Chapter 246
Archduke of Mourning, Artkan.
He is a close aide of the Necromancer King, Hell Kaiser.
A monster who survived multiple battles against the Great Heroes.
Leo, too, had fought against Artkan once.
‘He’s still alive?’
But Leo couldn’t hide his surprise at the fact that Artkan had appeared before his eyes.
He was certainly a notorious demon.
But Leo never expected him to still be alive after thousands of years.
Since his reincarnation, Leo had identified the high-ranking demons of Tartarus.
Among them, Artkan’s name had not appeared.
Even if he had survived the Calamity Era, Leo assumed he must’ve been eliminated by others long ago, since he hadn’t appeared in records for thousands of years.
And yet here he was.
Leo broke into a cold sweat as he remained wary of Artkan.
‘In some ways, he’s an even bigger headache than the new Legion Commanders.’
The experience and techniques he’d accumulated over 5000 years were undoubtedly threatening.
‘He possesses power comparable to the top heroes of this era.’
Leo couldn’t take him on just yet.
What’s more, Artkan knew the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle.
‘If he realizes I’m Kyle, things will get complicated.’
Even while thinking that, Leo didn’t lower his guard.
Thankfully, this was the heart of the Shan Empire.
If they noticed Artkan’s presence, they had enough forces to stop him.
While Leo sharpened his senses and stayed on alert, Artkan looked at him and his eyes gleamed.
“Hooh. As expected.”
“To be called the greatest hero cadet of this era—how fitting. And you’re All-Class, no less. Indeed, it’s like seeing the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle. Hahaha.”
Artkan burst into laughter.
Leo looked at him and spoke.
“Archduke of Mourning? From the name alone, you certainly sound like a high-ranking demon, but I’ve never heard of such a title.”
Feigning ignorance, he asked about his identity.
“Hahaha. I’m just a trivial demon who collects corpses.”
One of the sources of Hell Kaiser’s immense power was corpses.
And Artkan was the one in charge of collecting them.
At a glance, it might sound like a petty job.
But it was by no means a light task.
The stronger one was in life, the more powerful an undead they could become.
That’s why the corpses he collected included even those of heroes.
In some cases, he would ‘create’ corpses by killing them himself.
“Lately, I’ve also been supporting those aiding Tartarus.”
That made Leo’s eyes twitch.
“In that sense, Leo Plov.”
Artkan politely took something from his coat and tossed it toward Leo.
Swish—! Flick—!
Leo raised his index and middle fingers and caught what Artkan had thrown.
It was an ordinary piece of paper.
‘A business card?’
“How about receiving our support? I’m confident we can support you better than the Hero Academy. With your All-Class status, I’m sure you’ll rise to the rank of hero in no time.”
Leo checked the card’s contents.
‘Hero Supporter? So they collect Hero Records tainted by Erebos’s influence and use them to groom promising pawns? Looks like my guess was right.’
And it appeared Artkan was the one overseeing that whole operation.
‘Still playing his tricks from the shadows, I see.’
The reason Hero Academies hold such great influence in this era is because they possess Hero Records.
The Necromancer King was operating the same scheme in the shadows.
He might not have as extensive a collection of Hero Records as the academies.
But even so, many would likely fall for the temptation of being allowed to challenge the Hero’s World like Xiandid.
Fwoosh—
Leo burned the business card without hesitation.
“Oh dear. How unfortunate.”
Artkan looked disappointed.
‘Why tell me all this? Is it to say he could kill me anytime, even if I refuse?’
But if Artkan failed to eliminate Leo, this information would inevitably get out.
‘So it doesn’t matter to him even if it does.’
Currently, Tartarus had lost the Monster Queen.
That was clearly the greatest blow to its forces since the end of the Calamity Era.
On the other hand, the world had never been more united, thanks to the return of the Great Heroes and the fall of one of their ancient fears.
But what if it became known that Tartarus could open the Hero’s World using Hero Records and offer rewards?
There would definitely be those who desired that.
