Book 1 Chapter 1037

1037.

Luna looked at the space that unfolded before her eyes.

'A twisted space.'

She had heard about it from Leo, but this was her first time coming here herself.

"Luna-nim?"

At that moment, Lena's flustered voice was heard from beside her.

Turning her head, she saw a pale, young version of herself who seemed to have lost strength in her legs and was slumped on the floor.

"What's wrong?"

"Suddenly… I can't… move."

"A-Are you alright? Why all of a sudden…"

Lena, flustered, examined Luna's physical condition.

Luna, in her spiritual form with a look of frustration, glanced behind her.

Black flames were chasing them.

This space was currently being invaded by Erebus.

She had managed to avoid the black flames and come deeper inside, but at this rate, they would be caught.

'I can't help it!'

Luna tried to manifest magic using her younger self's body.

It would be a great blow to her younger self and her spiritual form alike, but there was no other way.

*Fwoosh-!*

At that moment, the black flames engulfing Luna and Lena were repelled.

Luna paused and turned her head.

"Don't just stand there blankly, hurry up and come," Rian beckoned with his finger.

Lena, who had been looking flustered, snapped out of it, helped Luna up, and followed behind Rian.

Soon, a door appeared.

They passed through the door, and it closed quickly, the threat of the black flames gone.

Lena stared, mouth agape, at the infinitely unfolding bookshelves beyond the door.

Rian sat on a single-seater sofa with a bored expression.

Seeing Rian's appearance, Lena, regaining her composure, hurriedly asked,

"A-Are you perhaps a god?"

"I quit that title of god a long time ago."

Rian's response was very curt.

Lena, undeterred by his reaction, said,

"Um, Luna-nim is suddenly not feeling well, could you please heal her?"

"There's nothing I can do about that."

"What?"

"I don't know how you got out there, but the Luna on the other side is Luna from the hero's world."

Rian maintained his bored expression.

"This realm is a world that straddles the middle ground between reality and the hero's world."

Rian, resting his chin on his hand, looked at the weakening Luna and said,

"It's not a higher dimension, nor is it a lower dimension. When you reach an ambiguous boundary, beings from lower dimensions inevitably lose their strength. It's a completely natural phenomenon, so there's nothing that can be done."

"Th-That's…"

"Well, speaking of which, seeing your existence now makes me understand the appearance of that grotesque being. You came from the future, didn't you?"

Rian nodded.

'It's impossible to defeat Erebus with only the power of the primordial hero. So, they'll come to find me soon.'

In the current situation, there was only one way to seal Erebus's fragment.

'Seal it within the Hero Record.'

It was unavoidable.

In the first place, it was already anticipated that the Hero Record could be used in such a way in the worst-case scenario.

However, neither Rian nor the gods had expected the disaster of a fragment of Erebus from the future fleeing to the past.

Seeing Rian, who looked displeased, Lena shrank her neck.

"Um… Excuse me… Are you angry?"

"Yes. I'm not in a good mood."

What was disturbing Rian's mood at the moment was not the presence of Erebus from the future.

"Pathetic. You were born with the power of purity, just like Lord Kyle, yet you can't even reach his toes. So of course, I can't be in a good mood."

"What? I was born with the power of purity?"

"Hah? You didn't even know that?"

"A-Am I… an all-class, like my grandfather?"

"Wow, I can't believe… What?"

Rian, who had a look of disbelief, paused.

And then, seeing Lena looking at him with shocked eyes, he asked with an even more shocked expression,

"What did you say about Lord Kyle?"

"My grandfather! More importantly, am I really an all-class…"

"Why is your grandfather Lord Kyle? You're from the future, and Lord Kyle died 2000 years ago! Don't lie!"

"W-Well, he's reincarnated in the future…"

"What?!"

Rian's eyes widened.

Lena flinched and shrank her neck.

"So, what you're saying is that Lord Kyle will be resurrected in the future?!"

By now, Rian's tone of speech had changed.

"Yes? Wh-What about it?"

"Hyaaaaaaaang!"

Rian let out a scream, twisting his body.

