Chapter 204
“Why aren’t you answering after calling me?”
Leo, who had been flustered, regained his composure at Luna’s words.
‘She recognizes me as Kyle? Then this must be a possession-type [Hero’s World] where the player is perceived as someone from the past.’
It was clear that he was currently possessing his past self.
Quickly assessing the situation, Leo took a deep breath.
“You okay?”
Leo immediately slipped into character, playing his past self.
If his memory served correctly, this was right in the middle of the battle against Zegdiac.
Asking that kind of question wouldn’t be strange.
“Yeah. I’m fine. You protected me, didn’t you?”
Luna asked with concern.
“And you? You took a direct hit from Zegdiac a moment ago.”
“I’m fine.”
‘Normally, I’d be in pieces from Zegdiac’s poison by now.’
But Leo had just entered the [Hero’s World].
“When did you gain immunity to poison?”
As Luna looked at him in wonder, Leo asked instead,
“More importantly, where’s Zegdiac?”
At that, Luna’s face hardened.
“He ran away.”
“What?”
Leo’s eyes widened at her response.
‘He ran away?’
That made no sense.
Zegdiac was the type to spew poison until the very end, determined to take Kyle and Luna with him.
For that bloodthirsty monster to retreat?
‘Something’s definitely wrong.’
“Where did he go?”
“That way.”
Leo looked in the direction Luna pointed, intending to give chase.
To clear the [Hero’s World], Zegdiac had to be defeated.
But upon checking Luna’s condition, he stopped.
Her hand was trembling faintly, and sweat was trickling down her forehead.
“Luna… Don’t tell me you fought him alone?”
Luna gave a strained smile at Leo’s question.
“Yeah, while you were unconscious for a bit…”
Suddenly, Luna staggered.
Leo quickly supported her.
At this time in history, their party hadn’t yet reached the strength to take on a legion commander alone.
Even for Luna, facing Zegdiac alone would have taken a heavy toll.
Leo clenched his teeth.
“Kyle…”
Luna opened her mouth weakly.
“While I was fighting Zegdiac… some strange people ambushed me.”
“What?”
“They were elves… They suddenly appeared and attacked me. Do you know anything about them?”
‘Elves?’
That made no sense.
Back then, the only people present were Kyle and Luna.
Elves? Impossible.
“They attacked you?”
“Yeah.”
As Luna nodded weakly, Leo’s face turned grim.
There were too many strange things about this [Hero’s World].
‘The Hero Record I touched days ago activating only now. The fact that the world began during the height of the Zegdiac battle. And finally…’
Leo’s grip tightened.
‘…Seiren students supposedly cleared this world.’
According to Nerzia, some Seiren students had already cleared this world.
But the final boss here was a legion commander.
Poison King Zegdiac—on par with Hell Kaiser, the Giant King, and the Demon Queen.
An opponent well beyond the level of any student.
And yet someone had supposedly cleared it.
Tartarus was trying to erase the [Hero Records] of the Great Heroes.
To prevent future heroes from inheriting their power.
‘If the Seiren students who entered this world were traitors…’
Then Zegdiac’s retreat, the elves who suddenly attacked Luna…
If Seiren traitors had entered as challengers, everything made sense.
Leo clenched his fist.
‘Was the Necromancer King’s plan all along to destroy Luna’s [Hero Record] stored at Seiren?’
Shwoooo—
That dreadful black rain continued to fall.
‘First, I need to help Luna recover.’
“Let’s find somewhere to rest.”
Leo helped Luna to her feet.
But Luna gritted her teeth.
“No, we have to defeat Zegdiac quickly…”
“If he’s run off, then we have time to regroup.”
Leo laid out the situation calmly.
“Defeating him can wait until your strength returns.”
Luna looked up at Leo and gave a tired smile.
“Then Kyle… I’ll sleep a little…”
Poisoned and completely drained of mana, Luna leaned into Leo and fell asleep with gentle breaths.
Looking around the ruined castle, Leo thought,
‘I need to find some shelter from the rain.’
Rumble—!
Lightning crackled in the dreary sky.
At that moment—
Crack—
The sky began to fracture.
But Leo, focused on supporting Luna, didn’t notice.
—
Grooooaaar!
An armored Gigantes charged toward the fortress wall with a roar.
Goooooh—!
Dark [Mana] spewed from its body.
Seeing this, Rhys shouted urgently.
“Rienia!”
At his call, Rienia, who was positioned at the highest point of the wall, drew back her bowstring.
Creeeeak—!
Her greatbow let out a cry.
Thoom—! Fwoooosh—!
A massive arrow imbued with [Aura] launched with terrifying force.
Crack! Crunch!
“Grooooaaar!”
The arrow pierced the Gigantes’ eye, exited through the back of its skull, and embedded in the ground.
But even with its head pierced, the Gigantes didn’t die.
Instead, clutching its face, it rampaged wildly.
Its indiscriminate thrashing crushed both allies and enemies alike.
Rhys seized the opportunity and descended below the wall.
He landed and severed the Gigantes’ ankle.
Fwoosh! Slice!
Stagger—Thud—!
Screeech!
Groooar!
