Chapter 210
Chapter Title: The End of a Long Grudge
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*Flex—!*
Veins bulged on Leo’s arm.
Clenching his teeth, Leo let out a sharp grunt, “Hup!” and swung his arm.
*Swish—!*
With a sharp hiss, a slash erupted from the tip of his sword and flew toward Silatuna.
Seeing this, Silatuna spread her arms.
*KRRRAAAAACK—!*
A massive, crimson-black barrier blocked Leo’s attack.
As the attack was blocked, Silatuna’s arms transformed into the shape of giant snakes.
*Creeak—!*
As the two snakes opened their maws, particles of crimson-black light began to gather within.
'A breath attack.'
Leo pulled on Arti's reins, charging toward Silatuna.
Infused with Leo's spiritual power, Arti's body began to glow white.
*Crackle—!*
White sparks began to fly from Arti's body.
*CRACKLE—!*
A powerful force of lightning started to gather at Arti's horn.
*Flash—! KRA-BOOOOM—!*
Before Silatuna's arms could unleash their breath, they were swept up in a storm of lightning and turned to ash.
“Kuh!”
Seeing her own flesh crumble away, Silatuna's eyes flashed with killing intent.
She aimed her remaining arm at Leo.
A breath of destruction erupted from the snake's mouth, engulfing Leo.
In that moment—!
*Flash—!*
A silver-gray curtain unfurled before Leo.
The silver-gray curtain deflected Silatuna's breath attack.
The destructive breath shot past Silatuna and struck a distant mountain.
*FLASH— KWOOOOM—!*
A powerful flash was followed by a mushroom cloud rising into the sky.
The shockwave from the explosion swept over Seirun.
Witnessing this, the Herdium of Seirun muttered softly.
“Is this… a battle between a Great Hero and a Legion Commander…?”
It was an incredible battle that transcended all common sense.
A shiver ran down his entire body.
“Piora!”
*Fwoosh—!*
At his call, Piora appeared right in front of him, breathing flames.
“Burn it all.”
*Flash—!*
Piora's red eyes glinted.
*FWOOOSH—!*
Her flames enhanced by Leo's spiritual power, Piora spun and soared high into the sky.
*Flap—*
An attack that drew out the phoenix's firepower to its absolute maximum.
Prominence Wing.
With a beat of Piora's wings, a massive storm of fire engulfed Silatuna.
“These damn divine beasts!”
Silatuna's voice, filled with murderous intent, echoed out.
[Hmph! How do you like that! The power of me!]
Kiruan crossed his arms and burst out laughing, "Uahahaha!" but Arti interjected.
[That's not your power, it's the master's power.]
[No! Leo only drew out my latent potential! So it's my power!]
Arti shook its head at Kiruan's bold declaration.
Now that he had summoned Kyle's power through divine strength, the constant problem of insufficient spiritual power was solved.
Thanks to this, the three divine beasts, their full potential unlocked, were displaying the true majesty of the Three Great Divine Beasts.
'If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have lasted this long.'
Leo recalled Piora, grabbed Arti's reins, and shot up into the sky.
Silatuna, her eyes wild, unleashed a frantic barrage of magic at Leo.
Each time, Arti dodged all of Silatuna's attacks with god-like movements.
“Hehehe.”
Watching this, Silatuna let out a low laugh.
“Yes! Now I see!”
Silatuna's eyes flashed.
“You're not the Hero of the Beginning! You're the hero who survives!”
Silatuna remembered it clearly.
The power of Kyle in his prime, the era when people of the modern day would call him the Hero of the Beginning.
The power of the detestable Great Hero who had saved the world and ultimately vanquished Erebos.
He may have been forgotten by the people, but she, who had fought Kyle countless times, knew better than anyone.
“That's right! You don't have the power to defeat me yet! That's why you're stalling for time!”
Convinced, Silatuna's body began to radiate a fierce killing intent.
“Kyle! I don't know how you crossed over to this era, but that's not important!”
A massive amount of dark magic swirled around her.
*Woooooosh—!*
The crimson-black dark magic gathered in one of her hands.
'She's getting serious now.'
Leo tightened his grip on his sword.
The ground around the Demon Queen began to turn pitch black.
The potent dark magic turned the surrounding area into a land of death.
After the end of the Age of Calamity.
The power of the Legion Commander, who had reigned as the most malevolent disaster, was truly terrifying.
*Fwoom—!*
Silatuna swung her arm.
