Book 1 Chapter 446
446.
“It’s burning?”
Leo’s expression hardened.
The earthquake had stopped somehow.
But Arion’s single word sent a chilling shock through Leo.
It’s burning.
He didn't need to ponder deeply to understand what this meant.
‘The revival of Erebus.’
5000 years ago.
It meant that one of the fragments of Erebus, which the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle, had split into six pieces, had revived.
‘Surely a fragment wasn’t dormant here?’
Leo glared at the ground below.
5000 years ago.
Though he was the one who shattered Erebus, Leo also didn't know the whereabouts of the fragments.
‘All I remember is the pieces of the shattered being scattering from the sky.’
Enveloped in black flames, it had fallen from the sky to the ground.
The last scene Kyle saw in his life was.
Six scattering fragments, and through them, like the dawn.
It was the sight of a brilliant sun emerging, driving away the gray sky.
At the end of that scene, he lost consciousness and fell into a long sleep.
‘The fragments of Erebus identified so far are the first fragment discovered by Silrod, the fragment that revived 3000 years ago and was sealed in the world of genesis by the Heroes of Genesis, and the third fragment believed to be held by that Hell Kaiser fellow.’
None of those could possibly be here.
The fragment in Fairy Land is managed by Silrod, and the revived fragment is sealed in the Hero Record.
‘If the Necromancer King had appeared here, Arion would have detected him.’
That meant the Erebus Arion now sensed was the fourth fragment.
“Why did it suddenly awaken?”
As Leo voiced his question, Arion spoke.
“It’s been 5000 years since Erebus was subjugated, and one fragment revived 3000 years ago, didn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Then isn’t it possible that the remaining fragments could also revive at any time?”
Arion was right.
One fragment had already revived 3000 years ago.
So, there would be nothing strange about other fragments reviving at any time.
“But it’s too sudden.”
As Leo furrowed his brow, Arion spoke.
“Or perhaps it’s because I came out of the Hero’s world.”
“Indeed.”
At Arion’s words, Leo nodded heavily.
Leo had entered the berserk Arion’s Hero Record and then brought Arion back to the present world.
He had used divine power in that process.
‘If the dormant Erebus was stimulated and awakened by the divine power used to bring Arion back.’
Then Erebus’s awakening made sense.
It was time to click his tongue.
“Lord Leo!”
“Melina.”
Melina’s voice was heard from above.
Thud!
Leo spoke, looking at Melina who had landed in front of him.
“Contact the entire world right now. Tell them a fragment of Erebus might be reviving.”
“Yes?”
Melina’s face went pale.
“Could the cause of this abnormal situation possibly be related to a fragment of Erebus?”
“Yes.”
Leo clenched and unclenched his fist, continuing.
“It seems the fourth fragment has revived.”
“Yes, first, I will send the recalled second-years along with the first-years to other regions.”
It was not just anything, but a fragment of Erebus.
A situation like the return of the calamity.
As such, it was a trial far too immense for hero candidates to handle.
Melina, the Dragon Lord, quickly dealt with the situation.
Melina’s face stiffened as she generated magic power and tried to open a warp gate.
As soon as Leo and Arion saw Melina’s expression, they immediately understood the situation.
“Space movement is impossible.”
“Yes.”
Melina replied in a stiff voice to Arion’s words.
The mere existence of Erebus distorts and warps the laws of the world.
Magic is a technique that intervenes in the laws of the world to manifest phenomena.
Among them, magic related to space is particularly unstable.
As long as Erebus is present, the surrounding space becomes unstable, making space-movement magic impossible to use.
Even Luna couldn’t use it.
“First, gather the first and second-years in one place.”
“Yes. What next?”
“We need to explain the situation.”
Leo drew his sword.
Melina gritted her teeth, watching Leo.
“The children will despair.”
“They will despair. But it doesn’t matter. We also have hope. Did you forget?”
“Yes? Ah!”
Melina’s eyes widened as she remembered something.
“We have a hero with us right now.”
***
Sudden appearances of demon beasts and monsters.
The second-years who had been out in Delan were urgently summoned and heard Melina’s voice.
So, they immediately grasped the situation and began subjugating the demon beasts and monsters.
Whoosh-! Crackle-!
Flames and lightning aura wrapped around their swords, revealing their presence like a roar.
Kwaaaaaaa-! Pa-ba-ba-ba-bat!
“Grwooooaah!”
Celia and Duran’s auras ravaged the body of a giant demon beast.
The demon beast screamed in pain and collapsed.
Swish-!
Toward the demon beast, Chen Xia flew up.
Water aura fluttered in the air like silk fabric.
Thwack-!
But the slender, beautiful water aura made a chilling sound and severed the demon beast’s neck.
Blood poured like a waterfall from the neck of the wall-sized demon beast.
Chen Xia landed lightly on the ground, then the enormous body crashed down.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gung!
The monsters crushed beneath it turned into bloody pulp.
Whoosh-!
Abad raised his staff.
“Tempest.”
As the spell was completed, a calamitous wind blew, sweeping away the demon beasts and monsters.
Crackle-crackle-crackle-!
“Fimbulvetr.”
Chloe’s unique magic turned the surrounding monsters into ice shards.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-!
At that moment, an earthquake occurred.
“Woredon! Was that your doing?”
“No.”
Woredon looked at the ground in response to Eliza’s question.
“The earth spirits are afraid.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means there’s something.”
It was then that Woredon narrowed his eyes.
Flash-!
A pillar of light shot up not far away.
Chelsea, who was eradicating flying monsters in the air, shouted.
“It’s the insignia of Dragonia! It seems Lord Melina is telling us to come over there?!”
At that cry, the Lumen students headed toward the pillar of light.
The first-years were already arriving there.
