Chapter 507

507.

Mirror Queen Kaneshi.

5000 years ago.

She was one of the Legion Commanders they had exterminated back then.

Leo’s hands tightened with strength.

Unnoticed, the surroundings had already been altered by Luna’s magic, rendering Leo, Luna, Lunia, and Kaneshi invisible to others.

Unaware of the tension, the people on the street merely smiled and happily passed by, marveling at the sudden blooming of flowers.

As Luna maintained the distraction, Leo drew his sword.

Leo, who in his past life had traversed countless battlefields and endured endless trials, overcoming them all.

Starting with Jormungand, the first great monster exterminated by Kyle and Lissinas, followed by Zerdiaq.

The Demon Queen of monsters and the Giant King, who had threatened the world for 5000 years, were among the grotesque beings whose existence made the world’s survival feel miraculous.

Leo eventually defeated Erebus, saving the world from destruction.

Even excluding Erebus, Leo had risked his life in battles too numerous to count.

‘If I had to pick the most unpleasant Legion Commander to engage… it had to be this d*mn woman.’

Mirror Queen Kaneshi had once driven the Great Heroes to the brink of destruction single-handedly.

“Shall we settle the unfinished business from 5000 years ago?”

Leo curled his lips upward.

“Already been settled 5000 years ago, right?”

“That was not a victory achieved solely by your strength.”

Kaneshi, with an emotionless expression, declared,

“It was due to your comrades’ efforts. You were helpless before my power.”

As Kaneshi spoke, Leo narrowed his eyes.

‘This one was a headache, alright.’

Just as Leo mentally sighed about her,

“What? Leo and Kyle…? What are you talking about?”

Lunia wore a bewildered expression.

Realizing something was off, Lunia turned to Luna for clarification, who in turn slightly nodded.

Lunia’s face turned pale with shock.

‘Hold on, everything Leo has done so far makes sense!’

Even ignoring the fact that he was of the All Class, Leo had always been a puzzle.

A human wielding the Magic of the Stars with expertise along with an unparalleled growth speed.

Moreover, Lunia couldn’t even fathom the immense mental strength Leo possessed.

Learning that her role model had been the Hero of the Beginning was shocking enough, but now it hit her hard:

‘All this time, was I insolent to the Hero?!’

Memories of her behavior towards Leo rushed through her mind.

Just as Lunia was grappling with this revelation,

“Luna Rubiness?”

Recognizing Luna’s presence, Kaneshi exclaimed in surprise.

“It’s been a while. I didn’t expect to meet again under the assumption we both were dead.”

Luna stepped forward, folding her arms, and smiled faintly.

Though her tone and expression seemed gentle, her eyes radiated a murderous intent matching even Kyle’s.

Leo and Luna essentially approached the Demon race with a different mindset than people of this era.

This was the age of Heroes, but also an era of peace.

Even though Tartarus still existed, coexistence had lasted for thousands of years.

Thus, compromising with Tartarus was a possibility depending on the situation.

Though Demons were enemies to be exterminated, it wasn’t always a definitive action anymore.

But there was nothing of the sort for Leo and Luna, who had survived the Era of Catastrophe.

To them, Demons were simply targets for annihilation.

The killing intent and aura emitted by Luna only grew stronger.

Gooouuuuu!

‘This is… the aura of the Great Heroes.’

Lunia swallowed hard, the sheer aura of their existence itself was overwhelming.

Without even expending mana, Luna emitted a pure, overpowering sense of authority that was hers alone.

This was the essence of a Great Mage who could face the God of Destruction and save the world.

This oppressive aura was even stronger than the killing intent Leo was exuding.

It wasn’t that Leo’s presence was weaker than Luna’s;

Leo glanced at Luna, narrowing his eyes slightly.

‘Is she testing me?’

Leo’s gaze subtly shifted towards Lunia standing by Luna’s side.

Lunia was visibly trembling, caught in the ripple effect of the oppressive auras.

‘If she’s my successor. If she’s truly fit to stand alongside Kyle on the battlefield against Erebus…’

Luna, too, observed Lunia, who was trembling.

‘This is what she must overcome.’

Unlike Aron, who, though rough at times, pushed Ar while checking her condition,

Luna’s teaching method was different.

Where Aron nurtured and pushed from behind, Luna would push someone to the edge.

This was evident earlier when teaching magic to Verkia.

She usually relaxed, but during teachings, she was extremely strict.

She always tested one’s limits.

Lunia gritted her teeth.

‘Snap out of it! Lunia El Rundah!’

Though Lunia hadn’t realized this was a kind of test,

she gritted her teeth and held on,

‘I decided to stand by Leo’s side! And I was delighted when Lady Luna called me her successor! If I can’t even handle the pressure that isn’t even directed at me, what kind of joke is that?!’

Tensing her jaw, she took a deep breath.

Lunia’s trembling gradually subsided.

Upon seeing this, Luna’s lips curved into a soft smile.

‘Solid.’

“Indeed, a Spirit.”

Kaneshi showed a slightly curious expression.

“Surprising. I thought you, of all the Great Heroes, would leave nothing behind.”

Kaneshi remained expressionless.

Back 5000 years ago,

Kaneshi was the Legion Commander that Luna had played the most significant role in exterminating.

Without Luna, survival would have been impossible.

The reason was straightforward.

Kaneshi’s abilities didn’t affect Luna.

However, Luna still found the Legion Commander in front of her to be difficult.

This Legion Commander was simply ‘nothingness’ itself.

Tartarus Demons, while fearing the Great Heroes, also despise them.