A huge mass of dark magic rushed toward Leo.
Unavoidable.
Having made that judgment, Leo focused all his magic power and cast a barrier spell.
*BOOM—!*
The dark magic scored a direct hit on Leo.
Thrown back, Leo was slammed into the ground.
A massive crater formed in the ground, as if a comet had struck.
[Awooooo!]
[She's a total monster!]
[Peep- peep!]
Arti, Kiruan, and Piora, who had crashed with him, groaned in pain.
'The barrier didn't break.'
Leo pushed himself up.
But the formidable impact had shaken his entire body.
Leo shook his head and got to his feet.
*Thud—! Thud—!*
Silatuna charged relentlessly toward him.
“Hnngh!”
Leo activated the aura around his entire body.
*KRAAANG—!*
*KRRRACK—!*
And he blocked Silatuna's physical attack with his hands.
*Screeeech—!* His feet scraped against the ground as his body was pushed back.
“If it were Ar-on or Dweno, they would have blocked a physical attack like this with ease!”
Silatuna sneered, striking Leo with her other hand.
*Thwack—!*
With the impact that jolted his body, Leo was sent flying once again.
*Skid—!*
Regaining his balance, Leo glared at Silatuna.
'Her attacks have become relentless.'
The moment she determined she could fight Leo head-on, she abandoned her cautious approach.
Until now, Silatuna had been fighting with an escape route in mind, but now she was clearly trying to annihilate Leo.
The difference was immense.
'I've already fought Jerdiac once.'
The power of the past, manifested through divine strength, is not infinite.
It has been slowly but surely consumed.
Now, there isn't much power left.
Like a candle in the wind.
He could feel it slowly fading away.
Leo readjusted his grip on his sword.
And yet, Leo felt no anxiety.
The reason was simple.
The knowledge that he had comrades behind him, giving him courage, gave Leo the strength to move forward.
'They'll be here soon after defeating Jerdiac.'
Unwavering faith and trust.
Silatuna's face contorted.
'Those eyes.'
The eyes of the Great Heroes, who never lost hope in any situation.
That gaze was like a nightmare to the Legion Commanders who had faced the Great Heroes since the Age of Calamity.
“Today, I will finally put an end to that nightmare!”
*Woooooosh—!*
A terrifying killing intent erupted from Silatuna's body.
***
“…How… how can he fight like that?”
Watching the despair-inducing battle, the heroes wore expressions of disbelief.
They too had overcome countless hardships to stand where they were today.
They were individuals who had performed miracles that could be called great feats.
But even to them, the fight against Silatuna was filled with nothing but despair.
Yet, in the back of the Great Hero fighting Silatuna, there was not a hint of hesitation.
“That man… does he not know despair?”
“It's not that he doesn't know despair, he just doesn't hesitate to move forward.”
The one who answered the elven hero's murmur was a clear, melodious voice that didn't fit the situation at all.
Everyone's gaze turned toward the source of the voice.
And when they saw who was standing there, their eyes widened.
An elven woman stood there, having opened a warp gate in mid-air.
A beauty like that of a goddess.
“Lu- Lady Luna?”
An elf spoke her name.
As if in response, Luna nodded, and all the elves knelt in unison.
“Ah!”
“Lady Luna!”
“O great Progenitor of the Nebula!”
Normally, they would not have believed it so easily.
But with the existence of Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning, currently fighting the Demon Queen, they dared not deny Luna's presence.
They didn't know why the progenitor from the distant past had leaped through time to be here.
But if the long-absent, forgotten Great Hero, Kyle, could appear, there was no rule saying the Progenitor of the Nebula couldn't appear in the present day as well.
As everyone watched Luna with awe-filled eyes, students began to emerge from the warp gate she had opened.
*Step— Step—*
Luna approached the castle wall.
The defenders on the wall flinched and cleared a path.
Below the wall, the Demon Queen's countless legions were launching a fierce assault.
Seeing this, Luna raised her magic power.
*Vwooom—!*
A magic formula appeared at the tip of her Folium.
As Luna chanted the spell, her eyes glowed gold.
Soon, Luna unleashed her magic.
The Demon Queen's legions were vaporized by the powerful magic.
“Ooooh!”
“This is the power of Lady Luna, the one called the Progenitor of the Nebula…!”
While everyone was stunned.
Luna turned to look back at the students of Lumerne and Seirun.
“You are hero candidates who dream of becoming heroes, correct?”
