Chapter 513

Luna, who had fired off Extinction repeatedly, fixed her gaze on where the Lich King had been.

He won't go down that easily.

The current Luna was the Luna from the time when the Great Heroes embarked on their final expedition. At that time, each Great Hero individually possessed enough power to overwhelm the legion commanders, who had been Erebos's trusted subordinates.

The same applied to the Lich King Hell Kaiser, the supreme commander of Tartaros.

But that was only when I was in my complete state.

Right now, Luna existed as a spirit, and what was maintaining her was her and Seiren's mana, which had been sealed within Cometes. Because of that, using magic placed a considerable burden on her.

On top of that, that damn skeleton… he's stronger than he was 5000 years ago.

Luna could easily guess the reason for his increased strength.

It's probably because of the fragment of Erebos that he has.

She calculated the difference in power between herself and the Lich King.

It'll be a bit tough to just overpower him head-on.

As Luna stroked her chin in thought, a sinister surge of black mana erupted.

Whoooosh—!

Seeing that, Luna narrowed her eyes.

Looks like he devoured that legion commander.

She clicked her tongue. It wasn't hard for her to notice that the Lich King's power had become even greater.

Fwoooosh—!

The Lich King reappeared, his hand now cloaked in the same black flames that Elzenie had wielded just moments ago.

Luna remarked, "A tragic case of fratricide? Well, I guess that's just how demons are."

"Even in death, your filthy mouth refuses to change," the Lich King retorted.

"People who are destined for greatness must be consistent, whether alive or dead."

Luna smirked and snapped her fingers.

Wheeeenng—!

A strange resonance filled the air, and in an instant, hundreds of swords formed from pure mana materialized around her.

This was the Swords of Exorcism, a spell she had created specifically to counter the Lich King. A magic that was the bane of all undead.

As Luna readied herself, the Lich King raised his hand.

Whoooosh—!

A thick black mist poured out from his palm.

With a flick of her hand, Luna sent the hundreds of swords hurtling toward the Lich King like a torrential downpour.

Bababababababang—!

The moment the Swords of Exorcism clashed with the Lich King's mist, they were blocked.

"Did you really think a trick from 5000 years ago would work on me?"

"Hmm, guess not," Luna remarked nonchalantly, grabbing the last remaining Sword of Exorcism and channeling mana into it.

Flash—!

In an instant, she vanished from sight, making the Lich King's eyes twitch.

Spatial teleportation?

He quickly expanded his mana detection field. In that fleeting moment, sensing a deadly presence behind him, he immediately activated a teleportation spell.

Swish—!

The Sword of Exorcism sliced through empty air.

"Too bad~" Luna clicked her tongue, twirling the sword in her hands.

The Lich King narrowed his eyes.

She enhanced herself with acceleration magic?

It wasn't just a matter of boosting her physical speed. She had literally accelerated the flow of her own time.

That's a magic concept that didn't exist 5000 years ago.

The proper formulation of time acceleration magic had only been established recently, and even then, it was onlynthanks to a particular mage born with a special mana trait.

Even now, very few mages could utilize time acceleration magic to such an extent.

As expected.

He has no idea how long she had been in this world, but one thing was certain—her magic had changed drastically from 5000 years ago.

I had anticipated this, but it seems most of the countermeasures I prepared for Luna Luminance's return will be useless.

Last winter, when he had heard the disastrous news that the invasion plan to destroy Seiren had been thwarted by the Hero of the Beginning and the Nebula Pioneer, the Lich King had begun devising countermeasures against them.

The fact that the Great Heroes had reappeared in this era through the Hero Record was undeniable. A true miracle.

But if it happened once, it can happen again.

Just as the Lich King had predicted, the Great Heroes continued to manifest in the present era. The Brave Hero Aaron had even vanquished one of Erebos's fragments before disappearing.

And now, before him stood the Nebula Pioneer, Luna.

I should assume that her magic has advanced even further than I expected.

The Lich King cast a dark spell.

Boom—!

