By Zephyria The lingering remnants of the inferno, stretching out like tails, scattered like sparks of counterattack, setting the earth ablaze. The distortion of space-time, reminiscent of a scene from the end of the world, refracted the radiant light, dyeing the heavens and the earth.
The discharge of the atmosphere, like the sound of gunfire, blanketed the mountains, and from the gaps in the crimson-soaked clouds, brilliant streaks of light poured out. The convection of air, so clear it could be seen with the naked eye, expanded its domain from a point in the south.
The successive vibrations beneath the ground made all living things feel an unknown sense of dread. The explosive energy, as if gripping and shaking their hearts, traveled through the nerves connected to their spines, delivering a suffocating pressure.
A flame of hope, or the prelude to disaster?
Magic Power that was both sacred and ominous, so immense that it was impossible to gauge its depth. That infinite power announced to all of nature on the peninsula, trembling with fear, at the same hour on the same day.
The one and only savior to stand against absolute darkness.
The being of judgment, possessing divine light, had descended upon the land of despair.
Even the mountain birds hidden among the bushes sensed the danger and took flight all at once. Their busy flapping wings, painting the golden sky, suggested that a moment of upheaval was approaching.
Cordelia, who had been conscious of the south throughout her confrontation with the demon beast, turned her head to look somewhere, following the eyeballs of Sigal, which had stopped in front of her sword.
Then, her red eyes momentarily lost their color due to the intense flash, and she stared blankly, her gaze stolen, at the glittering mountains beyond.
Paren’s general, who had been beheading demon beasts nearby, also turned his head in surprise when he felt a warmth seeping into his back.
In his vision, even the black blood that had stained the earth was becoming bright, as if being purified. Narrowing his brow and reflexively tilting his chin, he let out a word that sounded like a sigh.
“Sol?”
Cordelia nodded unconsciously, hearing his voice carried by the wind. The name of the sun god, said to be Paren’s spiritual pillar, was a perfect fit for the unbelievable sight unfolding before her eyes.
The beam of light, drawing everyone’s attention, stretched out in all directions, slowly driving away the aura of death.
Squad Leader 8, who was moving the wounded inside the collapsed fortress, and Flynn, who was checking the condition of the Barrier Stone under the instructions of Vice Commander Amos.
Charlotte, who was applying bandages to Rainer’s motionless abdomen to stop the bleeding, and the members of the border zone, who were as far away as the time the subjugation force had spent.
All of them raised their heads and stared blankly at the sky pierced by the light. The majestic power, radiating its brilliance, aroused an unknown sense of elation in the hearts of all those struggling on the peninsula.
Dellua, who had lost her balance due to the fierce gale, staggered and collapsed to the side. Kneeling on one knee, she looked at the source of the light and let out a sigh of anguish through her trembling lips.
At the same time, clear tears flowed silently from the eyes that occasionally appeared between her fluttering hair, and fell onto her combat uniform.
It was not the tears of anger and despair she had shed just moments before. It was the ultimate thrill and overwhelming emotion that could be expressed with a human’s distant and dazed expression, the kind that came when witnessing a magnificent spectacle or facing an overwhelming presence.
In front of Dellua, Hugo, fully aware of the changing flow of air, recognized his own pulse quickening as his thick Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. Feeling the heavy throbbing spreading throughout his body, he tried to gauge the identity of the wave that made his skin tingle as it brushed against him.
‘What on earth is going on?’
The energy he was feeling now was definitely Leonardo’s Magic Power. The instinct within him, directed towards him, was convinced that it was unmistakably Leonardo Blaine.
But the transcendental Magic Power, so powerful that it was hard to believe he was the same human, made him doubt even the answer his instincts were pointing to.
Even considering the restraints around his neck and the immeasurable title, the overwhelming power was incomprehensible. It far exceeded the range of energy that a human body could withstand.
He knew well how strong he was, but even in the battle that day when they had fought alone for half a day, he had never felt this much Magic Power. He wondered if he had been hiding his limits every moment he fought as part of the subjugation force, but he realized that there was nothing to be gained by doing so, and he had already suffered fatal wounds in the long battle with the core.
Hugo was deeply concerned about his condition, as he was emitting this energy. The end of the explosively erupting, unstable Magic Power seemed to resemble a rampage.
As a result, just as he was barely following the edge of the sun with confused eyes, the evil voice of a panting monster suddenly stimulated Hugo’s mind.
「That can’t be.」
Instantly, his creased blue eyes darted downwards. The grotesque monster, as large as a mountain, was also staring at the sky in the south.
But unlike before, the monster’s momentum felt a little strange. The streamlined head, retreating little by little and shaking from side to side, convulsed wildly with its red pupils greatly contracted.
「That can’t be, that can’t be!」
The core’s voice sounded as if it were frightened, and Hugo’s eyes narrowed as he stared at it. Then, as if projecting its emotional state, a sharp roar echoed through the air.
At that moment, the queen’s uneasy mental state was transmitted to the others, and the black swarm that filled more than half of the plain cried out sharply as if in chaos.
