Chapter 147

147.

Guhuhuhuhuhu-!

The ground shook.

Gwoooaaaarrrr!

Simultaneously, a roaring mass of corpses burst forth from the ground.

“Goodness gracious.”

Upon sight of it, Elena pulled a handkerchief from her bosom to cover her nose and mouth.

“How vulgar.”

At the same moment, fragments of light soared toward the mass of corpses.

Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuuhuhhuhhuuh-!

As if struck by immense shards of glass, Elena’s magic brutally crushed the mass of corpses.

Scarlet bl**d spattered everywhere, and chunks of flesh flew in every direction.

Flicker-

Instantaneously, a pale yellow eye locked onto Elena.

“Hm.”

Elena squinted.

“It’s futile! Such a crude attack!”

Heheheh-! Viner burst into laughter, raising black magic power.

Glue-!

The lump of corpses summoned by Viner, the corpse golem, tore the chunks of flesh off its own body and hurled them toward Elena.

Elena effortlessly dodged the chunks being hurled at her at an incredible speed.

Unfurling the Fly magic, Elena freely flew through the air.

‘There’s no way someone would launch such a shoddy attack.’

Guhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu-!

Right behind her, a pitch-black hole opened up simultaneously with Elena’s thought.

Together with the chunks of flesh she had just dodged, they popped out from the black hole.

Upon seeing it, Elena immediately activated a shield magic.

Splat-

Gazing at the chunks of flesh sticking to her barrier, Elena frowned.

Simultaneously, the pieces of flesh stuck to the boundary began to swell.

Kaboom-!

Chunks of flesh and bones scattered in all directions.

A crimson mist of bl**d spread all around.

As Elena revealed herself, she smiled faintly.

“This hurts a bit.”

‘The attack power has increased to a degree incomparable to before.’

Elena narrowed her eyes and glanced at the black flames encircling Viner’s body.

‘Is this the power of a god… Erebus’s power?’

Elena narrowed her eyes further and looked around.

The landscape of Barharun was clearly visible to Elena in the sky.

Elves in the streets screamed and fled upon seeing the corpse golem.

Panic enveloped the entire city.

But…

‘They’re disappearing.’

Elena watched as the city’s residents vanished into fragments of light.

‘Just like Merin did before.’

The inhabitants of this world are disappearing as if the Hero’s World has been conquered.

‘However, they’re not disappearing because they’ve been conquered.’

The world is collapsing.

Elena, who had experienced many worlds of heroes, sensed this truth immediately.

At that moment, a light shot up from the center of the city.

‘A signal flare? Is it Leo and Lunia?’

Hardin noticed it as well.

The grotesque face of Viner, now a monstrous creature, crumpled instantly upon seeing the signal flare.

“Seed, that blasted guy! Why the hell are there any hero candidates over there!”

At Viner’s irate outburst, Elena squinted.

‘Seed?’

A famous name among demons.

A monster tamer who had devoured hero candidates countless times.

‘Will Leo and Lunia be able to handle him?’

Even if he is the representative of their year, for first-year students, he is a formidable demon to face.

Elena landed beside Hardin.

“Elena.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll take care of this.”

At his words, Elena glanced at Hardin and then said,

“Will you be alright by yourself? That demon, he has become pretty strong.”

“It’s enough. You go and support Lunia and Leo.”

“Alright. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

With a gentle smile, Elena turned to head toward the World Tree.

Kaboom-!

A massive lump of flesh blocked Elena’s path.

Viner’s colossal arm had stretched out to block Elena,

“You d*mn wench. Where do you think you’re running?”

Elena smiled as she looked at Viner, who was grinning coldly.

“I would recommend clearing away this messy arm while you still can.”

“Hah! What an arrogant wench! Keep being so insolent…!”

Flicker-! Crunch!

“Ugh!”

A fragment of light conjured by Elena struck Viner’s face.

“It seems like you’ve been mistaken about something.”

Punch! Smash! Crash-!

“Guh?”

