Book 1 Chapter 1028

1028.

Thump- thump-

My heart is pounding.

Leo realized he was incredibly agitated.

"I'm going to bring Rishinas back to life?"

His voice trembled.

"Yes."

His heart, which normally didn't flutter for much, was pounding furiously.

Squeeze-

Leo clenched his fist tightly.

"Is something like that possible with the Hero Record?"

"I'm not sure about that either… I heard it from my mother."

'So there is a way?'

An indescribable emotion swept over him.

'To be able to revive those guys again.'

A wish he thought could never come true was being granted.

"If all the great heroes were resurrected, the future would have been in chaos."

Leo burst into laughter.

But at his words, Rena's face clouded over.

Seeing Rena like that, Leo paused.

"Everyone is coming back, right?"

But Rena couldn't answer.

"What about Dwenow?"

"…"

"And Aeon?"

"…"

"… Luna…?"

"…"

Silence hung in the air, unanswered.

Leo felt his wildly beating heart grow colder and colder.

Finally, Leo opened his mouth.

"Is Rishinas the only one being resurrected…?"

"Yes…"

Rena answered in a small voice.

"After the final battle with Erebus ended, the Hero Record was heavily damaged."

It was already not in perfect condition, having been torn by the heroes of creation while sealing Erebus.

As a result, countless side effects were occurring even now.

The rampage of the torn Record and the resulting rampage of the Hero's World.

And the contamination of the Record fragments that fell into Erebus's grasp.

"The Hero Record could be passed down to future generations, but it wasn't in perfect condition, so it was said to have lost its function at some point."

"… So that's why I used the Hero Record to save Rishinas?"

"Yes. Although history records that Erebus was completely annihilated by the power of the Hero Record."

"…"

The reason Leo's personal use of the Hero Record in the future remained a secret history was likely because everyone present agreed to revive the great heroes with the Hero Record.

While Leo was the only rightful owner in this era, the true owner of the Hero Record was the great heroes.

Unless Erebus was still alive.

Once completely defeated, it was as good as having fulfilled its purpose.

If it was something that would disappear in the distant future even if passed down to future generations…

In preparation for a new era, they would have chosen a future where the world order was reorganized without the Hero Record.

Crucially, they would have wanted to grant the wish of the great heroes who saved the world twice.

But…

"Because the Hero Record was not in perfect condition, only Lord Rishinas was ultimately revived."

"…"

Disappointment flickered across Leo's face.

Normally, Leo didn't express his emotions well.

That's how shocking the events of the future were.

Rishinas coming back to life was undeniably a happy occasion.

He wanted to spend this time with everyone.

That was a wish Leo wouldn't trade for anything.

But the fact that only Rishinas would be resurrected after all left him feeling frustrated.

Rishinas's resurrection alone was already an immense miracle.

Still, Leo was human, so disappointment was unavoidable.

Seeing Leo like that, Rena stammered in a flustered tone,

"B-but they say you were happy for 10 years."

Leo gave a bitter smile at Rena's words.

"Thank you for your concern."

Rena silently watched Leo, who gently ruffled her hair as if to mess it up.

'I heard Mother endured so much pain.'

Her mother said that, thinking of Leo.

'After Lord Rishinas left, he became even more hollow. He never showed it, though. But he always blamed himself for not being able to save the other great heroes. That's why the people around Mother wished for her happiness.'

The Leo Rena remembered definitely smiled a lot.

He could be stern and frightening, but he was also benevolent.

Leo's surroundings were undeniably filled with happiness.

However, on the other hand, he seemed inexplicably sad.

'He's so strong. He never wavered, though.'

She recalled her mother's bitter smile.

Leo, having returned to his usual self, said,

"Go to bed now."

"Yes."

"…"

Rena returned to her sleeping bag.

'I resemble Grandpa?'

Closing her eyes, Rena let out a deep sigh.

'Absolutely not.'

Leo was such a strong person, to say she resembled him.

Crackle- crackle-

The bonfire blazed.

Silence once again descended upon the top of the fortress walls.

[……]

Luna, in her spirit form, sat before Leo.

Seeing Leo, who seemed somewhat lost in thought, Luna bit her lip tightly.

Rena wouldn't have lied.

Then, in a future where Erebus was completely defeated…

Rishinas would be resurrected, and she wouldn't.

When she heard that story, Luna could only stare blankly.

'Am I not chosen?'

Resentment filled her chest.

But that was short-lived.

She remembered Kyle, who must have agonized at that moment.

The person she loved was cold-hearted yet utterly incapable of weighing things when it came to his comrades.

