Chapter 144
Chapter Title: A Dance of Revelations
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144
The moment Sid met Leo’s gaze, he felt a chill run down his entire body.
‘What is with those eyes?’
There was no discernible emotion in them.
No hostility toward demons, no fear, nothing.
The emotions a person should naturally have were completely absent.
They were simply calm.
The only thing visible was a faint disgust, as if he were looking at trash on the street that needed to be cleaned up.
Sid could say with certainty that he had never seen anyone with eyes like these.
Not even those called heroes had such a look.
For a fleeting moment, overwhelmed by Leo's killing intent, Sid felt a pang of fear.
When he came to his senses, he realized he was drenched in a cold sweat.
“What do you think you can do?”
Sid scoffed, quickly regaining his composure.
“We have this world completely under our control. It seems you were clever enough to notice our presence… but that’s all. What can you possibly do?”
“More than you think.”
Sid’s face contorted as he looked at Leo’s cold smile.
‘Should I kill him right here, right now?’
He entertained the thought for a moment before glancing around.
‘Too many witnesses.’
Sid was currently inhabiting the body of Barharun’s vice-principal.
And he had long since taken control of the entire school.
It was true that he could manipulate all of Barharun.
But that was only from behind the scenes.
He couldn’t openly use his power in front of others.
Erebos and Tartaros had long been enemies of the gods and the races of the mortal plane.
It was the same even before the Age of Calamity.
The moment his identity was revealed here, everything they had built would turn to dust.
Leo had seen through that perfectly and acted accordingly.
Sid couldn’t use his power in a public place.
Nor did he have a pretext to use his authority to suppress Akint.
Knowing this, Leo had openly declared war.
After staring at Sid with frigid eyes, Leo turned away.
Sid watched him go, the corners of his mouth curling up.
‘You lot won’t be able to do a thing.’
They had been preparing for a long time.
‘You will watch as the Great Hero you so revere burns away, helpless and gone!’
The goal of Tartaros wasn’t simply to ruin Luna’s world.
It was to burn it to ashes completely.
So that the power could never be passed on again!
Sid’s body trembled with exhilaration as he imagined that face contorting in despair.
‘As you despair watching the Great Hero burn to nothing, I will be the one to personally take your head!’
Leo paid no mind to Sid’s gleaming eyes.
He simply walked toward Luna.
‘This world will be cleared the moment Luna creates the foundation of Star Magic.’
Leo was lost in thought as he watched Luna approach after exchanging greetings with the princess.
‘But it must be completed solely through Luna’s power.’
Star Magic was, quite literally, creating something from nothing.
A completely new law of magic that had never existed before.
Magic completed purely through the power of a single person.
He couldn’t provide any help whatsoever in its creation.
The moment he did, Star Magic would no longer be magic created by Luna, but magic completed with someone else’s help, and it would lose its light.
“Luna. Did you speak with the princess?”
“Yes! But she seems to have changed a lot.”
“Changed?”
“Yes. She used to dislike me, but now she gives me a bright smile.”
At those words, Leo glanced toward the princess.
Most of the elves in the party hall had already finished greeting her.
As such, the line was quite short.
Leo’s eyes gleamed as he got in line to greet the princess.
A short while later.
When it was his turn, Leo bowed his head.
“Akint pays his respects to Your Highness, the Princess.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Akint.”
“Indeed. By the way, Your Highness, do you happen to know anything about Lumerne?”
Kneeling, Leo looked up at Serzia and smiled.
At his question, her expression shifted for an instant.
“Yes, I do. I’ve heard the name before. Akint, are you familiar with Seirun?”
“Of course, I am.”
After answering, Leo smiled and stepped back.
To others, it would have sounded like a strange conversation.
Indeed, those nearby looked at Leo with puzzled expressions.
But for the two of them, it was an effective code to confirm each other’s identities.
‘In this era, no one would know about the hero academies of the future.’
Leo thought to himself as he returned to Luna.
‘Lunia as the princess. Things might just get easier.’
Meanwhile, Lunia’s eyes also shone as she watched Leo’s retreating back.
‘It’s definitely Leo.’
It could have been Elena, but based on the way he spoke and his aura, it was Leo.
Lunia took a deep breath.
‘I have to tell Leo about Erebos.’
As she was thinking,
The music in the party hall stopped.
At the same time, the man of the hour, Elf King Ergen, appeared at the entrance.
Every elf in the hall respectfully knelt.
“We wish you a happy birthday.”
“Happy birthday!”
Ergen smiled at the congratulations from the high elves.
“To think you have all gathered to celebrate my birthday… Thank you. I am grateful to you all for gracing this occasion. Please, pay me no mind and enjoy the party today.”
With those words, Ergen went to the head table and sat down.
The elves who had gathered for the party then formed a line before him.
The music started again, and the party resumed.
Luna was in a corner, taking deep breaths.
“It’s not like you to be so nervous.”
“Well, of course! This decides whether or not I receive funding from His Majesty Ergen again.”
Luna said, clenching her fists.
The very reason she had come to this party was to report her research progress to the Elf King and secure his patronage.
Though she had been isolated, Luna had been striving to overcome her situation one way or another.
“Things might get a little easier.”
“Pardon?”
Luna wore a puzzled expression at Leo’s words.
Then, she looked where Leo was pointing, and her eyes widened.
Approaching them was none other than Lunia.
Luna bowed her head in a show of respect.
Lunia looked at her, took a deep breath, and then spoke to Leo.
“Would you care for… a dance?”
Then and now, elves loved music and dance.
Dancing together at a party was a part of their culture.
So, there was nothing strange about her asking him to dance.
“It would be my honor.”
Leo smiled gently and led Lunia to the center of the party hall.
