Chapter 452

Book 1 Chapter 452

A heightened awareness beyond the physical realm.

This was a gift Arion had carried from the day he was born, an innate talent that permitted Arion to perceive truths concealed from everyone else.

By utilizing it, Arion could tap into an aptitude that bordered on foresight whenever this heightened awareness was fully unlocked.

Even so, regarding this unique capability, Arion kept a solitary truth hidden away from his closest companions.

‘I despise this gift.’

To be more precise, he dreaded it.

Perceiving realities that remained hidden from others brought a deeper misery than anyone could comprehend.

This was doubly true throughout the harrowing Age of Calamity.

From his earliest moments, he had intuitively grasped the sheer terror of the doom descending upon the world.

His tendency to be easily spooked and alarmed by the slightest disturbances stemmed directly from these formative encounters.

That early period had left a lasting scar, ensuring he had never once pushed his heightened awareness to its absolute boundary.

It was only after aligning with his mentor, enduring rigorous instruction, and gaining a measure of mastery over his heightened awareness that Arion managed to break free from his lingering terror.

Yet, as Arion grew in might, his heightened awareness sharpened correspondingly.

It advanced to a degree where he could anticipate fleeting moments of the future during the heat of combat.

And right on the precipice of the concluding clash.

Arion was forced to witness the impending demises of Kyle and Luna.

‘I absolutely detested it.’

Beholding the days to come.

‘I was terrified.’

Afraid that the unfolding path would mean their ultimate defeat.

Still, he had to discover a route that would allow Kyle and Luna to survive.

The single trail he uncovered demanded his own demise.

To outside observers, it surely appeared to be a grand act of selflessness to protect his comrades.

‘Yet I was merely being a self-centered child, whining to my brother and sister… to those who were my true family.’

Arion clenched his teeth hard.

‘I am nothing but a weakling who picked the effortless escape, placing blind reliance on them.’

And upon witnessing the rescued timeline, he felt a selfish wave of comfort.

He prided himself on the world being delivered, claiming he would pursue his own desires, entirely oblivious to the reality that Leo was still bearing the heavy load.

‘Just as it broke my heart to see Kyle perish, it must have broken Kyle’s heart to see me die!’

He detested his own reflection for realizing this truth only now, shaking to his very core.

He attempted to unlock his heightened awareness, desperate to glimpse what lay ahead and alter the outcome.

However, that heightened awareness was now absent.

To be precise, it had grown dull.

Vision, scent, hearing, touch, flavor.

His refined physical attributes still gathered an abundance of data.

Yet that martial instinct, the one bordering on foresight, had vanished.

An impairment born from stretching his capacity past its breaking point.

This was the consequence of pushing his heightened awareness too hard after listening to the declarations of Erebus.

Even though he strained to pierce the veil of the future in that manner, nothing revealed itself.

‘Could it be… because I am merely an imitation?’

Arion ground his teeth.

The Creator had perished ages ago.

The version of him standing here was nothing more than an imprint captured within the Hero Record.

Vroom-!

Arion lunged straight through the dark blazes.

Sporting a savage look, he drove forward at Erebus and slashed downward with his blade.

“Hah!”

Boom-boom-boom-!

A brilliant golden radiance tore into the form of Erebus.

-Do you truly believe you can pierce me with a blade so blunt!

Erebus bellowed, swinging a massive hand down upon Arion.

Whack-!

“Ugh?!”

With his heightened awareness severely restricted, he failed to foresee the trajectory of Erebus’s strike.

Taking the blow dead-on, a colossal impact reverberated through his entire form.

It was a straightforward brute-force strike.

Yet that single strike carried an energy designed to shatter flesh, splinter the mind, and obliterate the very spirit.

Whoosh! Crash-!

Arion, propelled backward by Erebus’s assault, crashed violently into the earth.

Leo sprinted toward Arion without a moment’s delay.

“Arion!”

Rumble! Crash-clatter-!

The moment Arion struck the dirt, clouds of dust and shattered rock fragments that had been hurled into the sky rained back down to earth.

Swish-!

Hauling himself up, Arion spoke.

“Kyle. Get Innocent ready for me.”

“Are you alright? You look terrible.”

“I am perfectly fine.”

Arion fixed his gaze on Erebus.

“Place your faith in me. I will not drag you down again!”

“What? Wait! Arion!”

