Book 1 Chapter 246

Lord of the Funeral Song, Artkhan.

A confidant of the Necro King Hel Kaiser.

A monster who survived several decisive battles with the Great Heroes.

Leo had also fought Artkhan before.

'He was alive?'

But Leo couldn't hide his surprise at the fact that he had appeared before his eyes.

He was clearly a notorious demon.

However, Leo had not expected him to be alive even after thousands of years.

Leo had identified the high-ranking demons of Tartarus recorded after his reincarnation.

Artkhan's name was not among them.

Even if he had survived the Age of Calamity, Leo had thought he would have been subjugated by others long ago since he hadn't even appeared in records for thousands of years.

But now, he was right in front of him.

Leo broke into a cold sweat and guarded against Artkhan.

'In a way, he's a more troublesome opponent than the newly formed legion commanders.'

The experience and skills accumulated over 5,000 years of life were undoubtedly threatening.

'He possesses power comparable to the strongest heroes of the current era.'

He was an opponent Leo couldn't handle right now.

Furthermore, Artkhan knew of Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning.

'If he realizes I am Kyle, things will get complicated.'

Even so, Leo did not let his guard down.

Fortunately, this was the stronghold of the Shan Empire.

If his presence were noticed, there was enough power to stop him.

As Leo heightened his senses and guarded against Artkhan, it happened.

"Hoho. Indeed."

Artkhan's eyes twinkled as he looked at Leo.

"You truly deserve to be called the best hero candidate of your generation. And an All-Class at that. Yes. It's just like seeing Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning. Hahaha."

Artkhan burst into laughter.

Watching Artkhan, Leo said,

"Lord of the Funeral Song? Judging by your title, you must be a high-ranking demon, but I've never heard of such a name?"

Feigning ignorance, he asked about his identity.

"Hahaha. I'm just an insignificant demon who goes around picking up corpses."

One of the sources of the Necro King's immense power is corpses.

And Artkhan was tasked with collecting those corpses.

At first glance, it might seem like a trivial task.

But his mission was by no means light.

The corpses of those who possessed great power in life could be used to create more powerful undead.

Therefore, the targets of the corpses he collected included the corpses of heroes.

In some cases, he even "killed" them to create corpses.

"Lately, I've also been assisting the helpers of Tartarus, you see."

Leo's eyes twitched at his words.

"In that regard, Mr. Leo Flov."

Artkhan politely took something out of his pocket and threw it at Leo.

Fwissh-! Fwick-!

Leo spread his index and middle fingers and caught what Artkhan had thrown.

It was a plain piece of paper.

'A business card?'

"How about becoming our patron? We are confident we can support you better than the Hero Academy. With your All-Class, Mr. Leo, you will surely rise to the ranks of a hero in no time."

Leo checked the contents of the business card.

'Hero Supporter? Are they nurturing usable pawns by collecting Hero Records influenced by Erebus? My guess was right.'

And it seemed Artkhan was in charge of it.

'He's still good at pulling strings from behind the scenes.'

The reason the Hero Academy wields such powerful influence in the current era is precisely because it possesses Hero Records.

The Necro King was doing this in the shadows.

Of course, he wouldn't have possessed as vast a collection of Hero Records as the Hero Academies.

But even so, it was clear that many would fall for the temptation of being able to conquer the hero world, like Xian.

Fwoosh-

Leo burned the business card without hesitation.

"Oh dear. How regrettable."

Artkhan wore a disappointed expression.

'Why is he telling me this information? Does he mean he can kill me anyway, even if I refuse?'

But if Artkhan failed to defeat Leo, this story would surely become known to the world.

'I see. It means it doesn't matter if it's known.'

Currently, Tartarus had lost its Demon Queen.

This was undoubtedly Tartarus's biggest loss of power since the end of the Age of Calamity.

Conversely, the world showed unprecedented unity due to the reappearance of a Great Hero and the disappearance of one of its long-standing fears.

In such a situation, what if it became known that Tartarus could open the hero world using Hero Records and offer rewards for it?

There would certainly be those who desired it.

