Chapter 511

511.

The sudden attack of Tartarus.

For those who possess power, it may have been a trial to overcome.

However, for the ordinary people who do not possess such strength, it was nothing short of an unprecedented catastrophe.

Resistance was impossible.

It wasn’t their incompetence that was at fault.

To those who lived each day earnestly, it could only be seen as an unforeseen calamity.

Under the protection of individuals with powers, people took refuge in places untouched by Tartarus’ influence.

Even those who could wield aura, magic, and familiars volunteered to join the battlefield, but they were turned down by those assigned to the evacuation.

“It’s no good. With your current abilities, you’ll d*e futilely on the battlefield!”

“Huh, but we might be able to help at least a little!”

“I’ve held a sword for a long time, even if it may seem like I haven’t!”

“No, you would only be a burden compared to me.”

The elf knight clenched his jaw firmly as he spoke.

“I am not even in a position to be at the scene myself right now. I would just be in the way.”

With a frustrated look, she wasn’t yet skilled enough to stand in the battlefield close by.

Because of that, she had taken the task of protecting people from the rear.

A beastman warrior tasked with the same responsibility said,

“The rear can become dangerous anytime. So let’s stay here and prepare for any contingencies.”

“Hmm…”

“A, I understand.”

Clutching their fists, they nodded, their tense faces ready for battle.

People trembled with anxiety.

Thankfully, there hadn’t been any loss of life yet.

There were some injured, but thanks to the many wizards and summoners present, the situation hadn’t become critical.

This was made possible because countless heroes and talented individuals had visited Rumelia City during the Festival of Twilight.

However, the loud explosions and chilling cries heard from afar instilled a sense of unease among people, unsure when they might face a crisis.

KUH-GUH-KUNG!

The ground shook from the powerful aftermath of the magic.

In response, the people tensed their shoulders.

Among them, one elf had their head bowed.

Each rumble caused their frail shoulders to visibly tremble.

With ears drooping, they sat alone on one side, staring at the ground.

‘It’ll be okay.’

Luna kept her gaze on the floor and bit her lip tightly.

‘Lunia has grown to be reliable enough.’

Enough to be called her rightful heir.

‘The other heroes are also trustworthy.’

As Lunia had said, the heroes of this era were noble and dependable.

‘I don’t need to step up; it’ll be fine without me.’

Luna closed her eyes tightly.

She wanted to stay in this world longer.

There were so many things she wanted to do.

When Luna had first started learning magic, she had been captivated by it.

She wanted to see the end of magic.

But the world wouldn’t leave Luna be.

The world’s dangers wouldn’t let her focus solely on magic.

And when peace finally returned to the world…

Luna’s time had come to an end.

‘Now it doesn’t have to be me anymore.’

Luna gnawed at her lips.

‘I’ve done more than enough.’

Even though she wanted to stay in this world forever and still had many things she wanted to do…

What made Luna even more restless was…

‘Now, I can just be with Kyle in peace.’

She thought endlessly.

What would it have been like to meet Kyle in a world not dark and hopeless, but bright and hopeful?

Of course, the first impression would have been terrible.

But she would have eventually been drawn to the man Kyle was.

‘Maybe we would have even had a child? Perhaps we could have lived a happy everyday life?’

This happiness she could never attain now.

‘My time stopped, but Kyle’s keeps moving forward. Therefore… I just want to be with him a little longer.’

This was selfishness.

‘But that doesn’t make it wrong, does it?’

Luna slightly raised her head.

Her eyes, usually bright, were now cloudy.

‘So, just a little longer…’

SWISH-

Right then, something appeared before Luna.

“Hmm?”

Luna blankly let out an exclamation as her blurred focus cleared.

It was a flower held in a small hand.

Luna looked up.

There was a young elf girl extending a flower to Luna.

“Big sister, are you scared?”

The girl asked with a worried face.

“Ah.”

“Don’t be scared; I’ll give you this flower.”

“Thank you.”

Luna took the flower and gave a faint smile.

“Are you here alone, young miss? Where are your parents?”

“My mom is fighting the bad monsters right now!”

As she spoke, the girl tightened her grip on a doll in the hand that wasn’t holding the flower.

Luna easily recognized the identity of the doll.

‘My doll.’

The elf child clutching the doll tightly said,

“Our mom is really strong! She’s a graduate of Seirun and uses the magic of the stars like Lady Luna! Zap zap! So don’t worry!”

