Book 1 Chapter 793

Leo, who had blown up the room with runes, loosened his sword and walked towards the dormitory building with a trudging sound.

*Tap-tap-*

The dormitory room was burning due to Leo's magic.

*Whoosh-!*

After a moment, the flames subsided.

And from the ruined dormitory building, a person walked out.

Platinum blonde hair and large golden eyes.

The elf, who possessed an unapproachable aura, had a breathtakingly beautiful appearance.

Run Orweni.

The student council president of Seirun, and an elf rumored to be the reincarnation of Luna, the progenitor of the constellations.

In reality, Luna Rubinence herself.

'……This feels unfamiliar.'

He felt the same unfamiliarity as when he saw Karl, Arion's reincarnation.

It seemed one could never get used to seeing someone they knew in a completely different form.

Even so…

"Pretty."

As Leo muttered dryly, Run looked down at Leo and crouched down.

Then, resting his chin on his hand, he tilted his head.

"Of course. If this face isn't pretty, I should go to the hospital."

At those words, Leo let out a hollow laugh.

"Did you cast the magic?"

"Yes."

"Why did you do it?"

If it were the Luna he knew, she would have attacked him the moment she cast magic.

But Run showed him the grace of asking for a reason.

"Why do you ask?"

"I was going to let it slide if it was a mistake."

In response to Leo's question, Run said in a listless voice.

He seemed incredibly unmotivated.

The offer to let it slide was also true.

Leo saw through that fact and clicked his tongue.

'He's definitely gone off the deep end.'

"I did it on purpose."

"Why?"

Even at the mention of intent, Run asked back in the same unmotivated voice.

"Because I wanted to fight."

"I see."

"Aren't you angry?"

"Angry? Not really."

Run shook his head.

"There have been many people like you."

He became the student council president of Seirun at a young age.

Furthermore, Run had gained immense fame, being hailed as the reincarnation of the progenitor of the constellations.

To be honest, there were countless people who doubted Run's fame.

There were also many who sought to gain fame by defeating Run.

And most of those were elves.

To surpass the reincarnation of the progenitor of the constellations meant, in other words, that they could become the successor to the progenitor of the constellations.

For various reasons, Run had to face trials in elven society countless times.

Each time, he thoroughly crushed his opponents, solidifying his position.

'Most of them denied Kyle's existence.'

Run sighed softly, recalling those from before.

Among them were those who had achieved the status of heroes.

As time passed, and even those who couldn't win against Run could gain fame by achieving some results, the situation reached a point where all races wanted to challenge Run.

Unlike Reana, Karl, and Valhar, who avoided fighting, Run did not shy away from battles that came his way.

In Run's eyes, Leo was just another one of the countless challengers coveting fame.

Therefore, there was no reason to be angry.

He simply granted what those who rushed into the fire like moths desired.

Without even drawing his staff, Run reached out.

*Clack-!*

With a snap of his fingers, giant roots grew from the ground.

*Rumble-!*

The roots coiled around Leo and dragged him down into the ground.

"The room is a mess. Should I sleep in another room?"

As Run looked around the room with a sigh.

*Thud-! Rumble-!*

"……?"

Leo shot up into the sky, piercing through the plant roots created by Run's magic.

Turning his head back towards Leo, Run exclaimed.

"Wow, you're strong."

Seeing Run's pure admiration, Leo tilted his head.

"Anything else?"

It was a provocative action.

Despite such an attitude, Run calmly waved his hand.

"How about this?"

*Flash-!*

Innumerable magic circles appeared in the air.

The magic of stars, imbued with various attributes.

Seeing that, Leo crossed his arms.

"Just with this?"

At Leo's provocative words, Run flicked his fingers.

The magic activated simultaneously and poured down on Leo.

Scorching flames, swirling lightning, hail falling from the sky, blinding flashes.

An innumerable feast of magic.

Looking at the myriad of magic pouring down on him, Leo raised his sword.

*Fwoosh-*

Flame aura imbued Leo's sword.

Kyle, the hero of the beginning, was not bound by attributes.

His mana attribute, 'Purity,' gave him the ability to wield all attributes freely.

Therefore, in his Kyle days, he used attributes according to the situation.

However, after reincarnation.

Leo had most enjoyed using the fire attribute.

While the influence of his maternal side, Zerdinjer, played a role, the reason Leo chose fire as his main attribute was more because his enemy to defeat was Erebus.

'The never-extinguishing flame of disaster.'

Leo's mana attribute was clearly a natural enemy to Erebus.

However, the reason the 'Purity' mana attribute was a natural enemy to the 'flame of disaster' was its ability to neutralize its immortality, not because it was a natural enemy to the flame itself.

