Chapter 451

"What the hell is going on in there?" Raynia shouted in frustration.

The massive wall of black flames before them completely blocked any view of what lay beyond.

Torua raised her staff at the sight.

Vwoooom—!

A massive drill of light formed at Torua's command.

Kwaaaaang—!

She fired the spell toward the wall.

Fwoosh—!

But the black flames devoured Torua's mana. Her eyes twitched.

"I'll try," Lunia said, beginning her chant.

Fwoooosh—!

Pure white flames ignited around her entire body.

Kwoooooo—!

The white flames coiled tighter, burning even more fiercely.

"Lunia?!" Eiran called out urgently.

Fwooosh—!

Lunia gritted her teeth as her fiery red hair turned pure white from Flame Emperor's fire—the flames that consumed their wielder to annihilate all that was impure.

The last Phoenix Queen, Katariou, had passed these flames onto Lunia. It was the purest flame in existence.

Through searing burns, Lunia forced the spell into completion.

"Flame Emperor!"

Fwoosh—!

A massive sphere of flame formed above her outstretched palm, like a white sun materializing in the sky. Lunia hurled it toward the black wall of flames.

Crackle—!

Black flames and white flames clashed. But an enormous backlash erupted, repelling both forces. It was like two opposing elements colliding, causing both to flare violently.

Fwoosh—!

Then, the black flames engulfed Lunia's fire.

Kwagagagagang—!

An explosion unlike anything before erupted.

"Ugh?!"

The blinding light and shockwave forced everyone to shield their eyes and bow their heads.

Kwooooooong—!

The roar of the explosion echoed through the air, and yet, despite it all, the black wall of flames remained.

"Damn it!" Lunia cursed, her hair returning to its original red.

She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood. Her body throbbed with the pain of burns. Yet, she glared at the wall in frustration.

What kind of 'next student council president' am I?! What kind of 'successor to Luna'?!

Recently, Lunia had been elated. As a member of the Lunda family, the long-standing contractors of phoenixes, she had inherited the power of the Phoenix Queen, which had disappeared long ago.

She had been acknowledged as the successor to Luna, following in the footsteps of the Comet Mage.

Even the Dragon Queen, Melina, had recognized her.

So she had believed, just for a moment, that she was getting closer.

But she wasn't.

I'm still so far away.

Her distance from Leo was still impossibly vast.

No… I already knew that!

No matter how strong she became, she was aware that there was a gap she could never close. So she had run forward, doing everything she could to follow behind him.

But that wasn't what filled her with rage.

I'm incompetent!

She knew what Leo's goal was. Nothing less than Erebos's annihilation—a colossal objective she couldn't even imagine.

Yet she had been so caught up in the praise surrounding her that she had grown overconfident. She had thought she could be useful to Leo in the battles ahead.

She had already fought Erebos three times. Once in Luna's World, the second time in Dweno's World, the third in Seiren.

After the second and third battles, she had acquired the flames of purification, believing she had gained the power to fight against Erebos.

It was a delusion…!

What she had faced was nothing but a mere fragment of Erebos. She now understood that truth painfully well.

Lunia's tightly clenched fists trembled.

Eiran grasped her hands in alarm. "Lunia! You need to take care of yourself! You'll destroy your body…!"

"Now's not the time to worry about my body…!"

"Listen to Eiran." Melina stepped forward, facing Lunia. "If you push yourself too far and break down, you won't be able to help. In fact, you'll only become a burden."

Lunia lowered her head.

Melina gave a small, bitter smile. "I'm not expecting anything grand from any of you. Just contribute whatever little strength you can to support Aaron. The same goes for you graduates."

"Are you saying we're still unfit for this battlefield?" Torua asked.

Melina nodded. "To put it bluntly, yes. When I recommended you to Aaron, it was only because I thought you could provide minimal support."

At her words, everyone lowered their heads.

Seeing their dejected expressions, Melina continued, "Don't feel disheartened. If anything, I should be the one apologizing."

"Huh?"

"You're all still young." Melina's voice was firm. "Even if you've graduated, even if you were the best among students… you're still inexperienced. You're not heroes yet. You're still hero candidates."

She took a deep breath.

"In my attempt to raise our chances of victory, I placed you on this battlefield before you were ready. That was entirely my responsibility."

Melina turned around, her back to them.

"So it's not your fault. In fact, you've all done well. From here on, leave it to the adult. Leave it to me."

She clasped her hands together. From her body, silver mana began to surge.

The hero candidates flinched at the overwhelming presence.

Her silver-and-black hair swayed with the waves of mana, and soon, the silver mana darkened to black.

Melina began to chant a spell.

"Nihil."

Fwoosh—!

In an instant, the wall of black flames vanished.

"Incredible," Torua gaped in awe.

There were only two people in this world capable of using Lysinas's magic. The first was Leo, the Hero of the Beginning. The second was Melina, who had inherited her mana.

When the black flames disappeared, Erebos, who had been facing off against Leo and Aaron, shifted his gaze to Melina.

[So, you were not merely an insignificant creature. Have you inherited the power of the Fool through the Record System?]

Boom—!

Erebos's gaze swept over Melina, the hero candidates, and the students in the distance holding back his forces at the castle.

[How laughable. Over the past 5,000 years, it seems many fools have been deceived by the words that wretch left behind, clinging to meaningless hope.]

