LHAHS Chapter 415
The sudden appearance of Xian sent ripples through the crowd.
It wasn't just the students of Lumene. The leaders of various nations and the heroes attending the summit were just as shaken.
Amidst the growing tension, all eyes turned to the middle-aged man standing at the forefront of the Xian Empire's delegation.
Dressed in the traditional attire of the East, he wore a somewhat indifferent expression, yet the aura he exuded was anything but ordinary. He carried an edge so sharp it felt as though one might be cut just by approaching him. Even though no one recognized his face, they all knew exactly who he was.
A dry gulp echoed through the silent air.
The emperor of the Shadows, who had never before revealed himself in the light. A lineage that had always been hailed as the strongest among the Shadows.
The Emperor of Xian.
Even in a gathering filled with countless heroes and hero candidates, he dominated the atmosphere.
Step— Step—
Leading the officials of his empire, Xian's emperor walked forward and stopped before Rina, the principal of Lumene.
"It has been a while," Rina greeted.
The Xian Emperor smiled. "It has been a while indeed, Madam Rina. Or should I call you Principal Rina of Lumene now?"
Wherever there was light, there were shadows. Naturally, Lumene had its own shadows as well.
As the former head of Lumene's Shadows, Rina had encountered the Xian Emperor before.
"I didn't expect you to attend," she said.
"The world is shifting," the Xian Emperor said, stroking his beard with a calm expression. "It seems that Xian must begin moving as well."
"We welcome you. Having Xian participate in the summit will be of great benefit."
This was truly a historic moment.
As he moved toward Xian's designated seat, the emperor's gaze met Leo's.
He smiled and gave Leo a slight nod, and Leo returned the gesture.
Even as the hall continued to buzz over the appearance of the Xian Empire, the warp gate remained active, signaling the arrival of more dignitaries.
Soon, Damien arrived, followed by representatives from Azonia and Seiren.
Flash—!
As always, Seiren made a grand entrance, drawing attention from all sides. From last year through the beginning of this year, Seiren had been embroiled in chaos.
The return of the Nebula Pioneer Luna and the Comet Mage Seiren seemed like a boon on the surface, but in reality, it had caused great upheaval. The Hero of the Beginning and the Nebula Pioneer had been the only ones able to stop the Demon Queen Sillatna's invasion.
And then there was the scheme of the Lich King, orchestrated by the Pureblood Society's leader, Lehagen.
The destruction caused by Sillatna's invasion was immense, but the true shock came from the revelation that the Pureblood Society had been colluding with Tartaros.
Elves, known for their extreme isolationism, rarely left their own lands and seldom allowed outsiders in. For such a secretive people to have harbored traitors working with Tartaros… it was a scandal that shook the entire world.
Because of this, despite the historic return of Luna and Seiren, elven society was still scrambling to restore order.
To stabilize the situation, Seiren had appointed Rune Ersar as acting headmaster. As one of the elders of elven society and someone who had always distanced himself from the Pureblood Society, Rune had been deemed the most suitable choice.
After exchanging greetings with Rina, the delegation from Seiren made their way to their seats. As they moved, Leo's gaze met two familiar faces—Lunia and Eiran, both from the second-year class.
Lunia acknowledged him with a slightly reserved nod, while Eiran grinned and waved enthusiastically.
Leo smirked and returned the wave.
With the arrival of all the major academies and dignitaries, the assembly was nearly complete. But the hosts of the summit hesitated.
"Dragonia hasn't arrived yet."
"Are they planning to send a representative midway through the summit again?"
"Is the Dragon Queen avoiding the meeting?"
Whispers spread through the crowd. The Dragon Queen's approval was required for the summit to take place, so Dragonia had always sent a delegation.
However, the Dragon Queen themself did not always appear. And the current Dragon Queen, the Silent Dragon Melina, was an especially enigmatic figure.
Many had speculated on whether the Silent Dragon would attend in person this time, but most assumed she would send a representative as usual. A few held onto hope, but there was still no sign of Dragonia.
Just as the moderators were about to proceed without them…
Flash—!
The warp gate flared to life once more.
All eyes turned toward the portal.
Five figures emerged. At the center stood a young girl, her face obscured by a delicate veil.
Her long silver hair cascaded down to the floor, streaked with occasional strands of black. Though her face was hidden, an undeniable sense of nobility radiated from her.
Surrounding her in a protective formation were four other figures.
As the girl moved, an air of quiet reverence swept through the gathering.
Everyone held their breath as they watched.
Eventually, she arrived before Principal Rina. Then, with a soft smile, she placed her left hand over her chest, tapped three times, and gave a slight bow, bending her knee slightly.
Rina blinked in surprise before hesitantly mimicking the gesture.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Principal of Lumene. I am the Dragon Queen, Melina."
"It is an honor to meet you. I am Rina Flix, Principal of Lumene," Rina replied with utmost politeness.
