Editor : Amethyst00



Kraaaah—!

Dweno's axe blade split the black flames.

But the sundered flames wrapped around the Divine Blacksmith as if they were alive.

A calamity that burned the world.

An unquenchable flame of destruction began to consume the small body of the dwarf.

Thud—!

Yet Dweno did not flinch and pressed forward.

Engulfed in golden fire, he pushed through the black flames, again and again.

That figure resembled a shield.

As if to say he would protect his comrades from these flames.

Even as his body was burned by the most agonizing blaze imaginable, his expression did not falter.

'No weapon is perfect.'

No matter how flawless, no matter if forged by the hands of the Divine Blacksmith himself—before time, or before an uncontrollable force, it shatters all the same.

But even broken weapons can be reborn with new life.

Melt the shattered steel, reforge it, and bring forth a new blade.

In the process, it grows sturdier, sharper.

That is what it means to be a weapon.

'I broke long ago.'

He had declared himself the shield of his friends.

But in the end, consumed by Erebos's flames, he protected no one. He was destroyed.

'Never again! I will never let that happen again!'

His spirit was filled with an unyielding resolve—stronger than steel, fiercer than flame.

Even pain that could scorch his very soul would not bend him.

That was the will Dweno wished to pass on to the next generation.

To be a steadfast pillar for his comrades, to remain unchanged no matter what came—

An indomitable will that would never break.

"Haaaah!!"

Dweno's flame roared even fiercer and forged a giant of gold.

KRA-KA-KANG—!

The golden giant pushed away the black flames, and through that opening, a golden flash streaked through.

Within the aura-cloaked body of Aaron, the giant of black flame was reflected.

A being far greater in size than the Giant King and exuding a pressure beyond comparison—a true embodiment of evil.

Since childhood, Aaron's heightened senses had made him fear looking up at the sky.

That fear had made him a coward.

And the origin of that fear, of that power that had once broken him—was Erebos.

To Aaron, who could sense Erebos more vividly than anyone, he had always been a presence too dreadful to even face.

But now Aaron's gaze turned toward Erebos.

Not just his gaze—

Sight, touch, smell—

Even the bitter taste in his mouth, born of Erebos's flames, he focused on it all.

Summoning every heightened sense he possessed, Aaron charged forward.

Fwooosh—!

Erebos's massive arm came crashing down toward him.

KRA-KA-KA-KANG—!

The blow struck the ground, and black fire exploded in all directions like snares to bind him.

But Aaron's hypersense allowed him to anticipate Erebos's every move.

Fwish—!

Dodging the black flames, Aaron appeared atop the back of Erebos's hand and kicked off into the air.

From his toes, waves of golden aura rippled out.

He charged at Erebos with incredible speed, sword raised high.

A deadly glint surged in Aaron's eyes.

'I'll kill you.'

His fierce gaze blazed.

'For those I hold dear… I'll kill Erebos!'

Crack—!

Aaron's sword sliced through Erebos's neck.

For a moment, Erebos's head was severed from his body.

But then, the flames surged, reconnecting the severed flesh.

The black fire that had faltered flared once again, overwhelming both Dweno and Aaron.

At that moment—

"Extinction."

Luna's spell struck Erebos.

A trump card to overturn a hopeless battle.

Erebos's eyes twitched.

Luna's magic, which had been perilous even five thousand years ago…

Now had become even more dangerous.

Because the hatred she had harbored toward Erebos, wishing only for his destruction, had become embedded within it.

KRASH—!

Erebos's body was obliterated.

But like a flame rekindled from smoldering ash—

His massive form was regenerated once more.

Watching from afar, Lysinas—who had been leading the Great Heroes—clenched her fist.

'They've all begun to move forward.'

She could feel it now—time, once frozen, had begun to flow again.

Lysinas turned her gaze behind her.

Kyle was now stationed at the frontlines against Tartaros—

But in the battle against Erebos, he stood in the rearmost position.

