Chapter 301
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Swoosh—!
A chilling sound tore through the air.
Driana’s body froze as the sword aimed for her neck.
*I can’t block this!*
Although Driana was a smith, she was first and foremost an outstanding warrior and a hero candidate.
Until now, she had stood at the forefront, faithfully serving as the party’s shield.
She had been cut down by the monster’s sword countless times, yet she had endured, steadfastly defending the front line.
But now, her warrior’s instinct was screaming at her.
This attack would kill her.
But it was too late to dodge.
Just as she thought that.
Clang—!
A suit of silver armor blocked the sword.
Eiran, clad in the Armor of Animus, had stepped in front of Driana.
“...How beautiful.”
Forgetting the situation, Driana marveled.
In that moment, Ar’s kick descended upon the Shade of Erebos.
Craaaaack—!
Thud—!
With a tremendous shockwave, the Shade of Erebos’s feet dug deep into the ground.
But that was all.
There was no further damage.
Ar’s face hardened.
“This doesn’t work either…!”
Anxiously, Ar quickly put distance between himself and the shade.
Just then, Verchia, also clad in the Armor of Animus like Eiran, charged into the Shade of Erebos’s range.
Powerful magic washed over Verchia, but using the armor’s power, she broke through the spell head-on and swung her sword.
Clang—!
The Shade of Erebos blocked Verchia’s attack.
“Its movements are exactly the same as Master Kyle’s!”
Verchia gritted her teeth.
It was then.
“Now! Everyone, fall back!”
At Karl’s shout, the four who had been holding back the Shade of Erebos simultaneously distanced themselves.
Fwoosh—!
Crimson phoenix flames raged.
BOOM—! RUMBLE—!
A massive conflagration of magical power swirled.
Sizzzzzle—!
Even from a distance, the heat felt like it could cook their skin, and the vanguards swallowed hard.
Watching this, Karl clenched his jaw.
“Please. Just fall.”
Karl’s desperate whisper.
Not just Karl, but every member of the party felt the same.
Under Karl’s command, they had landed several successful attacks on the monster before them.
But each time, the Shade of Erebos had revived, perfectly intact.
And each time, it wielded even greater power.
Now, it was a struggle for the vanguard just to hold their ground.
Lunia gritted her teeth.
*If it doesn’t fall here… what more can we possibly do?*
Lunia’s entire body was covered in burns.
It was the price for pushing her firepower beyond its limits.
Fwoosh—!
Black flames erupted.
Seeing the Shade of Erebos revive in a more vivid form than ever, everyone’s face filled with despair.
Swoosh—!
The Shade of Erebos extended its hand.
Vwoom—!
In an instant, a magic circle was embroidered in the air.
Star Magic.
In that moment.
Lunia’s face turned deathly white.
“Everyone, get clear!”
Whoosh—!
A black sphere of despairing light formed in the Shade of Erebos’s hand.
Lunia knew exactly what it was.
“It’s Annihilation!”
Flash—!
The light of ruin scattered in all directions.
There was not even a sound.
The light of Annihilation simply evaporated everything.
And amidst it all…
“La-Lady Verchia…”
Eiran, pale-faced, looked up at Verchia, who was looking down at her.
“Are you alright?”
Verchia asked with her characteristically expressionless face.
“I-I’m… fine… but you, Lady Verchia…”
“...It hurts.”
Verchia sank to her knees.
“Why… why me…”
Eiran, on the verge of tears, frantically checked Verchia’s wounds.
“I wonder… why?”
Verchia smiled faintly and caressed Eiran’s cheek.
“Could it be because you’re my blood?”
“H-How did you…”
Eiran was shocked.
“I was certain when you used my unique magic, the Armor of Animus.”
Verchia smiled faintly.
“You are… my descendant.”
“Ah… ah…”
“An adult saving a child… is a matter of course… Master Kyle… told me so. That’s why I saved you.”
Verchia’s voice grew faint.
“Lady… Verchia.”
“Eiran.”
“Yes?”
“Shall I teach you… my secret magic?”
Verchia smiled benevolently.
That smile was identical to the one Eiran had seen in historical records.
“Hey… you stupid cat.”
Lunia’s voice trembled.
“Why did you save me instead of dodging?”
“You’re… the only one who can even damage that damn black flame.”
Lunia gritted her teeth as she looked at Ar, who had shielded her.
“Thankfully, it looks like that perverted dwarf saved our leader… Now, gather your strength… and take down that fake black rabbit…”
Ar tried to get up, but collapsed.
Lunia quickly supported him.
Then she looked around.
