Book 1 Chapter 296
296
"Gwooooh!"
Ghias roared at the empty sky.
Along with that, a massive gate to a sub-dimension opened, and knights and mages in black armor and robes appeared.
Seeing them, Eiran flinched and trembled.
"Wh-what is that? They don't look like demons at first glance."
"They're traitors."
Berkia's eyes narrowed as she drew her sword.
"Those who sided with Tartaros to survive."
Not only Eiran but also the party members held their breath.
Traitors who would later be called 'Hero Hunters'.
Unless it was a special case, they wouldn't have to fight such Hero Hunters… those who betrayed the world and sided with Tartaros.
The party members didn't yet know the pressure of having to strike down their own kind, who looked just like them.
"What should we do?"
Arion asked Dweno, looking at Ghias, who was glaring at Gadthron from a distance.
Dweno pondered Arion's question.
"It would be best to defeat him before he fully invades Gadthron, but…"
Dweno squinted his eyes.
"If that happens, Gadthron's defenses would be vulnerable. If his legion attacks this place the moment you or I leave Gadthron to strike him, we'd be in a lot of trouble in many ways."
The endlessly advancing legion of the Legion Commander was a symbol of despair.
Moreover, unlike other Legion Commanders who had participated in various major wars and depleted their forces, Ghias's legion had rarely engaged in war and boasted immense power.
"He's cautious, despite his size. And cunning."
Dweno squinted his eyes.
"We don't know what kind of trap he might have laid."
Rage simmered deep in Dweno's eyes.
Seeing that, Leo gripped his sword.
'It can't be helped.'
Soon after the Age of Calamity began.
It was Ghias who had destroyed Dweno's hometown.
Meanwhile, this time, countless monsters began pouring out of Ghias's sub-dimension.
Leo squinted his eyes at the sight.
'I see… he must have gathered useful subordinates from the surrounding area for ten days.'
If a legion doesn't exist, the Legion Commander's power is halved.
It was clear that he had created his own legion over these few days to compensate for that weakness.
Though they were nothing more than a ragtag bunch, the fact that there were two Ghiases made this ragtag legion an immense threat.
'You're determined to crush Gadthron?'
"He won't move until dawn."
Leo looked at Dweno and Arion.
"So, one of you should conserve your strength until dawn."
"Conserve strength? Are you saying not to fight?"
"Yes."
The potential of a Great Hero was best known by the Legion Commanders who fought against them.
The power to make the impossible possible.
It wasn't simply because a Great Hero was strong.
'Looking back, we always broke through unfavorable battle situations to find a path to victory and achieved it.'
Thinking about it now, it's astonishing how they managed to win so many battles.
Countless near-miraculous victories they had achieved.
Ghias was more wary of that potential than anyone.
'He must be planning to gradually chip away at our stamina, like hunting.'
Once this night passes and the Ghias from the past and his legion appear.
Dweno and Arion, already exhausted, would no longer be able to resist.
'Is he planning to be the bait himself?'
Leo clenched and unclenched his fists, looking at Ghias in the distance.
Seeing Leo's expression, Dweno said.
"I understand what you're saying. But if a monster like Ghias moves… we have no choice but to step forward."
Leo responded to Dweno's heavy words.
"Indeed, you are the hope of the world."
Leo looked at Dweno and Arion.
"If it weren't for you, the world would have perished long ago. That's why you've carried too much."
Leo smiled.
"But… isn't it okay to share the burden sometimes?"
Whoosh-!
A massive shadow appeared in the sky above Gadthron.
Kall's mouth dropped open.
"A dragon…"
The sight of dozens of dragons adorning the sky was literally a spectacle.
At that magnificent sight, which was impossible to see in this era, all the party members gasped in admiration.
Starting with the dragons, warriors, mages, and summoners of various races appeared on the ramparts.
Seeing them, Leo murmured softly.
"Once I carried it, it was too heavy."
Flash-!
The dragons flying in the sky polymorphed and descended onto the ramparts.
At their head was Dephacer.
"Please step back, everyone."
Dephacer said, looking at Leo and his party, including Berika.
"This battle is not child's play. Evacuate to a safe zone."
"I want to fight too. I have enough strength to fight."
Berkia said stubbornly.
