Hero

Before Zephyrus Meyer stood none other than Alan Welker. And he was the bearer of the seven stars.

"...Alan?" Zephyrus muttered hesitantly. It was as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Alan was struck by a Curse of Death. Normally, there would be no surviving that. And yet, he was before him, alive and well.

But the Demon Lord didn't let an emotional reunion to happen. Immediately, he assaulted them with a barrage of spells.

"Black Swarm!"

"Thorns of Pain!"

A myriad of black spheres and ivies of death rushed towards Alan. He looked over them, and chanted a single spell.

"Starlight Prism."

He stretched his hand forward and a prismatic shape appeared in front of him. A dark blue light released from his hand and hit the prism. Inside, the light split into dozens if not hundreds of smaller beams and left the prism. Each of those smaller beams pierced a sphere, and a myriad of explosions occurred all around the throne room.

Then, he chanted again.

"Starlight Net."

A flat rectangular shape shot out of his hand. It reached the growing dark ivies and clashed with its growing end, stopping it in its tracks. Then, it stretched as it increased in size until it was big enough to contain all of the ivy and then wrapped itself around the dark spell. As it did, it continued shrinking, burning away at the ivy until they were both gone.

In the span of a second, he perfectly neutralized the Demon Lord's spells, matching him bat for bat. His precision with spells was unmatched, and he chanted with speed and power that rivaled even the greatest casters in the entire world. He mastered a forgotten branch of spellcasting. That branch existed on the verge between celestial and astral, calling to the power of the stars. 

And the person who mastered it was none other than Alan, the Starsage.

Stunned by Alan's unexpected power, the Demon Lord stopped. Seeing that, Alan began speaking.

"You were confidently talking about resetting this world... Zephyrus, you should know that his words are nonsense. The world will not reset anymore. I can feel it."

"You can... feel it?" Zephyrus asked, still confused by what was happening.

"Yes," Alan nodded. "After all, it is the power of my Blessing."

At the boy's sudden proclamation, the Demon Lord laughed.

"Hahaha. I guess you caught me there. I wanted to push Zephyrus Meyer to his limits so forgive my small lie. Still, to think that you would recover your Blessing after all these loops... I applaud your newfound resolve, Alan Welker!"

Alan ignored the Demon Lord's theatrics. Instead, he looked at his partner and handed him a single golden fragment.

"This is..."

"The last one of the bunch. They would probably be more useful in your hands than mine."

Zephyrus nodded and took the last piece.

He gathered all of them together. They began shining brilliantly, and soon, their radiance filled the entire room. When the flash of light disappeared, Zephyrus held a single shining blade. The Golden Sword was back in the hands of its rightful owner.

Despite the fragments only being those of the blade, the moment they entered Zephyrus's hands, they reconstructed themselves into a complete blade. Not many people understood it, but one of the most important aspects of the Golden Sword was that it remembered its original form and always returned to it when the need arose. The sword wasn't just a sum of its legendary materials, it was a masterpiece that transcended its physical form and became something of the realm of spiritual.

Finally, the two young men stood side by side in their full strength against the Demon Lord. Seeing that, the Demon Lord chuckled.

"Ha. It seems we are back where we've started this fight. In a way, it's a fitting conclusion. I acknowledge both of you as worthy challengers, young Heroes!"

Then, the Demon Lord sneered.

"But no matter how many times you reignite your strength, the truth won't change. You might have more powers, but you are all battered and exhausted, running dry of mana, life force, and stamina. In this battle of attrition, mortal beings like you have no chance against me."

The two didn't answer entertain his provocations.

"We will see about that," Alan said and then began a prayer.

"____! Life! ____! Great Heal!"

An aurora of light surrounded Zephyrus. His wounded, battered body was healed in the span of a second. But the most surprising part about it was that he recovered his life force. It wasn't a huge amount, but now, he felt like he could actually use some of his Blessing.

"...My life force..." Zephyrus muttered as he stared at his hands in disbelief.

The power to manipulate life force in any capacity was exceedingly rare among priests. The only ones who could manage that, were those whose existence was closely linked with everything holy. And that man was exactly that. He could share his life force with others and spread it through his prayers. What's more he could activate prayers quicker than anybody else and could change them at a moment's notice. That made him incredibly threatening in combat which was a rarity for priests.

They called him Alan, the Fighting Saint.

