Editor : Amethyst00



Luna had a dazed expression as she looked at the magic unfolding before her eyes.

How should this magic be defined?

A once-in-a-lifetime genius loved by magic itself.

Even Luna couldn't come up with anything.

First of all, it was chaotic.

The magic formulas of Extinction and Innocent that Luna created were perfect.

'It's not because I made them.'

Those two spells were masterpieces painstakingly crafted by Luna, who stood at the pinnacle of magic.

Even as their creator, Luna couldn't help but be amazed by their completeness.

The word "perfect" was no exaggeration.

And yet, those spells were fused together.

When perfection meets perfection, it brings about disorder.

Zero, the spell Leo created by fusing Extinction and Innocent, was bound to be chaotic by nature.

'No, but seriously… how is it even activating?'

It was surprising that it even activated at all.

That's how much of a mess Zero's formula was.

But to call it a failure would be incorrect.

A spell formula that was pure chaos, devoid of any sense of order.

Yet the structure of the spell was flawless.

A magic standing at the complete opposite of what Luna pursued.

However, one thing was certain.

'It's beautiful.'

The magic Leo had completed was beautiful.

She couldn't take her eyes off it.

She was, quite literally, captivated.

Magic is also a means of expressing the caster's inner self.

'This spell is both Kyle-like and Kyle-unlike.'

Wherever this power of destruction swept through, only void would remain.

Much like Kyle's heart, as Luna knew it.

But…

'It also means anything can begin again.'

It wasn't just emptiness.

Beyond that lay a glimpse of new possibilities.

Like a light breaking through a long darkness.

Luna's grip tightened.

Flash! RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE—!

"What the…!"

Hell Kaiser's horrified voice rang out.

The only nemesis of primordial evil.

The power of purity.

A spell infused with Leo's will to annihilate not only Erebos but everything tied to the primordial evil.

The summoning circle powered by Erebos' strength began to shudder violently.

Leo, who had casted Zero, landed on the ground.

Tap!

Leo, looking up at the summoning circle that had begun to distort, then lowered his gaze.

And with a smile, he asked Luna,

"How is it? My sorcery."

That was the phrase Luna always said to Kyle whenever she invented a new spell.

She used to rush up to him, full of pride, showing him her new magic, pestering him to compliment her quickly.

Kyle always gave a half-hearted, "Yeah, amazing," with a bothered look.

But he still always admired Luna's brilliance.

That's why Leo asked.

In Leo's eyes, Zero wasn't inferior to any of Luna's spells.

Though it was a fusion of her magic formulas, the process itself was worthy of being called creation.

Only after so many years had passed had he finally caught up to her.

Despite Leo's question, Luna remained silent.

She simply gazed into Leo's red eyes.

"What? What don't you like about it this time?"

Leo asked with a frown, and Luna replied.

"Kyle."

"What?"

"Let's get married."

"What?"

"Yeah. Your magic is amazing. So cool. I think I fell for you all over again."

Luna's eyes began to sparkle.

Leo gently set her down.

Luna clung to Leo's sleeve and jumped excitedly.

"I never imagined you'd become this kind of mage!"

Seeing Luna genuinely happy, Leo couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Just then, the rest of the group gathered around Leo.

"What was that magic just now? It was incredibly beautiful."

Dweno asked in awe, and Leo answered, "My original magic."

"Ha, who knew you had the talent to create something like that?"

"That was amazing, Kyle!"

Dweno and Aaron exclaimed in admiration.

Watching quietly from behind, Azonia said,

"Hey, Damien."

"What?"

"Don't the Great Heroes feel… like they're in a totally different league than us?"

Damien looked at Azonia with a mix of pity and scorn.

"Do you really think the Great Heroes are like us?"

"No, but the way they bicker all the time feels similar to us."

Azonia pouted.

Damien clicked his tongue at that.

Thinking back to their own journey, he clicked his tongue again.

"Thanks to you and Seiren, I had a real headache."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean."

As Damien gave a cold smile, Azonia, now fuming, grabbed him by the collar.

"Still, I'm better than Seiren! I'm way better than her!"

"No, I think you're worse."

"Even from you, I can't forgive that!"

Azonia shrieked.

Watching the two, Luna said,

"Kyle. I've been wondering—who are those two? They're incredibly skilled."

"Azonia and Damien. You could say they're direct juniors to Aaron and Dweno."

"Are they also cowards and perverts?"

"You're so mean. I didn't run away this time—I fought bravely!"

Aaron protested with a tearful face, and Luna smiled softly.

"But you usually run."

"Ugh…!"

Aaron made a pained expression.

Luna giggled at the sight.

"You know, you're kind of different from usual. You can even get angry."

Luna had never seen Aaron angry before.

But it didn't scare her.

Even angry, Aaron was still Aaron.

Utterly harmless.

In fact, even his anger was cute.

Looking at Luna, Aaron shouted,

"Kyle and Luna don't suit each other at all! Kyle and Lysinas are a much better match!"

"What? What nonsense is that!?"

Luna's eyes flared.

