The Last-Seat Hero Has Returned

84. The Moon Swallowed by the Sun (6)

“Wait, just a moment!”

Rozanna urgently blocked my path.

Her eyes, a mix of confusion and fury, bore into me as she spoke.

“What… what are you?”

“I already introduced myself yesterday, didn’t I? Has age dulled your memory, auntie?”

“You little…!”

Rozanna’s expression twisted into a fierce scowl.

“How on earth did you breach the Sun Gate?”

“How did I breach it? I heard everything from right here, didn’t I?”

I chuckled softly, glancing at her Hero Watch, its power still on.

“I just smashed my way through.”

There was no time to concoct cunning schemes or devise intricate plans.

The moment I learned that Yuren… no, Yurina’s mark had been forcibly altered by someone, I dashed straight to the Helios family and shattered the front gate without a second thought.

‘It would be a lie to say I had no worries at all.’

If there was one thing that held me back, it was the notion of ‘changing the future.’

‘In my past life, the Yurina I knew bore the mark of the Sun God.’

But if I intervened here and prevented her mark from changing, she would live on with the mark of the Moon God instead.

If that were to happen…

‘I might never reach the same level as Yurina did before.’

Of course, the mark doesn’t directly influence one’s level.

Just as I, bearing the mark of the Forest God, briefly reached the ‘Apex’ of the Sun Sword, her possessing the mark of the Moon God wouldn’t necessarily prevent her from attaining the same heights as before.

‘No one can predict how the future will shift.’

If I remain idle, Yurina could become humanity’s strongest swordswoman.

What I am about to do could very well be akin to tearing up a lottery ticket that’s already guaranteed to win.

As I stepped into the basement, deliberately pushing aside the hesitation that clung to me like a shadow,

I realized it instantly.

“De… il?”

Such worries were utterly useless.

“Uh, how…?”

A voice trembled, wavering like a leaf in the wind.

Breath came in quick gasps, and her trembling eyes locked onto mine.

Like a lost child finding her parents, there was an undeniable joy shimmering in her gaze.

“……”

I had learned much from Yuren.

How to wield a sword, how to lead a party, how to summon courage to face fear.

And yet, I had been mistaken.

I had thought Yuren was always that kind of person.

One who felt no fear, who considered no hardship.

Like the brilliant sun, high in the sky.

A person who shone brightly from the moment of their birth.

I had thought so recklessly.

I had not considered what life Yurina had lived, what dreams she had held,

being swallowed by the sun that is Yuren.

“I’ve endured well until now.”

The words she had longed to hear,

words that had never been spoken before,

now rested on my lips.

“You don’t have to shine anymore.”

What does it matter if the future changes?

What’s the problem if she cannot become the strongest swordswoman of humanity?

Yurina had received far too much until now.

She had only ever taken.

If she cannot become the sun, then I will become it.

If she cannot be the strongest swordswoman of humanity, then I will be the strongest swordswoman of humanity.

If the burden she must carry is too heavy, then I shall share the weight.

The day I returned through time.

Hadn’t I resolved to live like this?

“Ah….”

Yurina’s eyes widened in shock.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, pooling at her chin before they fell.

“Ah, ugh.”

As if expelling the emotions she had long suppressed, Yurina wrapped her arms around herself and wept uncontrollably.

Just as I tried to approach her in that moment.

“This mongrel of a republic dares…!”

Rozanna’s face twisted into a fierce snarl.

She drew a sword from the corner of the basement, its blade glinting ominously.

Golden magic swirled around Rozanna, raging fiercely within the confines of the cellar.

“Who dares to speak such nonsense?!”

With the sword gripped tightly, Rozanna slammed it against the floor with a violent force.

She approached with a speed that made her dress seem utterly out of place.

Solar Sword, Form VI, Variant: White Light – Extreme.

A technique that had earned her the moniker “Flash” during her days as a seasonal hero.

It was a skill that concentrated the light of White Light into a single point and shot it forth like a spear, demanding an extreme level of magical control.

“Haap!”

A golden flash shot forth.

I smirked as I watched the terrifyingly fast golden light approach.

Yes.

Certainly, ‘White Light – Extreme’ is a high-level technique requiring precise magical control.

But, ‘As for precise magical control, even in my past life, Yurena never managed to surpass me, you old hag.’

I thrust my sword toward the oncoming flash.

Solar Sword, Form VI, Variant: White Light – Extreme.

The technique she had devoted her life to honing and perfecting unfolded through my blade.

If there were two differences, one was that the aura shot from my sword was not a brilliant golden hue, but a dull, ashen gray.

The other was.

Kaaah!

The ‘White Light – Extreme’ I unleashed was of a far higher caliber than the technique she had displayed.

“Kyah!”

Clang!

With a shrill scream, the sword in Rozanna’s hand shattered into pieces, utterly destroyed.

Rozanna stood there, clutching the hilt that remained, her mouth agape in shock.

“Wh-what…?”

