Chapter 147
Rumble—
The ground shook.
GROOOAAARRR!
At the same time, a mass of corpses burst out from the ground with a roar.
“Oh my.”
Elena took out a handkerchief from her pocket and covered her nose and mouth.
“How vulgar.”
At the same moment, shards of light shot toward the mass of corpses.
Crash-crash-crash-crash—
Like huge shards of glass, Elena’s magic brutally crushed the mass of corpses.
Dark red blood splattered, and chunks of flesh flew everywhere.
Flash—
For a moment, yellow eyes turned toward Elena.
“Hmm.”
Elena narrowed her eyes.
“Useless! Such crude attacks!”
Cackling, Viner unleashed black magic power.
Rip—
The corpse golem summoned by Viner tore chunks of flesh from its own body and hurled them at Elena.
Elena dodged the chunks of flesh being thrown at tremendous speed.
Having cast [Fly Magic], Elena soared freely through the air.
‘She wouldn’t use such a sloppy attack.’
Rumble—
Just then, a black hole opened up right behind Elena.
At the same time, the chunk of flesh Elena had dodged shot back out.
Seeing this, Elena immediately cast [Shield Magic].
Splat—
Elena frowned as the chunk of flesh stuck to the barrier.
At that moment, the flesh attached to the barrier began to swell.
Boom—!
Flesh and bone exploded in all directions.
A mist of dark red blood spread everywhere.
Elena appeared, smiling slightly.
“That hurt a bit.”
‘The attack power is on a whole different level than before.’
Elena narrowed her eyes, watching the black flames swirling around Viner.
‘Is that divine power… Erebos’s power?’
Elena looked around.
From her position in midair, she could see all of Barharloon.
Elves on the streets screamed and fled from the corpse golem.
The whole city was in chaos.
But…
‘They’re disappearing.’
Elena could see the city’s residents turning into shards of light and vanishing.
‘Just like Merin earlier.’
It was as if the residents of this world were disappearing, just like in the Hero Dungeons.
‘But they’re not vanishing because the world’s been cleared.’
The world itself was collapsing.
Having experienced many Hero Worlds, Elena realized this instinctively.
At that moment, a light shot up from the center of the city.
‘A signal flare spell? Is that Leo and Lunia?’
Haddin saw it, too.
Viner’s monstrous face twisted in rage as soon as he saw the signal flare.
“Sid, that bastard! Why are those damn hero cadets over there!”
At Viner’s shrill outburst, Elena narrowed her eyes.
‘Sid?’
A well-known demon.
A beastmaster who had devoured hero cadets many times before.
‘Can Leo and Lunia handle him?’
No matter how skilled they were as class representatives, a first-year would struggle against a demon of his level.
Elena landed next to Haddin.
“Elena.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll take care of things here.”
At that, Elena glanced at Haddin and said,
“Will you be alright on your own? That demon has gotten a lot stronger.”
“It’s enough. Go support Lunia and Leo.”
“Alright. I’m counting on you.”
Elena smiled and started heading toward the World Tree.
Boom—!
Suddenly, a massive chunk of flesh blocked her path.
Viner’s gigantic arm had stretched out to block Elena.
“Where do you think you’re running, you damned girl?”
Elena looked at Viner, who wore a cold smile, and smiled back.
“I’d recommend you move that filthy arm while I’m still asking nicely.”
“Ha! Arrogant brat! Always so full of yourself—”
Flash! Crack!
“Gah!”
A shard of light created by Elena struck Viner’s face.
“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”
Wham! Smack! Crunch—!
“Guh?”
“I’m not running away because I’m scared of you.”
The shards of light that Elena conjured mercilessly pierced Viner’s body, obeying her will.
As Viner ended up covered in glass-like shards, Elena raised her slender arm.
She flicked her delicate fingers.
Whoosh—!
Shards of light soared high into the sky at Elena’s command.
Viner, pierced through by the shards, was lifted into the air as well.
“I’ll leave the rest to you, Haddin.”
Elena waved brightly as she headed toward the World Tree.
Whooooosh—!
At the same time, Viner’s massive body started to fall vertically toward Haddin’s head.
Seeing this, Haddin sighed and let his sword drop.
Whoooosh—
A gale of [Aura] whirled around Haddin.
Looking up at Viner closing in from above, Haddin swung his sword.
Flash—!
A silver gleam split the air, and a giant blade of wind sliced Viner’s body in two.
“GYAAAAAH!”
Viner’s scream of pain.
Boom! Boom!
Viner’s body crashed to the ground, spraying flesh everywhere.
Viner’s body began to squirm and regenerate.
“Y-you damned girl, even at the end—!”
Slice—
As Viner glared in the direction Elena had gone, her vision suddenly flipped.
“What the—?”
“Shouldn’t you be paying attention to me instead of Elena?”
Thud—!
Viner’s head rolled across the ground.
Looking down at Viner, Haddin spoke.
“Your opponent is me.”
“Ha! How arrogant…! You think you can stop me?”
