Ending Maker

Chapter 283: Reunion (2)

Changed ‘great turmoil’ to ‘Great Tribulation.’

Terms used in this episode:

4D – a Korean slang which means that someone is eccentric or hard to understand. This used as a compliment for people with a very strong individuality or unique personality. Since ordinary people are considered “3D”, a person who is very quirky and thinks outside the box is considered as “4D” or 4-dimensional.

There were eleven playable characters in Legend of Heroes 2.

Four in the S?len Kingdom, two in the wild lands, and five in the empire.

‘Jude, Cordelia, Lucas, Kajsa, and Red Wind.’

Four were from the S?len Kingdom and already close to each other, with Red Wind from the wild lands being added to the group.

However, the remaining playable characters numbered six.

They were the main character, Maximilian, and the sword genius, Leon Gadreel. There was Adelaide who had a 4D personality and was the most beautiful character in the Legend of Heroes series. There was also Keynes, the only elderly character in the game, Sarah who received the protection of the Drunk Dragon, and Kirara, a cat beastkin from the wild lands.

Jude’s plan was to gather all the playable characters to form a single party, so they would be meeting these people once they had entered the empire.

‘If I remove Keynes and Kirara, it will be four.’

There was a simple reason why he removed the two.

Because among the playable characters who were basically good-natured, the natures of these two were close to evil.

‘There is a difference between the two though.’

Keynes was a criminal who had experienced all sorts of hardships in this world, from pickpocketing to violent crimes such as robbery and murder, so he had a different mindset from ordinary people.

‘He just does whatever he wants to do.’

A character that was truly like an outlaw.

But that didn’t mean he was some kind of vicious psychopathic killer.

He was a criminal and committed crimes as natural as breathing, but he surprisingly had a lot of common sense. He also had some humanity in him.

Still, that did not make Keynes a good person.

One could say that he was like the main character often seen in mafia movies.

He often showed a friendly side to those around him, and kept his common sense to what was right, but was like a villain in the end.

‘As for Kirara… she’s a traitor.’

If Keynes was a proper villain, Kirara was a minor villain character.

She was a selfish and shrewd girl who easily betrayed people, but not a naturally bad person. Kirara was like a stray cat who changed her way of life depending on who she met and how she lived.

If Keynes was chaotic evil, then Kirara was chaotic good.

In any case, excluding these two, there were only four playable characters left, so Jude and Cordelia could not help but worry.

Because Red Moon Leisegang Raid was a card that they could only use once in the future.

‘If we release the seal this time, it will be difficult to seal him again.’

That was why they didn’t release the seal again after the first time.

If they could maintain the seal, they wouldn’t have wasted that opportunity and used him as a sandbag.

‘We only have one more chance to level up a lot.’

In fact, it was difficult to expect an explosive level-up from defeating Leisegang who had been weakened after being sealed for a long time because Jude and Cordelia had already leveled up a lot when they defeated Malekith.

But the other characters were different.

The concept of levels existed in Pleiades though it did not appear as openly as Jude and Cordelia, but it was indeed possible to increase one’s levels by gaining experience from fighting powerful enemies.

In other words, it was possible to increase the levels of the playable characters at once to strengthen their power.

‘Are we going to collect them all or are we going to do it only with the people we have now?’

The former seemed ideal at first glance, but it was actually not.

As the number of participants increased, the experience gained was also split.

Moreover, it was not known how long it would take them to collect all the playable characters.

‘We may not have a chance to catch them all.’

As for the reason why.

It was like a situation wherein you valued and saved a potion to use for the final battle, but it remained unused even after defeating the final boss.

‘You saved it but it became useless later.’

So one must use things when given the chance to use them.

It was better to increase the survival rate by leveling up a lot and using it when needed rather than uselessly saving it because one did not know what was ahead.

“Fuu, fuu. I’m a little nervous.”

Inside the carriage that was heading to the Belkain Mountains.

Lucas said with a flushed face. The closer the carriage got to the Belkain Mountains, the more his heart pounded.

[Isn’t he really excited?]

[Because it’s Lucas.]

Isn’t their current journey to defeat a Demon Prince something like the realization of the dreams of Lucas who’s a hero story enthusiast?

