Book 1 Chapter 302

Gooooooh-!

Pure white flames swirled around Lunia.

Fwoosh-

The flames burned Lunia.

Lunia bit her lip tightly.

The flames she had lived with her entire life were gnawing at her body.

'This is… the Phoenix King… the flames of the Fire Emperor.'

Lunia wore a pained expression as the flames seemed to engulf her.

Rumble-!

Erebos's thoughts approached Lunia.

As Arg watched this, he gritted his teeth.

Stomp-

"Eiran…"

Eiran blocked Erebos's path.

Clad in radiant pearlescent armor, Eiran was chanting a spell.

'The magic array Master Leo taught me.'

It was fundamentally the same as the trump card magic Berkeia had mentioned.

But the details were different.

'Berkeia, in her own way… her efforts to manifest this magic could be seen.'

Berkeia ultimately could not learn the magic of the stars.

It was long after Berkeia's death that elves were able to learn the magic of the stars.

Therefore, Berkeia.

Could not complete the magic left by her teacher, Luna.

But she did not stop struggling.

She pondered countless times and challenged countless times.

Her endless efforts, to not be ashamed before the great teachers she had to follow, were palpable.

'She's just like me.'

Eiran smiled.

Their personalities were different.

But she felt a strong sense of kinship in their struggles to chase after the people they admired.

Thinking so, Eiran chanted the magic.

If she failed, there was only death.

But…

'I will succeed.'

Holding the Erquint Berkeia had given her, Eiran faced Erebos's thoughts.

"Sword of Animus."

The magic of the stars, overflowing with elven mana, manifested.

The power of the elves, filled with the verdancy of life, created by squeezing out all her mana, cut Erebos's thoughts.

Grawwwwwwr!

For the first time, a pained scream erupted from Erebos's thoughts.

Eiran, having squeezed out all her mana at once, collapsed with a thud.

Erebos's thoughts, which recovered quickly from any attack, twisted.

The power of the Origin magic left by Luna was so immense that it left scars even on an immortal being.

Fwoosh-!

Erebos's thoughts, writhing in pain, raised an arm.

Eiran looked up at the sight and smiled faintly.

'I… believe.'

The girl she met for the first time in her life, who she thought shone brilliantly.

The friend who was like a hero from a fairy tale.

Eiran believed.

Kwakagagag!

"Who do you think you're touching with those dirty hands?"

Lunia's furious 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.

The magic Luna had created to counter Erebos's flames.

But the magic, which ultimately could not be completed and had to disappear into the annals of history, bloomed in Lunia's hands.

"Fire Emperor."

As Lunia completed the magic, the pure white flames swallowed the black flames.

Grawwwwwwr!

Erebos's thoughts, filled with pain, screamed.

Fwah-!

Clang-!

Eventually, the thoughts vanished without a trace.

Thud-

Lunia collapsed on the spot.

Thump- thump-

Kateriu approached Lunia and smiled faintly.

"How is it? The true flame of the Phoenix?"

"…It hurts."

Lunia spoke her honest impression and collapsed as if she had fainted.

***

Kwakagagagag-!

Arion, caught in Erebos's attack enveloped in black flames, flew an enormous distance and crashed into the castle wall.

The power of Gias, amplified by Erebos's grace, was overwhelmingly strong.

Kwakagagagag-!

The castle wall collapsed, and Arion was buried in the rubble.

Grrrrroooooar!

Gias roared towards the sky.

Defeser's face turned pale as he watched.

Everyone on Gardesron's castle wall looked up at the sky, feeling the terrifying wave of dark magic.

A massive magic circle floated in the air.

Along with it, black lightning struck.

Bavavavavavak! Kwagagag!

Dark magic of a terrifying scale.

Despair clouded the eyes of many heroes as they watched the lightning strike with an intensity as if the world were on the brink of destruction.

At that moment…

Flash! Kwagagagagag-!

A shield of water shot up into the sky and blocked all the lightning.

All eyes turned to Leo.

Gasp-!

The recoil from blocking the immense attack reached Leo.

-It's my limit! Any more damage must be endured by you, the contractor!

Erham shouted urgently.

Thud-!

Leo knelt down.

The mana of Gias, amplified by Erebos's power, was unimaginably strong.

Defeser's face contorted in pain as he looked at Leo's contorted expression, his face filling with despair.

"Don't make that face."

"Leo…?"

Leo put strength into his legs and stood up.

Still holding up the water shield.

Blocking the pouring lightning, Leo stood tall.

"None of you, bow your heads."

Leo looked at those on the castle wall who had desperately defended against the legion's assault.

He recognized many faces.

More than half of them had died in this battle.

Even if he saved them now, history would not change.

Still, Leo did not lower his shield.

"Hold your heads high. You are the heroes who protected this era."

Heroes whose names were not even left in the Hero Records.

Countless spirits who perished during the Age of Calamity.

But because they existed, this era exists.

Leo, who lived through this era… who knew this era better than anyone, living in the current era, could not allow them to despair and bow their heads.

"Soon, not that damned black sun… a bright sun will rise again."

Leo said with force as he looked at the gloomy, dawning sky.

"So don't give up and fight. I believe in you."

Everyone stared at Leo, who smiled like a wise dragon, in a daze.

"Believe in the hero who gave you courage."

Kwagagagag-!

A golden flash shot up through the castle wall debris.

