Chapter 251: The Hero Steps Forward

Just a little further.

If he took just one more step, he could finish it.

Should that be proof?

“Kuaaahk!”

For the first time, a scream burst from that monster-like creature that wouldn’t die even with its neck severed.

A meticulously planned combined attack.

It was a surprise attack that would never have succeeded if Kreutzvalt had been wary of them and acknowledged Hio.

At the same time as the dimension transfer, Hio temporarily restrained Kreutzvalt.

Meanwhile, the priests first eliminated the Abyssal energy flooding the area.

The Holy Kingdom was meant to weaken the Abyss and give more power to the expeditionary force, so as planned, Kreutzvalt was rendered helpless without being able to do anything.

That meant just a little more forward would have achieved complete annihilation.

But.

[All accumulated splendor has been consumed.]

[Divine Authority – ‘Perseverance of Splendor’ is canceled.]

[Divine Authority ‘Breath of Driselrai Origin’ is canceled.]

It wasn’t enough.

Even after pouring everything out, he was one step short.

Since it was the first time activating two major Divine Authorities simultaneously, the mental energy consumption was greater than expected, and as a result, both Authorities ended at the same time.

“Ghk…!”

Hio staggered back, his eyes half-rolled.

His body, which had endured beyond its limit.

His flesh, still not mature enough to handle two Authorities at once, was streaming white smoke from his skin and mouth as if it were burning up.

Although it was an operation where everything aligned, the core was ultimately Hio Pavlenko’s power.

“Master Magician…!”

Irina quickly reacted, converting the Holy Kingdom into a healing Holy Kingdom and directing it toward Hio.

Because of that, the pressure that should have been applied to Kreutzvalt loosened, but it was probably not a significant level.

The pressure that needed to be continuously applied until complete annihilation had already disappeared along with the Authorities.

Kkeuhik

A strange sound began to echo across the battlefield.

It was an eerie sound that was clearly not human no matter how you heard it.

It was truly an instant.

That instant when the Authorities disappeared and Hio staggered with a barely audible groan.

The moment the Airlights’ gaze briefly turned to Hio and then returned to Kreutzvalt, her form had already vanished.

The tattered body with a severed neck had disappeared without a trace.

What existed in its place was the Abyss settling thickly.

The Abyss that settled despite a space filled with the Holy Kingdom of dozens of priests.

But there was a form.

Not a vague Abyss, but the Abyss existed as a massive form large enough to envelop the entire Holy Kingdom domain.

Along with two pitch-black eyes.

Kuuurrrr…

It wasn’t difficult to guess what that was.

“……Kreutzvalt.”

That must be his true form.

The true form that can draw out extreme power as the Master of the Abyss.

Still, the reason they could hold hope was that he didn’t look well at a glance.

The previous blows and pressure were all effective, and thanks to that, he clearly didn’t seem intact.

The Airlights thought so, and the remaining 98 members of the expeditionary force probably finished thinking similarly.

“He’s on the verge of death! Push him!”

All sorts of skills rained down toward the massive Abyss that soared to the sky.

The sacred Holy Kingdom pierced through the darkness and reached Kreutzvalt.

Freya’s magic, Dragon Tongue.

Gale’s shining aura, among countless others, approached the Abyss, but.

It was only silent.

There was no noise or shock from the collision of powers.

If there was a reason, it was one: because it was the Abyss.

Because it was infinitely insufficient to fill the Abyss.

It was devoured and devoured.

Skills, magic, and aura were all far too insufficient to reach the end of the infinitely deep Abyss.

They were small and light.

Skills, Dragon Tongue, and aura were absolute powers on the Continent, but this was the Abyss.

All powers were eaten without a trace.

Kuuuuuh…

The Abyss waved its hand.

It wasn’t clear whether that was a hand or something else, but it was certain that something was swung.

The result was devastating.

“Kuaaahk!”

“Kyaaahk!”

Half of the priests who had been pouring out Holy Kingdom fell to the ground, spraying blood.

When it did something similar once more, that many more fell and crashed into the ground with a thunderous roar.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

Gale, who rushed out shouting something between a scream and a cry, was crushed by the Abyss.

This is what it means to fight the Master of the Abyss in the Abyss.

[Boundary]

[Seal]

[Barrier]

Freya continuously fired Dragon Tongue, but it was also useless.

Even the absolute Dragon Tongue might have worked if Kreutzvalt was maintaining a human form.

But there was no way to grasp a formless Abyss or fill its endless depth.

Keek

The two eyes of the Abyss turned toward Freya.

The Abyss instantly filled around Freya.

Her wings, caught by the Abyss, snapped shut with a crack.

Even as she twisted her body desperately with all sorts of Dragon Tongue.

Kwaaaaaang!

She too was entangled with the Abyss and fell.

So now there was no choice but to do it.

Regarda couldn’t fight either, and Freya was also easily neutralized.

Hio was barely conscious as well, so in the end, only she remained.

She turned her head, looked at the unconscious Hio for a moment, and steeled her resolve.

Venus’s words echoed clearly: remember that everything you do is love.

Doesn’t that make even non-existent power seem to appear a little?

Kreutzvalt had become something beyond a monster.

The reason she couldn’t finish off the creature that had been on the verge of destruction was simple.

