Chapter 356
Chapter Title: Successor of the Will
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Leo reached out his hand.
Then, the broken Kometes floated in the air.
Upon touching Leo's hand, Kometes emitted a brilliant light and returned to its original form.
Fwaaa-!
That wasn't all.
A bright light erupted, centered on Leo.
With it, the burning world was reconstructed.
A literal miracle.
The moment Leo affirmed Seirun.
Everything was restored to its original state.
A powerful magical energy swirled from Kometes, now held in Leo's hand.
This Kometes was not the reward Seirun had obtained from conquering Luna's world, but a fake that existed only in Seirun's world.
Even so, within this world, it possessed the same power as the real thing.
Therefore, it would only unleash its power in the hands of someone qualified.
Before entering the World of Heroes to stop Erebos, Seirun had left a portion of her magic and her legacy to her younger brother.
Perhaps in the present day, only her brother's descendants would be qualified to use the power of Kometes.
Yet that same Kometes was now shining brilliantly just by being held in Leo's hand.
In Seirun's hands, it might shine when she cast a spell, but it never glowed so brightly just from being held.
Leo gazed at the brilliantly shining Kometes with a look of nostalgia before handing it to Seirun.
Taking it, Seirun pushed herself up.
And she asked, as if in disbelief.
“Are you… truly Sir Kyle?”
“I am.”
“But… how? How do you know me? And your appearance… what…?”
Seirun asked, looking confused.
Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning.
One of the Great Heroes, and the last of them, who ultimately vanquished the primordial evil and brought peace back to the world.
Seirun, who had conquered the Great Heroes' Hero Records time and again, had met Kyle many times.
But those were all encounters within the World of Heroes.
No matter how real it felt, it was ultimately an illusion.
To Seirun, Kyle was a figure from 2000 years ago.
Yet that very Kyle knew who she was.
Furthermore, he looked completely different from the Kyle she knew.
Seeing the confused expression on Seirun's face, Leo let out a small laugh.
“It's called reincarnation.”
At that answer, Seirun's eyes widened.
“I heard your story from Melina.”
“Melina…”
Seirun's eyes widened.
The Dragon Lord who had last challenged the World of Genesis.
“She said you're holding on, right?”
At Leo's words, Seirun lowered her head.
Doing her best was all she could manage.
A situation where all they could do was buy time.
Seirun knew.
The Heroes of Genesis, including herself, were likely the first and last to have fully conquered the Great Heroes' Hero Records.
In the process of sealing Erebos within the Hero Records, they had split the records to ensure a perfect seal.
In that process, the records of many heroes, including the Great Heroes, were damaged and scattered across the world.
Despite properly inheriting the power of the great Great Heroes, they had failed to completely stop Erebos.
Knowing this, Seirun couldn't bring herself to raise her head.
Seeing Seirun with her head bowed, teeth clenched, and a guilty expression, Leo reached out his hand.
And placing his hand on Seirun's head, he said.
“Thank you.”
“...!”
Startled, Seirun looked up.
“For protecting the world we saved. For not letting our efforts be in vain. Thank you, truly.”
Looking at Leo, who was expressing his heartfelt gratitude, a tear trickled down Seirun's cheek.
That single phrase was like a reward for Seirun's desperate thousands of years, a form of salvation.
A single ray of light in a long, pitch-black darkness with no end in sight.
“I know this is shameless of me to ask, but.”
Leo said with an apologetic smile.
“Could you hold on just a little longer?”
“…Of course!”
Seirun gave a radiant smile.
She could see hope.
She had a premonition that the resolution she had waited for so long would finally come to pass.
Kometes, held in Seirun's grasp, shone brilliantly.
The magic of the Comet Sorceress surged.
‘I can do this.’
Seirun tightened her grip.
Gwoooooo-!
The surrounding mana stirred.
The beginning of everything.
The source of all existing heroes.
A single word from the Hero of the Beginning who saved the world.
Could there be any words more empowering than these?
‘I am the Comet Sorceress, Seirun Tingel.’
“Stella Chain.”
A massive magic circle formed, and from it, bundles of starlight chains shot out.
‘The successor to the will of Luna, the Progenitor of the Nebula!’
Seirun's eyes gleamed.
Ch-ch-ch-clang-!
With a loud clatter, the chains pierced through the empty air.
The crumbling world was no more.
The world rewritten by Leo had regained its original form.
And this revitalized world was the strongest prison for the darkness trapped within.
Kiiiiiiing-!
Space tore open, and black flames poured out.
At the sight, Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘Erebos.’
This was different from the fragments or lingering thoughts he had seen since his reincarnation.
A piece of the Erebos he had once sealed.
It was a flame of pure evil, literally capable of destroying the world.
Kwagagagagang-!
[Impressive.]
Erebos, who had been trying to escape to the outside world, narrowed its eyes at the sight of the restored world.
[For the detestable prison of the gods to regain its original form... what trick did you use, mortal?]
“The true master of this world has simply arrived.”
[The true master?]
Gwooooooooo-!
Erebos's flames raged even more intensely.
It felt no doubt.
As a being comparable to a god, Erebos understood Seirun's words instantly.
Erebos's crimson eyes turned to the human standing next to Seirun.
Fwoosh-!
[I see.]
Erebos's eyes flashed.
“It's been a while.”
