LHAHS Chapter 452
Hyper Perception was a power Aaron had possessed since birth, allowing him to perceive things others could not. When activated, it granted him a near-precognitive ability, letting him grasp events before they happened.
But there was one secret about this power that Aaron had never shared with anyone—not even his friends.
I hate this power.
More precisely, he feared it. Knowing things that others could not was far more painful than one might think, and during the Age of Calamity, it had been even worse.
From the moment he was born, he had instinctively felt the terror of the catastrophe that had engulfed the world. Even the smallest disturbances startled him, filling him with fear—because of what he had seen as a child.
That trauma had haunted him for years. Not once had he ever pushed Hyper Perception to its absolute limit. It was only after meeting his master and undergoing rigorous training that he had learned to control it, finally freeing himself from the grip of fear.
However, as Aaron grew stronger, so too did Hyper Perception sharpen. Eventually, it reached the point where he could glimpse brief moments of the future during battle… and just before the final battle began, he foresaw the deaths of Kyle and Luna.
I hated it.
Seeing the future.
I was terrified.
That the future he saw might be their failure.
Still, no matter what, he had to find a way for Kyle and Luna to survive.
Even if the only path he had found… was his own death.
To others, giving up his life to save his friends must have seemed like a noble sacrifice.
But all I did was cling to my brother and sister… to my family, like a scared child.
Aaron clenched his teeth.
I was just a coward who took the easy way out.
After seeing the peaceful future, he had dared to feel relieved. He had spoken about finding his own path, never realizing that Leo was still carrying the burden he had left behind.
If I hated the thought of Kyle dying this much, then Kyle must have felt the same way when I died!
The realization made him sick with himself.
Desperate to change the future, he pushed Hyper Perception to its limit, trying to see what lay ahead, but now, Hyper Perception was gone… or rather, dulled.
Sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste—his sharpened senses still fed him an overwhelming amount of information. However, the near-precognitive battle instincts he had relied on… were lost.
It was overload from excessive use.
In his desperation to see the future, spurred by Erebos's words, he had pushed himself too far, yet despite all his efforts, he had seen nothing.
Maybe… it's because I'm not real.
Aaron gritted his teeth.
The gods had long since died. The him standing here was merely a memory stored within the Hero Record.
Fwoosh—!
"Haaah!" Aaron burst through the black flames, his expression savage as he charged at Erebos and swung his sword.
Kwagagagagang—!
A golden aura slashed across Erebos's body.
[Do you truly believe you can cut me down with such a dull blade?!] Erebos roared and swiped at Aaron with his massive hand.
Thwack—!
"Guh?!"
With Hyper Perception restricted, Aaron failed to anticipate Erebos's movement. The blow struck him head-on, sending a shockwave of pain through his entire body.
It was a simple physical strike, yet also one that carried the power to shatter his body, crush his mind, and destroy his very soul.
Whiiish! Kwoooom—!
Aaron was sent flying, crashing into the ground with immense force.
Leo rushed toward him in alarm. "Aaron!"
Kwah! Thud—!
As Aaron slammed into the ground, dirt and rubble shot into the air before raining back down.
Swish—!
Groaning, Aaron pulled himself to his feet. "Kyle. Get Innocence ready."
"You okay? You don't look good."
"I'm fine." Aaron fixed his gaze on Erebos, eyes burning with determination. "Trust me. I won't be dead weight anymore!"
"What? Hey! Aaron…!"
"Graaaaah!"
Ignoring Leo's frantic call, Aaron let out a fierce Howling, as if steadying himself. His eyes sharpened as he gripped his sword tightly and charged.
"That idiot!" Leo ground his teeth at the sight.
"Why would Aaron say something like that?" Melina asked, her expression shaken.
"He let Erebos's words get to him. Aaron's always been easy to discourage."
Leo knew better than anyone. His friend, whom he had always treated like a younger brother, was far too kind. Far too fragile.
"Will he be okay?" Melina's voice trembled slightly.
Leo took a deep breath. "He'll be fine."
He watched Aaron's back as he charged forward.
"Aaron's the one who's fallen the hardest out of all of us, and he's also the one who's overcome the most trials."
There wasn't a trace of doubt in Leo's voice.
"He's not the kind of guy who'd break over something like that."
With absolute trust, Leo gave his final command, "Melina, go handle the demonic beasts."
"Understood!"
Seeing the endless wave of demonic beasts, the hero candidates defending the fortress paled.
"There are too many!"
"This is even worse than the Queen of Monsters' army from last year!"
Voices filled with unease echoed among the Lumene and Seiren students.
Rhys, his aura ablaze with fire, shouted, "Don't be intimidated by their numbers! There may be more of them than the Queen of Monsters' army, but each individual is far weaker!"
At the same time, the party fighting Erebos in the sky arrived.
"I'll help! Wiping out large numbers of enemies is my specialty," Torua grinned. "Magic students, assemble! Prepare for a joint spell!"
At her command, the first- and second-year magic students moved in perfect coordination.
"Seiren, into formation!" Raynia rallied the Seiren students.
Jamua also took the lead. "Knights, work with Azonia and Damien students to stop the demonic beasts climbing the walls!"
