Editor : Amethyst00



The illusion is collapsing.

The moment this illusion breaks down, the seal on the fragment of Erebos will be lifted, and it will reveal itself to the world.

'I must stop that, no matter what.'

Sylord bit down hard on his lips.

But in his current state, all Sylord could manage was to suppress Erebos at best.

A desperate, critical moment.

It was at that moment that Melina arrived.

'The Silent Dragon… Melina.'

Sylord had lived in seclusion from the outside world for the past 5,000 years.

Even so, he wasn't ignorant of the heroes who had made their names known across the world.

Fairies who ventured outside brought back countless tales, sharing them with Sylord.

Listening to the stories of the young fairies— It was one of Sylord's favorite times.

He, too, had wanted to embark on such adventures.

Not in a world doomed to ruin… but in one filled with hope.

To see the beauty of the world, with the covenantor he had formed a pact with, and her friends—

No, his irreplaceable, true companions— To laugh, talk, and journey together through the world.

That had been the greatest wish Sylord dreamed of during the age of calamity.

But that wish never came true.

Sylord could have traveled the world freely.

But no one ever returned.

Not the covenantor.

Not the closest of friends.

Not even the phantom beast kings who had cared for him.

Even if Sylord had joined the final expedition, the outcome would not have changed.

No, perhaps the lineage of the Fairy King would have ended altogether.

Even so…

For 5,000 years, Sylord regretted not joining that final journey.

The regret from that choice eventually turned into lingering attachment.

But immediately after the end of the age of calamity, he wasn't consumed by that regret.

Back then, there were still others who shared his pain.

Those who had not joined the journey and were left behind.

The heroes who had stood on the battlefield with the great heroes.

Yet, one by one, those who had once shared the name of Arhi passed away, until only Sylord remained.

And when he sealed the fragment of Erebos, Sylord became trapped in the past.

Driven by the sense of duty to protect the world as the last of Arhi.

Unable to adventure, he had to be content with listening to tales of heroes and their adventures from the outside world.

And so, over 5,000 years, he heard countless stories of heroes.

And he remembered the many heroes who had fallen.

Melina was also among those who had fallen.

And Sylord knew the reason behind her downfall.

'The conquest of the Dawn World.'

The truth of the Dawn World, a secret hidden for thousands of years.

But Sylord had known the truth ever since the Return of the Calamity had been brought to an end.

He knew more than anyone that without the power of purity, Erebos could not be destroyed.

Countless heroes had emerged over the past 5,000 years.

But not a single one among the heroes of the post-Dawn era had successfully stood against Erebos and risen again.

Many had attempted the conquest of the Dawn World, but all had failed, most losing their lives.

Even those who returned were left irreparably broken.

Melina was one of those heroes.

That was why she became the Silent Dragon.

Goooooooooo—!

Magic surged from Melina's body.

It was a power familiar to Sylord.

'Lysinas…'

Through the World of Heroes, Sylord realized that she had inherited Lysinas's power.

'But… that alone won't be enough…!'

Sylord bit his lips hard.

Mimicking Lysinas alone would not be enough to stop Erebos.

"Interesting. A dragon who inherited the power of a fool."

Erebos's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Having only recently awakened, Erebos knew nothing of the current era.

Moreover, after awakening, he had been trapped within the illusion cast by Sylord.

Thus, he was ignorant of Hero Records and the World of Heroes.

But he instantly saw through the source of Melina's power.

"A trick of the gods, is it?"

With amusement, Erebos exhaled flames.

Goooooooooooooooo—!

A monstrous black flame erupted from Erebos's colossal, flaming body.

"But I wonder… can you really handle it?"

Erebos opened his right hand.

Fwhoooosh! Ku-ga-ga-ga-gak!

From his grotesque right hand, a sticky, black sludge oozed like underground water.

Chiiiiiiiiiiik—!

The black sludge dropped to the ground and began spreading like ink.

"The Authority of Corruption…"

Melina murmured softly.

One of the many authorities Erebos possessed.

Erebos could not move outside of the land he had corrupted.

That was due to the divine injunction placed by the gods when they used their last strength to drive him out of the lower world.

But within lands tainted by his corrupting power, he could roam freely.

'Just like dousing the ground with oil before setting it on fire…'

Goooooooo—!

His authority of corruption began eroding Sylord's illusion magic.

If left alone, the illusion would be destroyed in an instant.

Realizing this, Melina took a deep breath and stretched out her hand.

Woom—!

A giant staff was summoned before her.

Tak—!

Grasping the staff with her right hand, Melina raised her left.

She opened her left eye, which had been closed.

