Editor : Amethyst00



Rumble rumble—!

The fortress of Balharun collapsed.

The city called the sanctuary of the elves was burning.

The devastation wrought by the fragment of the Calamity was nothing less than sheer terror and dread itself.

And that Calamity was now destroying not only Balharun, but even the Hero’s World.

Whoosh—!

The world caught fire.

Step— step—

On the outskirts of Balharun.

“Phew.”

Pivua climbed up to the roof of the Tower of God and sat down.

In the eyes of the god, he could feel the world burning.

“The world is collapsing.”

Pivua swirled the wine in his hand with a leisurely expression.

Though his very existence was fading away, he didn’t seem to care.

‘This body is a fake anyway.’s

Whether his future self had returned to the heavens or been destroyed—

There was no way of knowing.

But gods didn’t concern themselves too deeply with such things.

They knew better than anyone that the present was what mattered most.

Pivua’s eyes turned to one person.

‘Kyle. Show me why you are the Great Hero… Show me.’

With a deep smile, Pivua downed his wine in a single gulp.

bl

Fwoosh—

Lunia looked up at the sky and pressed her lips tight.

‘The world is collapsing.’

She hadn’t lived long or experienced much, but she could clearly feel it—Luna’s world was being ruined.

“What happens if the Hero’s World isn’t conquered, but destroyed?”

“That, I don’t know either. There’s no record of such a case.”

Elena, who said this, glanced up at the sky.

“But it’s certain that the challengers won’t survive.”

‘Asking if that’s even possible… that’d be a stupid question.’

There was no choice.

Now was the time to defeat the legendary Calamity.

Taking a deep breath, Lunia slapped both her cheeks hard.

Smack—! The sound made Elena’s eyes go wide as she looked at Lunia.

Already, the elf girl’s eyes were blazing with fire.

“Leo didn’t chicken out! I can’t keep trembling like this!”

‘After boldly declaring him my rival, if I’m the only one scared stiff, that’s just embarrassing!’

The one she swore to catch up to was already far ahead.

Sitting down in defeat didn’t suit her nature.

Watching Lunia steel herself, Elena asked:

“Doesn’t that hurt?”

“It doesn’t.”

“Really?”

Poke—!

“…!”

Elena mercilessly poked and prodded Lunia’s cheek. Lunia’s eyes widened.

Her teasing lit a spark of stubbornness.

“I said it doesn’t hurt.”

“Wow. Tough girl.”

Pinch—!

“That hurts even if I am fine!”

When Lunia shouted with wide eyes, Elena chuckled.

“You’re quite a strange elf, aren’t you? Was the model student act all a show?”

With tears welling in her eyes, Lunia held her cheek and glared at Elena.

And then—

“What in the world is that monster?”

“You're here? Hardin.”

Elena greeted Hardin with delight.

“It’s Erebos.”

“Erebos?!”

“To be exact, it seems like a fragment of Erebos.”

Elena smiled faintly, but her expression was brimming with killing intent.

“And we’re going to take it down now.”

At those words, Hardin’s face grew tense.

He wanted to hear the full story, but the situation didn’t allow it.

“Leo Plov?”

“If you mean Leo, he’s over there.”

Elena pointed ahead.

Hardin’s eyes opened wide.

“The Poet?”

The beautiful elf girl captured Hardin’s gaze.

If not for the current circumstances, he would have greeted her with the utmost elven courtesy and rejoiced at her presence.

But there was no time for that now.

Hardin gripped his sword tightly.

And then Leo approached with Luna.

“Hm? One more person now. Is he your companion too?”

“That’s right. Lady Luna, I’m Hardin. You are like a great and beautiful beam of starlight—”

“Yes, yes. Save the flattery for later.”

Elena cut off Hardin’s poetic words of praise for Luna.

“So, Leo. You said we should bring it down. Do you have a plan?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“Luna and I will take the front. Lunia and Elena-sunbae, please support with magic from the rear. Sir Hardin, stay in the middle and block its attacks from reaching the two of them.”

“Shouldn’t Lady Luna, as a mage, be in the rear, with you and me in front?”

When Hardin voiced doubt, Luna smirked.

“I hate the idea of a mage just hiding in the back. And honestly, the only ones who can withstand that thing’s attacks are me and this guy.”

“If Lady Luna says so, then so be it.”

Elena smiled faintly.

Indeed, just a moment ago, when Erebos had swept the area with black flames, Lunia and Elena had no means of protection and had needed Luna’s help.

‘But Leo blocked the flames by himself.’

Strange.

‘In terms of mana capacity, both Lunia and I far surpass him. That means Leo has some special means of countering those black flames.’

Whatever it was, the best formation was to let Leo and Luna take the vanguard.

Hardin also nodded at Luna’s words.

“Well then.”

Luna gripped Polyum tightly.

Then, with a crooked grin, she glared at Erebos.

“Let’s smash that damned dark lump to pieces.”

“Just remember one thing first. Never let that flame touch you.”

At Leo’s words, everyone nodded.

Leo fixed his gaze on Erebos.

“Then let’s begin.”

At his words, Leo and Luna charged at Erebos.

Elena and Lunia spread their mana, and Hardin raised his aura and mana to protect the two.

