Chapter 118

118.

“_Do you know me?”_

Aron’s expression turned slightly bewildered as she looked at the unfamiliar boy standing before her.

“I do.”

With that response, Leo nodded.

He wanted to converse more, there were so many things he wished to say.

But at this moment, their task was clear—to awaken the hero before them.

This was no difficult feat for Leo, who had traversed countless battlefields over a long period.

“Your siblings are in danger.”

“What?”

Aron’s face, which had been confused a moment ago, suddenly shifted in alarm at Leo’s words.

“Tonight, your siblings may all perish. We need your strength.”

Aron turned her head solemnly, gazing toward the southern edge where her home stood.

A palpable sensation of ominous energy lingered there.

Goooooo—!

A swirling aura erupted around her. The usually calm, golden irises of her eyes contracted vertically, sharp and alert. Her muscles rippled faintly as fangs protruded from her mouth.

Readying herself for a powerful leap, Aron placed her foot on the railing.

Then, hesitating, she glanced back at Leo.

“Have we met somewhere before?”

“Hmm.”

“Where?”

“Sometime soon… in the future.”

Aron’s face flickered with confusion for a fleeting moment.

“Now is not the time to question that.”

“Ahhh!”

Hearing Leo’s words, Aron propelled herself off the railing with a powerful kick.

Whoooosh!

As Aron’s figure disappeared in an immeasurable speed, Leo smiled watching her.

‘Running toward someone precious is something that doesn’t change, whether in the past or now.’

*

At the southern outskirts of Leisar.

Two figures appeared in the area cursed and forsaken by all.

“Why do I have to return to such a nauseating place?”

Even though Leabathen wielded considerable power within the land, he couldn’t issue commands arbitrarily to slaughter the inhabitants of a place ravaged by plague, especially if it was later revealed the plague wasn’t real—it could only complicate matters.

Therefore, only his most loyal subordinates were deployed here.

“Useless fools,” muttered Leabathen.

Ultimately, the mission failed, necessitating his personal intervention.

A short while later, Leabathen arrived at the open field.

And there, standing as if waiting for him, was Ar.

“Hmph, seriously? Losing to a brat like that?”

“If you don’t want to end up like your underlings, it’s best you leave now.”

“Funny. Just who do you think you’re speaking to?”

Leabathen sneered, raising the corner of his lips.

“I’m the destined lord of Leisar, the one who will forever be praised by those on the earth as a true hero, from generation to generation.”

“Don’t make me laugh. There won’t be anyone in the future praising someone like you.”

“What?”

“Someone like you will not be recorded in history. Oh, but yes—it will record something.”

Ar gave a cruel laugh.

“In the Era of Catastrophe, someone like you existed like trash.”

The Hero Record is the chronicle of the heroes, engraved by the gods themselves.

In the world of heroes, what is written therein is certified as ‘truth’ in the name of the gods.

And when Leo and Ar complete their conquest of the world, Leabathen, a figure from 5,000 years in the past, will be recorded in history.

Future generations will forever condemn him.

Hearing Ar’s words, Leabathen’s face turned bright red.

“Dare…!”

Leabathen, now enraged, charged directly at Ar.

Kwang—!

Leabathen, wielding an enormous greatsword in his hand, attacked ferociously, the sheer force of every strike enough to induce d*ath on contact.

However, Ar’s eyes had tracked every single movement of the sword perfectly.

Hooaaak—!

“…!”

“Simply brute force… a weak attack.”

“Guuhh!”

As Ar mocked him from atop the greatsword, Leabathen released magical energy through it.

Papapapabat—!

Blue sparks scattered in all directions.

However, before the magic could hit, Ar had already leaped away, widening the distance from Leabathen.

“Doesn’t seem like a warrior. It’s a shame such a weapon is wasted on you.”

With unlimited access to powerful magical armaments in the lord’s armory, Leabathen was fully armed in various advanced magical weapons.

But this was all there was to him.

