Chapter 665
Chapter 665
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 665
Chapter Title: The Dweno From Before
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665.
“If I know you?”
Leo nodded, looking at Dweno, who was watching him intently.
“I do. You’re famous.”
“That’s true. But even I know that I’m famous.”
Dweno slung his battle hammer over his shoulder and stared at Leo.
“What bothers me most right now is your attitude, acting as if you know me well.”
Suspicion crept into Dweno’s eyes.
“I don’t know anyone like you. Besides.”
Dweno’s suspicious gaze swept over the group.
“For a group that has broken through this danger zone, you all seem remarkably composed.”
“But we look like beggars…”
“You, stay quiet for a bit.”
Chelsea covered Illiana’s mouth and scowled.
“I suspect you might be spies sent by Tartaros.”
“No! We’re…”
“I will decide whether that’s true or not.”
Cutting Ar off, Dweno slammed his battle hammer into the ground.
*Gwoooooo-*
“First, I must subdue the most dangerous one.”
Dweno’s gaze locked onto Leo.
Leo used his Aura to reinforce the shattered muscles in his left shoulder.
The reinforced muscles held the shoulder bone in place, allowing it to move.
His shoulder began to move naturally again.
Of course, the injury remained, and an immense wave of pain washed over him, but this was no time to worry about that.
*Fwoosh-!*
Seeing the battle hammer closing in on his face, Leo clicked his tongue and threw a kick.
*Kwaang-!*
Leo’s kick and Dweno’s hammer collided head-on.
At the same time, Leo was sent flying backward as if repelled.
Leo’s body was flung away.
He hadn’t counterattacked with the intention of blocking.
It was literally an attack meant to reduce the power of the blow and use the impact’s recoil to create distance from Dweno.
Leo winced at the sharp pain in his foot.
‘This brute strength is still something I can’t get used to.’
In terms of pure physical power, Dweno had overwhelmingly surpassed even Kyle.
Landing on the ground, Leo shouted.
“Attack!”
His companions flinched at his words.
“B-but that’s Lord Dweno!”
“That Lord Dweno looks like he’s about to beat us all to a pulp! Let’s at least calm him down and then try to talk!”
“B-but! To calm Lord Dweno, we’d have to give it our all! If he gets hurt…”
“Ha?! Hurt?”
Leo looked utterly baffled.
“This old man won’t even get a scratch from most attacks!”
*Thwack-!*
Leo slammed his palm into the ground.
*Kwagagagagak-!*
Steel spikes erupted from the floor, rushing toward Dweno.
*Kwagagagak-!*
The steel spikes shattered upon colliding with the charging Dweno.
Seeing this, Leo clicked his tongue.
“Haaah-!”
Just then, Illiana aimed for Dweno’s flank at incredible speed.
“Ah! A successful attack?”
*Thwack-!*
“Huh?”
Illiana was bewildered by how easily her attack had landed.
But she soon froze upon seeing her sword blocked by Dweno’s shoulder.
It felt as if she had stabbed solid steel.
Her mouth agape, Illiana’s eyes met Dweno’s for a moment.
*Thud-!*
Struck by Dweno’s swinging arm, Illiana shot high into the air before crashing to the ground.
Karl looked horrified as he watched Illiana, foaming at the mouth and unconscious.
“He really didn’t get a single scratch?”
*Crackle-!*
“Are you going too?”
“Hmph. Our opponent is the man who was called the strongest vanguard.”
Duran drew his sword and looked at Dweno.
“It’s a chance to gauge how effective my attacks are.”
“Do you think I’ll let you go so easily?”
The woman who had first attacked the group was smiling faintly.
“Huh? You dare lay a single finger on my students!”
Artian, who had been at the woman’s feet, shouted with a ferocious expression and pushed herself up.
The woman looked surprised by the force Artian used to push her away.
“She’s small but incredibly strong!”
“Who are you calling small!”
Artian charged at the woman with a murderous look.
Meanwhile, Duran unleashed a lightning sword strike at Dweno.
*Flash! Crackle-!*
Dweno was engulfed in the lightning strike.
*Fwoosh-!*
But he broke through the storm of lightning and swung his hammer at Leo.
*Kwa-gang-!*
Eliza used her summons to block Dweno.
However, Dweno ignored the summons’ attacks and pursued Leo.
The wind magic Chelsea conjured swept over Dweno, but he didn’t even blink, continuing his chase after Leo, who was closing the distance.
Luke watched this with a bewildered expression.
“Why is he only targeting Senior Leo?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it!”
Karl scratched his head vigorously.
“It means he can withstand our attacks! If he gives Leo time, a powerful blow will be ready! In other words, we’re not even on his radar!”
Everyone’s face hardened at his words.
“Is there no way to stop Lord Dweno, even for a moment?”
“If we attacked with the intent to actually kill Lord Dweno… it might be possible, but.”
Karl scowled at Driana’s words.
Leo had told them to attack with all their might.
But no matter what, their opponent was a Great Hero who had saved the world.
As hero cadets, it was difficult for them to put their full intent into their attacks.
“This damn old geezer! Cut it out!”
*Kwagagagak-!*
“Hmph! Spy or not, your face! It’s unpleasant! For some reason, I just want to smash it! Come here!”
Leo shouted in a voice laced with killing intent and unleashed a powerful sword strike.
Dweno, who dodged the attack, roared as if he would tear his opponent to shreds.
