393.
Lissinas was pacing in his study.
At that moment, an unfamiliar voice echoed.
“Soon, the final expedition will begin.”
Entranced by the unfamiliar woman’s voice, Lissinas unconsciously moved toward the source of the sound.
When he arrived, there stood an elf woman.
Her light silver hair framed her golden eyes, making her the most beautiful woman Lissinas had ever seen.
Yet, a shadow loomed over her face.
“Can we really pull this off?”
Her face, with its extended ears, was filled with anxiety.
At that thought-provoking moment…
“What you’re worrying about is understandable.”
“Eh?”
Startled by the subsequent voice, Lissinas couldn’t help but exclaim.
“But it’s something only we can accomplish.”
The owner of the voice consoled the elf woman with a soft tone.
“I trust in you – the one who has overcome everything near impossible.”
The woman with black hair smiled with an unparalleled sense of reliability.
“Trust in ourselves who have embarked on this great journey together.”
She spoke with unwavering certainty.
“We will surely defeat the primal evil and save this world.”
Lissinas widened his eyes.
“Me?”
The night of despair passed.
An ominous dawn was breaking.
Lissinas opened his eyes.
“Was it a dream?”
The vivid dream was deeply imprinted in his mind.
“What kind of dream was that?”
Recalling the elf from his dream, Lissinas rose from his seat.
“She was someone I’ve never seen before.”
It wasn’t something from the past.
“Perhaps a prophetic dream?”
Though the thought crossed his mind, he shook his head.
Among those with special mana characteristics, there are individuals who can predict the future.
A common form of this ability manifests as prophetic dreams.
Lissinas possessed special mana characteristics, but not the ability to see the future.
“I see the past through spirit magic, not the future.”
Among those with the talent for summoning, only a very few are gifted in spirit magic.
There are various types of spirits.
But their essence is one.
“Remnants of memories carried by mana.”
The stronger the soul, the more potent the mana’s resonance becomes during their lifetime.
A spirit magician manifests these memories and abilities through spirit energy.
“It was just a strange dream.”
Lissinas came to that conclusion.
Approaching the expedition members who were eating breakfast, he overheard someone talking.
“Hey, Lissinas. Last night, it was said that you were acting alone. Was there any battle? Kyle mentioned that it was only reconnaissance, but I’m a bit worried.”
At Alrox’s question, Lissinas glanced at Leo, who was eating dried meat.
“Did Kyle stay silent about it?”
Recalling the betrayal they confronted last night, Lissinas saw it as merely his duty.
“But Kyle looked shocked.”
If Kyle is the hero destined to save the world – the hero who could fulfill his ultimate wish – Lissinas would willingly sacrifice himself for Kyle.
“There was a suspicious movement, so I conducted reconnaissance, but I found nothing.”
“Is that so?”
Alrox nodded and turned around, sitting down for breakfast.
Rodia approached Lissinas and cheerfully exchanged a few words.
“Why did Lissinas choose the path of shadows?”
Watching this, Leo became lost in thought.
“Has my appearance undergone some kind of inner change?”
It wasn’t aligning with the memories he held.
“I don’t know everything about Lissinas either.”
Just as everyone has something they wish to hide, so does Lissinas.
In this time, Lissinas guided Kyle towards hope.
But undoubtedly, there were struggles and pain that Lissinas kept from Kyle.
“I want to alleviate those at least a little.”
Lissinas has already taken a single step forward.
But…
Leo knows the end of this journey.
While Lissinas is just beginning this story, Leo has already completed it.
They didn’t start from the same point.
“Could it be that Lissinas is captivated now, just as I was once captivated by the light Lissinas showed me?”
Leo wondered if Lissinas had taken his place in making certain choices.
Even if the past changes, it doesn’t guarantee changes in the future.
Ultimately, the Hero’s World and its hero leading people to hope or spreading despair among traitors—it all comes down to Lissinas.
But…
“Is it really right to leave Lissinas like that?”
With a slightly confused look, Leo glanced at Lissinas.
“They’re coming!”
“Magicians and summoners, forward!”
Keeeeeearrrr!
In front of the expedition team, the appearance of the high-tier monsters, the Paphnirs, set tension rippling through the air.
Paphnir.
During the Era of Catastrophe, they were among the most dangerous monsters.
Heroic warriors had targeted them, and they were believed to be extinguished by the time the era ended; later generations didn’t know of them.
The scariest aspect of Paphnirus is their dominance in aerial combat.
Nothing was as terrifying as Paphnirs, comparable to Wyverns, seizing control of the skies.
Amidst all this tension…
Leo stepped forward.
“Magicians, prepare your spells.”
After delivering those words, Leo bent his knees.
An aura of Ora formed beneath his feet.
Kwak!
Leo leapt into the sky with incredible speed.
The elf magician Ferik’s eyes twitched at the sight.
“What is that technique? Is it magic?”
“No, that’s… Ora!”
Alrox exclaimed in admiration.
Ora Step.
A technique developed through the study of Ora techniques—it was futuristic technology.
After the creation of the Ora Step, the battlefield of knights expanded beyond the ground, extending to the skies and waters.
