"Haa! Haa!"
Gasping for breath, the Grandmaster urgently blocked the entrance to the abandoned mine.
Ever since the moment the transcendents declared they would destroy the entire ground to reach the giant, the battle had been relentless.
"Swing your sword more! Do you think that dull blade of yours, softened among humans, could even graze your master!?"
Under the fierce assault of Mugan, once her own master, the Grandmaster gritted her teeth and snarled.
"Quit your yapping. You're getting on my nerves."
"I suppose I must reteach you the manners due to a master—!"
Kwaaaang!
Another fierce clash.
Though overwhelming, she could still hold on—for now.
But that didn't mean the situation was improving.
'Ridiculous.'
She cast a glance past Mugan at the other transcendents, still standing motionless.
They were merely observing, and that was the only reason the abandoned mine hadn't yet collapsed.
'We're surviving thanks to the mercy of the enemy…'
What a disgrace.
The spells from the Magic Tower were certainly dazzling and brilliant.
But if one asked whether that was the true power of the Tower, the answer would be no.
The Tower was juggling two tasks: rescuing Isaac from the collapsed mine and holding off the transcendents.
'Damn it…'
Especially at this range, if the transcendents truly wanted to, they could slaughter the exposed mages in an instant.
So why weren't they?
The Grandmaster still didn't know their intentions. And that made her hate this situation—clinging to the enemy's mercy—all the more.
"Crimson Flame Wave!"
A crimson-red force surged like a wave.
As Mugan took the attack head-on, the Grandmaster's sword moved.
Slash!
"Tch…!"
Mugan's eyes twitched slightly.
Had he been any slower to retreat, his neck would have been cut.
The shallow wound on his cheek was proof of that.
"Futile thrashing."
Mugan's gaze shifted to the two standing beside the Grandmaster, blocking the mine entrance.
Sharen and Reian Leviath.
"I'm not moving!"
"Wouldn't be so bad if this is how the chronicles of Reian end."
If anyone here could be considered a significant fighting force, it was them.
But the Grandmaster felt only increasing anxiety.
'Why isn't he moving?'
Helik and the other transcendents were threats too, but the one her eyes kept being drawn to was the swordsman with blue eyes—the one known as Kangwoo.
That serene presence.
Precisely because of that stillness, he was even more dangerous.
The great clash he had unleashed had shown her something beyond her own imagination.
'If he joins the fight—'
She might have no choice but to give up the mine.
And sacrifices would be inevitable.
Even if she died, she had to ensure the others here lived.
"Tsk. Useless fellow disciple."
The Grandmaster clicked her tongue as she glanced at Mu-myeong, collapsed on her knees in the distance.
Of course, she knew it wasn't her fault. But given the situation, she wanted someone to blame.
"If only my sister were here!"
Sharen voiced a similar frustration.
If Liana were here, she would definitely be a great help. Perhaps they might even be able to hold out.
But if she were to come here now, it would only mean adding another hand to the enemy.
Then, a warm sunlight suddenly began to cast over them.
"Take a good look."
The Grandmaster smiled bitterly and quietly steeled herself.
"Swing your sword as if this is our final sunrise."
"I haven't even been in love yet!"
"To die swinging your sword without retreat beneath the rising sun, for your comrades and family? Ha! That's the greatest glory for a young noble!"
"What the heck?! Why is dying considered glorious?!"
Even while grumbling, Sharen's greatsword did not falter.
There was no retreat.
"If Isaac saw this, he would've praised you for being amazing!"
Isaac, who had once seen Sharen trembling in fear while fighting snow beasts in the North—
She felt regretful, thinking he would surely have praised the current her.
"Haha! Who knows? Maybe when we close our eyes, he's already waiting for us—"
The Grandmaster and Sharen simultaneously glared at him.
With a look that asked if he wanted to die before Mugan, Rayan awkwardly added,
"Hey, Marlin's inside too. I was just trying to lighten the mood."
"Thanks to you, now I'm pissed. My sword's going to have a bit more power."
"I'm surviving this just so I can beat you up later!"
"…Well, at least morale is up."
Reian muttered bitterly—
"…!"
"Hm?"
The gazes of the transcendents suddenly turned to the collapsed mine.
As if they had seen something unbelievable.
The mages were late to react, but they also turned their heads.
The intense battlefield quieted for a moment.
Even Mugan, who stood in front of the trio, had his eyes wide open in disbelief.
The Grandmaster, Sharen, and Reian were the last to turn toward the mine.
"Gasp?"
"What is that—"
How could they even describe this?
Could they really say something like "it was just a slash" to explain what they were seeing?
From beneath the ground, it had split the earth—and reached beyond.