Killing intent filled Leo's eyes.
“I'm sure neither of us wanted to meet again.”
Kwagagagagang-!
Black flames that incinerated all they touched surged toward Leo.
But before the black flames could reach Leo.
Seirun's magic deflected them.
Paying no mind to the black flames burning in the vicinity, Leo glared at Erebos.
[The surviving hero. How have you obtained a new vessel and come to live in this era?]
“Perhaps it's the will of the gods for me to finish you off for good.”
[You talk a big game. It wasn't your strength alone that defeated me in your past life, was it?]
“Of course not.”
Leo smiled.
“But even after 5000 years, my bond with them hasn't been severed.”
Leo stretched out his hand.
“Because that bond continues, passed down through the generations.”
Leo summoned Folium while looking at the message that appeared before his eyes.
“Just like now.”
[The magic of the 'Progenitor of the Nebula' inherited by Seirun is being passed on.]
The magic of Folium, which had lost its power, reacted to Luna's magic and emitted a brilliant light.
‘I see now, the true power of the Hero Record.’
The Hero Record is a power that connects generations.
A system for inheriting the power of past heroes.
But Leo, the owner of the Hero Record, was special.
The world of Seirun, where Leo currently stood, was a complete Hero Record that had just been rewritten.
A perfect world, untouched by the power of Erebos, like the Book of Shadows.
Here, Leo automatically obtained the rewards Seirun had received from conquering Luna's world.
‘Come to think of it, it's strange. Why would the owner receive a reward?’
The Hero Record.
The record system mentioned by Piva, the god he had met in Luna's world, was literally about manifesting the power of the one recorded.
‘The owner of the record can freely use the power of those recorded within it.’
A literal game-breaking miracle left behind by the gods.
That was why Leo had obtained the power of Luna that Seirun had acquired.
Seeing Leo shining brilliantly with starlight, Erebos's eyes trembled.
[You…]
Leo looked at Erebos and said.
“Just wait a little longer.”
Leo raised Folium.
“I'll be coming to end you soon enough.”
Woooong-!
A giant magic circle formed in the air.
Seeing the intricately woven runic language, Seirun's eyes widened.
‘The End? No… this is…!’
Even Seirun was seeing it in person for the first time.
“Innocent.”
A pure white light shone brilliantly.
Exposed to the light, Erebos's body distorted.
[In the end, this is nothing but a desperate struggle.]
Erebos said.
[Because in the end, you are alone.]
Fwaaa-!
Swallowed by the pure white light, Erebos vanished.
Seirun said in awe.
“As expected… of Sir Kyle.”
“It's just the power of the Hero Record.”
Leo clicked his tongue, feeling Luna's magic raging inside him.
“This Hero's Page must eventually be destroyed. It can be used as a passage at any time.”
If this Hero Record is destroyed, the power of Luna he just obtained will also disappear.
To Leo's words, Seirun replied.
“Still… thanks to you being reincarnated, Sir Kyle, we can find more strength.”
Seirun looked at the spot where Erebos had vanished and spoke with conviction.
“I will wait for the day you come, Sir Kyle.”
Leo, who had been silently watching Seirun steel her resolve, lifted his foot.
Thwack-!
“Kyaa?”
Seirun yelped.
Rubbing her backside with a completely flustered face, she asked.
“W-why did you suddenly hit me?”
“Hey. You. You wrote that weird novel about me being in love with Luna, didn't you?”
Seirun looked flustered.
“And you wrote that I was an idiot in it, right?”
Watching Leo ask in a fierce voice, Seirun cautiously replied.
“B-but! Lady Luna expressed her feelings so much, and you didn't even know! Do you have any idea how much she loved you, Sir Kyle!”
“That girl never showed it once, you know?”
“She showed it all the time!”
Seirun, who had spoken out of frustration, narrowed her eyes.
“Wait! Does that mean you knew how Lady Luna felt and pretended not to? How cruel!”
“I found out after I was reincarnated. Thanks to Luna's confession through the Hero Record.”
Hearing Leo's words, Seirun muttered.
“So you are an idiot.”
Thwack- Thwack- Thwack-
“Ow, that hurts!”
Leo repeatedly bonked Seirun on the head with the Folium in his hand.
Even while screaming, Seirun never apologized for calling the great senior hero before her an idiot.
If future generations had witnessed this childish fight between the Great Hero who saved the world and the Hero of Genesis who carried on his legacy, they would have been appalled.
“Juniors these days have no charm.”
“Lady Luna said I was cute.”
“You didn't have to resemble Luna in her shamelessness, though.”
Seirun laughed at Leo's words.
Looking at her, Leo spoke.
“Hold out your hand.”
At his words, Seirun extended her hand with a puzzled expression.
“I'm not Luna, but.”
Leo gave the Folium in his hand to Seirun.
Seirun's eyes went wide.
“If Luna were alive, she definitely would have acknowledged you as her successor.”
For a sorcerer to hand over their staff to another was a special ceremony.
It meant acknowledging them as their successor.
Receiving Folium, which had disappeared thousands of years ago, directly from Leo, Seirun's eyes welled with tears.
“Sir Kyle. Did I… did we do the right thing?”
To Seirun's question, as she tightly hugged Folium to her chest, Leo thought for a moment before speaking.
“…Why don't you step outside for a moment?”