Chapter 389
‘That power must be why Lysinas couldn’t form a contract with Pegasus.’
Dragons were a race that upheld the world’s order since the Age of Gods.
As the gods’ messengers, they protected the world and followed the gods’ will.
Thus, each dragon clan had its own duty—and the Black Dragon clan’s duty was to annihilate those who turned their backs on the world.
Because of that, Black Dragons were feared as violent and cruel.
Especially during the Era of Calamity, darkness itself was an object of fear and hatred.
‘In fact, many Black Dragons were corrupted and sided with Erebos.’
Even if individuals differed, their essence was the same—darkness.
It was inevitable that they would be more easily corrupted.
Leo recalled the countless corrupted Black Dragons he had buried in darkness with his own hands.
‘No wonder Lysinas hated her racial traits.’
More than hatred, Lysinas feared her own essence.
Knowing that, Leo stepped into the darkness in her place—
So Lysinas could keep moving toward the light.
‘Because the light she showed me was hope.’
For Leo, bearing Lysinas’s duty was only natural.
—
Leo walked through Guardslone with Rodia.
Their destination was the darkest back alleys of the city.
Following behind him, Rodia looked surprised.
“There was a place like this?”
Even Rodia, who had attempted to conquer Lysinas’s Hero World several times, didn’t know this route.
“I studied Guardslone in this era countless times for the conquest. Still, it’s hard to know as much as Kyle, who actually had to live in this era.”
“Right. But you know things I don’t.”
“Yes.”
Rodia nodded at Leo’s words.
“What’s the range of activity in this Hero Record?”
“There’s nowhere in Guardslone I can’t go.”
As they walked, Rodia explained her past attempts step by step.
Since she had tried to conquer this world several times, she knew the failure conditions in detail.
“Honestly, this world can’t be cleared unless it’s Kyle.”
“What do you mean?”
“The moment Lysinas realizes the attacker isn’t All-Class, the conquest fails immediately.”
This Hero Record was possession-type.
In other words, the attacker had to possess Kyle’s body and fight Jormungandr alongside Lysinas.
But no matter how many times someone entered Kyle’s body, they never became Kyle.
No matter how perfectly they imitated him, they could never replicate what only Kyle possessed.
The All-Class ability rooted in pure Mana could not be copied.
Rodia realized that and tried to hide the fact that she wasn’t All-Class as much as possible.
But in the end, she was exposed—and failed.
“It’s strange. Even then, the conquest fails the instant she realizes I’m not All-Class, no matter the situation.”
“Well, Kyle is conquering it now, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Rodia smiled.
Still doubtful, Leo nodded.
Before long, they reached a dead end.
Rodia examined the wall carefully, then clicked her tongue.
‘I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t come with Kyle.’
The wall was an entrance.
The problem was how perfectly it was concealed—so well that even Rodia, called the Dragon of Genesis, could barely detect it.
“The White King’s barrier… it doesn’t look easy to open.”
Leo chuckled at Rodia’s words.
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
Still smiling, he reached a hand toward the wall.
Gray Mana flowed from his palm and wrapped around it.
A moment later—
Wooooong!
The wall rippled, and an entrance formed.
“As expected, it’s Kyle.”
“I know Albus’s abilities best.”
Leo replied, thinking of his Oathbound.
Beyond the entrance stretched a pure-white corridor.
At the end of it, a vast hall opened up.
The men and women seated elegantly inside widened their eyes the moment they spotted Leo and Rodia.
“A human and a dragon?”
“How did they get in here?”
Ignoring their disbelief, Leo spoke.
“I came here because there’s a Pegasus I want to meet.”
At his words, a woman with pure-white hair approached him.
“That face… it’s familiar.”
Leo looked at the Pegasus.
“The Surviving Hero, Kyle.”
Leo knew her as well.
‘Was she the Pegasus contracted to Arlene Prilene?’
One of the Summoned Beast Masters who protected Guardslone.
She was Arlene Prilene’s Oathbound.
They had faced each other several times on the battlefield.
‘She was upbeat. The kind of person you’d expect to be a Pegasus’s Oathbound.’
In general, contractors of the Three Great Summoned Beasts possessed powerful will.
Most of those who fought demons in this era did so to survive.
Just by going to the battlefield to protect the city, they could receive treatment far above ordinary people.
In this era, the city’s guardians enjoyed privileges like nobles.
But the contractors of the Three Great Summoned Beasts protected the city for an invisible hope.
Arlene was one of those people.
And in this era, those who searched for hope were often ridiculed.
When the world could be destroyed at any moment, even the act of seeking hope seemed meaningless.
The Surviving Hero Kyle had mocked such people as well.
And this Pegasus had been furious at Kyle for ridiculing her noble Oathbound.
Arpia looked at Leo with open disgust.
“You corrupt and depraved one. Why have you invaded the Sanctuary of Pegasus?”
“Who are you calling corrupt and depraved?”
Rodia’s voice dropped into something cold.
Arpia glanced at Rodia.
“A young dragon. To invade this sanctuary with such a corrupt person—shameful!”
“Pegasus. I’ll give you one chance. Apologize for calling Kyle corrupt and depraved. Then I’ll generously forgive you this time.”
“A young dragon is being presumptuous.”
At Arpia’s words, Rodia curled her lips.
The moment their eyes met, Arpia flinched.
‘Is that… a gaze a young dragon can have?’
Cold sweat broke out without her realizing.
