Editor : Amethyst00



Ssssssshhhhh—

Leo’s body, which had been pushed to its very limit, cooled rapidly.

“Leo! When did you learn our family’s magic?”

“I picked it up by watching yours.”

“What? You only saw it once!”

Leo laughed at Lunia’s shocked face.

“I used it as reference to put together a magic formula. Of course, compared to the real thing, it’s pretty crude.”

And he was right.

Though he had created a spell by referencing Lunia’s flame, it was crude compared to the original.

“How is this crude? The power’s clearly there.”

“There’s a price.”

“What? What price?”

Leo tugged at his collar and pulled down his shirt slightly.

Lunia flinched at the sight of burns across his chest.

She knew that Leo had forced his body beyond its limits, gnawing away at himself just to use such a flame.

‘Still… this is too much, isn’t it?’

Lunia’s face turned uneasy as she reached out, intending to cast healing magic.

“It’s fine. I’ll do it.”

Casting his own healing magic, Leo turned his gaze toward Erebos.

His eyes were caught by the black flame.

The flame he utterly loathed—one that had once plunged the world into disaster.

The Great Calamity that had spread fear and despair to the world stood right before his eyes.

Leo’s grip tightened around his sword, a murderous light flickering in his eyes.

Lunia, who had followed Leo into the audience chamber, swallowed dryly.

Even now, the sight was overwhelming.

‘Is Leo really not fazed by this?’

She thought so as she carefully stepped closer and glanced at his profile.

“Le… o?”

At some point, Leo’s face had gone expressionless.

The Leo Plov Lunia knew was a boy younger than her, yet annoyingly more mature.

Not childish pride, arrogance, or recklessness. He gave off the air of a true adult.

An unshakable composure, as though he’d never lose his cool in any situation.

Even annoyingly sly at times—like an old man—but still, someone more reliable than anyone else.

That was the Leo Lunia knew.

But now, none of that remained.

His face was chillingly blank.

His red eyes gleamed with a killing intent that made her knees weak.

The boy she knew was gone.

That fact felt strangely alien and terrifying. Without realizing it, Lunia reached out her hand.

Clutch—

Leo glanced down at Lunia, who was tugging at his clothes.

Seeing her uneasy expression, he smiled faintly.

Lunia let go of his shirt, relief washing over her as she saw him return to his usual self.

Composed once more, Leo coolly assessed the situation.

‘This is just a fragment of Erebos.’

As he had expected, the Erebos that existed in this world was nothing more than a fragment.

A lump of pure power, without will of its own.

So weak it was almost insulting to call it Erebos at all.

‘Though even that alone is catastrophic.’

The shard by itself was enough to distort the Hero's World.

Even as a fragment, it was a terrifying monster far too difficult to handle right now.

‘That’s only if it had will, though.’

Leo twirled the sword in his hand.

‘Now then, how do I deal with this cursed thing?’

Even if it was just power, dealing with a never-dying flame of calamity was no easy task.

Just as he narrowed his eyes—

“What the heck is that?”

Luna’s bewildered voice rang out.

Leo and Lunia turned toward her.

Luna was glaring at Erebos, eyes filled with sharp caution.

“Why is something like that in the audience chamber?”

“Lady Luna. You can see it?”

Lunia asked in surprise.

As far as she knew, residents of the Hero’s World couldn’t perceive Erebos.

No matter how great a hero Luna had been, she was ultimately a being of the past, long dead and gone.

No matter how real she seemed, she wasn’t actually real.

Like the others in this world, she shouldn’t be able to perceive Erebos.

“Of course. How could something that huge be invisible?”

Luna looked at Lunia like she was speaking nonsense.

“Lunia. Has Erebos changed since you last saw it?”

At Leo’s question, Lunia glanced at Erebos nervously.

“No. It’s the same.”

Her answer made Leo narrow his eyes.

‘Then what’s the difference?’

“So this is that monster you were talking about? Then it’s simple! Let’s just deal with it before it wakes up!”

“W-wait! Lady Luna! You mustn’t act rashly—!”

Startled, Lunia tried to stop her.

But Luna was the kind to act before she thought.

Gripping Polyum, she unleashed her mana.

Flash—!

A cascade of magic circles filled the air.

Her immense mana surged like a tidal wave.

Before Lunia could stop her, Luna’s magic was unleashed.

Kwagagagagang—!

Brilliant magic rained across the air.

The sheer overwhelming power left Lunia’s jaw hanging open.