Karl was hastily administering first aid to Driana with a potion.
Eiran was urgently supporting Verchia.
Thud— Thud—
The Shade of Erebos approached.
Seeing this, Lunia rose to her feet.
*I have to fight.*
Lunia gritted her teeth and moved forward.
*Leo… wouldn’t have given up. He would have fought.*
Just as she recalled the boy she had fought alongside so many times and tried to summon her flames.
“You’re quite persistent.”
A voice came from behind her.
Lunia flinched and turned her head.
There, an arrogant woman wreathed in white flames floated in the air, her legs crossed.
“Lady… Katarieu.”
“Lunia El Lundua.”
Katarieu smiled faintly.
“What do you believe is the essence of flame?”
At Katarieu’s question, Lunia looked at the black flames.
An eternally burning flame that reduces all to ash.
Was that the essence of flame?
*No.*
Dweno had said the essence of flame was creation.
*The essence of flame… differs from person to person.*
There was no single right answer.
Therefore.
For Lunia, who had longed for the phoenix for so long, the essence of flame was only one thing.
“Purification.”
The phoenix flame endlessly burns itself.
The reason the phoenix flame feels eternally immortal is due to its immense life force.
The phoenix, originally promised a life close to eternity, burns its own life to create its flame.
The sole reason they burn their own lives is this.
To incinerate and purify all that is evil.
At Lunia’s answer, Katarieu gave a deep smile.
“Did you know, Lunia? The royal bloodline… is not passed down by lineage.”
“Pardon?”
“The phoenix chosen by the previous king inherits the white flame that signifies purification and becomes the Flame Empress.”
Fwoosh—
Katarieu thrust the white flame right in front of Lunia’s nose.
“The blood of the phoenix flows within your body.”
“…”
“Care to try it?”
Lunia looked at Katarieu.
“But it will be different from the essence of Dweno’s flame. If you fail to accept it, you will die. For you are not a pure phoenix.”
“Do I have a choice?”
Without hesitation, Lunia swallowed Katarieu’s flame.
Fwoosh—
A pure white flame erupted from Lunia’s body.
***
Dweno’s face hardened as he fought off the Gias who had lost all reason.
*This is…*
Fwoosh—!
Black flames erupted from Gias’s body.
*The Flame of Erebos!*
Golden flames surged from Dweno’s body.
Craaaaack—!
The black flames devoured Dweno’s fire.
And they even began to burn Dweno himself.
In that moment—
Flash—! Craaaaack!
The Corpseblade of Jormungandr swung to cleave Dweno in two.
Crack—!
Dweno barely managed to block the sword’s slash with his battle-axe.
*He’s gotten… stronger!*
Dweno gritted his teeth and held his ground.
C-Crack—!
“!”
A crack suddenly appeared on his battle-axe.
CRASH—!
Unable to hold on any longer, Dweno was sent flying.
Craaack—!
As if a meteor had struck—
Dweno’s body was driven deep into the earth, creating a massive crater.
“Cough!”
Dweno spat blood.
He barely managed to shake off the black flames.
But his body had taken a severe blow.
Thump—! Thump—!
Gias walked towards Dweno.
—You’re in a sorry state.
Gias sneered at Dweno.
“You don’t look to be in proper shape yourself, do you?”
Dweno used his battle-axe as a handle to pull himself up.
Clink—!
A chipped piece of the axe blade fell to the ground.
It looked as if it would shatter at any moment.
Like Dweno’s weapon, Gias’s body was also in tatters.
His berserker state had worn off, and his incredible regenerative abilities couldn’t keep up with his wounds.
He had exhausted all his strength in that last all-out attack.
—Heh. But unlike you, I have received the grace of a god.
Fwoosh—!
The black flame burning on Gias’s body grew stronger.
—And! In the end, I was victorious!
“I’m not dead yet, am I?”
Dweno smiled calmly.
“Until the moment this life is extinguished, you cannot say you have defeated me.”
—Khahaha… khuhuhuhuhu. Khahahahahahaha!
At Dweno’s words, Gias burst out laughing.
—You seem to be gravely mistaken about something, Dweno. I did not come here to end your pathetic little life.
Clack—!
Gias readjusted his grip on the Corpseblade of Jormungandr.
—What is important is that the masterpiece I, Gias, created has defeated the crude weapons you forged!
Gias looked at Dweno with his emotionless eyes.
—Your life, which met a dog’s death long ago, has no value. I, Gias the Giant King, live in the present, destined to destroy the world according to a god’s will!
Thump—!
