Editor : Amethyst00



Rumble! KA-BOOM!

"Looks like a storm's coming."

Valhar clicked his tongue and muttered as he gazed up at the lightning-split sky.

At the far eastern edge of the world stood the towering Mount Erdean— A perilous realm where countless monsters roamed.

Five thousand years ago, this was the final destination of the Great Heroes. It was here that Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning, faced Erebos in their ultimate battle and saved the world.

But now, almost no one remembers that fact.

"It leaves a bad taste in my mouth… that the greatest history in the world has been forgotten,"

Kar murmured bitterly as he stared at the foot of Mt. Erdean.

Kyle's story had been thoroughly erased by Tartaros. Today, he existed only as a fabricated figure in legend. And the demonkind of Tartaros certainly weren't about to speak the truth.

"The past, though forgotten, can be restored. And in this era, we're still here, aren't we?" Valhar said calmly.

The Great Heroes—those who once lived and fought beside Kyle—had been reincarnated.

Yet even they couldn't easily restore Kyle's forgotten legacy.

To the four of them, Kyle wasn't just a comrade.

He was a dear friend— The one who fulfilled what they could not, and saved the world in the end.

But that was only their truth.

Over five millennia had passed since that age. Even if one accounted only from the era of the "Heroes of Dawn," when fragments of Kyle's records remained, that was still three thousand years ago.

To elevate a story to the level of history, you need records and evidence.

No matter how fervently they spoke of Kyle, without proof, his tale remained just that—a tale.

"It'd be simple if we just revealed we were the Great Heroes."

Kar pouted slightly. Valhar sighed.

"You know that's not an option."

He looked up at the sky.

Thick clouds had smothered the stars—nothing could be seen in the night sky.

"The fact we were even born into this era is a miracle."

The very existence of reincarnation was astounding— But to be reborn with their memories was beyond miraculous.

"Maybe it's fate… urging us to complete the mission we left unfinished."

"Not the will of the gods?"

"If those 'gods' were so competent, we wouldn't have had to suffer like we did in the first place."

Valhar's voice was sharp with sarcasm.

Then, grimly, he continued:

"Unfortunately, the power to completely annihilate Tartaros still doesn't exist in this world."

Compared to five thousand years ago, today's world was unimaginably powerful.

"From what I recall, it's even more prosperous than the age of the gods."

The Age of Heroes.

Thanks to the Hero Record, countless heroes had risen.

Their power passed down through generations, growing stronger with time.

A truly brilliant age.

"But even so, it's not enough to overwhelm Tartaros completely."

Valhar clicked his tongue again.

The Great Heroes were slowly reclaiming their former strength.

But even so—

The Monster Queen, Giants King, and Lich King—the three surviving "Catastrophes" from five millennia ago—were not foes to take lightly.

If they chose to vanish into the shadows and avoid battle, even the Great Heroes couldn't easily defeat them.

"And most crucially— We still have no way of purging Erebos once and for all."

The primordial evil, sealed somewhere in this world…

Even if Tartaros were eradicated, the black ember would remain.

So long as it did, disaster would eventually rise again.

"This world can never achieve true unity."

"I just don't get it. Back in Godthrone five thousand years ago, everyone stood as one."

"That's because we were facing Erebos—an overwhelming, shared threat. The world was on the brink of ruin."

Valhar let out a bitter laugh.

"You were born in and lived through the most unified era the world ever saw. But even then, there were conflicts."

And it was Kyle who acted as the world's unseen problem-solver in those turbulent shadows.

"Even among the same race, it's hard to understand each other. What hope is there between different races?"

Valhar lit his long-stemmed pipe, letting the smoke curl upward.

"At least we can serve as a symbol of unity for a time. But that unity won't last. That's why we can't reveal who we are until we have the strength to destroy Erebos completely."

"Then we're not far off!"

"…You sound unusually fired up. You sure you're not hiding something?"

Kar flinched under Valhar's sharp gaze.

Just then—

Whoosh—

From the sky, Leah descended and landed gracefully.

"Is there something at the summit of Mt. Erdean?"

"No. Nothing. Kar, did you sense anything?"

"No."

Kar shook his head at Leah's question.

She bit her nail in frustration.

"Erebos…"

She muttered the name of her mortal enemy, her voice dripping with hatred.

Valhar glanced at her.

"Leah. If Erebos's will has appeared… doesn't that mean there's a high chance a fragment of Erebos has awakened?"

"…"

Leah stayed silent for a moment before replying.

"That's one possibility… but it might not be."

"Then why would Erebos's will suddenly appear?"

"Because Erebos is a god-like being. It's possible that when Kyle defeated him, he left behind a trace of his will. That trace could have simply awakened now."

"Hmm…"

Valhar puffed on his pipe again.

"If a fragment of Erebos truly has revived… Do we have the power to defeat it now?"