Ar, who had been trained rigorously since childhood to become a hero, knew that Leabathen, depending on his weapons alone, was simply no match.

“Acting like a warrior when you’re just a mage.”

Ar’s sharp gaze analyzed Leabathen’s abilities thoroughly, correctly assessing the situation.

Indeed, his close-range combat was purely backed by magical weapons.

Leabathen, in essence, was a pure mage.

His skill in wielding weapons was poor.

“Pathetic!”

While outwardly splendid, Leabathen lacked internal substance.

“Who do you call pathetic? You raggedy brat!”

Leabathen roared.

“Calling me a piece of trash? I’m the hero! Someone destined to become the grand hero ruling Leisar!”

Seething with rage, Ar’s eyes blazed.

“Don’t dare mention the title ‘Grand Hero’!”

Angered, every strand of fur on Ar’s body stood on end.

Compressing his energy into his toes, Ar launched himself toward Leabathen like an arrow released from a bow.

Kwang—!

The concentrated force propelled Ar towards Leabathen like a bolt of lightning.

“Guuh! Reflection Shield!”

Kwang—!

Ar’s kick slammed against Leabathen’s defensive magic.

Cejejejeek—!

Cracks spider-webbed across the magical barrier generated by Leabathen, causing an alarming look to flash across his face.

But he remained unpenetrated.

For all his efforts, the defensive magic was sturdy, having consumed every ounce of Leabathen’s magical energy.

“Oohhhhh!”

Harnessing the surge of power redirected back to him by the magic, Ar roared, channeling energy from the Hero’s Breath.

The power gathered in his toes amplified explosively.

By deflecting the force, Ar could prepare for his next attack without taking significant damage.

But Ar didn’t step back.

He could not forgive someone like Leabathen, who had betrayed the title of Grand Hero.

Returning the redirected power back as an energy surge, he channeled it into an aggressive kick.

A painful sensation enveloped his right foot, as if being squeezed by some enormous force.

But Ar paid it no mind, furrowing his brow and unleashing his powerful kick.

“d*mn you if you don’t want to get kicked in the face, you b*stard!”

Ujiik—! Kwaaang!

“Keh hek?!”

Ar’s kick struck Leabathen square in the stomach, hurling him violently backward. He crashed into several buildings, leaving them in ruins.

“Pant, pant…”

Ar panted, the pain from his right foot intensifying.

Clomp— clomp— clomp—

“Surprisingly well done. In fact, I’m impressed.”

Ar’s gaze shifted toward the woman.

“Mother was right. Heroes of this world remain dangerous.”

“Tch! I’ll send you flying too, come at me!”

Ar swung his foot in the air as if to provoke her.

Seeing this, the woman smiled slyly.

“Dear me, can you really take on a little kitten?”

Woojig—! Wojiijik! Kwajijik!

Peeling back her human skin, the woman transformed into an enormous figure, her lower body resembling a massive spider while retaining her human torso.

“Wouldn’t it be more like you getting eaten by me?”

From the mouth-like structure under her torso, a grotesque and repulsive o*al cavity extended, oozing with menace.

“Monster…?”

Ar’s face turned pale with fear at the horrific sight.

“How? There’s no stench of demons here!”

From the figure standing before him, not a trace of the usual malodorous smell of demons could be detected. Instead, there was the refreshing scent of a lush forest.

As Ar stepped back fearfully, the woman, Talatunia, grinned broadly.

“Hmm, perhaps it’s because I chewed on the Fairy King’s arm?”

Silatuna’s daughter—the Spider Princess Talatunia.

Knowing she had erased the demonic aura due to the Fairy King’s ring, she infiltrated the refugee city covertly.

She knew that, 10 years ago, during a battle with the Hero Alliance, the sword Shatten wielded by Agon contained the presence of a Great Spirit.

Greedy for more power, this voracious demoness consumed the Fairy King’s arm along with the ring, using Leabathen to capture the Great Spirit within.

“Then.”

Her monstrous spider-like limbs extended menacingly, aiming for a strike.

