Book 1 Chapter 1036

1036.

Leo narrowed his eyes and looked at Erebus, who had taken over Belian's body.

'It's too late to call him a dragon.'

A foul stench emanated from him, head to toe.

He had literally become a mere vessel to contain Erebus.

'This was the fated end from the moment he decided to use Erebus's power.'

Leo clicked his tongue with a look of pity.

There was no room for sympathy for someone who, intoxicated with himself, had tried to plunge the world into crisis.

It was a reckless act born of ignorance.

It wasn't surprising.

He had seen enough people cause trouble without properly gauging their own capabilities.

As he looked at Belian with disgust, Leo felt a question arise.

'Why did Chloe create a magic that could travel to the past?'

The Chloe Leo knew was a wise and intelligent person.

Her passion and love for magic were reminiscent of Luna, while her broad perspective reminded him of Lisiunas.

While Kal possessed the best commanding ability in terms of 'battles,' Chloe was the best commander in large-scale battles that involved reading the bigger picture.

'There's no way Chloe couldn't have predicted this situation.'

Leo's questions piled up.

'She said she wanted to see me, but would she really create magic this dangerous for just that reason?'

Moreover, Chloe had said she hadn't used the magic herself.

It was Belian who had forcibly taken and used the magic.

Despite his doubts, Leo stared at Belian, who was emitting a foul stench, with cold eyes.

'In the end, the problem is him.'

The creator of the magic is not at fault.

The one at fault is the one who misused it.

As Leo glared, Erebus's gaze flickered towards Luna.

"There's another abomination."

"Ugh. Who are you calling an abomination?"

Luna scrunched up her face and feigned retching.

Even Luna, who was sensitive to mana, could clearly smell the stench emanating from Erebus.

Seeing Luna, Erebus's eyes narrowed.

At that moment, a sharp cut appeared on Erebus's forehead as if sliced by a blade.

Blood spurted out and his eyeball popped out.

The eyeball rolled around and then stared blankly into space.

"Indeed…"

Erebus curled his lips.

The third eye that had suddenly appeared was fixed on none other than Luna in her spirit form.

"It's been a very long time. King of Destruction. I never imagined we'd meet in such a state, but it's truly good to see you."

[I guess you've become quite talkative after being dismembered and buried for 5000 years?]

"Hehehe. Perhaps if you were a surviving hero. But you, who cling to life with such a pathetic form, are hardly comparable."

Seeing Erebus mocking him, Luna smiled and raised her middle finger.

Leo, watching this, clicked his tongue.

'An eye that pierces through everything.'

One of Erebus's abilities.

The Eye of Piercing Sight.

It was the ability to see through everything, literally.

As the primordial evil with all sorts of destructive powers, it might seem like a relatively non-threatening ability.

However, it was one of the most terrifying abilities in combat.

The Eye of Piercing Sight could discern everything.

Not only the opponent's weaknesses but also the cracks in their mind.

Their attack intent.

Even the outcome of the fight.

At first glance, it seemed similar to Arion's ability to perceive everything through extrasensory perception and even glimpse the future.

Of course, Arion's ability was precognition, while Erebus's ability was merely observation, so they were fundamentally different.

In fact, even if Arion were present, he wouldn't be able to see Luna in her spirit form.

'Well, Arion's extrasensory perception has already surpassed that guy's ability.'

Leo recalled a time when he fought alongside Arion against a fragment of Erebus.

'But Arion isn't here now.'

Ultimately, Leo had to overcome this ability alone.

It was a threatening ability, but not a desperate situation.

Regardless, the Leo of 5000 years ago had defeated this ability.

In the final battle, Erebus's win rate, as determined by the Eye of Piercing Sight, was 100%.

Yet, as if to mock that ability, Leo had triumphantly won.

'It's proof that his predictions aren't absolute.'

As Leo fiddled with the sword in his hand, Erebus's third eye turned to Lena.

Lena trembled.

Facing the absolute evil she had only heard of, her entire body seemed to freeze.

A monster that instilled dread just by its presence.

As Lena trembled, Erebus showed a rare, irritated reaction.

"How unpleasant."

At that moment, sparks flew before Lena's eyes.

It was a moment too fast for Lena to comprehend.

Leo, who had blocked the attack by swinging his sword, said coldly,

"Don't touch her."

"She looks very similar to the body you acquired in this life, hero who survived."

Erebus said with disgust.

"Is she your descendant?"

"It seems so."

Through the Eye of Piercing Sight, he could tell.

The girl before him was not a being of the current timeline.

A being from the distant future.

Lena's existence was bound to be unpleasant for Erebus.

Lena was the very symbol of defeat for Erebus.

Black flames ignited on Erebus's body.

"Luna."

"Yes."

"I'll handle him, so protect Lena. And with your help from the future, find a way to the Akashic Records."

