LHAHS Chapter 302
Gooooooo-!
Pure white flames swirled around Lunia.
Fwoosh—!
The flames burned her. Lunia bit her lip hard. The fire that had been with her all her life was now consuming her body.
This is… the flames of the Phoenix Queen… the Flame Emperor.
Her expression contorted in pain as the flames threatened to engulf her.
Rumble—!
Erebos's Remnant approached.
Seeing this, Aru clenched her teeth.
Step—
"Eiran…"
Eiran stepped in front of Erebos. Clad in radiant silver armor, she was chanting an incantation.
A spell formula Leo taught me.
Fundamentally, it was the same as the secret spell Velkia had spoken of, but the details were different.
Velkia put in her own effort… to manifest this spell.
Velkia had never mastered Stellar Magic. It was only long after her passing that elves finally managed to wield it.
And so, Velkia had never been able to complete the spell left behind by her mentor, Luna. But she had never stopped struggling—contemplating endlessly, challenging herself relentlessly. A ceaseless effort to prove herself worthy before the great mentors she had to follow.
She's just like me.
Eiran smiled. Their personalities were different, but the way they struggled to follow those they admired filled her with a deep sense of kinship.
With that thought, she recited her spell.
Failure meant death.
But…
I will succeed.
Gripping Erquint, the weapon Velkia had entrusted to her, Eiran confronted Erebos's Remnant.
"Animus Blade."
The power of the fairies surged forth, manifesting into Stellar Magic. A brilliant, life-filled surge of fairy mana slashed through Erebos's Remnant.
Gwoooooooh!
For the first time, a scream of pain erupted from Erebos's Remnant.
Having poured every drop of mana into that attack, Eiran collapsed. The body of Erebos's Remnant, which had always regenerated instantly, began to writhe. The power of Luna's Origin Magic was overwhelming enough to leave scars even on an immortal being.
Fwoosh—!
Still writhing in pain, Erebos's Remnant raised an arm.
Eiran looked up at the sight and smiled faintly.
I believe…
In the dazzlingly radiant girl she had met for the first time in her life.
In the friend who had seemed like a hero from a fairy tale.
Eiran believed.
Kwagagagak!
"Who do you think you're reaching out to with those filthy hands?"
A fierce voice rang out.
Lunia's silver-white hair and beautiful crimson eyes burned fiercely.
Fwoosh—!
A pure white flame flickered atop Lunia's palm. She controlled the overflowing white fire coursing through her body.
A spell Luna had created to counter Erebos's flames—one that had never been completed and was ultimately lost to history—was now reborn in Lunia's hands.
"Flame Emperor."
As Lunia completed the spell, the pure white flames consumed the black fire.
Gwoooooooh!
Erebos's Remnant screamed in agony.
Fwoosh—! Clang—!
At last, the remnant vanished without a trace.
Thud—
Lunia collapsed.
Step, step—
Katariou approached with a gentle smile.
"How does it feel? The true flames of a phoenix?"
"…It hurts."
Lunia voiced her honest opinion before passing out.
Kwagagagagak—!
Aaron was sent flying and crashed into the fortress walls, swallowed by the black flames of Erebos's attack. The power of Giath, strengthened by Erebos's blessing, was overwhelming.
Kwagagagagak—!
The fortress wall crumbled, and Aaron was buried beneath the rubble.
Gwooooooooh!
Giath roared toward the sky.
Seeing this, Depeser's face turned pale. All those standing atop Godthrone's fortress wall looked up at the sky, their bodies trembling from the immense waves of dark mana.
A massive magic circle had appeared in the sky.
Then, black lightning rained down.
Crackle! Kwagagak!
A thunderous storm of dark magic. A bolt so devastating that it felt as if the world was on the brink of destruction sent many heroes into despair.
At that moment…
Flash! Kwagagagagak—!
A towering barrier of water surged up, blocking the lightning completely.
All eyes turned to Leo.
Guhk—!
The backlash from blocking such a massive attack reverberated through his body.
[That's the limit! Any more damage and you'll have to endure it yourself, contractor!]
Erham shouted urgently.
Thud—!
Leo dropped to one knee. The sheer power of Giath, amplified by Erebos, was beyond comprehension.
Depeser looked at Leo's agonized expression and fell deeper into despair.
"Don't make that face."
"Leo…?"
Leo forced strength into his legs and stood up. The water barrier still raised high. Holding back the pouring lightning, he stood firm.
"Everyone, don't bow your heads."
Leo looked at those who had desperately held the line against the enemy forces from atop the fortress.
He recognized many faces. More than half of them had perished in this battle. Even if he saved them now, history would not change.
Even so, Leo did not lower his shield.
"Hold your heads high. You are the heroes who protected this era."
Heroes whose names were never even recorded in the Hero Record. Countless souls who had fallen during the Age of Calamity.
But it was because of them that this present age existed.
As someone who lived in this era… as someone who knew this era better than anyone else…
Leo could not allow them to despair and lower their heads.
"Soon, that cursed black sun will no longer loom over us… and a bright sun will rise once again."
He gazed at the dimly brightening sky and spoke with conviction.
"So don't give up. Keep fighting. I believe in you."
Everyone stared blankly at Leo, who smiled just like a certain wise dragon.
"Believe in the Brave Hero who gave you courage."
Kwagagagak—!
Through the rubble of the fortress, a golden flash of light burst forth.
The Brave Hero, clad in golden aura, shone as brilliantly as the sun.
