Book 1 Chapter 622

622.

Reina, sword in hand, escaped from Plov Manor with the thought of fighting anything that threatened her territory.

'If he brought me here specifically to capture me, it means the entire Plov territory is his hostage.'

While she didn't want to be a burden to her son, Leo, Reina knew all too well that it was impossible.

Jorua possessed a power that even her prime self couldn't handle.

And she had already lost her Aura.

Staying in Plov Manor would only make her a burden.

'The good thing is that he's completely lost interest in me.'

The streets of Plov territory were rife with various dangers.

However, she thought it was better than being a hostage in that place.

Furthermore, the danger in the streets meant the people living there were also in danger.

'It will help even a little to protect the territory's people. Even if I've lost my Aura, the swordsmanship I've built up hasn't disappeared.'

It was true that her body had weakened after losing her Aura.

But Reina had consistently honed her swordsmanship.

Of course, if she exerted herself fully, her stamina would reach its limit in an instant, and pain would overwhelm her.

'But this is not the time to worry about such things.'

As Reina finished her preparations for any possible situation and stepped out onto the streets, a problem immediately arose.

Monsters and demonic beasts appeared.

On top of that, a demonic beast she had never seen before began summoning countless low-level flying demonic beasts.

'So that's the demonic beast called Fafnir.'

It was a demonic beast that was a major threat to the world during the Age of Cataclysm, which appeared in Lumen after Leo enrolled.

Though it had been extinct thanks to the great heroes, it was a demonic beast that had inexplicably reappeared in the present era.

And surprisingly, that demonic beast used summoning.

Demonic beasts poured out from the summoning magic circle.

'It's different from typical monster mages. The basic principle of that summoning is beast summoning. What is that monster's true identity?'

Reina was shocked by the unprecedented situation, but there was no time to hesitate.

The entire territory had descended into chaos.

"Mom! Let's run! Quickly!"

"Ah, no! Ron!"

"Leave this to me!"

She saw a demonic beast targeting the territory's people.

A boy around Leo's age was desperately protecting someone who appeared to be his mother, wildly swinging a sword.

Reina ran without hesitation.

*Snap-*!

She severed the neck of a low-level demonic beast from behind.

*Thud-*!

Reina, aiming for the vital point of the low-level demonic beast and killing it instantly, tightened her grip on her hand, feeling the shock.

While it might have looked like a simple kill, it was anything but.

She had perfectly targeted the vital point of the demonic beast, learned through countless battles long ago.

And she had compensated for her lack of strength with skill.

It was literally an advantage gained by surprise.

'The sword's influence is also significant.'

Reina looked at the sword in her hand.

It was a sword that could be called a masterpiece without reservation.

Her first real combat in twenty years.

'In the old days, I would have burned it away easily.'

Feeling a tinge of bitterness, Reina smiled faintly at the trembling boy.

"Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine. Miss."

"Oh my?"

Reina covered her mouth slightly and exclaimed.

"Huh? L-Lady Plov?!"

The boy's mother, recognizing Reina, was startled.

The boy also looked surprised upon hearing that.

Seeing them, Reina said,

"Take your mother and evacuate to the shelter immediately. The knights will protect you."

"B-But you need to evacuate too, my lady!"

The middle-aged woman said, but Reina shook her head.

"No, I have to protect the other territory's people. That is my duty."

*ROAR-*!

A demonic beast spotted the three and began to charge.

The boy and his mother were filled with fear.

Watching them, Reina gripped her sword with both hands.

"Don't worry about me and go quickly."

"Yes, yes! Mother. Let's go!"

"B-But my lady…"

"These dirty-looking things can be easily cut down."

Reina smiled sweetly at the middle-aged woman, who watched her with trembling eyes.

It was a smile Reina often used long ago.

For some reason, the middle-aged woman felt a sense of relief upon seeing it.

"Boy."

"Yes, yes!"

"You must protect your mother well, okay?"

"Yes! I will protect her with my life!"

"That's wrong."

"Huh?"

"You must live too. Otherwise, your mother will be sad."

"Ah, I understand!"

The boy quickly took his mother and left the scene.

The boy's eyes seared with the image of Reina's slender yet steadfast back.

'It's helpful that all the posing I did in front of the mirror during my school days paid off.'

She had practiced smiling to reassure people and various other things to instill confidence in urgent situations.

And now, it was paying off.

