Chapter 116

116.

“You bastards!”

“Do you really think you can get away with this?”

As Lei Sar’s Hero Legion shouted in unison, Arga revealed her killing intent.

“What makes you so shameless to brag about doing something right at this moment?”

The usual soft and gentle atmosphere had vanished without a trace.

Her disdain and anger towards those who unsheathed their swords without hesitation to cut down an innocent young girl made Ar’s presence sharp.

In response to Ar’s intimidating presence, members of the Hero Legion stepped back hesitantly.

Seeing this, Leo narrowed his eyes.

‘They aren’t proper members of the Hero Legion; they’re just trainees.’

Throwing someone unprepared into the battlefield will only bring d*ath.

Even in this era, the process of cultivating heroes existed.

In a way, one could call these members Hero Candidates like Ar.

‘Of course, they’re different from Ar.’

This difference isn’t due to the era.

Even in the Era of Catastrophe, there were candidates aspiring to be true heroes.

But these individuals were not like that.

They joined the Hero Legion merely to satisfy their pretentious sense of superiority and lust for power.

One could tell just by looking into their eyes.

It wasn’t about natural talent or the strength they wielded.

‘There’s a fundamental difference.’

“I am Jelin from Lei Sar’s Hero Legion! Obstructing our tasks is akin to defying the order of the Lord!”

The woman standing at the front, Jelin, shouted sharply at Ar.

“An order from the lord? Or is it an order from Leabathen?”

Leo asked coldly, causing Jelin to flinch.

“Indeed, it seems you were sent to collect all the orphans under the guise of a nonexistent epidemic and retrieve the Shatens.”

The faces of the orphans turned pale at Leo’s words.

As Ar realized the situation, her face turned cold.

Thud – Thud –

Leo stepped forward.

“No matter how dire the times, there’s still a line that shouldn’t be crossed.”

Swooosh—

With an expressionless face, Leo drew his sword toward Lei Sar’s Hero Legion.

“To call yourself a hero, you need to at least respect some basic principles.”

Anger flickered in Leo’s eyes.

“Otherwise, it would be a disgrace to those who truly risk their lives to save the world.”

“That’s right! Filth like you don’t deserve to be called a hero!”

Ar also yelled in agreement with Leo.

“Insolent brats… so you intend to stand in our way till the end?”

Jelin generated aura.

“Because you seem so proud of your meager skills, I’ll teach you how vast the world truly is.”

Clank – Clank – Clank!

Jelin’s body was soon enveloped in a full suit of silvery plate mail.

Re-adjusting her shield and spear, she approached Leo.

Seeing this, Leo told Ar:

“I’ll handle her; you take care of the others.”

“Got it.”

The number of members in the Hero Legion was a total of five.

With their aura, it wouldn’t be hard for them to massacre the civilian children.

‘If they had sent real experts, it would’ve been a real headache. But judging from these novices, it seems they haven’t fully seized control of the Hero Legion yet.’

The true powerhouses of the Hero Legion are veterans who’ve fought through the Era of Catastrophe.

At this moment, someone like Leo or Ar wouldn’t even stand a chance against them.

‘Though, such individuals probably wouldn’t listen to Leabathen’s orders in the first place.’

Looking at the defenseless Leo approaching her, Jelin sneered.

“Foolish youth!”

Goo-oo-oo-!

Jelin thrust her spear sharply at Leo.

Crash-!

The ground beneath her feet sank with the force of her rapid approach.

Seeing the incoming adversary close the distance quickly, Leo swung his sword upwards with one fluid motion.

‘Do you really think that simple movement will stop my attack…!’

Ting-!

Jelin’s eyes widened in shock.

Leo had effortlessly deflected her aura-filled spear with such ease.

“The nerve to call yourselves the Hero Legion with such skills.”

“Are you insulting me?”

Jelin, shouting furiously, infused her shield with aura and charged at Leo.

