Book 1 Chapter 398
Flash!
A pillar of light shot up.
Everyone’s eyes widened as they saw it.
However, only Leo was not surprised.
“You’re late, damn lizard.”
Feeling Lisinas’s magic, Leo’s lips curled up.
It was as if he knew Lisinas would come.
Leo calmly looked at Jörmungandr.
“What in the world are you!”
Jörmungandr cried out as if his teeth were rattling.
Even when struck down, he would not fall.
He rose again and again, pointing the tip of his sword.
Jörmungandr, who had been spreading fear throughout the world, was instead consumed by fear.
“Are you guys immortal!”
“If we were immortal, we wouldn’t be going through such hardships.”
Leo answered Jörmungandr’s words coldly.
“I just think of it as fate.”
“What?”
“It’s fate that you will die at our hands.”
“You son of a—!”
Jörmungandr’s eyes rolled back as the flames of disaster blazed fiercely from his body.
The flames of disaster, raised by sacrificing his own body and soul, granted Jörmungandr temporary immortality.
“No matter how much you struggle, it’s useless! Your end is predetermined! Now that I possess the power of a great god, the power of immortality! Your destruction is set!”
“About that power.”
Leo’s lips curled up.
“If it’s borrowed power, unfortunately, it won’t work on me.”
“What?!”
“I am chosen by the greatest hero in this world.”
Leo unleashed his magic.
“I am Erebus’s only natural enemy.”
Flash!
The released light of Innocence struck Jörmungandr.
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaak—!”
Jörmungandr writhed in pain.
The light of purity, woven by the world’s greatest mage, blew away the inextinguishable flames of disaster.
Whoosh!
“This is unbelievable…!”
Jörmungandr was aghast at the disappearance of Erebus’s blessing.
The black flames that should not have been extinguished until his entire being was burned.
The power of immortality, obtained by dedicating everything, had vanished.
“It’s not over yet! While the god’s blessing has vanished by your trick, my power is still intact!”
Goooooooh-!
Leo smirked as he watched Jörmungandr spew out dark magic.
“It’s over, you damn worm.”
Kugugugugugugugug-!
Lisinas’s body transformed into a black dragon.
Goooooh-!
A massive mana wave rippled from Lisinas’s mouth.
The strongest attack technique possessed by dragons.
Flash!
Lisinas unleashed his breath.
A grey flash.
A Chaos Breath created by the fusion of light and dark power.
Jörmungandr, who had been revived by Erebus’s power in a near-death state, screamed.
“Erebus, my loooooooord!”
Jörmungandr, hit directly by the breath, roared towards the sky and vanished into dust.
[Lisinas’s World: Prologue - Start has been cleared.]
***
“We won…!”
“We really won!”
“Haha. Not a single person died!”
Joyful voices erupted from the expedition.
They had thought only death awaited them.
But not a single member of the expedition had lost their life.
Fwoosh-!
Leo’s exhausted body plummeted from the sky.
Whoosh!
Albus quickly flew and caught Leo.
“Kyle! Are you alright?”
“I don’t think I’m going to die.”
Leo smiled bitterly, stroking Albus’s mane.
After landing, Albus took Leo to the expedition.
Albus, who had polymorphed, supported Leo.
“You worked hard, Albus.”
Leo patted Albus’s head.
Albus looked up at Leo.
“You really did it.”
Albus smiled brightly, recalling Leo’s appearance as he vowed to defeat the Gluttony King.
“Yes.”
Leo smiled.
“This… will undoubtedly be a great leap forward towards the future.”
Meanwhile, Elsie and Silode also flew around Leo.
“Amazing! Amazing!”
“To have defeated the Gluttony King!”
Albus spoke, looking at the spirits and fairies who were chattering so loudly they felt like his head would explode.
“Kyle needs to rest now. Please be quiet.”
Despite Albus’s stern warning, their chattering did not stop.
Unable to bear it any longer, Albus grabbed both their mouths shut.
Leo smiled bitterly, watching them.
If it were Elsie and Silode, perhaps.
But in Albus’s case, he wouldn’t be able to see him again in reality.
For Leo, he was a precious partner from the past.
“How am I, Albus? As your covenant partner?”
Albus, who was still holding the two of them tightly, smiled brightly at Leo’s question.
“You’re the best. I’m glad I followed you.”