“Yes.”
The one who answered Luna's question was Lis.
Looking at Lis, Luna smiled faintly.
“Then watch that back.”
Luna gazed at the back of Leo as he confronted Silatuna.
“When an impossible battle begins, the one who shows the most courage is Ar-on.”
Luna closed her eyes slightly.
“In an endless fight, the one thing everyone could trust and rely on until the very end was the equipment made by Dweno.”
Her grip on the Folium tightened.
“On battlefields where victory seemed impossible, it was Lisinas's wisdom that led us to triumph.”
Luna lifted her chin with a smug expression.
“And the one who turned the tides on disadvantageous battlefields time and again with powerful magic was me.”
Unashamed to do so in front of everyone, Luna boasted about herself.
But not a single person questioned her.
In truth, Luna had overturned every unfavorable battlefield.
“And...”
Opening her eyes, Luna smiled as she looked at Leo's back.
“When everyone else had given up… the one who never gives up is Kyle.”
*Vwooom—!*
A magic circle appeared above Luna's head.
“That is why Kyle is the final hero, and...”
A powerful surge of magic swirled.
“...the Hero of the Beginning.”
The Great Hero who survived until the very, very end.
And the beginning of everything, the one who finally defeated Erebos alone and ushered in a new era.
But a Great Hero forgotten by all.
Everyone held their breath.
“Kyle… is the greatest hero among us.”
The spell flowed from Luna's lips.
***
“...!”
Silatuna, who had been relentlessly pressuring Leo, looked up at the sound of the incantation that shook the battlefield.
And she widened her eyes when she saw the elf proudly chanting a spell atop the castle wall.
“No… way!”
She shook her head as if to deny the situation.
“Why is that wench here!”
Silatuna's face was painted with terror.
The beautifully melodic spell flowing from Luna's lips sounded like a death sentence to the Demon Queen's ears.
I have to stop it!
If that spell is completed! I will die!
Having made that judgment, Silatuna tried to charge toward Luna.
*Grab—!*
Just then, she felt a tremendous force at her feet.
“Where do you think you're going?”
“Kyle!”
Looking at Leo, who was sneering at her, Silatuna spat out the name.
“This is impossible! Impossible! Why have you phantoms of the past appeared in this era?!”
“And Jerdiac appearing in this era makes sense?”
Leo swung his sword.
*KRRRAAACK—!*
“Keuk—!”
Leo's sword left a huge gash on Silatuna's body.
“And… I'm not a being from the past.”
“What… did you say!”
“As a final farewell, let me tell you one thing.”
Leo swiped a hand across his face.
For an instant, the magic Luna had cast on him was released.
“...!”
Silatuna recognized Leo's face and her eyes shot wide open.
“Leo… Flove!”
The new All-Class she had considered a future adversary.
To think that the brat she had dismissed as a wet-behind-the-ears novice… was their greatest despair.
“It was youuuuuuuuuu!”
Crimson-black dark magic erupted from Silatuna's body.
But Leo cut through the dark magic with his gray aura.
“Our tiresome, 5,000-year-long ill-fated connection ends now.”
Leo could feel the incantation coming to an end.
Silatuna quickly deployed a spell.
Spatial Transfer.
A final, desperate struggle to live.
But Leo poured his aura and magic power into his sword.
*Crack—!*
The sword, unable to handle the excessive aura and magic, began to crack.
But Leo didn't care.
It was certainly a valuable sword… but a cheap price to pay for defeating the Demon Queen.
*KRRRRAAACK—!*
Leo's sword shattered the spatial transfer magic formula.
Her escape route was completely cut off.
“It was foul meeting you, and let's never meet again.”
“Kyyyyyyle! Lunaaaaaaaa!”
At her scream, a cry filled with hatred, Leo grinned.
And with that.
“Terminus.”
The cold starlight of dawn flashed right before Silatuna's eyes.
Like a lone star that had shone through the long night welcoming the light of dawn.
That light enveloped Silatuna.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!”
Silatuna's pain-filled scream echoed out.
And then…….
*Fwoosh—!*
The light of Terminus vanished without a trace.
And nothing at all was left in its place.
Only one person.
Leo, in the form of the Hero of the Beginning, was all that remained.
Leo turned his head and looked at the castle wall.
And when his eyes met with the friend standing there, he smiled.
Luna, too, gave him a bright smile in return.
It was the moment one of their tiresome, 5,000-year-long ill-fated connections came to an end.