Editor : Amethyst00



“God?”

Elena tilted her head.

“Do you mean Erebos?”

“Don’t you dare speak that holy name with your filthy mouth.”

“My mouth is clean. I brush my teeth every morning, noon, and night.”

Showing off her teeth, Elena smiled brightly.

“Oh, but I suppose you people have no concept of hygiene. And since you’re a necromancer among demons—one who picks up corpses—your smell must be particularly awful.”

She wrinkled her nose as if hit by a stench.

Viner, the necromancer, trembled all over.

“You… you damn wench!”

There was something about Elena’s tone that scraped at Viner’s nerves—more precisely, her attitude.

Having lived as a demon, Viner was used to all sorts of curses and insults. No amount of verbal abuse usually made her lose her composure.

But Elena’s gaze and demeanor—the sheer arrogance of looking at her as though she were an insect—was enough to make her blood boil.

Indeed, Elena treated her as nothing more than a bug she could crush at any time.

“Some lowly human dares insult me, Viner, chosen by the Lich King himself?”

Kwagagagagak—!

Dark energy burst from Viner as a black magic circle formed beneath her.

From within it erupted blades of bone.

“I’ll tear you to shreds!”

Kagagagagak—!

The storm of dark magic devastated everything around and engulfed Elena.

Hardin narrowed his eyes.

‘A high-ranking demon… third class? No—maybe even fourth.’

Demons were divided into seven ranks. A fourth-class demon could wipe out an elite human knight order with ease—a true figure of terror.

Not something to be dismissed as a “bug,” as Elena had said.

“Hahaha! Look at you now, running your mouth earlier like some noble lady!”

Viner sneered, pointing at the pile of bones. Each bone blade was sharp and heavy enough to slice through human flesh effortlessly. There was no way anyone could survive being buried under that.

“You’re next.”

Her cruel gaze turned to Hardin.

“How should I kill you?”

Hardin looked at her calmly. “Unfortunately for you, you can’t.”

“Heroes candidates these days really don’t know their place.”

Viner shook her head.

“Do you have any idea how many of your kind I’ve killed? You’re nothing to me. You’ve heard of me, haven’t you? I’m famous among you humans.”

“The Bone-Eater Viner?”

The Bone-Eater—an infamous demon who had been killing hero candidates for over a hundred years.

“That’s right. I am the Bone-Eater.”

Viner licked her lips.

Every hero candidate she’d ever met was the same.

‘They act all high and mighty, thinking they’re true heroes. Just like that brat earlier, mouthing off like they’re better than me.’

But the moment they heard her name, fear replaced arrogance.

That shift—the instant their confidence turned to terror—was what Viner lived for.

Hardin would be no different, she thought.

But when she met his eyes, she froze.

He wasn’t even looking at her.

Instead, he was gently patting the head of the frightened girl, Merin.

“Don’t worry.”

“But… the angel… E-En…”

“Ha? You’re awfully relaxed, aren’t you?”

Viner laughed in disbelief.

“You shouldn’t be worrying about that fake right now.”

“And you shouldn’t be worrying about me.”

“What?”

“If that attack could’ve killed her, she wouldn’t be worth my attention.”

Clack—clatter—

The mound of bones began to shake.

Viner’s expression changed instantly.

‘What? She’s alive?’

Her spell wasn’t just sharp—it was crushingly heavy. Each bone blade weighed more than a grown man. No one could have survived that.

And yet—

Kwoooom—!

The pile of bones exploded upward into the air, not scattering but rising as if drawn by unseen power.

Wrapped in pink mana, Elena smiled sweetly.

Viner’s eyes went wide.

She had heard the rumors—of a woman at Lumene with terrifying pink mana.

“Elena… Zeron.”

“Ding-dong, correct.”

Smiling playfully, Elena released her mana.

Viner’s face twisted in horror as her black magic wavered. The floating bones trembled violently, then began to emit dark smoke—her own energy being consumed.

Elena’s power seeped into the bones.

Necromancy had two main branches: one that controlled corpses, and one that weaponized them. Either way, no living being had ever wrested control from a necromancer before.

But now—

‘She stole my control?!’

If Elena had simply dispelled the spell, that would have been one thing. But to seize its control—impossible!

“Well, I don’t need this. You can have it back.”

Elena smiled radiantly and pointed a finger at Viner.

In an instant, the bone blades turned on their master.

“W-wait—! Kyaaaah!”

Kwagagagagak—!

The sound of rending bone filled the air as Viner screamed in agony.

“If a human took that hit, they’d die instantly. But I suppose cockroaches like you are harder to kill.”

Elena huffed and walked over to Merin, patting her on the head.

“Were you worried about me? Aww, how sweet.”

Then she shot Hardin a glare.

“And you didn’t worry about me at all, did you?”

“Why would I waste effort worrying about you?”

“Oh, listen to him!”

Elena pouted, but then froze.

Crack—

Fissures spread across Hardin’s body.

And across hers as well.

Both looked startled.

Crash—!

Like glass shattering, fragments of their bodies broke away and scattered into light.

Their disguises—illusions of the false world—fell away, revealing their true forms.

“What… is this?”

