LHAHS Chapter 398
Flash—!
A pillar of light shot up into the sky.
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
Everyone except for Leo, that is.
"You're late, damn lizard."
Sensing Lysinas's mana, Leo smirked as if he had known she would come.
He calmly turned toward Jörmungandr.
[What are you?!]
Jörmungandr roared, his voice trembling with rage.
Even when struck down, they refused to fall. Again and again, they rose, swords pointed at him.
He, who had once spread terror across the world, was now the one being consumed by fear.
[Are you all immortal?!]
"If we were, this wouldn't have been such a damn struggle," Leo replied coldly. "Just accept it as fate."
[What…?]
"Your fate is to die by our hands."
[You insolent wretch—!]
Blinded by fury, Jörmungandr's body erupted in a raging inferno of calamity flames. Having sacrificed his flesh and soul, the flames granted him conditional immortality.
[No matter how hard you struggle, it's useless! Your fate is already sealed! Now that I have obtained the great god's power—immortality itself—your doom is inevitable!]
"That power of yours…" Leo smirked. "If it's borrowed, then unfortunately, it doesn't work on me."
[What?!]
"I was chosen by the greatest Great Hero of this world."
Leo unleashed his magic.
"I am Erebos's only natural enemy."
Flash—!
The liberated light of Innocence engulfed Jörmungandr.
[Kraaaaaaaagh—!]
Jörmungandr convulsed in agony as the pure light, woven by the world's greatest mage, erased the inextinguishable calamity flames.
Fwoosh—!
[This is… impossible…!]
Jörmungandr was horrified to realize Erebos's blessing had vanished.
The black flames, which should have burned until his entire being was reduced to nothing, the immortality he had sacrificed everything to attain, had disappeared.
[Not yet! The god's blessing may be gone, but my power remains!]
Gooooo—!
Dark mana surged from Jörmungandr.
Leo smirked. "It's over, you damn worm."
Kugugugugugung—!
Lysinas's body transformed into a black dragon.
Gooooooo—!
A massive surge of mana rippled from her maw. A dragon's strongest attack.
Flash—!
Lysinas unleashed her breath attack. A gray streak of light. A Chaos Breath, created by the fusion of light and darkness.
Jörmungandr, who had been resurrected using Erebos's power, shrieked in agony.
[Great Erebos…!]
Directly struck by the breath attack, Jörmungandr howled toward the sky—before crumbling to dust.
[Lysinas's World: Prologue—The Beginning has been conquered.]
"We won…!"
"We really won!"
"Haha… Not a single one of us died!"
Voices filled with joy rang throughout the expedition.
They had thought only death awaited them, and yet, not a single member had perished.
Whooooosh—!
Leo, his strength depleted, plummeted from the sky.
Fwoosh—!
Albus swiftly flew in and caught him. [Kyle! Are you alright?]
"I don't think I'll die," Leo weakly chuckled as he stroked Albus's mane.
After landing, Albus carried Leo back toward the expedition. Transforming into her polymorphed form, she helped support him.
"You did well, Albus." Leo patted her head.
Albus looked up at him. "We really did it."
Recalling Leo's words about slaying Jörmungandr, Albus smiled brightly.
"Yeah." Leo grinned. "This… will definitely be a huge step toward the future."
Meanwhile, Elsie and Sylord fluttered around him.
[Incredible! Truly incredible!]
[You really defeated the King of Gluttony!]
As their chatter grew loud enough to make his head ache, Albus spoke up. "Kyle needs rest now. Please be quiet."
Yet, even after her warning, the two didn't stop. Seeing no other choice, Albus clamped their mouths shut with her hands.
Leo let out a wry chuckle at the sight. Elsie and Sylord aside, Albus was someone he would never see again in reality.
To Leo, she was a cherished partner from the past.
"So, Albus. As your contractor—how do I measure up?" he asked.
