Book 1 Chapter 591

591.

The hero candidates, who had been cheering, one by one slumped down into their seats.

The intense tension eased, and a sense of relief washed over them, signifying that it was finally over.

"Ugh, I seriously thought I was going to die this time."

"We couldn't afford even the slightest mistake… Do heroes… all go through such chilling battles?"

"Look, my hands are still trembling."

Everyone was busy talking about the battle they had just experienced.

They had overcome countless trials while attending the Hero Academy.

But compared to today's experience, those didn't even count as trials.

They had even directly witnessed the battle between Erebus and the Grand Hero, but they hadn't imagined they would directly face Erebus like this.

"I really feel how amazing the Grand Heroes and the Heroes of Genesis are."

Even Celia, who always showed a perfect demeanor, shook her head while slumped on the floor.

"Ugh! It was re~ally! Hard!"

Ar lay sprawled on the floor.

He was so exhausted that he couldn't even grasp the reality of having accomplished something great.

Everyone simply wanted to rest.

Ar gazed up at the sky, his brow furrowed slightly.

The dazzling sunlight tormented his eyes.

It was as Ar, his eyes squinting at the sunlight, was about to close them.

Step- Step-

Someone walked over and covered Ar's face with their shadow.

"Huh? Who?"

His vision was blurred by the pouring sunlight, making it difficult to see the face clearly.

Ar's blue eyes, which had been squinting at the other person's face, widened abruptly.

"You worked hard. You were amazing, weren't you?"

Ar, who had been gaping at Kael's smiling face, sprang to his feet.

"Nuuooohh?!"

Everyone's attention instantly fixed on Ar, who was letting out a strange scream.

And upon discovering the man standing in front of Ar, everyone wore expressions of shock.

"Wa-wait! Is that real?!"

"Why is he here?! This is Lumerne's world!"

"A, a fake?"

Everyone wore expressions of disbelief.

'Leo oppa?'

Chelsea's eyes widened as she looked at the Hero of Genesis.

Kael, whose eyes met Chelsea's for a moment, smiled faintly.

'It is Leo oppa.'

Even in Leo's form, there was a charisma that overwhelmed his surroundings.

But now, he displayed an overwhelming charisma that was incomparable to when he was in Leo's form.

'Well, that must be his original form.'

It wasn't that Leo was mimicking someone his age.

He had always been mature.

He must have simply hidden his true self and naturally blended in with them.

Sometimes pushing them from behind.

Sometimes showing his back from the front and moving forward.

Chelsea nodded, thinking of Leo, who must have been helping them grow without revealing his true self.

'He's a true adult.'

It was then that she realized it anew.

"H-handsome…"

Eiran muttered blankly, clasping her hands together.

"Eiran, you're drooling."

"Huh?! Slurp."

At Chen Xia's words, Eiran flinched and wiped her mouth.

"But he is handsome."

Chen Xia also gasped in admiration.

Those who knew Leo's true identity were impressed by this new side of him.

Lunia silently gazed at Kael.

'A goal to reach someday.'

It was then that Lunia clenched her fist tightly.

"Um… are you Sir Kael, the Hero of Genesis?"

Ar asked cautiously.

"Yes, why?"

"Huh? H-how are you in Lumerne's world?"

"When I opened my eyes, it was a world 5000 years later. Erebus was there, so I dealt with him. But chasing him led me here."

Kael said calmly.

"What exactly is this place?"

"This place is called the World of Heroes."

Chloe continued Ar's words and explained the Hero Record.

"There are strange things in the future, too."

Kael said calmly.

'Leo oppa is really good at acting.'

It was then that Chelsea chuckled inwardly, watching him.

The students, who had been stiff from Kael's appearance, snapped out of it.

Then they immediately flocked around Kael and began to bombard him with questions.

"Sir Kael! How did you feel when you fought Erebus alone?"

"What is the reason Grand Heroes can appear in the present world?"

"Were you really in a relationship with Lady Luna?!"

Unable to contain their curiosity, the students asked questions wildly.