In his past life, the 'flame of disaster' had taken everything from Leo.

Friends more precious than his life.

Even Kyle, the hero of the beginning, and his own life.

'Only fire can counter the flame of disaster.'

In his past life, only Dwenno, who wielded the golden flame, could counter the 'flame of disaster.'

'If I only inherit Dwenno's power, I'll just repeat the past.'

Therefore, Leo had strived to obtain a flame comparable to Dwenno's.

He also helped complete Runia's white flame, a flame capable of eradicating the 'flame of disaster.'

*Roar-!*

The crimson flame aura emanating from Leo's sword engulfed Run's magic.

Run's eyes widened at the sight.

'It's comparable to that pervert's flame?'

But the surprise was fleeting.

'Being comparable to Dwenno's firepower doesn't mean being as strong as Dwenno.'

Run's eyes became listless again as he raised his hand.

And then he lowered his raised hand.

*Boom-!*

Immense pressure descended upon Leo.

*Crackle-!*

The ground beneath Leo collapsed, and the surrounding area was half-destroyed.

Powerful gravity magic.

As the caster was Luna, its power was beyond imagination.

*Bang-!*

Leo, unable to resist the gravity, was also slammed to the ground.

But…

*Fwoosh-*

Mana erupted from Leo's body.

'Magic?'

Surprise appeared in Run's eyes.

*Roar-!*

The crimson flame surged into the sky, burning away the gravity magic array.

Leo brushed off the remaining embers from his body.

And looked up at Run.

Seeing Leo, Run muttered irritably.

"Annoying."

'Annoying…'

Leo's eyes sank.

'Right, from the challenger's perspective, the challenger can be annoying.'

But the person before Leo's eyes was none other than Luna Rubinence.

A great mage who loved magic and enthusiastically cheered for the possibilities of new magic.

A woman overflowing with creativity, pursuing the unconventional over common sense and shining with intellectual curiosity for new discoveries.

Leo and Run's battle was, quite literally, a fleeting moment.

But Run must have seen it.

New possibilities he didn't know.

He should have felt curiosity, not annoyance, towards this unknown being.

Because the Luna Rubinence Leo knew was that kind of woman.

But the Luna now… Run simply dismissed Leo as an annoying presence.

Run reached out into the air.

*Whirr-! Snap-!*

His summoned staff was grasped in Run's hand.

Leo knew what that meant.

'Here it comes.'

*Flash!*

Hundreds of magic circles appeared in the sky.

But the creation of magic circles didn't stop there.

Leo lowered his stance.

*Crackle-!*

The magic was unleashed all at once, like a bombardment.

Leo, with his knees bent, leaped.

*Roar-!*

As expected of Luna, who was nicknamed the 'King of Destruction,' the surrounding area was instantly wiped clean.

'Super-sense.'

Leo activated his super-sense.

Sharpened senses.

Along with it, he maximized the power of his entire body using his aura.

He deflected the incoming magic with his sword, changing its trajectory.

*Boom-!*

The deflected magic caused a massive explosion.

Despite the shock that tingled his fingertips, Leo did not stop.

He quickly closed the distance to Run.

'……She's exactly as I know Luna to be.'

Run's fighting style was too familiar to Leo.

It had not changed at all from her appearance 5000 years ago.

In contrast to Leo, whose combat style had continuously evolved after reincarnation.

She had accepted and made her own the abilities that had developed over 5000 years.

While the basic foundation remained unchanged, it was true that she had continuously changed and grown.

But Run, who showed little of her previous appearance, had her fighting style unchanged from 5000 years ago.

Something from the past held Run back.

Leo's eyes narrowed.

'Right. She's still not weak now.'

In fact, for Tartarus, she would still be a chilling terror.

There were probably only two people in this world who could approach her by evading her magical bombardment like this.

'Arion and Dwenno.'

Just as Leo, who knew Run too well, could avoid the magical bombardment and close the distance.

It was just that the opponent was not good enough.

But…

'It shouldn't be like this.'

*Thwack-!*

Leo, who had approached right below Run, kicked off the ground.

Seeing that, Run used Fly magic and soared into the sky at incredible speed.

*Boom-!*

Leo kicked off the air using Aura Step.

Flames exploded from his toes, gaining acceleration.

'The Luna Rubinence I knew was like a star.'

She always shone.

Sometimes so brightly it was annoying.

But… that's why she was Luna.

Just as a star that doesn't shine is not a star.

A Luna that doesn't shine is not Luna.

Even if her appearance had changed.

Even if she lived a new life.

The essence of that fact remained unchanged.

