Book 1 Chapter 882

The illusion is crumbling.

The moment this illusion crumbles, the seal on Erebus's fragment will break, and it will reveal itself to the world.

"I have to stop that, at least."

Silode bit his lip tightly.

But at this moment, Silode could at best only suppress Erebus.

A desperate, life-or-death situation.

It was in this situation that Melina arrived.

"The Silent Dragon… Melina."

Silode had lived a life isolated from the outside world for the past 5,000 years.

But even so, he was not ignorant of the heroes who had made names for themselves in the world.

The fairies who explored the outside brought back countless stories and told them to Silode.

Listening to the stories of the young fairies.

That was one of Silode's favorite times.

He also wanted to go on such adventures.

Not in a dying world… but in a hopeful world.

Exploring the beautiful world with his sworn ally and her friends.

No, he wanted to adventure the world, laughing, chatting, and enjoying himself with his friends, who were irreplaceable.

That was his greatest wish when he lived through the Age of Calamity.

But that wish could not be fulfilled.

Silode could travel the world freely.

But it was because no one could return.

Not his sworn ally.

Not his closest friends.

Not the mythical beasts who had cared for him.

Even if Silode had joined the final journey, the outcome would not have changed.

No, perhaps the lineage of the Fairy King might have been cut off.

But…

Silode regretted for 5,000 years not joining that journey at the last moment.

The choice made then, with regret remaining, eventually became lingering attachment.

But immediately after the Age of Calamity ended, he was not caught by that lingering attachment.

At that time, there were those who shared the pain.

Those left behind, unable to participate in the journey.

Heroes who stood on the battlefield with the great heroes.

But the members of Arhi who couldn't join the final journey.

But the ones who shared Arhi's name, one by one… passed away, and Silode was left alone.

And when he sealed the fragment of Erebus, Silode became trapped in the past.

Because of the sense of duty to protect the world as the last of Arhi.

He had to be satisfied with listening to the heroic tales and adventures of the outside world, unable to venture out.

Thus, for 5,000 years, he heard countless stories of heroes.

And Silode remembered the many heroes who had been broken.

Melina was one of those who had been broken.

And Silode knew why Melina was broken.

"Conquest of the World of Genesis."

The truth of the World of Genesis, a secret of the world for thousands of years.

But Silode knew the truth from the moment the recurrence of calamity came to an end.

He knew better than anyone that Erebus could not be destroyed without the power of purity.

Countless heroes who have existed for 5,000 years.

Among them, not a single hero after Genesis had succeeded in reclaiming their power and confronting Erebus.

There were heroes who attempted to conquer the World of Genesis, but all failed, and most lost their lives.

Even if they returned alive, they were rendered incapable of recovery.

Melina was also one of those heroes.

That's why she became the Silent Dragon.

Gooooo!

Mana surged from Melina's body.

It was mana familiar to Silode.

"Lisinas…"

Silode realized through the world of heroes that she had inherited Lisinas's power.

"But… that alone isn't enough!"

Silode bit his lip tightly.

Merely imitating Lisinas cannot stop Erebus.

-How amusing. A dragon inheriting the power of a fool.

Erebus's eyes flickered with interest.

Erebus, who had only recently awakened, knew nothing of the current era.

Furthermore, since awakening, he had been trapped in an illusion by Silode.

He was bound to be ignorant of the Hero Record and the World of Heroes.

However, he instantly grasped the basis of Melina's power.

-Is this a trick of the gods?

Erebus spewed flames, as if amused.

Goooooo!

Erebus, now a giant of flames, unleashed sinister black flames from his entire body.

-But can you do it?

Erebus spread his right hand.

Fwoosh! Kugaagagak!

From his grotesque right hand, a sticky, black sludge flowed out, like groundwater erupting.

Chiiiiiiiiiik!

The black sludge soon fell to the ground and began to spread like ink.

"The power of erosion…"

Melina murmured softly.

One of Erebus's countless powers.

Erebus cannot move outside of the land he has eroded.

It was due to the seal imposed by the gods as their last resort when they were driven out of the mortal realm by Erebus.

However, he could move freely on land defiled by that power of erosion.

'It's like spreading oil before setting it aflame…'

Gooooo!

The power of erosion began to erode Silode's illusion magic.

If left unattended, the illusion magic would be destroyed in an instant.

Judging this, Melina took a deep breath and reached out her hand.

Wooooong!

A giant staff materialized before her.

Tap!

Holding the staff with her right hand, Melina raised her left.

And she opened her left eye, which had been covered.

Where an eye should have been, a sphere of darkness as deep as obsidian had formed.

