[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 342

Everyone stared blankly at me as the sealing spell shattered in an instant.

The sealing magics known to the world were, in truth, all derived from the spells of the Sealers, mere imitations of their art.

In other words, the original source of elemental sealing magic was the Sealer’s own craft.

Naturally, the original was unrivaled in every respect, strength, precision, and sophistication.

“No way... but Sealer magic can only be used by those with a special constitution...”

Those who knew that fact looked at me as though to say, you’re going to do everything yourself now?

Everything I’d done so far already defied common sense, but this—this was too much.

In the end, they gave up trying to understand.

“Yeah, probably best to stop trying to make sense of it.”

“He’s not human. Just accept it.”

Their exasperated looks stung my pride.

“You’ll pay for that later,”

I muttered.

“But… do we really have to go in there? It looks… terrifying.”

At the edge of the space lay what seemed like an endless abyss.

Even taking a single step forward was daunting.

I smiled faintly.

“I’ll help you.”

“W–wait! Hold on—!”

Without hesitation, I grabbed them and threw them straight through the rift that Sullivan had opened.

“Aaaaargh!!”

“Ughhh!!”

Their screams faded into the void one by one.

Katya tried to stop me, hand outstretched.

“I—I’ll go by myself!”

When I stepped aside, she took a deep breath and approached the rift’s edge, trembling with fear.

So I gave her a firm push on the back.

“Kyaaaaaaaa!!!”

And she vanished, screaming all the way.

Now only Luna, Sullivan, and I remained.

“I don’t know how you did that, but this… isn’t normal either. Still, I suppose you of all people can handle it. You were never someone I could measure with reason.”

He extended a hand.

“If we go, what happens to you?”

“That creature has already found where I’m hiding. I’ll have to relocate. It may cost some time and a bit of sacrifice, but it’s manageable. I wish you victory, my friend.”

I shook my head.

“Come on. Running off without saying goodbye? That’s cold.”

“What do you mean?”

At his puzzled look, I grinned wickedly.

“Luna, remember the power you used to purify Sullivan last time? You can use it again, right?”

“Yeah.”

* * *

From the dawn of creation, a colossal Will had existed, a being that devoured worlds yet was never satisfied.

Born to consume until nothing remained, it now sensed that its most coveted prey had fallen into its trap.

The Red Moon was bound by a great seal that suppressed most of its strength.

Its scheme involving the God of Death and the Goddess of Life had half-failed.

The curse that bound it was divine, the work of archangels themselves.

The only key that could unseal even a fragment of it lay in the hands of humans —

those rare few born with the innate talent of a Sealer.

Even the Red Moon could not easily touch the mortal world of Lazarus.

And among humans, corrupting a Sealer was no easy feat.

But now, that difficulty was gone.

It had finally acquired the means to break the accursed bindings.

Sooner or later, it would regain its true power.

All would decay.

All living things would rot and cry out in despair.

And then—

It would once again set foot upon the earth.

Reality tore open.

The monstrous presence descended upon the land of chaos.

A pillar of deep red mist fell from the sky, spreading in rippling waves, devouring everything.

If it could just consume the soul trapped here—

Then it sensed something amiss.

The power of the seal that had bound its prey was gone, and the prey itself had vanished.

In its place—

Ssshhhhhhh!!!

An enormous, intricate sigil burst to life, a massive sealing array glowing with blinding light.

A trivial seal by its standards—

and yet, in its current weakened state, even that was fatal.

The gap it had painstakingly opened over countless years was closing again.

“How does it feel,”

A voice mocked,

“to be caught in your own trap?”

Before the rift stood Leon, with Luna on his back.

[Pathetic vermin. You struggle to the end, how amusing.]

Normally, the mere sound of that voice would drive mortals mad.

Yet neither the archangel nor the “insignificant” human before it were affected.

Impossible.

How could such beings withstand its madness?

It roared in fury and strained to shatter the seal that bound it.

How—how could that wretched being wield such sealing power?

For the first time, curiosity stirred within the ancient monster.

The sight of mortals fighting to survive was almost entertaining.

[In the end, nothing changes.]

Its mind-breaking voice thundered, but Leon merely smirked, pushing off the ground and diving through the spatial rift behind him.

As he leapt, Luna, looking straight into the red mist, raised her middle finger.

“What can you even do? Other than thrash around in your cage?”

Her tone was ice-cold.

“Eat shit.”

“And since one isn’t enough—have another.”

And with that, the two disappeared into the rift.

Too late.

It could still chase them—

Boom!!!

A flash of light split the air as Sullivan appeared, swinging a sword imbued with divine brilliance, severing the flow of power.

