Chapter 453

453.

While Arga made an anxious expression,

“Miss Melina, what should we do about this?”

Chelsea came with the sword thrown away by Aron and asked.

Looking at that, Melina said,

“That’s Brave, isn’t it? It’s a sword symbolic of Lord Aron, isn’t it, Chelsea?”

“Yes, but it’s broken…”

As Chelsea said this with a worried face, Melina nodded.

“It was already broken before the Hero emerged from the Hero’s World.”

“Will the broken sword be a hindrance to Lord Aron?”

“Even if it’s broken, it would be better for him to fight holding Brave than with bare hands. But… Lord Aron doesn’t have the time right now…”

KWAANG-!

Once again, a loud noise echoed in front of the castle wall.

Having been hit by Erebus’s attack, Aron had crashed onto the ground in front of the wall.

The shockwave caused the demons charging towards the wall to be swept away.

Aron, staggering, got back up.

The power of Aura remained,

But Aron’s body was battered beyond recognition.

However, his spirit remained unbroken.

As if shaking off fear by force of will,

Aron glared at Erebus with blazing determination.

KANG-!

Erebus landed right in front of Aron.

-What is it that drives you to such frantic struggle? Cowardly hero. Is it the d*ath of those pitiful things you believe to be hope that you fear?

“RRAARRRGGHHH!”

A howling sound echoed from Aron’s mouth.

Surrounded by Aura, Aron launched another charge at Erebus.

Seeing this, Erebus’ eyes flickered and he swung his arm.

KWAANG-!

Aron was sent flying again.

However, refusing to yield, Aron burst through the ground, raised his claws, and tore at Erebus’ arm.

With no sight of the future available through extra-sensory perception right now,

Aron continued this reckless battle.

An unprecedented and spine-chilling hand-to-hand combat between the hero and the primordial evil.

The impact of the battle was on a terrifying scale.

If it hadn’t been Aron, there would have been no chance for anyone to stop the primordial evil alone.

‘Just a little longer, hold on just a little longer and Kyle’s spell will be complete!’

His role was to keep Erebus at bay and wear him down until then.

No matter how inexhaustible the Flames of Catastrophe may be, they weaken if they’re endlessly slashed.

Though truly immortal, Erebus wasn’t invulnerable to damage.

‘Weaken him enough so that Innocent can completely annihilate him!’

Terrible burns were spreading all over Aron’s body.

His body screamed with pain beyond endurance.

This was a greater pain than any Aron had ever experienced before.

‘Hold on!’

Aron opened his eyes wide.

‘Kyle probably suffered much, much more than this!’

“ROAAAAAHHHHH!”

Aron roared and clawed at Erebus’ neck.

Meanwhile, the monsters created by Erebus surrounded and attacked the castle wall.

Looking on at Aron’s desperate battle, Chelsea clenched her fists.

‘Is there any way I can help Lord Aron?’

She recalled his kind and gentle demeanor.

Aron was doing this desperate fighting for a future where children could laugh brightly and happily.

She wanted desperately to help such an Aron.

Jiggling her foot, Chelsea looked at the Brave in her hand and shouted.

“I’ll go deliver this Brave to Lord Aron!”

Melina’s eyes widened.

“That’s too reckless.”

“But isn’t that my best role right now?”

Chelsea spoke with sincerity.

“I’m small and fast, so I can easily avoid the demons’ attacks! That’s what wind wizards excel at!”

“What about me or someone like Ulta…”

“Miss Melina or Senior Ulta need to protect the castle wall!”

Melina and Ulta were currently strong forces protecting the castle wall.

If they left their posts, the castle could fall instantly.

“… So I, as an unqualified Dragon Lord, have to send an inexperienced person like you into the most dangerous place, huh?”

“If it’s dangerous, I’ll just run away!”

“Hey, Chelsea. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

When Kal worriedly asked, Chelsea confidently shouted, raising her finger high.

