Book 1 Chapter 807

"Evil God?"

Karg's expression turned bewildered.

The only evil god he knew was Erebus.

Yet, another being claiming to be an evil god appeared.

Furthermore, the power it exuded was extraordinary.

Karg's transcendental senses told him that this being was a fragment of Erebus, yet something entirely different.

'Whatever it is…'

Karg's grip tightened.

'It's an existence that must be defeated, no change there.'

Nix watched Karg, who was trembling, with an amused gaze.

"Truly astonishing. That you, a mere mortal, can see through my true nature."

On the surface, Nix appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary human.

As an evil god, he had perfectly concealed his presence.

Despite this, Karg had accurately seen through Nix's true nature.

'To see through the essence of a divine being… what an astonishing existence.'

But that was all.

No matter how powerful an existence, it would eventually die and disappear.

There was no way it could contend with his immortality.

Indeed, the difference in power was clear.

"What… why are you here?"

"I have no business here. I merely happened to pass by the southern end of the world."

Nix smiled faintly.

"I sealed my divine artifact at the southern end of the world, and I need to find it."

"Then you can just pass by."

Karg said, trembling.

The presence of an evil god terrified Karg.

The evil god before him was undoubtedly the nemesis of himself and his friends.

But there was no need to fight right now.

'If I pass by… I can contact others and form a punitive force.'

He couldn't handle this alone right now.

Therefore, avoiding the fight was the best course of action.

He couldn't help it.

Karg was a coward.

He hated scary things.

Nix smiled faintly at Karg's words.

"Yes. Therefore, I intend to grant eternal rest to those here."

"What?! Why would you want to fight?! We have no intention of opposing you!"

"If you encounter a bug on your path, do you necessarily avoid it? You can just step on it, can't you? It's the same."

Nix smiled faintly.

"Why should I avoid the inhabitants of this lowly lower realm?"

Nix, the Ice of Death.

"Only beautiful things should be left in this world."

Nix pointed a finger at Azonia.

"For those who are not chosen… granting them rest quickly is a blessing, isn't it?"

"…"

Karg's eyes were filled with fear.

He could not comprehend the evil god's way of thinking at all.

'Then, in the end…'

He had to fight.

A colossal ice gate materialized behind Nix.

And from within, the army of Styx revealed itself.

Karg, at a glance, recognized them as demons, though different from those of Tartarus.

Karg's hands trembled.

An unknown evil god and the demons who followed him.

'Scary.'

Fear washed over him.

Involuntarily, Karg took a step back.

'I must protect the students.'

The students of Azonia.

Rough and fierce, yet innocent and courageous people.

Descendants of heroes who praised the false image of himself misrepresented in history and wished to become like it.

But could he do it alone?

'I… am not a hero.'

He was merely a coward.

Karg squeezed his eyes shut, wanting to flee at any moment.

He didn't have reliable friends by his side like in his past life.

'Can I do it alone?'

As Karg faltered.

"Everyone! Prepare for battle!"

A powerful voice echoed from behind.

"How dare you intrude here! This is where the descendants of heroes, founded by the Great Warrior Azonia, hone their strength!"

Zephias, the principal of Azonia, shouted in a fierce voice.

"We will make you regret your audacity in invading! Let's smash all their heads! Are you ready, you brats?!"

"Yes!"

In response to Zephias's cry, the students of Azonia replied in deep, short voices.

"Don't let Karg do all the work!"

"We are descendants of heroes too!"

"Hey! Karg! You're not scared again, are you?"

"Scared? That guy, he comes through when it matters! He's the bravest among us in a fight! Though not usually."

Karg's classmates and seniors shouted.

Karg clenched his fist as he looked at the students of Azonia.

The aspiring heroes he had pushed and led.

The future heroes who admired the hero Arion and ran towards that illusion.

'…Heavy.'

He felt the weight of responsibility for these people anew.

'I'm only leading a few hundred people… it's heavy.'

He felt the weight of responsibility anew.

Just as they had looked at his false image and followed it.

Karg too had longed for something and wanted to emulate it.

The grey-haired youth he could never quite emulate. He thought of him as an equal friend and comrade, but Karg had followed him like an older brother.

'Kyle…'

He wanted to be like Kyle.

He always admired that strong image of moving forward without ever giving up.

'What would Kyle do…?'

He recalled Leo, who came from another world.

Though he couldn't understand most of what Leo said.

This one thing he understood.

The fact that he was an outcast in the place he came from.

None of the other great heroes had reincarnated.

When it was said that only Kyle was fighting a difficult battle there.

'Wow, Kyle is amazing. To think of fighting alone… how can he be so brave?'

He marveled, thinking it was indeed like Kyle.

'What are you talking about?'

'Huh?'

'You taught me that. You damn coward.'

He couldn't understand those words spoken with a look of pity.

Even now, he couldn't understand.

'I could only muster courage because I had my friends.'

