Chapter 584

Fwoooooosh—!

“What is that?!”

Lunia’s eyes widened at the black flames visible through the windows of the Tower of Heroes.

At the same time, Eiran cried out in confusion.

“Lunia-yang! Your appearance...!”

“What? You too?”

“Pardon? Ah!”

Lunia and Eiran, who had worn Seiren’s and Azonia’s forms, had returned to their original appearances.

They were not the only ones.

Driana had also returned to her original form.

Lunia looked bewildered before her shoulders suddenly trembled.

“It’s the same as before...”

“What do you mean?”

“When we defeated the Fragment of Erebos inside Luna-nim’s World! It’s exactly the same!”

The same thing had happened when they cleared Luna’s World during their first year.

The moment Erebos ran wild, their possessions had ended, returning them to their original forms.

“The people recreated inside the Hero’s World can’t perceive that monster!”

Lunia placed one foot on the windowsill.

“We have to stop it! Otherwise, this World will collapse!”

Fwoosh—!

Lunia leaped through the window without hesitation, and wings of flame spread from her back.

It was magic that recreated the wings of a Phoenix.

Driana leaped after her and landed on Lunia’s back.

“Get off me!”

“Don’t be so stingy! Give me a ride!”

“What do you think I am?!”

“A model equipped with transportation functionality.”

“Do you want to die?!”

“Lunia-yang! Stopping those flames comes first!”

Eiran hurriedly flew alongside Lunia.

Grinding her teeth, Lunia flapped her wings.

Fwoosh—!

The magically created wings of flame traced an arc through the sky as she flew toward the Calamity Flame.

Once they reached Erebos, Lunia threw Driana off her back.

Driana obediently dismounted.

Now alone, Lunia’s hair turned pure white.

Rooooooar—!

Her crimson flames transformed into pure white fire.

They were the flames of the Phoenix King, said to purify the world.

Fwoosh—!

Vivid crimson flames ignited above Lunia’s outstretched hand.

It was the forbidden magic of House Lunda.

The sacred flame, which used even the caster as firewood to burn away all impurity, merged with the white flames.

'Sacred Flame.'

When Lunia thrust her hand upward, an enormous inferno erupted.

Her flames quickly grew until they rivaled the Calamity Flame itself.

The Sacred Flame swallowed the black fire.

Fwoosh—!

The pure-white flames that had consumed the black fire abruptly subsided.

The black flames vanished without a trace.

At that moment, the pure-white flames rapidly contracted.

Lunia flinched and wrapped her Phoenix wings around her entire body.

Kaboooooom—!

The flames, which had shrunk to the size of a fist in the blink of an eye, erupted in a tremendous explosion.

At the same time, black fire tore through Lunia’s flames.

“Tsk!”

Lunia clicked her tongue and rapidly retreated from the black flames.

Rooooooar—!

The black fire pursued her.

Lunia soared higher into the sky, trying to shake off its pursuit.

Rooooooooar—!

The black flames relentlessly closed the distance.

'I can’t keep dodging!'

Lunia gritted her teeth and prepared to withstand Erebos’s attack.

Fwoosh—!

Someone suddenly caught Lunia and yanked her aside.

“Chelsea Lewellin!”

“Hold on tight!”

Wrapped in wind, Chelsea manipulated the air around them.

Her body accelerated sharply.

The distance between them and the black flames widened.

A wall of black fire suddenly surged up before Chelsea.

She slowed down and veered in another direction.

As the flames once again closed the distance in an instant, they split into several streams and surrounded Chelsea and Lunia.

Chelsea tracked the trajectories of the black flames closing in from every direction and pushed her mobility to its absolute limit.

Fwoosh—!

“Urgh?!”

Lunia unconsciously wrapped both arms tightly around Chelsea.

Chelsea evaded every one of Erebos’s complex attacks as she descended toward the ground.

Whoosh—!

Chelsea flew at incredible speed, barely skimming above the ground.

The black flames continued relentlessly pursuing her from behind.

“Stupid cat!”

Chelsea shouted urgently.

Ar was already standing directly in Chelsea’s path.

Now in her beastkin form, Ar stared directly at Erebos’s flames with her blue eyes.

