Chapter 478

Book 1 Chapter 478

478.

[Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings? The legendary champion only spoken of in fairy tales?]

Tiarre’s eyes widened, her expression a mix of shock and confusion.

‘Seeing someone react like this is actually refreshing.’

A full year had passed since humanity discovered that Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, was not a myth but a historical reality.

The revelation that the Fifth Great Hero, long dismissed as a mere fable, truly walked the earth had sent massive shockwaves across every corner of the globe.

To Leo, who had lived through it before being forgotten and then rediscovered, it felt like natural progression, but the rest of the world struggled to comprehend it.

Everywhere one went, the name of Kyle dominated conversations.

Having grown tired of the constant uproar surrounding his identity, seeing the genuine bewilderment of a hero who lived ten centuries ago felt remarkably unique.

Noticing Tiarre’s immense doubt, Leo reached his right hand upward into the open air.

Hummmm—!

Accompanied by a resonant vibration, a magical staff materialized out of nothingness.

Tiarre watched in awe as the staff pulsed with pure magical energy within Leo’s grasp.

[Cometes……!]

During her past life as a student at Seirun, she had caught glimpses of Cometes.

Because of that memory, she instantly identified the artifact in the young man’s possession as the very Hero Weapon that Seirun once brandished.

That legendary staff, Cometes, was currently radiating a brilliant glow, as though celebrating its reunion with its true owner.

It had never cast such a magnificent radiance even when held by members of the Tingel family line.

“It makes sense that accepting me as Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, is difficult for you.”

Leo lifted his arm slightly.

In an instant, both aura and spiritual energy danced across his fingertips.

[An All…… Class!]

Tiarre breathed out in utter shock.

The mythical All-Class aptitude, combined with the unmistakable aura of Cometes, left little room for denial.

[Are you truly…… Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings?]

Though a lingering sense of disbelief remained regarding his ancient identity, it was undeniable that the youth standing before her possessed unimaginable power.

Before anything else, she recognized the need to show proper respect to the savior who had liberated her soul from the clutches of the Necromancer King.

[Great Hero. I offer my deepest gratitude for rescuing my soul from the malicious domain of the Necromancer King.]

“Don’t mention it. If you mean that, would you mind assisting me with something?”

[Lord Kyle is my savior. If it lies within my capabilities, I shall gladly aid you.]

“Can you recount the exact circumstances of what occurred when you were pulled back into existence as an undead creature?”

Tiarre’s life had ended while she was consumed by intense animosity.

For an immense duration within her faded subconscious, the mental directives of the Necromancer King had reverberated endlessly.

She explained that her inner consciousness had put up a fierce resistance against the dark magic of the Necromancer King that sought to enslave her will.

“Yet an overwhelming, unstoppable power dominated your mind, forcing you to transform into a vengeful wraith driven entirely by malice?”

[Indeed. It was the Grand Duke of Funeral who initially roused my sleeping awareness.]

Observing Tiarre grind her teeth in profound bitterness, Leo pushed further.

“While in that state, did you happen to pick up on the presence of other spirits?”

The foundational laws governing necromancy share similarities with spirit art.

It follows the path of residual mana to reanimate and dominate the consciousness of those who have passed away.

This bond functions as a type of spiritual agreement.

Up until moments ago, Tiarre had been bound by just such a contract to the Necromancer King.

If that was the case, she would have naturally perceived the echoes of other souls tethered to the same dark master.

Hearing Leo’s inquiry, Tiarre clenched her fingers tightly into a fist.

[I felt the faint traces of an immense multitude of souls. Among that collective, there were entities that exuded incredibly immense power… even individuals who were once heroes.]

Tiarre’s frame began to shudder.

A look of deep-seated terror washed over her features.

[Among the ranks controlled by the Necromancer King, there exist entities whose strength completely eclipses my own.]

The Iron-Blooded Mage remained a celebrated spellcaster even ten centuries after her time, standing out among the countless legends who populated the era of heroes.

That legacy alone testified to her incredible capability as a hero.

For a figure of her stature to tremble out of sheer terror at the mere memory of another hero’s might was telling.

‘If we judge by the standards of this age… does that imply they stand on equal footing with the Sword Saint?’

The Sword Saint.

A legendary warrior of such caliber that, had he been born in a different epoch, he might have reached the realm of creation itself.

His very existence served as a vital check against the forces of Tartarus.

‘If he hadn’t perished last year and remained among the living, Tartarus wouldn’t be operating with such freedom today.’

“Could such a feat be achieved, even if their authority was amplified by the dark influence of Erebus?”

Leo spoke softly, his expression turning grim, prompting Tiarre to look downward.

[Without a doubt… there are heroes who willingly entered into the Necromancer King’s covenant.]

