Chapter 149
Chapter Title: Innocent
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Rumble—!
Barharun Castle collapsed.
The city known as the elven sanctuary was burning.
The devastation wrought by the fragment of the Great Cataclysm was the very picture of terror and dread.
And that cataclysm was destroying not just Barharun, but the World of Heroes itself.
Fwoosh—!
The world was set ablaze.
Thud— Thud—
The outskirts of Barharun.
“Hmph.”
Having climbed to the rooftop of the God's Tower, Pivua sat down.
To his divine eyes, the world felt as if it were burning.
“The world is collapsing.”
Pivua swirled the drink in his hand with a leisurely expression.
He seemed unconcerned, even as his own existence was fading away.
‘This body is a fake, anyway.’
Whether his future self returned to the celestial realm or was annihilated,
there was no way to know.
But a being such as a god paid little mind to such things.
They understood better than anyone that the present was what mattered most.
Pivua’s gaze fell upon a single person.
‘Kyle. Show me… why you are the Great Hero.’
With a deep smile, Pivua tipped the wine into his mouth.
***
Fwoosh—
Lunia looked up at the sky, her lips pressed into a firm line.
‘The world is collapsing.’
She hadn’t experienced much, but she could clearly feel that this world was breaking apart.
“What happens if the World of Heroes breaks down without being cleared?”
“I don’t know either. There are no such cases in any of the records.”
Saying so, Elena glanced up at the sky.
“But it seems certain that the challengers won’t make it out unscathed.”
‘Asking if it’s even possible… would be a foolish question.’
There was no other choice.
Now was the time to defeat the legendary Great Cataclysm.
Lunia took a deep breath and slapped both her cheeks hard.
At the sharp *smack!*, Elena’s eyes widened as she looked at Lunia.
The elven girl’s eyes were now burning with determination.
“That Leo guy wasn’t scared! I can’t be scared anymore either!”
‘It’d be so embarrassing to be the only one freaking out after boldly declaring myself his rival!’
The rival she aimed to surpass was already far ahead.
Giving up like this just wasn’t in her nature.
Watching Lunia steel her resolve, Elena asked,
“Doesn’t that hurt your cheeks?”
“It doesn’t hurt.”
“Really?”
Poke—!
…!
Lunia’s eyes shot wide as Elena mercilessly poked her cheeks again and again.
Her teasing attitude sparked Lunia’s defiance.
“I said it doesn’t hurt.”
“Wow. What a tough young lady.”
Pinch—!
“That hurts even when they're perfectly fine!”
As Lunia glared and shouted, Elena chuckled.
“You’re quite a peculiar elf, aren’t you? Was that whole top-student act just a performance?”
Tears welling slightly in her eyes, Lunia clutched her cheek and glared at Elena.
It was then.
“What in the world is that monster?”
“You’re here, Hadin?”
Elena greeted Hadin warmly.
“It’s Erebos.”
“Erebos?!”
“A fragment of Erebos, to be precise.”
Elena grinned, her smile filled with killing intent.
“And we’re going to take it down right now.”
At her words, Hadin’s expression tensed.
He wanted to hear the details, but the situation didn’t seem to allow for it.
“Where is Leo Flove?”
“Leo? He’s over there.”
Elena pointed ahead.
Hadin’s eyes widened.
“Founder?”
The beautiful elven girl captivated Hadin’s gaze.
If it weren’t for the current situation, he would have offered a formal elven greeting and marveled at her presence.
But this was no time for that.
Hadin tightened his grip on his sword.
Just then, Leo approached with Luna.
“Hm? We’ve got one more. Are you an ally too?”
“I am. Lady Luna, my name is Hadin. Like a single, great and beautiful ray of starlight…”
“Yes, yes. Let’s save the chit-chat for later.”
Elena cut off Hadin, who was about to praise Luna with a string of flowery compliments.
“So, Leo. You said we’re taking that thing down. Do you have a plan?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“Luna and I will take the front. Lunia and Elena, I need you to provide magic support from the rear. Hadin, you’ll stay in the middle and block any of its attacks aimed at them.”
“Wouldn’t the proper formation be to place Lady Luna, a mage, in the rear while you and I take the front?”
As Hadin voiced his question, Luna grinned.
“I hate cowering in the rear just because I’m a mage. Besides, he and I are probably the only ones who can block that monster’s attacks.”
“If Lady Luna says so, then I shall obey.”
Elena smiled.
Indeed, a moment ago, when Erebos had swept the area, Lunia and Elena had no way to protect themselves from the black flames and had needed Luna’s help.
‘But Leo blocked the flames all by himself.’
It was strange.
‘In terms of mana capacity, Lunia and I far surpass him. That must mean Leo has some way to counter the black flames.’
She didn’t know what it was, but for now, leaving the front line to Leo and Luna was the best option.
Hadin, too, nodded at Luna’s words.
“Alright, then.”
Luna tightened her grip on Polium.
She grinned and glared at Erebos.
“Let’s smash that damn blackened thing to bits.”
“Before that, remember one thing. Do not, under any circumstances, touch its flames.”
Everyone nodded at Leo’s words.
Leo glared at Erebos.
“Let’s begin.”
With those words, Leo and Luna charged toward Erebos.
Elena and Lunia began gathering their mana, while Hadin summoned his aura and mana to protect them.
Luna watched Leo’s back as he ran ahead of her, then hesitated before asking,
“Hey.”
“What.”
“When this is over, can I go with you?”
Leo faltered at her words.