Haddin replied calmly, unfazed by Viner’s anger.
“I might not be enough, but I hope you’ll be satisfied with me.”
“You little—! You damn brats—!”
Murderous intent flickered on Viner’s face.
She reached out, picked up her head, and put it back on her neck.
“I’ll chew you up alive—”
Crunch—!
Her vision flipped again.
By the time Viner realized it, her head was rolling on the ground once more.
‘When did he cut me?’
Viner’s face was filled with shock.
She hadn’t sensed any sword swing.
‘Did he move faster than I could see? No! This brat didn’t even swing his sword!’
Yet her head had been cut off.
Seeing Viner’s stunned face, Haddin spoke.
“You never know where the wind will blow from.”
Haddin calmly raised his sword.
Crunch—!
This time, Viner’s arm was severed.
Viner’s body regenerated.
Slash! Crunch—!
Then, at even greater speed, her body was hacked to pieces.
When half her body was gone, Viner realized it.
‘He’s dominating this space with [Aura]?’
Viner’s face filled with horror.
Just as she thought, Haddin was in complete control of the wind in the area.
Every gust of wind became his sword, slashing Viner.
‘What kind of monster is this…!’
Viner’s face turned pale.
Seeing this, Haddin spoke with a blank expression.
“Were you planning to fight Elena with just this much?”
“What?”
“She’s far stronger than this.”
Slash—!
Viner’s face was sliced in two.
Through her distorted vision, Haddin’s cold expression came into view.
“Whatever you’re plotting in the Founder’s world… things will never go the way you want.”
—
Luna’s gaze chased after the white hair.
Too fast to follow with the naked eye.
The boy’s flashing red eyes seemed to paint patterns in the air.
‘What is this boy?’
It was her first time meeting him.
He wasn’t even an elf, just a human.
For Luna, this was her first time meeting a human in her life.
But the boy treated her with a familiarity as if they’d known each other for a long time.
She wasn’t particularly shy, but the boy’s sense of closeness made Luna feel awkward.
His familiarity—how he acted as if he knew her so well.
Even now, it was the same.
Leo avoided the trajectory of Luna’s magic with perfect precision as he cornered the enemy.
She never had to worry about hitting Leo with her spells.
All Luna had to do was chant comfortably.
It was as if they’d been fighting together for ages.
‘How strange.’
The flow of Luna’s magic became light and lively.
She chanted spells with no hesitation.
She could focus on nothing but casting.
The same was true for Leo.
Until now, he had always watched every situation carefully in battle.
Even with allies, he was always prepared for emergencies.
He’d never let his guard down.
Not because he didn’t trust his companions.
In his previous life—
After so many fierce, endless battles, he’d gotten used to filling the empty spots left as friends fell away, one by one.
But now, Leo was different.
It was as if an empty space inside him had finally been filled.
Leo let Luna watch his back.
The presence of Luna, who had guarded his back so reliably for so long, was like wings for Leo.
Watching them, Lunia felt goosebumps.
‘How can they work together so perfectly?’
The two seemed like comrades who had fought together for years.
It was as if they shared the same thoughts.
Slash—!
Leo cut down the demonic beast in front of him and glanced at Luna.
Luna met Leo’s gaze as well.
Unlike Leo, who understood why their teamwork was so perfect, Luna was bewildered by it.
Leo smiled and rushed at the next enemy.
“Urgh! Did he get even faster?!”
Lunia cried in shock as she supported Leo.
Luna watched Leo’s back and thought,
‘Leo Plov, just who are you?’
It was like meeting a soulmate.
‘How do you know me so well?’
The image of the boy who accepted her dream appeared in her mind.
‘Why did I feel I had to help this boy?’
Questions whirled inside her, but Luna moved without hesitation.
At that moment, Polium shone with a gentle light.
This time, it was a different shade—gray.
A rough but warm light caught Luna’s eye.
‘I promise you.’
Startled by the sudden reaction from Polium, Luna looked surprised.
As she saw the light, it felt as if someone’s beautiful, resonant voice swept through her mind.
‘This meeting will surely save the world.’
“Luna?”
“Yeah?”
“Why… are you crying?”
“What…?”
Luna tilted her head, not knowing why tears were rolling down her cheeks.
“I wonder. Why am I crying?”
Lunia looked flustered at Luna’s apparent confusion.
Meanwhile, Leo didn’t stop.
He kept slaughtering the demonic beasts blocking their way.
‘Only low-level demonic beasts are in the way. That’s strange.’
Leo narrowed his eyes.
The Sid they’d met earlier wasn’t a minor demon.
‘If a demon of that level has been nesting here for so long, there should be even more dangerous things around.’
While thinking this, they came to a fork.
“Which way to the audience chamber?”
“Right!”
At Luna’s answer, Leo ran without hesitation.
Soon, they saw a large door engraved with the World Tree.
“Is that it!”
Whoosh—!
Leo’s [Flame Aura] blazed even more fiercely.
“Stop.”