"Lysinas was not a fool, Erebos. Lysinas was the Wise Queen, the one who led this world to salvation," Melina said coldly, her voice sharper than ice. It was a side of her she had never shown before.

[What a grandiose and empty title. The Wise Queen and the Hero of the Beginning…] Erebos spoke in an indifferent voice. [They were nothing more than the Fool and the Surviving Hero.]

Rumble—!

Dark flames swirled ominously in Erebos's hand. Unlike before, this time he was no longer playing around. A mass of fire, containing an apocalyptic level of destruction, began to churn.

[Brave Hero. If these pathetic creatures are what you call hope, then allow me to remind you just how worthless that hope truly is.]

Kwoooooosh—!

Erebos slammed the fireball into the ground.

Kugugugugugu—!

A violent earthquake erupted. The earth trembled.

Crack—! Crackle—!

The ground split open.

Kuwaaaaaah—! Kraaaaaah—!

From the massive fissures, endless hordes of demonic beasts began to emerge. Twisted creatures, driven purely by the desire to kill, let out monstrous shrieks and charged toward the castle.

Watching the relentless flood of monsters, Ulta paled. "What the hell is this?!"

"It's practically an entire army!" Raynia shouted, her face pale.

The scale of this assault was nearly identical to the Queen of Monsters' army they had witnessed in Seiren last year.

"He just created an entire army on the spot," Melina said calmly.

The sheer absurdity of the scene left the hero candidates in shock. Even the numbers of Sillatna's legion barely matched what was unfolding before them.

Of course, Sillatna's army had contained multiple high-ranking demons, meaning their quality was superior. Still, the fact that Erebos had instantly created an army equivalent in size to a legion led by a commander was utterly terrifying.

And worse—the number of demonic beasts was still increasing.

Melina hesitated briefly, then turned to Leo.

Their eyes met, and Leo nodded.

Melina commanded, "Everyone, return to the castle and prepare to block the demonic beasts' advance."

"Understood!"

"But what about Erebos?!"

Melina smiled. "Leave him to Aaron and Leo Plov."

The hero candidates nodded and began to retreat.

At that moment, Erebos sneered. [Insignificant creatures without the right to stand here… now reap the consequences!]

Kwooooooosh—!

Erebos swung his arm. The air split apart, and from the rift, countless black hands burst forth, reaching for the retreating hero candidates.

Melina flicked her wrist.

Flash—!

A silver magic circle formed, and a radiant light blasted away the approaching hands. However, she couldn't intercept all of them.

The surviving hands relentlessly pursued the hero candidates.

Ulta, riding his Pegasus, Aeria, tore through them with his mount's divine energy. Torua obliterated them with her magic. Lunia and Eliza were protected by Eiran, who repelled Erebos's attack with the Sword of Animus.

Erebos's eyes twitched.

Leo smirked. "Don't underestimate them. I was the one who cut you into six pieces, and I was also the one who chose them."

Fwoosh—!

Leo put distance between himself and Erebos. "Did you really think your cheap tricks would work on my chosen heroes?"

[Are you calling my power cheap?]

"Yeah. And after fighting you for a bit, I've learned quite a few things." Leo's crimson eyes glowed. "First, you may have resurrected, but you're not complete. You're completely severed from the first fragment. You have no memory of it at all."

This was a massive revelation.

Erebos had been sealed for 5,000 years. The first fragment had been sealed for 3,000 years.

Over that time, the world had continuously developed ways to fight against Erebos. And it wasn't just aura, magic, or summoning arts.

The world's very resilience had evolved beyond his understanding.

"If you had access to memories from 3,000 years ago, you wouldn't be fighting so recklessly." Leo scoffed at Erebos. "Anyway, second, your power specializes in creating demons and monsters."

Leo had confirmed this after seeing him instantly summon an army. That particular power was nearly identical to the original Erebos, and that meant only one thing.

"Your combat strength is inferior to the other fragments."

Of course, that didn't mean he was weak. Even as just a fragment, he was still a piece of the Primordial Evil—his combat power was beyond monstrous.

If Aaron wasn't here, I wouldn't have been able to handle him alone.

They had to destroy Erebos here. If this fragment gained control over Tartaros, it would create a terrifying new Legion Commander.

"Third, your power isn't fully awakened yet."

Fire grew stronger the longer it burned, and the Erebos before them was still just a spark. His flames weren't strong yet.

For Erebos, this world itself was fuel. The longer he burned it, the stronger he would become.

The fragment that resurrected 3,000 years ago has been burning ever since, and it's still burning even now.

Leo narrowed his eyes.

Seeing this, Erebos grinned. [No need to worry. I already have more than enough power to destroy you.]

"You think so?"

[Indeed. Had your Record System summoned a different companion, I may have been hunted down once again. But because it was the Brave Hero… This time, you will die.]

"Ridiculous," Leo's response was ice-cold.

[You overestimate the Brave Hero. Isn't that right, Brave Hero?]

"Shut up! Kyle won't die! No matter what happens, I will be the one to end you!"

[Then struggle all you want!]

Wooooooom—!

Black flames erupted from Erebos's body.

Aaron clenched his teeth as the fire closed in. He activated Hyper Perception.

Kwagagagagagang—!

Erebos's black flames engulfed him.

Inside the inferno, Aaron's face turned pale.

Hyper Perception… isn't working?!