548.
At Rian’s sudden declaration, all the students stared at him with dumbfounded expressions.
As hero candidates, the Lumeran students had experienced everything. However, encountering a child who suddenly claimed to be a god was a first.
Under normal circumstances, they might have dismissed him as someone slightly mentally unhinged.
But behind Rian stood Mel.
There wasn’t a single Lumeran student who didn’t know Mel as the Dragon Lord.
Though Mel remained silent, everyone knew the truth about her identity.
And now, a child had come together with her.
It was hard to dismiss this child as merely mentally unstable when Mel seemed to be vouching for Rian’s status.
“Still… even so, a god? Does that even make sense?”
“Yeah.”
Chelsea and Kal wore expressions of disbelief.
It was not an easy tale to believe – the gods who had disappeared from the earth at the end of the Era of Catastrophe had suddenly returned.
Even with the Dragon Lord by their side, the claim seemed farfetched.
Chelsea and Kal, who were skeptical about Rian’s identity, glanced at Leo sitting between them. They were momentarily stunned upon seeing the serious expression on Leo’s face.
Kal asked Leo in a low whisper, “Hey, Leo… could it really be true?”
Leo gave a slight nod, leaving Chelsea and Kal speechless.
“God…?”
Isn’t a god an omnipotent being?
The image of a supreme being compelling reverence was strong.
But Rian looked different from what they imagined.
Of course, his face was stunning enough to make one gasp.
A perfectly handsome face, beyond words.
That alone drew the attention of those around him.
But he didn’t emanate that sacred feel, nor was there any sense of reverence.
“Is this what gods look like? Or is Rian just a younger god?”
“Could be.”
“Appearance doesn’t really matter to gods.”
Leo replied lazily, “Age is meaningless to gods. If they look this way, it’s purely a matter of preference.”
“Ah…”
“Besides, gods are surprisingly inept.”
“Inept? But the documents clearly state they’re omnipotent. Was that all false?”
Chelsea asked, perplexed.
“They are omnipotent but unable to influence the earth with that omnipotence.”
“So why did the gods of the past descend to earth?”
Kal questioned with a baffled tone.
Even now, the ruins and documents from the Age of Gods before the Era of Catastrophe are still actively researched.
It was an intriguing subject.
Though not now, there were undoubtedly gods in the distant past.
During the Age of Gods, people worshipped them, and based on that worship, the gods wielded great influence on earth.
Thus, scholars studying the Age of Gods believe the gods drove that era to expand their influence.
Leo answered Kal’s question casually: “Out of boredom.”
“What?”
“Because there was nothing to do in the divine realm, they slithered down to earth out of boredom.”
The unexpected answer left Kal and Chelsea speechless.
From the perspective of those living now, it was hard not to have an idealized image of gods.
“Illusions are meant to be shattered. And that’s how everyone grows up.”
Leo gave a mischievous adult look as he glanced at Rian.
“Are you about to tell the story we shared back then?”
“Firstly, I have a tale to share with you all.”
Rian’s demeanor became dead serious, silencing the Lumeran students.
Incredible charisma emanated from Rian, who had been cheerful and playful until a moment ago.
Though they didn’t fully understand what kind of existence he was, at this moment, he completely overpowered all the hero candidates.
“The story I want to tell pertains to the final battle for Earth’s fate 5000 years ago.”
There was no one here who didn’t understand the significance of the battle 5000 years ago.
“The last battle of the Great Heroes…!”
A tale not recorded in the Hero Record or historical documents, passed down only through legends.
Though some details were revealed through Mel, the current Dragon Lord, the complete story remained unknown.
Under the weight of the collective silence, Rian quietly fiddled with something in his pocket, then placed puppets of the Five Great Heroes on his left hand’s five fingers.
On his right hand, he placed the puppet of Erebus and began an unexpectedly childish puppet show.
“Once upon a time, there was an abomination of the beginning and the five Great Heroes.”
“Finally! The Hero of Beginning stood alone before the abomination, bearing the world on his back. Defeating what even the gods couldn’t handle single-handedly! However, the world ingratiously forgot His great deeds! How lamentable!”
After the puppet show ended, Rian was enthusiastically praising Kyle.
“If you’re not from another race, you’re human! Who should humans respect and worship the most?”
Rian stretched out his arms.
“The Hero of Beginning, Lord Kyle! This is what I say! Lord Kyle, who accomplished what even the gods couldn’t, deserves your worship and admiration! As hero candidates, you must honor Lord Kyle, the origin of everything. Yet, there are foolish people in the mortal realm who harbor illusions about useless beings like gods. Surely, there must be some here among you.”
“Perhaps there were. But if you’re truly a god, those illusions might be shattered today.”
Some Lumeran students muttered to themselves.
“Here’s a question! What kind of being is Lord Kyle?”
As Rian fixed them with an intense glare, the students looked at each other.