‘You were the best. I have no regrets about following you.’
Leo wore a bittersweet expression as he looked at Albus, who gave him a bright smile like in the end.
“Hurry and move Rhodia!”
“My word… mana exhaustion symptoms!”
“To squeeze out so much mana until it’s like this!”
“Kyle! You should get treated quickly too….”
“I’m fine, just take care of him first.”
As the expedition members gathered around Leo, Leo gasped for breath and pointed at Rhodia.
Leo himself was in a dire state, but Rhodia’s condition was more critical.
While Leo was gasping for breath, Rhodia’s expression became slightly more stable.
Crackle-
The world began to crack.
‘…Is it over.’
Since the world had been cleared, he could no longer stay here.
As Leo wore a bittersweet expression, the expedition gathered around him.
“It’s a miraculous victory.”
“…This victory will surely bring about great change.”
As Leo was about to speak to them with expressions of deep emotion, a message appeared before Leo’s eyes.
[Do you wish to record the hero’s story?]
This had happened before.
‘Record.’
The moment Leo chose to record, pages of Hero Records began to swirl around him.
The entire expedition was startled by the sudden situation.
Meanwhile, the heroes who had accompanied the expedition each received a page.
“This is… my name?”
“I can feel divine power. Gods must have disappeared from the world long ago.”
“…Our story is written here.”
Alfox, Perix, and Alene looked bewildered.
Leo reached out his hand.
At that moment, the pages in the heroes’ hands were sucked into Leo’s.
Leo looked at the pages in his hand and said,
“…I will definitely take your stories to the future.”
“What?”
Even if the outcome was changed in the hero’s world, history would not change.
But at least, proof that they existed could be passed on to the future.
That their stories, their great deeds, their sacrifices became the foundation for world peace.
“It’s the least I can do as repayment.”
Leo smiled bitterly.
“It was nice meeting you all.”
Leo stroked Albus’s head, who was standing beside him.
At that moment, Lisinas walked in front of Leo.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
Lisinas said, lowering her eyes.
“…I’m sorry for being satisfied and leaving it to you.”
Leo smiled at her words.
“I’m used to taking things on, so it’s okay. Just… I hope you don’t give up.”
He reached out and gently stroked the fool’s cheek.
“It will be harder than anyone else… but we will surely save the world. Your foolish wish… will come true.”
Lisinas caressed Leo’s hand as he stroked her cheek.
Leo said to Lisinas,
“Cheer up.”
That was all he could say.
Crackle-
The cracks in the world widened.
The time for farewell was approaching.
By then, Kyle’s appearance had disappeared, and only a boy with white hair and red eyes remained.
Lisinas, who should have been surprised by the sudden change, was calm.
“Actually… I couldn’t open my eyes on my own. You woke me up.”
“Woke you up? Who?”
“The King of Wisdom.”
Leo’s eyes widened at Lisinas’s answer.
“I was able to meet my future self that was imbued in your mana.”
Leo’s eyes wavered.
The past Lisinas said to Leo,
“This seems to be the only repayment I can offer.”
Crackle-!
The world crumbled.
At that moment, Lisinas’s eyes slowly closed.
*Snap-*
Simultaneously, the world disappeared.
A space of pure darkness.
Only Leo and Lisinas remained there.
Lisinas, who had closed her eyes, opened them.
With eyes that seemed deeper than before.
Lisinas said in a trembling voice,
“…It’s been a while, Kyle.”
A voice filled with longing.
Leo felt a lump in his throat.
“Lisinas.”
A friend separated long ago in the distant past.
It was Lisinas, the King of Wisdom.
Of course, it wasn’t the real her.
Both Leo and Lisinas knew.
Necromancy.
Even if souls are summoned, it doesn’t bring back the dead in their complete state.
The memories of the soul imbued in mana are just tiny fragments.
But…
It was enough to tell the story.
“It’s the first time.”
Lisinas reached out and wiped Leo’s eyes.
“Seeing you cry.”
Kyle did not cry in front of the deaths of his comrades.
To give his dying comrades faith.
To show them a strong front so they wouldn’t be uneasy in their final moments, he didn’t cry.
“Is it strange, you damn lizard?”
Leo answered gruffly.
But a smile played on his lips.
