Chapter 297
Chapter Title: The Ominous Variable
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Pshhh- Pshhh-
A fountain of blood erupted from Gias's severed neck.
Sizzzle-!
The blood that spilled onto the ground contaminated the surrounding area.
The potent blood of a Legion Commander was a horrific poison, capable of melting flesh and bone on its own.
Yet, despite being drenched in the commander's blood, Dweno didn't even flinch.
"Always such a foul stench!"
Watching from a distance as Dweno scowled in displeasure, Leo muttered to himself.
'Such monstrous durability, no matter how many times I see it.'
Even Kyle and Ar-on would have avoided being directly soaked in the commander's blood.
Shhh-!
Just then, Gias lifted his foot.
Craaash-!
Gias's foot came down, crushing Dweno.
The impact sent blood from the pool surging high, crashing toward Leo like a wave.
Splash-!
Leo, having hastily dodged the bloody wave, looked up at Gias's neck.
'I landed a hit... but it wasn't a major blow, as expected.'
Leo, having narrowly dodged the black wave, raised his head and stared at Gias’s neck.
‘I landed a strike, but... as expected, it wasn't a fatal blow.’
In fact, Leo’s attack hadn't been effective at all from the start.
To Gias, it was nothing more than a mere scratch.
Leo’s role was simply to create an opening, and Dweno had exploited that gap with perfect precision.
Even though its neck had been slashed, it wasn't a significant injury for Gias.
No matter what anyone said, Gias was an entity with such monstrous defensive power that it had once survived a direct hit from luna's ultimate magic ‘The End.’
Ruuuuuumble—!
The very earth trembled.
“Hnngh!”
Pinned beneath the sole of Gias’s foot, Dweno raised both hands and was desperately pushing the foot back.
“Hryaaaaaaaaargh!”
Flash—!
With veins bulging on his forehead, Dweno poured every ounce of his strength into shoving Gias’s foot away.
Thud—!
Gias stumbled back two or three steps.
Dweno slung his battle-ax over his shoulder and grumbled.
"Stepping on someone. How rude."
"It only ended like that because it was you. Anyone else would have been vaporized by now."
"Isn't sturdiness the greatest virtue of a dwarf?"
"But you're excessively sturdy."
*Guffaw!* Leo shook his head, watching Dweno's hearty laugh.
It was a conversation that seemed deceptively relaxed.
However, both of their senses were focused entirely on Gias.
They were poised to resume fighting the moment they sensed anything amiss.
-Interesting.
Gias picked up his own head and placed it back on his neck.
The severed neck healed in an instant.
-Leo Flove. I now see the extent of your abilities.
Gias's chilling gaze fell upon Leo.
-It would be best to kill you here and now.
Facing Gias's murderous stare, Leo curled his lips into a smile.
"If you're worried about me, you'll be the one to die first."
-Khuhuhu. You overestimate yourself.
Gias scoffed.
-The one I am wary of is your future self. A fledgling like you has no right to stand in this battle. The moment you stepped into the middle of my fight with Dweno...
Gias's eyes flashed.
-your death was sealed! You fool!
Kraka-thooom-!
Gias swung the Corpse Sword of Jörmungandr.
A single swing of the sword devastated the area as if a natural disaster had struck.
A fearsome attack from a fearsome frame.
Leo, who had narrowly dodged the attack, glared at Gias.
'It's definitely too soon for me to join this fight with my current strength.'
Leo's attacks don't work on Gias at all.
Even if he poured all his strength into an attack, he could at best create a small opening.
But now, even creating that opening would be difficult.
The same method wouldn't work on Gias twice.
With Leo's current power, it was nearly impossible to influence the course of this battle.
Conversely, Gias didn't even need to try to kill Leo.
Just by getting caught up in the cataclysmic battle between Dweno and Gias, Leo could die.
He was standing in the middle of a battlefield on a completely different level.
But there was a reason Leo had followed Dweno nonetheless.
