Book 1 Chapter 793
793.
Leo, who had blown up the room with runes, lowered his sword and trudged toward the dormitory building.
Clack- Clack-
The dormitory room was burning, ignited by Leo's magic.
Whoosh-!
A moment later, the flames died down.
And a person walked out of the ruined dormitory building.
Platinum blonde hair and large golden eyes.
The elf, who had an unreachable aura, possessed a beautiful appearance that captivated anyone who saw her.
Rune Orweni.
The student council president of Seirun, an elf called the reincarnation of Luna, the progenitor of the nebula.
She was, in fact, Luna Rubinance herself.
‘…It feels unfamiliar.’
She felt an unfamiliar sensation, just like when she saw Karl, Arion’s reincarnation.
It seemed that seeing someone she knew in a completely different form was something she could never get used to.
Even so…
“Pretty.”
As Leo muttered dryly, Rune looked down at him, then squatted down.
Then she rested her chin on her hand and tilted her head.
“Of course. If this face isn’t pretty, you’d have to go to the hospital.”
At her words, Leo let out a hollow laugh.
“Was it you who shot the magic?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you shoot it?”
If it had been the Luna Leo knew, she would have rolled her eyes and attacked the moment the magic was shot.
But Rune showed the courtesy of asking for a reason.
“Why do you ask?”
“I’ll let it slide if it was a mistake.”
Rune said in an unenthusiastic voice at Leo’s question.
She seemed very unmotivated somehow.
The statement about letting it slide was also true.
Leo saw through that fact and clicked his tongue.
‘She's definitely gone a bit mad.’
“I did it on purpose.”
“Why did you do that?”
Even at the admission of intent, Rune still asked back in an unmotivated voice.
“Because I want to fight.”
“I see.”
“Aren’t you angry?”
“Angry? Not particularly.”
Rune shook her head.
“There have been many people like you.”
She became the student council president of Seirun at a young age.
In addition, Rune had gained immense fame, being praised as the reincarnation of the progenitor of the nebula.
To be honest, countless people didn’t believe in Rune’s fame.
And many also sought to defeat Rune to gain that fame.
Most of them were elves.
To surpass the reincarnation of the progenitor of the nebula was, in other words, to say that one could become the successor to the progenitor of the nebula.
For various reasons, Rune had to be tested countless times in elf society.
Each time, she thoroughly crushed her opponents, solidifying her position.
‘Most of them denied Kyle’s existence.’
Rune sighed softly, recalling those who came before.
Among them were some who had achieved the status of heroes.
As time passed, even if they couldn't defeat Rune in a fight, merely achieving some level of success was enough to gain fame. Now, all races had reached the point where they wanted to challenge Rune.
This was because, unlike Leah, Karl, and Balhar, who avoided fights, Rune did not shy away from challenges.
In Rune's eyes, Leo was just one of the many challengers seeking fame.
So there was no reason to be angry.
She simply granted what those who rushed towards the flame like moths desired.
Rune extended her hand without even drawing her staff.
Clack-!
As she snapped her fingers, a massive root grew from the ground.
Caw-gaga-kak-!
The root coiled around Leo and dragged him down to the ground.
“The room’s a mess. I guess I’ll have to sleep in another room?”
As Rune sighed and looked around the room.
Thud-! Caw-gaga-ga-gang-!
“…?”
Leo burst skyward, piercing through the plant roots created by Rune's magic.
Rune turned her head back to Leo and exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow, you’re strong.”
Leo tilted his head, looking at Rune, who was genuinely impressed.
“Is that all?”
His action seemed like a provocation.
Despite such an attitude, Rune calmly waved her hand.
“How about this?”
Flash-!
Innumerable magic circles formed in the air.
Star magics imbued with various attributes.
Seeing that, Leo crossed his arms.
“Just this much?”
At Leo’s provocative words, Rune waved her finger.
The magic spells activated simultaneously and poured down on Leo.
Burning flames, swirling lightning, hail pouring from the sky. Flashes that seemed to blind.
An immeasurable symphony of magic.
Leo, who had been watching the numerous magic spells pouring down on him, raised his sword.
Whoosh-
An aura of flame imbued Leo's sword.
Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, was not constrained by attributes.
The pure mana characteristic granted Kyle the ability to freely control all attributes.
Therefore, in his Kyle days, he would use attributes according to the situation.
But after his reincarnation.
Leo had most frequently used the flame attribute.
This was partly due to the influence of his maternal family, the Gerdingers, but more than that, Leo chose the flame attribute as his main one because the enemy he had to defeat was Erebus.
‘The undying flame of disaster.’
Leo’s mana characteristic was clearly a natural enemy to Erebus.
However, the pure mana characteristic was a natural enemy to the flame of disaster not because it was a natural enemy to the flame itself, but because of its ability to neutralize its immortality.
