Book 1 Chapter 863

863.

Seneor's eyes sparkled with madness.

She loved the two heroes before her so much.

No.

Seneor, a demon, loved any hero.

Demons are beings that bring ruin.

This is because the origin of demons began with the flames of disaster.

Erebos, a being whose very purpose is the destruction of the world.

Demons, born by the will of such a creator, yearned for the destruction of the world.

However, 5000 years after Erebos was sealed into six pieces by the great heroes.

Signs of change began to appear among the demons born after the Age of Disaster.

Especially two of the three great commanders who have reigned since the recent Age of Disaster.

The pace of change rapidly accelerated with the subjugation of the Monster Queen and the Giant King.

Demons emerged who desired dominion over the world, not its destruction.

The Dark King was the one who represented demons with such tendencies.

'I'm not interested in that kind of thing.'

A devilish smile spread across Seneor's lips.

The origin of demons is destruction.

The destruction of the world is the only reason for a demon's existence.

'That's why demons fear those who have the potential to prevent the world's destruction. Pathetic.'

Seneor was not interested in the destruction of the world.

Nor was she interested in ruling the world by killing all its inhabitants.

She desired only one thing.

She wanted to be a special being.

And for Seneor, fighting heroes was the way to prove she was special.

The fight between those who seek to destroy the world and those who seek to prevent it.

Whatever the outcome, it holds meaning.

That's why she was drawn to the demons' ancient enemies, the so-called heroes.

And her thoughts became even more resolute as they conquered the world of the legions.

Few demons succeeded in conquering the world of the legions.

The Necromancer King evaluated the demons who succeeded in conquering as follows:

Natural enemies of heroes.

'Killing heroes is the reason for my existence.'

A battle that risks the world.

How special this is!

No matter how much they were enemies, she couldn't help but love the heroes who made her feel special.

"The first heroes I met in my life…!"

A blush bloomed on Seneor's face.

"I will never forget you."

With those words, Seneor's clones charged towards Melina and Kal.

*Whirr-!*

At the same time, intense dark magic surged from Seneor's body.

"Ahahahahahahaha!"

Seneor, her body covered in bulging veins and a monstrous appearance, burst into maniacal laughter.

Seeing this, Melina's eyes twitched.

"This…?"

"It's a divine power."

Leo's voice came from behind Melina.

"The divine power of Gias's madness."

It was clearly the power inherited through the world of the legions.

"Leo-nim."

"Ou! Leo! You're here?!"

Melina and Kal turned around.

And fell silent.

Kal scratched his cheek, looking at Leo standing next to Chelsea.

"Uh… um… why do you look like that?"

"Due to the influence of the illusion, Leo-oppa has returned to his childhood form! Isn't he super cute?"

Chelsea giggled and slipped her hands under Leo's armpits, lifting him up.

"You've been treating me like a child subtly since a while ago."

"You are a child right now."

Chelsea smirked.

"Unlike Leo-oppa, I'm an adult now!"

Clearing her throat, Chelsea chuckled and put Leo down, puffing out her chest.

"Usually, Leo-oppa treats me like a child all the time, doesn't he? Now you get to taste that feeling."

At that, Leo chuckled.

"Adults don't call themselves adults."

"Leo-nim…"

Melina looked at Leo with a slightly worried expression.

Kal also had a serious look on his face.

"Can you fight in that form?"

"There's no problem with manipulating mana. It's just not suitable for combat."

Currently, Silode's illusion magic was beginning to be influenced by Erebos.

As a result, the illusion had become powerful enough to affect Leo.

However, if he wanted to, he could escape this illusion anytime.

'The problem is that I need to find the key.'

Considering that, it was better to be caught in the illusion for now.

"Well, it's good that you can manipulate mana."

Kal's expression softened.

But Melina's face remained serious.

Melina wasn't worried about Leo's combat abilities.

She was worried that Leo currently looked like a child.

Melina knew the true nature of this illusion.

The fairy's illusion, which reflects the future to those who desire the future, the present to those who desire the present, and the past to those who desire the past.

Having experienced the illusion many times, Melina understood it precisely.

And Leo appearing as a child meant…

'Leo-nim is longing for the past.'

Leo was the one who ushered in the Age of Heroes.

And now, reborn in this era, he had become the king of the world.

He was trying to achieve the task of completely subjugating Erebos, which he couldn't fully accomplish in his past life.

Others didn't know what the complete subjugation of Erebos meant.

But Melina, who could be called a descendant of the King of Wisdom and inherited the knowledge and will of Lisinas, knew exactly what the complete subjugation of Erebos meant.

'The beginning of a new era.'

The Age of Heroes ended.

A completely different new era would begin.

Leo would be the beginning and end of the Age of Heroes.

And he would be the one to usher in a new era.

Melina knew.

When people long for the past.

'When they are tired and weary…'

That appearance was proof that Leo, a symbol of beginnings, was weary.

Leo chuckled at Melina, who was looking at him with worried eyes.

