Chapter 616

616.

To a knight who wields a sword, the arm that holds it is as precious as life itself.

In the situation where that arm had been brutally severed, Reid, panic-stricken, could only scream in agony as he clutched at the severed area. The pain spreading from the cut was excruciating, but the psychological shock was even greater.

“Shall I cut off another part next?”

However, Reid regained his composure upon hearing the emotionless voice. He, too, was a knight who had been recognized by the gods and risen to the rank of hero. No matter how great the shock, he couldn’t keep screaming while an enemy stood before him.

Reid, who was still holding his severed arm, created some distance between himself and Leo.

Reid retrieved the sword he was still gripping in the severed hand.

This sword was a family treasure of the Zerdinger household, a powerful weapon in its own right.

Reid clenched his teeth as he gripped the sword with his left hand.

‘The arm can be reattached!’

With the help of magic, a severed arm like this could easily be reattached.

And whether it was luck or misfortune is unclear, but Leo had cleanly severed the arm, which could only make reattachment easier.

Reid’s eyes widened.

‘Right now, my priority is taking down the monster in front of me!’

“Knights! Execute this reckless man!”

Reid’s command brought knights to surround Leo with their swords drawn.

Looking at the knights, Leo said expressionlessly:

“If you’re knights of the Zerdinger family, step aside. I’m only here to execute the traitor.”

“Fool!”

Reid sneered at Leo.

“These are my loyal knights! Do you think they’ll follow your orders? And a traitor? That’s ridiculous!”

Reid shouted in anger.

“These knights are the ones making the Zerdinger family the greatest house of heroes! The current head of the house, Selde Zerdinger, is far too weak! Despite having strength, he doesn’t use it! He just wastes it all in meaningless battles against Tartarus! It’s not just Selde Zerdinger, but that foolish LeWalyn and the royal family as well!”

Reid’s eyes flashed.

“Why waste our power on Tartarus? Rodren isn’t a kingdom meant to stay in the western continent! It is a nation with the potential to become a great empire that rules the world!”

With excitement from the pain, Reid passionately explained his thoughts.

“We, the Zerdinger family, must take the lead! We should rise to the position of the most prestigious house in the empire, support the royal family, and dominate the continent! By doing so, we must make the Zerdinger family the greatest house of heroes in the world! This isn’t personal ambition. If you truly care about the Zerdinger family, you should have such aspirations!”

“Is that why you’ve aligned yourself with the world’s greatest threat, the entity that has killed countless heroes?”

“I’m not aligning with them! I’m merely using them.”

“Everyone always says that.”

Leo dropped his sword.

“And they never realize they’re being used right back.”

What Tartarus wants is one thing:

The division of the world.

If people like you manipulate the Zerdingers, it’s certain the empire will be unsettled.

‘Is this also his scheme?’

Leo thought of the Demon King Hel Kaiser.

The Demon King is adept at intrigue.

He spreads poison throughout the world like this.

The Pureblood Society of elves is no different.

They only claim they’re using the others, but in reality…

The fact that they were used becomes a ‘weakness.’

But those who side with Tartarus don’t consider it a weakness.

‘They think they can crush all resistance with power.’

The Demon King doesn’t use this supposed weakness to blackmail those who side with him either.

He lets them believe they’re merely being used for his benefit.

Just like he attempted to slowly weaken elf society by using the Pureblood Society.

He slowly turns them against each other, causing them to tear each other apart.

“I don’t care about the history of the empire or the family’s history.”

“Right. A direct descendant like you doesn’t deserve it.”

“That’s true. But not from the likes of you.”

“What?”

“The emperors throughout the history of the Rodren Empire and the heads of the Zerdinger family…”

“And the leaders of the LeWalyn family as well,”

Leo’s red eyes turned toward Reid.

“They never invaded another country. Do you know why?”

“Our ancestors, unfortunately, lacked ambition.”

“No.”

Leo narrowed his eyes.

“It was to make this land livable.”

5000 years ago, during the Era of Catastrophe.

The most brutally devastated land wasn’t the eastern continent where Tartarus had revealed itself, nor the northern nor southern parts of the continent.

It was none other than the western part of the continent.

The most advanced land.

Because of that, it was thoroughly destroyed, leaving it a wasteland.

Most of the current Rodren Empire’s territory was under Tartarus’s influence during the Era of Catastrophe.

