Book 1 Chapter 959
“Argh, Ar! Let go of me!”
“I won’t!”
Arion was dragging Ar, who was clinging to his leg.
Despite Arion’s overwhelming physical abilities, Ar couldn’t stop Arion from dragging him with intent.
From Ar’s perspective, all he could do was cling on.
Arion stopped walking and looked down at Ar with a troubled expression.
Ar looked up at Arion with tearful eyes.
Arion wasn’t trying to escape now.
No, he could fight back as much as he wanted.
He was abandoning the chance to meet his teacher and save his homeland purely for the sake of the future.
He was about to give up the opportunity to meet his teacher and save his homeland to prevent future generations from falling into danger.
Ar knew well how devastated Arion must feel.
That’s why Ar couldn’t let go of Arion even more.
“Ar. It’s already a predetermined past. Nothing you do here will change the past.”
“……”
“Besides, I’m already dead. I can’t sacrifice you all because of me……”
“I know.”
“……”
“But that doesn’t mean we can just look away.”
As Arion said, it was a past that had already been determined.
No matter what he did here, nothing would change.
A futile and worthless act.
But to someone.
It was a past they desperately wanted to change.
It must be a wound filled with thousands, tens of thousands of regrets.
He calls it a worthless act.
But to Arion, it had meaning.
Even if it was a dead person.
He deserved a chance to lay down his burden.
The future Arion was worried about was the future he had built.
“Ar……”
As Arion bit his lip tightly.
“Kuaaaaaaaak!”
A desperate scream was heard.
The two, looking at each other’s faces, ran towards the source of the scream.
***
“Damn it! Damn it!”
Rebaiten, the lord of Reisar, ran through the alley with bloodshot eyes.
He who harbored the delusion of standing as a great being in the new world.
He was a foolish traitor who promised eternal life and wealth to Tartarus in exchange for Reisar.
He had lost everything to shadows that had raided the lord’s castle.
“Incompetent fools! How could you not even stop those things properly!”
Rebaiten gritted his teeth, thinking of the heroes of Reisar who had followed him.
His closest confidants, who usually boasted of their strength, were instantly incapacitated, making their boasts meaningless.
“I should have gotten rid of those things long ago!”
Rebaiten narrowly escaped through a secret passage.
‘As long as I’m alive! As long as I’m alive!’
His ally was none other than Tartarus.
With the power of demons, he would be able to drive away the unknown attackers and reclaim the lord’s castle.
“You vermin! When I return……”
Shugak-! Kwak-!
As Rebaiten bared his fangs with murderous intent, a silver flash momentarily engulfed him.
Chulp-!
Rebaiten screamed in the burning pain in his arm.
“Aaaak!”
Clutching his severed arm, he quickly looked back, thinking the attackers had followed him.
However, there was no one there.
Then, a cold voice came from in front of him.
“It’s been a while, Rebaiten.”
“Ah, Sir Agon……”
Rebaiten forced a smile.
“Oh, it’s been a while! Sir Agon! It’s good you’re here! The city is in great danger……”
Kwak!
“Kuaaaaaaak!”
Agon’s fingernails cruelly tore Rebaiten’s other arm.
“Why……! Why……!”
“Do you really not know why I’m doing this?”
Agon smiled coldly.
He knew everything.
But he had endured because he knew his anger would put Reisar in danger.
“It wasn’t me……! It was the previous lord……”
Deobeok-
“Hieeeek! P-please spare me! Forgive me!”
Even as his last remaining arm was torn off, Rebaiten, who was blaming the previous lord, begged for his life as he looked at Agon approaching.
Agon raised his hand without a word.
Then.
“Teacher.”
Agon paused at the voice from behind him.
And he looked at Arion with cold eyes.
“It’s been a while.”
“……”
“I didn’t want to meet you.”
“I truly wanted to meet you.”
Arion smiled bitterly.
“I’ve seen and learned so much.”
Arion looked at Agon’s face and said.
“You’re still a coward, but… I learned how to be brave.”
Arion looked at his teacher with unwavering eyes.
“I saw the blue sky you told me about, teacher.”
