415.
The sudden appearance of the Shan Empire caused the atmosphere to grow restless.
Not just the Lumeran students, but also the leaders and heroes who had gathered for the summit were affected.
Amidst this, everyone’s gaze was drawn to the middle-aged man standing at the forefront of the Shan Empire’s delegation.
Dressed in traditional Eastern attire, he wore an expression that seemed faintly uninterested.
The aura he exuded was far from ordinary.
As if he might slice through anyone who approached.
This was a man who carried such sharpness within him.
Though no one knew his face, they all instantly recognized him.
Everyone swallowed hard.
The Emperor of Shadows, who had never revealed himself in the light.
Generation after generation, they had been called the strongest of shadows.
‘The Emperor of Shan.’
Even amidst the gathering of countless heroes and hero candidates, he overwhelmed the assembly.
Thud – Thud –
Shau, leading the empire’s subordinates, stepped before Rina, the principal of Lumeran.
“It’s been a while.”
Responding to Rina, Shau offered a faint smile.
“It’s been a while, Rina. Or shall I call you Principal Rina of Lumeran now?”
Wherever light shines, there is also shadow.
Naturally, Lumeran also possesses its shadow.
Rina, having been the leader of Lumeran’s shadow, had encountered Shau before.
“I didn’t expect you to attend like this.”
“The world is in the midst of great change.”
Shau, stroking his beard, calmly spoke.
“It seems that Shan must also get fully involved from now on.”
“Welcome. If Shan participates in the summit, it will be a huge help.”
Truly, it was a historical moment.
As all eyes were focused, Shau’s delegation moved toward their seats, and Shau caught Leo’s gaze.
Shau smiled and exchanged a nod, to which Leo also nodded in return.
Even amidst the commotion caused by Shan’s appearance, the warp gate continued to bring in more dignitaries.
Soon after Demian, followed by Azonia and Seirun, representatives from other hero academies began to arrive in sequence.
With a bright flash –
Just like always, Seirun made a dazzling entrance, capturing the attention of many.
Since last year and into the early part of this year, large incidents had left Seirun in turmoil.
The return of Ancestor Luna of the Star Cloud and the Comet Wizard seemed like good news for Seirun at first glance, but it was more complex than that.
Thanks to the efforts of the Hero of Beginning and Ancestor Luna, the Demon Queen Silatuna’s invasion had been thwarted.
Then there was the incident plotted by LeHagen, the leader of the Pureblood Society, involving the Demon King.
While the physical damage caused by the Demon Queen’s invasion was devastating, the biggest shock was the revelation that the Pureblood Society had been colluding with Tartarus.
Elves are a particularly closed-off race compared to others.
They rarely ventured outside their territory unless it was something special, and others couldn’t enter their realm without permission.
The revelation of internal treachery within such a closed-off race was enough to surprise other species.
Thus, despite the major event of Luna and Seirun’s return, the elven society was preoccupied with dealing with internal matters.
To help resolve this chaos, Runa Erser of the Erser Council took on the role of acting principal of Seirun.
As a senior member of elven society who had maintained distance from the Pureblood Society, Runa was selected as the ideal candidate by the elven council.
After the Seirun students led by Runa exchanged greetings with Rina, they headed to their seats.
As they walked, Leo caught familiar faces – second-year students Lunia and Eiran.
Spotting Leo, Lunia nodded with a slightly stiff expression, while Eiran waved brightly with a smile.
Leo smiled and waved back in return.
Thus, representatives from all hero academies and national leaders were gathered.
However, the Lumeran hosting team debated whether they should officially conclude the welcome ceremony.
“Dragonia hasn’t shown up yet.”
“Will they only send a representative midway through the summit again?”
“Perhaps the Dragon Lord has no intention of coming.”
The Lumeran students began murmuring.
Hosting the summit required the Dragon Lord’s approval.
Though Dragonia participated in the summit, it wasn’t mandatory for the Dragon Lord to attend personally.
In particular, the current Dragon Lord, the Silent Dragon Melina, was an especially mysterious figure.
Even though many people were paying attention to her potential attendance, many anticipated that she would send a different representative, as she had done before.
Despite some holding onto hope, there was no sign of Dragonia showing up.
Just as the moderator was about to speak,
Flash!
The warp gate shimmered once more.
Everyone’s eyes widened as the gate revealed five figures.
In the center was a girl whose face was hidden by a veil.
Her long silver hair, streaked with black, almost reached the ground.
Although her face was obscured by the veil, she radiated an extremely noble aura.
Flanking this girl were four others who stood guard around her like a protective square.
The girl moved gracefully forward.
Everyone stared intently at them.
Reaching Principal Rina of Lumeran, Melina offered a faint smile, tapped her left chest three times, and slightly bowed her head, bending her knees somewhat.
Rina, puzzled by this unfamiliar greeting, tentatively followed the gesture.
“Nice to meet you, Principal of Lumeran. I am the Dragon Lord, Melina.”
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Principal Rina Flixx of Lumeran.”
Melina gave a small smile observing Rina’s formal response.