Seeing this, Leo raised his right hand, which didn’t hold a sword.

Fwoosh-!

A fiery flame ignited in Leo’s right hand.

“Fire Attribute Aura? That’s quite an unusual skill!”

While infusing aura with attributes has become common in the modern age due to the advancement of aura techniques, it isn’t something seen during the Era of Catastrophe.

Jelin, amazed upon seeing Leo’s flames, smirked.

“But do you think such flames can stop my shield?”

Leo clenched his fist upon observing the shield.

“Looks like it’s designed for specialized defense.”

Fwoosh-!

A fiery glow flashed in Leo’s crimson eyes.

“So what’s your point?”

Crash-! Fwoosh!

Flames erupted violently.

The inferno not only dispelled Jelin’s aura but melted her shield as well.

“Gaaaah!”

Jelin screamed in agony as molten metal scalded her.

“That performance is quite amateurish.”

Sheathing his sword, Leo diverted his gaze to Ar, who was handling the other four members.

Thoom!

As Ar leaped, an odd sound echoed.

Crash-!

“Cough…!”

Ar’s kick shattered the armor of one Hero Legion member.

With the ferocity of an enraged feline, Ar detected the impending sword behind her back and easily leaped into the air.

Thoom!

The strange sound echoed again, and it seemed Ar’s body shot upwards with tremendous force.

Thoom!

She pushed off in mid-air, changing her direction.

‘Elasticity?’

Leo’s eyes sparkled as he recognized Ar’s unique aura characteristic.

Every time Ar deployed her aura, her body moved freely, propelling her with agility.

With incredible speed and complex movements, the four members of the Hero Legion Ar faced were left helpless and mercilessly beaten.

‘This is like a cat playing with its prey.’

Ar delivered a final kick to the back of the last Hero Legion member.

The four knights collapsed unconscious, foaming at the mouth.

Seeing this, Ar scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

“Hmph. Calling yourselves the Hero Legion with this kind of competence?”

She then glanced at Leo.

“Fire Element Aura is your specialty, huh?”

As an Beastman with the best grasp of aura control among all races, Ar was able to predict the strength of Leo’s aura from just observing him.

“I’m looking forward to a fight with you sometime.”

Recognizing Leo’s skills, Ar smiled with a fierce anticipation.

The usual rebellious attitude had disappeared, leaving only the dignified presence worthy of an Azonia recommended candidate.

“Well, since we’ll be in the same school, we’ll probably have a showdown soon. I think school life with you is going to be incredibly entertaining.”

Smiling cheerfully, Ar said:

“You, me, and Vise the wolf combined, and we’ll surely beat Lumeran!”

Proudly blowing her nose and clenched fists, Ar was full of expectation.

‘Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t feel right revealing Lumeran’s name while you’re so hyped up.’

Just as Leo scratched his cheek, the situation was interrupted.

“Foolish pests.”

Jelin chuckled darkly.

Her body was severely burned, and her eyes were filled with venom.

“Did you truly think you could mess with us, part of the Hero Legion, and get away with it? Do you believe Lord Leabathen would let you live?”

Jelin, grinding her teeth, hurled insults.

“You idiots! You’ve turned Lei Sar into your enemy just to protect some dirty orphans!”

While Ar watched the taunting Jelin with a neutral expression, she cracked her knuckles.

“Do you want a beating?”

As Jelin flinched at the sight of Ar approaching with a hostile glare, Leo raised his hand to stop her.

“Would you mind taking the kids away from here for a bit?”

“What?”

“There’s something I need to say to her.”

Seeing the smile on Leo’s face, Ar felt shivers run down her spine.

‘Something feels dangerously off.’

Her instincts, honed in the wild, detected an impending threat.

With her ears and tail perked up, Ar remained frozen, unsure of what action to take.

“Please.”

At Leo’s simple request, Ar turned to the children.

“Alright, kids, let’s move away from here for a bit.”

