Grrr…
Braver, Kelharlem.
The superhuman who has lived for many years thought.
About the past. The splendid days.
…Someone says that memories fade as time flows. Time is a remedy. When time passes, you can dust yourself off and rise again. Many chatter on as if they have ever experienced it.
But, for this mage who has lived for over a hundred years, it was all mere deception.
The glorious memories never fade.
Tragedy also never gets forgotten. When a truly immense tragedy strikes, a person’s time halts right there. Kelharlem’s time was the same.
A whopping 100 years.
A short time for an immortal, but far too long for a human. During that time, Kelharlem continuously dwelled on the past. To keep a promise.
“…”
Snap, something crunched underfoot.
Kelharlem looked at the ruins unfolding before him. The remnants of burning buildings. The cityscape covered in ashes. Though he could no longer recognize even its shape…
“There’s a shop down this alley, Master. An old couple runs it; I think it’d suit your tastes. You know, for someone who has a rather rugged palate.”
From within the ruins, Kelharlem saw the past.
“Master, hurry up.”
“Lunch breaks are short, you know. You may take your time, but I need to head to class…”
As he was reminded of the neatly arranged cobblestones from the alley buried under debris and ashes, he spotted a small flowerpot that the old couple had placed along the wall many years ago.
“What do you think? Pretty nice, right?”
“See? I told you it’s delicious.”
In the ruined present city, Kelharlem glimpsed his hometown of the past. He continued to walk silently.
The academy city, Artiya.
It took a whopping hundred years to return here. How many knights had put in effort to push the front line this far? Was there cooperation from the Hero? Feeling gratitude towards them, Kelharlem walked on.
Step by step.
“Ah, Master.”
Before he knew it, he had reached the heart of the ruins.
The center of the ruins, where traces of destruction remained undiminished even after a hundred years. Standing where he had lost his senses and rampaged, Kelharlem exhaled deeply.
“…It’s been a while, Celestia.”
At the center of the ruins stood a single staff. Kelharlem knew that no one was buried beneath it. Celestia’s body had long since crumbled to dust.
He merely looked at the staff she once wielded and recalled the past. He sat down beside the staff.
Having many words he wished to convey upon returning, when faced with Celestia’s staff, he found himself at a loss for words. Should he say he was keeping his promise? Should he say this time, he could save her?
Kelharlem exhaled deeply again without finding the words. Though he had lost most of his emotions and had become half inhuman, at this moment, he felt as if he had returned to being human.
Just as he was lost in thought…
Stir.
Kelharlem frowned. This had become a cursed land where no one dared to tread, Artiya. In this city turned to ashes, Kelharlem sensed a presence.
Something was there.
Slowly, Kelharlem rose from his place.
2.
Kelharlem’s front line was moving alongside Belnoa and Chloe. They were to fill the vacancy of the superhuman, and though it wasn’t their first time doing something like this, their expressions remained unchanged.
Originally, Heroes were often operated as special forces, as it was their everyday occurrence to dart across various battlefields.
“But what’s the occasion? You’re taking a whole vacation.”
“He’s visiting his hometown.”
“Ah…”
Chloe also knew of the stories surrounding the Braver. The tragedy that struck the academy city of Artiya. Having recently reclaimed Artiya, it was only natural for him to visit.
“Then we should join forces at that front line…”
“Our mission is to fill the vacancy until Kelharlem returns. We might also get to carry out a few operations.”
As they spoke about their future tasks while walking, a knight suddenly intervened from behind.
“This will be both of your first times heading toward the Sixth Squad, right?”
It was Horon, a middle-aged knight supporting Belnoa and Chloe, belonging to the special forces. Having rolled through battlefields for a long time, Horon was well aware of the information regarding their current destination.
“I did a mission there about four years ago, and wow, it was no joke. The terrain is rough, and the beasts that appear there are…”
“Is that so, Horon?”
“Yes, you’d better prepare yourselves.”
While Chloe gulped nervously, Horon grimaced.
“Of course, if you’re accompanied by the Hero and the Shadow Knight, then mediocre beasts would be wiped out, but you still need to exercise caution. That’s where the higher-ups show up.”
The higher-ups of the Demon Lord’s Army.
Not as strong as a calamity, but they possessed a strength similar to that of a superhuman. These were individuals who had broken through barriers after repeated training.
“Dragon Hunter, Asterio.”
Horon trembled as if he didn’t even want to imagine it.
“If you ever encounter one, absolutely do not engage head-on. Knights supported by high-level mages had set up multiple layers of shields, but… they were crushed in a single strike.”
Watching Horon shudder like he’d witnessed the scene himself, Belnoa smiled wryly.
“I’ll take that to heart, Horon. Any other information about the front line?”
“Why wouldn’t there be? I was just itching to share.”
