An island where rain is pouring violently as if there was a hole in the sky full of dark clouds.
A man was walking in the rain. He walked slowly enough to look around as if he didn’t mind the rain.
‘… Is this really what humans did?’
The witch’s feat was in the man’s head as a fragmentary memory, but it felt different from seeing it in reality.
The island the man walks on was originally an island boasting a beautiful view enough to be counted as one of the best resorts, but now there are just hundreds of… No, it was turned over as if thousands of bombs had exploded.
The palm trees where people hid from the scorching sun had long since been uprooted and washed away into the sea, and the houses, which were unified in white, giving a cool impression, collapsed and turned into sand.
What was left on such a lifeless island were the corpses of various dead dragons.
Some corpses had been burned to death, their whole bodies were charred, and some had been crushed to death by heavy objects, and oozing water was oozing out.
Seeing the torn wings of the closest red dragon, the man ate his mouth and moved again.
The dragon’s corpses were connected in a certain direction. As if guided by a dragon, the man walked along the path made of the corpse.
After walking for a long time and passing 20 corpses, the man’s steps stopped.
In front of the stopped man, there was a deep and wide pit as if the mountain had been driven upside down.
In the huge pit, the dragon’s corpses were scattered as if they had been ripped by a giant’s hand, and a dark-haired girl was lying face down in the center.
As if sleeping, the girl was lying in the rain with her face buried in the ground.
As if to get up, the rain kept pounding on the girl, but she didn’t move as if she was dead.
The man saw the girl’s back going up and down in the harsh rain with excellent eyesight.
The man who spotted the girl nodded slightly, then slowly headed towards the pit. The man who arrived in front of the pit soon knelt down and slid down.
The man’s knee was torn by the shattered stones and blood flowed, but the emotion on the man’s face was joy. The man approached the girl cautiously, as if worshiping him.
“iced coffee… .”
Soon, the man who arrived within reach of his voice made a dry voice. What was contained in that voice was vague, like joy or sorrow.
“… what.”
The girl who had her face buried in the ground looked up at the man with only her face lifted. The gun that had originally filled the girl’s dark eyes had disappeared, and heavy fatigue filled its place.
“… You stupid witch.”
The man pursed his lips, swallowing the previous words.
The girl who made eye contact with the man saw the traces of herself contained in the man. The mana arrangement was clearly his trace, but it was strange because he was higher than himself.
“ah.”
Although her mana was high, the girl’s face, who had frowned for a moment, opened up in the strange situation. The girl’s clear brain grasped the situation in an instant and came up with the most rational analysis.
“… It was the third time.”
As if agreeing with the girl’s words, the man gave a small admiration and slammed his head deep into the ground.
The girl, as if her interest was exhausted, turned her head away from the man and got up slowly. It creaked as if it were broken, but the girl didn’t seem to care.
The girl’s ankle, which had been bent at a strange angle, slowly returned to its original position.
At last, the girl woke up, and the man saw the dark fatigue deep beneath the girl’s beautiful eyes.
The man quickly scanned the records in his head, and soon realized the girl’s problem.
‘I can’t sleep,’
Every night, the girl vomited blood from her arms and couldn’t sleep, remembering all of her, him, who was dying. she did too
“… It was too short.”
The girl, who was crawling upright, looked up at the sky and muttered a little. What was contained in that small voice was regret for the fleeting moment.
Even though thick rainwater would seep into her eyes, the girl did not blink and just stared at the cracking sky.
The man remembered why he had come to her.
“The end has come again.”
“I do not care. I can kill you again.”
The man laughed bitterly at the girl’s answer without hesitation. Maybe it was her.
“… This time he has to do it, not you.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the girl’s gaze returned to the man’s voice.
“No, I do. anything i can do Aiden has no worries. You don’t have to do anything. All because I can do it. Yes, I will protect Aiden.”
“… He must.”
In the sudden heavy air, the man swallowed dry saliva and forced his words out.
The girl’s sunken dark eyes staring at the man seemed to peer into the deepest depths, as if trying to grasp the intention.
After a moment of silence, the girl let out a small voice. Perhaps he realized what he meant in the previous episode.
Why does he have to decorate the end, what she wants from him… . Without any explanation, the girl would have reasoned perfectly.
“Is that her will? Stupid and selfish.”
Even if the episodes were different, the man hesitated for a moment as to how to react to the girl who called himself stupid.
“Stupid garbage. I am different from such selfish garbage. Because I received a lot of love from Aiden. I’m not going to put that weight on Aiden just out of selfishness.”