"Hmph. I expected as much of you, oh bearer of the seven stars. But no matter how famed and powerful you were, you are no match for the strongest of hero candidates. From afar, you will never break through my spells, and your mana pales in comparison with mine from up close, you will die the moment you let your guard down. We both can recover from physical wounds, but as I said, me reserves will never run out before yours."

Alan didn't reply. He didn't think that the Demon Lord's assessment was too off the mark. If this was the beginning of the fight when their strength were at their maximum, they would probably win, but with how little life force and mana they had left, it was a race against time. And the odds weren't in their favor. Still, that was no reason to give up.

"Zephyrus. We will close our distance. The only way to defeat him is to break through his armor from up close. His magic is too powerful for me defeat him in a magical duel. At best, it will be a stalemate where I run out of mana."

Zephyrus nodded.

"Sure, but are you sure about that? You don't have a weapon anymore, do you?"

Alan smiled confidently.

"Don't worry about that. I don't need a weapon," he replied and chanted.

"Astral Blade!"

In his hand, a pale blue blade appeared. It was a simple, yet beautiful sword made out of pure magic. For him, wielding it was as natural as breathing as it was synonymous with his name. Then, Alan, the Astral Blade, dashed forward.

"Let's go!"

A myriad of spells attacked the two. Dark spheres, ivies, and black bursts of energy assaulted them. They dodged, blocked, and crushed the spells as they closed in on the Demon Lord. Their approach was far from flawless. Along the way, countless wounds appeared on their bodies, their blood spilled, and even their bones were crushed.

"Look at yourselves!" The Demon Lord shouted. "You're saying that you want to achieve a future where no one will have to sacrifice themselves, and the two of you are suffering for everyone else! A contradiction to behold!"

As the two hero candidates advanced they shouted back. They didn't have to reply to Demon Lord's provocations, but for some reason, they found themselves unable to keep quiet.

"Of course, it's a contradiction! Because this world is nothing like we want it be! But that's why we are fighting for the future!" Zephyrus shouted as he cut through a dark sphere with the Golden Sword.

"And someday, no one will have to take on this burden by their lonesome! But for now, we will share it between us two!" Alan added as he blasted away the ivies that chased them.

The Demon Lord growled in anger.

"Then what?! You are rushing towards your deaths! Such is the fate of all hero candidates without exception and you know that! How could sacrifices like you ever do anything to change the future!"

In that moment, a prayer resounded.

"___! Holy Charm!"

Emily's voice—no, Luciella's voice resounded in the throne room, and the two felt their bodies become lighter, stronger, and faster.

"They have already changed the future!" she shouted passionately. "For they have changed me! And if they would die, unable to reach their goal, I will spread that hope in their stead"

The Demon Lord furrowed his brows and thrust his hand forward, sending his dark spheres after Luciella. But they failed to reach their targets as they were pierced by arrows halfway through.

"Count me in!"

The arrows and the words belonged to none other than Elias. He held his trusty bow in his hands as he continued shooting down one spell after another.

Alan smiled.

"Let me correct myself, Demon Lord—four of us will share this burden. And then a year later ten people will share it, then twenty, and then a hundred!"

"And then eventually, this burden will no longer demand sacrifices! Someday, this weight we bear will become so light that no one will have to suffer!"

Finally, Zephyrus and Alan reached the Demon Lord. They thrust their blades forward, but the Demon Lord caught them with his hands. Just like earlier today, a faint purplish glow surrounded his hands, shielding them from the sharp blades. But this time, he couldn't stop the swords perfectly. Both the blades crushed through the armor in his hands, making them bleed, and pierced his chest.

"GRAGH!"

The Demon Lord roared. And then, he used his bloodied hands and grabbed the hero candidates by their wrists.

"This is over for you—SPHERE OF DESTRUCTION!"

A massive black sphere formed over their heads. Once again, it was one of the strongest spells in the Demon Lord's arsenal. And this time, it was more powerful than ever before.

Zephyrus and Alan grimaced as they tried to get away, but the Demon Lord held them in tight grip.

"_____! Holy Sacrament!"

A prayer resounded. And a transparent shield appeared above the hero candidates' heads. The Sphere of Destruction collided with it. The shield creaked under the immense pressure, but it didn't break. It withstood the spell and disappeared immediately afterwards.

"—WHAT!"

As the Demon Lord shrieked in shock, the blades embedded in his body shone brightly and slashed through his flesh, leaving his body to the left and right respectively.

