Startled by the sudden upheaval, Ser quickly regained his composure and began to assess the situation on the battlefield.
Everything the spirits saw, felt, and heard flowed into Ser’s mind.
With horrific pain, blood gushed from every orifice on his face, but he paid it no mind and absorbed all the information.
After that process, he commanded the spirits to support the struggling troops, attached a high-ranking spirit to the nearly dying Vishur, and scattered Lin’s completed meteor shower onto the earth.
As Hermila confirmed that the battlefield was gradually stabilizing, she raised her fist and struck Roy’s fallen face once more.
“Ha! Now that’s refreshing.”
Hearing Hermila’s voice, which sounded almost pleasant, Ser opened his eyes and wiped the blood from his face.
Then he placed his hand back on Ablon’s back and began to chant the interrupted spell at a rapid pace.
Clink- Seeing this, Karok immediately got up from his spot and stepped forward with his stance relaxed behind his waist.
Roy, who was feeling his sunken face, awkwardly lifted his upper body and gathered magical power at the end of his staff.
Regardless of anything else, Ser was solely focused on chanting the spell.
Because Hermila was by his side.
When the drawn sword and manifested magic shone, Hermila’s fist shot out.
Boom-!
The purplish flame, ignited by sacrifice, flared up wildly, greedily gnawing and swallowing their power and intensity.
At that moment, Ser’s spell was completed.
Gorrr-! The earth trembled around Ablon’s body, shuddering with a scream before rising.
The massive mound of earth, towering alongside a gigantic mountain, swelled and poured towards one spot.
That destination was the Temple of Memory.
Finally, the mound that had completely laid itself down created a massive barrier centered around the Temple of Memory.
A wall that was taller than that surrounding Cartia.
A barrier formed from the powers of a high-ranking spirit and the authority of the Spirit King.
Convinced that it would not collapse as long as the Monster of the End did not arrive, Ser released his hand from Ablon’s back.
At the same time, Ablon, who bowed his head to Ser, transformed into particles of light and slipped into the spirit realm.
He was not dead.
He simply entered a state of rest due to exhausting all of his power.
Although the overall power had weakened due to the highest-ranking spirit being returned, the outcome was not so bad.
Since Erden was initially targeting the Temple of Memory. Now, as long as Noa and Rubia arrived here without any issues, the battle would end.
With their victory.
Considering the myriad of variables, Ser found a satisfactory smile as he infused the rank of the Spirit King into Lin’s magic.
Though he could hear the Spirit King’s rough curses in his head, he lightly ignored them.
Since the time he fell asleep, he had to be stuck in the mage tower, feigning camaraderie with filthy beings alongside Erden.
He wanted to grant every spirit across the battlefield a reward, but if he did so, it felt as if the Spirit King would truly perish, so he held back.
However, he thought there might be a chance to do it someday.
Meanwhile, Hermila was bracing herself against the Masters’ attacks, cultivating fierce killing intent.
Protecting Ser was secondary.
Her primary priority was to slaughter those who had immersed themselves in Erden.
But unable to find a way to reach out with her fist due to taking the duo’s attacks, she was reluctantly waiting for Ser’s spell to finish.
Unbeknownst to Ser, he thought of the word ‘friend’ and joined in on Hermila’s fight with a contented smile.
Using the power of the high-ranking spirit, he lifted and extinguished the land the Masters stood upon, disrupting their stances.
Simultaneously, he gathered the power of the intermediate spirits enveloping his body into a single point and released it.
Swish- A distorted space stretched out, latching onto Karok’s sword.
In an instant, Hermila’s body lunged forward and landed another fist to Roy’s face.
BAM-! The sound that resonated from the human face hit by the fist was beyond belief.
Writhing in utter agony, Roy shot backward with a hastily cast spell.
Yet Hermila did not let go of Roy’s movements and ferociously charged, throwing another punch.
“Fucking bitch!”
Confirming the recovery of his previously smashed cheekbone, Roy discarded his staff and gathered two spells in each hand.
Four spells in total.
The earth was pierced by a gust of wind, and from the bottom of the gaping abyss, a fierce fire demon surged forth, as if aiming to incinerate the entire world.
Correspondingly, chains fell from the sky, binding Hermila’s body.
Suspended in the air, Hermila burned even more lifespan to strengthen the level of devastation.
Crack- The sound of chains being gnawed upon was heard, and simultaneously more chains pierced through Hermila’s body, squeezing her.
Just as the fire demon that erupted from the ground was about to cover Hermila, the highest-ranking spirit, Lin’s magic that Ser had been preparing was completed.
A magic circle unfolded around Hermila.
From that point, all of Roy’s magic dissipated.
Subsequently, the magic circle began to expand, emitting brilliant radiance.
