Book 1 Chapter 509
Goooooo-!
“Kyaaaaaaak!”
“It’s a demon!”
“Tartarus’s legions have invaded!”
“Quickly, help from Rumern…!”
Screams echoed through the streets.
It was, quite literally, pandemonium.
“Hey! Snap out of it!”
“He’s lost consciousness! He won’t wake up!”
“Move the injured here!”
Injured people lay scattered everywhere.
“Queen El genie, the Blood Queen, has invaded!”
“Those who can fight, forward!”
“Stop the legions!”
“Evacuate the people!”
Information about the cause of the chaos spread throughout the city.
Those who could fight advanced to the battlefield.
Those who couldn’t evacuate to safety.
Lunnia, watching from afar, took a deep breath.
Then she stood before the Blood Queen, El genie, who exuded an unusual aura.
A beastkin warrior approached Lunnia.
“Seirun’s Student Council President.”
Lunnia glanced at the person who spoke to her.
He appeared to be in his early thirties, a man with a healthy physique befitting a beastkin warrior.
“Who are you?”
At Lunnia’s question, the beastkin warrior introduced himself.
“My name is Gale. Have I been introduced?”
“Storm Sword.”
Lunnia uttered his epithet.
Storm Sword Gale.
He was a man who had begun to gain fame as a young beastkin hero.
Despite his young age, he was a young hero with countless experiences on the battlefield against Tartarus, as befits a combative beastkin.
Lunnia wore a puzzled expression as he spoke to her.
“What is it?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to retreat?”
Gale gestured with his chin towards the rear.
“I’ve heard about your abilities through rumors. However, this battlefield is still too early for you, being only a second-year.”
Gale wasn’t dismissing Lunnia.
But objectively speaking, Lunnia was still a second-year student at the Hero Academy.
‘Even as Student Council President, she’s not like Leo Flob. That monster.’
Leo, who had become Student Council President in his first year and recently made it onto the Hero Record.
But Lunnia was different.
As far as Gale could see, Lunnia becoming Seirun’s Student Council President seemed largely influenced by the rivalry between Rumern and Seirun.
‘Seirun must have seen the future of Lunnia El Lundia.’
Lunnia’s fame was already world-renowned.
It was a certainty that Lunnia would become a hero representing the elves in the not-too-distant future.
Gale surmised that the position of Student Council President had gone to her in anticipation of that time.
It wasn’t just Gale who thought this; the heroes who had stepped forward to stop El genie nodded in agreement.
As Lunnia was about to speak, looking at them,
Gooooooo! Fwaaaaarooosh-!
Crimson flames erupted from El genie’s body.
The other heroes flinched at the sight.
“Everyone, fall back!”
“Mages and summoners, create a barrier to stop El genie’s flames!”
The heroes moved in perfect coordination.
Most of the heroes present were fighting a Legion Commander for the first time, yet their movements were highly organized.
Even heroes on the Hero Record rarely had to fight a Legion Commander.
Furthermore, it was not easy to survive a battle against a Legion Commander.
Therefore, those who fought against Legion Commanders documented their experiences in any way they could.
Heroes active on the battlefield against Tartarus, in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, familiarized themselves with information about Legion Commanders left by their predecessors.
The heroes present had thoroughly memorized the strategy for dealing with El genie.
Except for one person.
Gale’s eyes widened.
“What are you doing! Lunnia El Lundia!”
While everyone was preparing for El genie’s attack, Lunnia was approaching El genie.
While everyone thought it was a suicidal act, Lunnia took a deep breath and raised her mana.
Whoooooosh-!
A magical formation appeared on Lunnia’s palm.
Lunnia grasped the formation and unfurled it.
Fwaaaaarooosh-!
Flames swirled above Lunnia’s hand.
“Sacred Fire.”
It was a flame passed down through the Lundia family.
The sacred flame of the Lundia family, which had burned away defilement for generations.
‘The Lundia family’s will to purify evil by burning even themselves.’
Therefore, Sacred Fire was a forbidden magic.
The Lundia family.
