Chapter 510
Chapter Title: The Future of the World
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510.
“Hah!”
Meterar let out a sharp cry and rapidly approached Mel.
A black haze shimmered into existence around Mel.
*Fwoosh-!*
The haze, like threads, bound Meterar's body.
*Kugugugung-!*
In that instant, the soles of Meterar's feet dug into the ground.
Meterar's eyes twitched.
“Gravity magic, is it?”
His eyes turned to Mel.
“You intend to buy time.”
As a veteran knight, Meterar easily grasped Mel's intention.
This was Lumerne.
And as its former principal, he knew Lumerne's strength well.
Among the students were some who already possessed power comparable to a hero.
That wasn't all.
There were the professors who taught those students.
They were either listed in the Hero Record or possessed strength equal to heroes even if they weren't.
It wasn't for nothing that the hero academies served as one of the mighty pillars holding back Tartaros.
“How shallow.”
The corner of Meterar's mouth curled up.
“You, of all people, should know that we are no ordinary heroes.”
*Gooooooh-!*
A dark blue aura erupted from his body.
The aura instantly transformed into sharp sword energy, scattering in all directions.
Just as Meterar, having forcibly broken the spell, was about to charge Mel.
*Craaaaack-!*
An unsettling sound accompanied the ground as it began to freeze over.
Meterar's eyes twitched, and he leaped high into the air.
*Thud-!*
*Whoooosh-!*
The ground froze, unleashing a powerful wave of cold.
Meterar's gaze shifted to one side.
“Hoh, a second-year student, yet you wield powerful magic.”
*Clank-!*
Chloe lifted the staff she had planted in the ground.
As she did, a thin layer of ice fell from her body.
Ice World.
Her unique magic had just threatened a hero renowned in a past generation.
‘A pure mage. It's rare to see a mage who can use cryomancy of this caliber, let alone at her age.’
The power of a spell isn't the same as combat prowess.
No matter how potent the magic, if you let someone get close, you're helpless.
But even so, for her to use such magic at her age was extraordinary.
‘A second-year using magic at a fifth-year's level.’
“The Knight Department needs to step up its game.”
The moment Meterar muttered softly and swung his sword at Chloe.
*Claaaaaang-! Szzzzzt-!*
A golden aura blocked Meterar's sword.
Meterar's eyes twitched as he looked at the young knight blocking his path.
“What nonsense is this?”
Duran's golden eyes flashed.
“The likes of an undead have no need to worry about the Knight Department.”
‘This one's a second-year too?’
Meterar narrowed his eyes at Duran, who had blocked his sword, even if it was just a single blow.
A second-year blocking the sword of one who had been exceptional even among heroes.
“I'll give you praise. For blocking my sword, even for a fleeting moment.”
Meterar tightened his grip.
“But it was reckless. Blame your foolishness and die.”
The instant his sword was about to change, a small shadow darted into his space.
*Baaam-!*
With a deafening noise, Meterar's body was launched into the air.
*Thwack-!*
Sent flying, Meterar landed on the ground and looked at the girl who had sent him airborne.
Wielding an aura of water, Chen Xia, with a blank expression, fused her aura with Duran's and attacked Meterar.
“Another second-year?”
The moment Meterar's face twisted as he tried to subdue Chen Xia and Duran.
*Ruuuumble! Fwhooooosh-!*
A massive pillar of flame poured down from the sky.
It was an attack from Celia, who had used Abad's magic to maximize the power of her flames.
Meterar's expression slowly hardened.
‘Yet another second-year?’
Students with power far beyond that of a second-year appeared one after another.
‘Even so, there are only two in the vanguard. I can easily subdue them…’
The two holding him down.
The instant he thought he could easily neutralize them by taking down just Duran and Chen Xia.
A giant boulder flew at incredible speed and slammed into Meterar.
*Craaaash-!*
The impact was dizzying. Meterar's face contorted as he looked at the huge boy who had attacked him, Woreden.
‘Another second-year!’
Just as he was about to counterattack.
A small mage girl and an elven magic swordswoman jumped between Woreden and Meterar, obstructing him.
“Woreden, that was amazing!”
“So brutish.”
Eiran exclaimed in admiration, while Chelsea stuck out her tongue as if fed up.
Chelsea used wind magic to support the movements of Woreden and Eiran.
It was then.
‘Their movements are systematic. Who's commanding them? The Dragon Lord?’
It wasn't just their skill; he was constantly being caught off guard by the formation designed to keep him in check.
There was definitely someone predicting his next move based on his current actions.
‘On top of that, these brats' movements are precise. It can only be the Dragon Lord's command…’
“Aaaaaaaah! What are you doing, suddenly flying so weirdly!”
“Shut up! Who said you could touch strange places! I'll kill you later… no, should I just kill you now! Karl Thomas!”
“It's because you're flying so erratically! This is beyond my control!”
Karl's pained scream and Eliza's venomous voice echoed through the sky.
“You're all doing wonderfully.”
Mel smiled brightly at the second-year students.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Meterar asked Mel.
Mel shrugged in response to his question.
“The future.”
“The future?”
“Yes. The future that will one day carry this world.”
At those words, Meterar scoffed.
“Did you deceive these children with sweet words too? What lies did you tell them? That they could save the world? Hahahaha. Just like us? Mwahahahahaha!”
Meterar burst into laughter and pointed a finger at Mel.