“Of course!”

Leaving those words behind, Chelsea jumped off the castle wall, carrying Brave on her back.

‘Hurricane.’

Chelsea cast her own magic.

The magic that allows her to freely manipulate the wind around her.

This magic endowed Chelsea with overwhelming mobility and evasion skills.

WHOOSH-!

Chelsea flew at an incredible speed towards Aron and Erebus’ fierce battlefield.

Demons noticing Chelsea revealed their hostility and rushed to attack.

However, Chelsea skillfully avoided all of their attacks by manipulating the wind.

‘Leo’s training has been helpful! Moreover, Aron’s Extrasensory Perception!’

The Extrasensory Perception she trained under Aron wasn’t mastered yet.

However, the progress of the training had greatly sharpened her senses.

Some of the demons persistently targeted Chelsea.

But magical attacks from the wall came to Chelsea’s aid.

Support from experts in sniper magic like Rienia and Juen.

Soon after Chelsea reached the battlefield between Aron and Erebus,

KWAANG-!

Something flew towards Chelsea.

“Lord Aron!”

Aron, whose whole body had reached its limits, flew over.

Aron, whose speech was completely slurred, groaned as he tried to get up.

As Chelsea hurried to support Aron,

-You insignificant creature,

A voice full of contempt reached her ears.

Chelsea’s face stiffened.

-Abandon that cowardly hero and flee. I will at least spare your worthless life.

The voice, loaded with obvious mockery and scorn, sent signals through Chelsea’s instincts.

Escape,

This incomparable disaster that she couldn’t possibly handle.

Her body was covered in goosebumps, trembling all over.

Her eyes brimmed with tears.

She wanted to run.

But Chelsea didn’t let go of Aron.

“Chelsea… Step back.”

Aron shakily applied strength to his legs.

“Just hold on a little longer. So, go to a safe place.”

“Lord Aron is at the limit! Let’s hurry and go together!”

Despite being scared, Chelsea tried to get Aron to escape.

-Young human woman, thou art far braver than him, hero. Thy deeds are commendable.

There was no lie in the offer to step back and live.

Erebus didn’t value Chelsea’s d*ath at all.

He merely wanted to gloat and mock Aron by showing the pathetic sight of the future Aron hoped for, terrified and fleeing.

But it didn’t go as planned.

This fact was enough to make Erebus feel unpleasant.

-Curse thy foolish arrogance in exercising futile bravery, human woman, d*e!

KWAANG-!

With Erebus’ words, flames erupted from all around.

The moment Aron saw this and attempted to use Aura, his body started to fade.

This meant only one thing,

‘My time is up!’

Just at the worst timing, all divine power had been exhausted.

Biting his teeth, Aron pulled Chelsea towards him and squeezed out his Aura.

‘At least Chelsea has to survive!’

WHOOSH-!

Black flames engulfed both Aron and Chelsea.

*

WHOOSHH-!

“Ah…”

Everyone was dumbfounded.

The hero who had been holding back Erebus had disappeared.

Naturally, the word “defeat” crossed everyone’s minds.

Fear spread across everyone’s faces naturally.

WHOOSHHH-!

The crimson-black night sky,

The world ablaze with black flames.

A single word came to mind for the hero candidates.

‘Rebirth of Catastrophe’

TADA-TADA!

When everyone was lost in despair, Leo descended from the sky and stood in the middle of the earth burning with black flames.

Then he looked up at Erebus.

-It’s over.

Erebus mocked Leo,

-The hero is gone now and you lack the strength to stop me.

The voice full of ecstasy.

Erebus firmly believed that despair would overshadow Leo’s face.

-The Age of Catastrophe will return!

Simultaneously with Erebus’s declaration, the black flames burned fiercely.

WHOOSHH-! TADA-TADA-!

Despite this, Leo’s face didn’t show any significant change in emotion.

He simply continued to accumulate power necessary to launch Innocent.

