Time rewinds a few minutes, as Evan fights against Sol's reanimated corpse.
The new Spirit Slime Hero of Dazzling and Shining Skies against the Fallen Hero of the Dark Sun.
Evan gnashed his teeth as he felt the enormous pressure that Sol was emanating, it was not only fire, but also a powerful and dread feeling, he seemed to be a lord in fighting, and his experience and use of his powers and weapon were superb.
Even more, now that Sol had awakened into a Fallen Hero of the Dark Sun, becoming a powerful Undead of high level, Evan even began to think that Sol might have now been even stronger than how he used to be… Truly a terrifying being.
However, Evan could not help but smile as his body trembled with exhilaration, battling against such an expert and such an amazing Hero that shaped the history of the Border Continent was immense, even if Sol had defeated many of the monsters that once lived in the Grand Forest and even sealed the Wyvern Overlord, Evan's ally, he could not help but forget about all of such things and enjoy the fight in front of him.
Evan could feel it in his very blood, on his flesh, on his bones, on his very spirit, this fight was making him break his limits!
He could even feel a strange feeling, something mystical behind this battle… as if fate itself arranged such challenge for him…
And indeed, it slightly did, as Evan, while fighting, received a System Notification, a 'Fate Trial' had begun while he clashed his Durandal against Sol's Bone Blade.
Fate Trials were like special events that any Hero with an Epic would one day undergo… such special events seemed to be (or not) arranged by fate or some other entity, and shaped the Hero through it.
If the Hero triumphed this trial, he would receive great rewards, and even be given the chance to evolve into… a Legendary Hero.
Now that Evan had awakened into a Hero, the natural outcome was to become a Legendary Hero, Humans in the pinnacle of the Mortal Realm!
He needed to win, more than anything!
If he were to receive help from someone else, he believed that he might fail such a trial, as it was something that was a personal thing, something that only he could undergo.
If he were to receive outside help, it might even count as cheating, and he would end up failing the Fate Trial, losing such an opportunity to raise his strength exponentially and finally, perhaps, catch up with his beloved soon-to-be wife, Amiphossia.
"What's your name, Hero?" asked Sol, as he clashed against Evan once more, with his entire body shrouded in black flames and his Bone Blade unleashing deathly darkness, impacting with Evan's bright yellow light.
Clash!
Evan clenched his fist around the handle of his blade, Durandal, gnashing his teeth as he unleashed his Aura of light against Sol's overwhelming presence.
"Evan… Evan Godfrey, Sol-sama! Your history has shaped the Kingdom of Athetosea, since I was a child that I always heard about your stories, adventures, and the many things you have achieved…! If I have to admit it… I am a big fan!" said Evan.
"…Fan?" wondered Sol, as he unleashed even more darkness, while Evan took it all with his golden light, releasing a powerful wave of brightness towards Sol's attack!
Flash!
"Well, I don't think it matters now…!" said Evan.
"Hm… Your sword movements are good, however, you lack swiftness and more refined use of the blade," said Sol, taking all of Evan's consecutive sword slashes with his own Bone Blade, which seemed to be a Phantasmal-Rank Weapon he acquired when he gained once more his Epic as a Fallen Hero.
Clash! Clash! Clash!
Sol's Bone Blade moved incredibly easily around, as he stood still while taking all of Evan's attacks with his blade, which moved with incredible speed and precision!
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
"Is he… giving me insight, even as enemies?!" thought Evan, filling himself with inspiration, as he realized that Sol, despite becoming an Undead controlled by the Witch, still held his old personality and soul, he was still the same as he had always been… Evan wanted to help Sol, to rescue him!
"Sol-sama, I will help you! I shall free you from this Witch's powers!" said Evan, his gentleness clearly showing itself on his face, as Sol was as expressionless as ever, glaring at him with his crimson eyes.
"For that to happen, you will have to kill me first, Evan," said Sol, saying Evan's name.
Sol suddenly moved incredibly swiftly while evading Evan's light rays from his blade, suddenly, he raised his hand as an enormous sphere of black fire emerged!
"That's…!"
"Overpowering Black Sun," said Sol, using his strongest move, and the one that had made him so famous through all these years, his strongest finishing move, against Evan!
However, Evan smiled, as his aquamarine eyes shined brightly, releasing sparks of iridescent light!
"I will also give my all, Sol-sama!" he said, as he raised his hand quickly, generating an enormous sphere of light!