"GAAARGH!"

The Demon Lord cried out in pain, but his wounds shone with the already familiar glow. He was recovering himself using his magic just like he did in the beginning of the fight. However, only his flesh recovered as his armor remained damaged. 

As more and more energy released from the Demon Lord, his mind twisted further and further towards insanity.

"You Humans! Do you see the power of this world's hatred?"

Then, the Demon Lord cast his most powerful spell.

"CURSE OF DEATH!"

The curse shot forward. Zephyrus wanted to dodge, but in the last moment realized that behind them were Luciella and Elias. If he were to evade the attack then those two would certainly lose their lives. Alan realized the same and so they stood their ground.

"Radiance!"

"Starlight Burst!"

Golden, celestial blue, and black collided. The force of the clash created blasts of wind that flew every which way. The ground quaked, walls shook, and it felt like the entire stronghold was about to collapse.

"Kgh!"

"Grrh!"

Zephyrus and Alan grimaced from pain. This Curse of Death was leagues more powerful than the Demon Lord's other attacks. No matter how much they pushed back, it felt like they were fighting against a bottomless force.

"Do you feel it?! The power of all the malice around the world!? There are millions, billions of oppressed who crave change! Are you willing to step over their heads for the sake of the future you believe in!?"

The more the world twisted and people suffered from oppression, the stronger the Demon Lord became. And his powers, exceeded anything that Zephyrus and Alan expected. 

Zephyrus remembered the Demon Lord from the pressure back then was nothing compared to now. The longer the world's systems remained standing, the more twisted they became and the more people suffered. In a way, Zephyrus, or rather Aurelius, was an indirect reason for the malice he was facing. And yet, he couldn't give up. And so his blade shined brighter than ever.

Alan's mana was running dry. With every second, his reserves approached their bottom. But as memories of everyone important to him flashed through his mind, he could feel strength return to his body. His mind went to his parents, Marcus's family, Marcus who had passed his hopes onto him, and finally, to Emily. He was probably never going to see the light of tomorrow, but regardless of his fate, he wanted her to remain in a world with hope. And so he pushed on.

The three powers shone and intertwined, trying to consume each other. With time, their intensity only grew. Simultaneously, they reached the pinnacle of their power. An explosion resounded.

The result of the collision was a draw. The darkness of the Demon Lord, and the hero candidates' powers cancelled each other out. The throne room lay in complete ruins: its floors were destroyed, its walls were tattered, and the pillars that served as the support were collapsing left and right. Just barely the room preserved its structure and didn't completely collapse, but it seemed like it was only a matter of time before that happened.

"*Cough* *Cough*—Is everyone alright?" Alan shouted as he got up from the ground.

A massive cloud of dust covered everything. Because of that, Alan couldn't even ascertain his party's safety. And that was also why, he could not see the approaching threat in time.

When he turned around, a massive silhouette towered over him. The Demon Lord's massive arm flew towards him with terrifying force.

"—!"

He tried to dodge, but his legs buckled from exhaustion and he stumbled. The arm of death was quickly closing in on his head.

"Alan!"

But a man moved in the way of the attack. Blood splattered on Alan's face as he stared in shock.

"E... Elias...?"

The one who shielded Alan from the blow was none other than Elias, the eldest member of the party and a ranger who always took care of him. And now, that Elias was mortally wounded in front of his eyes. Blood poured from the ranger's mouth. The Demon Lord's arm ran through his body.

"...I'm... not letting anyone... die in front of me... ever again."

His voice was shaking, muffled from all the blood that was filling his mouth. But despite that, there was a certain strength to his trembling silhouette. Almost as if he was saying that no matter how much he trembled, he would not fall.

"Elias!"

Zephyrus's voice resounded. He dashed forward as he swung his sword. But the Demon Lord deflected his attack. Again and again, Zephyrus attacked, but the Demon Lord continued deflecting all of his blows.

"Both of us are out of power... But my body is studier than yours! This is your defeat, young Heroes!"

Zephyrus's attacks and the Demon Lord's shout took Alan out of his trance, and he ran towards the Demon Lord. Just like Zephyrus, he was completely exhausted. As his Arcane Blade wasn't active, he didn't even have a weapon. But he rushed towards the Demon Lord regardless.

"Zephyrus! Make a path for me!"

Zephyrus continued attacking relentlessly, trying his best to distract him from Alan. Alan had only a single spell in his reserves. And that single spell was going to decide everything.

