Chapter 397
Chapter Title: A Promise for Now
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Thump— Thump—
His entire body screamed with every step.
'My body has already surpassed its limits.'
It was only natural, having continuously wrung out strength beyond his breaking point.
Besides, even though Lisinas had protected him, the fact remained that he had taken a direct hit from Jormungandr's breath.
'That damn lizard. I'll make it pay later.'
The searing pain coursing through his body made him feel like he was about to lose consciousness.
'Endure.'
Leo gritted his teeth.
Grind—! The sound of his teeth grinding echoed.
'You'll save the world I was meant to save?'
Yes, he would save the world.
But he couldn't do it alone.
'You were the one who said we should save the world!'
Grip—!
Leo tightened his hand on his staff.
'It's your wish!'
Mana stirred.
Kyle knew the end of this journey.
One day, he would shoulder the hopes entrusted to him by Lisinas, Luna, Dweno, and Ar-on, and stand against the Primordial Evil.
'It wasn't just their hopes I carried.'
The heroes who had willingly risked their lives for the world and fallen before the calamity.
The one wish they all yearned for.
And the desires of those who looked toward hope, refusing to yield to despair, so that they could live on into the future.
'It's not that I didn't give up. I couldn't give up!'
What Lisinas had entrusted to Leo in her final moments was the world.
Something she knew was too immense for his slender shoulders to bear, yet she couldn't bring herself to carry it with him.
'If you passed it on so I couldn't give up...'
Clench—!
Leo clenched his fist.
Gray mana surged from Leo's body.
'Then you don't give up either!'
His gray eyes flashed.
-Foolish whelp! Such a pointless struggle!
Whoooosh—!
Jormungandr staggered back from the killing intent erupting from Leo's body.
Realizing it had been pushed back by his presence alone, it roared in fury.
-You're on the verge of death!
Fwoooosh—!
Crimson flames erupted from Jormungandr.
Leo burned the last of his mana and looked at Rhodia.
Thump— Thump— Thump—
Rhodia felt her Dragon Heart pounding uncontrollably.
'My mana is reacting to Sir Kyle's will.'
To be precise, the mana of Lisinas, which she had obtained as a reward for conquering the World of Heroes, was reacting.
'...That's right. Sir Kyle received the Dragon Heart from Lady Lisinas in the final battle. In other words, Lady Lisinas's power is also Sir Kyle's power.'
Thump— Thump— Thump—
It was only natural for power to follow the will of its original master.
'I can't move right now. In that case...'
Rhodia nodded at Leo.
'I will entrust all my power to Sir Kyle!'
Whoooooosh—!
As if responding to Leo's will, Rhodia drew out Lisinas's mana.
Her heart began to pound as if it were about to run rampant.
Blood poured from her mouth, but she paid it no mind.
'Even if my heart bursts. I will help Sir Kyle with all my might!'
Watching her, Leo tightened his grip.
'Sorry, just help me a little.'
Leo lowered his stance.
Whoooosh! Fwoosh—!
Golden aura and flames erupted from Leo's body.
Ar-on's aura and Dweno's flames.
Crack—!
Leo's feet dug into the ground.
BOOM—!
As he leaped, a massive shockwave erupted, and the ground where he stood caved in.
He closed the distance to Jormungandr at an incredible speed.
-What...!
Jormungandr's eyes widened.
A speed so immense that even it, with its ability to foresee the future, couldn't track it!
Thwack—!
Leo kicked Jormungandr upward from below.
Whoosh—!
Jormungandr's massive body shot into the sky.
Leo's body shot forward once more.
Appearing in the direction Jormungandr had been sent flying, Leo unleashed another kick.
CRACK—!
Craaaaash—!
Jormungandr's colossal body slammed into the ground.
The flames of calamity tried to consume Leo's body, but Dweno's flames protected him like armor.
Leo raised a spear.
He manifested Ar-on's aura and Dweno's flames, using Lisinas's mana as a base.
Power that far exceeded his limits.
With every move Leo made, his muscles tore and his bones shattered.
But the wounds were instantly healed by Rhodia's magic.
All that remained was a pain that felt like his brain was on fire.
Thwump—!
Leo threw the spear.
The massive golden spear pierced through Jormungandr's body.
Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!
Struck by an impact as great as the pain of its body burning in the calamitous flames, Jormungandr thrashed wildly.
With the huge spear embedded in its body, Jormungandr could not escape.
'It's not over yet!'
Leo gritted his teeth.
This attack was only buying time at the cost of his life.
He couldn't finish Jormungandr with just this.
Leo didn't have the strength left to subjugate Jormungandr.
'As I am now, I'm far from enough.'
This stalling wouldn't last much longer either.
But he believed.
'She won't die here.'
Leo raised his staff.
'She won't break here.'
Vwoom—!
'The Lisinas I know... is someone who pursues her beliefs to the point of foolishness!'
Leo put strength into his staff.
'Because she's a savior of the world!'
Even having long since surpassed his limits, Leo pushed forward.
A brilliant magic circle was embroidered in the air.
Watching this, the elven mage, Peric, widened his eyes.
A magic formula he had never seen before.
But...
"How can it be so beautiful?"
The words of admiration escaped him.
That magic, as if carved from the stars.
Another light that would illuminate the world.
Flash—!
The world, which had fallen into night, shone as brightly as if it were midday.
The light shining from the tip of Leo's staff seemed to drive away the desperate darkness.
Leo unleashed the magic his friend had passed on to him.
The Primordial Evil.
The undying flames of calamity.
The only magic capable of extinguishing an immortal being.
