431.
Upon receiving Melina’s call, Leo quietly slipped out of the training grounds and arrived at the mountain peak.
“So the Hero Dungeon appeared and the Black Flame surged?”
“Yes. I think you should come with me to Delan right away.”
“Alright. But who’s this person next to you?”
Leo pointed at the girl standing beside Melina with his finger.
The girl had golden hair and amber eyes.
She appeared human, but Leo easily recognized her as a Dragon.
Even though this was his first encounter with this Dragon, Leo acted like his usual self with Melina. The reason was simple.
If Melina called this Dragon here, she wouldn’t question their relationship.
‘She doesn’t seem to know my true identity though.’
The Dragon girl stood there with a slight expression of doubt on her face, careful not to show any emotion.
At Leo’s question, Melina smiled faintly.
“This child’s name is Enkinias. I call her ‘En’. She may be young, but she is extremely wise and intelligent. She is in charge of the archives of Dragonia.”
Upon hearing the words ‘the archives of Dragonia,’ Leo glanced at En again.
Because Lissinas was known as the King of Wisdom, the Dragons of this era, who were proud to be his descendants, sought knowledge.
Thus, the library of Dragonia was a repository of wisdom, filled with countless ancient texts collected by the Dragons.
Furthermore, the Hero Records of the Dragon were also preserved in the archives of Dragonia.
Therefore, the position of the librarian in Dragon society was one granted only to special individuals.
‘Didn’t they say it was a position assigned to Dragon Lord candidates?’
“En, this gentleman here is Mr. Leo Flove. Please show him the proper respect.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Leo Flove. My name is Enkinias.”
En greeted while slightly lifting the hem of her skirt. Melina shook her head upon seeing her gesture.
“En, you must greet with the traditional Dragon salute.”
“Ah, yes.”
En awkwardly tapped her right chest three times to salute.
“You’re still clumsy. You should practice more as I instructed.”
“Sorry, Lord.”
‘You shouldn’t be saying that…’
“So, why did you introduce me to this child?”
“This child has a special ability.”
“Special ability?”
“Yes, En.”
At Melina’s words, En stood in front of Leo and met his eyes.
Her golden eyes reflected Leo’s face like a mirror.
At that moment, a bright light erupted from En’s entire body.
When the light disappeared, there stood Leo.
“Hmm?”
“My mana trait is Copy. This magic is my unique magic Mirror.”
Using illusion magic to change appearances normally comes with some level of unnaturalness.
However, En’s magic was so perfect that it didn’t feel like an illusion at all.
It was as if looking into a mirror.
“Will you be my stand-in while I’m away?”
“Yes.”
‘If Melina prepared her, she must be trustworthy.’
From Leo’s perspective, she was a junior who could never catch up, but Melina the Dragon Lord was a Dragon leading the world.
If this was Melina’s work, it could be trusted.
“Then I’ll leave it to you, miss.”
Leaving En, who would be his stand-in, behind, Leo headed for Delan with Melina using warp magic.
Even though the Black Flame surged and the Hero Dungeon appeared, Delan, the capital, remained as usual.
While heading towards the location of the dungeon, Melina questioned:
“If the Catastrophe Flame surged, isn’t it likely the Hero Record of the Cataclysm?”
“That’s most likely.”
The fragments of Erebus sealed by the Heroes of the Cataclysm wait for an opportunity to return to reality through the Hero Records.
“Can we purify and absorb its power if we defeat the Catastrophe Flame again this time?”
“Perhaps.”
Until now, Leo had dealt with Erebus fragments in the world of Luna and the world of Seirun.
‘There was one Erebus fragment sealed in the Hero Record and another sleeping in Fairy Land, right?’
So far, two fragments of Erebus have been identified.
“Now, I have a rough idea where the third Erebus fragment might be.”
Melina’s eyes widened.
“Where is it?”
“Probably in the hands of the Demon King.”
Melina’s face hardened.
“The Demon King?”
“Yes. Given that the Demon King triggered the Catastrophe Flame back then, it seems certain.”
The primeval evil, the symbol of Erebo.
For demons, it’s godly power.
Just as residents of the underworld cannot create divine power,
Demons cannot create the Catastrophe Flame with just their own strength.
However, the Demon King who invaded Lumeran back then spewed the Catastrophe Flame.
“Will it be alright?”
“The Demon King won’t be able to awaken the Erebus fragment right away.”
“Why is that?”
