Book 1 Chapter 580

580.

Whoosh-! Flutter-

The billowing cloak captures the attention of the hero candidates.

With the appearance of the young man, Kyle, who had gray hair and eyes reminiscent of ash, it was as if time in the surrounding area had stopped for a moment.

Kyle's presence was that overwhelming.

Thump-

"Ah."

As Kyle took a step, the hero candidates gasped, as if time had only then begun to flow again.

'What is this? This presence.'

Ehn, who had taken on Leo's appearance through her unique magic, Mirror, unconsciously gulped dryly at Kyle's presence, which overwhelmed his surroundings just by existing.

As the successor to the Dragon Lord, Melina, Ehn had met countless heroes.

'No, comparing him to those heroes is rude in the first place… but…'

During summer vacation, he had even spoken directly with Arion.

He had also seen Luna up close when she was in Lumern not long ago.

Both Grand Heroes also possessed an overwhelming presence.

However, Kyle was different.

Arion possessed a gentle aura that brought a sense of calm just by being with him.

Luna, on the other hand, was friendly.

She approached and socialized with people around her without formality.

That's why just looking at Luna would bring a natural smile to one's face.

Even in battle, their demeanor didn't change much.

But Kyle was different.

He was overwhelmingly unapproachable.

He was like a sword drawn from its scabbard.

'The atmosphere can't change this much just by altering his appearance. Lord Leo has simply not revealed himself until now.'

Ehn clenched his fists tightly.

Thump- Thump-

Just then, Kyle stopped in front of Ehn.

"Don't be nervous."

"Ah…"

Ehn collected himself, looking at Kyle who spoke in a voice low enough for only him to hear.

"Raise your head and look your enemy straight in the eye. You're the next Dragon Lord, aren't you?"

Kyle's gray eyes glowed with sternness.

"What good will it do if you freeze up at just this much?"

"Yes, y-yes!"

Ehn was startled and straightened his back, standing tall.

Kyle smirked, seeing Ehn, and walked forward.

'…So that's it.'

Arion led people with immense courage.

The progenitor of the Nebula always encouraged people with a confident attitude.

'Lord Kyle… he pulls people along.'

Kyle's charisma pulls people along, strictly and resolutely.

That blade-like momentum is not directed at them.

It is directed at the enemy.

That gave immense trust.

Ehn realized that this was Kyle's way of instilling trust in people and took a deep breath.

"Are you truly the Hero of Beginnings?"

Hark asked with a troubled face.

"It must be Lord Kyle! Last year in Seirun, he came to save us with Lord Seirun!"

Lily said, her voice full of excitement.

It was then.

"Hero candidates! If you're ready, hurry and assist us!"

The Mage Hero, who had been holding back Erebus's flames, appeared riding his staff.

"We're continuously being pushed back! Right now, even your help is desperately needed!"

The mage shouted urgently.

"Now, now, whether it's Lord Kyle himself or not, does it matter? What's important now is getting rid of that."

At that moment, Elena stepped forward and brought order to the situation.

At her words, the hero candidates who had been stunned by Kyle's appearance flinched and came to their senses.

"Kyle? What nonsense are you… Ugh?!"

The Mage Hero, who had been wearing a confused expression, spotted Kyle and let out a shriek of horror before falling from his staff.

Thud-!

"The Hero of Beginnings, Kyle?"

Elena smiled faintly, looking at the Mage Hero who asked with his mouth agape, and then approached Kyle's back.

"Now, now, Hero of Beginnings. Please help us quickly."

Elena smiled brightly and pushed his back.

Seeing that sight, exclamations of admiration erupted from all over.

"As expected of Elena. I'm suffocating just looking at him."

"Is it a difference in capacity?"

It was while everyone was admiring him.

"I'll go when I'm ready, so stop pushing me, kid."

At Kyle's words, Elena paused, then swiftly appeared in front of Leo.

And she narrowed her eyes.

"That expression and tone, it reminds me of a rather uncute and impertinent junior. Besides, it seems there's a fake pretending to be a junior right now, isn't there?"

At her words, Kyle let out a chuckle.

At that sight, Elena's eyes narrowed further.

"I thought something was strange. Treating me, his senior and clearly older sister, like a child."