"This is something that Kekensha-sama taught me, Golden Sun!" roared Evan, sending the enormous sphere of light as Sol expressionlessly sent his own, both enormous attacks clashing against each other into a loud explosion, blowing away any Undead around them!
BOOM!
The enormous explosion quickly came to an end as, Evan glanced through the magic smoke, suddenly startled by Sol who appeared in a blink near him!
"Ah!"
"Impressive, but not enough!" said Sol expressionlessly, shrouding his Bone Blade in black fire and unleashing dozens of attacks consecutively!
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Evan was caught off guard, as he received all of the attacks!
"Nnnnggaaaaaahh…!" cried Evan.
"Evan!!!" cried Durandal, as she released a powerful ray of light towards Sol while making Evan fly away from his onslaught!
Flash!
Boom!
Evan hit the ground as he was covered in deep wounds, leaking yellow-colored blood.
Sol glanced at him, as he believed he should die soon.
However, against his expectations, Evan's wounds closed themselves immediately, as if his entire body were made of some kind of slimy substance…!
And the yellow blood leaking from his wounds dissipated into nothingness the moment it touched the floor.
Sol immediately realized this…
"You… You're not a human," he said, his crimson eyes gleaming with intrigue.
"I once… was one. I am what they call a Chaos Human. I changed into it after I almost died and was saved by Kireina-sama… My wounds were so deep that the only way to help me recover was for her to fuse her slime parts into me, to regenerate those organs and tissue with them, permanently fusing with me… Since then, that I gained a lot of power, but I have always felt like it was borrowed," said Evan.
Sol listened to Evan's words carefully, despite seemingly being ruthless and emotionless…
"I see…" he said, rushing towards Evan with an immense speed, breaking the barrier of sound like a meteor made of black fire!
Flash!
"Then I will have to get more serious…" he said expressionlessly, as Evan gnashed his teeth, infusing his power into Durandal!
Clash! Clash! Clash!
Evan's Durandal and Sol's Bone Blade once more clashed against one another, as enormous shockwaves shrouded almost the entire battlefield by their mere battle!
"Shining Sky Enhancement! Double Cutting Light! Golden Light Cannon!" roared Evan, as he enhanced himself with shiny light while releasing a double cutting attack with his blade shrouded in burning light, breaking through Sol's constant onslaught of powerful black fire-enhanced blade techniques, and then firing a powerful cannon of light while he least expected it, right into his chest!
"Hm?!" muttered Sol, startled over the hidden power within Evan, as he was sent a few meters away.
He felt like Evan had started incredibly weak and clumsy, yet, through their battle, he was slowly improving, sharpening his skills and techniques…
He even felt as if he was trying to make his moves more refined, with more precision and gracefulness just as him!
"So this is a Hero…" he thought.
Although Sol had lived as a Hero, he had never fought against other Hero before, nor he knew what was fighting against someone with his same potential in a life and death situation…
Even though he once met other Heroes such as the Ocean Hero to defeat and seal the Wyvern Overlord, he never met someone that actually improved this much merely through battle!
"Golden Sun!" roared Evan, rushing towards Sol with an enormous amount of light over his body as his eyes and shining armor became one, he was the embodiment of light!
"Come, Hero. Darkness Enhancement, Magic Warfare, Overpowering Black Sun," said Sol, as he conjured two enhancement Spells and then unleashed his 'dark' version of his iconic move, Overpowering Black Sun, an enormous sun of black fire.
Once more, the ridiculously overproportionate spells clashed against each other in an explosion of light and darkness, showing off the enormous power of these two Heroes.
Flash!
Suddenly, Evan reached Sol with an enormous speed, as he began to use his light not only for offense but also as a way of movement, using it to fly almost at the same speed as Kireina when she used her movement skills.
Sol was slightly startled, as he shrouded himself in black fire and unleashed slashing attacks towards Evan, who he received or intercepted, damage shrouding his body as his slime composition barely was able to regenerate the wounds in time before he leaked more of his golden blood.
"Hahhhhhhh! Blade Warfare! Magic Warfare! Light Super Enhancement! Divine Shining Light Blade!!!" roared Evan clashing against Sol's enormous onslaught of dark slashing attacks, as light and darkness exploded!
CLASH!
Sol gnashed his teeth, as he began to unleash his true power over Evan's bold charge!
