Book 1 Chapter 297

297

*Fwoosh – Fshooosh –*

A fountain of blood gushed from Gi’as’s severed neck.

*Tshiiiik –!*

The blood that spilled onto the ground contaminated the surrounding area.

The legion commander’s blood, possessing potent toxicity, was a horrific poison that melted flesh and bone on its own.

However, even though Dwenno was doused in the legion commander’s blood, he didn't flinch.

“It’s a terrible smell, no matter when I smell it!”

Leo muttered inwardly, watching Dwenno from afar, his brow furrowed in displeasure.

‘His resilience is as disgusting as ever.’

Even Kyle and Arion avoided being directly doused in the legion commander’s blood as much as possible.

*Swooosh –!*

At that moment, Gi’as lifted his foot.

*Kwaaang –!*

Gi’as’s foot crushed Dwenno.

As a result, the blood in the puddle surged high and crashed down on Leo like a wave.

*Chlap –!*

Leo, having narrowly avoided the dark wave, raised his head and looked at Gi’as’s neck.

‘I landed a blow… but it wasn’t a significant one, as expected.’

Leo’s attack hadn’t worked in the first place.

For Gi’as, it was merely a minor scratch.

It only served to create an opening, and Dwenno had accurately exploited it.

Although his neck was severed, it was not a fatal blow for Gi’as.

No matter what anyone said, Gi’as was Luna’s strongest magic.

He was a being with incredible defense who survived being hit directly by the End.

*Kugugugugugu –!*

The ground shook.

“Hhhuep!”

Dwenno, crushed under Gi’as’s foot, pushed it away with both hands raised.

“Hryaaahap!”

*Hwaaak –!*

Veins bulging on his forehead, Dwenno pushed Gi’as’s foot away with all his might.

*Kukung –!*

Gi’as stumbled back two or three steps.

Dwenno, shouldering his battle axe, grumbled,

“Stepping on someone, how rude.”

“You got off lightly because it’s you. If it were someone else, there’d be no trace left by now.”

“Isn’t sturdiness the dwarf’s strength?”

“You are excessively sturdy, though.”

*Kkuhkuhkuh!* Leo shook his head, watching the boisterously laughing Dwenno.

The conversation seemed surprisingly casual.

However, both of their senses were focused entirely on Gi’as.

They were ready to engage in combat the moment they sensed anything unusual.

– This is interesting.

Gi’as brought his severed head to his neck.

His severed neck healed in an instant.

– Leo Flob. I now understand the extent of your skill.

Gi’as’s cold gaze turned to Leo.

– It would be best to kill you here and now.

Leo’s lips curled up at Gi’as’s murderous gaze.

“If you focus on me, you’ll die first?”

– Khhhkhkh. You overestimate yourself.

Gi’as sneered.

– I am wary of your future self. You, a mere fledgling, don’t even deserve to be in this fight. The moment you stepped into the midst of my battle with Dwenno…

Gi’as’s eyes flashed.

– Your death is sealed! You foolish creature!

*Kwaga ga ga ga gang –!*

Gi’as swung the Jörmungandr’s Corpse Sword.

A single sword strike devastated the surrounding area as if a natural disaster had occurred.

A formidable attack from a formidable giant.

Leo, who narrowly dodged the attack, glared at Gi’as.

‘Indeed, it’s too early for me to get involved in this fight with my current strength.’

Leo’s attacks were completely ineffective against Gi’as.

Even if he inflicted damage with all his might, it was only enough to create a small opening.

But now, even creating such a gap would be difficult.

Gi’as wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.

With Leo’s current strength, it was nearly impossible to influence the tide of this battle.

Conversely, Gi’as didn’t need to bother trying to kill Leo.

Leo could die just by getting caught in the battle between the quasi-natural disaster that was Dwenno and Gi’as.

He stood at the center of a battleground of entirely different dimensions.

Yet, Leo had followed Dwenno for a reason.

*Hwaaak –!*

“Dwenno!”

