Chapter 959
Editor : Amethyst00
"Ah, Aru! Let go of me!"
"I can't!"
Aru was being dragged along by Aaron, who was determinedly pulling her despite her clinging to his leg.
Even with her overwhelming physical abilities, Aru couldn't stop Aaron when he was set on dragging her along.
At best, all she could do was cling to him.
Aaron finally stopped walking and looked down at Aru with a troubled expression.
Aru looked up at him with teary eyes.
Right now, Aaron wasn't trying to run away.
On the contrary, he could very well stand and fight.
His reason for trying to leave Raysar was purely for the sake of the future.
He was willing to give up his chance to meet his master and save his homeland, just so that the people of the future wouldn't be endangered.
Aru knew all too well how devastating that must feel for Aaron.
That's exactly why she couldn't let him go.
"Aru. This is already a fixed past. Nothing we do here can change it."
"……"
"And besides, I'm already dead. I can't let you sacrifice yourselves because of me…"
"I know."
"……"
"But that doesn't mean we can just ignore it."
Just as Aaron said, the past had already been determined.
No matter what they did here, nothing would change.
It was meaningless and futile.
But for some, this was a past they desperately wished to change.
A wound filled with thousands, tens of thousands of regrets.
He may call it meaningless.
But to Aaron, it had meaning.
Even if the person was already dead.
That person deserved a chance to lay down their burdens.
Because the future Aaron was protecting—that was a future built by that person.
"Aru…"
As Aaron bit his lip—
"Graaaaaaagh!"
A horrible scream rang out.
The two, looking at each other, ran in the direction the scream came from.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
The one running through the alley with bloodshot eyes was Raysar's lord, Levaiten.
A man who deluded himself into thinking he could rise as a great being of a new world.
A foolish traitor who promised Tartaros the entire city of Raysar in exchange for immortality and riches.
Now, he had lost everything at the hands of the shadows that stormed his manor.
"Incompetent fools! They couldn't even stop something like that!"
Grinding his teeth, Levaiten recalled the heroes of Raysar who had once followed him.
Those closest to him, boasting of their strength, had been neutralized in an instant.
"I should've gotten rid of those things long ago!"
Levaiten barely managed to escape through a secret passage.
'All I have to do is stay alive! Just survive!'
His ally was none other than Tartaros.
With the power of the demons, he would drive out the unknown attackers and reclaim his seat of power.
"Wretched vermin! When I return—!"
Shk—! Thud—!
Suddenly, a silver flash struck down upon Levaiten as he cursed.
Splat!
A searing pain erupted from his arm, and Levaiten screamed.
"Aaaaagh!"
Clutching his severed arm, he turned around in a panic, thinking the attackers had caught up.
But no one was there.
Then, a cold voice came from ahead.
"It's been a while, Levaiten."
"S-Sir Agon…!"
Levaiten forced a smile.
"Oh, it's been too long! Sir Agon! Thank goodness! The city is in great danger—"
Crack!
"Graaaaaaaaah!"
Agon's claws tore savagely into Levaiten's other arm.
"Why…! Why…!"
"Do you truly not understand why I'm doing this?"
Agon sneered coldly.
He knew everything.
But he had held back his rage, knowing that giving in would endanger Raysar.
"It wasn't me…! It was the former lord…"
Step—
"Hiiiick! P-Please spare me! Forgive me!"
Even as his last arm was torn away, Levaiten kept blaming the former lord and begged for his life as Agon approached.
Agon silently raised his hand.
At that moment—
"Master."
Agon froze at the voice behind him.
Turning cold eyes, he looked at Aaron.
"It's been a long time."
"……"
"I didn't want to see you again."
"I really wanted to see you."
Aaron smiled bitterly.
"I saw and learned so much."
Looking into Agon's face, he said,
"I'm still a coward… but I learned how to be brave."
Aaron looked his master in the eye, unwavering.
"I even saw the blue sky you once spoke of."
What had happened?
Agon was speechless as he looked at his grown-up disciple.
This wasn't the version of himself he wanted Aaron to see.
A man who had become a vengeful ghost, abandoning even duty.
He didn't want his disciple, walking toward the future, to see this broken version of him.
"Aaron, I…"
"You're still my master."
Aaron said firmly.
"No matter what form you take… You're the one who taught me courage. The one who showed me there was a blue sky. You'll always be my proud master."
Just then—
In the sky beyond the walls, a summoning circle of Tartaros appeared.
Moments later, a warp gate connected from Godthrone also appeared.
Aaron sighed deeply at the sight.
"Seriously, Kyle…"
He knew exactly what it meant.
A friend from the future had likely brought his companions back in time to Raysar.
"I really thought you'd think the same way I do."
Now that it had come to this, they had no choice but to fight.
Aaron took a deep breath.
"I've always wanted to show you this."
Aaron opened his eyes clearly and looked at Agon.
"My changed self."
[Objective updated.]
[Hidden Objective: Save Raysar.]
Aru widened her eyes at the message that appeared.
With newfound resolve, Aaron returned to the form of a true Brave.
He turned around.
Seeing Aaron head for the wall, Aru called out in panic.
"Huh? Aaron! What about Sir Agon…?"
"He'll come."
With a light smile, Aaron ran toward the wall.
After hastily bowing to Agon, Aru followed.
Left alone, Agon watched Aaron's back.
"…He's all grown up now."
The disciple in his memories was no longer there.
Only a grown man walking his own path remained.
He didn't fully understand Aaron's words, but one thing he did know—
That Aaron had surpassed him long ago.
'Can I… stand on the battlefield again?'
He had been broken already.
If he fought again, he might only hold his disciple back.
As Agon hesitated—
Rustle… Rustle…
He heard approaching footsteps.
