Editor : Amethyst00



Guoooooooh!

The giant of black flame let out a roar.

The summoning hadn't failed.

But it wasn't a proper summoning either.

The result of that incomplete summoning was a monster that retained nothing but a destructive instinct, devoid of reason.

The current Erebos couldn't even be called an evil god.

Naturally, he couldn't use his divine powers either.

He was nothing more than a massive calamity that indiscriminately burned anything in sight.

The problem was, even so, the opponent was still Erebos.

A monster capable of burning down the world.

'His ego was forcibly separated, that's all.'

Even if they managed to defeat that thing here, it didn't mean Erebos had been vanquished.

They would merely force him to retreat.

Moreover, even if it was an incomplete summoning, the fraction of power it manifested was despair-inducing.

Normally, a summoning like that alone would have turned Raysar into ashes.

Kuwaaaaaah!

The surroundings were engulfed in waves of black flame.

The ground shook and split apart as magma erupted upward.

That magma burned black, not red.

It felt like witnessing the very moment a world descended into destruction.

No — it was remarkably similar to the phenomena that had occurred when the world truly was nearing its end.

Leo had witnessed that scene with his own eyes.

'Though, that time was worse.'

Recalling the final battle, Leo slung Luna over his shoulder.

"Aaron, take Dweno! Azonia, take Damien! We're retreating now!"

Leo's party had one goal: to disrupt the summoning ritual of Erebos.

That operation had been a resounding success.

Now all they had to do was use their superior mobility to return to Raysar.

Aaron dashed ahead, with Azonia following close behind.

Then, the moment Leo kicked off the ground—

Goooooooh—!

A black-red mist began to swirl before his eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?"

With a chilling voice, the Lich King, Hell Kaiser, blocked Leo's path.

"Kyle!"

As Aaron hastily called Leo's name, Leo waved a hand, as if telling him to go on ahead.

"Oh? Kyle… the Surviving Hero. You're different from the version I know."

Hell Kaiser's eyes flashed.

Leo met his gaze with a cold smile.

"I came from the future to personally beat you down, you bony bastard."

Fwoosh—!

Leo ignited Zerdinger's flame.

The phoenix fire that burned away the impure made Hell Kaiser's eyes twitch.

As Leo's aura surged with the force of a grand spell, Luna also began to summon her magic.

Kuwaaaaaah!

A whirlwind of flames roared to life.

The phoenix fire surged violently.

To the Lich King, who ruled over death, the purifying flames of the phoenix were a natural enemy.

"The future, huh."

Hell Kaiser curled his lips into a grin.

He pulled out a massive staff made of black bones.

It was his divine artifact, made from one of Erebos's finger bones.

Tap—!

He struck the ground with his staff.

Crack—! Crackle—!

From the earth, the dead began to emerge.

Luna's expression hardened the moment she saw them.

"Don't they look just like they did in life?"

What Hell Kaiser had resurrected were faces both Leo and Luna recognized.

They were their fallen comrades from Godthrone.

Some were close friends, others they'd only exchanged a few words with. There were even those they only recognized by face—or didn't recognize at all.

But they all shared one thing in common: they had fought on the same battlefield and never returned.

"You bony piece of shit!"

Sparks flew from Luna's eyes.

Ignoring her, Hell Kaiser turned his gaze toward Leo.

"As expected of the Surviving Hero. You remain calm even before the dead."

Hell Kaiser burst into laughter.

Leo had long stood atop the sacrifices of countless comrades.

He wasn't enraged by Hell Kaiser's grotesque resurrection of the dead.

He simply exuded a cold fury.

The same was true for Luna.

Her life had been far from easy — far too tumultuous to be shaken by something like this.

No matter what anyone said, Luna was an elf who had experienced the Age of Calamity from its very beginning.

Hell Kaiser's true target was only one person.

"But what about Aaron?"

Aaron was the most emotionally immature of the great heroes.

It wasn't just Leo and Luna who were blocked by the dead.

The same had happened to Aaron, who had been running ahead — the dead now blocked his path as well.

"Lysinas isn't here right now, is she?"

To the great heroes, Lysinas was special.

Whenever they faltered, she was always there to guide and hold them steady.

It was because of Lysinas that Aaron had been able to muster the courage to fight in countless battles.

But right now, she was defending the walls.

"Coming here without Lysinas was a mistake, Surviving Hero."

Hell Kaiser sneered.

"I am curious how you came back to the past… but I suppose it's not all that important."

His crimson eyes gleamed with coldness.

A man who claimed to have come from the future.

A completely different face.

But the atmosphere surrounding him was unmistakably that of the Surviving Hero.

'Reincarnation.'

Even for a Lich King who ruled over death, the phenomenon of reincarnation was uncertain.

But it wasn't impossible.

And if the surviving hero, Kyle, had reincarnated—

'That must mean we lost.'

In the current circumstances, such a thing seemed impossible.

