Editor : Amethyst00



The white flames surged and danced.

All the Seiren students, except for Eiran, were already incapacitated.

'It's overwhelming…….'

Lunia looked at Lysinas, who had returned to her colossal black dragon form.

Lysinas hadn't used the summoning magic she was so well-known for.

She only used a bit of dragon-word magic.

She had dealt with them using nothing but pure mana control.

It was a moment that reminded them, once again, of the vast difference between them and a Great Hero.

But……

'I'm not going to cower.'

She had to lift her head and face forward.

"Rinea."

Fwoooosh—

At Lunia's call, a phoenix surrounded in crimson flame—Rinea, her contracted beast—appeared.

Tap—

Rinea perched on Lunia's outstretched arm and asked,

["What kind of powerful foe are you fighting now to be in that state?"]

Rinea looked concerned.

Lunia's hair had turned white from using the White Flame.

The Lunda family, to which Lunia belonged, was a lineage that had contracted with phoenixes for generations.

This was possible because they had continually burned themselves in battle against the unholy.

Most noble elven houses boasted immense histories.

Even the oldest house in elven history, the Ersar family of Eiran, had a 5000-year legacy, and Tingel's history stretched 3000 years.

Many other noble families had histories well over a thousand years.

The Lunda family did not have such a long lineage.

But despite their relatively short history, the Lundas stood shoulder to shoulder with those great houses, and in terms of nobility, they were among the highest.

The reason was simple.

They had become torches themselves, inheriting sacred flames.

The elves of the Lunda family had used such powerful flames that they could burn even themselves.

Enduring that pain, they always stood at the forefront of battles against the demons of Tartaros.

It was only natural that elven society respected them.

Even among such a storied family, Lunia was born with a unique and powerful flame.

And her flame had become even stronger after inheriting the White Flame of Katariou and Luna's Flame Emperor.

But with that came greater strain on Lunia's body.

"It's time I prove myself."

["Prove yourself?"]

"Yeah. Because right before me…… stands the last contractor of the Phoenix King."

At those words, Rinea's expression changed instantly.

Lunia looked up at the massive black dragon.

She was Luna's successor.

But before that, she had also inherited Lysinas's power.

Lysinas, the last contractor of the Phoenix King, had always been a figure of admiration and respect among summoners—especially those who contracted with phoenixes.

And now, that very Lysinas stood before her.

No matter what, she couldn't back down.

Fwoooosh—

Rinea turned into flame and merged with Lunia's body.

Seeing that, Lysinas's eyes gleamed.

'Did she learn that from Kyle?'

Elemental Armament, which allows one to arm themselves with an elemental, was high-level spiritual art, but not particularly difficult.

Because it was a technique that drew out the full power of elementals, it had been extensively studied.

But fusing a phantom spirit into the body or a weapon was not something easily replicated.

Unlike pure elemental spirits, phantom spirits had physical bodies.

The first person to use such phantom spirit essence was Lysinas herself.

'Kyle only reached that level of summoning skill near the end of his journey.'

He likely hadn't stopped training even after reincarnation.

'Didn't he say he hadn't trained his mana at all until he was fifteen?'

He must've been building his vessel.

But that didn't mean he had been idle.

He would have constantly assessed his abilities as Kyle and endlessly tried to reproduce the techniques his companions used in his mind.

And once he awakened his mana, he would have begun training in earnest.

'That training is likely still ongoing.'

To surpass his past self.

To reach the other Great Heroes on his own.

To pass on what he received from his companions to future generations.

And ultimately, to surpass Erebos.

While watching Lunia, Lysinas glanced subtly over to where Leo was.

She saw Leo drawing Aaron's sword.

After a moment, Lysinas looked back at Lunia.

'That technique wasn't taught by Kyle.'

It must have been a skill she developed on her own, inspired by watching Leo.

Flash—!

Lysinas's body returned to her human form.

Tap—

She sat down and reached out her hand.

"Fiora."

Fwoooosh—

["Pii?"]

At her call, Fiora appeared.

She tilted her head, flapping her tiny wings in confusion at Lysinas's sudden summoning.

Leo and Lysinas were currently bound by a spirit contract.

In a way, they were of one mind.

Of course, even so, most spirits couldn't interfere with another summoner's contract.

But Lysinas easily exercised her power through Leo's contract.

As Lysinas summoned her, Fiora looked puzzled.

Lysinas, in turn, looked slightly dumbfounded.

"Did you gain weight?"

["Pii! Pii! Pii!"]

Fiora flapped her wings wildly in protest.

Watching her, Lysinas said, "I'll pretend I didn't notice. Will you help me for a bit?"

Fiora nodded.

She could feel familiarity from Lysinas.

Though the young Fiora didn't understand it was the power of the Phoenix King's contractor, she felt compelled to help her.

Fwoooosh—

Fiora became a flame and settled into Lysinas's hand.

"Ishtar."

With that, Lysinas summoned another of Leo's contracted spirits—the Fire Elemental Lord, Ishtar.

["What's going on here?"]

Ishtar also looked perplexed.

"Would you help me out?"

["Hmph! Even if you're the Wise Queen, my contractor is Leo Plov. I have no obligation to help you……"]

"Should I call Elsie?"

["The Wise Queen certainly has the right to handle me."]

Ishtar, who had been feigning resistance, immediately backed down.

Fwoooosh—!

The flame in Lysinas's hand flared up.