The two began to dance to the music.
“You’re Leo, right?”
“Yes, Lunia.”
Lunia let out a sigh of relief at Leo’s words and said.
“What have you figured out about this world?”
“That it’s before the Age of Calamity, and that it’s Luna’s world.”
“I’ve figured that much out, too. Do you have any idea what the condition for clearing it is?”
“I do.”
“What is it?”
“Luna has to create Star Magic.”
“I see.”
Lunia nodded upon hearing Leo’s words.
“And one more thing.”
“Hm?”
“Tartaros is in this world.”
At those words, Lunia’s face hardened slightly.
“They’re here in this party hall right now.”
Lunia’s hand, holding Leo’s, tightened.
“Are you saying it’s the Tartaros of the past?”
“No. Like us, outsiders have come into this world.”
Lunia’s expression grew grim.
“That’s possible.”
“Possible? Did you figure something out, too?”
Leo looked at Lunia with a puzzled expression, noting how she accepted it so quickly without surprise.
Never before had demons invaded the World of Heroes.
This was a massive event that could literally turn the world upside down.
And yet, Lunia accepted Leo’s words without a shred of doubt.
Leo was certain that Lunia had discovered something he didn’t know.
At Leo’s question, Lunia took a deep breath.
“Leo, don’t be shocked.”
“What is it?”
“In this world… is Erebos.”
Hearing the slight tremble in Lunia’s voice, Leo couldn’t comprehend her words for a moment.
“Erebos is here?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw him myself.”
Her hand, naturally held in his as they danced, tightened.
The body that had barely calmed down after seeing Luna began to tremble again.
“Lunia.”
At Leo’s call, Lunia lifted her head.
In their original forms, there wasn’t much of a height difference, but now there was a clear one.
Leo smiled at Lunia, who was looking up at him.
“It’s okay.”
It wasn’t the voice of the Leo she knew.
It was the voice of a figure from a past Lunia knew nothing about.
But the power contained within that voice was Leo’s.
It was just like when he had looked at Luna a moment ago.
The fear and anxiety in her heart subsided.
Feeling Lunia’s trembling cease, Leo spoke.
“Can you tell me more about that?”
***
“How boring. A battle of attrition like this.”
Elena waved her finger with a bored expression.
*Crackle-!*
Blue lightning spread out in all directions.
*Zzzzzzzap-!*
*Gwooooaaaar!*
Screams erupted from the electrocuted skeleton knights.
*Snap-!*
*Crumble-!*
With a snap of her fingers, the skeleton knights turned to dust and vanished.
The back alley was literally a haven for corpses.
Undead poured out endlessly.
Not only were they numerous, but they were also varied.
From low-level undead to high-level ones.
This place was, in every sense, a nest.
*Gwoooar!*
A ghoul walked out from deeper in the alley.
But it was different from a typical ghoul.
It wore armor and held a crude weapon in its hands.
“A ghoul soldier.”
Elena furrowed her brow at the stench wafting toward them.
Hadin readjusted his grip on his sword.
A gentle breeze blew, carrying the foul odor away.
The stench emitted by the ghouls was laced with poison.
Of course, for skilled individuals like Elena and Hadin, it had little to no effect.
However, Elena and Hadin were currently with Merin.
It was too late to send Merin back now; she was too deeply involved.
‘If she’s discovered, she might suffer a terrible fate.’
Elena stroked the head of the terrified Merin.
She was just a person who existed in the past.
There was no reason to protect someone who didn't truly exist.
But neither Elena nor Hadin left Merin behind.
Even the greatest hero cannot save everyone in the world.
If so, they had to at least protect those before them who were trying their best to survive.
That was the virtue of a hero candidate.
Even if that person had already vanished in the past.
‘Hadin would think so. He’s so strait-laced.’
Elena removed her hand from Merin's head and pointed her finger at the ghouls.
*Vmmm-!*
Particles of light formed at the tip of her finger.
The reason Elena was protecting Merin was nothing special.
It was simply because she had been taught to do so.
*Flash-!*
A beam of white light shot out with a brilliant flash, blowing the ghoul soldiers away.
‘And because I have the power to protect them.’
*Clack- clack-*
Elena, walking ahead, gently twirled a lock of her hair.
“This is getting tedious.”
A hint of irritation colored her eyes.
“Should I just blow this whole filthy alley away?”
“You can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“If you use magic, the entire surrounding area will be blown away.”
“Hmph. It’s a garbage pit like this anyway. What does it matter if a little gets blown up?”
“Hmph. Not a very hero-candidate-like thought.”
*Click- clack-*
A saccharine voice echoed from deeper in the alley.
Along with the sound of heels, an elf emerged from the darkness.
But both Elena and Hadin could identify the true nature of the schoolgirl in uniform.
“So you finally crawled out.”
Elena wore a welcoming expression.
“What an ill-mannered little girl. ‘Crawled out’? What am I, a dog?”
At that question, Elena’s eyes widened, and she adopted a pitiful expression.
“Oh, my. I must have given you the wrong impression. Did you think you were on the level of a puppy? I was thinking more along the lines of a cockroach…”
“What?”
“Puppies are at least cute, but you’re just a disgusting vermin, aren’t you? So cockroach fits perfectly.”
“You little wench, is your mouth a sewer…!”
The necromancer’s face twisted in fury.
But soon, a relaxed smile returned to her lips.
“Well, talk all you want. You’ll all be dead soon enough.”
“Oh, my. No matter how disgusting, a cockroach is still just a cockroach. Have you ever seen someone die from a bug?”
Elena said with a radiant smile, and the necromancer scoffed.
“No, you will die.”
The necromancer smiled coldly.
“Because my god is about to open his eyes.”