Book 1 Chapter 118
118.
“Do you know me?”
Arion looked at the boy he was seeing for the first time, his face a little bewildered.
“Yes, I do.”
At his appearance, Leo nodded.
He wanted to talk more.
There was a lot he wanted to say.
But what he had to do now was awaken the hero in front of him.
And that wasn't a difficult task for Leo, who had fought alongside him on battlefields for a long time.
“Your siblings are in danger.”
“What?”
Arion, who had been looking confused, was surprised by Leo's words.
“Tonight, your siblings might all die. Your strength is needed.”
Arion turned his head with a stern face towards the southern edge.
He looked towards where his home was.
He could definitely feel an ominous presence.
Goooh-!
Aura swirled violently.
The golden pupils of his once gentle eyes narrowed vertically.
His eyes sharpened, and the muscles in his body swelled slightly.
Fangs protruded.
Arion placed his foot on the railing to leap in a single bound.
Then, he suddenly turned back to Leo.
“Have we… met somewhere before?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“In the not-so-distant future.”
For a moment, Arion wore a bewildered expression.
“Now is not the time to be discussing that.”
“Ah!”
Hearing Leo's words, Arion kicked off the railing.
Thud-!
Leo smiled, watching Arion's back as he shot away with invisible speed.
‘Running for a loved one, that hasn’t changed, then or now.’
***
At the southern edge of Reysar.
Two men and women appeared in a place called the Cursed Land.
“Why do I have to come back to this disgusting place?”
Even if he was the real power behind Levaiton, he couldn't just order anyone to kill the residents of a plague-stricken area.
Especially if it was revealed that no actual plague existed, things could become troublesome.
So, he only sent a small number of those who followed him perfectly.
“Useless fools.”
As a result of their failure, Levaiton had no choice but to come here himself.
A moment later.
Levaiton arrived at the clearing.
And seeing Ar standing there as if waiting, his eyes twitched.
“Ha, did I really get beaten by a brat like that?”
“If you don't want to end up like your subordinates, you'd better get out of here.”
“You arrogant brat, who are you talking to?”
Levaiton curled up the corners of his mouth.
“I am destined to become the lord of Reysar. I will be a hero praised by the people of the land for generations to come.”
“Don't make me laugh. No one will praise a wretch like you in the future.”
“What did you say?”
“Someone like you won't even be recorded in a corner of history. Oh, you will be recorded.”
Ar laughed savagely.
“It will say that there was trash like you in the era of calamity.”
Hero Record is the footsteps of heroes recorded by the gods.
Everything that happens in the world of heroes is a ‘truth’ guaranteed in the name of God.
With the discovery of new Hero Records, there were instances where existing historical records were discarded and new ones were written.
If Leo and Ar conquer this world, Levaiton, a figure from 5000 years ago, will be recorded in history.
And future generations will condemn him forever.
Levaiton's face turned crimson at Ar's words.
“How dare you!”
An enraged Levaiton charged at Ar.
Crash-!
Levaiton, who had a massive greatsword in his hand at some point, swung the sword with terrifying momentum.
It was a fearsome attack, enough to cause death with a single graze.
But Ar's eyes clearly saw the trajectory of the sword.
Whoosh-!
“…!”
“It’s just a weak attack with only power.”
“Eek!”
Seeing Ar scoffing while standing on top of the greatsword, Levaiton released magic into his sword.
Fzzzzt-!
Blue sparks flew.
But before the magic could strike, Ar leaped, creating distance from Levaiton.
“You don't seem like a warrior. Your weapon is too good for your skill.”
Levaiton, who could freely use powerful weapons from the lord's castle armory, was armed with all sorts of powerful magical artifacts.
But that was all.
Ar, who had been exposed to various supernatural abilities and trained to become a hero since childhood, was no match for Levaiton, who relied solely on weapons.
“A mage pretending to be a warrior.”
Ar narrowed his eyes, seeing through Levaiton’s skill.
It was as Ar had said.
Close combat merely borrowed the power of magical artifacts.
Levaiton was purely a mage.
So, his skill in wielding weapons was pitiful.
“Pathetic!”
Despite his flashy appearance, there was no substance.
“Who are you calling pathetic! You filthy wretch!”
Levaiton roared.
“I am trash? I am a hero! I am destined to be a great hero who will rule Reysar!”
Killing intent surged in Ar's eyes.
“Don't utter the words ‘great hero’!”
The fur on Ar's entire body stood on end, enraged.
He compressed aura at his fingertips.
Crash-!
Ar’s body was shot towards Levaiton like an arrow due to the concentrated elasticity.
“Ugh! Re, Reflection Shield!”
Crash-!
Ar’s kick was blocked by Levaiton’s protective magic.
Crackle-crackle-crack-!
Cracks appeared in the wall of magic created by Levaiton.
Seeing that, Levaiton's face turned pale.
But it didn’t penetrate.
Levaiton's protective magic was solid, as he had poured all his magic into it.
“Urya-a-a-a-a-a!”
Ar, feeling his power being reflected back by the magic, let out a roar and used the Hero’s Breath.
The power of the aura contained in his fingertips exploded.
If he had let the returning power flow away, he could have prepared for the next attack without taking much damage.
But Ar didn’t back down.
He couldn’t forgive the renegade in front of him who dared to utter the title of 'great hero'.
He defiantly returned his own power back.
A pain as if his right foot was being squeezed by something massive assailed him.
However, Ar didn’t care, raised his eyes, and thrust his foot forward.
‘If I don’t kick that bastard's face, I won't feel satisfied!’
