The battlefield had already been broken.
Now—
It was being erased.
Auram staggered.
His breathing was ragged.
Heavy.
Each inhale burned.
Each exhale trembled.
But still—
He stood.
"…Not… yet…"
His grip tightened around his remaining blade.
The light that once radiated from him—
Now flickered.
Fading.
Unstable.
Above him—
Liblee watched.
Amused.
Unchallenged.
"…Still standing?"
Her voice carried no weight of concern.
Only curiosity.
"…How persistent."
Auram didn't answer.
He moved.
One final push.
His body screamed.
His muscles tore.
But he surged forward—
Blade raised—
A desperate strike—
Liblee didn't move.
Not until the very last second.
Her hand lifted.
Casually.
And—
Caught it.
CLANG.
The blade stopped mid-air.
Frozen.
Her fingers wrapped around it effortlessly.
Auram's eyes widened.
"…What—"
"Too slow."
Her voice dropped.
Cold.
Final.
And then—
She twisted.
The blade turned—
And drove forward.
THUD.
"…!!"
Steel pierced through Auram's left shoulder.
Clean.
Brutal.
Unforgiving.
Blood spilled.
His body froze.
For a moment—
Just a moment—
The world stopped.
Then—
"Let me show you something."
The red gem embedded in her wing—
Glowed.
Brighter.
Hotter.
Unstable.
The air warped.
Heat surged violently outward—
Then—
She released it.
A fire blast—
Massive.
Overwhelming.
A wave of pure destruction.
It engulfed Auram instantly—
BOOOOOOM—
The explosion swallowed the battlefield.
Flames roared.
Stone melted.
The ground collapsed beneath the force as Auram's body was slammed downward—
CRASH—
A crater formed.
Deep.
Violent.
Final.
When the flames faded—
Auram lay at the center.
Armor shattered.
Fragments scattered around him.
One of his blades—
Broken.
Gone.
His body—
Barely moving.
Exhausted.
Broken.
Defeated.
"…Pathetic."
Liblee exhaled lightly.
Then—
A small sound.
From below.
A shift.
Her eyes moved.
Ryota.
Standing.
Barely.
Unsteady.
But standing.
"…Hah…"
He picked up a rock.
Simple.
Ordinary.
"…Take this."
He threw it.
A weak arc.
Slow.
Predictable.
Liblee tilted her head.
Then—
Stepped aside.
The rock passed harmlessly by.
Her gaze returned to him.
Sharp.
Focused.
"…How did you rise again…?"
A pause.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…I was certain my attack earlier knocked you out."
Her gaze shifted.
Following the trajectory.
To where he had fallen.
And then—
She saw her.
Rio.
Barely standing.
Body trembling.
Eyes still sharp.
Still alive.
"…I see."
A slow smile spread across Liblee's face.
"…So you were the annoying variable not him."
Her gaze locked onto Rio.
Deeper now.
Interested.
"…Interesting…"
A step forward.
"…I wonder…"
Her voice softened.
Dangerously.
"…what Saros' reaction would be…"
A pause.
"…when her last champion becomes my puppet."
Rio's eyes narrowed.
"…Try it."
Liblee smiled wider.
"…Gladly."
She raised her hand.
White energy gathered—
Condensing.
Focusing.
A beam—
Forming.
"RIO—MOVE!"
Ryota shouted.
He ran.
Forcing his broken body forward.
Ignoring the pain.
Ignoring everything.
But—
Rio didn't move.
She couldn't.
The ground beneath her—
Shifted.
Cracked.
Rose.
Stone wrapped around her legs.
Binding.
Locking.
Trapping.
"…Tch—!"
She tried to move—
Failed.
The energy in Liblee's hand—
Reached its peak.
Auram forced himself up—
"…NO—!"
He lunged forward—
But—
"Stay down."
Two gems pulsed.
Blue.
Green.
Lightning struck—
CRACK—
It hit Ryota mid-run.
His body convulsed—
And was thrown aside.
At the same time—
A violent burst of wind exploded outward—
Auram was caught—
Lifted—
And slammed back into the ground—
BOOM—
Another crater formed.
Dust filled the air.
Silence.
Then—
Liblee smiled.
"…Chronos Eye…"
A quiet laugh.
"…should be a fun tool under my control."
The white energy surged.
Ready.
Final.
"…Goodbye."
She fired.
A beam of pure light—
Blasting straight toward Rio.
No escape.
No movement.
No time.
Then—
A figure moved.
Faster than anyone expected.
Girsu.
He appeared in front of her.
And pushed her aside.
The beam—
Hit him.
Directly.
"…!"
Light consumed him.
Rio's eyes widened.
"…Girsu—!"
For a moment—
Just a moment—
He stood there.
Holding.