Or rather, it was the most powerful and also the most dangerous flame among those used by the elves.
In the long history of the Lundia family, no one had ever perfectly controlled the flames of Sacred Fire.
‘Until now.’
Lunnia smiled faintly.
Crimson flames wrapped around Lunnia, forming wings of fire.
Lunnia’s pure white hair shot up.
Linea, Lunnia’s sworn friend, transformed into flames and possessed Lunnia.
Goooooo-!
The flames surrounding Lunnia burned even more fiercely.
Finally, Lunnia completed her magic.
“Flame Emperor.”
The flame of Lundia, the flame of the Phoenix.
And a triple concerto of starlight created by Luna.
Three flames burned around Lunnia.
Kwah-gah-gah-gah-!
Lunnia swung her hand towards the crimson flames attacking her.
Kwah-gah-gah-gaaang-!
Flames collided with flames, and pillars of fire erupted.
Lunnia, who had negated El genie’s flames, clenched her fist.
‘Is this all I can do, negating it!’
Lunnia gritted her teeth.
What if it were Leo?
‘He would have overwhelmed it.’
Recalling the distant back, Lunnia took a deep breath.
“How…?”
“Is this stage still too early for me?”
Gale, who had been looking at Lunnia with surprise while crossing his arms, stiffened his expression.
“How did you do that?”
“I merely blocked it. My flames are the flames created by Luna. It makes no sense for them to be weaker than a Legion Commander’s flames.”
Lunnia said as if it were nothing.
However, this process was by no means easy.
‘…It was a sort of awakening.’
The trigger was the training camp during the summer vacation.
Lunnia was filled with dreams after being chosen by the Dragon Lord.
But in the battle against Erebus, Lunnia could do nothing.
She shuddered at the helplessness of only being able to watch from afar.
Ar was the same.
‘After the training camp, I had a fierce sparring match with that foolish cat and perverted dwarf.’
Claiming to be the successor of a great hero, she immersed herself in training, saying she couldn’t be satisfied with her current state.
This was the result she achieved in that process.
‘Looking back now, it was all Leo’s calculation.’
The possession of the Phoenix within her body was also inspired by Leo’s handling of Fiora.
‘And handling flames too.’
Lunnia clenched her fist.
Now she understood.
‘It was because Leo was a great hero.’
Then she understood what kind of heart he had watched her with.
‘I thought I would chase after Leo.’
The person she chose as her life’s goal.
‘That feeling hasn’t changed.’
Whatever Leo’s true identity, Lunnia would chase after him.
‘So I have to become stronger.’
Merely blocking a Legion Commander’s attack once was not enough.
‘I need to move forward!’
The heroes stared at Lunnia with blank expressions.
Gale laughed, as if bewildered.
“Leo Flob too… and you, too. Rumern and Seirun are something else these days, aren’t they? My juniors from Azonia need to step up.”
“Ar Tune is no less than me.”
“What?”
“If you rest on your laurels after making it onto the Hero Record, we’ll catch up to you soon.”
Lunnia smiled sweetly.
Seeing Lunnia’s expression, Gale grinned.
“Hey, hey. Unlike those old folks, I’m still a lively thirty-something. I can’t be caught up by such young juniors already!”
“That arrogant brat.”
Several heroes glared at Gale.
The tense atmosphere momentarily eased.
“Let me introduce myself again. My name is Gale Ernedida. I’m called the Storm Sword. Please handle the rear.”
Starting with Gale, the heroes introduced themselves to Lunnia.
It was a sign that they no longer saw Lunnia as an unsuitable child for this place but as an equal.
Looking at them, Lunnia took a deep breath.
“I am Lunnia El Lundia. Please take care of me.”
Goooooooooo-!
Crimson flames erupted once more.
The full-scale battle between the heroes and the Legion Commander began.
* * *
The streets were a literal festival.
Countless races let out cheers.
More grandly than ever before.
There were no worries or concerns.
For today, everything was forgotten.
It couldn’t be helped.
“Today is a day of complete liberation.”
