LHAHS Chapter 450
A staff shone like starlight in Leo's hand.
It was Cometes, a staff named after a comet. Forged by the Divine Blacksmith Dweno, who had poured his very soul into its creation and endowed it with immense mana, and named by Luna, it was a divine artifact—the most powerful magical staff in existence.
And as if that wasn't enough, that damned Luna covered it in all kinds of spell formulas and heavily modified it. Not to mention, she even infused it with her own mana.
Later, it passed through the hands of Luna's successor, Seiren, who further infused it with Seiren's mana.
The problem is, that's precisely what made it such a difficult staff to handle.
For centuries, no one had been able to wield Cometes properly. Not even the Tingel family, who carried Seiren's bloodline.
The reason was simple.
The one who forged it, the one who used it, and the one who inherited it were all unparalleled geniuses.
Even Leo had only recently mastered Cometes after receiving it from Seiren.
Holding Cometes in his grip, Leo soared high into the sky. He ascended to a height where Erebos was barely visible below, then unleashed his mana.
Wuuuuung—!
Responding to Leo's mana, Cometes gleamed brightly.
Leo's crimson eyes turned gray. A gray aura rippled around him as he activated his mana. A magic circle formed in the air.
A construct of geometric runes… Not merely a spell, but an entire magic system.
A system of magic that only one person in the world could wield—The Hero of the Beginning.
In a soft voice, Leo uttered the name of the spell, completing it.
"Bible."
The moment the spell was completed, the structure of Bible rapidly evolved. New runes, the spell formulas of Stellar Magic, inscribed themselves into the magic circle.
Gripping Cometes, Leo began to cast his magic.
Flash—! Crackle—!
A magnificent magic formation emerged around Leo. As he chanted, the spell formulas shimmered in a kaleidoscope of colors. The very mana in the atmosphere began to vibrate.
A beautiful melody resonated across the battlefield.
It was not a voice. It was the trembling of the mana itself, producing sound.
"What… is this?" Ulta gasped, astonished.
Torua, who had been chanting her own spell, widened her eyes in shock. "It's… spell chanting."
The mana in the air was resonating with someone's chant. That resonance was manifesting as music.
"Stellar Magic." Realizing the nature of the spell, Raynia's eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she gazed at the sky. "Leo Plov…?"
Eiran, too, was awestruck. "Leo is incredible."
"Just how powerful is this magic?" Lunia murmured, unable to hide her surprise.
[Everyone.] Melina's voice echoed in their ears. [From now on, I will take command. Ulta, take Raynia and attack Erebos.]
Hearing this, Ulta grabbed the reins of his Pegasus, Eiria.
Fwoosh—!
Soaring at an incredible speed, Eiria discharged bolts of lightning.
Crackle—!
As they flew at astonishing velocity, Raynia straightened her posture.
Whoooosh—!
The sheer speed was dizzying, but Raynia was unfazed. She pulled back her bowstring.
Kooooo—!
As she drew the bow, she recited an incantation.
The moment Raynia chanted her Stellar Magic, however, the mana that had been resonating with Leo reacted to her spell.
Raynia's eyes widened slightly.
What is this…?
She had only matched her chant to Leo's, yet she could feel the power of her spell surging far beyond its normal limits.
Far beyond what she was usually capable of.
And yet, it didn't feel unstable.
If anything, it feels… perfectly stable.
Thrum—!
Raynia pulled her bowstring even tighter.
As if this was its true power all along.
The mana flowed more naturally than ever before.
Raynia finished her chant.
"Extinction."
Flash—!
She released the bowstring, sending the Extinction spell flying toward Erebos.
Boom—! Kwooooosh—!
The force of the spell sent shockwaves rippling outward, flattening the trees and grass around Erebos in the opposite direction.
Fwoooosh—!
As black flames erupted in response, Melina spoke. [Torua, use earth magic to block the flames.]
Torua manipulated the ground with her magic formula.
Kuwaaaang—!
A massive earthen wall rose, blocking the inferno.
Torua's magic… isn't being affected.
Raynia activated her mana, casting a spell. Frost surged around her hands, but it seemed that regular spells cast through conventional magic formulas showed no change in power.
Raynia activated Stellar Magic. This time, the mana's reaction was completely different from usual.
"Torua! Use Stellar Magic!"
"Right now, Stellar Magic is stronger than normal!"
At Raynia's urgent words, Torua hastily checked her spell. Realizing what was happening, she gasped in astonishment.
Lunia and Eiran also sensed the anomaly.
"What's going on?!" Eliza asked frantically.
Lunia replied, "I don't know. But one thing's certain—Stellar Magic formulas are being affected by Leo's spell."
At that very moment, Leo's spell was completed.
Flash—!
A pillar of light descended from the heavens.
Flash—!
At the blinding radiance of starlight filling the sky, Erebos's eyes twitched. It was a spell too powerful to ignore, even for Erebos.
As far as Erebos knew, there was only one person capable of wielding such magic.
[Luna Luminance?]
Kwagagagagagang—!
The pillar of light swallowed Erebos whole. A massive explosion erupted in sync with the brilliant flash.
Aaron's eyes widened at the sight. "Luna?"
It looked just like Luna, but Aaron knew better. Luna no longer existed in this era.
If it wasn't Luna, then there was only one other person who could wield Stellar Magic to this extent.
Kyle!
A smile spread across Aaron's face.
As expected, Kyle is incredible.
Unlike himself, who had stopped moving forward, Kyle had continued honing his abilities even after being reincarnated.