It wasn’t the fact that I had used the ‘Sun Sword’ that startled her.

My Sun Sword had transformed so much that it could be considered a different martial art altogether, despite sharing a name with that of the Helios family.

The reason she was so taken aback was that her lifelong honed technique had been effortlessly thwarted, as if it were nothing.

And it was her most confident attack—the ‘concentrated thrust of magical power.’

“You… what kind of sorcery did you use?!”

How do you think it feels for a rookie candidate, without even a formal hero certification, to have their lifelong mastery so ruthlessly shattered?

Unable to accept the reality before her, Rozanna threw aside the hilt and lunged at me.

“Good grief.”

I clicked my tongue, looking at Rozanna.

From noble mtl dot com

“You’re just as ugly to the end, aren’t you?”

Grabbing her by the collar as she charged, I lifted her with all my strength.

Barreld’s martial arts.

Heavenly flip.

Kuuung!

Rozanna’s body spun in the air before crashing down onto her back.

“Ugh!”

Spitting out a groan, Rozanna’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted right there.

Leaving the unconscious Rozanna behind, I turned my body toward the operating table.

“Haah. This is quite the mess we’ve gotten into.”

Next to the table stood a young man with white hair and golden monocle, shaking his head with a sigh.

‘Is that the one who changed the stigma of Yurina in his past life?’

I rifled through my memories of the past life, but that was a face I had never seen before.

‘Well, I guess I’ll find out who he is once I give him a good beating.’

Before releasing Yurina, I turned my body toward the true instigator of this incident.

“It can’t be helped. The plan must change a bit.”

Snap.

As the white-haired youth snapped his fingers, the intricate patterns of the magic circle etched throughout the basement began to writhe as if they were alive, coiling together in one spot.

Grrrrrrr!

The magic circle converged, unleashing a terrifying wave of magical energy that swept through the surroundings.

“Ugh…!”

As I squinted against the onslaught of magical energy, the air split apart, revealing a dark fissure.

“Ah, ugh. Ah.”

From the crack in the air emerged a figure clad in black armor, stepping forth with an ominous presence.

But could I truly call that a ‘being’?

The flesh glimpsed between the armor was rotting and decayed, and the eyes peering from beneath the helmet glimmered with a chilling, unnatural blue light that could hardly be thought of as human.

“That’s….”

It certainly didn’t appear so.

‘A human.’

One blessed by the gods, an awakened hero bearing the marks of divinity.

Only after witnessing the figure in black armor did I begin to grasp the identity of that white-haired youth.

‘A demon that corrupts heroes and turns them into puppets.’

The Archbishop of Corruption, Mephisto.

He was a demon who had suddenly vanished without a trace, just as the seal of the Demon God weakened and the war with the six archbishops escalated.

‘I’ve only heard the name; this is the first time seeing him in person.’

Little was known about Mephisto beyond the fact that he corrupted heroes and manipulated them like puppets, which is why I failed to recognize him immediately.

“Well then, I suppose we shall meet again.”

With those words, Mephisto leaped into the black fissure before I could even react.

“…Damn it.”

Having lost sight of Mephisto right before my eyes, I clicked my tongue and gripped my sword tightly.

If it were up to me, I would have thrown myself into that black fissure after him, but I couldn’t leave Yurina behind.

I aimed my sword at the figure clad in black armor.

“Ah, ugh, aaah!!”

The creature in black armor let out a grotesque howl as it swung its massive sword.

Kakang!

As I blocked the great sword, a dizzying recoil surged through my arm.

‘Strong.’

In terms of pure strength, it was a force that rivaled Professor Lucas.

‘They’ve turned such a hero into a puppet, huh.’

I furrowed my brow and reached out my fist toward the creature in black armor.

Berald’s martial arts.

Mountain Crusher.

Kwaaang!

“uuurgh!”

With a rough explosion, the creature in black armor was flung backward, crashing into the wall.

“Ah, ugh.”

Despite the tremendous impact that could have crumbled the wall, the creature staggered back to its feet as if it felt no pain at all.

“Tsk.”

I thought to myself that this battle would not be easy, and just as I was about to use ‘Ignite’—

“Deil.”

Yurina, bound by the magic circle, approached me.

“I’ll fight.”

“…Yurina?”

As she drew closer, Yurina held my hand with a look of relief on her face.

“Thank you, Deil.”

She pulled my hand and placed it against her chest.

“For being my friend.”

“For praising me for doing well.”

“For coming all this way to save me.”

“For telling me… that I don’t have to shine anymore.”

In her gaze, which quietly held mine, there was no longer any trace of fear.

“That talk can wait…”

Yurina tugged at my arm, resting her head lightly against my chest.

The gentle sway of silver hair.

A soft touch, accompanied by a fragrant scent that tickled my nose.

“Now, you are my sun.”

She said this with a bright smile.

“Just a moment, I’ll borrow your sword?”

Yurina took my sword and walked toward the creature clad in black armor.