Lisinas smiled brightly.
“The perfect subjugation of the primordial evil, the Flame of Destruction.”
Lisinas looked at Leo with pride.
“It’s the day you’ve finally achieved the wish you’ve so longed for. We’ve gathered today to celebrate your achievement.”
Leo was in the parade procession.
“……”
Leo silently watched the scene.
Receiving the cheers and blessings of countless people, Leo arrived at the central plaza of Rumelia City.
Luna, Aron, and Dwenho were standing there.
Leo, watching them, said,
“Why… are you in this era?”
At Leo’s question, Dwenho crossed his arms.
“You’re talking nonsense. Didn’t we all reincarnate? To subjugate the primordial evil that we passed down to future generations.”
“Yes, that’s right. And in the end, we achieved perfect peace!”
Aron burst into cheerful laughter.
Leo stared intently at Luna.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Luna, with a sulky expression and crossed arms, turned her head sharply. Dwenho clicked his tongue and muttered quietly, ‘How unreserved.’
Luna glared with fierce eyes.
Amidst this, Lisinas said,
“It’s such a relief. That we could all be reborn in the future.”
“……”
“It’s a relief. That we can live in this world together.”
Leo looked up at the sky.
“Don’t you think so too, Kyle?”
Leo closed his eyes.
‘A fake.’
The terrifying aspect of the Mirror Queen’s illusions is precisely that.
Even knowing it’s fake, you can’t easily escape it.
Soon, you forget that it’s fake and become immersed.
But even so, Leo did not sink into the illusion.
The person the Mirror Queen remembered and the person he was now were completely different.
At that time, Kyle was someone who couldn’t even see hope properly.
But…
This illusion cuts to the bone.
‘How many times have I thought about it?’
When I realized I was born as Leo Flob.
Leo thought,
‘If I reincarnated, maybe the others did too.’
But in the end, he was the only one reborn in this world.
‘How great it would be if they had been reborn too.’
That was a wish that could never be fulfilled.
The illusion before him was too sweet.
“……”
Therefore, Leo turned around.
“Kyle?”
Lisinas called out with a bewildered look.
But Leo walked without hesitation.
And he reached out towards the empty air.
Crack! Zzzt-!
Cracks appeared in the air.
“Gah?!”
A pained groan escaped.
“Wh-why?”
Kaneshi looked incredulously.
“This illusion… it’s your dearest dream, isn’t it? Why?”
“Because it’s a dream I can’t achieve.”
Leo said curtly.
Kaneshi’s face contorted.
“You won’t suffer in this world. You’ll die peacefully, so why are you trying to go to hell?”
“I’ve come to see something.”
Leo smiled.
“I’m curious to see how they will grow.”
He thought of the hero candidates living in the same era as him.
The children he acknowledged and to whom he showed the way.
Future comrades with whom he shared laughter and time.
Leo wanted to see their future.
“I’m curious what kind of adults they will grow into.”
Leo smiled gently.
“And one more thing.”
Crunch-!
Leo’s hand tightened around Kaneshi’s neck.
As a result, Kaneshi’s body cracked further.
“The reason I intend to subjugate Erebus isn’t simply to save the world.”
Whoosh-!
Leo pulled Kaneshi right in front of his face.
“You are mistaken. It’s not just you who hates me.”
Leo’s eyes blazed with vengeance.
“Erebus, who killed my friends, and all of you Tartarus. I will wipe you all out because I need to erase you from this world to feel at ease.”
His heart might be nothing but ashes.
But even in that ash-filled heart, there were precious things.
Not for the sake of the world.
Certainly not for the sake of a greater cause.
Revenge for what was taken from the precious things.
Flash-
Flames flickered in Leo’s heart.
Crack- crack- crack-!
The world cracked.
Pop-!
The world went dark as if a mirror had shattered.
Leo glanced at the world crumbling around him, then walked into the darkness without hesitation, muttering,
“There’s still a long way to go before I can rest easy.”
Beyond the darkness.
Though unseen, the place Leo was heading towards was a definite future.