A massive wave of black smoke, thick with malevolent energy, surged toward Luna.

Seeing this, Luna swiftly activated her acceleration magic to evade the attack.

It would have been easier for her to teleport away, but instead, she chose acceleration magic.

Rapidly closing the distance between them, she clapped her hands together.

Clap!

As her palms separated, countless orbs of light scattered like shrapnel.

Boom—!

A powerful explosion erupted, but it was blocked by the Lich King's crimson barrier.

Fwoooosh—!

At that moment, the Lich King's hand transformed into the massive skeletal remains of a beast. The black-flame-clad creature opened its gaping maw, attempting to swallow Luna whole.

Whoooosh—!

Luna quickly distanced herself once again.

"Annoying." The Lich King clicked his tongue.

The Queen of Monsters, Sillatna. The Giant King, Giath. Both of them had been legion commanders specializing in close combat. If they were to be compared to heroes, they would be knights and warriors.

In contrast, the Lich King was a summoner and a mage—specialized in summoning and spellcraft, yet Luna was deliberately forcing a close-quarters battle against him.

The reason was simple. Luna was overwhelmingly powerful in melee combat as well.

The most effective way to evade attacks was through spatial magic.

However, Luna wasn't using teleportation, and neither was the Lich King.

It wasn't because they found spatial teleportation difficult. For both Luna and the Lich King, it was a simple spell, but teleportation had a fatal flaw.

Short-range teleportation worked by folding space. Because of that, it was possible to predict the destination of a teleportation.

Of course, under normal circumstances, such a feat was practically impossible in battle, but Luna was the greatest mage in history, while the Lich King was the most formidable mage and curse-weaver in Tartaros.

Luna refrained from teleporting to avoid having her location predicted and countered.

The Lich King, on the other hand, chose to reinforce his defenses instead of moving.

"Are you planning to keep up this tedious war of attrition?" he asked.

"Yep." Luna grinned. If her mana was depleted, she would disappear.

The Lich King knew this all too well.

If there were no restrictions, she would have shown herself from the start.

Unfortunately for him, time was on Luna's side.

Craaaack—! Craaack, craaack—!

Leo, who had been trapped in the world of the Mirror Queen, was breaking free.

Damn it, the Surviving Hero's escaping.

"Do you know the fundamental difference between us, who seek to destroy the world, and you, who seek to protect it, Luna Luminance?"

"Like I give a damn, you pile of bones!" Luna's eyes gleamed as in an instant, pentagrams reflected in her pupils.

Crackle—!

The barrier magic surrounding the Lich King shattered. She had analyzed its spell structure, reversed the process, and destroyed it.

Luna moved to close the distance again.

Seeing this, the Lich King smirked.

Whoooosh—!

A massive surge of black mana erupted from him.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—!

As the Lich King raised his hand, debris from all over Lumeria City shot into the sky.

"A destroyer only needs to break what they see, but a guardian must protect everything they see."

Luna hesitated.

Boom, boom, boom, boom—!

"Shit!"

She immediately cast a spell to protect the people. Using telekinetic magic, she stopped the raining debris and hurled it all far away.

Watching this, the Lich King raised his hand again.

Whoooosh—!

Black flames engulfed Luna.

Just as the flames were about to reduce her to ashes, a massive magic circle formed in her hand.

Flash—!

"Stellar Radius."

As Luna's signature spell was completed, beams of light streaked toward the Lich King.

Kraaaaash—!

Half of the Lich King's body was obliterated, but his body quickly regenerated.

Crunch—! Crackle, crackle—!

Luna frowned at the sight. "Ugh, no matter how many times I see it, it's disgusting. You just won't die."

"You know why, don't you, Luna Luminance? I am already dead." The Lich King smirked. "Unless my core is destroyed, I am immortal."

Luna sneered. "Yeah, just like all those low-grade liches."

His core is the heart of his mana. Not only is it absurdly durable, but he can also move its location at will.

Luna scowled.

