LHAHS Chapter 396
Watching the fierce battle unfolding in the distance, Arlene murmured in disbelief, "My god… he's actually holding off Jörmungandr by himself."
Alone, against a legion commander.
And not just any legion commander—Jörmungandr, the one deemed the strongest of them all.
Kyle's overwhelming display left her stunned.
"When did he become that strong?" Allox, gripping his battle axe, muttered under his breath.
Arlene and Allox—both had fought alongside Kyle in the past and knew his strength well. Even back then, his power had been in a league of its own, but now, it sent shivers down their spines.
As the two stood there, aghast, the elven mage Perique scoffed. "You both should know by now that the more battles he fights, the stronger he gets."
Mana swirled around Perique as magic accumulated, layer by layer, in his grasped staff. While memorizing spells, he gazed toward the front lines.
"And besides, at some point, he started fighting alone all the time." Perique narrowed his eyes. "The number of battlefields he's survived, the hellscapes he's endured—his experience is on another level. His strength is only natural."
"Well… yeah. He was always at the frontlines in every battle for Godthrone." Allox's body surged with intense fighting spirit. "He's clearing the path for us! We can't just sit here like cowards!"
With a roar, he tensed his muscles.
Arlene, gripping her spear, stepped forward as well. "I'll tear into that bastard with Allox."
While Kyle had Jörmungandr's full attention, the close-combat squad had to rip through his thick hide. And for that, no one was more suited than the agile and powerful front-liners, Arlene and Allox.
"We just need to exploit the openings he creates!"
Allox burst into hearty laughter and charged forward, wildly swinging his axe through the air.
Watching him, Rodia murmured in admiration. "Sir Kyle… He's just like Sir Aaron."
"Sir Aaron?"
Startled by the voice behind her, Rodia let out a small gasp and quickly covered her mouth.
"Who's Aaron?" Lysinas looked at her curiously.
Rodia forced an awkward smile. "He's a beastman I know. A warrior with incredible courage."
"Really? That's the first I've heard of him."
"He's not famous yet, but…"
"But?"
"He's someone who gives courage to those around him."
"If he's like that, we should definitely recruit him into the expedition."
"In the near future… you'll definitely meet him." Rodia smiled.
"I see." Lysinas nodded. "Then I suppose I should get ready as well."
Gooooo—!
A massive surge of mana erupted from Lysinas's body.
Flash—!
Her dragon's visage emerged.
Seeing it, Rodia instinctively tensed.
As expected of Lady Lysinas.
No matter how many times she witnessed it, it was awe-inspiring.
Lysinas had yet to become the Wise Queen. She had not yet fully acquired the strength and dignity of a Great Hero. And yet, her power was already equal to what Rodia had wielded when she had stepped into the final battle to stop the fragments of Erebos.
Here, alongside Sir Kyle… and the other Great Heroes, she will overcome countless trials and achieve dazzling feats.
She would become the greatest dragon in history.
Sir Kyle told me.
Rodia clenched her fist, watching Lysinas's back.
At this time, Lady Lysinas was already no different from the Wise Queen she would become. She was carrying the weight of the world, and the fear and burden of having to save it.
Before the expedition set out, Kyle had told Rodia about the emotions Lysinas had kept hidden.
And yet, she never wavered. She endured it all with an unshakable will.
A savior who shouldered the world alone and led it to salvation.
Kyle may have been the one to fulfill that destiny, but it was undeniably Lysinas who started it all.
This world… is one that only Sir Kyle can conquer.
Rodia clenched her fist even tighter as she watched Lysinas's back.
Perhaps it was only natural that she had been unable to conquer it herself. It wasn't a matter of classes or abilities.
This story… this trial belongs only to the two who heralded salvation—Sir Kyle and Lady Lysinas.
Kwoooooo—!
Jörmungandr roared and unleashed his breath attack at Leo.
Goooooo! Flash! Kwagagagagagang!
A destructive beam split through the air like an enormous pillar, engulfing the surrounding area in a massive shockwave.
