Chapter 511

For those with power, the sudden assault of Tartaros might have been just another trial to overcome, but for ordinary civilians, it was nothing short of an unprecedented catastrophe.

Resistance was impossible, and it wasn't their fault. For those who had simply been living their daily lives, it was nothing more than a bolt from the blue.

Some who could wield aura, magic, or summoning volunteered to fight, but when their offers were rejected, they instead helped evacuate the civilians to safe zones beyond Tartaros' reach.

"You mustn't. If you enter the battlefield with your level of ability, you'll die in vain."

"B-But we could at least be of some help!"

"I've wielded a sword for many years!"

"No. If you're weaker than me, you'll only be a burden."

The elven knight who spoke firmly gritted her teeth.

"Even I would be nothing but a hindrance if I went to the frontlines now."

Her frustrated expression made it clear—she wasn't skilled enough to fight in the battle unfolding nearby. That was why she had taken on the role of protecting the people in the rear.

A beastman warrior, also assigned to rear defense, said, "The rear is not guaranteed to be safe either. Stay here with us and prepare for any emergency."

"Mm…"

"A-Alright."

Clenching their fists, they nodded, their faces tense as they prepared for battle.

Everywhere, people trembled with anxiety, though fortunately, there had been no casualties yet.

Though there were injuries, the abundance of mages and summoners had helped prevent any critical situations.

Because of the Twilight Festival, countless heroes and powerful individuals had gathered in Lumeria City, but the distant sounds of violent explosions and eerie screams only deepened the fear that disaster could strike at any moment.

Kuuuuuuung!

When the ground trembled under the force of powerful magic, people instinctively hunched their shoulders.

Among them, an elf sat with her head lowered and ears drooped, staring at the ground. Each time a deafening noise rang out, her slender shoulders flinched.

It'll be fine.

Luna bit her lip.

Lunia has grown into someone reliable.

She was more than worthy of being called her successor.

The other heroes are trustworthy too.

Just as Lunia had said, the heroes of this era were noble and dependable.

It'll be fine even if I don't step in.

Luna squeezed her eyes shut.

She wanted to stay in this world longer.

A brilliant future she had never been able to witness, a world overflowing with possibilities—there was so much she could do here.

When she first began studying magic, Luna had been captivated by it. She had wanted to reach the very end of magic's path, but the dangers threatening the world had never let her fully immerse herself in the pursuit of magic.

However, when the world finally found peace, Luna's time had already ended.

I've done more than enough. They don't need me anymore.

She wanted to stay in this world forever. There was still so much she wanted to do, but more than anything, what she truly longed for was…

Now, in this peaceful world, I can finally be with Kyle.

She had thought about it endlessly.

If she had met Kyle not in a dark, despairing world, but in a bright and hopeful one—how would things have turned out? Their first meeting would have been terrible, of course, but little by little, she would have been drawn to the person Kyle was.

Maybe we would have had children. Maybe we could have lived a happy, peaceful life together.

A happiness that was now forever out of reach.

My time has stopped, while Kyle's time continues. Even so… I want to be with him a little longer.

It was selfish.

But is that really so wrong?

Luna lifted her head slightly. The brilliant light that always shone in her eyes was now dull and hazy.

Just a little longer…

Shff—

Suddenly, something appeared before Luna's eyes.

"Huh?" She let out a small gasp.

Her blurred vision sharpened. In front of her was a single flower, held in a tiny hand.

Luna looked up tp see a young elven girl holding the flower out to her.

"Pretty sister, are you scared?" the girl asked, her face was filled with concern.

"Ah."

"Don't be scared. I'll give you this flower."

"Thank you." Luna took the flower and gave a faint smile. "Are you alone, little one? Where are your parents?"

The girl clutched the stuffed doll in her other hand tightly. "Mommy is fighting the bad monsters right now!"

Luna recognized the doll immediately.

It's a doll of me.

Holding the plush toy close, the little elf laughed brightly, "My mommy is really strong! She's a graduate of Seiren, and just like Lady Luna, she can go 'zap zap!' with Stellar Magic! So don't worry!"

Seeing her cheerful expression, Luna couldn't help but let out a small chuckle herself.

She reminds me of Velkia when she was young.

