Chapter 664
Chapter 664
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 664
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Reunion
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Flash—! Splatter—!
With a flash of silver, blood sprayed in all directions.
A crimson light glinted in Leo’s eyes.
“Yoooouuuu!”
Craaaash—!
Giganto roared and swung its arm.
The mere motion of its arm unleashed a tremendous gust of wind that swept through the area.
Thud—!
“Hmm!”
Giganto’s eyes widened as it stared at Leo, who had landed on the back of its hand.
Slice!
“Kraaaaaah!”
Leo, having closed the distance in an instant, slashed straight through Giganto’s eye.
Boom! Craaaash—!
Giganto roared, thrashing about in a wild frenzy.
5,000 years ago.
Giganto had certainly been a formidable foe.
But the experience Leo had gained while ending the Age of Calamity was more than enough to make his battle with Giganto a straightforward affair.
Crucially, Leo now held in his hand a weapon from Dweno, which could be called Giganto's fatal weakness.
Bloodshot veins filled Giganto’s newly regenerated eye.
Spotting Leo in its field of vision, Giganto let out a thunderous roar.
“Graaaaaaaah!”
The pain, a sensation it had never experienced before, paralyzed its reason.
This unfamiliar agony sent Giganto into a rage.
“How dare a mere human play with me! You are nothing but prey!”
Leo watched with a bored expression as Giganto charged, scattering a fearsome black demonic energy.
Giganto’s attacks were painfully obvious.
And so, Leo continued to accumulate damage.
Giganto’s arsenal wasn't limited to its tough, aura-resistant flesh.
Its formidable regenerative ability was also a powerful weapon.
‘Its durability was the best among all the demons of Tartaros.’
Giganto’s body was the masterpiece of Gias, the Giant King, who had forged all of Tartaros’s most horrific weapons.
As such, its defense surpassed even that of the Legion Commanders.
‘At my current level, killing it is easy, but it will take some time.’
Right now, Leo’s pure physical strength was less than what it had been before he and Lisinas founded Arhi.
No matter that he had been born with the experience and knowledge of the Great Hero and had regained his power at an incredible speed, his body had not yet returned to its prime.
“So, it all comes down to time.”
A cruel smile crept onto Leo’s lips.
“Well, playing with it before I kill it doesn't sound too bad. A good way to vent some frustration, too.”
5,000 years ago, the Great Heroes changed the fate of the world.
Because they had saved a world hurtling toward destruction, they were, in the eyes of the demons of Tartaros, the most hateful beings imaginable.
But even before that, they were beings of fear.
At the center of it all was Kyle.
Even demons knew fear.
And to those demons, Kyle was the literal incarnation of terror.
He had tormented them in the most brutal and painful ways.
He never gave his enemies a clean death.
It was Leo's own way of taking revenge on Tartaros for stealing his world.
‘I never had a good personality to begin with, after all.’
He was starkly different from the noble Lisinas, the radiant Luna, the kind-hearted Ar-on, and Dweno, who loved beauty.
“Shall I make you wish for death?”
‘Ugh, Lisinas! Kyle's bad habit is showing again.’
He recalled Luna’s voice, horrified as she watched him descend into endless cruelty.
‘Just let him vent.’
He also remembered Lisinas’s voice as he shook his head with a small sigh.
Lisinas had understood.
He had understood why he acted that way.
‘Well, it can't be helped right now, Luna.’
Leo raised his sword, his gaze fixed on Giganto.
‘This is the most effective way right now.’
Stab—!
Leo let out an inward sigh as he cut down Giganto with a slash.
He could finish Giganto in a single blow even now.
But to do that, Leo would have to expend a massive amount of power all at once.
This battle wasn't the end.
Thinking of the next fight, he had to use his power efficiently.
‘Well, if I had one of Dweno’s more destructive weapons, it wouldn't be impossible…’
Thump—
Suddenly, something caught inside his flapping cloak.
Leo instinctively reached into his cloak.
Swoosh—
A massive greatsword emerged.
Leo’s eyes widened at the sight of it.
‘…This is.’
***
“That Leo! He's not his usual self, is he?”
Karl, who was directing the party members, shouted in surprise as he spotted Leo fighting Giganto in the distance.
Just as Karl said, Leo’s aura was different from usual.
“Ugh. The class president… he’s kind of terrifying right now.”
Iliana, who was casting spells from the rear, shrank back.
Karl clicked his tongue at the sight.
