LHAHS Chapter 512
A brilliant and resplendent magic circle illuminated the sky, but despite its breathtaking appearance, the magic it unleashed was nothing short of terrifying. The radiant glow of dawn's starlight mesmerized the onlookers.
KWOOM—!
As a raging storm of mana swept across the battlefield, mages who recognized the spell widened their eyes in shock.
"Extinction?"
"She cast this spell instantly, without even a sign of activation…!"
"Who in the world is she?!"
From the Age of Calamity 5,000 years ago to the present day, the Stellar Magic spell, Extinction, had remained the strongest spell in existence. It was the pinnacle of Stellar Magic, and a spell synonymous with Luna herself.
Its difficulty was infamous—so extreme that even among archmages, few could wield it. Ever since Seiren redefined Stellar Magic and passed it down to later generations, any mage capable of casting Extinction had been regarded as a prodigy, often rising to the ranks of the greatest mages in history.
Normally, when Extinction was invoked, it always carried a palpable mana vibration that made the very air tremble, but this time, there had been no such sign. It had been activated at a speed akin to a basic incantation rather than an overwhelming force of destruction.
The mages could only gape in disbelief.
Lunia's eyes widened.
She simply performed a rapid chant.
Luna had constructed the formula and completed the spell in an instant.
Every mage practiced rapid chanting as it was a common, fundamental skill, but to use it to cast Extinction?
That was beyond comprehension.
Lunia gritted her teeth and fixed her gaze on Luna.
Whoooooooosh—!
Meanwhile, a crimson-black aura began to pour out from the area swept up by Extinction.
Everyone swallowed dryly. This was a fear and pressure far beyond what Elzenie had emanated.
"That is… the Lich King," one hero muttered under his breath, unable to mask the nervous tremor in his voice.
The true ruler of Tartaros, the master of the undead legion, and a calamity in the purest sense of the word.
Terror spread among them.
Step—
The Lich King took a step forward, and instinctively, the heroes stepped back.
With every step he took, the very ground beneath him decayed. He did not radiate power. He did not spread his influence. His mere presence was enough to drown the surrounding space in death itself.
Step—
He took another step forward. The formation of heroes faltered.
Only a single elf stood still, arms crossed, tilting her head in disinterest.
"Who is that elf?"
"How is she unaffected?"
Confusion spread through the crowd.
Only Lu, the elven girl Lunia was protecting, asked, "Sis, that pretty sister called herself Lady Luna, but… is she really Lady Luna?"
Amidst the suffocating tension, the child's innocent question made the people murmur among themselves.
"Did she just say Lady Luna?"
"Could it be…?"
Eyes widened as everyone turned their gaze toward Luna's back.
A string of miracles had unfolded in recent days. Could it be that, once again, the Nebula Pioneer had returned to save the world?
Still, they could not hastily believe the words of a mere child. They watched in suspense, waiting for any confirmation.
Finally, it was the Lich King who broke the silence.
"Meeting again after 5,000 years… how nostalgic, Luna Luminance."
A collective gasp swept through the heroes.
"Gasp!"
"W-What did the Lich King just say?!"
Shock rippled through the ranks.
"Aah! So it really is Lady Luna!"
"The great Nebula Pioneer!"
"You have returned to save us once more!"
"You have been reborn twice…!"
"The greatest of all the Great Heroes!"
"You have truly returned to this world!"
The elves dropped to their knees, gazing at Luna's back in reverence, offering prayers of devotion. Among them were even the pureblood supremacists.
Luna's pointed ears twitched as remarks filled with awe reached her ears. She flicked them a few more times before lowering her head.
"Haaah." Then, with a deep inhale, she raised her palm toward the Lich King.
FWOOSH—!
A devastating gust of wind swept through the battlefield, slamming into the Lich King and the still-burning Elzenie.
KWOOM—!
The two legion commanders were flung across the battlefield, crashing into the walls of Lumeria City.
RUUUUUUMBLE—!
Everything in their path—buildings, streets—was obliterated, but because all civilians had already been evacuated, there were no casualties.
