Book 1 Chapter 209
209
“Block them!”
“Don’t let the legion cross the defensive line!”
The Hero Alliance desperately tried to halt the legion’s advance.
Shilatuna, who had triumphed over the Sword Saint, was slowly approaching.
Due to the continuous attacks, the city walls built by Sedjen were also reaching their limit.
“It’s impossible to hold out any longer! How about we retreat to the walls of Seirun?”
One of Seirun’s masters said to Halind.
At that, Halind gazed at the monstrous queen slowly approaching.
“If we do that, that monster and the unknown legion commander within Seirun will join forces.”
At his words, the Seirun master swallowed.
“Are you confident you can stop that?”
Halind was right.
If the two legion commanders joined forces, that would truly be the end.
Between a rock and a hard place.
The word ‘despair’ began to vividly seize the minds of the Hero Alliance.
*Whoosh—! Thud—!*
Just then, someone appeared in the sky.
“Who are you?”
A hero from Seirun shouted at the gray-haired young man who had appeared before him.
At the shout, the young man, Leo, glanced at the elf.
“Reinforcements.”
“What did you say?”
At the brief reply, the elf hero looked bewildered.
Just then.
*Ziiing—!*
A massive magic circle formed above Shilatuna’s head.
The crimson-glowing magic circle unleashed a flash imbued with destructive power.
*Flash—!*
“Get clear!”
“Everyone retreat!”
Shilatuna’s terrifying black magic destroyed everything.
Those who had witnessed the battle between the monstrous queen and the Sword Saint from afar knew very well how powerful Shilatuna’s current attack was.
As the Hero Alliance retreated, Leo drew his sword.
*Woong—!*
Gray aura gathered at the tip of Leo’s sword.
“What are you doing?!”
“Get clear!”
Everyone looked aghast as they watched Leo attempt to face Shilatuna’s attack head-on.
‘He’s going to die!’
Everyone who witnessed Leo thought so.
It was a moment when everyone froze, expecting Leo to be annihilated without even leaving a corpse.
*Flash—!*
A gray sword strike bisected Shilatuna’s magic.
*Kwagagagang—!*
It caused a massive explosion in the air, sweeping through the legion.
Everyone in the Hero Alliance looked at Leo’s back.
*Swaaaaaaah—!*
Amidst the relentless downpour.
Leo opened his mouth.
“How long are you going to be scared?”
A small voice.
But amplified by the aura, that voice reached the ears of everyone in the Hero Alliance.
“You are heroes.”
Leo looked back.
“Didn’t you earn the title of hero because you achieved deeds recognized by the gods?”
“You, who in the world…”
Sedjen asked in surprise.
That single sword strike a moment ago.
‘Comparable to the Headmaster… no, a powerful sword strike that surpasses the Headmaster.’
“Who are you?”
To Sedjen’s question, Leo let his sword hang and calmly replied.
“My name is Kyle.”
Leo’s gaze turned forward.
“I am the one you call the Hero of Beginnings.”
“What?!”
“The Hero of Beginnings?!”
“That’s impossible…!”
A being long regarded as a mythical great hero who didn’t actually exist.
An unknown great hero whose existence had only recently been revealed.
The Hero Alliance couldn’t easily believe Leo’s claim that he was the Hero of Beginnings.
But Leo didn’t care.
Whether they believed his existence or not.
That wasn’t important.
What was important now was to defeat Shilatuna before them.
“If you are heroes, prove it.”
Leo said to the frozen heroes with cold eyes.
“If you are heroes recognized by the gods, show me your bravery.”
The voice of the young man calling himself a great hero echoed in the heroes’ ears.
“The monstrous queen will be subdued here today.”
Leo stretched his sword upwards.
*Flash—!*
*Kwagagagagang—!*
Lightning struck the sword.
“Lightning Storm.”
Simultaneously with Leo’s incantation, a storm of lightning raged.
*Pazzzzzzzzzik—!*
“He’s using magic of that power?”
“Wasn’t he a knight?”
The heroes were aghast at the magical power that far surpassed the potency of spells cast by even accomplished archmages.
Ain clenched his fist.
“Could it be… the real Hero of Beginnings?”
According to legend, the Hero of Beginnings was an all-class.
If this man was truly the Hero of Beginnings, it wouldn’t be strange for him to wield both powerful aura and magic simultaneously.
Shilatuna’s legion was electrocuted by the lightning.
-Impossible. Impossible. Impossible!
Shilatuna’s face, watching from a distance away from the city walls, hardened.
This was impossible.
Why was *that* one, who had vanished 5000 years ago, here now?
‘Zeldiac’s resurrection in the present world is thanks to Lord Erebus’s power!’
Thanks to that, he had crossed from the hero’s world into the present world.
Since Zeldiac had crossed over, it was theoretically not strange for Kyle to cross into the present world as well.
However…
‘The gods vanished from the land long ago!’
There was no one who could lend divine power to summon a great hero to the present world.