Even in such a dire situation, she was fearless. It was the innocence of a child unaware of the dangers around her… but still, she was bright.

Because she knows nothing of the darkness.

Luna reached out and patted her head. "You're a brave little lady."

"Ah! It's the pretty drunkard lady!" a young boy shouted as he came running over.

It was the same boy who had said he admired Dweno the most when they met on the first day of the festival.

"Sis, I even bought a Lady Luna mask!" Grinning widely, he showed off the Luna mask hanging around his neck.

"Wow…!" The elven girl's eyes sparkled as she stared at it, her mouth slightly open in awe.

Noticing her reaction, the boy tilted his head, then took off the mask and held it out. "Do you want it?"

"Yeah!"

"But you have to be my friend."

"Okay!"

Luna blinked in surprise as she watched the two naturally become friends, laughing together.

…Kids these days sure know how to flirt.

"Sis, if you're scared, you should stay with us."

"What?"

Before she could react, the boy took Luna's hand and led her to where the other children were gathered.

Humans, elves, beastmen, dwarves, Children of various races huddled together, chatting. It seemed they had been gathered in one place to ensure a quick evacuation in case of an emergency.

Despite their nervous and uneasy expressions, they all firmly believed that the heroes would protect them.

"Oh, I know her! She's the lady who told us stories about the Great Heroes yesterday! She said Sir Kyle loved Lady Luna!"

"What does 'love' mean?"

"It means he likes her a lot."

"Sis, tell us more stories about the Great Heroes!"

"Sis! I want to hear about Sir Aaron…!"

The children eagerly surrounded Luna, chattering non-stop.

Their endless talking made Luna feel a little dizzy.

A moment later, their conversation shifted to another topic.

Seeing them so lively, Luna let out a quiet smile.

I wonder how these children will grow up.

A beastman boy clenched his fist. "Sir Aaron might show up and save us!"

"Sir Dweno might come too!"

"I want to see Sir Kyle!"

"I want to meet the Wise Queen!"

Like children, they spoke of dreamy possibilities.

Wow… I can't keep up with this conversation at all.

Luna wore a slightly overwhelmed expression as she struggled to follow their ever-changing topics.

"I think Lady Luna will come to save us," the young elf girl who had given Luna the flower added with a flushed face. "Pretty sister, don't you think so too?"

"……" Luna clenched her fist tightly.

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-gaang!

At that moment, a massive explosion erupted nearby.

Fwoooosh—!

Along with it, crimson-black flames shot into the sky.

"We need to evacuate to another location!"

"Move! Get the children out first!"

The situation changed in an instant. Urgent shouts rang out as people rushed to evacuate the children, and screams echoed through the chaos.

The children, now panicked, began to cry out in fear.

Kuuuuuuung—!

The crimson-black flames rising into the sky suddenly turned pitch black.

Luna's expression hardened. Erebos' flames!

Kwooooooosh—!

The black flames surged toward the people, and Luna gathered her mana, preparing to intervene.

Fwaaaaaaaah!

Pure white flames cut through the black fire.

"Kh…!" Lunia, who had formed the wall of flames, let out a strained groan.

"Lunia!" Luna hurriedly called out to her.

However, Lunia had no time to respond. Gritting her teeth, she narrowed her crimson eyes and intensified the pure white flames even further.

"Aahahahahahahaha! Yes, this power! The flames of God! Aaaaah! His divine will! I can hear His voice!" Elzenie's voice rang out in ecstasy.

Luna's eyes trembled. That's not just Erebos' blessing.

She immediately understood what was happening.

Erebos is using that legion commander as a vessel to ignite its flames.

Elzenie was nothing more than firewood, but the real problem was that she was an enormous piece of firewood.

Fueled by Erebos' will, the flames burned even fiercer, using her as kindling.

Elzenie's manic laughter echoed as the black flames grew more violent. "So weak! So weak! Do you really think such pitiful flames can block mine? Kya-hahahahahaha!"

"Shut the hell up and burn awaaaaaay!!" Lunia shouted as she pushed her flames to their maximum intensity.

Kuwaaaaaaang—!

The white flames pushed back the black fire, triggering a massive explosion.

"Haa…! Haa…!" Lunia panted heavily.

The heroes, who had retreated for a moment, were now reorganizing their formation.