Normally, Aaron would've shrunk under Luna's glare, but now he stood firm, eyes wide open.

"K-Kyle and Lysinas are a better match! I'll help them get together!"

"You! That's betrayal!"

Furious, Luna tried to leap at Aaron.

"Calm down. Don't go wild."

"Let go, Dweno!"

Dweno grabbed the scruff of Luna's neck and sighed.

Aaron quickly hid behind Leo.

"Aren't you embarrassed? Your juniors are watching."

Leo sighed.

He glanced at Azonia and Damien.

Over there, too, Azonia had Damien by the collar and was shaking him wildly.

After being tossed around, Damien countered with a sharp heel to Azonia's temple.

Freed, Damien straightened his clothes.

'They're exactly the same.'

As Leo clicked his tongue—

BOOOOM!

Suddenly, the sky began to warp.

VOOOOOM—!

The summoning circle ignited in black flames.

Leo muttered as he saw it.

"He's coming."

CRACK—!

The sky split like shattered glass.

Through the crack, a massive arm wrapped in black fire emerged.

CLENCH—!

A giant of black flames broke through the sky and let out a roar.

ROOOOOAAAAAR—!

RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE—!

With a single roar, the earth cracked, and magma burst forth.

Erebos, half-emerged from the void, cast its gaze upon Leo's party.

"Ooooooh…!"

"Gods…!"

The surrounding demon soldiers, forming a perimeter, bowed with faces full of awe.

"Tch."

Luna clicked her tongue and gathered her magic power.

At that moment—

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Erebos swung its arm and obliterated the surrounding demons.

"……!"

Aaron looked shocked.

"Why is it attacking its own?"

"It's not attacking."

Dweno narrowed his eyes at Erebos and spoke.

"Right now, Erebos has no mind."

bl

From atop the wall, Lysinas' eyes widened as she held off the demon assault.

A flash from far away—Zero.

'Purity…'

The storming magic carried the power of purity.

Just like Kyle.

No—perhaps even more refined than Kyle's.

Lysinas thought of Leo's face.

'…Could it be?'

She remembered the story of Kyle reincarnated in the future.

"You said your name was Lunia, right?"

Lysinas called to the girl beside her.

"Yes! Lady Lysinas."

"That reincarnated Kyle… is he that boy Leo?"

"Uh… yes."

"I see."

Lysinas nodded.

Her expression was calm, but her eyes trembled slightly.

'That damned man! He made me fight with Luna on purpose?!'

Realizing she'd been played by Kyle, fury rose inside her.

But she didn't show it.

What mattered now was Erebos, who had been summoned.

'Something's wrong with Erebos.'

Her eyes narrowed.

The primordial evil, Erebos, was a calamity incarnate.

A monster with countless powers, acting as the gods' nemesis.

He was equal to a god.

Even with her insight, Lysinas couldn't define what Erebos truly was.

But the Erebos before her was different from any she had seen.

If Erebos had been incomprehensible before, now he was extremely simple.

'Destruction.'

This Erebos wanted only destruction.

As if it had no will.

It was no longer an evil god, but a monster driven purely by destruction.

'I see. The summoning circle was damaged, so Erebos' mind couldn't be summoned.'

Only Erebos' power had manifested.

'A monster driven only by destructive instinct.'

CRACK!

Erebos, with just its upper body out, swept away the nearby demons, then opened its mouth wide.

VOOOOOOOOM!

A massive power began swirling within.

'A breath attack?!'

bl

'That magic… what is it?'

Kyle's eyes twitched.

He could tell at a glance.

That magic was powered by his own strength.

'That brat…'

Leo's face flashed through Kyle's mind.

'Could it be…?'

As Kyle's eyes twitched—

"What's got you so spaced out?"

A voice from behind.

Kyle glanced back.

There stood Elena, smiling brightly.

"Looks like your station is holding up fine if you're here in person."

"Yes. That's why I came to help."

Elena stepped to the front of the wall and gathered her magic power.

VOOOOOM—!

A tremendous magic surged.

Kyle spoke as he saw it.

"Now's not the time to jump in recklessly."

"Huh?"

Elena looked puzzled.

"Don't you see Erebos summoned over there?"

"Yes, but it's pretty far—"

VOOOOOM! FLASH! BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

Black flames erupted from Erebos' mouth, flying straight toward Kyle's direction.

Standing at the front to cast magic, Elena thought—

'Ah, I probably can't block that…'

At that moment—

GRAB—!

Someone pulled Elena into a protective embrace.

Kyle raised his sword.

FLASH!

A gray slash cut through the black flames.

"You're trying to act all grown-up…"

Kyle chuckled as he looked down at Elena.

"But you're still a rookie."

"You get told you're insufferable often, don't you?"

"Fairly often."

Elena pouted.

Kyle gave a snort of laughter.

"What? Falling for me?"

"Yes. I fell for you."

She smiled as she spoke.

Kyle released her and said,

"Come back when you're older."

Elena let out a small sigh at that.

'Really. Whether then or now, he hasn't changed one bit. Do I really look that young?'