Melina's smile deepened as she spoke again. "If the opening speech has not yet been delivered, may I do the honors?"
"It would be our great privilege if you would."
Melina nodded and ascended to the highest podium. As she moved, her veiled gaze briefly turned toward Leo. Her lips curled into a small smile.
In truth, the earlier formal draconic greeting had not been for Rina, but for Leo.
For Melina, this was her first official appearance as the Dragon Queen in a global setting. Moreover, while others may not have known, the Hero of the Beginning was in attendance.
To her, it was only proper to offer her respect and acknowledgment to Leo in the ancient way.
"Leo, did it seem like the Dragon Queen was smiling at you just now?"
"Did she?" Leo feigned ignorance.
The meaning behind her smile was likely 'Did I do well?'
However, what Leo was actually thinking was something else entirely.
Her etiquette was wrong again. Hmm, Rodia made the same mistake last time… When paying respects, you tap the right side of the chest, not the left.
As Leo debated whether to correct Melina's mistake, she finally reached the podium.
Silence fell over the assembly. All eyes were on Melina.
The Silent Dragon began, "It is a pleasure to meet you, heroes, shadows, and all of you who follow in their footsteps as hero candidates. This era is undergoing great change. Perhaps in our lifetime, the long war that has persisted for ages may finally see its end."
The audience murmured in astonishment. When the Dragon Queen spoke, her words carried immense weight.
"That is why this summit is so crucial. We must address the anomalies, the miracles, and the future that lies ahead. I hope this will be a meaningful time for us all."
With that, she concluded her speech.
Applause erupted from every corner.
Thus, the World Summit had officially begun.
The dwelling of Tartaros's commander, the Lich King Hell Kaiser was quite literally a domain of death, a realm where the living could never tread.
"The Silent Dragon has made a move?"
Seated upon the throne of death, the Lich King narrowed his eyes at the report.
The Archduke of Mourning, Artkan, bowed his head. "That is correct."
The Lich King's crimson gaze glowed faintly. The skeletal ruler, clad in massive bone armor, felt a deep sense of displeasure at the current situation.
As the Lich King brooded, a woman asked, "What concerns you so?"
The Lich King turned his gaze toward her.
The woman smirked. "Are you perhaps feeling fear toward some decrepit old dragon who lost her strength ages ago?"
He raised his bony hand.
"Kugh…! Kugh…!"
"The queen may have been aggressive and simple-minded, but at the very least, she had the ability to think, Witch."
Annoyance flickered in the Lich King's eyes. The so-called witch thrashed desperately as the Lich King's power strangled her.
"If you have the gall to claim a vacant legion commander's seat without the proper qualifications, then you should at least have the intelligence to match."
"F-Forgive me…! Please…! Without me, the demons will have no commander to lead them…!"
"There are plenty of replacements."
The Lich King smirked coldly and withdrew his gaze.
Crack—!
At that moment, the witch's body went limp.
Thud—
The new legion commander's corpse collapsed onto the ground, only to be absorbed into the very marrow of the bones below.
The other legion commanders remained silent as they watched. They had all known that she was unfit for the position. However, she was still a high-ranking demon, one who had managed to claim the title of legion commander.
And yet, the Lich King had slain her like nothing more than an insect. It was a display of overwhelming strength, far beyond anything they could compare to.
"The Queen of Monsters has been vanquished, the Giant King has fallen into slumber… and now, after so long, the Silent Dragon has begun to move." The Lich King turned his gaze to the remaining legion commanders. "Do you all understand what this means?"
"It means that something is pulling the strings behind this entire situation."
"At least you are competent, Blood King."
The Lich King smirked. Among the legion commanders, the Blood King was the most powerful, second only to the Lich King and the Giant King.
"Everything revolves around this one individual."
As the Lich King stirred his black mana, an image of a boy with white hair and red eyes appeared in the air.
"Leo Plov. At first, I only took interest in him because he was an All-Class." The Lich King narrowed his eyes. "But now… he has surpassed the mere category of sharing the same trait as the Hero of the Beginning."
What he had accomplished in a single year was nothing short of astonishing.
"The Queen of Monsters' death. The Giant King's defeat. He was present in every single one of these events."
"Are you saying that Leo Plov is as dangerous as the Hero of the Beginning?"
"If he were simply as dangerous as that loathsome Hero of the Beginning, I would be relieved. But he might be even more than that."
"What do you mean…?"
The legion commanders wore puzzled expressions.
Meanwhile, Hell Kaiser simply glared at Leo's image.
Every impossible miracle… he was always at the center of them.
It could not be explained away by simply calling him an All-Class. No matter how exceptional he was, he was still just a teenager.
But… but what if…
Hell Kaiser's eyes burned with hatred.
If he were that wretched Hero of the Beginning himself, then none of these feats would have been impossible.