“Roaaaar!”

Disregarding Leo’s frantic shouting, Arion bellowed aloud as if to steady his own resolve.

With his gaze fixed wide, Arion clamped his fingers tighter around his weapon and sprinted forward.

“That absolute maniac!”

Leo ground his teeth together, staring at the departing back of his comrade.

“Why is Lord Arion uttering such words?”

Melina carried a look of complete bewilderment.

“Erebus’s taunts have unnerved him. Arion is prone to losing his confidence.”

Leo understood completely that his companion, whom he viewed as a younger sibling, possessed far too gentle and compassionate a spirit.

“Is he going to manage?”

Melina’s gaze wavered.

Hearing Melina’s inquiry, Leo inhaled deeply.

“He will pull through.”

Leo kept his eyes fixed on Arion’s retreating figure.

“Arion was the person who looked into the deepest abyss among all of us. He is likewise the one who has triumphed over the greatest hardships.”

Not a single hint of doubt crept into Leo’s tone.

“Arion is not the sort of warrior to break from mere words.”

Leo spoke, projecting unyielding confidence.

“Melina, shift your focus to handling the beasts.”

“Understood!”

The prospective heroes defending the fortress walls turned pale as they witnessed the unceasing tide of monsters.

“There are far too many!”

“This surpasses the horde of the Monster Queen we fought last year!”

Panicked cries rippled through the ranks of the pupils from Lumerne and Seirun.

Observing their fear, Lise, who had ignited a blistering mantle of energy, bellowed out.

“Do not let their sheer numbers terrify you! Though they might outnumber the Monster Queen’s horde from before, the might of each individual creature is far lesser!”

Coinciding with Lise’s rallying cry, the fighters who had been engaging Erebus descended from above.

“Allow me to assist! Obliterating vast swathes of foes happens to be my finest talent.”

Torua remarked, flashing a wide smirk.

“Sorcery Division, fall in! Coordinate for a synchronized spell!”

Following his directive, the first- and second-year sorcery practitioners adjusted their lines with flawless precision.

“Seirun forces, take up positions!”

Rienia directed the pupils of Seirun.

“The Combat Division will halt the creatures scaling the ramparts alongside the pupils from Azonia and Demian!”

As Zamua stepped to the vanguard, Ar raised an arm right beside him.

“I refuse to display a pathetic performance right before Lord Arion! Azonia pupils, advance as well!”

“You there! You troublesome feline! Since when is directing the forces your responsibility?!”

“Eek!”

Banir trapped Ar in a swift headlock.

Uleta assembled the conjurers, dispersing them strategically among the combat pupils and the spellcasters.

Concurrently, Kal, who had scaled the defensive wall, swallowed hard.

“They might lack the individual power of the Monster Queen’s horde… but even so, the sheer quantity is staggering, isn’t it?”

During their previous clash, the Monster Queen’s horde possessed immense power, but their defensive coalition had been just as formidable.

They commanded not only human and elven champions, but the finest talents of Lumerne and Seirun had rallied together.

They even enjoyed the backing of renowned legends who had defined an entire generation.

By comparison, their present defensive lines were comprised entirely of untested prospective heroes.

Chelsea clutched her staff with a tight grip upon hearing Kal’s soft comment.

“We will be fine.”

Because Kal and Chelsea were ill-suited for synchronized grand spells, they accepted the duty of repelling the beasts directly upon the ramparts.

“We have the backing of the Dragon Lord, do we not?”

Right at that instant, an immense tide of magical energy surged through the heavens.

Circling Melina, her inherent silver energy and the dark magical essence she had gained from Lisynus’s power flared in tandem.

Thump- thump-

Melina’s dragon core throbbed violently, unleashing torrents of raw magical force.

In response to the surge, the space enveloping her form began to warp.

Witnessing this display, Chelsea swallowed hard.

“Melina, the Silent Dragon… Though her lengthy absence caused that reality to slip from memory… she was the very being who struck at the World of Creation. Even if the endeavor ultimately ended in failure.”

Crackle-!

The space surrounding Melina did more than warp; it began to fracture openly.

“She is ranked among the most devastating Dragon Lords to ever exist throughout the entirety of the Age of Heroes.”

The moment Chelsea finished her explanation, Melina spoke in a low murmur.

“Quiet.”

The creations of Erebus, which had been storming toward the ramparts with a terrifying display of momentum, instantly froze in their tracks.

