Book 1 Chapter 523
523.
Mel, investigating the Hero Dungeon, made a perplexed expression upon seeing Damian appear before her eyes.
‘How is Lord Damian in the mortal world? No, more than that, why is he attacking us?’
The people of the world believe that the heroes of the Cataclysm died 3000 years ago.
However, Mel knows well that they are continuing their struggle for 3000 long years in the world of heroes.
Melina had actually met Damian in the world of the Cataclysm.
Although they hadn't actually conversed, Damian had definitely seen Mel.
And it was impossible for a figure as prominent as Damian not to recognize Mel.
Mel hurriedly stepped forward.
“Lord Damian! Lord Damian has no reason to fight us…!”
*Squeeze*!
Mel, speaking urgently, saw the veins bulging in Damian’s hand gripping a massive axe.
‘He’s coming…!’
Mel frantically unleashed her magic.
*Kwagagagagagagagang*!
The battle-axe swung.
Black aura surged like a tsunami, engulfing Mel and the heroes.
The ground split and vibrated.
As the heroes gasped in horror at the thrilling spectacle.
*Kwagagagagang*!
A barrier of black magic blocked Damian’s attack.
Everyone’s gaze turned to Mel.
“That’s the power of the King of Wisdom…!”
“Amazing.”
It was already an open secret that Mel was a Dragon Lord.
Everyone’s jaws dropped.
Normally, Mel would have retorted, asking what they meant, but now she had no time to spare.
Cold sweat ran down Mel’s forehead.
‘As expected, he’s strong.’
Mel took a deep breath and raised her hand.
*Flash*!
Shadows surged from the ground, coiling around Damian.
*Kugugung-! Thump*!
Damian’s knees buckled as his limbs were restrained.
As Mel clenched her hand, the force pressing down on Damian grew stronger.
‘I’m sorry, Lord Damian.’
The moment she apologized to Damian inwardly.
*Flash*!
A golden light gleamed in Damian’s eyes.
*Goooooooh*!
The black aura transformed into a golden aura that seemed to ignite.
Mel gritted her teeth, watching Damian radiating gold all over his body.
‘Lord Dweno’s power!’
Damian was the conqueror of Dweno’s world.
As such, he was also the inheritor of Dweno’s power.
*Crunch*!
Damian grabbed Mel’s magic that had bound him.
Then an ominous sound came from Mel’s hand.
Mel gritted her teeth and put even more force into it.
*Clench*!
The power to restrain Damian grew stronger.
Accordingly, Damian’s power also grew stronger.
*Crack-! Crackle*!
Ominous sounds emanated from Mel’s hand, which was connected to the magic.
Mel was a dragon specialized in magic and could not wield aura.
But even so, she was a dragon.
As the strongest race in the world, their physical strength also far exceeded the common sense of ordinary people.
Mel was the Dragon Lord, possessing the most powerful strength among them.
Few beings in this world surpassed Mel in pure physical strength.
And the magic Mel used was Shadow Prison.
A magic created by Licinas, it was influenced not only by magic power but also by physical strength.
In other words, the stronger the strength, the exponentially higher the power.
Despite her overwhelming magic and physical strength as a Dragon Lord, Damian broke through Mel’s magic with pure physical strength.
*Clench*!
“Ugh?!”
Mel clutched her hand and recoiled.
Her finger bones were crushed by the aftermath of the Shadow Prison’s destruction.
Mel once again unleashed her magic.
Damian charged towards Mel.
At that moment.
*Flash-! Kwagagagagagang*!
A white bolt of lightning struck from the sky.
*Sizzle- Crackle- Crackle*!
There was Leo, mounted on a Pegasus.
Leo lowered Kahl and Eliza, who were riding on his back.
And looked at Mel.
Mel, whose eyes met Leo’s, nodded slightly and said.
“Everyone, step back. To prevent further damage, I will seal off this entire area.”
“It’s too reckless to stop Lord Damian with your strength alone!”
