Chapter 580
Chapter Title: The Hero of the Beginning
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Whooosh-! Flutter-
The fluttering cape captured the gazes of the hero candidates.
With the appearance of the young man with ash-like gray hair and eyes—Kyle—it felt as if time in the immediate vicinity had momentarily stopped.
Kyle's presence was that overwhelming.
Thud-
“Ah.”
As Kyle took a step, it was as if time began to flow again, and the hero candidates let out gasps of awe.
‘What is this? This presence.’
En, who had taken Leo's form through his unique magic, Mirror, found himself unconsciously swallowing dryly at the sight of Kyle, who overwhelmed his surroundings by his mere existence.
As the successor to the Dragon Lord, Melina, En had met countless heroes.
‘No, comparing him to other heroes is an insult in itself… but…’
During the summer vacation, he had even spoken directly with Ar-on.
Not long ago, when Luna was in Lumerne, he had seen her up close as well.
Both Great Heroes possessed an overwhelming presence.
But Kyle was of a different caliber.
Ar-on was the type who had a gentle aura that calmed the hearts of those around him just by being present.
Luna, on the other hand, was friendly.
She approached and mingled with those around her without any barriers.
Because of that, just looking at Luna would bring a smile to one's face.
Even in battle, the auras of those two didn't change much.
But Kyle was different.
He was so overwhelming that he was unapproachable.
Like a sword drawn from its sheath.
‘Just changing his appearance can't alter his aura this much. Sir Leo must have been concealing his true self until now.’
En clenched his fists tightly.
Thud- Thud-
Just then, Kyle stopped in front of En.
“Don't be nervous.”
“Ah…”
Seeing Kyle speak in a voice so low only he could hear, En snapped back to his senses.
“Lift your head and look the enemy straight in the eye. You're the next Dragon Lord, aren't you?”
Kyle's gray eyes emitted a stern light.
“What are you going to do if you freeze up over something like this?”
“Ye-Yes, sir!”
En, startled, straightened his back and stood tall.
Watching him, Kyle let out a small chuckle and walked forward.
‘…I see.’
Ar-on made people follow him with his immense courage.
The Progenitor of the Nebula always pushes people forward with her confident attitude.
‘Sir Kyle… he pulls people along.’
Kyle's charisma pulls people along, sternly and resolutely.
That blade-like intensity wasn't directed at them.
It was directed at the enemy.
That gave them immense faith.
Realizing this was how Kyle inspired faith in people, En took a deep breath.
“Are you really the Hero of the Beginning?”
Hark asked with a bewildered expression.
“It has to be Sir Kyle! Last year at Seirun, he came to save us with Lady Seirun!”
Lil said in a very excited voice.
It was then.
“Hero candidates! If you're ready, hurry up and provide support!”
A mage hero who had been holding back Erebos's flames appeared, riding a staff.
“We're being pushed back! We desperately need your help right now!”
The mage shouted urgently.
“Now, now, does it matter if he's Sir Kyle or not? What's important right now is getting rid of that thing.”
Just then, Elena stepped forward to sort out the situation.
At her words, the hero candidates who had been staring blankly at Kyle's appearance flinched and came to their senses.
“Kyle? What nonsense are you talking about… Ugh?!”
The mage hero, who had a clueless expression, spotted Kyle and let out a scream of shock, falling off his staff.
Thud-!
“The Hero of the Beginning, Kyle?”
Smiling brightly at the gaping mage hero, Elena approached Kyle from behind.
“Come on, Sir Hero of the Beginning. Please help us quickly.”
Elena pushed his back with a cheerful smile.
Seeing this, exclamations of admiration erupted from all around.
“That's Elena for you. I can barely breathe just looking at him.”
“Is this the difference in caliber?”
As people were expressing their admiration,
“I'll go on my own, so stop pushing, brat.”
At Kyle's words, Elena paused, then zipped in front of Kyle.
And narrowed her eyes.
“That expression and tone of voice remind me of a certain impudent junior with no charm. And what a coincidence, some imposter was just pretending to be that junior, wasn't he?”
At her words, Kyle let out a chuckle.
Seeing that, Elena's eyes narrowed even more.
“I knew something was strange. Treating me, your senior and someone who's clearly older than you, like a child.”
