Freya’s POV
Flas of the phoenix swirled around , their golden light illuminating the battlefield. I could feel the power of my fire elent surging—more than twice as strong as before. The greatsword, Ignis, was supposed to be heavy, unwieldy in my hands. And yet, it felt as if it resonated with , moving with effortless grace, as though it had always been mine. Each swing left trails of blazing phoenix fire in its wake.
My appearance had changed—I was now clad in what looked like a suit of phoenix fire armor. It was similar to Cain’s [Firaga Armor], but mine had massive, flaming wings extending outward and three long, flowing tails of fire. The sheer power of the phoenix coursed through like an unstoppable inferno.
Just as I was about to charge at Zorx, who was still locked in combat with Cain, a familiar voice called out to .
"Wait, Freya!"
Arsene rushed toward , urgency in her golden eyes.
"Phoenix flas can burn through Zorx’s fire," she explained, her voice steady despite the exhaustion on her face. "But you need divine energy—without it, your attacks won’t be enough to truly wound him. Take this."
She raised her hand, and a glowing magic circle ford beneath her feet. It pulsed with a sacred light as she poured the last remnants of her mana into my sword.
"This... this is my final spell. I have nothing left after this." Arsene exhaled shakily, yet her voice remained resolute. "Defeat Zorx with this, Freya—[High Divine Magic: Blessing Knight]."
The magic circle radiated an overwhelming brilliance, its light engulfing Ignis. The blade shimred, burning not just with phoenix fire, but now with a divine glow—like countless stars flickering within the flas. The sacred energy spread across my entire body, turning my armor of fire into sothing almost celestial.
"Arsene-sama... this power..." I stared at her, awestruck.
She gave a pained smile. "I only did what Kael asked to do. He told to stop healing him... because it was pointless. Zorx’s flas have already consud most of his organs." Her voice trembled slightly. "Instead, he begged to use my remaining magic to help you."
I turned toward Kael. He lay on the ground, his body still engulfed in Zorx’s cursed black flas. Leopold knelt beside him, clutching his hand, his sobs breaking the eerie silence of the battlefield.
"Kael..." My chest tightened. I instinctively took a step toward him, but he shook his head.
"Go, Freya! Defeat Zorx!" His voice rang loud and clear, sending a jolt through my heart.
I froze.
Kael smiled at —his usual, confident grin, as if he wasn’t in unbearable pain. With the last of his strength, he raised his thumb in encouragent.
That was all I needed.
I turned back toward Zorx. The fire around erupted into a towering inferno, stretching toward the heavens. My body felt weightless as I rose into the air, my speed increasing exponentially with the phoenix flas boosting my movent.
I could feel [Fire Flower Pendant], the charm Naoki-sama had given , amplifying my fire magic even further—nearly by half. The power inside surged to its peak.
I wouldn’t waste this chance.
With a single movent, I shot toward Zorx like a teor.
Cain was still attacking him, his movents driven by pure fury. His eyes glowed red, glistening with unshed tears. He was fighting recklessly—his rage clouding his judgnt.
I saw an opening.
Channeling all my energy, I leaped toward Zorx, swinging Ignis with full force.
[Secret Flamore Swordsmanship: Phoenix Strike]!!
A massive wave of fire burst forth from my blade, taking the form of a majestic, burning phoenix. The flas screeched as they cut through the air, heading straight for Zorx.
THUD!!
"GAAAH!! WHAT?! DAMN YOU!!" Zorx crashed into the ground, writhing in agony as the divine flas seared his cursed flesh. But even as he fell, I could see his strength slowly returning.
"Cain-sama, snap out of it!" I shouted, my gaze locking onto his.
But he didn’t respond. His fists were still clenched, his breathing ragged. His aura flared wildly, his emotions overriding reason.
Without hesitation, I struck him across the face. Hard.
A sharp crack rang out as my phoenix flas briefly licked at his skin.
