After the attack on Avilius, Black Knight Commander, Ignet Crescentia.
In Airn Pareira’s heart, a great flame that had the power to burn the whole world had taken birth.
It was filled with his hatred for the devils.
It was filled with his anger towards the Demon King.
With his anger towards the world.
Airn had to spend most of the time in the sorcery sphere in order to control the fire that seemed as if it would never burn out. However, there was another bigger problem.
Sadness.
Regret.
Helplessness.
The fire that had been spreading wildly had subsided and the dark emotions that had settled in its place didn’t disappear no matter how much time passed. Rather, it just kept turning darker and darker. He tried to use the energy of the earth to control the dark pool of emotions within him, but there was a limit to what he could do. Without Karen Winker’s help, even building the dam would have been impossible.
Chak!
Chal!
And now, it finally exploded.
The dam that had managed to withstand Lulu’s sacrifice, could no longer withstand it and cracked. Unable to overcome the emotions that had accumulated for so long, the dam slowly broke apart and then came crashing down.
He didn’t have to wait any longer.
There was no longer any reason to hesitate. Wild waves of intense aura spread from Airn and they were all directed at the Devil that was using the energy of Khun and Ignet.
Kwakwakwakwang!
The rift was different from the human world. In a place that was entirely devoid of things like trees, rocks and wild grass, even a Sword Master would feel helpless. It was said that even an aura user with the capability of destroying an entire city could do nothing here.
But this was the exception.
Just like Bratt Lloyd pushed the clown. Just like Judith burned the chaos in the rift.
Just like Ilya Lindsay’s sky sword carved her own path through the rift…
Airn Pareira’s attack also shook the rift.
Pupupupupung!
The colorless ground was broken.
It felt like the void would be pushed away, and the gaps that started cracking like spiderwebs began to widen up more and more. Even the chaos that lurked inside became terrified and moved further back.
The evil was dangerous and sultry to the point of being compared to a horrid evil. Airn ignored everything else and focused only on the one being that was at the edge of his gaze. He concentrated his aura according to his emotions.
But the Demon King didn’t retreat.
He wasn’t even shocked.
Enveloped in darkness, he arose from the throne he was sitting on and raised his head and looked around.
Human and Devil
The two opposite beings stared at each other.
“…”
“…!”
A moment of urgency…
It was so short that there wouldn’t have been enough time to even take a breath. Airn felt as if time was flowing slower.
He could see an illusion…
He saw the face of the Demon King approaching him as he used his senses.
It was smiling.
It was looking down on him.
At the moment of clashing, the darkness greeted the waves of aura, without even taking any defensive action.
—!
There was a roar and the cracked space opened up even more at the deafening voice. The dimension rift that had now shattered like fragments created a bizarre scene. It felt more like a dream than reality.
However, the most unrealistic thing was that the Demon King was fine.
The body that walked out of the waves of Aura went completely against the scene. He didn’t seem hurt. His gait was dignified. Suddenly, with a bizarre sound as if the shell of an egg was breaking, the darkness that was in the shape of Khun approached.
Wheik!
There was no reason to wait. Airn took his stance.
Vertical Slash
He held his old friend who had been with him since he first started the path of the sword. The golden sword was dyed in red in an instant, and it exuded a heat that was as fierce as Judith’s anger. The anger that he thought had disappeared to ashes, and his hatred for the darkness that was trying to destroy the world… all of it manifested itself in the form of flames. It gave Airn an explosive speed.
Kwaaaang!
Nothing had changed from before. The Demon King looked like he had no sense of tension. Despite that, he jumped into the air. He was afflicted with a terrible heat and flame, but he didn’t fall. Rather, he just continued to smile and moved forward. Although it wasn’t obvious at first, the shell covering his body had begun to peel off.
The skin of Khun began to fly away.
Some of the remnants were brushed off by the demon king’s hand. Under it, there was a young and exuberant appearance. The Demon King’s body now harbored the greatest talent in the history of the human world.
After looking at the appearance of Ignet Crescentia for a moment, Airn fired another sword attack.
At that time, the Demon King, who had been silent until then spoke,
“You know…”
Chang!
“…it is impossible for you to stop me now.”
The embodiment of darkness suddenly made a declaration.
As if to prove that statement, the way the Demon King handled Airn’s aura was too effortless. However, Airn didn’t care. Rather, he just swung his sword even faster and wilder. It was raw aura that was just filled with unrefined emotions.
But the Demon King didn’t fall.
With one hand on the back and the other raised, he continued to speak.
Tung!
“I knew I would face you one day.”
The aura of sadness, that had been as thick and deep as the sea, bounced off with just a single gesture.
Pung!
