As Ar wore an anxious expression,
“Dragon Lord Melina-nim. What should we do with this?”
Chelsea asked as she brought over the sword Arron had thrown aside.
Watching her, Melina spoke.
“It’s Brave. The sword that symbolizes Arron-nim. You know it too, don’t you, Chelsea?”
“Yes, but it’s broken, isn’t it?”
When Chelsea spoke with a worried face, Melina nodded.
“It was already broken before he came out of the Hero Record.”
“Will a broken sword just get in Arron-nim’s way?”
“It would still be better for him to fight while holding Brave, even broken, than to fight barehanded. But... Arron-nim, as he is now, doesn’t have that kind of room to spare...”
KRA-KOOOOM-!
Once again, a deafening roar rang out from beyond the castle walls.
After being struck by Erebos’s attack, Arron had been flung away and crashed to the ground in front of the walls.
The shockwave from the impact swept away the Demonic Beasts charging at the ramparts.
Arron staggered back to his feet.
The power of his Aura was still intact.
But his body was already a wreck.
Even so, his fighting spirit had not broken.
As if forcibly shaking off his fear, he glared at Erebos, his will to fight blazing fiercely.
BOOM-!
Erebos landed right in front of Arron.
—What is it that makes you struggle so desperately, cowardly Hero? Are you afraid of the deaths of those insignificant beings you call your hope?
“Grrrrooooooowl!”
A [Howling] burst from Arron’s mouth.
Wrapping his whole body in Aura, Arron charged at Erebos once more.
Watching him, Erebos’s eyes flashed as he swung his arm.
KRA-KOOOOM-!
Arron was sent flying again.
But without being discouraged, he burst from the ground, claws bared, and tore into Erebos’s arm.
Now that he could no longer glimpse the future through [Hyper Sense],
Arron continued this seemingly reckless battle.
An unprecedented, breathtaking hand-to-hand clash between the Hero and the Primordial Evil.
The aftermath of their fight spread on a staggering scale.
In the first place, without Arron, it would have been impossible for anyone to stop the Primordial Evil alone.
‘Just a little longer. If I can just hold on a little longer, Kyle’s spell will be complete!’
His role was to hold Erebos in place until then and shave away at his power.
Even the inextinguishable [Calamity Flame] would weaken if he kept cutting it down.
It was true that Erebos was immortal, but that did not mean he could not be damaged.
‘I have to weaken him enough for [Innocent] to completely annihilate him!’
Horrific burns spread across his entire body.
His body screamed under the agony of death itself.
It was pain greater than anything Arron had ever endured.
‘Endure it!’
Arron’s eyes flew open.
‘Kyle must have endured far greater pain than this!’
“Graaaaaaaah!”
Arron roared as he tore at Erebos’s neck.
Meanwhile, the Demonic Beasts created by Erebos were swarming the castle walls.
Chelsea, who had been watching Arron’s desperate battle, clenched her fists.
‘Isn’t there any way I can help Arron-nim?’
She remembered the Arron she knew, kind and gentle.
The Arron who had sincerely rejoiced, saying he wanted a future where young children could laugh brightly, was now fighting such a desperate battle.
Pacing anxiously, desperate to help him somehow, Chelsea looked at Brave in her hands and shouted,
“I’ll take Brave to Arron-nin!”
Melina’s eyes widened.
“That’s too reckless.”
“But I’m the most suitable person for this role, aren’t I?”
Chelsea said seriously.
“I’m small and fast, so I can definitely avoid the Demonic Beasts’ attacks and make it back safely! This kind of thing is a Wind Mage’s specialty!”
“Then someone like me or Ulta...”
“You and Ulta-sunbae have to stop the Demonic Beasts!”
Melina and Ulta were currently the strongest forces defending the castle walls.
If either of them left their position, the castle could fall at once.
“...I’m a failure as a Dragon Lord. To think I have to send someone as young as you to the most dangerous place.”
“If it starts looking dangerous, I’ll run away right away!”
“Hey, Chelsea. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
When Carr asked worriedly, Chelsea raised her index finger and shouted confidently.
