Book 1 Chapter 511
511.
Tartaros's sudden attack.
For those with power, it might have been an ordeal to overcome.
But for ordinary people without power, it was nothing short of an unprecedented catastrophe.
Resistance was impossible.
It wasn't their incompetence or fault.
For those who faithfully lived each day, it was nothing but a bolt from the blue.
Protected by superpowered individuals, people evacuated to safe places beyond Tartaros's reach.
Those who could somewhat handle auras, magic, and summoned beasts volunteered to join the battlefield themselves, but they were refused by those managing the evacuation.
“No, with your abilities, you'd only die in vain on the battlefield!”
“B-but we might be of a little help!”
“Even if I look like this, I've held a sword for a long time!”
“No, you are weaker than me; you would only be a burden if you went.”
The elven knightess, who spoke resolutely, gritted her teeth.
“Even I would only be an obstacle if I went to the front lines right now.”
With a frustrated expression, she currently lacked the skill to stand on the battlefield not far away.
That was why she was assigned the task of protecting people in the rear.
A beastman warrior, assigned the same mission as her, said,
“Even the rear might become dangerous at any time. So let us prepare for any contingency here with us.”
“Hmm…”
“Ah, I understand.”
Clenching their fists and nodding, they prepared for battle with tense faces.
People trembled with anxiety.
Fortunately, there had been no casualties yet.
There were injured, but thanks to the many mages and summoners, critical situations were avoided.
This was possible because countless heroes and talented superpowered individuals were visiting Lumeria City during the Twilight Festival.
However, the loud explosions and eerie screams heard from afar made people anxious, fearing that they could be in danger at any moment.
Kugugugung!
The ground shook from the aftermath of powerful magic.
People hunched their shoulders in response.
Among them, an elf was bowing her head.
Her delicate shoulders trembled slightly each time a loud noise was heard.
With drooping ears, she sat alone in a corner, staring at the floor.
‘It’ll be fine.’
Luna bit her lip, her gaze fixed on the floor.
‘Runia has grown to be dependable.’
She was good enough to be called her successor.
‘The other heroes are dependable too.’
Just as Runia said that they were responsible for the current era, the heroes were noble and trustworthy individuals.
‘It's okay even if I don't step forward.’
Luna squeezed her eyes shut.
She wanted to stay in this world longer.
A brilliant future she could never witness.
In a world full of possibilities, there was an infinite number of things she could do.
When she first entered magic.
Luna was captivated by magic.
She wanted to see the end of magic.
But the world did not leave Luna alone.
The dangers of the world did not allow Luna to focus solely on the world of magic.
And when the world regained peace.
Luna's time was over.
‘Now, it doesn't have to be me.’
Luna chewed on her lip.
‘I’ve done enough, haven't I?’
She wanted to stay in this world forever.
There were so many things she wanted to do.
But what made Luna even more anxious was…
‘Now I can be with Kyle in peace, can’t I?’
She thought endlessly.
What if she had met Kyle in a bright, hopeful world instead of a dark, despairing one?
Of course, her first impression would have been the worst.
But gradually, she would have been captivated by the human named Kyle.
‘Perhaps we would even have had children? Couldn’t we have enjoyed a happy everyday life?’
This was a happiness she could never achieve now.
‘Because my time has stopped, and Kyle’s time continues. If so… I want to be with him a little longer.’
It was selfishness.
‘But that’s not wrong, is it?’
Luna slightly raised her head.
Her always brightly shining eyes were blurry.
‘So, just a little longer…’
Swoosh-
Just then, something appeared before Luna’s eyes.
“Huh?”
Luna gasped blankly.
Her blurry focus sharpened.
It was a single flower held in a small hand.
Luna raised her head.
There, a young elven girl was offering a flower to Luna.
“Pretty unnie, are you scared?”
The girl asked with a worried face.
“Ah.”
“Don’t be scared, I’ll give you this flower.”
“Thank you.”
Luna accepted the flower and smiled faintly.
“Little lady, are you alone? Where are your parents?”
“Mommy is fighting bad monsters right now!”
The girl said, clutching a doll wrapped around her other hand, which wasn’t holding the flower.
Luna had no difficulty knowing the doll’s identity.
‘My doll.’
The elf child, hugging the stuffed doll dearly, said,
“My mom is very strong! As a graduate of Seirun, she uses star magic like Luna-nim, zap zap! So don’t worry!”