Leo had been an unconventional being from the very beginning.
A growth rate that couldn't be considered mere growth.
On top of that, a seasoned expertise that hinted at unfathomable depth.
If all of that was actually ‘Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning,’ then it all made sense.
Elena, who had vaguely sensed something was off after seeing En, became certain that he and Leo were the same person upon Kyle's appearance.
It was then.
Gwooooooooooooo-!
“Wh-What? Suddenly?! Kuaaaargh?!”
“Everyone, fall back!”
“The front line is caught in the flames! Healers!”
As Erebos suddenly began to spew even more powerful flames, the heroes started suffering fatal injuries.
Seeing this, Kyle clicked his tongue.
“It's noticed my presence.”
“Damn.”
Elena, too, sensed something was wrong and tried to quickly retreat to the rear.
In that moment.
Grab-
“Huh?”
Kyle grabbed Elena's wrist and pulled her into his arms.
Suddenly embraced in Kyle's arms, Elena's eyes widened.
Kyle held Elena tighter and wrapped his cape around them.
Flutter-!
Flash-! Kwo-gagagagagagagagagag-!
Suddenly, space tore open, and a massive flame engulfed Kyle.
Fwhoooooosh-!
If Elena had retreated to the rear as planned, she would have been hit directly by the attack.
‘I would have died.’
Feeling a chill, Elena trembled.
But she soon regained her composure.
Kyle pulled Elena even tighter into his embrace, so much so that it was hard to breathe.
Paaat-!
Shaking off the flames, Kyle swung his hand.
Fwoooosh-!
A crimson sword formed in Kyle's hand.
The sword, imbued with the phoenix, Piora, pushed back the calamitous flames.
“Tell the others. Leave the front line to me.”
“Leo, by yourself?”
“Yes. If brats like you try to meddle, you'll only get in the way right now. That thing is not something that can be handled by people ignorant of Erebos.”
“Among the hero candidates, including myself, there are students with power comparable to heroes. I don't think we'd hold you back, Leo. We can definitely be of help.”
Rebutting his words, Elena protested in a slightly disgruntled voice.
Kyle released Elena from his embrace and said,
“What are you talking about?”
“Huh?”
“The brats include them, too.”
Kyle said, gesturing towards the heroes fleeing from Erebos.
At that, Elena's mouth gaped.
No matter how you looked at it, to treat even heroes who had achieved great deeds as brats.
“Support me from the rear. Got it, Elena?”
“Huh? Yes, sir!”
Answering unconsciously while standing at attention, Elena clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Good girl.”
Treating her like a child who listens well to adults, Kyle walked towards Erebos.
Watching his retreating back, Elena muttered blankly,
“I can see why… Lady Luna fell for him.”
***
Fwoooosh-!
The surroundings were ablaze with black flames.
But Kyle paid them no mind and approached Erebos.
These black flames were calamitous flames that inflicted fatal wounds upon mere contact.
However, to Kyle, fragments of these flames posed no great danger.
The Pure Mana attribute, which could be called the natural enemy of Erebos.
And he had also obtained the flames of Dweno, which had served as a shield for the Great Heroes against Erebos's flames during the conquest of Dweno's world.
Fwoosh-!
Golden flames erupted from Kyle's body.
‘That last attack.’
Kyle narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Erebos's flames.
Suddenly, space had split open in mid-air, and black flames had poured out.
There had been no warning.
A hero of the current era would probably have been hit by that attack.
It's not that the current heroes are weak.
‘It's because the heroes of this era have no information about Erebos.’
Erebos is not simply a monster that spews undying calamitous flames.
It is a god-like monster possessing the secrets of countless worlds and numerous authorities.
That is Erebos.
Back in the Age of Calamity.
It was indeed the Great Heroes who defeated Erebos.
But behind that victory were the countless heroes who had sacrificed their lives to perfect the strategy to defeat Erebos.
The strategy for Erebos was ultimately obtained over a pile of heroes' ashes.
No matter how powerful a hero is, they are helpless before an unknown authority.
‘That attack must have twisted the laws of space.’
It's not something like magic.
It is literally in the realm of miracles wrought by a god.
‘…An authority that intervenes with space… the head.’
Kyle saw through the identity of the fragment sealed within the Hero of Genesis.