There, he was preparing the one blow that would defeat Erebos.

Just like five thousand years ago.

The five of them had gathered again, combining their strength to bring down Erebos.

The difference was—

'It's just the four of us moving.'

Kyle's position should have been Luna's.

And in the frontlines, not just Lysinas, Dweno, and Aaron—Kyle should have been with them too.

But even with just the four of them moving, their coordination was perfect.

Ever since they realized Kyle had not reincarnated with them—

Even as they refused to accept it, the Great Heroes kept looking forward.

Though they denied a future without Kyle, their eyes had always turned toward that very future.

'Aside from Dweno… all of us had stood frozen.'

But their gaze had followed Dweno, looking ahead to a future without Kyle.

That's why the four of them had endlessly pondered—

How to fight when Kyle wasn't there.

And this was the result.

They had never practiced this formation—but drawing from their experience five thousand years ago,

They understood perfectly how to fight Erebos without Kyle.

It was possible only because the Great Heroes knew each other so well.

Kyle never inserted himself into this formation.

He knew that doing so clumsily would disrupt its balance.

So he quietly prepared the task that only he could do.

'Just as we imagined a future without Kyle… Kyle must have imagined a future without us.'

Though they fought the same enemy side by side, Lysinas—who led them—could feel it clearly.

How she and Kyle had now come to walk separate paths.

With a trembling voice, Lysinas completed her spell.

"Judgment."

A verdict, delivered to the one seeking to destroy the world.

A declaration denying the existence of Erebos as one worthy of standing in the world of light.

A bolt of radiant light flew toward Erebos.

Though not as powerful as Luna's Extinction, Judgment, in its purpose to purge the unholy, was just as threatening to Erebos.

KRAAAAAANG—!

The arrow of light pierced through him.

Erebos's upper body was blown away.

But once again, his power surged back.

"As expected, you are my greatest obstacle."

Erebos laughed aloud.

"But I know… I know what sustains you now."

His eyes flashed dangerously.

"I know what poses the greatest threat to me!"

CRRACKKKK—!

Erebos's body began to freeze and then melted into the ground like falling shards.

Luna's face twisted in horror.

"Wait! That's… an ice clone?!"

Of course, Erebos hadn't used any actual ice clone magic.

But the principle was similar.

Fwoooosh—!

Erebos appeared in front of Kyle— Wearing the form of the Hero of Beginning.

bl

"That's… the battle of the Great Heroes…!"

"Amazing…"

"Haa… haa… Lord Aaron! You're incredible! Haa!"

Drianna and Lunia could only watch in utter shock.

Aru let out a trembling breath, overcome with awe.

Before their eyes, legends were fighting.

A realm of battle they believed they could never reach, never understand.

At that moment—

"Why are you acting like it's a world separate from yours?"

"Huh?"

Another legend, still focused on the battlefield, spoke to the three of them.

"That's the world you must one day stand in."

Kyle spoke calmly to the three from the other world.

To that, Lunia gave a sheepish laugh.

"Come on, Lord Kyle. There's no way we could ever fight like them…"

"You can."

"……"

"No, you must."

Kyle's voice was firm.

"You've realized it by now, haven't you? That your student council presidents… are the Great Heroes."

"……"

"We too need successors."

Kyle looked at the three of them as he spoke.

"How long will you keep relying on us?"

A simple question—yet heavy beyond words.

As the three stood in silence, Kyle continued.

"Next… is your turn."

"Do you truly think we can?"

Drianna asked, troubled. Kyle gave a faint chuckle.

"That depends on you. But without doubt, you possess possibilities we never had."

Even if it was in another worldline—he had seen it clearly.

The three of them had reached realms he and the others had never stepped into.

Their power was still lacking compared to what he and the others held five thousand years ago…

But their potential was by no means small.

"Bearing the weight of the world… is no easy task. That's why I need you to help them."

"You speak as though you're heading somewhere else, Lord Kyle."