Turning his head, Agon's eyes widened.
"El…sie?"
There stood Elsie, holding a sword in her arms.
"It's been a while, Agon."
Elsie smiled bittersweetly.
Their story began the day Elsie was born.
She was once Agon's sword— Schatten, the blade that devoured darkness.
After the sword broke on the battlefield, Elsie awoke and settled in an orphanage.
Later, in the original timeline, Elsie witnessed human malice and, like Agon, became disillusioned with the world.
But in the final moments—
She sacrificed herself for the world.
Tears welled in Agon's eyes. He didn't know Elsie was the Elemental Lord of Darkness.
"You… were alive…?"
"I'm sorry, Agon. I'm not the Elsie you once knew."
Rescued by Leo in the Hero's World, this Elsie had never experienced the tragedies Agon had.
But still—
Elsie remembered.
All the stories Agon had told her.
The beauty of the night sky reclaimed by starlight.
The bright, blue sky filled with white clouds.
All of it, exactly as Agon had described.
No, even more beautiful.
"Agon, I may never understand everything you feel. What you went through is unimaginable."
Elsie approached him.
"But… I do know one thing: who you are hasn't changed."
She held out the sword.
"…Schatten."
Agon gently brushed the sword that looked exactly like the one he once wielded.
Dweno had made it days earlier at Elsie's request.
"Agon, Guardian of the Azure Sky. You are Raysar's hero."
"……"
"I know. Even if you're broken again and again— you'll still rise and fight for others."
Elsie's eyes shone with unshakable belief.
"No matter how cruel the world is… You taught Aaron and me that there are still things worth protecting."
That's why Elsie and Agon could never truly give up on the world.
They believed, without a doubt, that light could still exist in darkness.
"Urrgh…"
Levaiten, groaning, tried to crawl away.
Elsie's cold eyes fell on him.
Thud—!
Agon stabbed Levaiten in the heart with his sword.
"Grrrk—!"
Levaiten died pathetically.
"There's no need to stain your hands with the blood of such filth."
Agon reached out and patted Elsie's head.
"Yes. Even in a filthy world… some things are still worth protecting."
Resolve filled Agon's eyes.
He turned.
And followed his disciple.
Seeing the massive Tartaros army gather before Raysar, Leo muttered,
"There's more than I remember."
"What?"
Lunia looked flustered.
"It's that damn Lich King's plan. He must've realized something went wrong and brought in everything he had."
"Ah! That damn bone mutt!"
Lunia ground her teeth.
The current generals were overwhelmingly stronger than their future counterparts.
Even if the new generation inherited the powers and records of the legions—
They couldn't compare to the strength of the generals blessed by Erebos.
The overwhelming enemy numbers daunted the people.
The hero candidates swallowed dryly.
Lysinas looked grim.
Even though they'd brought maximum force, it didn't seem enough.
And this wasn't Godthrone's wall.
Though similar in size, Godthrone's walls were designed by Dweno and magically protected by Luna and Lysinas.
The durability was in a different league.
And everyone was demoralized.
'We need something to turn the tide.'
Then Kyle said,
"Luna."
"Yeah?"
"Do that thing you're good at."
"What thing?"
"You know. Hit 'em with something big, then strike a pose and lift morale."
"That's not posing. That's actually cool."
Luna crossed her arms.
"But that idiot dragon turned me into a spotted mess. Don't know if I can be majestic today."
When she rolled her eyes, Lysinas applied healing magic to her hands and pressed both her eyes.
"Ow! Ow! Stupid dragon's bullying me!"
"I'm healing you."
"You're trying to gouge my eyes out!"
"Dweno, help me out here."
"Don't come near me. I refuse to be lumped in with you."
The hero candidates felt a bit more relaxed seeing the legendary heroes banter.
Then—
Flash—!
A golden light streaked across the sky.
Everyone looked up, startled.
Boom—!
Aura rained down from the heavens like a storm.
The great heroes stopped in their tracks, eyes wide.
Tap—!
Someone landed atop the wall.
Whooooosh—!
White hair blew in the wind.
All eyes turned to the beastman man.
Hero Aaron slowly stood up.
Then, he turned his head and looked back.
A smirk curled one side of his lips.
His eyes burned with resolve.
Snap—!
Aaron raised one hand.
Index finger up.
A year ago.
When they had defeated a fragment of Erebos, the hero candidates remembered that gesture.
That day, Aaron disappeared just like that.
With a grin, Aaron spoke in a low voice:
"I'm here."
Somehow, those few words carried dignity.
And gave unknown courage to those who saw him.
"Wooooaaaaaaaah!"
The hero candidates cheered with all their might.
The soldiers on the wall joined in, swept up in the moment.
Lysinas gaped.
Dweno looked dumbfounded.
"What did he eat while we weren't looking? Kyle, why's Aaron acting like you?"
"When have I ever done that?"
Kyle replied gruffly. Luna clutched her belly, laughing.
"Wow! That was awesome! He nailed it, just like I taught him!"
Lysinas clutched her head in despair.
"Not Aaron too… He can't become like these idiots…"
Seeing the timid but pure-hearted Aaron being influenced by his rotten friends, Lysinas could only cry out.
"Hey."
"Ah! Ky… Leo!"
Aaron turned to Leo with a bright smile.
"But Lysinas hates it."
"So? It's cool!"
Leo looked bewildered at Aaron's innocent grin and shook his head.
"Well, whatever."
Leo's eyes gleamed.
"It's time to change the past. Are you ready?"
A glint shone in Aaron's golden eyes.
"Of course."
With a grin, Aaron drew in a deep breath.
Awooooooooooooooo—!
The Brave's howl signaled the beginning of war.