When we had just entered the busy district, a tremendous roar shook the earth.

KUGWAGWANG.

Without anyone saying a word, we all turned our heads toward the direction of the sound.

We all dropped our jaws at the same time.

“The castle is collapsing?”

Just as Neril said, the castle was falling apart.

It was such an unreal scene that it felt more surreal than shocking.

Cries of horror from the territory’s citizens rang out from all directions.

“Huh? What the heck is that?” Googlᴇ search novᴇlfire.net

“The castle…”

“Is this really the end of Raynus territory? Is this also that necromancer’s doing?”

“Wait. Look over there!”

The last person pointed a finger at the sky.

Following the direction of the finger, I raised my head.

Like a bird soaring through the sky, someone was floating effortlessly in the air.

Neril stared blankly before speaking.

“That’s an incredible mage.”

“You can do that much too.”

“I can, but the mana control is just too clean. How is there such an mage in this era? Honestly, I respect…”

“That looks like Tivre.”

“Then never mind. Yeah.”

At the mention of Tivre, she frowned.

Xenia spoke up.

“That’s only Tivre’s face. It’s definitely some soul that took over his body.”

“Tivre was a holy knight, right? Would he really give up his body that easily?”

“Sure, he might’ve been disoriented after what we did to him, but more than that—it’s probably because the soul is just that powerful. Powerful enough to bring down a whole castle like it’s nothing.”

That’s when it happened.

As if to say we’d had enough time to gawk, the one who appeared to be Tivre—floating in midair—spoke.

Though it looked like a whisper, the voice echoed thunderously throughout the entire territory.

“Sorry, everyone, but I need a little help.”

If sound waves were visible, they’d have looked like a tsunami crashing in.

People with weak energy around us clutched their ears and collapsed.

“I need to take some of your power. I’m very hungry right now.”

With those words, Tivre reached out his hand.

And chaos erupted.

“W-what? My strength?”

“Uuugh!”

“Dear! Get a hold of yourself!”

“I-I feel like I’m dying. Help me!”

One person was bleeding from their eyes.

Another was vomiting.

Someone else was clawing at their own face with both hands.

Just like that, the citizens of the territory began collapsing one by one.

‘My body feels kinda heavy too…?’

As I tilted my head in confusion, Neril shouted.

“Th-this spell!”

“What is it?”

“…There was an ancient mage like that. Someone who could instantly convert divine power and life force into mana.”

“…”

“Even that alone is shocking, but he could even turn a person’s lifespan into mana.”

At the word lifespan, I flinched.

I remembered how Xenia had dealt with this incident in the timeline before the regression.

“A monstrous mage who stole lifespans and converted them all into mana. Who made the very act of gathering mana into the cruelest possible attack.”

“…No way.”

“Yeah. That person right there is the one who played a crucial role during the era of the second Demon King, the Demon King of Greed.”

Xenia murmured with a pale face.

“Iori Otix.”

----------------------------------------

Iori Otix’s greatest accomplishment, of course, was helping the Hero of the time slay the Demon King of Greed.

But beyond that, he contributed countless advancements to humanity.

For example, the communication orbs we carry around? Those were Iori’s invention.

Even the elemental erasure magic that Neril used back in the Avis territory was developed by Iori.

Curious to see a legendary hero with my own eyes, I looked up at the sky again.

Neril said,

“You said this to me before, remember? ‘“Don’t compare some Otix to you.”’”

“…”

“Can you still say that now?”

“As many times as you want.”

Neril made a strange expression at that reply.

As if unsure whether she should be pleased or annoyed.

Xenia cut in, sounding irritated.

“Are you seriously trying to have a moment at a time like this?”

“What moment?”

“Ugh, never mind. Anyway, what are we supposed to do now?”

For once, Xenia bit her fingernails like someone truly nervous.

When I didn’t respond right away, she offered her own idea, apparently having thought something through.

“I do have a way.”

“No.”

“Ah, yes. Of course not… Wait, shouldn’t you at least hear what it is?!”

“You’re thinking of using Grand Ritual: Purification, right?”

That was the very technique she had used before the regression.

Trail had once asked, what I would’ve done if I had been there in person.

I hadn’t answered then—but now, the answer was clear.

Xenia looked shocked.

“Y-you even know about that?”

“There’s nothing I don’t know. Except the stuff I don’t.”

“That’s true for everyone!”

“In any case, purification is a no-go. Don’t even try it.”

Neril asked, confused.

“What kind of magic is it?”

“It’s a ritual that reverts anything that defies divine providence back to its original state. If she used that, not only would Iori be expelled from Tivre’s body, but the ghost incidents in this land would vanish too. Even the presence inside Mariana would disappear.”

“If such a convenient spell exists, why haven’t we used it sooner…? Wait, there’s got to be a price.”

As expected, Neril caught on quickly.

Xenia deliberately acted nonchalant.

“Oh, how bad could it be? I’m sure the Celestial God will cut me some slack.”

Didn’t the price last time turn out to be your lifespan?

I spoke firmly.

“I’ll say this again. Absolutely not.”

“Mi-Mide.”

“The fact that we don’t know what the price will be is exactly why you can’t use it. What if it takes your life?”

“No way…”

“No matter what, it’s a no. Not now, not ever. Remember that.”

I worried I might’ve been too harsh, but surprisingly, Xenia just smiled warmly.

She gave a small bow.

“Thank you, Mide.”

“Huh?”

“The hero I chose really is kind. Even though you try so hard to pretend otherwise.”

“What are you talking about…”

She chuckled and changed the subject.

“So, what are you planning to do?”

“We take down Iori. Your holy sword can harm souls directly, right?”

