Chapter 452

452.

Extrasensory Perception.

It was a power Aron had possessed since birth, granting her knowledge of things others could not perceive.

Thanks to this ability, when Aron activated her extrasensory perception, she gained foresight akin to precognition.

However, Aron had a secret about this power that she hadn’t even shared with her friends.

‘I hate this power.’

More accurately, she feared it.

Knowing things others couldn’t was far more painful than one might think.

Especially during the Era of Catastrophe.

Since the moment she was born, she instinctively sensed the terror of the disasters that covered the world.

Her tendency to be easily startled by small things stemmed from her childhood experiences.

That trauma led to her never having pushed her extrasensory perception to its absolute limits.

It was only after meeting her mentor and learning to control her extrasensory abilities to some extent that Aron could finally escape from her fear.

But as Aron grew stronger, her extrasensory perception became even sharper.

It reached the point where she could glimpse the near future during battles.

And just before the final battle…

Aron had to witness the deaths of Kyle and Luna.

‘I didn’t want to.’

To see the future.

‘It was terrifying.’

That this future might be their failure.

But she had to find a way to save Kyle and Luna.

The path she found led to her own d*ath.

To others, it probably looked like a noble sacrifice to save her friends.

‘But I was just throwing a tantrum at my brother and sister… people like family.’

Aron clenched her teeth.

‘I was just a coward who chose the easy way out because it was convenient.’

And after seeing a saved future, she carelessly felt relieved.

She didn’t even realize that Leo still carried the burden while declaring she would find what she wanted to do now that the world was saved.

‘Just as much as I was pained by Kyle’s d*ath… Kyle must have been pained by my d*ath!’

She now hated herself for only realizing this truth now.

In order to change the future at all costs, she tried to use her extrasensory perception to see the future.

But that extrasensory perception was now gone.

More accurately, it had dulled.

Her senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste—senses that had been honed to detect vast amounts of information—still remained sharp.

But she had lost the battle sense akin to foresight.

Overload from excessive use of her powers.

It was due to using her extrasensory perception excessively after listening to Erebus’ words.

Even though she had struggled desperately to see the future, she couldn’t.

‘Perhaps…it’s because I’m fake.’

Aron clenched her teeth.

The gods had long been dead.

She was merely a record from the Hero Record.

Hwaak-!

Aron broke through the black flames and emerged.

With a fierce expression, she charged toward Erebus, swinging her sword.

“Haaap!”

Kwa-ga-ga-kaang-!

Golden aura slashed through Erebus’s body.

“Such a dulled blade could you actually think to cut me with?!”

As Erebus shouted, he swatted Aron away with his hand.

Poooyak-!

“Guack?!”

Aron, with her extrasensory perception restricted, failed to foresee Erebus’s movements.

Upon being hit directly by the attack, an overwhelming shock overwhelmed her entire body.

A mere physical attack.

But that attack carried the power to shatter her body, mind, and destroy her soul.

Hwiiiiing! Kwaang-!

Aron crashed into the ground after being hit by Erebus’s attack.

Leo rushed to Aron anxiously.

“Aron!”

Kwaaaaa! Futuduk-!

The dust and rock fragments that had risen from Aron slamming into the ground fell back to the floor.

Sweee-!

Aron rose and said,

“Kyle. Please prepare the Innocent.”

“Are you okay? You look like you’re in bad shape?”

“I’m fine.”

Aron glared at Erebus.

“Trust me. I won’t be a burden anymore!”

“What? Hey! Aron!”

“Grhrhrhhrh!”

Ignoring Leo’s urgent call, Aron let out howl as if trying to calm herself.

Aron, eyes wide open, tightened her grip on her sword and rushed forward.

“That idiot!”

Leo gritted his teeth at her retreating back.

“Why is Lady Aron saying such things?”

Melina looked perplexed.

“It’s because she was shaken by Erebus’s words. Aron’s the kind of person who quickly loses confidence.”

Leo knew well that the friend he thought of like a younger sibling was too gentle and kind.

“Will she be okay?”

Melina’s eyes trembled.

Upon this worried question from Melina, Leo took a deep breath.

“She’ll be fine.”

Leo looked at Aron’s retreating back.

“Arar was the one among us who fell into despair the most. But she’s also the one who overcame the most trials.”

There was not a hint of wavering in Leo’s voice.

“Arar isn’t the kind of person who will collapse after being shaken by mere words.”

Saying this with unwavering faith, Leo continued.

“Melina, go deal with the demons.”

“Understood!”

*

The faces of the Hero Candidates guarding the castle stiffened at the endless horde of monsters approaching.

“There are too many!”

“There are more than the army of the Demon Queen we faced last year!”

Voices laced with anxiety could be heard among the students of Lumeran and Seirun.

Seeing this, Riss raised his voice as he emitted an aura of flames.

“Don’t be frightened by numbers! Although this army may be greater in number compared to the Demon Queen’s forces from last time, each individual isn’t as strong!”

As Riss shouted this, members of the party who had been fighting Erebus arrived from the sky.

“I’ll help! Sweeping away masses of enemies is my specialty.”

Torua smiled as she spoke.

“Magic Department, gather! Prepare the combined spells!”

At her words, the first and second-year students of the Magic Department began moving in unison.

“Seirun, rally!”