“Other heroes and professors will arrive soon. If we stop Lord Damian together…”
“We cannot confront Lord Damian without knowing his exact state. What’s certain is that he’s fighting us right now.”
Mel said calmly.
“That person is not only the successor of Dweno, the divine blacksmith, but also the one who defeated the resurrected Erebus fragments 3000 years ago. It’s impossible to face someone with power that overwhelms even army commanders with just the heroes currently in Lumeren. The damage might be immense. So I will try to stop him.”
“But alone…”
“I’m not alone. Leo will help me. As a Pegasus pact-holder, he will be a great help.”
The other heroes couldn’t refute Mel’s words.
“Leo. Please.”
“Yes.”
Mel smiled broadly upon hearing Leo’s answer and raised her hand.
*Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh*!
Black magic surged from her body.
It was none other than Licinas’s power.
The black magic flowing from Mel’s body soared high, forming a massive dome-shaped sphere.
Magic to sever the outside from the inside.
From the outside, the situation inside became unknowable.
Inside, only Leo, Mel, and Damian stood in confrontation.
“Well then.”
Leo turned his gaze towards Damian.
“Just one question, what are you?”
At Leo’s question, Damian lowered his stance and took an attacking posture.
Seeing Damian, Leo narrowed his eyes.
He noticed some power emanating from Damian.
‘Divine power?’
When Leo briefly brought Seirun to the mortal world before, divine power wasn’t needed.
Unlike Luna and Arion, the heroes of the Cataclysm were living beings.
That is, they were not records of the Hero’s World.
As such, opening a portal and bringing them out was possible under Leo’s authority.
But now, divine power was felt from Damian.
‘It’s also strange to think he came to the mortal world using divine power. The heroes of the Cataclysm have no means to gain divine power now. Even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to use it.’
“Hmm.”
Leo lightly exhaled.
Meanwhile, Damian lowered his stance further.
Watching Damian, Leo opened a sub-space.
‘Shall I test him once?’
*Clang*!
Damian re-gripped his battle-axe and charged.
Leo, who had put his hand into the sub-space, pulled out a massive battle-axe.
*Kagagagagagak*!
He swung the battle-axe, held in both hands, from bottom to top.
A tyrannical attack that scraped the floor as it was swung.
*Rip*!
Axe blade met axe blade.
A clash of immense power.
For a moment, the space where their weapons crossed was distorted.
And then…
*Kwagagagagagagagagagang*!
The ground where Leo and Damian stood caved in as if a meteor had fallen.
*Crack- Crackle-crackle*!
Instantly, cracks began to appear on both axe blades.
*Thwack*!
Unable to withstand the two men’s power, the weapons shattered into pieces.
The compressed aura exploded, sending Leo flying backward.
*Thump! Thump! Thud-! Clatter*!
Leo’s body tumbled several times on the ground as if bouncing.
Leo, who dispersed the impact with a breakfall, regained his balance and stood.
Unable to withstand the force, he was pushed straight back while standing.
Leo burst into laughter, looking down at his tingling hands.
“Indeed, so you’re Dweno’s successor, huh?”
Mel urgently asked Leo, who was dusting off his hands.
“Lord Leo, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. It seems his pure physical strength is stronger than mine.”
Leo said, clenching and unclenching his hands.
“The ‘real one’ would probably be much stronger than this.”
“So that person isn’t real after all?”
“That’s right.”
Mel had also vaguely noticed.
“He’s a fake created from the records of the Hero Record. He has no reason. Only the instinct to fight exists.”
“How is that possible?”
“Well. It might be a rampage of the Hero Record. Anyway, if we leave him be, it’ll be a disaster. We have to defeat him now.”
Leo approached Damian, who was created with divine power.
‘Why did something like this suddenly appear? Could it be that something has gone wrong with the Hero Record?’
Despite his questions, Leo focused on Damian.
‘If I let my guard down, I’ll be hit.’
Even though he was a fake, he was incomparably stronger than the Knights of the Underworld he had defeated before.
