Freya’s POV
Cain was locked in a fierce battle against Zorx, their clash turning the area outside the dungeon into a living hellscape. The sheer intensity of their flas made the very earth crack and spew magma. Both of them wielded fire, yet their flas devoured each other in a relentless struggle for dominance.
The aftermath of their attacks didn’t spare anything nearby—countless dungeon-break monsters were caught in the crossfire. Seeing this, Arsene quickly issued warnings to the knights and professors still locked in battle against the creatures. But instead of retreating, Arsene, alongside the commanders of the Braveheart Kingdom’s knight order, used this opportunity to counterattack, cutting down the hundreds of rampaging monsters.
The battlefield was pure chaos. I, Kael, Leopold, and Erin’s team could only watch Cain’s battle from a distance, unable to interfere.
Refusing to remain idle, we decided to help Arsene push back the dungeon-break monsters. I swung my sword, executing precise strikes using the Flamore Swordsmanship that I had trained in for years. Leopold fought beside , his blade cutting through the creatures with expert precision. anwhile, Kael struggled—he had never been able to master the Flamore Swordsmanship, a fact that visibly frustrated him. Still, he fought fiercely, wielding his sword, Ignis, which unleashed devastating bursts of fire magic.
Gritting my teeth, I clenched my fist and dove back into the fray.
After an intense battle, we had nearly eradicated the monsters. Arsene, along with the knight commanders, successfully wiped out the remaining forces.
Exhaustion hit us like a crashing wave. My mana was running low, my body scread for rest, and even Leopold looked drained. Kael, though clearly on the verge of collapse, still stood firm, his grip on Ignis unyielding. Erin hurriedly cast [Heal] on us, protected by her teammates as she worked.
As the battlefield quieted, our attention returned to Cain’s fight with Zorx. Their battle raged on, an overwhelming display of fire and destruction.
Then, it happened.
Cain unleashed a devastating attack, engulfing Zorx in flas. But the demon didn’t falter. His burning gaze shifted toward us—toward , Kael, Leopold, and Erin’s team. With terrifying speed, he lunged, summoning a massive spell—[Apocalyptic Fla Eruption]. A shadowy inferno, laced with demonic energy, surged toward us like the maw of a vengeful god.
Leopold and I instinctively stepped forward, trying to block it with everything we had. But the mont the flas made contact, I knew—we wouldn’t last.
So this is it... This is how we die.
Just as despair gripped , a voice cut through the roaring fire.
"FREYA! LEOPOLD!"
Kael.
He surged forward, his body ablaze with an unfamiliar, crimson fire—different from his usual magic. Without hesitation, he raised Ignis, and as if responding to his resolve, the sword erupted with a radiant, phoenix-like blaze.
"[Phoenix’s Protection]!"
A barrier of flas, shaped like magnificent phoenix wings, spread around us. Within its embrace, Zorx’s hellfire could not reach us. The suffocating heat vanished.
I could hardly believe what I was seeing.
Kael stood at the center of the shield, his entire being radiating an awe-inspiring light. His eyes burned crimson, his body wreathed in flas, and two fiery wings unfurled behind him like a divine guardian’s.
"Kael... That power..." My voice trembled in disbelief.
"I don’t know what this is either, Freya..." He glanced at with a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration. "But this is the true power of Ignis. My family gave this sword because I couldn’t master Flamore Swordsmanship. But I never knew... it had a hidden ability—one that grants the wielder the flas of a phoenix."
His words sent a chill down my spine.
Even so, victory was far from certain. As Kael held back Zorx’s attack, the demon’s dark flas surged once more—this ti consuming Kael’s back. He scread in agony.
"KAEL!"
The flas wouldn’t go out. They weren’t just fire—they carried the corruption of dark magic.
At that mont, Arsene arrived. Her sharp eyes imdiately took in the situation, her expression growing grim.
"This isn’t just any fire... It’s infused with demonic dark magic," she muttered. Then, locking eyes with Kael, she commanded, "Brace yourself—I’m putting that fire out!"
Arsene raised her hand, summoning a brilliant Divine Magic spell. Holy light enveloped Kael, erasing the cursed flas that threatened to consu him.
With the danger montarily subsided, Erin rushed in to heal his burns with [Heal].
Arsene turned to us, her face filled with urgency. "You all need to retreat. Now. This battle isn’t one you can win."
But we refused. Even as our bodies ached, even as fear clawed at our hearts, we couldn’t abandon Cain.
Then, sothing even more terrifying happened.
Zorx roared, his body twisting and contorting. His form expanded, grotesque and nightmarish—his true, final form. A being of pure malice and destruction.
He moved in a blur.
A single swing of his blade sent a massive arc of Abyssal Fla Impact toward us.
We didn’t even have ti to react.
The attack was aid straight at Erin.
Two of her teammates threw themselves in front of her.
For a brief mont, they smiled.
And then, they were gone.
Their bodies turned to dust, erased by Zorx’s flas.
Erin’s scream pierced the battlefield.
My breath caught in my throat.
Cain’s aura erupted in rage as he charged at Zorx, but he was too late. The demon launched another attack—another Abyssal Fla Impact, this ti aid at all of us.
Kael, despite his wounds, stood once more.
With the last of his strength, he raised Ignis and unleashed one final strike—[Phoenix Impact], a fiery blade of pure willpower ant to counter Zorx’s onslaught.
But—
Zorx absorbed it.
The flas Kael unleashed were swallowed whole by the abyssal darkness.
Kael scread as the fire he wielded betrayed him, wrapping around his body in an agonizing inferno.
We could only watch in horror as the flas devoured him.
"KAEL!!!"