"UGH—Freya?! What the hell are you doing? And why are you using Ignis?" His eyes widened in shock as he finally registered the sword in my hands.
I t his gaze firmly. "Kael gave it to ... as his final wish."
His expression froze.
"He entrusted with his sword," I continued. "And he doesn’t have much ti left... We can’t let him wait any longer."
Cain’s entire body tensed. His gaze flickered toward Kael’s motionless form. He took a deep breath, then clenched his fists.
"I... I see." His voice was quieter now, filled with sothing heavier than rage.
He turned toward Zorx, who was beginning to rise again despite the divine flas still burning his body.
"Cain-sama," I said, gripping Ignis tightly. "Let’s finish off that bastard together."
For a mont, he was silent. Then, his aura surged once more—this ti, steady and controlled.
"...Yeah. Let’s end this!!!"
Zorx stood before us, battered but still standing. My divine flas hadn’t been enough to kill him in a single strike.
....
Cain and I charged at Zorx, our blades slicing through the air as we attacked relentlessly. He t our strikes with surprising finesse, parrying and countering with terrifying precision. But even as he held his ground, I could see it—the slight hesitation in his movents, the barely perceptible strain in his defense.
He was weakening.
With a frustrated roar, Zorx raised his hand. The air trembled with a suffocating heat as he invoked his strongest spell once more—
"[Apocalyptic Fla Eruption]!"
The sky darkened as an enormous black fire demon materialized, its form towering above us. Its burning claws reached out, aiming to engulf and Cain in an inferno of pure destruction.
I gritted my teeth, refusing to back down. The power of the phoenix surged through my veins, intertwining with the divine energy Arsene had bestowed upon . The flas surrounding flared, my wings expanding as they grew brighter, more intense.
This is it. I can’t hold back.
I gripped my sword tighter, feeling the burning mana coursing through it. With a deep breath, I leaped forward.
"[Secret Flamore Swordsmanship: Phoenix Drive]!"
My entire body beca one with the flas as they coalesced into the shape of a majestic phoenix. The scorching heat radiated with divine energy, illuminating the battlefield as I slashed through Zorx.
A scream tore through the air.
The mont my blade connected, his left arm ignited—his infernal flas unable to withstand the purification of my divine fire. The cursed energy was stripped away, leaving nothing but searing embers where his limb once was.
"AAAGGHH!! YOU DAMN WOMAN! HOW DARE YOU STRIKE ?!" Zorx howled in fury, his voice filled with rage and agony. He staggered backward, his remaining hand trembling as he attempted to summon another spell.
But he didn’t get the chance.
Cain was already there.
"[Flamore Swordsmanship: Crimson Eruption]!"
With a single devastating slash, Cain’s sword blazed to life, cutting through Zorx’s torso. The impact sent a shockwave of fire across the battlefield, scorching the ground beneath him.
Yet Zorx refused to fall.
Despite the wounds riddling his body, he fought back with unyielding ferocity, his blade clashing against ours in a desperate flurry of strikes. Sparks erupted with every impact, the force behind his blows enough to shake the very earth.
But Cain was relentless. He t Zorx’s attacks without hesitation, his stamina seemingly endless as he forced the demon into a desperate retreat.
This was our mont.
I took a deep breath, focusing all of my mana into my blade. The flas of Ignis surged through it, layering its power with divine fire.
Cain and I pressed forward, cornering Zorx with our unrelenting assault. The opportunity I had been waiting for finally arrived.
"[Secret Flamore Technique: Eternal Fire Prison!]"
With a single slash, I carved the air, summoning an enormous sphere of divine flas that swallowed Zorx whole. His cursed fire struggled against my holy blaze, but it was in vain—the purification had already begun.
Zorx let out a pained, guttural scream as his body convulsed within the flas.
Cain knew there was no ti to waste. His Firaga Armor was nearing its limit, and if we didn’t finish this now, we might never get another chance.
