Editor : Amethyst00



Swoooosh—

Rain poured from the sky.

Time is a cruel thing.

Joy and happiness.

Sorrow and misfortune.

Most things, with time, fade away.

But there are emotions and memories that never change— even after ages pass.

For Leah, the rain falling now was one of them.

Just before she closed her eyes as the Wise Queen, Lysinas…

Black rain had fallen—just like this.

"…Disgusting."

Leah muttered quietly.

Everything right now—was repulsive.

The black rain that devoured life from the heavens.

The Giant King who once again showed himself.

And most of all, Erebos's will… wearing Kyle's face—that was what sickened her the most.

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"Leah! Giath showed up again! What do we do?!"

"He comes back even after we kill him?!"

Kar and Valhar asked urgently.

The Giant King, appearing again and again.

It was unthinkable. Impossible.

But they couldn't deny what was happening before their eyes.

After all, they were facing the Flame of Calamity, the Primordial Evil.

The one who once brought the world to the brink of annihilation.

The most fearsome enemy the world had ever known— a being who defied all imagination with calamity far beyond.

They knew it better than anyone.

They had once been crushed beneath that disaster, forced to entrust everything to their dearest friend before fading away.

At their question, Leah responded:

"Judging from his state… this is Giath during the Siege of Godthrone."

Kar and Valhar's faces darkened.

The Siege of Godthrone.

The event where, while the Wise Queen, the Poet of the Star, and the Hero of Beginnings were absent, Giath had led a massive assault on Godthrone with his legion.

It was Dweno and Aaron who had defended it.

Though Godthrone suffered immense damage, considering the forces involved, their victory was nearly miraculous.

"If this is the Giath from back then… taking him down won't be difficult."

Valhar narrowed his eyes.

Commanders like Giath were already completed beings.

In terms of raw strength, the Giath of that era, bolstered by divine power, might've been even stronger than now.

But raw strength alone didn't determine battle power.

Just as the Great Heroes had honed their strength through countless battles during the Calamity Era, so too had the commanders.

They remained terrifying threats even into the Age of Heroes.

But a being from the past… was still just the past.

The Great Heroes had already defeated that version of Giath once. They knew his patterns. His flaws.

Beating him again wasn't going to be difficult.

Especially not now—when there were three of them, and Giath had no army at his back.

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"…But we just killed him, and now he's back. What gives?"

Kar asked, and Leah answered, "The Hero Record."

"What?"

"Erebos's will summoned the past Giath from the Hero Record."

"…Is that even possible?"

"It must be. Otherwise, we wouldn't be seeing this. The only link bridging past and present here is that Hero Record he's holding."

Leah's insight—befitting the one once called Wise Queen.

"Erebos is called the Primordial Evil, yes… but in essence, he's a god."

Her eyes narrowed sharply.

"The Hero Records were made by the gods. If that's the case, it's not strange that Erebos could influence them."

"…So he's using the Hero Record to summon his past subordinates?"

"Possibly. Or maybe that was its original function. We can't be sure."

She clenched her fist.

"But one thing is certain. If we bring down that Giath, Erebos's will won't be able to summon him again."

"…Why?"

"Because his power has already diminished—more than before he summoned Giath."

"Hooh…"

"Pulling a commander from the Hero Record must consume enormous power."

Kar gave a soft whistle.

"…That really sounded like old Lysinas just now."

Leah shot him a sharp glare.

"Leah. Not Lysinas."

"R-right."

Kar quickly clamped his mouth shut.

"…You really are back to how you used to be," Valhar added, resting his battle axe on his shoulder. "Clear-minded. Sharp. Almost like the fog's lifted."

"…Is it because of Kyle?"

"I'll never forgive him."

"Not just you."

Valhar's cold gaze fixed on Erebos's will—still wearing Kyle's face.

"That thing mocking Kyle… Kar and I won't forgive that either."

FWOOSH—

Golden flames began to rise from Valhar's body.

Leah's eyes widened.

"…Let me take care of this one."

Valhar descended to the ground.

And with him, the golden flames surged even higher.

"Val…har?"

Leah stared in surprise at his back.

The flames erupting from Valhar's body only intensified.

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In my past life… I rarely liked myself.

As a child, because of power I couldn't control.

Later, because I couldn't protect anything.

And in the end, because all I could do was burden others.

Dweno—the dwarf who had lived as Valhar—had never loved himself.

But you, Kyle… you hated yourself even more than I ever did.

At the very least, Dweno had loved this world.

Because he loved it, he cherished himself.

And for that love, he was willing to lay down everything to protect it.

But Kyle, whose entire life had turned to ash…What had kept him going?

What gave him the strength to endure every pain, just to protect this world?

Even now… I don't understand you.

What made you someone who simply never gave up?

Step— step—

FWOOSH—

But one thing I do know.

The Wise Queen saved the world for the people. Fated by destiny. A savior in times of crisis.

The Poet of the Star saved the world for its infinite potential. To her, the world was nothing but possibility.

The Brave saved the world for a peaceful future he could never see.

And Dweno… saved the world for its beauty.

You, Kyle… saved it for us.

And now, the one reaping the reward of that salvation—was Dweno.