A broken sword rested in her hands.

Brave.

The sword Arron had left to Ar.

Golden Aura gathered at its broken tip.

A faint golden Aura also flowed from Ar’s body.

Grip—!

Ar grasped the sword with both hands.

“Haaaaaaaaah!”

Ar unleashed a powerful battle cry.

Flash—! Kaboooooom—!

When she swung the sword, an enormous golden sword strike erupted forward.

'Arron-nim’s swordsmanship?!'

Lunia’s eyes widened at the attack, which immediately reminded her of Arron.

Chelsea swiftly evaded the sword strike, while the pursuing black flames were engulfed by it.

Craaaaaash—!

The sword strike carved a scar across the ground and blasted away the pillar of black flames.

'Ar... When did she become this...'

Lunia stared in astonishment.

She was not alone.

Every challenger looked at Ar in amazement after witnessing the overwhelming sight.

“When did Ar become that strong?”

When one of the Azonia students cried out in shock, Lewen answered calmly.

“It isn’t that surprising when you consider how that stupid cat normally trains.”

After receiving Brave from Arron, Ar had pushed herself even more mercilessly.

Ar had always admired Arron and wanted to become like him.

But after meeting Arron and being acknowledged as his successor, her goal had become even clearer.

She no longer merely wanted to become like Arron.

She had to become like him.

She had to become like him and reassure the Brave, who had been so worried about her.

That was the goal Ar had embraced, and she struggled relentlessly to achieve it.

Whoooooosh—!

The wind sent Ar’s white hair fluttering.

Chelsea stared at her and muttered blankly,

“She looks... like Arron-nim...”

It was true.

Ar’s current appearance unmistakably reminded them of Arron.

Chelsea was clearly not alone in thinking so, as no one disagreed with her.

At that moment, Ar’s ears perked up.

She crossed her arms, raised her chin, and wore a triumphant expression.

“Ahem!”

“Arron-nim, I’m sorry. I sincerely apologize for thinking that stupid cat resembled you.”

Chelsea offered Arron a heartfelt apology.

Fwoooooosh—!

The black flames erupted once more.

Driana stared at them and muttered,

“They don’t appear as strong as the Fragment of Erebos we encountered during summer break.”

“Of course not. The one we fought last time was one of the six fragments the Hero of Beginning split Erebos into. But this is merely a fragment that broke away from one of those pieces. It makes no sense for it to be this powerful.”

Lunia clenched her fist.

“Even so, it’s still a monster.”

“C-Can we defeat it with only our strength?”

Eiran looked anxious.

Lunia bit down hard on her lip.

“We don’t have a choice.”

Ar glared at the black flames.

“We can’t rely on someone who isn’t here. We have to handle this ourselves.”

Step— Step—

After answering resolutely, Ar advanced toward the black flames.

“If we keep waiting for someone to help us, we’ll never move forward.”

Clench—

“We can’t let ourselves be treated like children forever. If we want to stand as equals—if we want to follow him...”

Countless gazes settled on Ar’s back.

“We have to overcome this with our own strength.”

Ar was looking at the backs of two people walking far ahead of her.

One belonged to the Brave she admired more than anyone.

The other belonged to—

'The Black Rabbit.'

The sight of Ar’s back gave everyone watching her the courage to move forward.

Chelsea stared at her and muttered,

“Just now, you really did seem like Arron-nim.”

“Ahem!”

“But I guess you’re still just a stupid cat.”

Chelsea clicked her tongue.

“Carr? Where is Carr?”

Eliza asked Eiran.

Eiran’s eyes widened.

“Carr-nim said he needed to speak with Rodia-nim privately... He should be here soon.”

“It certainly is troublesome without him.”

Lunia furrowed her brow.

“I feel a little more at ease when he’s in command.”

“You would entrust command to Carr Thomas?”

At Lunia’s words, the students from Seiren, Azonia, and Damienne began murmuring among themselves.

“Carr is certainly exceptional at reading the flow of battle and issuing commands.”

Abad nodded in understanding.

“Indeed. Carr was a tremendous help when we fought the Fragment of Erebos inside Dweno-nim’s World. He needs to hurry.”

Meanwhile, Carr was—

Fwoooooosh—!