Leo was an anomalous existence from the start.

A growth rate at a level that couldn't be considered mere growth.

On top of that, a seasoned maturity with unfathomable depth.

It all made sense if he was actually 'Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings.'

Elena, who had vaguely sensed something odd upon seeing Ehn's appearance, became certain that Kyle was the same person as Leo upon seeing Kyle's emergence.

It was then.

Groooaaah-!

"W-what? Suddenly?! Aaaaargh?!"

"Everyone fall back!"

"The vanguards are caught in the flames! Healers!"

Heroes began to suffer critical injuries as Erebus, suddenly spewing even more powerful flames, intensified its attack.

Seeing this, Kyle clicked his tongue.

"It's noticed our presence."

"Oh dear."

Elena also felt something ominous and tried to quickly retreat to the rear.

At that moment.

Clutch-

"Huh?"

Kyle grabbed Elena's wrist and pulled her into his embrace.

Elena, unexpectedly held in Kyle's arms, widened her eyes.

Kyle hugged her even tighter and wrapped his cloak around them.

Flutter-!

Flash-! Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gang-!

Suddenly, space opened up and a massive flame engulfed Kyle.

Whoosh-!

If Elena had retreated to the rear as intended, she would have been hit directly by the attack.

'If that had happened, I would be dead.'

Elena shivered, feeling a chill.

But she soon regained her composure.

Kyle pulled Elena even closer into his embrace, so tight it was hard to breathe.

Whoosh-!

Kyle, shaking off the flames, swung his hand.

Whoosh-!

A crimson sword was formed in Kyle's hand.

The sword, imbued with the Phoenix, Fiora, pushed back the calamitous flames.

"Tell the others. To leave the front to me."

"Leo, alone?"

"Yes. You guys, who are nothing but rookies, will only get in the way if you foolishly interfere right now. That's not something someone ignorant of Erebus can deal with."

"Among the hero candidates, including myself, there are students with strength comparable to heroes. I don't think we'll be a hindrance to Leo. I'm sure we'll be helpful, right?"

Elena, rebelling against his words, protested in a slightly displeased voice.

Kyle released Elena from his embrace and said,

"What are you talking about?"

"Huh?"

"Rookies include those guys too."

Kyle said, pointing to the heroes fleeing from Erebus.

At that, Elena's mouth gaped.

Even so, treating even heroes who had achieved great feats as rookies was too much.

"Support me from the back. Understood? Elena."

"Yes? Y-yes!"

Elena, who had unconsciously stood at attention and answered, covered her mouth with a gasp.

"Good girl."

Kyle, treating her like a child who listens well to adults, walked towards Erebus.

Watching his retreating figure, Elena muttered blankly,

"It makes sense… that Lady Luna fell for him too."

***

Whoosh-!

Black flames raged all around.

But Kyle ignored them and approached Erebus.

These black flames were calamitous flames that caused critical injuries just by touching them.

However, fragments of such flames were not a great danger to Kyle.

He possessed the pure mana characteristic, which could be called Erebus's natural enemy.

And earlier, while conquering Dweino's world, he had also acquired Dweino's flames, which had served as a shield for the Grand Heroes against Erebus's flames.

Whoosh-!

Golden flames erupted from Kyle's body.

'That previous attack.'

Kyle narrowed his eyes, staring at Erebus's flames.

Suddenly, space cracked open in mid-air and black flames poured out.

There had been no sign whatsoever.

Probably, a hero of this era would have fallen to that attack.

It wasn't because the current heroes were weak.

'It's because heroes of this era have no information about Erebus at all.'

Erebus is not merely a monster that spews unquenchable calamitous flames.

A divine monster possessing the secrets of countless worlds and numerous powers.

That is Erebus.

During the Era of Calamity.

It was certainly the Grand Heroes who defeated Erebus.

But behind that, there were countless heroes who sacrificed their lives to complete the strategy for Erebus.

The conquest of Erebus was ultimately achieved through the ashes of piled-up heroes.

No matter how powerful a hero, they are powerless before unknown authority.

'That attack must have twisted the laws of space.'

It wasn't magic or anything like that.

It was literally the realm of miracles brought forth by a god.