“Of course!”
With those words, Chelsea slung Brave across her back and leaped down from the castle wall.
‘[Gale].’
Chelsea activated her Original Magic.
A spell that allowed her to freely control the surrounding wind.
That spell granted Chelsea overwhelming mobility and evasiveness.
WHOOSH-!
Chelsea flew toward the fierce battlefield between Arron and Erebos at incredible speed.
The Demonic Beasts spotted Chelsea and charged at her, baring their killing intent.
But Chelsea used wind control to evade every one of their attacks.
‘My training with Leo-oppa paid off! And Arron-nim’s Hyper Sense too!’
She still couldn’t properly use the [Hyper Sense] she had trained with Arron.
But that training had sharpened her senses to the extreme.
A few Demonic Beasts stubbornly continued targeting Chelsea.
But magic flying from the castle walls covered her advance.
It was support from those who specialized in Sniper Magic, such as Riennia and Juen.
And just as Chelsea finally reached the battlefield between Arron and Erebos,
KRAAANG-!
Something flew toward her.
“Arron-nim!”
It was Arron, his body already at its absolute limit.
Even his [Beast Transformation] had come undone, and Arron groaned as he tried to rise.
The moment Chelsea hurried over to support him,
—Insignificant creature.
A voice filled with contempt rang out.
Chelsea’s face stiffened.
—Abandon that cowardly Hero and leave this place. If you do, I shall spare your worthless life.
Chelsea’s instincts screamed at the voice, filled with pure malice, ridicule, and mockery.
Run.
This was an unprecedented calamity she could never handle.
Goosebumps spread all over her body, and she began to tremble.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
She wanted to run.
But Chelsea did not let go of Arron.
“Chelsea... fall back.”
Arron staggered as he forced strength back into his legs.
“I just need to hold on a little longer. So go somewhere safe.”
“You’re already at your limit, Arron-nim! Let’s get out of here, now!”
Even while terrified, Chelsea tried to pull Arron away from the battlefield.
—The young human girl is far braver than you, Hero. How admirable.
There was no lie in his offer to spare her if she retreated.
To Erebos, Chelsea’s death held no value.
He had only meant to mock Arron by sneering at the pathetic sight of the future he called hope running away in terror.
But it had not gone as he wished.
And that alone was enough to make Erebos displeased.
—Die cursing your own foolishness for this useless bravado, human girl.
KWAAAAAAK-!
The moment Erebos spoke, flames burst forth from all directions.
Seeing this, Arron tried to draw on his Aura, but at that instant, his body grew faint.
There was only one meaning to that.
‘The time given to me is over!’
At the worst possible moment, his Divine Power had been completely exhausted.
Arron gritted his teeth, pulled Chelsea into his arms, and squeezed out the last of his Aura.
‘At least Chelsea!’
WHOOSH-!
The Black Flame engulfed Arron and Chelsea.
Fwoooosh-!
“Ah...”
Everyone was stunned.
The Hero who had been holding Erebos back was gone.
Naturally, the word ‘defeat’ brushed through their minds.
And just as naturally, terror drained the color from their faces.
FWOOOOOSH-!
A crimson-black night sky.
A world burning with black flames.
A single phrase surfaced in the minds of the Hero Candidates.
‘The return of the calamity.’
Crackle-!
Just as everyone was sinking into despair, Leo descended from the sky and landed in the middle of the land burning in black flames.
Then he looked up at Erebos.
—It is over.
Erebos mocked Leo.
—The Hero is gone, and with your power alone, you cannot stop me.
His voice brimmed with ecstasy.
Erebos had no doubt that despair would soon spread across Leo’s face.
—The Era of Calamity shall dawn once more!
At Erebos’s declaration, the black flames burned even more fiercely.
Fwoosh! Crackle- Crackle-
But despite all that, Leo’s expression did not greatly change.
He simply continued gathering the power needed to unleash [Innocent].
With Leo’s current strength, even if he squeezed out everything he had, it was impossible to complete a spell powerful enough to defeat Erebos.