Once again, she was forced to respect Luna’s unfathomable might.

The entire audience chamber filled with smoke from the explosion.

When it cleared, Luna’s face twisted.

Erebos stood unharmed.

Even after taking Luna’s strongest magic head-on, it hadn’t been scratched.

Offended, Luna’s temper flared.

“Well now! Aren’t you tough?”

“L-Lady Luna! Please calm down—!”

In fairy tales and records, the Poet of the Stars was always depicted as gentle and benevolent.

A great mage who remained serene and steady, the pillar of the great heroes.

That was the image of Luna.

‘Which is why fairy tales are lies.’

In reality, Luna had a hot temper. Once she lost control, nothing could stop her.

She had always been the most destructive of the subjugation force.

Her devastating magic alone made her nature obvious.

Now, she was fired up.

And once she was like this, she was almost impossible to stop.

‘Almost.’

Leo stepped up to her.

Then—Smack!—he brought his hand down hard on her head.

“Owwww!”

Luna crouched down, clutching her head, eyes watery as she glared at him.

Lunia panicked and rushed to her side.

“L-Lady Luna, are you alright? Leo! How could you hit her?!”

“She was rampaging like an idiot.”

“Who are you calling an idiot?!”

Luna snarled, grabbing Leo by the collar.

Pushing her back, Leo said flatly:

“Calm down. That monster won’t go down just by charging in.”

That made Luna falter.

Then she growled lowly, glaring at Erebos.

Seeing Leo calm her down so quickly, Lunia was stunned.

Even in their past lives, it had always been Leo who brought Luna under control.

‘Why didn’t her magic work?’

Even if Luna hadn’t completed her Star Sorcery yet, her spells were overwhelming.

It was strange that even a shard of Erebos took no damage at all.

Just as Leo frowned deeply—

“You insolent…!”

A killing voice rang out.

Turning his head, Leo saw Sid, restored once more, glaring at him.

“You’re alive? Persistent, aren’t you.”

“I won’t forgive vermin like you for defiling this place with your filthy feet—”

“Oh my, another bug?”

Thud—!

A cheerful voice accompanied the crunch of a delicate leather shoe smashing Sid’s head down.

For such a beautiful girl, her actions were vicious.

“Ugh~”

Elena shook off the gore from her shoe in disgust.

Though protected by magic so no flesh actually stuck, the revulsion was unavoidable.

“I came because I was worried, but you two seem fine.”

Smiling as she entered, Elena spotted Luna and widened her eyes.

“Poet of the Stars?”

“Poet of the Stars? What’s that? I don’t know why I’m called something so grand, but it sounds pretty cool!”

Luna’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“Elena, she’s—”

“Yes, I understand.”

With her experience conquering many Hero's Worlds, Elena quickly grasped the situation.

Then she approached Luna and politely bowed.

“I’m Elena Zeron. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Hm? Nice to meet you. I’m Luna Luminance.”

Elena smiled, then turned to Leo.

“Oh my! You’re injured, Leo?”

As she fussed over his body, Lunia looked on, bewildered.

‘That’s all the reaction she has to meeting a great hero?’

But Elena suddenly froze.

“…What is that?”

Her calm face stiffened, her eyes fixed on the slumbering Erebos.

“That’s Erebos.”

“Erebos?”

She recalled what Viner had said before they came here.

‘He said a god had awakened… was he talking about this?’

Elena’s face grew tense.

Even she, who rarely lost her composure, could not help but be shaken by the legendary calamity before her.

But seeing it unmoving, she frowned slightly.

“It’s asleep?”

“Yes.”

“I see. Then it’s simple.”

Smiling, Elena poked Leo’s cheek with her finger.

“Even if it’s a monster, if it can’t move, there’s nothing to fear, right? Let’s just erase it.”

Leo brushed her hand away and stepped forward.

Whoooosh—!

Aura and mana surged around him.

“Oh?”

Elena gasped in admiration.

‘Incredible.’

The power raging from Leo’s body was far beyond a first-year’s level.

‘As I thought… he’s more of a monstrous than I imagined.’

Her eyes gleamed.

Meeting a Great Hero of the past was remarkable.

But unlike others, she didn’t attach too much meaning to it.

Not because she didn’t respect them, but because she didn’t cling to the past.

‘What matters is the present.’

Her interest lay not in dead heroes, but in those who could become the next.

Just as Leo was about to unleash his spell—

“Insolent brat!”