Hardin’s eyes widened.

Elena looked to Merin, who was also turning into fragments of light.

‘This is similar to when we cleared a Hero’s World… but different.’

A mad cackle echoed through the air.

Elena glanced toward Viner.

“You lowly creatures… You dare act so high and mighty before me?”

“Wasn’t it you acting above your station?”

“You insolent brat!”

Viner’s eyes were bloodshot with rage, but then curved into a deranged grin.

“Your arrogance ends here!”

Her face twisted with ecstasy.

“The god… the Great Flame of Calamity… awakens!”

Whooosh—!

Suddenly, black fire engulfed her body.

“Ahh! I hear His voice…!”

Viner trembled violently, her eyes rolling back.

“Ahahahaha! His voice! I can hear it! Ahahahahahaha!”

Elena flicked her hand.

Crack—!

A blade of light dropped from the sky like a guillotine and severed Viner’s head.

“Hahahahahaha!”

But even decapitated, she kept laughing madly.

“So… this ‘god’—it must be Erebos, right?”

Elena narrowed her eyes.

“Seems so,” Hardin said grimly, summoning his aura.

Squirm—swell—

Viner’s headless body began to twist and grow monstrous.

“So this is her true form.”

Elena clicked her tongue.

“Not that she’s in her right mind anymore.”

“Elena, we must clear this dungeon,” Hardin said firmly.

“Yes. This isn’t just about conquering a Hero’s World anymore.”

Elena’s mana flared.

“It’s clearly tied to the Great Calamity.”

bl

Leo and Lunia sensed something was wrong when they began discussing Erebos.

“Leo… you!”

Lunia gasped as Leo returned to his true form.

Leo frowned as he saw Lunia reverting to hers.

‘What’s going on?’

He looked up.

The sky—filled with stars—was cracking apart, like a broken mirror.

But unlike before, dark light seeped through the cracks instead of radiance.

And that darkness… he knew it too well.

‘The Flame of Erebos.’

The unending fire of ruin—the same color as the blaze that once scorched the world.

‘There’s a fragment of Erebos in this world.’

Now he understood everything Pivua had said.

Darkness had fallen.

‘It wasn’t Tartaros she meant… it was Erebos.’

Leo’s hand clenched tightly.

‘That cursed being still exists here.’

The presence of that ancient terror—his nemesis from a previous life—was unmistakable.

The surrounding elves shouted.

“Who are you people!?”

“What have you done with the princess!?”

Some drew their weapons.

Sid’s voice rang out.

“What plot is this, humans, to intrude on this sacred day?”

Humans should never have been able to enter this place. To the world’s residents, Leo and Lunia now appeared as the elf prince Akint and Princess Seigar.

Hostility filled the air.

Ordinarily, that would mean mission failure.

But not this time.

‘The world is breaking apart.’

A flash of memory—the fragmented page of Kyle.

Just like his own shattered record, this world’s “pages” were collapsing.

If Luna’s page disappeared too—if her story vanished—what would become of them?

In this era, a hero’s record was the only proof of their existence.

If all those pages were erased—

‘Everything we built…’

Leo closed his eyes.

‘Our story will be forgotten.’

He didn’t care about himself—he was already forgotten.

But his friends?

Those great heroes who had once saved the world for their ideals?

He looked at Luna, who stared back in shock.

She realized now he wasn’t Akint.

Her trembling eyes overlapped with his last memory of her—smiling brightly, but with fear behind her gaze.

She had always acted proud and confident, yet was strangely fragile inside.

‘Hey…!’

‘Kyle…’

‘Don’t do it.’s

‘If one of us must live… it has to be you. You carry Aaron and Dweno’s hopes.’

‘Don’t you dare! You damned elf!’

He had screamed, coughing up blood.

But that stubborn elf never listened—just like always.

‘This is the best way. You’d do the same.’s

‘No! I wouldn’t!’

‘Sorry… for leaving it all to you.’

A friend who had saved him without hesitation, apologizing through tears.

If all the pages vanished—she too would be forgotten.

Leo walked toward Luna.

She stepped back warily.

“Who are you? Where’s Akint?”

“Luna.”

The world was already collapsing.

There was no time for pretense or diplomacy.

The only way to protect the progenitor’s page—her story—was to destroy the source corrupting this world.

‘I’ll end it.’

Five thousand years ago, even united, they couldn’t defeat it.

But now—

‘I will.’

Leo touched his bracelet.

Fwoom—!

The staff appeared in his hand—Polyum, the sacred relic said to choose the greatest elf king.

It shone brightly in his grasp.

The elves gasped.

Even Luna’s eyes widened.

“It’s time to save the world again.”

“What?”

“I need your strength.”

He held Polyum out to her.

Flash—!

A blinding light erupted, far brighter than when Leo held it—as if it had found its true master.

Looking at her in awe, Leo said softly, “Help me.”

Luna’s fingers tightened around the staff.

A stranger stood before her—a human she should have distrusted.

But why did his voice feel so familiar, so achingly dear?

Why did his smile, so warm and sorrowful, make her chest tighten?

She didn’t know.

But her instincts whispered—

To that plea for help—

“…Yes.”