Chapter 208
Chapter Title: The Legend Awakens
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Leo raised his hand toward Jerdiac’s back as the demon tried to cross through the rift into the present.
*Whoosh—!*
A powerful gray mana swirled around him.
A massive magic circle formed as Leo completed the incantation.
“Moonlight.”
A silver-green flash erupted, and a barrage of light struck the defenseless Jerdiac.
*Flash—! Kra-ka-ka-boom—!*
“……!”
But in an instant, abyssal flames erupted from Jerdiac’s back and consumed Leo’s magic.
Leo’s expression hardened at the sight.
*The flames of Erebos!*
“Damn it!”
Cursing, Leo bent his knees.
*Thud—! Boom—!*
He shot off the ground, his body flying toward Jerdiac like a bullet.
*Shing—!*
Gray aura coalesced around his sword.
*Kra-ka-ka-ka-ka—!*
Leo’s blade struck at Jerdiac.
But once again, the flames rose to block his sword.
*This confirms it. These flames clearly possess a will of their own!*
And it has a single goal.
To bring its loyal servant back to the present world.
*I have to stop it!*
The current era was known as an age of peace.
But that peace was maintained by a delicate balance, one that could be shattered at any moment.
It was a peace barely maintained by the continuous training of new heroes, a balance that could crumble with the slightest fracture.
Erebos may be gone...
but the forces of Tartaros were still very much active.
Especially the Necro King, the Giant King, and the Monster Queen.
These three legion commanders, along with the legions they led, were monsters on par with the entire military might of a hero academy.
So what would happen if another legion commander, with power equal to those three, were to return to the present?
The long-standing peace would undoubtedly come to an end.
A glint appeared in Leo’s red eyes.
He gritted his teeth and flared his mana.
A pure white light emanated from his hand.
It was Kyle's unique magic, a gift from Luna, the Progenitor of the Nebula, to the Hero of the Beginning.
“Innocent.”
*Fwoosh—!*
The power of purity gathered in his hand.
He then threw it at the abyssal flames.
*Fwoosh—!*
For a moment, the black flames scattered.
But they soon roared back to life, burning even more fiercely.
*Is this a fragment of power even greater than the one I encountered in Luna's world?*
Leo gritted his teeth.
He tried to unleash even more of his powerful mana.
*Whoom—!*
Suddenly, the flames began to condense.
Leo's expression froze.
*It's going to explode...!*
Realizing what was about to happen, Leo rapidly deployed his mana and aura.
*KABOOM—!*
An eardrum-shattering explosion ripped through the air, and a massive shockwave slammed into Leo.
*Thud—!*
“Damn it!”
Slammed into the ground, Leo spat out a curse.
*Fwoosh—!*
As if mocking him, the black flames flared brightly.
Then, they subsided.
*Shatter—!*
With the sound of something shattering, Jerdiac escaped into the present.
A great disaster had crossed the boundary of the past and returned to the present.
Leo shot to his feet.
Beyond the massive rift, he could see the landscape of Seirun.
*Silatuna!*
The view of Seirun from above was a picture of pure despair.
*I have to get there and stop them...!*
*Grab—!*
Just as Leo was about to leap forward, he froze, feeling a tug on his clothes from behind.
She had pale silver hair and golden eyes that shone like stars.
The beautiful elf was staring intently into his red eyes.
“Jerdiac... where did he go?”
“Luna.”
Leo gritted his teeth.
His dearest companion.
A friend he hadn’t forgotten for a single day.
How could he possibly explain?
That this was a world of the past, and Jerdiac had crossed into the present?
Leo knew her well.
He knew the innocent woman who had always dreamed of a distant future, the friend who had declared she would make flowers bloom across the world.
The bold young woman who never once doubted she would be part of that radiant future.
That was why he couldn't bring himself to say it.
*That this is a fabricated world... and that you are already dead.*
That she was a ghost from a past long gone.
He could never tell her.
Watching Leo’s pained expression, Luna slowly released her grip.
And she smiled.
“There's... that look again.”
Luna took a step closer.
And reached out her hand.
“How strange.”
Her hand touched his cheek.
“...Your face is different... and you're not the Kyle I know... but you still don't feel like a stranger.”