What had happened?
Looking at his grown disciple, Agon could not speak.
He didn’t want to show this side of himself.
A weak figure who had become a vengeful spirit and abandoned even his duties.
He didn’t want to show it to his disciple who was walking towards the future.
“Arion, I……”
“You are my teacher.”
Arion said firmly.
“No matter what you look like… you are my proud teacher who taught me courage and told me there was a blue sky.”
At that moment.
A summoning circle of Tartarus appeared in the sky outside the city walls.
After a while.
A warp gate connected to Gardsron was also visible.
Seeing that, Arion sighed deeply.
“Seriously, Kyle……”
He knew what that meant.
Perhaps his future friend had come to Reisar, leading his past friends.
“Seriously. I thought he’d have the same idea as me.”
Now that it had come to this, he had no choice but to fight.
Arion took a deep breath.
“I always wanted to show you, teacher.”
Arion opened his eyes clearly and looked at Agon.
“My changed self.”
[Target Objective Changed.]
[Target Objective (Hidden): Save Reisar.]
Ar’s eyes widened at the message that appeared before him.
He steeled his resolve.
With that alone, Arion returned to the form of a hero.
Arion turned around.
Seeing Arion heading towards the city walls, Ar said in surprise.
“Huh? Arion-nim! What about Agon-nim……”
“Teacher will come.”
Arion grinned and ran towards the city walls.
Ar, who hastily bowed to Agon, followed him.
Agon, left alone, looked at Arion’s retreating back.
“……You’ve grown up.”
There was no longer a disciple from his memories.
There was only a disciple who had grown and begun to walk his own path.
Although he couldn’t fully understand everything Arion said, he understood this one thing.
That he had now far surpassed him.
‘Can I… stand on the battlefield?’
He had already been broken.
He thought he might become a hindrance to his disciple if he stood on the battlefield.
As Agon was in conflict.
Sabak- Sabak-
Footsteps were heard.
Agon turned his head, and his eyes widened.
“El… Cee?”
There stood Elsie, holding a sword in her arms.
“It’s been a while, Agon.”
Elsie greeted him with a bitter smile.
Elsie and Agon’s connection began from the moment Elsie was born.
Schatten, the sword that swallowed darkness, which was once Agon’s symbol, was Elsie.
After Schatten broke on the battlefield, Elsie awoke and settled in an orphanage.
Later, in the original history, Elsie witnessed the malice of humans and became disillusioned with the world, just like Agon.
But at the last moment.
She ultimately sacrificed herself for the world.
Tears flowed from Agon’s eyes, who didn’t know Elsie was a great spirit of darkness.
“You were… alive?”
“I’m sorry, Agon. I am a different being from the Elsie you know.”
In the world of heroes, Elsie, who was saved by Leo, did not experience what Agon went through.
However.
Still, Elsie remembered.
All the countless stories Agon had told her.
The beauty of the night sky that regained its starlight.
The blue, high sky filled with white clouds.
All of it was just as Agon had told her.
No. It was even more beautiful.
“Agon, I cannot fully comprehend your heart. What you went through is a terrible thing I don’t even want to imagine.”
Elsie approached Agon.
“But… even so, I know that the essence of the person you are has not changed.”
She went in front of him and handed him a sword.
“……Schatten.”
Agon ran his hand over the sword, which closely resembled his own sword, broken long ago.
This sword had been made by Dweno in the past few days at Elsie’s request.
“Agon, Guardian of the Sky. You are the hero of Reisar.”
“……”
“I know. No matter how many times you are broken, you will rise up and fight for the people.”
There was unwavering faith in Elsie’s eyes.
“No matter how ugly the world is… you taught me and Arion that there are things worth protecting.”
That’s why Elsie and Agon couldn’t give up on the world until the end and sacrificed themselves.
They believed without a doubt that even in a dark world, there was light.
“Kueeeeeeee.”
Rebaiten crawled on the ground, groaning, trying to escape the place.
As Elsie’s cold gaze fell upon him.
Kwak-!
Agon pierced Rebaiten’s heart with his sword.
