Book 1 Chapter 451

451.

"What exactly is going on inside?"

Lienia shouted, as if frustrated.

She couldn't tell what was happening beyond the wall of black flames rising before her.

Seeing this, Torua raised his staff.

Woong-!

A massive drill of light was generated by Torua's magic.

Kwaaaak-!

Torua launched the magic towards the wall.

Hwaak-!

But the black flame swallowed Torua's magical power.

Torua's eyes twitched at the sight.

"I'll try."

Lunia chanted a spell.

Hwarereureuk-!

White flames erupted around her entire body.

Kwaaaaah-!

The white flames engulfing Lunia's body intensified.

"Lunia-yang?!"

Eiran urgently called Lunia's name.

Hwaluk-!

Lunia, whose fiery red hair had turned pure white as if about to ignite, gritted her teeth.

The Flame Emperor's flame, which consumed herself to annihilate the impure.

The flame given to Lunia by the last Phoenix King, Katariu, was the most noble flame in the world.

Burning herself with the flame, Lunia completed her magic.

"Flame Emperor!"

Hwaak-!

As if a white sun had appeared.

A massive sphere of flame appeared on Lunia's palm, outstretched towards the sky.

Lunia threw the sphere of flame towards the wall of black flames.

Pajijijijik!

Black flames and white flames intertwined.

But soon, an immense repulsion occurred, pushing them apart.

Flames burning fiercely as if opposing forces had met.

Hwaak-!

But soon, the black flame swallowed Lunia's flame.

Kwagagagagagagang-!

An explosion incomparable to anything before occurred.

"Ku-euk?!"

Everyone covered their eyes and bowed their heads from the immense flash and shockwave of the explosion.

Kuooooooong-!

The sound of the explosion echoed as a lingering reverberation.

Yet, despite everything, the wall of black flames remained intact.

"Damn it!"

Lunia, whose hair had returned to its original red, clenched her fist and shouted roughly.

She gripped so hard that her fingernails dug into her palm, drawing blood.

The hot pain from the burns was felt throughout her body.

But Lunia looked at the wall of flames as if furious.

'What kind of next student council president? What kind of successor to Lady Luna?'

Recently, Lunia had been excited.

As a member of the Lunda family, who had contracted with the Phoenix for generations, she had inherited the power of the long-lost Phoenix King.

Furthermore, she was evaluated as the successor to Luna, the progenitor of the nebula, following the Comet Wizard, and had even been recognized by the Dragon Lord Melina.

Because of this, she thought she had gotten a little closer.

But she hadn't.

'Still far.'

The distance between her and Leo was still vast.

'No, I already knew something like that!'

She knew that even if she became stronger, there was an unbridgeable gap.

So, she had tried her best to chase after Leo.

What angered Lunia wasn't the distance between Leo and herself.

'I am incompetent!'

She knew what Leo's goal was.

None other than the subjugation of Erebus.

A grand goal she couldn't even imagine.

But having been praised so much by those around her, she was filled with confidence.

She was sure she would be helpful to Leo in the upcoming battle.

In fact, Lunia had experienced three battles with Erebus so far.

The first was in Luna's world.

The second was in Dwen's world.

The third was in Seirun.

And in the second and third, she thought she had gained the power to fight Erebus by obtaining the purifying flame.

'It was a delusion…!'

What she had fought was merely a fragment of Erebus.

She now realized that fact to her bones.

Eiran urgently grabbed Lunia's trembling clenched fist.

"Lunia-yang, take care of yourself! You'll ruin your body…!"

"This is no time to worry about my body…!"

"Listen to Eiran-yang, Lunia-yang."

Melina appeared before Lunia.

"If you ruin your body by overusing your power, you won't be able to help. No, you'll become a burden."

At Melina's words, Lunia bowed her head deeply.

Melina smiled bitterly at Lunia.

"I'm not expecting anything grand from you all right now. Just a little bit of support for Lord Arion's fight. That goes for all you graduates too."

"Does that mean we aren't worthy of standing on this battlefield yet?"

Melina nodded at Torua's question.

"To be frank, yes. My recommendation of you to Lord Arion was only in hopes of a little support."

Everyone bowed their heads deeply at Melina's words.

Seeing their expressions, Melina said,

"Don't be disheartened. On the contrary, I am the one who should apologize to you."

"Yes?"

"You are all still young."

Melina said firmly.

"Even if you have graduated. Even if you are the best students. You are bound to still be immature. You are not heroes, but hero candidates."

Melina took a breath.

"It is entirely my responsibility that I put you, who are not yet ready, on the battlefield, just to raise the chances of victory a little."

Melina turned around.

"So, it's not your fault. On the contrary, you've done very well. From now on, leave it to me, the adult."

Melina brought her hands together.

Silver magical energy began to surge from Melina's body.

The hero candidates flinched and trembled at the sight.

Her silver and black mixed hair swayed.

Soon, the silver magical energy turned black.

Melina chanted a magical spell.

"Nihil."

Hwaak-!

Instantly, the wall of black flames vanished.

"Amazing."

Torua gaped.

Licinas's magic.

In this world, only two people could use this magic.

Leo, the Hero of Beginnings, was the first, and Melina, who inherited his magical power, was the second.

The black flame disappeared.

Erebus's gaze, which had been confronting Leo and Arion, turned towards Melina.

-You are not merely a lowly creature. Did you inherit the power of the foolish one through the record system?

Kugung-!

Erebus's gaze fell on Melina and the hero candidates.

And towards the other candidates in the distant castle, who were fending off the onslaught of his creations.

