Book 1 Chapter 1013

As Lena watched the dragon manipulate black flames before her eyes, she gripped the sword in her hand tightly.

A longsword with an ordinary appearance.

It closely resembled someone's sword.

A sword named Future.

During the Age of Calamity.

A sword used by the Hero of the Beginning and later passed down to the King of the Beginning.

Of course, it was not the original.

A replica created by Dryana, successor to the divine blacksmith Dwenow, to commemorate the end of a new era.

However, even as a replica, the sword, imbued with the essence of the great blacksmith Dryana, could perform with the same effectiveness as the original.

Seeing the sword in Lena's hand, the man who wielded the flames of calamity let out a sneer.

"Isn't it truly strange? Princess Lena?"

"……."

"That you, the most pathetic among the lineage of the King of the Beginning, inherited that sword."

His tone was polite, but a clear mockery lay beneath it.

Facing the Dragon Lord, Lena calmly replied,

"I know."

Lena glared at the dragon before her.

The Dragon Lord, Velian.

After the subjugation of Erebus, Enkinias became the Dragon Lord, succeeding Melina.

However, Enkinias could not hold the position of Lord for long due to the lingering effects of injuries sustained in the final battle for the fate of the world.

Eventually, the dragon before her, born in a new era and capable of wielding three abilities, became the Dragon Lord, succeeding Enkinias.

"I know very well."

Lena bit her lip.

"That I am the most pathetic person among those who carry the blood of the King of the Beginning."

Lena did not deny Velian's words.

Because they were true.

Among those who inherited the bloodline of Leo Flove.

Lena was the least talented.

She was slow to sense mana, and slow to sublimate that mana into magical power.

When other blood relatives of the King of the Beginning surged ahead.

Lena always remained stagnant.

Therefore, it was truly ironic.

That her mother, Queen Archi, had bestowed upon Lena the Fosteritas, the symbol of Leo Flove.

It is still the same.

In this loop, which has been repeating an immeasurable number of times.

Lena has never once been able to stop Velian.

It was thanks to the great predecessors that Velian repeatedly failed in the endless repetitions of time that were difficult to even remember.

The heroes who achieved great deeds alongside the King of the Beginning.

Despite the absurdity of the loop, they endlessly held Velian back.

Lena bit her lip.

'I must stop him.'

Lena knew Velian's objective.

To bring the calamity of the past into the future.

An act that anyone would deem insane.

She could not tolerate that act, driven by incomprehensible madness.

'I… am a granddaughter of Leo Flove… my grandfather.'

If one is of the King of the Beginning's bloodline, they must stop it, even at the cost of everything.

Prevent the embers of calamity from spreading into the future!

In the current situation, the only one who can perfectly stop Velian is Lena, who is not subject to the allure of the loop like Velian.

*Whoosh-*

Lena, gripping her sword, unleashed an aura of flame.

Engulfed in crimson flames, Lena closed the distance with Velian.

Seeing Lena, Velian let out a chuckle and unleashed golden spiritual energy.

"Gasp!"

Lena flinched.

Summoned light spirits conjured luminous spears and hurled them at Lena.

Seeing hundreds of spears, Lena gritted her teeth.

*Whoosh-!*

Flames erupted.

*Flash-!*

A massive fiery sword strike burned all the light spears.

"Ho. You seem to be making progress?"

Velian marveled.

"Well, you were born with such excellent blood, so it's natural. But it's a shame."

Velian shook his head.

"To merely imitate Celia Zerdinger."

Lena bit her lip tightly.

Meanwhile, Lena's shadow began to move as if it were alive.

Sensing the movement of the dark spirits, Lena quickly cut her own shadow with her sword.

*Whoosh-!*

Seeing Lena freed from restraint, Velian clapped his hands.

"You have finally overcome the shadow binding technique perfectly."

Lena glared at Velian, who was exclaiming in admiration, with terrifying eyes.

As Velian gazed at Lena, he said,

"But it is a foolish rebellion. Hand over the key to returning to the original time quickly."

"Don't make me laugh! It's peace that my predecessors painstakingly achieved! I won't let someone like you ruin it!"

"You don't understand."

Velian clicked his tongue.

"I do not desire the destruction of the world. If I did, I would have eliminated Leo Flove."

Velian curled the corners of his mouth.

"What I desire is the world's progress. When there is an enemy to defeat, the world can finally become one."

*Vroooom-!*

A massive golden magical force swirled.

"All the bloodlines of the King of the Beginning fail to understand this grand intention."

Seeing the massive magic circle woven in the air, Lena's face stiffened.

"If you use 'End' here, the people living in Seirun will not be safe!"

"It doesn't matter. I can just 'reset' it."

Velian smiled faintly.

"If you see this space destroyed countless times, Princess Lena, you will also give up and accept your fate obediently."

Lena gritted her teeth and charged at Velian.

'He can't destroy me!'

She intended to block the 'End' magic with her entire body.

"Sacrifice? A foolish struggle."

Just as Velian clicked his tongue and unleashed the magic.

*Snap-!*

With the sound of fingers snapping, Velian's 'End' magic was dispelled.

Velian's eyes twitched.

Lena flinched and looked up at the sky.

There, a beautiful woman sat with her legs crossed on a white Pegasus.

Her arrogant expression and slightly tilted head, looking down at Velian, were like a work of art in themselves.

"Empress?"

Velian, in shock, quickly summoned spirits.

A powerful aura, imbued with a warm evergreen hue, unleashed a chilling slash, aiming for Velian's sword.

