Editor : Amethyst00



“Leo?!”

Lunia’s eyes widened as she looked toward where Leo had been flung.

“This isn’t the time to be distracted!”

Rauta’s spell came flying at Lunia.

Seeing that, Lunia recited a spell with an icy expression.

“Dispel.”

Fwoosh—!

“……!”

Rauta’s eyes bulged as the magic was instantly unraveled.

“How could a first-year possibly dispel my magic!”

“Do you really think magic has such a thing as first-years and second-years?”

Lunia sneered and crossed her arms.

“Your magic is certainly powerful, but its structure is extremely simple! It reeks of magic that wasn’t gained through your own pondering or research, but just memorized by chanting the spell!”

“……!”

Since the Age of Heroes, magic had developed and advanced again.

As long as one had sufficient mana, powerful spells could now be cast much more easily than in previous eras.

The standard of magical ability had been raised across the board.

But precisely because of that, those who sharpened and cultivated their own talent stood out even more.

When anyone could easily wield high-level spells, the countermeasures also became easier.

In the current era, magic wasn’t just about collecting spell counts—it required personal magical research to complicate the spell systems.

But Rauta, who only focused on memorizing powerful spells gained from another’s power instead of his own, was lacking in that regard.

Even though he could use high-level spells, they were nothing more than what he had learned through the Seirun curriculum—and that was a weakness Lunia could exploit.

Of course, preemptively dispelling spells that even she herself could not cast was by no means an easy feat.

It was an ability born from Lunia’s own talent and hard work.

“Don’t get cocky!”

Ziiiiing—!

A magic circle, blackened in color, formed around Rauta.

Seeing it, Lunia’s eyes flickered with red mana.

She had already finished analyzing the activation system of Rauta’s magic.

That made the method to counter it simple.

‘If I just dispel it before the spell is completed, that’s the end of it.’

Crack—!

The magic circle Rauta had created shattered and scattered apart.

“……!”

“Don’t you dare further sully the Poet’s spells.”

Rauta’s body trembled.

“Insolent wretch! Just because you’re doing a bit well, you think you can lecture me!”

Oooooooo—!

A dark crimson mana gushed out of Rauta’s body.

Lunia flinched as her body shuddered.

“You think some grade representative means something? I’m from the highest noble family! I’ll become as great an elf as the Poet herself!”

Fwoooosh—!

The black flames shifted into a dark crimson.

“Phoenix Shield!”

Lunia hastily invoked her family’s magic.

Fwoosh—!

Rauta’s spell blew Lunia’s magic away.

‘The difference in power compared to Star Sorcery is like heaven and earth!’

Gritting her teeth, Lunia glared at the Rauta who was now fully employing black magic without restraint.

“Graaaahhh!”

Crunch! Crack!

“……!”

Chunks of flesh burst from Rauta’s arm.

The fragments of bone that shot out became bullets aimed at Lunia.

“Flame Turtle!”

Lunia hurriedly summoned a beast.

A flame-spouting turtle phantom beast appeared in front of her.

A powerful beast that swam through magma fields, its shell impenetrable even to aura, specialized for defense.

Clang clang clang! Thud—!

“Ugh?”

The Flame Turtle’s shell deflected Rauta’s attack.

But one of the bone bullets slipped through and pierced Lunia’s right shoulder.

“Keheheheh! Acting high and mighty, look at you now!”

Ooooooh—!

Rauta mocked her while regenerating his arm.

“You really… gone too far. To be using black magic so brazenly.”

Clutching her pierced right shoulder, Lunia raised her blazing red eyes.

“I’ll burn you to ashes.”

“The one to burn will be you!”

Fwoooosh—!

The dark crimson flames rampaged wildly.

“Keheheh. Your comrades are about to meet their end too.”

Chaaang—!

Eiran’s longsword clashed against Kargol’s greatsword.

Clang!

Kargol knocked her longsword aside and swung his blade with terrifying speed.

Clang!

Eiran barely managed to block Kargol’s strike.

But the impact made her stagger, losing her balance.

Fwoosh! Slam!

Kargol kicked Eiran squarely in the chest.

“Gah!”

She was hurled away, rolling on the ground.

“Cough— cough—”

As Eiran struggled to get up, Kargol’s glowing eyes narrowed.