Horon was someone who had survived on the battlefield for a long time.
Setting aside his own strength, he was well-informed about various places and had greatly assisted Belnoa and Chloe over the past year. This time was no different.
“Given the nature of the terrain, rather than wide area spells, spells that utilize the environment would be more useful. This is also the battlefield where the ruckus caused by Roks took place.”
Terrain, spells that would suit… As Horon provided useful information, Chloe suddenly posed a question.
“You know a lot about magic, don’t you?”
“I’ve just heard a lot.”
Horon smiled wryly.
“In battle, knowledge equates to survival. The more you know, the longer you live. That’s what my old lieutenant emphasized countless times. Remember everything you hear.”
So I have a bit of knowledge.
Muttering this, Horon continued explaining. While Belnoa was listening closely and walking, they suddenly stopped in their tracks. Horon and the knights following them halted as well.
“Oh, we have a visitor…”
Horon didn’t finish his sentence.
He too felt something unusual.
“…”
Belnoa silently stretched out an arm. The knights standing behind Belnoa slowly placed their hands on their waists.
At that moment, something glinted from the opposite side.
With the flash came a swift movement; Belnoa swung his arm. He caught the silvery-white arrow shot from the other side with his bare hand.
Crack, snap.
As he grasped the arrow, there was no longer anything to hide, and the necks of the approaching knights twisted at bizarre angles. The Demon Lord’s Army hidden behind them gradually revealed themselves.
Puppets.
A technique used by necromancers to manipulate the corpses of the deceased, disrupting the enemy. Having experienced it a few times, Belnoa clicked his tongue and shouted.
“Prepare for battle.”
The rain of arrows poured down.
Clang, with a noisy clang as they drew their swords, the battle began. In the narrow canyon, the two forces clashed.
3.
As Belnoa, who held effective command, issued the order, the knights thrust their massive shields down with a thud. Boom, the ground rumbled, and the spell inscribed on the shields activated.
A protective barrier.
The knights quickly enveloped Chloe, forming a wall to protect her. While Chloe thrust down her staff, chanting, Belnoa took a step forward.
At the front was Belnoa.
Behind him, three knights followed to support him. The moment the shadows cast by Belnoa intertwined with the three knights, Belnoa dashed ahead.
Crack!
Charging towards the enemy, Belnoa grasped the air with fingers covered in dark armor. Crack, snap! the airflow twisted slightly.
ROAAAAAR!
He swung the hand grasping the air.
The sound echoed like a tear through the air, or perhaps the roar of a dragon, just as a storm swept through the arrows that poured from the sky.
What surged was a hurricane.
The suddenly upturned airflow flipped not only the arrows but also the spells cast by the mages. As attacks aimed at the enemy turned back to the allies and caused confusion, Belnoa rapidly approached the Demon Lord’s Army.
The corpses manipulated by the necromancers stood at the forefront.
The trolls smashed down their fists, striking at those corpses. As the shadows loomed overhead, Belnoa exhaled briefly.
“Phew…”
With a single breath.
In an instant, shadows rippled and enveloped Belnoa’s body. The full armor of shadows. Through a contract directly with the primordial god, Belnoa became able to wield shadows more swiftly and with lesser costs.
Once a technique that would eat away at his sanity, now it was a skill he could use without burden.
Thanks to this, his proficiency had increased. As he donned the shadow armor, Belnoa suddenly accelerated, like gliding. When the trolls smashed down, Belnoa was no longer there.
Shadow Spike.
Having stepped on the ground and leaped, Belnoa swung his fists above the trolls’ heads. The shadows bursting forth from the shadow armor engulfed five trolls at once. Crack! The sound rang out, and green blood splattered everywhere.
Instantly neutralizing the enemy ranks, Belnoa’s gaze turned toward the Demon Lord’s Army. There were quite a number of them.
The necromancers were deep within their ranks. But there was no need to delve so deep. As the Demon Lord’s Army thrust their blades and unleashed spells toward Belnoa, he charged straight ahead.
Before long, three knights had followed behind him.
They separated to the left and right, parrying attacks approaching Belnoa’s flanks. The movement of the knights, enhanced by shadows, was swift and precise.
Slash, squelch.
Blood from the Demon Lord’s Army sprayed everywhere.
Supported by the knights, Belnoa only had eyes for the front as he galloped onward. Thick-skinned trolls and golems made of mana could not impede Belnoa.
The moment a troll swung its fist, Belnoa was already on its shoulder. Crack! With his bare hands, he wrenched the troll’s spine out. Even if revived through necromancy, it wouldn’t be able to stand if it had no spine.
Thud!
Using the troll’s shoulder as a springboard, Belnoa smashed the core of the charging golem with a shadow dagger. Belnoa was an assassin, a sorcerer, and a mage. He could deduce the core’s location through mana.