“I’m not running away because I’m afraid of you.”

The fragments of light conjured by Elena mercilessly pierced Viner’s body according to her will.

Viner, whose body now resembled someone covered in glass shards, watched as Elena delicately raised her slender arm.

Then, she gently wiggled her delicate fingers.

Whoosh-!

The fragments of light soared high into the sky according to Elena’s will.

As they ascended, Viner, with the fragments deeply embedded in his body, started ascending into the sky as well.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you, Hardin.”

With a radiant smile, Elena waved and headed toward the World Tree.

Sweeee-!

At the same time, Viner’s massive body began a vertical descent, plummeting toward Hardin.

Seeing this, Hardin sighed and lowered his sword.

Wiiihoooohh-!

A storm of aura swept around Hardin.

Gazing upward as Viner approached within his field of vision, Hardin swung his sword at him.

Flicker-!

A flash of silver light and a massive blade of wind cleaved Viner’s body in two.

“Kuaaaaahhhhh!”

Viner’s scream of pain.

Kaboom! Kaboom!

Viner’s body slammed into the ground, scattering chunks of flesh everywhere.

Viner’s body squirmed and began to regenerate.

“B-Blasted wench… even in the end…!”

Crunch-!

At that moment, Viner, who had been glaring in the direction Elena had gone, suddenly felt his vision flip.

“What?”

“Is now the time to worry about Elena?”

Thud-!

Viner’s head rolled off and landed on the ground.

Looking down at Viner, Hardin spoke.

“You’re my opponent.”

“Hah! What arrogance…! Someone like you trying to stop me?”

Sneering Viner stretched out his hand and positioned his head on his neck as he spoke.

“I’ll chew you up alive….”

Ddahk-!

Once again, his vision flipped.

By the time Viner realized it, his head had rolled off the ground again.

‘When did he cut it?’

Viner’s face was filled with shock.

There was no sign of his sword being swung.

‘Could he have swung his sword at a speed I couldn’t detect? No! This brat didn’t even swing his sword!’

Yet his neck had been severed.

Looking at the astonished Viner, Hardin spoke.

“The wind blows from somewhere you can’t predict.”

Calmly, Hardin raised his sword.

Ddak-!

This time, one of Viner’s arms flew off.

Viner’s body regenerated.

Flap! Crash-!

Even before his regeneration was complete, his body began to be dismembered at an even faster speed.

It was only when half of his body had been dismembered that Viner realized it.

‘Is he dominating this space with his aura?’

Viner’s face filled with shock.

Indeed, as he had guessed, Hardin was perfectly controlling the wind in the surrounding area.

The wind that blew became his sword, severing Viner piece by piece.

‘What kind of monstrous person is he?’

Viner’s face paled.

Looking at Viner’s shocked face, Hardin spoke expressionlessly.

“Did you try to fight Elena at this level?”

“Huh?”

“That woman is incomparably stronger than this.”

Flap-!

Viner’s face was cleaved in two.

Even as his vision blurred, he could see Hardin, who maintained a stern expression.

“Whatever schemes you have up your sleeve in the Lord’s world…it will never turn out the way you want.”

*

Lunia’s gaze followed the white-haired youth.

A speed that was hard to follow with the eyes.

The youth’s flashing crimson eyes seemed to paint the sky.

‘What exactly is this kid?’

She had met the youth for the first time today.

Moreover, he was human, not an elf like herself.

For Lunia, it was the first human she ever encountered.

Yet, the boy treated her as though they had known each other for a long time.

Though she wasn’t one to shy away from social interactions, the familiarity she felt from the boy still made her uneasy.

The closeness that the boy emanated, the way he treated her, made her feel as if he knew her too well.

Even now, it was the same.

Leo maneuvered precisely to drive away the enemies while effortlessly avoiding Lunia’s magical trajectories.

She didn’t need to worry at all about Leo’s movements while casting spells.

All she had to do was comfortably chant the incantations.

It was as if they had been coordinating their skills for a long time.