Dephacer adjusted his glasses, looking at Berkia.
"Ms. Berika. I am well aware of your skill. But you are one of the future hopes of the world. You are still too inexperienced to participate in this kind of battle, aren't you?"
Berkia flinched at Dephacer's rare sharp gaze.
Dephacer.
He was like a father to all the children of Gadthron.
He ran an orphanage himself, and Berkia had seen Dephacer since she was little.
He was usually gentle, but at moments like this, he was so resolute that it was hard to rebel.
Dephacer's gaze also turned to the others.
"Now, quickly."
Seeing Dephacer, Leo said.
"Battle is something one must experience someday. If you believe in Berika's future, why don't you believe in the present Berika too?"
At Leo's words, Dephacer's cold gaze turned to Leo.
"Do you think you are qualified to be here?"
Leo laughed at that.
"Absolutely."
Leo looked at his party members.
"Because we've trained for it."
Kugugugugugung-!
The sound of monsters approaching Gadthron was heard.
Seeing them, Leo raised his hand.
Wooong-!
Magic circles adorned the sky.
The moment Dephacer saw those magic circles, his eyes widened.
Not just Dephacer.
Everyone wore astonished expressions.
"Luna's… magic?"
The magic circles adorning the sky, reacting to Leo's magic power.
They were none other than the magic of stars.
The moment Leo completed the spell, orbs of light poured down towards the monsters.
Pau-ba-ba-bak-!
Dweno closed his eyes, watching the pouring light magic.
"Arion."
"Uh, yeah?"
"You should conserve your strength in case of an emergency."
Arion's eyes widened at Dweno's words.
Arion felt bewildered by the fact that Dweno, who could be called the general commander of Gadthron, was following Leo's opinion.
"Dephacer."
"Yes!"
"You protect the ramparts."
"Then Lord Dweno…?"
"I will strike the Giant King."
Thud-!
Dephacer was flustered, seeing Dweno adjust his grip on his battle-axe.
"N-no! If Lord Dweno goes to face the Giant King alone and falls into a trap…!"
"When did I say I was going alone?"
Dweno looked at Leo.
"This friend here will guard my back."
Dweno looked at Berkia and the party members and said.
"Don't overexert yourselves and protect the ramparts well."
"Yes! Don't worry and go! Those ugly monsters won't get past Gadthron's walls!"
Dweno let out a hearty laugh at Berkia's shout.
"How reliable!"
Dweno, bursting into robust laughter, leaped down from the high ramparts.
Leo also followed without hesitation.
"L-Leo!"
Lunia called out to Leo, who was falling from the ramparts, with a bewildered expression.
Leo smiled, looking at Lunia.
"I'll be back, so watch over things!"
Thud-!
Clatter-!
The two landed on the ground and simultaneously ran towards the Giant King.
Kweoooh!
An Ogre, a large monster, rushed towards the two.
As Dweno was about to swing his battle-axe, Leo stepped forward.
"Don't step in until you fight Ghias."
"Hoho? Can you clear a path?"
Leo raised his sword at Dweno's question.
Whoosh-!
Flames of aura and magic power enveloped the sword.
Wooong-!
A summoning circle appeared in the air, and a small phoenix revealed itself.
Cheep-!
"What? You lost weight?"
Cheep- cheep-!
Fiora flew in front of Leo as if showing off her body.
"If you gain weight again, we can just play ball."
As Leo mumbled, recalling how Katariu made Fiora lose weight, Fiora cheeped and shook her head frantically.
Leo chuckled, looking at Fiora, then invoked his spiritual power.
Whoosh-!
Fiora's body intensely ignited with Leo's spiritual power, then seeped into the sword.
KWA-A-A-A-A-A-AK-!
The phoenix's flames raged.
Leo's eyes flashed as he looked at the Ogre blocking his path and the monsters behind it, then swung his sword.
Whoosh! KWAGAGAGAGAGAGAGANG-!
The phoenix flames raged, sweeping away the monster squad in front of him.
Chiiiiiiik-!
"Quite impressive."
Dweno adjusted his grip on his battle-axe, running along the straight path of fire.
Leo ran ahead of Dweno, charging towards Ghias.
He burned and cut down everything that blocked his path.