In his previous life, the flame of disaster took everything from Leo.
Friends more precious than life itself.
Even Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, his own life.
‘Only the same flame can counter the flame of disaster.’
In his previous life, the only one who could stop the flame of disaster was Dwayno, who wielded the golden flame.
‘If I only inherit Dwayno’s power, I’ll just repeat what happened in my past life.’
That’s why Leo strived to obtain a flame comparable to Dwayno’s.
He also helped Luna complete the white flame of Lunia, a flame that could eradicate the flame of disaster.
Kwah-a-a-a-a-a-a-!
The crimson flame aura erupting from Leo's sword swallowed Rune’s magic.
Seeing that, Rune's eyes widened.
‘It’s on par with that pervert’s flame?’
But her surprise lasted only for a moment.
‘Being on par with Dwayno's firepower doesn't mean he's as strong as Dwayno.’
Rune's eyes became dry again, and she raised her hand.
And lowered the raised hand.
Thud-!
An immense pressure fell upon Leo.
Caw-gaga-gaga-ga-gang-!
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.
Slam-!
Leo, too, couldn’t resist the gravity and was slammed into the ground.
However…
Whoosh-
Magic power erupted from Leo's body.
‘Magic?’
An emotion of surprise flickered in Rune’s eyes.
Kwah-a-a-a-a-!
Crimson flames shot into the sky and burned away the gravity magic spell.
Leo brushed off the lingering embers on his body.
And looked up at Rune.
Rune looked at Leo and muttered irritably.
“Annoying.”
‘Annoying, she says…’
Leo’s eyes darkened.
‘Right, from the perspective of being challenged, the challenger can be annoying.’
But standing before Leo now was none other than Luna Rubinance.
The archmage who loved magic and was more passionately enthusiastic about new magical possibilities than anyone else.
A creative woman who pursued the unconventional rather than the conventional, and whose intellectual curiosity shone brightest at new discoveries.
The battle between Leo and Rune was, quite literally, instantaneous.
But Rune must have seen it.
New possibilities she hadn’t known existed.
She should have felt curiosity, not annoyance, towards him, an unknown entity.
Because the Luna Rubinance Leo knew was that kind of woman.
But the current Luna… Rune merely dismissed Leo as an annoyance.
Rune extended her hand into the air.
Hum-! Thud-!
A summoned staff was caught in Rune’s hand.
Leo knew well what that signified.
‘She’s coming.’
Flash!
Hundreds of magic circles formed in the sky.
But the formation of magic circles didn’t stop there.
Leo lowered his stance.
Caw-gaga-gaga-ga-gak-!
The spells activated all at once, as if unleashing a barrage.
Leo, bending his knees, leaped.
Caw-gaga-gaga-gaga-ga-gang-!
True to Luna, who bore the epithet ‘Destroyer King,’ the surrounding area was swept away in an instant.
‘Super Senses.’
Leo activated his Super Senses.
Sharpened senses.
Along with that, he used aura to maximize the power of his entire body.
He batted away the incoming magic with his sword, altering its trajectory.
Boom-!
The deflected magic caused a massive explosion.
Despite the stinging shock in his fingertips, Leo didn't stop.
He quickly closed the distance with Rune.
‘…She’s exactly the Luna I knew.’
Rune’s fighting style was all too familiar to Leo.
It hadn’t changed at all from 5,000 years ago.
This was in stark contrast to Leo, whose fighting style had continuously evolved after his reincarnation.
He had adopted the enhanced abilities developed over 5,000 years and made them his own.
The fundamental basis hadn't changed, but it was true that he had continuously changed and grown.
However, Rune, whose previous appearance was hard to find, maintained the same fighting style as 5,000 years ago.
Something from the past was holding Rune back.
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
‘Yes. She’s not weak even now.’
Rather, from Tartarus’s perspective, she would still be a terrifying horror.
There were probably only two people in this world who could dodge Rune's magic bombardment and approach her like this.
‘Arion and Dwayno.’
Just as Leo, knowing Rune all too well, could evade the magic bombardment and close the distance.
It was simply that her opponent was too formidable.
But…
‘It shouldn't be like this.’
Thump-!
Leo, who had approached directly beneath Rune, kicked off the ground.
Seeing this, Rune used Fly magic to soar into the sky at incredible speed.
Boom-!
Leo kicked off the air using Aura Step.
Flames exploded from his feet, giving him acceleration.
‘The Luna Rubinance I knew was like a star.’
She always shone.
Sometimes so brightly it was irritating.
But… that’s why she was Luna.
Just as a star that doesn’t shine isn’t a star.
A Luna who doesn’t shine isn’t Luna.
Even if her appearance changed.
Even if she lived a new life.
The fact that it was her essence remained unchanged.
Whoosh-!
Leo chased Rune until they were almost breath-to-breath.
