Chapter 398

Flash-!

A pillar of light shot up.

Everyone who saw it widened their eyes.

But Leo alone wasn’t surprised.

“You’re late, you damn lizard.”

Feeling Lysinas’s Mana, Leo curled one corner of his mouth.

As if he’d known she would come.

Leo calmly looked at Jormungandr.

-What in the world is this?!

Jormungandr shouted, trembling with rage.

No matter how many times it struck him down, he wouldn’t fall.

Again and again, he rose and pointed his blade at it.

Jormungandr, the one who had spread terror across the world, was now being consumed by it.

-Are you people immortal?!

“If we were immortal, we wouldn’t have gone through all this shit.”

Leo replied coldly.

“Just think of it as fate.”

-What?

“The fate of you dying at our hands.”

-You son of a biiiiitch!

The Calamity Flame blazed violently from Jormungandr’s body.

A temporary immortality, born from sacrificing its own body and soul.

-It’s useless no matter how much you struggle! Your end is set! As long as I possess the power of a great god—the power of immortality! Your doom is sealed!

“That power you’re talking about.”

Leo curled one corner of his mouth.

“If it’s borrowed, then unfortunately for you, it won’t work on me.”

-What?!

“I was chosen by the greatest hero in this world.”

Leo unleashed his magic.

“I am Erebos’s one and only natural enemy.”

Flash-!

The light of Innocent washed over Jormungandr.

-Kraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-!

Jormungandr writhed in agony.

That pure light—woven by the world’s greatest mage—blew away the unquenchable Calamity Flame.

Fwoosh-!

-This is impossible…!

Jormungandr reeled at the fact that Erebos’s protection had vanished.

A black flame that wasn’t supposed to be extinguished until it burned away its very existence.

The immortal power it had obtained by sacrificing everything—gone.

-It’s not over! The god’s protection may have vanished due to your tricks, but my power is still intact!

Gwoooooooooooh-!

Dark Mana surged from Jormungandr.

Leo curled the corner of his lip.

“It’s over, you damn worm.”

Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble-!

Lysinas transformed into a Black Dragon.

Gwoooooooooooh-!

A massive wave of Mana gathered in her maw.

A dragon’s strongest offensive skill.

Flash-!

Lysinas unleashed her Breath.

A gray flash.

Chaos Breath—light and darkness fused into one.

Jormungandr, revived from near-death by Erebos’s power, screamed.

-Oh, Ereeebooooooos!

Struck head-on, it cried out to the sky—

—and vanished into dust.

[Lysinas’ Hero World: Prologue – The Beginning has been cleared.]

—

“We won…!”

“We really won!”

“Haha. Not a single one of us died!”

Joy erupted from the expedition.

They’d been certain only death awaited them.

Yet not a single member had fallen.

Whoooosh-!

His strength spent, Leo dropped from the sky.

Fwoosh-!

Albus rushed over and caught him.

-Kyle! Are you all right?

“I don’t think I’ll die.”

Leo gave a bitter smile as he stroked Albus’s mane.

After landing, Albus brought Leo back to the expedition.

Having used Polymorph, Albus supported him as he walked.

“You worked hard, Albus.”

Leo patted her head.

Albus looked up at him.

“You really did it.”

She smiled brightly, recalling how Leo had declared he would subjugate Jormungandr.

“Yeah.”

Leo smiled.

“This… will surely be a great leap toward the future.”

Meanwhile, Elci and Silload darted around him.

-Amazing! That was amazing!

-To think you subjugated the Gluttony King!

Their voices were so loud his head rang.

Albus spoke sternly.

“Kyle needs to rest now. Please be quiet.”

But the two didn’t stop.

Unable to take it anymore, Albus clamped her hands over their mouths.

Leo watched and smiled bitterly.

He might see Elci and Silload again.

But Albus—he would never see her again in reality.

To Leo, she was a precious partner from the past.

“How was I, Albus? As an Oathbound?”

Albus, still holding the two tightly, smiled brightly.

“The best. I’m glad I followed you.”

The same bright smile she’d worn at the end.

Leo’s expression turned bittersweet.

“Hurry and move Rodia!”