"Don't you have times like mine too?"

"…Yes, I do."

Leo immediately saw through what Melina was worried about.

"Longing for the past… is proof of being an adult."

"I'm also a normal human. There are times like that."

"…"

Chelsea and Kal looked bewildered, listening to their conversation.

"What kind of conversation is that?"

"I don't know. It must be a conversation only adults can understand."

Kal shrugged at Chelsea's question.

"I'm an adult now?"

"You're only an adult in body?"

Kal shook his head.

At that moment.

Leo said to Melina.

"A child shouldn't worry about an adult. Don't overthink it."

"…I'm not a child."

Melina chuckled awkwardly.

Seeing that, Chelsea said.

"See, from Leo-oppa's perspective, you and Melina-nim are the same."

"…I don't think that's the case."

Kal said, looking incredulous.

Of course, Chelsea knew that fact.

She was just trying to ignore it.

"So? What about the other three?"

"Lil-senpai is in the south, and Eliza and Sia seem to be together in the north of the continent."

Kal recounted the information he had found. Leo nodded after a moment of thought.

"I can roughly guess two places where the keys might be."

"Where, where?"

Kal looked puzzled.

At that moment, Melina destroyed the clones of Seneor that had approached her.

Along with it, a massive explosion erupted, scattering flesh and bone.

"Ugh? Did you cast an explosion spell on the corpse?"

"It's a simple but effective magic."

Leo said indifferently and looked at Seneor.

"Haa-! Haa-!"

Seneor, panting and with her eyes rolled back, was not normal.

The influence of Berserker.

Even the cautious Giant King showed immense ferocity the moment he used the divine power of madness.

It wouldn't be strange for a normal demon to go half-mad.

'Although she's not like a commander, her power is real.'

Leo had met commanders from the Age of Heroes, not just those from the Age of Disaster.

And the power Seneor was emitting easily surpassed those commanders.

'Even if she inherited it by conquering the world of the legions, the very act of using divine power is proof that the Necromancer King is drawing power from Erebos's fragments.'

"Leo-nim, I will defeat this commander."

Melina said respectfully to Leo.

"I will dedicate the glory of victory to Leo-nim."

Melina bowed solemnly with a reverent face.

Her demeanor was like that of a knight serving a king.

"Wow… amazing."

"Well, Leo is the king of the world now. And you said he's the master of the Hero Record, right? That means he's also the king of heroes."

Chelsea mumbled dazedly, and Kal chuckled as he said this.

And strictly speaking, he is also the progenitor who ushered in the Age of Heroes.

"Isn't it quite disrespectful to casually lift someone like Leo, who is the king of heroes?"

"Ugh?!"

"Well, Leo isn't a particularly authoritarian person, so he seems to accept everything."

Chelsea shivered.

At that moment.

"Chelsea."

"Yeah?"

"You deal with her."

"Me?"

Chelsea, as well as Melina and Kal, widened their eyes.

Leo met Chelsea's gaze with his usual calm expression.

"You can do it, right?"

Chelsea recognized the 'trust' in his eyes and clenched her fist.

'Can I… fight a commander alone?'

Even though her power had increased, Chelsea couldn't gauge its extent.

Therefore, fear preceded her.

But…

'Leo-oppa believes I'm fully capable.'

Chelsea trusted the belief Leo had shown her more than her own power.

"Yes."

Chelsea said with a serious expression.

"I will dedicate the glory of victory to Leo-oppa."

"Hahaha! Are you imitating me now?"

Melina covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled as if it were cute.

Chelsea coughed lightly, her face slightly flushed, and approached Seneor.

"Will she be okay?"

Kal asked with a worried expression. Leo said.

"She'll be fine. Chelsea is strong now."

Leo looked at Chelsea's back.

"When your potential blooms, learning how strong you become is also good study."

Saying that, Leo opened his mouth.

"Fiora, Atti."

*Flash- Crackle-*

-You called, Master.

-Did you call, Owner?

A splendid phoenix and a pure white Pegasus appeared.

"Wow, Fiora has also taken on an adult form."

Kal exclaimed, and Fiora puffed out her chest slightly.

"I thought I would get incredibly fat, but… is that a good thing?"

*Whoosh-! Snap-!*

The phoenix immediately grabbed Kal by the scruff of his neck with its beak and spun him wildly in the air.

"Aaaargh! H-help me!"

-Fi, Fiora! Use that new technique on me!

Leo sighed at the sudden commotion.

"Stop it."

Fiora released Kal.

"Fiora, go to the northern continent, find Chen Sia and Eliza, and wait. Atti, go to the southern continent, bring Lil, and go to where Chen Sia and Eliza are."

-Yes, Master.

-Understood, Owner.

After responding, the two disappeared, turning into flames and lightning.

"Where do you suspect the keys are located?"

Melina asked cautiously.

"The old Fairy Land. And…"

Leo answered calmly to the question.

"Gardesron."