Editor : Amethyst00



From the perspective of those who lived upon the earth, the Flame of Calamity—Erebos—was a being utterly incomprehensible.

It wasn't because he was the Genesis of Evil. Nor because he was a godlike existence.

It was because of his very purpose for existing.

Mortals, born into finite lifespans, live in order to survive.

Because their end is inevitable, their lives are fierce, desperate, and vibrant.

But Erebos was different. He possessed infinite time. And he lived only to end that time.

He lived to bring about the end of the world—his most ancient and sorrowful wish.

Leah bit her lip.

'To Erebos, the instinct for destruction was the same as our instinct for survival.'

Survival instinct— The most fundamental, primal drive of all living things.

'But it is instinct is not desire.'

Living creatures possess desires. They vary in size, shape, and nature.

Even the Great Heroes, reborn with transcendent power, each held their own desires.

'Our very reason for moving forward is a kind of desire, too.'

The Wise Queen's eyes shimmered with unease. A fear born from facing the unknown.

For Erebos—the Primordial Flame of Calamity—had no desire.

Of course he didn't.

His only wish was the end of all things.

Just as a creature's obsession with staying alive cannot be called a "desire," Erebos's longing for annihilation wasn't a "desire" either.

And a being who sought only the end of the world— could not possibly harbor desire of any kind.

…Or so they had thought.

But just moments ago—

Erebos had shown desire.

A burning desire to incinerate not only this world, but all infinite parallel worlds. A desire so fierce, it had taken the form of a dream.

And Leah knew well what it meant to have a dream.

The very strength that had allowed them to overcome the impossible and save the world—

It had all stemmed from their dreams.

'And now… that monster has one too?'

A chill ran down her spine.

Erebos had crossed the limit.

'We have to stop him!'

"Aaron!"

She was so panicked, she even forgot to call him Kar.

In response to Leah's cry, Kar's eyes flared with golden light, and he kicked off the ground.

THOOM—!

A flash of lightning—Kar closed the distance to Erebos in an instant.

With blazing eyes, he drove his sword into Erebos's back.

SLASH—!

For a brief second, Erebos was pinned to the earth.

FWOOOOOSH—!

"Gah?!"

But wings of black flame erupted from Erebos's back and hurled Kar away.

Rune shouted at the sight.

"Looks like Spirit Armor summoning—but who the hell summons like that?!"

"I do!"

Leo answered, summoning Fiora with a shout.

ZAP—!

White lightning engulfed Leo's entire body.

The ancient contract with the King of Pegasus awakened— Leo invoked its power to achieve blinding speed.

FWOOM—!

In the blink of an eye, he caught up to Erebos and reached out.

GRAB—!

Leo snatched Kar's hand midair and yelled—

"Kar! Keep accelerating!"

"But Kyle, your body—!"

"Doesn't matter—GO!"

Leo braced himself— letting Kar use him as a launching base to add even greater speed to his charge.

Of course, this meant taking the full brunt of Kar's aura backlash—

But Leo didn't care.

They'd always crossed the line by breaking themselves.

What was one more time?

Kar clenched his teeth, focusing aura into his toes.

Leo tightened every muscle in his body, bracing for the recoil.

BOOM—!

The backlash flung Leo backward, while Kar shot forward like a meteor.

"HAAAAAAAA!!"

VMMM—!

Rune's magic wrapped around Kar's sword. Leah's divine magic and elemental blessing enveloped his body.

CRACK—! SNAP—!

The sheer force tore Kar's body apart. Agonizing pain wracked him.

His vision turned red.

ROOOOOAR—!

Kar's divine aura—blessed by Leah—surged into the weapon forged by Valhar.

CRACKLE—!

Receiving Rune's magic and Kar's strengthened aura, the sword couldn't take the strain—it began to fracture.

Even a divine weapon forged by a god could barely withstand the might of all the Great Heroes combined.

If it hadn't been forged by Valhar himself, it would've shattered instantly.

"…Sorry."

Kar bit his lip and apologized.

VMMM— VMMM—

But the sword resonated in response— telling him not to apologize.

This was its duty. The will of its Creator.

"I'm going, Drang…!"

The name Valhar had given it himself.

Drang—the blade recognized by the Divine Blacksmith—released its final, ultimate slash.

In Kar's eyes, he could see the mirror Leo had come through.

WHIIIIIIIIIR—!

In that moment, a pure white light imbued Drang's blade.

