LHAHS Chapter 355
[Gwoooooooh—!]
Erebos let out a deafening roar and raised its arms.
Fwoosh—!
Black flames surged around it.
Seiren's students hastily retreated, their faces pale with fear.
Without hesitation, Leo charged straight toward Erebos.
"Hey! Wait…!" Lunia's eyes widened in shock as she reached out to stop him.
The others, who had been preparing their defenses, froze in disbelief at Leo's reckless advance.
The tip of Leo's sword quivered.
Kiing—!
A sharp resonance echoed as gray aura surged forth.
Boom!
Erebos' fist crashed into the ground, sending black flames erupting into the air. The towering inferno, like a living serpent, coiled toward Leo, seeking to devour him.
Rather than retreating, Leo dove straight into its core. His crimson eyes traced the chaotic, twisting flames.
As expected, this is only a fragment of Erebos' power. There's no consciousness behind it.
Leo narrowed his eyes. The true form of Erebos was still sealed beyond the Hero Record.
Seiren is still holding it back.
He pushed off the ground.
Fwoosh—!
The black flames surged past him, missing by a hair's breadth. Like erratic reflections of light, they twisted unpredictably, attempting to engulf him. Their intensity was overwhelming—ready to incinerate him at any moment.
Yet, with the barest of movements, Leo dodged them all.
Lunia's mouth fell open. "My god…"
It was a situation where turning to ashes in an instant wouldn't have been surprising. But even within that deadly storm, Leo pressed forward without a flicker of hesitation.
"Amazing," Eiran muttered, entranced.
As a knight himself, he understood just how absurd Leo's movements were. It wasn't just skill—it defied reason. Even the slightest mistake would mean instant death. To move so calmly under such crushing pressure…
Fwoosh—!
A flame pillar barely missed his side as Leo raised his sword.
He had fought Erebos many times before.
This was merely a sliver of its power. Without reason, without thought—only raw instinct. Dodging its attacks was trivial. If anything, Erebos' presence only served to awaken the senses of the Great Hero within him.
His sword traced a spiraling arc through the air.
It's been a while since I've used this.
Kyle's aura technique—Spiral.
Shraaaaak—!
The spiraling aura carved through Erebos. Its body split apart.
Without hesitation, Leo drove himself into the opening. At the core, he saw it.
Fwoooosh—!
The burning Hero Record.
Leo reached for it but clicked his tongue. He could feel Erebos' power swelling.
It's going to explode.
Quickly, he retreated from the core.
Thud!
Landing back on solid ground, he straightened himself.
KABOOM—!
A violent explosion erupted behind him, sending flames scattering in all directions.
Without sparing it a glance, Leo tightened his grip on his sword and walked toward Lunia.
With my current strength, reaching the Hero Record alone is impossible.
Destroying it recklessly wasn't an option either.
To Erebos, the Hero Record is a gate. If I destroy it while it's still connected to the outside, who knows what might happen?
It could end up aiding Erebos' escape instead.
Leo's eyes sharpened. It's best to handle this inside Seiren's world.
"How did you even cut that thing? No matter how much we struck it, nothing worked."
Hardin, who had been fighting the undead nearby, looked at Leo in astonishment.
"A normal attack won't work against it," Leo said, glancing down at his sword.
Ssssss—!
His blade was melting from the strain of cutting Erebos. Even though it had been crafted by a master, that single attack had drastically shortened its lifespan.
"So, that means your attack was anything but normal?"
"You could say that."
Leo gripped his sword tightly and shook off the remnants of Erebos' power. His mana's nature—Purity—combined with the swordsmanship he had honed for years had created a unique result.
If there's one thing I did as well as Aaron, it was cutting things down.
The Hero of the Beginning, Kyle, had never reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship like the Brave Hero, Aaron.
Aaron had transcended the art of combat itself, possessing an awe-inspiring power in battle. Kyle, even with the aura Aaron had left behind, had never been able to master it completely.
But in one aspect—when it came to cutting things down—Kyle was second to none.
Leo turned to look at Erebos as it began regenerating.
This was only a fraction of its true form. If the main body were to emerge, the world would face another calamity for the first time in 3,000 years.
I have to close the gate before that happens.
His gaze locked onto the roaring black flames.
"Lunia."
"Yeah?"
"I'm going into Seiren's Hero World."
"What?" Lunia's face twisted in shock.
"Something is clearly happening inside Seiren's Hero World. I need to see what's causing this."
"That's insane! You'd have to step right into the black flames!"
"Exactly." Leo stared into the inferno. "That's why your role is crucial."
He met Lunia's eyes and smiled. "Open the path for me. Your flames can do it."
"But… my magic can only block the black flames at best."
Lunia clenched her teeth and lowered her head. It was true—her purifying flames could counteract Erebos' fire. But at her current strength, all she could do was suppress the scattered embers. She hadn't been able to touch its core.
The black flames instantly devoured the white flames that had tried to resist them.
Leo extended a hand toward Lunia.
"Huh?"
Before she could react, he gently took hold of her chin, tilting her face so their eyes met.
Seeing her flustered expression, he smiled and spoke calmly. "Believe in yourself. Isn't that your school's motto?"
Lunia stood frozen, staring at him in a daze.
"You are the sole inheritor of the magic Luna created to defeat Erebos." His crimson gaze reflected her own.
Her eyes widened.
"Believe in Luna's magic. And believe in me—the one who passed it on to you."
Leo lightly tapped her cheek before turning to face Erebos.
