Editor : Amethyst00



There are vile people in every era.

Those who harbor the desire to stand atop others, even if it means trampling them.

Fools blinded by that desire, turning away from reality.

"It was the same during the Age of Dawn."

Damien's eyes grew cold.

"It must have been the same during the Age of Calamity."

That must be why the Hero of the Beginning executed the traitors.

Bihar inherited the will of that hero and became the origin of the shadows.

And that legacy must have reached Damien.

That will has continued to pass down through the ages until now.

As long as the world exists, traitors who corrupt it will never disappear.

But still, seeing it with his own eyes made him feel sick.

The refugee city of Raysar.

In terms of sheer size, it was larger than Godthrone.

Even though Godthrone was the last bastion of the world, there was a reason Raysar was still called a refugee city.

Until just before the end, Raysar's population surpassed that of Godthrone.

It was only natural—during the early chaos when countless refugees were created, Raysar was the safest city.

Damien, who had read the Hero Record in its entirety several times, knew the truth.

If Raysar hadn't fallen back then, perhaps after the Age of Calamity ended,

The world might have been rebuilt more quickly.

"No, perhaps even the Erebos Subjugation could have been carried out better prepared."

If so, the tragic outcome of all the great heroes dying on their final journey might not have happened.

Perhaps they all could have survived.

The final journey of the great heroes.

It had been a gamble.

The subjugation proceeded even though preparations to defeat Erebos hadn't been completed.

The operation was carried out because the world had reached the point of collapse and couldn't endure any longer.

The fall of Raysar was an event with immense repercussions.

A turning point in history that drastically shortened the world's lifespan.

He had always wondered.

What caused Raysar, which still had power left, to become ashes?

And now, that question had finally been answered.

Countless individuals, including the lord of Raysar, had offered the people of Raysar as living sacrifices.

It was outrageous.

"And they expected to survive after that?"

Damien thought the nobles, including the lord of Raysar, hadn't done this with destruction in mind.

No, they had probably hoped for wealth and glory.

Those blinded by greed who bring about the world's end usually don't believe it will actually be destroyed.

They believe others are burning it down just like they are, for power.

They trust in the wealth and glory promised by Tartaros and drive the world to ruin without hesitation.

And they mock those who risk their lives to protect that world.

"They've already offered many as sacrifices."

A chilling murderous intent glinted in Damien's eyes.

"Anya."

"Yes, Lord Damien."

"Immediately execute everyone, including Raysar's lord."

"Yes."

"And tell Azonia. The summoning cannot be stopped."

"…Understood."

Anya's face stiffened.

"But it won't be a perfect summoning. I'm about to destroy the summoning circle."

Gooooh—!

Golden flames burst from Damien's body.

As he raised his hand, the golden aura took the shape of a massive hammer.

"Go. You'll die if you get caught in it."

"Yes, sir."

Anya quickly left the scene.

A golden gleam flashed in Damien's eyes.

Fwoooosh—!

In response to the threatening energy emanating from Damien, the summoning circle also began to emit black flames.

That was Erebos's lingering thought.

Seeing it, Damien twisted his lips into a smirk.

"Trying to throw a fit, are you…? Sorry about that."

Damien brought the hammer down.

"I'm sick and tired of fighting you."

BOOOOOOM—!

bl

"What?"

Kyle's expression froze.

"We're going to Raysar."

At Lysinas's words, Kyle spoke.

"Hey, Lysinas. Raysar is…"

"I know. It's a den of traitors. And I also know something shady is going on there."

"…"

"Erebos might be summoned there soon."

"What?"

Kyle's face turned grim.

"Damn. We need to get Aaron—"

"Kyle."

Lysinas cut him off firmly.

"We're not abandoning Raysar."

"…"

"I told you. We're going to save the world."

Lysinas smiled bitterly.

"You don't have to carry the burden alone anymore, Kyle."

"…."

Kyle closed his eyes.

"What are the odds?"

"There's hope. We're not trying to defeat Erebos—just stop him. The kids from the future will help. We're not alone."

"I see."

Kyle nodded.

Then he sighed and slumped into a chair.

With eyes closed and head tilted back, Kyle spoke.

"Lysinas."

"What?"

"Thanks. For reaching out to me back then."

Lysinas's eyes widened at the sudden words.

Then she clenched her teeth.

"Kyle."

"What?"

"Do you remember… the promise we made back then?"

"Promise?"

"Yeah. That I wouldn't let you be alone anymore."

"Did we make that kind of promise?"

Kyle replied indifferently.

Lysinas couldn't help but chuckle at the blunt response.

She could tell Kyle was pretending not to know, even though he did.

"Hey. What would you do… if I broke that promise?"

"…"

"You'd hate me, right?"

At those words, Kyle opened his eyes and looked at Lysinas.

