Book 1 Chapter 302
302
Groooaar-!
Pure white flames raged around Lunia.
Fwoosh-
The flames burned Lunia.
Lunia bit her lip tightly.
The flames that had been with her all her life gnawed at her body.
‘This is… the Phoenix King… the Flame Emperor's flame.’
Lunia made a pained expression at the flames that seemed to swallow her whole.
Rumble, rumble, rumble-!
Erebos's specter approached Lunia.
It was then that Ar clenched his teeth, watching that sight.
Step-
“Eiran…”
Eiran blocked Erebos's path.
Eiran, armed in brilliant silvery-gray armor, was chanting a spell.
‘The magic formula Master Leo taught me.’
It was fundamentally the same as the secret magic Berkia had spoken of.
However, the details were different.
‘Master Berkia, in her own way… her efforts to manifest this magic were evident.’
Berkia ultimately failed to master the magic of the stars.
Elves mastering the magic of the stars was a story from long after Berkia had passed away.
Therefore, Berkia.
Ultimately failed to complete the magic left by her master, Luna.
But she didn't stop struggling.
She pondered countless times and challenged countless times.
Endless effort was felt, so that she would not be ashamed before the great masters she had to follow.
‘She’s like me.’
Eiran smiled.
Their personalities were different.
However, he felt a strong sense of kinship in her struggling to chase after someone she admired.
Thinking that, Eiran chanted the spell.
Failure meant only death.
But…
‘I will succeed.’
Holding the Erquint that Berkia had handed him, Eiran confronted Erebos's specter.
“Sword of Animus.”
The magic of the stars, overflowing with fae magic, manifested.
The fae power, filled with the verdure of life created by wringing out all magic, cut down Erebos's specter.
Groooooar!
For the first time, a pained scream burst forth from Erebos's specter.
Eiran, who had wrung out all his mana at once, collapsed onto the spot.
Erebos's specter, whose body would quickly recover from any attack, twisted.
The power of the Origin magic left by Luna was mighty enough to leave scars even on an immortal being.
Fwoosh-!
Erebos's specter, writhing in pain, soon raised its arm.
Eiran looked up at the sight and smiled faintly.
‘I… believe.’
The girl he met for the first time in his life, whom he thought shone brightly.
The friend who was like a hero from a fairy tale.
Eiran believed.
Kwagagagak!
“Who are you laying your dirty hands on right now?”
Lunia's fierce voice was heard.
Her pure white hair and beautiful red eyes blazed.
Fwoosh-!
A white fireball floated above Lunia's palm.
She controlled the pure white flames overflowing within her body.
Magic that Luna had created to counter Erebos's flames.
However, the magic that had ultimately remained incomplete and had to vanish into the annals of history bloomed from Lunia's hand.
“Flame Emperor.”
As Lunia completed the magic, the pure white flames swallowed the black flames.
Grooooooooooar!
Erebos's specter's pained shriek echoed.
Whoosh-!
Clink-!
Soon, the specter vanished without a trace.
Thud-
Lunia collapsed onto the spot.
Thump- thump-
Catariu approached Lunia and smiled faintly.
“How is it? The true flames of the Phoenix?”
“…It hurts.”
Lunia uttered her honest feelings and collapsed as if fainting.
***
Kwagagagagakang-!
Arion, caught in Erebos's attack enveloped in black flames, flew a tremendous distance and slammed into the city wall.
Gias's power, strengthened by Erebos's grace, was far too strong.
Kwagagagagagakang-!
The city wall collapsed, and Arion was buried under the rubble.
Groooooooar!
Gias roared towards the sky.
Depeser's face turned pale at the sight.
Everyone on the walls of Guardsron looked up at the sky at the formidable wave of dark magic.
A gigantic magic circle appeared in the air.
Along with it, black lightning struck.
Pabababababak! Kwagagagang!
Black magic of a terrifying scale.
Despair clouded the eyes of many heroes as they watched the lightning strike down intensely, as if the world was on the brink of destruction.
At that moment…
Flash! Kwagagagagagakang-!
A shield of water that soared into the sky blocked all the lightning.
Everyone's gaze turned to Leo.
A choke of pain-!
The recoil from blocking the massive attack was transmitted to Leo.
-It's the limit! Any more damage than this, you, the contractor, must bear!
Erham urgently shouted.
Thud-!
Leo fell to his knees.
Gias's magic power, strengthened by Erebos's might, was incredibly powerful, far surpassing imagination.
Depeser looked at Leo's face, twisted in pain, and was tinged with despair.
“Don't make such a face.”
“Leo…-kun?”
Leo put strength into his legs and stood up.
With the shield of water still raised.
Blocking the pouring lightning, Leo stood upright.
“All of you, don't bow your heads.”
Leo looked at those who had desperately blocked the legion's offensive from the city walls.
Many familiar faces.
More than half of them died in this battle.
Even if he saved them at this moment, history would not change.
Even so, Leo did not lower his shield.
“Proudly raise your heads. You are the heroes who protected this era.”
Heroes who couldn't even leave their names in the Hero Records.
Countless spirits of heroes who perished during the Age of Calamity.
But because they existed, the present era exists.
Leo, who lived in this era… who lived in the present era knowing it better than anyone, could not tolerate them despairing and bowing their heads.
“Soon, not that damned black sun… but a bright sun will rise again.”
Leo said with emphasis, looking at the sky where a gloomy dawn was beginning to break.
“So don't give up and fight. I believe in you.”
Everyone stared blankly at Leo, who was smiling just like a certain wise dragon.
“Believe in the brave one who gave you courage.”
Kwagagagagakang-!
A golden flash soared up, piercing through the fragments of the city wall.
