Book 1 Chapter 589
589.
At the gaze of the primordial evil looking at him, Cale felt goosebumps all over his body.
‘It’s different.’
This wasn't the first time he had seen Erebos with his own eyes.
In fact, he had even indirectly participated in battle.
But the pressure Cale felt now was different from what he had experienced before.
He automatically felt his breath catch.
Erebos hadn't really done anything specific.
He had merely recognized the human named Cale.
But just that alone made it impossible for him to breathe.
Cold sweat poured like rain all over his body.
It felt as if he would die just from a transcendent being recognizing him.
Cale could see it in his eyes.
The unfathomable depth of malevolence possessed by the primordial evil.
A destructive being that humans could never understand.
Death.
It was when Cale had that intuition.
*Swoosh-!*
Lumerin, who appeared before Cale, swung his sword.
*Slashed-!*
The sword imbued with the Twilight Aura split space.
Erebos’s existence, whose waist was severed in two, was distorted.
He didn't merely cut Erebos.
He literally cut the space itself.
It was an attack that dealt damage even to the root of existence.
For an instant, Erebos's body flickered.
Lumerin struck the ground with his hand.
*Vwoom-!*
Lumerin's magic power, seeping into the ground, created a magic circle.
“Dusk.”
*Flash-! Kabooom!*
The Twilight magic power soared into the sky.
Seeing that, Lunia opened her eyes wide.
“Star Magic?”
She had never heard that Lumerin had learned Star Magic.
Furthermore, the era Lumerin lived in was before Star Magic became widespread.
This was magic Seyrun had created for Lumerin.
Just as Luna had gifted Innocent Magic to Kyle.
Seyrun had also gifted Dusk to Lumerin.
It was Lumerin's unique magic, created based on the Star Magic formulas.
“Amazing…”
As Eiran mumbled blankly, Lumerin gritted his teeth.
“Nothing amazing about it.”
“Huh?”
Lumerin glared up at the sky.
The scattered black flames gathered in one place and returned to a human form.
“The magic is great, but… I haven’t properly completed this magic.”
Lumerin's hand, gripping the sword, tightened.
Bending his knees, Lumerin leaped into the sky.
*Thud-!*
The ground was deeply indented, and a thick cloud of dust billowed out.
Towards the black flames that had begun to burn once again, Lumerin roared.
“Your opponent is me!”
*Clang-! Craaack-!*
The sword imbued with the Twilight Aura and Erebos’s arm crossed in the air.
At the same time, cracks began to appear in the sky.
-I have no interest in a living corpse.
Erebos looked down at the ground without even glancing at Lumerin.
More precisely, he looked at Cale.
-What bothers me the most right now is that human.
Cale, reflected in Erebos’s eyes, was an extremely threatening presence.
For the primordial evil, the most hateful being was not Kyle.
Certainly, Kyle had shattered Erebos’s body into pieces and sealed it.
But what made that possible was Lysinas, the King of Wisdom.
The one who ignited the dying embers of salvation and made the world’s possibilities bloom.
What is commonly called the ability to create miracles.
Of course, comparing Lysinas and Cale is absurd.
No matter how much Cale struggles, he cannot become like Lysinas.
Because what Cale possesses are only fragmented aspects of Lysinas.
‘But that he possesses abilities similar to that foolish one cannot be tolerated. Moreover….’
Erebos's eyes narrowed.
What Cale possessed was not just Lysinas’s traits.
In this battlefield, despite trembling in fear not knowing when he might die, he did not lose the courage to fight.
He placed absolute trust in others' potential.
He also possessed the belief that there is hope even in desperate situations.
Crucially…
He doesn’t give up.
From the moment he perceived Cale’s existence, there were more than one or two bothersome aspects.
Despite his meager abilities, he resembled the great heroes.
He must be erased from the world as soon as possible.
Thinking so, Erebos swung his hand towards Lumerin, who had come right in front of him.
-Don’t interfere, Knight of Twilight.
*Thunk-!*
Lumerin plunged his sword into Erebos’s chest.
At that moment, Erebos’s hand grabbed Lumerin’s head.
*Crackle-!*
Twilight Mana surged from Lumerin’s body.
Seeing that, Erebos’s eyes narrowed.
-Is this what you ultimately came up with?
“Those children will take care of the rest.”
Lumerin grinned.
*Kaboooom-!*
A gigantic mana storm soared into the sky.
***
*Kaboooom-!*
The gigantic mana storm rising in the middle of the Erec training ground blew away Erebos’s faintly burning flames.
Seeing that, Hark mumbled blankly.
“Twilight Mana… Lord Lumerin?”
Hark wasn't the only one who opened his eyes wide.
Elena, also from Lumerin’s three great families, was likewise.
The gigantic mana storm from a moment ago.
It was so similar to Lumerin's power that the two of them had heard about.
Kyle, who had suppressed Erebos’s flames, narrowed his eyes.
‘The source of mana… is the Hero Record, then.’
An immense shock had penetrated the hero’s world and even influenced the real world.
*Thump-!*
Kyle descended to the ground.
Due to the attack a moment ago, Erebos’s flames had completely vanished.
As the fierce battle reached a lull, those who had participated in the fight gathered around Kyle.
“Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings…”
“The Great Hero who subjugated Erebos…”
While everyone looked at Kyle and murmured, Hark knelt.
