Editor : Amethyst00



Goooooo—!

A massive surge of magical energy raged around Artienne.

Artienne, who had been chanting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

"Flame Wave."

Whoooosh—!

From the fortress's moat, a massive wave of flames erupted skyward.

The Gigantes advancing to break down the fortress walls screamed at the sight.

But the magic didn't end there.

"-!"

A beautiful song echoed through the battlefield.

The wind responded to the song, which was composed in runes.

Whooooo—

Magical energy shimmered around Chelsea, who held her staff.

The surroundings near Chelsea were eerily calm, unthinkable for the center of a battlefield.

If not for the situation, the song would have been captivating in its beauty.

But the scene it conjured was ferociously savage.

GooooOOOOOOOO—!

The flame wave that had been sweeping over the army of the Giant King became even more intense.

Like waves stirred by the wind.

It didn't rush in a single direction—it engulfed everything around it.

Artienne's eyes sparkled.

"When did that little brat become such a powerful mage?"

Though she was a professor in the Heroics Department and not directly connected to magic, she had contracted with a spirit of a mage.

She grinned and stirred her mana even more.

Following her lead, Flame Wave continued to pour from the moat.

Thanks to the magic of Chelsea and Artienne, the area around the fortress became a literal sea of fire.

"Yaaaaaah!"

In the heart of that inferno, Dweno swung his battle axe.

"Perfect conditions for a fight!"

The combined magic of Chelsea and Artienne was powerful enough to reduce even allies to ashes.

But it didn't inflict much harm on Dweno.

He had once stood as the shield for the Arhi party against the terrifying flames of calamity.

Even Luna's flame magic couldn't bring him down—this much fire was no threat.

Thud—!

"Graaaargh!"

"Where do you think you're looking!"

As he decapitated a demon subordinate of the Giant King, writhing in agony from the flames, Dweno looked upward.

"Die, dwarf!"

A massive demon holding a giant battle hammer with both hands was descending on Dweno.

Bursting through the sea of flames, the force was no joke.

Crash—! Craack—!

Dweno's battle axe cracked as it blocked the battle hammer infused with vile black mana.

The giant demon grinned viciously.

"This weapon was a gift from the great Giant King! There's no way a dwarf's tool could withstand it—"

Crunch—!

At that moment, Dweno's fingers from his free hand pierced into the head of his battle axe.

"Give a message to your king."

He sneered coldly.

"A shoddy hammer like this couldn't even drive a nail straight."

Crackle! Craaaack—!

The giant battle hammer shattered into pieces from Dweno's fingers.

"No!"

The giant demon shrieked in horror.

Dweno threw away the cracked axe, opened a subspace, and leaped.

A massive greatsword appeared.

As he leapt up to the demon's face, Dweno said,

"Let's see if your skin is as tough as your weapon."

Slash—!

The sweeping greatsword mercilessly cleaved the demon's neck.

"Hmph, guess your bones aren't sturdy. Do you skip meals?"

He grinned at the flying head of the demon and landed on the ground.

"Kill the Iron-Blooded Guardian!"

"No! Aim for the walls!"

The Giant King's army was in chaos.

Watching from the wall, Luke trembled.

"Sir Dweno… you're incredible."

"He's holding them off all by himself."

Aina widened her eyes in amazement.

Enniha bit her lip hard watching the scene.

"No. No matter how amazing he is, he can't hold them alone."

"There's no beating sheer numbers."

Drianna wore a grim expression.

"But this time, we're here too!"

Aru puffed out her chest.

"Yeah… you guys are here."

There were many heroes stronger than Aru on this wall.

But Dweno had never fought so far forward on his own before.

'It's because of us.'

To protect them, Dweno had always fought unfair battles.

'We're just a burden.'

Enniha looked up at the sky.

There, Leo soared.

It was thanks to him that Dweno could fight at the front without worry.

'If only he had even one reliable ally like that… If only I had been more dependable, Dweno might have felt safe advancing too.'

Enniha clenched her weapon in frustration.

"They're coming—get ready!"

The Giant King's army broke through the sea of fire and surged toward the wall.

Thud—!

'Time to head back.'

After decapitating a Gigantes in front of him, Dweno scanned the battlefield.

The assault was endless.

'…But… why isn't he here?'

In the midst of this horde, the Giant King—its core—was nowhere to be seen.

'This isn't a full-scale assault.'

Dweno saw through it instantly.

'What are you scheming, you sly bastard?'

bl

Leo charged at the Fafnir swarm that filled the skies.

Gooooo—!

Spirit energy surged from Leo's blade.

The sword in his hand, Posteritas, responded to his energy.

Crackle—Snap—!

Pure white lightning poured from Leo's body and gathered at the tip of the blade.

"Ready?"

["Yes!"]

The moment Alty responded, Leo's eyes flashed with pure white light.

Flash!

The energy swirling around Posteritas surged upward as a pure-white thunderbolt.

Rumble—!

The bolt pierced the clouds and formed thunderclouds.

Boom! Crackle!

["Aaaaaaaaagh—!"]

Alty's scream of agony echoed all around.

Leo had invoked the essence of thunder.

The power of Albus, the last Pegasus King from 5000 years ago.

