Editor : Amethyst00



Ceneor's eyes gleamed with madness.

She was utterly captivated by the two heroes before her.

No—

The demon known as Ceneor loved all heroes.

Demons were beings of destruction.

Because the origin of their creation began with the Flame of Calamity.

Their very purpose of existence was to bring about the world's end—Erebos.

Created by such a will of their creator, demons longed for the world's destruction.

But it had been 5,000 years since Erebos was sealed in six pieces by the Great Heroes.

After the Age of Calamity, signs of change began to appear among the demons born in the new era.

Especially after two of the Three Great Legion Commanders—who had ruled since the Age of Calamity, the Queen of Monsters and the Giant King—were defeated, the pace of change accelerated.

Demons who no longer desired destruction but domination began to emerge.

The one who represented such demons was the Dark King.

'I don't care about any of that.'

A ghostly smile played on Ceneor's lips.

The origin of demons was destruction.

The world's end was the very reason for their existence.

'That's why demons fear those who could stop the world's destruction. Pathetic.'

Ceneor had no interest in the world's destruction.

Nor was she interested in ruling the world by killing all surface-dwellers.

She desired only one thing.

To be a special existence.

And for Ceneor, fighting heroes was the way to prove her uniqueness.

A battle between those who sought to destroy the world and those who tried to stop it.

Regardless of the result, it had meaning. That's why she was drawn to heroes—the longtime enemies of demons.

And as she conquered the World of the Legions, Ceneor's belief only grew stronger. Very few demons had succeeded in conquering the World of the Legions.

The Lich King evaluated those demons thus:

Natural enemies of heroes.

'Killing heroes is the very reason I exist.'

A battle upon which the fate of the world rests.

How extraordinary is that?

No matter how much they were her enemies, she couldn't help but love the heroes who made her feel special.

"The first heroes I've ever met since I was born…!"

A blush rose on Ceneor's face.

"I'll never forget you."

With those words, Ceneor's clones charged toward Melina and Carl.

Wuuuung—!

At the same time, a torrent of intense black mana burst from Ceneor's body.

"Ahahahahahaha!"

With veins bulging all over her body and a grotesque form, Ceneor cackled like a lunatic.

Melina's eyes twitched at the sight.

"This is…?"

"A divine authority."

Leo's voice came from behind Melina.

"The Berserk of Giath. A power inherited through the World of the Legions."

"Lord Leo."

"Oh! Leo! You're here?!"

Melina and Carl turned around.

Then fell silent.

Carl scratched his cheek upon seeing Leo standing beside Chelsea.

"Uh… um… what's with your appearance?"

"Because of the illusion, Leo turned back into his younger self! Isn't he super cute?"

Chelsea beamed and lifted Leo under his armpits.

"You've been treating me like a kid this whole time, haven't you?"

"Well, you are a kid right now."

Chelsea smiled slyly.

"Unlike Leo, I'm an adult now!"

With a proud laugh, Chelsea put Leo down and puffed out her chest.

"Usually Leo treats me like a little kid, right? So now he gets to feel what that's like."

Leo chuckled.

"Adults don't go around calling themselves adults."

"Lord Leo…"

Melina looked at him with concern.

Carl, too, wore a serious expression.

"Can you fight like that?"

"No problem handling mana. Not suited for combat, but that's fine."

Currently, the illusion magic of Sylord was beginning to be influenced by Erebos.

As a result, the illusion had become powerful enough to affect Leo.

But if he wanted, he could escape it at any time.

'The issue is finding the key.'

Considering that, it was better to remain under the illusion for now.

"Well, good thing you can still use mana."

Carl's face relaxed.

But Melina's remained tense.

She wasn't worried about Leo's combat ability.

She was worried about the fact that Leo looked like a child.

Because she understood the nature of this illusion.

It reflected the future for those who longed for it.

The present for those who desired it.

And the past for those who missed it.

Having experienced it multiple times, Melina understood this illusion clearly.

And for Leo to appear as a child…

'It means Lord Leo longs for the past.'

Leo was the one who ushered in the Age of Heroes.

And now, reborn in the present, he had become the king of the world.

He was trying to accomplish what he couldn't in his past life—the complete eradication of Erebos.

Others didn't fully understand what that meant.

But Melina, a descendant of the Wise Queen and inheritor of Lysinas's knowledge and will, knew very well what the complete eradication of Erebos would mean.

'The beginning of a new era.'

The end of the Age of Heroes.

And the opening of an entirely new age.

Leo was the beginning and end of the Age of Heroes.

And the one who would begin the new era.

Melina understood.

People longed for the past—

'When they're tired and worn out…'

That appearance was proof that Leo, the very symbol of a new beginning, was weary.