Albus, still holding Elsie and Sylord, smiled radiantly. "You're the best. I'm glad I chose to follow you."
"You were the best. I've never regretted following you."
Seeing Albus flash the same bright smile as before, Leo's expression grew bittersweet.
"Hurry, move Rodia!"
"My god… she's completely drained of mana!"
"She pushed herself to the brink like this?!"
"Kyle! You need treatment too…"
"I'm fine. See to her first."
As the expedition members rushed toward him, Leo pointed toward Rodia, who was struggling to breathe. Though Leo himself was in a wretched state, Rodia's condition was far more dire.
While Leo caught his breath, Rodia's face began to relax slightly.
Crack— Crack— Crack—
The world started to fracture.
…So it's over.
Now that the world had been conquered, he could no longer remain here.
As Leo wore a bitter smile, the expedition gathered around him.
"This victory is nothing short of a miracle."
"…This will surely bring about a great change."
Just as Leo was about to speak, watching their faces filled with deep emotion…
[Would you like to record the heroes' story?]
A message appeared before Leo's eyes.
This had happened once before.
Record.
The moment Leo selected Record…
Flutter—!
Pages from the Hero Record swirled around him.
The sudden phenomenon startled the entire expedition.
Meanwhile, each hero who had fought alongside them found a single page in their hands.
"This is… my name, isn't it?"
"I can sense divine power, but the gods should have long disappeared from this world…"
"…My story is written here."
Allox, Perique, and Arlene stared at their Hero Page in disbelief.
Leo reached out.
Rustle—
The pages the heroes held were drawn into Leo's hand.
Looking at them now resting in his grasp, Leo spoke. "…I'll make sure your stories reach the future."
"What?"
Even if he had changed the outcome of Hero World, history itself wouldn't change, but at the very least—he could pass on proof that they had existed.
That their stories, their achievements, and their sacrifices had become the foundation of peace in the world.
"This is the least I can do to repay you." Leo smiled bitterly. "It was nice meeting you all."
He reached out and patted Albus, who stood beside him.
At that moment, Lysinas stepped forward. "I'm sorry for being late."
Lowering her gaze, she added, "…And I'm sorry for pushing everything onto you while satisfying myself alone."
Leo chuckled at her words. "I'm used to carrying things, so it's fine. Just… don't give up."
He reached out and gently stroked the Fool's cheek.
"No matter how hard it gets… we will save the world. Your foolish wish… will become reality."
Lysinas placed her hand over Leo's, which rested on her cheek.
Looking at her, Leo spoke. "Stay strong."
That was all he could say.
Crack—
The fractures in the world deepened. The time for farewell had come.
Before anyone realized, Kyle had disappeared—and in his place stood a boy with white hair and red eyes.
It should have been surprising, but Lysinas remained calm.
"To be honest… I wouldn't have been able to open my eyes on my own. You woke me up."
"Woke you up? Who did?"
"The Wise Queen."
"???" Leo's eyes widened.
"I met the future me, who was lingering in my mana."
Leo's eyes wavered. Seeing his reaction, Lysinas—her past self—spoke. "This is the only way I can repay you."
Crack—!
The world began to collapse. At that moment, Lysinas's eyes slowly closed.
Snap—!
And with that, the world vanished.
Only darkness remained.
In that void, only Leo and Lysinas were left.
Lysinas, who had her eyes closed, opened them. There was a newfound depth in them. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "…It's been a long time, Kyle."
A voice filled with longing.
Leo felt his throat tighten. "Lysinas."
An old friend from a distant past. The Wise Queen, Lysinas.
Of course, this wasn't truly her. Both Leo and Lysinas knew that.
Necromancy.
It could summon souls, but it never revived the dead in their complete form. The lingering memories imprinted on mana were merely fragments of a soul.
But even so—it was enough to share a conversation.
"This is a first." Lysinas reached out and wiped away Leo's tears. "I've never seen you cry before."
Kyle had never shed tears in front of a fallen comrade.
