Book 1 Chapter 207

Kiiiioooooooo!

A roar that tore through ears echoed within Seirun.

To stop Zerdiac, who had appeared in the heart of Seirun, the Heroic Alliance was dividing its forces.

Meanwhile, a magic circle materialized in the air.

Through the magic circle, Bennett, Alby, Ellen, and Chade appeared.

The four who had disengaged from the battle with Silathuna had quickly rejoined the city walls.

"Rumen's magic students, follow me."

As Alby commanded with a stoic expression, the magic students who had been blocking Silathuna's army with magic hurried to gather around Alby.

"Jillian."

"Yes, Master."

"You will continue to defend the city walls."

Chade commanded the Rwallyn mages gathering around him.

"Master…"

"I am going to stop that monster."

Chade looked up at the sky with his cold, unyielding gaze.

By then, a large part of Zerdiac's body had already crossed into the mortal realm.

"Master, we will follow you…"

"If Rwallyn's forces are depleted now, the already unfavorable front line will collapse further."

Chade said coldly in response to Jillian's words.

"You will become the core of the Heroic Alliance and defend the front line. Or do you consider me an unreliable master?"

"No."

The masters of the heroic families do not rely solely on bloodline.

Naturally, they are the strongest within their families.

Chade is the most powerful mage in Rodren, considered a formidable force in the western continent.

He is a skilled individual personally chosen by the Sword Saint Kalian to defeat the Legion Commander.

The vassals of Rwallyn had no choice but to obey his command.

They believed in the absolute strength of their master.

Ellen also quickly gathered the students of Seirun.

Eventually, all the personnel to confront Zerdiac had gathered.

Meanwhile.

The first and second-year students, who had evacuated the spectators to the depths of the school, rushed out of the school.

And then, they spotted Zerdiac, attempting to cross into the mortal realm through a rift in the sky, and their faces turned ashen.

Some lost their will to fight and collapsed onto the ground.

The Legion Commander of Tartarus, a being of immense fear.

Even hero candidates were still young boys and girls in their late teens.

It was inevitable that they would be terrified when faced with the world's worst calamity.

"We… we have to run…!"

"What can we, first and second-year students, do against a monster like that!"

One of the frightened second-year students of Rumen shouted.

At his words, the hero candidates began to murmur.

Fear is contagious.

No matter how much courage they tried to muster, their bravery crumbled at the words spoken aloud by someone.

"I-if that's the case, then we should retreat towards the Heroic Alliance…!"

As one of the second-year students of Seirun said urgently, Runia shouted.

"Wait! Then what about the civilians currently in the school!"

Although they had been evacuated to the safest central part of the school, they could not guarantee what would happen if that monster descended to the ground.

"We have to defend this place somehow…!"

"Don't joke! Runia El Lundia! What can a first-year student like you do? Even I, a second-year student, have no idea what to do against that monster!"

A second-year student from Seirun shouted with a contorted face.

"The civilians have been evacuated to the safest place! Our job now is to quickly join the Heroic Alliance!"

Kuohahaha!

It was then.

Zerdiac, crossing the rift, let out a roar filled with rage.

Zerdiac's roar struck the ears of the first and second-year students.

Those with weaker resistance momentarily lost consciousness and fainted.

"We must stop him!"

Runia shouted urgently.

Seeing Runia, one of the Seirun students said in a flustered manner.

"It's impossible for us to stop him with our strength! We need to ask the seniors for help!"

"That's right!"

"Let's hurry to where the seniors are…!"

The first and second-year students of Seirun shouted.

Swayed by those shouts, the first and second-year students of Rumen also argued that they should head towards the Heroic Alliance.

"If we fight like this, it's just a suicidal death, isn't it?" a second-year student of Seirun shouted at Runia.

Seeing the second-year student, Runia took a deep breath.

Then, she reached out, grabbed the second-year student by the collar, pulled him forward, and butted her forehead against his.

Thwack!

"Gah?"

The second-year student's eyes rolled back in his head from the surprise attack, and he fainted.

Runia pushed the unconscious second-year student away and glared at the first and second-year students with burning eyes.

Seeing Runia, the first and second-year students flinched.

"Those who want to go, go."

Runia said in a calm but clearly enraged voice.

"I will stay here and protect the civilians."

If the first and second-year students left now, the lives of those within Seirun would be undoubtedly threatened.

At Runia's words, the first and second-year students began to murmur.

Then, Celia and Chloe approached Runia.

"I will fight that thing."

"We can't retreat like this."

Abad and Chelsea also joined.

"My father is fighting, so I can't retreat."

"That's right!"

Following them, Duran and Eliza scoffed.

"I was going to stay too."

"Although the best words were already said by Seirun's representative, making it look a bit awkward, I will fight too."

Warden approached silently, arms crossed.

Chen Xia joined with a smile, and Eiran and Luca also joined.

Starting with that, the first-year students of Rumen and Seirun gathered around Runia.

"Hey, Lil! You too?"

One of the second-year students of Rumen urgently asked Lil, who was joining them.

Looking back at his peer, Lil said.

"Of course. Aren't the first-year students taking the initiative to do what we should have done first?"

"B-but… isn't that too reckless?"

"It is reckless."

At Lil's words, one of the second-year class representatives of Seirun contorted his face.

"Why are you doing something reckless? We were chosen. Are you going to throw away your lives here?"

At those words, Lil smiled brightly.

"Because we were chosen."

"……!"

"Isn't it natural for hero candidates to protect people?"

At Lil's words, the face of the second-year class representative of Seirun contorted.

"You're crazy. Absolutely crazy."

The first and second-year students were divided in half: those trying to defend Seirun and those going to the Heroic Alliance.