This was truly a revolutionary advancement in Ora studies.
“Even 5000 years ago during the Era of Catastrophe, there were individuals who could run through the skies using Ora, but it wasn’t a commonly mastered skill like today.”
At this era, students from Lumeran’s Department of Knights could only master this from their second year onward, while even the heroes of this time struggled with its intricacies.
Rising into the sky, Leo unsheathed his sword.
“Of course, not being able to use the Ora Step doesn’t mean that the knights and warriors of this time are any weaker.”
Kuguuguuguugung!
The ground trembled.
Kwaga-gang!
From beneath the earth, massive scorpion-like monsters emerged.
“It’s the Great Worms! These landbugs are mine and Alene’s to handle! You lot focus on the flying pests above!”
Alrox grinned.
The Great Worms, known for their tough shells, were catastrophic monsters capable of laying waste to entire areas.
And here, not one but five Great Worms had appeared.
This was the heart of the Era of Catastrophe.
A place where such massive threats were never-ending.
But no one flinched.
Not a single eye blinked.
Whoosh!
With a step, Alene triggered a summoning circle of pure white light around her.
Flash!
In the bright light appeared the Pegasus, mounted by Arpia.
“Did you summon me, Vow Keeper?”
“Thank you, Arpia.”
“Leave it to me.”
Hwaack!
The knight mounted on the Pegasus ascended into the sky.
Hooowh!
A spear appeared in the rider’s white hands.
She was the vanguard at the forefront, a Pegasus Knight.
Whoosh!
A bright Ora surged from Alene’s spear.
“Huh!”
Behind Alene came Alrox.
Gripping the giant battle axe strapped to his back with both hands, he began spinning it rapidly.
A strong gale blew through the surrounding area.
“Here I gooo!”
With a roar, the beastman Alrox stomped the ground.
Cheh-!
His footprint left an imprint on the ground, cracking it.
Hwaack!
Alrox, a dense projectile of intangible physical force, charged forward toward the lead Great Worm and swung his axe.
Kwaga-ga-ga-geok!
His axe mercilessly split the Great Worm’s body in two.
Puh-hak!
Green bl**d splattered everywhere.
Chi-ik!
The Great Worm’s highly toxic bl**d dissolved the ground.
“Kehehehehe!”
Despite being drenched in acidic bl**d, Alrox laughed heartily as he continued dismembering the Great Worm’s body.
For another Great Worm, Alene’s spear had created a massive hole in its body.
While Alene and Alrox were handling the ground assault, Leo was intercepting the Paphnirs above.
Puh-hak!
Dodging an attack, Leo skillfully severed the head of a Paphnir lunging toward him as he ran through the air with precision.
The entire Paphnir group was locked in combat with Leo.
Seeing this, the magician Ferik, who was casting spells, let out a whistle.
“He’s gotten even stronger!”
Ferik’s comment didn’t move Rodia, who shook her head.
“Not really. Compared to Lord Kyle in this era, the Kyle of today is definitely weaker.”
Even at this early stage, Lord Kyle was an overwhelming powerhouse, immeasurably superior to the mid-teenaged Leo.
Still, others perceived Leo as stronger for a simple reason:
“Experience.”
Having survived the Era of Catastrophe and saved the world, that experience empowered his present-day combat prowess.
Meanwhile, Ferik completed his spell.
“Saint Arrow.”
Flash!
Numerous arrows of light formed in the sky.
As Leo swiftly moved out of the range, the arrows of light struck the Paphnirs.
Ferik was a remarkable magician, fitting for someone who Lissinas had sought to recruit.
Seeing this, Rodia clenched her fists.
“It’s doable.”
The previously countless failures to navigate this Hero’s World were finally yielding results.
*
Kuguuguuguugung!
The earth shook.
A colossal snake was devouring everything in its path on the ground.
Kwa-dak!
A monstrous horror that had been nibbling on a Gigante’s head lifted its face.
Gururururur-
Six eyes on its head emitted powerful killing intent.
The Gluttonous King, Jormungand, sniffed.
“Strange.”
In an irritated tone, Jormungand began slithering.
It was the monster that consumed everything.
Living beings.
Impenetrable castle walls.
Green forests.
Even the light and hope.
It devoured everything and spread darkness across the world.
That’s why Jormungand was rated so highly, even among Taratos’ Legion Commanders, comparable to the Demon King.
Wherever it devour everything and spread darkness, Erebus’s realm appears.
Thus, wherever it had been, Erebus would eventually manifest.
Kuguuguuguugung!
Its massive body moved.
It had detected a chilling scent from afar using its exceptional sense of smell.
“The smell of the bl**d shed by the Great Catastrophe.”
Each Legion Commander drank the bl**d of calamities.
This symbolized their baptism, their glory.
Even Jormungand had smelled Erebus’s bl**d before.
Yet, this was different.
It smelled like someone drenched in the bl**d that endlessly flowed after breaking the body of a deity.
“As if…”
He didn’t recognize it.
However, if there was such a hateful existence…
It would emit a scent like this.
Jormungand uttered the unholy word.
“God Slayer.”
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
