Book 1 Chapter 807

807.

"Evil god?"

Kar made a bewildered expression.

The only evil god he knew was Erebos.

In the midst of that, another being appeared, claiming to be an evil god.

Moreover, the power it was emitting was extraordinary.

Kar's transcendent senses told him that this being was a piece of Erebos, yet something entirely different.

'Whatever it is…'

Kar's hand clenched.

'It's still a being that must be defeated.'

Nyx looked at Kar, who was trembling, with interesting eyes.

"Truly astonishing. For you, a mere mortal, to see through my true nature."

Outwardly, Nyx was nothing more than an ordinary human.

This was because, as an evil god, she had perfectly concealed her presence.

Nevertheless, Kar was accurately seeing through Nyx's true nature.

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

But that was all.

No matter how strong a being, it would eventually die and disappear someday.

There was no way it could handle her, who possessed immortality.

In reality, the difference in power was obvious.

"Why… why did you come here?"

"I don't have business here. It just so happens that this place is at the southern end of the world."

Nyx 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 through."

Kar said, trembling.

The presence of the evil god made Kar afraid.

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

But there was no need to fight right now.

'If I just pass through… I can contact others and form a subjugation team.'

He couldn't handle it alone right now.

In that case, avoiding a fight was the best option.

He couldn't help it.

Kar was a coward.

He hated scary things.

At Kar's words, Nyx smiled faintly.

"Yes. So I'm going to give eternal rest to those here."

"What?! Why do you insist on fighting?! We have no intention of being hostile to you!"

"When you walk down a road and there's a bug, do you go out of your way to avoid it? You just step on it, right? It's the same."

Nyx smiled faintly.

"Why should I avoid the inferior residents of the lower world?"

Nyx, the Freezing of Death.

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

Nyx pointed a finger at Azonia.

"For those not chosen… giving them rest quickly is rather a blessing, isn't it?"

"…"

Kar's eyes were filled with fear.

The evil god's way of thinking was something he simply couldn't comprehend.

'If that's the case, then in the end…'

He had to fight.

Behind Nyx, a colossal ice gate formed.

And from within it, the army of Styx appeared.

Kar saw at a glance that they were demons, though different from Tartaros.

Kar's hands trembled.

An unknown evil god and the demons following them.

'I'm scared.'

Fear overwhelmed him.

For a moment, Kar unconsciously stepped backward.

'I have to protect the students.'

The students of Azonia.

Rough and fierce, yet at the same time, innocent and courageous people.

Descendants of heroes who praised his falsely depicted image in history and wished to become like him.

But could he do it alone?

'I'm… not a hero.'

He was just a coward.

With the thought of wanting to run away immediately, Kar squeezed his eyes shut.

Nor did he have reliable friends around him like in his previous life.

'Can I do it alone?'

As Kar wavered.

"Everyone! Prepare for battle!"

A powerful voice rang out from behind him.

"How dare you! This is where the descendants of the heroes, established by the great warrior Azonia, build their strength!"

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

"I'll make you regret invading this place without fear! Let's smash all their heads! Are you ready, youngsters!"

"Yep!"

To Zephyr's cry, the Azonia students responded with thick, short voices.

"Don't let Kar be the only one to shine!"

"We are also descendants of heroes!"

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

"Scared? That guy. When it's time to act, he acts! When it comes to fighting, he's probably the bravest among us! Though not usually."

Kar's classmates and seniors shouted.

Kar clenched his fist, looking at the Azonia students.

The hero candidates he had pushed… and led.

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

'…It's heavy.'

The thought that these were the ones he was responsible for suddenly made his shoulders feel heavy.

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

He felt the weight of being responsible for something anew.

Just as these children followed his falsely depicted back.

Kar also admired something and wished to become like it.

The gray-haired young man he could never truly resemble—whom he considered an equal friend and comrade, but Kar followed like an older brother.

'Kyle…'

He wanted to be like Kyle.

He always admired that strong resolve to never give up and always move forward.

'What would… Kyle have done?'

He recalled Leo, who had come from another world-line.

Although he couldn't understand what he was saying at all.

He could understand this one thing.

The fact that he was alone where he came from.

None of the other great heroes had reincarnated.

When he said that only Kyle alone was fighting a tough battle there.

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

He simply admired him, thinking, 'Of course, it's 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.

In fact, he still couldn't understand.

'I was only able to be brave because I had friends.'

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

Yet Kyle said he learned such courage from him.

