Editor : Amethyst00



"Why do you keep saying we should forget the past?"

At Luna's cold words, Lysinas gave a soft smile.

That faint smile, tinged with sadness, made Luna flinch and lower her head, flustered.

"Sorry. That was harsh of me."

"It's fine."

Lysinas shook her head.

"I understand. Truly, Luna."

Of all the great heroes, the one who had searched for Kyle the most desperately—was Luna.

Five thousand years ago.

She believed that in the final journey, the one who had wounded Kyle the most was none other than herself.

'If one of us must survive… it should be you, Kyle, who carries Aaron and Dweno.'

At the end of her life, she had made a cruel choice.

Kyle or herself.

In the end, she chose Kyle.

It was an unavoidable decision, and ultimately the right one.

But unlike her comrades who faced death head-on, Luna had chosen to surrender and place the burden on Kyle.

She had pushed him forward, forcing him to live… while she met death.

That moment left behind a deep guilt in Luna.

And so, she clung fiercely to Kyle's Hero Record.

Even while hesitating to fight Erebos again, she refused to compromise on that one point.

Lysinas understood her.

Which was why she knew Luna's emotions would erupt like this.

Seeing Luna hanging her head, ears drooping, Lysinas gave a bittersweet smile.

"When I say to forget the past… I'm not saying to forget Kyle."

"…"

"I mean that we should move forward, unshackled by the past—just as Kyle once did."

"I know."

Luna nodded.

"Aaron… Kar will manage. This time, that Hero Dungeon… it's most likely Kyle's."

Lysinas, too, wanted to rush off in search of Kyle's Hero Record.

But circumstances didn't allow it.

Tartaros's generals were still active.

Luna was the leader of Seiren—and the north's greatest line of defense.

If Luna left her post and Sillatna made a move, the world's balance would quickly fall apart.

To preserve peace in the world—

That had been the heroes' mission ever since five thousand years ago.

"I know. I was just sulking. Sorry for going too far."

"Heh. Don't look so down—it doesn't suit you."

"Tch."

Luna clicked her tongue, but glanced sidelong at Lysinas.

'She's still beautiful.'

She felt it—something fundamentally different between them.

'She really feels like a savior. Even if I tried for a lifetime, I could never carry that aura.'

Even if she could be the goddess who turns the tide of battle… that presence was beyond her.

"I'm glad."

"Hm? About what?"

"That you don't have feelings for Kyle."

"…"

If there was one thing that had changed about Luna since her rebirth—it was that she'd become honest with her feelings.

Though Aaron remained as dense as ever.

Her greatest regret had been not being honest with herself.

"Honestly, I feel like I could outmatch anyone else… but if you were my rival, I wouldn't stand a chance."

Lysinas smiled faintly.

'It's best if I keep my feelings buried forever.'

There's no one to receive them anyway.

And unlike Luna, who hadn't known Lysinas's heart…

Lysinas had known Luna's feelings from their past life.

'Thank goodness. She's still oblivious about this kind of thing.'

Lysinas sighed inwardly.

'If she ever found out I tricked Kyle into a marriage contract, she'd go ballistic.'

Nothing good would come of that.

'First, I need to keep that perverted dwarf's mouth shut.'

Smiling faintly, Lysinas thought of the one person in this world who knew about her feelings for Kyle.

"I think you're more charming."

"Really?"

Luna tilted her head, arms crossed.

Then, after a moment's thought, she nodded.

"Well, sure. In both lives, I've got things that are better than yours."

From where her arms were crossed, the superior assets made their presence known.

Lysinas smiled softly.

"Lune. I'm still growing."

"Right. Of course you are."

Luna nodded with a pitying smile.

"You'll definitely grow more."

As Luna gently patted her shoulder in consolation, Lysinas's hand trembled ever so slightly.

Taking a deep breath and forcing a smile, she said, "I should get going."

"Okay. See you again. If Aaron… Kar contacts you, let me know immediately."

"I will."

Lysinas stepped onto the warp gate.

Fwoosh!

A bright light burst forth—and she was instantly returned to Lumene.

As she emerged from the gate, Lysinas began reviewing what she needed to do.

"First, I'll head to the student council—"

While mentally checking her tasks for the day, she suddenly stopped walking.

It was already late at night.

Normally, the dorm curfew would be in effect.

But as the student council president, Lysinas was free to move about even at this hour.

Lifting her gaze, she stared at the sky above.

'…It's been a long time since I looked up at the night sky like this.'

The star-filled sky she had longed to see again.

Luna wasn't the only one who loved the stars.

Lysinas had always adored them too.

She gazed quietly at the scene she hadn't been able to see before her death—and gave a bitter smile.

'I've gotten so used to it that I've grown numb.'

When she had first been reborn, she used to gaze at the sky endlessly, forgetting even to sleep.

Believing that she hadn't been the only one reborn.

Dreaming of reuniting with her friends.

Tap, tap—

Lysinas quietly sat down on a nearby bench.

And for the first time in a long while, she simply looked up at the night sky.

This peaceful era was like nothing she had ever known.

Five thousand years ago…

The world had won against Erebos.