“How can Senior Leo fight like that?”
Aina muttered, gritting her teeth, and Karl let out a hollow laugh inwardly.
‘In his past life, wasn’t this just a daily routine for Leo and Lord Dweno?’
It was no different from how they usually acted.
Only the scale was different.
“Anyway, we need to stop Lord Dweno…”
As Chelsea muttered anxiously, Karl took a deep breath.
“I didn’t want to resort to this… but I have no choice.”
“Do you have a trump card?”
At Driana’s question, Karl nodded gravely.
“I’ll have to be prepared to die, but…”
“Karl…”
“A man must sometimes risk his life.”
Karl stepped forward with heavy footsteps.
The weighty atmosphere made everyone tense up.
Karl pulled something out from his coat.
“Lord Dweno! This is a work of art, a sculpture of the most beautiful person in this world! Isn’t it beautiful!”
At his shout, Dweno, who was chasing Leo, paused and looked at Karl.
His eyes twitched as he stared at the object in Karl’s hand.
What Karl had taken out was none other than the sculpture Driana had made.
After looking at Karl for a moment, Dweno turned back with a bored expression and resumed his pursuit of Leo.
“H-huh? That’s strange. I thought he’d definitely react if I called this hideous thing a work of art…”
“What part of that is beautiful!”
*Smack-!*
“Gack?!”
Just then, the hooded woman who had been fighting Artian rushed over and landed a flying kick on Karl’s back.
“Are you mocking art right now! You call this thing art?! Apologize to art right now! Apologize!”
*Swish-!*
The woman’s hood fell off, revealing her pointed ears.
“What are you doing to my student!”
*Fwoosh-!*
The elf dodged Artian’s kick aimed at her back with swift movements.
“Are you okay, Student Karl?”
“I-I’m fine. But that elf… she resembles Lord Dweno.”
“How? They’re different races.”
“No. She had a gentle aura until just a moment ago, but then she suddenly changed. She’s just like Lord Dweno when he saw what Driana made.”
The gentle Dweno’s eyes had rolled back, and he’d had a fit when Driana showed him her artwork.
“Anyway… that elf. She’s no ordinary person.”
Artian flexed her fists and scowled.
Meanwhile, Leo, who was facing Dweno, muttered as he looked at the elf fighting Artian.
“…An elf I’ve never seen before.”
If she was that skilled during the Age of Calamity, there was no way Leo wouldn’t know her.
But in Leo’s memory, there was no elf who used such martial arts.
“Of course you don’t know her. She is an unknown painter.”
“A painter?”
“Yes.”
A look of fondness entered Dweno’s eyes as he looked at the painter.
“A painter who captures the beauty of this world.”
At those words, Leo burst out laughing.
“…You. Why are you laughing so unpleasantly?”
“No. It’s just that you finally seem like the you I know.”
“You’re speaking nonsense.”
*Gwoooo!*
Dweno, who had been narrowing his brow, glanced behind him.
There, shrouded in a golden Aura, Ar was lowering her stance.
“…Beastification?”
Dweno’s eyes widened.
‘Even Dweno will be in danger from that.’
No matter how formidable Dweno’s defense was, he wouldn’t be able to ignore that attack.
Just as Leo thought that and took his stance.
*Thwack-!*
“…?”
A look of bewilderment washed over Leo’s eyes.
Ar, who had reached Dweno in an instant, let out a roar.
“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaap!”
*Kwaang-!*
Ar’s kick struck Dweno directly.
Dweno, who blocked it by crossing his arms, was sent flying.
“…? He took that head-on?”
Dweno wasn’t simply a vanguard with formidable defense.
He was a veteran warrior who had experienced countless battlefields, just like himself.
He wasn’t an easy opponent who would willingly take a powerful attack.
And yet, Dweno had taken Ar’s attack head-on.
“Why?”
Leo watched with a perplexed expression as Dweno got back up.
“I see. It seems you are not spies.”
Dweno dusted himself off.
“I have heard of it. A party that includes a beastkin capable of Beastification at any time.”
Dweno looked at Leo.
“Are you Kyle, the Surviving Hero?”
‘Are you Kyle, the Surviving Hero?’
The same question from 5,000 years ago.
At that, Leo clenched his fist.
The current Leo couldn’t answer yes.
‘I knew it. The Dweno right now… is the Dweno from before he met me.’
“…No.”
At Leo’s words, Dweno tilted his head.
“This one is probably not the beastkin from the rumors you’ve heard, either.”
“Hmm? How strange. Well, an unbelievable miracle has already occurred, after all.”
“An unbelievable miracle?”
“Yes! The fact that this world still has a night sky with stars! Is that not an amazing miracle?”
Leo looked up at the sky as Dweno laughed heartily.
The somber sky of the Age of Calamity.
However…
‘Stars come out at night, huh.’
Perhaps this place was a domain on the border of the fake world that was encroaching on the real one.
And…
‘The Dweno right now has no memory of me or Ar.’
With Ar-on and Luna, their memories from the previous World of Heroes had clearly been passed down.
But they hadn’t been passed down to Dweno.
Was it because this was an earlier point in time?
‘That can’t be it.’
Leo sorted through his thoughts.
‘The Legion’s World.’
Leo looked up at the gloomy sky.
‘The Legion’s World is encroaching on the real world, just like a Hero Dungeon.’