"Oooooooh!"
A chorus of gasps and cheers erupted at the overwhelming display of magic.
"The legion commanders couldn't even resist!"
"As expected of Lady Luna!"
"The Nebula Pioneer!"
Several elves were already chanting her name as if she were a goddess.
Swoosh—
Luna turned to face them. Even Dweno had once praised her beauty, and now that the illusion magic concealing her presence had lifted, her overwhelming aura was fully revealed.
Those who laid eyes on her stood frozen, captivated by the sheer, unparalleled beauty that no portrait had ever done justice to.
Luna smiled.
"Aah!"
"The Nebula Pioneer!"
The elves intensified their praise.
Step—
Luna walked toward them.
The closer she got, the louder their adoration became.
Step— Step— Stepstepstepstepstep—!
Her pace, initially slow and measured, abruptly shifted into a full sprint.
FWOOSH—!
Launching herself into the air, Luna delivered a dropkick straight to the face of the elf at the front—the very one who had uttered the word "reborn".
"Kegh!"
"Aaah! Reborn? Reb—UAAARGH?! Are you messing with me right now?! I was already pissed off, and yet you pull this stupid shit on me You pointy-eared little son of a bitch!"
Every single face went blank in sheer disbelief, unable to tell if this was a dream or reality.
For thousands of years, the Nebula Pioneer had been known as a benevolent and compassionate figure, and yet, here she was, hurling profanities and violently stomping on an elf who had been worshipping her.
"And you! Yeah, you! Get over here!"
"E-Eeeek! Kyaaaaaah?!"
Luna grabbed a nearby elven woman by the hair and yanked her closer.
"I'm not here to save you, got it?! I just came here for my own damn reasons! Your mess is your problem! I left you Stellar Magic, didn't I?! My sweet little junior Seiren even simplified it for you! Len from Lumene even turned it into a system everyone could learn! It's your damn era, take care of it yourselves! What the fuck are you so happy about, thinking I came to help, huh?! URRRGHHHHH!"
With eyes wild and bloodshot, Luna shrieked and unleashed a storm of kicks on the pureblood supremacist elves, swearing at them all the while.
Just as everyone stood paralyzed by the sight of a reality far beyond their comprehension, Lunia panicked and grabbed onto Luna, trying to calm her down.
"L-Lady Luna! Please, calm yourself!"
"Waaaaaaah!" Meanwhile, Lu, terrified by the overwhelming sight, burst into tears.
KUUUUUUUUUUNG! FWOOSH—!
Just then, a pillar of black flames erupted from one of Lumeria's walls.
Luna, who had been rampaging, glanced over with a crooked smirk before clicking her tongue and straightening her clothes. "Alright then. Time to wreck that damned bag of bones and his kindling."
Having thoroughly demolished the racist elves, Luna stepped forward.
Seeing that, the other heroes hurried to her side.
"Lady Luna! We will assist you!"
"Please leave the frontline to us!"
Luna shook her head. "No, leave those two to me. You guys handle their army."
"But…!"
"A mage like you fighting two legion commanders alone is…"
"Don't worry."
CRACK—
Luna rolled her shoulders and cracked her knuckles before flashing a grin.
WHOOOOOOM—!
"This isn't a situation where I can afford to hold back my magic." Luna smiled. "And if you guys get caught up in it, you're screwed."
The sheer mana surging around Luna made the heroes gulp.
"Lu."
"Yes?" Lu replied, sniffling. At some point, she had reunited with her mother and stopped crying.
Luna approached her and gently pressed a finger against her nose. "Don't grow up to be a dumb elf like them, alright?"
"A dumb elf?"
"Yeah. Being an elf doesn't make automatically make you great." Luna beamed. "It's accomplishing something great that makes you great, like your amazing mother."
"Aah… Lady Luna." Lu's mother looked at Luna with deep admiration.
Luna winked at her before stepping forward. With her lingering hesitation cast aside, nothing could hold her back.
