2nd Rank Has Returned

309 – The fight that Leo hopes for-1

The wind blew.

In a world where everything has disappeared, there would be no air, but a fresh wind blew.

“…This is…”

The first person to realize the incident was Ariasviel, who fought the fiercest battle.

The surrounding landscape was full of life without a trace of emptiness.

This place is now above the magic circle created to head to the Demon King, and Ariasviel was startled by the concept of time before the location.

“…Uh…How…!”

Aria was not the only person who was astonished by this miracle. Others also felt the disappearance of themselves and the world.

For my current survival, I couldn’t help but feel astonishment and doubt rather than gratitude.

“…I think it’s a regression.”

It was Rios who opened the story first.

I could not understand anything that could explain this strange phenomenon other than the miracle that Leonardo and the wise man spoke of.

“Does this mean that time has completely rewound…?”

Gladio felt his legs lose strength at that distant concept. Just thinking about the death I experienced was enough to burden my mind.

“Aria…! “You did it?!”

The only person who survived the void was Ariasviel. In the current situation, the only guess was that Aria did it.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Ariasviel.

“…No. “I can’t do this alone.”

Actually, Ariasviel’s gaze was directed elsewhere. Denial now was not an extravagant act like humility.

If it weren’t for the power of Black Aria, he wouldn’t have been able to even attempt driving the black stone, but before that, even Arias Phil couldn’t calculate that he would be able to restore the world to this extent.

“…Leo did it.”

I felt instinctive confidence.

In the first place, this story was a miracle that could continue because Leonardo returned.

Aria’s gaze turned to Leo.

Leonardo was sitting comfortably with his sword in place. The crouching posture seemed to show the appearance of a knight making an oath and praying.

Leo’s expression with his eyes closed was so calm and comfortable that you couldn’t believe he was the devil.

“…Leo?”

But soon Aria’s expression turned cold.

Even though everyone survived and even the world was saved from the apocalypse, Leonardo still did not wake up.

Ariaspil desperately denied a certain hypothesis. Leo’s mana was still felt, and he felt so alive that it didn’t feel like he was dead.

“No, right? Leo… You…!”

Leo’s answer was replaced by a quiet sound of falling.

Comfortable enough to make you think you’re asleep, and soft enough to make you look like you’re dead.

Leonardo collapsed on the spot.

“…Leonardo!”

Ariasviel grabbed Leonardo and hugged him.

Any pain she felt during her fight with the Demon Lord would have been less than the pain that made her roar now.

***

During the treatment, no sound passed. Although they hoped each other was alive and saw each other dead at the same time, they were unable to have any conversation.

To provide such comfort and encouragement, the world today was created through the sacrifice of one man.

Pessimistic despair flowed to the point where I couldn’t even think about what to say before I said anything.

“Lumine…!!”

After Lumine finished the treatment, Aria hurriedly ran to him. In fact, I could guess what the result would be just by looking at the facial expression.

Nevertheless, Aria had no choice but to ask a question. She was someone who wanted to hold on to even a glimmer of hope.

“…I have tried all possible treatments.”

That answer alone was enough to fill Aria’s face with despair. If her treatment had been successful, there would be no way such a discouraging sentence would have been the opening line.

“I’m sorry…”

I couldn’t hold back my sincere sorrow at Lumine saying such things even after treating her herself.

Before explaining it to them, I felt like crying because I could only make lame excuses.

“…Pulse and breathing are both normal. But for some reason, my mind just didn’t wake up.”

If there was anything fortunate about it, it was that he did not die. Even though his pulse and breathing were normal and there were no external injuries or injuries, Leonardo did not escape from the coma.

Leonardo’s condition was not good enough to optimistically assert that he would wake up if he just rested well.

“It’s as if they are trying to put themselves in a moribund state.”

I couldn’t help but think it was a trick of the devil. Until the end, the monster was trampling on the lives of others with all its might.

Now, Leo’s body was not recovering from sleep and improving, but was gradually deteriorating from fainting to death.

“If only Angela or Sage had been there…”

If those two young girls had been there, we might have been able to figure things out. After the new return, the two spiritual bodies went to their original destinations as expected.

Under the current situation, it was not possible to properly analyze the cause, let alone treat, of an unusually serious injury.

“…There is a way.”

Ariasviel, who silently listened to the explanation, declared that. There was still a sure way left in her grasp.

The holy sword pulled from her scabbard clearly reflected Aria’s frozen face.

“Aria, you can’t believe it…!”

As soon as they saw the Holy Sword, others could guess the source of the method.

I couldn’t help but be reminded of the plan that Aria wanted to use before the wise man presented her method, the method of sacrificing herself to save her Leo.

Even now, the image of Aria stabbing herself in the stomach with her warrior’s holy sword still remains vivid to them.

“No. At least not that way.”

It was not unreasonable to be concerned, and Aria was also aware of it.

It may be possible to solve the problem by committing suicide, but it was necessary to at least put that method at the end.

“…It’s just time to go and keep my promise.”

While saying that, Aria showed the back of her hand. The gold tattooed on the back of her hand glowed brightly even in the middle of the day.

Originally, she would never turn 20, but since the strange phenomenon of her regression had occurred, it was meaningless for her to be bound by such common sense.

Even Aria Spiel could be convinced that she was older than 20 years old, considering the time she had gone through.