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

Children who strove to become like him.

But…

'If it were Kyle, he would have fought back.'

It wasn't just Kyle.

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

Kar clenched his fist.

'Because… they had something they were responsible for!'

He finally understood.

Why his friends could be so brave.

In their previous lives, Lysinas, Luna, Dweno… and Kyle each had things they were responsible for.

Lysinas, the world itself.

Luna, research to make Gardsron even slightly more prosperous through magic.

Kyle, the darkness of the world.

Dweno, as an advisor to the three.

Each bore the responsibility for the world's continued existence.

But Arion had nothing he was responsible for.

Because before being a friend and comrade, he was the youngest.

The four of them hadn't entrusted him with anything.

'I… only ever received consideration in my previous life.'

He felt it anew.

The weight of being responsible for something.

And he realized.

What it meant to be an object of admiration.

'I'm just a pathetic coward.'

The trembling stopped.

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

Kar always turned his eyes away from the image of the hero Arion in the current era.

Saying that wasn't him.

That it was just an illusion created by later generations.

Thinking he could never be like that, he didn't try at all.

But…

'These children are sincere.'

Feeling that the false image of the hero was true.

They overcome even fear to chase after that image.

Kar's trembling subsided.

Step-

He took a step forward.

'Let's be brave.'

Step- Step-

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

Whoosh-!

A golden aura flared up from Kar's body.

Seeing Kar like that, Ar made a bewildered expression.

"K-Kar senior! That's too reckless…"

Crash-!

Kar, kicking off the ground, charged towards Nyx at invisible speed.

Crackle-!

Instantly, a wall of ice blocked Kar's path.

Scraaaape!

The sword Kar swung was blocked by the ice wall.

"It's no use. That ice is immortal ice that never melts. Residents of the lower world can't even scratch me."

Nyx looked at Kar as if pitying him.

At that moment.

Flash!

A golden sword aura surged from Kar's body.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

The sound of something being cut echoed.

Nyx's face stiffened.

"You cut it?"

Nyx's face was stained with shock.

Seeing Nyx like that, Kar said.

"Among things that have form… there's nothing I can't cut."

"What did you say?!"

"If I couldn't even do that, I would have been disqualified as a great hero."

Nyx's face was tinged with fury.

"A mere creature of the lower world!"

Crrrunch-!

An immense chill tried to freeze Kar.

At that moment.

Kar kicked off the air.

He charged towards Nyx, breaking through the cold.

Nyx's face twitched.

'Is this courage? Or recklessness?'

Nyx's physical condition was not perfect.

Moreover, having been suppressed by the flames of calamity for a long time, the range within which she could deploy her unique ability, Freezing of Death, was also limited.

Yet Kar accurately pierced through that opening and closed the distance with Nyx.

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

Even if he saw through it, charging into the center of the frigid air shouldn't have been easy…

'What is this beastman?'

While Nyx felt a strange unease.

Kar's sword cut Nyx's neck.

Thwack-!

Nyx's head flew into the air.

But an evil god doesn't die from this.

Crackle-!

Ice formed over the empty neck, restoring it to its original state.

"Your skill is quite good."

Nyx let out a sneer.

"But such a toy won't work on me, an immortal being."

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

If he had recovered all his power from his previous life, it might be different…

But the current Kar found it difficult to inflict significant damage on Nyx.

Kar looked back and forth between his sword and Nyx.

And then he let out a sigh of relief.

"What is that? That relieved expression?"

"No, I just felt it."

Through his transcendent senses, Kar had learned several things from the brief exchange just now.

"That the current me can absolutely not defeat you."

"And you're relieved?"

Nyx felt a strange, inexplicable oddity.

A moment ago, this beastman's relief was genuine.

Like shouting, "I'm alive!"

"Yeah."

Kar nodded with a bright face.

"I was relieved because I felt your power was equal to Erebos's, but your combat ability was terrible."

He heedlessly dug into Nyx's emotions.

Tremble tremble tremble…

"You…"

Nyx's body trembled with rage.

"A mere paltry mortal you areeeeeeee!"

The cold fury of the Freezing of Death raged.

Seeing that, Kar grinned.

Because his supersenses allowed him to know the truth through the opponent's emotions.

"I see. You were defeated by Erebos, weren't you?"

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

Crrrunch-!

A barrage of cold burst around them.

Evading the barrage, Kar muttered with an unjustly accused expression.

"It wasn't a sneer, I was just trying to smile coolly like Kyle."