Leo's unique magic—Innocent.

'With Kyle's power added in, it won't last much longer…'

Before the sword's life ended—!

FLASH—!

A white slash tore through the very air.

SHRAAAAK—!

Erebos's body was shredded apart.

A single blow, fueled by everything they had.

But even that wasn't enough to stop him.

"Leah!!"

Leo, supported by Valhar, shouted urgently.

His body had taken Kar's full aura backlash. He was a wreck.

Coughing blood, he forced out the words—

"Shoot!!"

In that instant, Leah fired Judgment at the mirror.

As the light arrow struck the ice mirror—

ROOOOOOOAR—!

THWACK—!

"We'll meet again."

Erebos smirked as he took the hit in front of the ice mirror.

KRRRRAAAACK—!

The mirror fractured.

"Wait for the end, Great Heroes."

Erebos was drawn into the mirror.

CLINK—!

The moment he vanished, the mirror shattered and burst into flame.

Erebos had burned the entrance behind him.

THOOM—!

"Goddammit!"

Leah slammed the ground and swore.

"We've been played perfectly."

Valhar muttered bitterly.

They had never imagined Erebos would cross into another world.

"What happens now…?"

Rune asked anxiously.

Holding her head, Leah answered in a trembling voice.

"Leo… in your worldline… is there anyone who can stop Erebos?"

"I did summon Lysinas as a heroic spirit."

Leo paused. Then, gravely:

"But she won't be enough alone."

Leah exhaled deeply.

"Erebos won't stop at just burning the other side and coming back."

"Then what?" Kar asked, eyes filled with fear.

Leo answered.

"He'll try to devour the fragments that exist in that world."

Kar inhaled sharply.

"Then…"

"Yeah. If he succeeds, he'll gain power beyond his complete form."

The mood turned grim.

Valhar stepped toward where Erebos had vanished, searching the area.

Rune looked to the sky.

Above, the Tartaros Legion spread out endlessly.

Leah crossed her arms.

"Rune."

"You don't have to say it."

THUD—!

Rune slammed her staff to the ground.

ZIIIIING—!

A massive magic circle appeared.

A warp gate—constructed on the spot.

"I've linked it to the warp gates at each Hero Academy."

Leah nodded.

It was a desperate situation.

The time flow between this world and the other was starting to align.

'But at least time still flows slower over there.'

As proof, Leo's clock—which synced with the other world—was still moving slightly behind.

'It's hopeless… but when has it ever not been?'

Resolve burned in Leah's eyes.

'No matter what, we'll stop Erebos.' Even if it meant crossing over.

Leo clenched his fists at her side.

'It's not over yet.'

There was still hope.

The path Erebos had used to cross worlds was destroyed— But Chloe had once crossed world boundaries with magic.

'The problem is time…'

He just needed time to return.

"Leo, come here."

"Why? Did you find something?"

"Look at this."

Valhar held up a shard of ice from the shattered mirror.

"A small fragment that survived the flames."

Leo touched it.

Slide—

His fingertip slipped in slightly.

But then stopped.

"…Its too narrow."

"So passing through with this is impossible after all?"

'Is there no way to use this…? Wait…'

As Leo considered—

Something pulsed in his chest pocket.

He reached in and pulled it out.

"Hero Record…"

His own Hero Record fragment.

The one he'd had when he crossed over to this world.

That had served as the entrance.

And in return, he'd received this.

'…Could I use this to create a new entrance?'

Leo's eyes widened.

Then he clenched the fragment and muttered—

"It's worth a try."

bl

From afar, Nyx watched Styx's advance—and smiled faintly.

"So in the end, his soul chose to remain in that world."

Now it begins.

The beginning of her wish to freeze this world, to turn it into an eternally still realm.

RUMMMMMBLE—

Suddenly, the ground began to quake.

'What is this?'

It wasn't a natural phenomenon.

Nyx's expression twisted. And then began to harden.

"No… it can't be."

Her face turned pale.

bl

Meanwhile—

On the fortress wall, commanding the spirits, Lysinas suddenly froze.

"Lysinas?"

Chen Xia, assisting her, looked up in confusion at Lysinas's unmoving form.

Lysinas bit her lip.

"…He's coming."

"Huh? Who is—"

KRAKAKAKAKANG—!!

A massive black pillar of flame erupted skyward.

Everyone's faces went stiff.

The sky turned a deep, blood-tinged black.