Her words carried an undeniable power, and the children followed her out of the clearing.

Observing Leo, Jelin laughed derisively.

“So, after playing the hero, you’re now afraid for your life, are you? Are you going to beg for your life now? Or are you just trying not to show the kids your pitiful side? You’re just as filthy as the rest…”

“There seems to be some misunderstanding.”

Swooosh—

Leo drew his sword and approached Jelin.

“I just thought it wasn’t something the children should witness.”

As Leo spoke calmly, Jelin felt goosebumps ripple through her body.

The moment their eyes met, Jelin instantly knew—it was the look of someone who didn’t hesitate to k*ll.

“Oh…oh, don’t come near me!”

Jelin crawled back fearfully, her face deathly pale.

“If you k*ll me, Lord Leabathen won’t let you…”

“Even if I killed you or spared you, that man would definitely not leave you alone. As time passes, he’d come for you no matter what.”

Leo’s cold gaze was directed at Jelin.

“Besides, I have no intention of letting him do as he pleases. And I have no reason to keep you alive.”

“A-as an…as a hostage…!”

“Do you even have that kind of value?”

Leo raised his sword.

Under the fading twilight and the gray sky, Leo’s eyes, devoid of any emotion, were unsettling.

Leo’s sword came down as if from a guillotine.

“Sl…!”

Swish-!

In one clean motion, he severed her head. Without hesitation, Leo also ended the lives of the remaining four.

Leo shook the bl**d off his sword.

Had they just followed orders here without knowing the full context, Leo wouldn’t have necessarily taken their lives.

‘But they knew everything.’

There was no reason to pardon them.

“Their hesitation is none.”

“I’m used to it.”

In response to ELSHI’s words from behind, Leo calmly replied,

“To dealing with turncoats and traitors like these.”

The era of disasters wasn’t only shaped into hell by Erebus and Tartarus.

People like Leabathen and Jelin, who call themselves “heroes,” killing innocent lives to satisfy their desires were numerous.

And the ones who cut their lifelines were none other than Kyle.

Because he didn’t want his comrades, each pursuing their own goals, to take on such filthy tasks.

“…Are these people really after the Shatens that my friends might have to d*e?”

Elsi’s voice wavered slightly.

“Yes.”

“…”

Elsi, though a Great Spirit, was still young and lacked experience as a Spirit.

Since her birth, she had fought against Tartarus on battlegrounds, then waited alongside Agon for the true hero that would eventually come.

She may have never encountered the evils of humankind.

This was possibly the first time she had witnessed the grotesque face of the world.

‘If it weren’t, she might have seen the moment her Aron’s younger siblings were slaughtered.’

Leo grimaced as he understood the reason she initially questioned the worth of saving this world upon their first meeting.

‘Saving the world also includes saving such people like these.’

This was the reason why he had not contracted with Lissinas despite their earnest wish.

‘Do you think this world is worth saving?’

‘Of course.’

Lissinas didn’t hesitate for a second.

Luna, Aron, and Dwenno were the same.

Only Kyle stood apart.

He didn’t answer ELSHI’s question properly.

Which was why she chose Kyle.

‘Even if he was disillusioned with the world, yet he still participated in our journey. It must be because he still wishes to save it, right?’

The image of ELSHI smiling for the first and last time as she faded, after the fight with the Hel Kaiser, came to his mind.

‘Still, I hope we’ll manage to find something worth looking for.’

‘What?’

‘A reason to save the world.’

Recalling the last words of the contractor, Leo spoke.

“ELSI.”

ELSI was like the first time they met Kyle, devoid of any emotions on her face.

“I’ll make you a promise.”

Recalling the night sky outside the window while looking at a babe in the crib, Leo smiled.

“The stars in the night sky are more beautiful than what you imagine.”

ELSI’s eyes slightly widened.

“So, this world is worth saving.”

Staring blankly at Leo, ELSHI smiled brightly.

“Yes!”