Enduring.
Then—
He turned his head.
Slightly.
"…Save… my sister…"
A pause.
"…I failed…"
His body—
Cracked.
Light broke through him.
And then—
He shattered.
Not into dust.
But into form.
A gemstone.
Dark blue.
Falling.
Silent.
Still.
"…No…"
Auram's voice broke.
Rio's hands trembled.
But above them—
Liblee laughed.
"…How touching."
Her hand reached out.
The gem rose.
Floating toward her.
"…I guess Girsu will do."
It settled into her palm.
She admired it briefly.
"…Either way…"
A glance.
Back to them.
"…I got myself a new puppet."
Her laughter echoed.
Unstable.
Distorted.
Then—
Her gaze shifted again.
Auram.
Broken.
Still trying to rise.
"…And you…"
She raised her other hand.
"…I'll be taking that too."
Energy surged.
Auram froze.
His body—
Glowed.
Then—
Separated.
The power within him—
Ripped away.
The dragon—
Indratos—
Was torn from him.
A massive glow erupted—
Then split.
Seven forms.
Seven dragons.
Each one pulled—
Compressed—
Condensed—
Into one.
A single—
Rainbow-colored gem.
Auram collapsed.
Powerless.
Empty.
"…Indratos…"
His voice was hollow.
The gem floated.
Joined the other.
Now—
Liblee stood with both hands raised.
One holding Girsu.
The other—
The combined power of the Ancient Dragon.
"…Perfect."
She smiled.
Satisfied.
Complete.
Below—
Rio lifted her musket.
Her hands trembled.
Her vision blurred.
Her body—
At its limit.
But she fired.
BANG.
The shot rang out.
A final act.
A final defiance.
Liblee didn't even dodge.
The bullet hit—
And vanished.
Meaningless.
She laughed.
"…I have no use for any of you anymore."
A snap.
Behind her—
A portal opened.
Dark.
Distorted.
"…I've already gotten what I wanted."
She stepped toward it.
Then paused.
The red gem pulsed again.
Violent.
Unstable.
"…If you live…"
A glance back.
"…to tell the tale…"
A smile.
"…I'll look forward to our next meeting."
She raised her hand—
And unleashed it.
A final energy wave—
Condensed.
Focused.
Devastating.
Then—
She stepped into the portal.
And disappeared.
The energy—
Hit the ground.
And the world—
Exploded.
BOOOOOOOOOOM—
The dungeon collapsed.
Light swallowed everything.
Stone disintegrated.
Sound vanished—
Then returned all at once.
A catastrophic detonation.
And at the center of it—
Three figures remained.
Broken.
Falling.
As the world around them—
Came crashing down.
The world ended in fire.
Not a slow collapse—
Not a fading ruin—
But annihilation.
The red energy wave devoured everything in its path, swallowing stone, air, and light alike as it surged forward like a living calamity.
And in front of it—
Auram ran.
His body screamed.
Every step tore at his muscles.
Every breath burned his lungs.
But he didn't stop.
Couldn't stop.
In his arms—
Ryota.
Unconscious.
In his grasp—
Indratos
Small.
Fragile.
Stripped of his former power.
And ahead—
Rio.
Falling.
Fading.
"…Not again…"
Auram's voice cracked.
The red light closed in.
Closer.
Closer.
There was no outrunning it.
No escaping it.
Only—
One last choice.
Auram planted his foot.
Turned.
And raised his hand.
"—!"
A barrier erupted behind them.
Golden.
Flickering.
Incomplete.
But real.
It wrapped around them—
A fragile sphere of resistance—
Just as the explosion hit.
BOOOOOOOOOOM—
The world shattered.
The barrier trembled violently.
Cracks spread across its surface instantly.
The force behind the blast—
Unimaginable.
Auram gritted his teeth.
"…Hold…!"
The barrier bent.
Warped.
Threatened to break.
But he held it.
Not with power—
But with will.
With everything he had left.
"…Just a little more…!"
The explosion consumed everything else.
The dungeon—
Gone.
Erased.
Reduced to nothing.
And when the light finally faded—
There was no dungeon left.
Only—
Open sky.
—
Silence.
Soft.
Gentle.
Real.
"…Mm…"
Rio's eyes fluttered open.
Her vision blurred.
Unfocused.
But slowly—
It returned.
Blue sky.
Clouds drifting.
Wind brushing softly against her face.
"…We're… outside…?"
Her voice was weak.
Barely above a whisper.
She tried to move.
Pain shot through her arm.
"…Tch…"
Bandages.
Wrapped tightly around her left arm.
Someone had treated her.
Carefully.
Precisely.
She pushed herself up.
Slow.
Unsteady.
Her HP—
5%
Still alive.
Barely.