Grand Heroes were figures of awe, but there were also many questions about them.

The students who had the fortune to speak with a Grand Hero did not want to miss this opportunity.

Forgetting their fatigue, the students of the Hero Academy gathered around Kael.

"What is everyone doing together… *gasp*?"

"The Hero of Genesis?"

Kal, who had returned supporting Lumerne, discovered Kael and looked startled, and Eliza wore an expression of disbelief.

Just then, Lumerne approached Kael.

Then the students parted to the left and right.

Everyone held their breath at the unbelievable sight of the Grand Hero and the Hero of Genesis meeting.

"I… was able to come this far by admiring you. I was even presumptuously called your successor. May I…"

Lumerne gripped his hand.

"Am I worthy to follow in your footsteps?"

Just as Lumerne's students here admired Lumerne and followed in his footsteps.

Lumerne had followed in Kael's footsteps.

But he had shown an unsightly display to the one he respected.

Kael, who had been silently watching Lumerne, put his hand into his cloak.

And he drew a sword.

It was an old sword.

The sword he had used until he received Posteritas from Dwenno.

"It's the sword I've used for the longest time."

Kael handed the sword to Lumerne.

"It's yours now. That should be your answer, right?"

"…"

Lumerne received the sword with trembling hands.

"You don't need qualifications to follow me. I'm not that great of a person to demand such things."

"Thank you…"

"No, I should be thanking you."

Kael smiled.

"Thank you for not giving up."

His hand, gripping the sword, tightened.

Kael's recognition was an invaluable thing to Lumerne, something he wouldn't trade for anything.

It felt as if thousands of years of effort were finally being rewarded.

Kael, taking his gaze off Lumerne, looked at the hero candidates.

"I watched you fight."

At those words, the hero candidates held their breath.

"I thought about helping… but it didn't seem necessary."

Kael curled the corners of his lips.

"So be proud of the great feat you accomplished today. Hold your heads high. You will undoubtedly,"

Kael's gaze, which had been looking at each hero candidate one by one, finally turned to Kal.

"become heroes."

[Lumerne's World: Final Chapter - Sacrifice has been cleared.]

With those words, a "clear complete" message appeared in the students' vision.

Flash-!

With a bright light, the World of Heroes sent the students back to their original world.

Only two people remained in the World of Heroes.

Kael and Lumerne.

Flash-!

A bright light erupted from Kael's body as well.

At the same time, he returned to Leo's form.

"My body's aching after going wild for the first time in a while."

Lumerne couldn't help but laugh unknowingly as Kael, who had been about the same height as him moments ago, became shorter than him.

"Stop wandering now."

Leo patted him on the shoulder, saying.

"I am me, and you are you. You just need to follow your own path."

"…I understand now."

"Then that's enough."

Leo put his hands on his hips and stretched his back.

"How's Erebus, who is trapped?"

"…Seirune informed us of Sir Kael's existence, and since then he has rapidly grown stronger. As if he had been hiding his power all this time."

"As expected."

The fragment of Erebus that Leo and Seirune had together restrained in Seirune's world before.

It was a large shard that had broken off from the main body of the fragment.

And the fragment in Lumerne's world was even smaller than that.

But the power they possessed was comparable.

That could only mean one thing.

That the fragment of Erebus had become much stronger than it was then.

"No, it must have been strong from the start."

Leo narrowed his eyes.

"He must have been using the World of Heroes as fuel to increase his power."

A flame grows stronger the more it burns.

Until there is nothing left to burn.

It increases its firepower.

The World of Heroes was a prison to hold Erebus, but it was also fuel that amplified his power.

Just as Leo defeated Erebus and converted his power into divine power.

Erebus, too, was clearly absorbing divine power as his own strength.

He must have secretly cultivated his power for thousands of years.

The fact that such an Erebus suddenly revealed his power meant.

"He, too, must have realized Sir Kael's existence and grown impatient."

"How much longer can he last?"

"I don't know. However…"

Lumerne looked at Kael's sword.