After a moment of silence, he replied.

"No."

"…"

"I would never resent you."

It was the kind of sudden question that might have seemed strange, but Kyle didn't ask why.

Lysinas understood that this was Kyle's way of being considerate.

"Kyle, you know…"

After the Age of Calamity ends,

Neither she nor Kyle would live to see that new era.

So maybe…

"Isn't it okay to finally share how I feel?"

Lysinas was a saint, but she wasn't without desire.

She had dreamed of living peacefully with Kyle in the new era.

Until now, she had refrained from confessing her feelings.

She knew that if either of them died, it would leave a deeper wound.

But now that she knew the future…

Maybe it was okay to be a little selfish?

"Maybe I can finally tell him how I feel?"

Of course, she had dropped countless hints, but the idiot in front of her never caught on.

She was both relieved and annoyed by that.

"Yes. I'll tell him."

There was no need to hide her feelings anymore.

"What?"

"I… I lo—"

BAM!

"Ta-da! Lady Luna is back!"

The door burst open and Luna entered.

Beaming with pride, Luna spotted Kyle and perked up, then ran over.

"Kyle!"

With a bright smile, Luna quickly hopped onto Kyle's lap.

"You're heavy. Get off."

"Don't be such a baby."

"Why are you suddenly all clingy?!"

Kyle tried to push her off.

But Luna only hugged his neck with a radiant smile.

Unable to bear it, Lysinas stood and pulled her off.

"What are you doing?"

Luna shot her a look, and Lysinas smiled thinly.

"That's my question."

A strange tension crackled between the two.

Seeing this, Kyle thought,

"Whatever this is… I'd better not get involved."

He decided it was best to make his exit.

As he quietly made his way toward the door—

"Hmph."

Luna suddenly smirked smugly.

Lysinas's eye twitched at her attitude.

"Fine. Fine. I'll be the bigger person."

Lysinas frowned at Luna, who stood proudly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'll be understanding, even if you hide your feelings and try to sneak in."

"I never hid my feelings."

"Oh please. Liar."

"That idiot just didn't notice."

"You hid them from me!"

Luna had confided her feelings for Kyle to Lysinas multiple times.

That's why she felt deeply betrayed.

"Well…"

"But I've decided to be the bigger elf."

She smiled and poked Lysinas in the chest.

"Because I have a bigger heart than you."

Lysinas's eye twitched again.

Then she smiled coldly.

"You're just too dumb to notice."

"What?! Dumb?!"

Luna hated being called dumb.

She was a genius archmage, after all.

Born an elf, she had never once been called dumb.

She had no resistance to the word.

If someone else had said it, she would've brushed it off as a cheap jab.

But Lysinas was different.

She meant it.

Which made her furious.

As Luna's eyes sparked with rage, Lysinas said,

"That's right. Stupid elf."

"You jerk! Take that back, you sneaky lizard!"

Fuming, Luna lunged at Lysinas.

"You're just hiding it because you're a coward! Afraid to be rejected!"

"Shut up! Don't say vulgar things!"

The two clashed fiercely.

Kyle decided he'd had enough.

Just as he quietly opened the door—

Leo, standing outside, said,

"Lady Lysinas, Lady Luna. Lord Kyle's trying to escape."

"Where do you think you're going?! This all started because of you!"

"You damned human! Get back here!"

"What did I even do?!"

Kyle shouted as the two dragged him back into the room.

Leo closed the door without hesitation.

Lunia asked,

"Aren't you going to stop them?"

"I can't."

Leo had already expected this kind of chaos between Luna and Lysinas.

He replied bluntly.

"They'll calm down after making a scene. We'll talk then."

At that, Elena said,

"By then, your past self will be a mess, you know?"

"Still better than being the one suffering now."

Lunia warned,

"If they find out what you did, you won't get off easy."

"They won't find out."

Leo smiled confidently, and Elena thought,

'So annoying. Should I just tattle?'

"Elena. Don't even think about it."

As if reading her mind, Leo spoke up immediately, and Elena clicked her tongue.

bl

"There's a disturbance in Raysar?"

The Lich King, Hell Kaiser, narrowed his eyes.

His loyal subordinate, Archduke of Mourning, Artkan, bowed his head.

"Yes. The lord of Raysar and his followers are under attack by unknown forces. Additionally, something has happened to the summoning circle."

"Hmm… Godthrone, perhaps?"

Hell Kaiser looked irritated.

"Most likely. But even if they noticed, it's too late now."

With that, the Lich King rose from his throne.

"Indeed. Once a fire is lit, it doesn't go out."

His blood-red eyes gleamed.

"Summon the legion commanders."

A wicked smile spread across his face.

"From this moment on, I shall bring down the sacred flame of calamity upon Raysar."