‘This is strange.’

Lunia’s flow of mana began to feel more lively.

She chanted spells without hesitation.

She could focus entirely on the incantation.

It was the same for Leo.

Throughout past battles, Leo had always been cautious about every possible scenario, even with his comrades by his side.

He had never been comfortable enough to completely entrust his back to anyone.

That wasn’t because he didn’t trust his comrades.

In a past life.

With every passing fight, as his close friends left one by one, he got into the habit of stepping in to fill the gaps.

But Leo now was different.

As if filling a long-empty void.

Leo trusted Lunia with his back.

The presence of Lunia, who had long safeguarded his back, was akin to giving wings to Leo’s back.

Watching their interaction, Lunia felt goosebumps.

‘Their coordination is impeccable.’

Both of them seemed like comrades who had fought together for a long time.

Their coordination was so in sync; it seemed as if they were sharing the same thoughts.

Crunch-!

As Leo sliced through the monster before him, he glanced at Lunia.

Lunia’s eyes met Leo’s.

Unlike Leo, Lunia found their perfect coordination baffling.

Smiling faintly, Leo rushed toward his next opponent.

“Guh! Has he gotten faster?!”

Lunia, astonished, provided backup for Leo.

Looking at Leo’s back, Lunia thought,

“Leo Flove, who are you?”

It felt as if she had met a piece of her soul.

‘Why does he know me so well?’

The image of the boy who had affirmed her dreams appeared in her mind.

‘Why do I feel the need to help him?’

Though doubts swirled, there was no hesitation in Lunia’s movements.

At that moment, the Polium emitted a soft light.

A different gray light than before.

The rough yet warm light captured Lunia’s attention.

‘I promise you this.’

Lunia was surprised as the Polium reacted unexpectedly.

At the sight of the light, she felt as if someone’s beautiful and clear voice had swept through her mind.

‘This meeting will surely bring salvation to the world.’

“Lady Luna?”

“Hm?”

“Why…are you crying?”

“Mm?”

Confused by the tears streaming down her cheeks, Lunia tilted her head.

“I wonder, why am I crying?”

As if unknowing the reason, Lunia expressed her doubt as Lunia stood perplexed.

Despite this, Leo did not pause.

He ruthlessly cut down the monsters obstructing his path.

‘Only low-ranking monsters blocking the way, how strange.’

Leo narrowed his eyes.

Seed, who he had met earlier, was not a low-class demon.

‘If a demon of that caliber has been nesting here for a long time, there should be more dangerous creatures around.’

At this thought, they approached a fork in the road.

“Which way is the audience hall?”

“Right!”

Following Lunia’s words, Leo dashed without hesitation.

Soon, a large door with the world tree depicted on it came into view.

“There!”

Wooosh-!

Leo’s flames burned more fiercely.

“Halt.”

Suddenly, a shadow loomed in front of Leo.

What emerged from the shadow was none other than Seed.

“How dare the likes of you….”

Ddahk-!

Before Seed could even finish his angry roar, his head was flying through the air.

Without batting an eyelid, Leo cut off Seed’s head and smirked.

“Why so many words?”

“Eeeeh!”

Seething with anger, Seed’s face turned crimson.

Thud-!

As Leo crushed Seed’s head underfoot, he spoke.

“That’s your true form, isn’t it? Filth.”

Leo scorned.

Gooouuuuu-!

A powerful surge of black magic erupted from Seed’s head.

Punch!

Leo kicked Seed’s head.

Crash! Rolling-!

The head came to a stop as it rolled along the ground.

From the severed side of the head, spider legs grew.

Seeing this, Lunia scowled.

“Ugh! What is that so disgusting about?”

“Even with the pretense of being a High Elf, do you really think you’re an elf?”

Leo chuckled coldly.

Watching this, Seed crawled toward the nearby monsters with his spider legs and embedded them.

Ddahk!

As the spider legs pierced into the flesh, the monster’s body quickly transformed into that of a humanoid.

“You will never enter here.”