Lena, watching Rian, was terrified.

Meanwhile, Luna, who was losing strength, distorted her face as she watched.

"What on earth… is that crazy guy…"

[He's a common god.]

"…I see."

Luna, a disbeliever, felt even greater loathing towards gods.

***

*Flash-! Kaaagagagag-!*

With a ghastly flash, the surrounding area was devastated.

Leo narrowed his eyes, looking at Erebus, whose eyes on his forehead were emitting a dark red flash.

'This guy.'

*Swoosh-!*

Erebus, creating a giant sword in his hand, stared at Leo with his three eyes.

*Kaaagagagag-!*

In an instant, Erebus, who had kicked off the ground, closed the distance to Leo with unfathomable speed.

'Super senses.'

Leo's senses transcended their limits.

Gripping the sword with both hands, Leo swung it forward.

*Kaaagagagag-!*

Leo's sword and Erebus's greatsword clashed.

"You're quite good at imitating that cowardly beastman now! Hero who survives!"

Erebus shouted as if amused.

As the flames of disaster emanating from the greatsword flared to burn Leo.

*Hwarururuk-!*

Golden flames blazed from Leo's body.

*Gooooo-!*

Black flames and golden flames mixed.

The ground turned fiery red and began to melt.

Soon, it began to bubble, reminiscent of a hellish scene.

Erebus burst into laughter, watching the sight.

"Hahaha! Just like that fire-starting dwarf! Hero who survives!"

*Gwaaahak!*

The heat of the flames erupting from Erebus's body intensified.

Anyone caught in these flames would vanish without even a trace of ashes, except for one person.

Leo, who inherited the power of Dweono, the only man who could withstand these terrifying flames, was able to endure.

Leo, tightening his grip on the sword with both hands, raised his spiritual power.

"Fiora."

*Hwarururuk-!*

Fiora, his sworn ally who had come to the past with him, unleashed white flames upon Erebus.

"Ho?"

Erebus exclaimed.

"Surprising. The flames of purification have been passed down to future generations?"

Erebus, exclaiming in surprise, soon sneered.

"I thought you had vanished forever with that foolish individual."

Leo, looking at Erebus, who kept mentioning his companions, said irritably.

"Do you think I'll fall for such trivial provocations?"

"Weren't you quite passionate 5000 years ago?! Hero who survives!"

Erebus shouted, recalling the final battle 5000 years ago.

"Weren't you burning with hatred back then?"

It couldn't be helped.

Erebus had taken everything from Leo back then.

The world? What did it matter?

At that time, Leo's mind was filled with nothing but the resolve to tear Erebus to shreds.

Mentioning the events of 5000 years ago, Erebus continued to taunt Leo.

"You don't fall for such petty provocations anymore?! Truly, humans are evolving beings!"

Hearing Erebus's words, Leo enchanted Fiora, whom he had summoned, onto his sword.

*Flash-!*

A slash imbued with the flames of purification graced the air.

Erebus was split into thousands of pieces.

However, Erebus soon regenerated with the flames of disaster and shouted with a mad laugh.

"Or perhaps! Like a creature of oblivion, you've forgotten your companions!"

At that taunt, Leo's face turned deathly cold.

Raising one hand, Leo spat out the name of his sworn ally.

"Ati."

*Pajijijijik-!*

Pure white lightning whirled on Leo's palm.

*Flash-!*

Along with it, Leo opened a spatial rift and summoned a giant halberd.

*Pabababat-!*

Like Fiora, Ati's body transformed into lightning and entered the spear.

But that wasn't all.

He enchanted magic onto the lightning spear, imbued with the power of the Pegasus King.

Speed enhancement, power amplification, compression, pursuit.

Four magics maximized the power of the lightning spear.

Although it appeared simple, each one was the culmination of complex magical formations that even a wizard of considerable skill would not dare to attempt.

To simultaneously fuse and manifest such magic was a mad act that could lead to brain cooking due to overload if done incorrectly.

But Leo did not care.

It was nothing new.

