"When legends fall, the world watches in silence...
But even as death closed its jaws—he smiled.
Not in defiance… but in peace."
Rein couldn't move.
Couldn't fight.
Couldn't even lift his fingers.
His staff lay broken beside him, shattered like the pride he once held as the strongest.
The golden psions that once danced around him had faded.
Now, only the chill of the void remained…
And the hiss of a thousand serpents rushing toward him.
So he just…smiled.
A small, bitter smile. The kind a man wears when he knows the end has come.
"Heh… so this is how it ends…"
He closed his eyes slowly, letting the darkness creep in — not from fear, but peace.
His body was broken, but his memories were still whole.
And so… he let them play.
____
A little boy, maybe eight, standing in the dusty backyard behind a cottage.
He pointed his trembling finger forward and shouted:
"Light Beam!"
A thin flicker sparked, then fizzled.
He frowned.
But behind him—claps erupted.
His mother's smile glowed brighter than any spell.
"You did it, Rein! My little hero!"
She picked him up and spun him around, both of them laughing under the sun.
That laugh echoed even now, in the silence of death.
_____
Scene changed:
Now She lay in bed, hair silver, body frail, her hands barely warm in his.
"You kept your promise… You protected people, Rein."
"I'm still not the strongest yet," he whispered, forcing a grin.
She chuckled, closing her eyes for the final time.
"To me… you've always been."
He remembered standing at her grave, alone.
The wind was cold that day.
"You never told me your wish," he said softly, placing a flower down.
"Maybe… it doesn't matter."
He looked up at the sky.
"I'll become the strongest for you..."
_____
Another memory: The Academy
Laughter in the classroom.
Dozens of kids watching him with
sparkling eyes as he summoned floating
spheres of light to demonstrate mana flow.
"Professor Rein, is it true you punched a dragon?"
"That's a lie. I kicked it," he said, and the room erupted in laughter.
One of his happiest days.
______
Then His First Mission Win:
He was bloodied, bruised, clutching his sword, standing above a monster three times his size.
His first win.
They had cheered for him.
"You're insane!"
"You actually beat it!"
"Rein, you're our ace!"
And for the first time, he felt…
"Maybe… I can do this."
_____
Then he became SS-Rank—The strongest.
A glowing badge was handed to him.
Papers. Medals. Applause.
But all he could remember was standing alone in his room that night, staring at it, whispering:
"Am I finally… enough?"
______
-Olivia
She was sitting under a tree, lost in a book of spells.
He'd handed her tea. She looked up and smiled. He had raised her as her own child before church took her after seeing her potential.
"Still working?" he asked.
"Still hoping," she said.
He had trained her himself. She was always a kind hearted girl. Full of talent but not a shred of arrogance. Even after becoming the Saintess.
He never told her how much he was proud of her. Maybe… she already knew.
____
Scene shifted one last time.
It was inside the sanctuary where he trained and infront of his was—
Noah
That cocky brat, with white hair and crimson eyes, standing tall, arms crossed.
"Old man, when you finally retire—don't worry. I'll take your place."
"Tch. You think I'll retire before you surpass me? Keep dreaming."
Noah had laughed.
_____
Rein chuckled even now.
"Tsk… still single. What a life…"
And as the serpents of the Eye swirled closer, each one pulsing with the power of annihilation…
He breathed out one last sigh.
"I've lived… a damn good life.
If this is the end… then I'll greet it with a smile."
He tilted his head to the sky one last time.
"Olivia…
Noah…
Live for me, will you?"
He didn't scream.
He didn't cry.
He just waited.
Smiling.
And in that silence…
The serpents reached Rein, attacked all together.
But they never truly reached him.
Before the serpents could actually attack and devour Rein.
The whole Realm shattered, from every direction. Azure flames erupted inside devouring everything in its path like a angry beast who had finally found his enemy.
The Azure flames transformed into a colossal dragon form— terrifying and beautiful simultaneously.
The dragon roared and swallowed all the serpents as if they were just cockroaches. After devouring all the serpents, the dragon let out a breath of azure flames— bright, pure and destructive.
Blue flames spread in every direction and devoured each and every bit of dark flame, making what remains of broken realm illuminate in blue light.
But it looked as though it was still hungry and not satisfied so now the dragon flowed towards the massive eye and let out a roar loud enough to make Rein bleed from his ears.
The eye looked at the dragon made of azure flame and pulse softly with recognition.
The dragon slit turned black for a sec and went blue again. They pulsed intensely like how a person filled with endless hatred towards his enemy do.
The dragon opened its mouth again and released a concentrated beam of pure azure flame, unlike before these flames were much more brighter and darker in
hue, tinged with deadly intensity. They were at first glance far more deadly than any other until now.
The eye pulsed as well.
A concentrated dark beam was shot towards the incoming attack.
The dark flames and Azure flame both met.
And clashed.
Then—
BoooM!
A huge shock wave of blue and black flame spread through the realm and destroyed it completely.
The Dark realm was now destroyed.
Due to this the area outside got caught in after shock and received a huge collateral damage. The area within few kilometres in radius has been fully devoured by the flames, leaving without a trace. Not even the ashes of the trees or monsters remained.
It was a total slaughter.
As the chaos faded and silence reclaimed the world. Everything finally came into view.
Rein was finally back to the forest at the same place outside the cave entrance, which now has been destroyed.
Rein looked around and couldn't find the robed man anywhere.
And the Eye, it was not there—gone, vanished.
Maybe it was a good thing, that it was gone for now.
The blue dragon it also disappeared.
Rein didn't know, why a dragon would help him?
Did he took pity on me?
But before he could think more he heard footsteps, following the sound he looked at the side and saw a white haired figure with crimson eyes rushing towards him.
"Old man, still alive?" He asked. "Let me tell you. I won't give you any CPR."
"Brat, I don't swing that way."
—[To be continued]—