Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

In Detroit, Michigan, Gates sat in the reinforced command vehicle that served as his mobile headquarters during the ongoing demonic crisis. Unlike the military personnel struggling with uncertainty, Gates felt no confusion about the announcement's implications.

His smile was sharp and satisfied as he read the notification for the third time, savouring the knowledge that others couldn't access.

"Second Order Beast," Gates murmured with obvious appreciation.

Arthur, you magnificent bastard. Gates thought, a smile forming on his face. He didn't dare let that thought out, lest the superior-rank demon protecting them think he was rebelling.

His confidence wasn't based on speculation or hopeful thinking. It was grounded in an understanding of Arthur's capabilities that exceeded anyone else's assessment. Gates had witnessed power demonstrations that convinced him Arthur could achieve virtually anything he wanted.

Through the reinforced windows of his vehicle, Gates could see his assigned superior-rank demon eliminate demonic threats. The sight reminded him that Arthur's protection extended far beyond what the outside world thought.

"Should we be concerned about whoever achieved this milestone, Father?" His daughter muttered.

Gates's laugh carried genuine warmth. "Concerned? No, Tiana. We should be grateful. Very, very grateful."

Hearing her father's words, Tiana's eyes widened before a smile formed on her face.

It was him.

...

In the Élysée Palace, President Dubois studied the announcement.

"Second Order Beast," he repeated thoughtfully.

Minister Rousseau approached with intelligence reports that had been rapidly compiled following the announcement's appearance. "Sir, our awakened forces report they've never encountered creatures of this classification. This suggests either extremely rare spawning or access to advanced areas."

Dubois nodded slowly, his mind processing possibilities. "The timing is interesting."

"Sir?"

Rousseau's understanding dawned gradually. "You suspect a connection between our current protective arrangements and this announcement?"

Dubois's smile carried the careful neutrality of someone who understood the value of plausible deniability. "I suspect that powerful individuals often demonstrate their capabilities through various channels simultaneously. Whether such demonstrations are planned... that remains a matter for speculation."

...

In Ottawa, Prime Minister Fitzgerald reviewed the announcement alongside reports from the Frost Wyvern's ongoing operations throughout Canadian territory.

His chief of staff approached with updated casualty reports that painted an extraordinarily positive picture of Canada's defensive capabilities. "Sir, our forces continue advancing at rates that exceed every projection."

Fitzgerald nodded with satisfaction. "And now someone has achieved something unprecedented within the other realm itself."

The announcement had created ripples that would reshape understanding of what was possible within the dimensional crisis, but its true implications remained hidden behind layers of speculation and incomplete information.

...

Arthur looked at Aether, who was still perched on his shoulder in his compact form. "Aether, teleport us to the guild hall," he instructed.

Reality folded around them as Aether's spatial manipulation activated, carrying them across the dimensional barriers to Caldera in an instant. They materialised within Arthur's private floor of the Power Guild headquarters.

Arthur turned to his companion with gentle but firm instructions. "Aether, I need you to hide in my clothes for now. Stay concealed until I tell you to. Okay?"

The small void dragon's expression showed some sadness, but he nodded, accepting his master's command without hesitation. The need for secrecy was unnecessary when Arthur possessed strength sufficient to challenge entire nations.

"Don't worry," Arthur continued with reassuring warmth that carried undertones of something far darker. "Soon we won't need to do this anymore. This hiding, this careful positioning—it's all temporary."

Arthur's smile carried a predatory gleam as he considered the larger picture. While he could certainly allow Aether to operate openly without worrying about consequences—his power had reached levels where he could destroy every country on Earth if he chose—Arthur wanted his inevitable confrontation with the military to be special.

He wanted them all to feel completely at peace, secure in their false belief that their greatest threat had been eliminated. Only then would he emerge from the shadows to take their souls slowly and painfully, with the satisfaction that true vengeance required.

Arthur's expression darkened with coldness as he contemplated his ultimate objectives. He didn't want revenge for himself—that would be selfish, limited in scope, focused on personal grievances rather than justice.

No, his sister has also suffered from their actions. They had separated him from Charlotte, subjected her to experimental procedures, and treated her like disposable test material. They had moved him away from his sister when she needed him the most. Now? He was going to remove their souls from their bodies, and his sister was going to watch them suffer.

Every military official who had participated in their separation, every politician who had authorised their treatment. They would all pay in front of her. She would witness their complete destruction, see justice delivered for every moment of pain and fear she had endured.

Aether nestled obediently within the folds of Arthur's cloak, his small form completely concealed from external observation. Through their connection, the void dragon could sense the intensity of his master's emotions, recognising that Arthur was planning something of extraordinary magnitude.

Arthur left his private quarters and made his way through the guild hall's bustling corridors, his expression carefully neutral despite the storm of anticipation building in his consciousness. Guild members offered respectful greetings as he passed, unaware that their leader had just eliminated a Second Order Beast and fundamentally altered the power balance of multiple worlds.

His destination was a meeting that would complete help with Charlotte's salvation—the exchange that would provide the physical enhancement herb needed to stabilise her condition.

Arthur arrived at the predetermined location where he worked. It was an alchemy store.

"I have the Pyro's lotus," Arthur spoke, as his eyes met the alchemist.

"You... you actually acquired it?" the alchemist asked with shocked disbelief as Arthur produced the Pyro's Lotus from his dimensional storage.

The epic-rank herb's blood-red petals still pulsed with internal fire, its magical properties undiminished despite its recent extraction from the Winter Beast's stomach. The concentrated power radiating from the herb was immediately recognisable to him.

The alchemist's hands trembled slightly as he examined the herb.