“Kureuk-!”
Rebaiten met his death futilely.
“There’s no need to stain your hands with the blood of this wicked man.”
Agon reached out and stroked Elsie’s head.
“Yes. Even in this dirty world… there are things worth protecting.”
Will ignited in Agon’s eyes.
He turned around.
And followed his disciple.
***
Leo muttered as he saw the immense army of Tartarus gathered before Reisar.
“There are more than I remember.”
“What?”
Lunia wore a surprised expression.
“It’s the plan of the Lord of the Undead. He must have realized the plan went awry and brought his full force.”
“Ah! That damn dog bone!”
Lunia gritted her teeth.
The legion commanders of this era were overwhelmingly stronger than those of later generations.
Even though the new generation of legion commanders inherited powers and abilities through the legion’s records.
They were no match for the power of the legion commanders blessed by Erebus.
The overwhelming force made people cower.
The hero candidates swallowed dryly.
Lisinas wore a serious expression.
Although they had brought their maximum strength, it seemed insufficient.
Moreover, this was not the wall of Gardsron.
While similar in scale, the walls of Gardsron were designed by Dweno and protected by the magic of Luna and Lisinas.
The durability itself was different.
And the people were intimidated.
‘We need something to raise the morale.’
Then Kyle said.
“Luna.”
“Yeah?”
“Do what you usually do well.”
“What?”
“You know, unleash a big one and then act cool to raise the morale.”
“That’s not acting cool, that’s genuinely cool.”
Luna crossed her arms.
“But that stupid dragon made me speckled. I don’t know if my usual dignity will come out.”
As Luna glared, Lisinas cast healing magic on his palm and pressed on Luna’s eyes.
“Ack! Ack! The stupid dragon is bullying me!”
“I’m healing you.”
“You’re trying to pluck my eyes out!”
“Dweno, try to stop him.”
“Don’t come near me. I’m not going to be treated the same.”
The composed demeanor of the great heroes made the hero candidates feel a little more relaxed.
Then.
Flash-!
A golden light flashed from the sky.
As everyone looked up at the sky in surprise.
Kwaga gagagang-!
Aura poured down from the sky like rain.
The great heroes stopped fighting and widened their eyes.
Tak-!
Then someone landed on top of the city wall.
Hwiwoooo-!
The wind blew, scattering white hair.
Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the beastman.
The hero, Arion, slowly rose.
And he just turned his head to look back.
The corner of his mouth was raised on one side.
His eyes were filled with will.
Cheok-!
Arion raised one hand.
His index finger was raised.
One year ago.
The hero candidates who remembered when he subdued the fragment of Erebus had that image etched in their minds.
Arion had disappeared just like that back then.
Arion chuckled and said in a low voice.
“I have arrived.”
That single phrase, imbued with a certain majesty.
It gave those who saw it an inexplicable courage.
“Uwaaaaaaaa!”
The hero candidates let out fierce cheers.
Along with that, the soldiers defending Reisar’s city walls were swept up in the atmosphere and cheered.
Lisinas’s mouth moved.
Dweno looked bewildered.
“Did he eat something wrong since I last saw him? Kyle. Why is Arion copying you?”
“When did I do that?”
Kyle retorted indifferently.
Luna clutched her stomach and burst into laughter.
“Wow! That’s cool! He’s doing as I taught him!”
Lisinas, unable to watch any longer, clutched his head.
“Arion can’t. He can’t be corrupted like these fools……”
Lisinas cried out, seeing the innocent Arion, despite his fear, being influenced by his wicked friends.
“Hey.”
“Ah! Ca… Leo!”
Arion looked at Leo with a bright smile.
“Don’t do that, Lisinas hates it.”
“Why? It’s cool!”
Seeing Leo smiling innocently, Leo shook his head with a bewildered expression.
“Well, anyway.”
Leo’s eyes sparkled.
“It’s time to change the past. Are you ready?”
A glint appeared in Arion’s golden eyes.
“Of course.”
Arion grinned and took a breath.
Keohohohohohohohohng-!
The hero’s howling signaled the prelude to war.