'Sister! That wouldn't help at all!'

Reina vaguely smiled, recalling the memory of kicking her younger brother Zis Zerdinger's butt as he laughed his head off.

"Well, I've been bluffing, but…"

*GRRRR-*!

A bear-like demonic beast, baring its vicious claws, roared and struck down.

*CRASH-*!

Reina narrowly dodged it and lunged forward, attempting to slice its neck.

*Snap-*!

The blade lodged in the demonic beast's neck.

But it was blocked midway and couldn't penetrate further.

"Tsk! As expected, this much strength isn't enough against a Blood Bear."

Quickly retrieving her sword, Reina, far from being intimidated, instead created distance from the enraged Blood Bear.

*ROAR-*!

Seeing the Blood Bear charging at her with its mouth open and arms raised, Reina took a deep breath and bent her knees.

*CRASH-*!

The spot where Reina had stood was shattered by the Blood Bear's fangs and claws.

Reina leaped as high as she could.

Her knee bones and muscles ached.

"I'm not even old enough to be a grandmother!"

Taunting, Reina rotated her body.

*WHIRRRRR-*!

Using the centrifugal force from her rotation, she fell towards the ground and struck the Blood Bear's neck.

The strength Reina had squeezed out was concentrated at the tip of her sword.

*CRUNCH-*!

With that strength, she snapped the Blood Bear's neck bone.

She also sliced through the tough hide and flesh as if cutting it.

During the process, her wrist bone likely fractured, and it began to ache.

But Reina paid it no mind.

"Cough! Cough-!"

Her entire body was overloaded from the excessive attack.

Coughing from the pain in her lungs, Reina coughed up blood.

But there was no time to rest.

"Ahhhhhh!"

She saw tens of territory's people being chased by flying demonic beasts.

*Tap-* *Tap-*!

Reina squeezed every ounce of strength from her body and leaped again.

Using the gaps between buildings, Reina steadily climbed onto the rooftops, then dashed towards a bird-like flying demonic beast with a grotesque face, and leaped onto its back.

"Where do you think you're going!"

*Snap-*!

*SCREEEEEECH-*!

Reina plunged her sword into the flying demonic beast's neck.

She narrowly avoided the vital point and stabbed it.

Despite the profuse bleeding due to the monster's strong vitality, it did not fall.

*SCREEEEECH-*!

The flying demonic beast ascended to shake off Reina on its back.

Reina's eyes gleamed coldly.

*Snap-*!

She applied more force to the sword lodged in the monster's neck.

*SCREEECH-*!

The flying demonic beast let out a scream and slightly lowered its altitude.

'I can't die before I land safely on the ground.'

Reina had a slightly worried expression when a beautiful, pure white Pegasus appeared in the sky.

Seeing it, Reina's eyes lit up, and she pushed her sword to the side, matching the Pegasus's altitude.

As she approached the Pegasus, she sliced off its neck and leaped onto its back.

***

"And that's what happened."

"That was too reckless! You could have been in serious trouble!"

"Isn't the result all that matters?!"

"Ahhhhh! I can't get through to you!"

"Ah! My older brother used to say that to me. Hohohohoho!"

"Are you laughing right now?!"

Celia clutched her head and screamed.

"Lady Reina. Your concern for the territory's people, and your passion. I am moved. It is an honor to have had a senior like you in Lumen."

"Oh my~ Thank you so much."

"This feeling for Lady Reina. It is surely true love."

"That's adultery!"

Celia shrieked with a flushed face, while Ulta looked bewildered.

"What lewd thoughts are you having, Celia? The form of love is varied. Passion between the opposite sexes is not the only form of love. Respect and admiration are also forms of love."

"Ugh! You said it in a way that Senior Ulta could misunderstand…"

"Not at all. What kind of fantasies do you have in your head, my nephew, that you immediately think of such things?"

"Hmm, I should tell Lis about this later…"

"Don't! Absolutely don't! If you do, I don't know what I'll do!"

Celia screamed back.

Reina chuckled at Celia's outburst.

Just then, flying demonic beasts spotted the three and began to exude killing intent.

Seeing this, Ulta said,

"Celia, I'm counting on you."

"Yes!"

Celia leaped from the Pegasus without hesitation.

*FLAME-*!

A huge flame flared around Celia, and soon began to burn the surrounding demonic beasts.

