Crackle Boom
The betrayer, Gletus.
An alchemist and summoner who has ruled as a calamity for centuries.
While it was said that his power had weakened with the wounds left by Galahal, once, he was an entity that symbolized disaster alongside Death’s Blade and the Black Dragon, and could not be opposed.
“Why do you think I’m here?”
Belle Noa, who had recently experienced her existence firsthand, couldn’t help but stiffen as she looked at the documents in front of her.
“…The operation against the betrayer?”
“First, read it.”
Rania waved her hand, and Belle Noa nodded.
Rustle.
Belle Noa flipped through the documents, each one adorned with layers of sealing circuits. That handwriting looked familiar; it was Rania’s, which she had often seen during her student days in Apuria.
Dramatic pause
『Operation against the betrayer.』
『The land for those who do not believe, Alkeia.』
A deep abyss Belle Noa had recently passed through.
Rania seemed to know its exact location, even its rough size and structure.
‘…How?’
She wondered how Rania knew of the depths of the phantom territory that no one else had reached, but Belle Noa continued to read the documents.
The documents labeled as the operation against the betrayer, or the extermination of Alkeia, contained detailed plans of action. This was not a report done hastily; it was filled with evidence of edits and corrections made over a long period.
A plan nurtured through countless years.
The pages described the assumed strengths of the betrayer, along with detailed information, weaknesses, and tactics. As Belle Noa glanced over dozens of pages, she lifted her gaze.
“When did you start writing this?”
“I began when we first encountered the betrayer… so, probably around 8 years ago?”
Rania said calmly.
She referred to the operation against the betrayer, which had been turned upside down with the emergence of Death’s Blade.
“Since then…?”
“Though the original draft has changed quite a bit, it all started back then. Keep flipping through.”
As Belle Noa shifted her gaze back to the documents, Rania silently looked at Belle Noa. With narrowed eyes, she confirmed the fragments of the holy grail that were embedded in Belle Noa’s soul.
Originally in seed form, it had now bloomed and taken root in her soul…
Three years ago, that day, the seed she had planted with the promise of the future had now completely blossomed. With the changes Belle Noa had experienced, she had become superhuman, as had Lac. The portion of the holy grail rooted in their souls would accelerate their growth and sometimes assist them.
And this also meant the fulfillment of conditions.
After years of planning, the time had finally come to move onto the next stage. The seeds she had sown had sprouted, and it was now time to reap their fruits.
“It seems you have found that out for yourself.”
Now that the long-awaited time was near, Rania recalled the events from three years ago.
“If so, you can finally tell me.”
“Yes, I will tell you. All the truths.”
Rania took a short breath and closed her eyes.
Leaning her head back, she recalled the day she learned all the truths three years ago.
2.
Three years ago, the day she returned after a showdown with Kyle.
Once Rania was able to gather herself, she went directly to find Cardi. There was a story she needed to hear from the ancient elf.
“On that day, Kyle definitely struck down the Demon Lord. There were traces of a shadow cut down, and… this was confirmed by the Goddess of Ashes. Kyle killed the Demon Lord.”
What she saw and heard.
“He must have killed it. Just as the past Ganikalt did, he must have severed the essence of the Demon Lord.”
What she had to endure.
“The shadow did not die. Though it was diminished, it still lives. And it has taken Kyle as its vessel.”
Combining the information she had to realize from her battle with Kyle, who had transformed into the Sword of Yeocheon, she arrived at an answer.
“Cardi.”
Rania spoke.
“On that day, your companion became the calamity…”
“Speak slowly. You don’t have to rush, I’ll listen to you. First, let’s hydrate.”
Cardi smiled bitterly and handed Rania green tea. Normally she wouldn’t even glance at such a drink, but Rania grimaced and swallowed it down.
“So you’ve managed to figure it all out.”
As Rania gulped down the green tea and coughed dryly, Cardi raised a finger.
“Shall we play a guessing game?”
Cardi lightly waved his finger.
As the finger traced a line, the balance appeared in the air amidst a torrent of platinum starlight.
“Long ago, I made a contract with the stars. But I couldn’t tell anyone. To fully realize this contract, three conditions were needed.”
Three conditions.
The balance had three chains, two of which had already broken. Only one remained.
“The third condition is to recognize the true identity of the beings now called calamities. You learned about their identity in the North Tower, as well as the journey of my comrades.”
Hero, Ganikalt van Galatrick.
Sorcerer, Belial van Dragonik.
Saint, Gleria Bel Armias.
Great Sage, Cardi van Armiel.
Knowing their names, the stories they walked through, and the conclusion they arrived at is the third condition.
“The second condition is to touch upon the essence of the shadow. You witnessed the truth in Arcadia, my homeland. You came to know the fundamentals that make up the shadow.”
The shadow is a collection of curses.
The existences created by the grievances of humans and demons who could neither live nor die, endlessly cursing the stars. Knowing that the shadow represents a god for the forsaken was the second condition.
