Chapter 075
Chapter Title: Sacred Flame
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“Leo?!”
Lunia's eyes widened as she watched where Leo had been flung.
“This is no time to be distracted!”
Lauta's magic flew toward Lunia.
Seeing this, Lunia chanted a spell with a cold expression.
“Dispel.”
*Fwoosh-!*
“…!”
Lauta's eyes widened as he saw his magic instantly neutralized.
“How could a first-year dispel my magic!”
“Do you think magic cares if you're a first-year or a second-year?”
Lunia scoffed, crossing her arms.
“Your magic is certainly powerful, but its structure is incredibly simple! It reeks of spells learned by rote memorization, not through personal study and research!”
“…!”
Since the Age of Heroes, magic had continued to evolve.
With sufficient mana, powerful spells could be cast far more easily than in previous eras.
The overall standard of magical skill had risen.
But this also meant that those who truly honed their talents shone even brighter.
Just as it became easier for anyone to use high-level spells, it also became easier to counter them.
In this era, magic wasn't just about reciting incantations; it required complicating the spell structure through one's own research.
Lauta, who had focused solely on learning powerful spells with power gained from others rather than his own, was lacking in this area.
Even his high-level spells were nothing more than standard Seirun curriculum, which created an opening for Lunia to exploit.
Of course, preemptively neutralizing a spell she couldn't even cast herself was no easy feat.
It was an ability born of Lunia's talent and hard work.
“Don't be arrogant!”
*Zzzzzing-!*
A magic circle, dyed black, formed around Lauta.
Seeing it, red mana flickered in Lunia's eyes.
She had already finished analyzing Lauta's spell activation system.
In that case, the way to counter him was simple.
*'I just have to dispel the magic before it's complete.'*
*Shatter-!*
The magic circle Lauta had created shattered and scattered in all directions.
“…!”
“Don't defile the Founder's spells any longer.”
Lauta's body trembled.
“Insolent girl! Just because you're a little talented, you think you can lecture me!”
*Gwooooooo-!*
A dark red mana poured out of Lauta's body.
Seeing this, Lunia flinched.
“So what if you're the class representative! I'm from the most prestigious family! I'm destined to become an elf as great as the Founder!”
*Fwoosh-!*
The black flames turned a dark, bloody red.
“Phoenix Shield.”
Lunia hurriedly used her family's magic.
*Fwoosh-!*
Lauta's magic blew away Lunia's spell.
*'The power is worlds apart from when he was using star magic!'*
Lunia gritted her teeth as she watched Lauta use black magic in earnest.
“Kraaaaaaah!”
*Rip! Crack-!*
“…!”
Flesh burst from Lauta's arm.
Along with it, shards of bone shot out like bullets, aimed at Lunia.
“Flame Turtle!”
Lunia urgently summoned a familiar.
A turtle-like familiar that breathed fire appeared before Lunia.
It was a powerful defensive familiar that swam through lava zones, with a shell that even Aura couldn't penetrate.
*Tingtingtingting!! Thud-!*
“Gah?”
The Flame Turtle's shell deflected Lauta's attack.
But one bone bullet that it failed to block pierced through Lunia's right shoulder.
“Khuhuhu! Serves you right for being so arrogant!”
*Gwooo-!*
Lauta mocked her as his arm regenerated.
“You've really… gone off the deep end. Using black magic without any hesitation.”
Lunia raised her blazing red eyes, clutching her pierced right shoulder.
“I'll burn you to ashes.”
“You're the one who's going to burn!”
*Fwoosh-!*
The dark red flames raged wildly.
“Khuhuhu. Your companions are about finished, too.”
*Clang-!*
Eiran's longsword and Kragor's greatsword clashed.
*Screech-!*
After deflecting the longsword, Kragor swung his greatsword with incredible speed.
*Thwack-!*
Eiran barely managed to block Kragor's attack.
But the impact made her lose her balance and stagger.
*Whoosh-! Bam-!*
Kragor kicked Eiran in the chest.
“Ugh!”
Thrown back, Eiran tumbled across the ground.
“*Cough- cough-*”
Kragor's eyes glinted as he watched Eiran cough and push herself up.
“Why not give up? You lot have no chance of victory.”