Looking at the flames of Aura, which rivaled large-scale magic, Reina smiled.

'Reminds me of the old days…'

Celia's appearance overlapped with her past self.

Ulta cautiously asked Reina,

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine. And thank you. Ulta, for distracting Celia so she wouldn't notice my condition."

Reina's body was trembling.

The tremors she had suppressed until just now rushed back at once.

It was the recoil from wielding her sword so excessively.

If Celia had noticed her condition, she wouldn't have been able to concentrate on the battle out of worry.

"That child has immense power, but she's still young, so I was worried."

Unwavering composure even when comrades died or were severely injured.

A mental fortitude that seemed almost ruthless was also a virtue required of heroes.

And Celia was still too young to possess such ruthlessness.

"I will descend to the ground as soon as possible."

"I'm fine, so don't rush."

***

*CRASHHHHHH-*!

Leo, holding Jorua's head, slammed him into the ground and ground his face.

"GRAAAAAAAAH!"

Jorua's roar of madness could be heard.

Leo, letting go of the struggling Jorua, kicked him away.

*FLASH! CRASHHHHHH-*!

Jorua's body flew and crashed.

*Thump-* *Thump-*

Leo approached Jorua with indifferent eyes.

"Impossible…"

Jorua muttered in denial.

Leo was currently overwhelming Jorua using only Aura.

He wasn't even using Kyle's swordsmanship at all.

He was easily overwhelming Jorua using only the flame and swordsmanship of the Zerdinger.

No matter what ability he used, it was rendered useless against Leo's flame.

"This is unbelievable! Unless you're using some trick!"

The true ability of all classes is the fusion of classes.

He hadn't used any of that.

Moreover, he was being thoroughly toyed with by the Zerdinger flame, which he was confident he had perfectly understood and further developed.

"That's what I told you."

Leo said carelessly.

*Snap-*! *FLASH-*!

"Kyahhhhhh!"

Leo's sword sliced Jorua.

He writhed in pain.

"You only ruin the abilities you steal. God? What a joke."

Leo asked, crushing Jorua's writhing head under his foot.

"This is the fifteenth time."

Leo looked down at Jorua with dry eyes.

"You know, if you die while using a stolen ability, you can never use that ability again, and you lose one life, right?"

At those words, Jorua flinched.

'How does he know that?'

This was a new ability he had acquired upon being resurrected by the Necromancer King.

An ability that didn't even exist in any literature in this world.

He had grasped the essence of that ability through a short battle.

For Jorua, it was a shocking fact.

But for Leo, who had to live through an abnormal Age of Cataclysm, inferring the opponent's abilities was not difficult.

During the era of Erebus's blessings, there were many demons with stranger abilities than Jorua.

Leo tilted his head.

"How many more times do I have to kill you to make you die?"

Jorua's body trembled.

Not from fear.

From rage.

'This guy… he truly considers me a bug…! How dare he…!'

"You… I can't forgive you… Leo Plov!"

Jorua spat out.

"I don't need your abilities anymore! Just die…!"

*Snap-*!

Leo crushed Jorua's head under his foot again.

At that moment.

Leo realized something had touched his foot.

And Jorua's instantly regenerating skull opened its mouth with a *clack-clack-clack-* and sneered.

"Feel the terror of the Demon Queen, Leo Plov!"

"What?"

The moment Leo scowled.

A message appeared before his eyes.

Seeing it, Leo's face hardened.

***

There had been a question since freshman year.

5,000 years ago.

How did Fafnir, whom they had annihilated, reappear in the current era?

Of course, the former Legion Commander, Poison King Zerdiak, had appeared before.

But that was like how he had led Luna and Arion to the outside world.

It was because Tartarus consumed a fragment of Erebus's power.

Just like they did.

Tartarus could also use the Hero Record.

And a past existence manifested through the Hero Record inherently consumed power.

Although powerful, a mere demonic beast, not even a Legion Commander, was a waste of Erebus's power.

It was the same even if they brought a demonic beast's egg.

The being born from the egg was also manifested through the Hero Record.

'What we can do with the Hero Record, they can do too. They can even enter the world of heroes.'

In that case.

He had considered the possibility that they might be able to obtain攻略 rewards, just like them.

[Legion Record Open. World of Silatuna. Chapter: Prologue - Forest of Demonic Beasts.]

And that thought became conviction upon seeing the message that just appeared.