'…Authority intervening in space… is it the head?'

Kyle saw through the true identity of the fragment sealed within the Hero of Creation.

It was clear that the fragment corresponding to the head, among the six divided fragments of Erebus, was sealed in the world of Creation.

'The problem is that a fragment of Erebus, which should be a mere mass of power without will, used its authority. Moreover…'

Whoosh-!

The unpleasant smell of the world burning stimulated Kyle's sense of smell.

A smell that only those who had fought a desperate battle with Erebus would recognize.

'The burnt smell is even more intense than before.'

Kyle's face contorted.

He had defeated fragments, thoughts, and pieces of Erebus until now.

But this current flame was the first to emit such a potent burnt smell.

'Does this mean it's more powerful than other flames? Why?'

The moment Kyle narrowed his eyes.

Groooaaah-!

Calamitous flames poured towards Kyle.

Though it was merely a mass of power, the calamitous flame was showing hatred towards Leo.

It knew.

That the being before it was the one who had subjugated it.

Seeing that, Kyle curled the corner of his mouth.

"We're on the same page."

Flash-!

Golden aura surged from the sword in his left hand.

Seeing that, the beastman hero's eyes widened.

"Golden aura?! Could it be Lord Arion's aura?!"

Swoosh-!

Kyle's sword sliced through all of Erebus's flames.

Whoosh-!

At that moment, black flames surged in front of Kyle.

Seeing that, Kyle spread his right hand and summoned a magic staff.

Kyle, who had been chanting since he brandished his sword, unleashed his magic.

"Annihilation."

Flash-! Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-gang!

A destructive starlight blew away Erebus's flames.

Everyone watching that terrifying sight shivered.

"Is that… the All-Class, Hero of Beginnings, Kyle…?"

"…He's completely Leo's superior version, isn't he?"

Everyone looked at Kyle's retreating back with astonished faces.

Crackling-! Pop-!

At that moment, the sword Kyle held cracked, and the orb of the magic staff shattered.

This sword and staff were top-quality items made by Driana.

Normally, he could have used them without breaking them, but now he had no time for subtlety and had to handle them roughly.

Whoosh!

Seeing the calamitous flames begin to blaze again, Kyle reached into subspace.

Hum- Hum-!

Instantly, certain armaments in subspace announced their presence.

Kyle paused at that.

"I don't want to overwork antiques."

Woo-oong-!

Despite Kyle's wry smile, the resonance did not stop.

Clack-!

Kyle pulled out a greatsword with a chipped edge from subspace.

At first glance, it was a greatsword that wouldn't be surprising if it broke at any moment.

At the appearance of the greatsword, whose functionality itself was questionable, Marigold, the student council president of Demian, who was preparing to support Kyle from the rear, widened her eyes.

"Is that Lord Dweino's divine artifact in Demian?"

At that moment-

Whoosh-!

Golden flames engulfed the greatsword.

Woo-oong-!

The pure white greatsword emitted a brilliant light.

A greatsword so beautiful it was like a work of art.

But it had no name.

Dweino had said.

An armament is just an armament.

But the nameless divine artifact knew too well what kind of heart its creator had when making it.

Its maker had died thousands of years ago.

People merely looked at the greatsword as a glorious relic of the past.

But the greatsword was returning to its glorious past self, burning its very last to fulfill its duty.

"He didn't give you guys names, did he."

Kyle gripped the greatsword anew.

"But he remembered every armament he made."

Whenever an armament broke, he would drink alcohol and genuinely grieve.

Hum-! Hum-!

The nameless greatsword resonated even more strongly.

"He's gone now, but don't worry."

Kyle lowered his stance.

"I will remember your end."

Smash-!

Kyle charged towards Erebus.

'Just hold on a little longer.'

Recalling those trapped in the world of heroes, Kyle tightened his grip.

'I'll come save you soon!'

***

"Kyaaaah! Student Council President! You're so cool!"

"Forget about that commoner girl! Come play with us! Huh?!"

"…"

Karl let out a hollow laugh and looked up at the sky.

From behind, Eliza's murderous gaze was fixed on him, as if screaming, 'What are you doing, you wretched commoner!'

'Someone… please.'

Karl's nose stung.

'Save me.'