“I have to go to the Holy Sword’s morgue.”

The time has finally come to fulfill the contract with yourself.

***

It didn’t take that long to get to the Holy Sword’s morgue. Even if I say it was the simplest task compared to what I have done so far, it was not a leap.

“Thank you for joining us.”

Ain greeted Aria like that just before she inserted her sword into her mortuary.

Even though she could travel with her teleportation magic, Ain insisted on riding with her, and that’s how her group arrived at her destination.

“No. “It’s actually much easier to go this way.”

It wasn’t just Aria’s idea. Although her method of using transference magic was noticeably faster, that did not mean that she had a problem with the method used by Ain.

Rather, since it was not clear where the Demon King was, some people promoted this option because it was more stable.

Aria truly thought that she didn’t need to be thankful.

“…I…I hope no one dies anymore.”

Ain held her Aria by her trembling hands. Even though she knew what a fierce battle Aria had been in, she felt like she was being pushy in asking this request.

But even so, she couldn’t help it.

“…Please come live with me dad…!”

Ain was already distressed enough by the disappearance of Angela and the Sage. Her tears now flowed down from the corners of her eyes, heavy with worry and sadness.

Aria hugged Ain and strengthened her resolve.

“Of course.”

It was the same for other people.

No one could be sacrificed anymore.

Aria’s own life was also included in that.

“…I’ll be back.”

Although she still had more to say, she no longer had patience for Aria’s Holy Sword.

She said to keep her contract as quickly as possible, and the gold on her hand reflexively tried to pull out her holy sword.

“…It’s really time to come here.”

Even for Aria, the current situation felt like a twist of fate. The moment had come when she had to insert her holy sword directly into the center of her morgue, just as Black Aria had said.

Sereung…

The holy sword came out of the scabbard more smoothly than ever before. She casually revealed her blade as if she had been waiting for this moment.

Holding the handle with both hands, Aria inserted her holy sword into the groove carved into her mortuary.

Her holy sword was smoothly inserted into the ground without any sense of friction.

The moment she closed her eyes and opened them, Aria Spiel had already arrived in the world inside her holy sword. Even though she was not seriously injured to the point of dying, Aria came to this world as if it was natural for her.

“I called you.”

Even in that situation, Baek A-ria showed no signs of panic. She actually expected this situation to come and faced her black Aria while holding her holy sword.

＜… Judging from that attitude, it looks like he knows everything.＞

She already knew why Black Aria insisted on this day and why she wanted to kill White Aria on this date.

As we truly fought as one to overthrow the Demon King, our consciousness was shared, even if only for a moment.

It may have been a natural result that I had no choice but to know about this.

“I feel connected even at this moment.”

At those words, Black Aria’s expression distorted and she grabbed her own holy sword. She forged her ferocious life so that she could cut her down at any time, and pointed her rusty blade at Aria in white.

That’s why it was important to cut it down now.

This form, which was not completely fused into one, but was most closely connected at the same time, was the right time for Black Aria.

The most obvious solution now lies with ‘Ariaspil Reinhardt.’ If the warrior’s power was delivered, resurrection was a given.

“…Stop it. “If you did something like that…”

There was no way I didn’t know.

Even now, White Aria still remembers the idea that Black Aria came up with. She spoke clearly, as if she had deliberately asked Aria to worry.

The spatio-temporal contradiction caused by regression, the story of a being from the future killing the same person from the past was so impossible that it could not have been possible.

Black Ariasviel devised this method there.

I was confident that it was Black Ariana who had become one with the Holy Sword.

“…Are you completely eliminating the existence of ‘Ariasviel Reinhardt’?”

That is how the root of contradiction is pulled out.

By eliminating the mistake of her being Aria Spiel in the first place, the fact that she even existed is erased.

Even if she commits suicide, no one will have to feel guilty or sad.

In the first place, it is impossible to commemorate a ‘non-existent person’.

That’s why I couldn’t use the phrase “Living for others” As an excuse.

With the traces of Ariaspil disappearing, Leonardo can fully enjoy the rights of a warrior.

History will be revised to say that all the achievements achieved so far were done by Leo.

“That’s not what Leo wants…!”

Although Baek Aria’s point was correct, it could not be stated that Black Aria’s argument was wrong.

If Leonardo is the reincarnation of Ruben as the Demon King said, it is too late to even give him all the rights now.

Soon, Black Aria took her stance.

She needed to eliminate the existence of ‘Arya Spielreinhardt’ for her atonement.

Otherwise, I couldn’t hold on any longer.

She couldn’t hesitate to cut down to get rid of the abomination that was Arya Spiel.

“…Do you want to deny everything about yourself?”

Aria in white followed suit and raised her sword.

Depending on this answer, life or death will begin.

“…Okay.”

The holy swords were ready to clash. The two entities resonated enough to kill each other.

“Then we have no choice but to fight.”

The moment when swords meet for a conclusion.

“[Who decides things like that?]”

There was a man blocking the two holy swords.

The man who was probably the only one in the world who could control Ariasviel appeared on the spot.

“＜…Leo…!?＞”

Leonardo appeared on the spot.

He is wearing a wise man’s robe and is at the center of it all.

“[Do you really want to die?]”

Both Aria were convinced at the same time that he must have been more vicious than the Demon King.

As if ready to eat you.