Book 1 Chapter 796
796.
Rumble! CRASH-!
“It’s going to rain.”
Valhar muttered, clicking his tongue as he looked up at the lightning-streaked sky.
The towering Erdiene Mountains, located at the eastern end of the world.
A hidden realm where countless monsters appeared.
5000 years ago.
It was the final destination of the great heroes, and the place where the hero of the beginning, Kyle, saved the world through his final battle with Ereboz.
However, it’s no exaggeration to say that no one knows this fact anymore.
“That the greatest history in this world has been forgotten… it truly doesn’t sit well with me.”
Karga muttered with a bitter expression right in front of Erdiene Mountain.
Kyle’s history had been thoroughly erased by Tartaros.
Now, he was merely a fake great hero who existed only in legends.
The demons of Tartaros would never mention such a thing.
“Forgotten pasts can be restored. We are here in this era, aren’t we?”
Valhar said calmly.
The great heroes who lived in Kyle’s era and embarked on journeys with him had reincarnated.
However, even for great heroes, it was difficult to immediately restore Kyle’s forgotten story to its original state.
To the four of them, Kyle was a close friend and a comrade with whom they had shared hardships and joys.
And he was the last great hero who achieved what they had entrusted to him and saved the world.
But that was purely from the perspective of the four of them.
An unfathomable 5000 years had passed since that time.
Even considering the era of creation when Kyle’s records remained, there were 3000 years.
To turn past events into history, not just stories, required records and evidence.
No matter how much they talked about Kyle, if they couldn’t find proof of his existence, anything about Kyle would remain just a story.
“It would be simple if we revealed that we were great heroes.”
As Karga pouted his lips, Valhar sighed.
“You know well that’s not an option either, don’t you?”
Valhar looked up at the sky.
Not a single star was visible in the night sky shrouded in dark clouds.
“It’s a miracle that we were born in this era.”
The fact of reincarnation itself was surprising, but being reborn into this world with memories was even more astonishing.
“Perhaps it is the will of fate for us to fulfill the mission that we couldn’t complete.”
“Not the will of the gods?”
“If those gods were competent enough, we wouldn’t have had to go through all that trouble.”
Valhar said sarcastically and continued,
“But unfortunately, the power to completely destroy Tartaros does not exist in the world today.”
Compared to 5000 years ago.
The world’s power today was immensely strong.
“As far as I remember, this era is even more prosperous than the age of gods.”
The Age of Heroes.
Countless heroes were born through the power of the Hero Records.
The accumulated power was passed down to future generations, and that continuing power grew even stronger.
Literally a brilliant era.
“But even so, it’s not enough power to completely overwhelm Tartaros.”
Valhar clicked his tongue.
The great heroes were gradually regaining their former strength.
However, even so, the three great calamities that had survived since 5000 years ago – the Demon Queen, the Giant King, and the Spirit King – were by no means easy opponents.
If they deliberately avoided battles and hid in the darkness of the world, even the great heroes would have difficulty exterminating them.
“Crucially, we still don’t have the means to defeat Ereboz.”
The primordial evil sealed somewhere in this world.
Even if Tartaros were completely vanquished in this era, as long as the black embers remained, disaster would eventually fall upon this world again.
“Unfortunately, the world cannot achieve complete harmony.”
“I don’t understand that. 5000 years ago, Gardsron was of one heart and mind.”
“That was because the world was on the verge of destruction due to an insurmountable common enemy, Ereboz.”
Valhar smiled bitterly.
“The era in which you were born and lived was, interestingly, the time when the world was most harmonious. But even then, there were disputes.”
Kyle was the one who acted as a problem-solver in the shadows to resolve those disputes.
“It’s hard enough for beings of the same species to understand each other, so how could it be between different species?”
Valhar lit his pipe and puffed out smoke.
“At least we are beings who can lead the world to harmony for a while as symbols. But that harmony won’t last long. Therefore, we must reveal our identities only after we have obtained the power to completely destroy Ereboz.”
“Then it won’t be long!”
“…You’re strangely enthusiastic. Is something really going on?”
“W-what?”
As Valhar narrowed his eyes at Karga, who looked startled,
WHOOSH-
Lea descended from the sky and landed softly.
“Is there something at the summit of Erdiene Mountain?”
“No. There isn’t. Karga, did your extrasensory perception detect something?”
“No.”
To Lea’s question, Karga shook his head.
At that answer, Lea bit her fingernails.
“Ereboz…”
She uttered the name of her enemy in a low voice, tinged with deep hatred.
Seeing Lea like that, Valhar said,
“Lea, the existence of Ereboz’s remnant consciousness… doesn’t that mean that a fragment of Ereboz is likely to have awakened?”
“……”
To Valhar’s question, Lea remained silent for a moment before replying,
“There’s a chance of that… but it’s also highly likely not to be.”
“Then why has Ereboz’s remnant consciousness suddenly appeared?”
“Ereboz itself is a god-like being. When it was defeated by Kyle, it’s not impossible that it left behind a remnant consciousness. That remnant consciousness might have suddenly awakened.”
“Hmm…”
Valhar put his pipe in his mouth.
“If a fragment of Ereboz has revived… can we defeat it with our current strength?”
“……”
To Valhar’s question, Lea remained silent, then sighed.
“Overwhelming it will be possible. While we haven’t regained our peak strength yet… Ereboz is also not in a normal state.”
“But defeating it is impossible?”