Watching Leo’s back as he dashed ahead, Luna hesitated, then asked:

“Hey.”

“What.”

“When this is over, can I come with you?”

Leo faltered at those words.

Then he glanced back at her and said:

“Don’t you have things to do here? I’m just some suspicious stranger of unknown origin.”

At that, Luna nodded.

“Of course. I do have things I want to do. But I feel like I’d gain something far more valuable by following you than by staying here.”

She looked straight into Leo’s red eyes.

“I’m sure you’ll show me sights I can’t even imagine.”

“What? Did you fall for me?”

Leo jeered, but Luna smiled radiantly.

“Maybe.”

“….”

That bright smile carried a hint of shyness. Leo froze, dumbfounded.

But soon he steadied his expression and said:

“Let’s talk about that after we beat this thing.”

“Deal!”

Luna lifted her staff with zeal.

At the same time, her mana unfolded.

Whoosh—

“Hellfire.”

From the tip of Polyum, crimson flames erupted.

The hellish blaze, one of the most powerful fire spells, was born.

A magic that reduced everything to ashes, so destructive that not only modern elves but even ancient elves had shunned learning it.

It was considered too destructive to suit elven nature.

But Luna didn’t care in the slightest.

Fwoooosh—!

Responding to her magic, Erebos spewed out black flames.

“Go!”

Crash—!

Luna’s spell shot toward Erebos.

Erebos swung its arm.

Slam—!

A lump of black flame tore off from its body and collided with Luna’s spell.

Crash! Whoosh—!

The black fire swallowed the hellfire whole.

Boom—!

But when hellfire exploded, shards of black flame scattered in every direction.

Seeing that, Leo lowered his sword.

Hummmm—

Gray aura gushed from his blade.

The aura quickly spread like glass walls, surrounding the scattering black flames.

Flash—!

The black flames bounced off Leo’s aura.

‘Erebos’s flames are the undying fire that never extinguishes.’

The blaze that burns without end devoured all that was made of mana.

The fact that the force to destroy the world was “immortality” itself was despair for all races of the surface.

Leo now did not possess the overwhelming might Kyle once had.

Nor did he have Luna’s immense talent, magical sense, or overwhelming mana.

On the surface, taking the front line looked reckless.

But Leo was confident he could defeat Erebos’s fragment.

Because Leo was special.

‘We’re all special in some way. But Kyle… among us, you might be the most special of all. Your mana trait makes you Erebos’s natural enemy.’

‘Natural enemy? What do you mean by that?’

‘Your gray mana looks like it has no attribute, right?’

‘Not looks like—it is attribute-less. No traits at all. Other than being All-Class, how do I even compare to you guys?’

Whether aura, magic, or summoning—

Unlike his companions, Kyle had no talent to reach the peak with his own power.

‘But your so-called attribute-less isn’t like the others.’

Lysinas had laughed joyfully as she looked at Kyle’s murky gray power.

‘At first glance it seems simple, but… your mana is purer than anyone’s. If I had to define your trait, it would be purity.’

The Wise Queen had given Kyle his trait.

At the time, the name she gave him had made Kyle secretly happy.

Of course, there were those who couldn’t stand seeing their friend happy and ruined the mood.

‘Purity! Purity! That doesn’t suit Kyle at all!’

‘Lysinas, purity is the symbol of beauty. Your words insult the very name of purity!’

‘…Yeah. I’m about as far from pure as it gets. You crazy elf and perverted dwarf.’

Leo had yelled as he locked both of them in headlocks at once.

Luna pinched Kyle’s arm mercilessly, and Dweno smacked it with his pan-sized hand.

Watching, Lysinas had said:

‘Aaron, what do you think of Kyle?’

‘Probably as far from pure as you can get?’

Aaron had scratched his cheek awkwardly, smiling.

Remembering those times, Leo laughed.

‘Lysinas said purity means it can become anything. That’s why I’m All-Class.’

Hummmmm— Flash—!

A magic formula appeared in Leo’s hand.

Luna’s eyes widened when she saw it.

‘What’s that?’

It looked familiar.

And she understood it immediately.

‘The spell formula I was developing?’

Flustered, Luna shook her head.

‘No… it’s different from what I made.’

The magic Leo was using was Luna’s Star Sorcery.

But this spell was special.

The only spell she had created yet could not use herself.

A magic Luna had made solely for one person: Kyle.

Kyle’s unique magic.

The fact that she created someone else’s unique magic only showed Luna’s genius.

The spell had no special effect or peculiar property.

It was simply a condensed bullet of mana that maximized Leo’s mana trait.

But—

‘Kyle, your pure mana can become anything. But in other words…’

She recalled Lysinas’s meaningful smile as she rallied the great heroes against the Calamity.

‘It means nothing can affect it. Which means you can counter the immortal power of Erebos. That’s why you’re its natural enemy.’

And just as she said—

Hummmmm— Flash—!

Leo’s gray mana turned pure white.

The magic that saved Leo’s life again and again in the final battle.

The one that dealt fatal wounds time and again to the immortal being…

Star Sorcery born from Luna, the Poet of the Stars, but perfected solely for Kyle.

“Innocent.”

Whoooosh—!

A sphere of pure white formed above Leo’s head.