And there would be a massive movement to root out the traitors who had secretly collaborated with Tartarus.

Although they showed strong unity on the surface, internally, various races had experienced long-standing conflicts.

It wasn't just inter-racial issues.

Factional disputes existed within the same race.

'There are plenty of people who would use this fact as a means to eliminate their political rivals.'

Immense social chaos could erupt.

But he couldn't just not reveal it.

'He plans to undermine it from within? Crafty bastard.'

Thinking of the Necro King Hel Kaiser, Leo gritted his teeth and unleashed his aura.

Fwoooooosh-!

Watching Leo, Artkhan raised his hand.

"Then, let's see the skill of an All-Class, shall we?"

With a gentle smile, skeletons began to pour in from all directions.

They were not ordinary undead.

Each one was an undead enhanced by Artkhan's dark magic.

While Leo was pinned down by the undead, Artkhan approached Xian with light steps.

"Oh dear, you've been thoroughly defeated, Xian."

Xian looked up at Artkhan with trembling eyes.

Artkhan smiled at Xian and reached out his hand.

Xian's right arm, severed by Leo, flew into his hand.

"Fortunately, Leo's swordsmanship was excellent, so it was cleanly cut. It should be easy to reattach."

Saying this, Artkhan healed Xian's arm using dark magic.

Seeing his severed arm restored, Xian gritted his teeth.

'Leo Flov.'

"Leo is currently overwhelming Xian with ease."

"What?"

A killing intent flashed in Xian's eyes.

Artkhan laughed at Xian.

"It can't be helped. You both have comparable talent, but Leo is a hero candidate deliberately trained by Lumerne. Moreover, he has conquered the world of a Great Hero. There's bound to be a difference with Xian, isn't there?"

"Grrr!"

"If you obtain the sword of Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning, slumbering in Shan, and conquer Kyle's world that we possess, Xian, you will surely surpass Leo."

"Yes. That's right."

Xian rose from his seat.

"If I can inherit the power of the Hero of the Beginning…"

'I'll defeat you too.'

Xian glared at Artkhan with contempt and disappeared into the darkness.

Artkhan, who watched him leave, chuckled.

'He's no match for Leo Flov. Besides, he wouldn't be able to inherit that person's world in the first place.'

Artkhan's gaze shifted to Leo.

'A monster.'

Any ordinary hero candidate would have already perished from the enhanced undead.

But Leo instantly turned the enhanced undead into ashes.

He shattered the sword of the Skeleton Knight and nullified the magic of the Skeleton Mage with dispelling.

*Clang!* *Thump! Roll…*

The moment Artkhan thought that.

The head of a skeleton rolled to Artkhan's feet.

Despite moving fiercely, Leo, without even a hint of breathlessness, pointed his sword at Artkhan.

"Indeed. You are on a different level from other hero candidates."

Artkhan clapped his hands.

"I would like to continue watching your antics, but unfortunately, I have things to do."

Soon, the emperor and Shan's shadows would notice the disturbance in the palace and act.

They were powerful beings that Xian would have trouble dealing with.

He had to prevent them from dealing with Xian.

'Only royalty can enter the imperial palace's underground.'

Since the founding of Shan, Tartarus had known that the descendants of Bihar had founded Shan.

Tartarus, who also knew that Bihar was Kyle's disciple, had long coveted the items related to Kyle that Shan possessed.

Finally, the opportunity had arrived. He couldn't miss it.

'Leo Flov is undoubtedly a dangerous individual for us. But he's still just a novice.'

Artkhan sorted his priorities in his mind.

His current priority was to deal with Shan's shadows.

"Still, rest assured. I will leave a gift for you."

Artkhan pulled at the air as if opening a door.

*Creak!*

A massive stone gate materialized in the air.

Along with it, a dark red space opened.

People walked out from it.

Pale skin.

Lifeless eyes.

Artkhan laughed, pointing at them, who looked like marionettes.

"Shadows are the natural enemy of Hero Killers, but conversely, they are also the natural enemy of heroes. And these are all shadows."

He politely bowed to Leo.