Where an eyeball should have been, a dark orb like obsidian shimmered.

Melina pulled the orb from her left eye with her left hand.

"Is that a Dragon Heart?"

"Yes. A long time ago, I extracted my Dragon Heart from my body."

The Dragon Heart located in the right chest of a dragon.

It does not function as a heart, but grants a dragon immense mana—an essential organ.

While not a heart, it is a vital spot, and removing it carelessly could lead to death.

"You pulled it out yourself."

"Yes. I happened to lose my left eye. I needed something to fill the emptiness."

As if it were nothing special, Melina said this and then placed her Dragon Heart in her mouth.

Gulp—!

She swallowed it.

Goooooooooooo—!

Lysinas's mana surged even stronger from her body.

"Ho?"

Erebos exhaled a sound of admiration.

"Trying to mimic that fool?"

"How could I dare imitate the Wise Queen?"

Melina smiled faintly.

"I'm just doing my best."

She swung the staff in her right hand.

With that, countless magic circles appeared in midair.

All of them were dragon-word spells.

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-kak—!

Silver dragon-word magic pierced toward Erebos.

'This isn't Lysinas's magic?'

Erebos's eyes twitched.

Every spell Melina cast from her fingertips was unknown to Erebos.

They were all original spells created by Melina.

'Dragon-word magic fused with elemental magic…'

Erebos narrowed his eyes.

He stopped his attempt to burn the spells away with his flames.

Each spell was extraordinary.

The power embedded within them suppressed Erebos's flames.

"This isn't your first time fighting me, is it, dragon?"

Erebos saw straight through Melina's experience.

"Yes."

Melina smiled faintly as she looked at the restrained Erebos.

"It was another fragment of you that took my left eye."

She brushed the area where her left eye used to be.

"You burned everything I had."

There was no emotion in Melina's calm voice.

"After barely surviving that battle… I removed my Dragon Heart myself."

It was all in preparation for the next battle against Erebos.

A Dragon Heart grants near-infinite mana to a dragon.

But it has limits.

As part of the body, it cannot contain power beyond the physical limits.

So she removed it.

To be able to hold even greater mana.

Through the years of silence, she had lived solely for the purpose of defeating Erebos.

But deep down, Melina was consumed by fear of Erebos.

A pure, overwhelming fear.

The fear that she might do nothing and simply die if she fought him again.

Even if it was just a single fragment of Erebos, she couldn't be certain she could overcome him, no matter how hard she struggled.

But…

"You know you'll die if you're not careful, don't you?"

"I'm not afraid of death."

By reabsorbing the removed Dragon Heart, she momentarily gained power beyond her limits.

But that power was destroying her body.

"But death isn't what you truly fear, is it?"

Erebos saw through what Melina truly feared.

'There's nothing left to fear now.'

Melina extended her hand.

'Because Leo is here.'

Woom—!

Lysinas's mana surged.

'Because there are children who will support Leo.'

She might fail.

But even if she failed, it wouldn't be the end.

There were those who would follow.

That knowledge gave Melina strength and calm.

"…That look in your eyes is familiar."

Within those steadfast eyes, which had overcome fear, Erebos saw someone else.

'The Wise Queen, Lysinas.'

Even though he had known it would be his end, that wretched dragon had the same look.

"What is your name, dragon?"

"You don't get to know my name."

Melina smiled sweetly and completed the spell.

It was far from original.

Just a rough imitation she barely managed to learn from Leo.

'Judgment.'

The signature spell of Lysinas unfolded from Melina's hand.

As she drew the bowstring, light gathered.

When she released it, an arrow of light shot toward Erebos.

Flash—! Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-gang—!

The judgment of the Wise Queen, meant to destroy evil, struck down.

Sylord's eyes widened.

"The Silent Dragon… what has happened to you…?"

"…A lot has happened."

Melina smiled softly at Sylord's question.

"Don't worry too much, Your Majesty the Fairy King."

Fwoooosh—!

Black flames surged.

Then—

Kwaaaaaaa—!

A massive whirlpool of water, created by the meeting of wind and water, swept away the black flames.

Crackle-crack-crack—!

A pure white thunderstorm descended from the sky and struck the black flames.

Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gang—!

A massive explosion erupted.

"Ooooooooh! Amazing! Our school's little monsters!"

A slightly anticlimactic cheer from Carl followed.

Sylord stared blankly at the new-generation heroes who revealed themselves.

"Who are they?"

In response to his question, Melina calmly looked at the aspiring heroes and said:

"They are the new members of Arhi."

"…!"

"They're the ones who will carry on the legacy you've upheld."