In addition, the graduates who had been subjugating monsters also gathered.
Carl gaped, looking at the huge fortress made by alchemy.
“You made this on the spot? As expected of a Dragon Lord.”
Carl marveled.
Meanwhile, Zamua, standing in front of the gate, said.
“Everyone, get inside the fortress before the demon beasts and monsters rush in!”
At Zamua’s booming shout, the first and second-years entered the fortress.
“But what exactly is going on?”
“Is this really training too?”
“If a fortress like this is even prepared, isn’t it training?”
Some first and second-years were still mistaking the current situation for training.
Watching them, Torua folded his arms and grumbled.
“This is why the educational policies of the Hero academies are problematic. No matter how much you say training is like real combat, there are still kids who mistake it for training even when an abnormal situation occurs and demon beasts rush in to kill them.”
“I agree with that, but thanks to that, both the first and second-years are excellently coping with this situation.”
Torua nodded at Ulta’s words.
Lis muttered during their conversation.
“The atmosphere is unusual.”
“Brother!”
Celia rushed over.
“This isn’t a training situation right now, it’s a real situation, isn’t it?”
Lis nodded at Celia’s question.
“Yes.”
“What on earth is happening?!”
“I don’t know the detailed situation either. Until Lord Melina tells us…”
Lis trailed off.
Flash-!
Two dragons with golden scales appeared in the sky above the fortress.
While everyone was surprised.
Flash-!
The two golden-glowing dragons stood on the ramparts.
It was a middle-aged man with golden hair and a golden-haired girl.
Melina’s trusted subordinate Akatis and her successor Enkinias.
“Is everyone gathered?”
In response to Akatis’s question, Rienia stepped forward.
“Yes. All Hero Academy students are gathered. So, could you explain the situation?”
En spoke in response to Rienia’s words.
“Lord Melina will soon arrive and explain the current situation.”
At those words, the first and second-years who had thought it was training began to murmur.
A moment later, Melina descended from the air and landed on the ramparts.
“Everyone.”
As Melina, standing between Akatis and Enkinias, spoke in a slightly tense voice, everyone’s expressions became serious.
“You are hero candidates.”
Melina slowly began her speech.
“You strive tirelessly every day to become heroes. So that you can face trials anytime, anywhere. You are the noble ones who can fight for the world.”
At that speech, everyone wore puzzled expressions.
“And trials… calamities come without warning. 5000 years ago, 3000 years ago, and… even now.”
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gung-!
The ground began to shake violently.
An earthquake of incomparable intensity to anything until now.
It was then that all the students looked bewildered.
Kwagagagagagagag! Koooh-oh-oh-oh!
Suddenly, in the distance.
A massive pillar of fire erupted, piercing the ground and shooting into the sky as if exploding.
Like a tower that seemed to pierce the heavens.
The eruption of the pillar of fire continued.
The hero candidates watching the incredibly surreal sight gaped.
“Black… flames?”
While someone murmured in confusion.
“The sky…!”
Someone murmured in a voice filled with fear.
The starlight in the sky began to disappear.
The brilliant light vanished, and pitch-black darkness enveloped everything.
The hero candidates knew very well what it was.
5000 years ago, and 3000 years ago.
It was too similar to the phenomenon that plunged the world into ruin.
While everyone grasped the situation and was aghast.
Melina grimly declared.
“Everyone, the calamity has awakened.”
***
“Everyone, the calamity has awakened.”
Hearing Melina’s powerful voice, Leo, who was looking up at the sky from the high tower of the ramparts, muttered.
“To see that damned sight again.”
His teeth chattered at the symbol of calamity staining the sky.
“So this is what it felt like.”
Arion muttered bitterly.
Arion, born in the age of calamity, did not know.
The feeling of peace being stolen.
The despair of facing a terrible calamity.
“It’s a little different this time. That sky will disappear by tonight.”
Leo looked at Arion.
“I wished for you to enjoy peace and be at ease.”
“I’ve enjoyed it enough. And I’ve been very at ease.”
Arion smiled.
“I died back then. But Kyle, thanks to you, I could see the world we saved. Is there any greater blessing than this?”
Both Leo and Arion knew.
After this battle, Arion would disappear.
A desperate situation.
But both Leo and Arion were accustomed to despair.
However, the young sprouts were not.
The current despair was too immense for them to handle.
“But don’t worry, everyone.”
Melina’s powerful voice was heard.
Hearing those words, Leo said.
“So… we need a symbol.”
It was no longer a situation for hiding anything.
“If calamity has returned, then it’s time for the symbol of courage to return.”
Leo looked directly into Arion’s eyes.
“Please, Arion, I need your courage.”
“Leave it to me.”
Arion smiled at Leo’s words and leaped down from the tower.
Thud-!
Arion, who landed next to Melina, looked down at the hero candidates.
“Instructor Akan?”
Chen Xia wore a puzzled expression.
As everyone’s gaze fixed on Arion, Arion raised his hand.
Flash-!
Aura surged from Arion’s hand.
Like Erebus’s black pillar of fire, a colossal pillar of aura, as if to pierce the sky, shot upwards.
And the aura soon became a golden sword.
Arion swung the sword of aura he held aloft toward the pillar of fire.
Whoosh-! Kwagagagagagagag!
The pillar of fire was severed in two, causing a massive explosion.
Watching the thrilling sight, someone muttered.
“He… split the sky?”
The night sky, obscured by Erebus’s power, was now twinkling with starlight.
Torua blankly uttered someone’s oral tradition that had been passed down for a long time.
“When he swings his sword, the sky splits… and people gained immense courage from that overwhelming sight.”
Everyone looked at the back of the man who had created a thrilling sight that only appeared in legends, and repeated his name.
“The Hero… Arion.”