Book 1 Chapter 396

"My god, you're really holding off Jormungandr alone."

Watching the fierce battle unfolding in the distance, Alene murmured in disbelief.

A Legion Commander, single-handedly.

Leo's appearance, holding back Jormungandr, evaluated as the strongest Legion Commander, was truly overwhelming.

"When did he get this strong?"

Allox, gripping his Battle Axe, muttered low.

Alene and Allox.

Both were companions who had teamed up with Kyle, so they knew his strength well.

Even then, Kyle's strength was in a different league from others, but now it was on a level that sent shivers down their spines.

Peric, the elf mage, scoffed at their astonished reactions.

"You both knew he gets stronger the more he fights, didn't you?"

Magic rippled around Peric.

Spells were accumulating, one by one, on the staff he held.

Memorizing spells, Peric gazed at the front lines.

"Besides, he's always fought alone from some point on."

Peric narrowed his eyes.

"The number of battlefields he's experienced, the level of carnage he's endured, is different from ours. His strength is only natural."

"Indeed. He was always at the forefront of Gardsron's battles."

A fierce fighting spirit surged from Allox's body.

"He's opening a path! We can't just cower in shame!"

Allox shouted.

His muscles twitched.

Alene also readjusted her spear and advanced.

"Allox and I will wound his body."

While Leo was drawing Jormungandr's attention, a close-combat squad to tear through Jormungandr's thick hide.

For that role, Alene and Allox, with their mobility and ability to inflict heavy damage, were perfect.

"We just need to exploit that opening thoroughly!"

Allox charged forward, wildly swinging his axe in the air, roaring with hearty laughter.

Watching him, Rodia was impressed.

"Kyle-nim… You're like Arion-nim."

"Arion?"

Rodia, who had mumbled to herself, covered her mouth with a gasp as a voice called from behind.

"Who is Arion?"

Seeing Linas with a curious expression, Rodia chuckled awkwardly.

"There's someone among the beastkins I know who possesses great courage."

"Oh? I've never heard that name before?"

"He hasn't made a name for himself yet, but."

"But?"

"He gives courage to those around him."

"If that's the case, I'd definitely want to include him in our expedition."

"In the not-too-distant future… you will surely meet him."

Rodia said with a smile.

"Indeed."

Linas nodded.

"Then, shall I prepare as well?"

Goooooo-!

A colossal mana began to surge from Linas's body.

Flash-!

Linas's draconic face revealed itself.

Rodia flinched involuntarily upon seeing it.

'As expected of Linas-nim.'

It was astonishing no matter how many times she saw it.

Even without the power and gravitas of a great hero, who was still called the King of Wisdom, his strength was on par with Rodia, who had stepped into the final chapter to thwart Erebus's fragments.

'Here, Kyle-nim… and other great heroes will overcome countless trials and achieve dazzling feats.'

And he would be reborn as the strongest dragon in world history.

'Kyle-nim said.'

Rodia clenched her fist, looking at Linas's back.

'Linas-nim at this time… mentally, was no different from his time as the King of Wisdom.'

'At this time, Linas was undoubtedly carrying the burden and anxiety of having to save the world.'

Before embarking on the expedition.

Leo had told her about Linas's heart, which Rodia had never known.

'But he possessed a strong spirit that did not falter or waver despite such burdens.'

He was truly a savior, bearing and leading the world to salvation alone.

Kyle was the one who fulfilled that destiny, but the beginning was undeniably Linas.

'This world is a world that only Kyle-nim can conquer.'

Rodia clenched her fist as she looked at Linas's back.

Perhaps it was natural that she couldn't conquer it.

It wasn't about being an all-class or anything.

'This story… this trial is a story of only two people who heralded the prelude to salvation: Kyle-nim and Linas-nim.'

***

Grrrrrrr-!

Jormungandr roared and breathed fire at Leo.

Gooooo! Flash! Kwaragagagagaga-!

The flash of destruction tore through the air as if it were a colossal tower.

Shockwaves swept across the surrounding area.