Leo dodged and summoned his spiritual energy.
At that moment, Elsie, clinging tightly to his left shoulder against the wind, shouted urgently. [Hey, Uncle whose name I don't know!]
"What? Uncle?" Leo frowned in disbelief, but Elsie ignored him and raised her voice.
[Your body is already at its limit! If you push your spiritual energy any further, you'll self-destruct!]
Leo chuckled at Elsie's outcry. "Yeah, I figured."
He pulled hard on Albus's reins.
Fwoosh—!
Albus twisted sharply at an incredible speed.
Flash—!
A barrage of black-red streaks rained down around her.
Whoooosh!
Albus skillfully maneuvered through them, avoiding every single one as Leo had intended.
[You're being way too reckless!]
"You said I could be rough with you. And if I don't do this, we can't dodge them all!" Leo replied as he glanced down toward the ground.
Fwoosh—!
Catching sight of something below, he tugged the reins. Albus shot up into the sky.
[Running away?!]
Kugugugugung—!
Jörmungandr immediately gave chase, soaring after Leo.
"Haaaaaaah!"
At that very moment, a powerful war cry rang out as Allox, wrapped in aura, raised his axe and shot toward Jörmungandr like a bullet.
KWAANG—!
A massive explosion resounded as Allox collided with Jörmungandr.
Kugugugung—!
Despite the tremendous impact, Jörmungandr barely wavered. His eyes gleamed as he continued chasing Leo.
"Hah! Ignoring me completely, are we?"
Allox, hanging onto Jörmungandr's scales, lifted his axe high.
Goooooo—!
His aura shimmered around the blade.
Kwoooooo—!
The aura took the shape of a massive axe head.
"Hraaaagh!"
Slash—!
Leaping up, Allox swung his axe down at Jörmungandr.
The aura-infused strike tore into the thick hide.
[Insolent worm!]
Jörmungandr growled and summoned black mana.
Crackle—!
"Urgh?!"
Black-red sparks erupted violently around Allox's body. He trembled as if electrocuted but kept his eyes locked onto Jörmungandr.
"This isn't enough to stop me! Haaaah!"
Letting out a battle cry, Allox tightened his grip, driving his axe deeper into Jörmungandr's flesh.
[Annoying pest!]
With a furious snarl, Jörmungandr suddenly plummeted toward the ground at full speed.
Whoooooosh! KWAANG—! Kugugugugu—!
The impact shook the land as Jörmungandr slammed the part of his body with Allox's axe embedded in it into the ground. It was as if an earthquake had struck.
"Hah! Thanks for the save, Arlene!"
Just before Allox crashed, Arlene darted in at incredible speed and caught him.
Crackle! Pazzzt!
Her spear, wrapped in white lightning, trembled as if ready to be unleashed.
Arlene hurled her spear at Jörmungandr. The throw was flawless, like a perfectly drawn stroke in a painting.
Flash—! Crackle!
Leaving a radiant white trail, the spear flew…
Jörmungandr scoffed. [Hah! A pathetic attack!]
Using his precognitive sense of smell, he dodged with ease. Then, ignoring Allox and Arlene, he moved to pursue Leo once more.
Flash! Crackle!
Suddenly, Arlene's spear changed trajectory mid-air and struck precisely at the opening Allox had created.
[You dare—!]
Jörmungandr's fury erupted.
"A spear that never misses," Leo muttered as he watched.
An attack utilizing Arlene's mana affinity. A spear that, once thrown, would always find its mark.
However, the actual damage was minimal. Allox and Arlene had only managed to tear through Jörmungandr's hide.
"But it's enough."
Leo smirked.
Goooooo—!
A massive surge of mana flared.
Perique stood with his staff raised. The other mages in the party channeled all their mana into him.
Perique Ennar. At this time, he was the greatest mage in Godthrone.
However, Jörmungandr was a natural counter to mages. His hide possessed immense magic resistance—nearly to the point of negating magic itself. That made him the nemesis of mages.
