Ch.243243. Massacre and Salvation

A powerless defeat.

He, who was known as the strongest Black Mage in continental history under the name Heralhazard, wears a vacant expression as he faces us.

Having suffered an unexpected, overwhelming defeat, Luanes sighs emptily while looking at us.

“How on earth…?”

“Probably because we came somewhat close to the name of Spiritmaster.”

[Though I don’t have much experience, once Spiritmasters are divided by skill level, there’s rarely any way to win.]

At our words, Luanes bites his lip firmly and hangs his head.

He seems to have known this too, but apparently didn’t think his skills would be inferior to ours.

A Spiritmaster ultimately uses magic by manipulating souls. But what happens when Spiritmasters fight each other?

In the end, whoever has dominance over souls wins. There’s even a possibility of having your own souls taken away.

Battles between Spiritmasters are structured so that once a skill gap appears, the losing side essentially becomes powerless.

‘That was easier than expected.’

Luanes could be considered the final mid-boss that Aria faces before the last episode.

Among Dante’s Black Mages, he was the most powerful and troublesome opponent.

Yet even as Luanes spent a long time trying to save this continent.

This could also be seen as a victory for the Dark Spiritmaster who had been striving to surpass Heralhazard, the strongest Black Mage in history.

“If I had been alone, I would have struggled quite a bit.”

In the Spiritmaster duel with Luanes, I honestly couldn’t guarantee victory on my own.

When I answered so honestly, the Dark Spiritmaster smiled broadly and replied to me.

[Without you, I would have lost.]

There were quite a few meanings implied in that. Luanes sighed deeply as he looked at us.

“Fine, I understand that my juniors are exceptional.”

Whoooosh!

White smoke erupts again from Luanes’s entire body. Since there was no such gimmick in the game, I was slightly surprised, but the Dark Spiritmaster and I respond immediately without panicking.

“But I’m in a position where I cannot lose.”

Something strange rises from his palm. Ominous black bubbles boil up.

Soon after, it becomes a massive staff.

[Ah.]

The Dark Spiritmaster lets out a sigh.

The historical Heralhazard was described as carrying a crow mask and a cursed staff to hide his identity.

“If I’ve been facing you as Luanes Luden Griffin until now.”

The black robe’s hood is blown by the wind and naturally covers his head.

Simultaneously, a crow mask covers his face.

It was completely different from before.

The white smoke that had been emitted disappears like steam, and sticky black mana rises throughout his body.

[Yes, it was too easy.]

The Dark Spiritmaster nods honestly and retreats with me.

‘There was no such gimmick.’

Luanes in the game didn’t have this pattern. He had accepted his death cleanly, though with a sense of futility.

‘Is it because of his conviction?’

Luanes regretted the mass killings he had committed. That’s why he abandoned the name Heralhazard and walked the path of redemption as Luanes to save the continent.

That much remained the same.

But unlike Aria, I directly denied his methods. I argued that destroying souls wasn’t the best solution.

Moreover, the alternative method I proposed was unacceptable to him, even more dangerous.

“Now I will face you as Heralhazard, the continental mass murderer.”

The black robe flutters as vast mana spreads in all directions. I’m pushed back momentarily and cover my face with my hands.

[This is truly tremendous.]

“The person himself seems to have changed.”

Bizarre screams emanate from Luanes’s staff. Voices overlap so much that it’s difficult to recognize them as screams.

In the game, when he was killed by Aria, he died lamenting his failure, which signified a bad ending.

But now it was different.

For 200 years, his path had been denied, and I had asserted that the continent could be saved by a different method.

He seemed to find that difficult to accept.

The moment he accepted my opinion.

It would essentially render meaningless his efforts to save the continent by destroying all souls.

“Is that what made you pick up the name Heralhazard that you had discarded?”

Very well.

[This looks quite difficult now.]

The Dark Spiritmaster was also preparing to fight alongside me, but.

The battle couldn’t begin.

“Luanes!”

A voice mixed with intense trembling.

Blood Mage Pelestan, who had been fighting Findenai, approached with his entire body stained with blood.

I wondered if Findenai had been defeated, but.

“Hey, you bastard!”

Seeing Findenai running while swinging Baekseol around in the back, it seemed he had escaped.

I thought he had come to help Luanes, but he runs past us.

“Returning to Heralhazard is putting the cart before the horse! Don’t forget why you created Dante as Luanes!”

Pelestan even started persuading Luanes. In the game, Pelestan had already been killed by Aria before encountering Luanes.

