Chapter 399

[Conquest Rewards: Essence of Thunder, Lysinas's Mana Essence.]

A message appeared before Leo's eyes and then vanished.

Watching it disappear, he slowly got to his feet.

Looking around, he realized that he was in the Hero Record archives. In other words, he had successfully conquered Lysinas's World and exited.

Leo glanced around. Rodia stood there, looking dazed.

Still wearing a blank expression, she muttered, "As a conquest reward… I've inherited Lady Lysinas's signature magic."

Judgment.

If Extinction was Luna's ultimate spell, then Judgment was the pinnacle of Lysinas's magic.

Leo looked down at his own hands.

Essence of Thunder.

The power of the White Queen, king of the pegasi. And even Lysinas's Mana Essence on top of that.

Does this mean all the lost power of the spirit beast kings has returned to this world?

It was an incredibly significant development. In the long run, this conquest reward would become a major boost to the heroes' strength.

"Did you get to speak with Lady Lysinas?" Rodia asked.

Leo let out a bitter smile. "…We said everything we needed to say."

"I see." Rodia didn't press further. She knew that right now, the one who bore the heaviest heart was Kyle.

Fwoosh—!

In the distance, a small black flame flickered into existence.

Seeing it, Rodia let out a deep sigh. "It seems… that damned Erebos has found an opening again."

The Hero Record of any of the Heroes of Dawn could serve as a gap for Erebos to escape into the world. Right now, Rodia's world was a tiny fragment—just a minuscule crack. But even that, Erebos was desperately trying to exploit.

Leo, staring at the black flame, spoke. "We need to close the Hero World before this place gets devoured."

Rodia nodded. "Yes. That's probably for the best."

Leo watched her smile faintly, then reached out and placed a firm hand on her head.

"Sir Kyle?" Rodia blinked in surprise.

"You did well, Rodia." Leo grinned. "You're truly worthy of being Lysinas's successor."

Rodia's eyes widened. She puffed out her chest. "Ahem! Of course!"

Thumping her hand against her chest, she declared, "Until you return, we'll make sure to keep this damn fire sealed tight! Thanks to you, we've powered up, after all!"

Seeing Rodia speak with such confidence, Leo nodded, then removed his hand from her head and took a step back. "Then, I'm counting on you."

"Leave it to me!"

[Would you like to close the Dawn Dragon, Rodia's World?]

A message appeared before him.

Close.

The moment he made that decision, a bright light engulfed the world, and it began to vanish.

Facing Leo, Rodia gave a dragon's formal bow. "May only blessings lie ahead of you, Sir Kyle."

"That's not how you do it, you know."

At Leo's remark, Rodia let out a soft laugh.

sep

Aru, having invoked Beast Transformation, narrowed her eyes and lashed out with a powerful kick at the Hero Hunters in front of her.

Boom—! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Thud—!

The Hero Hunters were sent flying, crashing through several building walls before finally slamming into the ground. But they soon got back up, unscathed.

The reason Aru, who had been stationed at the frontlines holding back the monster invasion, had rushed to the streets of Dovela was simple—the Hero Hunters who could use Beast Transformation had begun attacking from within.

To eliminate these internal threats, Aru, along with the other grade representatives of Azonia, had been dispatched.

Now, the battle had reached a deadlock.

"Heh… not bad!" The beastman who had just been kicked away dusted himself off as he approached. In his hand was Aaron's sword, Brave.

"As expected of the one they call the Brave Hero's successor!" The beastman sneered at Aru. "They say you've inherited the title just because you can freely use Beast Transformation like he did."

"Don't you dare say Aaron's name with that filthy mouth."

A chilling bloodlust surged from Aru's body. For a moment, the Hero Hunters flinched.

"Hah! Just a brat, only in her second year."

Realizing they had been momentarily intimidated by a young girl, their faces twisted in anger. Then, the beastman spoke. "What's so great about the Brave Hero, huh? What's there to worship about that coward?"

"……"

"You probably don't know, do you? The so-called 'Brave Hero' Aaron—was actually a coward!"

He let out a mocking laugh. When the Hero Hunters received this sword, they had also been told the truth about Aaron by Tartaros.

"Every time he stepped onto the battlefield, he trembled in fear like a pathetic wretch!"

Normally, when beastmen heard stories about Aaron, they would get riled up. The Hero Hunters knew this, which was why they deliberately threw out cheap provocations.

But Aru, even after hearing those words, simply blinked her blue eyes. "Yeah. So?"

"What?"

"What's your point?"

Seeing Aru's utterly indifferent reaction, the Hero Hunters' faces contorted.

"Aaron was definitely a coward. But…"

Aru recalled his image.

"Your name is Aru? Hey, that's pretty similar to mine! What? You got it from me?"

She remembered how he had taught her, speaking to her warmly, like a close friend.

"Aru, you're amazing. You'll become an even greater warrior than I am!"

"That's impossible! I could never be greater than you, Aaron!"

"Hiiiiiick!"

She remembered how he had patted her head in encouragement, and then gotten scared out of his wits when she got too excited and lost control.

She also remembered the sight of him charging forward without hesitation when everyone else trembled in fear.

Yes, Aaron was a coward, but…

"That's exactly why he was amazing."