“And the first condition is…”
Cardi smiled bitterly.
Pointing to the last chain on the balance, Cardi looked at Rania. As if challenging her to speak.
“…The first condition is.”
Rania opened her mouth in place of Cardi.
“Why the first hero and his comrades had to make such a choice at that moment. And…”
Rania pointed her finger at Cardi.
“Realizing that you acted as the ‘agent of trials.’”
Cardi exhaled a long breath.
“Why do you think that?”
“Because Kyle wouldn’t have come up with that by himself.”
Rania smiled bitterly.
“The agent of trials. To make me a hero, and to pass the stars to me, Kyle asked the stars for the agent of trials. But no matter how I think about it, that is not something Kyle could devise.”
Kyle, who knows nothing about contracts, magic, or transactions. There’s no way he could understand complex dealings like the agent of trials.
“Thinking like that, the answer quickly emerged.”
Rania said, tapping the table lightly.
“Kyle mentioned that long ago, whether it was your mistake or the stars’ trickery… he had eavesdropped on your journey from centuries ago. Although he quickly lost that memory, he mentioned that there were a few scenes he could never forget.”
One of them was the Sword of Yeocheon that Ganikalt had wielded.
And the other was…
“At the final moment, it must have been the contract you made. Kyle must have attempted to mimic that.”
The moment Kyle made his contract with the stars. It suddenly resurfaced in his mind—a deal made between a great mage and his companions from centuries ago.
“That’s the agent of trials. Am I wrong?”
“…Really now.”
You’re quite perceptive.
Muttering that, Cardi smiled bitterly.
“Right. That’s exactly it.”
The chains surrounding the balance trembled.
Rania looked at the chains as she continued speaking.
“You defeated the Demon Lord. Ganikalt severed divinity from the Demon Lord… causing them to fall to an incomplete state. However, even so, the Demon Lord wouldn’t have died.”
Cardi once said.
He claimed to have taken the kingship from the Demon Lord. He spoke about shattering the vessel that held the Demon Lord. Immediately after that vessel broke, he claimed that the shadow surged forth and corrupted them…
“Corrupted by the surging shadow, huh? That’s a rather summarized account. The reality must have been like this.”
With the information she had gathered so far.
Rania took a map from the ancient era hanging on a shelf and spread it out in front of Cardi.
“When the shadow first revealed itself, the shadow that lost its vessel must have gone on a rampage. It would have sought to engulf half the continent…”
She nudged the map.
“It would have indiscriminately devoured the living beings around it, seeking a vessel to contain itself. You resisted such a Demon Lord. If you wanted to, you could have escaped from that place.”
They were strong enough for that.
No matter the injuries they sustained, it would have been simple for Cardi to pull his companions away if he set his mind to it.
“But you did not run away.”
Rania said.
Cardi chuckled bitterly.
“You could have sacrificed half the continent and the majority of humanity to recover and after that finish off the Demon Lord… but you didn’t. You could not turn a blind eye to so many deaths.”
So, in the face of humanity’s threat of extinction.
“You chose.”
The first hero, the saint, and the sorcerer made their choice.
“To become the vessel of the shadow themselves.”
To contain the raging shadow.
They sacrificed everything in exchange for that.
It was, in essence, the same as acting as the agent of trials.
“…”
Cardi silently wiped away tears from under his eyes.
The chain on the balance was already broken.
A voice echoed in Cardi’s ears.
“This is my choice.”
“My choice, my will.”
“Even if I became a beast, this is a decision I make.”
Before the surging shadow, they made their choice.
To become the vessel that contained the calamity.
They stepped toward the poisonous matter surging forth of their own volition. At that final moment, Ganikalt said:
“Because we live in the moment, we promise for what comes next. Humans, who can’t achieve many things in their short lives, promise for the next. We will be the same.”
They promised for what would come next.
They believed another hero would emerge in the future.
That fact was beyond doubt, but…
“Still, being a hero and the strongest knight, I can’t just leave it to the future generations.”
They couldn’t just offload it onto those who came after.
With that bitter smile, Ganikalt said.
“I’ll bear it.”
To do everything he could do at that moment.
To lessen the price that the next generation would have to bear. That was the way of the hero, Ganikalt van Galatrick.
“I dedicate my life, my soul, my body, every path I have walked.”
Everything he could offer.
Along with all the paths he had walked, they paid the price for the right to be remembered. By choosing the path of becoming a puppet of the shadow… because they paid everything, they could add one condition.
“Though our souls and bodies be defiled, we can never bring about humanity’s extinction. When humanity creates its final refuge, we can never enter there. This is a contract.”
That was the crux of the contract.
“That’s why calamities couldn’t cross over to the royal capital; it must have been a condition included in the contract. Even forsaking the right to be remembered. Isn’t that right?”
Cardi nodded at Rania’s conjecture.
“…Yes. That’s the entirety of the contract. I made a similar pact too.”
