Book 1 Chapter 954
954.
Leo headed towards the entrance of Gardsron.
Lunia and Elena followed behind Leo.
“Are we really going with just this many people?”
Elena asked with a puzzled expression.
They were on their way to stop the immense number of demonkin from the Age of Calamity.
But the party consisted of only four people, including Luna.
At Elena's words, Leo let out a chuckle.
“Who do you think we are?”
It was a sight that could easily appear arrogant.
But Leo was someone who had the right to say such things.
‘Seriously, why is this guy so unnecessarily cool?’
Elena clutched her head and let out a deep sigh.
And she glanced sideways.
Lunia was staring intently at Leo's back.
This fiery-tempered elf, too, must have felt the same way she did…
“Stop showing off and explain properly.”
Lunia grabbed Leo by the scruff of his neck and shook him wildly.
“Why aren’t you revealing your identity to Lady Luna! What did you do wrong to Lady Luna!”
Lunia, her eyes blazing, shouted aggressively.
Thanks to Lunia's badgering, Leo's body swayed back and forth.
“Because I pitted Luna and Lysinas against each other.”
“Ah, I see. You can’t reveal your identity because you’re afraid of retaliation.”
Elena smiled faintly, as if she understood.
Lunia pouted her lips and looked at Leo.
Then she snorted.
“I’m going to tell Lady Luna everything! And Lady Lysinas too!”
“There, there. Good girl.”
“Don’t treat me like a child!”
“Shhh.”
Leo brought his index finger to Lunia’s lips.
Lunia’s face flushed deeply at the sudden skinship.
“Wh-what are you doing!”
Watching Lunia hurriedly back away and wipe her lips, Leo said.
“It’s not just because of that that I’m not revealing my identity.”
“Then what other reason is there?”
Elena asked, crossing her arms.
“Because I don’t want to tell them the ending.”
“……”
“Because those two are different from Dwenno.”
During the Age of Calamity.
Leo had believed it was impossible to save the world.
This was in contrast to other great heroes who believed the world could be saved.
However, even among the others, their perspectives differed in detail.
Lysinas, Luna, and Arion believed without a doubt that they would win without losing anyone.
This was because they hated to imagine a future where even one person disappeared.
In contrast, Dwenno believed that someone might die.
He believed that the future could not be achieved without sacrifice.
That’s why Dwenno didn’t waver, even after hearing that everyone except Kyle had died.
“But Lysinas and Luna are different.”
If they were to hear that they had no place in the brilliant future that unfolded after defeating Erebus.
They would undoubtedly be shocked.
They wouldn’t collapse from that shock.
But it was clear that they would feel great sadness.
Furthermore, if they heard that Leo alone had reincarnated in the future, they would be even sadder.
And when they saw his reincarnated self standing before them.
It was difficult even for Leo to imagine how Lysinas and Luna would feel.
Elena and Lunia fell silent after hearing Leo's words.
“I… I told Lady Lysinas about you.”
“You didn’t tell her that I was Kyle, did you?”
“No… She said she couldn’t face you because of a promise.”
“……”
Leo gave a bitter smile.
If it were Lysinas, she would have heard the stories of those from the future and predicted what was to come.
‘I just hope they feel the hope that the world was saved, at least.’
He didn’t want to see them saddened by his solitary struggle.
Watching Leo’s lonely back, Elena gently twirled the ends of her hair with her fingers.
“Ah, seriously. He seems so rude, but he’s genuinely kind. That’s why he charms all these women.”
Elena grumbled and let out a deep sigh.
Lunia also bit her lip.
Come to think of it, Leo himself would probably be the one who most wanted to reveal his identity.
To him, the great heroes were more precious than anything.
He clearly would want to open his heart and talk to them.
“Sorry…”
When Lunia avoided his gaze and apologized, Leo patted her head.
“It’s okay.”
“……”
“Besides, it’s also true that I didn’t want to get beaten up.”
“Give me back my feelings! My feelings!”
Lunia grabbed Leo and shook him vigorously.
Meanwhile, the party arrived at the entrance of Gardsron.