Leo clenched his fist.
“You said you were Dweno’s successor, right?”
Golden flames erupted from Leo’s body.
It was Dweno’s aura.
“Shall we test how tough you are?”
In response to Leo’s power, Damian also exuded Dweno’s power and took a fighting stance.
If there’s no weapon, then with fists.
That was Dweno’s fighting method.
*Thwack*!
Leo charged at Damian and swung his fist.
*Thud*!
Damian’s head snapped back as he took a solid hit from Leo’s fist.
But he immediately, without hesitation, delivered an equally powerful blow to Leo’s face.
Leo lightly tilted his neck.
“Indeed. You’re tough, aren’t you? Whose ‘defense’ is tougher?”
*Thud*!
The fearsome fistfight between the Great Hero and the Hero of the Cataclysm began.
*Boom! Crash*!
Terrifying roars echoed.
Each punch contained enough power to shatter the bones of any other hero who might have taken the hit.
*Crack*!
Amidst the exchange of punches, Damian’s aura cracked.
At that moment, Damian’s movements suddenly stopped.
Leo, without hesitation, plunged his fist into Damian’s abdomen.
*KABOOM*!
Damian’s body flew up and then crashed to the ground.
“This kind of brute force fighting isn’t my style.”
Leo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then spat out the blood collected in his mouth.
It was Dweno who enjoyed this kind of close-quarters combat.
Among the Great Heroes, Arion was the strongest in combat purely using physical abilities.
But in a fistfight like this, no one could match Dweno.
“That old man. He was needlessly tough.”
‘Clash of physiques! Dialogue of bodies! A fistfight is also a kind of art!’
Of course, that toughness was also part of his unpredictable artistic spirit.
Leo, who was recalling Dweno, eyed Damian cautiously.
‘He hasn’t fallen yet.’
This kind of fight is difficult because it’s hard to inflict fatal blows on each other.
Especially for someone like Damian, it was clear he would get up immediately and come charging again.
‘He’s that tough. If it turns into a long battle, I might be at a disadvantage.’
If Leo used weapons, magic, or summoning spells, the fight would end sooner.
And he could gain a much more advantageous position.
Nevertheless, Leo insisted on the kind of battle Damian was confident in.
This was also Dweno’s favorite fighting method.
‘He’s testing us.’
Mel realized this looking at Leo.
Although fake, Damian’s strength was not fake.
Perhaps someday they might meet other Great Heroes again.
It’s highly likely that they will meet the heroes of the Cataclysm in the near future.
To prepare for that time, Leo wanted to know what kind of people the heroes of the Cataclysm, called the successors of his friends, were.
To tell the Great Heroes they would meet again about their successors.
To acknowledge the heroes of the Cataclysm as successors on behalf of his friends.
‘Rhodeia and Seirun were worthy enough. Licinas and Luna would be happy to see those two. Damian. I think the same will be true for you.’
It was when Leo smiled and clenched his fist.
*Sizzle-! Buzz*!
Damian’s body began to blur instantly.
The moment he saw that, Leo paused.
Soon, Damian’s figure, which had been repeatedly scattering and reappearing, changed.
Damian’s form was nowhere to be seen.
Standing there was a canine beast-woman, draped in a silver wolf hide.
*Clang- Clang*!
Short leather shorts that exposed her legs.
Her top was also a highly exposed leather armor that revealed her shoulders, stomach, and waist.
Ring-shaped bracelets and anklets jingled with every movement.
Attire unsuitable for battle.
But she was clad in a chilling fighting spirit like armor.
It was an outfit that seemed to show a will to break through the battlefield bare-handed.
Leo narrowed his eyes.
“Great Warrior.”
Azhonia curled up the corners of her mouth towards Leo.
Seeing her, Leo realized.
“Indeed. So I’m not the only one being tested.”
Leo knew people who enjoyed testing others in this way.
He had seen it in ancient texts.
Not when they were alive, but before they died.
“A god.”