The girl said with a bright smile.
At her bright demeanor, Luna couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
‘She’s like young Belkia.’
Even in a critical situation, she’s courageous.
It’s the innocence of a child unaware of the situation… but still bright.
‘That’s probably because she’s a child who doesn't know darkness.’
Luna reached out and stroked her head.
“You’re a brave little lady.”
Just then.
“Ah! It’s the pretty drunkard unnie!”
The boy who said he respected Dweno the most, whom she met on the first day of the festival, came running.
“Unnie, I bought a Luna-nim mask too.”
The boy smiled brightly and showed off the Luna mask hanging around his neck.
“Wow…!”
The elven girl’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes sparkled as she saw it.
At her expression, the boy tilted his head, then took off his mask and handed it over.
“Want it?”
“Yes!”
“Instead, let’s be friends.”
“Okay!”
‘…Kids these days have good pickup skills.’
Luna stared blankly at the children who became friends naturally and smiled brightly.
“Unnie, if you’re scared, stay with us.”
“What?”
The boy took the bewildered Luna’s hand and led her to where the children were gathered.
Humans, elves, beastmen, dwarves.
Children of various races were gathered together, chatting.
It seemed they were gathered in one place to quickly evacuate them in case of an emergency.
They showed signs of tension and anxiety, but the children seemed to firmly believe that the heroes would protect them.
“Oh, I know that unnie. She’s the unnie who told us stories about the Great Heroes yesterday. She said Kyle-nim loves Luna-nim.”
“What does ‘love’ mean?”
“It means ‘like’.”
“Unnie, tell us more stories about the Great Heroes!”
“Unnie! Me! Stories about Arion-nim…!”
The children chattered incessantly, looking at Luna.
Listening to their non-stop conversation made her head spin.
A moment later, the children moved on to another topic.
At their antics, Luna subtly smiled.
‘How will these children grow up?’
“Arion-nim might appear and save us.”
A beastman child said, clenching his fist.
“Won’t Dweno-nim appear too?”
“I want to see Kyle-nim.”
“I want to meet the King of Wisdom!”
Like children, they talked about dream-like things.
‘Wow… I can’t keep up with the conversation.’
It was when Luna made a troubled expression at the children’s constantly changing topics.
“I think Luna-nim will appear.”
The elven girl who gave Luna the flower said with an excited face.
“Pretty unnie thinks so too, right?”
“…”
Luna clenched her fist tightly.
Kwagagagagagang-!
Just then, a huge explosion occurred nearby.
Hwarrrrrr-!
Along with it, dark crimson flames shot up.
“We must evacuate to another place!”
“Move! Children first!”
The situation changed rapidly.
With urgent shouts, people evacuated the children.
Screams exchanged.
In the confusion, the children also screamed.
Just then.
Kugugugugung-!
The dark crimson flames that soared high into the sky turned black.
Luna’s face hardened when she saw it.
‘Erebos’s Flames!’
Kwaaaaaaaaak-!
The black flames engulfed the people.
The moment Luna saw it and tried to unleash her magic.
Hwaaaaaaaaaa!
Pure white flames blocked the black flames.
“Kuuk!”
Runia, who had created a wall of flames, let out a groan.
“Runia!”
Luna urgently called Runia.
As if she had no time to answer, Runia, gritting her teeth, her red eyes flashing, intensified the pure white flames even more fiercely.
“Ahahahahahahahaha! This power! The divine flames! Ahhh! A divine revelation! His voice is heard!”
Eljenie’s ecstatic voice was heard.
Luna’s eyes trembled as she saw it.
‘That’s not simply Erebos’s blessing.’
Luna immediately saw through Eljenie’s situation.
‘Erebos is burning the flames using that legion commander as a medium.’
Eljenie was firewood.
The problem was that it was an incredibly huge piece of firewood.
The kindling of Erebos’s thoughts, fueled by the enormous firewood that was Eljenie, burned more and more fiercely.
“Weak! Weak! Do you think you can block my flames with such flames? Kyahahahahahahaha!”
Along with Eljenie’s mad laughter, the black flames grew fiercer and fiercer.
“Stop your bullshit and get loooooost!!”
Runia roared, pushing her firepower to the maximum.
Kwagwagagagagang-!
The white flames pushed back the black flames, causing a huge explosion.
“Heok-! Heok-!”
Runia gasped for breath.
The heroes, who had retreated, were already regrouping.