At the moment Luna met her end,

Even when both of them had to die, Kyle tried to save Luna.

She didn't know what would happen in the future.

But there must have been a reason Rishinas was chosen.

Besides…

'Just ten years.'

It was a long time or a short time, depending on how you looked at it.

Still, she must have spent happy times with Rishinas during that period.

'But even so, Kyle and Rishinas must have suffered from guilt.'

They would have had to part with Rishinas after 10 years, unable to fully enjoy their happiness.

And then, for many years, Kyle would have carried that guilt alone.

Luna knew.

The reborn Leo was someone beloved by many.

At first, she was jealous of that fact.

But now, she didn't feel that way anymore.

She simply felt pity for this precious person and wished for their happiness.

That was her only wish.

[……It's okay.]

Luna, who had been biting her lip, forced a smile.

[I'm okay. Kyle.]

Shaking off the resentment of not being able to be together, Luna said.

However, her words were bound to fall on deaf ears.

[It's okay…]

It was merely an empty echo, meant to steady herself.

[It's okay…]

"What's okay about it, you damn pointy-eared bastard."

[……!]

Luna gasped.

Leo had raised his head at some point.

For a moment, she wondered if he could see her.

But Leo's eyes were unfocused.

Though unseen and unheard, he had anticipated what Luna had said.

Just as Luna knew Leo well,

Leo also knew Luna well.

"Just get angry like usual. Ask why Rishinas. Rage. Don't say something pathetic like 'it's okay'."

Leo's face, which had been vacant, returned to its usual expression.

But his eyes burned with will.

Luna knew those eyes.

They were the eyes of Kyle, who never gave up.

"There's a way to bring them back, isn't there?"

[……]

"Then we just need to find a way to bring everyone back."

Leo said calmly.

"We've overcome impossible things countless times. There's no reason to despair now."

They had achieved countless miracles together.

They had even saved a world destined for destruction.

"The future can be changed."

Leo said with certainty, infused with his will.

"Even if Rena goes back and forgets these memories… I will absolutely bring you all back."

It was a hollow statement, but Leo didn't care.

He had come this far by chasing the hollow words of Rishinas, who had guided him.

"So."

Leo smiled at Luna.

"Let's not give up."

It was a radiant smile, like the one Luna had shown Kyle at their final moments.

"We'll definitely be able to live the same time again."

Luna knew Kyle was not one to utter hollow hopes.

[……Yes.]

Her frozen heart began to melt.

Just as Luna had brought light to Kyle's dark future in the past.

This time, Leo was trying to bring light to Luna's future.

Although she couldn't find a path yet…

Kyle would surely find a way.

Luna was certain of that.

She had fallen for his unwavering spirit.

[Yes, Kyle. I will never give up.]

Though he couldn't see it, Luna smiled brightly.

Confidently knowing that she would be able to show this smile someday.

***

Whoosh-!

A strong wind blew.

The pages of a book with a dark red cover, held in a man's hand, fluttered rapidly.

"So you finally caught up, the surviving hero."

A fragment of Erebus, appearing as Velian, smiled coldly.

He was merely a fragment that had just awakened.

His power was weak.

Of course, even if weak, he was still a catastrophic being capable of shrouding the world's sky in gray.

But he did not reveal his power.

As long as the heroes of creation were present, using his power rashly would only lead to defeat.

Nor could he attempt to alter the future recklessly.

A restraint was applied to the magic traveling to the past, designed to prevent past alterations as much as possible.

"Foolish one."

Erebus mocked the original owner of the body he had swallowed.

Even if he had tried to take his fragment to the past, he would have been stopped by the very person who created this magic.

The restraint, designed to prevent the magic from being misused, had already surpassed the realm of magic and touched the divine.

He marveled at the genius of the one who created the magic.

'It's only a matter of breaking through the restraint, but before I could, I would have been caught by the surviving hero who chased me. Just like now.'

Erebus knew Kyle's persistence better than anyone.

Flutter- flutter-

The pages turned.

Tap-!

Finally, Erebus closed the Legion's Record in his hand.

This Legion's Record would be his most powerful weapon in the future.

It was originally a divine artifact of hatred, but he had accidentally succeeded in corrupting it.

But…

'Even with this, I will be defeated.'

He would inevitably be defeated by the hero of origin who pursued him to the past.

He knew it was a low-probability gamble.

But if defeat was a predetermined future anyway, it was better to take a chance.

With a sinister smile, Erebus tucked the Legion's Record into his embrace and vanished into the darkness.