So how could the Hero of Beginnings appear in the present world?!
Shilatuna raised a massive arm.
*Pazzzzzik—!*
Crimson-black sparks flew.
With that, a javelin made of powerful black magic formed in his hand.
-Vanish! Ghost of the past!
With a murderous roar, the spear of destruction flew towards where Kyle’s power was felt.
*Kwaang—!*
A clash of power.
Gray aura and crimson-black magic intertwined, sending a pillar of light soaring into the sky.
*Hwaak—!*
The rain clouds in the surrounding area were instantly blown away.
The rain ceased, and sunlight, previously hidden behind dark storm clouds, poured down.
Coincidentally, Leo stood in the very spot where the sunlight fell.
Shilatuna’s face trembled slightly.
-Kyle!
Leo re-gripped his sword, seeing Shilatuna call his name as if spitting it out.
“I have come to sever the ill-fated connection that has continued from the past, monstrous queen.”
Simultaneously with those words, three summoning circles appeared around Leo.
“Summoning magic?”
“Wait! This power is…!”
The summoners' eyes widened.
Sanguine red, pure white, and a vibrant green radiating life force.
The summoners knew too well what those colors signified.
Three phantom beasts emerged through the summoning circles.
A phoenix, flapping its massive wings, settled on Leo’s forearm.
A small fairy perched on Leo’s shoulder.
Finally, a beautiful Pegasus carried Leo.
[Chirp?]
[Huh? Who are you?]
[Are you really Master?]
Fiora, Kirian, and Ati looked bewildered after confirming their sworn partners.
Leo spoke to the three of them.
“I’ll explain the details later. Right now, it’s time to confront that.”
The three phantom beasts’ gazes turned towards Shilatuna.
[What is that? That ugly monster?]
[It’s the monstrous queen.]
[Chirp! Chirp!]
Kirian made a disgusted expression, and Ati’s eyes sharpened.
Finally, Fiora flapped her wings aggressively.
“I need your strength.”
Leo’s current power was a temporary summoning of past strength using divine power.
He could fight Shilatuna sufficiently on his own, but it wasn’t enough power to subdue her alone.
‘Because it’s not the power of my prime.’
Moreover, Leo currently had a time limit.
To completely defeat Shilatuna, he needed to combine forces with Luna.
But Luna was currently off to subdue Zeldiac.
‘Even if he was resurrected by Erebus’s power, he died once. So he won’t be in perfect condition.’
Until then, Leo needed to use all his strength to stop Shilatuna.
“Fiora, Kirian. Grant your blessings to the heroes.”
At his words, Fiora and Kirian flapped their wings and flew towards the city walls.
“Ati, you and I will face that.”
Having said that, Leo pulled the reins.
[This feeling! Ah! You really are Master!]
Ati cheered at Leo’s touch.
And with incredible speed, they flew towards Shilatuna.
[How are you in the present world, you fiend?!]
“Zeldiac came to the present world, so is there a law saying we can’t cross over?”
[Gah!]
Leo scoffed at Shilatuna’s shout and swung his sword.
*Flash—! Kwagagagak—!*
Leo’s massive gray aura tried to sever Shilatuna’s neck.
But the barrier generated around Shilatuna activated.
[I’ll kill you again!]
A chunk of flesh from Shilatuna’s body transformed into a gigantic serpent.
Like a hydra, the serpent head, with its maw wide open, flew to devour Leo.
Leo pulled the reins, soaring upwards at high speed.
And began to chant a spell.
Luna’s most powerful magic.
*Woong—!*
Complex magical formulas appeared above Leo’s palm.
Leo, having completed the magic, chanted the spell.
“Annihilation.”
*Flash—!*
The cold starlight of dawn raged.
With it, the massive serpent monster created by Shilatuna was reduced to dust and scattered.
[Gah!]
Shilatuna’s eyes widened.
Looking down at Shilatuna, Leo said.
“Monstrous queen.”
Leo spoke to the legion commander as if pronouncing a sentence.
“Your time ends today.”
*Sreung—!*
Leo re-gripped his sword.
“Like your comrade Zeldiac there, I will bury you as a calamity of the past.”
***
*Thud— Thud—*
Luna walked through the middle of the battlefield with light steps that didn’t match the urgent situation.
At Luna’s appearance, everyone’s eyes widened.
There was no one who didn’t know Luna’s appearance.
From textbooks, from literature.
They had encountered her beautiful form countless times.
The envy of all.
The hope that brought peace to this world.
The greatest elf in this world.
Luna was such a being.
Zeldiac’s legion, having lost all reason, attacked from all directions.
But Luna didn’t even glance at them, unleashing her magic.
*Flash—!*
Hundreds of magic circles rose, glowing golden.
This was Luna, hailed as the strongest mage in history.
Although her current power wasn’t at its peak, she was not someone that a legion stripped of reason could stop.
*Kwagagagak—!*
Needles of light generated around Luna and poured down like rain.
*Swaaaaah—!*
Luna looked at the rain wetting her hair.