Fwoosh-!
"Dweno!"
Leo yelled, launching himself into the air.
At the same time, Dweno leaped toward Leo.
Leo squeezed out every bit of aura in his body, focusing it into his sword.
He then presented the flat of his blade to the approaching Dweno.
Tap-!
Dweno landed on the sword.
"This certainly makes fighting easier."
Leo returned Dweno's grin with one of his own and swung his sword toward Gias with all his might.
Whoooosh-!
Using Leo as a foothold, Dweno charged toward Gias at incredible speed.
-What?!
Gias's eyes widened.
The reason Leo had forced his way into this battle.
It was to serve purely as Dweno's foothold.
So that Dweno could focus on the fight.
So that he could exert his power most perfectly.
Leo stood here solely as Dweno's support.
'How ironic.'
To think I'm now playing the role Dweno once played for me.
But because of that, he could perform this role even more perfectly.
-You... Just what are you?
Gias's furious gaze turned to Leo.
Looking at Gias, Leo gave a cold smile.
"The biggest variable in your plan."
***
Atop the walls of Gardsrone.
Ar-on silently watched the battle between Dweno and Gias.
The showdown between Dweno and Gias was, quite literally, a battle of shield against shield.
Neither had the means to inflict significant damage on the other in a single blow.
Therefore, they had to engage in a long, tedious war of attrition.
In a way, it was a fight between opponents with the worst possible matchup.
But in that desperate battle, Dweno clearly had the upper hand.
The reason for that was Leo's presence.
'How many hours has it been already?'
Ar-on's eyes followed Leo's movements.
To Ar-on, Leo wasn't just walking a tightrope.
He was sprinting madly across a line that seemed ready to snap at any moment.
The slightest pause, the most trivial mistake, would lead directly to death.
Anyone else would have died dozens of times over.
But he had survived until now, supporting Dweno.
This wasn't merely a matter of overwhelming skill and foresight.
It required a superhuman mentality, the ability to make cool-headed and precise judgments on the threshold of death.
'An ability that can only be obtained by one who has always lived with death by their side.'
Watching that desperate struggle, Ar-on felt a sense of kinship with Leo.
His struggle in the jaws of death was so similar to their own.
Ar-on clenched and unclenched his fists.
'Dawn is coming.'
Time for the gloomy dawn to break.
Leo had told Ar-on to conserve his strength until dawn.
Gias's legion, attacking Gardsrone, posed no threat to the city walls whatsoever.
Everything was going smoothly.
'The Giant King himself attacked... and this is all there is to it?'
A chill ran down Ar-on's spine.
'Without Lisinas, Kyle... or Luna, we can fend off the Giant King's invasion this easily?'
Since when had a Legion Commander become such a pushover?
This invasion had too many weak points.
Ar-on's intuition screamed at him.
The real crisis was about to begin.
"Depesere."
"Yes, Lord Ar-on!"
"Still no contact with Lisinas?"
"No, sir. It's presumed that Lord Lisinas, Kyle, and Luna are trapped inside Reysar by another Legion Commander's barrier. As for when communication with the three of them might be reestablished..."
As Depesere spoke, Ar-on gritted his teeth.
"Master Ar-on! At this rate, I think we can defeat them without much damage!"
Verchia, who had been busy fending off the enemy's assault, ran over to report on the battle.
The heroes who, despite not leaving their names in the future, had given their lives for their era were doing their utmost to halt the legion's invasion.
Dweno was clearly gaining the upper hand against Gias.
Even without Ar-on's intervention, the tide of battle was slowly turning in Gardsrone's favor.
The more it did, the more Ar-on's ominous premonition intensified.
Unfortunately, this feeling of unease had never been wrong.
Flicker-
In that moment, a small ember flared up behind Verchia.
Ar-on shot to his feet.
Depesere, who was even closer to Verchia, instinctively pulled her aside.
"Ah?"
The moment Verchia let out a bewildered gasp.
