Editor : Amethyst00



The moment Leo, swept up like driftwood in a raging current, felt gravity return—

Thud—!

He crashed face-first into the ground.

Smack—!

Gripping his sword tightly, Leo scanned his surroundings with crimson eyes.

'…Hot.'

Dressed in thick clothing due to the strange climate, he immediately felt the sweltering heat bearing down on him.

'A jungle?'

Just moments ago, he'd been in Davienne.

But now, Leo stood in the middle of a dense, steamy rainforest.

Sensing no trace of Nyx's energy, Leo relaxed his stance.

And just then—

Flutter, flutter—

Something drifted down from the sky.

Leo caught it.

'A Hero Record?'

Even more curious—it was the scorched final chapter of his own.

'Wasn't this just turned to ice…?'

Leo furrowed his brow and turned around.

There stood the very same icy mirror he'd tried to slash moments earlier.

'If I go by its aura… it's part of the Hero Record too.'

Cautiously, Leo extended his sword toward the mirror.

Tonnng—

Ripples spread across its surface like a still lake.

"What the hell is going on?"

Just as Leo muttered with a look of disbelief—

"You there! Suspicious individual!"

Whoosh—!

A thunderous voice rang out, followed by the sharp gust of a massive fist cutting through the air behind him.

Leo raised his hand to block the strike.

Boom—!

Fist met palm with a concussive shockwave that shook the area.

Leo glanced at the beastkin who'd thrown the punch.

"…Borman of Azonia?"

"Oh? You recognize me and still keep your cool? You've got guts!"

Snorting, Borman gave a mocking smirk, which only deepened the frown on Leo's face.

"What the hell are you talking about? Don't you know who I—?"

Before he could finish, a large bear beastkin lunged from behind.

"This area is off-limits! What are you doing here?!"

With a fierce shout, his giant palm came down toward Leo.

Tavon of Azonia, 3rd year.

Alongside Borman, both were top-ranking students in Azonia's senior class.

Crash—!

Leo raised his leg and blocked Tavon's strike cleanly.

"Seriously now…"

"Why are you two attacking me? And where even is this place? Is Aru here too?"

"You know Aru?"

"She's here, yes…"

"Then go get her."

Realizing Leo had no intention to fight, Borman and Tavon cautiously stepped back, wary.

Then—

"A suspicious person?! Borman! Tavon! Why are you standing there gaping?!"

A familiar voice rang out.

Leo turned and saw Aru, arms crossed, tail swaying, clearly irritated.

"Aru! This guy says he knows you!"

"Huh?"

Aru narrowed her eyes and looked Leo up and down, then tilted her head.

"Face is my type, but I've never seen this human before."

'…What?'

A sense of wrongness swept over Leo.

'An illusion?'

He had suspected something since Borman and Tavon first reacted to him oddly.

But it was Aru's response that confirmed it—something wasn't right.

No matter how much of an airhead Aru could be, she would never forget him.

With that, Leo sharpened his senses.

'No… this isn't an illusion.'

He couldn't detect the telltale traces that illusions usually left behind.

Then, just as he expected, two more figures stepped into view: Dion, the 3rd-year wolf beastkin and Azonia's second-ranked student, and Ruwen, the fox beastkin ranked third.

Ruwen narrowed her eyes, studying Leo—until she noticed something in his hand.

"Hey, isn't that a Hero Record?"

"Huh? Wait—could that be Sir Kyle's Hero Record?!"

Aru's eyes widened.

"If he snuck in here to steal Kyle's Hero Record, he could be a Hero Hunter!"

Dion's warning caused Borman and Tavon to tense again.

"His skill definitely isn't ordinary."

"And he was talking like he knew us."

'Great. A complete misunderstanding.'

Leo clicked his tongue.

'Still, nothing's changed. I have to bring them down.'

"Borman."

"Huh?"

Slam—!

"Guh?!"

Leo's aura-infused fist slammed into Borman's side.

Borman dropped to his knees with a groan.

Tavon lunged to retaliate, but Leo was already behind him, striking the back of his neck with a flick of his hand.

Thwack—!

"Urgh?!"

Just as both collapsed, a sudden flash of light burst from their bodies—and they recovered, retaliating at once.

Leo dodged and glanced toward Ruwen.

She was forming a seal with her fingers, eyes locked on him.

Snap—!

The moment he landed, vines sprouted from the ground and lashed toward him—Ruwen's magic.

"The Azonia student who were known for using magic, right?"

Leo gave a thin smile.

She wasn't just good at offense either.

Ruwen excelled in healing and support magic as well—she was a highly skilled mage.

Boom—!

Leo launched himself forward, closing the distance to Ruwen in an instant.

But—

Wham—!

Dion's battle axe swung toward Leo.

Leo parried it with his sword.

Clang—!

"Gah?!"

Dion's eyes went wide in shock.

"Where did someone with this kind of skill come from?!"

Leo flung Dion back, then surged forward again.

And just then—

Thump— KRAAAASH—!

A smooth leg came flying toward his face.

Leo raised a hand to block it—and winced from the force.

Aru snorted proudly and grinned.

"You're kinda fun."

Then, exuding combat aura, she launched into an attack.

Whoosh—!

A flurry of sharp kicks and punches rained in from all directions.

Leo narrowed his eyes, weaving through the barrage.

'She's different from the Aru I know.'

Far more wild. Fierce.

'Almost like Arron.'

With that thought, Leo slipped inside her guard.

"Wha—?!"

Just as Aru tried to retreat—

Grab—!