Leo, having dodged the breath, invoked his spiritual power.

Elsi, who had tightly gripped the hem of Leo's left shoulder to brace against the wind, urgently cried out.

- Unknown Uncle!

"What? Uncle?"

Leo wore an expression of bewilderment, but Elsi didn't care and raised her voice.

- Your body is already at its limit! If you draw more spiritual power from here, you'll self-destruct!

Leo chuckled at Elsi's cry.

"Probably."

Answering like that, he pulled on Albus's reins.

Fwah-!

Albus turned sharply at tremendous speed.

Flash-!

Crimson and black sparks rained down around Albus.

Whoooosh!

Moving as Leo intended, Albus dodged all the crimson and black sparks and cried out.

- You're too rough!

"You said it was okay to handle it roughly. And if I don't do this, we won't be able to dodge it all!"

Answering Albus, Leo's gaze momentarily turned to the ground.

Fwah-!

Catching the movement on the ground, Leo pulled on the reins.

Albus soared rapidly into the sky.

- Are you running away!

Kugugugugu-!

Jormungandr pursued Leo and flew up into the sky.

At that moment-!

"Hyaaaaaaaah!"

As a battle cry echoed, Allox, enveloped in aura, raised his axe and charged like a projectile at Jormungandr.

Kwang-!

A colossal explosion resounded as Allox clashed with Jormungandr.

Kugugugugu-!

Despite the immense impact, Jormungandr did not falter.

Instead, its eyes glinted as it pursued Leo.

"Hmph! You're completely ignoring me!"

Allox, clinging to Jormungandr's scales, raised his axe.

Gooooooo-!

Allox's aura flickered on the axe blade.

Kwaaaaaa-!

Along with it, the aura took the form of a giant axe blade.

"Kuaaaaaa-!"

Thwack-!

Allox leaped and swung his axe at Jormungandr.

The aura pierced Jormungandr's thick hide.

- A mere bug!

Jormungandr growled low and unleashed dark magic.

Fizzle-!

"Kuuk?"

Crimson and black sparks began to fly wildly across Allox's body.

Allox's eyes glinted, even as his body trembled as if he had been electrocuted.

"You can't stop me with this much! Hyaaaah!"

Letting out a battle cry, Allox tightened his grip on the axe, and the blade dug deeper into Jormungandr's hide.

- Annoying!

Jormungandr roared and plummeted towards the ground at tremendous speed.

Whoooosh! Kwaaaang-!

Kugugugugugug!

With its massive body, it slammed the part of its body where Allox's axe blade had been, directly onto the ground.

The surrounding area shook as if an earthquake had occurred.

"Ho! Thanks to you, I'm saved! Alene!"

Alene, who had flown in at tremendous speed just before Allox crashed to the ground and saved him, raised her hand.

Fzzzt! Fzizizizik!

The spear, wrapped in white lightning, trembled as if about to fly out at any moment.

Alene threw her spear at Jormungandr.

It was a perfect throw, like a drawing.

Flash-! Fzizizik!

As the spear flew, leaving a white trajectory, Jormungandr scoffed.

- Hmph! A pathetic attack!

And then, using its sense of smell, Jormungandr foresaw the attack and dodged it.

And just as it was about to ignore Allox and Alene and pursue Leo.

Flash-! Fzizizik!

Alene's spear changed trajectory and precisely embedded itself in the opening Allox had created.

- How dare you!

Jormungandr revealed its rage.

"Spear of Inevitability."

Leo murmured, watching its reaction.

An attack utilizing Alene's mana characteristic.

The spear she threw never missed.

However, the impact was negligible.

Allox and Alene's attacks had only managed to tear Jormungandr's hide.

But…

"It's enough."

Leo's lips curled up.

Gooooooo-!

A colossal mana flickered.

Peric stood holding his staff.

All the other mages in the party focused their mana on Peric.

Peric Ennar.

The strongest mage of Gardsron at this time.

However, mages were like natural enemies to Jormungandr.

Jormungandr's hide possessed immense magic resistance.