“Yes, but… we’re talking about a legendary hero from the era of the second Demon King. Not just any hero, but Iori Otix, one of the strongest of all time.”

Before I answered, I glanced at Xenia and Neril.

Then I grinned and said,

“You’re heroes too, remember?”

“…!”

“…”

“And I’m a hero as well. That makes it three against one. If we lose this, we don’t deserve to call ourselves heroes.”

“We never called ourselves heroes, though.”

Neril said that and giggled.

Then she stepped forward and said,

“Fine. I’ve always been curious, actually. Just how great was this Iori the Archmage that everyone worships?”

“Is that so.”

“We’ll find out after a fight. I want to see how close I’ve come to his level.”

Xenia also seemed to have made up her mind.

“No matter how legendary he is, violating divine law can’t be tolerated. I’m with you.”

“Great.”

“Then let’s go—right now.”

Xenia drew her holy sword.

But I quickly stopped her.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? Obviously, getting ready for battle.”

“No. With a stage this grand, how can we just fight right away?”

“……”

“Let me borrow Agril just once.”

Neril pressed her forehead.

“You really were born for this.”

Thanks for the compliment.

----------------------------------------

Taine was an ordinary woodcutter in the Raynus territory.

It was a time when the weather was warming and firewood prices were falling, so his finances weren’t in great shape.

Still, today had been a lucky day.

One of his regular customers, a generous soul, had given him a few extra coins.

He had planned to use it to buy his beloved daughter a delicious lunch.

That was all. He had simply come out for a stroll with his daughter.

“Uwahhh… Media. Please wake up. Cough…”

The side effects of Iori’s life-draining magic were no small matter.

It felt as if his internal organs had been forcibly ripped out.

Especially for children—some would die outright from the shock, even if they had remaining lifespan.

Taine himself was already bleeding from the mouth, but he focused solely on his daughter.

“D-Dad, I’m cold…”

“Stay with me. Please.”

“I’m so cold… Dad… hold me…”

Taine wrapped his arms tightly around her.

Her body was cold as ice.

He instinctively knew her life was hanging by a thread.

“Ah… please…”

Unconsciously, his lips began to move.

“Please, someone help us… someone…”

Anyone would do.

Even the damned shop owner who tried to scam him, or the old friend still shamelessly dodging repayment.

Even his wife who ran off with another man, or his father who became a drunk.

He’d give his life a hundred times over—just please—

“Please help us!”

And then it happened.

Whoooosh.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over him.

He looked up without thinking—there, high in the sky, a massive monster hovered.

Was this what a dragon from the legends looked like?

Squinting to get a better look, he could make out a figure standing near the creature’s head.

Arms crossed, wearing a grim expression, glaring at the man who caused all this devastation.

That man—

‘No way…’

He’d heard of this before.

Just before war broke out in a neighboring territory, a hero had descended from the sky on a strange creature and forced an entire army to retreat.

‘Not just a hero…’

A Champion.

Taine shouted until his throat tore.

“Champion Mide! Please save us!”

And in that moment—

The Champion spoke in a deep, resounding voice.

Stronger than the villain’s earlier words, it echoed across the entire territory.

“In the name of Mide Mohan, I command you—cease this wickedness at once, mage!”

“In the name of Mide Mohan, I command you—cease this wickedness at once, mage!”

I shouted that, then flicked my hand with flair.

[You do realize how embarrassing that was, right?]

‘Shut it. This is an important moment.’

Even so, my face was getting hot.

Neril snorted with a weird sound.

“Hhnn. He stopped the life-draining spell. Looks like you’ve got his attention.”

“Hah. So even a villain knows a Champion when he sees one.”

“Wow. You might be the only person alive who’d talk like that to Iori.”

Then Xenia spoke.

“Are we fighting in the sky?”

“If that bastard won’t come down, we’ll have to. Historical records say Iori enjoyed aerial combat quite a bit.”

“Right, there was that quote where he said he liked the feeling of crushing small monsters underfoot. Frankly, skill aside, he’s just a nasty old man.”

“You’ve become pretty sceptical. I’m proud of you.”

“…Not sure that’s something to be proud of…”

Then Neril chimed in.

“Before we get into a real fight, we need to check on the state of the citizens.”

“Huh?”

“Life-draining magic has severe side effects. Sick people or kids might die on the spot.”

My face hardened.

Xenia, clearly flustered, said:

“I-I’m not a high priest… I can’t heal an entire territory on my own. What do we do?”

“It’s fine. We have this.”

I flicked the Gem of Desolation.

Last time, Neril used this to cast an elemental erasure spell across the entire region.

Come to think of it, wasn’t that also a spell developed by Iori Otix?

Xenia quickly took it and brought it to her holy sword.

“Heavenly God, please grant us your merciful touch—although this is a Demon King’s gem, so I’m not sure if it’s okay to pray with it—but still, please bestow your grace!”

What kind of prayer was that?

Luckily, the benevolent deity answered.

In truth, that gem had long since lost any real connection to the Demon King—it was just an amplifier now.

The life force of two million people was instantly converted into immense divine energy.

Whoosh.

Spinning gracefully, Xenia swung her holy sword in a full 360-degree arc.

A warm golden light began to rain down over the entire territory.

It settled on every collapsed citizen.

As I watched carefully, they were all safe.

Some were even foaming at the mouth and waving their arms at us.

‘That should make a strong enough impression.’

[Hmm. If we just bring that bastard down, it’ll be a happy ending.]

‘We’ll take him down. If I lose here, I’ve got no business calling myself a Champion.’

With that, I straightened my back.

And then—

I heard Iori’s voice.