Luna, who was waiting at the entrance, spotted Lunia and her eyes widened.
“An elf?”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Luna. My name is Lunia El Rundia.”
Lunia greeted Luna politely.
Meeting Luna again made her heart flutter.
On the other hand, she felt a pang of bitterness seeing Luna, who had forgotten her.
‘They said memories aren’t passed down because this isn’t Lady Luna’s world, right?’
Remembering the Luna who had once recognized her as a successor made her heart ache for no reason.
“You’ve learned star magic?”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
“My magic is being passed down to later generations!”
Luna’s eyes sparkled.
‘Lady Luna’s passion for magic never changes, no matter the era.’
Lunia smiled faintly, looking at Luna, who didn’t remember her but was exactly as Lunia remembered her.
“Hey.”
“Yes!”
“May I dissect you?”
“Yes!”
Lunia, who had answered without thinking, suddenly asked urgently.
“What did you say?”
“Dissection. Don’t worry. This unnie will stitch you up so no scars remain.”
“Le-Leo! Help me!”
“Hehehehe! You’re not going anywhere!”
Lunia hurriedly tried to hide behind Leo, but Luna laughed and grabbed Lunia.
“Let’s do the dissection later.”
“Hey!”
“Defeating Tartarus’s demonkin is the priority.”
“Oh. Right.”
Luna, who had released Lunia, nodded and placed her hand on her hip.
“Shall we depart then?”
Luna smiled brightly.
Her lighthearted and eccentric demeanor from a moment ago was nowhere to be seen.
A deep bloodlust flowed in her eyes.
Lunia and Elena trembled, seeing Luna’s suddenly changed atmosphere.
***
Thud- Thud- Thud-
The monsters were moving in unison.
A large-scale movement of monsters.
What should have been a chaotic mass movement of monsters looked like trained soldiers.
“Kukuku. That refugee city is finished now, I suppose.”
“It’s a shame, a real shame. If we had gone there, we could’ve feasted on fresh meat.”
“Why are you only thinking about gorging yourselves like pigs? We can create tons of corpses. That’s our troop strength.”
Demonkin of various types all believed in the destruction of Leisar without a doubt.
“Anyway, I hope there aren’t any problems when we get to Gardsron.”
“What problems could there be?”
“Have you forgotten? Those monsters are in Gardsron.”
At those words, the demonkin’s atmosphere froze.
Monsters.
It was the word Tartarus’s demonkin used to refer to the great heroes.
Heroes who had nearly massacred countless demonkin.
When they first heard the heroes talk about saving the world, the demonkin just scoffed.
The world was already tilting towards ruin.
It was merely barely holding on.
The destruction of the world was a foregone conclusion.
Even the inhabitants of the surface had long ago abandoned hope.
A world filled only with lamentation and fear.
The world the demonkin desired.
In such a situation, to talk about saving the world and fighting against Tartarus was truly absurd.
But the legion commanders were defeated one by one, and more recently, even Giant King Gias’s advance was repelled.
The belief that the world would be destroyed remained unchanged.
However, the fear of dying without seeing the world’s destruction spread among the demonkin.
Death was not what they feared.
Destruction was the demonkin’s instinct.
Just as Erebus, who created the demonkin, desired the world’s destruction.
They too yearned for the sight of the world vanishing into ashes.
But to die without seeing that sight was terrifying.
“With such an immense number of monsters like this, what is there to worry about?”
At that moment, one demonkin scoffed.
“Gardsron suffered heavy damage from the Giant King. In such a situation, if this many demonkin and monsters invade, they’ll be too busy defending.”
At those words, the unease among the demonkin vanished.
“It might even be a good thing.”
A smile of ecstasy appeared in the demonkin’s eyes.
“During this chaotic situation, we might even be able to take care of one of those guys, you know?”
At those words, greed appeared in the demonkin’s eyes.
“I want that elf’s corpse!”
“It’s been a long time since I tasted dragon meat.”
A demonic aura wafted across the faces of Tartarus’s demonkin.