—You are nothing more than a ghost of the past. Whether you live or die here, you will have no impact on the future. Because you are nothing but a false illusion.
“I… am a fake?”
Dweno’s face stiffened.
Seeing that expression, Gias smiled deeply.
—Hmm, yes. A fake, but an illusion close to the real thing. I wonder what expression you’ll make when you hear how you all met your end.
Gias chuckled.
—The first of you to die was Ar-on. He appointed himself your shield in your place, only to die by divine judgment. He trusted that paltry sword you gave him until the very end. Khuhuhu. You all speak of his death as a noble sacrifice… but the man was simply afraid of fighting a great god and fled into death.
Gias looked down at Dweno, whose expression had vanished.
A look of ecstasy appeared on Gias’s face.
—The second to die was you, Dweno. You foolishly challenged a god’s flame, only to be burned to death without even properly fulfilling your role as a shield!
Dweno’s body trembled.
—Next was that foul-mouthed elf wench, Luna. She died of mana exhaustion after recklessly firing off her precious magic! She must have despaired! At her own incompetence, unable to do anything!
Squeeze—!
Dweno’s grip tightened.
—The fourth to die was that foolish lizard who thought to resist a god! Just thinking about it is delightful! I can picture her face now, dying while dreaming an impossible dream that could never be achieved! Khahahahahahaha!
Dweno lowered his head.
After a deep breath, Dweno looked up.
“What about Kyle?”
—What…?
“I asked how Kyle died.”
Dweno was smiling.
Seeing Dweno ask about Kyle’s death, Gias’s face contorted.
“Allow me to correct you.”
All expression vanished from Dweno’s face.
“Ar-on, that fool, acted as a shield in my place not because he was afraid of fighting Erebos. It was because he was more afraid of us dying than of his own death.”
Dweno’s expression darkened.
“Because that fool was just that kind of man.”
Biting his lip hard, Dweno continued.
“I don’t think Luna would have despaired. That friend was a fool, too. She would have believed in a bright future without a doubt.”
Fwoosh—
A golden flame erupted from Dweno’s body.
“Lisinas, that friend would have worn a sad expression.”
Dweno’s face turned bitter.
“Because in the end, he would have been left all alone.”
Then, Dweno smiled faintly.
“As for the fool who died a dog’s death without even acting as a proper shield, I have nothing to say.”
Dweno was smiling.
Like he was looking at the bright sun.
“What’s important is this. Not a single one of us would have despaired, Gias the Giant King.”
Fwoosh—
Dweno’s body blazed like the bright sun.
“Because we knew there was one idiot who would never give up. We would have believed in that friend without a single doubt.”
—You bastard…!
“We would have only resented ourselves! Our own limits that forced us to pass on the burden!”
VROOOOM—!
Dweno’s battle-axe radiated immense power.
“I will ask you one more time, Gias the Giant King!”
Swoosh—!
Dweno lowered his stance.
“The surviving hero… what was Kyle’s end!”
—KRAAAAAAAAW!
“You tried to mock me with your paltry tongue, but it’s a shame! Your mockery is the greatest hope for me! In the end, we!”
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD—!
Gias roared and charged to finish Dweno.
As if he could no longer tolerate the words coming from Dweno’s mouth.
Half-crazed, he charged, raising his prized Corpseblade.
“Saved the world, didn’t we!”
—Silence! You ghost of the past!
CLANG—!
The Corpseblade and Dweno’s battle-axe clashed.
The massive Corpseblade bared its fangs, seeking to shatter the battle-axe.
The crack on the battle-axe spread across its entire surface.
“Hnngh!”
Dweno put more force into his upward swing and shouted.
“If you are a weapon forged for battle!”
As Dweno roared, the battle-axe resonated as if answering his call.
“Then fulfill your duty! I, to annihilate Tartaros!”
Dweno’s eyes flashed.
“Created you!”
Crack—!
—Hmph!
Gias’s eyes widened.
Cracks began to form on the Corpseblade.
CRUNCH—!
—Impossible!
Thwack—!
—Gack!
Dweno’s body shot into the sky.
Having split the Corpseblade in two, Dweno’s tattered, nameless battle-axe emitted a golden light.
Dweno, the Divine Blacksmith.
The weapon imbued with his will shone brightly, unbroken.
Reaching Gias’s head, Dweno smiled coldly.
“I don’t know how much time has passed since I died.”
Swoosh—! FWOOOOSH—!
A massive golden axe blade formed.
“But you have lost to a mere ghost.”
—DWENOOOOOOOOOO!
THWACK—!
Dweno’s axe sent Gias’s head flying.