The girl said brightly, causing Luna to unwittingly burst into laughter at her bright demeanor.

‘She’s like a younger Berkiya.’

Despite the dire situation, she’s so bold.

Though it’s the innocence of a child who doesn’t fully comprehend the situation… but she still shines.

‘She’s a child who doesn’t know darkness yet.’

Luna reached out her hand and gently stroked her head.

“What a brave little one.”

It was then.

“Ah! It’s the pretty drunk sister!”

A boy who admired Dwenno above all others from the first day of the festival ran over.

“Sister, I also bought the Lady Luna mask.”

The boy showed off a Lady Luna mask hanging from his neck with a wide grin.

“Wow…!”

The elf girl saw this and widened her eyes in awe.

Seeing this, the boy tilted his head and removed the mask to offer it.

“I’ll give it to you?”

“Yeah!”

“Only if you become my friend.”

“Okay!”

‘…Kids these days have impressive social skills.’

Watching the children quickly become friends and laugh together, Luna blankly smiled.

“Sister, if you’re worried, you can be with us.”

“Huh?”

The boy grabbed Luna’s hand in confusion and led her to where the children were gathered.

Humans, elves, beastmen, dwarfs.

Children of various races were chatting in a lively cluster.

It seemed they had been gathered in one place so that they could be quickly evacuated in case of emergency.

Though there was tension and anxiety, the children firmly believed the heroes would protect them.

“Hey, I know that sister. She was the one who told stories of the Great Heroes yesterday. She said Kyle loves Luna.”

“What does ‘love’ mean?”

“It means liking someone.”

“Sister! Tell us more stories of the Great Heroes!”

“Sister! Mine! Tell me about Aina!”

The children looked at Luna and chattered endlessly without pause.

Listening to the relentless banter of the children was making Luna’s eyes feel dizzy.

A moment later, the children moved onto another topic.

Seeing this, Luna quietly smiled.

‘How will these kids grow up?’

“Perhaps Lady Aina will appear and save us.”

A beastman child clenched his fists tightly in hope.

“Lord Dwenno might appear.”

“I want to see Kyle.”

“I want to see the King of Wisdom!”

In their childish innocence, they shared dreamlike stories.

‘Whew… I can’t keep up with their conversations.’

Just as Luna was feeling baffled by the constantly changing topics of the children…

“I think Lady Luna will appear.”

The elf girl who gave Luna the flower said excitedly.

“Do you think so too, pretty sister?”

“….”

Luna clenched her fists tightly.

KA-GA-GA-GA-GANG-!

Right then, a massive explosion occurred nearby.

WHOOSH-!

With it, a crimson flame burst upward.

“We need to evacuate somewhere else!”

“Move! Children first!”

The situation changed rapidly.

With hurried cries, people evacuated the children.

Cries filled the air.

The children also screamed in confusion.

It was then.

KU-GU-GU-GU-GUNG-!

The crimson flame that soared into the sky turned black.

Seeing this, Luna’s face stiffened.

‘Erebus’s flame!’

KA-AA-AA-AA-AAK-!

Black flames swooped down towards the people.

The moment Luna began to conjure her magic power,

WHOOSH-!

A white flame blocked the black flames.

“Uhgh!”

Lunia, who had erected the flame barrier, groaned.

“Lunia!”

Luna urgently called out to Lunia.

Not having time to respond, Lunia clenched her teeth and her crimson eyes glittered as she ignited the white flames more intensely.

“Hahahahahahaha! This is power! The divine flame! Ahh! It feels like I’m receiving divine guidance! His voice is reaching me!”

Elgenie’s voice filled with ecstasy could be heard.

Seeing this, Luna’s eyes trembled.

‘This isn’t just Erebus’s blessing.’

In an instant, Luna saw through Elgenie’s situation.

‘She’s acting as the medium for Erebus to ignite the flames.’

Elgenie was the kindling.

The problem was that she was a massive piece of kindling.

Erebus’s will, the lighter, was using the colossal Elgenie as fuel, growing fiercer with every passing moment.

“Too weak! Too weak! Do you think you can block my flames with that level of flames?! Khaahahahahahahah!”

With Elgenie’s maniacal laughter, the black flames grew even fiercer.

“Shut up and dieeeeee!!”

Lunia roared as she maxed out her firepower.

KUU-GA-GA-GA-GANG-!

A massive explosion erupted as the white flames pushed back the black flames.

