Editor : Amethyst00



Fwoosh—!

Leo moved at a speed beyond what the eye could follow.

Each time he kicked off the ground, his speed increased.

Normally, any opponent would be overwhelmed by such sheer velocity.

'But the one I'm facing right now…'

Boom—!

Leo slammed down harder.

'…isn't someone I can throw off just by speed.'

No matter how fast he moved, it was impossible to disrupt Kar's ultra-senses.

Even if Leo had refined his own senses to the extreme, they couldn't surpass Kar's.

And yet Leo pushed his speed to the limit for one simple reason—

'Power.'

He was maximizing force through pure acceleration.

Every ounce of built-up strength in his body was channeled into his blade.

Tuk—!

Leo shot forth like a bullet, aimed straight at Kar.

'When fighting Kar, technique, skill… tricks—they're all pointless.'

They wouldn't work anyway.

The only path was to overwhelm with raw, unfiltered strength.

And Kar, standing there calmly, eyes closed, unmoved even with Leo's overwhelming approach—

As if standing in the eye of a violent typhoon, untouched by the chaos around.

As Leo finally closed the distance—

Kar's eyes quietly opened.

'Of course,'

Leo bared his teeth, drawing every last ounce of strength from his body as he swung his sword.

'That raw strength won't work on him either.'

Kar raised his blade in response.

KRAAAANG—!!

Gray aura clashed with golden aura.

From afar, Valhar let out a soft exclamation.

The air shimmered around them, space itself distorted from the sheer force of their collision.

"Unbelievable…"

Celia, standing nearby, looked on in disbelief.

"With such immense power colliding… how is there no damage to the surroundings?"

She wasn't alone. Chen Xia, Duran, Eliana, Nella—the top third-year students of the Knight Department—all watched Leo and Kar's sparring session.

This was Leah's idea—a chance to expand their horizons.

And…

'She said they're students who won't break even before overwhelming skill'

Valhar silently observed the Lumene knight candidates. He could feel their complete focus on the duel, none of them losing composure or retreating mentally.

'They're not intimidated. Good.'

"They're controlling their power," Valhar said as he watched Leo and Kar.

"Huh?"

"They're pouring their will into their aura—concentrating it into a single point. Using it with zero waste."

"Is that even possible…?" Chen Xia asked, perplexed.

"If it weren't, they couldn't fight like that."

Valhar turned his gaze to Kar.

"What you're seeing now… is a man who stands at the pinnacle of martial arts."

The pinnacle.

A title far too arrogant for someone not even an adult yet. A title that even many heroes couldn't rightfully claim.

But everyone here, as future heroes and scions of noble houses, had seen their share of true masters. None could bring themselves to deny Valhar's words.

"If Azonia's student council president is the pinnacle… then what is that man?"

Duran's voice was heavy as his gaze fixed on Leo.

Valhar chuckled.

"A man who never stops moving forward. No matter what."

Vrrrrrnnn—!

Leo frowned as his sword trembled.

'The blade won't hold.'

He poured even more aura into it—

BOOM!

Both Leo and Kar's swords exploded simultaneously.

With both of them briefly unarmed, Leo drew a dagger and struck.

But Kar's clawed hand reached Leo's face first.

Just a split-second faster.

But that single moment made all the difference.

Due to his beastman nature, Kar's whole body was a weapon—but even if he had been human, Leo still would've lost.

"As expected… still not enough."

"No, you really surprised me. I didn't expect you to reach this level."

Kar praised him earnestly.

"If you added magic or summoning, you'd be terrifying."

Pure aura alone wasn't enough to defeat Kar—yet.

Leo and Kar walked back toward Valhar as they talked.

"You've improved your flame manipulation a lot too. You haven't been slacking."

Valhar spoke with mild approval.

Before sparring with Kar, Leo had shown Valhar how he wielded the flames of Dweno.

It wasn't just an imitation of Dweno—it was Leo's own interpretation.

His way of handling fire even inspired Valhar in unexpected ways.

And not just Valhar.

As Leo received feedback on the powers he inherited, he refined his direction.

Kar and Valhar, in turn, were influenced by Leo's new interpretations.

As the great heroes conversed, the knight cadets silently replayed the duel in their minds, each lost in their own thoughts.

"……"

Celia stared at Leo.

Eliana approached.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing. Just…"

"Just?"

"…He felt familiar."

Celia muttered as she recalled the flame aura Leo had wielded.

Eliana's eyes widened.

"Wait. Did you fall for him?"

"No, I didn't!"

"Huh. I mean, I had a bit of interest in Leo too, but you? You've never cared about boys at all. This is juicy!"