Soon, the monsters that had been gathering around the queen began to surge violently, as if they were about to break free of control, and small dots among them began to fall out one by one, scattering at a rapid pace like drops of blood falling on water.
The core in the middle also spread its shrunken wings wide, as if trying to move somewhere. The three people nearby became increasingly wary of its movements and firmly gripped their weapons to block its path.
Soon, the demon beasts began to madly dash across the wide plain towards the north. Hugo, who was the first to react to this, raised the Greatsword in his hand high towards the sky. Then, he generated a fierce chill at the tip of the sword, condensed it, aimed at the blackened wasteland, and tried to strike down with all his might.
It was then.
Pyoong―
Suddenly, the pillar of light that had been flashing in the distance became as thin as a thread in an instant, and then disappeared as if a fuse had blown. As a result, the brilliant sky that had been dyed golden instantly became dark, as if it had lost the sun.
Everyone looked back at the scene with a puzzled expression at the situation that had unfolded in the blink of an eye. And a few seconds later, before the bewilderment had faded, a hot heat and intense light burst out from above the heads of the commanders, including Hugo. The unbearable glare pouring down on the darkened wasteland made all living things in the vicinity squint their eyes and dare not raise their heads.
Among them, Hugo, who was the only one who had opened his eyes and was looking at the sky, witnessed the bizarre shadow of Leonardo, who had finally revealed his form engulfed in flames. From him, who was emitting an aura that was different from what he had seen before, Hugo was once again seized by a feeling that was both unfamiliar and familiar.
But that was only for a moment. Leonardo, who had been looking down at the front, slowly raised his right arm holding the Flame Sword. Hugo, who instinctively sensed that he had to avoid it, urgently shouted to the battalion commanders next to him.
“Everyone, fall back!”
At his command, Meterion and Isabella hesitated, then quickly retreated with a few of the remaining members who were still breathing. Hugo also picked up Dellua and Marlene, who were behind him, on both shoulders, and created an Aura on the ground, just in case, to distance himself from the core.
At that moment, Leonardo, who had raised the Flame Sword high, swung the sword greatly once towards the demon beasts trying to cross over to the north. Then, a golden stream was created along the trajectory drawn by the sword’s blade in the air, and the destructive energy, shaped like a crescent moon, flashed and flew into the middle of the swarming demon beasts.
The golden stream, which instantly annihilated the bodies of the monsters and collided with the ground, spread a huge shockwave and created a sound that shook the heavens and the earth.
Kwaaaaaang!
As the terrifying explosion erupted violently, the entire nearby earth shook violently. Behind the earthquake, accompanied by a roar as if tectonic plates were splitting, a strong gale struck the battalion commanders and members, leaving an unforgettable impact.
Meterion, who had been staggering, barely managed to regain his balance and blocked the vast dust cloud rushing in head-on.
The hot steam and acrid dust were inextricably mixed, and the particles suspended in the air became heavier and heavier. As a result, it would take some time to completely drive away the dust, even with the use of magic.
A moment later, amidst the sharp screams of the demon beasts, the sound of rushing water, like that heard in a valley, was faintly heard. The sound of water in the middle of the plain out of nowhere made Meterion furrow his brow slightly, finding it strange.
‘What is it?’
He reflexively turned to look at Hugo next to him, but he was in a situation where he had tried to use magic but had not yet been able to cast it. If so, there was nowhere nearby where water could come out. Suddenly, Hugo’s expression, staring beyond the hazy dust, looked ominous.
Meterion followed the Legion Commander and turned his head back to the front. Soon, the thick smoke obscuring his vision was slowly pushed to the sides by a dark green Magic Circle.
And at that moment, Meterion’s eyelids twitched and gradually widened at the chilling sight that was gradually becoming clearer before his eyes. His face, stiff with disbelief, clearly revealed an unusual look of surprise.
Shwaaaaa―
A clean-cut fault, as if cut with a knife. The land, which had only been flat until just now, was split in half, and a majestic and deep canyon was located between them.
The crack, which seemed to be endlessly digging in as if he had mistaken the altitude for a moment, shook off its magnificent appearance without filtering, making the human standing in front of it feel very small.
Water, which he didn’t know where it had flowed in from, formed a rapid current and flowed steeply through the gap. Hundreds of demon beasts that had fallen off the cliff were swallowed up in it and struggled to survive.
The waves of the valley, emitting explosive steam due to geothermal heat, resembled boiling lava from hell, except for the color. It felt as if his brain was melting from the scorching heat. Meterion, barely moving his jaw, stammered and uttered a word.
“…What is this.”
Hugo, who was listening to the voice filled with astonishment next to him, immediately scanned the edge of the sizzling cliff and tried to measure the size of the crack along the line. But a few seconds later, he could only swallow hard and could not think of anything.
The dust had not yet completely cleared, but the radius of the field of vision currently secured in front of him was by no means narrow.
However, at least within the radius that his eyes could reach now, he could not find the end of this canyon.