Book 1 Chapter 771

771.

The underground temple of Styx.

This was an ancient temple, built long ago before Nyx, the Freezing of Death, was swallowed by Erebus, the Flame of Disaster.

Later.

A place created from the belief that Nyx, an immortal being of ice that never melts, would resurrect again.

In one of Styx's sanctuaries, followers of Nyx from the past lay frozen and asleep.

In the middle of that ice temple, Aketon, the Saint of Grief, was offering prayers.

"To those who have come meaninglessly into this world and will vanish meaninglessly, my condolences…"

Drip- Drip-

"May the Goddess's benevolence be with those who vanished without being embraced in her arms…"

Bloody tears flowed from Aketon's eyes.

"May the world someday embrace the true blessing of death…"

He truly felt grief for the world and rose to his feet.

Erebus and Tartarus burned the world to annihilate it without a trace.

They had no interest in domination.

They merely wished to be used as fuel to burn the world themselves, returning to nothingness where nothing existed.

In contrast, what Nyx and Styx desired was to make the world into an eternal, immortal form.

To be trapped in eternally unmelting ice where time does not flow, simply maintaining their living appearance while facing an eternal death.

The forms merely differ, but all are the end.

It's just a difference in perspective: burning to obliterate versus freezing to preserve.

But because of this, Tartarus and Styx could never understand each other.

Although what both factions desired was ultimately the end, their forms were completely opposite.

However, from the perspective of the inhabitants of the surface, there were moderate ones.

That was Styx.

As it was about stopping the world's form in an eternal and immortal state.

They felt the necessity to cultivate the world into the beautiful form Nyx desired until their complete victory.

That is why, in the distant past.

They reigned as the largest religion on the surface.

Humans worshiped Nyx, and other races also worshiped Nyx as a goddess.

The demons of Styx were revered as apostles of the goddess, and Nyx was worshiped by people as a deity who promised eternity.

The fact that their origin was 'evil' remained unchanged, but the inhabitants of the surface at the time did not care.

They were merely enjoying a sweet moment of the era in which they lived.

'Indeed, that's how cattle should be.'

The Saint of Grief muttered to himself.

The reason Styx dominated humans.

It was because humans were a component that made up this world.

Most humans were ugly from their perspective, but among them were those with shining souls.

Furthermore, for the world to meet its death in a more perfect form, it needed to be harmonious.

That is why they ruled humans.

Like cattle.

It wasn't just humans.

They treated most of the surface beings who served them in the same way.

The Saint of Grief stopped walking.

What lay before him were countless inhabitants of the surface trapped in ice.

All of them were those who had sworn allegiance to Nyx.

Those who possessed immense power and would sacrifice themselves in the great war that would someday lead the world to its end.

They were the great warriors of Styx, who would be the foundation for the world's grand death.

Passing them, Aketon reached the deepest part of the underground temple.

The enormous door before him.

This was none other than the dwelling place of Nyx, the Freezing of Death.

"Great Goddess. Your creation implores to be granted an audience with you."

Kneeling, Aketon bowed his head.

But unlike usual, there was no answer from the Goddess.

The moment Aketon felt a question.

KWA-AANG-! HWARURURURUK-!

"……!"

The massive door was destroyed, and black flames began to rage.

"Flame of Disaster!"

The moment Aketon, eyes wide open, was about to unleash dark magic.

GOOOOOOO-!

A terrifying cold began to rage, suppressing the black flames.

Appearing with it was a beautiful woman with pale white skin and white hair.

"Ohhh! Nyx…!"

As Aketon knelt and bowed his head towards Nyx, Erebus's voice was heard.

-How foolish, Nyx.

"You are the foolish one, Erebus."

Nyx shot back at Erebus with a cold voice.

"5000 years ago, by seeing your memories, I learned why you failed. Ultimately, it was your vulgar madness, trying to burn everything, that prevented you from achieving your goal."

Disgust dwelled in the eyes of the Freezing of Death.

"To burn the other five evil gods and become the Absolute Evil, and the result is merely this. It's truly astonishing to realize there's still a part of you to be disappointed in."

-You talk big for someone who was swallowed by that vulgar madness.

KWA-A-A-A-ANG-!

Black flames erupted with immense power.

But that power soon failed to affect its surroundings and was suppressed by Nyx's cold.

"It's no use. The initiative is entirely mine now. You are merely a fragment of consciousness. Now the world will embrace a complete form of death."

-Is that so?

Erebus laughed lowly.

-Anyway, you'll just be subjugated by the surviving hero.

"No. I will not fight the Hero of Beginnings."

-Interesting. Do you mean you'll even wag your tail for a mere mortal?

"That sounds like something a vulgar being like you would think."

Nyx scoffed.

"By seeing your memories, I realized that his nobility should be eternally unwavering and praised."

-So? How do you plan to win him over?

"I plan to promise him this entire world."

-Kkuh.

Erebus burst into laughter.

-Uhuhuh. Hahahaha! To think such thoughts even after seeing my fight with the great heroes! I wonder who the vulgar one is!

"What do you mean?"

-Do you truly not know what the great heroes fought against me for?!

"It was to protect the world from your grasp, wasn't it?"

-Kkuhuhuh! If you see surface beings as cattle, you become incapable of understanding your opponent to this extent.

Erebus's consciousness mocked Nyx.

-Alright. Go ahead and do as you please. As a fragment of consciousness, I'll watch your end.

Erebus's consciousness, having concluded it could no longer seize control of the body, soon disappeared.

"Goddess… What exactly was that just now…?"

"I saw the Hero Record."

Nyx spread her palm.

On it was a burned fragment of the Hero Record.

"Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings. I was curious how he managed to defeat Erebus."

"Did you find out?"

"Yes. As expected, he was a possessor of special power. Seeing his story made me curious. What was his battle with Erebus like? So, I glimpsed Erebus's memories etched into my body."

Although it was Nyx's body, it had existed as a part of Erebus for a long time.

Therefore, Erebus's consciousness remained strongly in Nyx's body.

It was a situation where the body could be retaken by Erebus if she made a slight mistake.

However, Nyx succeeded in subduing Erebus's consciousness.

"Saint of Grief."

"Yes, Goddess."

"Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, is a being more great and noble than anyone else."

"If the Goddess says so, then he must be truly remarkable."

"Yes. He was a being who could become the master of an eternal, immortal world."

Aketon was surprised by Nyx's words.

Even he, the leader of Styx and Nyx's closest confidant, had not earned the title of master of the world.

"To think such a noble being has already died… How can such a regrettable thing happen?"

Aketon felt grief.

Indeed, the world was wrong.

To meet such a fleeting end, vanishing after death.

If he had received Nyx's grace, the outcome would have been different.

He would have met his death only after the world had achieved its complete form.

Nyx smiled faintly at Aketon's words.

"It's alright. Fate… did not abandon the Hero of Beginnings."

"Yes? What does that…?"

"Leo Flobe."

Nyx's eyes sparkled.

"He is the reincarnation of Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings."

***

'What is this power?'

Phlegethon, the Saint of Blood, looked at Lysinus, who was pressing him down with power, with a shocked expression.

'Is this truly a power that an inhabitant of the surface can possess?'

"This mere lizard!"

HWARURURURUK-!

At that moment, Phyrrhi, the Saint of Fire, unleashed crimson flames.

"I'll burn you!"

HWARURURURUK-!

Phyrrhi's flames engulfed Lysinus.

Seeing this, Phyrrhi wore a wicked smile.

But…

HWARURURURUK-

The flames, erupting as if exploding, gathered too easily into Lysinus's hand.

Seeing this, Phyrrhi's eyes widened.

"H-How…!"

"It's certainly frustrating."

Lysinus let out a light sigh.

"My mana is far too lacking compared to my prime."

Hearing that, Leo, who had been watching the situation, clicked his tongue.

In terms of skill and technique, Leo had far surpassed his prime.

But in one aspect, mana, he had not yet reached it.

'Because the vessel of my body is not yet complete.'

This was a part that Leo couldn't help.

Only time was the answer.

Of course, even so, he had the power to subjugate the Legion Commander.

Lysinus was ultimately an eidolon who had contracted with Leo.

Lysinus's maximum mana output could not exceed Leo's power.

'Well, we were just so strong in our prime.'

From Lysinus's perspective, it was unavoidable that the current situation felt frustrating.

"How can a mere dragon become so strong?!"

Phyrrhi shrieked.

"Wow, that's fresh. I've never heard such a thing even from the Tartarus demons."

"Why would you be the only one who hasn't heard it? It's fresh to me too."

Lysinus found it strange, and Leo also said indifferently.

"The era we lived in was strange, wasn't it? It was an era where if you weren't strong, you would perish."

Even the demons of that era took the strength of the surface inhabitants for granted.

That era continued and became the Age of Heroes.

"I don't know how old the era you lived in is."

Leo looked down at Phlegethon and Phyrrhi and scoffed.

"Do you know how much blood people 5000 years ago shed to create this era? And you probably can't even imagine how much effort people put in for 5000 years to protect and maintain that era."

Leo pointed with his chin to where the hero candidates, led by Lunia, were fighting far away.

"Looking at the level of those things you proudly put forward as heroes, I get it. Those are cattle, aren't they?"

Just large cattle.

Protected and managed, they looked like plausible demon pets.

"There's no way things like that can defeat our kids."

Leo scoffed.

They were hero candidates who had honed their skills day by day to prepare for the great trials to come.

Even if they hadn't fully blossomed yet, they weren't so weak as to be defeated by mere cattle.

Crucially.

"Your level is also evident, considering you haven't even properly investigated this side."

Their class was different from Tartarus.

He understood that Phlegethon and Phyrrhi were monster-level Legion Commanders.

But from Leo and Lysinus's perspective, they were just strong idiots.

"There's nothing easier to deal with than fools who are drunk only on past glory. From the start."

Leo smiled faintly.

"Weren't you the losers who were defeated by Tartarus?"

Phlegethon's and Phyrrhi's faces were flushed with shame.

"We defeated that Tartarus, you know? That means you losers are unworthy opponents."

"You slave race, with your gaping mouth…!"

KWAK-!

At that moment, Lysinus tore off Phyrrhi's arm.

"KYAA-A-A-AAK?!"

"Who are you calling a slave right now?"

Lysinus, with a chilling voice, threw Phyrrhi's torn-off arm into his shadow.

KWAK! KWADDEUK! KWAGAGAK!

Phyrrhi's arm, sucked into Lysinus's shadow, was torn apart beyond recognition.

"I think it would be better to rip you to death."

Lysinus grabbed Phyrrhi's hair, lifted her, and said fiercely.

Phyrrhi's body trembled, overwhelmed by his presence.

Watching her, Leo muttered.

'It's over.'

Given that Lysinus was truly enraged, it was safe to assume survival was out of the question for her.

Leo turned his gaze away from Lysinus and towards the hero candidates.

Suddenly, the past came to mind.

A faint smile appeared as the images of Belkia and Bihar came to mind through Eiran and Chen Xia.

His memories went further back into the past.

When was it?

Did I also have such a time?

He recalled his past self.

Recalling that time, Leo muttered.

"You've grown well, my little ones."