Chapter 484

Uaaaaaah!

One of the mage heroes let out a near-screeching scream as he cast his spell.

Slash—!

However, before the spell could be completed, Thamus' sword cleaved him in half from the head down.

Jerome's expression hardened.

What went wrong?

He was the Light Seeker, Jerome, and he had always believed he was a chosen one.

He had not been born into a privileged family. He was the son of ordinary peasant farmers, but from a young age, his talent was extraordinary.

Before he had even learned to read, he had already formed a contract with an elemental—and not just any elemental, but the notoriously difficult-to-contract light elemental.

Everyone around him praised him as a chosen one.

As he grew older, he naturally enrolled in Lumene Academy—the institution that gathered the greatest talents. A place where countless aspiring heroes gathered.

Even there, Jerome was different. Among countless noble families and prestigious lineages, among the descendants of renowned heroes, Jerome was the best. He became the representative of his grade, then eventually rose to student council president.

Jerome is special.

Having always been called special even among the elite, Jerome grew even more convinced of his own uniqueness.

After graduation, he naturally joined the Justice Guild. He quickly earned the title of hero and, at a young age, rose to the position of guildmaster.

People naturally regarded him as the successor to the Sword Saint.

Later, he studied the Hero Record and uncovered the concept of karma. He discovered the method to gain divine recognition.

Jerome firmly believed he was destined to shine. He believed that his thoughts were the truth and that he alone defined justice. He saw himself as the one who would purge the darkness from this world.

I will lead this world of darkness into the light.

If heroes were the agents of the gods, then he would be the king who led the heroes.

Kwagagagang—!

"Urgh?!"

Summoning the highest-grade light elemental, Jerome barely managed to block the wave of black aura surging toward him before being flung backward.

Is this truly the power of a human?!

Jerome's eyes were filled with shock.

"Guildmaster! Help me…" one of the remaining executives called out desperately to him.

Crunch—!

But his head was crushed in Thamus' grasp, bursting apart effortlessly.

It was a pitiful death, far too insignificant for someone who had risen to the rank of hero.

Most importantly, with his death, the last of Justice Guild's heroes, excluding Jerome, was wiped out.

Now, only Thamus and Jerome remained, facing each other.

"So, you gained immense power through a contract with the Lich King?" Jerome asked.

"Doesn't seem that way at all," a voice behind him replied.

Jerome turned his head. There stood Leo, resting the greatsword Nox, forged by Dweno, on his shoulder.

"He's probably just using the power he had while alive."

"How foolish. Do you really believe a human could wield such power?"

Leo looked at Jerome with disbelief. "Aren't you a Lumene graduate?"

"I am, so what?"

"Then shouldn't there be one thing you heard over and over throughout your time there?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Surpass your limits. That's our school's motto, isn't it?"

"Ridiculous. Are you seriously trying to preach to me about such a childish fantasy?" Jerome scoffed. "Even I couldn't reach such a level."

"That's just because your limits are pathetic."

"What did you say?"

"How did you even become a hero? How did you pass your trials?"

"Trials? Hah. I overcame them all with ease."

"……" Leo looked at Jerome and let out a chuckle. "I see. You've never truly faced a trial even once."

"What do you know about me? I've overcome countless trials and achieved great feats."

"They may have been trials and accomplishments to others, but not to you."

Trials are always relative. Just as a first-year's trials would be nothing more than minor hurdles to Leo now, he could tell that Jerome had lived his entire life in a sheltered environment.

He must have avoided every truly dangerous situation.

Leo sneered, "And yet, you have the nerve to call yourself a hero?"

"What did you just say?"

"You're not a hero."

Jerome was about to retort when…

"You wretched brat!" Thamus' enraged voice echoed as a massive slash of black aura tore toward Leo.

"Guh!" Jerome gasped and quickly summoned his elementals. Expanding his Elemental Armor, he used it to escape.

The fool doesn't understand how vast the world is. He's just throwing his life away.

Jerome snorted as he saw Leo standing still, unmoving.

Flash—!

Leo unleashed his aura, and a gray aura coated the greatsword. Gripping the sword with both hands, he then redirected the incoming wave of black aura.

Kwooom—!

The clash of massive auras distorted the surrounding space for an instant.

A numbing shock traveled through Leo's fingertips.

Feeling the overwhelming pressure, Leo grinned. "As expected, his skill alone is undeniable."

Swoosh—!

Leo smoothly diverted the black aura, redirecting the absurd power with pure technique.

Fwoosh—!

The next moment, the deflected black aura crashed downward.

"Huh? Kugh?!" Jerome, who had been fleeing, sensed a tremendous force from behind and turned his head. Seeing the black aura hurtling toward him, he widened his eyes in horror.

He hastily channeled spiritual energy, summoning a shield of light elementals.

Crack—!

"Argh?!"

But the black aura tore through Jerome's shield with ease, as if mocking his efforts, and severed his arm.

Splat—!

"Uaaaaaagh!"

It had only grazed him, but Jerome's right arm was cut off far too easily.

As he screamed, clutching his shoulder, he plummeted to the ground.

[Your title as hero has been revoked.]

A message appeared before him.

Jerome forgot to even scream as his eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

sep

Gooooooo—!