“……”

Hearing her confirmation, Leo exhaled a heavy sigh, while Tiarre looked away in deep shame.

She still couldn’t completely verify if the young man before her was indeed the legendary Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings.

Yet, if he truly was that monumental figure from five millennia ago, a terrible realization struck her.

‘Could there possibly be a more disgraceful display than this?’

The ancient champions had sacrificed every piece of their lives to secure a peaceful world for future generations.

And yet, the champions of subsequent eras who inherited that legacy…

Despite having already met their ends, they willingly chose to align themselves with the Necromancer King in the aftermath.

They traded their dignity for servitude as walking corpses, all to chase the petty desires they couldn’t fulfill while alive.

It was nothing short of a complete betrayal of the world they had sworn to protect.

Having spent her existence warped by bitterness, Tiarre had looked upon the darker sides of humanity time and time again.

She understood intimately that dark corruption always loomed just beneath the surface of a peaceful era.

Because she belonged to that flawed lineage of later heroes, Tiarre lacked the courage to look Leo in the eye.

Noticing how she cast her eyes downward to avoid his stare, Leo spoke up.

“I observed this earlier, but you place far too heavy a burden on your own shoulders.”

[Pardon?]

“Ultimately, it doesn’t truly matter, does it? Whether those other individuals choose to align themselves with the Necromancer King is their own affair.”

[But nonetheless……]

“It isn’t a burden that you are required to bear.”

Leo stretched out his arm and gently rested his hand on Tiarre’s head.

“My goal was never to forge a flawless world, nor did I chase after some perfect utopia. We fought to preserve it simply because we chose to do so.”

Leo let out a soft laugh.

“Thus, it makes little sense for a descendant like you to fret over how I view things based on the actions of others.”

[…… Lord Kyle.]

“They say that souls unable to pass on are always held back by a single, unresolved regret.”

Leo thought back to the moment Tiarre had offered her apologies to Luna just a short while ago.

“Forgive me, but I caught a brief glimpse into the life you led.”

Tiarre had never looked back with regret on the choices she made or the path she walked.

She had lived through an existence where her own people condemned her, gaining nothing for her troubles and suffering only loss in the end.

She carried her bitterness right up to her final breath, yet…

She never viewed those choices as a mistake.

“Being that rigid is practically a sickness. Luna is the type of person who wouldn’t care in the slightest about etiquette, regardless of how she develops her stellar magic. She isn’t that fragile of a person. That girl is just a straightforward blockhead.”

Tiarre bit down on her lip.

Seeing her expression shift as though she were on the verge of tears, Leo continued.

“Because of that, there is absolutely no reason for you to apologize. Furthermore, Luna and I have already vanquished the Monster Queen. Therefore,”

Leo gave Tiarre’s shoulder a reassuring pat.

“You can finally rest. Regardless of the dark thoughts that drove you during your battles, your actions ultimately helped safeguard the peace of this world.”

[I thank you.]

Her frame trembling as she bowed her head in reverence, Tiarre’s form began to fade into nothingness.

Elsie, who had remained a quiet observer throughout the exchange, spoke up as the spirit dissolved into fading particles of starlight.

[Leo, you understood her heart remarkably well.]

“Perhaps it’s because our circumstances aren’t all that different?”

[Different in what way?]

“I can relate to that feeling of being unable to truly find peace.”

Speaking in a quiet, composed tone, Leo became lost in his thoughts.

‘Tiarre fell before the Necromancer King’s dominance, became tainted, and was bound as a spirit.’

Cleansing such corrupted souls and restoring them to pure spiritual entities was a craft that Lysinass excelled at.

‘Though I am nowhere near Lysinass’s level of mastery, I’ve managed to catch a faint grasp of his spirit art.’

Leo turned his gaze down toward his open palm.

He recalled the flow of mana from moments ago, which seemed to possess a conscious intent of its own.

“Hey, if you’re present in there, could you give me an answer?”

Despite his attempt to call out, the residual mana of Lysinass offered no response.

A wry smile crossed Leo’s face.

Soothe the lingering attachments of a spirit, and they experience what is known as ascension.

Once a spirit ascends, they never return to the mortal plane.

‘…During our initial encounter in the Hero’s World, Lysinass managed to call forth the manifestation of himself from the final moments of his spiritual existence.’

Following that event, Lysinass must have achieved his own ascension as well.

Or perhaps, that entire interaction was an anomaly that could only manifest within the unique domain of the Hero’s World.

A scenario where the Lysinass of the past dragged his future manifestation forward.

‘I am not Lysinass.’

To begin with, pulling a soul across five thousand years of history as a mere spirit was an impossibility without the intervention of divine power.

The phenomenon with Lysinass’s mana just moments ago was simply the inherent nature left behind within the energy itself.

