Chapter 76
“Leo?!”
Lunia widened her eyes and looked toward where Leo had flown.
“This is no time to be distracted!”
Rauta’s magic flew toward Lunia.
Lunia recited a spell with a cold expression.
“Dispel.”
Whoosh-!
“……!”
Rauta’s eyes widened as she saw her magic instantly neutralized.
“How can a first-year dispel my magic?!”
“Do you really think magic cares about whether you’re a first-year or a second-year?”
Lunia scoffed and crossed her arms.
“Your magic is certainly powerful, but its structure is very simple! It’s obvious you didn’t come up with it yourself through research or effort—you just learned the spell by rote!”
“……!”
Since the Age of Heroes, magic had advanced again and again.
With enough Magic Power, powerful magic could now be used much more easily than in previous eras.
The general skill level in magic had risen.
But that also meant those who honed their talents stood out even more.
With high-level spells being easy to use for anyone, it also became easier to break them.
Now, magic wasn’t just about memorizing more spells, but about developing one’s own complex spell system through research.
Rauta, who had only focused on mastering powerful spells with strength borrowed from others, was lacking in this area.
Even though he used high-level spells, he was only following Seiren’s curriculum, and that left an opening for Lunia to exploit.
Of course, neutralizing a spell she herself couldn’t use in advance was never easy.
It was an ability forged from Lunia’s talent and effort.
“Don’t get cocky!”
Ziiiiing-!
A magic circle tinged with black appeared around Rauta.
Red magic flickered in Lunia’s eyes as she saw it.
She had already finished analyzing Rauta’s spellcasting system.
That meant her response was simple.
‘Just dispel it before the spell is completed.’
Snap-!
The magic circle Rauta created shattered and scattered in all directions.
“……!”
“Don’t defile the founder’s spells any further.”
Rauta’s body trembled.
“How dare you! You think you can lecture me just because you’re doing a little better lately?!”
Fwoooosh-!
A torrent of blackish-red Magic Power erupted from Rauta.
Lunia flinched at the sight.
“Class representative? I come from the most prestigious family! I’ll become an elf as great as the founder!”
Whoosh-!
The black flames turned dark red.
“Phoenix Shield.”
Lunia urgently used her family’s spell.
Whoosh-!
Rauta’s magic blasted away Lunia’s spell.
‘The power is worlds apart from when he used star magic!’
Lunia grit her teeth as she watched Rauta begin to use black magic in earnest.
“Kraaaah!”
Crunch! Crackle-!
“……!”
Chunks of flesh burst from Rauta’s arm.
Along with them, fragments of bone shot out like bullets at Lunia.
“Flame Turtle!”
Lunia hurriedly summoned her familiar.
A turtle spirit beast spouting fire appeared before Lunia.
A defensive beast with a shell impenetrable even by Aura, known for swimming through lava fields.
Beep beep beep beep!! Thud-!
“Gah?”
The Flame Turtle’s shell deflected Rauta’s attack.
But one bone bullet managed to pierce Lunia’s right shoulder.
“Keh heh heh! Look at you now, after all that arrogance!”
Fwoooosh-!
Rauta mocked her while healing his arm.
“You really… there’s no going back now. You’re using black magic without a care.”
Lunia, eyes blazing red, clutched her pierced right shoulder.
“I’ll burn you to ashes.”
“You’re the one who’ll burn!”
Whoosh-!
The blackish-red flames went wild.
“Keh heh heh. Looks like your friends are finished too.”
Chaaang-!
Eiran’s longsword and Kargor’s greatsword clashed.
Kwa-gak-!
Kargor parried the longsword and swung the greatsword at tremendous speed.
Kwa-gak-!
Eiran barely managed to block Kargor’s attack.
But the shock made her lose her balance and stagger.
Whoosh-! Bang-!
Kargor kicked Eiran in the chest.
“Guh!”
Eiran tumbled across the ground.
“Cough- cough-”
Kargor’s gaze narrowed as he watched Eiran struggle to get up, coughing.
“Why not just give up now? You have no chance of winning.”