Luna watched them silently.
“Luna-nim! Leave this to us and retreat quickly!”
Runia shouted.
Despite her words, Luna merely stood silently.
Just then.
Gooooooo-!
Countless summoning circles appeared here and there.
The heroes’ faces turned pale when they saw them.
“This power…”
“Surely, the Necromancer King?!”
Clang- Clang-
An army of the dead began to pour out of the summoning circles.
Runia’s face instantly hardened.
“Luna-nim! You must evacuate quickly!”
“Yes, pretty unnie. Let’s go quickly.”
Just then, someone grabbed Luna’s hand and pulled her.
Luna turned her head to look at the elven girl who held her hand.
The child’s body was trembling.
But perhaps worried about Luna, she ran all the way here, risking danger.
“Roo!”
Just then, an elven woman fighting on the front lines urgently shouted.
The mage hero looked flustered, seeing her daughter.
“Mommy! In front!”
The girl’s eyes widened.
Hwarrrr-!
In a fleeting moment, a black flame that had infiltrated tried to swallow the elf mage.
Runia’s eyes widened when she saw it.
Regardless of strength or weakness, Runia alone could block these black flames right now.
“Ugh!”
The moment Runia urgently tried to cast a spell.
Flash-! Kwagagagagagang-!
A flash of light that flew from behind Runia pushed back the black flames.
It sent the black flames flying with overwhelming power.
“Luna-nim?”
Runia hastily looked back.
There, Luna had her hand raised.
Luna, whose eyes met Runia’s, smiled gently.
Runia’s face contorted as if it would break, knowing the meaning of that smile.
“Did you say Roo?”
“Yes?”
Luna looked down at Roo, who was holding her hand, and smiled gently.
“Sorry, this flower… it got ruined.”
Luna showed Roo the flower she had given her and then unleashed her magic.
Then, a vibrant flower bloomed in Luna’s hand.
Luna placed that flower in Roo’s arms.
And she gave a delayed answer.
“Unnie thinks so too. This Luna-nim will crush all the bad monsters. So don’t worry.”
Luna, who reached out and gently stroked Roo’s head, walked forward.
‘Surely, if I ignored it, I could stay longer.’
She could achieve more and spend more happy time with those she loved.
‘But… would that truly be like me?’
5000 years ago.
The reason she stepped forward to save the world.
It wasn’t just to save the world.
‘It was to protect this world that I belonged to and loved.’
Did she regret sacrificing so much to protect the world?
‘There’s no way such a thing exists.’
Did she resent closing her eyes without accomplishing all she wanted?
‘No. It was the path I chose.’
Achieving unimaginable heights in magic.
The reason she gained the fame she so desired in later generations.
‘It must be because I was truly myself until the end. If so…’
I cannot turn away here.
‘The moment I turn away, I will surely no longer be myself. Right? Kyle.’
Luna smiled, thinking of the friend she trusted more than anyone.
‘You all would have ultimately chosen to fight Erebos again, just like me.’
Leo’s voice was heard.
Luna laughed at his words.
‘I think that’s right, Kyle.’
Stomp- Stomp-
Grab-!
Runia instinctively grabbed Luna, who was walking past her.
And with a tearful face, she said,
“Luna-nim…”
Luna, who looked at Runia for a moment, reached out her hand.
Whoosh-!
Cometes appeared in Luna’s hand.
The staff entrusted by the Comet Mage to the Hero of the Beginning returned to the Progenitor of the Nebula.
And then, it was passed on to the next generation.
“Don’t cry, stand tall, and raise your head, Runia El Rundia.”
Luna smiled faintly.
“Because you are the successor to the Progenitor of the Nebula.”
Runia bit her lip and held back her tears.
“Watch closely, what kind of person the one you respect is.”
Luna, having left the rear in charge, walked forward.
Goooooo-!
Black flames blazed.
Luna saw it, reached out her hand, grasped at the air as if seizing something, and then pulled it.
Kwagagagagagagagang-!
Space distorted, and someone was slammed to the ground as if dragged out.
“This power… surely.”
The Necromancer King’s hardened voice was heard from a safe place where he was observing the situation.
“Yeah. That’s right. You boneyard.”
Luna offered a chilling smile.
“Luna-nim has descended. So you’re dead. You bastard.”
Flash-! Kwagagagagagang-!
At the end of her words, the Light of Demise engulfed the Necromancer King.