Editor : Amethyst00



FOOOOOOSH—!

CRAAAAACKLE—!

Erebos unleashed a slash of black flame.

"Hrgh!"

With a sharp cry, Valhar split his twin-bladed battle axe in half.

CLANG!

Now wielding a single-bladed axe in each hand, Valhar began spinning them— A whirlwind surged outward, tearing across the field.

KRAAAAAASH—!

With eyes flashing, Valhar charged straight through the black flames, shattering the slash.

"KAR!"

He opened a path through the inferno. Kar followed close behind.

VMMMM—!

Golden aura pulsed around his blade as Kar leapt into the air.

"HAAAAAAA—!!"

With a thunderous roar, Kar dove toward Erebos like a blazing comet.

His hypersense flooded him with data—

Sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste.

Every sense sharpened beyond human limit, mapping out Erebos's incoming attacks inside his mind. Then—he stepped beyond.

The Hypersense.

FLASH—!

Kar's eyes gleamed with prophetic light.

He began to predict—an almost precognitive foresight.

I see it.

Erebos's intentions.

His next strike.

Kar moved to dodge and counterattack—

—but suddenly, his instincts screamed.

FWASH—!

THOOM—!

Kar launched himself back—

—and a guillotine-like arc of black flame slammed down where he had just been.

"…Impressive."

Erebos's cold eyes turned to him.

"Hypersense, is it?"

For a brief moment, Erebos's perception outpaced Kar's.

Kar had felt this before—

In his duels with Leo.

When two hypersensed beings clashed—

Their battle extended into a realm beyond sight and sound.

A war of foresight.

As Kar muttered in grim realization, Erebos replied evenly.

"I merely adapted one of my Authorities to fight like a surviving hero."

Raising his hand palm-up—

KUGUGUGUGUGUNG—!

The ground burst apart as black flames surged skyward—

CRACKLE—! ROOOOOAR—!

A tidal wave of fire came crashing down toward the Great Heroes.

Rune acted instantly.

KAGAGAGAGANG—!

A towering wall of ice, radiating a terrifying chill, erupted before them.

But then—

ROOOOO—!

The wide wave of black fire twisted and condensed—

Forming a spiraling spear—

—and pierced through the wall's weakest point.

SHRIIIIIIP—!

Rune slammed her staff into the ground—

KIKIKIKIKIKIIIIIN—!

A vast magic circle formed, unleashing hundreds of glowing chains of mana.

She tried to bind the spiraling inferno—

But then—

FWOOSH—!

The fire split apart, fragmenting into dozens of blazing streaks.

KRAKAKAKAKRAK—!

She couldn't catch them all—

Her face twisted in frustration.

"You son of a—!"

One streak shot directly at her.

FLASH—! FWOOOOOM—!

Leo appeared, slicing through the black fire with his blade.

"Nice one, Leo! I'll give you a kiss later!"

Leo snorted. Magic flared from his body.

VMMM—!

His sword glowed with concentrated mana.

"Innocent."

As he whispered the name, his blade turned pure white.

CLANG—!

He stabbed one of the black flame tendrils—

The white light sank into the flame like water into a sponge.

Moments later—

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM—!

Explosions erupted inside the black fire.

Like a chain reaction, they raced toward Erebos.

As he prepared to extinguish them—

"Not so fast!"

THOOM—!

Rune slammed her staff down again.

CRACK—!

Gravity crashed down on Erebos like a mountain.

His knees buckled under the sudden pressure.

BOOM—! KRAK-K-K-KRASH—!

The white energy exploded inside Erebos, engulfing him.

His body ballooned grotesquely from within.

DRIP—DRIP—

Blood poured from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes.

"Ugh! Kyle's face makes that so much worse," Rune muttered in disgust.

But Leo ignored it, eyes lifting to the sky.

"LEAH!"

High above, Leah opened her eyes.

Mana gathered in her raised hand—

A radiant arrow of light formed.

As she drew it back like a bowstring—

A bow of light appeared.

Magic of holy judgment, meant to purge evil—

Leah unleashed her unique magic.

"Judgment."

FWWWWMMMM—! FLASH! KRAKAKAKAKANG!

The arrow slammed into Erebos—

A deafening explosion followed, mushroom cloud rising.