“Exchanging all mana and the right to be remembered…”
“To ensure that the starlight continues. The souls of heroes transforming into the perfect shape to utilize starlight during the moment of awakening. That thing Kyle was trying to do, I indeed conceptualized it.”
So that’s why Kyle recognized what he was trying to do.
Cardi smiled bitterly as he looked at Rania.
“Also, countless constraints were placed to reinforce the remaining conditions, ensuring that this contract wouldn’t falter.”
Restrictions concerning the shadow, constraints preventing interference, and so forth were included to reinforce the contract.
“He must have hoped for such a thing from me.”
An elf living for such long years.
To ensure that this truth is conveyed to the eventual heirs, Cardi had to maintain the contract perfectly. The end of that wait had come, and Cardi smiled.
“Finally appeared.”
He handed the balance to Rania.
“The heir he had waited for centuries.”
All conditions had been fulfilled.
The contract made with the stars acknowledged Rania as the official heir of the contract. As soon as she could access all the conditions of the contract, Rania let out a wry smile.
Information flooded in.
A tidal wave of immense information engulfed her.
Using the superhuman intuition granted by her new form, Rania organized the facts, dumbfounded.
“You’re hiding an awful lot, huh?”
“I did have a tough time because my mouth was itching.”
The moment the contract was extended, Rania instinctively realized what she needed to do moving forward. How she should proceed.
“Cardi.”
Rania closed her eyes and then opened them.
The short breath she released was different from her usual light demeanor. As the Ashen Mage, or perhaps the Hero, she spoke.
“I promise.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“I will liberate you all from this contract.”
I will kill all calamities.
I will do what you were unable to.
Just as your past selves represented humanity.
“…Then I would be grateful if you did.”
Cardi smiled bitterly.
When he exhaled deeply and raised his head again, Cardi wore the same expression as always. There was no longer anything left to hide.
“Now I can speak.”
He stood and reached for the ancient map.
“One warning, Rania.”
Cardi unfolded the map.
“All paths of toxic matter lead here.”
A dot appeared on the map.
Indicating the location of the bound existence.
“Land for those who do not believe, Alkeia.”
Pointing at that land, Cardi spoke.
“If you intend to kill the calamities, you must first head here. You’ll need to be cautious.”
“…Cautious?”
“Gleria… no, the betrayer has settled there, and it is the same location where the ancient temple once lay. Now listen carefully to what I say, Rania.”
Cardi spoke.
The tale entwined with that land.
And also the story about salvation, once told by the betrayer, along with the limit of the powers she possesses.
“If you wish to strike down the Demon Lord, if you wish to eliminate all calamities and conclude this tale… the first calamity you must overcome is the betrayer herself.”
The true meaning of the blessing the betrayer possessed.
After hearing about the ancient temple and the salvation the betrayer was dreaming of, Rania swallowed hard.
“Is that even possible?”
“It is possible. Remember how she was called when she was a saint?”
The right arm of Deloheim.
The woman who was closer to the gods than anyone else.
In terms of distance and in terms of power.
“…This isn’t going to be easy from the start.”
“It wouldn’t be.”
If Cardi’s assertions were true, then there was no way Rania could push through alone. Even if she amassed all of humanity’s current power, it would be impossible.
“That’s why you raised them.”
But Cardi knew.
Rania knew as well.
There was no longer a need for her to bear all burdens alone. Rania recalled the disciples she had nurtured, preparing for the future over the past few years.
‘Not now, but…’
If those children bloom.
When they can fully handle their abilities, Rania judged that it would be possible. This was none other than a variable that Rania had created. A variable the betrayer did not expect.
The blade that would reach the calamity.
It needed time to sharpen and hone that blade. Thus, Rania waited. For the day her disciples would rush to her side.
And finally, that day has come.
Over the course of three years, that blade has finally been completed. Rania opened her previously shut eyes. What lay before her was not the scenery of the past.
The last piece, Belle Noa van Dragonik.
The final piece that had remained unfilled was right before her.
“Belle Noa.”
Instead of answering immediately, Belle Noa lowered her gaze to the papers. A brief map depicting Alkeia’s terrain. Each location bore the names of individuals. Belle Noa silently gazed at those names.
Hero, Rania van Trias.
Names of many strong beings led by her.
Hero, Destel.
Tracker, Kalt.
Sword Demon, Draka.
Braver, Kelharlem.
Archery Master, Remia.
Immortal, Karioth.
Saint, Natida.
Names she had heard at least once on the battlefield.
And, sometimes taught by those individuals.
Below them were names more familiar.
Sorcerer, Belle Noa van Dragonik.
Hero, Chloe.
Warrior, Lac von Grace.
Summoner, Resti Elenoa.
As she looked at the four names written in the boldest letters, Belle Noa lifted her head. What she saw looking back was the figure of the one called the hope of humanity. The figure standing at the end of the path Belle Noa walked.
The Ashen Mage, or the Hero.
She spoke.
“Are you ready to move on to the next stage?”