It was practically on the level of ignoring magic itself.

That's why Jormungandr was also a natural enemy of mages.

But if its hide had been torn to shreds…

"Flash Bullet."

As Peric completed the spell, a massive light shot towards the opening created by Jormungandr.

A great magic that gathered colossal mana at a single point and pierced through it.

The light bullet, traveling at invisible speed, precisely pierced Jormungandr's neck.

- Kieeeeeeeeeeeee!

As Jormungandr writhed in pain.

Gooooooo-!

Rodia, enveloped in red mana and spiritual power, raised her hand.

Kugugugugugug-!

The ground began to tremble.

Leo narrowed his eyes.

'A summoning spell.'

A fusion of magic and sorcery.

The target of the summon was not a mythical beast or a spirit.

The target of the summon was 'a specific object.'

Rodia clenched her fist with her palm facing upwards, and extended her index finger.

As she did, she raised her finger upwards.

Fwah-!

Massive lava erupted, piercing the ground.

Peric, who had dealt a fatal blow to Jormungandr, wore an expression of shock.

"Magic that controls the surrounding nature?"

A great magic of the distant future, nonexistent and difficult to comprehend with the concepts of this era.

Dragon Lord.

The unique magic of the primordial dragon, Rodia.

"Disaster."

Rodia whispered the name of the spell.

Jormungandr's body melted away in the lava.

- Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

But Jormungandr, with its monstrous vitality, writhed in pain, yet was not facing a life-threatening crisis.

'Not enough firepower.'

Leo narrowed his eyes.

In the original history, even with the combined strength of Kyle and the others, they lacked the decisive blow to finish Jormungandr.

But it didn't matter.

'We have Linas.'

Leo smiled and looked at Linas.

Goooooo-!

Bright light poured from Linas's body.

Linas, the black dragon, had light magic as his strongest specialty.

Ziiiing-!

A massive magic circle appeared around Linas, compressed, and then took the form of an arrow.

At that moment, Luminas transformed into the shape of a bow in Linas's hand.

As Linas placed the arrow on the string, the pure white arrow ignited.

Linas's magic, which burns away the impure and sends it into the light.

Linas's unique magic, which vanquishes the wicked and fires hope into the world.

"Punishment."

Jormungandr died from that magic.

Thump-!

Jormungandr's movements, which had been pursuing Leo, stopped.

- Death… I smell it.

Jormungandr, sensing the future, sensed its own death.

Jormungandr, the most powerful demon, trembled with fear and thrashed about the moment it sensed death.

It struggled to change the future no matter what.

'Surely… that's how it would be?'

Leo's face hardened.

- Oh, God… Great catastrophe that will lead the world to ruin!

Jormungandr cried out to the sky.

- Forgive these foolish ones who do not see your wishes! I, here!

Flash-!

Jormungandr's six eyes glared at Leo.

- I shall burn my body and soul to punish this unholy being who will kill you!

Fwoosh-!

In a fleeting moment, black flames surged from Jormungandr's body.

Along with it, Linas's magic pierced Jormungandr's body.

Flash-! Kwaragagagaga-!

A colossal explosion occurred, and the part directly hit by the magic swelled and then exploded.

Jormungandr's massive body scattered into pieces of flesh in all directions.

A rain of ominous, murky blood fell around.

Whoooosh! Doodoodoodoodoodook-!

The sun had set, and darkness had arrived.

"We did it! We did it!"

"We defeated the Gluttony King!"

Cheers erupted from various parts of the expedition.

Rodia also opened her eyes wide and shouted hooray.

But only Leo and Linas's faces were hardened.

Both of them had seen it in a fleeting moment.

The 'black flames'.

The moment they recognized it.

Fwoosh-!

Jormungandr's corpse burned black.

And then-

- Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

Jormungandr appeared in the air, letting out a scream of agony as if its very soul was burning.

Whoooooosh! Koooooong!

Jormungandr, having regained its original form, roared and writhed its body.

Its body was burning with black flames.

The faces of the expedition members turned pale.

