589.
As the primordial evil’s gaze pierced through him, Kal felt his whole body shiver with dread.
‘It’s different.’
Kal had seen Erebus with his own eyes before, not just once. He had even indirectly participated in a battle against him.
But the oppressive feeling overwhelming him now was unlike anything he had ever felt.
It was hard to breathe. Erebus hadn’t done anything extraordinary—just acknowledged Kal’s existence. And that was enough to make it difficult to even draw a breath. Cold sweat poured down Kal’s body as if it were raining.
The mere awareness of a being that transcended time and space made Kal feel like d*ath was just around the corner.
Kal could see it—the abyss of malice, incomprehensible and destructive, that Erebus possessed. A being of doom that no human could ever understand. d*ath itself.
Just as Kal was feeling this way,
Hwaak-!
Lumeran appeared before Kal, swinging his sword.
Sgeak-!
The sword imbued with the auric power of twilight cleaved through space itself, warping Erebus’ form that was severed in half.
It wasn’t just Erebus being sliced—it was as if the space itself was being cleanly cut. The blow reached even the core of existence.
For an instant, Erebus’ body wavered.
Lumeran slapped the ground with his hand.
Uuung-!
The mana flowing into the ground created a magic circle.
“Dusk.”
Flash-! Kwagagagagagang!
The power of twilight surged up into the sky.
Upon seeing it, Lunia’s eyes widened.
“Magic of the Stars?”
She had never heard of Lumeran learning the Magic of the Stars. It was unheard of, especially considering the era Lumeran lived in predates such magic.
In fact, this wasn’t the Magic of the Stars—it was a unique spell created by Seirun for Lumeran. Just as Luna had gifted the Innocence Magic to Kyle, Seirun had created the “Dusk” spell as a gift for Lumeran. It was an original magic spell based on the fundamentals of star magic.
“Amazing…”
Eiran muttered blankly, and Lumeran gritted his teeth.
“Don’t be.”
“What?”
Lumeran glared up at the sky.
The scattered black flames reformed into the human-like figure of Erebus once more.
“This magic is impressive, but… I couldn’t quite master it.”
Lumeran’s grip on his sword tightened.
Lowering into an attack stance, Lumeran leaped skyward.
Kwaak-!
The ground crumbled into dust beneath his feet, and again the ominous black flames began to flare. Lumeran roared into the air,
“You’re my opponent!”
Dzzzap-! Ccchhhheerrrrrreccccchh-!
The sword imbued with the power of twilight crossed the arm of Erebus mid-air. Simultaneously, cracks started forming in the sky itself.
– “I do not care about this distraction.”
Erebus ignored Lumeran and turned his gaze downward, precisely to Kal.
– “At this moment, the most irksome existence is that human.”
In Erebus’s eyes, Kal was a deeply threatening presence. The most hated existence to the primordial evil was not Kyle—it was Lissinas, the King of Wisdom.
The King of Wisdom had reignited the fading hope and had blossomed the potentials of the world itself. It was his miraculous ability that had made Kyle’s triumph over Erebus possible.
Of course, comparing Lissinas to Kal would be absurd. There was no way Kal could approach Lissinas’ level. Kal merely carried a fraction of what Lissinas once was.
“But having an incompetent fool possess even a trace of that potential is intolerable… and furthermore…”
Erebus narrowed his gaze. Kal wasn’t just a reflection of Lissinas’ abilities—he was something more. Even while trembling under the uncertainty of d*ath on the battlefield, Kal had not lost the courage to fight. He trusted unwaveringly in the potential of others, and he clung stubbornly to the belief that hope could prevail, even in the direst circumstances.
Decisively… Kal didn’t give up.
Ever since becoming aware of Kal’s existence, Erebus had found too many things about him unsettling. Kal possessed only a trifling power, but the qualities reflected in him too closely echoed those of the great heroes.
He had to be erased from existence—quickly.
While pondering this, Erebus swung his hand toward Lumeran, who was drawing dangerously close.
– “Do not interfere. Knight of Twilight.”
Dzzzap!
Lumeran plunged his sword into Erebus’ chest. In retaliation, Erebus grabbed Lumeran by the head.
Zzzzap-!
Lumeran’s body erupted with the mana of twilight, causing Erebus to narrow his eyes.
– “So this was what you planned.”
“Others will take care of the rest.”
Lumeran smirked.
Kwagagagagagang-!
A massive mana storm shot upward into the sky.
Kwagagagagagang-!
The enormous mana storm rising from the center of the Erech Training Ground blasted away the remaining embers of Erebus’ black flames.
Hark stared blankly.
“Power of twilight… Lord Lumeran?”
He wasn’t the only one startled. Elena, who hailed from one of the three great families of Lumeran, was just as stunned.
The immense mana storm from before strongly resembled the tales of Lumeran’s legendary power.
Kyle, who had seen Erebus’ flames subdued, squinted his eyes.
‘The source of mana… The Hero Record?’
The tremendous shockwave even traveled through the Hero’s World and affected the Real World.
Ttak-!
Kyle descended back to the ground. After the battle, the black flames of Erebus had vanished entirely.