Since then, it had prospered, regaining its lost brilliance.

No—compared to the era of the gods, this age shone even brighter.

Countless heroes now inherited the legacy and strength of their predecessors.

A time of peace, where people no longer suffered.

As a ruler of the world.

As the leader of Arhi who faced Tartaros—

There could be no more ideal world.

Even if the final piece—Kyle—was missing.

'…We will win.'

Even without Purity mana trait.

She would find a way.

Perhaps Luna or Dweno would forge weapons or spells capable of challenging Erebos.

Perhaps Aaron's—Kar's—blade would grow strong enough to cut him down.

This world brimmed with infinite possibility.

But still—

"It's hard…"

Lysinas muttered softly, pulling her knees closer together.

She had done her best to act unfazed, but the absence of one person left a gaping void.

"I miss you… Kyle."

Words she could never speak aloud in front of anyone else—she whispered to the night sky.

bl

The morning sun glistened over the sandy beach.

Waves rolled in and shattered against the shore in white spray.

Though it was a popular tourist spot, not a single visitor was present today.

The reason was simple: Azonia had reserved the beach.

The reason for that too, was just as simple.

"Here it comes!"

Thunk!

On the beach, Aru—dressed in a swimsuit—tossed the ball high into the air.

At the same time, Borman leapt up and slammed it with his palm.

Boom!

With an explosive crack, the ball rocketed toward the opposite side, straight at Dion.

"Hup—!" Dion let out a sharp cry, and punched the energy-infused ball upward with a fist.

Crash!

The clash of fists sent sand flying in all directions.

A deep crater formed in the sand, but Dion didn't fall.

Having redirected the force behind the ball, Dion shouted to his teammate, Tavon.

"Tavon! It's coming to your side!"

"Don't worry! Get ready!"

Tavon kicked the ball down like a hammer blow as it floated in midair.

This was a traditional Azonian game where one could strike the ball with either hand or foot to score against the opponent.

The real problem was—unlike Bastera, where downing an opponent was technically an issue, this game didn't care about such things.

If anything, Bastera seemed tame in comparison.

So intense was this game that it had to be played only on desert sands or beaches like this. Anywhere else, and the shockwaves would be disastrous.

It wasn't just a game—it was training. Which made it unpopular outside of beastkin tribes.

To avoid potential injury, all other beachgoers had been barred from entering.

Under a parasol, seated on a beach chair, Leo glanced toward the Azonia students.

"Lively bunch."

"They're not lively—they're needlessly energetic. Those muscle-head idiots."

Ruwen, holding a thick bundle of newspapers, sat down beside Leo.

"I brought all the back issues, just like you asked."

"Thanks."

"I only did it because Senior Kar asked. But I'm not doing errands like this again."

With a snort, Ruwen began stretching.

Leo gave a quiet laugh and started flipping through the papers.

The flow of the parallel world was completely different from their original one.

'Time in that world barely moves at all.'

Yesterday, he had noticed that the clock ran slowly. He checked again—and sure enough, the second hand had barely moved.

Not erratic, but evenly paced—proving that time passed very differently between the two worlds.

'I don't know why, but… this clock seems to be the link between both worlds.'

From a few experiments, Leo learned that no power worked on the clock.

Pure mana, aura, magic, even divine power—none of it affected it.

Considering Reyna had given it to him as a simple admission gift, its complete resistance to all abilities was suspicious.

After staring at the clock for a while, Leo began reading through the papers Ruwen brought.

"Leo. You're out early."

Kar approached.

"I wanted to observe their training a bit."

"Ah, I see."

Kar nodded.

"Warm up before I arrive. The real training starts once I'm here. You can look forward to it—my juniors are really strong!"

Kar clenched his fist, eyes sparkling with excitement.

Leo gave a wry smile.

"I'm looking forward to it."

The Azonian students of Leo's world were slightly different from the ones here.

And it was only natural.

After all, these students lived alongside none other than the Hero—Aaron.

'Even Aru's movements were closer to Aaron's.'

Leo recalled yesterday's battle while glancing back at the newspaper.

"Please take care of us, Senior!"

"Sure. Today, we'll be training your extrasensory perception."

At that, Leo gave a slight nod.

"Extrasensory perception… If he teaches them, they might actually—"

"None of you have awakened any extrasensory perception yet, right?"

"No!"

"It's hard."

"……?"

Leo raised his head.

"Hmm… So ordinary methods still don't work?"

Aaron, arms crossed, fell deep in thought. Then he sighed.

"Looks like they really do need a life-or-death crisis to trigger it."

"……"

Leo covered his face with one hand. He had forgotten.

'What kind of guy Aaron really is.'

And one more thing.

He'd overlooked what kind of people Azonia's students truly were.

"To learn Senior Kar's secret techniques, we must be ready to risk our lives!"

Aru clenched his fist with determination.

And at that very moment—

KWA-BOOM!

Aaron's terrifying fist obliterated the beach.

The screams of Azonia's students rang out.

They were the type who, when told it was a strong person's training method, wouldn't question it—they'd throw themselves into it headfirst.

Staring at the destruction before him, Leo muttered softly.

"They're going to die."