“Oof-! Huff-!”

Lunia expelled harsh breaths.

Meanwhile, the heroes who had retreated earlier were regrouping.

Luna silently observed their movements.

“Lady Luna! Please leave this to us and step back!”

Lunia called out.

Despite Lunia’s words, Luna continued to stand silently.

At that moment,

GOOOOOH-!

Suddenly, countless summoning circles appeared everywhere.

Seeing this, the heroes’ faces went pale.

“This power is…”

“Could it be the Demon King?!”

THUD- THUD-

The army of the undead began to pour out from the summoning circles.

Lunia’s face stiffened immediately.

“Lady Luna! You need to evacuate immediately!”

“Y-Yes, pretty sister, please go.”

At that moment, someone grabbed Luna’s hand and pulled it.

Luna turned her head to see the elf girl who had grabbed her hand, worried about her despite her own trembling body.

“Mom! Watch out in front!”

The girl’s eyes widened.

WHOOSH-!

In the blink of an eye, a black flame that had infiltrated reached out to swallow the elf mage.

Seeing this, Lunia’s eyes widened.

Regardless of strength, at that moment, Lunia was the only one who could block the black flames.

“Yeek!”

Just as Lunia hurriedly attempted to cast magic,

SPARK-! KA-GA-GA-GANG-!

A beam of light that shot from behind Lunia pushed the black flame away.

With an overwhelming force, it blew away the black flames.

“Lord Luna?”

Lunia turned around in a hurry.

There, Luna had her hand raised.

Lunia and Luna’s eyes met, and Luna gave a gentle smile.

Understanding that smile, Lunia’s face distorted as if it was going to collapse.

“You said ‘ru’?”

“Huh?”

Luna looked down at the girl who had grabbed her hand and smiled softly.

“Sorry, this flower… It’s ruined.”

Luna showed the flower the girl had given her and began to emanate magical power.

Then, a radiant flower blossomed from Luna’s hand.

Luna handed the flower to the girl and answered late.

“Sister thinks the same. This Lady Luna will crush the bad creatures. So don’t worry.”

Reaching out, Luna gently patted the girl’s head and stepped forward.

‘Surely, if I turn away, I may be able to stay longer.’

She would achieve more and spend more happy moments with the one she loved.

‘But… Would that really be me?’

5000 years ago.

The reason she set out to save the world.

It wasn’t just to save the world.

‘It was to protect this world I loved and cherished.’

Did she regret sacrificing so much to protect the world?

‘There’s no way.’

Did she resent closing her eyes without achieving everything she wanted?

‘Not at all. It was the path I had chosen.’

Achieving unimaginable heights in magic.

The reason for obtaining the renown she once so desperately wished for in the next generation.

‘It’s certainly because I stayed true to myself until the end. Then…’

She couldn’t turn away now.

‘The moment I turn away, I’m sure I would no longer be myself, right? Kyle.’

Luna smiled as she recalled her trusted friend.

‘You, all of you, will eventually make the choice to once again stand and fight against Erebus, just like me.’

Leo’s voice echoed in her mind.

At that, Luna smiled.

‘He’s probably right. Kyle.’

TOCK- TOCK-

THUMP-!

Without realizing it, Lunia had grabbed hold of Luna as she passed by.

Her eyes on the verge of tears, she spoke.

“Lord Luna…”

Looking at Lunia briefly, Luna reached out her hand.

WHOOSH-!

Cometes, the staff given to the Hero of Beginning by the Comet Wizard, returned to the progenitor of the Star Cloud, only to be passed down to the next generation.

“Don’t cry, stand tall with your chest out and head high, Lunia El Rundah.”

Luna smiled faintly.

“You are the heir to the progenitor of the Star Cloud.”

Lunia bit her lips to try and hold back her tears.

“See for yourself what kind of person the one you admire truly is.”

Handing the responsibility over, Luna moved forward.

GOOOOOH-!

The black flames roared.

At the sight of it, Luna extended her hand, grabbed the air as if holding it, and violently pulled it towards her.

KA-GA-GA-GA-GANG-!

Space warped and someone was dragged and thrown to the ground.

“This power… Could it be.”

“Yup. That’s right. That mongrel.”

Luna gave a menacing smile.

“Lord Luna has descended. So you’re done for, kid.”

SPARK-! KA-GA-GA-GANG-!

At the end of her sentence, the light of the end enveloped the Demon King.