As Belnoa zoomed past the collapsing golem, his gaze quickly turned back. His eyes landed on a Demon Lord’s soldier who was preparing an artillery.
Belnoa took out a stocked spell.
Shadow Thorn.
Swish! The thorn shot out with a sound, piercing the throat of a foot soldier. Following that, it obliterated the barrier of the mage injecting mana into the artifact and pierced through the skull.
“Gah…”
As blood jetted out, the Demon Lord’s soldiers fell one after another. Finally, the scene cleared. There stood the necromancers preparing their spells. They gazed at Belnoa with trembling eyes.
Sorcerer, mage, and then warrior.
Belnoa filled the weaknesses of his class by borrowing from other classes. To the eyes of the necromancers, Belnoa appeared as yet another nightmare. They erected a wall of corpses, as if to say…
“Do not approach.”
However, Belnoa had no intention of adhering to that wish, and he stepped back a bit. At that moment, a knight who had followed behind Belnoa swung down his shield that was strapped to his arm with a thump.
What unfolded was a small barrier.
Belnoa stepped onto the barrier.
The engraved spell on the barrier was a rebound spell. With Belnoa’s foot firmly embedded, he used the rebound of the spell to leap into the air. The Demon Lord’s Army looked up at Belnoa floating in the sky.
Writhe.
In the air, Belnoa’s armor rippled.
It resembled the armor of a guardian, but its claws were far from that. They were rough, encircled like a beast’s claws.
Snap, crack!
The claws of the beast began to tear through the air.
The roar of a dragon echoed in the ears of the Demon Lord’s Army. That roar, a strange sound akin to a dragon’s roar, represented Belnoa, who had become a new nightmare for the Demon Lord’s Army.
…It was coming. Prepare yourselves.
The necromancers surrounded their barrier.
The Demon Lord’s soldiers layered their shields to cast their protective barriers. The moment Belnoa swung his hand, a storm descended from the sky like a diagonal beam. It left the semblance of claw marks where a dragon had scrapped.
ROAAAAR!
The storm ripped through the barrier.
The shields buckled, and the wrists of the soldiers holding them twisted. Blood and flesh, which had burst forth from the massive pressure, were sent flying to either side.
SWOOSH!
As the cliffs surrounding the canyon turned red, the necromancers held their ground. While they hurriedly attempted to raise their corpses, Belnoa swung his arm. The knights who had been trailing Belnoa, wrapped in shadows, leapt into the air.
Smash!
They did not attack as they fell; instead, they split to either side and pierced their swords into the cliffs, gazing down.
In that moment, the necromancers took a moment to be baffled.
Flash!
The necromancers’ gazes turned not to above but to the front.
There, a platinum-colored flash glittered. The knights, previously holding massive shields from a distance, parted ways. In that spot stood a girl pointing her staff forward.
A brilliantly shining platinum staff.
Mana surged at its tip.
The staff pointed straight at the gathered necromancers. Though they hurriedly tried to erect a wall made of corpses, Chloe uttered the spell before them.
Exterminate.
A high-level spell, yet its power rivaled the highest-tier spells. It devoured a significant amount of mana and was challenging to control without assistance.
Chloe completed that spell in an instant.
The necromancers witnessed.
The circuit unfurling from the end of the staff suddenly filled the canyon. That circuit glowed platinum, converging into a single point.
A glowing platinum point.
…When describing the high-level spell, Exterminate, mages often say this: Compared to its difficulty, its effect is astonishingly straightforward.
A straight-line beam of ultra-high heat.
The reason such a simple spell bears the name Exterminate is that it completely vaporizes every target it touches.
Flash!
In time, a blinding flash shot forth from the end of the staff.
HHHHHHHHRRRRRAAAAAAAAAR!
The straight-shot beam incinerated the corpses strewn across the canyon. Blood flowing on the ground vaporized. The walls built of corpses, as well as the barrier the necromancers had hastily erected, were all consumed by the beam.
The necromancers as well.
The reinforcements from the Demon Lord’s Army who had trailed behind them.
All of them evaporated away. Though the beam, which had gradually thinned, vanished, the ground melted in its path, leaving behind warmth.
“Cough, cough…”
There was a necromancer who barely avoided the beam’s range, yet, below his waist, everything had vanished. With remnants of heat clinging to the ground, the necromancer gazed into the distance with blurred vision.
White hair. Green eyes.
The new magic-wielding hero on humanity’s side. The necromancer recalled her name as the end approached.
Vortex.
As he mulled over that name, the necromancer chuckled. Just before death, the necromancer looked upwards to see his master gazing down at him.
Zzzz…
As the necromancer melted away, someone landed heavily in the canyon.
