Book 1 Chapter 588

588.

Posteritas.

This sword could be anything.

It could be a sword if you wished, sometimes a staff, and if you only desired, it became a summoning catalyst.

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

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

And it was also a sword that gifted new possibilities to the future with its owner and then vanished.

'Why is this…'

Kyle gripped the hem of the cloak he wore.

'A subspace has opened.'

Not just Posteritas.

The magic imbued in the cloak came alive.

As a result, he could take out all the equipment in the subspace.

As if to say, "Don't worry."

It felt as if someone had helped him.

Suddenly, he remembered when his Spirit Summoning Art awakened before.

Lisinas's mana, as if it had a will.

Kyle, unknowingly clutching Posteritas tightly, opened his mouth.

"Are you… here now?"

There was no reply.

"No way, I guess…"

It was then that he gave a bitter smile.

Thump-

Something pushed his back.

Startled, he looked back, but there was no one there.

"…"

Kyle, with a blank expression, looked forward.

"Right."

Kyle fixed his gaze straight ahead.

"I must move forward."

With renewed resolve, he fully drew Posteritas.

Whoosh-!

The sword reacted to Kyle's mana.

This sword was a fake created with the power of Hero's Record.

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

'The artifacts Dweno creates are truly amazing.'

They give unwavering trust.

The belief that they will never betray.

They become a pillar that users can rely on until the very end to fulfill their convictions.

Kyle pointed the sword towards the flames of disaster.

"Once again… I ask for your help."

Whoosh-!

Watching Posteritas respond to his words, Kyle curled the corners of his lips.

***

"Lord Lumern…"

"It's Lord Lumern."

"Knight of Twilight…!"

The hero candidates gathered around Lumern, looking at him with admiring eyes.

A great hero was before their eyes.

Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, and Luna, the Progenitor of the Nebula.

And Arwon, the Champion, had reappeared in the present world.

Most of those present had even witnessed that sight directly.

But even so, the encounter with the Hero of Creation does not fade.

Because the hero before them was one of those who opened a new era.

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

Awe filled the eyes of the hero candidates.

Lumern looked at them and spoke.

"How did you get here?"

"Excuse me?"

Celia looked slightly flustered by Lumern's question.

"It must have been almost impossible to penetrate Erebus's flames, wasn't it?"

Wareden spoke, seeing Lumern's perplexed expression.

"We merely did as Lord Lumern taught us."

"As I taught you?"

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

At Wareden's words, Lumern's eyes wavered for a moment.

At that moment, Eliza, who had carried Ar in the air, landed on the ground.

"How about that! You damn fire-lump! I kicked it!"

"You're spouting such nonsense after collapsing from exhaustion in a single strike. Healers! Quickly treat his burns!"

Eliza lifted Ar, who had severe burns all over his body, and handed him over to the healers.

The burns were wounds caused by Lunia's White Flame, not Erebus's flames.

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

"Hmph, a glorious wound… Nyaaahhhk!"

Ar, who was strutting at Lunia's chiding, screamed at the healers' touch.

Watching this, Lumern showed a surprised expression.

"Animal transformation…?"

The ability to freely transform into an animal was a unique power only possessed by Arwon, the Champion.

A realm that even his comrade Azonia had never reached.

It wasn't just Ar.

Lumern was even more surprised to find beast-kin students who had transformed due to the influence of Ar's howling.

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

"Hmph, don't worry… Ugh?!"

"Don't say 'don't worry' when you're dry-heaving from exhaustion!"

"Go do that somewhere else!"

Elf and Dwarf students shrieked, pushing Ar to each other.

"I'm dizzy… Ugh!"

"Get away from me!"

Someone approached, seeing Ar being pushed around helplessly.

"Is it my turn to step up?"

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

As Chelsea tilted her head, Kal puffed out his chest.

"Did you forget I mastered Dweno's alchemy?"

"Ah, right. Now that you mention it, you were the best drug-maker in our school, weren't you?"

"…That sounds weird, doesn't it?"

Kal squinted his eyes and fumbled in his pocket.

"Call me the best supporter who can always assist you all in perfect condition."

Kal grumbled and pulled out a large syringe.

Ar, whose stomach was upset from exhaustion due to stamina depletion, flinched when he saw it.

Kal looked at Ar, who had his ears and tail perked up in caution, and said.

"Hold him."

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

"Didn't they say the Champion's descendant fears nothing? And he didn't even bat an eye at more severe injuries, so what's so scary that he's exaggerating?"

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

"Nyaaahhhk! Aaaahhhk!"

Kal firmly plunged the large syringe into Ar's shoulder as he struggled.