But if his hide was already torn apart…
"Flash Bullet."
The moment Perique finished his spell, a massive burst of light shot toward the gap in Jörmungandr's defenses.
A grand spell that condensed an immense amount of mana into a single piercing point.
The invisible projectile streaked through the air at blinding speed and struck Jörmungandr's throat dead center.
[Kieeeeeeeek!]
As Jörmungandr writhed in pain…
Goooooo—!
Rodia, enveloped in crimson mana and spiritual energy, raised her hand.
Kugugugugugung—!
The ground trembled.
Leo narrowed his eyes. A summoning spell…
A fusion of magic and summoning. But the summoned target wasn't a spirit beast or an elemental. The target was a specific object.
Rodia clenched her fist with her palm facing upward and extended her index finger. With that motion, she lifted her hand.
Fwooooosh!
A massive pillar of lava erupted from the ground.
Perique, who had inflicted a fatal wound on Jörmungandr, looked on in shock.
"Magic that controls the surrounding environment?"
A grand spell from a distant future, neither conceived nor understood in this era.
The unique magic of the Dawn Dragon, Dragon Queen Rodia.
"Disaster!"
Jörmungandr's body melted in the lava.
[Kraaaaaaah!]
But despite the excruciating pain, Jörmungandr's monstrous vitality prevented his death.
Not enough firepower…
Leo narrowed his eyes. Even in the original history, Kyle and the others had lacked a decisive finishing blow against Jörmungandr.
But it didn't matter.
Because we have Lysinas.
Leo grinned and turned toward Lysinas.
Gooooo—!
A brilliant light radiated from Lysinas's body.
As a black dragon, her greatest specialty was none other than light magic.
Ziiing—!
A massive magic circle formed around her, then compressed into the shape of an arrow. At that moment, Luminus transformed into a bow in her hands.
As she nocked the arrow, a pure white flame ignited along its tip. A spell that burned away the unholy and cast them into the light. The signature magic of Lysinas, the one who repelled darkness and shot hope into the world.
"Judgment!"
Jörmungandr perished to this spell.
Freeze—!
Jörmungandr, who had been chasing Leo, suddenly stopped moving.
[The scent… of death…]
Able to perceive the future, Jörmungandr instinctively sensed his end.
As one of the most powerful demons, the moment he felt death approaching—he succumbed to fear and thrashed in desperation.
He struggled to change fate, to rewrite the future.
Leo's expression hardened. There's no way, right…?
[Oh, great god of ruin, the harbinger of the world's end!]
Jörmungandr howled toward the heavens.
[Have mercy on this foolish being who failed to see your divine will! Here and now, I…]
Flash—!
Jörmungandr's six eyes locked onto Leo.
[I shall burn my body and soul to destroy this blasphemer in your name!]
Fwoooosh—!
In an instant, black flames erupted across Jörmungandr's body.
And at that very moment…
Lysinas's magic pierced through Jörmungandr.
Flash—! Kwagagagagagak—!
A massive explosion engulfed him.
The spot where he was struck swelled before detonating. Jörmungandr's enormous body was torn apart, chunks of flesh scattering in every direction.
A torrential rain of thick, ominous blood poured down.
Swooooosh! Tududududuk—!
By then, night had fallen, and darkness had settled over the land.
"We did it! We actually did it!"
"We took down the King of Gluttony!"
Cheers erupted throughout the expedition.
Rodia's eyes went wide before she threw her hands up in victory.
But only Leo and Lysinas remained silent.
Because in that brief moment, they had both seen it.
The black flames.
The moment they recognized it…
Fwoooosh—!
Jörmungandr's corpse ignited in dark fire.
[Kieeeeeeeeek!]
A piercing scream, as if even his soul were burning, rang through the sky… and Jörmungandr reappeared.
Whooooosh! Boom!
Restored to his original form, he twisted violently, emitting a guttural screech. His body was engulfed in black flames.
The expedition's faces turned deathly pale.
Leo was no exception.
The flames of Erebos!
In that final moment, Leo recalled Jörmungandr's final words.