“Since the summit opening speech hasn’t concluded, might I have the honor to deliver it?”
“It would be an immense honor if you did.”
With a soft smile after Rina’s words, Melina proceeded toward the highest podium.
As she moved, her eyes, hidden behind the veil, glanced at Leo.
A soft smile hinted faintly at the corners of her mouth.
The formal greeting she had just given wasn’t truly for Rina standing beside Leo—it was, in fact, a gesture of respect specifically meant for Leo.
This was Melina’s first formal appearance as Dragon Lord in a long time, and even more importantly, it was a summit attended by the Hero of Beginning.
Melina believed it necessary to show respect to Leo at such a significant event, utilizing an ancient etiquette forgotten by most.
“Leo, didn’t it seem like the Dragon Lord was smiling at you?”
“Did she?”
Leo tried to act nonchalant.
The smile meant something like ‘Did I do good?’
‘Your etiquette was wrong.’
Of course, Leo was thinking something entirely different.
‘Rodia did the same earlier.’
The gesture should be on the right chest, not the left.
While Leo was pondering whether to correct Melina’s etiquette,
Melina ascended the podium.
Everyone held their breath as the Silent Dragon opened her mouth.
“Welcome, heroes and shadows, and all the hero candidates following in their footsteps.”
All eyes were fixed on Melina.
“The era we live in is facing a transformation. Perhaps in our lifetime, we may finally conclude the prolonged struggle.”
Murmurs rippled through the assembly at her words.
The words of the Dragon Lord were never trivial.
“This is why this summit is crucial. I hope we can use this time meaningfully to discuss ongoing anomalies and miracles in various regions, as well as matters that lie ahead. That concludes my opening.”
Upon the end of Melina’s words, applause erupted around the room.
And thus, the world summit began.
This place was truly the domain of d*ath.
An area where the living would never dare approach.
The residence of Tartarus’s Supreme Commander, the Demon King Hel Kaiser.
“The Silent Dragon has moved?”
The Demon King, seated on his throne of d*ath, narrowed his eyes at the report.
At this, Archduke Artkan bowed.
“So it would seem.”
Hearing this, the Demon King’s bl**d-red gaze became sharper.
The skeletal king, wearing a vast bone armor like a deathly monarch, felt uneasy at the current situation.
At this moment, a woman spoke.
“What’s troubling you so?”
The Demon King’s glance turned toward the woman.
“Surely, you’re not afraid of a weak old dragon who lost her strength long ago?”
The woman, who let a smirk curl at her lips, was stopped by the Demon King raising a skeletal hand.
“Choke…? Karggg?”
“Witches are always belligerent and simple, but they seem to have some thought processes. Or so I thought.”
Annoyance flickered in the Demon King’s eyes.
As the force from the Demon King’s power tightened around her neck, the woman, named as the witch, started thrashing violently.
“Please forgive me… forgive me… Without me, there is no legion commander to lead the demons…!”
“Plentiful substitutes exist.”
With a cold laugh, the Demon King turned away.
Crack!
At that moment, the witch’s body collapsed.
THUD!
Her limp form slid to the ground, and the witch, newly dubbed as legion commander, was absorbed into the floor of bones.
Other legion commanders watched in complete silence.
They all knew that she didn’t quite fit the role of legion commander.
Still, the fact that a high-ranking demon—high enough to carry the title of legion commander—had been summarily executed like an insect was unsettling.
This was truly a strength of a different class.
“Both the Demon Queen has been defeated, and the Giant King has fallen into a deep slumber. Furthermore, the Silent Dragon, who has remained inert for so long, has now decided to act.”
The Demon King looked at the other legion commanders.
“Do you understand the significance of this?”
“This suggests that something significant leading the current situation has appeared.”
“Hmm, good answer. Prince of bl**d.”
The Demon King smiled faintly.
The Prince of bl**d.
Among the legion commanders, aside from the Demon King and the Giant King, he was the strongest.
“There is a central figure at the heart of everything.”
The Demon King summoned darkness, causing a figure to appear mid-air.
A boy with white hair and crimson eyes.
“Leo Flove. At first, I took notice merely because he was an all-classes individual.”
The Demon King narrowed his eyes.
“But now, he has gone beyond just being someone possessing the traits of the Hero of Beginning.”
The achievements he has made in just a year since coming into prominence are nothing short of astonishing.
“In the Demon Queen’s defeat, the Giant King’s downfall, this person’s presence was everywhere.”
“Does this mean that Leo Flove is a threat on the level of the dreaded Hero of Beginning?”
“If he were only that, a simply abhorrent threat akin to the Hero of Beginning, it would be one matter. However, perhaps he is even more than that.”
“What do you…?”
The legion commanders looked puzzled.
Amidst this, Hel Kaiser only glared at Leo.
‘In the center of impossible miracles, this fellow always appears.’
He is not just someone who possesses all-class characteristics.
No matter what, he is just a teenager.
‘However, but if…’
Hel Kaiser’s eyes were filled with hatred.
‘That detested Hero of Beginning, what if it is himself…’
![[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")