The hero, clad in golden aura all over his body, shone as brightly as the sun.

Leo looked at Arion, who held up Brave.

There was no more fear in his eyes.

The aura extending from Brave, by the hero's breath, became so immense it seemed to pierce the sky.

Arion, gripping the golden sword anew, stepped into the air and charged towards the Giant King.

Grrrrroooooar!

The Giant King let out a ferocious roar.

At that moment.

Fwah-!

The calamity flames, symbolizing Erebos, disappeared.

Reason returned to Gias's ferocious eyes.

And looking at the golden blade that had reached his very feet, he glared.

[Arionnnnnn!]

Clang-!

Brave and Gias's swords clashed.

Scrape-!

In an instant, Gias's sword was cut off, astonishingly.

That wasn't the end.

Thwack-!

Arion's sword bisected Gias at the waist.

[This… is impossible…!]

Gias's face was filled with shock.

Fwahahahaha-!

A golden flash swirled.

Arion, having swung his sword thousands of times at an invisible speed, turned Gias into pieces of flesh in an instant.

Fwooooobabobobob-!

Pieces of flesh and blood rained down on the ground.

Even for a commander with incredible regenerative abilities, this was a fatal blow.

Gias's mistake, having delved too deep in his intoxication with Erebos's power.

The price was death.

At that moment…

Uroooooooar!

Realizing the death of their commander, the Giant King's army began to flee in fear.

"You did it."

Leo burst into laughter, recalling his friends who had defeated Erebos's fragmented thoughts.

[The Giant King's invasion has been thwarted.]

[[The God's Blacksmith] and [The Hero] have been saved.]

[Dwenno's World: Chapter-Gardesron Siege Successfully Cleared.]

Leo, seeing the messages before him, collapsed on the spot.

"It's over."

***

"Heh, not bad. Representative of Seirun."

"How is it? My appearance, having learned Luna's magic. Now you can't help but admit I'm superior to you, can you?"

"Even so, I'm more amazing since I was directly taught by Lord Arion."

Lunia and Arg bickered.

"Driana, are you alright?"

"…Karl, I have a favor."

"What is it? I'll do anything I can."

"…When we go back, be a model in a despairing pose. A nude model, of course."

"Saying such perverted things means you're fine."

Karl let out a hollow laugh.

"Eiran."

"Yes, Berkeia."

"Who am I going to marry?"

"Uh… well, our ancestor…"

Berkeia, by inquiring about the future, put Eiran in a difficult position.

It was then.

Fwoooosh-!

Black flames surged.

Seeing that, everyone's faces turned pale.

"Is he… resurrecting?"

"Impossible! We don't have the strength to fight anymore…!"

'The magic… was still incomplete.'

Lunia gritted her teeth.

She had only barely activated the magic.

Lunia's magic was still an incomplete magic.

As they watched the black flames, the party members' faces were engulfed in darkness.

Flash-!

A white flash shot down towards Erebos's flames.

Fzzt! Fzzt!

Electricity sparked in all directions.

"Pegasus…!"

Karl exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone's gaze turned to the grey-haired man riding a Pegasus.

Swipe-

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 defeat Erebos?"

"Are you perhaps the Hero of the Beginning?"

Karl asked, swallowing nervously.

"Hero of the Beginning? What's that?"

The man looked puzzled.

Watching Karl, Eiran asked with a trembling voice.

"Kyle… is that you?"

"That's right. It's Master Kyle."

Berkeia replied in a blunt voice.

"Why are you so injured?"

"Shouldn't you be praising your disciple for fighting hard?"

Berkeia pouted and grumbled, and Kyle clicked his tongue.

"Yes, yes. You worked hard."

Kyle gruffly approached Berkeia and ruffled her hair.

Berkeia, who had a displeased expression at his rough touch, smiled faintly.

"I don't know who you are, but you fought Erebos, right?"

"Yes, yes!"

Kyle chuckled as he looked at the hero candidates answering with nervous expressions.

"That's a relief. That there are you to entrust the future to."

The hero candidates held their breath as they watched Kyle smile, looking relieved.

Fwoooosh-!

Black flames surged again.

Swish-

Kyle aimed the tip of his sword at Erebos's thoughts with cool eyes.

Kwagagagag-!

A storm of grey aura swirled, lifting Erebos's thoughts high into the sky.

Grrroooar!

The black flames flailed in the air.

Kyle chanted a spell towards the black flames.

Wooooong-!

Seeing the magic circle activated in the air, Lunia and Eiran realized it was the magic of the stars.

But it was very different from the magic of the stars they knew.

'Is this magic also an Origin?'

It was when Lunia was surprised.

"Innocent."

As Kyle completed the magic, a pure white flash shot up into the sky.

The black flames disappeared as if washed away.

Even the piece of iron that was the main body.

The party members' mouths hung open as they watched.

"This person… is the Hero of the Beginning… Kyle."

Kyle, with his sword slung over his shoulder, smiled.

"So, what is that exactly? I've never been called a grand name like Hero of the Beginning."

At the smile, which somehow reminded them of Leo, the party members' eyes widened.

At that moment.

[The Giant King's invasion has been thwarted.]

[[The God's Blacksmith] and [The Hero] have been saved.]

[Dwenno's World: Chapter-Gardesron Siege Successfully Cleared.]

The world came to an end.