Book 1 Chapter 588

588.

Posteritas.

This sword could be anything.

It could be a sword if you wanted it to be, sometimes a staff, and a summoning catalyst if you wished.

This sword, holding infinite possibilities, was created by Dweno, inspired by Kyle.

This sword, named Future, is literally a sword for all classes with infinite possibilities.

It was also a sword that presented new possibilities to the future with its owner and then disappeared.

'Why is this…'

Kyle gripped the hem of the cloak he was wearing.

'An extra-dimensional space has opened.'

Not just Posteritas.

The magic imbued in the cloak had come alive.

As a result, all the equipment in the extra-dimensional space could be taken out.

As if to say not to worry.

It felt like someone had helped.

Suddenly, he remembered when his heroic spirit had awakened before.

The mana of Lisinas, which seemed to have a will of its own.

Kyle, who had unknowingly gripped Posteritas tightly, opened his mouth.

"Are… are you here now?"

There was no answer.

"It can't be…"

It was when he gave a bitter smile.

Thump-

Something pushed his back.

He turned around in surprise, but there was no one there.

"…"

Kyle, with a blank expression, looked ahead.

"Right."

Kyle fixed his gaze straight ahead.

"I must move forward."

With his resolve strengthened, he completely drew Posteritas.

Wooong-!

The sword reacted to Kyle's mana.

This sword was a fake, made with the power of Hero Record.

But the reaction when he held the sword was the same as the first time.

'The weapons made by Dweno are amazing.'

It gives firm faith.

Faith that it will never betray.

It becomes a pillar of support that the user can rely on until the very end to fulfill their convictions.

Kyle pointed the sword towards the flame of disaster.

"Once again… I'll be counting on you."

Wooong-!

Seeing Posteritas respond to his words, Kyle's lips curled upwards.

***

"Lord Lumern…"

"It's Lord Lumern."

"The Knight of Twilight…!"

The hero candidates who gathered around Lumern looked at him with envious eyes.

A great hero was before their eyes.

Kyle, the Hero of Beginning, and Luna, the Progenitor of Constellations.

And Arion, the Brave, had reappeared in the mortal realm.

Most of those present had witnessed that sight firsthand.

But even so, meeting the Hero of Revelation was not diminished.

The hero before them was one of the people who had opened a new era.

Moreover, he was the savior who had fought against Erebus for thousands of years in the world of heroes.

Awe filled the eyes of the hero candidates.

Looking at them, Lumern spoke.

"How did you get here?"

"Yes?"

Celica showed a slightly flustered expression at Lumern's question.

"Breaking through Erebus's flames must have been nearly impossible."

Seeing Lumern's perplexed expression, Worren spoke.

"We just did as Lord Lumern taught us."

"As I taught you?"

"Yes. We overcame our limits and arrived here. Just like Lord Lumern did."

At Worren's words, Lumern's eyes flickered for a moment.

Just then, Eliza, who had been carrying Ar in the air, landed on the ground.

"How about that! You damn fireball! I kicked it away!"

"You can still talk like that when you're exhausted after one blow. Healers! Hurry and treat his burns!"

Eliza handed Ar, who was severely burned all over, to the healers to be treated.

The burns were not from Erebus's flames but from Lunia's white flames.

"You foolish cat! I told you it was a reckless act!"

"Hmph, wounds of glory… Nyaaaah!"

At Lunia's scolding, Ar, who had been puffing his chest out, screamed at the healers' touch.

Lumern looked at the scene with a surprised expression.

"Shape-shifting…?"

Being able to shape-shift freely was a unique ability possessed only by Arion the Brave.

A realm that even his comrade Azonia could never reach.

Not only Ar.

Lumern was even more surprised to find beastkin students who had shape-shifted due to the influence of Ar's howling.

"The burns have been treated, but his stamina is too low!"

"Hmph, don't worry… Uoop?!"

"What are you worrying about when you're so exhausted you're about to throw up?!"

"Go do it somewhere else!"

Elf and dwarf students, flustered, pushed Ar back and forth.

"I'm dizzy… Uoop!"

"I told you to go away!"

As Ar was being pushed around frantically, someone approached.

"Is it my turn to step in."

"Cal, you only know basic healing magic, right?"

Chelsea tilted her head, and Cal puffed out his chest.

"Did you forget that I learned Dweno's alchemy?"

"Ah. Come to think of it, you were the best potion maker at our school."

"…The wording is strange?"

Cal's eyes narrowed, and he rummaged in his pocket.

"Just call me the best supporter who can always support you in peak condition."

Grumbling, Cal pulled out a large syringe.

Ar, whose stomach was upset from exhaustion, flinched upon seeing it.

Cal, watching Ar, whose ears and tail were perked up in alert, said,

"Hold him."

At his words, Driana and Chen Xia grabbed Ar's arms.

"Aren't the descendants of the Brave supposed to have no fear? Besides, you don't even flinch at worse injuries, so why are you acting so scared?"

"It doesn't hurt if you do it gently."

"Let gooooo! Aaaah!"

Cal forcefully injected the large syringe into Ar's shoulder, who was struggling.

The students of Azonia turned their heads away at the sight.

