Editor : Amethyst00



Only five people had seized the attention of everyone on the battlefield.

A silence as if time itself had come to a halt swept over.

Even though it was right before the outbreak of an urgent battle, not one person dared to breathe loudly.

There was no helping it.

For standing before them were legends.

And not just any legends… but the very legends who had saved this world five thousand years ago—figures revered and honored by every race.

The Great Heroes.

Those very figures had crossed the boundary of five thousand years and now stood before them.

And even the Hero of the Beginning, long thought to be no more than a mythical figure.

What words could possibly explain this moment?

"The real Great Heroes…?"

"This can't be real."

"What is even happening right now?"

"Am I dreaming?"

The overwhelming presence of the Great Heroes pulled the heroes out of their silence—and they began to murmur in disbelief.

To them, the current situation defied all logic.

'Well… this world still doesn't know that it's possible to appear in the present through the Hero Record.'

As Kyle was contemplating how to calm the confusion, Melina—who stood close to the Great Heroes—lightly tapped her staff on the ground.

Toong—!

A soft, light sound.

But like ripples in still water, the sound spread out rapidly.

The heroes who couldn't grasp what was happening all turned their attention to Melina in unison.

And as all eyes fell on her, Melina spoke.

"Compose yourselves."

With that alone, silence returned.

"You stand before the Great Legends. As heroes of the present age, do not disgrace yourselves…"

Though called the Silent Dragon, Melina was the strongest hero currently alive.

Moreover, she held the title of Dragon Queen.

As a descendant of the Wise Queen, when the Dragon Queen—who always shed light with wisdom—spoke, its weight was undeniable.

"How can the Great Heroes be here?"

The Sword Saint, Kalian, asked in a gentle tone.

Everyone had been wondering the same—but lacked the courage to voice it before the Dragon Queen.

Only someone who had borne an era upon their back—like Kalian—could speak so freely before her.

To his question, Melina smiled faintly.

"It is the hidden power of the Hero Record."

"Hidden power… of the Hero Record?"

"Yes. Through the Hero's World, we were able to summon the Great Heroes into this world."

Everyone gasped in shock.

Was such power truly hidden within the Hero Record?

If it were anyone else speaking, they wouldn't have believed it for a second.

But the one speaking was the Dragon Queen.

That alone gave her words absolute credibility.

"Ooh…! O Poet of the Star…!"

The elves all dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.

Several began praying toward Luna.

They were members of the Pureblood Society.

Among them, a few who seemed to represent the Society approached Luna.

"O great progenitor. To reveal yourself upon this earth again… surely, this is a miracle! To be graced with your presence brings such joy that I cannot cease trembling!"

With faces full of reverence, the Pureblood Society knelt before Luna.

Luna narrowed her eyes as she looked at the one at the forefront.

The man before her was someone Luna knew well.

"My name is Sirgaon! I have dedicated this humble life to spreading the greatness of elves across the world. Please, allow me the honor of kissing your hand—!"

Sirgaon reached out to take Luna's hand.

Crack!

But Luna's kick to his face came first.

"Ew? With those filthy hands, you dare try to touch me?"

Luna raised her middle finger toward the flying Sirgaon with a glare.

"Get lost! I don't want the adoration of filthy Pureblood supremacists like you! And most of all!"

She turned toward Kyle and shouted, "There's only one bastard who gets to kiss my body!"

"Is that something you shout while grabbing someone by the collar?!"

"Listen well, all of you!"

"You ignoring me?"

"Kyle and I are in lo—mmph! Mmmp?!"

"That's enough."

Lysinas, who had wedged herself between Kyle and Luna, covered Luna's mouth with a cheerful smile.

Of course, her face was smiling, but veins were bulging on her forehead.

Luna struggled to break free, but overpowering Lysinas was impossible.

In the end, Luna bit her hand.

"Ow! Are you an animal?! Why bite me?!"

"You're the one who used brute force and suffocated me first!"

"Because you were spouting nonsense!"

"How is that nonsense?! You were the one who tried to marry Kyle through fraud!"

"Why are you bringing that up now?! And it wasn't 'tried to'—it's already—!"

"Lysinas is a fraud! A con-woma—mmph?!"

"Shut up!"

The heroes of the current era stared, mouths agape, at the utterly absurd squabble among the so-called Great Heroes.

Aaron shrank back, as if embarrassed. Dweno looked up at the sky and sighed deeply.

"They're dragging our dignity through the dirt…"

Kyle clicked his tongue in irritation.

Just then—

"Ahahahahahaha!"

A shrill, manic laugh rang through the air.

At the same time, a massive figure loomed over the crimson-black sky.

Someone screamed in shock upon seeing it.

"The Queen of Monsters—Sillatna!"

"E-everyone, get back!"

Sillatna's massive body was plummeting toward the ground, as if to crush all the gathered heroes in an instant.

At that moment, Lysinas and Luna—who had been bickering—snapped their heads up with sharp eyes.

With chilling intensity, both began to gather magic.

"You're still just as reckless."