“d*e!”

Hoooaaak—!

In a split second, a dark shadow emerged before Ar and blocked the giant spear-like appendages aiming to pierce through him.

“Finally decided to step in, Shatten.”

Talatunia’s tongue flickered provocatively.

“I’m not Shatten. That’s just the name of the sword I once wielded. My name is Elshi.”

“Names mean nothing. What matters is that I will devour you.”

Cejek—!

Talatunia lunged forward, her monstrous mouth ready to tear Elshi apart.

Psshhh—!

In an instant, Talatunia’s body froze.

Snarling, she turned her head to notice her shadow had been gripped tightly by Elshi.

Expressionless, Elshi tightened her control.

“Oops?”

Under the control of Elshi, Talatunia’s forward limbs quivered and raised unnaturally.

Hoooooaaak—!

In a flash, one of Talatunia’s forward limbs pierced straight through her own neck.

Not just that, the rest of her spider-like limbs twisted grotesquely, rendered immovable, as Talatunia became nothing more than a shadow-controlled puppet under Elshi’s command.

“Nothing’s changed from 10 years ago, Spider Princess.”

With a smug grin, Elshi, who once managed to drive back Agon and Talatunia together, flicked her fingers.

Udukeek—!

Talatunia suddenly felt her vision flip inverted. Her neck had been viciously snapped.

Blinking repeatedly, the Spider Princess erupted into raucous laughter.

“Kehehehehehe! This is fun! So much fun!”

Udukeek! Ududdeek!

Her limbs, contorted unnaturally just moments ago, recovered instantly.

Psshhh—!

Though pierced and twisted, Talatunia’s body returned to its original form within a flash.

The terrifying strength of this Spider Princess, capable of eradicating entire nations, was matched with a near-limitless vitality.

As Talatunia regenerated before Elshi, the latter too was caught off-guard.

Kooaaaak—!

“Guuh?”

Suddenly, one of Talatunia’s limbs flew at Elshi and pierced through her.

Elshi grimaced in pain.

Kugagagagajak—!

Dark fragments emanating from the wound savagely attacked Talatunia’s body, mutilating it to the point where identifying it became impossible within moments.

“Well? Is it really different from 10 years ago?”

With most of her head gone, only her mouth remaining, Talatunia grinned mockingly.

“Do you really think you can defeat me, Silatuna’s daughter, all alone, without even a proper Great Spirit contract?”

“Guurk!”

“Let me have a bite of this so-called Great Spirit, then.”

Cejek—!

Even as she was torn apart, Talatunia greedily opened her mouth wide.

Endowed with an immortal-like vitality, Talatunia was akin to an indomitable calamity.

Just as her jaws were about to latch onto Elshi’s neck.

Hoooaaak! Kwaddik!

Ar flew in and struck Talatunia’s jaw with a powerful kick, twisting it unnaturally.

The contorted form of Talatunia contorted further, with an irritated look on her face.

“Bratty kitten.”

Terrified yet determined, Ar renewed his resolve.

“That coward saved the world.”

Suddenly, Leo’s voice echoed in his mind.

“If you keep pursuing the hero, you can’t just sit here paralyzed by fear!”

Clutching his teeth, Ar prepared for another assault on Talatunia.

Fuuueek!

“Guuh!”

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head.

One of the spider limbs had struck him.

“I’ll save you for dessert.”

Watching Ar being pinned into a corner, bleeding from the head, Talatunia sneered before refocusing on Elshi.

“Guuhh…”

As Ar tried to rise to his feet, gritting his teeth, an unfamiliar voice called out from behind.

“Are you alright?”

“Huh?”

Surprised, Ar lifted his head to the unexpected voice.

And his eyes widened.

“Thank you for holding on.”

Ar’s body trembled.

This was not who he was used to seeing.

A younger version, certainly.

But it was unmistakably her.

The very figure from the fairy tale of his childhood, who imparted courage even to her younger self.

The one whom Ar idolized for saving the world.

“Milady Aron.”