Leo looked at Aaron, who raised Brave aloft.
There was no more fear in his eyes.
Empowered by the Brave Hero's breath, the aura radiating from Brave grew immense, as if it could pierce the sky.
Gripping his golden sword tightly, Aaron stepped forward and charged toward the Giant King.
Gwooooooooh—!
The Giant King let out a ferocious roar.
At that moment…
Fwoosh—!
The flames of calamity that symbolized Erebos vanished.
The ferocity in Giath's eyes faded, replaced by reason. And as he looked at the golden blade right before him, his eyes widened.
[Aaronnnnnnnn!]
Clang—!
Brave and Giath's sword clashed.
Slice—!
In an instant, Giath's sword was cut apart so effortlessly that it was almost laughable.
And that wasn't the end.
Thud—!
Aaron's blade cleaved straight through Giath's waist.
[This… can't be…!]
Giath's face filled with shock.
Fwoooosh—!
A golden flash surged forth.
Aaron swung his sword thousands of times at an unseen speed, reducing Giath to mere scraps of flesh in an instant.
Splat, splat, splat—!
Chunks of flesh and blood rained down upon the ground. Even for a corps commander with miraculous regeneration, this was a fatal blow.
Drunk on Erebos's power, Giath had ventured too deep.
And the price was death.
At that moment…
Uwooooooh!
The Giant King's army, realizing their commander had fallen, began fleeing in terror.
"We did it."
Leo let out a chuckle, thinking of his friends who had defeated Erebos's remnant.
[The Giant King's invasion has been stopped.]
[[The Divine Blacksmith] and [The Brave Hero] have survived.]
[Dweno's World: Mid-Battle—Godthrone Defense has been cleared.]
Seeing the message before his eyes, Leo slumped to the ground.
"It's over."
"Hmph, not bad. Seiren's representative."
"Well? How do I look, now that I've mastered Luna's magic? You have no choice but to admit that I'm superior now, right?"
"No matter what you say, I was personally mentored by Aaron, so that makes me better."
Lunia and Aru were bickering.
"Drianna, are you alright?"
"…Carl, I have a favor to ask."
"What is it? If it's something I can do, I'll do anything."
"…When we go back, be my model in a despairing pose. Nude, of course."
"Hearing you spout perverted nonsense means you're fine." Carl let out a wry laugh.
"Eiran."
"Yes, Velkia?"
"Who do I end up marrying?"
"Uh… well, I mean, according to the family records…"
Velkia was bombarding Eiran with questions about the future, making her visibly troubled.
And then…
Fwoooooosh—!
Black flames surged into the sky.
Everyone's faces turned pale.
"It's… reviving?"
"No way! We don't have any strength left to fight…!"
The spell… was incomplete.
Lunia gritted her teeth. She had barely managed to cast the magic. But Lunia's spell was still incomplete.
As they stared at the black flames in despair…
Flash—!
A white lightning bolt struck down upon Erebos's flames.
Crackle! Crackle!
Electricity sparked in all directions.
"A Pegasus…!"
Carl's eyes widened in shock. Everyone turned to look at the gray-haired man riding atop the Pegasus.
Step—
The man opened his eyes and dismounted.
"What's going on here?" He glanced around. "I sensed Erebos's power and rushed over, but… did you guys take down Erebos?"
"Are you… the Hero of the Beginning?" Carl swallowed hard as he asked.
"The Hero of the Beginning? What's that?" The man looked puzzled.
Seeing Kyle, Eiran's voice trembled. "…Are you Kyle?"
"Yeah. That's Master Kyle," Velkia answered in his usual blunt tone.
"And what happened to you? Why are you so beat up?"
"Shouldn't you be praising your hardworking disciple instead?" Velkia pouted and grumbled, making Kyle click his tongue.
"Yeah, yeah. Good job."
Kyle walked over and ruffled Velkia's hair in his rough manner. Velkia had initially scowled in protest, but soon his face melted into a delighted grin.
"I don't know who you guys are, but you fought against Erebos, didn't you?"
"Y-Yes!"
The hero candidates, tense with nerves, answered hastily.
Kyle smirked at their reaction. "I'm relieved. There are people like you to entrust the future to."
As Kyle smiled, relieved, the hero candidates fell silent.
Fwoooooosh—!
Once again, black flames surged into the sky.
Step—
Kyle coolly raised his sword and aimed it at Erebos's Remnant.
Kwagagagagak—!
A storm of gray aura surged forth, lifting Erebos's Remnant high into the sky.
Gwooooooh!
The black flames flailed helplessly in the air.
Kyle began chanting a spell.
Hum—!
Seeing the magic circle form in midair, Lunia and Eiran immediately recognized it as Stellar Magic. But it was vastly different from the Stellar Magic they knew.
Is this spell also an Origin?
As Lunia gasped in surprise…
"Innocence."
As soon as Kyle completed the spell, a pure white radiance shot into the sky.
The black flames vanished without a trace. Even the metal shard that had been its core was erased.
The party members stared, mouths agape.
"This man… the Hero of the Beginning… Kyle."
Kyle, resting his sword on his shoulder, smiled. "So, what is that? I've never been called anything as grandiose as the Hero of the Beginning."
That smile—so strangely reminiscent of Leo—made the group widen their eyes.
At that moment.
[The Giant King's invasion has been stopped.]
[[The Divine Blacksmith] and [The Brave Hero] have survived.]
[Dweno's World: Mid-Battle—Godthrone Defense has been cleared.]
The world came to an end.