Leo was no different.

'The Flames of Erebus!'

Leo recalled Jormungandr's words at the final moment.

'It! used itself as kindling to ignite the flames of catastrophe!'

The Flames of Catastrophe are immortal flames.

The reason Jormungandr, who had died miserably, was resurrected was because it was enveloped in those flames.

But Jormungandr is not Erebus.

The moment its body and soul burned away, Jormungandr would vanish from this world without leaving anything behind.

The problem was that it was an 'immortal' monster until then.

- Prepare yourself! God Slayer!

Writhing in the pain of its soul burning, Jormungandr gazed at Leo with eyes filled with obsession and hatred.

Fwah-!

'Fast? This bastard!'

Leo recalled the Giant King from Dwenno's world who had received Erebus's blessing.

'Its abilities have been enhanced like the Giant King's!'

Leo desperately tried to dodge Jormungandr, which had approached right in front of him and opened its maw.

But it was too late.

The moment he thought that.

Fwah-

Leo's eyes widened.

His gray irises reflected his friend who had blocked his path.

Leo's voice trembled.

"Move."

He remembered the last moment he had a premonition of his friend's death.

'Sorry I couldn't keep my promise.'

"Sorry I couldn't keep my promise."

He knew it was a promise he couldn't keep.

"Move, Linas."

'If it's either you or me left at the end… I know it has to be you who remains? You would have made the same choice as me.'

"But it has to be you, not me."

He could do nothing alone.

It was because they were together that they saved the world.

"Move, you damned lizard!"

"Because you… will save the world."

Flash-!

The breath enveloped them.

- Kieeeeeeeeeeee!

Jormungandr roared, having directly hit Leo and Linas.

Gooooooo-!

Rodia, seeing dark magic swirling, opened her eyes wide and squeezed out her Dragon Heart.

Woong-!

A massive barrier was generated around Jormungandr.

Flash! Kwaragagagagaga-!

An explosion that shook the world occurred.

***

The world was burning.

A world plunged into darkness.

The expedition's situation was desperate.

At the worst moment.

Thanks to Rodia squeezing out all her mana to barely block Jormungandr's attack, there were no casualties yet.

But.

With Jormungandr still alive, only one thought loomed in everyone's mind.

Despair.

"Kyle-nim… Linas-nim…!"

Spitting blood, Rodia struggled to get up.

At that moment…

Thump… Thump…

Footsteps were heard from within the ruins.

Rodia looked up and her eyes widened.

Although Linas had protected him, Leo, mangled from being directly hit by the breath and caught in the explosion, was walking towards Jormungandr in a battered state.

The expedition also looked at Kyle.

- You are finished! I will bury you along with those accompanying bugs!

Despite writhing in pain, Jormungandr poured curses at Leo and the expedition.

- It was a futile struggle! All of you will die a dog's death here! Not a single person will remember you! Your history will end!

"Haa… Haa…"

Leo caught his breath.

A sound like metal scraping against metal, as if his lungs were torn, was heard.

"Yes."

Leo looked up at Jormungandr and said.

"Everyone dies eventually. That fact doesn't change."

Leo picked up the staff lying on the ground.

Peric's staff, who had been a comrade.

"…I probably won't be remembered in history either… No one will remember."

In his other hand, he held Alene's spear.

"But… it's not a dog's death."

Leo's eyes flashed.

"Because these guys risked their lives… the world could be saved."

- Delusions that won't even happen…!

"It's not a delusion."

Leo said with force.

"This world… will be saved. That damned Erebus will be subjugated, and the world will regain peace."

Leo's lips curled up.

"It's you who ends, Gluttony King. None of us end here."

Killing intent and fighting spirit flowed from Leo's body.

"Because I will take their story… into the future."

Everyone looked at Leo with vacant eyes.

"Kyle… you… haven't given up?"

Allox asked, straining his strength.

To that question, Leo replied.

"That damned lizard isn't dead yet."

It wasn't a failure.

This world is continuing.

Leo's lips curled up.

"It's not over yet."