A power he inherited as a reward for conquering the world of Lysinas.

The Flame Emperor of Phoenix.

The Pure White King of Pegasus.

The Fairy King of Fairies.

Even among mythical beasts, these beings held special power.

Only the qualified could wield their powers freely.

Anyone besides the successors or Beast Kings would suffer excruciating pain when using their power.

'Albus left no heir.'

So no Pegasus in this era should be capable of wielding the full power of thunder.

'Yeah. There shouldn't be…'

["Ahahahahahaha!"]

Alty, who had been screaming, now laughed with ecstasy.

["I love it! I feel alive! Ahahahaha!"]

With mad laughter and wings wide, Alty soared into the sky at breathtaking speed.

Rooooaaar—!

Wherever Alty flew, Fafnirs crumbled to ash and scattered.

'First, I need to secure air superiority.'

Losing the skies meant fighting at a disadvantage.

But that wasn't the only reason he was there.

A more important reason lay ahead.

'That bastard fought at Ivaldi, didn't he?'

An old grudge remained here.

One he couldn't settle with his own hands.

Fafnir was a high-tier beast.

It had been one of the most fearsome creatures during the Age of Calamity.

But it had a clear weakness.

'They didn't become high-tier because each was strong individually.'

Even a single Fafnir was a significant threat.

But compared to other high-tier beasts, they were weaker.

Especially when considering that such beasts could rival mythical creatures.

Yet Fafnir was classified as high-tier for one reason:

'They live in swarms.'

Fafnir's true threat wasn't its strength.

It was their reproduction rate, rapid growth, and absolute obedience to their alpha.

Beast tamers could control an entire swarm by taming just one alpha Fafnir.

When Dweno joined and the Arhi party was formed, their first goal was to exterminate the Fafnir species.

Thus, during the Age of Calamity, Fafnirs were hunted to extinction.

'Lysinas believed the world couldn't be saved as long as Fafnirs existed.'

In massive numbers, they were more threatening than any other monster.

But they weren't originally high-tier beasts.

They had once been mid-tier.

'They only evolved after the Calamity began.'

Their abnormal reproduction and growth were not innate traits.

"Eliza!"

"What?!"

"Can you hold them off alone for a while?"

"What's going on?"

Leo looked up at the sky.

"There's something up there."

Eliza also looked up—and smirked.

"I can do it."

"You sure?"

"Our school motto is: Surpass your limits, right? Besides…"

Eliza frowned slightly.

"That guy showing off like a hero really bugs me."

With a strange sense of rivalry, Eliza summoned her spirit energy.

Affected by her power, her Pegasus, Rue, discharged even fiercer lightning.

"You're reliable."

"Hmph."

With a scoff, Eliza summoned her familiars.

Led by a Wind Wyvern, countless flying creatures appeared.

"Alright, everyone."

She smiled sweetly.

"Let's go hunt those ugly lizards."

Crackle—!

Pegasus's blessing fell upon her summoned creatures.

Leo admired her silently.

'She just started summoning Pegasi, and already this level of mastery?'

Holding Alty's reins, Leo said,

"Alty. As high as possible."

["Yes, Master!"]

Alty's eyes sparkled as she soared skyward.

Screeeee—!

A massive swarm of Fafnirs blocked Leo's path like dark clouds.

As if to say: You shall not pass.

Leo raised his hand.

Zzzzap—!

The essence of thunder gathered in his palm.

Crack! Snap!

As he clenched his fist, a pure white spear appeared.

Whoosh—!

He hurled the spear—Fafnirs evaporated into ash.

Like a hole had been torn in the sky itself.

A massive empty space appeared within the black swarm.

A burning protein stench filled the air, but Leo didn't care.

He charged through.

Huff—!

As Alty soared above the clouds, she spotted something.

["Master, is that…?"]

"It's a dragon."

Leo answered calmly.

A white-haired man stood above the clouds, radiating nobility.

An ethereal presence, like the world stood still around him.

A stunning man, disconnected from the world.

Leo approached the silent man.

"Hello?"

"Not only have you trespassed into my domain, but a lowly human dares to speak to me?"

The man opened his eyes calmly.

"You must wish to die."

Leo chuckled.

"I've been waiting to meet you, Gymeon."

"Oh? A human who still remembers this Gymeon? But your tone is rude."

Black energy briefly flickered in Leo's eyes.

Gymeon's eyes twitched.

"That spirit… Lysinas?"

"I've always regretted not ripping you apart with my own hands."

Leo's eyes softened.

But from within, a chilling killing intent surged.

"Looks like I'll finally get the chance."

"Haha, what a funny human. You think you can kill a dragon like me? What a joke."

Gymeon laughed.

"I don't know how you got Lysinas's power, but you seem to think possessing a dragon's power lets you fight me."

He sneered.

"Just like humans have ranks, so do dragons. Lysinas's power, which should've served me in darkness, is no match for me, the Dragon King."

With clear disdain, Gymeon declared, "The Dragon King is, quite literally, the strongest of all dragons."

"Don't flatter yourself, you traitorous lizard."

"…What?"

Gymeon's face changed.

"And the Dragon King… You shouldn't throw that title around."

Leo's voice turned icy.

"The only true Dragon Queen of this era is Lysinas."