At this point, his magic has progressed to the level where I could mistake him for Luna. He hasn't regained his full strength yet, but when he does, he'll be far stronger than the Kyle I once knew.
Aaron clenched his fist.
Fwoosh—!
Just then, black flames burst through the lingering dust.
[What's with that relieved expression?]
"Erebos."
Boom—!
Erebos took a step toward Aaron. Despite taking a direct hit from Leo's magic, Erebos was still standing strong.
[So, you are not Luna Luminance after all.] Erebos looked up at the sky and murmured to himself, [The Surviving Hero, is it?]
Leo descended from above. "Had a good 5,000 year nap, Erebos?"
[What's with that state of yours, Surviving Hero?]
Leo's lips curled into a smirk. "Since you're still alive, I came back to finish the job."
Erebos stared at the blatant mockery in Leo's expression. [If you've delayed the end of the world for 5,000 years, I suppose you've done your part.]
Kuuung—
Erebos sneered. [Unlike me, who will remain until the world is burned to ash, you are just a mortal. Your eventual disappearance is only natural. And yet, here you stand before me once again, unable even to die. Kahahahaha—!]
Erebos's laughter echoed ominously.
[Defying even the fate assigned to you… How amusing. You truly live up to the name of Surviving Hero, Kyle.]
Fwoosh—!
Dark flames surged violently.
Melina hurriedly attempted to move in to support them, but Erebos glared at her with burning eyes.
[How dare a lowly creation presume to intervene in this battle!]
"Urgh?!"
With Erebos's enraged outburst, a wall of black flames erupted, cutting Melina off.
Leo narrowed his eyes. "That's some blatant favoritism."
[Surviving Hero and Brave Hero. You two are not the same as these insignificant beings.]
"And what exactly makes us different?"
[5,000 years ago, when I set this world ablaze, the detestable gods vanished from existence. My long-standing enemies were exiled, never to step foot in this world again.]
Fwoosh—!
Erebos's body burned with black flames.
[The destruction of the world was inevitable. And yet, it was you two who defied that fate.]
A primordial evil—a being that existed solely to reduce the world to ashes. The moment the gods disappeared and he emerged, the destruction of the world had been a certainty.
However, the Great Heroes had slain Erebos and averted that destruction.
[You achieved what even the gods could not. To me, you are greater adversaries than the gods themselves. I cannot place you on the same level as mere creations. Be honored. You have been acknowledged by the Primordial Evil.]
"Yeah, thanks. I'm so overwhelmed with gratitude I feel like cursing," Leo grit his teeth.
[Kuhuhu. And so…] Erebos turned his gaze to Aaron. [You, who persist through the gods' Record System, seem quite at ease, Aaron. And yet, at the moment of your death, you trembled in fear.]
"That doesn't matter anymore." Aaron tightened his grip on his sword, his face bearing a resolve incomparably stronger than before. "Death doesn't scare me anymore. The world has been saved."
Aaron pointed his sword at Erebos. "Even if I disappear, I have no regrets. Because I believe—without a doubt—that Kyle will defeat you."
[Huhu… Kuhuuhuhu… Kuhahahahaha!] Erebos burst into manic laughter.
Leo scowled at the sight. "What the hell is so funny?"
[How could it not be funny?! Kyle! I fail to understand why you call this pathetic one the Brave Hero!]
Erebos fixed his gaze on Aaron.
[Listen well, cowardly Brave Hero. The Surviving Hero stands alone. You are dead. The Divine Blacksmith is dead. The Nebula Pioneer is dead. The Fool is dead. He is the only one left in this world!]
"No! Kyle has successors who carry on our will! He's not alone!"
[Ah. Are you referring to those insignificant beings over there?]
Erebos's gaze shifted toward Melina and the hero candidates on the battlefield. A moment later, he looked back at Aaron with pity.
[They can never replace you, Brave Hero.]
"That's not true! They will…"
[Even if they could, Brave Hero, you've overlooked one crucial fact.]
"What?"
[Since that Surviving Hero has decided to stand against me once again…] Erebos bent forward slightly, as if whispering. [Then it means he will suffer through it all over again.]
Aaron's face froze.
"Aaron, don't listen to him," Leo said, his voice cold and steady. "I've already made peace with it."
[Perhaps you have. But has this cowardly Brave Hero?]
Erebos's lips curled up.
[You feared your friends' deaths so much that you chose to sacrifice yourself, yet in the end, you still feared death, and you doubted that the world could be saved. Shall I tell you how the others met their end?]
Fwoosh—!
Erebos's body flared up once more.
[They forced their ideals onto the Surviving Hero. Their unfulfilled dreams… they dumped them on him. And then they died, fully convinced that he would succeed where they failed. And they were right! Their faith was well placed!]
Leo's face hardened as he raised his mana.
[In the end, the Surviving Hero saved the world! He struggled until the very last moment, refusing to die, desperately clinging on to fulfill the wishes of you five! And among the five of you… he suffered the most painful death of all! And now, he's preparing to go through that pain again!]
Leo looked past Erebos at Aaron's back. He could see Aaron's shoulders trembling slightly.
[Strange, isn't it, Brave Hero? Why are you making the same face you did when you died?]
Seeing Aaron wince as if he were about to cry, Erebos's face gleamed with delight.
"You fucking bastard…!" Leo roared, murderous intent flickering in his eyes.
Erebos chuckled, [Kukuku… It is truly delightful to shatter one's old nemesis.]
Suddenly, his demeanor shifted.
[Now, that's enough talk.]
A sinister aura erupted from Erebos's body.
[It's time to burn you to ash.]