Mana imbued with infinite life force.

But a merciless force to the enemy.

"Fairy Blade."

Seeing Ailan, who stared at him with cold eyes, Velian hastily retreated.

"Empress… it's an unfitting epithet."

Elena, gently twirling her hair, wore an annoyed expression.

Hearing her mumbling, Ailan tilted his head and raised his voice towards Elena.

"It suits you wonderfully!"

"Oh? Did you hear that?"

It was a monologue, but it reached Ailan's ears, sharpened by his extrasensory perception.

"Do you have a voyeuristic tendency or something? Why are you eavesdropping?"

"I-I don't! I just heard it!"

Seeing Ailan protest with a tearful face, Elena clicked her tongue and rested her chin on her hand.

"Queen of the Beginning. I thought it would be an epithet like that."

Elena grumbled and glanced down at Velian.

"By the way, is the future prosperous enough to make a living? I've heard you say all sorts of crazy things."

Seeing Elena mocking him, Velian's face hardened.

"You wouldn't say that if you lived in a future that had lost all hope."

"Talk about hope. Are you spouting such carefree words to someone who lived in a time carrying a giant bomb?"

Seeing Elena laugh cynically, Velian snorted.

"Say whatever you want. I will only pursue my beliefs."

"There are always people like that, aren't there?"

Elena twirled her hair and muttered in a bored voice.

"I may have no talent, but I am unbreakable. I have beliefs. I am not wrong. I am working for a just cause."

Velian's complexion darkened.

"People like that always take on more than they can handle, don't they? And then, if you poke them, they crumble without any conviction."

Elena rested her chin on one hand and sighed deeply.

"Leo must be quite fed up. Just as I am. It's always someone causing trouble, and someone else cleaning it up."

Elena looked at Velian with disdain and then turned to Lena.

"Right?"

"I can't listen anymore."

"Yes. Truth always hurts when it hits."

"Nonsense!"

*Roar-!*

Black flames erupted from Velian's body.

Seeing that, Elena stroked Ati's neck.

"Will you give way?"

-Yes! My Queen! But!

"Yes?"

-Can you scold me like you did him later?!

"……."

Elena sighed inwardly.

'Leo must have a lot of worries because of his summons. None of them are normal.'

"Should I use a whip too?"

-Kyaung~ My Queen is the best!

*Flash-!*

Ati, genuinely delighted, moved at invisible speed.

Despite the dizzying speed, Elena chanted a spell.

"Hmph. I won't be defeated by such an outdated magic…"

*Thump-!*

Instantly, strong pressure was applied to Velian's body.

"You can't even react to such simple gravity magic. The people of the future are completely useless."

-My Queen!

"Yes?"

-That old-fashioned demeanor! It's just like Master's.

At that, Elena gasped and covered her mouth.

'Wow… could it be that Leo feels this way about me?'

***

*Clang-!*

Leo's emotionless eyes followed the trajectory of the sword Velian swung.

'The world has regressed because the will and teachings of the Great Hero were not passed down to future generations.'

Leo, recalling the resentment from a moment ago, let out a chuckle.

From Leo's perspective, it was an absurd resentment.

'There's no value in listening to trivial beliefs.'

However, the problem was that, in some form, the dragon before him had gone back in time to the present.

'Taking the fragments of Erebus into the future…'

He would, of course, stop it.

But there was a puzzling point.

The opponent had revealed his objective with unusual frankness.

'As if it didn't matter.'

As if he knew he could win.

And…

'He knows my movements perfectly.'

It wasn't a feeling of being outmaneuvered.

It was like movements that had 'rewound' time.

And fleeting déjà vu flashes in his mind.

Thinking that far, Leo curled the corners of his mouth.

'I see. A loop?'

Considering the swordsmanship skill of the dragon before him, that was the only possibility.

An enemy who can attack him under the same conditions infinitely.

It was, quite literally, an absurd battle.

Because all his attack patterns would be read.

Yet, the fact that the loop repeated meant that the opponent had not yet managed to defeat him.

Once the answer of 'loop' emerged, the puzzle quickly fit together.

'That means he can't perfectly control the loop either.'

Leo curled the corners of his mouth.

'And there must be conditions for the loop.'

*Clang-!*

Sword struck sword.

The déjà vu that flashed through his mind with every clash of swords disappeared.

Leo sneered at Velian, who was closing the distance.

"It's a loop."

At that moment, Velian's eyes widened.

*Scrape-!*

Leo easily sliced Velian's shoulder.

*Crash-!*

Velian, hastily avoiding Leo's sword and rolling on the ground, urgently widened the distance.

"Ho?"

Leo caressed the tip of his sword.

Leo's sword, which had not been touched despite complex movements and intricate feigned attacks countless times before.

But with a simple cut, he wounded the enemy.

His movements, which seemed to pierce through the future, suddenly disappeared.

'Is the condition for the loop realizing that someone not bound by the loop's time is looping? And judging by that reaction…'

Leo chuckled, seeing Velian's undisguised look of shock.

"It seems that no matter how much you loop now, you won't get a different result?"

Seeing the frozen Velian, Leo nodded.

"It seems to have forcefully saved at the previous point."

He appeared to be attempting a loop even now.

But it seemed that no matter how many times he repeated it, a different result was not produced.

He couldn't read his thoughts, but he could tell from his expression.

As soon as Leo discovered the loop, all the outcome values were fixed.

"Is there anything else?"

Leo hurled a scornful laugh at the dragon, who could no longer escape to the far reaches of time.

"Then it's checkmate?"