Sid, revived yet again after being stomped by Elena, threw himself before Leo.

“What a tenacious insect.”

Elena’s face twisted in irritation.

“How dare you run your filthy mouth here!”

Murderous intent filled Sid’s eyes.

Elena sneered back.

“And what exactly do you think you can—”

Thump—!

A massive heartbeat resounded.

Everyone froze in shock.

Thump— thump—

Whoooosh—!

The black flame that had been quietly burning roared to life.

Sid turned, disbelief etched on his face.

Flash—!

Erebos’s crimson eyes snapped open.

“M-my lord Erebos!”

Sid’s face lit with ecstasy.

“Ahahaha! The god! The great god has awakened! The will of god has returned!”

Shaking with manic laughter, Sid’s voice rang out.

Lunia and Elena’s faces went pale.

“Bow down in worship! Detested remnants of heroes! Tremble before the great flame of—”

Crash—!

“Guhk—!”

Erebos’s massive foot crushed Sid.

Whoooosh—!

Flames consumed him, leaving nothing.

Whoooom—!

As Erebos rose, black fire swept across Yggdrasil.

Grrraaaaaaaahhhhhh—!

With a furious roar, its body swelled with black flame.

The instant they saw it, both Lunia and Elena’s instincts screamed.

‘We’re going to die.’

Kwagagagagagagang—!

A colossal wave of black fire surged out in all directions.

Lunia squeezed her eyes shut.

When she cautiously reopened them, she was still alive.

Elena stood calmly beside her, arms crossed.

‘I had no way to stop that… but as expected, even young, the Poet is still the Poet.’

Elena’s gaze drifted past Luna’s back.

‘Still, that boy…’

“You alright? That thing is terrifying.”

For the first time, Luna’s normally relaxed face showed urgency.

“Did it awaken because of me?”

Grinding her teeth, she trembled.

Lunia shook her head quickly.

“I don’t think so. M-more importantly, what about Leo? Did he get caught in the flames?”

“If you mean Leo, he’s right up ahead.”

Elena pointed forward.

There stood Leo, body shielded by gray mana.

He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

‘So this is my limit right now, huh?’

He’d taken heavy damage.

But he wasn’t so weak as to fall to a mere fragment of Erebos.

As someone who had once subjugated Erebos, Leo had ways to counter its unquenchable black flame.

The surrounding area, including Yggdrasil, had been wiped away.

The castle collapsed, the world swallowed by black fire.

It was like the end of everything.

Grrrrraaaaaaaahhh!

At its center, the fragment of Erebos roared.

‘Why is it moving all of a sudden?’

Leo scowled.

Erebos had been an empty husk without will.

So why did it suddenly stir?

‘Did it gain will? No… I still don’t sense one.’

All that burned in its eyes was feral madness.

Yet still, it rampaged.

‘Because of me?’

Just as Leo hated Erebos—so too did Erebos hate Kyle, who had split it into shards.

If its power had awakened instinctively in response, it wasn’t strange.

Leo clenched his fist.

“What do we do now?”

Elena bit her nails anxiously.

Lunia grit her teeth.

The only thing the two who knew Erebos could feel was overwhelming despair.

“What else? Why even ask?”

Luna, who had lowered her barrier, spoke calmly.

Both Lunia and Elena looked at her back.

Smiling, Luna glanced over her shoulder.

“We defeat that monster.”

Her smile made their eyes widen.

For a moment, she overlapped with someone else.

“Right, Leo?”

Luna asked.

At her words, Leo smirked.

“Of course.”

Elena murmured as she looked at Luna, who stood unflinching before the great calamity.

“Strange.”

“Hm?”

“The way Lady Luna just gave us courage.”

She smiled.

“Doesn’t she seem a lot like Leo?”

“……!”

Lunia’s eyes went wide.

She looked forward.

Indeed, they were alike.

It reminded her of the school trip—her heart trembled at the memory.

Elena interlaced her fingers behind her back, staring at Leo.

“So this is what those first-years felt during Gigantes.”

Her chest stirred.

She’d never felt this way before.

“Hero, huh…”

A word she had never yearned for.

Even when she respected heroes, she had never once wanted to follow after them.

And she thought she never would.

But now… Leo’s back drew her gaze.

She admired it.

The brilliance of it pulled at her heart.

And in that moment, Elena thought:

‘Maybe… it wouldn’t be so bad.’

In the midst of despair, for the first time in her life, the girl who had never admired heroes smiled brightly.