‘Because he was really restless after hearing the story of our battle against Malekith.’

Lucas appeared to have a fever because of his overexcitement when Kajsa told him about it.

If I had been there at that time.

Aaah, I should have been there too.

Why wasn’t I there?

Why didn’t they invite me too?

And so on.

It had already been more than three months since that event, so a lot of rumors about it had spread, but the story told by Kajsa, who personally participated in that battle, differed because of its realism and liveliness.

‘Well… The truth though is that Kajsa only watched the fight against Malekith.’

Still, she saw it with her own eyes.

‘After all, it was a truly spectacular sight.’

The battle against Malekith itself did not last long. But no one could deny how spectacular and grand it was.

A golem over a hundred meters tall fought head-on against a giant dragon.

The Trailblazer Sword that directly slashed the Dragon Breath and split the earth as it struck down.

It was natural for Lucas to be overwhelmed from excitement.

“Oh my, why are you so tense? You look like you’re about to die from excitement. It’s like you’re just going on a picnic, huh?”

Kajsa spoke as she snickered, and Lucas turned redder as he did not deny it. Because he was really excited.

“Lucas, it’s good to be honest at times like this.”

“Excuse me?”

“Come on, repeat after me.”

I’m excited, I’m excited, ahem, ahem, I’m excited.

When Cordelia shrugged and spoke those words, Lucas was even more embarrassed, but reluctantly opened his mouth.

“I-I’m excited.”

“Yes, yes, that’s it. I’m excited. I’m excited. Ahem, ahem.”

“I’m excited.”

Cordelia urged him again, so Lucas also shrugged and responded with an awkward expression, prompting Kajsa to grab her stomach and begin laughing out loud.

“Cute! You’re so cute! I’ve never seen a boy this cute before.”

She was only teasing him, but Lucas started to blush on not only his face but also his whole body. Naturally, Kajsa laughed even more when she saw that.

“Hmph, how silly. A man must have firm and reliable presence. Just like my Sun Song-oppa.”

When Red Wind snorted, Lucas groaned and was troubled while Sun Song had a pleased smile.

[It really feels like we’re going on a picnic.]

[Yeah.]

After a brief exchange of magic with Cordelia, Jude looked out the window.

He smiled when he saw the scenery that was almost identical to the one he had seen a year and a few months ago.

It reminded him of the past.

His first date with Cordelia after they recalled their past life memories.

Back then, both of them insisted that it was a quest and not a date.

Even now when he closed his eyes, he could vividly remember the Cordelia of that day.

She wore a wide-brimmed white hat and had a very awkward expression.

[Why? Why are you suddenly laughing?]

Jude lightly pinched Cordelia’s cheek instead of answering, and she pouted her lips, letting him play with her cheek rather than getting angry or slapping his hand away.

Soft and squishy.

Jude wanted to continue playing with Cordelia’s cheek, but slightly coughed as he noticed the gaze around him before he released his hand.

“Ahem, ahem. Anyway, we’re almost there now.”

Their decisive battle against the Demon of the Red Moon, Leisegang.

Lucas’ eyes lit up at Jude’s words, and the rest of the party nodded with faces as if the reality still hadn’t hit them.

Because there was a huge difference between the current atmosphere and defeating a Demon Prince.

Red Moon Leisegang.

Blood Demon. Vampire Lord.

Just like how Malekith’s notoriety was known in the south, Leisegang’s notoriety was passed down in the north’s legends and myths.

Those who directly died to him numbered in the tens of thousands, and three countries were destroyed by his undead legion.

If Solari’s champion, Gallus, had not sacrificed his life to stop Leisegang, the northern region itself might have been destroyed.

“H-he’s not like Malekith, right? He’s currently sealed.”

Kajsa deliberately spoke in a cheerful manner, but her eyes looked tense.

She also seemed to be nervous.

So Jude reassured everyone again.

“We definitely have a way to defeat him, so don’t worry. Moreover… we’re well-prepared for any problems that may arise.”

“Yes, yes, so don’t worry.”

Cordelia spoke with a wide smile, and everyone forced themselves to smile.

And after thirty minutes passed.

The carriage finally reached the hill, its destination.

***

Beyond the flower fields in full bloom.

