Chapter 579

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Fwoooooosh—!

The pillar of black flames that had soared high into the sky split apart and began raining down.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

“Kyaaaaaah?!”

Screams erupted throughout the stands at the sudden sight, as though the end of the world had arrived.

Flash—!

At that moment, a barrier of light formed across the sky.

Fwoooosh—!

The wall blocked the black flames.

—Distinguished guests who have come to Lumene, may I have your attention.

A gentle voice rang out from the center of the parade ground.

Elena, a beautiful student capable of leaving anyone who saw her spellbound, gracefully held the hem of her skirt and dipped into a slight curtsy.

—Countless students from the Hero Academies and many heroes are present here. Please remain calm.

The spectators’ panic quickly subsided at Elena’s words.

Fear still filled their faces, but no one lost their reason or descended into chaos.

Everyone swallowed dryly.

Then...

Flash—!

Fwoooooosh—!

A red blade of Aura cleaved the pillar of black flames in two.

Even after severing the flames, the blade continued soaring into the sky without losing momentum.

Every spectator gaped at the breathtaking sight.

“That was a sword strike?”

“I’ve heard that some knights can unleash attacks comparable to a great mage’s magic, but... that far surpassed the power of any spell!”

Every gaze turned toward the person who had unleashed the attack.

Standing there was a handsome young man who looked as though he had only just left boyhood behind.

“Hark Sunbae-nim! That was incredible!”

Lily cheered as she swung her Battle Hammer.

“Is he really from the Knights Department?”

“Are all the students in Lumene’s Knights Department monsters?”

The Azonia students stared at Hark in disbelief.

“Hmph. There’s no need to be so surprised. That guy’s Mana Trait is ‘Accumulation.’”

Doberman stepped forward, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists.

“That’s how someone with such a pretty face can release such absurd amounts of Aura.”

Of course, no matter how much Aura someone possessed, there was still a limit to how much they could release at once.

Unleashing that much power in a single attack also placed an enormous burden on the body.

Being able to withstand that burden was the result of training.

Hark rested his sword on his shoulder as everyone stared at him.

He radiated overwhelming charisma.

Even his Lumene juniors, who had only ever seen him nodding off or screaming as Leo tormented him, swallowed dryly at this unfamiliar sight.

Elena approached Lily and whispered something to her.

“Pardon? Th-That’s too much!”

“It will help him considerably. Go on.”

“B-But...”

“Oh my. Who do you think you’ll be attending this academy with longer?”

Threatened by Elena’s sweet smile, Lily approached Hark with tears in her eyes.

“What is it?”

When Hark asked with a hint of irritation, Lily squeezed her eyes shut, summoned a water Spirit, and drenched him.

Splash—! Hissssss—!

The instant the water touched Hark’s body, it erupted into steam.

Hark, now soaked through without warning, grabbed Lily by the collar.

“Oh? Now that I’m about to graduate, you no longer consider me your Sunbae?”

“Eek! I-It was Elena Sunbae! She made me do it!”

'Most people still wouldn’t do it just because someone told them to.'

Everyone stared blankly at the pair, momentarily forgetting the crisis around them.

“Now, now. Calm down.”

Elena stepped between them with a bright smile.

“You needed to cool down anyway.”

“And that means she should drench me?”

Hark’s expression turned vicious.

“You can punish Lily later.”

“Why are you pushing all the blame onto me?!”

“You’re talking as though you did nothing wrong.”

Ignoring both her Sunbae’s and her junior’s protests, Elena spoke.

“First-years, evacuate with the spectators.”

“Sunbae-nim! We can fight too.”

“That’s an admirable thought.”

Elena smiled at Juen.

“But anyone half-baked will only get in the way here. Don’t hold your Sunbaes back.”

Juen flinched at Elena’s words.

“Lumene will now assemble a team to stop that. Everyone whose name I call, step forward. Those not called should follow the professors’ instructions.”

After speaking, Elena glanced toward the other academies.

“I would appreciate it if all of you formed teams as well.”

The other academies swiftly began selecting their teams.

“By the way, where is Leo-gun?”

“I’m here.”

“...?”

Elena tilted her head at Leo, who had appeared behind her.

“Leo-gun?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm...”

Elena narrowed her eyes, then smiled.

“Can you command our long-range attacks from the rear?”

“Understood.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to put him on the front line?”

“The students aren’t the only ones here right now.”

Elena looked toward the heroes holding back the Calamity Flame as it began to blaze again.

“For now, I believe Leo-gun would be most effective commanding the mages and summoners.”

===

People were evacuating in haste.

Standing amid them, Leo issued instructions to Melina.

—Melina. Have the dragons search Lumene for anyone suspicious. I don’t know whose it is, but there’s a fragment from the Hero Record of a Genesis Hero at the center of those flames. Someone must have smuggled it into Lumene.

—Understood. But why would anyone do this? A Hero Record belonging to a Genesis Hero should be valuable to Tartarus as well...

Erebos, imprisoned within the World of Genesis, could use a Genesis Hero’s Hero Record as a passage to the outside.

So why make one run wild in the middle of Lumene?

Just as he had done at Seiren, Leo could close that passage whenever he wished.

'The Death King must know that. What is he plotting?'

As Leo narrowed his eyes—

“Not every Hero Record belonging to a Genesis Hero can serve as a passage.”

Leo turned around.

Rian was walking toward him through the evacuating spectators.

