LHAHS Chapter 397
Step— Step—
Every step sent searing pain through his body.
My body has already gone beyond its limits.
He had been squeezing out strength far beyond what he should have been able to sustain—it was inevitable. Even though Lysinas had shielded him, it didn't change the fact that he had taken Jörmungandr's breath attack head-on.
That damn lizard, I'll make sure to pay her back later.
The agony burning through his body nearly drove him to unconsciousness.
Hold on.
Leo clenched his teeth.
Grind—!
The sound of his teeth gritting echoed.
You're saying I'll save the world?
Yeah, he would save the world… but not alone.
You're the one who said we should save the world!
Grip—!
Leo tightened his hold on the staff.
It was your wish!
Mana rippled around him.
He knew how this journey would end. One day, he would stand against the primordial evil, carrying the wishes entrusted to him by Lysinas, Luna, Dweno, and Aaron.
But it wasn't just their wishes I carried.
The heroes who had given their lives for the world, facing calamity head-on. Their one and only desire.
And the wish of those who refused to succumb to despair, who chose to keep walking forward with hope.
It's not that I didn't give up. I couldn't give up!
What Lysinas had entrusted to him in her final moments was the world itself. She had known it was too vast a burden for him to bear alone—yet she could not share it with him.
If she forced it onto me so I couldn't give up…
Clench—!
Leo's fist tightened.
Gray mana surged from his body.
Then don't you dare give up either!
His gray eyes burned.
[Foolish wretch! You're struggling for nothing!]
Gooooooo—!
As the murderous intent radiating from Leo erupted, Jörmungandr instinctively stepped back. The moment he realized he had faltered, rage overtook him, and he roared.
[A dying man dares—!]
Fwoooosh—!
Black-red flames burst from Jörmungandr.
Leo burned through the last of his remaining mana and turned his gaze to Rodia.
Thump— Thump— Thump—
Rodia felt her dragon heart pounding wildly.
My mana… it's resonating with Sir Kyle's will.
No—more precisely, it was the mana of Lysinas, which she had obtained as a conquest reward from clearing her Hero World.
…Right. Sir Kyle received Lady Lysinas's dragon heart during the final battle. That means her power is also his power.
Thump— Thump— Thump—
It was only natural for power to heed its original master's will.
I can't move right now. In that case…
Rodia nodded toward Leo.
I'll entrust all my strength to Sir Kyle!
Gooooooo—!
In response to Leo's will, Rodia drew upon Lysinas's mana. Her heart pounded frantically, as if it were going berserk. Blood poured from her lips, but she paid it no mind.
Even if my heart bursts—I will give everything to help Sir Kyle!
Watching her, Leo tightened his grip.
Sorry, just lend me a little more strength.
He crouched low.
Gooooo! Fwoosh—!
Golden aura and flames erupted from his body.
Aaron's aura and Dweno's fire.
Crunch—!
His foot dug into the ground.
KWAANG—!
As he leaped, a massive shockwave shattered the ground beneath him. He closed the distance to Jörmungandr in an instant.
[What…?!]
Jörmungandr's eyes widened. Even with his ability to foresee the future, he couldn't react in time—Leo's speed was beyond prediction!
CRACK—!
Leo struck upward, kicking Jörmungandr from below.
Fwoosh—!
The massive serpent was launched skyward.
Leo propelled himself forward once more. Appearing in the air where Jörmungandr was falling, he unleashed another devastating kick.
BAM—! Kwagagagagagagang—!
Jörmungandr's colossal body slammed into the ground. The flames of calamity tried to devour Leo, but Dweno's fire wrapped around him like armor, protecting him.
Leo raised his spear. Using Lysinas's mana as a foundation, he manifested Aaron's aura and Dweno's flames.
A power far beyond any permissible limit. Every time Leo moved, his muscles tore and his bones shattered. But Rodia's healing magic instantly restored the injuries.
What remained was nothing but excruciating pain, as if his brain were being seared.
Thud—!
Leo hurled the massive golden spear, impaling Jörmungandr's body.
[Kieeeeeeeeek!]
The searing pain from the flames of calamity was now matched by the overwhelming shock of the spear strike.
Jörmungandr thrashed madly. With the enormous spear embedded in his body, he could not escape.
Not yet!
Leo gritted his teeth. This attack had only bought them time at the cost of his life. This alone was not enough to end Jörmungandr.
Leo no longer had the strength to finish him off.
Damn it, I'm still not strong enough.
This battle of endurance wouldn't last much longer.
But Leo had faith. He clenched his staff.
She won't die here. She won't fall here.
Wuuuuung—!
Because the Lysinas I know… is someone who will pursue her convictions to the end, no matter how foolish it seems! She is the world's savior!
Even after surpassing his limits long ago, Leo pressed forward. A brilliant magic circle bloomed in the air.
Watching from a distance, the elven mage Perique widened his eyes. A magic formula he had never seen before.
And yet…
"How can something be so beautiful…?"
A gasp of admiration escaped his lips.
A spell as if it had been carved from the stars.
A new light that would illuminate the world.
Fwoosh—!
The night-shrouded world lit up as if it were midday. The radiance at the tip of Leo's staff felt as though it was banishing the very essence of despair.
Leo invoked the magic his friend had once passed down to him. The magic that could extinguish the primordial evil.
The only spell capable of eradicating an immortal flame.