Cordelia glanced down the cliff and turned to Jude, spreading out her arms as she waited for him.

“Carry me.”

“Oh, it’s different this time?”

“Because you promised.”

A promise that he would carry her once his Gueumjulmaek was cured.

“Hehe, good.”

When Cordelia hugged his neck, Jude immediately carried her in the so-called princess carry.

A situation that was quite opposite to one year and a few months ago.

“Your father will be satisfied now.”

Because I’m the one who’s carrying you and not you carrying me.

Cordelia buried her head in Jude’s chest instead of replying, and Jude grinned before jumping down the cliff.

“Sun Song-oppa, me too.”

“Shall we?”

Sun Song brightly smiled and carried Red Wind before he jumped down.

Thus, only two were left.

Lucas and Kajsa unconsciously looked at each other, but soon shook their hands as they awkwardly smiled.

“Shall we go down separately?”

“Y-yes.”

They weren’t swept away by the atmosphere.

So Lucas and Kajsa climbed down the cliff for twenty minutes.

Jude ran through the path that had taken him a long time when he first came here, and led everyone to the cave.

“We’re here.”

Cordelia hugged Jude’s arm as he took the lead.

Because she was deeply moved when she recalled the past.

‘My Jude has grown so much. He’s firm now.’

He used to be really small and weak.

He was shorter than Cordelia, and his wrists were so thin that if you gripped it a little tightly, it would snap and break.

But not now.

‘He’s grown a lot, his forearms are thick, and his chest is firm.’

She could clearly feel it when she tightly hugged his arm like this. It felt like she was hugging a tree.

‘And…’

He was cute when he pretended to not be nervous from feeling his arm touching her breasts.

“Hehe, hehehe.”

Kajsa coldly stared at them at the sound of her laughter rather than finding it cute, but Cordelia continued to giggle and hug Jude’s arm a bit tighter, regardless of whether she knew of Kajsa’s reaction or not.

And ten minutes passed.

After finally reaching the seal area, Jude let the party rest and began to seriously draw Bellastin’s magic circle.

“Everyone, let’s check our equipment while Jude works on the magic circle.”

Everyone nodded brightly at Cordelia’s suggestion. Because they were all equipped with new items for this battle.

Kajsa held Grand Order.

Cordelia originally used it, but because Grand Order’s form was a huge weapon, it was more suited for Kajsa who had superhuman strength.

Obviously, Cordelia didn’t just give it up.

Because Kajsa brought Ultimate Four – The Explosive Sword, Magic Blaster when she attended the wedding.

She had taken it according to the information Jude had left before leaving the south, and it was certainly a weapon Cordelia could use as her graduation item.

‘Because it has a magic amplification effect.’

To be exact, it had the special function to turn any magic into a powerful explosion, so it was a weapon that seriously suited Cordelia who was a bomber and a wizard.

“Lucas, how’s Ascalon?”

“It’s good. It certainly deserves to be called an ultimate sword.”

Lucas inspected Ascalon with a flushed face.

The sword was originally kept by the Ophand family, but it was too precious a sword to just stay there not being used.

Thus, Jude instructed Kajsa to secretly take and swap it with a fake and bring it here.

“Cordelia-unnie. Me too. I think this equipment is really good.”

“Yes, yes, because it’s ancient dragon equipment.”

Red Wind and Sun Song were fully equipped with dragon equipment made from Mount Damos.

And in fact, Lucas and Kajsa was also wearing dragon equipment, with only their weapons being from the Ultimate series.

‘They’re all matching.’

Everyone was wearing black dragon equipment, so there was a sense of unity as though they were wearing uniforms.

‘What should I do… My heart’s getting excited.’

They had gathered the playable characters and armed them with dragon equipment made from an Ancient Dragon.

Just looking at them made her heart pound fast.

“I’m done.”

And upon hearing Jude’s declaration, Cordelia turned around and held Magic Blaster.

“Are you going to summon him right now?”

“Of course.”

Because nothing good would come out if they delayed it any further.

Jude nodded and gestured with his eyes, and everyone went to their predetermined positions before Jude spoke to Cordelia one last time.

“I need your help again this time.”

They needed mana in order to activate Bellastin’s magic circle.

Cordelia lightly wounded her finger and dropped her holy blood into the magic circle.