Even if he squeezed all his strength, it would be impossible for Leo to complete magic powerful enough to take Erebus down.

No matter how pure mana was the sworn enemy of primordial evil, it would be useless if the power gap was too large.

Nevertheless…

-What is this look on your face?

Erebus’ expression contorted in agony at Leo’s calm face.

-Why do you have such unwavering belief? The guy is gone! That coward has disappeared from this world…

“Stop being ridiculous! d*mn it! Who’re you calling a coward?!”

Erebus’s words were cut off by someone’s angry voice.

Arga stood beside Leo after rushing there and glared at Erebus.

“Lord Aron is not a coward! He is the one who holds the bravest courage in this world!”

-Fear is indeed terrifying.

Erebus murmured, dumbfounded.

-He died 5000 years ago, his traces disappeared from this world with the end of gods’ weak miracles, and you try to defy me by obtaining courage from a coward like that? How foolish…

“NEEYAARRH! Don’t call Lord Aron a coward, you smashed-face b*stard!”

Arga again interrupted Erebus’s words and screamed hysterically.

“I know Lord Aron fears! But he’s not a coward! He is someone who overcomes that fear! The hero Aron saved the world! That’s why he’s the Great Hero! Do you think it’s reasonable to call such a person a coward? Has your head malfunctioned during these 5000 years of sleep?!”

Arga yelled, raising her voice and pointing fingers,

Her opponent was none other than the symbol of calamity,

The terrifying being that even gods trembled with fear, the ultimate evil Erebus.

Arga’s action left Erebus speechless.

Through Erebus’ eyes, Arga’s clearly terrified figure was evident.

Under normal circumstances, a Beastman

Would never utter a single word in front of him.

A feeble being undeserving to even stand in this battlefield,

A lowly creature that should tremble helplessly without even making eye contact.

Yet,

“Lord Aron! He’ll rise again! And will beat the cr*p out of you!”

Despite her fear, Arga shouted without backing down.

She believed that Aron, who was supposed to have disappeared, would return.

-As long as that guy doesn’t step into the divine realm, it’s impossible.

“Aron is a god!”

The words failed to get through.

-Some idiotic fool no longer in this world.

“Who’re you calling a fool! You fool!”

“Kek… Ha hahaha!”

Leo, watching from the side, burst into laughter involuntarily.

Even Luna, infamous for being rash, couldn’t have accomplished what Arga had just done, making him feel amazed.

“But it’s true.”

Leo smiled faintly.

“Aron will come back.”

WHOOSHH-!

-Has thou gone mad?

“No, I am absolutely sane.”

Even though Aron had fallen, Leo’s belief didn’t waver.

“He’s not the type to ever give up.”

“Grrrrrr-”

Arga growled lowly beside him and then let out a howl towards the sky.

“AAAAAAHHHH!”

A golden Aura rose from Arga’s body.

The moment Erebus noticed this through her howl,

A flash!

The flames that had covered Aron and Chelsea burst through with a golden Aura.

Erebus’s face turned pale with shock.

-Impossible!

Arga’s face was radiant.

As if unable to stop himself, Leo sighed deeply.

“Who said I’m the burden, you fool?”

Leo looked at his hands.

The Flame of Dwenno blazed, as if responding to Aron’s Aura.

Gripping his fists tightly with the feeling,

‘I am not holding on because I carry your burden.’

The comforting voice of Luna, the unbreakable artifact Dwenno that allowed him to entrust his life with ease,

The blinding light of Lissinas even with his eyes closed,

And most of all, the reliable back of Aron made Leo endure.

Seeing Aron emerge holding Chelsea in his arms, breaking through the black flames,

‘You might think you’ve given up, but in the final moment, you’ve risen again.’

He consoled everyone, giving courage while saying the world would be saved.

‘We… will win.’

He trusted without doubt that his friends would triumph.

‘Even though you always deny it, the signal of miracles has always been you, Aron.’