Thamus, his entire body shrouded in black aura, spoke in a voice filled with killing intent. "What did you do to me?"

Leo looked at him and replied, "Nothing much."

With a calm expression, he rested Nox on his shoulder and continued, "I happened to have a conversation with a god once. She told me that the Hero Record was a gift from the gods to Kyle."

"A gift to Kyle?"

"Yeah, but by the time the Hero Record was created, I was already dead, so it became a gift to the world instead."

Leo smirked. "I'm its rightful owner. The gods may have written records in the Hero Record however they liked, but the authority over it belongs to me. So isn't it only natural that I have the right to delete names from it?"

Thamus' body trembled. "You… you really are the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle."

"When did I ever deny it?"

"Then why don't you acknowledge me?!" Thamus shouted. "In life, I slaughtered countless Tartaros demons! I slew legion commanders! I ruled over heroes! I am the greatest hero! So why?! Why?! Why won't you acknowledge me?! Why did you strip me of my hero title?! I am a chosen one!"

"If you're so great, why are you so obsessed with being my successor? Why are you so fixated on being a hero in the first place?"

"Because heroes are chosen beings! And you, among all the chosen, are the strongest! A unique existence!"

"Sheesh. You and that other guy really love this chosen one nonsense." Leo clicked his tongue. "If you want my successor's title so badly, I'll tell you how to earn it."

"What is it?" Leo pointed downward with his finger. "Save them."

"What?"

"Save the world, like I did."

"……"

"Oh, but Lumene already saved the world once, didn't he? And didn't you turn your back on the world's crisis back then?" Leo smirked. "Be honest. You blamed Rodia as an excuse, but weren't you just scared?"

"What…?"

"You knew you wouldn't be able to save the world anyway. You thought it would just be a pointless death."

Thamus' body shook.

"Seems I hit the mark."

"…I don't need it. The title of your successor means nothing to me anymore."

Gooooooo—!

Black aura poured from Thamus' body.

"I don't care about the hero title either. I'll just kill you and turn you into a spirit to serve me."

Whoooom—!

Thamus raised his greatsword.

Seeing this, Kiran said, [If we're talking raw power, he's on par with the Dragon Queen.]

"Yeah."

[Can you win?]

At Kiran's question, Leo smirked, held out his hand, and summoned Cometes.

"Extinction."

As Leo chanted, powerful Stellar Magic surged forth. Then, he lifted his greatsword.

Leo steadied his breath. Activating aura with Aaron's breathing technique, golden aura erupted from Nox.

Thamus' body trembled for a moment at the sight.

Azonia and Seiren?

It was like seeing the Grand Warrior Azonia and the Comet Mage Seiren from the past.

No, is this Aaron and Luna's power?!

No matter what, the one standing before him was the Hero of the Beginning.

Thamus had conquered multiple Great Hero Worlds. He knew Kyle's true strength.

"Hmph! No matter how great you are, you haven't regained all your past power yet! That means I have the advantage!" he declared.

Leo let out a chuckle. "Laruel."

At Leo's call, the Elemental Lord of Light, Laruel, appeared.

Thamus' expression twisted as Laruel glared at him with pure hatred.

"Laruel… how are you still alive…?"

[Don't talk to me. Filth.]

Seeing Rodia's contracted spirit, Laruel, Thamus' pupils shook.

At that moment, Leo crossed Nox and Cometes. The weapons forged by Dweno resonated.

"Enchant."

Leo enchanted Nox with Extinction.

Goooooo—!

With the fusion of magic and aura, the power skyrocketed.

The forces being merged were none other than the powers of the Nebula Pioneer and the Brave Hero… but it didn't end there.

Leo used Elemental Armor to fuse Laruel with Nox.

"What…?!"

Faced with the absurd sight of someone merging the greatest magic and an Elemental Lord, Thamus' face contorted with shock.

Unimaginable power raged around them.

Leo lifted Nox and smirked. "There's one thing I need to correct. I'm not the strongest or anything. I'm just a guy who borrows others' powers for a little while."

Aura, mana, and spiritual energy fused together, combining the powers of not one, but three Great Heroes.

Faced with this overwhelming force, Thamus' body trembled uncontrollably.

Now that I think about it, the Hero Record's main function is similar to my ability.

Lysinas had once made a request of Leo, who had lived through that era as an All-Class.

Kyle, you learn and master everything so well, so why not pass down our fallen comrades' abilities to others?

The dead left behind more than just corpses and relics. They also left behind the techniques they had honed in life.

Kyle had preserved the skills of his fallen comrades and passed them down to future generations.

For martial arts, he learned by watching. For magic, he recorded them in Bible. For elementals and spirit beasts, he formed temporary contracts and transferred them to those worthy.

The record system that Pivua had once explained was merely a record.

Even Pivua didn't know about the conquest rewards.

Multiple gods had combined their strength to create a new system.

That was the conquest reward system.

Leo let out a soft chuckle, then his red eyes gleamed. "Let's finish this. Your name will no longer be passed down to future generations, Thamus."

[I can't die like this!]

Thamus tried to flee the battlefield.

Leo saw this and reversed his grip on Nox, preparing to throw it.

"Where do you think you're going?" he said in a chilling voice.

He hurled Nox.

Fwoooosh—!

"Kuaaaaaaaaagh!"