Editor : Amethyst00



Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble—!

The ground trembled.

Zorua, clad in a full-body armor of stone, charged straight at Reina.

Whoosh—!

Reina's sword moved with elegant fluidity.

Fwoosh—!

Flames lit up the air in the wake of her swinging sword.

The scattered sparks in the air did not dissipate but instead compressed into the blade in an instant.

A crimson-burning blade of Flame Storm.

Reina's sharp gaze locked onto Zorua, who was already within arm's reach.

Clang—! Crack—!

With a heavy thud, Reina's sword bounced off Zorua instead of cutting him.

Gritting her teeth, Reina used the recoil to spin her body and deflect Zorua's attack.

Kwagagagagang—!

A tremendous shockwave rippled across the path of Zorua's charge.

Reina clenched her teeth at the jolt that surged through her sword arm.

"It's broken."

Her wrist had been damaged in the recent collision.

["Hey! Reina Plov! This really is your limit now!"]

Ishtar urgently called out to Reina, who gritted her teeth.

Reina's body was already covered in numerous wounds, large and small.

Many of her bones were broken as well.

She was barely keeping herself in the fight, narrowly avoiding fatal injuries and forcing herself to go on.

Her immobile body was only moving by sheer force of flame manipulation.

But even that method had reached its end.

["When the body breaks down, so does the mind! Soon, my flames will consume you!"]

Reina tightened her grip on her sword.

["You've done more than enough! You're more heroic than any hero I've ever seen!"]

Ishtar was desperate to stop her.

["You've done all you can!"]

"No."

Reina forced herself to aim her sword at Zorua.

"I can still fight."

She had already surpassed her limits several times.

Her opponent had been weakened by his battle with Leo.

But the difference in power was still obvious.

There are things in this world that cannot be overcome with willpower alone.

Zorua was one of them.

Reina could never defeat Zorua.

"But there's something I have to pass on."

Yet Reina did not give up.

"Flames bloom most brilliantly in their final moments."

If she backed down here, the next generation following her would die.

Reina glanced briefly at Celia.

"I haven't passed everything on yet."

She had to at least deliver what she could.

With that thought, Reina ignited her determination.

"So lend me your strength."

["Ugh! You stubborn mule! Fine, do what you want then!"]

Fwoooosh—!

The flames grew even stronger.

The firepower was so intense that even Reina's mind blurred for a moment.

Reina steeled herself against the pain of her burning body.

Just a little more! Just hang on a little longer!

"You damn woman!"

Zorua's voice, full of murderous rage, rang out.

If he had managed to keep a bit of composure, he might have ended this fight already using the various abilities he had stolen.

But after being thoroughly humiliated by Leo and struggling against Reina, whom he had deemed weaker, Zorua gradually lost all rationality.

So he chose brute force to overwhelm.

The gap in strength was clear.

But Zorua, who once prided himself on controlling his powers, was now consumed by them.

He couldn't fully handle his stolen powers.

Such was the limit of one who only borrowed the power of others.

"This ends now!"

Rumble-rumble-rumble—!

Zorua charged at Reina with incredible speed, his body wrapped in earth aura—an element that countered fire.

A force so strong it could erase anything it touched.

Reina took a deep breath.

The heat grew fiercer.

The searing pain across her body, the intensity making her dizzy.

But Reina did not lose consciousness.

'Focus.'

She focused all her flame into a single point.

'Track him with your eyes.'

Reina's crimson eyes locked onto Zorua.

'Don't back down! Don't be afraid!'

She braced herself.

'You can cut him. Move forward… now!'

Step— Slash—!

Reina stepped forward and swung her sword.

Squelch—!

Zorua, who had just reached her, was cleaved in two.

Thud— Fwoosh—!

Reina collapsed to her knees.

The flames surrounding her vanished.

Plop—

Her body fell forward.

"Aunt Reina!"

Celia rushed to her side, her face pale with fear.

Reina let out a weak breath and smiled faintly.

"I guess… I managed to cut him after all…"

"Yes."

Celia gritted her teeth and nodded.

"Celia, don't forget that sword… okay?"

"Of course."

Celia answered firmly, holding back her tears.

She knew exactly what Reina was trying to pass on to her.

"This woman… even now…"

From Zorua's fallen body, another surge of terrifying murderous aura exploded.

"But this really is the end! I'll turn you into a bloody mess!"

Zorua screamed as he raised his hand.

Celia, seeing this, began to summon her aura.

Flash—!

"……!"

A burst of pure white light erupted behind Zorua.

"Huh?"

Reina's eyes opened wide.

"No way! Leo Plov!"

Zorua turned in disbelief and screamed.

There stood Leo, his back glowing with a light like the break of dawn.

"Leo!"

Celia brightened with joy.

"Aunt! It's Leo! Finally, Leo's here…!"

But when she turned to help Reina up, she noticed her expression.