“We greet the great Hero of Beginnings.”
At Hark’s action, everyone who had been fighting against the flames of disaster hurriedly knelt.
“We greet the great Hero of Beginnings!”
There was no need to distinguish between heroes and hero candidates.
The being before their eyes was the very person who, 5000 years ago, alone subjugated Erebos and saved the world.
He was the reason they could now live and breathe, and the man who gifted them the future.
Anyone living in this era couldn’t help but revere him.
They couldn’t help but show respect.
“Everyone, stand up.”
Even at Kyle’s words, people couldn't easily stand up and hesitated.
Seeing that, Kyle clicked his tongue and approached Illiana, who happened to be nearby.
“Gasp?!”
As Kyle approached her, Illiana took a sharp breath, shrank her neck, and bowed her head even lower.
*Grab-!*
“Kyaaak?!”
Kyle grabbed Illiana by the nape of her neck.
Illiana, whose eyes had widened in extreme surprise, averted her gaze with a thoroughly reddened face.
She was so surprised that she ended up dangling in the air, but couldn't move an inch.
Kyle put Illiana down on the ground and made her stand by force.
“I didn’t save the world to be revered.”
Kyle said indifferently.
“So stop this embarrassing act.”
Only then did people look around cautiously and carefully stand up.
Seeing that, Illiana, with a thoroughly reddened face, shyly spoke to Kyle, who was clicking his tongue.
“Lord Kyle. Ah, thank you so much for saving me earlier. How can I ever repay this favor….”
Her classmates who knew Illiana saw that and twisted their faces.
‘Why is she like that?’
‘Did she eat something wrong?’
‘This feels sickening.’
Normally, they would have jeered, but because they were in front of the great hero, they dared not.
Kyle reached out his hand to Illiana’s head, who had a tense expression, and ruffled her hair.
“Haa.”
Illiana’s face turned even more crimson.
*Thump- Thump-*
It was when Kyle was approaching the Hero Record in the center of the Erec training ground.
*Thud-*
Professor Harland stood in front of Kyle.
He bowed his head deeply towards Kyle and said.
“Oh Hero of Beginnings. I have something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“You saved this world, and 5000 years have passed.”
Harland made eye contact with Kyle.
“Last time, you subjugated the monster queen Shilartuna, and even now you have appeared in this era. It’s not just you. Lady Luna, the progenitor of the nebula, and the brave Arion have also reappeared in this era and saved us repeatedly, haven’t they?”
Harland said in a serious voice.
“How is such a thing possible?”
Kyle, who was looking into Harland’s eyes, let out a chuckle.
‘Professor Harland, as expected.’
At first, they would consider it a miracle.
But if miracles happen repeatedly, people come to rely on them.
It is certainly a joyful thing that great heroes of the past appear in this era and fight for them.
But such things do not repeat infinitely.
Professor Harland did not ask Kyle the question to inquire about the reason great heroes can appear on Earth.
He asked this question because he was wary of people relying on heroes of the past.
He had words he wanted to hear from Kyle.
“Even I don’t know that well.”
Kyle said calmly.
“Even I don’t know why we could appear in this era. However.”
“However?”
“Don’t rely on us.”
Kyle gave Professor Harland the answer he wanted.
“We are merely helping you.”
Kyle looked around at those who wanted to follow him and walk the path of a hero, and said.
“What saves and sustains this era are not beings of the past. It is you who live in this era.”
“…”
“I am proud of you.”
Kyle said.
“It’s not just me. Lysinas, Luna, Arion, and Dweno. They will certainly be proud of you who dedicate yourselves to the world.”
*Thump- Thump-*
Kyle approached Lumerin’s Hero Record again.
“So don’t cling to us, who are merely past glories. What creates the era is.”
Kyle reached out his hand to Lumerin’s Hero Record.
“Because it’s you.”
*Swoosh-!*
A bright light enveloped Kyle.
‘It’s always hard to imitate you, Lysinas.’
Gripping the hem of his cloak on his chest, Kyle gave a bitter smile.
***
What Kyle saw first upon entering Lumerin’s world was the sky with a gaping hole.
“…Is it the aftermath of the mana storm from a moment ago?”
There was a dark hole.
Kyle could tell that beyond it was the real world.
*Whoosh-!*
Not far away, black flames shot up.
As Kyle turned his gaze, he saw hero candidates fighting against Erebos.
‘Where’s Lumerin?’
Lumerin, whom he thought would be fighting alongside them, was not visible.
Also, Erebos seemed to have taken a major blow and couldn’t properly unleash his power.
“…”
At that moment, someone’s sprawled figure not far away caught Kyle’s eye.
It was a man Kyle knew.
Lumerin, the Knight of Twilight.
He was the Hero of Genesis who followed in his footsteps.
“So that’s how it was.”
Kyle, who understood the situation, approached Lumerin.
He rolled Lumerin, who had fallen face down and was faintly breathing, over with his foot, making him face the sky.
“*Cough-! Cough-!*”
Lumerin, who coughed up blood, opened his eyes with difficulty.
“Who…?”
As if he didn't even have the strength to turn his head, Lumerin squeezed out his voice with difficulty.
*Thump- Thump-*
Kyle, without even glancing at Lumerin, approached a rock of suitable size, plopped down, and answered.
“Your senior.”