Seeing her expression, the Lich King chuckled. "The same goes for you, Luna Luminance."

"What?"

"Did you forget? You are also dead."

Crunch—! Crackle, crackle—!

The Lich King, using the will of Erebos, ripped off his own arm. The severed limb transformed into a spear.

Whoooosh—!

A tremendous surge of black mana spiraled around it.

A certain hit spell!

Luna's face tensed. It was a spell that never missed its target. She prepared to counter it, but…

Stab—!

Before she could do anything, the Lich King's spear impaled her heart.

"Guh? You bastard…" Luna's face twisted in pain.

Watching her, the Lich King said coldly, "That spear contains the full power of Lord Erebos, fueled using Elzenie as kindling. It was originally meant to kill the Surviving Hero, but since you decided to interfere, that plan is ruined. Besides, the divine will that burned Elzenie as fuel held a greater grudge against you anyway."

Luna coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"A legion commander's existence was expended. That means I need to ensure something is completely destroyed."

Luna's trembling hands clenched into fists.

"Right now, you are more of a threat than the Surviving Hero. You've advanced magic in this era by several levels, Luna Luminance."

Since the plan had gone awry, the best course of action was to gain the maximum advantage from the situation. In the Lich King's eyes, that meant Luna Luminance's gruesome death.

Drip, drip—!

The bone spear vanished.

All of Erebos's black flames had been condensed into a single spell, yet Luna did not die.

"You won't disappear immediately, Luna Luminance." The Lich King smirked chillingly. "Even if your heart is pierced, your limbs severed, or your head bursts open, you will still exist in this world. You are like me—a dead being. I'd prefer if you died in the most wretched, despairing way possible."

"You son of a bitch…!"

"I despise you Great Heroes."

The Lich King swung his palm.

Boom—!

"Guh!"

The impact sent Luna crashing into the ground.

Kraaaash—!

"Lady Luna!" Lunia, her face drained of color, screamed as she rushed toward Luna.

The heroes who had been holding back the armies of the Lich King and the Blood Queen also looked on in despair at the sight of Luna bleeding from her pierced heart.

"Stay back!" Luna spat out blood as she shouted.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she rose to her feet.

The power of Erebos and the Lich King's curse gave her unbearable pain, threatening to shatter her sanity, and every movement felt like it would tear screams from her throat.

Anyone else would have lost their mind and gone insane, but Luna laughed, "Well, being dead is great! Now I don't have to hold back and can fight however I want!"

Her bloodied lips curled into a ferocious grin, showing not a hint of despair.

Tap—

The Lich King, who had just landed on the ground, shook his head exasperatedly at the sight. "As expected of a Great Hero. To laugh through pain that should shatter your mind… Luna Luminance. If you exist as a spirit, what is your lingering attachment?"

"That I didn't get to tear you bastards to pieces."

"That might be part of it, but I don't think that's the real answer. After all, you entrusted the future to the Surviving Hero." The Lich King chuckled. "Perhaps this is your true regret."

He spread his palm, revealing a necromantic contract.

Luna frowned, but as she scanned the contract's contents, her face slowly hardened.

Moments later, her face turned deathly pale.

"Heh, heheh. Hehehehehe Kuhuhuuhuh!" The Lich King barely suppressed his laughter as he mocked Luna.

Luna, her face stricken with horror, looked down at the ground.

"So I was right." The Lich King made the contract vanish. "The Velkia you worried about so much has been resurrected as an undead. Didn't you teach your student properly?"

Kraaaash—!

With a swing of his arm, Luna was sent flying.

Boom—! Crackle, crackle—!

At that moment, the entire space trembled violently, cracks forming everywhere.

The Lich King's eyes narrowed.

The Surviving Hero will arrive soon.

He needed to crush Luna before then.

Just as he thought that, a runic chant echoed.

Flash—!

A colossal magic circle formed in the sky.

The Lich King's face stiffened. "Extinction?"

He turned toward where Luna had crashed. There she stood—her eyes shining as always as she gave him the middle finger.