Book 1 Chapter 243

After Leo left the annex.

Jane tried to stop Leo with a flustered expression.

"Wait, wait a minute. Leo-nim. If you wander around recklessly…"

"I told you to call me Senior, didn't I?"

"That's not important right now!"

Jane blocked Leo's path.

"This is the imperial palace of Shan. No matter how much Leo-nim… no, Senior, you are the student council president of Lumern, wandering around recklessly could cause major problems."

"That might be the case."

Leo, who had stopped walking, nodded.

Seeing Leo nod, Jane, who thought he had given up, breathed a sigh of relief.

"But I don't like backing down like this."

Leo passed Jane and walked through the annex courtyard.

"You say something too!"

Jane urgently looked at Fritz and said.

Fritz adjusted his glasses and said,

"If Senior is going to do it, I can't stop him."

Fritz followed Leo.

"Of course, it's impossible to find Senior Chen Xia in this darkness."

Despite being the center of the empire, Shan's imperial palace was dark.

It wasn't that there was no light, but all areas except the necessary ones were completely dark.

This is a characteristic of the Shan Empire, known as the Shadow Empire.

Shadows, as guardians of the darkness, exert their most powerful strength when in the darkness.

As such, their ability to hide themselves in the darkness is also excellent.

Hearing Fritz's words, Jane sighed.

"Of course. Then shouldn't you be stopping me from wasting my energy on useless things?"

Leo stopped walking, listening to their conversation.

"It seems you all think I can't find Chen Xia?"

Fritz took a step forward and bowed politely.

"I apologize if I offended you. However, heroes and shadows live in entirely different worlds."

Jane, with her arms crossed, pouted.

"It's not because Senior's abilities are lacking. Shadows are beings that live in darkness. It's not easy to find a shadow in darkness. Furthermore, if it's Sia-nim, it's impossible. She's someone even other shadows find hard to locate."

Hearing their words, Leo sighed, "Hmm."

During the time of Kyle.

When Leo executed the traitors, it was mostly at night when darkness fell.

The nights during the Age of Calamity were much deeper and more dangerous than now.

It was a time when simply moving at night was extremely difficult.

'That's why it was perfect for executing traitors.'

The foolish traitors, who thought the night was on their side, showed their weaknesses.

'So that method has continued until now?'

"Are you accustomed to the darkness?"

"Rather than accustomed… darkness is on the side of shadows."

Jane, with her arms crossed, pouted.

"Is that so?"

Leo chuckled and moved into the darkness.

"Then, surprisingly, it might be easy to find."

During the time of executing traitors in the Age of Calamity.

The darkness was not Leo's ally, but his enemy.

The curses and traps that traitors and Tartarus had recklessly employed exhibited even greater power in the darkness.

Leo had navigated darkness incomparably greater than what existed now.

Fritz and Jane exchanged glances and followed Leo.

Thump- thump-

Leo approached one of the many entrances to the imperial palace.

An entrance where only pitch black darkness was visible.

It was an entrance that instinctively made one hesitant to approach, but Leo approached it without concern.

Rustle-

At that moment, a shadow appeared before Leo.

Seeing that, Leo asked,

"Can't I go in?"

"There was no order from His Majesty to prevent entry. However…"

"However?"

"If you intend to find the Princess, His Majesty's order was to confine her in darkness."

At those words, Jane shivered.

"Confine her in darkness? That's a trial!"

Fritz also narrowed his eyes.

"A trial?"

"It is a trial for shadow candidates to be recognized as shadows."

"Oh?"

Leo exclaimed in admiration.

"Sounds interesting."

Jane and Fritz flinched and looked at Leo.

"It could be dangerous, Leo-senpai. It's completely different from what you've learned at Lumern until now…"

Leaving Fritz's dissuasion behind, Leo walked into the darkness.

Fritz and Jane, flustered, followed Leo.

Stomp- stomp-

The sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the silent corridor.

Stomp- stomp- too-buck- too--buck-

But soon, even the sounds were swallowed by the darkness.

'Magic, is it?'

In the darkness where nothing could be seen, Leo generated magic.

'Light.'

However, no light emanated.

The magic had been activated without a doubt.

It was swallowed by the darkness before it could emit light.

'As expected.'

Leo faced the darkness before him.

'It's perfect darkness.'

It was a single, vast labyrinth.

The darkness stole sight, senses, and hearing.

Without becoming one with the darkness and reviving one's senses, escape was impossible.

'Is this why they said darkness is on their side? If it were others, they would have struggled.'

The abyssal darkness inspires fear.

But Leo moved forward without hesitation.

Inside the labyrinth of darkness.

Despite having all his senses stolen, Leo's steps were unhesitating.

Fwaak-!

Leo's sharp senses spread throughout the darkness.

He quickly subjugated the entire darkness.

The exit of the labyrinth was clearly felt.