“When darkness rises, so does light. I didn’t try to force it because of that. It is a much better choice to create a favorable situation for you than to reject the inevitable. Therefore….”
It was the same with the aura of fire that Airn had spread like wildfire. The moment it faced the Demon King’s fist that had been engulfed in darkness, it futilely scattered. And the fire spread around to the ground but even that felt like the flames of hell.
The attack that followed was the same.
Kang!
“…I have built a platform to destroy what you have built up. Did you enjoy the journey across the eastern continent?”
The evil, that had now been narrowed down and concentrated, deflected another attack and mumbled. He was cloaked in the confidence that nothing could harm him.
No, it was more than just confidence.
The young man who was standing in front of him right now used coexistence as a source of strength.
Wood added energy to fire. Ashes remain where fire buns. The earth embraces the fire. Finally there was water that gathered in the energy of iron.
A tree would grow by absorbing water, and thus, the five of the energies normally created a virtuous cycle.
And it had to be cut off.
Fortunately, there was a way.
In order to kill the momentum of the hero who was constantly trying to create a miracle, the Demon King dug into the fundamentals of the young man’s belief.
Into the trust and belief the young man had in his friends and family.
Into the love and goodwill he had towards the world.
The Demon King knew that the moment he shook that off, the hero wouldn’t be able to carry out the hero’s belief. He would no longer be able to grow trees.
Right.
The Demon King’s attack on this hero had already begun a long time ago.
After confirming that it was absolutely valid, the Heart Demon’s lips raised into a smile and he extended his fist.
Pung!
Jjjjjj…
“… Kuak!”
Airn, who had barely managed to block the attack, groaned. Seeing the hero getting pushed away with such a huge sound, the Demon King smiled deeply.
“You raised the energy of earth to block it. Good job. But…”
Wooong…!
“…no matter how hard you try… with a single energy, the result will not change. It would be as if your sword never touched me.”
Swish!
Pung!
“…!”
After being attacked again, Airn was pushed back. Unlike before, when he somehow kept his balance, he had stumbled badly just now. He hurriedly raised the head, biting his lower lip to come to his senses just a little bit faster. A monster in the form of Ignet Crescentia was approaching him with a cold and midnight-like form.
“What will you do?” said the Demon King.
“Even if you keep throwing out these waves of aura, it won’t work.”
“Even something violent like a volcano eruption cannot reach me.”
“Even with an energy sharp as steel, I cannot be cut…”
“Even the strong energy of earth cannot withstand my power.”
“Your tree has been cut down.”
“And you are just a hero whose beliefs are broken.
“You cannot save the world.”
“So…”
“Just die.”
The Demon King mumbled as he approached the blonde swordsman. It was a sight that would have been frightening to see. Was it because it was a demon that went after people’s hearts?
As the burden on Airn’s heart grew, the darkness grew as well.
It was using Khun’s shape again.
The form of Ignet could no longer be seen.
The devil who had come all the way to his nose, had turned into a giant in the darkness….
…like a monster in a child’s bedroom.
Dududud….
The Demon King raised his feet.
As a result, his vision blurred. Airn trembled as he watched the huge darkness rise in front of him, trying to crush him down. He remembered the time when he was called a deadbeat noble. But the difference between him from that time and now was the fact that he had the teachings and memories of his previous life.
“…”
He closed his eyes.
He forgot about reality.
Leaving behind that moment of intense emotions, Airn had a dream he hadn’t dreamed for a long time. However, it was a little different from usual. He saw the familiar sky, wall and yard. Even his previous life, Karen Winker, who was more familiar with all this than anyone else, was still the same…
And there was one more person.
“Isn’t it hard?”
“…”
“I will give you this.”
It was a very young face
…and they had clear eyes.
It was someone who was far from the malice and filth the continent was filled with. Their will wasn’t even close to something like a hero’s great belief in defending the world.
It was just one person… someone with a small and pure heart.
That’s all she was.
Airn saw a small girl who was holding a flower in her hand.
But how did that matter?
Because it wasn’t a giant tree that everyone would look up to…
Just because it was a flower…
Was it a lesser existence just because it was small?
‘No.’
Just as the tree of the hero embraced the world, the girl’s goodwill towards one person was also great.
Airn, who watched Karen Winker’s shocked expression as he received the flower, closed his eyes and smiled faintly.
There was no need to see it anymore.
There was no reason to be here any longer.
The young hero was welcomed by a huge darkness as soon as he opened his eyes.
Wooo…
Airn Pareira stretched out his sword. It wasn’t like before.
However, it wasn’t entirely different either.
The fifth energy that bloomed shyly created a circle of coexistence.
The five elements that had been finally completed again pierced the Demon King’s feet with small, fine petals.
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