Leo's red eyes widened.
Luna smiled, looking at her reflection in his wide red eyes.
“It's been a while, Kyle... no, Leo.”
“You... you remember that time?”
“No. I had forgotten. But the moment I saw you, it all came back. You gave me courage when I was in despair, and the strength to move forward, didn't you?”
Luna smiled gently.
“You told me that in the future, I'd be called the Progenitor of the Nebula.”
She closed her eyes for a moment.
“I can tell by your face. In the future... I die, don't I?”
Leo held his breath.
Opening her eyes, Luna met his gaze with her golden ones.
“Just tell me one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Erebos... we defeated him, right?”
“...Yes.”
“My death wasn't in vain, was it?”
“It wasn't.”
Seeing Leo answer with a face on the verge of tears, Luna smiled brightly.
“Then that's all that matters.”
The Great Hero of the past... calmly accepted her unchangeable fate.
As if satisfied that her death had not been in vain.
She gave the most beautiful smile.
“But the danger isn't completely over, is it? Kyle.”
“You're right.”
“Where did that thing go?”
“...To the future. 5,000 years from now.”
“Five thousand years...”
Luna blinked her wide eyes, then scratched her head.
“That's so far in the future, I can't even imagine it. What's it like?”
“...An age of peace. Erebos is sealed.”
“Really? Then how did you get here? And those kids I met before, they were from the future too, right?”
“...In the future, there's something called the Hero Record.”
Leo gave her a brief explanation of the Hero Record.
“Oh, I see! So the gods left something useful behind after all, huh?”
Nodding in admiration, Luna chuckled.
“To think that not only all the elves, but other mages too, praise me as a great figure. I knew it! Because I *am* great!”
She crossed her arms, tilted her chin up, and laughed loudly before covering her mouth with a snort.
“And you were forgotten? Pfft! Just you? Even after you saved the world? That's hilarious! Hehehehe!”
“...You can laugh about this?”
Leo let out a dry laugh.
So quick to get cocky and look down on people.
What would people think if they saw this side of her?
“Right, this isn't the time for jokes.”
Luna nodded.
“Then let's go, Kyle.”
“What? Where?”
Luna gave him a look that screamed *'are you serious?'*
“Where do you think? To the future, of course.”
“...You can't go.”
Leo looked up at the rift in the sky.
Jerdiac had likely crossed into the present using the power of Erebos.
But Luna couldn't.
She was purely an entity within the World of Heroes.
Besides, Luna's world hadn't even been cleared yet.
There was no way for her to get out.
Leo was certain of it.
Because... it seemed Luna couldn't see the massive rift in the sky.
She couldn't see the present world beyond it.
It was proof that she was a figure of the past, destined to exist only within this story.
At his words, Luna glanced up at the sky.
“You're right. All I see is a gloomy sky.”
*Crack—*
A crack appeared on her body.
Leo’s expression tightened at the sight.
It wasn't just her body.
The world itself was slowly beginning to crack.
*Fwoosh—!*
Black flames flickered in the gaps.
“But this world doesn't have much time left.”
As the master of this world, Luna knew instinctively.
Her world was on the verge of collapse.
*The shock... is it causing the Hero Record itself to collapse?*
Leo gritted his teeth.
“Kyle.”
Luna looked him straight in the eye.
“I can't let my sacrifice be in vain. It's too much of a waste. It's not fair.”
“……”
“If some ghost from the past has gone 5,000 years into the future, then I'm going to follow it and kick its ass.”
Her golden eyes flashed.
“I'm going to save my adorable descendants who praise me in the future! Because I'm the Progenitor of the Nebula!”
“...They're not that adorable.”
“Whatever!”
“...So, do you have a plan?”
At his question, Luna clapped her hands together. *Clap—!*
“Pray really hard to the gods.”
“...After all that time you spent cursing the gods for being useless, *now* you're going to pray?”
“Oh, gods, I pray, I pray. Please help me get 5,000 years into the future so I can take care of that ugly Jerdiac.”
Ignoring him completely, Luna began to pray.
With a dead-serious expression, she prayed and prayed.
“Send me! Send me 5,000 years into the future, you useless gods!”
Leo sighed deeply at her blasphemous prayer—one that would make any god reconsider granting her wish—and happened to glance down at his wrist.
