Chapter 133 - What a Hero Must Bear

A fierce wind raged, and the cold air struck the girl’s skin.

Though she stood atop the rumbling, high-speeding train, the posture of the girl with her golden hair braided back—Serene—did not waver in the slightest.

The hour of destiny was approaching. Serene closed her eyes quietly and gathered her magic, thinking as much.

It was but a guess based on intuition, but in reality, little time was left.

Crash-

Car 5, where the artifact's vault was located, was already saturated with undead, and a few of them were breaking through the windows to spill out.

Of course, as it was a moving train, they were simply thrown off and crushed, but it would be a different story if all the undead inside the train poured out at once.

Kwaang-!

The situation inside the train was not much better. Not only the door to the passage connecting the cars but also the additional barricades that had been put up were reaching their limits.

“They’re about to break through!!”

Elwin, one of those tasked with guarding the passage between Cars 5 and 4 before their separation, shouted loudly.

“Hmm.”

Croban also nodded calmly, as if sensing that any further delay in the plan would lead to an overwhelming battle.

Even in such a tense situation, Serene maintained her composure, focusing on controlling the magic flowing in through the circuits connected to the others without a tremor.

Yes, the combatants not participating in defending the passage were all using their magic to assist Serene, and the reason was simple. It was the method with the highest chance of breaking through the current situation.

Conversely, it also meant that after channeling all their magic to Serene, they would be in a state of virtual combat inability.

Serene thought as she made the inflowing magic her own. About what would happen if she failed.

If Serene’s attempt ended in failure, first, only the shell that enveloped 『Despair Without Cost』 and its by-product, the undead—Car 5—would be destroyed.

If that happened, the unshackled 『Despair Without Cost』 would suck the land dry of its magic until it was exhausted, turning the entire area into a land of death.

“……”

Everything that was about to happen rested in her own hands.

If she failed, the result would be disastrous.

And even time was not on the girl’s side.

It was a situation sufficient for an ordinary person to be crushed by the pressure and choose to flee, but Serene lifted her head and looked forward. She decided to advance.

She willingly promised to take up her spear and pierce the darkness, and that promise ended the anxiety that had spread among the party. With her unwavering demeanor.

Her actions and attitude were truly the epitome of a hero, and it seemed to prove that Serene was a naturally born, perfect hero.

This was not only a point consistently described in the original work of Arche but also a common perception among those who watched Serene.

However… that did not mean Serene didn't feel the weight of the burden she shouldered.

***

The hero who brings salvation must be perfect. They must not have a weakness. It will one day invite tragedy. Just like the story of the hero who had a weakness in his heel.

A hero fights to win. A hero protects the weak. A hero does not get injured.

This was the education Serene had received since she was young, and at the same time, it was her set of values.

The reason the House of Stellia gave such an education to Serene, who was just a young girl, was simple.

Serene had the makings of such power. And she also had the makings of the mental strength to support that power.

As the girl grew up, she agreed with the discourse spoken of in her family, and thus accepted her destiny.

However, Serene was also aware that her current self was not yet complete. She knew that trembling and fear remained in a corner of her heart.

Nevertheless, though she was not yet mature, Serene played the part of a perfect hero.

And the story has reached the present.

-I will destroy Car 5.

That unwavering voice stemmed from such an act.

All the renowned heroes present at that place were convinced by her words.

It wasn't that they lacked an eye for people or were unperceptive.

This was because it was a truly innate ability bestowed upon Serene by the world.

But what was important here was that, at this point in time, Serene was not a perfect hero.

She was merely a hero close to perfection, feigning to be a perfect hero. A girl whose final piece as a hero was not yet complete, was afraid.

In the original work of Arche, the girl, while being afraid, moves forward and becomes a hero. Without revealing her inner thoughts to anyone.

However.

“……I’m a little scared.”

An anomaly occurred. An anomaly whose cause she couldn't even fathom.

The girl, concentrating with her hands clasped on the train, muttered.

“……Why is the future I foresee alone so frightening?”

Those words reached the boy standing behind her. She probably intended for them to.

“That’s only natural. Everyone is like that.”