The figure of the brave one, clad in a golden aura, shone as brightly as the sun.
Leo looked at Arion, who held up Brave.
There was no longer fear in his eyes.
The aura extending from Brave by the brave one's breath grew gigantic, as if to pierce the sky.
Arion, firmly grasping the golden sword, charged towards the Giant King, treading on air.
Groooooooooooar!
The Giant King let out a ferocious roar.
At that moment.
Whoosh-!
The disaster flames symbolizing Erebos vanished.
Reason returned to Gias's ferocious eyes.
And he glared, looking at the golden blade that had arrived right before him.
[Arionnnnnnnnn!]
Clang-!
Brave and Gias's sword clashed.
Slish-!
Instantly, Gias's sword was cut as if it were nothing.
That wasn't the end.
Thwack-!
Arion's sword bisected Gias's waist.
[Un…believable…!]
Gias's face was tinged with horror.
Fwoooooosh-!
A golden flash surged.
Arion, who swung his sword thousands of times at an invisible speed, instantly turned Gias into fragments of flesh.
Pabububububuk-!
Fragments of blood and flesh poured onto the ground.
A fatal blow, even for a legion commander with astonishing regenerative power.
Gias's mistake, having delved too deeply, intoxicated by Erebos's power.
The price was death.
At that moment…
Wooooooah!
The Giant King's legion, realizing the death of their commander, began to flee as if terrified.
“You did it.”
Leo burst into laughter, recalling his friends who had vanquished the fragments of Erebos's specter.
[The Giant King's invasion has been thwarted.]
[[God's Blacksmith] and [Brave] have been kept alive.]
[Dwenoo's World: Heavy Armor - Guardsron Siege has been cleared.]
Leo, seeing the message before his eyes, collapsed onto the spot.
“It's over.”
***
“Hmph, not bad. Seyrun representative.”
“How is it? Me, having mastered Lady Luna's magic. Now you'll have no choice but to admit that I'm superior to you, won't you?”
“Even so, I'm greater because I was directly instructed by Master Arion, you know?”
Lunia and Ar were bickering with each other.
“Driana, are you alright?”
“…Cal, I have a favor.”
“What is it? I'll do anything I can.”
“…When we go back, please be my model in a despairing pose. As a nude model, of course.”
“Seeing you say perverse things, you seem fine.”
Cal let out a hollow laugh.
“Eiran.”
“Yes, Master Berkia.”
“Who do I marry?”
“Um… well, the ancestor said…”
Berkia was making Eiran uncomfortable by prying about the future.
It was then.
Fwoosh-!
Black flames surged.
Everyone who saw it turned pale.
“Revival…?”
“Impossible! I don't have the strength to fight anymore…!”
‘The magic… was still incomplete.’
Lunia clenched her teeth.
She had only barely managed to activate the magic.
Lunia's magic was still incomplete.
It was then, as they looked at the black flames, that the party members' faces were tinged with darkness.
Flash-!
A white flash plunged towards Erebos's flames.
Crackle! Sizzle!
Electric currents flew in all directions.
“Pegasus…!”
Cal made a surprised expression.
Everyone's gaze turned to the gray-haired man riding the Pegasus.
Swoosh-
The man, opening his eyes, dismounted from the Pegasus.
“What's going on here?”
The man looked around.
“I felt Erebos's power and rushed here first… Did you all defeat Erebos?”
“Are you by any chance the Hero of Beginnings?”
Cal swallowed dryly and asked.
“Hero of Beginnings? What's that?”
The man made a puzzled expression.
Seeing Kyle like that, Eiran asked in a trembling voice.
“Is it… Master Kyle?”
“That's right. It's Master Kyle.”
Berkia answered in a gruff voice.
“And why are you so injured again?”
“Shouldn't you praise your student who fought so hard, saying 'well done'?”
As Berkia pouted her lips and grumbled, Kyle clicked his tongue.
“Alright, alright. You've worked hard.”
Kyle gruffly approached Berkia and ruffled her hair.
Berkia's face, which had been showing a dissatisfied expression at the rough touch, softened into a bright smile.
“I don't know who you are, but you all fought Erebos, didn't you?”
“Yes, yes sir!”
Kyle gave a slight smile, seeing the hero candidates answering with tense expressions.
“It's a relief. To have you all to entrust the future to.”
The hero candidates held their breath, watching Kyle smile as if relieved.
Fwoosh-!
Again, black flames surged.
Swoosh-
Kyle pointed the tip of his sword towards Erebos's specter with cool eyes.
Kwagwagagagak-!
A storm of gray aura raged, lifting Erebos's specter high into the sky.
Groooooar!
The black flames flailed in mid-air.
Towards those black flames, Kyle chanted a spell.
Humm-!
Lunia and Eiran, seeing the magic circle activated in the air, realized it was the magic of the stars.
But it was very different from the magic of the stars they knew.
‘This magic is also Origin?’
It was then that Lunia was surprised.
“Innocent.”
As Kyle completed the magic, a pure white flash soared into the sky.
The black flames vanished as if washed away.
Even the fragments of iron that were its true form.
The party members' jaws dropped at the sight.
“This person is… the Hero of Beginnings… Kyle.”
Kyle, with his sword slung over his shoulder, smiled.
“So what exactly is that? I've never been called by a grand name like 'Hero of Beginnings'.”
The group's eyes widened at that smile, which somehow reminded them of Leo.
At that moment.
[The Giant King's invasion has been thwarted.]
[[God's Blacksmith] and [Brave] have been kept alive.]
[Dwenoo's World: Heavy Armor - Guardsron Siege has been cleared.]
The world came to an end.