His eyes fell upon the Polium that granted him his power.
*The gods...*
The divine miracle that had allowed him to wield the power of the past.
Leo returned his Polium to its original form.
Luna's eyes widened at the sight of another Polium.
Leo handed the Polium to her.
She took it.
Instantly, Luna's eyes began to shine as brightly as stars.
The cracks that had formed on her body also began to disappear.
“Ah...”
Luna gasped, looking up at the sky.
“So that's the future.”
Her expression turned to one of amazement, then broke into a wide grin.
“With this, I can tear that ugly lizard to pieces.”
Luna said to him with a warlike smile.
“Let's go, Kyle! To the future, to blow those Tartaros bastards away!”
“Full of energy, aren't you?”
Leo burst out laughing at the sight of Luna's sparkling eyes.
“But first!”
Luna aimed the Polium at Leo.
Her mana swirled around his body.
When the bright light faded, Leo looked down at himself.
“There! Now that feels a bit more right.”
Luna nodded.
He had transformed back into the appearance of Kyle.
The appearance she remembered.
“Honestly, the pretty-boy look is a little more my type... but this appearance suits you best, Kyle.”
She smiled brightly and poked him in the ribs.
“Don't you dare go around looking like a pretty boy! Not you, Kyle!”
With that, Luna lifted into the air.
“The Progenitor of the Nebula, Luna, is on her way!”
“...Looks like you've taken a liking to that title.”
Leo chuckled and used Fly magic to follow her.
“Oh, by the way.”
“Hm?”
“I heard Lisinas had a crush on me.”
“What?”
Luna's eyes went wide.
“Really? I had no idea!”
Leo nodded, seeing her look of utter disbelief.
*Right, so it wasn't just me. Lisinas never showed it at all.*
With that thought, he stared at Luna.
“What?”
“You don't, right?”
“Did living peacefully 5,000 years in the future make you lose your mind?”
“Right. So you don't?”
“Of course not.”
Seeing him burst out laughing, Luna nodded.
“Good. Let's go.”
Leaving her behind, Leo flew toward the hole Jerdiac had created.
Staring at his retreating back, Luna muttered.
“He died and came back to life, and he's still like that. What a dumbass.”
***
*Kieeeeeeeek!*
Benet's spell exploded against Jerdiac's neck.
Benet, Albi, Ellen, and Cheid poured all their strength into stopping the rampaging Jerdiac.
The four heroes fought brilliantly against the mindless Jerdiac.
But they couldn't inflict enough damage to take him down.
Watching the scene unfold, Lunia gritted her teeth.
*Father... Headmaster.*
*Fwoosh—*
Fierce flames erupted around her body.
They were the flames of the phoenix, which threatened to consume even her.
Her eyes were fixed on the mindless, rampaging demon.
*I have to take down at least one more. I have to lessen the burden on everyone else.*
Though her body was already covered in burns, Lunia didn't stop.
“Lady Lunia!”
Just then, Eiran rushed to her side.
“This is too dangerous! You have to fall back and treat your burns...!”
“I can... I can still go on!”
“No! Your life is in danger!”
Eiran tried to stop her, her face on the verge of tears.
It truly looked as if Lunia was about to burn herself to ashes.
“I can still fight...”
“Shouldn't you listen to your friend?”
Lunia flinched at the voice that came from behind.
It was a familiar voice.
A voice she could never, ever forget.
*No... it's impossible.*
Lunia's body trembled.
“I thought so back then, too, but you really are a reckless one, aren't you?”
Had Leo been there, he might have chided her, asking if she was one to talk.
But Leo wasn't here now.
Lunia turned her head.
Eiran, too, stared with her mouth agape.
An impossibly beautiful elf stood there, holding two Poliums.
Eiran rubbed her eyes.
But the figure before her didn't disappear.
“Lady... Luna?”
“Yes.”
Luna smiled faintly.
“You've worked hard.”
Letting go of the Poliums, Luna reached out and patted Lunia and Eiran on the head.
“Leave the rest to me.”
Luna turned her gaze toward Jerdiac.
“A ghost from the past should be handled by someone from the past.”
Before their very eyes, a sleeping legend had awakened.