Unavoidably.

Even they had to harbor hatred towards the Heroes that had slain their god and thwarted the world’s predestined doom.

Yet Kaneshi was different.

She was the most alien out of all the Demon Legion Commanders.

She obeyed the commands of Erebus, the Creator, but showed no interest in the world’s destruction.

Thus, she also refrained from showing hostility towards the Heroes who had slain Erebus.

“Surprisingly, I never expected you to reincarnate as an Undead.”

Even though spirits and undead are polar extremes, their reason for lingering in this world is the same: regret.

“At the time of my d*ath, I developed a small regret.”

Kaneshi’s lips twisted slightly.

“I became curious about the fate of the surviving Hero.”

“What?”

“The Survivor was the only worthy opponent of the great god. However, I believed you would be the first to d*e.”

Kaneshi grinned.

The grin was grotesque.

It was saturated with desire.

“His heart was ashes. He had nothing. He was like me.”

Her eyes carried an ecstatic gleam.

“I was curious about the kind of end he would meet. The face with which he would d*e. Ah! This could be similar to what you call longing, perhaps!”

“Crazy woman.”

Without hesitation, Leo voiced his thoughts.

But Kaneshi didn’t care.

“Isn’t it always the crazy women who fall for you?”

Luna frowned and said,

“Exactly. Why are the women who like you always crazy?”

Nonetheless, Leo remained unperturbed.

To their mutual indifference, Kaneshi continued.

“But after being brought back by the Demon King’s power, I heard an unbelievable story. Kyle, the story that you, as the final one, defeated the god.”

Kaneshi’s face revealed an expression of curiosity.

“How was that possible?”

Seeing the varied emotions in the Mirror Queen, Leo furrowed his brow.

“Ah! I became more interested in you. I wanted to understand you better. And I knew, I could understand you far better.”

Kaneshi’s body trembled.

“Nonsense.”

Luna scoffed coldly.

“How could a Demon understand someone like us?”

“Luna Rubiness. You will never understand.”

Kaneshi grinned again.

“Someone who radiates countless brilliant lights will never understand. You who are certain of your chosen path.”

Luna rolled her tongue, dismissing the nonsense entirely.

This was an opponent with whom communication was inherently impossible.

“Survivor Kyle, your end is even more appealing now.”

Uuuung—

Kaneshi began to transform.

Upon witnessing this, Leo readied himself, lowering his stance.

“Kyle.”

Luna’s face revealed concern.

“Don’t worry. The same mistake won’t happen again.”

Luna clenched her fists tightly upon hearing Leo’s words.

Kaneshi, who had transformed into a massive mirror, reflected Leo’s image.

In that instant,

Leo disappeared.

Thump! Thump!

Simultaneously, the people in the surrounding area collapsed.

“What the…!”

Lunia’s expression was one of shock.

“It’s the Mirror Queen’s ability.”

Luna gritted her teeth.

“She reflects her opponent’s image. The person sees the endless illusions they most want or dread to see.”

‘This time, it seems her abilities are completely concentrated on Kyle.’

At the time, Kaneshi’s illusions didn’t affect Luna.

Luna, with absolute faith in herself, carved her own path.

Neither sweet illusions nor terrible trials could shake her.

“The Mirror Queen Kaneshi’s combat power is weak in comparison. But her ability itself is exceptionally strong.”

Like Jormungand, known for commanding without a legion, she too was a Legion Commander without her own legion.

However, unlike Jormungand, whose immense physical power made him not need a legion, Kaneshi’s mirror, which could transform all captured images into illusions, acted as its own legion.

“Leo said someone named Kyle? What kind of illusion did Leo see 5000 years ago?”

“…”

Luna remained silent for a moment before she murmured,

“He saw an illusion of us fighting.”

Kaneshi’s illusions grow more powerful the deeper one’s inner darkness is.

At the time, Kaneshi’s ability was especially troublesome to Kyle.

“According to that nightmarish illusion, Kyle… he said he killed all of us.”

Lunia inhaled sharply.

It was a form of trust.

The unwavering belief that his comrades would never turn their blades against him allowed Kyle to cut down his friends, driven by an unimaginable mental strength.

But even then, endless illusions wear down the mind.

Recalling the moment she defeated Kaneshi, Luna closed her eyes.

Everyone emerged from the illusion.

But Kyle still had Lissinas by the neck with his blade pointed at him.

Dwenno and Aron stopped Kyle’s mechanical movement void of any expression.

Lissinas, with wide eyes, gently smiled.

‘It’s okay, Kyle.’

Lissinas simply accepted everything about his friend.

‘It’s okay.’

‘At that moment, Kyle realized it was an illusion and lowered his sword.’

Luna gazed in the direction Leo had disappeared.

There was not a waver in her eyes.

‘He’ll be fine.’

They’d overcome countless trials together.

That’s why Luna believed Kaneshi’s ability couldn’t affect Leo now.

‘The Kyle of back then and the Kyle of now are different.’

“These people…”

“They’re affected by Kaneshi’s ability. With the strength of a Legion Commander, normal people lack immunity. For now, let’s take care of them.”

“Yes, Lady Luna.”

Just as Luna and Lunia were about to act,

Kuuhhhhhk-!

A dark crack appeared in the air.

Through the dark space emerged a woman with bl**d-red hair and eyes glowing with madness.

Luna narrowed her eyes.

“Who are you?”

“Me?”

The woman grinned eerily.

“My name is bl**d Queen Elgenie, a great Legion Commander of Tartarus.”