Chapter 622

622.

Reina, gripping her sword, exited the Flove mansion with the intention of confronting any threat that dared to menace the townsfolk.

‘If they went through the trouble of capturing me and bringing me here, it must mean the entire Flove estate is being held hostage.’

Though she did not wish to be a burden to her son, Leo, Reina understood all too well that such a wish was impossible.

Jorea was a wielder of overwhelming power, the kind that even her prime self could not have faced. And she, having already lost her mana flow, was no match for him now.

Remaining at the Flove mansion would do nothing but make her more of a liability.

‘The only fortunate thing is that he seems to have completely lost interest in me.’

The streets of the Flove estate brimmed with lurking dangers, but Reina deemed it preferable to being held captive. Moreover, if the streets were dangerous, then so were those who lived there.

‘I might be able to help protect the townsfolk, even if just a little. The sword techniques I’ve honed over the years haven’t disappeared just because I lost my mana flow.’

Though weakened from the loss of her mana flow, Reina had consistently honed her swordsmanship. Certainly, if she exerted herself fully, her physical limits would quickly catch up with her and pain would overwhelm her.

‘But this isn’t the time to be picky about such things.’

With preparations made for any unforeseen events, Reina stepped out onto the streets, only to immediately face a problem. Monsters and beasts began to appear. Adding to that, a strange beast she’d never seen before summoned countless low-tier flying monsters.

‘So that’s the beast called Paphnir.’

This was the great calamity from the Era of Catastrophe when Leo first entered Lumeran, a major threat to the world back then. Though supposed to have been eradicated by the Great Heroes, the beast had inexplicably reappeared in the modern era.

Surprisingly, this beast was using summoning magic.

From a summoning magic circle, beasts were pouring forth.

‘This is different from the average Monster Tamers. The basis of this summoning technique is closer to Familiar Summoning. Just what exactly is this creature?’

Stunned by this unheard-of situation, Reina had no time to hesitate as chaos engulfed the entire estate.

“Hey, mom! Run! Hurry!”

“A, no! Ron!”

“Please leave this to me, ma’am!”

A beast was spotted targeting the townsfolk when a boy, around Leo’s age, frantically swung his sword with all his might, desperately trying to protect his mother.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Reina dashed forward.

KWAD-!

She decapitated a low-tier beast from behind with swift precision.

KUNG-!

Reina focused her strength, dealing a fatal blow to the beast’s vital points by targeting them with exact precision. From years of countless battles, she had learned the vital points of beasts, and now applied skillful technique to compensate for her lack of raw power. It was, in essence, an ambush advantage.

‘Some of this has to do with the sword as well.’

Reina gazed at the sword in her grasp, a blade that could rightly be called a legendary sword without any exaggeration.

For the first time in twenty years, she engaged in real combat.

‘Back then, I would have incinerated it effortlessly with mana flow.’

With a bittersweet feeling, Reina smiled faintly at the trembling boy.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Sister.”

“Eh?”

Reina covered her mouth with her hand and exclaimed in surprise.

“Huh? You—Lady Lord?!”

The boy’s mother recognized Reina and jumped in surprise. The boy’s face similarly lit up in shock upon hearing this.

Reina spoke to the pair as she observed their startled expressions.

“Please take your mother and quickly head to the shelter. The knights will protect you there.”

“But, Lady, you must evacuate too!”

Shaking her head at the middle-aged woman’s words, Reina replied.

“No, I must protect the other townsfolk. It’s my duty.”

UHOOOOOO!

A beast charged toward the trio with terrifying speed.

The boy and his mother trembled in fear.

Clutching her sword with both hands, Reina addressed them.

“Don’t worry about me, just go.”

“Yes! Mother, let’s go!”

“But… but Lady…”

“These grotesque creatures can be easily cut down.”

Reina smiled warmly toward the worried middle-aged woman. It was the kind of smile Reina often wore long ago.

Seeing that smile, the woman strangely felt a sense of relief.

“Boy.”

“Yes, Yes!”

“You must protect your mother well.”

“Yes! At the cost of my life!”

“You’re mistaken.”

“Huh?”

“You need to stay alive too. Otherwise, your mother would be heartbroken.”

“Ah, understood!”

The boy hurriedly left the scene with his mother, Reina’s resolute figure deeply etched into his young mind.

“Glad my practice striking poses in front of the mirror in school has proven useful.”

She had practiced smiling to reassure people and had put in effort to instill trust during urgent situations, an investment that paid off in the present moment.

‘Sis, that definitely won’t help!’

At the thought of kicking Zis Zerdinger’s backside as he snickered, Reina quietly smiled.

“Well, I did boast a bit…”

GWWAROOOO-!

A bear-like beast, its menacing claws raised high, charged with a furious roar.

KWANG-!

Reina narrowly dodged the attack, closing the distance to aim for the beast’s neck.

KWAD-!

Her blade struck the beast’s neck but stopped midway, unable to penetrate further.

“Tch, figured as much. My strength alone isn’t enough against a bl**d Bear.”

Withdrawing her blade, Reina not only distanced herself from the angered bl**d Bear but also circled around it.

KYAAAAAAAH!

With jaws wide open, the bl**d Bear charged toward her.

KWANGGG-!

The spot where Reina had stood was obliterated by the bl**d Bear’s fangs and claws.

Reina leaped into the air to evade.

Her kneecaps and muscles ached from the exertion.

“Not yet old enough to be a grandma, though!”

Laughing, Reina spun her body in the air.