“My ancestor, you see… was a disciple of the Great Heroes. Isn't that amazing?”
“…?”
Kragor paused at the sudden remark.
“My ancestor was proud to be a disciple of the Great Heroes, but also ashamed that she could never measure up to them. So she made a vow.”
Eiran tossed aside her broken shield and gripped her longsword with both hands.
“That she would never doubt the Great Heroes.”
*Fwooooosh!*
The wind began to blow.
The surging silver energy became gentle and calm.
“That they would surely defeat evil and save the world.”
“The power… of fairies?”
Kragor's face hardened.
As Lauta's mana grew stronger, Kragor's power had also become incomparably greater.
Normally, Eiran would have had a difficult time defeating him.
And yet, Leo had trusted Eiran.
The reason was that she was a descendant of Verchia.
In the distant past.
The Fairy Knight who protected the fairies and became the sword and shield of the Elf King.
The only elf who had inherited the power of that last Fairy Knight.
“So I will believe, too.”
A knight who wielded the power of fairies, rightfully blessed by them.
And the source of fairy power was life itself.
A power that was fatal to the undead.
The land, which had died from the curse of the undead, regained its vitality from the power Eiran emanated.
The energy of life surged at the tip of Eiran's sword.
The infinite power of life that drives out death.
The sword aura wielded by the Fairy Knights for generations.
“Evergreen.”
Fear colored Kragor's eyes as he watched Eiran raise her sword with both hands.
“This wench…!”
*Fwoosh-!*
As she swung the sword down, a sword aura full of life's energy raged forth.
The death knight, struck directly by the sword aura, vanished without a trace.
Eiran's hands trembled as she lowered her sword.
“I have to… help the others…”
*Thud-!*
Having exhausted all her strength, Eiran collapsed on the spot.
“Move…”
She struggled, gritting her teeth.
Eiran lifted her head with difficulty, her eyes widening.
She could see Leo approaching the Skeleton King.
***
“…”
Leo, who had been sent flying by the Skeleton King, pushed himself up.
He looked at the right arm he had used to block the attack.
Leo chuckled, looking at his arm, which was twisted at a bizarre angle.
“At least it's still attached.”
*Peep! Peep!*
[Gasp! What do we do! What do we do!]
“I'm not dying, so don't make a fuss.”
Leo sighed at the frantic Piora and Kiruan and got to his feet.
It wasn't just his arm that was in pain.
His entire body screamed as if it were creaking.
But the intense pain in his arm overshadowed everything else.
*Thump-! Thump-!*
Leo glared at the Skeleton King, who was ignoring him and walking toward the entrance of Fairy Land, and raised his sword.
*Crack-!*
But he let out a dry laugh as he watched the sword break in half.
*Gwooooooo-!*
*Grrrrrrrrr!*
The Skeleton King left Leo behind and unleashed a dark red energy toward the entrance of Fairy Land.
Piora and Kiruan's faces turned pale.
[Th-this power is….]
“I see. It was the power of the Hell Kaiser after all.”
The moment he'd been attacked, he'd thought the Skeleton King's presence had changed.
Leo glanced over at Lunia.
He could feel Lauta's mana growing stronger.
*'Is he transmitting power through the demon artifact? Still as cunning as ever.'*
The previous attack was also one of the Skeleton King's techniques, Spatial Severance.
*'A technique Lauta could never use at his level. He must have been able to use it with mana support.'*
Lunia was also being pushed back by Lauta's power.
Just then—
*Fwoosh-!*
A verdant light swirled.
[Is this the power of fairies?]
Kiruan was surprised.
Leo also looked surprised, then smiled.
“Evergreen.”
It was an energy he had seen during the Age of Calamity.
A power only the Fairy Knight could use.
*'So even though the Fairy Knight is gone, their will and power have been passed down through the generations.'*
Before leaving on the final expedition.
Leo recalled the image of his disciple ascending to the position of Fairy Knight, and he began to walk.
*Fwoosh-!*
Flames swirled around him.
“Let's go, Piora.”
*Peep-!*
Aura and spiritual power raged.
*Fwoooooosh-!*
Having created a massive sword of flame, Leo blocked the Skeleton King's path.
*Grrrrrrrr-!*
The Skeleton King's sword glowed with a dark red light.