And right after that.

The whole cave began to shake.

The magic circle shone as the same thing that happened in the past was recreated.

A gigantic red being appeared through the space.

A being whose limbs were chained and sealed, but whose presence alone created an intense feeling of pressure.

Sun Song and Red Wind let out rough breaths.

Kajsa unknowingly thought of Malekith, and Lucas recited a verse from ‘Biltwein the Hero’ in his mind.

As for Jude and Cordelia.

The two stood next to each other as they faced Red Moon Leisegang.

“The seal has definitely weakened.”

“He’ll be freed when Bellastin’s magic circle disappears.”

Cordelia’s intuition felt it, and Jude was certain of his calculation results.

And a few seconds later.

Red Moon Leisegang slowly opened his eyes. He roared as his red eyes shined.

[KUOOOOOOOOOO-!]

It was not just a wake-up sound, but a cry filled with intense anger.

[You bugs have come to me again!]

Leisegang did not forget Jude and Cordelia. He had clearly etched the two in his mind.

A Demon Prince’s wrath.

The whole seal shook. If it wasn’t for Bellastin’s magic circle, his powerful mental attack would have swept the entire party.

[It’s weakened. The seal has weakened.]

Leisegang instinctively felt it. The huge chains creaked and shook as he wriggled the muscles of his entire body and applied force to his limbs.

[You stupid bugs. You brought calamity to yourselves. You opened the door to death.]

More time was still needed to break the seal.

And during that time, Leisegang was still helpless.

However, Leisegang didn’t care at all about the time he would be helpless.

Compared to him, the bugs in front of him were nothing but trash.

In fact, those two couldn’t even slightly damage him when they faced him before.

So he would break the seal.

And finally return to the world.

After killing the humans in front of him, he would destroy that blasted Solari denomination and open a Hell Gate to invite his own army.

He would sweep and take over this world by fire.

Humans would die screaming and crying.

[I’ll make you kill each other.]

He would kill children and feed it to their parents, and make lovers kill each other.

He would make them pay the price for his humiliation and suffering for hundreds of years.

[Kekekekekekeke…KUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

Leisegang bellowed with laughter in his extreme delight.

And Cordelia silently stared at him before saying.

“No, you can’t.”

You assh*le won’t be breaking that seal and leaving.

Today’s going to be your death anniversary, okay?

Cordelia cheerfully smiled and raised her middle finger, and Leisegang snorted instead of being angry.

He burst into laughter at the reckless bravado of the foolish scum.

[You scum. Even if my limbs are sealed, you won’t be able to harm-]

It was then.

Cordelia also raised the middle finger of her left hand as she spread out her angel wings and revealed her angelic halo over her head.

An angel.

She was no longer a ninth or seventh rank angel, but a fifth rank powerful angel now.

The power of a holy angel was added to Bellastin’s magic circle.

Leisegang was startled at the sudden strengthening of the seal, and soon widened his eyes again. He couldn’t help it.

“Let’s go, Phoenix.”

An immortal bird flew over the head of Red Wind. It emitted a tremendous amount of mana, and Sun Song smiled as he gripped the dragon equipment weapon.

Kajsa activated Grand Order. Lucas added the power of the Sage King’s Cross Sword to Ascalon.

And one more person.

A man stood in front of Leisegang.

[Show them, my successor.]

Valencia said.

Jude responded by releasing the power of Ultimate One – Sword Origin.

And Jude’s limbs were transformed in that moment.

A pitch-black sword.

One couldn’t help but think of that when they saw it.

A green aura rose from the black sword. At the same time when Leisegang instinctively felt a sense of crisis at the power of Sword Origin, Jude opened the power of Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.

The peak of the sixth door.

The power of the Black Sun was let out as a result!

Leisegang’s power was pushed back in an instant.

The energy of Jude filled the seal area as it made Leisegang tremble.

[W-wait. WAIT!]

Leisegang unconsciously shouted, but Jude had no intention of listening to him.

Ten minutes.

The time when Leisegang would be unable to resist and could only be beaten.

“Hehe, hehehehe.”

Cordelia had a big smile as she held Moonlight on one hand and Magic Blaster on the other, while Jude stepped forward.

It was now time for an exciting beating.