Leo called its name.
"Innocent."
***
It was a deep darkness.
Lisinas stared blankly at her hands in the darkness.
As a spiritmancer, Lisinas knew that she was now only a soul.
In that moment, the darkness vanished.
She was in the middle of a forest.
A beautiful elven woman, who looked as though she had just shed her girlishness, wore a sullen expression.
"You defeated the Gluttony King? That's impressive. But if I had been there, I would have been the one to finish him off."
'Is this the future?'
Defeating the Gluttony King.
It seemed Kyle had accomplished a great feat.
"Anyway, you're amazing! You're worthy of being my comrade!"
Her smugness made her seem like a spoiled young lady, yet she wasn't unlikable.
Soon, the elven woman smiled brightly and extended her hand.
"My name is Luna! Luna Rubinance! I'm destined to become a great archmage. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lisinas."
"What?"
Lisinas was bewildered as the woman she had never met introduced herself.
In that instant, the scene changed again.
A place with abandoned houses.
A small cemetery.
With eyes that held a firm resolve, despite a hint of fear.
A beastkin boy spoke.
"I don't know how much help I can be."
The timid-looking beastkin boy clenched his fists.
"I'll go with you too. I might not be able to do anything amazing... but I think I can stand in front of you all and block the enemy... I'll try to be brave!"
The beastkin boy introduced himself.
"My name is Ar-on. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lisinas."
Once again, someone she didn't remember called her name.
'It's like... I'm reading the memories of a soul.'
But anyone could see these were her own memories.
'What in the world...'
Even she, wise and knowledgeable, couldn't properly grasp the situation.
"Hmph! Such beautiful, brightly shining eyes. You might just be the one to save the world."
The scene changed again, and a dwarf grinned.
"Those eyes will surely shine even in the darkness. Don't worry about equipment. I, Dweno, will craft it for you. A pleasure to meet you, Lisinas."
It was Dweno, just as she had thought, one of the candidates for her party.
It was as if she were viewing the memories of someone else's life—her own memories, yet not her own.
But it wasn't the end.
The beastkin boy, now a young man, died crying and leaving behind words of apology.
The dwarf entrusted the future to them before he passed... and the elf expressed her belief in them before taking her last breath.
The final farewells of these strangers she'd never met made her heart feel as if it were burning to ashes.
Each time she watched these people she didn't know depart, her heart felt like it was being torn apart, as if she had lost something precious.
Crackle— Crackle— Crackle—
Before she knew it, Lisinas was standing in the midst of a calamity, where black flames blazed.
A gray-haired man was kneeling before a giant black dragon, screaming in despair.
And she saw the back of a black-haired woman watching him.
Watching the young man's despair, her back somehow looked incredibly tormented and sorrowful.
"Kyle..."
She softly called the name of the familiar, screaming man.
And the black dragon that had died...
"Me?"
She muttered unconsciously.
As if reacting to her call, the woman who had been watching the dragon's death and Kyle's despair turned around.
"That's... me."
Lisinas mumbled blankly.
Looking at her, the other Lisinas gave a faint smile.
"You're right, but you're also wrong."
"What?"
"You are the foolish one. I am Lisinas, the Monarch of Wisdom."
The Monarch of Wisdom said with a smile.
"What... what are you?"
"I am you."
The Monarch of Wisdom said.
"The future you, who will embark on a journey with Kyle... and fight against Erebos alongside Luna, Ar-on, and Dweno."
Thump— Thump—
The Monarch of Wisdom walked up to Lisinas.
"But you are also the you who will send away your irreplaceable friends first, and in the end, entrust everything to Kyle and depart before him."
Lisinas gasped.
"Foolish one, Lisinas. You cannot save the world alone."
Lisinas's face twisted at the Monarch of Wisdom's words.
She saw the image of Kyle screaming.
Only utter despair came to mind.
Lisinas's hand trembled.
Then.
Shhh—
The screaming Kyle pushed himself up.
Trudge— Trudge—
And he staggered forward.
"But it's the same for Kyle; he cannot save the world alone either."
The Monarch of Wisdom said.
"It was because we were 'us'. That we were able to save the world."
Even in a desperate situation, the final hero pushes forward without giving up.
"My past self."
The Monarch of Wisdom wore a sad expression.
"Kyle will surely fulfill our dearest wish. But... that's because you... I... we... pushed so much onto him."
Lisinas gritted her teeth.
"The reason he didn't give up despite the frustration... the despair... the pain worse than death... is because he shouldered too much."
The Monarch of Wisdom looked straight at Lisinas.
"Let us not be ashamed before the people who believed in you and me and entrusted us with the future."
The Monarch of Wisdom said forcefully.
"Let us be proud of that back of Kyle's, who will never give up until the very end."
Lisinas watched Kyle, who moved forward even when alone.
"The promise that we wouldn't leave him alone... we ultimately couldn't keep it."
Lisinas recalled the image of Kyle smiling as he held her hand, saying he would save the world.
She couldn't begin to imagine what he must have felt, holding the hand of someone who gave him a promise she couldn't keep.
"But... not now."
The Monarch of Wisdom said.
"The Kyle of now needs you. He is waiting for you."
Even if it was a promise that would eventually be broken, that time was not now.
Breaking the promise was a story for the distant future.
"Kyle is fighting hard."
The Monarch of Wisdom extended her hand with conviction.
"Let's fight a little harder."
The foolish one took that hand.
Just like... Kyle had taken hers.
"Yes."
At the foolish one's reply, the Monarch of Wisdom smiled brightly.