A large-scale operation is being launched, utilizing all the strength humanity possesses, led by the hero, Rania van Trias.
Operation to Annihilate Alkeia.
The goal of this operation, aptly named, is to completely eliminate everything that resides in the vertical tunnel of Alkeia, where the heretic dwells, and to eradicate the heretic himself.
This is the long-held desire and wish of humanity.
Over the past centuries, how many have suffered at the hands of the heretic? How many have seen their pride trampled, their lives humiliated? How many have become a part of the monster without ever finding the peace of death, living an eternal life?
The Heretic, Gletus.
A heretic who defied the teachings of the heavens.
We will eradicate one of the nightmares that has haunted humanity throughout history. This is the first operation to exterminate a calamity since the “Berta Canyon Annihilation,” which eliminated the Black Dragon, Belial.
“Without a trace.”
The traces of the calamity, the history that the calamity has lived through.
“From this land, entirely.”
All of it.
“I will drive it out.”
The hero, Rania van Trias, sends a letter.
She didn’t even hesitate over the words that should be written in the letter. No need for elaborate sentences, no need for words to boost morale, and no need for long-winded phrases. She inscribed just a single line in the letter.
“Gather.”
– Rania van Trias.
*
A letter arrived.
“Gather.”
Opening the letter reveals nothing but a short phrase. As always, she doesn’t say much. There is no explanation for why they should gather, or what they will do upon gathering; none of that is written.
There’s no need to.
To those who have waited for this day, this moment, long-winded words were unnecessary. Just the simple command to gather. Though there’s only one line written, filling the blank space of the letter is the reputation carried by “Rania van Trias.”
She spoke through her life.
She commanded them to gather under her name.
Reading the letter, Kelharlem chuckled.
Having stopped by his old hometown, the academy city of Artiya, Kelharlem swore an oath in front of a gravestone. As he opened his eyes and began to walk, he no longer looked back.
To gather.
They come together.
Those who owe her a debt, those who have been saved by her, and those who have been able to fulfill their wishes because of her—countless individuals gather for battle.
“Gather.”
The undying Karioth carries the sword of the cross to the battlefield. To prove the god that resides in his heart, to uphold his beliefs, Karioth raises the cross.
The superhuman swordsman, Kalt, heads to the battlefield with the sword left by his master at his waist. To repay his senior’s kindness, to free his tarnished master, to prove the path of the sword he has walked, Kalt raises his sword.
The Sword Demon Draka heads to the battlefield to put an end to his life. A twisted path. A shattered life. Yet he never denies his life. Even if he faces scorn and blame, Draka walks toward his final destination, raising the broken sword to take revenge on the calamity that took everything from him.
The Braver Kelharlem goes to the battlefield to fulfill his promise. A hundred years of living in resistance to the encroaching madness. Throughout that long time, he has never forgotten the promise he made. To keep that day’s promise, to reclaim the pride of those children who were tarnished that day, Kelharlem engraves a circuit.
The Archery Master Remia heads to the battlefield to stand upright before herself. Not to envy or admire the shining ones, but to shine on her own; she draws her bowstring.
The cowardly Destel heads to the battlefield to give up regrets once and for all. He is afraid. Terribly afraid, yet he cannot flee even now when younger juniors stand in battle. Just once, he wants to be a hero; to not regret, he dons the Star Robe.
The pioneers of the previous generation, the hero, the strong—all gather in the battlefield. They are those who have realized something through loss, the seniors who walked ahead.
They stand here to prove something.
That their lives were not in vain, that there is meaning in the paths they have taken.
“Gather.”
Following behind them are the heroes of this era.
The Ashen Witch, Resti Elenoa.
The Exterminator, Lac von Grace.
The Saint, Natida.
The Scion of Heroes, Belnoa van Dragonik.
The Current, Chloe.
Sometimes aided by someone, sometimes transcending trials through their own strength. Those who will lead this age have stood alongside their seniors. These children have grown and stood on the same stage, able to see the same scenery now.
And.
The gathered people’s gazes turn toward the podium. Someone is stepping forward there. Tap, tap, the sound of footsteps. The ashen hair fluttering in the breeze.
Rania van Trias.
The hero who gathered them all stands on the podium.
2.
All preparations are complete.
The time to bear the fruits of years of planning is almost upon us. I exhaled slowly. My breath came out in a white mist.
Falling snowflakes.
Standing at the highest point, I looked down. Those gathering at the front line one by one. Those who fought beside me, back to back. In other words, my comrades and fellow dreamers.
It took a long time to get to this moment.
Calamity is a powerful existence, an unreachable being, a presence whose end is unseen even when I look up. Abnormal to common sense, humanity could not inflict a single wound on the calamity with any weapons.