At the same time, there would be a major movement to hunt down the traitors who had cooperated with Tartarus from the shadows.
Though they appeared united, the races had long histories of conflict.
And not just between races.
Even within the same race, factional strife existed.
‘There are plenty who would use this as an excuse to eliminate political enemies.’
It could spark tremendous social chaos.
But that didn’t mean he could keep it a secret.
‘Tearing things down from the inside, huh? You devious bastard.’
Grinding his teeth at the thought of Hell Kaiser, Leo summoned his [Aura].
Fwoosh—!
Seeing this, Artkan raised his hand.
“Well then, shall we see what the All-Class is capable of?”
With a gentle smile, skeletons began pouring in from all sides.
These weren’t ordinary undead.
Each one was strengthened by Artkan’s dark magic.
While Leo was momentarily pinned down by the undead, Artkan casually walked toward Xian.
“Oh dear, you’ve been quite thoroughly beaten, Xian.”
Xian looked up at him with trembling eyes.
Artkan smiled at the sight and reached out.
The severed right arm, cut off by Leo, flew into his hand.
“Fortunately, Leo’s swordsmanship was clean. It won’t be difficult to reattach.”
With that, Artkan used dark magic to heal Xian’s arm.
Watching his lost arm restored, Xian ground his teeth.
‘Leo Plov…’
“Right now, Leo is easily overwhelming you.”
“What did you say?”
Murderous intent flashed in Xian’s eyes.
Artkan chuckled as he looked at him.
“It’s no surprise. You both have equal talent, but Leo was raised as a hero cadet in Lumene with special care. And he’s even conquered the Great Hero’s World. Of course there’s a gap.”
“Grr!”
“If you obtain the Hero of the Beginning Kyle’s sword sleeping in Shan, and challenge Kyle’s World, which we have secured, I’m certain you’ll surpass Leo.”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
Xian stood up.
“If I can inherit the power of the Hero of the Beginning…”
‘I’ll take that bastard down with you.’
Casting a scornful glare at Artkan, Xian disappeared into the darkness.
Artkan, watching him go, laughed quietly.
‘He’s no match for Leo Plov. And it’s not like he could ever inherit that world anyway.’
His gaze returned to Leo.
‘What a monster.’
Any other hero cadet would’ve already died to the enhanced undead.
But Leo had turned them to ash in an instant.
He shattered the sword of a Skeleton Knight and dispelled the magic of a Skeleton Mage.
Crack—! Thud—! Rattle—
Just then, the head of a skeleton rolled to Artkan’s feet.
Despite all the action, Leo wasn’t even out of breath as he pointed his sword at Artkan.
“Impressive. You’re in a league of your own.”
Artkan clapped.
“I’d love to keep watching your performance, but unfortunately, I have things to do.”
Soon, the emperor and the shadows of Shan would surely respond to the disturbance in the imperial palace.
Opponents Xian could never handle.
He had to stop them from killing Xian.
‘Only the royal family can enter the underground chamber of the palace.’
From the founding of Shan, Tartarus knew that it was built by the descendants of Bihar.
And knowing that Bihar was Kyle’s disciple, Tartarus had long coveted whatever item Shan preserved related to Kyle.
Now, that chance had finally come. He couldn’t let it slip away.
‘Leo Plov is certainly a threat to us. But he’s still just a rookie.’
Artkan organized his priorities in his mind.
Right now, his top priority was stopping Shan’s shadows.
“But don’t worry. I’ve left behind a proper gift for you.”
Artkan reached into the air as if opening a door.
Creak—!
A massive stone gate appeared in midair.
A dark crimson space opened behind it.
From within, people began to emerge.
Pale skin.
Lifeless eyes.
Like puppets on strings—Artkan smiled as he gestured to them.
“Shadows may be the nemesis of Hero Killers, but they’re also the nemesis of heroes. And all of these are shadows.”
He bowed politely to Leo.
“They devoted their lives to heroes but were never recognized. They died meaningless deaths after living insignificant lives. Though they deny it, they died resenting heroes. That’s why they make such perfect corpses to use. And as the greatest hero cadet, you’re the one they hold the deepest grudge against.”