… ‘Cause I can do it all
The little girl muttered and waved her hand lightly. Then, the girl’s robe, which had been soaked in water, became soft as if it had ever been, and the rain that fell did not reach her and bounced off to the side, but the fatigue that had settled under her eyes remained the same.
“… Yes, I can do it all.”
The girl, who muttered a little as if she was making a promise, waved her hand as she looked at the clear eyes that appeared in the sky.
Then the man and the girl disappeared like a lie at the same time, and the island became quiet again.
like a grave.
***
One day, seeing the black eyes that suddenly appeared through the sky, everyone instinctively thought of the ‘end’.
Among those on the continent, there was no one who could avoid the gaze of those eyes.
Reactions to the coming apocalypse were different.
Some simply robbed the rich man’s barns to satisfy their present hunger.
Some even held hands with their lover and locked themselves in the house.
Some even gave up everything and hanged themselves first. This has skyrocketed as rumors spread that if you die after the end, you will not be able to go to heaven.
But, as always, there were those who did not give up. As the saying goes that strength and mental power are not proportional, some of them were strong and some were weak.
They headed for the ‘Empire’, the largest axis of the continent, even though no one called them in front of the crisis they were facing.
The sun did not rise anymore, but to the empire that was called the sun of the continent.
Regardless of their strength, they moved forward with a single will to overcome the crisis.
In front of the fountain of the Empire where so many people had gathered, a large man like a bear was blankly staring at the paper in front of him.
The man rubbed his eyes and read the words on the paper again several times.
“Hey- why are you blanking out! If you go late, you will be cheered!”
A man with two swords on his back patted the man on the back.
“iced coffee… Calt. Okay.”
Then the big bear-like man nodded his big eyes.
“Anyway, as slow as a bear… What were you watching?”
“that is… It’s because I can see a name I know.”
At the question of a person called Caltra, the man pointed his big finger at the large paper in front of him.
“Ah, that’s a departure ceremony. But there’s a name you know?”
At the question in Kalt’s eyes, the man smiled bitterly.
He knew very well that there was no way that a low-ranking warrior he knew would be on the campaign list.
‘… No.’
The man smiled bitterly as he painstakingly put the old memories pulled out of the familiar three letters.
“It’s just like a friend’s name. They seem to have the same name.”
“Heh heh- of course! Could it be that there is someone we know who is a low-level warrior! Stop bewildered and come quickly! Because it’s late! If you get cheered up as a group like last time, you can’t shield me this time.”
“Yes, let’s go!”
The man followed Kalt. Heavily armed people like men were moving in a certain direction, so I was able to get to my destination without thinking much about it.
The man moved blankly, as if swept away by the water, and recalled the old relationship.
Soon after, the man arrived at the gathering place of the soldiers with tight flags.
The assembled soldiers looked ahead with a stiff face and were touching their weapons. The smell of iron and sweat filling the space made my impressions frown.
“there! Are you here to play?! Shut your mouth!”
“run! run! run! What? walk?”
“Wrong!”
“Wake up!”
Shouts from all over the place and voices supported by evil kept making the atmosphere even heavier.
‘… It’s similar to the Hero Academy, but different.’
The coercive atmosphere was similar at first glance, but the air weighing on his shoulders was heavier. Unlike the academy, these people risked their lives to gather.
“Damn it, it’s raining, and it’s a bad hobby to collect and go out.”
“very… Motherf*cker.”
Kalt whispered to the man next to him. At that, the man smiled a little and put inappropriate profanity in his mouth.
“… Did you know you could curse like that? Surprising.”
Kalt’s eyes widened at the man’s harsh swearing and asked.
“I learned it from a friend.”
“… quiet!! Start!”
The man shut his mouth at the shouting from the front.
Soon, someone walked up to the platform in front of the square. Rich blonde hair, small stature, and bursting breasts. Now, the face of a full-fledged lady.
‘… Kate?’
Despite her small size, the woman came out in front of thousands of people and stood proudly on the podium alone. The person who was assisting next to the woman was more nervous, and her face was hardened.
Standing alone on the podium and looking at the crowd with a gloomy gaze, the gaze made the viewer withdrawn.
It’s like watching a general full of time… .
“The troops are ready!!!”
Hearing a shout from the front, the man hastily straightened his posture.
“Salute to the Minister of Unified Command!!”
“”continent!””
As if the mouths of the cheering soldiers were united, loud shouts filled the square.
‘… Minister?’
As he saluted, the man admired the woman’s status. Even though she was an imperial princess, to rise to the rank of minister of the Continental Union at such a young age, it seemed that her own ability was great.
