The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 300

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 300. The End of the World (5)
“…ha.”
A dry laugh escaped between my lips.
There had never been any grand objective.
There had never been any lofty purpose.
‘The First Outsider.’
Five hundred years ago, an outsider who fell into this strange world simply wished to return to the homeland they yearned for.
‘No.’
A sense of discord bloomed in my mind.
‘Something feels wrong.’
It was not a logical deduction.
Merely intuition.
Watching Morris’s eyes tremble precariously as though ready to collapse at any moment, it was nothing more than a conjecture that surfaced unbidden—
‘It seems I won’t have the luxury to verify it anyway.’
Crrrunch.
Thick tree roots encircled and surrounded the area.
Perhaps it was because I had drawn forth too much power when burning the tree earlier.
The Primordial Flame remained unstable, but there was no helping it in this situation.
“Ignite.”
Whoooosh!
Ash-colored flames blazed fiercely, wrapping around my body.
“You said that when the Primordial Flame and the Tree of Creation collide, a door opens, didn’t you?”
I leveled my blade at Morris, continuing in a low voice.
“That won’t happen.”
The Primordial Flame and the Tree of Creation.
Such a collision between these two forces would never occur.
“Because I will stop it.”
“Ha.”
Morris’s lips curled into a grin.
“Good, a truly admirable resolve. But…”
Morris chuckled, his shoulders shaking with mirth.
“The way of the world isn’t something that can be resolved by determination alone, is it?”
Morris opened his palm.
Whoooosh!
Brilliant crimson flames blazed, wrapping around his hand.
The greedily undulating flames radiated savage heat.
“That is…”
Far too familiar.
Unmistakably recognizable flames.
“The Primordial Flame.”
“…!”
“Hahaha! I told you I couldn’t completely absorb the Primordial Flame with my current power, didn’t I?”
In other words.
To put it differently.
“I can absorb it ‘imperfectly.'”
A sinister grin twisted across my face as I extended an arm wreathed in brilliant crimson flames toward myself.
Whoooosh!
The ashen fire surged violently, beginning to resonate with Morris’s flames.
And then.
‘No way…!’
The ashen fire greedily began devouring Morris’s flames.
I desperately tried to draw upon the power of the Tree of Creation to suppress the ashen fire, but once the absorption had begun, there was no stopping it.
“Grrgh!”
“You absorbed Amon’s flames back in the Abyss, didn’t you?”
An imperfect flame and a perfect flame.
When two such flames coexist in the same space, the fire naturally gravitates toward the ‘more perfect’ one.
“Go on—try controlling this as well.”
“Cough, hack!”
Whoooooosh!!!
A massive torrent of flame poured from Morris and was absorbed into my stigma.
The Primordial Flame I had obtained in my past life.
The seeds of the Primordial Flame I had absorbed from the Holy Kingdom and the Empire.
The remnants of the Demon God I had devoured in the Abyss, and now Morris’s flames as well.
The delicate balance I had barely maintained began to crack and tilt dangerously.
“Uuuugh…!”
Crack.
I ground my teeth harshly, drawing upon the power of the Tree of Creation with all my might.
‘Control it… I have to…!’
If the Primordial Flame runs wild here, everything ends.
“Ahhhhhhh!!!”
I suppressed the flames that raged as if to devour the world itself.
The ferocious momentum of the ravenous fire diminished ever so slightly.
“…Ha. You’re still trying to control it?”
Morris let out a hollow laugh, as if finding the situation absurd.
As he reached into the empty air, a sword formed from wooden branches materialized in his grasp.
“I have no choice then.”
I’ll have to distract you for a moment.
Boom!
The instant Morris stomped heavily and raised the wooden sword to strike.
“-Dale!”
A silver arc sliced through the empty air.
Clang!
The wooden sword flew back with a harsh clatter.
“Hmm. Yuren… or should I call you Yurina Helios now?”
Morris chuckled softly as he gazed at Yurina.
“Reynald’s blood runs deep, it seems. Even after 500 years, I can still see traces of that bastard’s face in you.”
“…I’ll protect Dale.”
Yurina held her blade toward Morris, her lips pressed into a thin line.
“Dale! Are, are you alright?!”
“…It appears something has gone wrong with Dale’s body.”
“Ah, Iris! Please, please heal Dale quickly…!”
“Understood—”
“Wait. Both of you, stop.”
Webbing wrapped around Iris and Lanez as they rushed toward me.
Elisha’s purple eyes gleamed as she continued.
“Dale’s current condition is beyond the reach of healing magic. Iris knows this better than anyone, doesn’t she?”
“But, but…!”
“Calm yourself. What we must do is…”
Elisha shot a sharp look at Morris.
“Buy time until Dale overcomes this on his own.”
“…Tch.”
Iris clenched the pendant hanging from her neck, her lips trembling.
“You… you did this to Dale?”
Lanez glared at Morris with fierce eyes.
The biting cold swept outward, and the ground around them crackled and froze solid.
