Page 169

Vulcan had finally been defeated.

But the fight was far from over.

Boom!

Even now, the earth dragon was relentlessly charging toward us, determined to tear us apart.

The situation was urgent.

When I lifted my head, I spotted Centriol in the distance, lowering his sword.

It seemed he was still wary of the possibility that I was Vulcan.

In the meantime, Acrede approached me, her steps slow and deliberate.

With a sigh, she cast the Goddess’s blessing upon me.

I could finally breathe again.

The broken fragments of my body, which had felt beyond repair, slowly knit back together.

“Seriously, I thought I was going to die back there.”

“I’m indebted to you.”

Acrede bestowed her blessing upon me while quickly scanning the surroundings.

The reason she had come here was clear—to retrieve Narea.

Thus, she was searching for any sign of Narea’s soul.

“Cardinal Centriol.”

“Former cardinal.”

At my call, Centriol approached.

I gestured toward a staircase leading to another chamber.

“Take Lady Acrede and go. You need to reach it before the dragon gets here.”

Even now, the dragon was drawing closer.

The rampage of the remnants of the ancient dragon had caused this entire situation.

We needed to finish up and leave this place.

“Understood. We’ll be back soon.”

“Y-Yeah, we’ll be right back!”

Centriol lifted Acrede onto his back and moved toward the staircase.

Acrede waved as she departed, as carefree as ever—a true saint.

“Wow, you’re absolutely insane. You actually pulled it off.”

At that moment, Musika approached, panting slightly but with a wry grin.

However, her eyes quickly scanned the area, and she leaned closer to me.

“Hannon, that blackened thing in the flames you burned earlier.”

She noticed.

Musika had a sharp sensitivity toward souls.

Of course, she would have detected the fragment of nightmare mixed in with the ashes of the flame.

I simply nodded in response.

Her expression grew grave.

She, too, could not tolerate the fact that the evil entity had been involved in the corruption of Rozli, the Mercenary King.

“Hah… Let’s wait until the saint returns. We’ll discuss this further then.”

Musika, her face shadowed with concern, stepped back.

She knew better than to bring up such a topic carelessly.

“Hey.”

Meanwhile, Xenia approached hesitantly.

Today’s events had clearly been a nightmare for her.

Just as I was about to commend her for handling things better than expected,

I noticed her eyes glittering with an unusual intensity.

Her emotions were running high—no doubt due to the adrenaline from the fierce battle.

Clenching her fists tightly, she finally spoke.

“That was… incredible. No, I can’t even find the words. It was truly, truly amazing.”

Xenia seemed deeply moved, speaking with awe.

“I admire you. The way you threw yourself into battle without regard for your own safety—it was heroic.”

Though she was known for her perfectionist tendencies, Xenia was still young.

She was at an age where she was easily influenced by others.

“How… how can I become like you, Hannon?”

It seemed the events of the day had left a profound impact on her.

Her eyes shone with the spark of newfound ambition,

her former cold demeanor nowhere to be seen.

I wondered if Zerion had worn the same expression in the past,

when he followed Wolfram and saved the world.

But I wasn’t Wolfram—I was Vikamon.

That realization left me with complicated feelings.

From a distance, Isabel cast me a subtle glance.

She knew my true identity.

Did Xenia know?

That the one who had just inspired her so deeply,

was none other than Vikamon—the man she despised?

One day, she would find out.

And when that day came, I wasn’t sure how to explain myself.

But I couldn’t ignore her question.

The words of a young girl, newly discovering her dreams, deserved a proper answer.

How could she become like me?

I pondered for a moment, then offered my response.

“Attend Zerion Academy.”

I genuinely didn’t know what else to say.

I couldn’t exactly tell her to play through Flame Butterfly herself.

Isabel jabbed me lightly with her elbow, finding my answer unhelpful.

But it was the best I could do.

“Zerion Academy… Yes! You’ll be there, too, right?”

Xenia’s eyes were filled with determination.

She would undoubtedly enroll at Zerion Academy with top honors.

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

At those words, Xenia’s face blossomed into a radiant smile.

“Yes! I’ll be there soon!”

I looked forward to seeing her growth.

“…What are you going to do when she finds out the truth?”

Isabel murmured quietly,

but I pretended not to hear.

Boom!

Just then, as if demanding not to be forgotten,

the dragon slammed the canyon once more, shaking the entire chasm.

It seemed we were reaching the limit.

“Xenia, with celestial magic, you can teleport us out of here, right?”

In dungeon replays, spatial magic was usually considered a separate field.

However, Zerion’s celestial magic allowed for spatial manipulation as well.

Xenia’s gaze sharpened instantly.

Thanks to the battle, she was starting to show signs of seasoned composure.

Her perfectionist tendencies were fading,

replaced by a growing heroic resolve.

“Yes, I can do it.”

“We need to leave before the dragon gets here. Can you prepare it?”

As soon as Acrede returned, we would head straight back to the surface.

Duke of Whitewood could handle herself.

We just needed to escape from here.

“Yes, I’ll get it ready right away.”

Xenia quickly began preparing her celestial magic.

The starlight flowing from her fingertips formed a magical circle.

Even now, the sight of her magic was awe-inspiring.

‘I’m looking forward to her synergy with Sharin.’

Xenia’s celestial magic.

Sharin’s Mirinae.

The two had unique abilities that could synergize.

One day, I would witness the fusion of their powers.