Eventually transformed into a size that could overshadow the battlefield, the magic circle prohibited all magic occurring within it.
It was Ser’s unique barrier, banning all magic conducted within a designated space during his time as a grand wizard.
Seizing control of the flow of magical power around and directing it solely toward himself, it elevated Ser to the pinnacle of all wizards.
Arrogance.
That was reinterpreted through the power of spirits and reemerged into the world.
As a result, Hermila regained her freedom when the chains unraveled, stepping onto the floating spirits and charging toward Roy, who had raised his eyes.
“Don’t mess with me!”
A wild roar erupted from Roy as he drew the dagger at his side and stabbed it into his shoulder, tearing off his arm.
Drinking the blood that flowed from the severed arm and chewing on the flesh, he shouted once more.
“I want power! The cost is the loss of my left arm and half my lifespan!”
With that voice as a starting point, an indescribable intensity erupted from Roy’s body.
The medium was the arm held in his right hand.
What it produced was new magic inscribed in the essence of the world, defying reason.
“Full Bloom!”
Red flowers burst forth.
In a space where even the wind had stopped, the blooming flowers began to shower their red petals.
As those petals spread, they wrapped around Hermila’s left arm, starting to dismantle the level of destruction she had ignited by burning her lifespan.
Beneath the crumbling level, skin cracked.
Muscles tore apart.
Blood vessels ripped apart as bone shattered.
Feeling the inexplicable power rising from her forearm to her shoulder, Hermila immediately tore off her left arm, just like Roy.
Splatter-! The droplets of blood that erupted mixed with the red petals, sprouting yet another flower.
In this way, hundreds of flowers blossomed.
Petals scattered.
The petals that spread enough to cover Ser’s barrier began to engulf Cartia’s forces.
Blood was splattered.
From the splattered blood, flowers bloomed. They scattered.
And thus, as petals that dyed the entire world red began to gather in one place.
With a fierce shout, Karok swung his sword, unleashing a lethal force sweeping across the ground without distinction.
Just as an unavoidable death was about to envelop Hermila.
The red curtain that had been visible in the distance shattered.
The sky flipped upside down.
All the petals vanished.
The blade’s aura scattered.
The shadow cast by the black sun cleaved apart.
“Damn it!! What the hell-”
And then.
CRACK-
The level of devastation ignited by burning half his lifespan blasted apart Roy’s head.
*
As soon as confirming that all the enemies around had been obliterated, he withdrew Frey and slipped the bracelet of vitality onto his wrist.
“Guhhh…”
An indescribable fatigue pressed down upon him, sapping his strength.
“Noa…!”
With a limp leg, Rubia hobbled over, wrapping her arms around his falling body and lowering herself to the ground.
A damp sensation.
A metallic scent.
A strained voice.
A trembling body.
Still, with gentle strokes on his face, she infused him with divine power.
“Are you okay? Any… any injuries…?”
“I’m fine… Rubia is… Rubia is more hurt… though.”
“I’m, I’m… wuwu… okay… as long as Noa is alright, ugh… Noa…”
Drip- A few cold droplets fell onto Rubia’s hand.
“I missed you. Really… I really missed you.”
“I… I missed you too… so much…”
Raising a hand, he caressed Rubia’s cheek and embraced her neck.
For a while, they shared each other’s warmth, felt the heartbeat, and mixed breaths, gathering their emotions.
Feeling Rubia’s feelings gradually calming down, he gently released her arms.
Then, as if realizing his thoughts, Rubia gulped and opened her mouth with difficulty.
“They say the Temple of Memory… is under attack. For now, Hermila and Ser are holding it off, but…”
Guilt tinged Rubia’s voice as she trailed off.
“Noa should rest. I… I will go buy some time, at least.”
The Temple of Memory.
The trials of memory that Valoran mentioned.
The content of the trials was about restructuring the past.
His past.
Everything he experienced before coming to this world.
What he needed to overcome to save Rubia.
“So… Noa should rest well… no, you can just go somewhere else. Go to a peaceful outskirt and take it easy—ugh?!”
Immediately, he pulled Rubia’s face closer and kissed her.
Licking the blood from the corners of her mouth, he moistened her cracked lips.
“Phew…! N-Noa?!”
“After everything… let’s finish this. For now… it’s not the right time.”
“…yes?”
“I like you a lot, Rubia.”
“Uh… I-I like you too, Noa.”
“I… I like you a little more than you like me.”
Smack-
The moment he finished speaking, he kissed her lips once more and stood up.
Now it was time to go.
To the Temple of Memory.
To the place where the undying nightmares of the past sleep.
To the place where everything ends and begins.
“Shall we…?”
To the location that held the answers to mysteries he could never know throughout his life.
Towards the final story meant to save you.
“Let’s go together, Rubia.”
To the final chapter.
Hypocrisy