“Well, Leo's always had a bit of a temper. It's only natural he'd get this angry when facing a demon, don't you think?”
“Magic is ready.”
“Whoa!”
Chelsea’s specialty was high-speed casting.
She could move at incredible speeds, engaging in close combat while firing off a barrage of spells.
She wasn’t the type of mage who overwhelmed opponents with sheer power like Chloe or Abad.
However, that didn’t mean Chelsea’s magic was weak.
It just took her longer to build up power compared to Chloe and Abad.
Given enough time, the power of Chelsea’s spells could rival theirs.
And one of the characteristics of her mana was her ability to dominate the mana in the surrounding area.
Words flowed from Chelsea’s lips.
The atmosphere responded in kind.
Thunderclouds began to gather in the sky.
Flash! Craccckkkle!
Eliza’s Wind Wyvern, flying high above, roared at the heavens.
Lightning stormed down from the thunderclouds Chelsea had summoned.
Eliza had taken control of the storm Chelsea had conjured with her magic.
Duran raised his longsword to the sky.
Kzzzzzzzzzt—!
Like lightning striking a rod, the bolts poured down upon Duran.
A golden light flashed from Duran’s body.
“It’s ready! Everyone, fall back!”
At Artian’s shout, Ar, Driana, and the three second-year knight students who had been on the front lines scattered.
Duran gripped his sword with both hands and swung.
Flash!
Craaaaaasssssh—!
A destructive bolt of lightning swept forth.
The wave of Giganto’s minions that had been charging like a tidal wave was wiped out by the lightning strike.
It was a wide-area attack that far surpassed any ordinary grand magic.
Crackle—! Sizzle—! Thud—!
Even as sparks flew from his body, Duran plunged his sword into the ground.
Crack—!
The sword, having reached its limit, shattered.
Duran staggered and fell to his knees.
‘If it had been Lightning Storm, it wouldn't have broken.’
He didn't show it, but the sight of his shattered family heirloom left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Watching him, Karl muttered.
“…He actually pulled it off? What kind of monster is he?”
A combination technique that fused magic, summoning, and swordsmanship.
It was a technique Karl had jokingly suggested to Eliza, Abad, and Duran during their second year.
A technique to defeat Leo.
The problem was that Duran’s body couldn’t withstand the overwhelming lightning.
And yet, in just six months, Duran had built a body that could handle it.
From Karl's perspective, it was utterly terrifying.
“You’re really something else.”
At Karl’s words, Duran looked over at Leo, who was fighting Giganto in the distance.
Flash—!
A blue bolt of lightning whipped out, bisecting Giganto’s body.
Seeing this, Duran tossed aside his broken sword and muttered.
“It’s still not enough.”
“He’s relentless. Truly. Huh? Chelsea. Where are you going?”
Karl, shaking his head, widened his eyes as he saw Chelsea running toward Leo.
***
“Gwooooooar…”
Giganto, cut in half at the waist, let out a pained groan.
Its bisected body twitched and trembled.
Leo looked down at the greatsword in his hand, which was wreathed in blue lightning.
‘…Ar-on’s greatsword.’
It was one of the weapons Dweno had made for Ar-on.
A weapon of immense destructive power.
‘Was this in my cloak?’
Leo wore a slightly bewildered expression.
He hadn’t even known it existed.
Moreover, he hadn’t intended to draw something like this.
It was as if, in response to Leo’s thought that he couldn’t fell the enemy in a single blow, it had suddenly appeared from his subspace.
‘Just like Luna’s ring last time.’
Leo glanced at the ring from Luna that he wore on his finger.
Step— step—
Swoosh—
Leo raised the greatsword as he approached Giganto.
At that moment.
Grab—!
Someone grabbed the hem of Leo’s cloak.
Long ago, someone used to stop him just like this when he became endlessly cruel.
‘…Luna?’
Leo turned around without thinking.
There, Chelsea was holding onto his cloak, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes.
“Leo. Are you going to torment that demon more?”
“Why?”
“I’m worried. I don’t want you to be angry.”
A long, long time ago.
Leo let out a soft chuckle as he looked at Chelsea, who was saying the exact same words Luna once had. He reached out with the hand not holding the greatsword and patted Chelsea’s head.
“Ah, blood!”
As Chelsea grimaced in disgust, Leo smiled, walked over to Giganto, and swung at its neck.
Slice—!
“Gurgle!”
Giganto let out a final, pained cry and died instantly.
Its body disintegrated into black sand.