Seeing Melina's worried gaze, Leo smiled faintly.

"You've felt the same before, haven't you?"

"…That's true."

Leo saw right through Melina's thoughts.

"Longing for the past… is just proof you're an adult."

"I'm still just a normal person. I get tired, too."

"…"

Watching their conversation, Chelsea and Carl wore puzzled expressions.

"What are they talking about?"

"No idea. Probably something only adults understand."

Carl shrugged at Chelsea's question.

"I am an adult now, though?"

"Only in body."

Carl shook his head.

Then— Leo spoke to Melina.

"A kid worrying about an adult? Don't overthink it."

"…I'm not a kid."

Melina smiled awkwardly.

Chelsea chimed in.

"See? From Leo's perspective, you and I are the same."

"…That can't be right," Carl said, baffled.

Of course Chelsea knew that, too.

She just didn't want to face it.

"So? What about the other three?"

"Lyl's in the south. Eliza and Xia seem to be in the north."

As Carl shared what he learned, Leo thought for a moment and nodded.

"I can guess two possible locations for the key."

"Where?"

Carl looked curious.

Just then, Melina destroyed the approaching clones of Ceneor.

A huge explosion followed, spraying flesh and bone.

"Ugh? Did she enchant the corpses with an explosion spell?"

"A simple yet effective magic."

Leo replied calmly and turned to look at Ceneor.

"Huff—! Huff—!"

Ceneor, panting and eyes rolled back, was clearly unstable.

Berserker influence.

Even the cautious Giant King had shown terrifying aggression when using the Madness authority.

Most demons would go half-mad from it.

'She doesn't act like a legion commander, but the power is real.'

Leo had encountered several legion commanders from the Age of Heroes.

And Ceneor's power easily outmatched them all.

'No matter how much she inherited by conquering the Legion World, the fact that she can use an authority shows the Lich King is drawing power from an Erebos fragment.'

"Lord Leo. I will take down that legion commander."

Melina said respectfully.

"I will offer the glory of victory to you, Lord Leo."

With a solemn expression and respectful demeanor, Melina resembled a knight addressing her king.

"Wow… that's so cool."

"Well, Leo is now the King of the World. And didn't they say he's the owner of the Hero Record? That means he's the king of heroes too."

As Chelsea murmured in awe, Carl chuckled.

Strictly speaking, Leo was also the founder of the Age of Heroes.

"For someone like that, casually lifting him up like a kid is seriously disrespectful, don't you think?"

"Ugh?!"

"Well, Leo's not one to insist on authority, so I guess he doesn't mind."

Chelsea flinched.

Then—

"Chelsea."

"Huh?"

"You take her on."

"Me?"

Chelsea, along with Melina and Carl, widened their eyes.

Leo looked at Chelsea with his usual calm gaze.

"You can do it, right?"

Chelsea saw the 'trust' in those eyes and clenched her fist.

'Can I… really fight a legion commander alone?'

Even though she'd grown stronger, Chelsea still couldn't gauge her own power.

Fear came first.

But…

'Leo thinks I can do it.'

Chelsea chose to trust in Leo's belief in her.

"Yes."

Chelsea answered with a serious face.

"I'll offer the glory of victory to you, Leo."

"Fufufu—! Are you copying me now?"

Melina giggled behind her hand as if Chelsea were adorable.

Blushing slightly, Chelsea cleared her throat and stepped toward Ceneor.

"Will she be alright?"

Carl looked worried, and Leo replied, "She'll be fine. Chelsea is strong now."

Leo watched her back.

"When someone's potential has blossomed… learning just how strong they've become is a valuable lesson."

Then Leo spoke again.

"Fiora. Alty."

Fwoosh—Crackle—

["Did you call, Master?"]

["Did you summon me, my lord?"]

A dazzling phoenix and a pure white pegasus appeared.

"Whoa. Fiora's in full adult form now?"

Carl admired, and Fiora looked proud.

"I thought you'd get super fat or something. Guess it's a relief?"

["Wham! CHOMP!"]

The phoenix grabbed Carl by the scruff of the neck and spun him wildly through the air.

"Gyaaaah! S-Save me!"

["M-Miss Fiora! Please use that new move on me too!"]

As chaos erupted, Leo sighed.

"That's enough."

Fiora released Carl.

"Fiora, go north and find Chen Xia and Eliza. Wait with them. Alty, head south, bring Lyl, and regroup with the others."

["Yes, Master."]

["Understood, my lord."]

With their answers, the two vanished in flame and lightning.

"Where are the suspected locations of the key?"

Melina asked carefully.

"The old Fairyland. And…"

Leo answered quietly.

"Godthrone"