He glanced back at Luna and said,
“Don’t you have things to do here? I’m just a suspicious stranger with an unknown identity.”
Luna nodded at his question.
“Of course, I do. There are things I want to accomplish. But I have a feeling that following you will lead to something far more valuable than anything I could learn here.”
Luna looked directly into Leo’s red eyes.
“I’m sure you’ll show me sights I can’t even imagine.”
“What’s this? Have you fallen for me?”
Leo teased, and Luna broke into a radiant smile.
“Maybe.”
“…”
Her bright smile, tinged with a hint of shyness, left Leo momentarily stunned.
But he quickly composed himself and said,
“Let’s talk about that after we take this thing down.”
“Alright!”
Luna raised her staff, full of vigor.
With that, Luna’s mana flared to life.
Fwoosh—
“Hell Fire.”
Crimson flames erupted from the tip of Polium.
The inferno of hell, boasting the greatest power among fire-based spells, was born.
This spell, which reduced everything to ash, was one that even the elves of the past, let alone those of the present, were reluctant to learn.
It was considered far too destructive, clashing with the elven disposition.
But Luna paid no mind to such things.
Fwoooosh—!
Responding to Luna’s mana, Erebos spewed black flames.
“Go!”
Craaaack—!
Luna’s spell flew toward Erebos.
Erebos swung its arm.
Swish—!
A mass of black flames detached from Erebos’s body and collided with Luna’s spell.
Craaaack! Fwoosh—!
The black flames swallowed the inferno of hell.
Boom—
But as the inferno of hell exploded, the black flames scattered in all directions.
Seeing this, Leo lowered his sword.
Wooooom—
A gray aura emanated from Leo’s sword.
The aura quickly enveloped the scattering black flames like a glass wall.
Fwoosh—!
The black flames were deflected by Leo’s aura.
‘The flames of Erebos are immortal, never to be extinguished.’
The endlessly burning inferno incinerates everything composed of mana.
For the mortal races, the fact that the power of a world-destroying entity was rooted in immortality was the very definition of despair.
The current Leo did not possess the immense power that Kyle once had.
Nor did he have Luna’s outstanding talent, magical sense, or overwhelming mana.
At a glance, taking the front line seemed far too reckless.
But Leo was confident he could defeat the fragment of Erebos.
That was because Leo was special.
‘We’re all special. But Kyle… among all of us, you might be the most special. Your mana trait is, quite literally, a natural enemy to Erebos.’
‘Natural enemy? What do you mean?’
‘The gray mana you possess seems to be non-elemental at first glance.’
‘It’s not “seems to be,” it just is. It has no special characteristics. Besides being an All-Class, how do I even compare to you guys?’
Whether it was aura, magic, or summoning.
Unlike his companions, Kyle lacked the talent to reach the pinnacle of any single ability on his own.
‘Your non-elemental nature is different from others.’
But Lisinas just smiled cheerfully as he looked at Kyle’s murky, gray power.
‘It may seem like simple non-elemental mana… but your mana is purer than anyone else’s. If I were to define your trait, I’d call it Purity.’
The trait Kyle was given by the King of Wisdom.
At the time, Kyle had felt a little pleased with the trait he had given him.
Of course, there were always those who, like demons, loved to ruin the mood the moment they saw a friend happy.
‘Purity! He says Purity! That really doesn’t suit Kyle at all!’
‘Lisinas. Purity is a symbol of beauty. Your words are an insult to the very name of Purity!’
‘…Yeah, right. I’m the furthest thing from pure. You cranky elf and you perverted dwarf.’
Leo yelled, putting both of them in a headlock at the same time.
Luna viciously pinched Kyle’s arm over and over, while Dweno smacked it with his pot-lid-sized hands.
Watching the scene, Lisinas said,
‘Ar-on, what do you think of Kyle?’
‘I’d say he’s also pretty far from pure, wouldn’t you?’
Ar-on’s awkward smile as he scratched his cheek.
Leo burst out laughing as he recalled the past.
‘That Lisinas fellow said it. Purity means it can become anything. That’s why I’m an All-Class.’
Wooooom—!
A magic formula materialized in Leo’s hand.
Seeing it, Luna’s eyes widened.
‘What is that?’
It looked somehow familiar.
Luna understood what it was in an instant.
‘The magic formula I was developing?’
Flustered, Luna quickly shook her head.
‘No. It’s different from the one I made.’
The magic Leo was using now was the star magic created by Luna.
But this spell was special.
It was the only spell that Luna had created but could not use herself.
A spell Luna had made for only one person. For Kyle.
Kyle’s unique magic.
The very fact that she had created a unique spell for another person highlighted Luna’s genius.
This spell had no special effects or unusual properties.
It was simply a bullet of mana that maximized the characteristics of Kyle’s magic.
However.
‘Your pure mana can become anything, Kyle. But to put it another way…’
He recalled the meaningful smile of Lisinas, who had gathered the Great Heroes to subjugate the Great Cataclysm.
‘It means it is affected by nothing. In other words, it can counter the immortal power of Erebos. That’s why you are the natural enemy of that detestable Great Cataclysm.’
And he had been right.
Wooooom— Flash—!
Leo’s gray mana turned pure white.
The spell that had saved Kyle’s life time and again in the final battle.
The one that had dealt fatal blows to the immortal being time and again…
The star magic created by Luna, Progenitor of the Nebula, but a unique spell completed solely for Kyle.
“Innocent.”
Fwoosh—!
A pure white sphere formed above Leo’s head.