Fwoosh-!
A piece of scorched metal suddenly materialized in the air.
Ar-on's keen sense of smell told him exactly what it was.
'The scent of Dweno... the scent of Kyle...'
Though it was mangled beyond recognition, it was unmistakably an armament crafted by Dweno and used by Kyle.
And...
'The scent... of Erebos!'
Fwoooosh-! Kraka-thooom!
Black flames exploded, scattering in all directions.
The flames instantly engulfed Verchia and Depesere.
Fwoosh-!
Ar-on unleashed his aura, sending the flames flying with a swing of his sword.
"Verchia! Depesere!"
Ar-on shouted urgently.
The flames receded, revealing Depesere.
Verchia, held in his arms, shivered, her jaw trembling.
"L-Lord Depesere... are... are you... okay..."
"Are you alright, Miss Verchia?"
Despite his entire body burning, Depesere managed a smile.
"I... I'm fine... but you, Lord Depesere...!"
"It's not a serious wound. Please don't worry."
As if to reassure Verchia, Depesere smiled and got to his feet.
He then stepped back, placing Verchia behind him, and glared at the flickering black flames.
Depesere's face turned pale.
'The Flames of Calamity!'
Depesere had witnessed the flames of Erebos that burned the world.
And these black flames were those very Flames of Calamity.
'How could they be in Gardsrone...!'
The primordial evil that drove even the gods to despair.
Absolute despair, Erebos.
Even that destructive monster that burned the world had a weakness.
It could not travel outside its own domain.
The very reason it commanded the Legion Commanders of Tartaros was to acquire territory where it could exert its influence.
Gardsrone was a land still beyond the reach of the Flames of Calamity.
And yet, the black flames had appeared in this very land.
Shing-!
Ar-on drew Brave.
He then charged toward the flickering black flames.
Fwoosh-!
Ar-on's sword sliced through the black flames.
Fwoosh-! Whoooosh!
The black flames lunged at Ar-on.
"Master Ar-on!"
Verchia cried out, her face pale.
But Ar-on, having blocked the attack with his Aura Armor, broke through the flames and threw a punch at its core.
Pow-!
The black flames scattered.
'It's too weak to be Erebos.'
A look of bewilderment crossed Ar-on's face.
Clang!
The piece of metal clattered to the ground.
Flicker-!
But soon, the metal piece began to spew flames again.
'It's burning even stronger?'
Just as Ar-on registered his surprise.
"What is that?"
"Black flames?"
Sensing the unusual situation, the hero candidates rushed over.
Ar and Karl wore bewildered expressions.
"Wait a minute, if those are black flames..."
"No. Isn't this too sudden?"
Eiran and Driana exchanged doubtful glances.
Lunia muttered, her face pale.
"Erebos...!"
Fwooooosh-
The black flames began to take shape.
Flicker-!
A mass of flames that transformed into a human figure.
It was still burning flames, but its form was unmistakably human.
The expression vanished from Ar-on's face.
His face filled with killing intent, Ar-on swung his sword at the black flames.
Fwoosh-!
At that moment, flames erupted from the black figure's hand, forming a sword.
Clang-!
Sword met sword.
Clash! Bam-!
Unable to withstand Ar-on's strength, the black flame creature was sent flying into the castle wall.
"That's Lord Ar-on for you!"
Ar cheered.
Crumble-!
The black flames picked themselves up.
Ar-on closed the distance at an imperceptible speed to deliver a follow-up attack.
Clang-! Shk-!
In that instant, the creature deflected Ar-on's sword and countered.
Ar-on tilted his head, dodging the blade with minimal movement.
At that moment, Verchia's face stiffened.
"No way..."
"What, what is it, Lady Verchia?"
Eiran asked in confusion.
Tadak-!
Ar-on, who had created distance from the black flames, had shaken eyes.
The exchange just now had brought a certain person's image forcefully to his mind.
"Kyle...?"