Aru tilted his head, his voice sharp.

A perceptive question.

Kyle closed his eyes for a moment before replying.

"It feels like… the time that had stopped for them has begun to move again."

Time, once frozen, had begun to flow once more.

And as it moved forward, the distance between them and himself would only grow.

The moment Kyle opened his eyes—

"You let your guard down, Hero of Beginning."

A figure identical to himself—Erebos—appeared before him.

"Welcome. I've been waiting."

"Whatever you were preparing, it's already too late!"

Crunch—!

Erebos's sword aimed to pierce Kyle's heart.

But Kyle caught the blade in his hand, diverting its path.

Erebos's eyes twitched.

It was as if Kyle had perfectly predicted his move.

"You're imitating me, aren't you?"

Shhhh—

Kyle's body shone with light.

Then, returning to his form as Leo Plov, he smirked.

"Imitation's kind of my specialty. And since you've copied me, don't you think it's pretty easy for me to predict what you'll do?"

Though he had avoided a fatal blow, he hadn't completely dodged the strike.

It wasn't instant death, but the wound was still critical.

"Hmph, and so what? As long as you die, the Great Heroes will collapse."

At Erebos's words, Leo scoffed.

"No. Even without me, they won't fall. Just like I didn't."

Leo spoke with unwavering faith.

"They won't give up."

Erebos sneered and tried to move his sword—

But it wouldn't budge.

"I'm just the bait."

Leo said plainly.

"I'm not the one who will defeat you."

"Do you really believe you can defeat me in that state… using Innocent or some pure aura?"

"I told you, I'm not the one who's going to kill you."

Leo chuckled softly.

And then, he looked toward the incoming Great Heroes, sprinting toward their direction.

"They are."

"What?"

At that moment—

Leo's eyes turned pure white.

Waves of pure mana and spiritual power surged forth.

Erebos's eyes twitched.

"Bible?"

He knew that spell.

One of the two signature spells of the Hero of Beginning.

The other being the most dangerous of all—Innocent.

Both were powerful, but Bible had never been a real threat to Erebos.

It was merely a spell that allowed free use of any magic without penalties.

A miracle for a mage—but none of those magics could truly reach Erebos.

To him, it was a mere trick. A mimicry.

That's why he was perplexed to see Bible used here.

'I was prepared for Innocent, but this… hmm?'

Then—

Erebos's expression darkened.

'This… isn't Bible.'

The core structure resembled Bible.

But the magic that unfolded afterward was entirely different.

In that instant—

Erebos's face froze.

'This framework…'

"Record System?"

Leo had manifested his new signature magic.

'I inherited the powers of the others—but I never mastered them fully.'

And yet, he could still hurt Erebos.

The reason was simple.

'Because within their powers… was mine.'

Golden flame and aura infused with purity.

Star sorcery and Dragon Heart mana alike.

He had been the vessel to receive them, and so his mana's trait had permeated their strength.

'Imitation is all I can do.'

Unlike Aaron, Luna, or Lysinas, he couldn't pioneer new realms in aura, magic, or summoning.

He could only follow the paths they blazed.

But—

'Through imitation… I can evolve those powers.'

Just as the others' strength had been laced with his own purity.

So Leo had wondered— Could he return that evolved power to them?

Even if he were to die first, was there a way to leave behind the strength needed to defeat Erebos at the final moment?

This was the result of that thought.

A new original spell Leo devised by studying the Hero Records.

A magic evolved from Bible into its own unique domain.

Not just magic, but aura and spirit arts fully replicated—

And transferred to others through spirit evoking.

Though still incomplete, if handed recklessly, it could overwhelm the recipients.

But—

'Those guys… are different.'

They could wield it.

'All I'm doing… is giving it back.'

Leo smiled and murmured the name of his spell.

A godlike power achieved not by anyone else—but by Leo Plov himself.

A magic that could momentarily share the power of purity with others.

"Record."