It was because she was overwhelmingly lacking in power.

Kreutzvalt, with even his consciousness fading, was moving as one with the Abyss.

So, to lead him to complete annihilation, a power strong enough to strike the entire Abyss was needed.

Unfortunately, Airlights did not possess such power.

Because most of her Divine Authorities were about managing and controlling emotions, the power and skills she possessed were also of that kind.

Except for one: ‘Venus’s Sacrificial Flower.’

[Will you use the Divine Authority ‘Venus’s Sacrificial Flower’?]

The system window asked again, as if he had just made up his mind.

As if asking, “Are you really going to use this?”

As if saying, “Then you will really die.”

He had already purchased the Authority.

So, even though she had never used it, he could roughly understand its abilities.

Using it doesn’t necessarily mean the caster will die.

For someone like the previous Goddess of Love, Venus, she could resolve the side effects with a few years of lethargy.

However, for Airlights, who had not built up that level of rank, she would definitely die.

And Kreutzvalt, who would receive that much power, would definitely be annihilated as well.

So there was no reason to hesitate.

Because a world without Hio was a world she never wanted to experience again—a most terrible world.

She slowly raised her arm.

His gradually extended index finger pointed at that mass of Abyss that dominated the sky.

Even so, her eyes and head remained fixed on Hio.

[Divine Authority ‘Venus’s Sacrificial Flower’ activated…]

But that will was blocked by an even stronger Ideation.

“Did I not tell you earlier?”

A light blindingly golden.

The steps of the Golden Lion that brilliantly illuminated the darkness.

“I said to do as you wish.”

Airlights’s head slowly turned.

He saw the Lion’s Will shining brighter than ever, almost blinding.

“This… is what I want to do.”

‘What exactly did Vitalianus know?’

“No. What you want to do is to live long and happily with that magician over there, isn’t it?”

She was speechless.

“Then just do that. You’re still young, aren’t you?”

“In this situation, what are you…”

“It’s the right time. I had such days too. It was terribly hard yet also fun. Well, looking back, it seems it wasn’t as much as you two now.”

This was a power he had never seen before.

He knew Vitalianus was strong, but the power he felt was on a different level.

The gradually intensifying golden light blazed so brightly that even Airlights found it hard to keep his eyes open.

His presence with every step overwhelmed the entire area.

‘How was this possible?’

“So step back. All power has its time. Now it’s my turn to step forward.”

|| … …No, I should do it to be sure. You step back.”

Even so, he was uneasy.

Even though an incomprehensibly strong power was felt from Vitalianus’s entire body, he was still human.

There was no guarantee it would be as certain as Venus’s Sacrificial Flower.

“Listen, Airlights.”

Despite Airlights’s protest, Vitalianus did not step back.

“I’ve run at the very front my whole life.”

He was always a man at the forefront.

He looked the farthest ahead from the front and aimed for the highest place.

“That’s why I missed so much.”

Because he ran too far ahead, he couldn’t see the sides or look around.

He failed to recognize the pain of his most precious friend, and that became a lifelong regret that still pained his heart.

“Once, I wondered if that magician over there might follow the same path as me. But soon I realized how unnecessary that worry was.”

The magician, Hio Pavlenko, was different.

“Because the magician has you.”

Because there was someone who truly cherished him and loved him more than life itself.

Not those who saw his power, heard his name, coveted his abilities, and wrapped their hearts in lies.

But someone who loved him purely, without a single speck of darkness.

“So just keep loving him like that from now on.”

The golden light that reached its peak eventually consumed even Vitalianus’s own body.

“…You?”

Only then did Airlights roughly understand the reason for that incomprehensible power.

He was drawing out the extreme of Ideation by using his own life and body as fuel.

An extreme of Ideation that even Hio now could not imitate.

Airlights reflexively tried to step forward, but stopped at the calm voice that rang out.

“Do not move any further and insult me.”

Vitalianus’s words stopped Airlights.

They made him unable to say anything.

“Have you forgotten what the Continent calls me?”

He had been a hero his entire life.

He was a hero from birth and wanted to be a hero until the moment of death.

For him to stand by and watch another’s sacrifice was itself an insult.

“Actually, now I just want to see an old friend’s face.”

Vitalianus Mahel walked forward again.

The hero of the Continent.

The Great Star of the Sword, respected by all with a single sword.

As he walked into the battlefield, many stars were falling.

Like shooting stars falling in the black night sky.

Countless stars ruthlessly crashing to the ground, blocked by the Abyss.

Every single one of them was undoubtedly a hero.

Among them, he aimed to become the brightest star.

“Think of it as an old man’s last greed and understand.”

The Abyss looked at him.

He also looked back at the Abyss.

“Do you remember the Memory Gate?”

Vitalianus drew his sword.

With that single action, the flow of air changed.

“When you saw the memories of the past.”

Countless heroes fell, blocked by the black sky.

They spat blood, lost their light, and crashed to the ground.

Among them, the most brilliant Lion pointed his sword to the sky.

“I alone saw the future.”

He surged up like an explosion.

Becoming a single streak of light, the Lion plunged into the heart of the Abyss, without a shred of hesitation or an iota of fear.

Just before that.

“There, you were smiling so happily.”

Vitalianus’s final words would have reached only Airlights.

“Please, never lose that smile.”