*Whoosh-!*

Leo pursued until he was close enough to feel Run's breath.

"Oh dear."

Run clicked his tongue.

"I must have reached my limit too."

The shock of defeat seemed apparent.

But even in this absurd situation, she still lacked motivation.

"Am I a relic now?"

She simply accepted the situation with self-deprecation.

Seeing such a Run, Leo shouted irritably.

"Snap out of it! You damn girl!"

*Bang-!*

Leo's palm struck Run's right ear.

The impact bounced back due to the strong shield magic.

The shock of his hand being crushed.

But Leo didn't care and poured more power, sending Run flying.

*Rumble-!*

Run flew and slammed into the ground.

Leo slowly flew towards such a Run.

***

'What the hell is she?'

Rubbing his ringing head, Run staggered to his feet.

It was shocking.

He never thought he, a great hero, would be defeated.

'Well… there's no law saying skilled individuals like us can't be reborn.'

But it was understandable.

During the era of disaster… the existence of great heroes was like a miracle.

There was no reason why that miracle couldn't happen again.

'To be honest, it's ridiculous. Why do we have to go through all that suffering again?'

Run made an annoyed expression.

His head was ringing, and his ears were numb.

Only a high-pitched ringing sound remained in his ears due to the shock.

'Kyle ultimately wasn't rewarded.'

He gritted his teeth, recalling his friend who couldn't be revived.

'I hate it all.'

He hated saving the world, he hated magic.

'Why didn't Kyle revive!'

Recalling Kyle, who must have fought Erebus alone and lonely, Run squeezed his eyes shut.

'I miss Kyle.'

At that moment.

The ringing in his ears disappeared.

♬-♪--♪.

Along with it, a beautiful melody was faintly heard.

'A song?'

Run opened his eyes, feeling a bit bewildered.

And he saw.

A human girl fighting with Lunia.

'Chelsea… was her name Rwalyn?'

The moment he realized Chelsea's existence, he saw a dazzling flash streak before his eyes.

'That child… is Iliana Laden?'

Children he had lost interest in, considering them mere imitations of Kyle made by Lissinas.

He thought they had clear limitations.

He thought they were Lissinas's wrong choice and didn't pay attention to them.

No, perhaps he was too bothered to say such things.

He simply had no interest in these children.

But…

'These children… harbored such potential?'

It was magic he had never seen before.

Creative and groundbreaking.

He immediately knew that these magics were designed to maximize the user's potential.

And at the same time, he felt a great sense of longing.

'Who on earth created that magic?'

The arrays within the magic.

The way the arrays were woven.

It was all too familiar to Run.

He couldn't not know.

He had created this magic.

A long time ago.

It was undoubtedly the work of his past self, who passionately loved magic.

'But… I don't know this magic.'

Run gritted his teeth.

An indescribable emotion struck his heart.

It was as if those magics were speaking.

What on earth are you now?

'I… I…'

As Run clenched his fist.

*Thwack-!*

"Kyaaak?!"

Someone kicked his butt.

Luna, who fell forward as if to collapse, rubbed her butt and looked back.

There, Leo was looking down at Run.

"What are you doing!"

"Don't you feel anything seeing that magic?"

"……?"

"How long are you going to dwell on thoughts of the dead?"

"……!"

"If he were reborn, what would he want you to do? Wouldn't he want you to move forward?"

Run's eyes trembled at Leo's words.

"Then what about him? If he knew you were doing this in the opposite situation? He'd be so happy, wouldn't he?"

"You… who are you?"

Run asked in a trembling voice.

To that question, Leo spread his hand.

"It's not like you to be trapped in the past."

Magic arose in Leo's hand.

Seeing that magic, Run's eyes widened.

Soon, tears streamed from those eyes.

Looking at such a Run, Leo said in his characteristic unfriendly tone.

"You can't possibly need me to help you up, can you? Luna Rubinence."

"I don't want that either, you damn bastard."

Saying that roughly, Run, no, Luna, got up.

She gritted her teeth as if she could burst into tears at any moment.

Leo, watching Luna shakily get up, grinned and offered what he held in his hand.

It was a flower made with flower-blooming magic.

Luna received it with trembling hands.

Looking at such a Luna, Leo said.

"You looked good with flowers, both in your past life and now."

At those words, Luna lowered her head deeply.

The clumsy yet warm words caused the tears she had held back to pour out.

"No, perhaps now you suit them better?"

"Damn bastard…"

Luna butted her head against Leo's chest.

And Leo, looking down at Luna sobbing quietly, sighed and patted her back.

Luna, with her face buried in Leo's chest, broke down in tears.