Chapter 514
Chapter Title: The Progenitor's Confession
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Luna's mind went blank.
‘Verkia was resurrected as an undead?’
She tried to dismiss it as an impossible story.
But there was no falsehood in the contract the Necro King had shown her.
As a summoner who had made a pact with a fairy long before she became a mage, Luna knew with bone-deep certainty that the contract was genuine.
Luna gritted her teeth.
‘What on earth happened to you, Verkia.’
Both heroic spirits and vengeful spirits were beings with lingering attachments to this world.
But they were divided into heroic and vengeful spirits depending on the nature of those attachments.
Those who fell, harboring hatred and malice for the world, would form contracts with necromancers.
Luna couldn't bring herself to believe that her own disciple had fallen to such a state.
But cruelly, it was the truth.
Luna's fingertips trembled.
Why had her once-bright disciple become this way?
She wanted to find her, right now.
She wanted to bring her back to her senses.
But…
‘I don't have much time left.’
Luna gritted her teeth.
She had been struck by the Necro King's magic.
She was already dead, so she wouldn't die again.
But she had taken significant damage.
Instead, the time she could remain had been drastically shortened.
For Luna, a mere heroic spirit, to have fought this well against the Necro King—who was blessed by Erebos and possessed overwhelmingly superior power—was a truly miraculous achievement.
‘And… even if I'm defeated here, Kyle is here.’
Even if she was defeated and vanished, Leo would resolve things, just as he had 5,000 years ago.
Luna had that faith and conviction.
‘Still… I can't fall!’
Luna knew.
She knew what kind of being she was in this era.
She knew what impact her defeat would have on future generations.
‘Being a symbol is unnecessarily heavy.’
Luna coughed up blood and smiled bitterly.
It was the symbol she had so desperately wanted to become.
Only now did she realize just how immense its weight was.
‘Damn it! It's just a pain. Attracting strange followers and all. I shouldn't have wanted this.’
Luna clicked her tongue, wishing she could kick her immature past self in the butt.
But she couldn't lose, and not just because she was the Great Hero.
‘I can't pass the burden on again.’
Leo would solve everything.
But if that happened, how would it be any different from 5,000 years ago?
5,000 years ago.
She hated herself for having no choice but to pass on her burdens.
She resented the part of herself that had been satisfied and closed her eyes back then.
‘I can't let that happen again!’
Whoooooooosh—!
"I am Luna, the Progenitor of the Nebula. A companion of Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning who saved the world."
Luna smiled.
She radiated a confidence that shone like a star in the deepest darkness, a spirit that seemed utterly unbreakable.
It was the very image of the Progenitor of the Nebula, who had inspired courage in all who stood on the battlefield.
-.
Luna began to chant in the runic language.
Those who had despaired at the sight of a bleeding Luna found courage in her voice.
They bravely faced the endlessly surging legion.
Whoooooooosh—!
The atmosphere trembled in response to Luna's voice.
Seeing this, the Necro King narrowed his eyes.
"Your chants, heard at the moment of victory, were what I feared most."
The magic of the Progenitor of the Nebula, which had turned the tide of impossible battles time and again.
It was now manifesting.
"But things are different now. There is no one to protect you, Progenitor of the Nebula."
Whoooooooosh—!
"You've worked hard planting useless hope. Now, disappear."
Black flames erupted from his hand.
The moment the flames of Erebos, shaped like a scythe, were about to strike Luna's neck.
Kra-koooooom—!
Lunia blocked the attack in front of Luna.
"...You won't last until the spell is complete."
The Necro King sneered at Lunia, who had blocked him with white flames.
"Don't be ridiculous, you bag of bones! I will hold out, no matter what!"
Lunia declared, her blazing red eyes flashing.
‘At the very least! So that Lady Luna can depart in peace!’
Lunia gritted her teeth.
‘I have to show her that I can be relied upon, even if just a little!’
Whoooooooosh—!
The flames began to burn their master, Lunia.
Burns started appearing all over her body.
‘Increase the firepower!’
Lunia's eyes flew open.
It felt like her brain was cooking, but she didn't stop.
‘More! More!!’
Fwhoooooosh—!
‘Follow in the footsteps of the one I admire with all my might!’
"Aaaaaaaah—!"
Kra-boooooom—!
Even as her consciousness faded, Lunia's flames grew stronger.
"This is…"
The moment the Necro King's face hardened at the sight of Lunia's unusual flames.
"Goodness, who does my successor take after to be so reckless?"