“Wow, is this because he’s my son? He’s quite popular.”
Morris burst into cackling laughter as he watched the four women standing guard over me.
After laughing for a long moment, his expression hardened as he gripped the wooden sword.
“Get out of the way, you bitches. Do you really think you
can stop
us?”
Crash!
Tree roots erupted from the ground.
At the same moment, the masked Apostles of Eternity rushed forward in a torrent.
“Candidate Yurina! Ren and I will hold back the apostles! Leave Morris to you!”
“Yes!”
Yurina moved to block Morris’s path.
Her silver blade blazed with brilliant radiance as it swept through the air.
The silver sword and wooden sword crossed in the void.
Clang clang clang clang!
In a flash, they exchanged blows.
After crossing swords with Morris once, a glimmer of realization flickered across Yurina’s eyes.
‘His swordsmanship isn’t particularly refined.’
The power imbued in his blade was tremendous, but his technique itself barely exceeded average.
‘If that’s the case…!’
I can win this, she thought.
“Yeah, swinging a sword really isn’t my forte.”
Tsk.
Morris clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Do you know why my swordsmanship is so mediocre?”
Crack-crack-crack!
In the blink of an eye, tree roots erupted from the ground.
“Because I don’t need to swing a sword.”
Whoosh!
The tree root and Yurina’s blade collided.
And then.
Crash-bang!
“Ahhhhh!”
Her sword shattered into countless fragments.
The shards of the blade scattered across Yurina’s body, tearing into her flesh.
“Ugh…!”
Yurina collapsed, bleeding.
“Now that you understand, step aside. We’re busy right now.”
The moment Morris tried to pass by Yurina.
“Yurina-!”
With Iris’s cry, a rainbow-colored light poured into Yurina’s body.
“Please…! Don’t fall…!”
Yurina’s battered body healed at remarkable speed.
Unsteadily rising to her feet, Yurina gripped the broken hilt.
“…Yes.”
Whoooosh!
A radiant stigma blazed brilliantly.
A silver blade, beautiful as moonlight illuminating the night sky, materialized above the hilt.
“Dale.”
Yurina turned to look at Dale, who was curled up engulfed in flames, and spoke softly.
“I’ll protect you.”
As the sun fades, the moon chooses to shine with its own light.
Whoooooosh!
Silver radiance erupted explosively, enveloping Yurina’s form.
A tremendous torrent of magical energy swept fiercely across the surroundings.
“You….”
Morris’s face twisted into a grotesque snarl.
“How irritating…!”
Morris extended his hand toward Yurina.
Dozens of tree roots shot forth, targeting her with lethal precision.
“Hah!”
Yurina danced across the incoming roots with acrobatic grace and terrifying speed, launching herself toward Morris.
“What—!”
“Hyaaaaaaa!”
A silver arc of light carved through the roots of the world-creating tree.
Brilliant moonlight blazed across Morris’s body, cleaving through flesh.
Thud, crack.
Head, arms, legs.
Morris’s corpse, severed into dozens of pieces, collapsed to the ground.
“Hah, hah!”
Yurina gasped for breath, reaching down to retrieve her blood-stained blade when—
Whoosh.
Pure white petals scattered before her eyes.
And then.
Squelch.
“-Ah.”
A sharp branch pierced through Yurina’s abdomen.
Morris, who had been torn into dozens of pieces mere moments before, rose slowly to his feet, completely intact as though nothing had happened.
“Ha.”
Morris let out a hollow laugh, his expression one of utter absurdity.
“You let your guard down, fool. I never expected you to be this strong.”
Morris clicked his tongue and glared into the void.
“That’s why I prepared something in advance… but it’s too late now. No point in regretting it at this stage.”
Morris shook his head slowly as he approached Yurina.
“I’ll make sure you pay dearly for interfering with us.”
A blade formed of branches pressed against Yurina’s throat.
“Y-Yurina!”
Iris rushed toward her desperately, but—
“Hah, hah! Ah, ugh!”
Thud.
Perhaps from overextending her holy power.
Iris lost her balance and collapsed to the ground.
“Candidate Yurina!”
“Y-Yurina!”
Elisha and Lanez tried desperately to reach Yurina, but the relentless Apostles of Eternity clung to them, blocking their advance.
“…Ah.”
Yurina Helios exhaled a final sigh, her gaze fixed on the wooden sword aimed at her throat.
The moment the wooden sword sliced through the scattering petals and swung forward.
Whoooosh!
Searing ash-flames engulfed the wooden sword in an inferno.
“Gah!”
Morris recoiled in panic, consumed by the raging fire.
His trembling eyes stared in disbelief at the point where the flames erupted.
“This is insane.”
The curse escaped unbidden from his lips.
“She’s already… mastered the Primordial Flame?”
At the end of his horrified gaze.
Whoooosh!
Between the ferociously burning ash-flames, emerald eyes gleamed with terrible brilliance.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————