Melina pulled out the sphere embedded in her left eye with her left hand.

-Dragon Heart?

"Yes. It's my Dragon Heart, which I extracted from my body long ago."

The Dragon Heart, located in the right chest of a dragon.

Although it doesn't serve as the heart, it is a vital organ that provides powerful mana to the dragon.

While not the heart, it serves as a vital point, and extracting it rashly from the body could lead to death.

-You extracted it yourself.

"Yes. I had lost my left eye at the time. It felt empty, so I needed something to fill it."

Melina said as if it were nothing and put her Dragon Heart into her mouth.

Gulp!

And swallowed it.

Goooooo!

Then, the Lisinas mana flowing from Melina's body grew stronger.

-Ho?

Erebus exclaimed.

-Are you intending to imitate a fool?

"How dare I imitate the King of Wisdom?"

Melina grinned.

"I'm just doing my best."

She swung the staff in her right hand.

With it, countless magic circles materialized in the air.

They were all draconic incantations.

Kugaagagaga!

Silver draconic incantations struck Erebus.

'Not Lisinas's magic?'

Erebus's eyes twitched.

The magic unfolding from Melina's fingertips were all magics that Erebus did not know.

They were all original magics created by Melina.

'Draconic incantations fused with elemental magic?'

Erebus's eyes narrowed.

Erebus's movement, which had been about to unleash flames to shake off the magic, stopped abruptly.

Each spell was unusual.

The power contained within the magic was suppressing Erebus's flames.

-This isn't your first time fighting me, dragon.

Erebus's experience was instantly discerned.

"Yes."

Melina smiled faintly, looking at Erebus, whose movements were suppressed.

"It was another fragment of yours that took my left eye."

Melina swept her hand over the place where her left eye used to be.

"You burned everything I had."

Melina's voice, speaking calmly, carried no emotion.

"After barely surviving the fight with you… I extracted my Dragon Heart myself."

This was all for the next decisive battle with Erebus.

The Dragon Heart grants a dragon nearly infinite mana.

But there was a clear limit.

As part of an organ, it could not contain power beyond the body's limits.

So she extracted it.

To contain even more powerful mana.

While remaining silent, she lived with the sole intention of subjugating Erebus.

But Melina was consumed by deep fear of Erebus.

Pure fear of Erebus.

Also, the fear that she might die without being able to do anything when facing Erebus again.

Even if it was only a single fragment of Erebus, it was a monster whose height she couldn't guarantee she could overcome even if she struggled her entire life.

But…

-You'll die if you're not careful.

"I'm not afraid of death."

By re-integrating the extracted Dragon Heart into her body, she gained power beyond her limits for a moment.

But that power was destroying Melina's body.

-It's not death you fear, is it?

Erebus pierced through what Melina feared.

'There's no need to fear anymore.'

Melina reached out her hand.

'Because Leo-nim is here.'

Wooooong!

Lisinas's mana flickered.

'Because there are children who will support Leo-nim's back.'

She might fail.

But even if she failed, it wasn't the end.

There were those who would follow.

That fact made Melina resolute.

- …That look is familiar.

In her resolute gaze, which had overcome fear, someone could be glimpsed.

'Lisinas, the King of Wisdom.'

Even facing her certain death, that hateful dragon had that kind of look.

-What is your name, dragon.

"I have no name to give you."

Melina, smiling sweetly, completed the magic incantation.

It was far from original.

She had learned it from Leo and could barely imitate it.

'Punishment.'

The unique magic symbolizing Lisinas unfolded from Melina's hands.

As she drew the bowstring, light gathered.

When Melina released the string, an arrow of light flew towards Erebus.

Flash! Kugaagagaga!

The judgment of the King of Wisdom, intended to destroy evil, struck down.

Silode's eyes widened.

"Silent Dragon… What… has happened since then?"

"…Many things have happened."

Melina smiled faintly at Silode's question.

"Don't worry too much, Fairy King."

Fwoooosh!

Black flames blazed.

Then-

Kwaaaahhhhhh!

A giant vortex of water, formed by the meeting of wind and water, pushed back the black flames.

Pajijijik!

Pure white lightning descended from the sky and struck the black flames.

Kugaagagag!

A massive explosion occurred.

"Oooooooh! Amazing! Our school's monsters!"

A somewhat anticlimactic exclamation from the sword followed.

Silode stared blankly at the heroes of the new generation who had revealed themselves.

"Who are they?"

To Silode's question, Melina looked at the hero candidates and said indifferently.

"They are the new members of Arhi."

"……!"

"They are the children who will carry on the legacy you have continued."