“Good heavens… it’s Mana Depletion Syndrome!”

“To think she squeezed out her Mana until she ended up like this!”

“Kyle! You need treatment too, quickly…”

“I’m fine. Take care of her first.”

As the expedition crowded around him, Leo pointed at Rodia—gasping for breath—and spoke.

Leo himself was in terrible shape, but Rodia came first.

While Leo fought to steady his breathing, Rodia’s expression eased slightly.

Crack-crack-crack-

The world began to crack.

‘…Is this the end?’

Now that the world had been cleared, he couldn’t stay.

Leo’s face tightened with bittersweet resignation as the expedition gathered around him.

“It’s a victory worthy of a miracle.”

“…This victory will surely bring about a great change.”

Just as Leo was about to speak to them—

[Would you like to record the hero’s story?]

A message appeared before his eyes.

Something like this had happened before.

‘Record.’

The moment Leo chose to record—

Fwip-fwip-fwip-fwip-!

Pages of the Hero Record swirled around them.

The sudden sight startled the expedition.

In the meantime, a single page landed in the hands of each hero who had joined.

“This is… my name, isn’t it?”

“I can feel divine power. But surely the gods vanished from the world long ago?”

“…Our story is written here.”

Allox, Perik, and Arlene stared, bewildered.

Leo reached out.

Fwip-

The pages the heroes held were sucked into Leo’s hand.

Leo looked down at them and said,

“…I’ll make sure to carry your stories into the future.”

“What?”

Even if he changed the outcome in the Hero Record, history itself wouldn’t change.

But at the very least—

He could carry proof that they had existed.

Their stories. Their deeds. Their sacrifices.

He could make sure it was known that all of it became the cornerstone of the world’s peace.

“It’s the least I can do to repay you.”

Leo smiled bitterly.

“It was nice meeting you all.”

He patted Albus’s head beside him.

At that moment, Lysinas walked up.

“Sorry I was late.”

Her eyes were lowered.

“…I’m sorry for finding my own satisfaction and leaving it all to you.”

Leo smiled.

“I’m used to taking things on, so it’s fine. Just… I hope you don’t give up.”

He reached out and gently caressed the foolish one’s cheek.

“It’ll be harder than for anyone else… but we will definitely save the world. Your foolish, desperate wish will become the truth.”

Lysinas lifted a hand and touched his.

Leo looked at her.

“Stay strong.”

That was all he could say.

Crack-crack-crack-

The cracks widened.

The time for parting was near.

Before he knew it, Kyle’s form had vanished, leaving only a boy with white hair and red eyes.

Lysinas didn’t look surprised. She was calm.

“Actually… I couldn’t open my eyes on my own. Someone woke me up.”

“Woke you up? Who?”

“The King of Wisdom.”

Leo’s eyes widened.

“I was able to meet the future me that resides in your Mana.”

Leo’s eyes wavered.

The Lysinas of the past looked at him.

“This seems to be the only way I can repay you.”

Crack-crack-crack-!

The world crumbled.

Lysinas’s eyes slowly closed.

Paching-!

The world vanished.

A space of pure darkness.

Only Leo and Lysinas remained.

Lysinas, eyes shut, opened them.

Her gaze felt deeper somehow.

She spoke in a trembling voice.

“…It’s been a while, Kyle.”

A voice filled with longing.

Leo felt a lump rise in his throat.

“Lysinas.”

A friend he had parted with long, long ago.

Lysinas, the King of Wisdom.

Of course, it wasn’t truly her.

They both knew.

Necromancy was said to summon souls, but it didn’t return the dead whole.

The memories dwelling in Mana were only a fragment.

But…

Even that was enough.

“This is a first.”

Lysinas reached out and wiped Leo’s eyes.

“Seeing you cry.”

Kyle hadn’t cried at the deaths of his comrades.

To give them faith as their breaths faded.

To show them strength, so they wouldn’t be anxious in their final moments.

“Is it strange, you damn lizard?”

Leo snapped back, fierce as ever.

But he was smiling.

Looking at him, Lysinas said,

“I can only be sorry. You couldn’t even cry freely at the death of a comrade. And… thank you.”

