Book 1 Chapter 455

The hero candidates cheered at the legendary hero's feat unfolding before their eyes.

The great threat that had sought to destroy the world had now vanished before them.

They had literally witnessed a page of legend being written before their eyes.

Arion smiled as he looked at the hero candidates cheering.

"As expected of Arion-nim!" Arga shouted, running towards him.

Arion reached out his hand, looking at Arga's beaming, joyful face.

"Thank you."

"Huh?"

"I was able to wake up by hearing your voice."

At his words, Arga became flustered with embarrassment.

"Arion-nim. What you said earlier."

Chelsea asked hesitantly, and Arion turned around and winked at her.

At that, Chelsea nodded without a word.

"Arga, Chelsea. Let's go take care of the wounded now."

"Yes!"

Arga and Chelsea, who answered vigorously, returned to the castle.

It had been a fierce battle that lasted all night.

While Arion fought intensely with Erebus, the hero candidates, with their small numbers, had to withstand the assault of monsters that rivaled legions.

There were many wounded as a result.

The hero candidates, who had initially cheered in joy of victory, quickly came to their senses and treated the wounded.

As Arga ran towards the castle, Chelsea glanced back slightly.

She saw Arion following behind, and Leo walking beside him.

Arion extended his right fist towards Leo, who was walking to his right.

Leo chuckled and bumped his left fist against it.

The sight looked like that of old friends and comrades.

'Leo-oppa truly is… the hero of the beginning.'

Seeing that, she truly felt the weight of Arion's words from earlier.

*Thump- thump-*

"Kyle, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I couldn't repay your faith."

Arion said, pushing away the darkness and looking at the slowly rising sun.

"I pretended to be brave in the final battle, but in reality, I was trembling. I had seen the future."

"The future?"

"Yes. I knew we would lose that battle. So I was going to suggest we run away. But I saw a future where you and Luna would die if we ran."

"…So you died in our place?"

"Yes. And I gave up."

"You never gave up until the end."

"…."

"We never saw you as a burden. We never stopped believing in you."

Arion smiled at Leo's words.

"I know now. Don't worry too much."

"Does this look like worrying? I'm scolding you for finally realizing it, you idiot."

Arion scratched his head, looking at Leo, who was scrunching his face.

"If Luna were here, would she have hit you once?"

"Would it have ended with just one hit?"

"Never."

Arion shook his head, burst into laughter, and looked down at the Brave in his hand.

Brave had returned to its broken state.

"Dweono's flames ignited earlier."

"I know."

Leo recalled Dweono's flames reacting to Arion's aura.

"Dweono's will reacted to help you."

Leo had done nothing.

Yet, Dweono's flames ignited naturally.

Perhaps as Arion summoned his courage to move forward, Brave tried to aid its master.

Even though it was a broken sword, it had returned to its original form for a brief moment, utilizing the creator's power to fulfill its duty.

"Dweono's artifacts are that kind of artifact."

"Yes."

Artifacts that respond to the user's will.

That's why Dweono was called a divine blacksmith, and that's why Leo and Arion trusted him to the end.

*Thump- thump-*

The two were now close to the castle wall.

Leo stopped walking, watching Arion.

"By the way, how did you come back?"

The divine power Leo had used to pull Arion out of the hero's world was almost depleted.

However, it wasn't completely depleted, so he had no doubt that Arion would return.

But he was curious about the method.

Arion smiled at Leo's question.

"I read the future."

"The future?"

"Yes. Because I read the future clearly, I briefly reached the realm of gods. It seems I gained divine power as a result."

Leo clicked his tongue at Arion's words.

He knew Arion was amazing.

In all of history, there was no one with mythical power like Arion.

But even so, he had never imagined Arion would go further and touch the divine realm of future prediction.

"That's amazing? So what was the future you saw?"

"The future I saw had no great meaning."

"What?"

"Because the future could be changed in any way depending on what I did."

Arion said forcefully, looking at Leo.

"So, Kyle. You just need to gather your strength and move forward."

"Is that so? That's the hardest thing."

Arion gave a wry smile at Leo's words.

They had reached just before the castle.

Leo stopped walking.

"Arion, while subjugating the fragment of Erebus, this time…"

"Kyle, could you give me a piece of my Hero Record for a moment?"