Rodia’s dragon eyes were already open, and her aura bore down on Arpia like a blade.
Though she looked like a young girl, she was a great hero who had gathered the Heroes of Genesis and protected the world once again.
A powerful dragon hailed as the successor of Lysinas, the King of Wisdom.
It was only natural that even a Pegasus would be overwhelmed.
In an instant, the surrounding Pegasi gathered.
But Rodia didn’t back down.
She couldn’t tolerate Arpia’s words.
Kyle was the Hero of Beginnings who opened a new era.
One of the five noblest people Rodia knew.
To call such a person corrupt and depraved was an insult.
The air turned razor-thin.
In that moment, Leo reached out and pressed a hand down on Rodia’s head.
“Calm down. If you’ve attempted this several times, you should be used to being treated like that, right?”
“It’s different when I’m treated like that and when Kyle is treated like that.”
“I appreciate you standing up for me, but bear with it. Back then, I had no excuse.”
After calming Rodia, Leo stepped forward.
“I apologize for invading the sanctuary and showing hostility. But I came here because I have business.”
“…What business?”
Under the Pegasi’s distrustful stares, Leo spoke.
“I came to meet the White King.”
“You want to meet the King? For what reason?”
“To make an Oath.”
“Oath? Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!”
Arpia burst into laughter.
She wasn’t the only one.
The other Pegasi laughed along, ridiculing him.
They all knew what the Surviving Hero Kyle was.
A man satisfied with surviving day to day.
A coward trembling in fear because he didn’t know when the world would end.
Someone who couldn’t even imagine opposing that destruction.
Someone who mocked and denied hope.
That was the Surviving Hero Kyle.
And now he claimed he would make an Oath with the White King—the noblest being in the world.
As if that were possible.
“Know your place, Surviving Hero. You are in no way fit to be our King’s Oathbound.”
Arpia glared at Leo.
“I admit you are strong. In Guardslone, the only one as strong as you is… yes, Lysinas—the dragon of noble light.”
“But Lysinas can’t form a contract with Pegasus.”
“Yes, she can’t. That’s why it’s such a pity. If she weren’t a Black Dragon, she would have been fit to be the King’s contractor.”
With a bitter smile, Arpia narrowed her eyes at Leo.
“Pegasus are the noblest among all Summoned Beasts. We never give up hope. No matter how outstanding you are, it’s impossible to form a contract with someone like you, who lost heart long ago.”
She spoke as if delivering an absolute truth.
“Your call will never reach us.”
Rodia crossed her arms at Arpia’s declaration.
“Whether to form a contract or not is for the White King to decide, isn’t it? At least let us meet her.” (T/N: Yep, Albus is a “she”. I also thought that she is a “he” given that her title is White King. So probably similar to Lysinas which is called as King of Wisdom)
“Hmph. It’s disrespectful enough to bring the Surviving Hero before the King… but the King is currently in deep sleep. She suffered a severe injury in battle with hateful Tartarus and fell asleep.”
‘So she was asleep at this time.’
Albus had fought Tartarus since the early days of the Era of Calamity.
Leo knew she had entered sleep to recover after that long war.
But he hadn’t known it lasted until now—right before he formed a contract with her.
“Now, if you’re done, leave the sanctuary. Surviving Hero and young dragon.”
Rodia frowned—
And at that moment, Leo raised his Spirit Energy.
A summoning circle formed above his palm.
Rodia’s eyes widened, and the Pegasi frowned.
“A useless act.”
“Whether it’s useless or not—you’ll see.”
Rodia wore a triumphant expression at Arpia’s scoff.
‘Wake up, Albus.’
Leo called to the Oathbound he had parted from long ago.
‘I need your strength.’
Wooooong—!
The gray summoning circle shone with intense light.
Then—
Flash!
Kwaaaaa—!
A bolt of pure-white lightning slammed down.
The Pegasi stared in shock.
A violent storm of Spirit Energy rippled around Leo.
Hwaaaak!
Pure white light erupted from the circle.
The world turned white—
And within that space, only Leo and a girl with pure-white hair remained.
Albus looked up at Leo.
“…Only an Oathbound can wake me from my sleep.”
Her face showed faint confusion.
“But I have never made an Oath with you. Who are you? How were you able to wake me?”
“Well. Maybe it’s fate?”
“Fate?”
Leo smiled at his Oathbound.
“In the near future, you must have made an Oath with me. It’s just been pulled forward a little.”
“What nonsense.”
“What matters is that my call reached you—and that my Spirit Energy woke you.”
Albus’s eyes widened as she sensed the Spirit Energy flowing from Leo.
‘What is this…?’
As the King of Pegasus, she had met countless noble beings.
‘But I’ve never encountered Spirit Energy this pure.’
Perhaps that was why she had awakened—even “without” an Oath.
“Can you fulfill what I want?”
“Of course.”
Albus laughed at Leo’s immediate answer.
“You’re answering without even hearing what I want.”
“It’s to subjugate the Calamity Flame, isn’t it?”
Albus’s eyes widened.
“I need your strength to do that.”
Leo reached out his hand.
“Let’s go together.”
Albus stared at him, still confused.
She didn’t know the man before her.
And yet, in the near future—
She would take his hand without hesitation.
Albus took the hand of the one who would become her Oathbound, in a future she did not yet know.
“It’s really… been a long time.”
“Yes?”
Leo’s lips twisted into a bitter smile at Albus’s quiet surprise.
“Just talking to myself.”