PARRRRRRK-!

Utilizing centrifugal force in her spinning motion, she drove the sword down onto the bl**d Bear’s neck as she crashed back toward the ground.

The force she mustered up was focused at the tip of the blade.

KWAGH-!

She broke the bl**d Bear’s neck bone and sliced through its tough hide as if cutting butter.

As she finished the action, she began to feel a slight pain, a hint of crack in her wrist.

But Reina paid it no mind.

“HACK! HACK-!”

Pushing her body beyond its limits, her entire body was overwhelmed by fatigue, and Reina coughed, spitting bl**d. But she had no time to rest.

“Ughhhhhh!”

Dozens of townsfolk were being chased by flying beasts.

TAK! TAK!

Reina mustered all her strength and jumped again, using the gaps between buildings to methodically ascend to a rooftop. She ran toward a strange, monstrous bird creature and leaped onto its back.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

KWAD-!

Reina plunged her sword into the beast’s neck. She narrowly missed the vital point but still managed a wound.

The tough vitality of the beast prevented it from immediately falling, even with the flow of copious amounts of bl**d.

KIIIIIIIEEEE-!

The flying beast ascended sharply to shake her off.

Reina’s eyes flashed coldly.

KWAD-!

She pressed her sword further into the beast’s neck.

KIRRR-!

The flying beast screamed and slightly descended its altitude.

‘I can’t d*e before landing safely.’

While concerned, Reina noticed a beautiful white Pegasus above. Her eyes lit up as she adjusted her sword’s pressure to synchronize with the Pegasus’s altitude, and with a final swing, she severed the flying beast’s neck, leaping onto the Pegasus.

KWANGAANG-!

Leo, grabbing Jorea by the head, slammed him into the ground and shredded his face.

“AGGHAAAAAA!”

A roar filled with madness escaped Jorea’s lips.

Letting go of the thrashing Jorea, Leo kicked him away.

FWRRAAOOOOWW! KWANGAANG-!

Jorea’s body soared into the air and crashed violently.

TURB- TURB-

Leo approached Jorea with an emotionless gaze.

“That’s impossible….”

Jorea muttered in denial.

Using only mana flow, Leo was overwhelming Jorea without even employing any techniques from Kyle’s swordsmanship—only Zerdinger’s flames and sword techniques, effortlessly surpassing Jorea.

Using any abilities at all was ineffective in front of Leo’s flames.

“It’s absurd! Unless you’ve used some kind of trickery…”

The real power of all classes is achieved through class fusion, which Leo hadn’t even bothered to use.

And yet he was being completely outmatched by what he believed to be the thoroughly understood and developed flames of the Zerdinger family alone.

“So, didn’t I tell you before?”

Leo replied absentmindedly.

KWAD-! FWRRAOOWW-!

“AAAAGH!”

Leo’s sword struck through Jorea, who groaned in agony.

“You only ruin the abilities you steal. And thinking you’re some kind of god? Hah. Pathetic.”

Leo crushed Jorea’s head under his foot and questioned him.

“This makes fifteen times.”

Leo observed Jorea with detached eyes.

“You know… using the abilities you’ve stolen, if you d*e while using them, not only can’t you use them again, you lose a life as well?”

Jorea flinched at his words.

‘How did he…’

This was a new ability gained upon reviving under the Demon Sovereign’s control, an ability not documented in any literature in this world.

Yet, Leo had perceived the core of this ability through a brief fight, a truly alarming fact to Jorea.

But for Leo, who had lived through the nonsensical Era of Catastrophe, assessing opponents’ abilities was not a difficult task.

During the time of Erebos’ protection, there were many demons more peculiar than Jorea.

Leo tilted his head.

“How many more times do I need to k*ll you?”

Jorea’s trembling body wasn’t driven by fear but by rage.

‘This fool truly regards me as nothing more than an insect… How dare he…!”

“There are some people… Like you, whom I can’t forgive… Leo Flove!”

Jorea spat out his words.

“The power you possess now is unnecessary! Just d*e…!”

KWAD-!

Leo crushed Jorea’s skull under his foot once more.

At that moment,

Leo realized that something had touched the tip of his foot.

As Jorea’s skull instantly regenerated, clicking repeatedly as if mocking him…

“Here, feel the Demon Queen’s terror! Leo Flove!”

“What?”

As Leo frowned,

A message appeared in front of his eyes.

Realizing this, Leo’s face froze.

*

Since first year, there was always one lingering question.

Five thousand years ago,

How had Paphnir, whom they had eradicated, reappeared in this age?

Certainly, in the past, a Legion Commander, Poison King Zerdiaq, had once appeared. However, that was similar to the way Leo had led Luna and Aron to the outer world.

It was accomplished by consuming fragments of power from Erebus that Tartarus had once possessed.

The way they used the Hero’s Record similarly granted Tartarus the ability to summon beings from the past. But those past entities consumed strength the moment they were called into existence.

Though powerful, the summon would still only be worthwhile for a Legion Commander, not just some random beast that would deplete the power of Erebus needlessly.

Even monster eggs, if brought, would yield the same result as they too would be brought into existence through the power of the Hero Record.

‘They can do everything we can with the Hero’s Record. Perhaps, they can even enter the Hero’s World.’

If so, then perhaps they were able to earn the rewards from exploring the Hero’s World the same way they could.

[Record of the Legion Open. Silatuna’s world. Chapter: Prologue – Forest of Monsters.]

This thought of his became confirmed as soon as he saw the message appear now.