Ch.249249. The Guardians

“I shall become your new resting place.”

The voice had clearly reached them.

From the palace rooftop, I could see the horizon of the continent. So many souls were awakening and approaching me that the ground was no longer visible.

While Stella and Lucia were still successfully blocking the clouds of holy power.

I quickly move on to the next step.

Duwoong!

Though I said nothing, Owen continued his performance more passionately when he saw me take out the second magic stone, the middle stone, from my chest.

Souls hearing the performance and coming to me.

Even so, with holy power clouds covering half of Greyfond, it would take some time for the souls to reach me.

Huwoong!

A golden breeze blows in.

An enormous butterfly, larger than ever before, appears above Greyfond and blocks the drizzling holy power.

The Spirit King of Light.

And Erika Bright riding on top of it.

Her golden hair fluttering in the strong wind. Erika reached her hand toward me and began manipulating the wind with mana.

This made the souls approach me much faster.

Thanks to this, the holy power was somewhat blocked, and the souls moved without hesitation.

Following Owen’s performance, they approached Greyfond one after another.

“Hoo.”

I gripped the middle stone tightly.

Though it had just begun, my second prepared magic would now activate.

This time, it’s not simply projecting my voice. Something more complex and intricate.

I spread my unique magic across the continent.

[This is…]

The Dark Spiritmaster beside me gasped in amazement. Her body, being closest to me, began to take on a clearer color.

Not just her.

All souls.

All souls on this continent reveal themselves through my magic.

“Kyaaaak!”

“W-what is this! Belton?!”

“F-father? But he passed away last year!”

Screams erupted from Greyfond’s citizens. The commotion was relatively mild since they had already experienced being saved by souls during the Romuleus incident or had said goodbye through my magic before.

Other cities must be in complete chaos right now.

All the dead have awakened at my voice and are revealing themselves.

A bitter taste invaded my tongue and nose, making me feel dizzy and as if my brain was filling with blood.

But I don’t stop the magic.

I continue giving form to the souls.

Showing everyone the world as I’ve seen it.

Just for now.

The boundary between life and death drawn across the continent disappears.

“Behold…”

Most will think this magic is for the dead, but when I first conceived it.

Strictly speaking, this is magic for the living.

And my warning.

That danger has reached the continent.

The dead shouldn’t be the only ones who know.

“Continent, open your eyes.”

My voice continues to spread across the entire continent.

Beyond the Griffin Kingdom, to the Republic of Clark and the Kingdom of Zerman. Beyond them to the Han Empire and the Duchy of Valestan.

Even countless unnamed countries beyond must surely be listening to my voice.

“Raise your heads, do not fear.”

This was a duty.

The living had a duty to watch over the departed souls leaving for the future.

“Those who breathe on this land. Take in those who were the continent’s past but now become its future.”

Ghosts rising into the sky and coming to me. They were bidding farewell to the continent in their own words.

The salvation of the continent.

Truly a great achievement, but it shouldn’t be shouldered alone like Aria did in the original work.

The image of a hero hiding in the shadows, saving everyone without anyone knowing, is truly magnificent and moving.

But I wonder.

Is that really right?

The opposite of continental salvation is continental destruction. The beginning of ruin and the signal flare of the end.

Extinguishing that alone would certainly be an achievement unparalleled by any other feat.

But then what?

Heroes in comics and movies always say the same thing.

That people should just live happily.

That they’ve protected people’s ordinary days again today.

That they’re satisfied even if no one acknowledges them.

No.

No.

That’s wrong.

It shouldn’t be that way.

Protected everyone’s bright smiles?

Safeguarded people’s daily lives that continue into tomorrow?

The great hero exits gracefully beyond the twilight horizon and is satisfied?

Bullshit.

“You must not remain ignorant.”

People need to know.

Only then can we realize, think, and progress.

In the face of the great truth of continental doom, ignorance becomes a sin.

“You must not turn away from the continent’s truth.”

The continent will be in chaos.

An incredible number of souls are revealing themselves and coming here, so many that the ground is no longer visible.

“Realize.”

What endangered us.

How we were saved.

Who saved us.

Once more.

“Continent, realize.”

I warn them.

I awakened the ghosts through Luanes’ remaining magic stone.

I activated my unique magic through the middle stone to warn the living people of the continent.

Finally.

As I take out the last stone.

Kwang!

Space twists, and suddenly the door to the general store appears beside me.

Now the final stage.

The last step is to turn the final stone into a massive preservation gem like the Lemegeton to hold the souls.

Woong!

I draw up mana and make it float. The final stone begins to shake violently and starts receiving the souls coming to me.

My hand, stretched out as if embracing the final stone, begins to tremble. An enormous amount of souls and the mana they contain were pouring into the final stone.

It emitted violent vibrations and weighed heavily on my entire body, but.

‘It’s working properly.’

Magic that skilled mages unanimously verified as perfect.

A treasure of humanity that went several steps beyond the Lemegeton that Learic created.

The Land of Rest.

That was the name I gave this gem.

I couldn’t speak amid the shock. For a moment, I was unable to do anything, but I wasn’t anxious or nervous.

Because there were people who would protect me.

* * *

“Keuah.”

Findenai, soaked in blood, wiped away the blood and flowing sweat as she exhaled.

“Kh, heu…”

The Han Empire’s warrior and monster artist Jang Roon knelt on both knees, gasping for breath.

His mouth was already stained with blood, and the wolf that had appeared in place of his left shoulder had been cut off miserably and was rolling on the ground.