Seeing them like this, they seemed to have shared quite a deep friendship within the Dante organization.

“And you want me to give up the path we’ve walked? To end it while being denied like this? Don’t be ridiculous!”

I can’t believe it.

If Luanes had been able to accept my opinion, the situation wouldn’t have become so extreme.

We might even have become friends who researched and pioneered together.

“To that man who spouts nonsense about creating a world! To that foolish man who claims there can be salvation without sacrifice! I cannot hand over this continent!”

Luanes’s black mana was truly majestic, enormous, and also terrible.

Having massacred countless people, the screams, tragedy, and death contained in his mana carried a weight beyond imagination.

That he had no right to say such things.

In fact, Luanes himself knew it best.

But because he knew that if he didn’t do it, this continent would perish.

He had shed the name Heralhazard and practiced hypocrisy.

He couldn’t equate Luanes, who moved to save the continent, with Heralhazard, who had carried out massacres alone.

Blood spilled for the kingdom and royal family, deceived by the demon of Griffin.

But he had long since exceeded the lethal dose that could be excused as foolishness.

Heralhazard does not retreat.

He has absolutely no intention of entrusting the salvation of this continent to me.

But.

A massive magic stone rises from the pool of blood that has bloomed on the floor.

“…!”

Heralhazard’s pupils tremble as he looks at Pelestan, who has taken it out, with resentful eyes, but.

Pelestan had already made up his mind.

“Luanes, you said it yourself. That even at the very end, you wanted to remain as yourself.”

“Pel, estan!”

“Salvation of the continent and such. I never cared about that; from the beginning, I only followed you.”

The massive magic stone floating from the pool of blood contained a truly enormous amount of mana.

[Th-this is what he’s been gathering for 200 years…]

The first major step toward annihilating all spirits on the continent.

Findenai, who had followed, immediately tried to behead Pelestan, but I urgently gestured.

“Don’t move carelessly.”

“Huh?!”

“Even the slightest shock can break the magic stone.”

Because it contains such a vast amount, it requires careful attention. If it gets even slightly scratched, the mana contained in the stone will pour out through the gap.

I had wondered where the magic stone was, but it seems the Blood Mage had hidden it in his own blood.

I thought he could use magic in quite a variety of ways.

And.

The card he played was quite effective.

“Ugh, urgh!”

Enough to make Heralhazard groan bitterly.

If he fights me again here, the magic stone will certainly break. This glass-like magic stone cannot withstand the aftershock of our powers colliding.

Ultimately, a moment of choice.

If as Heralhazard he chooses to kill me, the magic stone for saving the continent will break.

If as Luanes he acknowledges defeat, there remains at least a glimmer of hope that I can save the continent.

Either way, the option of annihilating all souls on the continent to save this land had disappeared.

Subjectively, quite a long time passed.

His deeply furrowed expression behind the mask contained complex emotions.

Resentment, anger, bitterness, anxiety, devastation, and more.

His bitter heart was clearly revealed despite being hidden behind the mask.

“Is this truly the end of everything we’ve prepared for!”

As he gritted his teeth and lamented, seemingly unable to accept it, I calmly opened my mouth.

“You said I claimed there could be salvation without any sacrifice.”

I agreed with his opinion as well.

There can be no salvation of the continent without any sacrifice.

“Clearly, I too have given up many things to stand here.”

My eyes meet directly with the Dark Spiritmaster beside me. She tries to smile, but there was sadness in it.

“Ha, aah.”

Hearing my words, he slowly, very slowly releases his hand holding the staff.

The ominous staff, along with the mask, disappeared into bubbles just as before.

His head drops.

“Since I haven’t seen the entire path you walk… I suppose I can’t judge hastily.”

Having returned to being Luanes, he declared with a voice mixed with regret, without looking at me.

“Please… succeed.”

* * *

“Whoa!”

The carriage heading to Greyfond stops, and a woman jumps out from inside.

Her pink hair was disheveled, the glasses perched on her nose were quite old-fashioned, and.

The white gown the woman wore didn’t match her short stature at all, but.

With her voluptuous figure alone, she crushes all those flaws and exudes a strange charm to the surrounding men.

But after gathering her luggage, her gaze is fixed on only one place.

The royal palace.

“Hmm, I was told to come right away, right?”

Her name is Per Petra.

An authority on human engineering magic who rushed over without hesitation at Deus Verdi’s call, despite being in the middle of a semester.