Although people unconsciously moved aside for Rian, none of them perceived his presence.

Rian stopped before Leo with a wide, flat box held against his chest.

At that moment, the people around them could no longer perceive Leo either.

Only the area surrounding Rian remained calm amid the chaos.

“The Hero Record was created through the power of the gods. That power is the natural opposite of the abomination.”

Rian stepped closer to Leo.

“When the abomination became trapped within the World of Genesis, the pages of the Hero Record began turning black, as though someone had spilled ink across them.”

“Erebos was corrupting them?”

“Yes.”

Rian nodded.

“We tore apart the Hero Record before every page could turn black.”

In the process, countless records were lost or scattered throughout the world.

“Are you saying only the corrupted pages can be used as passages?”

“That is correct. However, the embers of that abomination can still pour outside through the Hero Record. That is what is happening now.”

Rian’s expression darkened.

“It is an error caused by the extensive damage to the Hero Record system itself.”

“...The Death King knew that and deliberately made the Hero Record run wild inside Lumene.”

“Most likely. That demon’s objective is...”

“The record was useless to him, so he set it off during the Festival of Heroes. He intended to eliminate the hero candidates caught in the eruption.”

Leo ground his teeth.

“How do we stop it?”

“Enter the Hero’s World and extinguish the embers that spread into it.”

“Then we first need to extinguish the flames that emerged outside.”

“Yes. That is why I have a proposal.”

“...?”

“Please stand before the people not as Leo Plov, but as Kyle, the Hero of Beginning.”

“What?”

“The inhabitants of the lower world have already grown accustomed to the miracle of the Great Heroes returning. It should not cause any serious problems.”

Rian looked toward the pillar of black flames.

“Of course, the names of the Great Heroes cannot sustain the world forever. No name lasts for eternity. I also know you are preparing for that time.”

Even if the names of the Great Heroes were forgotten, the names of those who inherited their will would be passed down to future generations.

Someday, their names would be forgotten as well.

But the will they passed on would never disappear.

Just as Leo—Kyle—had received it from Lysinas and his companions.

Just as Lysinas had received it from someone whose name had been lost to history.

“In an age without gods, you were reborn after accomplishing feats greater than those of the gods themselves. It is a miracle beyond even the gods’ imagination.”

Rian smiled radiantly.

“I do not believe that miracle was mere chance. You were reborn into this world because the world needs you.”

Rian looked toward the terrified people.

“They are trembling in fear. The name Leo Plov is not yet enough to drive that fear away.”

Rian knelt and raised the box toward Leo as though presenting an offering.

“Kyle, the Hero of Beginning, must return to the world once more.”

“This is...?”

“A gift from me to you.”

Leo’s eyes widened when he opened the box.

Inside was a black cloak.

A cloak Leo knew all too well.

Before Arron joined them, Kyle had spent day after day being wounded while protecting Lysinas and Luna on the front line.

Kyle had not cared, but the sight of him covered in wounds had apparently pained them both.

One day, while Kyle was receiving treatment, Lysinas handed him a cloak.

“Take this.”

“Why is it such a gloomy black?”

“It’s made from my true body’s hide.”

“And I inscribed it with protective magic.”

Luna crossed her arms as she spoke.

“You’re wounded every single day. Lysinas and I made it so you would stop getting hurt so much.”

Luna clicked her tongue.

“Your face is the only part of you worth looking at. If even that gets scarred, it will break my heart.”

“Don’t fall for me.”

“As if. Your face isn’t my type. And I told you, it’s the only part of you worth looking at. Your personality is rotten.”

Luna grimaced openly in disgust.

Lysinas sighed softly as she watched them.

“It’s durable, so it will protect you. Even if it’s damaged, I can repair it with my Mana. You should be injured a little less often from now on.”

The cloak had remained with Kyle until his final moments.

“How is this here?”

It should have vanished alongside him at the very end.

Yet there was no mistaking it. This was his cloak.

“Long ago, the Genesis Heroes cleared your World and received it as a Conquest Reward. Lumene entrusted it to me before sealing Erebos.”

Leo silently reached toward the cloak.

—Melina.

—Yes.

—Ask En to take my place.

—Pardon? Ah, understood.

Flustered, Melina instructed En to transform into Leo.

En played the role of Leo and slipped in among the Lumene students.

Fwoosh—!

Leo swept the cloak around his shoulders.

For an instant, its hem obscured Rian’s vision.

A moment later—

A gray-haired young man wearing black leather armor and a black cloak stood there.

“Ah...”

The god’s voice trembled at the sight of his back.

Step— Step—

Leo walked toward the black flames.

“Wait, civilians need to—”

Nella, who had been preparing for battle, stepped in front of Leo as he approached from the direction of the evacuation route.

“...evacuate...?”

“Nella, what’s wrong? Hmm? A civilian? Excuse me! You need to evacuate immediately! Why did you come here?”

Unable to hide her nervousness, Eliana hurried over to evacuate Leo. Then she abruptly stopped, crossed her arms, and furrowed her brow.

“Wait, I’ve definitely seen this handsome Oppa somewhere before... Huh? What? Whaaaaaat?!”

Eliana’s mouth fell open as she screamed.

Her scream drew everyone’s gaze toward Leo.

Leo smirked, reached out, and roughly ruffled Nella’s and Eliana’s hair before continuing forward.

“Don’t be nervous, rookies.”

Everyone stared in astonishment at Leo—or rather, Kyle.

“I’m here now.”

***