“Begone, invader. For the slaughter of my kingdom’s people, I will come for you myself.”

[You worthless insect dare—!]

The creature’s fury shook dimensions.

The same king it had once corrupted for amusement now stood defiant.

The seals thickened, intertwining old chains with new, tightening their hold upon the Red Moon.

For the first time, it felt rage.

To be toyed with by beings so weak, it was intolerable.

Fully bound once more, the Red Moon was cast out, its wrath reverberating through the chaotic outer realm.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

* * *

The spatial twisting ended with a sickening lurch.

They emerged back at the Kona Academy dormitory, where the ritual had taken place.

The magic circle was shattered; its casters were dead.

The warped space had long since returned to normal.

Those who had gone ahead were already scattered, exhausted.

Carrying Luna on my back, I made my way to the Empire Academy lodgings.

“Leon,”

Luna murmured softly.

“What?”

“You’re not born with a Sealer’s body, right?”

“Right.”

“Then how did you use that power?”

“There’s a way for normal people to use Sealer magic.”

“There is?”

Even the archangel looked surprised.

“It takes preparation, but it’s not impossible.”

The contract mana that defined a Sealer could be replicated, if one could recreate the necessary conditions.

“And I happen to have the perfect tool for it.”

A relic stolen from a cultist —

Void Enchanter, the staff of Kuralion, which granted vast knowledge.

As we walked through the quiet forest path, Luna swung her legs lightly.

“You look happy.”

“Well, it ended well. To be honest, when that outer god’s presence descended, I was worried. Even a fragment of it can drive mortals insane. But not only did we survive, we hit back.”

“Didn’t seem that bad to me.”

“I think you’re weirdly immune to madness. Must be your wife’s influence.”

I chuckled.

The inter-academy exchange was officially suspended.

This wasn’t a minor accident, two Kona Academy students were dead,

including Talion Fedmore, crown prince of a kingdom.

Though Kona Academy stayed silent, everyone knew how many had died because of his actions, attendants, maids, and others from Valtosma alike.

Investigators came, and we each gave our statements.

Nothing special, just the facts.

In the end, the conclusion was simple:

Talion Fedmore had performed a ritual that caused mass casualties.

The Empire Academy sent a formal protest, and chaos ensued.

The exchange was suspended indefinitely.

“How do you manage to get into trouble everywhere you go?”

Back at the Cascadia estate, Melissa sighed.

“Tell me about it.”

“Still, it’s tragic. So many dead.”

“Including Talion Fedmore?”

“Who cares about him? He caused it.”

“Yeah. Total bastard.”

A few days later, the Empire Academy sent word of the aftermath.

The Fedmore royal family stripped Talion of his title, calling it a personal transgression, not a state matter.

Typical politics.

No one wanted war.

A week passed.

Luna was now spending time with Aurora, preparing her wedding dress.

She’d never cared much for such things,

but she said she wanted to look beautiful for me, just once, on that day.

That thought alone made my heart ache with gratitude.

Then one night, as I slept peacefully beside her, a strange dream began.

‘Hehe… don’t move. Don’t you want a delightful, intoxicating dream? Such a pure soul… I’ll give you something unforgettable.’

A beautiful woman appeared, dressed provocatively, smiling seductively.

She crawled atop me, fingers deftly undoing my shirt buttons.

‘Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Let’s… lose ourselves together.’

Her voice was bewitching, enough to enthrall any man.

But I’d resisted the Red Moon’s mental corruption before; this was nothing.

I was about to push her away—

Smack!!!

Luna suddenly burst into the dream, grabbed the woman by the hair, and snarled,

“Who said you could climb on my husband, you bitch?”

“Kyaa—!!”

With a scream, the woman was dragged off and vanished.

Realizing it was a lucid dream, I couldn’t help but laugh.

‘What a bizarre dream.’

But when I woke up—

The same woman knelt before me in real life, face bruised, sobbing for mercy.

And Luna stood beside the bed, holding her by the hair, fuming.

Outside, the moon and stars glimmered, it was still the dead of night.

So… it hadn’t been a dream?

“What the hell happened?”

I asked.

“What do you think? This bitch tried to drain your life force. Got caught red-handed.”

“Aaaah! I’m sorry! Please forgive me! Spare me!”

The commotion woke Melissa, who stormed in and kicked open the door.

“What the hell—! People are trying to sleep, you mani—”

She froze, taking in the sight of the crying woman and the furious Luna.

“Leon. Did you cheat?”

“Are you insane? Look at her, she looks like a puffed-up blowfish.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]