Book 1 Chapter 446
"It's burning?"
Leo's expression hardened.
The earthquake had stopped unnoticed.
But Arion's words struck Leo with a chilling shock.
It's burning.
He didn't need to think deeply to understand the meaning of this statement.
'Erebos's resurrection.'
5000 years ago.
It meant the resurrection of one of Erebos's fragments, which the hero of the beginning, Kyle, had split into six pieces.
'Could a fragment have been sleeping here?'
Leo glared at the ground.
Even though he was the one who shattered Erebos 5000 years ago, Leo also didn't know the whereabouts of the fragments.
'The last thing I remember is the disassembled guy's fragments scattering in the sky.'
He had fallen from the sky to the ground, engulfed in black flames.
The last scene of Kyle's life.
It was the scattering of the six fragments, and as if the sun was dawning through them.
The magnificent sun revealing itself, driving away the gray sky.
With that scenery, he lost consciousness and fell into a long slumber.
'The Erebos fragments identified so far are the first fragment discovered by Silod, the fragment resurrected 3000 years ago and sealed in the world of the Great Opening by the heroes of the Great Opening, and the third fragment presumed to be in possession of that Hell Kaiser.'
It made no sense for any of them to be here.
The fragment in Fairy Land was managed by Silod, and the resurrected fragment was sealed in the Hero Record.
'If the King of the Dead had appeared here, Arion would have detected him.'
Therefore, the Erebos that Arion felt now meant it was the fourth fragment.
"Why did it suddenly awaken?"
As Leo questioned, Arion said,
"It's been 5000 years since Erebos was subjugated, and one fragment was resurrected 3000 years ago, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, isn't it possible that the remaining fragments are also in a state where they could be resurrected at any time?"
Arion was right.
One fragment had already been resurrected 3000 years ago.
In that case, it wouldn't be strange for other fragments to be resurrected at any time.
"But it's too sudden."
As Leo furrowed his brow, Arion said,
"Or maybe it's because I came out of the hero's world."
"Indeed."
Leo nodded heavily at Arion's words.
After entering the hero's record of the rampaging Arion, Leo brought Arion to the present world.
He had used divine power in the process.
'If the sleeping Erebos was stimulated by the divine power used to bring Arion, and woke up.'
In that case, it made sense that Erebos had woken up.
It was the sound of clicking his tongue.
"Leo!"
"Melina."
Melina's voice was heard from the sky.
Thud!
Seeing Melina land in front of him, Leo said,
"Contact the whole world immediately. The fragment of Erebos might be resurrected."
"What?"
Melina's face turned pale.
"Could the cause of this abnormal situation be related to the fragment of Erebos?"
"Yes."
Leo clenched and unclenched his fists as he continued,
"I think the fourth fragment has been resurrected."
"Yes, I will send the summoned second-year students to other areas along with the first-year students."
It wasn't just anything, it was a fragment of Erebos.
A situation similar to the Second Coming of the Calamity.
As such, it was too great a trial for the hero candidates to handle.
Melina, the Dragon Lord, quickly dealt with the situation.
Her face stiffened as she tried to open a warp gate, generating mana.
Seeing Melina's expression, Leo and Arion immediately understood the situation.
"Spatial movement is impossible."
"Yes."
Melina replied in a stiff voice to Arion's words.
The mere existence of Erebos 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 the surroundings become unstable just by Erebos's presence, spatial magic also becomes unusable.
Even Luna couldn't use it.
"First, gather all the first and second-year students in one place."
"Yes. What then?"
"We have to explain the situation."
Leo drew his sword.
Seeing Leo like that, Melina gritted her teeth.
"The children will despair."
"They will despair. But it doesn't matter. We have hope too. Did you forget?"
"What? Ah!"
Melina's eyes widened as she remembered something.
"We have a hero now."
***
Sudden appearance of magical beasts and monsters.
The second-year students who were out in Delan were urgently summoned and heard Melina's voice.
Therefore, they immediately grasped the situation and started subjugating the magical beasts and monsters.
*Rage-*! *Sizzle-*!
The aura of flame and lightning wrapped around their swords roared with presence.
*ROOOOOOAR-*! *Bavavavabat*!
"Gwoooorrr!"
Celia and Duran's auras ravaged the giant magical beast's body.
The magical beast fell with a scream of pain.
*Chaaaak*!
Chen Xia flew towards the magical beast.
The water aura fluttered like silk in the air.
*Puhwak*!
However, the thin and beautiful water aura made a chilling sound and severed the magical beast's neck.
Blood poured like a waterfall from the neck of the magical beast, which was the size of a castle wall.
After Chen Xia landed softly on the ground, the giant body collapsed.
*Kugugugugung*!
The monsters crushed beneath it turned into bloody messes.
*Hwioooo*!
Abad raised his staff.
"Tempest."
As the spell was completed, a catastrophic wind blew, sweeping away the magical beasts and monsters.
*Jjeojeojeojeojeok*!
"Fimbulvetr."
Chloe's unique magic turned the surrounding monsters into ice shards.
*Kugugugugu*!
Just then, an earthquake occurred.
"Warden! Is this your doing?"
"No."
Warden looked at the ground at Eliza's question.
"The earth spirits are afraid."
"What does that mean?"
"It means something is there."
It was when Warden narrowed his eyes.
*Flash*!
A pillar of light shot up not far away.
Chelsey, who was eliminating flying monsters in the air, shouted,
"It's the crest of Dragonia! It seems the Lord is calling us there?!"