A slash stretched into the sky like a constellation, so intense and beautiful that it captured everyone's gaze.
"Ah."
The silent Grandmaster smiled faintly as she watched.
How long had it been since she felt this overwhelmed?
She, who had never cried from joy—only sorrow—felt this emotion unfamiliar, but not unwelcome.
"He's arrived."
The Grandmaster let out a breath of admiration as she took in the sight her disciple had created.
While the overwhelming scene seemed to split the heavens, the transcendents moved quietly.
Without a word, they all stepped toward it.
"Damn—!"
The Grandmaster moved in haste, but she was already too late.
Guilt and anxiety stabbed her as she realized her disciple would first encounter the transcendents upon emerging from underground.
But instead of Isaac—
The transcendents gathered around the Giant, who stood before the split earth and sky.
The Giant looked completely different from before.
Only his upper body remained, yet his expression was more peaceful than ever.
"Ah, haha…"
The Giant smiled as he looked at the transcendents who had come to meet him.
"How long has it been since I've seen these faces?"
His voice trembled as he said he had truly missed them.
Moved, the transcendents approached him carefully.
"To see you again like this—it's truly a joy, old friend."
Kang-woo approached gently and placed a hand on him.
"I never thought I'd get to see you again like this."
At Kangwoo's words, the Giant nodded.
"Kangwoo, are you still pursuing the edge of the sword?"
"At least compared to that day, I've progressed. I had wanted to show you my sword—"
Kangwoo's gaze turned to Isaac, who stood beside the Giant.
Even just meeting eyes felt like swords clashing.
"Seems someone else reached you before I did."
"Ha, must be disappointing, huh?"
The Giant chuckled, shaking his shoulders.
Though he looked like he might crumble at any moment, he seemed genuinely joyful, as if pain meant nothing.
"Oh yes, terribly disappointing."
After Kangwoo's greeting, Mugan, the Grandmaster's swordsmanship teacher, stepped forward.
"My friend, I'm not much of a talker, so I have little to say. But I'm glad to see your face, at least one last time."
"…You carry hatred in your eyes, Mugan."
"I won't deny it."
The Giant fell silent with a bitter expression.
He couldn't blame Mugan for harboring hatred toward humans.
Behind them, other transcendents also stepped up one by one to greet the Giant.
"It was because of your sacrifice that we survived this far."
"Do you remember the days we walked the earth together?"
"You've fulfilled your role as a guardian well. Now, you may rest."
There were many things they wanted to say, but knowing the giant didn't have much time left, only a few words were exchanged.
And then, the last.
"Ah… Aah…"
When Helik stepped forward,
The giant smiled, saying he had waited and waited for this moment.
"My dear friend, my companion."
"I never imagined our reunion would take this long."
"I know. But it wasn't your fault. Back then, we couldn't afford to let the humans steal the sorcery. Even if you had suggested it—it was my choice."
Isaac's gaze turned to Helik.
He looked at the giant with clenched fists, eyes on the verge of tears.
'So it was Helik who made him a guardian of the sorcery.'
"Helik, my friend. Can I ask you one thing?"
With increasingly labored breaths, the giant looked at Helik.
"If you truly conquer the human realm… do you intend to kill them all?"
"..."
Isaac had spoken of his past life.
Of how the transcendents had killed every human without mercy.
And though the giant never wanted to believe it—
"Yes."
Helik answered firmly.
"I know you wouldn't approve. But just as you endured the long years, we too spent that same time building hatred toward humanity."
"..."
"Every time I looked to the sky, that silver star would rise. We've long since made up our minds."
"Made up your minds…"
"Yes. We will kill all humans."
Helik's eyes turned to Isaac, who stood beside him.
A conviction that would not bend—like an unquenchable flame burned in those eyes.
At Helik's confession, the giant slowly closed his eyes.
He looked both sorrowful… and resigned.
"That is something for those who remain to resolve."
The giant seemed to believe that wanting more than this would be selfish.
"Just as I had my time… so too do you have yours."
"..."
"I endured alone for so long that even my name had been forgotten—"
The giant looked satisfied.
Peacefully, he began to fade.
"At the very end, to see so much… I can only be grateful for such a fate."
"Gaia."
Suddenly, the giant's closing eyes opened once more.
At Helik's words, he gave a wistful chuckle.
"Gaia. That was your name."
"Ha… haha…"
A name even he had forgotten.
And now, remembered by the friend he met again after so long—
The giant smiled more brightly than ever.
"You remembered?"
"How could I forget, my friend?"
"Yes… That's right. That was it…"
As if to give closure,
The giant slowly closed his eyes and whispered:
"That was my name…"