Lunia took a deep breath, then slapped her own cheeks. "Seriously…" Her lips pursed in frustration as she glared at his back. "Why does it suit him so well when he acts like an adult?"
The anxiety in her chest faded. Taking a deep breath, she called out, "Eiran, cover me—wait, what are you doing?"
She frowned at Eiran, who was fidgeting awkwardly.
"Just now… That was kind of… really intense," Eiran mumbled.
"What the hell are you thinking in this situation?!"
"Hiiik!"
Startled by Lunia's furious outburst, Eiran shrank back and hastily raised her sword and shield, positioning herself in front of Lunia.
"Unbelievable," Lunia muttered, exhaling a deep sigh before focusing on her magic.
Around her, Seiren students moved into formation, ready to protect her.
Let's do this.
Brilliant white flames flared to life.
Sensing she was ready, Leo lowered his stance.
A steady chant flowed from Lunia's lips—the Rune Language of the Stars. Before her stood Erebos. Behind her, the magic Luna had left behind.
Even after 5,000 years, Luna, you still give me courage.
Feeling his friend's presence, Leo smiled.
Goooooo—!
Mana surged, and a comforting heat enveloped him.
"Flame Emperor."
Lunia's magic was unleashed.
Without hesitation, Leo sprinted toward Erebos. The pure white flames pierced through the black. In the fleeting opening, he pushed forward.
Lunia had created this moment. He reached out.
Thud—!
His hand grasped the Hero Record, still spewing black flames.
[Hero Record Open. ■■■ of ■■. ■■: ■■■■■]
A fragmented, unreadable message flashed before his eyes.
Fwoosh—!
At the same time, Leo's body was pulled into the Hero World.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by ash. Everything was burning. A scene all too familiar to him—the scorched ruins left behind in Erebos' wake.
Then, in the distance, he saw an elf. Slumped on the ground, clutching a broken staff, head bowed. Hair, once radiant platinum, now dull and lifeless.
Seiren Tingel.
Recognizing her, Leo took a step forward.
"I… failed." Seiren's shoulders trembled as she muttered.
At that moment, the ground beneath Leo began to collapse. Like sinking into a swamp, his feet were pulled downward.
Not just him—Seiren, too, was slowly being swallowed by the dark mire.
Kraaaaaaaaash—!
Black flames roared skyward.
[Alone, you can do nothing.] Erebos delivered its judgment upon Seiren. [Your struggle is meaningless.]
Her face was painted with despair. The world was burning. The Hero World was distorting.
Fwoosh—!
The remnants of the landscape turned to ash. The entire Hero World was aflame.
The word end flickered through Seiren's mind.
A Hero's World was interconnected. A hero who entered another's world could freely navigate its pages. But their allies—those who had entered alongside them—could not.
The Heroes of Dawn shared only one accessible Hero World—the final chapter, where they fought Erebos' fragments over and over again. Anywhere else was unreachable.
Yet Erebos was a divine being. Its mere existence warped and shattered the gods' laws. For Erebos, another hero's pages could serve as a gateway.
Thus, before the final battle, the Heroes of Dawn had ordered their respective races to find, seal, and destroy their Hero Records.
…Someone didn't destroy theirs.
Seiren's despair deepened. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground. Her body had long since reached its limit.
Erebos loomed over her and spoke. [Remain trapped in this world, and perish with it, foolish mortal.]
Having deemed her unworthy of even death, Erebos turned away, moving toward the outside world.
It's… over.
What did she have left? Lumene and Damien, who had once shielded her, were gone. Azonia, who had fought by her side, was gone. Rodia, who had supported her from behind, was gone.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, apologizing to her fallen comrades. "I… failed."
Slowly—darkness crept over her.
"In the end, because of me… the world couldn't be saved."
Her entire body was swallowed. The end was near. When this Hero World perished… Seiren would die. And Erebos would be fully freed.
The abyss dragged her deeper. A sickening sensation of floating took hold. She was drowning in darkness, suffocating.
Yet, even as her consciousness faded, she struggled, her hands grasping at the void. Though she had accepted defeat—to the very last moment, she fought.
She fought to stop Erebos.
But her strength failed. Her mind blurred.
She was about to close her eyes when—
Thud—!
A firm grip seized her wrist.
As though pulling a drowning person from water, someone yanked her from the abyss.
Fwuaaah—!
Seiren gasped, her upper body emerging from the darkness while her lower half remained submerged. In her hazy vision, she saw a boy with a head of pure white hair.
"Who…?" she murmured blankly.
"Why do you think you failed?" The boy smiled. "Look. You're still fighting, aren't you?"
As if he understood everything she had been through—as if he knew her pain—he smiled gently and carefully pulled her out of the darkness.
Seiren, freed from the abyss, looked up at him in a daze.
She had seen that smile before. A man who once saved the world had smiled the same way at a great mage who had accomplished an extraordinary feat.
She remembered that mage's flustered, blushing face. She had only seen that smile once, but she could never forget it.
"You didn't fail."
Who could deny the failure of a hero who had already saved the world?
Perhaps—
"Lift your head, Seiren Tingel."
Only one who had already saved it.
"You saved the world."
[Your achievement has been recorded.]
A message appeared before her eyes.
The burnt world around her was restored in an instant.
Once again, her deeds were etched into history.
The Hero Record was a legacy left behind by the gods. And the only one who could rewrite it—was its rightful owner.
And she knew exactly who that was.
"The Hero of the Beginning?"
Leo smiled in affirmation.