The corpses of the necromancer who had been helping him were also completely dismembered, hacked to pieces beyond reassembly.

“That was quite fun.”

She hadn’t even had time to smoke during the fight, so he was certainly a worthy opponent.

Finally putting a cigarette in her mouth, Findenai raised her blood-soaked Baekseol.

Jang Roon humbly offered his neck.

Seogek!

Jang Roon, one of Dante’s Black Mages, fell. Exhaling cigarette smoke deeply, Findenai looked around again.

The souls, now clearly visible, were entering the gem floating in front of Deus.

The gem, which had been blue, was gradually turning black from the bottom.

‘So it ends when that fills up.’

It was turning black so subtly that it was clear there was still a long way to go.

But Findenai, without much emotion, put Baekseol on her shoulder and smoked again.

Deus Verdi’s magic never fails.

That belief.

The conviction that if she just protected Deus, he would be safe.

While Findenai remained vigilant without relaxing.

Guluk!

The pool of blood under Jang Roon’s corpse began to ripple. Like an artificial fountain or soup beginning to boil.

The blood pool continued to react violently, and surprisingly, a man emerged from it.

Short blonde hair.

Well-defined muscles more like a soldier than a Black Mage.

A man Findenai had already faced once before.

The blood mage Pellestan.

“I thought you were imprisoned.”

Despite her words, Findenai took her stance again. She was ready to kill whoever appeared.

“So we fight again.”

The blood mage’s expression was ominous. He wore the expression of a cow being dragged to slaughter, not wanting to fight.

Yet the blood splattered around was crawling toward Pellestan.

“I had hoped that would truly be the way to save this continent.”

Pellestan glanced at Deus and sighed deeply, pouring out his honest feelings.

Cheok.

Pellestan took his stance.

The congealed blood around him rose, creating an ominous scene.

A different atmosphere from when they fought in the Rometiu Forest.

At that time, Findenai had one-sidedly chased the fleeing Pellestan.

Now he showed the will to fight head-on.

“Just as you protect the spirit master, I save Luanes.”

“Hoo.”

Findenai took a long drag of her cigarette, put the butt in her cigarette case, and answered indifferently.

“If you’re going to sell your sob story, get lost, idiot.”

“Heu…”

“You talk too much, bastard. You hope the master’s method is right, but you’ll kill my master for your leader? You’re insane, why so complicated?”

A continuous battle right after defeating a strong enemy like Jang Roon. Pellestan was undoubtedly Dante’s second strongest fighter.

Though she knew it would be an even fiercer battle than with Jang Roon.

Findenai felt strength rising throughout her body. Her body moved much better than when they first fought, as if the blood had oiled her joints.

She recovers blood and stamina through the hand of blood tide.

Conversely, her opponent is a mage who handles blood.

They could be considered counters to each other, but Findenai didn’t think about such things.

Just fight, kill, and protect.

Why?

“The reason is simple.”

“…”

“Damn it, because I want to stay with that man until the end!”

Kwang!

Baekseol struck the ground roughly.

Her fighting spirit erupted in all directions, making even Pellestan take a step back.

A bright smile on her lips.

“Yes, no need for complicated thoughts.”

The blood spheres gathered in Pellestan’s hands spread out in all directions, countering Findenai’s fighting spirit.

And so.

For the sake of their precious people, the two charged at each other.

* * *

Just as the battle between Findenai and Pellestan began.

The Dark Spiritmaster assisting Deus at his side sensed killing intent flying from behind.

[…]

Deus, who was receiving souls into the Land of Rest, was currently preoccupied.

Findenai had already begun fighting a formidable enemy.

So the Dark Spiritmaster slowly removed her hand from his shoulder and turned around.

A man slowly rising onto the palace rooftop.

Disheveled white hair. A crow mask covering his face. Finally, a cursed staff that had taken countless human lives.

Emitting sticky and ominous black mana throughout his body, Luanes bound to death.

No, it was the appearance of Heralhazad.

[Did you change your mind after entrusting it to us?]

The man who wanted to accept death as Luanes and abandoned his beliefs.

This time, he came as Heralhazad to protect his beliefs.

“…”

He said nothing.

Just a killing intent as if possessed by something, intent on destroying all the souls Deus Verdi was calling.

The Dark Spiritmaster recognized something strange from that point.

He didn’t seem like the man who had entrusted his beliefs and wanted to die as Luanes in the Rometiu Forest before.

The man who had begged Deus to take charge of the continent’s fate.

Divine intervention?

That’s what she suspected, but the Dark Spiritmaster didn’t think it would be a major problem.

If she thought about such things in detail, she would be the first to perish.

The man before her was Heralhazad.

The continent’s greatest Black Mage of all time, as countless Black Mages unanimously declared.

[I once vowed to someday surpass your legend.]

Mana rising throughout the Dark Spiritmaster’s body.

Although, being a soul, she couldn’t be in perfect condition.

The Dark Spiritmaster slowly turned her head to look at Deus Verdi’s back.

[We’ve already said our goodbyes.]

With her back to him.

The Dark Spiritmaster’s purple mana began to roar fiercely toward Heralhazad’s mana.

She wasn’t in perfect condition.

In life, with a physical body, she could have handled much more mana and numerous spells.

But with just one condition—to protect that man.

The Dark Spiritmaster was certain she could never demonstrate greater skill in her life than now.

“…”

[That my teacher is the continent’s greatest Black Mage.]

Perhaps that’s why.

A faint smile was drawn on her lips behind the translucent cloth covering her mouth.

[I finally have a chance to prove it to my student.]