Ququququgong-!

At that moment, Zerdiac, emerging from the rift, fell to the ground.

The earth shook.

Watching that, the first and second-year students swallowed dryly.

'How long can they hold out? 10 minutes? No… maybe not even 5 minutes.'

Runia gritted her teeth.

At that moment, black holes appeared around Zerdiac, and monstrous creatures began to pour out of them.

Seeing that, the faces of the first and second-year students hardened.

"Legion…!"

"That monster! Is he really a Legion Commander?"

Expressions of shock erupted from various places.

Zerdiac's legion charged towards Seirun.

There was no reason in their eyes.

Only a ferocious charge driven by the instinct to destroy.

The first and second-year students gritted their teeth and fought against the legion's invasion.

"Hold!"

"Don't let them take a single step inside the school!"

The first-year students moved in an organized manner under the urgent commands of the second-year students.

"Uoooooh!"

At that moment, a giant demon, spewing poison, roared and charged at Celia.

Seeing the demon, Celia, gritting her teeth, unleashed a fire aura.

Hwa-ruru-!

Buwaaak!

Celia's sword strike cut down the demon.

As the demon's flesh split, blood splattered.

Puhwak-!

Celia hastily dodged the blood.

But she couldn't avoid the emitted poison.

"Ugh?"

Celia covered her mouth.

Kruek-!

"Ugh!"

Zerdiac's legion consisted of monsters, each carrying a deadly poison.

The more demons they defeated, the more the poison damage accumulated.

Seeing Celia staggering and coughing blood, the demon Celia had cut down raised its arm.

"Celia!"

Chloe urgently generated magic.

Jjjeojeojeok-!

An icy coldness enveloped the demon.

As the frozen demon's movements stopped, Chelsea hastily flew over and took Celia to the rear.

"I can fight more…!"

"You say that while coughing blood!"

Chelsea shouted urgently.

In the rear, healers were overwhelmed with the injured.

This was the carnage that occurred in just a few minutes after the legion's attack began.

The legion's assault was too powerful for the inexperienced first and second-year students to withstand.

It was then.

Hwa-ruru-!

Fierce flames erupted from the front.

"Senior Lis!"

Lil urgently called out to Lis for support.

It wasn't just Lis.

Hero Academy students who came to support from the rear blocked the legion's attack.

The appearance of seniors.

However, the first and second-year students couldn't be optimistic about the situation.

Their opponent was the Legion of Tartarus.

They had barely avoided being utterly overwhelmed.

But the situation had not changed drastically for the better.

"Can… can we defeat that?"

A voice filled with despair emanated from a hero defending the front line.

They were somehow managing to hold off Silathuna's legion.

But the unknown legion rampaging in the rear was enough to bring despair even to heroes who had achieved great deeds.

If it were just Silathuna alone.

Their forces were far too insufficient to face two Legion Commanders.

It was then.

The sounds of battle at the very front stopped as if by a lie.

Sedjen's face hardened as he looked to the front.

The battlefield of the Monster Queen and the Sword Saint.

The transformed terrain, unrecognizable from a moment ago, showed how fierce their battle had been.

And leaving that battlefield behind…

The Monster Queen was advancing.

Silathuna, with the upper body of a small human on the lower body of a monstrous creature, licked the blood flowing from her forehead with her tongue.

"The Principal… was defeated!"

"Is this really the end…!"

Despair washed over the faces of the heroes.

Seeing them, Halind said.

"If you have time for despair, prepare to fight."

"Professor Halind…!"

Ren looked at Halind with trembling eyes.

"You are teachers of Rumen."

Halind said in his characteristic cold voice.

"With students fighting against the legion, you should not despair first."

At those words, the Rumen professors gritted their teeth.

It was then.

Flash-!

A massive cleave mercilessly severed Silathuna.

A terrifying murderous aura erupted from Silathuna's body.

Quagagagag-!

A crimson-black flash created by Silathuna's dark magic poured towards where the cleave had come from.

"Principal…!"

The faces of the Rumen professors contorted.

***

"Kal… lian… *cough* - *cough*!"

In the midst of the horrific battlefield.

Riven urgently called out to Kalian.

As a dragon.

As a leader of heroes.

He had burned all his strength for the hero he had chosen.

It was as Silathuna had said.

An old hero and an old dragon.

Even in their prime, it would have been difficult to guarantee Silathuna's defeat.

And now, they were both well past their prime and in decline.

It might have been possible against another Legion Commander.

But against a monstrous Legion Commander who had lived since before the age of calamity, there was nothing they could do.

Tremble, tremble.

Riven saw Kalian's back as he rose, using his sword as a cane.

Riven gritted his teeth.

His body had long since reached its limit.

But still, the Sword Saint moved.

'It doesn't matter if I die.'

Kalian raised his sword.

He had lived long enough anyway. For the sake of future generations, this life was not a waste.

Kalian coughed blood.

'I have to cut one more time.'

He had to leave even a sliver of a chance for future generations to defeat Silathuna.

'Move…'

Swish-!

Squeezing the life out of himself, the Sword Saint tried to unleash his aura to deliver a sword strike.

Wavering-!

But he quickly lost his balance and fell.

Thump-!

He managed to stand without falling.

But anyone could see that he was at his limit.

Stomp-

"Stop."

A voice was heard from behind.

Kalian and Riven turned with difficulty.

"That's enough."

It was a young man with gray hair and gray eyes.

"You have done well enough. So you can rest now with peace of mind."

Seeing those gray eyes, Kalian felt as if he saw a boy.

"Who… are you?"

To Kalian's question, the young man opened his mouth.

"The Hero of the Beginning."