It wasn’t the tiresome black rain.
It was clear, pure rain.
For Lumerin and Seirun, this rain was like the appearance of a disaster.
Shilatuna’s existence, which changed the climate merely by existing.
But for Luna, this rain was incredibly welcome.
‘How many years has it been… since I saw clear rain?’
At that very thought.
*Flash—!*
A pillar of light shot up in the distance, blowing away the rain clouds.
With it, sunlight, previously hidden by the clouds, poured down.
Luna looked up at the sky.
The clear, pure sky entered her large golden eyes.
*Clench—*
Luna’s hand, gripping the Folium, tightened.
‘We… really saved the world.’
*Ping—* Tears threatened to fall.
How much had she despaired?
Fighting against Erebus and Tartarus, she had reassured people that there was hope.
But even as she said that, she trembled with fear.
Countless times, she had been broken by the thought that she might not be able to save the world.
She had said she would die.
She had said she wouldn’t be able to see the peaceful world with her own eyes.
That’s why this sky was special to Luna.
It felt as if all the suffering and despair up until now were being rewarded.
*Stop—!*
Luna halted her steps.
‘The time I can remain here is not long.’
She felt her divine power diminish with every use of her strength.
The allotted time was extremely short.
But much could be done in that short time.
Luna looked at the elderly elf using star magic.
It was incredibly surprising to see an unfamiliar elf using star magic as if he had learned it from her.
It was at that moment that the sight made her realize anew that this was the future.
*Crack—!*
Zeldiac opened his mouth.
With it, a virulent breath spewed forth.
“Gah!”
Benett desperately squeezed out magic to block the attack.
Seeing this, Luna gripped the Folium.
*Flash—! Kwagagagagak—!*
A curtain of light repelled the breath.
“…!”
The heroes fighting Zeldiac all turned their gazes to Luna simultaneously.
And their eyes widened.
“Do not despair.”
Luna smiled gently.
“I hope you don’t let this light be taken away again.”
*Woong—!*
Luna’s enormous magic power pulsed.
*Gugugugugugu—!*
The ground began to shake from Luna’s magic power.
“Do not repeat the same misfortune as us.”
A hexagrammatic magic circle appeared above Luna’s palm.
Benett’s hand trembled.
Known as the First Star of the Progenitor, he knew what this magic was.
Because he, too, had used this magic.
But… it was incomparable to his own.
‘The original.’
Benett looked at the elf radiating golden magic and called out that name with a trembling voice.
“Lady Luna?”
As if answering his call, Luna smiled gently and completed the spell.
“Star Light.”
The starlight pouring from her hand enveloped Zeldiac.
-Kiaaaaaaaahk!
Zeldiac, having lost reason, screamed in agony as his body was torn apart.
‘He died once at Kyle’s hands and came back to life. Zeldiac is not in perfect condition.’
Moreover, he had lost his reason and had taken significant damage from the heroes.
The Zeldiac reflected in Luna’s eyes was not a legion commander.
He was merely a monster consumed by the instinct of destruction.
Zeldiac’s eyes flashed as he summoned his massive greatsword, Venom.
-Kuooooooooh!
*Thump thump thump thump!*
He roared and charged at Luna.
Benett hastily deployed magic.
“Chain Stella!”
*Kwajijijijijijijijijijijijijijijijing—!*
Chains of light extended from the magic circle, coiling around Zeldiac’s body.
*Kwoong—!*
*Kugugugugugu!*
Zeldiac’s muscles twitched, restrained by the chains of light.
“Beings of the past should not exist in the present world.”
Luna aimed the Folium at Zeldiac.
“Because they only bring chaos.”
*Woong—!*
A massive magic circle formed.
“So disappear now.”
*Flash!*
“Stella Radius.”
A magic not recorded in history.
A flash of starlight that even Leo’s Bible could not contain, usable only by Luna, erupted from the Folium.
*Kwagagagagang—!*
The flash of starlight, spewing forth with a force that seemed to pierce the sky, soon vanished into the heavens.
Zeldiac’s body, with its upper half blown away, began to crumble.
*Saaaaaaah—!*
He turned to dust, disappearing like sand.
The legion summoned by Zeldiac met the same fate.
Luna put away her staff and looked around.
Students from Lumerin and Seirun gathered around her.
“Progenitor…?”
An elf asked with an incredulous look.
Luna didn’t answer the question but smiled.
“Progenitor!”
“Ah! Great Progenitor of the Nebula!”
Seirun’s students knelt and bowed their heads.
And not just Seirun’s students.
Even some Lumerin students bowed to Luna, showing the reverence due to a great hero.
“Lady Luna.”
Benett approached with a trembling voice.
Looking at Benett, Luna said.
“I’m sorry, but there’s no time.”
“Excuse me?”
*Woong—!*
Luna used magic to open a warp gate.
“I have to go.”
“Where are you going?”
When Ellen urgently asked, Luna smiled as if it were obvious.
“To Kyle.”