“Why don’t you just give up? You have no chance of victory.”

“My ancestor… was a disciple of the great heroes. Isn’t that amazing?”

“……?”

Caught off guard by the sudden statement, Kargol paused.

“She said she was proud to be a disciple of such incredible heroes, yet ashamed that she could not measure up to them. So she made a vow.”

Eiran tossed aside her ruined shield and gripped her longsword with both hands.

“That she would never doubt the great heroes.”

Whoooosh!

The wind blew.

The silver aura that had been trembling turned calm and steady.

“She believed that they would surely defeat evil and save the world.”

“The power of… the fairies?”

Kargol’s expression hardened.

Because Rauta’s mana was strengthening, Kargol’s strength too had become overwhelmingly greater.

Ordinarily, Eiran would have no chance against him.

And yet Leo had believed in her.

Because she was a descendant of Velkia.

In the distant past—

A Fairy Knight who protected the fairies and became both sword and shield to the Elf King.

The last Fairy Knight, whose power had been inherited through her line—the only elf to bear it.

“That’s why… I’ll believe as well.”

A knight blessed by the fairies, who could wield their power righteously.

And the source of that power was life itself.

A force that dealt a deadly blow to the undead.

The land, once dead and cursed by the undead, revived with vitality under Eiran’s radiance.

At the tip of Eiran’s sword shimmered the aura of life.

The infinite force of life that banished death.

The sword energy passed down through generations of Fairy Knights.

“Evergreen.”

Kargol’s eyes widened with terror as he beheld Eiran raising her sword with both hands.

“This wench…!”

Fwoosh—!

As she brought the blade down, the sword aura filled with life-force surged forth.

The death knight struck directly by it was obliterated without a trace.

Eiran’s hands trembled violently as she lowered her sword.

“I must hurry up and… help the others…”

Thud—!

Completely drained, Eiran collapsed where she stood.

“Mo… ve.”

She grit her teeth and writhed.

Lifting her head with difficulty, Eiran’s eyes widened.

She saw Leo advancing toward the Skeleton King.

bl

“……”

Leo, who had been flung away by the Skeleton King, rose to his feet.

He looked at his right arm, which had blocked the strike.

Seeing the grotesquely twisted limb, Leo chuckled.

“At least it’s still attached.”

Chirp! Chirp!

["H-Hey! What do we do! What do we do!"]

“It’s not like I’m dying, so don’t make such a fuss.”

Sighing at the panicked Fiora and Kiran, Leo stood up.

The pain was not limited to his arm.

His whole body creaked as if screaming.

But the searing agony in his arm drowned out the rest.

Thud! Thud!

Leo glared at the Skeleton King, who ignored him and walked toward the entrance of Fairyland, and raised his sword.

Crack-!

But as he soon saw the sword broken in half, he let out a laugh.

Gooooooo-!

Gwoooooooooh!

Ignoring Leo, the Skeleton King turned and strode toward the entrance to Fairy Land, exuding crimson energy.

Fiora and Kiran’s faces went pale.

["T-This power… what is this…"]

“So it is. That was the Hell Kaiser’s power after all.”

The moment he was struck, Leo had sensed the Skeleton King’s presence change.

Glancing, Leo looked toward Lunia’s side.

He could feel Rauta’s mana steadily intensifying.

‘So he’s channeling power through a demonic artifact. Cunning as ever.’

That earlier attack had also been one of the Skeleton King’s skills—Spatial Severance.

‘There’s no way Rauta himself could ever use that. He only managed it because of the mana support.’

Lunia was also being pushed further back under Rauta’s growing power.

At that moment—

Fwoosh!

A surge of blue light erupted.

["This’s fairy power?"]

Kiran was astonished.

Leo too showed surprise, then smiled.

“Evergreen.”

It was a force he had seen during the Age of Calamity.

A power only a Fairy Knight could wield.

‘Even if the Fairy Knights vanished, their will and strength were passed down through generations… is that it.’

Before his last expedition, he recalled the sight of his disciple ascending to the position of Fairy Knight.

Leo began to move forward.

Fwoooosh—!

Flames swirled.

“Let’s go, Fiora.”

Chirp!

Aura and spiritual power surged together.