Because despite that fear, he displayed the greatest courage in the world.

"The Brave Hero saved the world. That fact will never change." Aru smirked mockingly. "And you? You're just a parasite clinging to Aaron's power. How do you have the nerve to talk?"

"You little bitch—!"

"I'm a cat, actually." Aru snorted, her fur bristling.

She thought of Aaron, who had taught her how to breathe properly. Who had told her she would surpass him one day.

Aru's ears perked.

I don't know if I'll ever surpass Aaron, but I want to be like him.

She took a deep breath.

"Nyaaaaaaaaah!"

A massive Howling rang out.

The Hero Hunters who had been about to charge at Aru clutched their ears and collapsed on the spot.

Aru's body shimmered with a brilliant golden aura.

"What kind of brute is this…?!"

The Hero Hunters, overwhelmed by Aru's Howling, struggled to shake it off.

At that moment, roars erupted from beastmen all around.

On nights of the full moon, beastmen would often transform and let out howls.

But it wasn't night, nor was there a full moon.

The Hero Hunters' faces twisted in shock.

"What the hell… is happening?!"

sep

Fwoosh—!

Leo emerged from Rodia's world, staring at the fragment of the Hero Record in his grasp. A faint ember flickered on the fragment—proof that Erebos was corrupting the Hero Record.

Leo clenched the fragment tightly and roused his mana.

Roaaar—!

The flames of his aura engulfed the Hero Record.

Fwoosh—!

Watching as the remnants of Rodia's Record crumbled into ashes, Leo murmured, "Take care."

He made a silent prayer for his juniors, who were still battling Erebos in their own Hero Worlds, to hold out.

Gwoooooooh—!

Suddenly, a massive roar echoed through the air, and murderous intent surged around him.

Monsters and demonic beasts?

Before entering Rodia's world, he hadn't sensed anything like this, but now, countless hostile presences filled the air.

Leo leaped into the sky. Reaching an altitude where he could survey the entire Monster Forest, he furrowed his brows.

Something was wrong.

A horde of monsters and demonic beasts had appeared from out of nowhere.

Leo narrowed his eyes.

And the monsters belong to different eras.

Even within the same species, monsters from different periods had distinct characteristics. Thanks to his studies in preparation for raiding Hero Worlds, Leo could easily recognize the differences.

If this is happening… it means Aleham was hiding more than just one or two Hero Dungeons. Have all of them gone berserk at once?

His expression darkened.

Why? Is it because I opened Rodia's world?

He had no way of knowing, but that didn't matter. What mattered was dealing with the situation at hand.

Activating Aura Step, Leo sprinted toward Dovela. From the city walls, he spotted Lumene and Azonia students desperately fending off the monsters.

As Leo descended toward the battlefield…

Gwoooooooh—!

A Gigantes raised its massive iron club high, towering over the city's defenders.

"Stop it!"

"We don't have enough hands!"

"My mana's running out!"

Desperate cries erupted among the Lumene students defending the wall.

Fwoosh—!

"No!"

"Get out of the way!"

Just as the Gigantes swung its club down…

Clang—! Boom—!

A deep, metallic impact reverberated through the air. The shockwave sent dust swirling around the area.

The Lumene students widened their eyes.

Standing before them, with one hand raised, was someone who had effortlessly blocked the Gigantes's massive weapon.

"Class prez? It's the class prez!" From atop the wall, Eliana's face lit up.

"Leo is here!"

"The student council president!"

Cheers erupted from all around.

"Where the hell have you been for hours?!" Eliana shouted urgently.

Leo responded calmly, "I had urgent business to take care of."

Saying that, he tightened his grip.

Clench—!

His veins bulged.

Whoosh—! Gwooooh? Thud!

With a powerful shove, Leo sent the Gigantes toppling backward.

The massive creature crashed into the ground, crushing a horde of monsters beneath it.

The surrounding students gawked, their mouths opening and closing wordlessly.

"E-Even for the student council president…"

"That's just monstrous."

As the Lumene students gaped in disbelief…

"That was amazing!"

"Incredible!"

The Azonia students, in contrast, cheered excitedly.

Eliana, having witnessed Leo's absurd feats since their first year, took it in stride. "Class prez, you're getting further and further from a human."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Leo smirked, then frowned. "Where are the others?"

The top-ranked second-years were nowhere to be seen.

Eliana's expression darkened. "The Azonia grade representatives went to stop the Hero Hunters."

"Hero Hunters?"

"Yeah. Hero Hunters who can transform have attacked."

Leo's face hardened. "What about our elite students…?"

Whooooom—!

At that moment, in the heart of Dovela, a massive surge of black mana erupted. The seething darkness slashed through everything around it like countless blades.

That's…

As Leo's expression tensed…

"That monster appeared out of nowhere and started unleashing draconic magic," Eliana said, gritting her teeth.

Gripping his sword, Leo spoke firmly, "Hold the wall. I'll take care of the rest."

Just as he was about to move…

"Nyaaaaaaah!"

A Howling echoed.

Leo froze in place. His eyes widened as he turned toward the source of the Howling.

"Aaron?"

A surge of courage rose in his chest. The cry sounded just like his friend's.

At that moment…

Fwoosh—!