The Miracle of the Pure White Heart
Lilia instinctively knew it. The hollow eyes, the dark blue lips. The faint breaths and the dim spark of life. Dante was closer to death than to being alive.
Save a guy like this? She let out a scoffing laugh at Hinissila's declaration that she would revive Dante. Even someone like her, who had lived for thousands of years, believed there was no way to save him.
"…Do you really think you can bring him back?"
"Of course. I stake my truth on it."
A mage staking their truth was a form of oath, as binding as a dragon's covenant or a knight's vow.
"You know I won't accept anything like necromancy."
"Naturally. Treating a devoted hero that way would be blasphemy."
She wasn't without ideas in her mind. But they were all imperfect shortcuts—turning him into an undead or binding his soul. Those were falsehoods at best. Since he himself wouldn't want that, Lilia had no choice but to trust Hinissila.
"…You do realize the student right now can hardly be called alive."
He was breathing, sure, but only the bare minimum bodily functions remained. The reckless amplification of demonic energy and the backlash from casting Star Manifestation-level magic with a 6th Circle. His mage's heart—the circles—were completely shattered. Breathing at all might be a miracle.
"So…?"
"If the biggest problems are the ruined heart and body…"
As Hinissila drew a magic circle in the air, a pure white light source materialized before them.
"The Pure White Heart…?"
"You demons sure know your stuff."
It was something even she didn't fully understand, but she remembered seeing it when she went to the black market with Dante. He'd called it an ancient relic that could write myths—a vessel of infinite potential to become an angel, a demon, or even a hero.
"I'm going to reconstruct Student Dante's body now."
"What if you fail?"
"It's fine. I'm the greatest mage alive."
Hinissila placed the Pure White Heart atop Dante's body with a gentle smile.
—Thump!! Thump!
The heart pulsed unmistakably, even from outside. Its presence reverberated through the room, stopping even a great demon like Lilia in her tracks.
"…Is it really okay to use something like this on a student?"
"It's fine. Student Dante isn't an ordinary student."
With that, Hinissila entered a state of complete immersion.
He's no ordinary student, that's for sure. Having spent much time with him, she knew his extraordinary nature better than anyone. A beauty that could enchant demons. Peerless talent in sword and magic alike. And above all, that unfathomable wisdom. None of it was human.
A hero etched into history. Or perhaps a calamity to become myth. Only such beings possessed those qualities.
"Fusion."
In an instant, the Pure White Heart floated into the air, emanating blinding white light.
This is divinity… no, I can't tell. Neither aura nor mana, divinity nor demonic energy. A more primordial, indescribable power. It poured out wildly in the form of light.
—Wooooong!!!!!
I have no idea what'll happen if we put something like this in Master. She knew its potential, but the details were unknown territory. Anxiety flooded Lilia's heart inevitably.
And then, as she stared blankly at the scene.
"I-I'm going to need your help."
The once-confident Hinissila called out to her urgently.
"Suddenly!? Help how?"
"Yes. It seems pure mana alone won't cut it."
Four forces acted on Dante's body: ordinary mana and aura, divinity and demonic energy. If they fell out of perfect balance, disaster was certain.
"Two people won't be enough. He's such a monster that we need divinity and aura users too…"
"Unbelievable. Understood."
As Hinissila nodded at Lilia's words, two familiar faces materialized from empty air.
"…What the fuck is this situation?"
"Shut up and help. We're saving your disciple, Reinhardt."
"Then I'll assist as well."
"Thank you, Saintess."
One dead man, surrounded by four others. Their disparate powers converged flawlessly on the Pure White Heart. The resisting organ began to stabilize.
"Now."
Integration.
With Hinissila's command, the light morphed like slime and seeped into Dante.
—Crunch!!! Rumble!!!!
Bones twisted and his body convulsed midway, but Lilia paid it no mind. Dante's vitality was returning, after all.
"Even at my age, there's always something new."
"Indeed. We might be witnessing a fragment of a miracle."
"He's always surprising us, just like always."
Forces that could never coexist in one vessel achieved perfect harmony, settling into his ruined heart. Imperfection turned to perfection. Even unconscious, an even more overwhelming presence emanated from Dante's body.
Please… wake up safely and call for me again.
Born a demon, she'd lived without desperation. But now, with her master and companion fallen, she prayed fervently for the first time in eons.
They say life flashes before your eyes at death.
Looking back, it's definitely a life full of regrets.
Memories from his previous life and after possession paraded by like a panorama. Birth, life, death. The events of his original life flashed past, followed by visions of his new life as Dante.
What a boring life.
Even at an age for affection, rumors of a curse and contempt left him withering alone. His engagement, propped by family prestige, was canceled by his fiancée's will. He tried hard at everything, but his talent couldn't match half the effort of others. Even dumping more time in yielded less than their single hour—still bringing a bitter smile now.
Those with talent are the ones who keep pushing.
Who keeps striving without progress? Ordinary people stop when growth halts. Extra effort only crawls at a snail's pace. Thus, he'd crawled slower than a grub.
Regret, lamentation. Depression, despair. Amid endless emotional torment came that day—a miracle.
I never thought it'd actually work.
Even knowing it, invoking a demon's true name was impossible. Unique tones, inhuman phonetics, and ritual acts required. Even he, the possessor, took ten years for a miraculous success.
And from then, his crawling life straightened—he began outpacing others.
"Ah… it's almost over."
He slew Morbelum, the Formless One. Met the heroines, had fun adventures. And the end was, as expected, the clash with Belhalm.
Countless deaths, countless regressions. Powerlessly defeated. Reaching 10th Circle—Star Manifestation—wasn't easy.
Star Manifestation… With enough effort, maybe I could reach it.
He'd glimpsed its fragments twice—a sensation beyond ordinary folk. With time, it felt attainable. But he'd already died.
"No regrets, though."
His goal was graduation, a good job, wealth, peace. But his nature wouldn't let him become a villain. Still, Lilia fully revived via regression—no lingering attachments. He wanted her alive more than himself. He'd given her a chance first; now he returned it.
—Saaaaah.
Ah, his body felt light. Not just light—dispersing. His lingering consciousness fading completely?
As hollow resignation hit.
—Ding.
The familiar sound rang in his ears.
"…Huh?"
Your body undergoes Huan Gu Tal Tai.
All your talents integrate, granting you Myth's Master.
Trait: Seal of Original Sin absorbs Belhalm, who attempted Demonization.
The Pure White Heart has been transplanted.
Countless windows appeared.
Dead sensations slowly returned.
"……You're awake? Master……."