Chapter 415
The sudden appearance of Shan caused a stir.
Not just among the Lumene students, but among the heads of state and heroes attending the summit as well.
Even so, everyone’s attention was drawn to the middle-aged man at the very front of the Shan Empire delegation.
Dressed in traditional Eastern attire and wearing a faintly bored expression, he radiated an unusual aura.
As if approaching him would mean being cut down.
A man with that kind of sharpness.
No one recognized his face, yet everyone knew who he was.
They swallowed hard.
The emperor of shadows who never revealed himself in the light.
The one known for generations as the strongest shadow.
‘The Emperor of Shan.’
Even in a gathering of countless heroes and hero candidates, he overwhelmed the crowd.
Thud- thud-
Shau, leading the empire’s officials, stopped before Leena, the Headmistress of Lumene.
“It’s been a while.”
Shau smiled at Leena’s greeting.
“It has been, Lady Leena. Or should I call you Headmistress Leena of Lumene now?”
Wherever there was light, there was shadow.
Naturally, Lumene had its shadows as well.
And as the one who led Lumene’s shadows, Leena had occasions to meet Shau.
“I didn’t expect you to attend in person.”
“The world is entering a period of upheaval.”
Shau spoke calmly, stroking his beard.
“It seems Shan must begin to move in earnest as well.”
“Welcome. If Shan attends the summit, it will be a great help.”
It was truly a historic moment.
Ignoring the countless eyes on him, Shau made eye contact with Leo as he headed to Shan’s seat.
Leo nodded to Shau’s smiling greeting.
—
Even as Shan’s arrival sent ripples through the venue, leaders continued to arrive through the warp gate.
Soon, beginning with Damienne, the delegations from the other Hero Academies appeared in turn—Azonia, then Seiren.
Flash-!
As always, Seiren’s flamboyant entrance drew attention.
From last year through the beginning of this year, Seiren had been in turmoil due to a string of major incidents.
The reappearance of Luna Lubinence, the Founder of the Nebula, and the return of Comet Mage Seiren seemed like good news at first glance, but the reality was different.
The invasion of the Monster Queen Sillatna—an incident that could have been resolved by the Hero of Beginnings and the Founder of the Nebula.
And then the Death King’s schemes, stirred up by Seiren Principal Luhagen Le Creo, the head of the Pureblood Society.
The physical damage from the Monster Queen’s invasion was severe, but the greatest shock was the revelation that the Pureblood Society had been colluding with Tartarus.
Elves were a far more closed-off race than most.
They did not leave their territory without special reason, and other races could not freely enter elven lands.
That collusion had occurred within such a closed society was enough to shock the other races.
So despite the enormous issue of Luna Lubinence and Comet Mage Seiren returning to the present era, elven society was consumed with cleaning up internal chaos.
Council Chair Lune Ersar was the one who took over as acting headmaster of Seiren to manage the situation.
As an elder of elven society—and someone who had kept her distance from the Pureblood Society that caused the disaster—he was deemed the right choice by the elven council.
The Seiren students, led by Lune Ersar, greeted Leena and headed to their seats.
As they walked, Leo met familiar eyes.
Lunia El Lunda and Eiran Ersar from second year.
Lunia saw Leo and nodded with a slightly sulky expression, while Eiran waved brightly.
Leo chuckled and waved back.
In this way, the leaders of each country and all the Hero Academies gathered.
But the Lumene officials hosting the summit hesitated, unsure whether to end the welcoming ceremony as planned.
“Dragonia hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Are they planning to send only a representative again this time?”
“It seems the Dragon Lord has no intention of moving.”
The Lumene students began to buzz.
A summit could only be held with the Dragon Lord’s permission.
Dragonia always attended, but the Dragon Lord did not necessarily appear in person.
Especially the current Dragon Lord, Melina—the Silent Dragon—was an even more mysterious figure.
Many across the world watched to see whether the Silent Dragon would participate, and most predicted she would send a representative again.
Still, some had hoped.
Yet Dragonia showed no sign of appearing.
Just as the emcee was about to speak—
Flash-!
The warp gate flared once more.
Eyes widened across the venue.
Five figures emerged.
At the center stood a girl wearing a veil that obscured her face.
Her long silver hair nearly brushed the floor, with black strands mixed throughout.
Though her face was hidden, she exuded a noble air.
As if protecting her, four others stood around her, guarding every side.
She shifted slightly.
All eyes remained fixed on them.
Melina, who approached Leena, smiled, tapped her left chest three times, bowed her head, and slightly bent her knees.
Leena, flustered by a greeting she had never seen before, awkwardly mirrored the motion.
“Nice to meet you, Headmistress of Lumene. I am Melina, the Dragon Lord.”
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Leena Flix, Headmistress of Lumene.”