"That's… the power of a Hero!" said Sol, praising Evan as he pushed the boy to his very limits, unleashing all of his darkness and even creating small versions of Overpowering Black Sun, firing them towards Evan as he kept his charge!
Evan used Durandal to intercept the small suns of darkness, launching them away with his holy light, as large angelic wings of light emerged from his back, and even a golden light crown appeared on his head!
Evan… felt it!
He was changing, his power was surging!
Sol, against his curse, against the power over him by Annabelle, smiled!
"That's it! Fight to your limits, Evan!" roared Sol, as his entire body changed, shrouding himself in enormous black armor as gigantic metallic claws emerged from his back, flying towards Evan as he destroyed them with his holy light!
"Sol-sama! I will defeat you, and then… I will free you!!! Uuuooooooooohhhh…!" roared Evan, as he began to pour his very soul into his blade!
"Evan… This is it! I can feel it, this power… Use my power!" cried Durandal, as she began to shine brighter than ever!
As if the personification of the sunlight itself, Evan raised his enormous blade of light, clashing it against Sol!
"Legendary Technique: Soul-Cleansing Divine Blade of Shining Light!"
Sol glanced at the enormous blade of light as it clashed against him, he unleashed all of his darkness, everything he had within his soul and body, as his bone blade became an enormous and monstrous piece of bone, even to the point that it began to laugh maliciously!
Both blades clashed against each other, as Sol smiled, even more, feeling the excitement, feeling the exhilaration of such a battle!
"This is it, Evan! Show me that you're truly a Hero that can inherit my Title, show me that you are someone that can protect the future I strived to protect!" roared Sol, his eyes gleaming with crimson light, as all of his darkness clashed against all of Evan's light!
"Sol-sama…! I promise you…! I will protect the future that you have strived to protect…! I will not disappoint you!!!" roared Evan, as his light finally overpowered the eternal abyssal darkness of Sol, quickly consuming it all…
Evan glanced at Sol's smile, and it even seemed as if his appearance changed to that of before dying and becoming an Undead, with healthy skin, orange eyes, and red hair.
He smiled warmly at Evan...
"I see… Thanks, Evan. I am leaving it to you… Perhaps… I can finally rest at ease… If you ever see Geraldine… Tell her that I am sorry…" said Sol, as he disappeared within the light…
Flash!
Evan felt a strange sense of sorrow, as the entire body of Sol disintegrated, and his soul did not remain within this place, flying away, far away, and joining back with this world's reincarnation cycle.
As the light dissipated, Evan was left in the ground, his eyes glancing at the last thing that Sol left, his Bone Blade, which had suddenly turned into a large blade covered in orange metal and shining incredibly brightly, this was the gift that Sol left to Evan.
"Sol-sama…" Evan muttered as tears began to drip from his eyes, staining the blade he left for Evan…
Amiphossia glanced at the scene as she shared a few of Evan's feelings, she could clearly feel her lover's sorrow, this was a fight he needed to do, something that he needed to defeat… He had freed Sol from the witch, and she had left the soul of the hero to fly back to the world's reincarnation cycle instead of staying within her Domain.
"Good job, Evan…" said Amiphossia with a warm smile, appearing at her lover's side.
Evan felt a change within himself, as his very soul evolved alongside his physical body…
The System notified him of his awakening into a Legendary Hero, but instead of happiness and fulfillment, he was left with sorrow for the Fallen Hero's fate.
"I… I wasn't able to save his soul… he left us… Amiphossia…" cried Evan.
"No, I saw him, Evan. He joined back to this world's reincarnation cycle, his pained memories will be cleansed, and he will one day be reborn as someone else, perhaps… he shall finally live a life where he will not be filled with sorrow or be controlled by others," said Amiphossia, petting her lover as she shapeshifted into a similar body size than him.
Evan hugged her chest, as she felt the warmth of his tears…
"There is a lot to do yet, Evan. And it seems that Geraldine and the rest are done as well… Let's go back to join with our family, shall we?" asked Amiphossia.
Evan cleaned his tears, as he glanced at the battlefield showing before his eyes as Amiphossia's Domain opened.
His eyes seemed filled with conviction.
"Indeed… I will make sure to use this strength and this blade to protect the future that Sol-sama once tried to protect… It is the least I can do after all," said Evan.
"Well said," said Durandal.
"Indeed… Oh? My siblings are fighting a pretty hefty monster... Let's go give them a hand!" said Amiphossia, commanding her army of phantoms and ghosts alongside her friends and Geraldine.