“If Erebus’ fragment was awakened, it’s unlikely he would stay idle. And neither would he expose Erebus easily, who hasn’t been resurrected yet.”
“Then?”
“He probably doesn’t know how to awaken the fragment or use its power. Back then, the flames erupted because the fragment reacted to me. He won’t immediately launch an attack with the fragment upfront. Although, we cannot be overly optimistic.”
Leo took a deep breath.
‘We need to regain the power of our previous life soon.’
Thinking this way, Leo stopped his steps.
They had arrived in front of the research institute.
“The inside is in chaos.”
“Yes, since the Hero Dungeon has been generated.”
Thinking this, Melina waved her hand.
The space began to warp.
When Melina walked, a massive wall rippled.
‘She twisted space.’
Worthy of a Dragon Lord, indeed.
Ignoring all obstacles, Leo and Melina arrived where the Hero Dungeon had occurred.
“Is it certain that no one has been caught in the Hero Dungeon?”
“Yes!”
“Make a report to the palace immediately and request support from the Hero Academy…”
“There’s no need for that.”
“Huh?!”
The supervisor, who was issuing hurried orders, quickly turned his head to find Melina smiling faintly.
“I’ve come from Dragonia.”
“D, Dragon?”
“Yes. We will examine the Hero Dungeon.”
Saying this, Melina looked at Leo.
Leo approached the location where the Hero Dungeon was.
At the moment he extended his hand towards the distorted space, a message appeared before his eyes.
[Hero Record Opened.]
[Aron’s World. Chapter: Finale – The End.]
“Huh?”
A completely unexpected page appeared, stiffening Leo’s face.
Wishhh!
The scenery changed.
Rustle!
Black flames began to burn.
Leo understood why the Hero Dungeon’s appearance had been accompanied by surging black flames.
Hero Dungeons invade the world.
Therefore, while the dungeon is generated, the internal situation of the dungeon sometimes manifests in the outside world.
That black flame was a fragment of those flames.
Leo took a deep breath.
The smell of a world on fire stung his nose.
A despairing scene was etched into his eyes.
To Leo, this was all too familiar a scene.
How could he forget it?
To the people, this scene was a tragic and great feat of the heroes in the story.
But to Leo, who was directly involved, this scene was nothing but a nightmare in itself.
It was here that Leo—Kai—had lost one of his most precious friends.
“Haaaah!”
A shout of exertion hit Leo’s ear.
Swoosh!
A golden aura soared high into the sky.
The great warrior, Aron’s sword technique.
‘At this moment, Aron was… braver than ever.’
At the final moment, Aron lived up to his title as the warrior.
He remained composed until the moment he stepped into the battlefield.
Even though he was afraid of losing his friends, he sacrificed himself.
Even in his dying moments, he comforted his weeping comrades, believing without doubt that they would save the world.
To alleviate their concerns, Aron smiled.
That’s why Leo didn’t know the scene of Aron facing Erebus alone for his comrades in the final moment.
But now, the last moments of Aron, whom Leo doesn’t know, stand right in front of him.
“Aro…n.”
Leo unconsciously called out the name of his comrade facing d*ath.
Aron, gripping the broken ‘Brave,’ turned his head toward Leo.
Rustle!
The Catastrophe Flames rushed to engulf Aron.
At that moment, Leo rushed toward Aron.
Rustle!
“Risinas! Please defend!”
Dwenno shouted in urgency.
Rustle!
A pure white flame surged.
Bang-Bang-Bang!
Risinas clenched his teeth.
Even though he almost lost his life, Luna continued to chant her spell with her eyes closed.
She knew,
that her comrades would protect her.
Thus, she calmly fulfilled her role without waver.
Flash!
White light burst in the sky.
Kail, wielding the Innocence in his sword, unleashed an aura.
A massive strike aimed for Erebus’s neck.
Rustle!
“Kuh?!”
“Kail!”
Dwenno, covered in flames, charged toward Erebus.
Bang!
The ground shook, and Erebus retreated a few steps.
Rumble!
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Lava erupted from under the ground due to the impact.
Truly a colossal battle that seemed to destroy the heavens and the earth.
“We don’t have enough time! We need to prevent this creature from getting close until Luna’s magic is completed!”
When Risinas urgently shouted,
“I’ll handle it.”
“What?”
Aron, who had cut through the black flames, stood at the forefront and spoke.
“Hey! Idiot! It’s impossible alone…!”
“We’ve done impossible things before, haven’t we?”
With Kail’s shout, Aron smiled.
“You always said I had great courage, didn’t you?”