Leo, leaping into the air, shouted.

At the same time, Dwenno leaped towards Leo.

Leo squeezed all the aura in his body and focused it into his sword.

Then, he presented the flat of his sword to Dwenno, who had leaped towards him.

*Tak –!*

Dwenno landed on the sword.

“The battle is certainly easier this way.”

Leo, returning Dwenno’s smirk with a grin, swung his sword at Gi’as with all his might.

*Kwaaaaaa –!*

Using Leo as a foothold, Dwenno charged towards Gi’as at incredible speed.

– No?!

Gi’as’s eyes widened.

The reason Leo had forced his way into this battle.

It was to be Dwenno’s absolute stepping stone.

So that Dwenno could focus on the fight.

So that he could unleash his full power.

Leo stood in this position as Dwenno’s thorough supporter.

‘How ironic.’

To be playing the role that Dwenno had played for him in the past.

But precisely because of that, he could perform this role more perfectly.

– You… what in the world are you?

Gi’as’s furious gaze fell upon Leo.

Looking at Gi’as, Leo smiled coldly.

“The biggest variable in your plan.”

***

On the walls of Gardesron.

Arion watched the battle between Dwenno and Gi’as in silence.

The battle between Dwenno and Gi’as was, quite literally, a clash of shields.

Neither had an attack method that could inflict significant damage on the other in an instant.

Therefore, it had to be a long and tedious war of attrition.

In a way, it was a fight between the worst possible matchups.

However, in that brutal battle, Dwenno held a clear advantage.

The reason was Leo’s existence.

‘How many hours has it been already?’

Arion’s eyes followed Leo’s movements.

In Arion’s eyes, Leo wasn’t just walking a precarious tightrope.

It was like sprinting at full speed on a thread that was about to snap.

The moment he stopped moving or made the slightest mistake, it meant certain death.

Anyone else might have died dozens of times by now.

But he had survived so far, supporting Dwenno.

It wasn't simply a matter of overwhelming skill and foresight.

It required a superhuman spirit to make cold and accurate judgments at the brink of death.

‘A skill that only one who has always lived with death can possess.’

Watching that desperate struggle, Arion felt a sense of kinship with Leo.

His struggle for survival was too similar to their own.

Arion clenched and unclenched his fists.

‘Dawn is almost here.’

It was almost dawn, an utterly grim time for the sun to rise.

Leo had instructed Arion to conserve his strength until dawn.

Gi’as’s forces attacking Gardesron posed no threat to the walls of Gardesron.

Everything was going smoothly.

‘The Giant King himself attacked… and this is all?’

Arion felt a chill.

‘Lisnas and Kyle… how can they repel the Giant King’s invasion so easily without Luna?’

Since when had legion commanders become so… pliable?

This invasion had too many holes.

Arion’s instincts screamed.

The real crisis starts now.

“Depeser.”

“Yes, Arion-nim!”

“Have you still not been able to contact Lisnas?”

“Yes. It is presumed that Lisnas-nim, Kyle, and Luna are trapped within Leysar due to the barrier of another legion commander. It’s uncertain when communication will be established with the three…”

As Depeser spoke, Arion gritted his teeth.

“Arion-sensei! If this continues, we’ll be able to defeat them without much damage!”

Berchia, who had been fending off the enemy’s onslaught, rushed to report the battle situation.

Heroes who had sacrificed their lives for the era, though they would not be remembered in history, were doing their best to repel the legion’s invasion.

Dwenno clearly held the advantage against Gi’as.

Even without Arion intervening, the tide of battle was slowly turning in Gardesron’s favor.

The more this happened, the more Arion’s ominous premonition intensified.

Unfortunately, this feeling of unease had never been wrong.

*Hwaaareuk –*

Suddenly, a small spark erupted behind Berchia.

Arion rose to his feet.

Depeser, who was closer to Berchia, instinctively pulled her back.

“Ah?”

The moment Berchia let out a bewildered cry.