It was an automatic response driven by a lingering urge to deliver a suffering soul from evil intent, rather than an active consciousness.

Even so, he had asked on the off chance it might work.

‘…Would it really have been so terrible to leave behind just a bit more regret?’

Tightening his fist to banish the wandering thoughts, Leo took a step forward.

‘The Necromancer King is currently commanding spirits of immense capability. They are undoubtedly individuals who clung to their earthly ambitions even in death.’

Not every single hero is a beacon of morality; many can become warped by their desires.

The actions of the Justice Guild had already proven that point beyond a shadow of a doubt.

‘Among their ranks, there are bound to be figures who once dominated entire eras.’

Leo’s expression grew heavy.

[Leo, is there something weighing on your mind?]

Prompted by Elsie’s question, Leo let out a prolonged sigh.

“I have an unsettling premonition that if circumstances deteriorate, I might cross paths with someone from my past.”

[Someone from your past?]

Elsie looked back at him, clearly perplexed.

Leo cast his gaze up toward the unclouded sky as a specific individual came to mind.

‘Bihart.’

Bihart had originally been raised as an orphaned warrior specifically to serve as a powerful vessel for the undead.

Consequently, he harbored a deep, unyielding animosity toward the Necromancer King.

Even after the curtain fell on the Age of Calamity.

The world had been delivered from ruin, but Bihart’s internal torment likely never found resolution.

‘For as long as the Necromancer King drew breath, he would have never abandoned his crusade.’

He would have operated from the dark corners of the world, hunting his nemesis until his final days.

Leo began to contemplate the darkest possible outcome.

‘What if the Necromancer King’s dark dominion has expanded to unprecedented heights?’

He possessed a fragment of Erebus.

There was no telling how monstrous the Necromancer King’s capabilities had become while utilizing a piece of Erebus’s essence.

‘What if he possessed the strength required to corrupt Bihart’s soul into a spirit, and managed to locate where Bihart was laid to rest?’

If that were true, this world would find itself facing off against the most formidable shadow warrior in human history.

Bihart was also a warrior whom Lysinass had personally endorsed as his rightful heir in days gone by.

‘He, too, likely passed away only after ascending to a level of power that rivaled the heroes of creation.’

Weighing the grim possibilities, Leo exhaled heavily.

‘No, I need to place my trust in him.’

Step— Step—

‘He is a comrade to whom I willingly entrusted my life. He isn’t someone who would break under the Necromancer King’s sway.’

Steeling his resolve, Leo continued on his path.

‘The immediate priorities are Artkhan and the various undead forces the Necromancer King has reanimated.’

“……Are you telling me that every single hero from our organization deployed to suppress the undead outbreaks across the territories has been wiped out?”

Jerome questioned, his face contorted in disbelief.

“That is correct.”

“Hmph. It seems those who earned their titles through genuine strength operate on an entirely different level. Does this mean there are clear boundaries to what can be achieved when turning failures—who couldn’t even manage to finish their time at the Hero Academy—into heroes?”

“What is our next course of action?”

Chain, the sub-guild master, inquired without a hint of emotion on his face.

“What about Leo Flobe?”

“We are currently unable to pinpoint his whereabouts.”

“You are incapable of tracking him, even when utilizing your clairvoyant abilities?”

“Correct. He has completely obscured his presence.”

“Tch.”

Jerome let out a sound of reluctant appreciation.

“I am genuinely fascinated by the source of that boy’s boundless capability.”

“He matches the description of the chosen, authentic hero you constantly reference.”

Hearing Chain’s remark, Jerome stood up from his chair.

“For the time being, we must focus on neutralizing the hero-level undead that are appearing across the various territories…”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Excuse me?”

“If our pawns are failing to deliver results, then it is time to deploy our rooks, our knights, and our bishops. Should they also fall short, we will unleash the queens.”

“Master Jerome. Aren’t you becoming dangerously preoccupied with Leo Flobe?”

“I believe his value warrants it. I have a fair understanding of his core nature. He is absolutely not the type of individual who will ever align with our cause.”

Jerome made a clicking sound with his tongue.

“In that case, the wisest move is to eliminate him entirely before his power expands any further. After all, he won’t be able to achieve anything of significance acting entirely on his own.”

[Switching topics, Leo.]

“What is it?”

[Is it truly wise to just leave those individuals from the Justice Guild to their own devices?]

[Peep.]

Fiora chirped in agreement with Kirian’s point.

Leo, however, remained completely unbothered.

Confronted by a far more catastrophic crisis at the moment, the danger posed by the Justice Guild seemed entirely minor by comparison.

“They don’t present an immediate danger right now, so I’ll simply deal with them all collectively when the time is right.”