Whooosh!

Leo forged a massive flaming sword and stood before the Skeleton King.

Grrrroooaaar—!

The Skeleton King’s blade glowed crimson once more.

It was preparing to use Spatial Severance again.

Leo’s eyes sharpened, and he swung his left arm.

Fwoosh! Clang clang clang!

Sparks of flame scattered.

The crimson aura distorted the surrounding space.

Fwoosh—!

“Kh…!”

Leo gritted his teeth.

‘The pressure is crushing me!’

BOOM—!

Crack crack crack crack!

“Ugh—!”

The Skeleton King’s strike smashed Leo against the barrier left by the former Fairy King.

Crack crack crack crack—!

The space-warping sword slowly bit into the barrier.

Zzzzt—!

The Demon King’s power fractured the seal.

‘It’s breaking!’

The moment Leo thought that—

Bang! Clang!

The barrier shattered.

Leo was hurled straight into the ground beyond, smashing into it mercilessly.

“Leo-nim!”

Eiran cried out with a pale face.

“Hahahaha! That arrogant Lumene first-year is dead at last!”

Rauta shouted with satisfaction.

“No. That guy won’t die.”

“What, have you lost your minds in the heat too?”

Rauta sneered at Lunia’s snarling words.

The dark crimson flames he unleashed scorched her.

Burned in multiple places, Lunia looked pitiful, like she might turn to ashes at any moment.

But her eyes still burned with unyielding fire.

“I said if he dies, it will be by my hand. So he won’t die.”

Grinding out her words, Lunia smiled faintly.

“The one who’ll die is you.”

“In that state? How laughable.”

Rauta sneered, but Lunia raised her hand.

“No. This isn’t bluff.”

Fwoosh—!

Flames burst from her hand.

“Tch. With just those flames, what do you think you’ll do—”

Fwoooshhh—!

Lunia’s flames roared ever fiercer.

“……!”

Rauta’s expression hardened as he saw her flames pushing back his crimson fire.

“You know this already. My family has long been the Phoenix’s Contractors.”

Lunia smiled faintly.

“Our first ancestor swore—that even if he burned himself away, he would burn down Tartaros.”

The flames engulfed Lunia.

“As long as that oath remains unquenched, we are the eternal Phoenix’s Contractors.”

Behind Lunia, wings of flame spread open.

The undying flame of will, inherited from a distant ancestor.

The forbidden secret art of the Lunda family that consumed even oneself.

“Sacred Flame.”

Lunia’s mana and spirit power combusted madly.

“C-Crazy!”

Rauta’s face went deathly pale.

“You’re so desperate to die!”

“No. I just need to burn you away before I die.”

Lunia’s eyes blazed.

Fwoooosh—!

“Gyaaaaaahhhhhh!”

Lunia’s Sacred Flame devoured Rauta’s fire.

The victor was clear.

Her flame would not vanish until it burned Rauta to nothing.

As Rauta sensed his death, the flame consuming him suddenly dissipated from his body.

Lunia’s eyes widened.

Ooooooo—!

From his black ring, a crimson aura gushed forth.

“Haha! As expected, this ring is amazing—”

Crunch!

“……Huh?”

Rauta’s hand was being sucked into the black ring.

“Wh-What…!”

Fwooooshhh!

“Gyaaaaahhh!”

The ring began sucking Rauta’s entire body in like a black hole.

Craaaaack!

“Graaaahhh!”

Fwoosh—!

The ring devoured Rauta completely, leaving no trace, then dropped to the ground with a thud.

“Wh-What is this….”

The ring, having judged him of no further use, consumed Rauta as nourishment.

Unaware of that, Lunia could only stare blankly.

“Either way, with this, the summoning is—!”

With her scorched body, Lunia turned with effort.

“…Why?”

Even though Rauta was gone, the Skeleton King showed no sign of vanishing.

Thud—! Thud—!

The Skeleton King stepped into the revealed Fairy Land.

And then, one of its massive feet stomped down where Leo had fallen.

BOOM—!

Snow and dirt sprayed up, seeming to move in slow motion before Lunia’s eyes.

“Le-Leo…!”

Lunia’s face turned pale.

At that moment—

Fwoosh—!

A surge of gray mana erupted.