“Foolish students of Lumerne. Let me teach you the truth. I don't know what this Dragon Lord told you, but you can never save the world. No, you'll be abandoned by this dragon instead!”
His eyes gleamed with hostility.
“You will never be given the chance to challenge the Genesis!”
Hearing that, Celia narrowed her eyes.
“Genesis? What the heck is that?”
“Isn't it related to the Hero of the Beginning?”
At Chen Xia's reply, Chelsea placed her hands on her hips.
“I mean, what's with all this talk about being abandoned? Doesn't the former traitor principal have a serious victim complex?”
“And I only just found out today that Professor Mel is a Dragon Lord.”
Chloe wore a confused expression.
“What?”
At the second-years' clueless reactions, Meterar looked bewildered.
“There's no need to listen to a traitor who sold his soul to Tartaros.”
Abad said with a smile.
“None of that matters. We just have to take him down.”
Woreden clenched his fists, revealing his fighting spirit.
*Ruuuumble-!*
The earth shook, stirred by the Great Earth Spirit he was contracted to.
“You're all so reassuring.”
Mel gave the second-years a gentle smile before stepping in front of Meterar.
“I never abandoned you. You were simply the ones who went astray.”
Mel's expression turned cold.
“Even I don't know what will become of these children. But one thing is certain: it is arrogant to assume that just because you couldn't do it, they won't be able to either. Crucially.”
Mel paused, then looked back at the second-years and said.
“I wasn't the one who chose these children as the world's future.”
“What did you say?”
“It was a great being, far above me.”
Mel pointed a finger to the sky and smiled faintly.
“Are you saying it's a god?”
“Hmm... In a way, that might be close. After all, this person is the one who gifted us the world we live in now.”
“Nonsense.”
Meterar's face twisted.
Ignoring him, Mel continued.
“By the way, it's quite a shame.”
With a small sigh, Mel raised a hand.
“That the hero I chose in the past not only fell and sold his soul to the Necromancer King... but is now being used as nothing more than a disposable pawn to buy time.”
“What?”
“The Necromancer King won't attack Lumerne.”
Mel's eyes narrowed.
The undead who was once a hero, along with countless demons, were invading Lumerne.
It was undoubtedly the Necromancer King's legion.
‘But it's only a fraction.’
Mel had earned the title "Dragon of Silence" by remaining silent for ages, but he had never simply turned his back on the world.
In that silence, he had served as a great deterrent against Tartaros.
Having fought endlessly against the Necromancer King from the shadows, Mel recognized it at a glance.
‘This is just a stalling tactic to tie up my strength and Lumerne's. The real target... must be Leo in Lumeria City.’
If so, Leo might be in danger.
The Necromancer King was not one to employ such a strategy unless victory was all but assured.
‘...It wasn't just his authority that was strengthened by the fragment of Erebos. His power grew as well.’
Even without the Necromancer King's main body here, breaking the curse of severance he had cast was not easy.
Mel clenched his fist.
‘But now, we have a variable that even the Necromancer King hasn't considered.’
Mel clenched his fist.
‘Lady Luna.’
***
*Crack-!*
Seeing the empty air crack like a mirror, the Necromancer King narrowed his eyes.
“I see. So the Mirror Queen's power is ineffective against the current 'Surviving Hero'.”
No matter how much his authority was enhanced by the power of Erebos's fragment, he couldn't resurrect the old legion commanders indefinitely.
He could only resurrect a single legion commander.
‘And all the legion commanders would slip from my control.’
The grudges of the dead legion commanders ran deep.
As such, the moment they were resurrected, they would surely lose their reason, rampage, and attack the world.
This was not a welcome prospect for the Necromancer King.
No matter how overwhelmingly powerful he was, attacking outside the domain of Tartaros in an era with so many heroes was suicide.
‘The other side would suffer considerable damage... but so would we.’
That was why he had resurrected the Mirror Queen, who could be controlled and had inflicted immense damage on the Great Heroes of the past.
Of course, the Necromancer King knew that the Mirror Queen's power wouldn't work on the current Leo.
In the past, the Mirror Queen had been defeated anticlimactically by Luna.
‘And the Surviving Hero has overcome countless trials. It would be strange if the Mirror Queen's power could inflict significant damage on him, the one who even defeated a god.’
*Craaaaack-!*
The crack in the air widened.
‘But even so, he will surely suffer mental damage.’
The Mirror Queen's illusions are vicious.
Overcome one illusion, and another appears.
Even if it can't shatter his mind, it can land a powerful blow.
‘In a weakened state, can you truly stop me? Surviving Hero?’
It didn't matter if he couldn't be defeated.
‘I have long pondered it. How the Surviving Hero was able to defeat Lord Erebos.’
In a desperate situation, the Surviving Hero defeated a god alone.
It wasn't simply because he inherited all the power of the other Great Heroes.
Nor was it because his other comrades had managed to wound Erebos.
‘After long thought, I realized that his mental fortitude surpasses the will of a god.’
In that case, it was necessary to create a crack in that fortitude.
The Necromancer King's goal was, to the very end, to wear down Leo's mind.
‘I pray for your suffering, Surviving Hero.’
The corner of the Necromancer King's mouth curled up.
Then, he looked down at the people of Lumeria City who were evacuating.
“There are always things you cannot protect.”
*Jiiiiiing-!*
A summoning circle spread across the sky, and a legion of undead began to pour out.
“Until you subdue the Mirror Queen and emerge. I wonder how many people will die.”