Arion interrupted Leo and said.

Leo handed over the Hero Record fragment with a puzzled expression.

Arion took a deep breath, looking at his own fragment.

Then he approached the castle.

"It's Arion-nim!"

"Arion-nim!"

"Brave hero!"

The hero candidates sent cheers towards Arion.

Arion entered the castle built by Melina.

Leo followed behind him.

The hero candidates swarmed around Arion.

Especially the Azonia students, many of whom were shedding tears.

"Everyone."

Arion opened his mouth.

"Thank you for fighting bravely without losing courage even in a desperate situation."

"It would have been impossible without Arion-nim."

"We were able to fight because Arion-nim gave us courage!"

Arion shook his head at the hero candidates' answers.

"Courage isn't something you receive from someone else. You all have it here."

Arion tapped his chest and smiled.

"Even without me, you would have fought against Erebus without backing down."

At his words, the students looked deeply moved.

"So thank you very much."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean…"

"For giving me peace of mind."

Arion smiled gently.

"Just like the heroes who fought alongside us in that era 5,000 years ago, and like the heroes who protected that era with the heroes of the great opening 3,000 years ago. Now I know that you exist."

"Arion-nim…"

"Now it's your turn."

The hero candidates held their breath at the words of the great hero.

Everyone instinctively sensed it.

The end of a miraculous moment was approaching.

"Can we do it?"

At that moment, Vanir, the former student council president of Azonia, asked.

"Can we dare to do what the heroes of the era of calamity and the heroes of the second coming of calamity did…?"

The hero candidates, who had encountered the overwhelming calamity today, could not shake off the immense despair.

Moreover, Arion, who had defeated the fragment of Erebus, would soon disappear.

It wasn't just Vanir.

Most of the hero candidates present would feel the same.

Arion, who hesitated at Vanir's question, looked back at Leo.

Then, making eye contact with Leo, he said,

"It will definitely be very difficult going forward. There will be people you can't protect, and you will be frustrated by continuous trials."

Arion smiled at Leo, then looked at the hero candidates.

"But you will still succeed. Because you are courageous people."

Arion said forcefully, conveying the words Leo had once told his younger self to the young hero candidates.

"I guarantee it."

At his words, everyone clenched their fists tightly.

*Whoosh-!*

As he finished speaking, golden light poured out of Arion's body.

"Kkeuk?"

"Arion-nim?!"

Everyone squeezed their eyes shut from the brilliant light.

"Eugh?!"

As Arga also covered his eyes.

"Arga."

"Arion-nim?!"

Arga's eyes snapped open.

Arion, who had patted Arga's head, handed him the broken Brave.

"This sword has always been the sword that gave me courage. Although it's broken… I want you to have it."

"Are you… leaving?"

"Yes."

Arion whispered, wiping away Arga's tears.

"My friends must have felt like this."

"Huh?"

"Trustworthy, but… also worrying. They must have been upset."

"What…?"

"It's just that you're like my brother."

Arion smiled faintly and stepped back.

"I'll be waiting."

Arion said to Arga.

"For the day we stand on the same stage."

Arion, who had cheered him on, turned without regret.

No more words were needed.

"Yes!"

That determined cat would run without hesitation.

Arion's last destination was where Leo and Melina were.

The two were unaffected by the light Arion emitted.

Leo looked at Arion approaching him and said,

"Arion, you can stay in this time period."

Leo said with a worried expression.

That face was similar to the expression Arion had when he looked at Arga earlier.

"You gained divine power while subduing the fragment of Erebus. You can do whatever you want here…"

"I've already found what I want to do. Kyle."

Arion shook his head.

"If I continue to stay in the present world, I will waste that power."

Leo clenched his fist at Arion's firm words.

"Besides, as you know, my Hero Record fragment is already at its limit."

Arion looked at the Hero Record fragment he had received from Leo earlier.

A fragment that was almost burnt away.

It was a fragment that could crumble at any moment.

If Arion disappeared, the fragment would likely burn away as well.

"In this state, keeping me in the present world will consume a lot of divine power. Please use that power someday when you completely subdue Erebus."

"…."

"Kyle, as you know, there are things neither I nor you can do. Someday, when the power of Lisinas, Luna, and Dweono is needed, that power will pave the way. So you must never waste it carelessly."