*Hwaaak –!*

A piece of metal that suddenly adhered to the air appeared.

Arion’s sensitive sense of smell told him exactly what it was.

‘Dwenno’s scent… Kyle’s scent…’

Though too damaged to discern its exact form, it was undoubtedly a weapon made by Dwenno and used by Kyle.

And…

‘Erebos’s… scent!’

*Hwaaareureureuk –! Kwaaaaga ga gang!*

Black flames erupted and scattered in all directions like an explosion.

The flames instantly engulfed Berchia and Depeser.

*Hwaaak –!*

Arion unleashed his aura and sent a sword strike towards the flames.

“Berchia! Depeser!”

Arion shouted urgently.

As the flames subsided, Depeser appeared.

Berchia, held in his arms, trembled.

“De, Depeser-nim… Are… are you okay…?”

“Are you alright? Berchia?”

Despite his body burning, Depeser smiled.

“I-I’m fine… but Depeser-nim…!”

“It’s not a serious injury. Don’t worry.”

Depeser smiled and stood up, as if to reassure Berchia.

Then, with Berchia behind him, he backed away, staring at the flickering black flames.

Depeser’s face turned pale.

‘Flames of Calamity!’

Depeser had witnessed Erebos’s flames, which burned the world.

And these black flames were the Flames of Calamity itself.

‘How could it be in Gardesron…!’

The primordial evil that brought even gods to despair.

Absolute despair, Erebos.

Even the destructive monster that burned the world had weaknesses.

Namely, it could not go beyond its own domain.

The reason he commanded the Tartarus legion was also to gain territory where he could exert his influence.

Gardesron was a land not yet touched by the Flames of Calamity.

And yet, black flames appeared in this land.

*Sreung –!*

Arion drew Brave.

Then he charged towards the flickering black flames.

*Hwaaak –!*

Arion’s sword cut through the black flames.

*Hwaaareuk –! Kwaaaak!*

The black flames engulfed Arion.

“Arion-sensei!”

Berchia cried out, her face pale.

However, Arion, who had defended against the attack with his aura armor, broke through the flames and punched towards the source.

*Pang –!*

The black flames scattered in all directions.

‘It’s too weak to be Erebos.’

Arion’s face was filled with bewilderment.

*Chaengrang!*

The metal fragments clattered on the ground.

*Hwaaareuk –!*

But soon, the metal fragments began to spew flames.

‘To burn even stronger?’

It was when Arion was surprised.

“What is that?”

“Black flames?”

Hero candidates who detected the anomaly rushed over.

Aru and Kai looked bewildered.

“Wait a moment, if it’s black flames…”

“No. Isn’t it too sudden?”

Eiran and Dryana wore looks of disbelief.

Runia muttered with a pale face.

“Erebos…!”

*Hwaaareureureuk –*

The black flames began to take shape.

*Hwaaareuk –!*

A mass of flames that transformed into a human form.

It was still burning flames, but its shape was undeniably human.

Arion’s expression vanished from his face.

His eyes, filled with killing intent, swung his sword towards the black flames.

*Hwaaareuk –!*

At that moment, flames erupted from the black flames’ hands and took the form of a sword.

*Chaeng –!*

Sword met sword.

*Kwaak! Kwang –!*

The black flames, unable to withstand Arion’s strength, were blown back and slammed into the wall.

“As expected of Arion-nim!”

Aru exclaimed.

*Huduk –!*

The black flames got back up.

Arion closed the distance with invisible speed for a follow-up attack.

*Chaeng –! Kkwak –!*

At that moment, the sword dodged Arion’s blade and counterattacked.

Arion twisted his neck and dodged the sword with minimal movement.

At that moment, Berchia’s face stiffened.

“Impossible…”

“Why, why are you like this, Berchia-nim?”

Eiran asked, flustered.

*Tadak –!*

Arion, who had distanced himself from the black flames, his eyes wavered.

In that brief exchange, someone’s image strongly flashed in his mind.

“Kyle…?”