Leo spoke its name.
"Innocence!"
It was deep darkness.
Lysinas blankly looked down at her own hands in the void. As a necromancer, she could immediately tell—only her soul remained.
And at that moment, the darkness vanished, and she found herself standing in the middle of a forest.
A beautiful elven woman, just past the age of a young girl, stood with a sulky expression. "You defeated the King of Gluttony? Impressive. But if I had been there, taking him down would've been my accomplishment."
A glimpse of the future?
Defeating the King of Gluttony… It seemed Kyle had achieved a great feat.
"Well, either way, amazing! You've earned the right to be my companion!"
Her boastfulness made her seem like a naive young lady, yet there was something about her that wasn't irritating.
The elven woman then beamed and held out her hand. "My name is Luna! Luna Luminance! I'm going to be a great archmage one day, so nice to meet you, Lysinas!"
"What?"
A woman she had never met greeted her as if they were already acquainted.
Lysinas was bewildered.
And then, the scenery changed again.
A ruined house.
A small graveyard.
A young beastman boy, looking frightened yet filled with determination, clenched his fists and stammered, "I don't know how much help I'll be… but I'll come with you. I might not be able to do anything great… but I can stand at the front and block the enemy. I'll find my courage!"
The beastman boy introduced himself. "My name is Aaron. Nice to meet you, Lysinas."
Once again, a stranger she had no recollection of called her by name.
It feels like… I'm reading memories from the soul itself.
But without a doubt—these were her own memories.
What is this…?
Even with all the knowledge she had accumulated, even with her wisdom, Lysinas couldn't fully comprehend what was happening.
"Hmm! You have beautifully shining eyes. You might just be able to save the world."
The scenery shifted once more, revealing a grinning dwarf.
"Those eyes will shine even in the darkest of places. Don't worry about weapons, I'll forge them for you. Nice to meet you, Lysinas."
It was Dweno, someone she had already considered a candidate for her companions.
Like watching the memories of another's life, she continued to experience recollections that were hers but didn't belong to her.
But it wasn't over yet.
The beastman boy had grown into a young man.
Tears streamed down his face as he apologized before drawing his last breath.
The dwarf, too, left his final words, entrusting everything to those who remained.
And the elf, with unwavering faith, spoke her last words before falling.
Seeing the final moments of people she had never met made her chest burn with pain.
Each time one of them departed, it felt as if something precious was being torn away.
Crackle— Crackle— Crackle—
Before she realized it, Lysinas stood in the middle of a catastrophe, surrounded by black flames.
A massive black dragon loomed before her, and a gray-haired man knelt in despair, crying.
And beyond him, a woman with black hair stood with her back turned, watching it all unfold.
Even though she only saw her from behind, there was an undeniable sorrow and anguish in her stance.
"Kyle…" She softly called the name of the man who wept in despair.
And the black dragon that had drawn its last breath…
"…Me?"
The words slipped out without her realizing.
As if in response to her voice, the woman who had been watching the dragon's death and Kyle's despair turned around.
"It is me." Lysinas murmured blankly.
The other Lysinas smiled faintly at her. "Yes… but no."
"What?"
"You are a fool. And I… am the Wise Queen, Lysinas."
The Wise Queen smiled.
"Who… what are you?"
"I am you," the Wise Queen replied. "The you who will journey with Kyle… who will fight alongside Luna, Aaron, and Dweno against Erebos—the future you."
Step— Step—
The Wise Queen walked toward Lysinas. "But in the end, you'll send away the friends you could never replace… and in the end, you'll leave everything to Kyle and go ahead before him."
Lysinas swallowed hard.
"Foolish one, Lysinas. You cannot save the world alone."
Lysinas's expression twisted. Kyle's desperate cries rang in her ears.
A vision filled only with utter despair.
Her hands trembled violently.
Swish—
Suddenly, Kyle, who had been wailing in agony, slowly rose to his feet.
Step— Step—
Unsteadily, he moved forward.
"But Kyle can't save the world alone either," the Wise Queen said. "We did it together. That's why the world could be saved."
Even in the depths of despair, the last hero did not give up—he kept moving forward.
"My past self." The Wise Queen's expression turned somber. "Kyle will fulfill our wish. But… that's only because you, I, we… placed too much upon him."
Lysinas gritted her teeth.
"He suffered… despaired… endured agony worse than death, yet never gave up… because he carried too much."
The Wise Queen looked directly at Lysinas.
"Let's not shame those who entrusted their future to you and me," she said firmly. "Let's stand proud in the face of Kyle, who refuses to give up until the very end."
Lysinas turned to look at Kyle, who was pressing on alone. "The promise not to leave him alone… in the end, we won't be able to keep it."
She remembered Kyle's warmth as he held her hand, smiling as he swore to save the world.
She couldn't even begin to imagine how he must have felt, knowing he was making a promise he could never keep.
"But… not yet." The Wise Queen said, "Right now, Kyle needs you. He's waiting for you."
It was a promise that would eventually be broken, but that was a concern for the distant future.
Breaking that promise wasn't something to worry about today.
"Kyle is still fighting." The Wise Queen extended her hand, strength in her voice. "Just a little longer—let's hold on."
The Fool took her hand, just like Kyle had once taken hers.
"…Yeah."
At the Fool's answer, the Wise Queen smiled brightly.