Stomp- stomp-

"No…!"

Breaking through the darkness, it was the corridor of the imperial palace.

The shadow that had stood before Leo moments ago wore an expression of shock.

"How…!"

The time Leo took to break through the darkness was about 10 seconds.

'I thought I came out right away, but it took longer than I expected.'

I thought I came out immediately upon recognizing the labyrinth, but it took longer than expected.

'My senses have dulled quite a bit.'

Fiddling with his palm, Leo turned around and asked.

It was when the shadow was surprised.

Fritz and Jane simultaneously appeared, breaking through the darkness.

And seeing Leo, their eyes widened.

"Didn't you enter the labyrinth of darkness?"

"I went in and came out."

"Th-that's impossible!"

Seeing Leo break through the darkness much faster than them, the two wore expressions of shock.

"The trial probably isn't over yet."

Leo smiled faintly.

"What should I do now?"

***

'Where is this person's limit?'

Fritz thought as he followed Leo.

Jane also followed Leo with disbelieving eyes.

Fritz was a shadow of Lumern.

More precisely, he was a shadow candidate of the Zeroth family.

He was originally a shadow who was supposed to serve Elena, the heir of Zeroth.

As he grew as a shadow, he desired only one thing.

To become the shadow of a perfect hero.

And Elena was the closest person to the perfect hero that Fritz had envisioned.

But last year.

His mind changed after seeing Leo.

Conquest of the Chedmaders incident.

Subjugation of the Gigantes.

Conquest of the world of the progenitor of the nebulae hero.

And the youngest student council president.

The emergence of a candidate for the perfect hero he had only dreamed of.

Fritz, who immediately became a devotee of Leo, told Elena right away.

He wanted to become the shadow of Leo Flob.

The proud queen of Lumern, who was initially surprised, burst into laughter upon seeing Fritz.

'I knew you would say something like that.'

Although he was a shadow raised in Zeroth, Elena readily let Fritz go.

Initially surprised, she soon saw it as an opportunity.

And the newly appointed Lumern principal from the shadow lineage.

Upon Rina's proposal, he gained eligibility for the entrance exam and passed.

Thus, he thought he had grown closer to Leo and actually met him.

He was more of a perfect hero than he had imagined.

But now.

The way he moved in the darkness was not something one would expect from a hero candidate.

'A shadow candidate like us… no.'

Fritz broke into a cold sweat.

'The perfect shadow itself.'

What on earth is he?

The movements of a person closest to the perfect hero are closer to the perfect shadow than anyone else.

A hero who lives in light and a shadow who lives in darkness cannot coexist.

He had always thought so…

'How can such a person exist?'

Fritz looked at Leo's retreating back with an unbelievable expression.

Jane felt the same.

The darkness spread before her eyes continued to block Leo's path.

Shadows, to test Leo's strength, even drew their swords at him from within the darkness.

But…

Fwaak-!

"Kuhk?"

The Shan shadow, subdued from within the darkness, looked up at Leo with wide eyes.

And in Leo's eyes, shining in the darkness, he felt a chill.

'I can't escape those eyes.'

What if the hero candidate before me hunts me?

'I would be helpless in the darkness!'

The shadow couldn't understand.

How could a hero candidate move better in the darkness than a shadow?

When he subdued the seventh shadow, Leo muttered,

"This way, it will never end."

Not all shadows are as formidable as heroes.

Only a few are heroes whose names can be inscribed in the Hero Record.

Only a few have power close to that of a hero.

However, that doesn't mean the shadows blocking Leo's path are weak.

"I don't know how Senior moves like a shadow, but once trapped in darkness, you can't find Chen Xia-nim."

Hearing Jane's words, Leo gave a listless expression.

"If you two weren't here, I think I could find her quickly."

"What? Are you saying we're getting in the way right now?"

"To be honest, yes."

"What the hell!"

At Fritz's words, Jane bristled.

"Admit it, El Jane. Leo-senpai has skills that far surpass ours as shadows."

Jane gritted her teeth.

"That's… weird."

Jane clenched her fists.

"Heroes are heroes… shadows are shadows… we live in different worlds. That's why Sia-nim gave up on her dream."

But there's someone right before her denying that fact.

A being who far surpasses them, both as a hero and as a shadow, outside of common sense.

If such a being is acknowledged, what about themselves, who have lived as shadows until now?

What about Chen Xia, who gave up on her dream of being a hero?

Seeing Jane bow her head, Leo said,

"I've heard that countless times from the principal and the emperor."

Leo turned his gaze into the darkness.

"But in my opinion, heroes and shadows are the same. They are like two sides of a coin."

Fritz and Jane looked at Leo.

"Everyone who tries to protect the world is a hero. So, in my opinion, you two are also hero candidates."

"……!"

Fritz and Jane's eyes widened.

They had never thought of it that way.