Lisinas said to Leo,
“I can only apologize. You couldn’t cry freely in front of the deaths of your comrades. And… thank you.”
Lisinas lowered her gaze.
“For saving the world.”
“…I didn’t save it alone. It was possible because we were together. And,”
Leo reached out and roughly grabbed Lisinas’s chin.
“Oof?”
“If you’re grateful, shouldn’t you say it while looking me in the eye? Why are you bowing your head so sadly?”
Normally, Lisinas would have kicked him for his utterly rude behavior.
But Lisinas couldn’t meet his gaze.
“…I couldn’t keep my promise.”
The promise not to leave her alone.
Lisinas ultimately couldn’t keep it.
Kyle became a hero who survived once again.
Leo said to Lisinas,
“Don’t worry about it.”
Leo chuckled.
“I knew you were a wicked swindler anyway.”
“…If you’re going to comfort me, can’t you use better words?”
Even as she scrunched her face, Lisinas smiled brightly.
“How is the future?”
“There are still mountains of things to resolve. Erebus, which we only managed to seal, must be dealt with completely. To do that, I need to train comrades to fight alongside me.”
Leo shook his head distractedly as he spoke, and Lisinas chuckled with her arms crossed.
“Now you know how hard it was for me.”
“Yeah. Yeah. You’re so great.”
Leo said indifferently.
Lisinas smiled faintly as she looked at Leo.
Leo said to Lisinas,
“So… don’t worry too much.”
“Huh?”
“The world we risked everything to protect won’t be engulfed by the flames of disaster again.”
Leo smiled as he looked at Lisinas.
Lisinas’s eyes widened.
Her smile somehow resembled his own.
A smile to give hope to people.
‘But it’s different from mine.’
If he had put on a false smile to gain people’s trust.
This smile was different.
“The courage Arion taught me, the will Dveno showed me, the light Luna gave me, the hope you showed.”
It was truly a smile that gave hope.
“I will pass on all of that to future generations.”
‘Kyle has…’
Lisinas wore a blank expression.
“This time, I will end it.”
‘You’ve truly become the hero who will save the world.’
Lisinas smiled brightly as she looked at Leo.
Lisinas’s body began to fade.
“It’s strange that Kyle has become like this.”
“It’s because you dumped it on me, you damn lizard.”
Leo said bluntly.
Lisinas reached out her hand, looking at Leo.
*Thwack-*!
She roughly grabbed Leo by the collar.
She was finally going to hit him for sure.
…Or so Leo thought, but at that moment, Lisinas pulled Leo’s collar.
Leo’s eyes widened slightly.
Their lips suddenly met.
After kissing for a while, Lisinas casually stepped back.
Then, she smiled as she looked at Leo, who was bowing his head, with a beaming smile.
‘He must be flustered.’
This dense idiot wouldn’t have understood his feelings.
Lisinas, expecting to see her friend, who never flustered, in a state of bewilderment, Leo blurted out.
“You’re terrible at it.”
Leo wiped his lips bluntly.
At that, Lisinas’s face hardened.
Leo looked at Lisinas with a look of pity.
“What else could I say? If you were going to do it, shouldn’t you have practiced a little?”
Lisinas’s shoulders trembled.
Anger surged within her at Leo’s nonchalant demeanor after she had finally gathered her courage.
“I read your diary, you know? Thinking about it makes me resentful. Hey, you should have shown some reaction. Because of you, I got called an idiot by a kid who was still wet behind the ears. Take responsibility.”
“Die! Just die!”
Lisinas’s eyes rolled back as she lunged at Leo and choked him.
“Just die like this! It’s because you’re an idiot and couldn’t understand, you damn human!”
The enraged Lisinas, unlike her usual self, spewed rough words and choked Leo.
After a brief commotion, Lisinas panted heavily.
Leo, who had been chuckling at Lisinas, opened his mouth.
“Lisinas.”
“What!”
Leo said, seeing Lisinas’s sharp reaction.
“Thank you for reaching out to me that day…”
Lisinas froze.
Then, she pursed her lips, holding back tears, and hugged Leo before she knew it.
And with a choked voice, she expressed her gratitude.
“Thank *you* for taking my hand.”
Leo stroked his friend’s head as he watched Lisinas speak with a wavering voice.
Whoosh-!
Soon, Lisinas disappeared in a flash of light.