The halted beasts turned to one another, their expressions filled with absolute confusion.

Shortly after, one by one, their forms dissolved into pale dust and drifted away into nothingness.

It was a genuinely horrifying spectacle.

An army-level detachment from Tartaros completely wiped out by a singular incantation.

Every individual who bore witness to the event gaped at Melina with profound reverence.

Melina drifted down onto the fortress wall.

She alighted precisely where Kal and Chelsea were positioned.

Her head covering shifted gently in the breeze.

“Everyone. Cast aside your terror.”

Melina declared, her voice ringing with absolute certainty.

“For as long as I stand ground here, this fortress wall shall never break.”

Reassured by her words, the prospective heroes hoisted their armaments high and let loose a massive roar.

“Yeaaaahhhhh!”

“Long live the Dragon Lord!”

Their collective spirit skyrocketed instantly beneath Melina’s magnificent display of dominance.

“Incredible… she resembles a divine being.”

“My thanks, Kal.”

Melina, catching Kal’s quiet praise, offered a gentle smile and offered a greeting.

For a brief split second, Melina’s features were partially visible beneath her head covering.

Kal started at the sight.

It was a face that felt strangely familiar.

Their superficial age was drastically different.

Yet the demeanor aligned flawlessly with an individual Kal knew quite well.

Kal inquired with an expression of sheer wonder.

“Instructor Mel?”

Chelsea, standing right beside him, likewise stared at Kal with wide eyes.

Faced with Kal’s realization, Melina pressed a finger against her lips, offering a quiet warning.

“Hush-!”

Prompted by that movement, Kal and Chelsea found themselves mirroring Melina’s quiet gesture without thinking.

All the while, the monstrous horde continued to materialize without any sign of stopping.

Just as Melina and the prospective heroes prepared to pool their combined might.

Screeech-! Crash!

An object hurtled through the air and slammed violently into the rampart.

The entire company winced, turning their attention toward the fractured section of the wall.

Thud-thud-!

From the debris, Arion dragged himself back onto his feet.

“Curse it all!”

Arion exhibited a raw intensity that was entirely uncharacteristic of him.

The blade he had been wielding had dissolved into nothingness, leaving no trace behind.

A savage light burned within Arion’s gaze.

The surrounding defenders flinched and stepped back, intimidated by his overwhelming presence.

Arion, his expression twisted in fury, glared back toward the zone from which he had been flung.

Over there stood Erebus, his physical form so battered by Arion that he was nearly unrecognizable.

Erebus, who had been twitching violently, rapidly mended himself back into his standard shape.

Arion cast aside the ruined remnant of his blade and instinctively drew a weapon from the dimensional storage band Luna had crafted for his use.

Then he froze.

He ground his teeth together, staring down at the weapon resting in his palm.

It was the fractured remnants of Brave.

“A weapon like this is completely worthless!”

Clang-!

Arion discarded Brave with a reckless toss.

Any trace of his typical gentle and innocent personality had vanished.

Arion’s features appeared distinctly predatory and laced with irritation.

“Ah, Lord Arion…”

Ar’s complexion drained of color upon seeing an Arion so entirely different from the figure he admired.

“Do not fret. Stand by.”

Rumble-!

A brilliant golden energy erupted from Arion’s frame.

“Because I intend to crush that thing myself.”

His words carried an intense, unyielding resolve.

That demeanor mirrored the exact Arion Ar had known prior to entering the halls of Azonia.

Behaving like an untamed predator upon the field of battle.

A combatant who pressed against adversaries without showing a hint of hesitation, even when surrounded by hopeless odds.

Arion, the champion gifted with unparalleled martial dominance.

“W-wait a moment! Lord Arion!”

Ar called out frantically to stop him, but Arion shattered the earth beneath his feet, launching himself directly toward the fully mended Erebus.

He carried no blade in his hands.

Yet as Arion, moving at a velocity that defied human sight, closed the distance and threw a punch, Erebus’s colossal frame was propelled straight into the upper atmosphere.

“Truly magnificent…!”

Borman muttered in shock.

“Perhaps that represents the authentic presentation of the Hero.”

Just as Luen murmured these words in deep admiration.

“No…”

Ar clenched his jaw tightly.

“What do you mean?”

“That is absolutely not Lord Arion’s true self!”