"Lunia, closely watch how I fight from now on."
"Yes!" Lunia tensed up.
This is Lady Luna's first battle lesson.
Luna crossed her arms. "First, you need to create your own ultimate spell."
"U-Ultimate spell?"
"Yeah. In my case, that's Extinction."
The reason Luna created Extinction was simple—she needed an overwhelmingly powerful finishing move.
"Second. If you truly want to kill your opponent, don't worry about collateral damage. Pour your intent to kill into every spell you cast."
"……" Lunia was left speechless.
Luna chuckled and waved her hand.
FLASH—! CRACKLE—!
With the sound of vibrating mana, five magic circles bloomed in the air. The spells were completed in an instant.
Everyone's eyes widened.
"That formula… Is that Extinction?"
"She formed five Extinction spells in the blink of an eye…?!"
Each cast of Extinction was powerful enough to change the course of a battle, but five at once? That was beyond comprehension.
Luna's body slowly rose into the air. "Alright, let's begin."
Grinning, Luna unleashed her magic.
The direction where the Lich King and Elzenie had been blasted off was instantly swallowed in an explosion of Extinction.
KWA-THOOM—!
With no worries about collateral damage, Luna went all out in the battle between a Great Hero and two legion commanders.
A battle so immense it could wipe out all of Lumeria City.
Of course, the one causing most of the destruction was none other than Luna.
Whatever. This world is at peace because of me, so who's gonna dare complain if I destroy a city or two?
Luna brushed aside her conscience.
For reference, just as Kyle had been called the Surviving Hero and Lysinas the Fool, while Aaron was cursed with the moniker of Coward, Luna, too, had a certain nickname.
"How needlessly flashy. As expected of the Queen of Destruction," the Lich King remarked, calmly standing in front of the city walls.
Luna's attack had been spectacular in appearance, launching him and the Blood Queen all the way here, but despite its grandeur, it had inflicted little actual damage on them.
It was all noise, no substance.
Luna Luminance must realize that too. So why waste her magic like this?
It wasn't to stall for time. Given her personality, she should have been bombarding them with overwhelming magic the moment she saw them.
After briefly pondering, the Lich King gave up on trying to understand Luna. He had clashed with his adversaries for countless years. He could understand Lysinas, Kyle, Aaron, and Dweno's thought processes to some extent, but Luna had always been utterly unpredictable.
Having learned this through experience, the Lich King saw no reason to waste his energy analyzing her.
That was why, never in his darkest nightmares could he have imagined that Luna had cast her spell just to teach a lesson to the future generation—using him as the target.
At that moment, more Extinction spells descended.
The Lich King sighed faintly, "Hmph."
"Your majesty! You might be struck directly by that accursed spell!"
"Indeed."
"You must evade at onc… Khak?!"
GRAB—!
The Lich King extended his hand and seized Elzenie by the throat. Then, without hesitation, he shoved her in front of him as a shield.
KWA-THOOM—!
"KIIIIEEEEEK!"
Using Elzenie as cover, the Lich King watched the devastation with an eerily composed expression.
Luna Luminance's arrival… This was unexpected.
His plans had been disrupted.
Is she a lingering spirit? This feels distinctly different from Aaron last time.
With a single glance, the Lich King grasped Luna's condition.
That means… her limits are clear.
WHOOOOOM—!
The Lich King smirked and raised his hand.
CRACKLE—!
"Y-Your majesty?"
"You have served your purpose, Blood Queen."
SQUELCH—!
A skeletal hand extended from his grasp and crushed Elzenie.
Blood splattered.
FWOOSH—!
A crimson flame flared in his palm—then turned black.
"Watching a Great Hero fall helplessly… That might not be so bad."
The Lich King knew.
The Great Heroes were symbols of peace.
And he understood better than anyone just how terrifying a symbol could be.
5,000 years.
For 5,000 years, even in their absence, people had revered the Great Heroes and followed in their footsteps.
As a result, countless heroes had risen to oppose Tartaros.
"Today, I will finally kill one of those symbols."