"I said it's not like that!"

"Leo! Celia says she's fallen for you—"

"No I didn't!!"

"Pffft—! Ahh, I surrender! I surrender!"

"You already said something crazy, surrender won't fix it!!"

Celia, red in the face, choked Eliana in embarrassment.

Watching them, Valhar grinned slyly.

"Must be nice, being so popular."

"Popular, my ass."

Kar's eyes sparkled mischievously.

A rare sight—he was clearly enjoying the chance to tease Leo.

"We're physically in our teens again now, so it's fair game, right?"

Seeing Kar's slightly pervy grin, Leo turned to Valhar.

"See? This is why I can't get used to this guy."

"And whose fault is that, hmm?"

"What? Mine?!"

"You're the one who corrupted that innocent soul."

"Don't pin that on me. It's that damned Luna's fault."

"Hm… maybe. Either way, Leah's disappointed. She said Kar's gone weird."

"Tch."

From a distance, Chen Xia watched the three and said, "I know it might sound strange but…"

"Huh?"

Celia looked puzzled, having just finished punishing Eliana.

"They're really not that different from us, are they?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm… how should I put it…"

Chen Xia tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"…They seem… human, I guess?"

"Well of course they're human. What else would they be?" Duran said dryly.

Chen Xia shrugged.

"Leah too… Sometimes she feels too perfect to be real. Those three are the same—each one is flawless in their domain. I used to think of them more like legendary figures."

"Legendary?"

"Yeah. Like the Great Heroes."

"……"

That made sense.

Valhar, the Divine Blacksmith.

Kar, the Brave.

Rune, the Poet of the Star.

Their rebirths weren't unworthy of those titles.

"But seeing them like this… I'm reminded they're people just like us. I'm sure the Great Heroes were the same."

Chen Xia smiled gently.

bl

That evening.

After classes ended, the students of Lumene enjoyed a sweet and peaceful after-school hour.

In the Hero's Tower student council room, Leah sat alone, observing the students below.

At her desk lay mountains of documents—all concerning Lumene's students.

'To help them grow more, I'll need to re-evaluate everything from the ground up.'

Admitting her own misjudgments, Leah had begun thoroughly reexamining the direction of each candidate's growth.

The workload was staggering—nearly impossible for one person.

But Leah's insight and knowledge were making the impossible possible.

Just as she was about to pick up the next file—

Creak—

The door opened.

Spotting Leo with mugs in both hands, Leah frowned.

"What? Haven't seen you for a week and now you show up?"

"Shouldn't you be happy to see me?"

Leo shrugged and walked over, placing a mug next to her.

Then, sitting on the edge of her desk, he picked up one of the files she was reading.

"Is that about Celia?"

Leo flipped through the documents with a rustle, clicking his tongue in disbelief.

"She's seriously impressive."

"What part?"

"Her growth direction—it matches exactly what I envisioned for my Celia."

"Your side, huh…"

Leah gave a bitter smile.

"You… plan to go back, don't you?"

Leo didn't answer. He simply took a sip of his coffee.

"Well, that's only right. The worlds have split."

"Even if I go back, it doesn't change the fact that I was Kyle, and you were Lysinas, Luna, Aaron, and Dweno."

Leo said it calmly.

"We just have different paths to walk now."

"You're right."

Leah smiled faintly.

"If you do go back, you'd better defeat that world's Erebos. We'll take care of ours."

Leaning deep into her chair, Leah flashed a light grin.

"Want to make a bet? On who defeats Erebos first?"

"It's four to one. I feel like I'm at an overwhelming disadvantage."

"Oh? So you're saying you're not confident?"

Leah propped her chin on her hand and giggled.

"Lysinas."

"It's Leah now."

"That name still feels off. Of all people, why did it have to be the same as that first-year in Seiren?"

"You mean Leah Tingel? Rune keeps teasing me about that too."

"Let me guess—completely childish jokes?"

"Exactly."

Leah grumbled lightly, then looked up at Leo.

Leo, seated on her desk, gazing out at the evening sky, noticed her gaze.

"What?"

"Leo… at the very end… what did you feel?"

"Why ask that all of a sudden?"

"I was just curious. You know how our end went, but none of us know yours."

"…"

It was something he still couldn't forget.

No—so vivid that it even haunted his dreams.

Each moment of his comrades dying was burned into his mind.

'The sorrow… the helplessness… and the faith they gave me.'

That memory would stay with him until the day his second life ended.

"I guess… a kind of relief? That I kept my promise to you all."

He had achieved something near impossible.

Even as the Hero of Beginnings, even with the inherited powers of the Great Heroes, the final battle against Erebos had been hopeless.