"These are individuals who lived insignificant lives, serving heroes their entire lives but never being recognized and dying tragically. They deny it, but they died resenting heroes. That's why they became perfect corpses to be used. They harbor great resentment towards you, the best hero candidate."

At those words, the shadows charged towards Leo.

*Clang!*

The sharp sound of weapons clashing echoed.

Shadows emerged endlessly from the open gate.

They were all soulless dead.

Retaining only their skills from life, they sharpened their blades to slaughter Leo.

Fwoosh-!

Leo's aura of flame erupted from his entire body.

"Have a pleasant time."

Artkhan, with a smile, turned his body.

Leo spoke as he looked at Artkhan's retreating back.

"You know, among the legion commanders, I hate the Necro King the most."

"That's usually the case. He's the most terrifying legion commander."

"It's not for that reason."

Leo burned his aura even more intensely in a low voice.

"He disrespects the dead."

It was natural for demons to disregard life.

But the Necro King Hel Kaiser, who ruled over death, was even more so in this regard.

He always tried to deny, mock, and ridicule the lives of the living.

This was the same for his subordinate demons.

That was why Leo hated the Necro King the most.

*Hwaak-*

"The lives of these people are by no means insignificant."

Even if unrecognized.

Even if they despaired of their own lives.

The reason they fought to the end was simple.

"They were people who fought for the peace that their predecessors had protected in their own way. They are worthy of being called heroes."

"Does one person affirming them, even if they are forsaken by the gods, make a difference?"

"Who cares about the gods' affirmation?"

Fwoosh-

Leo's body erupted with even more ferocious flames.

The movement of the shadows that touched the flames stopped abruptly.

They were freed from the curse of necromancy.

As they found peace, Artkhan's eyes narrowed.

'Indeed, the flames of the Phoenix.'

Fwoosh-

Suddenly, a pair of wings unfolded behind Leo.

"Whether they are heroes or shadows, the will they held has been passed down to posterity."

The hope of regaining peace.

The hope that Lishinas had conveyed was passed to Kyle.

And that hope was passed to Luna, then to Arion… and then again to Dwenno.

Eventually, Kyle saw the fruition by defeating Erebus.

The Great Heroes disappeared 5,000 years ago.

But the will of the Great Heroes continued even now.

'The heart we received from Lishinas continues to this day.'

The desire to regain peace and the desire to protect it are ultimately the same.

From Leo's perspective, both heroes and shadows were those who sought to carry on their will.

'That will eventually bore fruit in the subjugation of Tartarus.'

But the Necro King was someone who mocked and ridiculed their lives.

That was why Leo hated him the most.

*Swish-*

Leo lowered his stance.

Watching Leo, Artkhan unleashed his dark magic.

'He's just a novice anyway. Leo Flov's sword won't reach me…'

Fwooooosh-!

*CRACK!*

"…!"

Artkhan's eyes widened as he saw Leo pierce his neck, breaking through his barrier.

*Swoosh-*

Artkhan's body crumbled into black sand and fell apart.

*Thump!*

Artkhan's hand gripped Leo's neck.

But that hand too soon turned to sand and disappeared.

"You… what is your true identity?"

For the first time, Artkhan, with his composure gone, asked with a pale face.

He felt fear.

"Me?"

Leo looked at the disappearing Artkhan, his red eyes flashing.

Leo declared, as if making a declaration of war to the being beyond Artkhan's dark red eyes.

"The one who will subjugate you."

*CRASH-!*

Leo tightened his grip and severed Artkhan's head.

*Rustle-*

Artkhan's body, which fell to the floor, turned to sand and scattered.

'It was a clone, as expected.'

His main body might have been injured, but he wouldn't die from this.

'If he were the kind of guy who would die from this, he would have been killed long ago 5,000 years ago.'

Leo, dragging his burned body, stared at the Gate of the Dead, which continued to summon the dead.

One-hit kill.

He had struck at a small opening when Artkhan was careless.

His main body was probably holding back Shan's shadows.

'He won't realize I'm me, but he'll be even more wary of me from now on.'

Leo took a deep breath and looked at the undead.

'First, I need to grant these people peace… and then deal with that guy named Xian.'