As the fierce fighting slowed to a lull, those who participated in the fight gathered around Kyle.
“The Hero of Beginning… Kyle…”
“The great hero who vanquished Erebus…”
Murmurs spread among the gathered as all eyes were on Kyle. Amid this, Hark abruptly knelt down.
“Great Hero of Beginning.”
His actions prompted all present—including those who had fought against the Catastrophe Flame—to follow suit.
“Great Hero of Beginning.”
Hero and Hero Candidates were not differentiated in their reverence. The man standing before them was the origin of their world’s survival—Kyle, who had defeated Erebus and saved the world 5,000 years ago.
It was impossible to look at him with anything but awe and respect.
“Everyone, rise.”
Despite Kyle’s words, no one moved immediately, remaining hesitant.
Kyle, observing their reluctance, sighed and approached Iliana, who was standing nearby.
“Huhk?!”
Upon noticing Kyle’s approach, Iliana gasped, shrank her neck, and bowed her head even lower.
Ddubsek-!
“Kyaak?!”
Kyle grabbed the back of her collar.
Now dangling in the air, Iliana’s face turned bright red as she tried desperately to avoid eye contact.
Even though she was helplessly dangling in the air, she couldn’t move.
Kyle forced her back to her feet while placing her back on the ground.
“I didn’t save the world to be idolized.”
Kyle muttered nonchalantly.
“So stop this foolishness.”
Only then did the assembled people cautiously rise at the unspoken cue.
Iliana, now bright red in the face, shyly spoke up.
“Lord Kyle, thank you so much for saving me earlier… I don’t know how I can ever repay this kindness…”
Seeing Iliana’s gratitude made some of her peers grimace.
‘Why’s she being like this?’
‘Did she eat something bad?’
‘This is embarrassing…’
They might have jeered under normal circumstances but dared not in front of the legendary hero.
Kyle, seeing Iliana’s tense expression, reached out and ruffled her hair.
“Hhha.”
Iliana’s face grew even redder.
Tubek-Tubek-
As Kyle walked towards the Hero Record in the center of the Erech Training Ground…
Tuk-
Professor Halind stepped forward.
“There is a question I have, Hero of Beginning.”
“What is it?”
“You saved the world five thousand years ago.”
The professor’s gaze bore into Kyle.
“Previously, you vanquished the Demon Queen Silatuna. Even now, you stand before us. And you are not alone. Lady Luna, the founder of the Star Cloud and Hero Aron have similarly appeared in this era, rescuing us time and again.”
With seriousness in his voice, Halind continued.
“How is such a thing possible?”
Halind knew the answer. At first, this would have seemed miraculous—but repeated miracles lead to reliance.
The reappearance of great heroes from history to fight for the present generation certainly inspired hope—but history does not repeat infinitely.
Halind didn’t ask because he was curious. He asked to discourage the present generation from relying solely on the great heroes of the past.
He wanted to hear one definitive message from Kyle himself.
“That, even I don’t quite understand.”
Kyle shrugged.
“The reasons behind my reappearance in this era are unclear to me. But here’s what I do know.”
“Hm?”
“Do not rely on us.”
And there it was—Halind’s desired answer.
“We are simply here to help. This world is upheld by none other than you yourselves.”
“…”
“I’m proud of you.”
Kyle added, “Not just me, Lissinas, Luna, Aron, Dwenno—they would all be proud of those who selflessly dedicate their lives for this world’s betterment.”
Tubek-Tubek-
Moving toward Lumeran’s Hero Record once more, Kyle made his stance clear.
“Don’t cling to the vestiges of the past. The ones shaping the present era are—”
He extended his hand toward Lumeran’s Hero Record.
“—all of you.”
Hwaak-!
A brilliant light enveloped Kyle.
‘It’s hard mimicking you, Lissinas.’
Clutching the edge of his cloak over his chest, Kyle gave a bitter smile.
Upon entering Lumeran’s World, the first thing Kyle noticed was the gaping hole in the sky.
“…Was this the aftereffect of the mana storm?”
The black void was visible—behind it lay the Real World.
Hwarrurrr-!
Not far away, streams of black flames flared up.
Kyle’s eyes caught sight of hero candidates battling Erebus.
‘Where’s Lumeran?’
Kyle expected him to be battling beside the candidates. But his ally appeared missing, and Erebus didn’t seem to have any strength left to fight at full force.
“…”
That’s when Kyle noticed a figure lying nearby.
It was someone Kyle knew well.
Lumeran, the Knight of Twilight, his own successor and the hero of the Cataclysm.
“So this was it.”
Understanding the situation, Kyle approached.
He dragged Lumeran, who lay unconscious, face upward with his foot, making him look towards the sky.
“Cough… Cough…”
Lumeran coughed up bl**d as he weakly opened his eyes.
“Who are you…”
His voice was a strained whisper, lacking even the strength to turn his head.
Tubek-Tubek-
Without casting so much as a sideways glance at the severely weakened knight, Kyle dropped to a nearby rock and answered lazily.
“Your predecessor.”
![[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")