Whether it was to reassure those who were dying, or to ensure they wouldn't face their final moments in fear, he had always shown strength.
"Surprised, huh, you damn lizard?" Leo replied roughly, but a smile lingered on his lips.
Watching him, Lysinas hung her head and mumbled, "I can only apologize. You must have never had the chance to grieve properly. And… thank you. For saving the world."
"…I didn't do it alone. It was only possible because we were together. And…"
Leo reached out and roughly grabbed Lysinas's chin.
"Wuh?"
"If you're grateful, say it while looking me in the eye. Why are you lowering your head like some tragic figure?"
Normally, Lysinas would have immediately kicked him for his rudeness, but this time, she couldn't meet his gaze.
"…I broke my promise."
The promise to never leave him alone.
In the end, Lysinas hadn't kept it.
Kyle had once again become the Surviving Hero.
At her words, Leo chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I always knew you were a damn con artist anyway."
"…If you're trying to comfort me, could you at least do it properly?"
Despite scrunching her face, Lysinas smiled. "So? How's the future?"
Leo sighed in exasperation. "There's still a mountain of things to take care of. Erebos, which was only sealed away, needs to be dealt with completely. To do that, I need to train comrades who can fight alongside me."
Lysinas crossed her arms and smirked. "So now you finally understand how hard I had it."
"Yeah, yeah. You're amazing." Leo responded dryly.
Lysinas smiled at his sarcasm.
Looking at her, Leo spoke. "So… don't worry too much."
"Hm?"
"The world we risked everything to protect… will never be swallowed by the flames of calamity again."
Leo smiled at her.
Lysinas's eyes widened. That smile, somehow, it looked just like hers. The same smile she had always shown to give people hope.
But it's different from mine.
She had forced herself to smile, crafting a false hope for others to believe in.
But his smile…
"Aaron's courage, Dweno's resolve, Luna's light. The hope you showed me."
It was real hope.
"I'll pass all of it on to the next generation."
Before I knew it, Kyle has already…
Lysinas's expression turned dazed.
"This time, I'll end it for good."
…truly become the hero who would save the world.
Looking at Leo, Lysinas smiled brightly. Before she realized it, her body had begun to fade.
"I can't believe Kyle of all people turned out like this. It's fascinating."
"It's because you dumped everything on me, you damn lizard," Leo grumbled.
Lysinas reached out toward him.
Grab—!
She roughly seized him by the collar.
Just as Leo thought she was finally about to hit him…
Fwoosh—!
Lysinas pulled him into a kiss.
Leo's eyes widened slightly.
After a long moment, Lysinas stepped back nonchalantly. She watched Leo, whose head was still lowered, and grinned.
I bet he's flustered.
This thickheaded idiot had never realized how she felt.
As she waited, anticipating his reaction…
"You're terrible at this," Leo complained, wiping his lips with a scowl.
Lysinas's expression froze.
Leo looked at her like she was pitiful. "Seriously? If you were going to do it, you should've practiced first."
Lysinas's shoulders trembled. She had finally mustered the courage—yet here he was, completely unfazed.
"I read your journal, you know? Thinking about it now, it's unfair. You should've shown it more. Thanks to you, I got called an idiot by a brat. Take responsibility."
"Die! Just die already!" Seeing red, Lysinas lunged at Leo, grabbing his throat. "Drop dead, you clueless bastard!"
Furious, she spewed curses unbefitting of her usual self.
After a scuffle, Lysinas panted, exhausted.
Leo chuckled. "Lysinas."
"What?!"
At her sharp tone, Leo spoke. "That day… thanks for reaching out to me."
Lysinas stiffened. Then, biting her lip to hold back tears, she threw her arms around him.
And with a choked voice, she whispered her gratitude. "Thank you… for taking my hand."
As she wept, Leo gently stroked her hair.
Fwoosh—!
And then… Lysinas vanished into light.