Chapter 719 – Rays of Light (1)
Today Arcana — Special Studio.
“Is this really okay?”
Yoon Jongjin dropped the camera altogether and badgered PD Hyun Yongseok. He couldn’t help it. He’d thought this guy, at least, was different from the other broadcast-station vultures.
“You’ve got no loyalty, no loyalty at all!”
The prophet, DiMarzio.
The so-called ‘Nostradamus of the Age of the Great Cataclysm,’ who had accurately predicted countless events through NetTube and the official Arcana website. Any ratings-obsessed broadcaster would be hard-pressed not to know that name.
Yoon Jongjin took a deep breath.
“Hoo. Fine. I know you’d been persistently contacting that guy for a long time. I get that you were excited when he finally replied. But after hearing the content of that prophecy in advance, you still want to put him on air?!”
Even at this moment, the captions were being displayed.
[Today Arcana — Exclusive Interview]
[The Nostradamus of the Great Cataclysm Who Predicted Everything!]
[The True “Source of All Evil” Was Someone Else?!]…
“It’s not too late to stop this now. It wasn’t even part of the regular schedule, so it’s not like there’d be a hole to fill, right? Or do you really think you can handle the consequences?”
That name pierced Hyun Yongseok’s eardrums.
“Lee Hoyeol. You think you can handle Lee Hoyeol?”
That was it.
Contrary to his grandiose title as a great prophet, DiMarzio was an extremely reasonable man. He understood that this was a live broadcast and made no unreasonable demands. In other words, he had already shared the contents of the prophecy with the director, Hyun Yongseok, for script preparation.
—“Today, I will deliver a prophecy about Lee Hoyeol.”
—“A-about Mr. Hoyeol?”
—“Yes. He is the true source of all evil.”
The true source of all evil.
“Jongjin.”
Hyun Yongseok mulled over the phrase as he spoke.
“Didn’t something feel strange to you?”
“Strange? What do you mean? You, senior? Yeah, you’re strange.”
“Not me. Seoul.”
“Seoul? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Never mind. It’s nothing.”
Hyun Yongseok recalled something from not long ago.
—“Is it really okay for me to receive something like this?”
—“The more samples, the better, right?”
—“Even so, something this valuable…”
An anomaly product born of science and magic: the Akashic Recording Device.
In appearance, it resembled an antique film camera. But considering it was handed over by Park Minjae, the head of the AAU Korea Branch, it was obvious at a glance that it was no ordinary item.
Hyun Yongseok looked up at the sky.
“An observational tool more advanced than Another Space Ship.”
Needless to say, humanity hadn’t been standing still. Just as the Arcana Continent had developed after the Great Cataclysm, humanity too had advanced, producing results one by one.
—“Normally, this should be stored at the branch, but you know my personality, don’t you? Keeping it at the AAU wouldn’t be much use anyway… You people will capture much more dynamic footage.”
It must’ve cost a fortune… Hyun Yongseok had felt burdened, so Park Minjae even cracked a joke to reassure him.
—“I hear it’s scheduled for mass production soon anyway. Once the final tuning is complete, real-time streaming from the Arcana Continent to reality won’t be just a dream.”
Hook, line, and sinker.
At those words, Hyun Yongseok accepted the Akashic Recording Device. It wasn’t so much that he had something specific he wanted to film—rather, he simply didn’t want NetTuber players stealing away all the viewers, a very personal reason.
Hyun Yongseok gave a bitter smile.
“To think that choice would torment me like this.”
That day—the day Agares appeared in Seoul—Hyun Yongseok himself had fallen into a kind of trance.
Meaning that, without even realizing it, he had been harboring hatred toward the so-called source of all evil. Yet, while idly leaving the Akashic Recording Device on to test its operation, Hyun Yongseok discovered something.
The truth of that day.
“Feels like I’m the only sane one here.”
“…Senior, isn’t that some kind of mental illness?”
“I wish it were.”
Why was it?
“Unfortunately, no record remained.”
As mentioned, the Akashic Recording Device was close to a prototype. The truth Hyun Yongseok witnessed that day evaporated and disappeared. Still, he had written it down, preserving it in words.
──────
Agares said, “Everyone will hate you, Lee Hoyeol.”
Even after falling into hell, he invoked a power that remained effective.
“To be hated by the very things you wanted to protect so desperately. How laughable. How utterly ridiculous you look. For what, exactly, did you make all those sacrifices?”
He definitely said that…
──────
But what happened to Seoul?
“…The Silver Evil Eye.”
The owner of the Evil Eye known as the source of all evil was Lee Hoyeol. He had taken upon himself all of Agares’s authority that was directed at him. Damn it—Hyun Yongseok cursed his own limited understanding.
“If only I were a Ranker… or at least a Player…”
He might have been able to grasp the situation more concretely. Lost in thought, Hyun Yongseok’s expression grew distant. Standing beside him, Yoon Jongjin felt like he was being burned alive from the inside.
“Hey, are you trying to make me solve riddles right now? I’ll ask you straight up, senior. Is this really because you want to part ways with Lee Hoyeol—Mr. Hoyeol? Things were good between us!”
DiMarzio’s influence couldn’t be ignored.
Prophecies were usually abstract—earrings if you hung them on your ears, nose rings if you hung them on your nose. But this prophecy explicitly named Hoyeol.
“Whether it’s true or not doesn’t even matter. You know better than anyone how scary the media is, right? The moment this airs, Mr. Hoyeol will be subjected to endless scrutiny. Every single action of his will be questioned…”
Hyun Yongseok, who had been silent, finally spoke.
“Who do you think wants to part ways?”
