Book 1 Chapter 442
442.
‘What could I, as I am now, possibly do?’
Arion pondered deeply.
The current era was different from the one Arion was born and raised in.
The era Arion had to live through was one where the future was bleak.
‘Children couldn’t even dream. Even I, who followed Lysinus, couldn't recall the appearance of the era I desired.’
It was an era of peace that even Arion, who wished for a hopeful and bright future for children, could only vaguely imagine, never quite grasping what it would truly be like.
It was unavoidable, as they were a generation stripped of everything from birth.
And the era of peace they encountered shone more brilliantly than Arion had ever imagined.
But the threat had not yet ended.
No one knew when the era of calamity would return.
He didn't want this peace to be broken now.
What Arion was currently teaching were those preparing to stand on stage.
“Could I perhaps help the children who have already stepped onto the stage?”
At Arion’s words, Melina’s eyes widened.
“Are you saying you want to help the graduates as well?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a very humbling and grateful thing to say. How do you intend to teach them?”
“I’m not very good at teaching others.”
Arion raised his fist.
“So, there’s only one way.”
“One way?”
“Mm.”
***
“Can you handle it?”
Banir asked with an expressionless face.
There was no change in her facial expression.
However, the atmosphere was unusual.
Although she was a graduate of Azonia and a former student council president, she knew the world was vast.
There were still many strong individuals in the world stronger than herself.
The moment she first saw Arion, she knew immediately.
That this beastman before her, though appearing weak, was strong.
That he was someone who stood above her.
But even so, being provoked in such a manner hurt her pride.
“Hey, hey. Why are you getting so worked up?”
Rienia smiled brightly and patted Banir’s shoulder.
“We just need to fight him once.”
Though she spoke in her uniquely lighthearted tone, Rienia, perhaps with her pride wounded by the provocation, was staring at Arion with sharp eyes.
“Right, Liss?”
“Yeah.”
Liss nodded and fell into thought.
Seeing the three of them, Arion nodded.
“Alright, shall we begin then?”
At Arion’s words, Liss, who had drawn his sword, spoke.
“Rienia, Banir.”
Liss narrowed his eyes.
“Let’s go all out from the start.”
At those words, Rienia and Banir briefly looked puzzled, but then nodded.
*Whoosh!*
Banir charged at Arion.
*Clang!*
Rienia ran across the forest at incredible speed.
*Rumble!*
Liss, with his sword extended, drew out the flames of Zerdinger.
They quickly shifted into battle mode without letting their guard down.
‘They call this the Era of Heroes, don’t they?’
The current era, called the Era of Heroes before it was the Era of Peace.
The mindset of those who graduated from the Hero Academy and stood on the battlefield was definitely different.
Arion watched Banir rapidly close the distance.
*Shing!*
In no time, Banir, holding a longsword with a jet-black blade in one hand and a sword of intermediate length between a longsword and a dagger in the other, swung her twin blades with glinting eyes.
*Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!*
Sparks flew between Arion and Banir.
Arion blocked the sword strikes, swung at an incredible, almost invisible speed, with one hand.
Watching Arion bat away all her attacks with one hand, Banir’s eyes twitched.
Arion reached out with his other hand to subdue Banir.
At that moment, Banir lowered her stance.
*Whoosh! Flickering flames!*
Liss, who had approached unnoticed, swung his sword.
The aura of flames surged.
*Clang-clang-clang-clang!*
Arion's hand and Liss's sword collided, causing a massive explosion.
Like a surging wave, the flames engulfed Arion.
‘He’s perfectly controlling the flame aura, isn’t he?’
The flame attribute, the most volatile and difficult to control among all attributes.
It emitted heat so intense it seemed it would incinerate Arion, yet it didn't harm Banir.
Arion put force into his hand.
*Whoosh!*
Instantly, a golden aura extending from Arion pushed Liss's sword back.
And with his other hand, he blocked Banir who was rushing into his embrace.
*Thud!*
The sword was quickly blocked by Arion before it could be fully swung.
Liss and Banir narrowed their eyes.
‘He didn’t use his aura.’
‘Pure skill.’
They saw through it immediately with this brief exchange of blows.
Arion still had room to spare even while fighting them.
‘Where on earth did such a person come from?’
“What are you doing?”
On a cliff overlooking the forest.
Melina, who had been watching Arion and the three spar, bowed her head at the voice from behind her.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Because I felt your magic.”
Leo, who had been sleeping at dawn, realized Melina had used magic and came here.
The magic Melina had cast was none other than a barrier.
“Did Arion ask you to do it?”
“Yes. He asked me, saying he wanted to help the graduates as well.”
“Oh, really?”
Leo stood on the cliff and looked down.
“Will the graduates be able to gain a lot?”
“That depends on how much they put into it.”
Leo said, fixing his gaze on Arion who was fighting Liss and Banir.
“But just facing the strongest will allow them to gain a lot. Arion is the pinnacle when it comes to martial arts.”
Liss gasped for breath, looking at the man standing before him.
He had done his best against the beastman from the very beginning.
Knowing he was a stronger opponent who stood above them, they hadn't let their guard down from the start.
But even having entered the battle fully prepared, the result before their eyes was difficult to accept.
‘He didn’t counterattack even once.’
Despite Liss and Banir’s relentless offensive, Arion did not attack.
All attacks were blocked.
It was like facing a wall of unknown height.
‘Where on earth did such a person appear from?’
“Your full power isn’t just that much, is it?”
Arion said, looking at Liss and Banir.
“Show me your full power.”
Arion raised his hand.
*Woosh!*
Golden aura flowed from his fingertips.
Seeing that, Liss and Banir flinched.
“If that’s difficult, shall I come to you?”