"Understood."

Now that he had met Erebus, Leo couldn't move.

Slowly raising his sword, Leo gauged Erebus's objective.

'If he came all the way here… is he after the Akashic Records?'

The Akashic Records.

That was the essence of the Hero Records, managed by Lyan.

The ultimate record that meticulously documented the entire world.

Even the gods who created it found it difficult to grasp its vast amount of information.

The transcendent gods created the Akashic Records for one reason only.

The realization of the world of heroes through the Hero Records.

And those Akashic Records were managed by Lyan at the center of the world.

The reason they could be maintained even after the heroes of the genesis tore the Hero Records to seal Erebus was also because they were linked to the Akashic Records.

'In other words, if something happens to the Akashic Records, the Hero Records themselves could disappear.'

Leo hadn't believed Erebus's arrival in the past was solely to merge with his past self.

Even if he succeeded in the worst-case scenario, the future Seirun led by Leo, and the Rodias of the current timeline, would pose a significant threat of obstruction.

However, what if he destroyed the Hero Records themselves, which allowed for the nurturing of heroes?

The means to seal Erebus would vanish.

Innumerable heroes born after the discovery of the world of heroes would also cease to exist.

'Considering Erebus, this is more likely.'

Leo curled the corners of his mouth.

"What do you think? Your plan has been foiled."

"Do you think you can stop me alone?"

"Of course."

Leo gripped his sword.

Black flames rose from Erebus's body.

"Then let's test it. To see if you can survive this time too."

***

Yormungandr was devastating the fortress.

Seeing this, Rodia shouted irritably.

"Why has a past legion commander revived in the present! Seriously! And why has the King of Giants revived again?!"

Rodia couldn't help but be enraged by the resurrection of the King of Giants, who had died once more.

At that moment, Lumeren, who was next to Rodia, stiffened.

"Rodia. They're here."

"What?"

Something plunged from the sky to the ground.

The highest-ranking demons who had plunged the world into fear.

And the legion commanders who had been subdued by the heroes of genesis.

Seeing them all back alive, veins bulged on Rodia's forehead.

"Ha. Seriously. I'm so annoyed."

Rodia's face flushed with anger.

"So what? Does the outcome change just because the dead have come back?"

With a grim expression, Rodia gritted his teeth.

"I'll just put them back in their coffins. You damned corpses!"

Rodia returned to his true form.

And he roared at the revived legion commanders, unleashing his breath.

Lumeren followed, drawing his sword.

After all, Azonia and Damian would arrive soon.

Even if the legion commanders had revived, it wasn't a desperate situation.

The heroes of genesis who subdued them and the heroes of genesis now were different.

At this point, the heroes of genesis were close to the Great Heroes.

Lumeren, following Rodia, swung his sword.

Meanwhile, Seirun, the only one who understood the current situation, had wavering eyes.

'He called it the world of legions, didn't he?'

The Legion Records, created by Erebus defiling the Hero Records.

And he said that the world of legions could be opened through those Legion Records.

'Lord Kyle said he could bring other Great Heroes from the world of heroes.'

But to do so, divine power was needed.

In a world where gods had disappeared, there was only one way to obtain divine power.

To subdue Erebus and convert the primordial evil's pure power into divine power.

'Isn't it possible that Erebus could do the same?'

At first, she thought the world of legions had gone berserk and revived the Gluttonous King and the King of Giants.

But this was beyond that.

If so, there was only one possibility.

Erebus was also summoning the legion commanders from within the world of legions.

'But there must be a price.'

If he could freely revive past legion commanders, the world would have been destroyed long ago.

He wouldn't have gone through the trouble of coming to the past.

No matter how great the Hero of Genesis was, if he could summon past legion commanders without condition, it would be impossible to stop him.

The power to summon Great Heroes to the present was divine power.

Erebus must have also summoned the legion commanders by paying a commensurate price.

And that price was…

'Himself!'

He was sacrificing himself to revive the legion commanders.

'He's buying time.'

Seirun bit her lip.

'What is he aiming for?'

***

Lyan's eyes narrowed as he saw the entrance to the Akashic Records filled with flames.

Then, he opened the Akashic Records.

"It is not being recorded."

The current situation was not being recorded.

"Have the functions of the Akashic Records been paralyzed? That's impossible."

Only the situation before his eyes was not being recorded.

"Huh?"

In the distance, he saw someone rushing through the black flames.

"A visitor? Huh?"

One was a familiar being.

"Luna Rubinence?"

As Lyan was shocked, he saw another girl.

"That's also a being outside of causality, isn't it?"

Lyan tilted his head, then clicked his tongue.

"I see. The time has been distorted."

Having grasped the situation, Lyan folded his arms.

And looking at the white-haired girl, Lena, once more, he sighed.

"It seems people born with the power of purity still appear in the future."