“… Take a break.”
Although the square received a big salute that shook, the woman waved her hands while speaking calmly without changing her expression.
“Team rest!!!”
The soldiers turned their backs all at once as if they were one body at a time.
In the silence, the woman slowly opened her mouth.
“nice to meet. This is the Commander-in-Chief of the Unified Command, Claire Ariane Behen de Éponine.”
Seeing the soldiers who were silent and focused, the woman continued.
“You can be proud of just being here. Because most of them just give up and cry while talking about the end of things.”
‘… You really look like a different person.’
The man marveled at the relationship of the past as he quietly continued his conversation.
“… I don’t know what kind of threat those peeping eyes might be, but you and I know that it will be a threat as never before. It may not be as dangerous as expected.”
The blue eyes of the woman, reminiscent of the clear sky before the sun disappeared, shone.
“However, I trust my intuition and the analysis of the leadership. We think that those pupils will come as a distinct threat to us in the not-too-distant future. So, we… what?”
A woman with dark hair patted the back of the woman who was speaking calmly.
‘… Hyejin?’
His face also resembled a person the man had known in the past. In the characters of the past that keep appearing, the man thought of his close friend.
‘perhaps… ?’
Even when he heard the name of a close friend through rumors, he dismissed him as someone with the same name and kept looking for his best friend.
“… No, even if she wants what else… okay. Whoo- yes, it’s good for morale. oh yeah Why did the child suddenly have a taste for speech… .”
Soon, the woman sighed and waved her hand, and the dark-haired woman bowed her head and stepped back.
“… There is a person to introduce in front of you who have gathered with the will to save the continent. You all know it, so I don’t need a detailed explanation.”
The woman with a frown looked back and spoke again.
“… Hero Aiden.”
The words that came out of the woman’s mouth ignited the hearts of everyone gathered here.
Now that the sun is gone, the one called the sun of the continent.
The one who cut off the dragon’s head with his own strength.
The one who ended the demon lord who had been a threat to mankind for a long time.
A name that comes out naturally from everyone’s mouth even if you say just two letters of the word hero.
““Wow! The hope of mankind!!”
The audience cheered as the tall hero appeared behind the woman.
The hero slowly ascended to the stage with a steadfast gait, waving his cloak shining as if made of light.
The audience was overwhelmed by such a hero’s momentum and shed admiration.
The woman and the hero who whispered something came up on the podium. The woman didn’t like something, so she looked down at the hero and went down from the platform.
The hero standing on the podium exudes an overwhelming force that crushes everyone, and slowly scans the crowd with his bright red eyes as famous as his name.
A small hope burned in the hearts of the audience who saw such a hero.
The hero who looked at the crowd smiled contentedly and opened his mouth slowly.
The audience forgot to breathe and waited for the words to come out of the hero’s mouth.
Everyone focused on what the most famous and honorable hero on the continent would say to them, with their eyes shining.
This may be a moment that will be recorded in history.
Taking in a small breath, the hero nodded and raised his voice.
“… Let’s go break that Abby’s bursting eyes!!”
Some were startled by the harsh words that came out of the hero’s mouth and forgot to shut their mouths and drooled.
And a man as big as a bear-
“ah… .”
Tears were shed when he saw the growth of the close friend he was most worried about.
Inconsistent with his large size, the man seemed to cry a lot, and he clapped with all his might toward the hero.
Unlike himself, who moved from the bottom to the bottom, the close friend climbed high enough to reach, and was shining brightly, and there was only one thing he could do for such a close friend.
The man clapped until his hands began to bleed.
“what… you! Why are you crying?! Anyone know?”
When Kalt saw his colleague cry for the first time, he panicked and patted the man on the back.
The corner of the man’s lips rose after pondering the question for a moment.
“… no i don’t know The figure of the hero is too tall. really… .”
As a low-level warrior, his friendship with himself would not be of any benefit to him.
“But why are you crying! wipe your tears quickly If you show your weakness, your life in the future will be difficult!”
At Kalt’s words, the man wiped away his tears and opened his eyes to remember the proud friend.
“This is so… The power of the bear Kayle cried like this! Everyone will laugh at you.”
“Let’s burst the eerie Kannon eyes that are spying from above! Just like the mother and father of the eyes!!”
Contrary to how he had grown so much that he didn’t know, Kayle grabbed her stomach and laughed out loud at the still harsh swear words of her close friend.
The close friend I met after a long time was relieved to know that he was shining brightly enough that he was worried, but the inside was the same.