And that day would be the final battle.

Thud—

At that moment, a new figure appeared.

“Phew, is Vulcan finally dealt with?”

It was one of Duke of Whitewood’s attendants.

It seemed he had successfully taken down the members of the Mysticism Cult.

“Ha, Hannon-nim!”

In the distance, Acrede was rushing back, clutching a bottle engraved with the goddess's sigil.

Her face was pale as a sheet.

For a moment, I feared she had failed to retrieve Narea, but the bottle was empty.

It was certain—she had reclaimed Narea.

The reason her face was so pale was likely due to whatever she had heard from Narea.

Meanwhile, Xenia completed her spell, scattering starlight around us.

It was finally time to leave the long and harrowing ordeal with the Mysticism Cult behind.

“You.”

Just then, Isabel approached me and casually spoke.

“I have something to tell you when we get back.”

“Something to tell me?”

I asked, puzzled.

In response, Isabel slowly curved her lips into a smile.

“But before that…”

It was the brightest smile I had ever seen from her.

“I think I’ll have to lock you up for a while.”

…Excuse me?

And with that, Xenia’s divine spatial magic activated.

* * *

Thanks to Xenia’s magic, we managed to escape safely.

We were transported to a location a bit removed from the dragon’s canyon.

From here, we could clearly see the rampaging dragon in the distance.

The Mysticism Cult had been completely annihilated by the dragon.

There was no recovering from this.

At the same time, white petals scattered in the wind.

Soon after, Duke of Whitewood soared through the air and landed nearby.

She was disheveled, bearing the marks of her fierce battle with the dragon.

Still, it seemed she had no life-threatening wounds.

Even now, her extraordinary regenerative abilities were already mending her wounds.

‘As expected of someone on the level of a world-class powerhouse.’

And yet, even Duke of Whitewood couldn’t handle Demon Sovereign.

It was a sobering reminder of just how dangerous the enemy I faced truly was.

“So, it was you who drew the dragon toward the canyon?”

“Yes. The remnants of the ancient dragon went berserk, which alerted the dragon nearby.”

“Berserk, huh…”

Duke of Whitewood landed in front of me and slowly stroked her chin.

Then, she narrowed her eyes and scrutinized me carefully.

I felt as if she were stripping me bare with her gaze.

I felt exposed.

“…Your soul feels different.”

Why is she able to see that too?

I have no idea what limits Duke of Whitewood’s abilities might have.

“He fused souls with Vulcan!”

Just then, Musika tattled loudly.

Better to take the scolding head-on.

I decided to accept it with humility.

“I performed soul fusion with Vulcan. However, his consciousness was devoured by the ancient dragon’s remnants.”

“…Hah.”

Duke of Whitewood let out a sigh of disbelief.

Then, she raised her hand and gently ruffled my hair.

“I can’t say I’m pleased that you risked your life so recklessly.”

But soon, she began softly patting my head.

“Still, I recognize your heroic deeds more than anyone. Well done.”

A firm hand with both stick and carrot—

That was just like Duke of Whitewood.

“We’ll save the detailed discussion for later. No need to stick around and risk catching that thing’s attention again.”

She gestured toward the still-rampaging dragon.

There was a chance it might target us again.

We decided to leave the area quickly.

Just in time, I spotted the Blue Tower Master and the Imperial Knights approaching from the canyon.

They must have been waiting nearby, prepared to move in at a moment’s notice.

We safely regrouped with them and began our return journey.

Everyone seemed relieved, having survived such a dangerous ordeal.

Except for one person—me.

Isabel’s words after Vulcan fell still lingered in my mind.

I had no idea how I was going to deal with what was coming next.

“…H-Hannon.”

Just then, Acrede called out to me.

She glanced around, clearly uncomfortable, and wore a troubled expression.

The moment I saw her reaction, I knew exactly why she had approached me.

At the end of Act 5, it was not Acrede, but Narea, who had spoken to Lucas in this same way.

‘It’s finally here.’

My eyes briefly met Duke of Whitewood’s.

She was walking toward the Blue Tower Master and the Imperial Knights, discussing the retreat.

Good timing.

Musika also had things to discuss regarding the situation.

“Acrede, let’s talk in the carriage.”

“Ah, y-yes!”

Acrede quickly nodded in response.

I glanced at the dragon once more.

The fact that Act 5 ended before Act 4 was even finished—

It was impossible to predict how much the canon would continue to diverge from the original.

‘What happens to the now-empty Act 5?’

Would Act 6 be pulled forward to fill the void?

‘No, that’s almost certain.’

Act 5 was merely the setup for Act 6.

Like it or not, the next act would have to be brought forward.

‘I never expected the butterfly effect of saving Grantoni in Act 4 to lead to this.’

My head felt heavy with complicated thoughts.

If Act 6 ended up being pushed forward, then the scenario I knew would come to an end.

Would the world finally find peace?

‘Or…’

A completely unknown Act 7 might begin.

There was no stopping the flow now.

The canon was already on the tracks, a runaway train with no brakes.

All I could do was try to steer it.

‘I have no choice but to see this through.’

I vowed to overcome even Vulcan’s lingering hatred and save the world.

I wouldn’t give up.

But before that, there was another immediate problem.

I glanced at Isabel.

She met my gaze and smiled sweetly.

…Terrifying.

Isabel’s smile was far too terrifying.

I don’t want to go back to the academy.