Chapter 246

246

Grand Duke Artkan of Funerals.

A close confidant of Commander Hel Kaiser.

A monster that survived several decisive battles against the Great Heroes.

Leo had also fought against Artkan before.

‘Was he alive?’

But Leo was astonished by the fact that Artkan was standing right before him.

He was undoubtedly a notorious demon.

Yet, Leo never anticipated that Artkan could have survived all these thousands of years.

After his reincarnation, Leo familiarized himself with the records of Tartarus’ high-ranking demons, but Artkan’s name wasn’t among them.

Even if he had survived the Era of Catastrophe, his absence from any records for thousands of years led Leo to assume that Artkan must have been exterminated by others long ago.

Yet, here he was, right in front of him.

Sweating cold beads, Leo warily watched Artkan.

‘In some ways, he’s more troublesome than even the New Legion Commanders.’

With five thousand years of experience and skills, Artkan was undoubtedly a formidable threat.

‘He possesses strength comparable to the top-tier heroes of this age.’

He was an adversary too formidable for Leo to handle at this time.

Furthermore, Artkan knew Kyle, the Hero of Beginning.

‘If he realizes that I am Kyle, things will get complicated.’

Even with that thought in mind, Leo didn’t let down his guard.

The fortunate thing was that this was the headquarters of the Shan Empire.

A place equipped with sufficient manpower to restrain Artkan, should they become aware of his presence.

While Leo was on edge and watching Artkan cautiously, Artkan spoke.

“Hmm. Indeed remarkable.”

Artkan eyed Leo with a gleam in his eyes.

“You truly deserve to be called the top Hero Candidate of this generation. Moreover, you’re ranked as an Ace Class. Yes, watching you is like watching the Hero of Beginning, Kyle. Hehehe.”

Artkan burst into laughter.

As he watched Artkan, Leo asked, feigning nonchalance, while trying to discern his identity.

“Grand Duke of Funerals? You must be a highly ranked demon if your name is known, but I’ve never heard of it before?”

“Hu hu hu. I’m just a rather unremarkable demon who scavenges corpses.”

One of the great sources of power of Hel Kaiser was derived from corpses, a task that fell under Artkan’s responsibility.

At first glance, it might seem like a trivial mission.

But Artkan’s responsibilities were anything but light.

The more potent the power of a person while alive, the stronger the undead that could be created from their corpse could be.

Therefore, the corpses he gathered often included those of heroes.

In some cases, he would even “k*ll” to produce corpses.

“Recently, I also assist those who support Tartarus.”

With that statement, Leo’s eyes flickered.

“Considering that, Mr. Leo Flove.”

Artkan then respectfully retrieved something from inside his robes and threw it to Leo.

Whoosh! Click!

Using his index and middle finger, Leo caught what Artkan had thrown—a piece of paper.

‘A business card?’

“Would you consider receiving our sponsorship? We believe we can support you far better than the Hero Academy. With your Ace Class abilities, it wouldn’t take long for you to ascend to the ranks of heroes.”

Leo inspected the business card.

‘Hero Supporter? They’re utilizing the Hero Records affected by Erebus to nurture capable steeds for use. My assumption was correct.’

Artkan seemed to oversee this operation.

‘Still as skilled at scheming from behind the scenes as ever.’

The Hero Academy currently has immense power, all because they possess Hero Records.

The Demon King was quietly carrying out similar activities in the shadows.

Of course, they couldn’t possibly possess as many Hero Records as the Hero Academy, but it was still undeniably tempting for many to conquer the Hero’s World and be provided with a promised reward.

Whooosh!

Leo set the card ablaze without hesitation.

“Such a pity.”

Artkan displayed a regretful expression on his face.

‘Why is he giving me this information? Does his refusal imply that he could easily k*ll me if I did?’

But if Artkan failed to eliminate Leo, the information would undoubtedly become public knowledge.

‘Thus, the Demon King considers it irrelevant even if it’s revealed.’

Currently, Tartarus had lost the Demon Queen. Clearly a great power loss after the Era of Catastrophe.

On the contrary, the world, having seen the reincarnation of the Great Hero and the disappearance of one of its long-standing fears, displayed unparalleled unity.

In such a situation, if it became known that Tartarus could use Hero Records to access the Hero’s World and offer rewards, there would surely be those who would desire this.