“But, I……”

The words ‘I have to be a perfect hero’ lingered on the girl’s lips.

Why did she stop saying them? It wasn't out of embarrassment. She was not one to dwell on such things.

Nor did she think she was unworthy. Self-awareness was her specialty.

It was an act close to simple whining.

Whining directed at her one and only true idol.

That single phrase, “I’m scared,” in the engine room was in the same context.

Her idol, who had returned changed from before.

To Rain Enlight, who had returned with not only unrecognizable skill but also with actions that seemed to foresee the future, the girl wanted to lean on him.

There was a sense of incongruity. How did he build such skill in such a short time? As someone who knew Rain's original talent, Serene felt this even more strongly.

How did he show actions that seemed to foresee the future, like the Ailton Hall attack last time? Where did he get that information?

There were numerous questions, and that sense of incongruity reached its peak when she saw Rain smiling at the intruder's corpse in Ailton Hall.

“Serene-ssi.”

And yet.

“……Yes.”

And yet, there was a reason he was still the girl's idol.

“I am here.”

His outward appearance seemed to have shed its skin after numerous molts and transformed into a different being, but something inside the boy remained the same.

At least, Serene believed so, and this was, to some extent, true.

“……”

However, Serene did not reply to the boy's words.

She simply moved forward, spear in hand.

Woooong-

With each step the girl took forward, emerald particles rose from the ground. As if to bless her journey, in a beautiful display.

Chk.

With a fluid motion, the girl raised her spear, 『Gungnir』.

It was not ostentatiously large, but it exuded a presence so immense that even those without a talent for magic could guess the vastness of the magic contained within the elegant spear.

And, as if noticing this, a voice came from the direction of the passage.

“We will detach it now……!”

Elwin, who was blocking the passage between Cars 5 and 4, had one more mission.

And that was to sever the connection between Cars 4 and 5 when the time came.

The reason was simple. If the cars remained connected, there was a high possibility of being caught in Serene's attack.

Slice-

With the clean sound of something being cut, the tightly bound connection between the train cars was severed.

Now, it was a matter of seconds. In just a few seconds, Car 5, having lost its power, would quickly disappear beyond the horizon.

A few seconds that would determine their fate.

Yet, Serene did not waver. Even if it was like threading a needle, the girl did not hesitate.

-I am here.

There was a reason not to hesitate.

It was a very simple principle. Because there is a reason, one does not hesitate.

And at that moment.

Kwaaaaaa-!

With a blinding flash, a colossal beam of light erupted from the 『Gungnir』 held by Serene.

A mighty flash, reminiscent of the size of a mountain.

The enemy was certainly powerful. A destructive artifact that appeared only in Part 4 of the original work, far beyond the realm of common sense—『Despair Without Cost』.

In comparison, the current Serene was weaker than at that point in time. That was a clear fact.

Although she had some backup, the same was true for 『Despair Without Cost』, which had absorbed the artifact's magic.

That was why Serene could not be certain of victory. She hesitated. Because she was not yet a perfect hero.

…Though, in truth, the same was true for the Serene of Part 4.

It was truly a deep darkness, and navigating through it seemed close to the realm of impossibility.

However, the moment light shines brightest is when everything around it is shrouded in the deepest darkness.

Kagagak-!

Just before the clash, the massive conglomerate of undead that had saturated the train's interior burst through, shattering the train. Their numbers, born of madness, far exceeded the train's volume.

Nevertheless, Serene executed the motion she had always performed. She shifted her body's center of gravity from back to front.

Then, she unleashed that one blow, filled with that dense and mighty magic.

Fwaaat-

She extended it from her hand.

『Arclight』.

In Arche, it was Serene's signature move, her primary skill, and also her finishing technique.

The strike, which drew out all of Serene’s output, was utterly silent.

In the moment it left her hand, there was no explosive sound.

However, everyone watching this scene would have witnessed it.

The massive light soaring through the air, creating a continuous series of emerald-colored rings as it surged towards its target.

Everyone who saw it could not help but feel a firm and perfect victory. That light certainly held such power.

The power that symbolized all victories.

Yes. Serene's strength, freed for a moment from what a hero must bear, had clearly surpassed the original work.