"What the hell is that mutt doing?! Get lost!"

Lysinas's cold voice and Luna's furious shout rang out as both unleashed their spells—Judgment and Extinction.

FLASH! BOOOOOM!

In an instant, the destructive force of their magic struck Sillatna.

KRSSHHHHHH!

Her enormous body was pulverized without a trace.

"To defeat that Sillatna in a single blow… as expected of our progenitor…!"

An elf muttered in reverent awe.

Luna scratched her head with an annoyed look.

"Why'd she cast a resurrection spell or something…? And I didn't beat her alone."

"It was probably a power of authority. Sillatna wouldn't go down so easily."

"Pfft."

At Lysinas's reply, Luna clicked her tongue.

Whatever the case, with that single spell, even those who had doubted began to truly believe.

These people were real.

Real Great Heroes.

And if that were true—

Even if a fragment of Erebos had returned, there was still hope.

Morale soared.

Seeing this, Kyle turned to Melina.

"Melina."

"Ah, y-yes! Lord Kyle!"

"Lead the heroes."

"Yes!"

"Do your best, Melina."

Lysinas smiled and patted her head, making Melina giggle shyly.

"Don't worry! I'll make sure to witness the Great Heroes' victory here!"

As Lysinas laughed at her enthusiasm, she turned to look at Erebos in the distance—wreathed in black flames.

"Let's go."

At her lead, Kyle followed behind.

Luna walked beside him, and behind them came Aaron and Dweno.

"This really brings back memories," Aaron said, eyes nostalgic.

"Feels just like back then."

The moment they had once stepped out for their final battle.

But to that, Dweno replied.

"It's different from then. And it mustn't be the same."

At his firm words, Kyle nodded.

"Yeah, Aaron. It's different now. This time, the outcome will change."

"Exactly."

Arms folded, Luna nodded in agreement.

Then Lysinas spoke.

"That's right. It's different now."

Five thousand years ago—

The final journey had ended in victory for the Great Heroes.

But it had been a victory full of scars.

To the Great Heroes, that victory was steeped in regret.

Wounds they could never heal from losing one another.

Moments like scars that time could not erase.

'If only I had been braver.'

'If only I had forged a stronger weapon.'

'If only I had crafted a more powerful spell.'

'If only I had been wiser.'

'If only I had seen ahead sooner…'

Though the world had been saved, that final journey was, to the Great Heroes, a time filled with nothing but regrets.

And so—

"We won't repeat it."

Lysinas said firmly.

"This time, we will win without anyone dying."

bl

Erebos narrowed his eyes as he watched the Great Heroes approaching him.

The anger from his failed scheme had long since cooled.

"Hell Kaiser."

["You summoned me, O Great One."]

"Execute those fools who dare to oppose me, leading Tartaros as if they could stand against me."

["As you command."]

The Lich King, who bowed his head, vanished without a sound.

Tartaros began to move.

Seeing that, Erebos opened his left palm.

Crack—!

The flesh of his palm tore open, and blood spurted out like a fountain.

The geyser of blood soon crashed down like a waterfall.

Fwoooosh—!

The land below was consumed in black fire.

From it, accompanied by grotesque screams, malformed demons began to crawl forth.

The Authority of Creation.

Aside from Tartaros itself, countless hideous monsters were endlessly being born.

At that moment—

An incantation began to echo through the air.

From the rear, Luna had begun to chant her spell.

Moments later—

Flash—! KRA-KA-KA-KRAAANG—!

With a massive explosion, the demonic beings born from Erebos's authority were swept away and vanished.

But Erebos paid it no mind.

It was within his expectations.

'Luna's magic must be stopped.'

Among the Great Heroes, only Luna could deal with the endlessly spawning demons in a single strike.

And her magic posed a lethal threat even to Erebos himself.

Those demonic beasts were no more than a means to prevent Luna from concentrating her attacks on him.

Erebos's gaze shifted toward Kyle.

'Just before, he used the power he had in his strongest era.'

But he wouldn't be able to maintain that power continuously.

Miracles that transcend reason do not come without a price.

The greater the miracle, the greater the cost it demands.

That was the law of this world.

'He must've used divine power to manifest his past strength.'

Having easily deduced the source of Kyle's power, Erebos grinned wickedly.

'So long as I avoid that moment—victory is mine.'

Though the Great Heroes now wore their past appearances, their strength remained firmly bound to the present.

bl

"Kyle."

"What?"

"You've got a plan, don't you?"

Kyle let out a quiet chuckle as he looked at Lysinas, who had come to his side.

"Knew I couldn't fool you."

"So, what is the plan?"

"I become the bait."

"The bait?"

"Yeah."

Kyle looked down at his palm.

"It's still a technique in training, but…"

Lifting his head, Kyle locked eyes with Lysinas.

"If it's you, you'll pull it off."

As Leo smiled, Lysinas furrowed her brow.

"Another one of your insane ideas… Anyway, you're saying you've got a trump card ready, right?"

"Yeah. Until then, I'm counting on you."