He wouldn't have been able to do anything alone.

Yet, Kyle said he learned that courage from him.

Karg felt the courage and fighting spirit of the Azonia students behind him.

Children striving to become like him.

But…

'Kyle would have fought back.'

It wasn't just Kyle.

'Lisinas would have… Luna too… Dweno… they would have fought.'

Karg clenched his fist.

'Because… they had something to be responsible for!'

He finally understood.

Why his friends could be so brave.

In his past life, Lisinas, Luna, Dweno… and Kyle all had things they were responsible for.

Lisinas, the world itself.

Luna, her research to make Guardsron a little more prosperous through magic.

Kyle, the darkness of the world.

Dweno, as the advisor to the three.

Each bore the responsibility for the world to be maintained.

But Arion was not responsible for anything.

Before being a friend and comrade, he was the youngest.

The four had not entrusted anything to him.

'I… only received consideration in my past life.'

He realized it anew.

The weight of being responsible for something.

And he understood.

What it meant to be an object of admiration.

'I am just a pathetic coward.'

The trembling stopped.

'In my past life, I was just a pathetic coward who only received help and consideration from my friends.'

In the current era, Karg always turned away from the image of the hero Arion.

That wasn't him.

It was just an illusion created by later generations.

He thought he could never become like that and didn't try at all.

But…

'These children are sincere.'

They felt the false image of the hero was truth.

And they overcame even fear to chase after that image.

Karg's trembling stopped.

*Thump-*

He took a step forward.

'Let's be brave.'

*Thump- Thump-*

'So that these children won't be disappointed when they learn the truth.'

*Gooooooo-!*

A golden aura erupted from Karg's body.

Arga looked at Karg with a bewildered expression.

"K-, Senior Karg! That's too reckless…"

*BOOM-!*

Karg, who stomped on the ground, charged towards Nix at an invisible speed.

*CRACKLE-!*

An ice wall suddenly blocked Karg's path.

*KAGAGAGAK!*

The sword Karg swung was blocked by the ice wall.

"It's no use. That ice is immortal ice that will never melt. Mortals from the lower realm cannot even scratch me."

Nix looked at Karg with pity.

At that moment.

*FLASH!*

A golden sword aura swirled from Karg's body.

*SHIK! SHIK! SHIK! SHIK!*

The sound of something being cut echoed.

Nix's face stiffened.

"Did you cut me?"

Nix's face was filled with shock.

Seeing Nix like that, Karg said.

"There is nothing with a physical form… that I cannot cut."

"What?!"

"If I couldn't even do that, I would be disqualified as a Great Hero."

Nix's face turned red with anger.

"A mere creation of the lower realm!"

*KAGAGAGAGAK-!*

An immense cold tried to freeze Karg.

At that moment.

Karg kicked off the air.

He charged towards Nix, piercing through the cold.

Nix's face twitched.

'Is this courage? Or recklessness?'

Nix's physical condition was not perfect.

Furthermore, as he had been suppressed by the flame of calamity for a long time, the range of his innate ability, the Ice of Death, was also limited.

Yet, Karg accurately pierced through that gap and closed the distance with Nix.

'If I had retreated, I would have frozen to death.'

Even if he had seen through it, it wouldn't have been easy to charge into the center of the cold…

'What is this? This human?'

While Nix felt a strange sense of unease.

Karg's sword cut Nix's neck.

*THWACK-!*

Nix's head flew through the air.

However, an evil god would not die from something like this.

*CRACKLE-!*

Ice formed above his empty neck and restored it.

"You're quite skilled."

Nix sneered.

"But such toys are useless against me, an immortal being."

"I know. I've fought Erebus countless times."

If he had regained all his power from his past life… but.

The current Karg couldn't inflict significant damage on Nix.

Karg looked alternately at his sword and Nix.

Then he let out a sigh of relief.

"What? That relieved expression?"

"No, I just felt it."

Through his transcendental senses, Karg had learned several things from that brief exchange.

"That the current me absolutely cannot defeat you."

"And yet you're relieved?"

For some reason, Nix felt a bizarre sense of strangeness.

The relief Karg felt just moments ago was genuine.

It felt like a cry of "I'm saved!"

"Yes."

Karg nodded with a bright smile.

"Your power is equal to Erebus', but your combat ability is abysmal, so I felt relieved."

Without thinking, he poked at Nix's emotions.

*Tremble tremble…*

"You…!"

Nix's body trembled with rage.

"You insignificant mortal!"

The cold rage of the Ice of Death surged.

Seeing that, Karg grinned.

His hyper-senses allowed him to know the truth through the opponent's emotions.

"I see. You were defeated by Erebus?"

"How dare a mere mortal mock me, the Ice of Death!"

*KAGAGAGAGAK-!*

An onslaught of cold rained down on the surroundings.

While dodging the bombardment, Karg muttered with a wronged expression.

"It wasn't mockery, I was trying to laugh coolly like Kyle."