Then someone hesitantly raised their hand.
It was Iliana.
“Girl, please give your answer.”
“Is Lord Kyle greater than a god?”
“Correct. An excellent answer. Girl.”
Rian nodded satisfied.
“You must never forget today’s teaching. Lord Kyle is far greater than any god. It is something you must never forget.”
“How much longer does he plan to continue this?”
“Is he planning to start an actual religion?”
Chelsea and Kal mumbled in shock, watching Rian’s ceaseless praising.
“You must be wondering why I revere the Hero of Beginning so much.”
Rian smiled faintly.
“The reason is simple. Only He could save the world.”
Rian looked at the hero candidates.
“Heroes-to-be, do you know this? 3000 years from now, Lumeran came to seek me.”
At this, the Lumeran students began whispering.
“3000 years ago? Are you referring to the time of the Rebirth of Catastrophe?”
Chloe raised her hand and asked, receiving a nod from Rian.
“Yes. Precisely after the Rebirth of Catastrophe you know of.”
“Our known Rebirth of Catastrophe?”
Chloe looked baffled as Rian spoke.
“For the past 3000 years, the truth of the world has been known only to the heir of the King of Wisdom and the descendants of Rodia, the successor of the Dragon of the Cataclysm.”
The students naturally glanced toward Mel.
“The Rebirth of Catastrophe has not yet ended.”
Rian’s statement left the Lumeran students momentarily baffled.
To their confusion, Rian calmly continued.
“3000 years ago, during the Rebirth of Catastrophe, the Pieces of Erebus that awakened are still not exterminated.”
“What!?”
“What on earth…!?”
Shocked exclamations erupted from all around.
“And the Heroes of the Cataclysm still live.”
Gasps filled the room in response to Rian’s declaration.
“3000 years ago, a human reached where I was. That human was Lumeran. He sought wisdom from me, a way to exterminate the endlessly resurrecting Pieces of Erebus.”
Rian recounted the truth of the world with an impassive face.
“I told him that there was no method to defeat the Primordial Evil at present. But, there was a way to seal it.”
Rian looked up at Lumeran’s portrait hanging in the grand hall, recounting the story of how the Heroes of the Cataclysm sealed Erebus 3000 years ago.
It was truly shocking.
The revelation that the power of the Heroes of the Cataclysm was insufficient to vanquish Erebus.
The truth that the resurrected Pieces of Erebus were still battling endlessly against the Heroes of the Cataclysm.
Even the reason why the Hero Record was torn apart 3000 years ago – all due to Erebus.
It was an unbelievable story.
But there were witnesses here who had seen proof that the story was true.
“Elena-san, then the Erebus we exterminated in Lady Luna’s world…”
“Was likely a fragment of the first Erebus piece.”
Lunia and Elena spoke with tense expressions.
“Then the figure that appeared to us in Seirun… that means it was actually you?!”
Eiran covered her mouth and whispered in trembling tones.
Celia raised her hand.
“I have a question! Were the Heroes of the Cataclysm unable to defeat the Flames of Catastrophe?”
“Most likely, the Heroes were far stronger than you imagine. Since the inception of the world, there have been very few who surpass them. Even the fragmented Primordial Evil would have no chance against the Heroes of the Cataclysm. That’s why the world has maintained its current state.”
“Why couldn’t they seal it in the Hero Record?”
As Chloe asked with confusion, Rian answered her:
“Even the King of Wisdom, the ancestor of Star Cloud, the Hero, and God’s Blacksmith standing there couldn’t have completely vanquished the Primordial Evil. That Evil is an eternally immortal existence as long as its Flames don’t extinguish.”
The fact that Erebus’s infamous flames never extinguish was known to later generations.
But while they were only aware that extinguishing Erebus’s flames was extremely difficult, the revelation that these flames were truly immortal shocked them deeply.
“So, how did the Great Heroes save the world?”
Lil raised her hand and asked.
“The Flames of Catastrophe have their nemesis.”
Rian smiled faintly.
“Purity.”
“Purity?”
“It refers to someone born with incomparably pure mana. That which possesses the attribute of purity can become anything. And that represents infinite possibility.”
“You’re saying… Lord Kyle?”
“Yes. Lord Kyle possessed this attribute of pure mana. The only nemesis of the Flames of Catastrophe in this world.”
Rian’s words caused the students to nod in understanding.
This explained why the Heroes of the Cataclysm couldn’t defeat Erebus.
“Hold on.”
Hmm! Iliana, who had been nodding, suddenly paused and turned her head.
“Lord Kyle is an all-class!”
Not just Iliana – everyone was looking at a single point.
The unprecedented all-class.
“Correct.”
Rian smiled warmly.
“He possesses the same attribute of pure mana as the Hero of the Beginning. In other words, it means he’s destined to save this world.”
![[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")