Seeing that, Lunia clenched her teeth and intensified her own flames.

"Eiran, step aside."

"Huh? But……"

"It's fine."

Seeing Lunia's determined look, Eiran stepped aside.

Lysinas smiled and gently flicked a flame the size of a fist at Lunia.

Lunia opened her eyes wide and fired the flame she had concentrated at her fingertips.

Crimson flames and pure white flames collided.

And then—

KUGAGAGAGAGANG—!

A massive pillar of fire shot up.

FWOOSH!

The blaze engulfed the world.

Lunia was on her knees.

Step—step—

Lysinas walked over to her and said,

"Amazing."

Lunia trembled as she looked at the smiling Lysinas.

Her entire body was covered in burns.

"Did I…… pass the test?"

"Test?"

Lysinas blinked.

Then, realizing what she meant, she chuckled softly.

"Yes, you passed. Not just you—every student of Seiren did excellently."

Lunia sighed in relief.

But then Lysinas added, tightening her nerves again.

"But……"

"Is there something I lacked?"

"No. That's not what I meant. Lunia El Lunda."

Lysinas waved her hand.

Immediately, the searing heat tormenting Lunia vanished.

Her burns began healing rapidly.

It was the power of phoenix flame.

"I used to be a selector of heroes in the past…… but not anymore."

"Huh?"

"I only wanted to see your strength out of personal curiosity."

Lysinas reached out and helped Lunia up.

"Stand proud, Lunia El Lunda. You were chosen by Kyle and acknowledged by Luna. You are a hero."

Lysinas placed a hand on her shoulder.

"That's more than enough."

"……Yes!"

Lunia responded with vigor.

Watching her, Lysinas smiled gently and walked away.

Lunia, watching her back, felt a deep stirring in her heart.

'So cool.'

By meeting Lysinas, Lunia had seen all the Great Heroes.

But Lysinas was clearly different from the others.

How to put it?

Was it charisma?

Her most respected hero was still Luna, but Lysinas had something Luna didn't.

It was different from Leo's overwhelming pressure.

She had a power that made people look up to her.

'So this is the Wise Queen …… the leader of the Great Heroes.'

As Lunia was overwhelmed with emotion—

"Oh, by the way."

Lysinas stopped and looked back with a smile.

"I hear there's some strange gossip among the elves?"

"……."

"Shouldn't you be managing that?"

Her tone was casual, but Lunia felt her mind go blank.

"I-I'll correct it immediately……"

Lysinas laughed as she shrank back, then turned to Leo.

"Eiran."

"Yes, Miss Lunia."

"Let's make sure no one says anything weird. If we're not careful, we might really get destroyed."

They'd been let off the hook this time, but it was clear there wouldn't be a next.

Lunia didn't want to see what a Great Hero's wrath looked like.

bl

The knights and nobles had fled, and only the soldiers remained.

With their commander gone, the Second Prince's army had no idea what to do.

"Follow Seiren's leadership."

Nominally, Seiren had intervened to aid the Second Prince.

"They won't drag you into more war. They'll end it and help you return home."

"Y-yes."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me."

Leo said flatly.

The Second Prince's advance had halted.

The battlefield fell into a lull.

The Seiren students, having somewhat recovered, approached Leo.

The students from Lumene, who had been observing from the wall, also joined.

An awkward tension rose between the Lumene and Seiren students.

After all, officially, they were on opposing sides of a civil war.

And Leo just sat in silence.

Lunia and Elena approached him.

"Leo, what should we do now?"

"Should we withdraw?"

To their questions, Leo, eyes closed, said, "First, we should honor the dead."

"Huh?"

"Honor the dead……?"

"They're coming."

Leo opened his eyes and looked beyond the horizon.

There, Lysinas appeared, leading a countless number of soldiers.

All of them were dead.

Fallen warriors who hadn't yet been properly mourned.

The sight left not only the hero candidates but even the soldiers speechless.

In the vast plain—at the center of the battlefield—Lysinas knelt down.

The spirits who followed her did the same.

[It's unfair. It's unfair!]

[I didn't want to die!]

[My family's waiting for me!]

The anguished cries of the spirits rode the wind.

Lysinas closed her eyes, a bitter expression on her face.

Hummmm—

A bright light spread from her body and enveloped the fallen.

"What's that……?"

Elena muttered in shock, and Leo replied, "She's listening to the voices of the dead, one by one."

There must have been thousands.

She was listening to all of their stories.

"Why?"

Lunia asked, astonished, and Leo said, "To send them off."

She listening to their stories.

She comforting them.

But staying here would only bring more pain to the dead.

Those who died unfairly wouldn't accept their fate.

Even so, Lysinas listened to them.

It was incredibly hard and painful.

But she saw it as her duty.

No one else could do it.

Only Lysinas, born with overwhelming power over spirits, could.

Moments later—

The spirits shone brightly and scattered into particles of light.

Lysinas gently laid the bodies of the fallen to rest.

And whispered softly,

"May your next life be peaceful."

The hero candidates couldn't find the words.

It was beautiful…… sacred…… and noble.

They could only vaguely understand why Lysinas was called the purest soul in the world.

"How can someone do that……?"

Lunia found herself asking Leo.

He replied calmly, "Because she once carried the world on her shoulders alone."

As Leo looked at Lysinas gazing skyward at the departing souls, he thought:

'That's why I couldn't help but take her hand.'

Long ago—

Recalling the hand once extended to him, Leo gave a bitter smile.