"Then… then…"

Fritz's body trembled.

"The reason you told us to call you Senior is… because you acknowledge us as hero candidates?"

"What have you been listening to until now?"

"Ah! How can such a great being exist?! Even a shadow acknowledges us as hero candidates with sincerity!"

Fritz shouted with a moved expression.

Then he took out a notebook from his pocket and began to write something.

"What is that?"

Jane squinted and checked the contents of Fritz's notebook.

"I'm recording Senior Leo's actions. Especially since he just left a great saying, of course, I have to record it."

"Record?"

"Would you like to take a look?"

Fritz, with a blank expression, handed the notebook to Jane.

As Jane took it and read it, her expression changed strangely.

[Our great Senior Leo said that shadows can also become heroes. Ah, how can such a great person exist? I cannot fathom this person's capacity.]

Fwap-

[Today, I saw Leo-nim for the first time. Leo-nim has pure white hair and red eyes that seem ready to ignite…]

[When I was having a dispute with a conceited Shan shadow, Leo-nim held my wrist. I shouldn't wash this wrist for a while.]

[Leo-nim…]

"Are you a pervert?"

Looking at Fritz's notebook, which recorded the situations when he saw Leo and his every action with almost fanatical obsession, Jane looked disgusted.

"What's in it?"

Leo also looked at Fritz's recorded contents.

Fwirl-

And without hesitation, he burned it with his flame aura.

"Ah!"

Fritz knelt on the ground in despair before the ashes of his notebook.

'He's a strange guy.'

"Is the reason you're going to pick up Sia-nim also for that reason? Because you think of her as a hero candidate?"

"It's one of the reasons. But it's arrogant. Saying she's stepped into darkness, that she can't become a hero. Why give up without even trying?"

Leo chuckled.

"I want to show her that those who don't give up can become heroes."

"…Last winter, the Progenitor of the Nebulae, who appeared in Seirun, said the same thing about Kyle."

Kyle never gave up, even when everyone else did.

The Progenitor of the Nebulae said such words at the time.

"I did say that."

Leo chuckled and disappeared into the darkness.

Watching his retreating back, Jane took a deep breath and kicked the butt of Fritz, who was still despairing on the ground.

"When are you going to stop moping? You have to help the Senior you admire so much!"

At those words, Fritz got up and adjusted his glasses.

"I know without you telling me."

The two Lumern students' eyes glittered in the darkness.

"We will eliminate anyone who obstructs Senior as much as possible."

"We must eliminate anyone who obstructs Senior as much as possible."

The two glared at each other.

"Don't copy me."

***

Leo, who broke through the darkness, found Chen Xia in an instant.

And said,

"I've come to pick you up."

Leo spoke to his friend who turned away from him.

Rustle-

But soon, Chen Xia disappeared into the darkness.

Seeing that, Leo's eyes twitched.

He lost her presence for a moment.

All that remained was the shadow standing beside Chen Xia.

The shadow approached to stop Leo.

At that moment, the shadow's eyes widened.

"No!"

Leo had also disappeared into the darkness.

The shadow, who had served the Shan family for a long time, knew what it was.

'Shadow stepping?'

A technique passed down only to the Shan royal family.

Leo, who had no connection to Shan, used it.

This is also why the Shan emperors were called the Shadow Kings.

'Impossible!'

While the shadow wore an expression of shock.

Leo, pursuing Chen Xia in the darkness, narrowed his eyes.

'Indeed, the Shan royals are descendants of Vihar.'

Although the form had changed significantly, the way he was hiding his presence and moving in the darkness was clearly a technique Leo had taught Vihar.

'Well, the basic framework was created by Aron, and I'm just a modifier.'

Finding Chen Xia, who had deliberately hidden in the darkness, was a difficult task even for Leo now.

'She's more accustomed to the darkness than I am.'

Chen Xia was excessively specialized in assimilating into darkness.

'It will take some effort to find her.'

He understood why Shau had boasted so confidently.

But then Leo smiled.

'If she has assimilated into the darkness, then I'll just subdue the darkness itself.'

Leo's senses quickly seeped into the darkness.

It was when the darkness began to quickly come under Leo's senses.

Shick-!

A small killing intent was felt.

At that moment, Leo tilted his head.

Fwaak-!

"Ho?"

Leo stopped walking.

The man who swung his sword looked at Leo and exclaimed in admiration.

He appeared to be in his late teens.

But somehow, he had a strong mature aura.

He, with black hair and black eyes similar to Leo's height, looked at Leo with interest.

"That face, I've seen it before."

The man's eyes shone.

"Leo Flob, right? The Lumern student called the best hero candidate."

Leo wiped the blood flowing down his cheek and narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Chen Xian."

Xian, who wore a gentle smile that reminded him of someone, introduced himself.

"I am a man who will become a great hero in the future."