“My ancestor… was a disciple of the Great Heroes. Impressive, right?”
“……?”
Kargor hesitated at the sudden remark.
“My ancestor was proud to be a disciple of such great heroes, but also ashamed of never reaching their level. So, they made a vow.”
Eiran tossed aside her broken shield and gripped her longsword with both hands.
‘They vowed never to doubt the Great Heroes.’
Whoooosh!
The silvery aura swayed, then became calm and gentle.
‘They believed the Great Heroes would always defeat evil and save the world.’
“The power of the fairies…?”
Kargor’s face hardened.
As Rauta’s magic grew stronger, Kargor’s power became incomparably greater too.
Normally, Eiran wouldn’t be able to defeat him.
But Leo believed in Eiran.
Because she was a descendant of Velkia.
Long ago,
The Fairy Knight who protected the fairies, the sword and shield of the Elf King.
The only elf to have inherited the power of the last Fairy Knight.
“So, I’ll believe too.”
A knight rightfully wielding the power of the fairies, blessed by their grace.
And the root of fairy power—life.
A force deadly to the undead.
The cursed land reclaimed its vitality as Eiran’s power radiated.
Life energy surged at the tip of Eiran’s sword.
Limitless life force that drove out death.
The sword aura wielded by generations of Fairy Knights.
“[Evergreen].”
Kargor’s eyes filled with terror as he saw Eiran raise her sword with both hands.
“You wretch…!”
Whoosh-!
As her sword struck down, the aura of life swept forth.
The death knight struck by the aura vanished without a trace.
Eiran’s hands trembled as she lowered her sword.
“I have to… help the others…”
Thud-!
Eiran collapsed on the spot, her strength spent.
“Move…”
She struggled, gritting her teeth.
Forcing herself to lift her head, Eiran’s eyes widened.
She saw Leo approaching the Skeleton King.
—
“…….”
Leo, who had been knocked back by the Skeleton King, got up.
He looked at his right arm, which had blocked the attack.
He laughed as he saw it twisted at a bizarre angle.
‘At least it’s still attached.’
Peep! Peep!
[Heeek! What do we do! What do we do!]
“Don’t panic, I’m not going to die.”
Leo sighed as he looked at the frantic Fiora and Kirran, then got to his feet.
It wasn’t just his arm that hurt.
His whole body screamed in agony.
But the intense pain in his arm blew all the other pain away.
Thud-! Thud-!
Leo glared at the Skeleton King, who was ignoring him and heading for the entrance to Fairy Land, and raised his sword.
Crunch-!
But the sword snapped in half, and Leo snorted.
Fwoooooosh-!
Grrroooar!
The Skeleton King ignored Leo and sent out a dark red aura toward the entrance of Fairy Land.
Fiora and Kirran’s faces turned pale.
[Th-this power… what is it…]
“So, it really was Hell Kaiser’s power.”
The moment he was attacked, Leo had sensed the Skeleton King’s aura change.
He glanced over toward Lunia.
He could feel Rauta’s magic growing stronger and stronger.
‘So he’s channeling power through the Demon Device. Still as cunning as ever.’
The previous attack had been one of the Skeleton King’s techniques—spatial severance.
‘Rauta could never use that on his own. He only managed it because of the magic support.’
Lunia was steadily being driven back by Rauta’s increasing strength.
At that moment—
Whoosh-!
A blue light swept through.
[That’s fairy power?]
Kirran was surprised.
Leo looked equally shocked, then smiled.
“Evergreen.”
It was a power he’d seen during the Age of Calamity.
A power only the Fairy Knight could wield.
‘The Fairy Knight may be gone, but their will and strength have been passed down through the generations.’
He recalled the sight of his student taking up the mantle of Fairy Knight before the final expedition, and began to walk.
Whoosh-!
Flames blazed up.
“Let’s go, Fiora.”
Peep-!
Aura and Spirit Power surged.
Fwooooosh-!
Leo forged a giant flaming sword and blocked the Skeleton King’s path.
Groooar-!