"…"

At Valhar's question, Leah fell silent—then let out a long sigh.

"We can overwhelm him. We haven't regained our full strength from our prime, but… Erebos isn't in his full state either."

"But we can't defeat him completely, right?"

"No."

"A seal, then?"

"That's possible."

"Using the Hero Record?"

"No. We have Rune."

"Rune?"

"She may have lost her passion for magic, but that doesn't change the fact that she's Luna Luminance."

"True… the greatest magical genius since magic came into being."

Valhar nodded solemnly.

"She said she's developing a sealing spell that could trap a fragment of Erebos—just in case. But…"

"But?"

"Even as she is now, she can only seal one fragment."

"…Hrm."

Valhar nodded again.

"So, at the very least, we've got a way to douse the fire when it flares up."

"Yeah."

"Understood. Then I'll try to forge a weapon capable of bringing Erebos down once and for all."

He nodded firmly.

Plink… plink… splatter—

At that moment, raindrops began to fall.

Leah and Valhar opened spatial pockets and pulled out umbrellas.

"Kar. Catch."

Leah tossed an umbrella to Kar, who was staring blankly up at the sky.

"Kar?"

But he didn't respond. He just continued to gaze upward, expression grim, as the rain poured down.

"…The rain smells wrong."

"What?"

Leah gave him a puzzled look at his sudden words.

"There's a burnt scent… in the rain."

Kar's face had hardened.

"Just like five thousand years ago."

At that, both Leah and Valhar's expressions froze.

Shhhhhh— The color of the rain began to change.

Though it was night, Leah and Valhar, with senses honed to the edge of transcendence, could clearly see the shift.

"…Black rain."

To people of this era, black rain would seem unfamiliar, strange.

But to the three gathered here—it was hauntingly familiar.

Kar's eyes sharpened suddenly.

"…It's coming."

KA-BOOOOOOM—!

"GRUAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

A monstrous roar tore through Mt. Erdean's slopes.

At the same time, a massive arm erupted into the sky like a spear of flesh.

Valhar's eyes widened in shock.

"…The Giant King?"

"GRAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

KRA-KOOOOM—!

The Giant King's massive arm swung outward, leveling everything in its path.

Outside the blast zone, Leah calmly floated upward, umbrella in hand.

Her eyes narrowed.

"…An Authority?"

This wasn't the Giant King as they remembered.

His body was larger, his veins bulging grotesquely, his eyes devoid of reason.

Leah knew exactly what this was.

Berserker—a power once granted by Erebos to his generals.

'The generals should've lost their authority after Erebos was defeated… how is he using it?'

And something else was wrong. This berserking Giant King was different from the one they'd fought in the past.

'He's lost all reason. Only destruction remains.'

Then she spotted something— Perched atop Giath's head: a demon, wreathed in black flame, with a blade plunged deep into the giant's skull.

'…Erebos's remnant.'

The same remnant that had fought Valhar.

Realizing this, Leah raised her free hand.

"GRUUUAAAAHHH!"

Giath roared and charged straight at her.

"Titaum."

KRA-KOOM—!

With a boom, a massive stone hand burst from the ground.

THOOM—!

A colossal earth elemental rose, intercepting Giath's charge.

KRRRRK-BOOOM!

As the two titans clashed, the terrain began to twist and shatter beneath them.

Leah, still floating, spoke low:

"Valhar."

FWOOOOOOOSH—!

From above, Valhar shot down like a comet, brandishing a massive golden axe.

Golden flames ignited across his body.

"HAAAAAAAH!"

CRACK—!

With a battle cry, his axe cleaved straight into Giath's skull.

SPLAAAAT—!

A spray of blood burst forth.

But it wasn't over yet.

FLASH—!

Golden light flared.

Lines of shining brilliance crisscrossed the air.

Kar's sword carved through Giath's enormous body, slicing it clean apart without leaving a trace.

SPLURT—!

Blood and gore rained like a crimson tide.

No matter how mighty the Giant King was, charging blindly into three Great Heroes was no better than suicide.

'Too easy…'

Leah frowned.

Then—

"Leah! Valhar! Something's wrong with this Giath!"

Kar's urgent voice cut through the air.

"He's not the Giath of this era!"

"…What do you mean?"

"He's the Giath from five thousand years ago! I can smell it—it's different!"

His tone was desperate.

Leah's eyes snapped toward the black-flamed demon atop the giant's head.

Something glinted in its hand.

'…The Hero Record?'

Her eyes widened.

Just then—

The black flame dispersed.

And the face it revealed made Leah freeze.

It was Kyle's.

Erebos's will, in Kyle's form, smirked— Then raised the fragment of the Hero Record.

It began to glow.

Another Giant King surged forth.

Leah's face twisted in disbelief.

'He's… summoning beings of the past from the Hero Record?!'