Luna's voice rang out, sounding exasperated.
Seeing her, the Necro King's face stiffened.
"You've already finished the chant?"
"There are two reasons for your defeat, you damn bag of bones."
Luna sneered at the Necro King and raised the middle finger of her right hand.
"First, you underestimated Lunia."
As she finished speaking, Luna raised the middle finger of her left hand.
"Second, you messed with me. So, go die."
Whoooooooosh—!
An extraordinary amount of mana swirled around.
The light of the morning star enveloped the entire city.
Flash—!
A light of finality soared.
In that instant, the Necro King vanished.
Everyone in Lumeria City squeezed their eyes shut.
And when they opened them.
Swoooooosh—!
The Necro King's legion and the Blood Queen's legion began to turn to dust and scatter.
Lunia's mouth fell open as she murmured.
"This is… the End?"
"It's a form of the End, but a slightly different spell."
Luna approached Lunia.
"While the End is a spell that annihilates everything, this one only annihilates demons. You could call it an upgrade."
Luna smiled brightly.
"It's a spell this big sis created after being inspired by you."
Luna reached out and patted Lunia's head.
In response, Lunia blushed and averted her gaze slightly.
Luna took Lunia by the cheeks and made her look at her.
"Lady Luna?"
"...You pushed yourself too hard to reassure me, didn't you? Thank you."
"Lady Luna…"
"But you mustn't overdo it next time. You don't need to. You're already a flawless successor to me."
"No. I'm still lacking in so many ways."
"No, from what I see, you're already someone worthy of being called a hero. So you must always be confident."
Luna had fully acknowledged Lunia.
The moment Luna smiled brightly.
[Would you like to record the hero's story?]
"Huh…?"
Luna gasped at the message that appeared before her eyes.
***
Whoosh—!
Having fled high into the sky to escape Luna's magic, the Necro King narrowed his eyes.
‘A new spell.’
The casting speed and power were greater than he had anticipated.
‘It seems she created a new spell based on the End.’
The Necro King clicked his tongue, recalling the spell Luna had just used.
‘Luna Rubinance… and Lunia El Lundua. Both were unexpected.’
The Necro King clicked his tongue, thinking how many things had gone awry.
In this battle, the Necro King had overwhelmed Luna.
As such, he hadn't taken any direct hits.
But the losses were painful.
‘About thirty percent of my legion has been annihilated… The Blood Queen and her legion are completely gone.’
This was a bitter loss.
As the Necro King groaned.
Ziiiing—!
Suddenly, warp gates began to open all over Lumeria City.
Along with them, students from Lumerne began to appear.
"It's been a while, Necro King."
"Dragon Lord."
The Necro King sighed, looking at Mel, who had appeared before him.
At that moment.
Crack—!
Space shattered in mid-air, and a fist emerged.
Crack! Crunch—!
Leo appeared, breaking through space.
His entire body was covered in wounds.
And grasped in his hand was the Mirror Queen, with only her face remaining.
"Impossible, impossible. How can you be fine after killing all your comrades! You weren't that kind of person!"
Leo looked at the screaming Mirror Queen and said.
"Because my friends would never try to kill me."
Crack—!
"Aaaaaah!"
As Leo's grip tightened, cracks began to spread across the Mirror Queen's face.
Shatter—!
Swooooosh—!
The shattered fragments of the Mirror Queen scattered and vanished without a trace.
Leo's red eyes turned to the Necro King.
"You're next."
"I have already been defeated by Luna Rubinance, Hero of the Beginning."
At those words, Leo's eyes darkened.
He knew what it meant for the Necro King to have been defeated by Luna.
"You should say your goodbyes to her."
With a sneer, the Necro King turned into black smoke and disappeared.
‘...He's completely gone.’
If he was determined to flee, he couldn't be caught.
Just as Leo let out a deep sigh.
[The Progenitor of the Nebula has recorded a new hero's story.]
"What?"
Leo's eyes widened at the message that appeared before him.
***
Flash—!
Lunia's eyes widened at what had materialized in Luna's hand.
"A page from the Hero Record?"
"Hmm? So this is a Hero Record?"
Luna examined the Hero Record she had created with curiosity, then smiled brightly and handed it to Lunia.
"Here."
"Huh?"
"This is your record, Lunia."
Lunia hurriedly took the Hero Record.
[The One Who Follows the Nebula: Lunia El Lundua]
"Ah…"
Lunia's body trembled.
