revealed the Demon Clan’s schemes.

From their perspective, South Korea was a thorn in their side.

Sure, because of Defense Tickets and other measures, they weren’t the first target, but it wouldn’t be strange if they were attacked at any time.

If, if the Demon Clan launched a full-scale assault on South Korea, what would happen?

– Why worry? Kim Si-won will handle everything. He always has.

– Kim Si-won is a god!

– Come on, even with all this national pride, what could Kim Si-won possibly do against the Demon Clan that’s basically taken over the world?

– Yeah. I’m a fan too, but this is different.

– People who claim to be fans usually aren’t. They’re just antis.

— True, though. If they could rip Indonesia apart like that, what can one guy do?

— This time, we really need to negotiate well.

— No way he’ll just recklessly go attack the Demon King’s Castle or something, right?

– No matter how crazy he is, he wouldn’t do that.

– If a novel was written like that, it’d get roasted.

– No matter how amazing Kim Si-won was, this time was impossible.

That was the general sentiment in South Korea.

The dominant opinion was that the only way to avoid becoming the next target was through negotiation, but the world doesn’t always follow everyone’s expectations.

― Damn, he did it!

A sudden post appeared.

And underneath, countless comments piled up.

And it all pointed to one fact.

Freetalk.

A broadcasting platform known in South Korea and around the world thanks to Kim Si-won.

There, a video that hadn’t appeared in a while, and this time a live broadcast, was now streaming.

And the title of the stream was: Smashing the Demon King’s Castle

It meant taking down the absolute fortress, the Demon King’s Castle, which now hovered over Washington, D.C., United States.

***

“Whooosh—”

A sharp wind brushed against my body.

A pressure so intense that even trained Awakeners would be flattened in an instant.

Strong pressure means high speed.

It couldn’t be helped.

The one creating this speed right now was—

“Fweeeeeee—”

The griffin, known as the king of the sky.

I was seated on its back.

Enduring the pressure of this griffin, which exceeded even the speed of sound—Mach speed—was no ordinary feat.

There were probably only a handful of humans who could withstand a griffin’s speed unharmed.

One of them was me, and on either side of me stood Blansia Bellamin, Agamemnon Saglayer, and Malice Ahman, hands respectfully at their sides.

Last time, when I used the name Summon Tickets, I kept one griffin.

I remembered how the Griffin Knight’s mobility had caught my eye in the past.

Normally, taming a griffin required immense time and effort, but I could cut that time short with Magical Power.

This beast, too, was bound by the law of the jungle.

With overwhelming force that could subdue even their wild nature, I left my mark as master, turning them into perfect transportation.

My target?

That was—

“…I see it.”

Behind the billowy clouds like cotton candy, a black silhouette came into view.

It was the Demon King’s Castle I’d seen through Salmora’s vision sharing not long ago.

I glanced at my chest.

A red light flickered from a square-shaped object.

It was an action camera, made from special metals sourced from the Tower.

I had specially requested Kim Chaun to make it.

It was all for this very moment.

‘The purpose of showing off the Demon King’s Castle is obvious.’

World domination?

No.

I could see what lurked behind that sly ambition.

Pressure on South Korea—and on me, who belonged to it.

‘And to force me to climb the Tower.’

I don’t know the reason.

Through the Harbinger of War, I gathered much intel, but none explained why they wanted me to climb the Tower.

Just pressure me into climbing, that was all.

Honestly, the appearance of the Demon King’s Castle and the Demon Clan this time was probably just preemptive preparation for me, since I couldn’t be pressured any further.

Like: Are you really not going to move, even after all this pressure?

That intent was almost nakedly obvious.

They probably thought they could manipulate me as they wished, but not at all.

Instead, I plan to use their plot against them.

If I destroy the Demon King’s Castle—which demonstrated such overwhelming force—and the world witnesses it live, what kind of ripple will that cause?

Of course, to do that—

“Bzzzt, crackle!”

I have to pierce that barrier, a copy of the Demon King’s Martugi.

A shield powered by Soul Crystals containing countless human lives.

Breaking through that would be tough, even for me right now.

That’s why I need an expert.

“Sss—”

A bundle of tickets taken from my pocket.

Through sweeping the 30th floor with Purge Tickets, I obtained a surplus of them.

After more than 100 runs, there were no further rewards, so I focused on other floors.

The places that caught my attention were the 15th and 20th floors.

From those two, I obtained the Blansia Bellamin and Agamemnon Saglayer tickets.

So, with the spare Purge Tickets, I got Knight Summon Tickets and—

“Flash!”

Enhanced them.

[You have obtained Knight Summon Ticket (Agamemnon Glacia++).]

I used up ten Knight Summon Tickets to enhance it.

But the result wasn’t bad.

“Agamemnon Glacia, I receive Your Majesty’s command!”

There were key contributors who played a vital role in building the King of Domination Belmond’s millennial empire.

Among the ten stars, the one called the Giant Star—standing before me now—was Agamemnon Glacia.

Founder of the Agamemnon clan, famed for destroying a nation with his overwhelming might.

“Begin.”

At my order.

“Yes, sir!” He drew his sword to carry out the command.

Grip!

In his hand.

It was a very old, club-like black sword.

But this was the origin of the siege weapon Grandis—the most powerful Knight Sword imbued with mass-increase and weight magic.

The sword, whose name meant ‘giant blade.’

“Swish, swish, swish.”

It flew through the air.

So high in the sky it disappeared from view, soaring into the heavens.

“Kukukung!”

It came down.

Turning into a massive sword, it began to reveal itself.

‘Wherever that sword treads, only ruin remains.’

King of Domination Belmond spared no praise for that gigantic sword.

Thus, the sword, which had no name at first, was bestowed with the name ‘Moglay,’ meaning ‘giant blade.’

Giant blade, Moglay.

Grandis was merely an inferior reproduction of a part of that weapon.

A force capable of destroying nations.

That absolute destructive power collided with the Martugi that protected the Demon King’s Castle.

“Kwaaang!”

Actually, there was another way to break through the Demon King’s Martugi but that would involve several complex steps.

So I thought of the simplest way to save time.

Overwhelming destructive power.

And by my standards, Agamemnon Glacia—and his Moglay—were the best method for shattering any shield in existence.

Just like—

“Kwacha-cha-cha-chang!”

Right now.

“Srrrr—”

Like shattering glass, the absolute shield protecting the Demon King’s Castle—its Martugi—disappeared.

What remained was—

“Entering.”

All that was left was to enter the Demon King’s Castle, whose invincible defenses had been breached.