"Seirune and Rodia, who met you… and I have clearly grown in thousands of years. So we will hold out as long as possible. We will absolutely not collapse easily. We will stop him until the very, very end."

"I'm counting on you."

"Leave it to me."

Lumerne smiled proudly.

With that, the world began to crumble.

The cleared world was disappearing.

A bright light began to shine from Leo's body as well.

"Ah. By the way, I forgot to say this."

Leo said as if he had just remembered something.

"Seirune and Rodia."

"Yes."

"Tell those damn elves and rotten lizards."

"Yes?"

Lumerne looked bewildered as Leo's words suddenly turned harsh.

"Tell them that next time I see them, I'll shave off all their hair."

"…"

Watching the growling Leo, Lumerne thought.

'He found out I called them an idiot and a moron.'

Lumerne shook his head, recalling the two.

Flash-!

With a bright light, Leo vanished.

***

A void space where nothing existed.

In its center stood a child with gray hair and eyes.

The child, holding a large book the size of his torso, opened his mouth.

"The Record Keeping Meeting will now begin."

At those words, colorful orbs were generated in the void space.

-Unexpected.

A surprised voice flowed from the orb emitting a yellowish-green light.

-We thought we would no longer be given the right to select heroes.

"That's right. Piva. This meeting is entirely my own unilateral decision."

-Hmph~ You all acted as if you would follow whatever the Hero of Genesis said. But in the end, you wanted to do whatever you pleased, didn't you?

-Even if you've changed, in the end, you're the same kind as us.

The taunts of the gods were heard from all directions.

Rian smiled faintly as he listened to the sounds.

"I plan to end the role of the gods by selecting only four more heroes."

-Why four?

When Piva asked in a serious tone, Rian replied.

"Because I believe our given role is to select the successors of the King of Wisdom, the Brave, and the God's Blacksmith."

Rian said calmly.

"I believe it is our duty, who gifted the Hero Record to the lower world."

At those words, the gods who had been taunting Rian fell silent.

-If it's selecting the successors of the King of Wisdom, the Brave, and the God's Blacksmith, that's three, isn't it? Who is the remaining one?

To another god's question, Rian replied.

"We'll talk about that later. For now, I request a meeting regarding whether or not to record Ar Tune."

-Ar Tune… She did receive recognition from the Brave.

-Honestly, hasn't she reached an area that the Brave couldn't? Do you think that makes sense? Her ability to turn others into spirits, I mean.

-But she hasn't overcome a trial worthy of a hero's position, has she? She's in contrast to Lunia El Rundia. Of course, she was selected by the progenitor of the nebula.

-A lack of trials is no longer the case. Look at her performance against that monstrosity this time. If she can't be a hero, then who can?

The gods discussed Ar in depth.

There was no playful atmosphere as usual.

The meeting proceeded in a very solemn state.

They, too, agreed with Rian's words.

That selecting the successors of the Grand Heroes was their duty.

"Then… do we acknowledge Ar Tune as a hero?"

After the meeting ended, Rian asked for a final decision.

There were no dissenting votes.

"Unanimously, Ar Tune will be recorded in the Hero Record. Her epithet is…"

Rian opened the Hero Record.

"The one who inherits the Brave's will."

Ar's name and epithet were recorded in the Hero Record.

After the meeting, the gods conversed.

It was a discussion about the recent events.

Just as the boisterous atmosphere was returning, Piva opened his mouth.

-Rian. Of the four heroes you mentioned we must select, are you perhaps referring to Kael's successor?

"Are you crazy? How dare you and I discuss the successor of the Hero of Genesis? Are you out of your mind? Go kneel before Sir Kael's statue and apologize right now!"

Rian shouted, even pointing his finger.

At Rian's reaction, Piva sighed deeply.

-Then who is it?

"Our last duty."

At Rian's words, all the gods showed puzzled reactions.

"To select the hero of a new era and completely end the age of the gods. Therefore, I propose an agenda item regarding the record of one more person."

Rian stopped speaking, took a breath, and then opened his mouth.

"I request your permission to record Kal Thomas in the Hero Record."