Chapter 61 - The MOONSLAYER

Luca sighed, his gaze fixed on the abomination in the distance. Its grotesque form rippled with corrupted mana, unfazed by the countless husks they had already slain.

The five of them—Luca, Aiden, Selena, Kyle, and Lilliane—were barely standing, chests heaving, clothes torn, mana low.

Aurelia stood alone before the beast, her spear spinning like a whirl of silver flame. She was holding it back. But just barely.

"This monster..." Luca thought, clenching his jaw.

This wasn’t supposed to appear until the end-of-year arc. A battle that required the combined strength of all the original main characters. The best of the best.

And we’re not there yet. Not even close.

He glanced at his team—wounded, exhausted.

Aiden’s stamina is flagging. Selena’s arm is injured. Kyle’s drained. Lilliane can barely stay standing.

We’d be nothing but a burden to her now.

His eyes fell back on Aurelia.

But even she can’t get away clean. She’ll have to give up something—a limb, maybe—to escape. Or worse...

He swallowed, frustration bubbling deep in his chest.

What should I do? I can’t let anything happen to the main characters. They’re central to everything. If one of them dies here, it’s all over...

His mind raced.

Then, cold resolve settled in his heart.

...Yeah. That’s the best course of action.

He turned toward the others, and started leaving with them.

He didn’t look back, not even once.

They reached the outer perimeter of the mountain—far enough from the chaos to be considered somewhat safe. The cold air hit them like a wave.

Luca staggered and collapsed to a knee, clutching his side. "Damn... my injuries are worse than I thought..." he breathed heavily, then looked up at the others. "We’re safe here for now. You guys need to go. Get help from the instructors or the guards stationed nearby. We need backup."

"No," Lilliane said instantly, stepping toward him. "We can’t leave you behind!"

"She’s right," Kyle agreed. "What if more show up?"

"I’ll just slow you all down!" Luca snapped, then softened his tone. "Look... I know this mountain. I was the one who located Lilliane in the first place, remember? I can hide here better than anyone. But you—you all can get help faster than I can. And that’s what we need right now. Reinforcements."

Aiden clenched his fist, clearly hating the decision, but Selena nodded, understanding his logic.

Luca’s voice grew urgent. "Go! This is time-sensitive! If we delay, she might—" He stopped himself. "Just go."

Reluctantly, they obeyed, fading into the trees.

Luca waited a beat—watching until their silhouettes vanished behind the foliage.

Then he stood, pulled out a recovery potion, popped the cork with his thumb, and downed it in one go. Mana and energy surged through his aching body.

He turned back toward the mountain.

"...I’m not letting her face that alone."

By the time he arrived, the cavern floor was splattered with fresh blood.

With a wild scream, the monster launched its strongest strike yet—

A black arc of corrupted mana cleaved the air toward Aurelia like a guillotine.

Her eyes widened.

She couldn’t dodge it in time.

SLASH—!!

The blow connected.

A scream tore from Aurelia’s lips as the jagged energy ripped through her side. Blood painted the stone beneath her. She collapsed to one knee, one hand pressing down to stop the bleeding, breath ragged.

The monster didn’t wait.

It lunged, claws raised, fangs bared, ready to end her—

"DIEEEEE—!!"

CLAAANG!!

Steel met claw in a brilliant clash of power. Sparks flew.

A shockwave blasted through the cavern, kicking up dirt and magic residue.

Aurelia blinked in surprise as a figure stood between her and the monster, saber raised high, aura blazing.

A voice, cold, sharp, and thunderously steady, rang out:

"Don’t even think of touching my fiancée."

***

Aurelia’s crimson spear spun in a blur, deflecting another sweeping claw aimed at her throat. She grit her teeth, her stance faltering slightly from the blood trailing down her side. Just as the beast lunged again, a flash of steel intercepted the blow.

CLAAANG!

Two sabers—one black, one white—met the monster’s claw in a blinding clash of force.

Aurelia’s eyes widened in shock. The figure standing protectively in front of her—

"Luca...?" she whispered, her voice a mix of disbelief and awe.

The twin sabers trembled in his grip, but he didn’t falter. "Don’t even think of touching my fiancée," he said coldly, aura flaring around him.

The grotesque monster let out a shrill, hideous laugh.

"JIJIJIEJIEEE! YOU CAME BACK?! YOU ARE THE BIGGEST FOOL I’VE EVER SEEN! NOW DIE TOGETHER, LOVEBIRDS!!"

With a snarl, it launched a barrage of slashes, its claws a blur.

Luca raised his sabers just in time, struggling under the relentless assault. Each strike sent shudders down his arms. He was holding, but barely.

Aurelia stepped in beside him, her spear glowing red-hot. With practiced ease, she skewered one of the beast’s limbs, forcing it back momentarily.

"Why did you come back?" she demanded between attacks, not sparing him a glance.

Luca ducked under a swipe and replied, "I couldn’t let anything happen to you because of me."

"You’ll only die," she growled, blocking a slash aimed at his neck.

Luca gave a tired grin, blade crossing hers as they parried side-by-side. "Then let’s die together."