"Your struggles are worthless! No matter how many times you hit my armor, you will not get anywhere!" the Demon Lord at Zephyrus.

Alan ran forward an chanted a single spell.

"Astral Blade!"

A blue magical sword appeared in his hand. It was the only spell he had enough mana for that could break through the Demon King's armor.

Alan thrust his blade forward, trying to pierce the Demon Lord's heart. The Demon Lord grabbed his blade with the right hand, trying to stop its momentum. He stopped the blade right as it pierced his chest.

Zephyrus rushed at him from the left side, swinging his sword downwards. The Demon Lord put his left hand in front of him, trying to deflect the blow. But when the blade collided with the armor, it cleanly slashed through, cutting the Demon Lord's hand off.

"What!?"

The Demon Lord exclaimed in shock. Without any special powers, no blade should have cleaved through his armor. And yet, in front of his eyes something akin to a miracle just happened.

But it wasn't a miracle—it was a result of tremendous efforts and Zephyrus's godlike swordsmanship. It was enabled by a single chip in the armor. That chip was made when Alan tied to struck at the Demon Lord's neck with the power of Strength only for the Demon Lord to block it and mock their efforts as worthless. It was the very first dent that they made to the Demon Lord's armor—a result of all of their combined efforts. And it was that exact dent that Zephyrus struck with his blade and cut off the Demon Lord's arm.

"PUUUUSSHHHH!" Zephyrus shouted at the top of his lungs.

Alan pushed forward with all of his strength. Simultaneously, Zephyrus swung his blade at the smallest of gaps around the Demon Lord's neck.

In that last moment, the Demon Lord looked at the Heroes. They were battered, exhausted and wounded. They broke multiple times along the way, and despair threatened to overwhelm them many times. They weren't perfect, and they constantly made wrong turns along the way. But despite all of that—or maybe precisely because of that, the Demon Lord thought one last thing.

Ah. So this is what it means to be a Hero... This reincarnation... wasn't so bad....

In that second, the Demon Lord's heart was pierced and his head was cut off.

Powerless, the hero candidates fell onto the hard stone floor. Their bodies screamed in pain, and it felt like their minds were submerged in a fog. Still, they lifted their heads and stared at the Demon Lord, trying to ensure that he was dead.

The Demon Lord's corpse lay flat on the ground. His head was rolling about half a meter away from the body. Then, a dark, dense fog left the Demon Lord's corpse.

In that moment, Zephyrus and Alan's bodies began shining. Magical glyphs manifested as they shined right through their clothes. And then pillars of light were unleashed from their chests and flew towards the dark fog. Then, they turned into a cylindrical barrier of light that surrounded the fog. After the cylindrical jail sealed the fog inside, transparent white chains appeared all around it.

That was when Zephyrus and Alan lost their consciousness.

***

Before their eyes, was a beautiful starry sky.

They only blacked out for a few minutes. Then, they woke up, lying on their back side by side: Elias, Alan, and Zephyrus. Luciella was probably the one who put them that way.

Zephyrus desperately tried to lift his head up but failed. Instead, only his gaze traveled to the side where Elias lay. Luciella stood over Elias applying healing holy arts on him over and over again.

"...Will... he live...?" he asked in a trembling voice.

"...Yes," Luciella replied, but there was no smile on her face. "I've done all I could and I think he will make it just barely."

"I see..." Zephyrus said as his gaze shifted back to the starry skies. He had a feeling he didn't have much time left. He could feel his life force constantly being drained.

"You are... you are such an idiot..."

This time it was Alan who spoke.

"I would have killed him for sure... Why did you have to... go ahead and slash him... as well...?"

"Ha!" Zephyrus sneered. "And what...? Risk us losing everything if you miss...? Besides... I've had enough of running away... I will not let you carry this burden alone... Don't worry, you brat... I'm actually two lifetimes of experiences ahead of you... You are the one... who should have stopped..."

"...Maybe..." Unexpectedly Alan agreed.  "...I wonder if I was a worthy successor... to Marcus's hope at the end..."

"Of course, you idiot." It wasn't Zephyrus but rather Luciella who replied. 

Seeing that, Zephyrus smiled.

"Still... This isn't too bad... the starry skies are so beautiful..."

Watching the starry skies, Zephyrus could find beauty in the future he believed in. And Alan was the same. 

And with that hope in mind, their consciousness faded away.