Rienia commanded her students.

“The Knight Department will hold back the demons climbing the Castle Walls with the assistance of students from Azonia and Demian!”

Zamua stepped forward as she commanded, while Ar stood beside her, raising her fists.

“I can’t look weak in front of Lady Aron! Students from Azonia, step forward!”

“You! Arrogant cat! Leading troops is my job!”

“Graaaah!”

Borman placed Ar in a headlock.

Ulta gathered the Summoners and appropriately distributed them among the Knights and Mages.

In the midst of this, Kal swallowed heavily, seeing the demons climb the Castle Wall.

“The Demon Queen’s army didn’t seem this strong… But even so, there are too many.”

Previously, the Demon Queen’s army was strong, but their forces were just as formidable.

Alongside human and Elven Heroes were the Hero Candidates from Lumeran and Seirun.

Alongside them were the legendary heroes of the era.

In comparison, their current allied forces consisted solely of the Hero Candidates.

In response to Kal’s muttering, Chelsea firmly gripped her staff.

“It’s fine.”

Kal and Chelsea could not participate in the combined spells, so their role was to hold back the monsters at the walls.

“We have Lord Dragon!”

As she spoke, a massive mana rippled in the sky.

Around Melina, the original silver mana, combined with the black mana she had inherited from Lissinas, fluctuated simultaneously.

Thud-thud-thud…

Melina’s Dragon Heart beat rapidly, expelling mana.

As a result, the space around her began to warp.

Seeing this, Chelsea swallowed anxiously.

“Melina, the Silent Dragon… Though it may have been forgotten due to her long absence… She was the one who conquered the world of the Genesis. Although the outcome was a failure.”

Pazizizik-!

The space around Melina not only warped but began to crack.

“One of the most powerful Dragon Lords to be mentioned in the history of the Era of Heroes.”

Right before Chelsea finished her sentence, Melina whispered.

“Silence.”

The creatures, Erebus’s creations, advancing towards the Castle wall stopped moving momentarily.

The demons standing still looked at each other, unsure of what was happening.

And soon, one by one, they began to disappear, turning into white powder.

It was truly a chilling sight.

An entire regiment-level force of the Tartarus army was quietly annihilated by a single spell.

Everyone who saw this stared at Melina with astonished eyes.

Melina landed on the castle wall.

Precisely where Kal and Chelsea stood.

Her veil fluttered with the wind.

“Everyone, do not be afraid.”

Melina spoke firmly.

“As long as I am here, the Castle Wall will not fall.”

Hearing this, the Hero Candidates raised their weapons and cheered.

“Wowwwwwww!”

“Dragon Lord!”

Melina’s overwhelming charisma instantly lifted everyone’s morale.

“Wow… She’s like a goddess.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kal.”

Upon hearing Kal’s muttering, Melina smiled slightly and greeted him.

For a moment, her face was revealed beneath the veil.

Kal hesitated upon seeing it.

A familiar face.

The apparent age was clearly different.

But the aura completely matched someone Kal knew.

Kal asked hesitantly,

“Ms. Mel?”

The Chelsea beside her also widened her eyes and looked at Kal.

At their reactions, Melina placed a finger to her lips and made a small sound.

“Shh-!”

Without realizing it, Kal and Chelsea began following Melina’s actions.

Meanwhile, summoned demons continued endlessly.

Just as Melina and the Hero Candidates tried to build momentum…

Hwhiiiiiiiiiiiing-! Kwaang-ang!

Something flew and slammed into the Castle Wall.

Everyone flinched and looked at the collapsed section of the wall.

Footfoot-!

There, Aron rose from the debris.

“d*mn it!”

Aron revealed an unusual amount of emotion for her.

The sword she was holding had completely melted away without a trace.

A terrifying aura lingered in Aron’s eyes.

Everyone flinched and backed away at her overwhelming presence.

Aron stared fiercely towards the direction she had flown from.

There stood Erebus, mutilated beyond recognition by Aron’s attack.

As Erebus started to move, he soon returned to his original form.

Aron discarded her now-useless sword and instinctively pulled out another from the Space Bracelet Luna had made her.

She hesitated for a moment, gnashing her teeth and looking at the sword in her hand.

It was the broken Brave blade.

“This sword won’t do!”

Kyaang-!

Aron violently threw away the Brave sword.

Her usual kind and gentle demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

Aron’s face appeared fierce and anxious.

“Aa, Lady Aron…”

Arga’s face paled as she saw an unfamiliar side to the Aron she knew.

“Don’t worry. Please wait.”

Whoosh-oo-oo!

From Aron’s body emanated a golden aura.

“I will defeat him.”

Her voice carried a fierce determination.

That was the Aron Arga knew from before her Azonia days.

On the battlefield, she looked like a fierce predator.

A warrior who faced the enemy without yielding, even in the face of a desperate situation.

The valiant hero, Aron.

“Wait, Lady Aron!”

Arga called out desperately, but Aron pushed off the ground and charged directly at the recovered Erebus, swordless.

Flying toward Erebus at an invisible speed, Aron’s punch sent the massive body soaring into the sky.

“Amazing…!”

Borman was awed.

“So this is the true figure of the hero.”

As Luwen murmured in awe, Arga interjected,

“No…”

“What?”

“That’s not the real Lady Aron!”