Dweno, who reached Ghias in an instant, gripped his battle-axe and bent his knees.
"It's been a long time."
KWAANG-!
Dweno pushed off the ground, flying towards Ghias's face like a cannonball.
"Giant King Ghias."
Killing intent flickered on Dweno's face.
KWAGAGAGAGAGANG-!
Golden flames surged from Dweno's battle-axe, forming into the shape of a massive axe blade.
The swollen, fiery axe blade was fiercely swung, as if to cut off Ghias's thick neck in one blow.
WHOOOSH!
-It certainly has been a long time, Dweno!
Ghias swung the corpse sword of Jörmungandr he held in his hand.
His eyes gleamed with ecstasy.
-I wanted to kill you!
KWA-A-A-A-A-A-AANG-!
The golden axe and Jörmungandr's corpse sword clashed.
KUGAGAGAGAGANG-!
A shockwave swept over everything.
The ground was overturned, and everything around was blown away.
KAGAGAGAGAK-!
Leo endured the shockwave and charged towards Ghias.
-Hmph! I thought you'd come with Arion, but what is this milk-smelling brat?
Ghias sneered and unleashed dark magic.
Swa-a-a-a-a-ak-!
A crimson mass of dark magic erupted from Ghias's body.
"Hmph!"
Dweno raised his Aura Armor, enduring Ghias's attack.
It didn't cause any damage, but Ghias didn't care.
It was an attack aimed at Leo, not Dweno, from the start.
The Legion Commander's magic power release had a terrifying power that could instill fear just by being exposed to it.
Furthermore, if one was directly hit by the unleashed magic power, it was usually difficult to survive.
Whoosh-!
But Leo, despite being directly exposed to the fear from the magic release, showed not the slightest waver.
Perhaps not for ordinary people, but the Legion Commander's fear did not affect Leo.
He quickly avoided the mass of released magic power using Aura Steps.
Ghias's eyes twitched, seeing his nearly divine movement.
"Aren't you too complacent, knowing the future?"
Ghias's eyes widened at Leo's sneer.
-You…!-
"Of course, knowing the future doesn't change the outcome."
Whoosh-!
Aura gathered on Leo's sword.
-Leo Flobe!
BWA-A-A-A-A-AK-!
Leo's sword sliced through Ghias's chest.
PWOOOHAHHAHAHAK-!
Blood poured from Ghias's chest.
Ghias, having allowed an attack as the price of his complacency, staggered slightly.
Whoosh-! Thump-!
Dweno's axe blade pierced through that opening.
The axe blade lodged itself in Ghias's neck.
However, just before he could sever the neck, Dweno hastily let go of the axe and retreated.
Whoosh-!
Ghias's arm swept through the spot where Dweno had been.
If he had exerted force to cut off the neck, he would have been hit by that arm and sent flying.
'What a shame. I could have cut off his neck.'
Dweno clicked his tongue.
Ghias wouldn't die just from having his neck cut off.
'If he died from just having his neck cut off, we wouldn't be having such a hard time.'
But it could inflict significant damage.
He could secure a decisive advantage in the battle that was about to begin.
'It's the same as back then.'
Dweno's eyes sank.
Even when Ghias attacked Dweno's hometown.
Dweno had almost severed Ghias's neck.
Of course, even if he had, he wouldn't have been able to defeat Ghias.
The Dweno of that time was weaker than the current Dweno.
But the outcome might have been slightly different.
'I might have been able to save my hometown people.'
It was then that Dweno smiled bitterly.
Grab!
"…?!"
"Why are you spacing out!"
Leo, who had flown behind Dweno at some point, grabbed the back of Dweno's neck.
"Quickly, cut off his neck!"
Whoosh-!
Leo threw Dweno with all his might towards the battle-axe stuck in Ghias's neck.
Dweno unleashed aura throughout his body.
Thump-!
-These scoundrels!
Ghias's eyes widened.
Dweno's mouth curled up as he looked at Ghias.
'Yes, it's different this time.'
Squeeze-! Thump-!
The sound of the axe blade digging into bone echoed.
'Now… I have comrades.'
Splat-! PWOOOHAHHAHAHAK-!
Ghias's head flew into the air.
Along with it, a fountain of black blood gushed forth.