From the beginning, he had unhesitatingly done things that were considered mad from an ordinary person's perspective.

Daily accumulations of battles close to suicide, disregarding his life, had made Leo Plove what he was today.

To the current Leo, such recklessness was not recklessness at all.

He was truly a hero who had no choice but to survive.

His senses, amplified by super senses, accurately pinpointed Erebus.

Finally, gray aura enveloped the spear.

A blow that fused summoning, magic, and aura enhancement.

Leo threw the spear towards the air.

*Tuwak-!*

It tore through the air, and shockwaves spread in all directions.

Erebus's eyes twitched.

Despite the attack containing immense power, it could not be perceived.

The spear, literally out of Leo's hand, had vanished.

The third eye that appeared on his forehead scanned all directions.

'It's not just flying at high speed!'

Erebus's eyes flashed open.

'Did it rip space?!'

His piercing gaze quickly predicted the trajectory of the incoming spear.

*Tuk-!*

But before he could react, the lightning spear that crossed space pierced Erebus's chest.

"Kuaaaaaaaargh!"

A scream of pain erupted from Erebus's mouth.

*Pajijijijijik-!*

The Pegasus's lightning scorched Erebus.

Not only that.

The pure aura contained within the lightning spear was the very opposite of Erebus.

The power of the lightning spear, imbued with magic to increase its potency, was beyond imagination.

"Kua… Ku… Kuhahahaha!"

But soon, a chilling laugh flowed from Erebus's mouth.

Erebus's eyes, filled with hatred, turned towards Leo.

That hatred was no less than the emotion Leo felt towards Erebus.

Just as Leo hated Erebus.

Erebus also hated Leo.

There was no particular reason for mentioning the great heroes he had killed to provoke Leo.

Erebus knew well that Leo would never waver, even if the provocation succeeded.

The reason he provoked him was simple.

He simply wanted Leo to be enraged and in pain.

Seeing Leo, enveloped in the flames of the Phoenix King and the aura of purity, preparing for another attack, Erebus left a sneering smile and reached for the lightning spear lodged in his body.

'I thought you wouldn't waver, Hero who survives. I made a mistake.'

For a summoner, the summoned creature is the most powerful weapon.

Leo, being an all-class, had countless means of attack.

However, among them, the one with the most outstanding power could undoubtedly be called the Beast King.

Certainly, the lightning spear was powerful now.

But if the Pegasus King was lodged in Erebus's body, he could be suppressed.

The power of the Pegasus King was the opposite of Erebus.

That meant that Erebus's power was also fatal to the Pegasus King.

No matter how strong the Pegasus King's mental fortitude was, he could not resist a pain that far surpassed it.

*Tuk-!*

Erebus grasped the lightning spear.

'Blame your foolish sworn ally! Pegasus King!'

-Hyaaaaaaaaang! That filthy flame of disaster is defiling my bodyyyyyy!

Ati's pained scream, embedded in the lightning spear, echoed in Erebus's mind.

Hearing that scream, Erebus paused for a moment.

'What is this?'

It was clearly a voice filled with pain.

But it strangely sounded like he was enjoying it.

Erebus thought he was mistaken and forcibly tried to pull out the lightning spear.

*Hwarururuk!*

Erebus unleashed even stronger flames to suppress Ati.

*Pajijijijijik-!*

But as if to resist, Ati unleashed even stronger lightning.

Seeing such Ati, Erebus sneered.

"Fool! The more you resist, the greater the pain you will feel!"

-What are you saying? That's the best!

'What?'

-Hyaaaaaang! Pain is the best!

The Pegasus King, who rejoiced while receiving pain, was so unimaginable that even the heavens-best Erebus was taken by surprise.

As Leo, who knew Ati's disposition, predicted, Ati was not suppressed by Erebus. Instead, he persistently unleashed lightning, hindering Erebus's movements.

"How can there be such a vulgar Pegasus King?"

"Judging by what you say, you seem to be behind the times."

Leo, sneering at the dumbfounded Erebus,

*Fwaa-!*

He narrowed the distance to Erebus in an instant.