The moment Arion smiled and took a step.
*Flash!*
An arrow flew towards Arion with a pure white flash.
*Crash! Crackle!*
Arion reached out and caught the arrow.
*Thud!*
At that moment, a cold aura, as if exploding from the arrow, engulfed Arion.
Arion’s body froze.
Arion rolled his eyes towards where the arrow had come from.
‘A fusion of aura and magic. The power is considerable.’
“Hyaa!”
Banir closed the distance with Arion.
*Crack! Clink!*
Arion broke through the ice and lunged at Banir.
*Whoosh!*
Instantly, Banir’s body turned into black smoke and vanished.
‘Aura attribute.’
Arion’s supersenses opened.
At that moment.
*Flickering flames!*
A massive pillar of flame shot up.
Arion looked at Liss.
*Roar!*
The blazing phoenix flames compressed into Liss’s sword.
Liss, gripping the sword that shimmered with crimson light in both hands, took a stance to swing it at Arion.
Simultaneously, he felt Rienia’s bow aimed at him from afar.
*Whoosh! Thwack!*
The sword and arrow targeted Arion from both directions.
Arion spread both his hands.
*Flicker! Crackle!*
The sword strike of scorching heat and the arrow of bitter cold targeted Arion.
Instantly.
*Whoosh!*
“What?”
Liss’s eyes were filled with astonishment.
Arion’s aura enveloped the aura of scorching heat and the aura of bitter cold.
*Whirl!*
As if guiding a stream.
When Arion brought his hands together, the opposing forces rotated within his hands.
Rienia, who was watching from afar, also wore a dumbfounded expression.
Liss and Rienia launched the best attacks they could.
But they didn't think this would be enough to defeat Arion.
They merely intended to bind Arion's hands and feet the moment he defended against their attacks, creating an opening.
The plan was for Banir, the fastest of the three, to exploit that opening.
But thrillingly, Arion not only blocked Liss and Rienia’s attacks but also seized control of them.
‘No, if I cut through that aura!’
Banir approached Arion from within the darkness.
At that moment, Banir felt her heart sink.
Banir, whose form was perfectly hidden in the darkness, had made eye contact with Arion.
At that moment.
*Crackle! Flickering flames!*
The arrow of bitter cold flew towards Liss, and the sword strike of scorching heat flew towards Rienia, who was far away.
“Ugh!”
*Flickering flames!*
Liss unleashed his phoenix aura.
*Shatter!*
But he couldn't fully defend against the attack and was thrown back.
*Bang! Flickering flames!*
Rienia also failed to defend against the attack.
*Thud!*
“Gasp?”
Banir was seized by the neck and overpowered by Arion.
Banir, who had been struggling and trying to counterattack, soon let her body go limp.
The match was decided.
It wasn’t a matter of one step or two steps above.
‘It's a different dimension.’
Arion, looking at Banir, smiled gently and let go of her.
*Thud-*
Banir slumped down as if her strength had given out.
“Excellent. You are heroes worthy of carrying an era. I’m relieved.”
Liss pushed back the aura of bitter cold with his own aura and approached.
Rienia, emerging from the forest, was scorched all over and looked at Arion with an incredulous expression.
“Is there a need to be relieved? You are already a strong individual of a different dimension.”
Rienia asked, gritting her teeth.
Seeing Rienia, Arion replied.
“It has nothing to do with me being strong. You’re still young, aren’t you?”
Arion helped Banir, who was sitting and looking up at him, to her feet.
“You still have a bright future ahead. You’ll become even greater in the future. In that sense, I want to help you.”
“Help?”
“How about learning this?”
Arion held out his hand.
A golden aura swirled above it.
“Huh?”
The three wore expressions of astonishment.
Arion, looking at the aura rotating in his palm, said.
“It’s not some particularly special technique. It’s just a knack, a way to maximize the power of aura. Depending on how you apply it, you can even deflect others’ attacks, just like a moment ago.”
The three recalled how Arion had deflected Liss’s and Rienia’s attacks just moments ago.
“It’s still a dangerous technique for second-year students to learn. Would you two learn it and then teach it to your juniors later?”
“What is your reason for teaching us such an amazing technique?”
Liss asked with a slightly perplexed expression.
He knew that the man before him was teaching a skill called supersenses to second-year students.
He had also grasped how formidable that skill was.
But in addition to that, he was now offering to pass on another aura skill to them.
At Liss’s question, Arion smiled.
“Because I want to feel at ease.”
It was then that Liss and Rienia wore expressions of bewilderment at Arion’s answer.
Banir’s eyes widened as she watched the golden aura rotating in Arion’s hand.
‘The aura rotates in a spiral? And it maximizes the power of aura…?’
3000 years ago.
Azonia, the Great Warrior, said to be the successor of the Hero Arion.
If Sayrun, the Comet Mage, had redefined Star Magic, then Azonia, the Great Warrior, succeeded in recreating Hero Arion’s aura skills.
Azonia was also the one who created [Hero’s Breath], used by beastmen.
Azonia had one representative skill.
‘Spiral.’
A technique that rotates aura to maximize its power.
‘Lady Azonia said this was also Sir Arion’s technique.’
Like Hero’s Breath, Spiral was also something Azonia intended to pass on to the beastmen.
But before that could happen, the Heroes of Genesis left the world.
And now, the aura skill Arion was using was too similar to Azonia’s lost technique.
‘A beastman who uses a lost technique and golden aura, and moreover, resembles Sir Arion.’
Banir’s eyes widened.
“Surely… you are…?”
Banir looked at Arion with trembling eyes.
Seeing Banir, Arion put his index finger to his lips.
Watching Arion smile gently, Banir trembled.
‘The Hero… Arion?!’