Thus, for centuries, the calamity was considered a disaster. Humanity became so craven that it could hardly even dare to imagine exorcising it, kneeling and bowing their heads before the calamity.
“The Berta Canyon Annihilation.”
But.
“Do you remember the day we severed the head of the evil dragon that had reigned for centuries?”
No longer needed to be that way.
“On the day the hero beheaded the black dragon, humanity rejoiced. From that day, we dreamed a single dream: to defeat every calamity and aim a sword at the Demon Lord’s neck.”
I spoke.
“Some called that dream a fantasy. They said it was an impossible dream. But what of it?”
Not only the special strong are gathered here. Even those without special powers, those who have not been blessed by any awe-inspiring abilities or starlit miracles—knights who have persevered day by day are also here.
“The black dragon was beheaded and died. The heretic hid in his workshop with a pierced heart. Did not even that death’s blade spill blood? Wasn’t the Demon Lord split by the hero’s sword?”
Even if they are not here, there are those who would listen to my voice from afar. There are those who will read the newspaper recording each of my words. There are soldiers who will hear my words through telegrams.
“The calamity is no longer an existence we cannot confront. They are no longer a disaster. They too can suffer wounds and bleed just like us. They meet death as well.”
Those who will lend an ear to my voice.
Those who have bled for me.
To them, I spoke.
“Look. We have reached this point. With our feet planted on the heart of the Phantom Territory, we are gazing at the nest of calamity.”
My finger pointed at the edge of the abyss.
Where Gletus awaits.
“Look. Am I still a dreamer? Am I still dreaming an impossible dream? Can anyone claim that humanity’s blades do not reach the calamity?”
“Certainly not.”
“I will prove that it is no longer a fantasy.”
Crack, my hand that pointed to Alkeia tightened into a fist. Starlight seeped from my clenched fingers.
“There have been many deaths to get here. Centuries of history. We must reclaim the lives that were humiliated, the shattered lives, and the lost stories. That is our role as we walk a path stained with blood… ”
Brilliant platinum starlight brushed away a handful of the darkness draped over the Phantom Territory. Though the sun had not yet risen, a starlight more radiant than that was present.
“It will be my role as a hero.”
Drawing in the starlight, I spoke.
“Today, we exorcise calamity.”
Operation to Annihilate Alkeia.
“We will eradicate every last bit of the Heretic, Gletus. We shall burn away even the traces of calamity’s existence. It will be both a memorial for those who have perished and humanity’s revenge against the calamity.”
I took a step forward.
Thud, the ground shook beneath my feet.
“The Operation to Annihilate Alkeia will be the first step in concluding the war that has gone on for centuries.”
I looked at those gathered under my name.
Meeting their gaze, I smiled.
“Let’s go.”
There was only one place to go.
“To our battlefield.”
3.
Under the hero’s speech, the knights roared in cheer. The ground trembled as they took a resounding step forward. They may not participate in the Operation to Annihilate Alkeia, but they will guard the battlefield until the moment the heroes return.
A hero is not a special or exalted being.
They are merely those who speak on behalf of humanity.
As the knights salute, the heroes step forward toward the heart of the Phantom Territory. The destination toward which all refuse flows. The land for those without faith, toward Alkeia, the heroes stride.
The Sword Saint, Kalt.
The Undying, Karioth.
The Sword Demon, Draka.
The Braver, Kelharlem.
The superhumans of the older and current generations.
The Hero, Destel.
The Archery Master, Remia.
From previous generations to the present, heroes and their comrades who have stood on the battlefield for a long time.
The Exterminator, Lac von Grace.
The Saint, Natida.
The Scion of Heroes, Belnoa van Dragonik.
The Current, Chloe.
The Ashen Witch, Resti Elenoa.
New heroes who will drive this era forward.
The Hero, Rania van Trias.
They all advance toward the abyss, the strongest force of humanity gathered in one place. Watching their retreating figures, the knights bow their heads in reverence. They believe in their victory with no doubt.
…However, what is seen is not all.
In places beyond the knights’ gaze, there are others moving with them. Quietly stepping forward, Raniael opened her mouth.
“Are we prepared?”
Someone answered her voice.
“Of course.”
An individual standing beside Rania pulled off their robe. The peeling disguise revealed ashen hair. Not the usual silvery hair, but deep ashen hair fluttering as an elf smiled faintly.
“I have waited for this day, this moment, for centuries. There’s no way I wouldn’t be prepared.”
A hero whom no one remembers.
An ancient hero forgotten in history.
“Just as you say.”
The Great Sage, Cardi van Armiel.
“I too shall prove it today.”
A returned sage of old smiled.
“That the dream I dreamed was not just a fantasy.”
Standing beside Rania van Trias, he began to walk. With the same pace, gazing at the same place. Everyone here looked at the same point.
The edge of the abyss.
Where the calamity lies.