Aru raised her fist beside him. "We can't afford to look pathetic in front of Aaron! Azonia students, forward!"
"You! Insolent cat! I'm the one in charge here!" Vanir screamed, putting Aru in a headlock.
"Gaahhh!"
Meanwhile, Ulta gathered the summoners and distributed them strategically between the knights and mages.
Carl, standing atop the fortress wall, swallowed dryly. "They might not be as strong as the Queen of Monsters' army, but… there's just too many of them."
Last time, the Queen of Monsters' forces had been overwhelming, but the allies had been just as formidable. Not only had there been human and elven heroes, but also hero candidates from Lumene and Seiren. And among them were legendary warriors from a past era.
By comparison, their current forces consisted solely of hero candidates.
Hearing Carl's muttering, Chelsea gripped her staff tightly. "It's fine," she said.
Since she and Carl weren't suited for joint spells, they were positioned on the fortress walls to stop any monsters that got through.
"We have the Dragon Queen on our side."
As if on cue, a massive surge of mana rippled through the sky. Around Melina, her original silver mana intertwined with the black mana she had inherited from Lysinas.
Thump—Thump—
Her dragon heart pounded as it released a torrent of mana. The space around her began to distort.
Chelsea swallowed hard. "The Silent Dragon, Melina… People might have forgotten because she's been out of the public eye for so long, but… she's the one who challenged the World of Dawn. Even if the attempt ended in failure."
Crack—!
The space around Melina warped until it began to fracture.
"She's regarded as one of the most powerful Dragon Queens in the history of the Age of Heroes."
The moment Chelsea finished speaking, Melina whispered a single word.
"Silence."
The demonic beasts charging toward the fortress walls suddenly froze in place. They glanced around in confusion, unsure of what had happened.
Then, one by one, they began to crumble into white dust.
It was a chilling sight—an entire army, an entire legion of Tartaros, silenced by a single spell.
Everyone watched in awe as Melina landed atop the fortress wall, right where Carl and Chelsea stood. Her veil fluttered in the wind.
"Do not be afraid," she said firmly. "As long as I stand here, this fortress will not fall."
Her resolute words sent a wave of confidence through the hero candidates. They raised their weapons high and let out a deafening cheer.
"Uwoooooh!"
"The Dragon Queen!"
Their morale soared in an instant, lifted by Melina's overwhelming presence.
"Wow… She's like a goddess," Carl murmured.
"Thank you, Carl." Melina smiled and gave a slight bow.
For a brief moment, the veil fluttered just enough to reveal her face.
Carl flinched. Something about her face seemed familiar. Her apparent age was entirely different, yet… the atmosphere around her was unmistakably similar to someone he knew.
Carl hesitated, then asked in disbelief, "Professor Mel…?"
Chelsea, standing beside him, widened her eyes and turned to Carl.
At their reaction, Melina pressed a finger to her lips and whispered softly, "Shhh…"
Without thinking, Carl and Chelsea mimicked her gesture.
Even as this exchange took place, the demonic horde continued to surge forth.
Just as Melina and the hero candidates prepared to strike again…
Whiiiiish! Kwoooom—!
Something crashed into the fortress wall.
Everyone flinched, turning toward the crumbling section of the wall.
Thud—!
From the debris, Aaron staggered to his feet.
"Damn it!"
He let out a rare display of frustration. The sword in his hand had completely melted, not even a trace remaining. His eyes flickered with a dangerous intensity, the sheer pressure making the hero candidates instinctively step back.
Aaron, face twisted with rage, glared in the direction he had come from. There, Erebos lay in a shredded mess, his form utterly unrecognizable from Aaron's relentless assault. But soon, Erebos's body writhed and reformed itself.
Aaron discarded his ruined sword. Without thinking, he reached for a new one from the subspace bracelet Luna had given him—then froze.
Gritting his teeth, he stared at the weapon in his hand.
A broken Brave.
"This sword… won't work."
Clatter—!
Aaron threw the shattered blade aside. The warmth, the gentleness he usually carried, was gone. His expression was sharp, almost feral. There was a desperation in his eyes.
"A-Aaron…?" Aru's face turned pale. The Aaron she knew was nothing like this.
"Don't worry. Just wait."
Fwoooom—!
Golden aura flared from Aaron's body.
"I'll finish this myself."
His voice was low, brimming with wild intensity.
To Aru, this was the Aaron she had known before entering Azonia. The warrior. The relentless beast of the battlefield. A fighter who never gave in, even in the face of despair.
The overwhelming force that was the Brave Hero, Aaron.
"W-Wait! Aaron!" Aru called out in panic, but Aaron had already kicked off the ground, launching himself toward the fully regenerated Erebos.
He didn't even wield a sword, yet in the blink of an eye, he reached Erebos and drove his fist into the monstrous being.
Boom!
Erebos's massive body was sent hurtling into the sky.
"Unbelievable…!" Borman gasped.
"So this is the true form of the Brave Hero?" Ruwen murmured in awe.
"No…" Aru clenched her teeth.
"What?"
"That's not the real Aaron!"