“…What?”
“I think I need to hear the answer.”
He nodded.
“The DiMarzio special will air as planned.”
This was a necessary process. To Hyun Yongseok, who knew the truth of that day, DiMarzio’s claim wasn’t entirely wrong.
At the very least…
“Lee Hoyeol, this is the Silver Evil Eye who chose to play the villain for your sake. If I know you, you won’t just sit back and watch that situation unfold. That wouldn’t be the pride you always talked about.”
In that sense, Hyun Yongseok was desperate too.
“Please, don’t let my faith waver.”
And that faith was rewarded.
“PD Hyun!!”
“PD!”
“We need to talk—now!”
Writers came rushing in, each frantic in their own way. Both Hyun Yongseok and Yoon Jongjin were dumbfounded. Yoon Jongjin asked first.
“What’s with the rush? I’m in the middle of something.”
“Now’s not the time to air DiMarzio or whatever!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Lee Hoyeol has appeared on the Arcana Continent…!!”
“What?”
That question didn’t come from Hyun Yongseok or Yoon Jongjin. It came from Writer Park, the most senior member of the Today Arcana writing team.
“Last I heard, Lee Hoyeol was at the Magic Tower?”
“The Magic Tower? Did he take a portal already?”
“No, what are you two talking about?!”
Another writer held out a smartphone. On the screen was a photo of Hoyeol, standing before the Golden Palace of the Yusra Kingdom.
“…What is this?”
Hyun Yongseok and Yoon Jongjin stared, slack-jawed—and the studio was no exception. One by one, people began receiving news of multiple ‘Hoyeols.’
Hyun Yongseok muttered,
“There’s a Lee Hoyeol here, and a Lee Hoyeol there too?”
By any measure, it was an absurd situation. Yet Hyun Yongseok’s expression wasn’t all that bad. Because wasn’t this the answer itself?
Soon, Hyun Yongseok spoke.
“Revise the on-air captions immediately.”
“Revise them? To what?”
“Hold on… what would be good?”
Rubbing his chin, Hyun Yongseok said,
“Breaking News: Rays of Light Spotted.”
*
*
The authority of the Ten Thrones.
Needless to say, I could no longer make use of the Ten Thrones’ authority. Still using that ‘magic of a different order,’ you ask? That was only possible because, after becoming one of the Ten Thrones, I had perfectly brought even malice under control…
“I mean the other Ten Thrones’ authorities, including the Objective Eye.”
I wanted to complain—how could they give something only to take it back? But strictly speaking, nothing had been taken. The other Ten Thrones’ authorities remained entirely with Grandfell.
“In that sense.”
At this moment, the Lee Hoyeols appearing in reality, on the Arcana Continent, and in the Demon Realm and the worlds it had devoured—none of them were incarnations.
“More precisely, they’re imitations.”
As someone who had been tormented by Vassago at the end of every loop, mimicking his authority wasn’t particularly difficult for me now. If I were to briefly explain the principle…
“Not exactly pleasant.”
I materialized the legends of Lee Hoyeol from previous loops, then infused them with magic to grant them persistence. Someone might ask: can you really handle materializing legends that drove entire worlds to ruin?
I would gladly nod.
“I’m a legend on this side too.”
That’s right. In this loop, I—Lee Hoyeol—was writing a legend unprecedented in history. A legend great enough to encompass all the legends of previous loops.
“And it’s not like I asked them to do anything difficult, right?”
The reason I summoned these pseudo-incarnations was simple.
To realize the Great Sages’ prophecies—the avatar of Vassago. That way, the hatred Grandfell had shouldered could be dispersed. Even if some of it turned toward me, I didn’t mind.
“That’s the truth.”
Grandfell, you were just playing along with my middle-school delusions.
“So this time, just sit back and watch.”
I looked into your Evil Eye.
“Are you even watching me?”
You look the same as ever, but don’t worry. It’s not that I won’t keep my promise—I just want to keep it in my own way.
“Look forward to how I keep my promises.”
* pindangscans.com
*
The Arcana Continent.
What appeared in the sky was a man with silver hair streaming in the wind.
“I-It’s Lee Hoyeol! My god! Where’s the camera?!”
Leaving behind the commotion of Jellin and the Players, Lox and Schreig exchanged glances. Something felt off.
“This isn’t something that would concern the Supreme Commander.”
The Great Sage.
He was certainly an important figure—but only by ordinary Player standards. If this were the Supreme Commander they knew, he would’ve gone to the Demon Realm before coming here…
“Did I miss some kind of value?”
Schreig, thinking the same thing as Lox, spoke up.
“That doll doesn’t seem ordinary.”
“It’s a trace left by the Great Sage.”
“More precisely, you said Great Sages, didn’t you?”
Wait a moment.
“Come to think of it, this wasn’t everything.”
Hadn’t they found it—the Great Sage’s diary? Lox recalled the diary he had read while moving. It had been abstract, vague, and fantastical, so he hadn’t remembered much.
But at this moment, there was one line he remembered clearly.
“…It will suddenly appear one day.”
No wonder—it was as if the record had become reality. Hoyeol was acting exactly in line with that passage.
Lox continued,
“It will no longer be a single ray.”
Even the final line he hadn’t understood now made sense.
“When the Infinetely Deep Darkness is lifted, that will mark the beginning of the end.”
As if answering him, the brilliantly shining Hoyeol spoke.
“That’s right.”
“…!!!”
“I am the light that burns all things.”
Simultaneously, across all worlds—
“I am the end of the Apocalypse.”
“I am the pinnacle.”
“I am the strongest.” …
To the point that even the real Hoyeol could only sigh.