“Aaaaaaargh!”

Carr screamed and hid behind Rodia.

“Stop running away!”

“You can only say that because you can’t see those black flames, Rodia-nim! They’re terrifying!”

“That’s why you need to keep watching them! Argh! I’ve been burned! Hurry up, get in front of me, and tell me where those damned flames are!”

“I’ll die if I go out there!”

“Am I supposed to be your shield?!”

“You said you would protect me!”

Carr and Rodia were searching for Lumene together, even though Rodia could not see the black flames.

===

Flash—!

A brilliant light erupted.

“Kyaaaaaaaah!”

“Would you mind keeping your voice down? You’re hurting my ears.”

Elena spoke calmly while being carried like a princess in Eliana’s arms.

“How am I supposed to stop screaming?! Erebos’s flames are burning right in front of—Kyaaaaaaah!”

“So Erebos frightens you, but I don’t? Would you like me to make you suffer a horrible fate?”

“Eek!”

Eliana recoiled at Elena’s threat.

The reason Eliana was carrying Elena toward Erebos was simple.

They were going to help Kyle, who was holding Erebos back alone.

“Why did it have to be me?!”

“Because you’re the fastest.”

Elena smiled brightly.

Looking at her, Eliana began to hate what she had done moments earlier.

'Whoever is the fastest here, raise your hand.'

'Hmph. I, Eliana Laden, am even faster than Chelsea, Duran, and Eliza, all second-years renowned for their speed. How may I assist you, Sunbae-nim?'

'My, how dependable. I hereby appoint you as my mount.'

'Pardon?'

'Would you carry me close to Erebos?'

Elena needed two things.

First, she needed enough time to focus entirely on chanting her magic.

Second, she needed a highly mobile knight capable of protecting her while moving at high speed throughout that time.

Eliana met both requirements perfectly.

Elena pulled a staff from within her clothes.

The moment she began chanting, an enormous storm of Mana erupted around her.

Eliana trembled as she held Elena in her arms.

'I already knew she was incredible.'

As a magic swordswoman, Eliana understood how monstrous a mage Elena Zeron was.

But this was—

'In terms of Mana alone, doesn’t she surpass most mage-class heroes?'

Eliana swallowed dryly.

Fwoosh—!

The black flames reacted to Elena’s Mana and surged toward them.

Eliana drew her sword.

Flash—!

Aura of light cleaved through the black flames.

Eliana evaded Erebos’s attacks at tremendous speed, but her shoulders trembled.

'I can’t keep dodging like this!'

Eliana bit down hard on her lip.

The unimaginable surge of Mana had shifted the black flames’ attention from Kyle to Elena.

Their attacks had become so intense that Eliana could no longer find even a moment to escape.

Her body moved with cold precision.

Fwoosh—!

Eliana hurled Elena from her arms with all her strength, throwing her beyond the attack’s range.

Once safely outside the reach of the black flames, Elena released her spell.

'What am I supposed to do now?'

Eliana smiled bitterly.

She had managed to send Elena, the person she needed to protect, somewhere safe.

Now she was the one in danger.

'Please, just don’t let me die...!'

Eliana squeezed her eyes shut.

Flash—!

Fwoosh—!

Gray Aura severed the black flames.

Flutter—!

A black cloak wrapped around Eliana’s body.

“Ah?”

Eliana opened her eyes and raised her head, letting out a dazed gasp.

When the black flames targeted Elena, an opening had appeared.

Kyle had forced his way through that opening.

He glanced down at Eliana.

As she opened and closed her mouth soundlessly, Kyle lightly tapped her forehead with one finger.

“Who told you to give up so easily?”

Eliana’s face turned bright red as she completely forgot their situation.

Kyle set her down before charging toward the black flames struck directly by Elena’s magic.

Elena approached Eliana.

“Are you all right?”

“S-So handsome... My heart can’t take this... I’m becoming Kyle-nim’s fan today. Pant... Pant...”

Eliana sank to the ground and muttered in a daze, completely oblivious to their surroundings.

“Get a grip. That old man is already taken.”

“I-I still like him...!”

“He really is a heartbreaker.”

Elena clicked her tongue.

***