She looked around.
And saw them.
Auram.
Sitting quietly.
Head lowered.
Silent.
Behind him—
Indratos
Small.
Curled up.
Sleeping.
Bandaged.
Breathing softly.
And then—
She felt it.
Weight.
Warmth.
"…What the—"
She looked down.
Ryota.
Unconscious.
Arms wrapped around her.
Holding her like she'd disappear if he let go.
"…Idiot…"
She sighed.
Annoyed.
But not pushing him away.
Not immediately.
Instead—
She carefully shifted.
Freeing herself gently before standing.
Her legs trembled.
But she remained upright.
Then—
She turned.
"…You protected us."
Auram didn't respond.
"…Thank you."
A pause.
"…And… I'm sorry."
Her voice softened.
"…For what happened to your friends."
Silence.
Auram's gaze remained fixed on the ground.
His hands—
Empty.
His weapons—
Gone.
Broken fragments lay beside him.
His power—
Stripped.
Taken.
Everything—
Lost.
"…We lost…"
He whispered it.
Barely audible.
"…She won…"
A pause.
"…Like before…"
His fists clenched.
"…She always wins…"
Silence.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
Time passed.
An hour.
Quiet.
Still.
The wind moved.
The world continued.
But for them—
Everything had stopped.
Then—
"…Ugh…"
Ryota stirred.
His eyes slowly opened.
"…What… happened…"
He sat up.
Groggy.
Disoriented.
Rio glanced at him.
"…Liblee got away."
A pause.
"…She blew up the entire dungeon."
Another.
"…Auram protected us."
Ryota blinked.
Then looked at Auram.
Really looked.
The broken blades.
The empty hands.
The silence.
"…I see…"
He stood slowly.
Walked closer.
Rio stepped forward too.
"…Hey."
Auram didn't look up.
"…I know this looks hopeless."
No response.
"…But you're not alone."
Auram's voice came quietly.
"…We lost."
A pause.
"…I failed."
His grip tightened.
"…I was too weak…"
"…I couldn't save anyone…"
"…Again…"
Silence.
Then—
Ryota spoke.
Simple.
Direct.
"…You saved us."
Auram froze.
"…That's not failure."
A pause.
"…She hasn't won yet."
Rio stepped forward.
Her gaze steady.
"…I want payback."
Her voice carried weight now.
Not anger—
Not rage—
But certainty.
"…For what she did to you."
"…To Lib."
"…To Girsu."
"…And to us."
A pause.
Her eyes sharpened.
"…And I want answers."
Liblee's words echoed in her mind.
"Saros' champion…"
"…I'm not going to force you."
She said quietly.
"…But I'm asking you."
A step closer.
"…Are you really going to sit here…"
"…and let her win again?"
Silence.
The wind passed through them.
"…We're outmatched."
"…We're behind."
"…We're barely standing."
Another step.
"…But that doesn't mean we give up."
Her voice lowered.
"…I owe Girsu to stop her and save his sister."
A pause.
"…And I'm not letting his sacrifice go to waste."
Her gaze locked onto Auram.
"…Are you?"
Silence answered her.
Auram didn't respond.
Not yet.
—
Time passed again.
Two hours.
Slow.
Quiet.
Their HP recovered.
10%…
30%…
50%…
70%.
Enough to move.
Enough to leave.
They stood.
And began walking.
Down the mountain.
Back toward the Town of Beginnings.
No words.
No expectations.
Just—
Forward.
"…Guess this is goodbye."
Ryota muttered lightly.
Rio didn't respond.
But she didn't turn either.
They slowly walked down the path back to the village
Step.
Step.
Step.
Then—
THUD.
Something landed in front of them.
A broken sword handle.
Pierced into the ground.
Both of them stopped.
Turned.
Auram stood behind them.
Indratos beside him.
Awake now.
Eyes clear.
"…You're right."
His voice was steady.
Different.
"…I failed once."
A pause.
"…And it destroyed everything."
His grip tightened.
"…I won't make that mistake again."
Another step forward.
"…I won't let her win this time."
Silence.
Then—
Rio smiled.
Small.
But real.
Ryota grinned.
"…There you go."
Auram raised his hand.
And threw something.
Rio caught it.
A book.
Ancient.
Heavy.
Wrapped with a talisman that pulsed faintly with power.
"…Command me."
Auram said.
His gaze unwavering.
"…Lead me into battle."
A pause.
"…Let's make this the final game."
"…The one where she loses."
The air shifted.
A system window appeared before Rio.
Glowing.
Clear.
Unmistakable.
[Would you like to learn the skill[The World Legacy]
[Yes] [No]
Silence fell.
But this time—
It wasn't heavy.
It wasn't hopeless.
It was—
The beginning.
Of something new