Her gaze lowered.

“For saving the world.”

“…I didn’t save it alone. It was possible because we were together. And.”

Leo reached out and roughly grabbed Lysinas by the chin.

“Oop?”

“If you’re grateful, shouldn’t you look me in the eye and say it proudly? Why are you hanging your head so pathetically?”

Normally, Lysinas would have kicked him for such a rude move.

But she couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes.

“…I couldn’t keep my promise.”

The promise not to leave him alone.

In the end, she couldn’t keep it.

Kyle had become the Surviving Hero once again.

At her words, Leo said,

“Don’t worry about it.”

He let out a short laugh.

“I already knew you were a vicious scammer, anyway.”

“…If you’re going to console me, would it kill you to use nicer words?”

Her face scrunched up, but she smiled.

“How’s the future?”

“There’s still a mountain of things to solve. We have to completely deal with Erebos, who we only managed to seal. And to do that, I need to raise comrades who can fight alongside me.”

Leo shook his head like the weight was too much.

Lysinas crossed her arms and chuckled.

“Now you know how hard I had it.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re so great.”

Leo replied dismissively.

Lysinas grinned.

Then Leo said,

“So… don’t worry too much.”

“Huh?”

“The world we risked everything to protect won’t be engulfed in the Calamity Flame again.”

Leo smiled at her.

Lysinas’s eyes widened.

Somehow, his smile resembled hers.

The smile she wore to give people hope.

‘But it’s different from mine.’

If hers had been a smile she forced to give people faith—

His was different.

“The courage Arron taught me, the will Dweno showed me, the light Luna gave me. The hope you showed me.”

A smile that truly gave hope.

“I’ll pass all of it on to the next generation.”

‘Somewhere along the way, Kyle has…’

Lysinas stared, dazed.

“This time, I’ll end it for good.”

‘…become a true hero who will save the world.’

Lysinas smiled brightly at Leo.

Before she knew it, her body began to fade.

“To think Kyle ended up like this. How strange.”

“It’s because you dumped it all on me, you damn lizard.”

Leo said bluntly.

Lysinas reached out.

Grab-!

She seized Leo by the collar.

Looks like she finally lost her patience and is about to hit me.

…was what he thought.

Fwoosh-!

Lysinas yanked him in.

Leo’s eyes widened slightly.

Their lips pressed together.

After a long kiss, Lysinas stepped back as if nothing had happened.

(T/N: Oh! Oh! Oh!!!!!! sadhjsakjdasdk asdksad haskdjas dhasdkjas da. OMG YOU DAMN LIZARDDDD!!!)

Then she looked at the head-bowed Leo with a beaming smile.

‘He must be flustered.’

This dense idiot probably had no idea how she felt.

As Lysinas waited for the flustered reaction of the friend who was rarely fazed—

“You’re a terrible kisser.”

Leo wiped his mouth bluntly.

Lysinas’s face froze.

Leo looked at her like she was pathetic.

“Is that all? If you were going to do it, you should’ve practiced a bit, don’t you think?”

Lysinas’s shoulders trembled.

She had finally worked up the courage, but Leo’s nonchalant reaction sent rage flooding through her.

“I read your journal, you know? Thinking about it makes me feel wronged. Hey, you should have given me a hint. Because of you, I got called an idiot by some young kid. Take responsibility.”

“Die! Just die!”

(T/N: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA)

Eyes spinning, Lysinas lunged at Leo and started strangling him.

“Just die like this! It’s true you were too much of an idiot to get it! You damn human!”

Enraged, Lysinas spewed harsh words as she choked him.

After the commotion, Lysinas panted heavily.

Leo, chuckling, opened his mouth.

“Lysinas.”

“What!”

At her sharp snap, Leo said quietly,

“That day… thank you for reaching out your hand to me.”

Lysinas froze.

Then she pressed her lips together, holding back tears, and hugged Leo without realizing it.

As if the emotion had caught in her throat, she spoke.

“I’m the one who’s thankful. For taking my hand.”

Leo stroked his friend’s head.

Fwoosh-!

Soon, Lysinas faded away into light.