"NYAAAH?! My tail!"

Leo yanked her tail.

Aru shrieked and pounced on him, teeth bared.

Whoosh— Whoosh—!

"NYAAAAAH?!"

Leo spun her around by the tail like a hammer throw—

—and launched her straight at Ruwen.

"W-Wait, what—Kyaaaaa?!"

Aru and Ruwen crashed together and rolled across the ground in a heap.

Whump—

Aru leapt to her feet, trembling with fury.

"You dared touch a lady's tail… my tail…!"

She opened her eyes wide and roared.

"KRRRRAAAAAHH—!"

A tremendous howl echoed through the air.

Howling.

And with that, the students of Azonia began transforming.

Leo cracked his knuckles.

"So this is what it feels like when your pet cat hisses at you."

bl

Thud—!

"Guhk?!"

Dion tumbled across the ground.

It took only a moment for five students from Azonia to be thrown to the floor.

"Hiiisss!"

Aru bared her teeth and claws, trying to get up.

Stomp—!

"Kuhk?!"

At that moment, Leo stepped firmly on Aru's stomach.

Aru, baring a fierce expression as she glared up at Leo, flinched.

As her eyes met the crimson ones looking down at her, her body instinctively shrank back.

But soon, she gritted her teeth and opened her eyes wide in defiance.

Looking down at the stubborn Aru, Leo flexed his fist.

'What is this, really?'

This clearly wasn't reality.

But no matter how sharply he honed his hyper-senses, they kept telling him this situation was real.

Leo glanced—at the ice mirror.

The Azonia students weren't even aware of its existence.

"You… What are you?"

Aru asked fiercely, and Leo replied,

"I'm a Lumene student."

"Don't be ridiculous! If a monster like you were in Lumene, there's no way word wouldn't have spread!"

"You're awfully loud."

"Guh?!"

As Leo pressed harder with the foot on Aru's stomach, air was squeezed out of her lungs.

At that moment—

Fwoosh—!

Leo's eyes caught a palm flying toward his face, and he moved his sword.

Boom—!

He barely blocked the attack with his sword, but the impact sent his body flying.

Whip—! Thud—!

Landing on the ground, Leo felt his hands tremble from the shock carried through the blade.

'What kind of power was that…?'

He frowned and lifted his gaze toward his attacker.

It was a black wolf beastkin with gleaming silver eyes.

'Never seen him before.'

He was wearing an Azonia uniform, but Leo had no memory of such a student.

There's no way he'd forget someone capable of such an attack.

"Kar-sunbae!"

Aru's face lit up brightly.

"Aru, are you alright?"

"Yes!"

Aru nodded fervently, her eyes shining.

Leo found her reaction oddly emotional.

Then Kar lowered his voice and spoke to Leo.

"You dare attack my juniors?"

As the fierce-looking black wolf bared his fangs, Leo responded indifferently.

"Your juniors attacked me first."

With a halfhearted shrug, Leo rested his sword on his shoulder.

Kar's gaze shifted to Leo's hand.

His silver eyes became even more feral.

"Hand that over."

At that, Leo chuckled.

"Hand it over? Sorry, but this is mine."

Wham—!

The moment the words left his mouth, Kar closed the distance in a flash.

KABOOOOOM—!

KA-KA-KRAKAKAKANG—!

The Azonia students' mouths dropped open.

Trees were uprooted and the earth turned over from the shockwave as Leo was sent flying.

"He… He's dead, right?"

"I've never seen Kar-sunbae that angry before."

At Borman's mutter, Ruwen stared blankly.

Step—step—

From the wreckage, Leo came walking out.

Dion looked on in disbelief.

"What kind of monster is he…?!"

Leo rotated his shoulders and clicked his tongue.

Then he looked at Kar.

Wearing a fierce expression, Leo charged straight toward him.

Boom—!

Just like Kar had done to him, Leo knocked Kar back and then chased after him through the air.

Flash—!

Leo's sword gleamed.

Before they knew it, Kar had also drawn his blade, and the two clashed.

BOOM—!

A clash between flame-tinged aura and silver aura.

CLANG-CLANG-CLAAANG—!

In the contest of strength between blades, Leo was the one pushed back.

CRACK—!

Leo let his sword slide away and spun his body, casting a spell.

Fwoooosh—!

The flames engulfed Kar.

Kar charged through the fire spell straight toward Leo.

'This guy…'

Leo's eyes twitched.

For an instant, someone's image overlapped with Kar's.

A gray aura rose from Leo.

When Kar saw the gray aura on Leo's blade, his eyes widened.

BOOM—!

The clash of aura against aura.

But this time, it wasn't the same frenzied exchange.

"…Huh?"

Kar's lips parted with a dazed voice at the sight of Leo's aura.

Likewise, Leo's expression turned confused as he saw Kar's aura turn golden.

Their eyes met—Kar's golden eyes now unmistakable.

"Ah… Ah…"

Clink.

Kar dropped his sword.

That color of aura—he could never forget it.

How could he?

That color which had given him courage, time and again.

How many times had he wandered after being reborn, searching endlessly for that hue?

How many times had that hope been crushed—that the person might have opened his eyes under the same sky again?

How many tears had he shed?

And now, he was terrified again.

What if he was wrong? What if it was just wishful thinking?

But even in the face of that fear, the wolf beastkin uttered the name with a trembling voice.

"Kyle…"

Even reborn, the cowardly hero was still a coward—calling out for his friend with a desperate, pleading face.

"It's really you, isn't it… Kyle?"