The Skeleton King’s sword glowed dark red.
He was about to use spatial severance again.
Leo’s eyes sharpened and he swung his left arm.
Whoosh! Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack!
Flames burst.
Along with them, the dark red energy twisted the surrounding space.
Whoosh-!
“Ugh!”
Leo gritted his teeth.
‘I’m being overwhelmed!’
Bang-!
Crackle-crackle-crackle-crackle!
“Argh-!”
With the Skeleton King’s attack, Leo’s back slammed into the late Fairy King’s barrier.
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-!
The space-distorting sword began to bore into the barrier.
Bzzzzt-!
The Skeleton King’s power cracked the barrier.
‘It’s breaking!’
The moment Leo thought that—
Thud-! Clang!
The barrier shattered.
Leo was hurled through the broken barrier and crashed to the ground.
“Leo!”
Eiran screamed, her face drained of color.
“Hahahaha! That arrogant first-year from Lumeiren is dead for sure now!”
Rauta shouted gleefully.
“No. He’s not dead.”
“Have you gone mad from the heat too?”
Rauta sneered at Lunia’s growling voice.
His dark red flames engulfed Lunia.
Burns covered her all over, and she looked like she’d turn to ash at any moment.
But her eyes still blazed fiercely.
“If he dies, it’ll be by my hand. So he’s not dead.”
Lunia smiled as she spat the words.
“You’re the one who’s going to die.”
“In that state? Such bravado.”
Lunia raised her hand at Rauta’s mocking words.
“No. It’s not bravado.”
Whoosh-!
Flames flared from Lunia’s hand.
“Ha. What are you going to do with those tiny flames…”
Fwoooooooosh-!
Lunia’s flames blazed ever fiercer.
“……!”
Rauta’s face hardened as he watched Lunia’s flames push back his own dark red fire.
“You know as well as I do, our family has always been bound to the Phoenix.”
Lunia smiled.
“Our founder once swore an oath—to burn even himself if that’s what it took to destroy Tartarus.”
The flames engulfed Lunia.
“As long as that will does not die, we are the eternal Phoenix Oathbound.”
Wings of flame formed behind Lunia.
The undying flames of will passed down from her distant ancestor.
The forbidden secret art of the Lunda family, that burns even the user.
“Sacred Flame.”
Lunia’s Magic Power and Spirit Power blazed out of control.
“Y-you’re insane!”
Rauta’s face went pale.
“Are you that desperate to die?!”
“No. As long as I burn you before I die, that’s enough.”
Lunia’s eyes flashed.
Fwooooosh-!
“Kyaaaaaaagh!”
Lunia’s Sacred Flame devoured Rauta’s fire.
The outcome was decided.
Lunia’s flame would not vanish until Rauta was completely burned away.
Just as Rauta sensed his own death, the Sacred Flame vanished from his burning body.
Lunia’s eyes flew wide.
Fwoooosh-!
A dark red energy surged from a black ring.
“Haha! As expected, this ring is ama—”
Crunch-!
“……Huh?”
Rauta’s hand was sucked into the black ring.
“W-what…”
Fwoooooosh-!
“Kyahhh!”
The ring began to pull in Rauta’s body like a black hole.
Crack-crack-crack-crack!
“Graaaah!”
Whoosh-!
The ring completely devoured Rauta, leaving no trace, and then dropped to the ground with a thud.
“W-what is this…”
Judging it could gain nothing more, the ring consumed Rauta and used him for sustenance.
Lunia, not realizing this, just stared in a daze.
“At least that’s the end of the summoning…”
Lunia painfully turned her burnt body.
“Why…?”
Even though Rauta was gone, the Skeleton King showed no sign of disappearing.
Thud-! Thud-!
The Skeleton King strode into the revealed Fairy Land.
Its massive foot came down where Leo had crashed.
Bang-!
Snow and dirt flew, and it was as if everything was happening in slow motion to Lunia.
“Le-Leo…!”
Lunia’s face went deathly pale.
At that moment—!
Whoosh-!
A swirl of gray Magic Power erupted.