Aurelia let out a breath—half laugh, half sigh. "Where are the others?"

"I sent them to get reinforcements. I made sure they’d be safe," he said, flipping backward to avoid a claw that gouged the earth.

"JIJIJIEJIJEE!! TOUCHING! TRULY TOUCHING! I’LL MAKE SURE YOUR CORPSES STAY TOGETHER TOO!" the monster cackled, charging again.

Aurelia’s spear clashed against its strike, sparks flying as she locked it in place. "We won’t last until they return, you know that right?" she muttered.

Luca clenched his jaw. "I know."

She kept the pressure up and asked quickly, "Can your technique work now?"

"Only if yours does too. Can you use your

Blazing Nova Thrust

?"

Aurelia gritted her teeth and shoved the monster back, creating space. "I can—but it won’t be enough."

Luca’s silence made her glance sideways at him. He looked troubled.

Then she said, her voice oddly gentle despite the chaos,

"...It won’t be so bad... to die with you. Under this moonlight. Let our names rest here for eternity."

Something inside Luca shifted.

Moonlight.

Eternity.

Time.

Space.

Aurelia’s words stirred something deeper in him.

His aura, normally wild and erratic, suddenly slowed. The chaotic threads began to align—falling into a rhythm that resonated with the gentle pulse of the moonlight filtering down through the broken cavern ceiling.

It wasn’t power. It was

clarity.

Just what kind of idiot I am , learning the technique with name moon and not even experiencing the moonlight ever Haha, with my time and space elements moonlight is equally important as it completes the technique.

Luca’s eyes widened in realization. "Aurelia!" he shouted, "Can you hold it off for a minute?!"

She didn’t question him. "If you’ve got a plan, make it fast."

"Once I give the signal, hit it with your strongest thrust."

"Got it."

Aurelia charged the beast again, her spear a whirl of blazing red, buying Luca the time he needed. He sank into a meditative stance, twin sabers crossed in front of him. Slowly, deliberately, he began circulating his aura using the newfound insight. Time. Space. Moonlight. It all merged—his perception expanded.

The sabers in his hand began to resonate. The white blade hummed like a whisper of wind, and the black one pulsed like the silence between seconds.

The monster screeched.

"JIJIJIJI! PLAYING WITH TOYS WHILE I RIP OUT HER HEART?! YOU REALLY ARE INSANE!!"

Luca’s eyes opened.

"I’m ready!" he shouted.

Aurelia disengaged, leapt backward, and spun once in mid-air.

Her spear ignited in a spiral of fire.

"

Blazing Nova Thrust!!

"

At the same moment, Luca charged forward, aura flaring wildly.

"

MOONSLAYER!!

"

The two attacks converged—fire and moonlight, passion and clarity.

"JIJIJIEJIEJIE!! YOU THINK THAT’S ENOUGH?! I AM DEATH! I AM CARNAGE! YOU ARE NOTHING!! I’LL ERASE YOUR VERY BONES!! JIIJAJIJIJIJI!!"

Dark energy surged from its limbs, a vortex of corruption spinning like a cyclone around it. It launched its strongest strike—dark claws extending, mouth gaping.

But it was too late.

The combined force cut straight through the monster, cleaving it from shoulder to hip.

Its screech gurgled into silence.

"JII—JIEE...? I—IMPOSSIBLE... THIS... THIS ISN’T—"

The monster’s carcass had barely disintegrated into ash when a sudden, low rumble echoed through the cavern.

CRACK—CRRRRKKKK—BOOOOM!

A jagged fissure split the ground where the final strike had landed, tearing across the battlefield like a scar carved by the gods. Walls of the underground cavern began to tremble violently—shards of glowing crystal dislodged from the ceiling, smashing into the rocky floor below.

From the point of impact, a wide swath of the earth had been scorched pitch-black, the very stone melted into glass. Smoke and steam hissed into the air, rising in spirals that choked out what little light remained. The monstrous aura that had long plagued the cave was finally gone—but in its place now lingered a hollow, terrifying silence.

And then... the mountain itself groaned.

High above, the ancient rock of the cliffside gave way, as if the strike had not only pierced the monster but

the mountain’s heart itself

. From a nearby opening at the top of the cave, a blinding shaft of moonlight broke through—its beam angled at the battlefield like a divine spotlight. It illuminated the crater where the enemy once stood, now nothing but rubble and ruin.

The mountain had been

scarred

.

Chunks of the upper ridge began to break loose, crashing down into the deeper canyon with thunderous force. Massive boulders fell like meteors, sending quakes through the earth. Entire pillars of stone split, some toppling into the abyss below, while others leaned dangerously inward, barely held together by frayed roots and magic-drained air.

Aurelia stood frozen for a heartbeat, watching the destructive beauty of it all—the result of their combined technique.

"...Did we really... do this?" she whispered.

But her awe was short-lived.

"Luca!"

She dropped to her knees beside him. His body was limp, twin sabers fallen beside his trembling hands. Blood dripped freely from his nose and ears, and his chest rose with ragged, uneven breaths.

As he said "W-we did it!" as he lost consciousness.