This was still the era when the great heroes were just beginning to establish themselves as Tartarus’s fear.
In other words, they weren’t yet fully ingrained as an absolute terror.
The demonkin spread their wings of imagination.
They recalled the images of the prey they had trampled upon until now.
Those who screamed and fell into fear and panic.
For the demonkin, they were merely prey.
As always, they were the hunters.
The demonkin were confident of this.
“They say there’s one among them called the surviving hero.”
“Ah, I’ve also heard rumors about that human. They say he always returns alive, no matter the situation?”
“I wonder how long that luck will last.”
“Soon, I imagine. They say he always appears on the front lines. Someone like that doesn’t last long.”
“I thought I wouldn’t last long either.”
A calm voice was heard amidst the demonkin’s conversation.
“But I ended up surviving until the end.”
Thwack-!
Leo thrust his sword into the face of the demonkin who had scoffed at him, saying he wouldn’t last long.
The demonkin’s thoughts froze at the sudden situation.
Amidst that, Leo twisted his wrist.
Thwack-!
Fwoosh-!
A scream burst out along with flames.
“Kuaaaaaaaah!”
Only the part below its nose remained on its head, allowing it to scream.
The demonkin, writhing in pain, soon turned to ashes and disappeared.
Leo, who had appeared in the midst of thousands of demonkin, emitted a red glow from his eyes and moved at an invisible speed.
“Wh-what is this!”
“A human?!”
Voices filled with alarm erupted among the demonkin.
Sca-ga-ga-ga-gack-!
Grey flashes scattered, beginning to slaughter the demonkin.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“Aaaargh!”
Fear erupted among the demonkin.
One of the high-ranking demonkin leading the others shouted.
“The enemy is alone! Don’t waver! He’s just prey! A rat in a trap!”
“He’s a lively one! I’ll devour him!”
A giantkin shouted triumphantly.
Leo flew towards the face of that giantkin.
“Want to eat?”
“What?!”
The giantkin’s face, meeting Leo’s emotionless gaze, instantly stiffened.
Leo charged without hesitation towards the giantkin’s mouth.
“Then eat your fill.”
Thud! Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-gack!
Leo, from its mouth to its throat, then through its intestines down to its groin.
He pierced straight through it and landed on the ground.
It wasn’t merely a penetration and nothing more.
As he pierced through, he unleashed terrifying slashes, mutilating the giantkin into shapeless pieces of meat.
Thud-thud-thud-thud! Splat- splat-!
Blood and chunks of flesh rained down like rain.
Leo, who had landed on the ground, stood up.
He had his sword slung over his shoulder and a somewhat twisted expression on his face.
The high-ranking demonkin, who had called Leo a rat in a trap, had his face freeze as he met Leo’s red eyes.
“Funny how they think that way.”
Leo curled the corners of his lips.
“That you’re hunters, and beings that inflict fear.”
Leo let his sword drag on the ground.
“So you must have played with countless people and killed them cruelly.”
Step- step-
Leo walked among thousands of demonkin.
All the demonkin felt an unknown fear.
He was merely a single human.
But his presence overwhelmed thousands of demonkin.
Demonkin without a legion commander were nothing more than a disorganized rabble.
But even so, it was strange to be overwhelmed by just one person.
“So I decided to do the same thing to you.”
Demonkin massacre and trample.
More cruelly than anyone.
Thus, the surviving hero, Kyle, became imprinted in the demonkin’s minds as the most terrifying existence.
“It was only then that they understood their place, wasn’t it? Only then did you realize that you could also be hunted.”
Leo gave an eerie smile.
“So, who wants to die first?”
“Ugh! Don’t just stand there, kill this…”
Thwack-!
Leo cut off the head of the high-ranking demonkin.
Of course, a demonkin’s vitality doesn’t let them die from just this.
That was fortunate for Leo, and unfortunate for the demonkin.
‘Because I can kill them painfully.’
The sword flashed, painfully slicing through the demonkin.
‘It’s been a while.’
A mad smile settled on Leo’s face.
‘Massacring demonkin, too.’