Hoooorrrr-!

Seed’s body was engulfed in black flames.

Simultaneously, his dark magic power began to surge endlessly.

Gooouuuuu-!

A summoning array formed in the sky, and monsters began to pour out.

The terror of a high-level monster tamer was the endless summoning of terrifying monsters.

Witnessing this, both Lunia and Elena tensed.

“Never enter?”

Leo narrowed his eyes at the sight.

“That’s strange.”

“What’s strange about it?”

“Isn’t the protection you’re receiving now from Erebus?”

A demon empowered by Erebus sees a dramatic increase in magic power.

The mere existence of Erebus bestows great power to demons.

“Ho? Good eye.”

Seed curled up the corners of his mouth.

“If that’s the case, then you should understand how much stronger I’ve become…”

“Considering the pitiful level of demons like you, how effective could this blessing possibly be?”

Leo said with indifference.

“What?”

Seed’s eyes glinted with fury.

“What I’m curious about is, if Erebus has the power to bestow this blessing, then why doesn’t he just k*ll us directly?”

Leo smirked.

At this, Seed’s face hardened slightly as he looked at Leo.

Leo hated Erebus, and Erebus must have hated Kyle, who had become Leo, for turning him into such a state.

The image of Erebus roaring curses as he split into six pieces remains vivid even now.

The presence of Erebus behind the door was distinctly felt.

Yet even though he was right there in front of us, there’s no reaction from Erebus.

“Is that thing in there just a shell?”

At Leo’s words, Seed’s face stiffened.

“Seems you’re correct.”

Chuckling faintly, Leo unleashed his aura.

“Doesn’t matter. Even if you know the truth, you won’t get past this door.”

A murderous intent spilled out from Seed’s body.

Whoosh-!

The black flames raged intensely.

“You will d*e here.”

Leo’s flames burned even more fiercely.

Whoosh-!

The flames began to consume Leo’s body.

The breath of the hero added to the Phoenix’s aura intensified this fire.

The crimson flame.

Although never formally learned, it was the Secret Flame of Zerdinger, perfected by Leo’s own self-study.

‘This Scarlet Flame is insufficient.’

He summoned magic power with the hand that wasn’t holding the sword.

Seeing Leo’s magic, Lunia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Huh?”

Lunia was bewildered by the unexpected exclamation.

Leo’s aura was very familiar to Lunia.

It couldn’t be otherwise.

It’s because it’s the Phoenix’s Flame.

‘But…is his magic power so similar too?’

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Lunia’s face filled with shock.

‘It’s not! This magic power…!’

The magic power emanating from Leo resembled that of the Lundia family.

And the magic circle being formed.

Lunia’s hand trembled.

It was a magic she had shown Leo only once.

One of the secret spells of the Lundia family.

Used during their duel.

‘Burn?’

Whoosh-!

The Secret Flame of Zerdinger and the Burn of Lundia fused together.

Whoosh-!

It created wings of fire.

The blazing flames that formed, resembling the actual wings of a Phoenix, made Seed’s eyes bulge.

“How can a human wield the Phoenix’s Flame!”

“…Because I’m the Contractor of the Phoenix, obviously.”

Leo grinned as he filled his sword with the flames.

“I’ve done some research.”

Flash!

The flames that flashed momentarily incinerated everything in front of him.

The Purifying Flames exhaled by the Phoenix are the bane force to monsters.

Swallowed by that power, Seed’s body burned uncontrollably.

“Kuaaaaaaaaaa!”

Roaring in pain, even the door disappeared without a trace.

In that instant, Leo’s eyes caught sight of the abyssal darkness.

Lunia was overwhelmed by that darkness, but Leo didn’t bat an eye as he stepped inside.

Thud… Thud…

The audience hall was vast.

In the midst of it, Leo raised his head.

His hand tightened instinctively.

A long-time rival after thousands of years.

The Catastrophe of Black Flame.

‘Erebus.’

A murderous intent rose in Leo’s eyes.