With one final surge of power, Cain unleashed his ultimate technique.
"[Flamore Swordsmanship: Eight Form, Hellfire Ragnarok!]"
A fire slash that surpasses ordinary heat, the color of the flas becos a blue that can burn anything it touches. With a single slash, the user creates an apocalyptic inferno that devours everything in its path—matter, energy, and even souls.
Zorx also attacks by releasing a very powerful black fla. He uses [Ultimate Dark Magic: Darkflare Execution] a finishing move where Zorx concentrates all of his Abyssal Black Flas into a singularity before launching it toward his opponent. Upon impact, the flas expand outward in a violent explosion, erasing everything within a wide radius and leaving behind only a charred, lifeless void.
Zorx’s attack clashes with Cain’s. At first Cain’s attack is pushed back, but he releases all his aura, and I help increase the power of his flas with my phoenix flas. So, Cain’s attack manages to reach Zorx.
Within seconds, a huge blue fire slash tore through Zorx’s body, each one burning with divine fire. The sheer speed and ferocity of the attack turned the battlefield into a blazing inferno.
Zorx staggered, his body no longer able to regenerate. His black flas flickered, growing weaker with each passing mont.
Desperate, he tried to detonate himself in a final act of defiance. But it was already over.
His body—once a being of overwhelming power—was now being consud by the very flas he once wielded.
He took a deep breath, a weak chuckle escaping his lips.
"So... this is it, huh?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Forgive ... Vorx. At least... this battle was a great relief."
"I’ll tell you humans, there is still a Rank 1 Demon Warlord who is stronger than . In addition, there are still 5 Demon Overlords who have powers beyond reason. Get ready, all of you. If you humans defeat them all, I will laugh up there..Hahaha."
And then, with a final smirk, Zorx disappeared into the flas.
"What does that an? I don’t understand at all." I wondered. But I put it aside.
It was over.
Cain and I stood motionless, our bodies aching, our breaths ragged. The battlefield was eerily silent, the once-devastating fires now reduced to smoldering embers.
We had won.
But our victory ca at a heavy price.
Our eyes darted to the motionless figure lying nearby.
Kael.
We rushed to his side, but the mont we got closer, my breath hitched. His body... it was burned beyond recognition. His skin had turned to blackened ash, his form barely holding together.
Cain fell to his knees beside him, his hands trembling as he reached out. "Kael...!" His voice wavered, filled with desperation.
Kael’s eyes—faint, but still alive—slowly turned toward Cain.
"...Hey... Big brother Cain..." His voice was hoarse, barely a whisper.
"Don’t speak! Just hold on, I’ll—"
Kael shook his head weakly. "No... there’s nothing left for ..." He gave a small, painful smile. "I’m... glad. You won. You... protected everyone."
Tears welled up in Cain’s eyes. "Damn it, Kael! You’re not supposed to go like this! This is my fault!"
Kael chuckled softly, though the sound was barely audible. "Sorry... I guess I was never as strong as you two...I just want to be strong like you bro. But it never happened."
I felt a lump in my throat as I watched him. Even now, in his final monts, he smiled as if everything was okay.
I clenched my fists, my vision blurring. "Kael, please... just hang on...!"
But Kael only shook his head again. "No regrets," he whispered. "I’m... happy."
His body trembled as the last of his strength left him. And then—
A sudden gust of wind blew past us.
And just like that... his body crumbled into ash.
Cain’s hands, which had been holding onto him, grasped at nothing. His fingers clenched into fists, his shoulders shaking.
Silence filled the battlefield once more.
"I’m sorry Kael...I’m a bad big brother.." Cain remained kneeling, his head bowed, his expression hidden beneath his hair.
I turned my gaze to the sky, my heart heavy with grief.
The flas had settled. The battle had ended.
And yet, the pain of loss burned deeper than any wound.
We had won.
But at what cost?
Reviews
All reviews (0)