At those words, the shadows charged at Leo.
Clang—!
A sharp clash of weapons echoed.
Shadows poured endlessly from the gate.
Each one a soulless corpse.
They retained only the techniques they had in life, and now turned their blades on Leo.
Fwoosh—!
Flames of [Aura] burst forth from Leo’s entire body.
“Enjoy the show.”
Artkan smiled as he turned his back.
Watching him walk away, Leo said,
“You know, of all the Legion Commanders, I hate the Necromancer King the most.”
“Most people do. He’s the most terrifying one, after all.”
“That’s not the reason.”
Leo’s voice deepened as his [Aura] blazed even more fiercely.
“It’s because he mocks the dead.”
Demons naturally held life in low regard.
But the Necromancer King, Hell Kaiser, took that disdain further.
He did everything in his power to deny, ridicule, and insult the lives of the living.
His subordinate demons were no different.
That’s why Leo despised him most.
Fwoooosh—
“These people’s lives were never meaningless.”
Even if they weren’t acknowledged.
Even if they despised their own lives.
There was only one reason they fought to the end.
“They fought to protect the peace their predecessors upheld in their own way. They deserved to be called heroes.”
“Will anything change if you, a single person, acknowledge those forsaken even by the gods?”
“I don’t give a damn about the gods’ recognition.”
Fwoosh—
Even fiercer flames erupted from Leo’s body.
The shadows’ movements froze where the flames touched them.
They had been released from necromantic bondage.
As he watched them find peace, Artkan’s eyes narrowed.
‘So it really is the Phoenix’s flame.’
Fwoosh—
Before anyone noticed, a pair of wings unfolded behind Leo’s back.
“Whether they were heroes or shadows, the will they carried hasn’t changed and has been passed down through the generations.”
The hope to reclaim peace.
The hope that Lysinas once held was passed to Kyle.
Then from Kyle to Luna, to Arron… and then to Dweno.
Eventually, when Kyle defeated Erebos, that hope bore fruit.
The Great Heroes vanished 5000 years ago.
But their will still lives on.
‘The heart Lysinas entrusted to us still continues to this day.’
Whether the wish was to reclaim peace or to protect it, they were ultimately the same.
To Leo, both heroes and shadows were those who carried on that will.
‘And that will eventually led to the subjugation of Tartarus.’
But the Necromancer King laughed and mocked those lives.
That’s why Leo hated him most.
Sssht—
Leo lowered his stance.
Seeing that, Artkan raised his dark magic.
‘He’s still just a rookie. Leo Plov’s sword won’t even—’
FWOOSH—!
Crack!
“…!”
Artkan’s eyes widened as Leo pierced his throat, breaking through his barrier.
Sshhhh—
Artkan’s body crumbled into black sand.
Thud!
Artkan grabbed Leo’s neck.
But even that hand soon turned to sand and disappeared.
“You… what are you?”
For the first time, the confidence vanished from Artkan’s face. He turned pale and asked.
He felt fear.
“Me?”
Leo stared at the vanishing Artkan and his red eyes gleamed.
Looking past Artkan’s crimson pupils, Leo declared to the one beyond.
“I’m the one who’ll take you down.”
Crunch—!
Leo gripped and severed Artkan’s neck.
Fsshh—!
Artkan’s body turned to sand and scattered on the floor.
‘As I thought, just a clone.’
The real body was likely damaged too, but this wouldn’t kill him.
‘If he could be killed this easily, we’d have done it 5000 years ago.’
Dragging his burned body, Leo looked at the still-open Gate of the Dead.
It was a [sure-kill strike].
He had seized a brief opening when Artkan let his guard down.
The real body was probably dealing with Shan’s shadows.
‘He may not realize who I am yet, but he’ll definitely be more cautious from now on.’
Taking a deep breath, Leo looked at the undead and said,
‘First, I’ll give these people their rest… and then I’ll deal with that guy Xian.’