But the monsters before him might have accomplished the impossible.

That thought sent a chill down his spine.

And yet, he also sensed this wasn't a complete defeat.

'He still has the eyes of someone who fights.'

Furthermore, the aura Leo exuded was filled with the resentment of countless demons.

If Erebos had been destroyed, then the demons could not exist either.

'I don't know why he came to the past…'

But I won't let him go easily.

Thinking this, the Lich King turned his gaze to Aaron.

The only real weak point in this situation.

"What can you do with that feeble beastman, surviving hero?"

At Hell Kaiser's words, Luna bit her lip hard.

Frustrating as it was, he wasn't wrong.

Aaron was far too weak — and fragile.

Though he could show immense courage when it truly mattered, once his momentum was broken, it took him a long time to recover it — a fatal flaw.

'What do we do…?'

Feeling uneasy, Luna glanced at Leo—

And her eyes widened.

"What's so funny?"

Hell Kaiser's face twisted.

"It's just… funny."

Leo smirked.

"In this situation, the one you should fear most isn't me."

Kuwaaaaaaaaah!

Erebos roared.

His massive fist, shrouded in black flames, cast a vast shadow.

As the flame of calamity engulfed the party—

Kwagagagaga—!

A golden flash burst into the sky.

Everyone's eyes widened at the radiant golden aura.

"Wha…?"

Luna stood dazed.

Not just Luna — even Dweno, Azonia, and Damien stared blankly at Aaron.

With a blank expression, Aaron sliced off Erebos's arm.

"The greatest threat to you right now… is Aaron."

With those words, Aaron's sword cleaved the air.

The golden aura cut down the undead.

There was not a hint of hesitation in his strike.

"May you rest in peace…"

Watching the golden light disperse the dead, Aaron spoke quietly.

"Aaron… you…"

Dweno called out to him, stunned.

Aaron gave him a wry smile, then glanced at Hell Kaiser.

For a moment, their eyes met — and Hell Kaiser felt a chill.

The cowardly beastman he remembered was nowhere to be found.

What filled those eyes now was not fear, but pure rage and murderous intent.

"I've always hated you."

Aaron growled low.

The demons and monsters surrounding them instinctively backed away from the bloodlust Aaron exuded.

"You toy with the dead."

Time and again, he had resurrected the dead before Aaron.

It had haunted him with nightmares.

Facing those who died before him was always terrifying.

But one day, on the eve of his final journey—

Aaron no longer had nightmares.

Not because he'd found more courage, or overcome his trauma.

He had simply become numb to death.

The Lich King knew no fear.

He was the supreme commander of Tartaros, and the legion's master of death.

There was only one thing that could make him feel fear.

The complete annihilation of Erebos.

But that was impossible.

Even if he lost now, he would be resurrected in the far future.

Hell Kaiser believed that with absolute certainty.

And yet, right now, he was afraid.

Afraid of a single beastman he had once ridiculed as a coward.

Hell Kaiser found himself stepping backward without realizing it.

And without meaning to, he asked a question he didn't expect an answer to.

"…What is that?"

His voice was hard and stiff.

"That monster is…?"

He didn't expect a reply.

But Leo kindly gave him one.

"What do you think?"

A sneer curled Leo's lips.

"That's the beast who'll kill you."

Crack—!

In an instant, Aaron closed the distance and took off Hell Kaiser's head.

He was suddenly standing where Hell Kaiser had been.

Luna gaped.

"That's… Aaron?"

He wasn't the same Aaron she knew.

And just as she thought that—

"Kyle."

Aaron looked Leo straight in the eye.

"Go ahead."

"W-Wait. Go ahead?"

As Luna tried to stop them in a panic, Leo nodded.

"Alright. Don't push yourself too hard."

"Hold on. Kyle. What the hell happened to Aaron? Why the sudden change?"

"I'll explain later. You don't need to worry too much right now."

"Why?"

"Because right now… he's complete."

bl

Hell Kaiser restored his body.

His physical form was just a shell anyway.

He could revive again.

That was the greatest power Erebos had bestowed upon him.

As long as his essence wasn't destroyed, he could revive endlessly.

And the only moment that essence was vulnerable… was during revival.

He could revive anywhere he wished.

Without the ability to see the future, he was practically immortal.

'What the hell is going on?'

Hell Kaiser felt a shiver run through him.

What he had felt from Aaron — was fear of death.

'That's impossible.'

He couldn't die unless his essence was destroyed.

And yet, the moment he tried to revive—

Crack—!

"……!"

Aaron's sword pierced him before his body could fully regenerate.

"Ran away again."

Aaron muttered coldly.

'How did he find where I would revive?'

How had he found the corpse housing his essence?

As Hell Kaiser reeled in confusion—

Crack—!

The moment he thought of reviving, the corpse was destroyed.

His essence was nearly shattered.

'No way…'

Hell Kaiser was horrified.

'Did he see the future…?'