As the battle concluded, the party members approached.
Leo stood motionless where Giganto’s body had been, staring down at his palm.
‘Just let him vent.’
Lisinas had understood why Kyle had become so cruel.
That was why he had let him be.
Luna, however, had not.
She had worried that doing so would only hurt his heart more, and she had been genuinely concerned for him.
That was why she had stopped him.
‘Yes, Lisinas. You were worried about me too, weren’t you?’
Such excessive anger would one day consume him.
Knowing this, Lisinas too had been genuinely relieved when he finally stopped killing his enemies in the most brutal ways possible.
The only reason he hadn’t been able to bring himself to stop him was that he understood his feelings all too well.
Perhaps the subspace had opened against his will because Lisinas’s spirit, even after 5,000 years, was worried about him becoming cruel again and had decided to help.
“Chelsea.”
“Yeah.”
Chelsea, who had been wiping the blood from her hair with a handkerchief, trotted over to Leo.
“Thank you.”
“Huh? For what?”
“For stopping me.”
“Aw, it was nothing. Hehe.”
Pat, pat—
“Ah! Seriously, Leo!”
Chelsea cried out as Leo once again patted her head with his blood-stained hand.
“Alright, now that things are mostly wrapped up, let’s start tracking Gigantes’s movements.”
At Artian’s words, back in his original form, the entire party nodded.
The Arhi party followed Gigantes’s trail, heading deeper into Tartaros’s domain.
***
“An abnormal situation is an abnormal situation, I guess.”
Ar grumbled.
“There are so many monsters I’ve never seen before!”
“They were all monsters from the Age of Calamity, only seen in records.”
Karl muttered with a serious face in response to Ar’s comment.
The Arhi party moved forward, fighting one battle after another.
And the monsters that appeared were all from the Age of Calamity, creatures that had long since gone extinct in the current era.
“We’ve been fighting for a full twenty-four hours. We should probably rest soon.”
As Karl spoke, Artian, who was looking at a map, replied.
“There’s a ruined fortress just ahead. We’ll rest there.”
Although it had lost its function as a fortress, the terrain itself was naturally defensible.
At Artian’s words, the students’ faces brightened as they headed toward the fortress.
As they walked, Duran checked his watch.
“The sun should be rising soon.”
A full day had passed, and they had been up all night.
Dawn was just around the corner.
“Even if it’s a fortress, washing up is probably out of the question.”
“Hmph. What a carefree thing to say.”
“Ughhh.”
Eliza snorted at Iliana’s complaint.
“But… doesn’t the sky look a little strange?”
Driana tilted her head, looking up at the sky.
“Hm? What is it?”
At her words, the entire group looked up.
“Looks the same to me.”
Driana looked perplexed at Karl’s murmur.
“No, the color of the sky is a little different from a normal dawn…”
“…The sky of the Age of Calamity.”
“What?!”
Before Driana could finish, Leo muttered softly.
Karl and Chelsea looked at Leo in surprise.
It was then.
Leo and Artian moved simultaneously.
Whoosh—!
Artian dashed in front of Driana, who was at the very head of the group, and threw a punch.
Boom—!
An enormous sound echoed.
Thwack—!
“Keuk!”
The opponent’s fist struck Artian in the abdomen.
Before Artian could counterattack, the assailant struck his back while he was airborne.
Thud—! Stomp—!
The attacker stomped on Artian’s back as he was slammed into the ground.
Ar’s eyes sharpened, and she kicked out at the attacker.
Grab—! Whooosh—!
“Nuaaak!”
Ar was sent flying into the distance.
Driana, reacting a moment too late, swung her battle axe at the enemy.
Grab—!
But the attacker caught Driana’s battle axe with their bare hand.
“Kgh!”
Whoosh—!
“What is the meaning of this sudden attack?”
Leo asked in an icy tone, his sword pointed at the attacker’s back.
“You all… who are you?”
“We’re the ones who were attacked…”
“Leo!”
Whoosh—! Craaash—!
A giant battle hammer appeared in a flash and slammed into Leo.
Leo was thrown back but managed to land on his feet.
‘Left shoulder is shattered.’
A tremendous attack.
But Leo lowered his killing intent and looked up.
It was a familiar attack.
Thud—!
“I will ask again in her stead. You people.”
The dwarf asked with a gentle smile.
“What are your identities?”
Leo relaxed his stance and opened his mouth.
“Dweno.”
At the name, Dweno tilted his head.
“You know me, boy?”