“Yes.”
“Sealing it?”
“Possible.”
“With the Hero Records?”
“No. There’s Rune.”
“Rune?”
“He’s clearly lost his passion for magic. But even so, the fact that he is Luna Luminance remains unchanged.”
“Indeed… the greatest genius since the existence of magic.”
Valhar nodded.
“He said he’s creating magic that can seal fragments of Ereboz in case of emergency. However…”
“However?”
“Even for the current Rune, it’s only for one fragment.”
“Hmm.”
Valhar nodded.
“So, it means we have a way to put out a fire in an emergency.”
“Yes.”
“Alright. I will also create a weapon that can defeat Ereboz as quickly as possible.”
Valhar nodded.
*Thud* *Tudududuk*
At that moment, raindrops began to fall.
Lea and Valhar opened a spatial rift and took out umbrellas.
“Karga, here.”
Lea handed an umbrella to Karga, who was staring blankly up at the sky.
“Karga?”
But Karga just stared up at the pouring night sky with a stern expression.
“The smell of rain… is strange.”
“What?”
At Karga’s sudden remark, Lea wore a puzzled expression.
“The rain smells of burning.”
Karga’s face hardened.
“Like 5000 years ago.”
At those words, Lea and Valhar’s faces stiffened.
WHOOOOSH-!
The color of the rain began to change.
Although it was night, Lea and Valhar, who possessed vision close to transcendent beings, could see the color change, even if not to Karga’s level.
“Black rain…”
Black rain might be very unfamiliar to people of this era.
But to the three people present, it was more familiar than anything else.
At that moment, Karga’s eyes sharpened.
“…It’s coming.”
CRASH-!
“GRAAAAH-!”
A roar echoed from one spot on Erdiene Mountain.
Simultaneously, a massive arm shot up as if piercing the sky.
Valhar’s eyes widened at the sight.
“…The Giant King?”
“GRAAAAH-!”
CRASH-!
The Giant King’s arm swung, destroying the surrounding area.
Lea, who was out of the attack range, floated in mid-air with her umbrella.
And she narrowed her eyes.
“…Divine Power?”
The Giant King was not his usual self.
His body was larger than usual, veins were bulging, and he had lost his sanity.
Lea knew exactly what it was.
It was Berserker, the divine power bestowed upon the Giant King Gias by Ereboz.
‘The Legion Commanders must have lost their divine powers after Ereboz was defeated, but he’s using his divine power?’
Moreover, the Giant King, who was using his divine power, was different from how the great heroes knew him.
‘His sanity was completely gone. Only the instinct for destruction remained.’
Lea assessed the situation with cold eyes as she met Gias’s flashing gaze.
The Giant King Gias.
He was the largest among the Legion Commanders and claimed the role of vanguard.
However, his personality and caution were among the highest of all Legion Commanders.
If asked to name the most difficult Legion Commander to defeat, Lea would choose the Giant King, not the Supreme Commander of Tartaros, the Spirit King, or one of her worst enemies, Jormungandr.
Even using Berserker, he wouldn’t lose his sanity to this extent.
As Lea narrowed her eyes, she suddenly noticed something above Gias’s head and her eyes twitched.
A demon enveloped in black flames was driving something that looked like a sword into the Giant King’s head.
‘…Ereboz’s remnant consciousness.’
It was clearly the same remnant consciousness that fought Valhar.
Thinking that far, Lea opened the hand that was not holding the umbrella.
“GRAAAAH-!”
Gias roared and charged towards Lea.
“Titaum.”
CRASH-!
As Lea called out to her contracted spirit, a giant stone hand shot up from the ground.
*BOOM-!*
The rock giant that rose from the ground blocked Gias.
CRASH-!
The terrain began to change as the Giant King and the Great Spirit of Earth grappled.
“Valhar.”
Lea, having blocked the Giant King’s charge, softly called Valhar’s name.
WHOOSH-!
Along with it, Valhar, wielding a massive golden axe in the sky, flew towards Gias like a comet.
*WHOOSH-!*
Golden flames blazed from Valhar’s body.
“HAAAH!”
*THWACK-!*
With Valhar’s war cry, the Battle Axe cleanly severed Gias’s head.
*SPLASH-!*
Blood poured out.
But it wasn’t over.
*FLASH-!*
A golden flash flickered.
A feast of golden lines decorated the air.
Karga’s sword strikes minced Gias’s body into unrecognizable pieces.
*SPLASH-!*
Blood and flesh poured out like waves.
No matter how much of a Giant King he was, a charge fueled by power was nothing more than a suicide mission against three great heroes.
‘But, it was too easy.’
Lea wore a bewildered expression.
At that moment.
“Lea! Valhar! This Gias! He’s strange!”
Karga shouted urgently.
“This Gias doesn’t seem to be the Gias of this era!”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s the Gias from 5000 years ago! The smell is different!”
Karga’s urgent voice.
Lea quickly shifted her gaze and looked for the demon with black flames.
Something was visible in the hand of the demon with black flames.
‘Hero Record?’
As Lea’s eyes widened.
The flames receded.
At the same time, Lea’s face stiffened at the familiar face that appeared.
Ereboz’s remnant consciousness, in the form of Kyle, sneered and held a fragment of the Hero Record.
Simultaneously, the Hero Record glowed, and the Giant King emerged once more.
Lea’s face contorted at the sight.
‘It’s summoning past existences from the Hero Record?!’