Even after the disaster ended, it remained the region where Tartarus’s power was strongest.

The Rodren Empire’s vast territory wasn’t gained by conquering other nations but by driving Tartarus out of this land over a long period.

And now, it has become the most prosperous land.

Even Lissinas, who had once shaken his head thinking it impossible for this land to recover, would see how fertile it had become.

Reo, who knew what this land had been like in the past, understood exactly how much effort those who lived here had put into making it liveable.

There were the ancestors of the Zerdinger family who had dedicated everything to cultivating the barren land and ensuring the people living there could live in peace.

It was far too noble, almost foolish, to simply be dismissed as having no ambition.

‘That’s why they’re a house of heroes.’

“The flame of Phoenix is noble. It’s a power that burns itself to destroy evil. The fact that the first Zerdinger received the power of Phoenix has probably the same reason.”

“Dreams! If one has power, why sacrifice it for others? That’s foolish.”

“Yeah, it is foolish.”

Leo closed his eyes.

“But remember this. The reason the world still exists today is because there have been heroes who, no matter how foolish it may seem, poured their all into it.”

“Ha! Heroes are simply those who have achieved great things. How do you explain my being a hero if I were to bring ruin to the world?”

“Hero?”

Leo tilted his head.

“Who?”

“Unnamed heroes or whatever! Regardless of what you deny, I was chosen by the gods…!”

Leo, who had been mocking Reid until then, froze his face.

“You have no right to be called a hero.”

[Your qualification as a hero has been revoked.]

Instinctively, Reid realized what had happened. For some reason, Leo’s pronouncement had stripped him of his status.

“You… what did you do to me?”

“All I did was deny that you’re a hero.”

“AAARGH! Knights, what are you doing? Why aren’t you executing him?”

“Charge!”

The knights of the Elder Council surrounded Leo.

Thud-

Leo took a step forward.

At that moment.

Whosh!

The heads of the Elder Council knights flew into the sky all at once.

North region Shadow Lord Algs muttered as he watched the scene:

“Beautiful.”

There was no emotion in Leo’s sword.

He carried out the task with complete indifference, evenly dispensing d*ath among the traitors.

In Algs’s eyes, Leo’s figure resembled the judgment of a god.

Thud!

Having slashed down the knights in a single blow, Leo’s gray eyes turned toward Reid.

Thud!

Unable to control it, Reid fell to his knees, his body trembling.

And with that, his mouth made stuttering sounds.

Clomp… Clomp…

“S-s-spare me… please…”

“You have two choices. d*e peacefully, or d*e painfully.”

Reid instinctively realized that the entity in front of him was absolute d*ath – that there was no way he could survive.

“A- at once…”

Squeezing out whatever voice he could with all his remaining strength, Reed begged for mercy while Leo remained calm.

“You’ve already made your choice.”

Ting!

“Kuuuuuuuuch!”

Leo’s sword pierced Reid’s mouth.

It accurately cut around the lips and tongue before retreating.

Reid’s left arm was severed as he writhed in agony on the floor. Leo, leaving behind Reid who was flailing on the ground, unable even to scream, headed toward the Elder’s Hall.

Leo moved through the corridors of the Elder’s Hall, methodically executing the traitors.

When he finally arrived at Eggerson’s office, there waiting for him were Anyas, Kirin, and Regas.

“Grandfather?”

“My grandson gets more surprising the more I learn. To think he had control over the world’s shadows all along. Now it makes sense why he never showed any interest in the family’s legacy.”

Regas chuckled.

‘This grandfather is no joke.’

Leo had not expected to reach here so quickly.

While Leo was marveling at this,

Anya approached Leo.

“Here, Lord Leo.”

Anya handed Leo a communication crystal.

“It’s an artifact crafted by Hero Slayer.”

“…It seems I can track the remnants of magical energy.”

Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible.

However, Leo had been pursuing and executing countless traitors since thousands of years ago.

Before being the strongest hero, he had been the strongest shadow.

The ability to chase shown even today by his pursuit and execution of the traitors here was beyond what even shadow lords dared to attempt.

At that moment,

Hoom!

The crystal reacted.

Seeing this, Leo narrowed his eyes and infused it with mana.

The vibration of the crystal ceased.

A moment later,

[Is this Leo Flove?]

Hero Slayer initiated a conversation.