So now… I've decided to love myself.

The golden flames had once been a curse.

They burned all things—symbols of destruction.

That power made Dweno hate himself, drove him to cling to beauty.

Even at the moment of his death, he had despised his fire.

He used it only out of necessity—never affection.

But this time… I will never lose it.

FWOOSH—

This world you saved.

ROOOOOAAAAH!

From Valhar's flames, a giant began to take form.

That's why I won't look back to the past. To who I used to be.

He accepted both the past and himself.

And moved forward—without hesitation, without regret.

The Hero of Beginnings was no more.

And Valhar, now, carved his own path.

As a guardian of the world.

Because that's the only way to honor the one who gave it all to leave this world to us.

bl

Valhar reached into a realm he'd never touched before.

The flame-giant grew—larger than even the Giant King.

SSSSSSSHHH—!

The world lit up as though the sun had risen in the black rain.

The black rain evaporated.

The fragments of the past summoned by Erebos's influence vanished without a trace.

"…Fragments of the past can no longer stop me."

Valhar raised his hand.

The giant did the same.

"Five thousand years ago… you burned me to death."

Golden light gleamed in Dweno's eyes.

"This time—I'll be the one to burn you."

KRAAAAAK-BOOOOOOM!

The fire giant's fist came down like a divine hammer.

The Giant King—and Erebos's will—vanished, reduced to ash.

FWOOSH—

The golden flames scattered in the wind.

Valhar glanced back at his stunned companions, arms folded.

'It's okay to wander. That's only natural.'

But only for a moment.

He turned back toward Mt. Erdean.

'But I won't wait.'

He looked forward.

'So catch up quickly.'

Five thousand years ago, he had stood behind his comrades, supporting them.

Now, it was different.

Just as Lysinas once had—

Now it was his turn to lead.

Valhar murmured softly.

"Don't dwell on the past. It doesn't suit you."

bl

"Oho… As expected of me. To have conceived such spells."

Rune was visibly impressed as she reviewed the magic Leo had shown her.

Countless sheets of paper filled the desk, each inscribed with elaborate formulas. Rune scanned through them at an astonishing pace.

Watching her, Leo spoke casually:

"You."

"Hm?"

"You haven't improved at all, have you?"

Rune's face instantly flushed red.

"Wh-What?! What did you say?!"

"No, seriously—it's shocking. That the great Luna Luminance hasn't made a shred of progress."

Leo gave her a pitiful look.

"Even Lunia and Eiran here are growing slower than my version of them."

"Hmph! If you're such a great mentor, why don't you teach them yourself? Like you're doing with Chelsea and Eliana."

Rune scoffed. Leo replied at once:

"No, I can't."

"What?"

"That's not my role. It's yours."

"…."

At those words, Rune slowly set down the spell sheets.

"Kyle."

"What?"

"You… are you going back to your origi—"

BANG—!

"Leo! Urgent news! Big news!"

The door burst open as Carl rushed in.

The room they were in—Leo and Rune—was a private suite at the inn Carl operated.

Leo, being an outsider, couldn't stay long within Lumene, so he had left the city the morning after reuniting with Rune. Rune had followed him of her own will.

"What happened?"

Rune asked coolly, raising a brow at Carl's sudden entrance.

Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Carl muttered, "Uhh… did I interrupt a nice little moment?"

"With this playboy? Please."

Rune snorted.

"How am I a playboy?"

"Any guy who flirts with every woman he sees is the enemy of all women."

Leo clicked his tongue at her sharp jab.

"So. What's the urgent news?"

"Right! There's a crisis in the western continent—in the Kingdom of Delad!"

"…Delad?"

Leo's expression hardened.

"Yeah. A black flame pillar was spotted in the territory of the Marquess Plov in Delad!"

Rune's expression froze.

A black pillar of flame.

There was no mistaking what that meant.

Leo rose to his feet.

"The Plov territory… That's where one of Erebos's fragments was sealed."

In this timeline, Leo himself had never been born.

"The worldline split when others reincarnated instead. The events changed accordingly."

The Monster Queen and Giant King were never vanquished.

The overwhelming presence of reincarnated Great Heroes had made them more cautious in their movements.

Velkia hadn't been defiled by the Death King.

With Leo alone, it might've been possible. But with the Great Heroes known to exist in this worldline, the Lich King likely wouldn't dare raise Velkia as an undead.

"Summoning someone like Velkia as a corpse would come at a cost even for the Lich King."

A pointless act that gained nothing but wasted strength—he wouldn't make that mistake.

"And Erebos's fragments never revived either."

But this was different—something beyond the mere absence of Leo in this world.

Back when Leo defeated Erebos, five thousand years ago…

A piece of Erebos had revived three thousand years later.

Then in Leo's own time, two more fragments had risen.

"…So it's waking up again."

Leo clicked his tongue.

"We're going, Rune."

"I'll pack right—"

"No. We leave now."

"Huh?"

Rune blinked, startled.

"That black flame pillar in Plov isn't just a fragment of Erebos's power."

"Then what is it?"

"It's the resurrection of the second fragment."

"What?!"

Rune and Carl's faces were overtaken by shock.