The movement to uncover traitors who secretly collaborate with Tartarus would also undoubtedly rise on a large scale.

Though they displayed strong unity on the surface, each race had long-standing conflicts internally.

Issues were not only among different races.

Even within the same race, factional disputes existed.

‘There are surely those who would use this information to eliminate their rivals.’

Enormous social chaos might ensue.

However, ignoring it entirely was also not an option.

‘Attempting to disrupt from within, such a scheming individual.’

Leo clenched his teeth and summoned his aura while recalling Commander Hel Kaiser.

Whooosh!

As he watched Leo, Artkan raised his hand.

“Then, let’s see the skills of a top-tier Ace Class.”

With a gentle smile, skeletons began to pour from all sides.

They weren’t ordinary undead creatures.

Each one was an undead enhanced by Artkan’s dark magic.

As Leo was engaged by the undead, Artkan approached Sian with a light stride.

“My goodness, you’re in quite a state, Lord Sian.”

Sian glared at Artkan with trembling eyes.

Artkan smiled faintly at the sight of Sian and extended his hand. The severed right arm that had been severed by Leo flew towards and was clasped by his hand.

“Fortunate. Lord Leo’s swordsmanship is excellent and so has cut it cleanly, making it quite easy to reattach.”

With that, Artkan used dark magic to heal Sian’s arm.

Once the detached arm had been restored, Sian ground his teeth.

‘Leo Flove.’

“Lord Leo has easily dominated you now.”

“What?”

Sian’s eyes gleamed with hostility.

“Of course. Both of you possess equal talents, but Lord Leo is a hero candidate meticulously trained in Lumeran. Moreover, he has also conquered the Great Hero’s World. It’s only natural for there to be a difference between you two.”

“Keuh!”

“If you were to obtain the sword of Lord Kyle hidden in Shan and conquer the world of Kyle we have preserved, there’s no doubt you would surpass Lord Leo.”

“Good. That’s what I’ll do.”

Sian stood up.

“If I inherit the power of the Hero of Beginning…”

‘I’ll take you down as well.’

Sian cast a contemptuous gaze at Artkan before disappearing into the shadows.

Watching his silhouette vanish, Artkan smirked.

‘You won’t be a match for Leo Flove. Besides, you wouldn’t even be able to succeed his world.’

Artkan’s eyes returned to Leo.

‘A monster.’

An ordinary hero candidate would have perished long ago against the enhanced undead.

But in an instant, Leo turned the enhanced undead into piles of ash.

He shattered the skeleton knight’s sword and nullified the skeleton mage’s magic with a dispel.

Tinkle! Crack! Rattle!

Just as Artkan thought that, a skeleton’s head rolled to his feet.

A completely unexerted Leo, who had remained fierce despite the intense action, pointed his sword towards Artkan.

“Indeed, you’re on a completely different level compared to other hero candidates.”

Artkan clapped his hands softly.

“Though I would have liked to witness more of your prowess, unfortunately, I have tasks to attend to.”

By now, the palace’s sudden event would surely have been noticed by the Emperor and the shadows of Shan. They would soon arrive.

Sian would struggle to handle such powerful foes. He had to prevent these shadows from handling Sian.

‘Only the royal family can enter the underground palace of the palace.’

Since the founding of Shan, Tartarus has been aware that the descendants of Bihar founded Shan. They also knew that Bihar was a disciple of Kyle. For a long time, Tartarus had been eyeing the Kyle-related items that Shan was believed to have kept.

Finally, this opportunity arrived, and they couldn’t afford to miss it.

‘Leo Flove is undoubtedly a dangerous element to us. But he’s still a mere inexperienced youth.’

Artkan organized his priorities in his mind.

His current priority was dealing with the shadows of Shan.

“Nevertheless, rest assured. A present for you will surely remain.”

Artkan tugged at the void as if opening a door.

Creak!

A massive stone gate in the void manifested, and a crimson space opened in its wake.

People began to emerge from the place.

Pale skin, lifeless eyes.

Artkan referred to these puppet-like figures as “shadows,” as he chuckled.

“Shadows are the natural enemies of Hero Hunters but are also the enemies of heroes. And these are all shadows.”

He courteously bowed to Leo.