It was about to use Spatial Severance again.
Leo's eyes widened as he swung his left arm.
*Fwoosh! Krrrrrrrrrack!*
Sparks flew.
Along with them, the dark red energy distorted the surrounding space.
*Fwoosh-!*
“Kuh!”
Leo gritted his teeth.
*'I'm being overpowered!'*
*Kwaang-!*
*Crrrrrack!*
“Gah-!”
Along with the Skeleton King's attack, Leo's back slammed into the barrier of the previous Fairy King.
*Krrrrrrrrrack-!*
The space-distorting sword slowly dug into the barrier.
*Crack-!*
The barrier cracked under the Skeleton King's power.
*'It's breaking!'*
The moment Leo thought that.
*Pow-! Crash!*
The barrier shattered.
Sent flying through the barrier, Leo was brutally slammed into the ground.
“Sir Leo!”
Eiran cried out, her face pale.
“Hahahaha! That arrogant Lumerne first-year must be dead!”
Lauta shouted with satisfaction.
“No. He's not dead.”
“Has the heat gotten to your head?”
Lauta sneered at Lunia, who spoke in a growl.
The dark red flames he emitted were burning Lunia.
Covered in burns, Lunia looked pitiful, as if she could turn to ash at any moment.
But her eyes were still blazing fiercely.
“I said that if he dies, I'll be the one to kill him. So he won't die.”
Lunia spat out the words and then smiled faintly.
“You're the one who's going to die.”
“In your state? Such bravado.”
Watching the sneering Lauta, Lunia raised her hand.
“No. It's not bravado.”
*Fwoosh-!*
A flame ignited in Lunia's hand.
“Hmph. What do you plan to do with such a tiny flame…”
*Fwooooooooosh-!*
Lunia's flame began to burn more and more ferociously.
“…!”
Lauta's face hardened as he saw Lunia's flame push back his own dark red fire.
“As you know, my family has been the Covenanter of the Phoenix for generations.”
Lunia smiled faintly.
“The first ancestor made a vow. That she would burn even herself to incinerate Tartaros.”
The flames engulfed Lunia.
“As long as that will is not extinguished, we are the eternal Covenanters of the Phoenix.”
Wings of flame formed on Lunia's back.
The unquenchable flame of will, passed down from a distant ancestor.
The forbidden art of the Lundua family, which burns even its user.
“Sacred Flame.”
Lunia's mana and spiritual power began to burn away at a frantic rate.
“Y-You're insane!”
Lauta's face turned pale.
“You must have a death wish!”
“No. I just have to burn you before I die.”
Lunia's eyes flashed.
*Fwoooosh-!*
“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah?”
Lunia's Sacred Flame devoured Lauta's flames.
The outcome was decided.
Lunia's flame would not disappear until it had burned Lauta to nothing.
Just as Lauta sensed his impending death, the Sacred Flame on his body vanished.
Lunia's eyes widened.
*Gwooo-!*
A dark red energy poured from the black ring.
“Haha! This ring is truly remarkab—”
*Crunch-!*
“…Huh?”
Lauta's hand was sucked into the black ring.
“Wh-what…”
*Kwaaaaaaaaa-!*
“Gyaaaaaah!”
The ring began to suck in Lauta's body like a black hole.
*Crrrrrunch!*
“Kraaaaaahp!”
*Fwoosh-!*
The ring, having absorbed Lauta without a trace, dropped to the ground with a soft thud.
“Wh-what in the world…”
The ring, having judged him a lost cause, had absorbed Lauta and used him as nourishment.
Unaware of this, Lunia could only stare blankly.
“Anyway, with this, the summoning…!”
Lunia painstakingly turned her scorched body.
“Why…?”
Even though Lauta was gone, the Skeleton King showed no signs of disappearing.
*Thump-! Thump-!*
The Skeleton King strode into the now-revealed Fairy Land.
Soon, the Skeleton King's massive foot stomped down on the spot where Leo had fallen.
*Kwaang-!*
The sight of snow and dirt flying everywhere seemed to play in slow motion before Lunia's eyes.
“L-Leo…!”
Lunia's face turned deathly pale.
Just then-!
*Fwoosh-!*
A gray mana swirled.