“Oh, my.”
Rune clicked her tongue.
“I guess I’ve reached my limit too.”
Her defeat seemed to be a shock.
But even in this absurd situation, she still lacked motivation.
“Am I a relic now too?”
She simply accepted the situation calmly, making a self-deprecating remark.
Seeing such Rune, Leo shouted irritably.
“Snap out of it! You damn bitch!”
Wham-!
Leo’s palm struck Rune’s right ear.
The impact was completely repelled by a powerful shield magic.
The shock felt like his hand was crushed.
But Leo didn't care and pushed his strength through, sending Rune flying.
Caw-gaga-gang-!
Rune flew straight and slammed into the ground.
Leo slowly floated towards Rune.
***
‘What in the world is she?’
Rune stumbled to her feet, holding her ringing head.
It was a shock.
She couldn't believe she, a great hero, had been defeated.
‘Well… there’s no law saying someone with our skill couldn’t be reborn.’
But it made sense.
During the Age of Disaster… the existence of a great hero was like a miracle.
There was no law saying that miracle couldn’t happen again.
‘Honestly, it’s ridiculous. Why do we have to go through that hardship again?’
Rune made an irritated expression.
Her head was throbbing, and her ears were ringing.
Only a high-pitched tinnitus echoed in her ears from the shock.
‘Kyle never got his reward in the end.’
She gritted her teeth, recalling her friend who hadn't been revived.
‘I hate everything.’
She hated saving the world, and she hated magic.
‘Why didn’t Kyle revive?!’
Rune squeezed her eyes shut, remembering Kyle, who must have fought Erebus alone and lonely in the end.
‘I miss Kyle.’
As she thought that.
The tinnitus in her ears disappeared.
♬-♪--♪.
Along with it, a faint beautiful melody was heard.
‘A song?’
Rune opened her eyes, feeling a little flustered.
And she saw it.
A human girl fighting Lunia.
‘Chelsea… Rwalyn, was it?’
The moment she realized Chelsea’s existence.
She saw a dazzling flash of light racing before her eyes.
‘That child… Iliana Raden?’
These were the children she had dismissed, thinking they were mere imitations of Kyle created by Lysinas.
She thought their limits would be clear.
She didn't pay attention to them, thinking they were Lysinas's mistaken choices.
No, perhaps even saying those words would have been too bothersome.
She simply had no interest in these children.
But…
‘These children… possessed such potential?’
It was magic she had never seen before.
Creative and innovative.
She instantly knew that these spells were designed to maximize the user's potential.
And at the same time, she felt a strong sense of longing.
‘Who created that magic?’
The magic formula imbued in the spell.
The way the formulas were woven together.
These things were too familiar to Rune.
She couldn't possibly not know.
She had created this magic herself.
A long time ago.
It was clearly something she had created during a time when she passionately loved magic.
‘But… I don’t know this magic.’
Rune gritted her teeth.
An indescribable emotion struck her chest.
It was as if those spells were speaking.
Asking what she was now.
‘I… I…’
As Rune clenched her fist.
Thwack-!
“Kyaak?!”
Someone kicked her in the butt.
Luna, who had fallen forward, stumbled up, rubbing her behind, and looked back.
Leo was there, looking down at Rune.
“What was that for!”
“Don’t you feel anything looking at that magic?”
“…?”
“How long are you going to be moping over someone who’s dead?”
“…!”
“If that guy were reborn, what would you want him to do? You'd want him to move forward, wouldn't you?”
Rune’s eyes wavered at Leo’s words.
“Then what about him? If the situation were reversed, and he knew you were like this? He’d be thrilled, wouldn't he?”
“Who… are you?”
Rune asked in a trembling voice.
At her question, Leo spread his hand.
“Being trapped in the past isn’t like you.”
Magic erupted from Leo's hand.
Rune’s eyes widened at the sight of the magic.
Soon, tears streamed from her eyes.
Seeing Rune like that, Leo said in his uniquely unfriendly tone.
“You’re not going to tell me you need my help to get up, are you? Luna Rubinance.”
“I wouldn’t wish for it. You damn bastard.”
Luna, no, Rune, spoke harshly and got to her feet.
She gritted her teeth, as if tears would burst forth at any moment.
Leo, watching Luna stumble to her feet, chuckled and held out something in his hand.
It was a flower created by magic that made flowers bloom.
Luna received the flower with trembling hands.
Looking at Luna, Leo said.
“You suit flowers well, both in your past life and now.”
At his words, Luna bowed her head deeply.
Tears she had held back poured out at his rough yet warm words.
“No, maybe you suit them even better now?”
“You damn bastard…”
Luna head-butted Leo’s chest.
And Leo, looking down at Luna, who was silently sobbing, sighed and patted her back.
Luna, her face buried in Leo’s chest, burst into tears.