“They led unacknowledged and meaningless lives, striving solely for heroism, eventually dying unnoticed. Though they’re unjust, they held a grudge against heroes until their d*ath. They are now perfect corpses for exploitation, with an enormous grudge against the top hero candidate like you.”

The shadows charged at Leo as soon as Artkan finished his words.

Ding ding ding!

The sharp clang of weapons resonated.

Through the open gate, an endless line of shadows continued to emerge.

All of these were deceased beings without willpower.

Possessing only the skills they had in life, they wielded their blades with hostility towards Leo.

Whoosh!

A fiery aura erupted from Leo’s entire body.

“May your time be enjoyable,” said Artkan with a smile, then turned away.

As Leo watched Artkan’s retreating back, he muttered,

“I hate the Commander among the Legion Commanders.”

“Usually, that’s the case. He is the most terrifying Legion Commander.”

“It’s not for that reason.”

Leo’s voice deepened as his aura burned even more intensely.

“It’s because he scoffs at the dead.”

It’s natural for demons to view life as trivial.

But Hel Kaiser the Commander, who rules d*ath, took this to another level.

He goes to great lengths to negate and mock the lives of the living.

The same goes for his subordinates, who share the same disposition.

That is why Leo despised the Demon Commander the most.

“Hah!”

“The lives of these people are not trivial.”

Even if they aren’t recognized. Even if they are pessimistic about their own lives.

There’s only one reason why they continue to fight until the very end.

“They fought for the peace that their ancestors safeguarded, in their own way. Calling them heroes wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”

“Does affirming people spurned by even the gods change anything?”

“The recognition of gods is meaningless to me.”

Whoosh!

Even fiercer flames erupted from Leo’s body.

The flicker halted the motion of the shadows touched by the flames.

Released from the shackles of necromancy, they met their final rest.

Watching them find peace, Artkan’s eyes narrowed.

‘Indeed, this is the Phoenix Flame.’

Whoosh!

A pair of wings unfolded behind Leo’s back.

“Regardless of whether one becomes a hero or a shadow, the resolve they held has been passed down to future generations unchanged.”

The hope of regaining peace conveyed by Lissinas found its way to Kyle.

This hope passed on to Luna, then to Aron, and finally to Dwenno.

Ultimately, the hope manifested its results when Kyle subdued Erebus.

The Great Heroes disappeared 5000 years ago.

However, the resolve of the Great Heroes continues today.

‘The heart we received from Lissinas remains unchanged even now.’

The aspiration to recover peace. The determination to protect peace. Ultimately, they all align.

In Leo’s eyes, heroes and shadows are all those who seek to continue their will.

‘That will bore fruit in the eventual extermination of Tartarus.’

But the Demon Commander mocks and ridicules the lives of such people.

That’s why Leo despised him the most.

Swish!

Leo bent forward.

As he did, Artkan summoned his dark magic.

‘He’s still an inexperienced youth. The sword of Leo Flove will not reach m…’

Whoosh!

Kraack!

“…!”

Artkan’s eyes widened as he watched Leo pierce his defenses and impale him through the neck.

Thud!

Artkan’s body crumbled into black sand.

Clink!

Artkan grabbed Leo’s neck, but soon his hand turned into sand and disappeared as well.

“Who… what are you?”

Artkan, who had lost his usual composure, pale-faced, asked in horror.

“Me?”

Leo stared at the disappearing Artkan with a gleam in his red eyes.

With his piercing crimson gaze, Leo declared to the existence beyond Artkan’s eyes.

“The one to subjugate you.”

Kraack!

As Leo tightened his grip, he tore Artkan’s head off.

Snap!

Artkan’s body fell to the ground, crumbling into sand.

‘Was this a decoy after all?’

Though the main body might have been injured, he wouldn’t d*e this easily.

‘If this were a degree at which he could d*e, he could have been killed a long time ago during the battle 5000 years ago.’

Leading a wounded body, Leo glanced at the door summoning the dead.

A fatal blow.

He had seized a small gap of carelessness from the distracted Artkan.

His main body must be holding back the shadows of Shan.

‘Even if he doesn’t realize who I am, I’ll likely be under more vigilant surveillance moving forward.’

After taking a deep breath, Leo looked at the undead.

“First, I must grant these people peace… then deal with that Sian.”

And so, Leo prepared for his next move.