He… he used himself as fuel to ignite the flames of calamity!
The flames of calamity—an immortal fire.
Jörmungandr had died a gruesome death, yet he was resurrected because of the fire consuming his body.
But Jörmungandr was not Erebos. Once his body and soul were completely burned away—he would vanish from existence without leaving a trace.
The problem was, until that moment came, he was now an immortal monster.
[Prepare yourself, Godslayer!]
Though his soul burned with agony, Jörmungandr glared at Leo with crazed hatred.
Fwoosh—!
He's faster?! This bastard! Leo immediately recalled the Giant King of Dweno's world, who had been empowered by Erebos's blessing. He's been enhanced just like the Giant King!
Jörmungandr lunged, jaws wide open, closing in faster than Leo could react.
Leo tried to dodge, but he was too late.
At that moment…
Fwoosh—
Leo's eyes widened. His gray irises reflected a friend standing before him.
Leo's voice trembled. "Move."
A memory resurfaced… the moment he had foreseen his friend's death.
"Sorry… I couldn't keep my promise."
"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise," Lysinas said.
He had known it was a promise she could never keep, but still…
"Move, Lysinas!"
If only one of us can survive in the end… you know as well as I do that it has to be you.
"But it should be you, not me."
Alone, he could do nothing. They had saved the world together.
"Move, damn it! You stupid lizard!"
"You… will save the world."
Flash—!
The breath attack swallowed them both.
[Kioooooooooh!]
Jörmungandr roared in triumph after landing a direct hit on Leo and Lysinas.
Gooooooo—!
As black mana swirled violently, Rodia clenched her dragon heart.
Wuuuuuung—!
A massive barrier formed around Jörmungandr.
Flash! Kwagagagagagak—!
A world-shaking explosion erupted.
The world was burning.
A land swallowed by darkness.
The expedition was on the brink of despair.
The worst possible moment.
Thanks to Rodia pushing her mana to the very limit, she had barely managed to block Jörmungandr's attack. Because of that, there were no casualties yet.
But, with Jörmungandr still standing strong, only one thought loomed over everyone's minds.
Despair.
"Sir Kyle… Lady Lysinas…!"
Coughing up blood, Rodia struggled to lift herself.
Then…
Step… step…
Footsteps echoed through the ruins.
Rodia lifted her head, eyes widening.
Leo, despite having taken a direct hit from the breath attack and being caught in the explosion—though Lysinas had shielded him—was staggering toward Jörmungandr, his body in tatters.
The expedition, too, turned to look at Kyle.
[It's over for you! I will bury you here along with those worthless worms you came with!]
Even as he writhed in agony, Jörmungandr spat curses at Leo and the expedition.
[Your struggle was meaningless! You will all die like dogs here! No one will remember you! Your history—ends today!]
"Haa… haa…" Leo steadied his breathing. It felt like his lungs were being ripped apart—his breaths were ragged, like metal scraping against metal.
"Yeah." He looked up at Jörmungandr and spoke. "Everyone dies in the end. That fact won't change."
Leo picked up a staff that had been lying on the ground. It belonged to his comrade, Perique.
"…We won't leave our names in history. No one will remember us."
In his other hand, he grasped Arlene's spear.
"But… this isn't a meaningless death."
Leo's eyes glowed fiercely.
"Because they risked their lives… the world will be saved."
[Delusional nonsense…!]
"It's not a delusion." Leo spoke with firm conviction. "This world will be saved. That damn Erebos will be slain. And peace will return."
A smirk curled at his lips.
"The only thing ending here is you, the King of Gluttony. None of us are ending today."
A murderous intent and fierce determination radiated from Leo's body.
"Their story… I'll carry it into the future."
Everyone stared at Leo in stunned silence.
"Kyle… you're… still not giving up?" Allox asked, forcing out his words through sheer willpower.
To that, Leo replied, "That damn lizard isn't dead yet."
This wasn't a failure. This world was still standing.
Leo grinned. "It's not over yet."