Watching this, the Azonia students turned their heads.

"How embarrassing."

"To think that's our leader."

"With what face are we supposed to meet Lord Azonia?"

"Lord Lumern will think we're pathetic."

Listening to the despairing murmurs of the Azonia students, Lumern thought to himself.

'…He's just like Azonia.'

Lumern's gaze, which had been fixed on Ar for a moment, shifted to Kal.

'But who exactly is this child?'

At a glance, he was incomparable to the students here.

Various school students gathered around Kal, who had injected Ar with a special stamina recovery potion.

"Your command was perfect, wasn't it?"

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

"You're not just good at tricks, huh? Next time we have a joint class, want to party with us?"

Everyone present had no choice but to admit it.

It was possible because Kal was there to get them this far.

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

If so, Kal deserved to be here.

And he could guess how many limits he had faced to get here.

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

Someone different from himself, who couldn't overcome his limits.

The image of a hero he had so desperately wanted to be.

'I'm envious.'

It was then that Lumern clenched his fist.

"Lord Lumern!"

Kal approached Lumern.

And he handed the staff in his hand to Lumern.

"This! This is what Lord Lian entrusted to me! They said it's something that can destroy Erebus's core!"

"You keep it."

"Yes?"

"Because I will open the way."

Kal's face stiffened at those words.

Because he realized what Lumern was trying to do.

"Wait a minute! 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 strength, that was impossible.

'He plans to open the way, prepared to die!'

Kal's face hardened.

'I have to help!'

Kal gritted his teeth.

Lumern was too great a figure for him to dare to say he would help.

Yet, the current Lumern needed help.

Even the greatest people kneel when they are struggling.

Because they are great, they shoulder more.

As such, once they kneel, it's hard to get back up.

'We might be able to help him get back up!'

Kal gritted his teeth and ran to Eliza.

"Eliza!"

"Huh? Why, why!?"

Eliza was momentarily flustered, seeing Kal holding her shoulder and speaking urgently.

"Take me to the sky!"

"Oh, okay."

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

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

"We might be able to support Lord Lumern, but fighting alongside him would be difficult, I think. We'd be lucky if we didn't hold him back."

Lunia nodded at Driana's words.

"Right, if we make a mistake, we might even hold Lord Lumern back…"

"Normally that would be true! But right now, Lord Lumern needs our help!"

Kal gritted his teeth and looked at Lumern's back.

'This is the problem with truly great people! They know they can't handle it alone, but they try to take responsibility for everything themselves!'

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

That he must fulfill his responsibility by becoming a foundation for a new era.

'He's truly a noble human being!'

He admired such a Lumern.

Because he knew what kind of person he was, he could genuinely respect him.

However…

'Now is not your time to end!'

It wasn't simply because he would lose Lumern.

He didn't want to see it.

The hero he had so admired and been proud of dying.

Kal didn't want to see him finally giving up and being defeated.

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

He must have thought that Lumern, who had given up on life, had no hope.

'Leo, how were you able to subjugate Erebus by yourself?'

He recalled the question he had asked Leo previously.

Leo had answered that question like this:

'Because I wanted to live.'

Leo smiled.

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

Even the Hero of Beginnings wanted to live, which is why he accomplished that feat.

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

Kal, who screamed inwardly, said.

"I'll try to command somehow."

He clenched his fist tightly.

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

Helping Lumern, who had knelt, stand up would be impossible with their strength alone right now.

'Only Leo would be capable of something like that!'

Because only someone who saved the world could understand the despair of someone who saved the world.

But.

'We can hold him so he doesn't fall!'

Kal gripped the staff Lian had left behind.

"That place is a battlefield you will stand on someday!"

Kal spoke strongly.

At his words, the students' eyes widened.

"That 'someday' might be tomorrow! Will you just pass it on to someone else, saying you're not qualified even then?"

At Kal's words, fighting spirit surged in the eyes of the hero candidates.

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

Kal said powerfully.

"Your selves who can overcome limits at any time! I will help you with all my might!"

"Not 'you all', Kal."

Eliza, next to Kal, clicked her tongue.

"It's 'us'."

At that, Kal showed an embarrassed expression.

Chen Xia, watching this, tilted her head.

"That's strange."

"What is?"

As Celia looked puzzled, Chen Xia smiled faintly.

"When did those two become so close?"

It was then that Celia's eyes widened.

-So you're not just foolishly imitating.

Fwoosh-!

Kal's body stiffened at the voice from behind.

Turning back, he saw black flames burning there.

Erebus smiled eerily, looking at Kal.

-There was another fool.