"It's embarrassing."

"To think that's our leader."

"What face do we have to meet Azonia with?"

"Lord Lumern will think we're pathetic."

Hearing the despairing mutters of the Azonia students, Lumern thought to himself.

'…He's just like Azonia.'

Lumern's gaze, after looking at Ar for a moment, turned to Cal.

'But what about this child?'

By appearance alone, he was incomparable to the students here.

As Cal injected Ar with a special stamina recovery potion, students from various schools gathered around him.

"Your command was perfect!"

"If it weren't for you, we would have kept struggling against the black flames!"

"You're not just good at thinking on your feet, are you? Want to form a party with us next time we have a joint class?"

Everyone here had to admit it.

It was possible to get this far because Cal was here.

'I see. He's a student who pushes others forward.'

Then Cal deserved to be here.

And he could guess how many limits he had encountered to reach this point.

'…He's a student who achieved what I couldn't.'

Himself, who couldn't overcome his limits, and someone else.

The image of a hero he so desperately wanted.

'I'm envious.'

It was when Lumern clenched his fist.

"Lord Lumern!"

Cal approached Lumern.

And handed him a staff in his hand.

"This! It's an item entrusted by Lian! He said it was something that could destroy Erebus's core!"

"You keep it."

"Yes?"

"I'll open the way."

At those words, Cal's face hardened.

He realized what Lumern was about to do.

"Wait! Lord Lumern!"

Lumern ran towards the direction where the black flames were flickering.

To destroy the core, it was necessary to completely dismantle Erebus's current form.

And with Lumern's current power, it was impossible.

'He intends to open the way with his life!'

Cal's face hardened.

'I have to help!'

Cal gritted his teeth.

It was too great a figure to dare to help.

Still, Lumern needed help now.

Even the greatest person kneels when they are in trouble.

Because they are great, they bear more.

As such, it is difficult to get up once they kneel.

'We might be able to help them get up!'

Cal gritted his teeth and ran to Eliza.

"Eliza!"

"Huh? Why, why!?"

Eliza was momentarily flustered by Cal, who grabbed her shoulder and spoke urgently.

"Take me to the sky!"

"Ah, okay."

Eliza, who would normally have roughly shaken off Cal's hand, nodded without realizing it.

"Everyone! I know it's tough, but let's fight with Lord Lumern!"

"It might be possible for us to support Lord Lumern, but fighting with him would be difficult. It would be fortunate if we didn't hold him back."

At Driana's words, Lunia nodded.

"That's right, we might end up holding Lord Lumern back…"

"Normally, we would! But Lord Lumern needs our help right now!"

Cal gritted his teeth and looked at Lumern's retreating back.

'That's the problem with overly great people! They try to bear everything themselves even when they know they can't handle it!'

He must be thinking that he, who couldn't overcome his limits, is now a person of the old era.

And that he must fulfill his duty by becoming fertilizer for the new era.

'He's a truly noble person!'

He admired such a person.

Because he knew he was such a person, he could respect him with all his heart.

But…

'Now is not the time for you to end!'

It wasn't simply because he would lose Lumern.

He didn't want to see it.

He didn't want to see the hero he admired and was proud of die.

Cal didn't want to see him finally give up and be defeated.

He understood why Lian in this world refused to help Lumern.

He probably thought Lumern, who had given up on life, was hopeless.

'Leo, how were you able to defeat Erebus alone?'

He recalled the question he had asked Leo before.

Leo had replied to that question.

'Because I wanted to live.'

Leo smiled.

'I wanted to live and see it. The world they wanted to see.'

Even the Hero of Beginning achieved that great feat because he wanted to live.

'If you are Leo's successor! You must live too!'

Cal shouted inwardly and said,

"I'll somehow lead the command."

He clenched his fist.

"It's all I can do… but I have to help Lord Lumern somehow!"

It would be impossible to get the kneeling Lumern back on his feet with their strength alone.

'Only Leo would be able to do something like that!'

Only someone who saved the world could understand the despair of someone who saved the world.

But.

'We can at least hold them so they don't fall!'

Cal gripped the staff Lian had left behind.

"That is a battlefield you will one day have to stand on!"

Cal said strongly.

At his words, the students' eyes widened.

"That someday could be tomorrow! Will you just push it off to someone else, saying you're not worthy then?"

At Cal's words, the hero candidates' eyes blazed with fighting spirit.

"Lord Lumern, who told us to overcome our limits, is fighting! So let's show him!"

Cal said powerfully.

"Show him that you can overcome your limits anytime! I'll do my best to help you!"

"It's not 'you,' Cal."

Eliza, who was next to Cal, clicked her tongue.

"It's 'us.'"

At her words, Cal wore a sheepish expression.

Chen Xia, watching the scene, tilted her head.

"That's strange."

"What is?"

Celica asked with a puzzled expression, and Chen Xia smiled.

"When did those two become so close?"

At her words, Celica's eyes widened.

-It wasn't just mimicking a foolish person.

Fwoosh-!

Cal's body stiffened at the voice from behind.

When he turned around, black flames were burning there.

Erebus looked at Cal and gave a chilling smile.

-There was another fool.