The Gigantes fell, crushing surrounding monsters who screamed in agony as they were instantly killed.
Rhys cleanly decapitated the fallen Gigantes and quickly returned to the wall.
With their agility, knight-class warriors swiftly neutralized threats like the Gigantes and enemy attacks targeting the wall.
The defense line Sedgen had created held firm against the legion’s assault.
Watching from a distance, the Demon Queen narrowed her eyes.
“They’re putting up quite the resistance.”
It was only natural.
Countless heroes throughout history had emerged from these schools.
Even though her legion boasted monsters capable of destroying entire nations alone, this fortress was not easily breached.
As Sillatna rested her chin with a bored expression—
Flash—!
Shards of light rained down above her head.
Sillatna glanced up, and the falling light halted just before reaching her.
“Perfect timing. I was getting bored.”
She flicked her fingers.
Boom—!
The light exploded with immense force.
The Gigantes she was riding had its head obliterated without a trace.
Yet Sillatna floated unharmed in midair.
She narrowed her eyes.
“Sword Star. First Star. The Mage of the Evil Eye. The masters of Lunda and Lewellin. And a lizard… These are your chosen escorts to the afterlife?”
“They’re not escorts to the afterlife. They’re your farewell committee.”
Kalian replied, smiling faintly.
As Sillatna grinned, Kalian lowered his stance.
Fwoooosh—!
Kalian vanished.
Sillatna’s gaze turned left.
He had appeared on her flank, swinging his sword.
Flash—Thwack—!
Kalian’s blade was caught in Sillatna’s hand.
“Is this one of those damned dwarf-forged blades? Disgusting.”
The Demon Queen swung her remaining arm to strike Kalian’s head.
Wham—!
As Kalian’s head snapped back—
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boooom—!
Crash! Ruuuumble—!
The force of the blow launched Kalian into the fortress wall Sedgen had created.
A portion of the wall collapsed.
Everyone gasped.
“P-Principal!”
“Lord Kalian!”
Professors from Lumene rushed toward the crumbled section in a panic.
Drip—drip-drip—
“Ngh… treating an old man this roughly.”
But Kalian emerged from the rubble, unharmed.
Everyone who saw him shivered in awe.
‘He survived that head-on…!’
‘As expected of the Sword Star…!’
All eyes turned toward Kalian with reverence.
“If I were ten years younger, I wouldn’t have flown that far.”
Clicking his tongue, Kalian pointed his sword at the Demon Queen.
Slaaash—!
He swung his blade.
A single motion turned into a world-cleaving strike.
An invisible, massive slash tore through everything in a straight line between him and Sillatna.
Demon soldiers collapsed, spilling blood.
Seeing the slash near her, Sillatna raised her arm.
Crack—!
Her arm bent unnaturally, as if broken.
Thunk—!
Unable to withstand the force, it was flung away.
Overhead, a devastating barrage of attacks followed.
Fairy magic enhanced by the [Evil Eye].
A blazing [Phoenix Breath].
Winds that sliced through the heavens.
Attacks from the heroes Kalian had chosen filled the sky.
Those fighting on the fortress wall gaped at the overwhelming firepower.
Boom-boom-boooom—!
Direct hits from Albi, Allan, and Chade shook the earth violently.
The area where Sillatna had stood was completely annihilated.
She stood frozen, body arched back from the impact.
“Did it hit…?”
A Seiren student clenched a fist in anticipation.
“Heh.”
From her tilted head, Sillatna let out a low chuckle.
“Keek! Heeheehee! Aha! Ahahahahahaha!”
Her maniacal laughter rang out, eyes flashing.
“That actually hurt!”
She raised her hand.
Goooooh! Crackle—!
A massive dark sphere formed above her palm.
Seeing the cursed black mana, everyone on the wall turned pale.
Those who had boldly declared they would take down Sillatna finally realized—
How foolish their words had been.
And they understood—
The sheer terror of a legion commander who had existed since before the Age of Calamity.
“Die, maggots!”
Her [Dark Magic] flew toward the wall.
At that moment—
“End.”
Flash—!
Boom-boooom—!
With golden starlight, her spell exploded and vanished on the spot.
Sillatna narrowed her eyes at the elf who had cast it—the principal of Seiren.
“That’s the magic I hate most.”
“I don’t know what your scheme is.”
Lieven spoke to Sillatna.
“Even if you are a powerful legion commander, this place is not one you can conquer. That’s why you three have remained silent until now, isn’t it?”
Sillatna glanced at Lieven and smirked.
“What do you want to know, lizard?”
“What’s your scheme?”
“Would it make sense if I said I came to greet an old friend?”
“An… old friend?”
As Lieven’s face darkened, Sillatna looked up at the sky.
Lieven followed her gaze.
And his face stiffened.
The sky was cracked.
‘What is… that?’
Suddenly—
Crunch!
From the fractured sky, a grotesque arm appeared.
Like something breaking through a wall.
The monstrous arm slowly withdrew.
And then—
Rrrrnnnn—
Lieven heard a low growl in his ear.
Through the tear, a massive, eerie violet eye stared down.
Goosebumps rose over Lieven’s entire body.
‘No way… is that a legion commander from Tartarus?’