"Aunt?"

Reina was staring at Leo in a daze.

His form against the radiant light looked familiar.

Long ago.

That same image had once appeared amidst the darkness—within brilliant sunlight.

Reina found herself whispering the name.

"The Hero of the Beginning…"

Leo rushed to the place where he sensed Zorua's presence, his eyes narrowing.

He saw monsters using supernatural abilities.

Chelsea, who was fighting an ogre, noticed Leo and beamed.

"Leo!"

"What's that?"

"I'm not sure! But they're using abilities! And they're really smart!"

"I see."

Leo had a guess.

'The Legion World.'

Conquering a hero's world granted powers as a reward.

The same likely applied to the Legion World.

'These guys must be traitors who conquered that world.'

And their reward seemed to be monstrous strength.

' It is more of a curse than a reward. Fitting for traitors.'

Leo glanced over at Jamua.

"Need help?"

Jamua grinned.

"Do I look like I need it? Hraaah!"

Boom—!

Jamua charged the ogre and body-slammed it.

The ogre was blown away by the impact.

"Chelsea!"

"Yes!"

"That's the spirit! Just like someone from the knight's faculty!"

"I'm in the magic faculty!"

"But you take knight courses too!"

"As a battle mage, that's a minor!"

' I don't need to worry about them.'

Watching their lively banter, Leo turned his attention elsewhere.

There, Rhys and Abad were overwhelming a gigantes.

Above, Ulta was massacring beasts in midair.

The morale of everyone else rose with Leo's arrival.

His mere presence turned the tide of battle.

At last, Leo reached the place where Zorua stood and unleashed his aura.

'He must've awakened new powers after being revived with the Lich King's authority.'

That new power likely let him restore life using stolen abilities.

'Killing him repeatedly is annoying. In that case…'

Leo's crimson eyes gleamed.

'I'll destroy the authority itself.'

The Lich King's authority came from Erebos's blessing.

After obtaining a fragment of Erebos, the Lich King had gained an even stronger power than 5,000 years ago.

But if it was Erebos's power…

'It can be destroyed by the power of purity.'

Gray aura appeared on Leo's blade.

It slowly turned to pure white light.

A radiant dawn-like brilliance burst forth.

Pure Aura.

A power Leo attained in this life after endless training.

Leo glanced at Reina, who had been fighting Zorua.

'So she used Ishtar's power…'

Leo chuckled to himself.

'How reckless.'

But it was just like Reina.

A woman with a childish side at times.

But still…

'A woman worthy of respect… a mother worthy of respect.'

Leo stepped forward.

Fwoosh—!

In a flash, Leo appeared in front of Zorua.

"I told you, didn't I?"

He spoke with a mocking grin.

"You're just letting the powers you stole rot away."

With a cold smile, Leo slashed Zorua.

Squelch—!

"Gah!"

Zorua collapsed.

Leo casually flicked the blood from his sword and sheathed it.

Step— step—

Without a glance at Zorua, he walked toward Reina.

"I only died once!"

Zorua screamed and stood again.

He now looked like Reina.

But his flesh quickly began to melt.

"What?!"

From within, Torua's form emerged.

Even as he changed into numerous other people, they all melted away.

"No way! I'm dying?!"

Realizing what was happening, Zorua turned pale.

"No, no! I was supposed to become a perfect being! A god! And now… I die like this?!"

Thud—!

"Aaaagh!"

Now reduced to a skeleton, Zorua dropped to his knees.

He clutched at his face in desperation.

"I can't die like this…!"

Shhhhhh—!

Denying his own death until the end, Zorua's body turned to dust and vanished.

bl

Step— step—

Reina, supported by Celia, silently stared at Leo as he approached.

"Are you okay?"

At Leo's flat question, Reina smiled and nodded.

"Of course."

"That's good."

At his dry tone, Reina pouted.

Then, like she was sulking, she said, "Aren't you going to say, 'Don't ever do that again'?"

"Even if I did say that, would you listen?"

Leo chuckled lightly, and Reina grumbled quietly.

"What a cold kid. Is he like this with the others too?"

"Pretty much," Celia answered with a bitter smile.

Just then—

["Ahem! Lie down here!"]

Kiran appeared in front of Reina.

["Leo told me to heal you no matter what!"]

Fairies could use powerful healing magic.

["Lady Reina. I'm Elsie. Leo's really worried about you. Do you need anything?"]

[Tweet— tweet—]

Elsie and Fiora clung to Reina, fussing with concern.

"……"

Reina let out a short laugh.

"He hasn't changed since he was little, has he?"

"In what way?"

"He acts cold and curt."

"True."

"But he secretly looks after everyone."

"Ahh."

Celia nodded in understanding.

Leo certainly was that type.

Reina clicked her tongue while looking at Leo, who stood in the distance.

"I'm not just saying this because he's my son, but… there must be a lot of girls who've fallen for him."