At that cry, the Lumern students headed for the pillar of light.
The first-year students were arriving there.
In addition, graduates who were subjugating monsters also gathered.
Kal's mouth hung open as he looked at the giant fortress made by alchemy.
"You made this on the spot? As expected of a Dragon Lord."
Kal admired.
Jamua, who was standing in front of the gate, said,
"Everyone, get inside the fortress before the magical beasts and monsters rush in!"
At Jamua's thunderous shout, the first and second-year students entered the fortress.
"But what is the situation?"
"Is this really a training?"
"If they've prepared a fortress like this, isn't it training?"
Among the first and second-year students, some still mistakenly believed the current situation was training.
Torua grumbled, crossing his arms, watching them.
"This is why the educational policies of hero academies are problematic. No matter how much they train as if it's real combat, there are students who mistake even abnormal situations and deadly monster attacks as training."
"I agree with that, but thanks to that, both the first and second-year students are responding well to this situation."
Ulta nodded at Torua's words.
Liss muttered at the two's conversation.
"The atmosphere is unsettling."
"Brother!"
Celia rushed over.
"This is a real situation, not a training, right?"
Celia asked, and Liss nodded.
"Yes."
"What on earth is the situation?!"
"I don't know the exact situation either. Until the Lord explains it…"
It was when Liss trailed off.
*Hwaak*!
Two dragons with golden scales appeared in the sky above the fortress.
While everyone was surprised,
*Flash*!
The two dragons, emitting golden light, stood on the castle walls.
A man with blonde hair and a middle-aged appearance, and a blonde girl.
It was Akati, Melina's subordinate, and Enkinnias, her successor.
"Is everyone gathered?"
Akati asked, and Rienia stepped forward.
"Yes. All the students from the hero academies have gathered. So, could you explain the situation?"
At Rienia's words, En said,
"The Lord will come soon and explain the current situation."
At that, the first and second-year students who thought it was training began to murmur.
A moment later, Melina descended from the sky and landed on the castle wall.
"Everyone."
Melina, standing between Akati and Enkinnias, spoke with a slightly stiff voice, and everyone wore tense expressions.
"You are hero candidates."
Melina slowly began.
"You are working hard every day to become heroes. You are noble individuals who can fight for the world, ready for trials anytime, anywhere."
Everyone looked puzzled at the speech.
"And trials… calamities come without warning. 5000 years ago, 3000 years ago, and… now."
*Kugugugugugu*!
The ground began to shake violently.
An earthquake far beyond anything so far.
At that moment, all the students looked flustered.
*Kwaga gagagagagang*! *Koo ooooo*!
Suddenly, in the distance.
A giant pillar of fire erupted from the ground like an explosion and shot up into the sky.
Like a tower piercing the heavens.
The eruption of the pillar of fire continued.
The hero candidates watching this unbelievable sight opened their mouths.
"Black… flames?"
As someone murmured in bewilderment.
"The sky…!"
Someone murmured in terror.
The starlight in the sky disappeared.
The brilliant light vanished, and pitch-black darkness covered it.
The hero candidates knew all too well what it was.
It was too similar to the phenomenon that had driven the world to ruin 5000 years ago and 3000 years ago.
As everyone grasped the situation and was horrified,
Melina gravely declared,
"Everyone, the calamity has awakened."
***
"Everyone, the calamity has awakened."
Leo, looking up at the sky from the high tower of the castle wall while listening to Melina's powerful voice, muttered,
"To think I'd have to see that damn sight again."
He shuddered at the symbol of calamity coloring the sky.
"So this is what it felt like."
Arion muttered bitterly.
Arion, born in the era of calamity, didn't know.
The feeling of peace being stolen.
The despair of facing a terrible calamity.
"It's a little different. That sky will disappear tonight."
Leo looked at Arion.
"I wanted you to enjoy peace and feel at ease."
"I've enjoyed it enough. And I've felt very at ease."
Arion smiled.
"I died then. But thanks to you, Kyle, I could see the world we saved. Is there a greater blessing than this?"
Both Leo and Arion knew.
After this battle, Arion would disappear.
A desperate situation.
But Leo and Arion were used to despair.
However, the young sprouts were not yet.
The current despair was too immense for them to bear.
"But don't worry, everyone."
Melina's powerful voice was heard.
Listening to her words, Leo said,
"So… we need a symbol."
It's no longer a situation where we can hide or not.
"If the calamity has returned, it's time for the symbol of courage to return."
Leo stared 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 landed next to Melina and looked down at the hero candidates.
"Instructor Akan?"
Chen Xia looked puzzled.
As everyone's gaze was fixed on Arion, Arion raised his hand.
*Flash*!
An aura soared from Arion's hand.
A pillar of aura, as vast as piercing the sky, like Erebos's black pillar of fire, shot up into the sky.
And the aura soon became a golden sword.
Arion swung the sword of aura he held up towards the pillar of fire.
*Hwaak*! *Kwaga gagagagagang*!
The pillar of fire was cut in half, creating a huge explosion.
Watching the awe-inspiring sight, someone murmured,
"He… split the sky?"
The night sky, hidden by Erebos's power, was now twinkling with starlight.
Torua, in a daze, uttered a passage passed down from ancient times.
"When he swings his sword, the sky splits… and people gained immense courage from that overwhelming sight."
Everyone gazed at the back of the man who created the awe-inspiring sight that only existed in legends and repeated his name.
"Hero… Arion."