Crunch- Smash!
“Keheek?!”
Ar's kick directly struck Levaiton's body.
Levaiton was miserably thrown back, flying through several building walls.
“Haa. Haa.”
Ar panted, feeling the pain in his right foot.
Clap- Clap- Clap-
“Quite impressive. No, astonishing.”
Ar’s gaze turned towards the woman.
“My mother was right. The heroes of the surface are still dangerous.”
“Hmph! I'll send you flying too, so come here!”
Ar growled, swinging his foot in the air.
The woman smiled, watching Ar.
“Oh my, can you really do it? Little kitten?”
Creak-! Creak-creak-crack!
Ar’s face hardened as he saw the woman shed her human skin and grow massive.
“Wouldn’t it be fortunate if you weren't eaten by me instead?”
A demon, with the lower body of a giant spider and only the upper body of a human, mocked Ar.
A horrifyingly repulsive mouth darted out from the mouth part located below her waist.
“A, a demon?”
Ar’s face turned pale.
Overwhelming fear assailed him.
“How? Why isn't there a demon's smell?”
From the demon in front of him, there was not the slightest foul odor of a demon.
Instead, it smelled of a lush, overgrown forest.
The woman, Talatunia, smiled sweetly, watching Ar step back.
“Well. Perhaps it’s because I chewed off the Fairy King’s arm?”
The daughter of the Monster Queen Silatuna.
Spider Princess Talatunia.
Knowing that the trace of her demonic presence had been erased thanks to the Fairy King's ring, she had secretly infiltrated the refugee city.
This was because she knew that a great spirit dwelled within Schatten, the sword Agon used during the battle against the Hero Alliance ten years ago.
This greedy demon, who had chewed off the Fairy King's arm along with the ring, was using Levaiton to swallow the great spirit.
“Then.”
A grotesque spider leg was lifted.
“Die.”
Whoosh-!
The spider's foreleg, like a giant spike, tried to impale Ar.
Thud-!
Suddenly, a shadow shot up in front of Ar, blocking the attack.
“You've finally emerged, Schatten.”
Talatunia flicked her tongue.
Elsie spoke, looking at Talatunia.
“Schatten is just the name of the sword I reside in. My name is Elsie.”
“The name doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm going to eat you.”
Snap-!
Talatunia opened her mouth and rushed to bite Elsie.
Thud-!
Suddenly, Talatunia's body stopped abruptly.
Frowning, Talatunia turned her head and glared at her own captured shadow.
Elsie, her expression gone, exerted her power.
“Oh?”
Talatunia’s forelegs, deprived of their shadows, trembled and lifted.
Whoosh-!
Thud-!
And Talatunia's foreleg unhesitatingly pierced her own neck.
That wasn't all.
Her other spider legs twisted at bizarre angles.
Talatunia, deprived of her shadow, was literally a puppet on strings.
And the one controlling those strings at will was none other than Elsie.
“Nothing has changed from ten years ago. Spider Princess.”
Elsie, who had once defeated Agon and Talatunia, smiled sweetly and gestured with her hand.
Snap-!
Talatunia felt her vision invert.
Her neck had been horribly broken.
Talatunia blinked her eyes, then burst into maniacal laughter.
“Kya-hahahahaha! This is fun! This is fun!”
Crunch! Crunch-crunch!
The legs that had been twisted at bizarre angles instantly recovered.
Her pierced and twisted body immediately returned to its original form.
The thrilling power of the Spider Princess, said to destroy even nations, was endowed with near-infinite vitality.
Seeing Talatunia recover instantly, Elsie was also flustered.
Slam-!
“Ugh?”
Talatunia's foreleg, which had arrived in an instant, pierced Elsie's body.
Elsie's face contorted.
Crackle-crackle-crack-!
Fragments of darkness spewing from the wound slashed Talatunia's body.
In an instant, she was torn apart to an unrecognizable extent.
“How is it? Different from ten years ago?”
Talatunia, with her head blown off and only her mouth remaining, gave a cynical smile.
“Do you think an immature great spirit without a contractor can defeat me, Silatuna's daughter, alone?”
“Ugh!”
“Shall I take a bite and see what a great spirit tastes like?”
Snap-!
Even as she was being horribly butchered, Talatunia greedily opened her mouth.
Talatunia, possessing infinite vitality, was literally an undying calamity.
Just as she was about to bite Elsie’s nape.
Whoosh-! Thump!
Ar flew in and kicked Talatunia's jaw.
Talatunia, whose jaw was twisted at a strange angle, showed an annoyed expression.
“Little kitten.”
Ar, who had been filled with fear, rekindled his fighting spirit.
“That coward saved the world.”
For some reason, Leo's voice flashed through his mind.
‘If I’m going to follow in the hero’s footsteps! I can't just stand here paralyzed by fear!’
Ar gritted his teeth and tried to land the next attack on Talatunia.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
He suddenly felt his head spin.
One of the spider legs had struck Ar's head.
“I’ll eat you for dessert later.”
Talatunia scoffed, looking at Ar, who was bleeding from his head and sprawled in a corner, then turned her attention back to Elsie.
“Ugh…!”
It was when Ar gritted his teeth and tried to stand up.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh?”
Ar hastily lifted his head at the voice from behind him.
And his eyes widened.
“You fought hard.”
Ar’s body trembled.
He looked different from how Ar knew him.
To be precise, he was younger.
But he recognized him at a glance.
The character from the fairy tale who had given him courage in his childhood.
The object of his admiration who had saved the world.
“Lord Arion.”