Melina smiled gently at Leena’s formal reply.
“If the summit’s opening address has not begun yet, may I deliver it?”
“It would be an immeasurable honor.”
Melina, still smiling softly, headed to the highest platform.
As she did, she looked at Leo through her veil.
A faint smile formed on the lips barely visible beneath it.
In truth, the old dragon etiquette she had just performed was not meant for Leena, but for Leo standing beside her.
From Melina’s perspective, appearing in an official capacity as the Dragon Lord was exceedingly rare.
And though the others did not know, this was a summit attended by the Hero of Beginnings.
Melina judged it necessary to show respect and courtesy to Leo in a place like this, so she performed an old etiquette long forgotten.
“Leo, didn’t it look like the Dragon Lord smiled at you?”
“Did she?”
Leo feigned ignorance.
That smile probably meant, ‘Did I do well?’
‘You got the etiquette wrong.’
Of course, Leo was thinking something else entirely.
‘Rodia did that too.’
The chest should be tapped on the right, not the left.
As Leo wondered whether he should correct Melina’s etiquette later, Melina ascended the platform.
As everyone held their breath and focused on her, the Silent Dragon spoke.
“Nice to meet you, heroes and shadows. And all the hero candidates who follow them.”
Everyone listened, unmoving.
“The current era is facing transformation. Perhaps in the era we live in, we may be able to bring a long battle to an end.”
At those words, murmurs spread.
Words spoken by the Dragon Lord were never light.
“Therefore, I believe this summit is very important. I hope it will be a meaningful time to discuss the unusual events and miracles occurring across each region, and everything about the future. That is all.”
When Melina finished, applause rose from all sides.
Thus, the World Summit began.
—
That place was, quite literally, a realm of death.
A domain the living could never approach.
The residence of the Tartarus Legion Commander—Death King Hell Kaiser.
“The Silent Dragon has moved?”
Enthroned upon the throne of death, the Death King narrowed his eyes at the report.
At that, Atkan, the Archduke of Funeral, bowed his head.
“That is correct.”
At his confidant’s answer, the Death King’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
The king of the dead, wearing enormous bone armor over his skull, felt deeply unsettled by the current state of affairs.
Watching him, a woman spoke.
“What are you so worried about?”
The Death King’s gaze turned to her.
“Are you afraid of an old dragon who lost her strength long ago?”
As the woman curled her lips into a smile, the Death King raised his bony hand.
“Cough—Keugh…!”
“The Monster Queen was warlike and simple, but she had thoughts of her own. Witch.”
Annoyance filled the Death King’s eyes.
The one called the Witch, being strangled by the Death King’s power, struggled wildly.
“If you took the position of Legion Commander simply because the seat was empty, without the qualifications for it, then at the very least you should have used your head.”
“M-Mercy… mercy…! If I’m not here, the Legion Commander to lead the demons…!”
“There are many substitutes.”
The Death King smiled coldly and turned away.
Thud-
The Witch’s body slumped.
Thump-
The new Legion Commander—the Witch—collapsed on the floor and was swallowed into the bones.
The other Legion Commanders watched in silence.
Those present already knew she was unfit to be a Legion Commander.
Even so, she was still a high-ranking demon bearing that title.
To kill such a being as easily as crushing a bug—
It was strength on an entirely different level.
“The Monster Queen has been subjugated, the Giant King has fallen asleep, and the Silent Dragon—who has not moved for a long time—has moved.”
The Death King looked at the other Legion Commanders.
“Do you know what this means?”
“It means something is guiding this chain of events.”
“That’s better. King of Blood.”
The Death King curled his lips.
King of Blood.
The Legion Commander who held the greatest force, excluding the Death King and the Giant King.
“At the center of everything is this person.”
As the Death King raised dark mana, someone appeared in the air.
A boy with white hair and red eyes.
“Leo Plov. At first, I paid attention to him because he was [All-Class].”
The Death King narrowed his eyes.
“But now, he has moved beyond the category of merely sharing traits with the Hero of Beginnings.”
The achievements he had amassed in the single year since he emerged were beyond remarkable.
“The death of the Monster Queen. The defeat of the Giant King. He was present in all of it.”
“Are you saying Leo Plov is as threatening as the Hero of Beginnings?”
“I wish he were only as threatening as that hateful Hero of Beginnings. He may be more than that.”
“What does that…?”
Puzzlement spread among the Legion Commanders.
Hell Kaiser, meanwhile, did nothing but glare at Leo.
‘He has always been at the center of impossible miracles.’
It could not be explained by [All-Class] alone.
No matter what, he was still just a teenage boy.
‘But… but if.’
Hatred filled Hell Kaiser’s eyes.
‘If it were that hateful Hero of Beginnings, then things impossible for others would not be impossible for him.’
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