Kar and Valhar braced themselves.

Leo pulled Rune close, shielding her with his body.

When the shockwave faded—

Rune opened her eyes in his arms.

"Extinction!"

—!

No sound. Just a blinding light that devoured vision.

Leo lowered his arm from his eyes.

Then frowned at the scene before him.

Leah's Judgment had been devastating—

But Rune's Extinction was in a league of its own.

'She must have narrowed the blast radius to minimize collateral damage…'

Even the elementals had scattered in fear.

Step. Step.

From within the ruined earth—

Erebos, still wearing Kyle's face, walked out calmly.

Rune stared, horrified.

"His ridiculous durability hasn't changed."

"It's not just that," Leah said as she landed.

Rune blinked up at her from Leo's arms.

"…Then what?"

"He responded to our attacks."

This was no longer the brute-force Erebos from 5000 years ago.

Back then, he crushed them with sheer power.

Now he read each hero's style, predicted them—countered them.

'If we were still who we were 5000 years ago… we'd be dead.'

Leah narrowed her eyes.

'So using Kyle's form wasn't for fun. It was part of his strategy.'

"…As expected of the Great Heroes."

Erebos stood before them, eyes sharp.

"You continue to evolve—even in the middle of battle."

Leah clicked her tongue at his wary expression.

"Five thousand years ago, my victory was assured… and yet I lost."

He looked down at his hands.

"In that final clash, I never underestimated you."

He looked up again, sweeping his gaze over each hero.

"But I did overlook something— The potential of the lower realm's people."

"…Potential?"

"Yes. Since the beginning of the world, I've wondered: Why do the lower races exist? Why do such worthless creatures live meaningless lives?"

"To me, they were no more than flies. Disgusting pests to be exterminated."

His eyes fell on Leo.

"Even as I neared defeat at your hands 5000 years ago, I believed that."

"…Did getting chopped into six pieces change your mind?"

"Yes."

"Wow. For someone who devoured all evil gods, you're awfully petty. Still hate us that much?"

"I do. But I'm also… grateful."

"…What?"

"I hate you. But I admire you, too. Hero who survived… no—Hero of the Beginning."

Leo's eyes twitched.

Erebos's gray gaze locked onto the five of them.

"You are the embodiment of the lower realm's potential."

"When I lost to you… I finally understood why I hated your kind so irrationally. It was self-hatred."

"What kind of cracked-up nonsense…? Did losing your body parts fry your brain?"

Rune twirled a finger beside her temple.

"…We are, in essence, the same."

"…Why would you think that?" Leah asked tensely.

"You live short, fleeting lives. Even your allotted time is pitifully brief— Yet you struggle and fight to the very end."

"……"

"In truth, you're all racing headlong into ruin. Just like me."

"I, who exist only to burn the world to ash— Even I face an inevitable end. Even I am finite."

The Flame of Calamity. Born only to destroy. Destined only for ruin.

"That's why… as I came to understand you, I hated you— And loved you."

He spread his arms wide.

"And now, I revere you. I revere your boundless potential!"

"That's why I took this form. You are my new beginning! Thank you, Great Heroes! Because of you, I have seen possibility!"

"…And what does a creature of ruin do with that possibility?" Leah's voice was cold.

No matter how he changed, his nature hadn't. He was still a monster that wouldn't rest until everything burned.

"I have a dream now."

Erebos smiled in ecstasy.

"I will burn every world in the multiverse. That is the possibility I found. That is my dream!"

"…That's the most disgusting dream I've ever heard."

Rune spat with a sneer.

And then—

Leo's eyes twitched again.

"…You. You consumed Nyx, didn't you?"

Erebos smiled.

FOOOOOOOOOOSH—!

Flames erupted from his body, soaring into the heavens.

The sky darkened—blood red and black.

The Great Heroes froze. They had seen this before.

It was just like the Age of Calamity.

From the sky, the Tartaros Legion began to descend.

"I return once more."

Erebos vanished with a grin.

Leo cursed.

"Dammit! Everyone, MOVE!"

The Great Heroes bolted.

"Why?! What's going on?!" Rune shouted behind him.

Leah, chasing them, suddenly went pale.

"…No way."

"Yeah. That bastard…"

Leo's eyes blazed with fury.

"He's going to my worldline!"