But Kyle had won.

Leah felt immensely proud of that Leo.

Not just her—all the Great Heroes felt the same.

To Kyle, who fulfilled their trust, they were deeply grateful.

"Honestly though…"

"Yeah?"

"…I despaired."

"Huh?"

Leah blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected answer.

Leo looked at her with a wry expression.

He hadn't really wanted to talk about it.

But in front of Leah, he felt he should be honest.

"Because in the end, I couldn't finish it. I left behind something that might haunt the next generation."

"But—"

"Yeah. At the time, even that was a miracle. And maybe it was enough to entrust it to the future—just as you all entrusted me."

"…"

"But… I couldn't convince myself. That's why I despaired. Even at the moment of death."

"…"

"…I'm lucky I got a second chance. This time, I'll finish it for good."

"You're still tormented by the burden we left you with…"

Leah bit her lip.

Seeing that, Leo waved his hand.

"Not anymore."

"Huh?"

Leah looked puzzled.

"At first, yeah. It was all because of you guys."

Leo chuckled softly.

"But not anymore."

He looked up silently at the night sky.

"You've found a reason to keep moving forward."

"Yeah."

"I hope you get to fulfill it."

"I will. It's nothing grand, really."

Leo's gaze remained fixed outside the window.

Leah, watching him, cleared her throat.

"Ahem. So? What are you doing tonight?"

"Reviewing the multiverse theory."

"I'll help."

"You?"

"Yep." Leah grinned up at him, chin still resting on her hand.

"Why don't you come to my room in a bit?"

"That smile's dangerous, you know."

"Hehe."

"You serious?"

"You thought Rune was the only forward one?"

"…Still, this is…"

SLAM—!

Before Leo could finish, the student council room door burst open.

And in walked none other than Rune.

Just outside, Kar and Valhar peeked in with entertained faces.

Rune stormed up to Leo with a stone-cold expression, then squinted at Leah.

"You two are acting like total horny dragons, you know?!"

"Sigh. Why now, of all times?"

Leah didn't hide her irritation.

Trying not to get caught up in the mess, Leo slowly began inching away.

"Leo."

Kar approached him.

"How many kids are you planning to have?"

"WHAT?!"

Rune screamed, face turning red.

Kar tilted his head innocently.

"Why? I just thought kids who look like you and Leah would be cute."

"Fufu. Kar knows what he's talking about."

"WHAT DOES HE KNOW?!"

Rune exploded.

"You—! You damn beast! So you were just pretending to be innocent all this time?!"

Grabbing Kar by the collar, Rune began violently shaking him.

As the student council room descended into chaos, Leo slipped outside and said seriously, "Old man… don't ever call me clueless or oblivious again."

"Those titles suited you perfectly, but… I can't, not after seeing that one."

Valhar shook his head.

"Grr… I treated you like a little brother, and you stab me in the back like this?! Fine! If you're siding with Leo and Leah, we're enemies now!"

"Hm? I'm not just on their side."

Kar blinked innocently.

"You could have Leo's babies too, Rune. They'd be just as cute."

"…What?"

"You know I love kids, right? I'd love it if both of you gave birth to lots of Leo's kids!"

Kar smiled brightly with that pure face of his. Leah and Rune's jaws dropped open wordlessly.

Leo murmured in a daze.

"He says stuff like that with a straight face… He really is the Brave."

"At that point, it feels like something beyond bravery," Valhar snorted.

Leah pressed her fingers against her temples and asked Kar,

"So… you're saying the three of us should all live together?"

"Yup! Why not? That's how it was 5000 years ago, wasn't it? If hearts aligned, people lived like that."

"That's true, but that was 5000 years ago. Back then, people were desperate and didn't want regrets…"

But that didn't match modern standards.

"But we are from 5000 years ago."

Kar said it casually. Leah furrowed her brow.

"Well, yes, but… ugh. My head hurts."

She gave up trying to reason through it.

Rune, too, seemed to lose her rage thanks to Kar's absurd comments.

At that moment—

Crackle—

Behind Leo, the sound of something freezing echoed.

Everyone turned their gaze toward it.

There, a mirror of ice had formed out of nowhere.

And from that mirror—

Fwoosh—!

A hand suddenly emerged.

Grab—

It seized Leo's hand. But only for a moment.

The hand faded, and the mirror disappeared along with it.

Leo turned around.

Rune and Kar were holding onto his arm and leg, eyes full of worry.

Seeing them, Leo looked to Leah. Her gaze was trembling too.

Lastly, Leo turned to Valhar.

Valhar exhaled quietly and murmured:

"Looks like… our time is running short."