At that moment, a shadow surged up in front of Leo.
Out of the shadow emerged Sid.
“How dare lowly things like you come here—”
Slice—!
Before Sid could even finish his words of rage, his head flew through the air.
Without batting an eye, Leo lopped off Sid’s head and snorted.
“Why so talkative?”
“Y-you!”
Sid’s face, rolling on the floor, twisted with fury.
Thud—
Leo stomped on Sid’s head.
“Isn’t this your true form? Vermin.”
Leo sneered.
Fwoooosh—
Powerful black magic burst from Sid’s head.
Smack—!
Leo kicked Sid’s head away.
Thud—roll—
Sid’s head rolled across the floor and came to a stop.
From the cut end of the head, spider legs sprouted.
Luna grimaced at the sight.
“Ugh! That’s so gross!”
“You talk too much for a girl of such filthy blood.”
“You act like a high elf, but did you really think you were one?”
Leo sneered coldly.
As Leo watched, Sid crawled on his spider legs toward a nearby monster and stabbed the legs in.
Crunch—!
As the spider legs pierced the flesh, the monster’s body transformed into that of a human.
“You’ll never get through here.”
Whoosh—!
Sid’s body was engulfed in black flames.
At the same time, his black magic rose endlessly.
Fwoooosh—
A summoning circle appeared in midair, and demonic beasts began to pour out.
The horror of a high-level beastmaster was that they could summon endless demonic beasts.
Seeing this, Luna and Lunia tensed.
“You’ll never get through, huh.”
Leo narrowed his eyes as he watched.
“Strange.”
“What’s strange?”
“The power you’re using right now—that’s Erebos’s blessing, right?”
A demon blessed by Erebos gains a massive surge in power.
Just Erebos’s presence grants overwhelming strength to demons.
“Ho? Sharp eye.”
Sid smirked.
“Then you should know just how powerful I’ve become—”
“How much of a difference do you think a blessing makes for a low-level demon like you?”
Leo said dismissively.
“What?”
Sid’s eyes filled with rage.
“What I want to know is, if Erebos is powerful enough to give out blessings, why doesn’t he just destroy us himself?”
Leo smirked.
Sid’s face stiffened at Leo’s words.
Just as Leo hated Erebos, Erebos must also hate the one who made him like this—Kyle, now Leo.
He could still remember Erebos splitting into six pieces and cursing and roaring.
He could feel Erebos’s presence vividly just beyond the door.
And yet, even with Erebos right in front of them, there was no reaction.
‘Even if I’ve reincarnated… Luna was also included among those he cursed.’
Luna was here.
And yet, there was no response.
“That thing inside—it’s just a shell, isn’t it?”
Sid’s face stiffened at Leo’s words.
“So I was right.”
Leo smiled as he summoned [Aura].
“Doesn’t matter. Even if you see through it, you still can’t get past this door.”
A murderous aura erupted from Sid.
Whoosh—!
Black flames blazed violently.
“You die here.”
Leo’s flames blazed even more fiercely.
Whoosh—!
The flames began to consume Leo’s body.
The [Phoenix Aura] combined with the [Hero’s Breath] intensified the flames.
Crimson fire.
Not something he had learned formally, but the Zerdinger’s secret flames, perfected by Leo on his own.
‘Crimson Flame. This alone isn’t enough.’
He gathered magic in his free hand.
Lunia’s eyes widened at Leo’s magic.
“Huh?”
Lunia let out a startled cry.
Leo’s [Aura] was deeply familiar to Lunia.
Of course—it was the same [Phoenix Aura].
‘But… was his magic this similar, too?’
As the thought struck her, Lunia’s face filled with shock.
‘No! That magic is…!’
Leo’s magic was similar to that of the Lunda family.
And the spell he was weaving now—
Lunia’s hand trembled.
It was a magic she had shown Leo only once.
One of the Lunda family’s secret spells.
A magic she had used against Leo in battle.
‘Scorch?’
Whoosh—!
Zerdinger’s [Crimson Flame] and Lunda’s [Scorch] fused.
Whoosh—!
Fiery wings formed.
Sid’s eyes widened as he watched the burning wings that looked just like a real phoenix.
“How can a human wield the phoenix’s fire!”
“Because I’m the phoenix’s contractor.”
Leo grinned as he poured the flames into his sword.
“I’ve done some research.”
Flash—!
In an instant, the roaring flames incinerated everything in front of him.
The phoenix’s purifying flames were the mortal enemy of demonic beasts.
Sid’s body was mercilessly consumed by the flames.
“GYAAAAAAAH!”
With a scream of agony, even the door vanished without a trace.
In that moment, Leo saw the darkness of the abyss.
Lunia was overwhelmed by that darkness, but Leo stepped forward without blinking.
Step—step—
The audience chamber was empty.
Leo raised his head.
He gripped his hand tightly.
A nemesis he had not seen in thousands of years.
The calamity of black flames.
‘Erebos.’
Killing intent flashed in Leo’s eyes.