"But…"

"Don't worry about me."

Arion smiled.

That smile somehow resembled Leo's.

"I can't keep being a brother who only causes worry forever, can I?"

Leo gave a bitter smile at Arion's words.

"We'll be able to meet again."

"Yes."

Leo nodded.

Arion looked at Melina and said,

"Melina, please help Leo a lot."

"Yes, Arion-nim. I will do my best to assist Leo-nim."

"Alright."

Arion patted Melina's head and climbed onto the castle wall.

*Whoosh-!*

Then the golden light disappeared.

Everyone looked around, searching for Arion.

"Ah! There he is!"

Then they spotted Arion's back standing on the castle wall.

As everyone looked at Arion, Arion, facing away, raised his right hand and gave a thumbs-up.

Then, turning around with a confident smile, he said,

"I'm coming back!"

Leaving those words behind, Arion vanished with a brilliant light.

Everyone stared blankly at the spot where Arion had disappeared.

And then…

Waaaaaaaah!

Everyone let out a powerful cheer.

Leo, leaning against the castle wall with his arms crossed, wore an exasperated expression.

"He's finally using what he learned."

"Huh?"

"Just talking to myself."

Closing his eyes, Leo recalled past events.

***

"How do I give others confidence, just like me?"

Luna, with her arms crossed, held her head high with a triumphant expression.

Looking at Luna, the young Arion said,

"Luna isn't always reliable. She's not reliable usually. Only during battles…"

"What?!"

Luna's eyes widened at Arion, who was stating the facts coldly.

Arion, flustered, hunched his neck and said,

"…Always reliable."

"Then, then!"

Luna, with a triumphant expression again, said,

"Luna-nim's special lecture on giving confidence! The first one! Maintain a confident expression no matter the situation!"

"A confident expression?"

"A prime example is that annoying and insolent smile of Kyle's."

"Kyle has an annoying and insolent smile?"

"You know it, right? It's a smile like this."

Luna smiled.

"Ah! I think I know what you mean!"

"Right? Annoying, isn't it! Insolent, isn't it!?"

"Who are you calling annoying and insolent?"

"You."

Luna's words made Kyle try to hit her.

But Luna wasn't someone who would be easily caught.

Kyle, frowning at Luna, who was skillfully dodging, asked,

"What are you doing?"

"I'm learning how to give confidence to others from Luna."

"From her? You'd be better off learning from Dweono."

"Am I worse than that pervert?"

Luna retorted and lunged at Leo.

Kyle pushed Luna's face away with his palm and said,

"So, let's say I learn to smile. What's next?"

"After learning a confident expression, the next important thing is posing. Mesmerize people with a flashy performance, then strike a cool pose and deliver a plausible line. I'll demonstrate."

Luna said with a cold expression, sweeping her hair back.

"Prepare yourselves, I have arrived."

Then she looked at Kyle with a deep gaze.

At that, Kyle said to Arion,

"Do you know what they call that?"

"What do they call it?"

"Putting on a pretentious show."

"You punk!"

Luna's eyes narrowed, and she tried to hit Kyle with her staff.

Kyle quickly ran away.

Arion, watching Luna chase Kyle while wielding her staff and shouting, took out a mirror and made a solemn expression, or struck a cool, plausible pose.

Young Arion found Kyle and Luna's expressions and poses quite cool.

"What are you doing, Arion?"

At that moment, Lisinas approached and asked, and Arion smiled brightly.

"I'm imitating Kyle and Luna. I want to be someone who gives confidence to people, just like them."

"You're already a trustworthy person, Arion."

Lisinas said with a smile.

"But…"

As Arion was about to say something, Dweono spoke.

"Let me give you one piece of advice, Arion."

"Yes."

As Arion nodded, Dweono gestured with his chin.

By then, Luna was strangling Kyle's neck, and Kyle was pulling Luna's ear.

"If you imitate those fools, you'll become a fool yourself."

"Who are you calling a fool? Pervert."

"Who are you calling a fool! Old pervert!"

Leo and Luna ran and hit Dweono on the head.

"The fools have sharp ears."

Lisinas said, watching the three bickering.

"Arion."

"Yes."

"You must never become like that. Understand?"

Arion nodded, looking at Lisinas, who had a somewhat sad expression.