No matter how much Pure Mana was the natural enemy of the Primordial Evil, it meant nothing if the difference in power was too vast.
And yet...
—What is with that face?
Seeing Leo’s calm expression, Erebos’s face twisted viciously.
—How can you show such unwavering faith?! He is gone! That coward has vanished from this world...
“Don’t talk shit, you bastard! Who are you calling a coward?!”
Cutting Erebos off, someone shouted in a furious voice.
Ar, who had run up at some point, stood beside Leo glaring at Erebos.
“Arron is not a coward! He’s the one with the strongest courage in the world!”
—Ignorance is a frightening thing.
Erebos muttered as if dumbfounded.
—A coward who died 5,000 years ago, whose flimsy miracle from the gods has now ended, and who has vanished from this world. And yet you would try to oppose me with courage gained from such a coward. Utterly foolish...
“Nyaaaak! Don’t you call Arron-nim a coward! You smashed-face lump of crap!”
Ar shouted hysterically, cutting Erebos off again.
“I know Arron-nim is timid! But he’s not a coward! He’s someone who overcomes his fear even when he’s terrified! Hero Arron-nim saved the world! That’s why he’s a Great Hero! Does it make any sense for someone like that to be a coward? Did your brain rot after sleeping for 5,000 years?!”
Ar even pointed her finger, veins standing out on her neck as she threw a tantrum.
Her opponent was none other than the symbol of calamity.
The terrifying existence that had made even the gods tremble in fear, the Primordial Evil Erebos.
The sight left even Erebos speechless.
Erebos could clearly see the terror in Ar’s eyes.
Normally, a mere Beastkin...
should not have been able to say a single word in his presence.
A weak being who did not even deserve to stand on this battlefield.
An inferior creature who should have been trembling too hard to even meet his gaze.
And yet.
“Arron-nim! He’ll get back up! He’ll get up and beat the crap out of you!”
Terrified as she was, she still shouted without retreating.
She believed that Arron, who had already vanished and ceased to exist, would return.
—Unless he steps into the realm of the gods, that is impossible.
“Arron-nim is a god!”
There was no getting through to her.
—What an absurd fool, the likes of which will never be seen again.
“Who are you calling a fool! You’re the fool!”
“Heh... Pffthahahahahaha!”
Leo, who had been watching from the side, burst out laughing before he realized it.
He even felt a strange sense of wonder at Ar, who was doing something not even Luna, famed for her recklessness, had ever managed.
“But she’s right.”
Leo gave a faint smile.
“Arron will come back.”
Fwoooosh-!
—Have you lost your mind?
“No, I’m perfectly sane.”
Even with Arron fallen, Leo’s faith did not waver in the slightest.
“Because he’s not the type to ever give up.”
“Grrrrrr-”
Ar let out a low growl beside him, then unleashed a [Howling] toward the sky.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
A golden Aura rose from Ar’s body.
The moment Erebos’s eyes twitched at that [Howling],
FLASH-!
A golden Aura shot upward, piercing through the flames that had covered Arron and Chelsea.
Seeing that, Erebos’s face was painted with shock.
—Impossible!
Ar’s face lit up.
Watching her, Leo sighed as if he had no choice.
‘Who’s the burden now, you idiot.’
Leo looked down at his own hand.
As though reacting to Arron’s Aura,
Dweno’s flame blazed up.
Seeing it, Leo clenched his fist and said to himself,
‘The reason I didn’t give up wasn’t because I was carrying a burden.’
Luna’s voice, which had always given him reassurance, Dweno’s Artifacts he could entrust his life to,
Lysinas’s light, dazzling even with her eyes closed,
and Arron’s back, more dependable than anyone else’s. It was because of them that Leo had been able to endure.
He watched Arron emerge from the black flames, holding Chelsea in his arms.
‘You may think you gave up. But in the final moment, you stood up again.’
He had reassured everyone and given them courage, saying that the world would be saved.
‘We... will win.’
He had never doubted for even a moment that his friends would be victorious.
‘You always say you’re not, but the one who always signals the miracle has been you, Arron.’
***
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