“Aron!”
Dwenno hastily called out, but Aron didn’t stop.
“This is the time to show that courage. You protect Luna from Erebus’ attack, and I will….”
Aron gripped Brave with both hands and crouched.
“Stop the beast.”
Bang!
A golden flash became Aron as he charged toward Erebus.
Kwaaaang!
The surging golden flash severed Erebus’s arm.
Flash!
The golden flash cut through Erebus.
Aron clenched his breath with wide-open eyes.
‘Move. Faster! Stronger!’
Kwaaaak!
Invisible speed sliced the giant Erebus. The sight of Aron cutting through the black giant was akin to that of an unbeatable god of war.
‘I am the Warrior!’
People praised Aron as the warrior.
But that title was a burden for Aron.
Thus, until now, he constantly denied that title.
But now, he consoled himself by repeating that title to muster up courage.
‘The one who possesses the greatest courage in the world!’
Aron, spewing bl**d from his mouth, eyes, and nose, pushed himself higher into the air.
Kwaaaaang!
With a sound that shook the world, the giant body of the primal evil soared through the air.
Kwaaaak!
Aron fixed his sword toward the fallen Erebus on the ground.
“Haaaaaah!”
Wooaaaahhh! Rustle!
A golden sword strike split Erebus in two.
The golden sword strike soared high, as if it could cleave the sky itself.
Tsst-t-t! Grrack!
The sword of courage, Brave, broke.
The fragments of Brave scattered.
“Huff… Huff…”
Aron took heavy breaths.
His body was a mess due to the enormous strength he forced out of himself, far exceeding his limits.
His muscles were twisted and his bones shattered. His lungs were in tatters, making it hard to breathe.
Aron realized.
‘It’s over.’
He gritted his teeth.
He had already accepted this.
‘Scary? Not at all. Risinas… Kail! Luna! Dwenno! They’ll save the world! For that… I’m not scared!’
[What a truly pathetic warrior indeed.]
At that moment, a voice filled with immense power echoed.
Rustle!
Black flames surged.
[You are prepared to d*e, yet here you tremble in fear of d*ath.]
The contemptuous voice of Erebus resonated in Aron’s ears.
Rustle!
[Your comrades will fail to stop the destruction.]
Rustle!
The black flames burned, aimed to burn Aron.
[Your wasted life has brought much suffering… now, vanish.]
Aron’s face contorted.
‘You don’t have to save the world like them, right?’
Kail’s words flashed through his mind.
‘Find what you want to do.’
Uncharacteristically gentle voice of Kail ended as an indescribable fear surged through Aron.
The fear he had suppressed until now surfaced.
‘I don’t want to d*e.’
He hadn’t yet found what he wanted to do.
And now, he was supposed to d*e?
‘I don’t want to d*e!’
In the face of d*ath, the question ‘What is a warrior?’ became meaningless.
His unfulfilled resolution shattered.
As the fear of d*ath contorted Aron’s face to the point of tears,
“Ar…on?”
An unfamiliar yet familiar voice reached his ears.
Aron looked back.
‘You will face many hardships ahead.’
The face of the boy who cheered him on in the depths of his memory came to mind.
‘There will be people you can’t protect, and you may falter in the face of endless trials.’
Somewhere a bit apologetic,
And somewhere a bit sad, he cheered for him.
‘But still… you’ll succeed. Because you are braver than anyone else.’
The boy who trusted him limitlessly even when they first met, stood right before him now.
‘Because you saved the world…’
“Arrrooonn!!”
Without realizing it, he let out a scream and reached out his hand.
He didn’t know.
Neither Leo nor his comrades knew this side of Aron. The moment he saw Aron’s face on the verge of tears, he realized.
The Aron they thought faced d*ath without fear because they were dying was someone who feared d*ath more than anyone else.
He pretended to be composed for their sake and met his end.
He acted like a warrior until the end and gave them courage.
Upon realizing this, instinctively, Leo rushed toward Aron.
Aron also reached out his hand toward Leo.
And at the moment their hands touched,
Flash!
The world froze in a blaze of pure white light.
Clang!
“Uh?”
“Kuh!”
“Lord Leo?”
Melina, who was about to follow Leo into the Hero Dungeon, opened her eyes wide as the dungeon closed, and suddenly, Leo appeared.
Holding someone’s hand.
“Who are you….”
Seeing the beastman youth with his body covered in burns, holding a broken sword, Melina’s face was filled with shock.
“Lord Aron?”
![[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")