-Indeed, it seems that many have fallen for the foolish one's honeyed words over 5000 years and harbored useless hope.

"Lord Licinas is not foolish, Erebus."

Melina said in a cold voice.

It was a chilling demeanor she had never shown before.

"Lord Licinas is the great King of Wisdom who led the world to salvation."

-They are just useless grand titles. King of Wisdom and Hero of Beginnings alike.

Erebus said in an emotionless voice.

-They are simply enough as a foolish one and a surviving hero.

Go-ooooooh-!

Terrifying flames flickered in Erebus's hand.

As if all previous attacks had been mere play.

A mass of flame containing destructive power beyond imagination surged.

-Brave one, if those lowly creatures are the hope you speak of, I will remind you how insignificant that hope is.

Kwaaaaaak-!

Erebus slammed the fireball into the ground.

Kugugugugugugugu-

Along with it, an earthquake occurred.

The ground shook violently.

Jjeojeok- Jjeojeojeojeok-!

The ground cracked.

Kwo-hwaaaaaak-!

Kwo-ooooooh-!

Countless demonic beasts burst out from the cracked ground.

These grotesque demonic beasts, with only the will to kill left in their eyes, charged towards the castle, screaming.

Ulta made a horrified expression, seeing the endless advance of demonic beasts appearing from the cracks.

"What is this?"

"It's almost a legion!"

Lienia cried out, her face pale.

The current advance of demonic beasts was similar in scale to the advance of the monster queen's legion they had seen in Seirun last year.

"It seems he created a legion-level force."

Melina said calmly.

The hero candidates looked disgusted by the scene that transcended common sense.

The sheer scale of the monsters that appeared now was comparable to Shilratuna's legion.

Of course, as Shilratuna's legion had many high-ranking demons, it wouldn't be superior in quality.

But to instantly create a legion-level force led by a legion commander was a chilling thing.

Moreover, the number of demonic beasts was still increasing.

Melina, after pondering for a moment at the sight, looked at Leo.

When Leo met her eyes and nodded, Melina said,

"Everyone, return to the castle and prepare to stop the demonic beast advance."

"Yes!"

"Then Erebus…?!"

"Let's leave him to Lord Arion and Leo Plob."

Melina answered the hero candidates' questions with a faint smile.

As the hero candidates, nodding, were about to turn back, Erebus scoffed.

-Worthless creatures, pay the price!

Kwaaaaaak-!

As Erebus swung his arm, the air split.

Along with it, countless black hands reached out from within and attacked the candidates.

Seeing this, Melina waved her hand.

Blink-!

Light generated from a silver magic circle blew away the black hands summoned by Erebus.

However, she couldn't block all of Erebus's attacks.

The surviving black hands that avoided the attack persistently targeted the candidates.

Ulta used Pegasus's power to eliminate all those hands.

Torua blew them away with magic, and in Lunia and Eliza's case, Eiran repelled Erebus's attack with the Animus sword.

Erebus's eyes twitched at the sight.

"Don't underestimate them too much."

Leo scoffed at Erebus.

"They are the children chosen by me, who personally tore you into six pieces."

Hwaak-!

Leo widened the distance from Erebus.

"Do you think your crude attacks would work?"

-Dare you call this body's power crude?

"Yes. I've learned quite a lot about you through our brief fight."

Leo's red eyes gleamed.

"First. You have resurrected, but you are not in a complete state. You are even disconnected from the first resurrected fragment. You know nothing of the first fragment's memories."

This was significant.

5000 years since Erebus was sealed.

And 3000 years since the first fragment was sealed.

During these years, the world had continuously cultivated power to resist Erebus.

This didn't just mean the development of aura, magic, and summoning.

Erebus was ignorant of the potential the world held.

"If you had memories from 3000 years ago, you wouldn't have attacked so recklessly."

Leo scoffed at Erebus.

"Second. You possess power specialized in the authority to create demons and monsters."

He was convinced after seeing him create a legion earlier.

That authority, at least, showed little difference from Erebus in his complete state.

What that implied was one thing.

"That means your combat power is inferior compared to other fragments."

Of course, he was only weaker compared to other fragments.

As a fragment of primordial evil, his combat power was formidable.

'If Arion wasn't here, I wouldn't have been able to handle it with my current strength alone.'

Therefore, this fragment had to be subjugated here and now, no matter the cost.

The moment this fragment in front of him gained control of Tartarus.

Powerful legion commanders would be created.

"Third. Your power is not in a complete state."

Flames grow stronger the more they burn.

And the Erebus before him was a flame that had just begun to burn.

As such, its destructive power was weak.

For Erebus, this world was like firewood.

The more the world burned, the stronger Erebus's power would become.

'The fragment resurrected 3000 years ago had burned for a long time.'

And it was still burning.

Leo narrowed his eyes.

Erebus laughed, looking at Leo.

-Don't worry, it's enough to finish you all.

"Is that so?"

-Yes, if the companion you summoned with the record system was someone else, you would have been subjugated again. But as long as it's the Brave, you will die.

"Nonsense."

Leo replied coldly.

-You overestimate the Brave too much. Don't you, Brave one?

"Don't make me laugh! Kyle won't die. You… I will definitely defeat you!"

-Very well, struggle all you want!

Go-ooooooh-!

Black flames erupted from Erebus's body.

Arion gritted his teeth and activated his supersenses, seeing the flames engulfing him.

At that moment.

Kwagagagagang-!

Erebus's black flames enveloped Arion.

Arion's face turned pale within the black flames.

'… My supersenses…!'