Luna silently watched them.

"Lady Luna! Leave this to us and fall back immediately!" Lunia shouted.

Luna ignored her and remained still.

Whoooooosh—!

Suddenly, countless summoning circles appeared all around.

The heroes' faces turned pale.

"This power…"

"Could it be the Lich King?!"

Clank— Clank—

From within the summoning circles, the army of the dead began pouring out.

Lunia's face tensed immediately. "Lady Luna! You must evacuate at once!"

Someone grabbed Luna's hand and tried to pull her away. "P-Pretty sister, hurry, let's go!"

Luna turned her head and saw the elven girl holding her hand.

The child was trembling all over, but despite her fear, she had rushed all the way here, risking danger just because she was worried about Luna.

"Lu!" From the frontlines, an elven woman shouted urgently. She was a mage hero, and the sight of her daughter standing here left her both stunned and alarmed.

The girl's eyes widened in horror. "Mom! In front of you!"

Fwoooosh—!

Black flames rushed in to consume the elven mage.

"Tch!" Lunia's eyes shot wide open. Strong or weak, it didn't matter. At this moment, she was the only one capable of stopping these flames.

She hurriedly tried to conjure her magic, but before she could finish…

Flash—! Kwoooooosh—!

A brilliant light streaked through the air, blasting the black flames away with overwhelming might.

"Lady Luna?" Lunia quickly turned around.

Luna stood there, her hand raised. Their eyes met, and Luna smiled gently.

Seeing the meaning behind that smile, Lunia's face crumpled as though she were about to break.

Luna looked down at the girl holding her hand and smiled softly. "Your name is Lu?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry, this flower… got ruined."

Luna showed her the flower Luu had given her, then gathered mana in her hand.

A beautiful, fresh blossom bloomed from her palm.

Luna placed it in Luu's hands.

Then, she finally gave her answer.

"I think you're right. Lady Luna is going to crush all the bad monsters, so don't worry."

She reached out and gently stroked Lu's head before stepping forward.

If I looked away from this, I could stay here longer.

She could accomplish more, spend more time with the one she loved, and enjoy more happiness.

But… would that really be true to myself?

Five thousand years ago, the reason she had stepped forward to save the world had never been just to protect the world itself.

It was because I wanted to protect the world I had been a part of and loved.

Had she ever regretted all that she sacrificed to protect it?

Not for a second.

Had she resented the fact that she closed her eyes without achieving everything she wanted?

No. It was the path I chose.

She had reached an unimaginable height in magic. She had gained the recognition that later generations longed for.

That was only because I stayed true to myself until the very end. If that's the case…

She couldn't turn away now.

If I did, I would no longer be me. Right, Kyle?

Luna smiled as she thought of the friend she had trusted more than anyone.

"But… I'm sure you all still would've eventually ended up fighting against Erebos, just like me."

Leo's voice echoed in her mind.

Luna chuckled. "You were right, Kyle."

Step, step—

As Luna walked past her, Lunia instinctively reached out and grabbed her, her face on the verge of tears. "Lady Luna…"

Luna looked at her for a moment before extending her hand.

Fwoosh—!

Cometes appeared in Luna's grasp.

The staff that the Comet Mage had once entrusted to the Hero of the Beginning… now returned to the Nebula Pioneer.

And from there, it would once again be passed down to future generations.

Luna smiled. "Don't cry. Stand tall and hold your head high, Lunia El Lunda. You are the Nebula Pioneer's successor."

Lunia bit her lip, holding back her tears.

"Watch closely, and see for yourself what kind of person the one you respect truly is."

Leaving everything behind in Lunia's care, Luna strode forward.

Whoooooosh—!

As the black flames roared, Luna reached out, grasped at the air as if seizing something, and pulled.

Kwoooooosh—!

Space distorted, and as if something had been forcibly dragged out, a figure slammed into the ground.

From a safe distance, the Lich King, who had been observing the situation, muttered grimly, "This power… Could it be…"

"Yeah, that's right, you damned mutt." Luna grinned viciously. "The Great Lady Luna has descended. Which means you're dead, you bastard."

Flash—! Kwoooooosh—!

Before the words had even fully left her lips, the light of Extinction swallowed the Lich King whole.