"That's… no way…"

Chen Xia's face turned ghostly pale.

"Erebos…"

Just as Lysinas's expression hardened—

Tap—

Someone landed behind her.

"It's been a while, foolish one… or perhaps not. I did just see you, after all."

"…"

Hearing the voice behind her, Lysinas's face froze.

She turned—and there stood Erebos, in the form of Kyle.

"You dare… wear his face…"

Murderous intent surged in Lysinas's eyes.

Erebos merely smiled.

"Unfortunately, I have no time to waste on mere spirits."

His gaze drifted beyond the fortress wall—toward something far away.

"Right now, I must reclaim my fragments."

"You think we'll just let you go?"

The moment Lysinas raised her mana—

SHING—!!

Erebos's blade swept toward her.

Lysinas's instincts kicked in—she shoved Chen Xia aside and parried.

KRAAAAAANG—!!

The fortress wall crumbled beneath the impact, and Lysinas crashed to the ground.

"Stay down, fool."

Erebos sneered.

"Watch from there as this world falls into ruin."

Leaving those words behind, Erebos departed from the wall.

'That's not the Erebos of this world…'

Lysinas forced her battered body to rise.

"Lady Lysinas!"

Chen Xia ran over, supporting her.

"You can't push yourself like this! You could vanish!"

"I'm already pushing myself. Now's the time to do so! We have to stop him!"

The insight of the Wise Queen made the situation clear—

They were in grave danger.

If they didn't stop Erebos now, things would spiral out of control.

'What do I do? What can I do?!'

As Lysinas gritted her teeth, deep in thought—

Flap—

Something drifted down from the sky.

"Huh?"

Chen Xia let out a surprised gasp and reached out.

"Hero Record?"

Whisper—

It landed in her palm.

"What is that?"

Lysinas, confused, reached for the Hero Record—

And froze.

"Lysinas?"

Chen Xia called her name, puzzled by Lysinas's stillness as she stared ahead.

"So that's how it is… clever."

Lysinas smiled and stood up by her own strength.

"Step back, Chen Xia."

"Yes."

As Chen Xia stepped away, Lysinas turned to the message floating before her.

[Would you like to open Kyle's World?]

"Open it."

[Hero Record: OPEN — Kyle's World — Chapter: Final Act – Hero of the Beginning]

The Hero Record unfolded before her eyes.

Not the unstable dungeon of rampage— But a controlled world: Kyle's World.

Lysinas reached toward it.

She, too, was a master of the Hero Record.

That gave her the same authority as Leo.

And right now, Lysinas was Leo's spirit. Leo's physical body existed in this world.

That meant…

Divine Power.

She could use divine power through proxy authority.

GRAB—!

She caught hold of something—someone—within Kyle's world.

Lysinas pulled with all her might.

FWOOM—!!

A radiant light burst forth.

And emerging from it—

Was Kyle, his body covered in gruesome wounds that could have easily killed him.

As Lysinas caught his dying form, her grip unconsciously tightened.

Her fingertips trembled.

'…The Final Act. So this is Kyle just after the battle with Erebos…'

"Kyle."

At her voice, the nearly lifeless Kyle opened his eyes.

Wavering, he barely managed to lift his body and looked blankly at her.

"…Did I die? Is this the afterlife?"

"No. You are dead, yes… but this isn't the afterlife."

Lysinas shook her head and cast healing magic. Kyle's broken body began to recover.

"Kyle, I'll explain everyth— …Mmph?!"

Before she could finish, Kyle pulled her into a hug.

He said nothing.

He simply clung to her, trembling.

Lysinas gently patted his back, saying nothing.

"You did well… you really did. Thank you… for fulfilling our wish."

She praised him as one would a child, softly and kindly.

Eventually, once Kyle calmed down, Lysinas reached out again.

She placed her palm gently on his forehead, and a light shone forth.

"I see…"

Kyle nodded as Lysinas's magic transferred the situation to his mind.

Then he turned to the direction Erebos had gone.

"Lysinas! Are you alr—huh?!"

"Th-The Hero of the Beginning?!"

Heroes who had climbed down the fortress wall gasped.

Kyle glanced at them—

Then calmly turned to walk toward the path Erebos had taken.

Everyone held their breath, watching him.

And then he spoke.

"You don't have to worry anymore."

ROOOOOAR—

Gray mana surged from Kyle's body.

"Because I'm here now."