It was clear that the fragment corresponding to the head, one of the six pieces of Erebos, was sealed in the World of Genesis.
‘The problem is that a fragment of Erebos, which should be a mere mass of power without a will, used an authority. Moreover…’
Fwoooosh-!
The unpleasant smell of the world burning stimulated Kyle's sense of smell.
A smell that only those who had fought a desperate battle against Erebos would know.
‘The burnt smell is even more acrid than before.’
Kyle's face contorted.
Until now, he had defeated shards, thoughts, and fragments of Erebos.
But this was the first time he had encountered flames that emitted such a foul, burnt smell.
‘Does this mean it's more powerful than the other flames? Why?’
The moment Kyle narrowed his eyes.
Gwoooooooo-!
The calamitous flames poured down towards Kyle.
Although it was merely a mass of power, the calamitous flames were showing hatred towards Kyle.
It knew.
That the being before it was the one who had subjugated it.
Seeing this, Kyle's lips curled into a smirk.
“Looks like the feeling's mutual.”
Flash-!
Golden Aura erupted from the sword held in his left hand.
Seeing that, a beastman hero's eyes widened.
“Golden Aura?! Could that be Sir Ar-on's Aura?!”
Shwaaaaaa-!
Kyle's sword sliced through all of Erebos's flames.
Fwoooosh-!
In that instant, black flames surged up in front of Kyle.
Seeing this, Kyle extended his right hand and summoned a magic staff.
Kyle, who had been chanting ever since he swung his sword, unleashed his magic.
“Demise.”
Flash-! Kwo-gagagagagagagag-!
The starlight of destruction blew away Erebos's flames.
Everyone who witnessed the thrilling sight trembled.
“That's… the All-Class, Hero of the Beginning, Kyle…?”
“…He's like a completely upgraded version of Leo, isn't he?”
Everyone stared at Kyle's back with expressions of utter shock.
Crack-! Shatter-!
Just then, the sword Kyle held cracked, and the orb of his magic staff shattered.
This sword and staff were top-quality items made by Driana.
Normally, he could have used them without breaking them, but he had no room for that now, so he had to handle them roughly.
Fwoooosh!
Watching the calamitous flames begin to blaze again, Kyle reached his hand into his subspace.
Woong- Woong-!
In that moment, certain armaments within his subspace made their presence known.
At that, Kyle paused.
“I'd rather not overwork these antiques.”
Wooooong-!
Despite Kyle's bitter smile, the resonance didn't stop.
Clack-!
Kyle pulled a chipped greatsword from his subspace.
It was a greatsword that looked like it could break at any moment.
At the appearance of this greatsword, whose very function was questionable, the student council president of Demian, Marigold, who was preparing to support Kyle from the rear, widened her eyes.
“Is that Sir Dweno's divine weapon from Demian?”
In that moment-
Fwoooooosh-!
Golden flames enveloped the greatsword.
Wooooooooong-!
The pure white greatsword emitted a brilliant light.
A greatsword so beautiful it was like a work of art.
But it had no name.
Dweno had said.
An armament is just an armament.
But the nameless divine weapon knew all too well the heart with which its creator had forged it.
Its creator had died thousands of years ago.
People only saw the greatsword as a brilliant glory of the past.
But the greatsword was burning its last embers to return to its glorious past form and fulfill its duty.
“He never gave you guys names.”
Kyle readjusted his grip on the greatsword.
“But he remembered every weapon he ever made.”
Whenever a weapon broke, he would drink and grieve sincerely.
Woong-! Woong-!
The nameless greatsword resonated even more strongly.
“He's gone now, but don't worry.”
Kyle lowered his stance.
“I will remember your end.”
Kwak-!
Kyle charged towards Erebos.
‘Just hold on a little longer.’
Thinking of those trapped in the World of Heroes, Kyle tightened his grip.
‘I'll come save you soon!’
***
“Kyaaaaaaah! Mr. President! You're so cool!”
“Leave that commoner girl and hang out with us! Please?!”
“…”
Karl let out a hollow laugh and looked up at the sky.
He could feel Eliza's murderous glare from behind, as if she were screaming, ‘What do you think you're doing, you damned commoner!’
‘Someone, please…’
Karl's eyes started to sting.
‘Save me.’