"I'm… a hero?"
Just as Luna was smiling gently at the surprised Lunia.
"Did you record that?"
"Welcome back. Are you okay?"
Luna greeted Leo, who had landed behind her, in a light tone.
"Ah! Leo! N-no! L-Lord Kyle? Lord Leo?"
Lunia fumbled, unable to decide what to call Leo.
"That's not like you."
"W-well! It's just...! Aaaah!"
Lunia's eyes spun, and she bowed deeply.
"I-I apologize for all my past rudeness! O, Hero of the Beginning!"
Leo looked exasperated at Lunia, who was apologizing with a beet-red face.
"The other kids adapted just fine. You're so rigid in the weirdest ways."
"That's because our Lunia is a diligent honor student."
Luna smiled playfully, moved behind Lunia, and placed her hands on her shoulders.
"Lunia, don't be so stiff. Just call him old man or grandpa."
"What?! H-how could I possibly say such a thing…!"
Lunia's eyes spun.
Chuckling at Lunia, Luna approached Leo.
At some point, the legion of Tartaros had retreated.
Throughout the streets, people were cheering in the joy of victory.
Amazingly, despite the massive invasion by Tartaros, there miraculously wasn't a single casualty.
"This is all thanks to Lady Luna, the Progenitor of the Nebula!"
"What? The Progenitor of the Nebula?"
"All hail Lady Luna, the Progenitor of the Nebula!"
"Lady Luna has returned?!"
Astonished voices could be heard from all around.
Watching them, Luna made a 'Hmph!' sound with a smug expression.
"It seems many people wanted to see me."
Puffing up with pride, Luna spoke to Leo.
"Kyle. Verkia… has become an undead."
"What?!"
"Please, take care of our disciple."
Luna smiled bitterly at Leo's wide eyes.
Then she looked up at Leo, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him down.
"Oof?!"
Leo was taken aback.
Lunia unknowingly covered her mouth, her eyes wide.
A moment later, Luna released his lips, still holding his collar as she took a step back.
"How was that? Much better than Lisinas, right?"
Leo let out a hollow laugh at Luna's grinning face.
"...You're good."
"Of course~ I practiced a lot in my imagination."
Puffing out her chest, Luna beamed.
Then she pointed a finger at Leo and declared confidently.
"Kyle."
"…?"
"I love you."
"…!"
"I want to live in the same house with you and do all sorts of things. I want to have your children, raise them, and spend my entire life with you."
Thump! Luna crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and said.
"So, marry me."
"…"
Leo looked dumbfounded by the bombshell announcement.
"I…"
"I don't need an answer."
Smiling sweetly at the flustered Leo, Luna backed away without any lingering attachment.
She smiled brightly and waved.
"See you again."
With a casual farewell, as if they'd meet again tomorrow, Luna walked away without a second thought.
She passed by the frozen Lunia and gave her a wink.
She flew to one of the ruined towers of Lumeria City and landed.
"Ahem!"
Luna cleared her throat.
With amplification magic, her voice echoed throughout Lumeria City.
"Ah! Lady Luna!"
"Ooooh! Progenitor of the Nebula!"
"Huh? Wait! Isn't that the exchange student from Seirun?"
"You're right! No way, was she Lady Luna all along?"
"Ah…!"
Gasps of astonishment erupted from the Lumerne students.
As everyone's attention was fixed on her, Luna began to speak.
"I will now tell you the true history, so listen carefully."
At the words 'true history,' everyone held their breath.
The true history from the mouth of the Great Hero?
Could there be a hidden story from history?
"All you bastards who ship me with old man Dweno. Go die. Nothing like that ever happened."
Luna said in a grim voice.
In that moment, everyone doubted their ears.
"Ar-on? I have no feelings for him other than as a cute little brother!"
Luna raised her voice.
"The one I loved was Kyle! So make sure you tell future generations! Hooo—!"
Luna took a deep breath.
"I! Love! Kyyyyyyyle!"
In this moment that would be forever remembered in history.
At the site of this miracle, the message Luna delivered to the entire world was a confession to Kyle.
While everyone was stunned by the situation that far surpassed their imagination, Luna wore a satisfied expression.
Then she turned her gaze toward the dumbstruck Leo, pulled down one of her lower eyelids with a finger, stuck out her tongue—bleh!—and vanished into light.
"Haha… And she said she'd never confess first again."
Leo could only cover his face and let out a hollow laugh.
"That damn troublesome elf, really…"