Arsene tried to dispel the flas again. But Zorx was already preparing another attack.
This ti, he was aiming to end it all.
Arsene and Kael were in grave danger.
And we were powerless to stop it.
Cain’s desperate echoed through the battlefield. His voice was filled with frustration, helplessness, and rage—he couldn’t protect us.
But I couldn’t just stand here and let this happen.
I wanted to protect them.
I didn’t want to run away anymore. I didn’t want to feel powerless. I didn’t want to live with regrets.
I needed to be strong... Just like the person I admired the most.
Like Naoki-dono, who always fought with everything he had to protect those he cared about.
A surge of determination ignited within . My legs, once trembling with fear, found new strength. My grip on my sword tightened as I stepped forward, placing myself between Zorx’s deadly flas and my injured comrades.
"FREYA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Arsene shouted, her voice laced with panic.
"GET BACK HERE! YOU’LL DIE!" Leopold’s eyes widened in horror.
Even Kael, barely able to move, tried to reach out to .
But I had already made my decision.
If my sacrifice ant that Arsene, Kael, Leopold, and Erin would survive... if it gave Cain a chance to defeat Zorx... then I would gladly give my life for them.
I closed my eyes for a brief mont, clutching the Fire Flower Pendant that Naoki-dono had given .
"Naoki-dono... lend just a fraction of your strength."
I raised my sword, bracing myself as Zorx unleashed his hellish flas upon . The air burned. The very ground beneath cracked from the sheer heat of his attack.
This was it.
This was the end.
"FREYA, NOOOO!!!" Cain’s voice roared through the battlefield.
And then—
A burst of brilliant crimson light exploded from my pendant.
[Fire Blast].
A defensive spell activated on its own, shielding completely and launching a devastating counterattack against Zorx. The flas engulfed the demon in a furious explosion, forcing him backward. His monstrous form writhed in agony as the fire scorched his flesh.
I gasped, stunned.
Naoki-dono... even though you’re not here, you’re still protecting .
Tears welled up in my eyes as I clutched the pendant against my chest.
"Thank you..."
But the battle wasn’t over.
Behind , Kael’s breathing grew weaker. He turned to Arsene, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Arsene-sama... please stop. Don’t waste your magic on . My body... I can already feel it breaking apart."
"Kael, don’t say that!" I snapped, desperation in my voice. But when I turned to look at him, my heart shattered.
His body... was slowly crumbling into ash.
Leopold fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
Cain, blinded by fury, lunged at Zorx. "DAMN YOU, DEMON! I’LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!!!" His flas burned brighter than ever, fueled by rage.
Kael coughed weakly, then reached out toward . In his hand was his sword—Ignis.
"Freya... take it."
My breath caught in my throat.
"This sword... is the greatest treasure of the Flamore family. And I know... you will awaken its true potential. You always pushed yourself to be stronger. When I look at you... I see the person I once wished I could be."
My vision blurred with tears. I shook my head, refusing to accept his words.
"I can’t... I can’t take this, Kael! You have to use it! You’re still—"
"Please, Freya..." he interrupted , his voice weak but filled with sincerity.
"Fight alongside my brother, Cain. Defeat Zorx. Protect everyone... in my place."
His words crushed . My entire body trembled.
But Kael’s unwavering smile told everything I needed to know.
He had already accepted his fate.
And now, he was entrusting his will to .
Slowly, I reached out and took Ignis from his hands.
The mont I grasped the sword—
Everything went dark..
A Realm of Flas – The Trial of the Phoenix
I opened my eyes and found myself in a vast world of fire. Endless flas surrounded , flickering and roaring like a living entity.
And there, in the heart of this inferno—
A massive, caged phoenix stood before .
Its piercing golden eyes locked onto mine, burning with both wisdom and challenge.
"So, that fool Kael has entrusted his power to you, human..." The phoenix’s voice resonated in my mind.
"Tell ... Do you seek power?"
I clenched my fists.
"I do."
"I want strength."
"I don’t want to be weak anymore! I want to protect my comrades!"
The phoenix tilted its head, its gaze sharp and unreadable.
"Even if that ans bearing the burden of this power... even if it ans carrying Kael’s will for the rest of your life?"
I swallowed hard.
Then, without hesitation—
"I WILL."
"I will inherit Kael’s resolve. I will burn away all evil with these flas. So please—beco my strength!"
For a long mont, the phoenix simply stared at . Then—
A deep, powerful laugh echoed through the realm.
"Interesting... such fierce determination in those eyes."
The flas around surged higher as the phoenix spread its wings.
"Very well, human. I recognize you. From this mont forth—Ignis is yours."
A golden contract circle ford beneath . A surge of power erupted through my veins, filling with warmth, strength... and fire.
The contract was complete.
"Rise anew, Freya von Flastone... No—
Freya von Flamore!"
Back to reality...
I gasped as my consciousness snapped back. Power surged through my body.
My hair flowed like flas. Fiery wings sprouted from my back. Ignis pulsed in my hands, burning with an eternal fla.
Kael’s warmth lingered in my soul.
"Thank you, Kael... I won’t waste this chance."
I turned toward Zorx, my gaze filled with new determination.
Cain, still fighting, glanced at , his eyes widening in shock.
I took a deep breath, raising Ignis high.
"Burn eternally, flas that shall never die..."
I closed my eyes for a mont, feeling the fire coursing through my soul. Then, I opened them with unwavering resolve.
"[Flamore Secret Technique: Phoenix Ascension]!!"
A blazing pillar of fire erupted around , shaking the entire battlefield.
I could feel it—
Kael’s strength. Naoki-dono’s protection. My own resolve.
With this power—
I WILL DEFEAT ZORX.
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