Chapter 510

510.

“Hyaaaah!”

Meterrar bellowed a battle roar and sprinted straight toward Mel.

A shadowy, dark radiance surged around Mel.

Squish-!

The murky radiance wrapped around Meterrar’s frame like constricting cords.

Kugugugugung-!

In that instant, Meterrar’s feet plowed deeply into the dirt.

Meterrar’s eyelids twitched.

“Gravitational sorcery.”

He shifted his gaze directly to Mel.

“Attempting to stall for moments, I see.”

As an experienced veteran knight, Meterrar easily decoded Mel’s strategy.

This location was Lumern.

Furthermore, as its former chief administrator, he was intimately familiar with Lumern’s might.

Even among the student body, some individuals possessed might rivaling that of legendary champions.

That was only the beginning.

The faculty members responsible for instructing those pupils.

They were either registered within the Hero Record or wielded strength on par with those icons, irrespective of official recognition.

The hero academies had not become one of the premier global powers holding back Tartarus by mere coincidence.

“Amateurish.”

Meterrar curled the edge of his lips upward.

“You ought to comprehend more clearly than anyone that our standing surpasses that of commonplace heroes, correct?”

Gooooooo-!

A deep azure aura surged violently from his physical form.

This energy rapidly reshaped into razor-sharp blade currents, bursting outward in every direction.

Just as Meterrar shattered the binding sorcery through sheer force and prepared to lung at Mel—

Jjeojeojeojeojeojeojeok-!

The ground beneath them began to solidify into frost with a chilling, grating sound.

Meterrar’s eyes narrowed, and he vaulted high into the air.

Thump-!

Saaaaaaaah-!

The terrain froze over completely, releasing a fierce gale of sub-zero wind.

Meterrar directed his attention to the side.

“Hoh, a mere sophomore, yet she commands such potent incantations.”

Clank-!

Chloe raised the magical conduit she had driven into the earth.

Simultaneously, flakes of frost peeled away from her form.

Ice World.

Her signature spell had previously jeopardized a champion whose renown was established in the preceding era.

‘A consummate sorceress, without question. Practitioners capable of manifesting frost magic of this caliber are exceedingly scarce, let alone at her current age.’

The raw magnitude of spellcraft does not directly equate to martial supremacy.

Regardless of a spell’s destructive scale, a caster remains vulnerable if an adversary closes the distance.

Nevertheless, the sorcery she displayed at this stage of life was extraordinary.

‘A second-year student executing magic reserved for fifth-year experts.’

“The Knight Department needs to step forward.”

The instant Meterrar murmured under his breath and slashed his blade toward Chloe—

Kwagagagagagang-! Pajiijijijik-!

A brilliant golden aura intercepted Meterrar’s strike.

Meterrar’s eyes widened slightly as he stared down at the young warrior standing directly in his path.

“What sort of absurdities are you uttering?”

Duran’s golden irises gleamed.

“The deceased do not need to fret over the affairs of the Knight Department.”

‘Is this individual a sophomore as well?’

Meterrar scowled, observing Duran who managed to check his blade, even if it was just a solitary exchange.

A second-year student halting his sword, which stood out even among top-tier champions.

“I shall grant you recognition. For deflecting my blade, even if only for a brief heartbeat.”

Meterrar channeled greater force into his grip.

“Yet it remains an act of futility. Lament your own ignorance and perish.”

Right as his blade was about to pivot into a new trajectory, a petite silhouette slipped beneath his guard.

Kwaaang-!

Following a resounding impact, Meterrar’s frame was lifted off the ground into the open air.

Thwack-!

Hurled backward, Meterrar stabilized himself on the earth and glared at the young woman who had propelled him away.

Chen Sia, wielding a fluid water aura, launched a direct assault on Meterrar, seamlessly blending her energy with Duran’s while maintaining an entirely blank expression.

“Yet another sophomore?”

Meterrar’s features contorted, and he prepared to overwhelm both Chen Sia and Duran when—

Kukugugugugung! Hwarurururuk-!

A colossal column of blazing fire cascaded down from above.

Celia, having amplified the intensity of her pyromancy through Abbad’s runic magic, had unleashed a devastating strike.

Meterrar’s expression grew increasingly rigid.

‘Still another second-year?’

Pupils possessing capabilities far exceeding the standard sophomore benchmark were emerging one after another.

‘Even so, they only have two front-line fighters. I can easily overpower them…’

Two individuals impeding his path.

The moment he concluded he could swiftly neutralize the threat by simply subduing Duran and Chen Sia—

A gargantuan boulder hurtled forward at a staggering velocity, smashing directly into Meterrar.

Kwaaang-!

Reeling from the jarring impact, Meterrar grimaced as he glared at the heavily built youth, Wareden, who had initiated the assault.

‘Another second-year!’

Just as he prepared to launch a counter-offensive—

A diminutive female mage and an elven magic-blade user positioned themselves between Wareden and Meterrar, disrupting his momentum.

“Master Wareden, that was incredible!”

“How utterly crude.”

Eiran cheered enthusiastically, whereas Chelsea gestured with her tongue in mock distaste.

Chelsea deployed gale sorcery to streamline the coordination of Wareden and Eiran’s maneuvers.

Right then—

‘Their tactics are highly coordinated. Who is directing them? Could it be the Dragon Lord?’

His individual prowess was undeniable, yet he found himself perpetually hindered by a defensive matrix tailor-made to exploit his style.

There was unquestionably an overseer analyzing his behavior and anticipating his subsequent maneuvers.

‘Furthermore, these adolescents move with flawless synchronization. It stands to reason this is the handiwork of the Dragon Lord’s oversight…’

“Aaaaaargh! What is the meaning of this bizarre flight path all of a sudden!”

“Be silent! Who permitted you to handle sensitive areas! I will end you later… actually, perhaps I should end you right now! Karl Thomas!”

“That is because your demands are completely unreasonable! This has slipped beyond my management!”

Karl’s agonized yell and Eliza’s enraged shouting resonated across the sky.

“Superb work, everyone.”

Mel offered a bright grin, gazing upon the gathered second-years.

“What exactly are these individuals?”

Meterrar demanded of Mel.

Mel simply offered a noncommittal shrug in response to the query.

“They represent the future.”

“The future?”

“Precisely. The generation destined to propel this world forward.”

Hearing this, Meterrar let out a derisive snort.

“Have you ensnared these youngsters with pleasant falsehoods as well? What narratives did you spin for them? Did you promise them they held the power to salvage existence? Hahahaha. Just as you did with us? Hahahahahahaha!”

Meterrar roared with laughter, directing his hand accusatorily toward Mel.

“Ignorant pupils of Lumern. Let me unveil reality to you. Regardless of the tales spun by this Dragon Lord, saving this world is beyond your grasp. In truth, you will simply be discarded by this dragon!”

His gaze burned with pure malice.

“You shall never receive the privilege to confront the Genesis!”

Celia twisted her features into a scowl upon catching those words.

“Genesis? What does that signify?”

“Does it not correlate with the Hero of Genesis?”

Responding to Chen Sia’s deduction, Chelsea placed both hands upon her hips.

“Regardless, all this talk of being ‘discarded’ is absurd. Doesn’t the former traitorous headmaster simply possess an overwhelming persecution complex?”

“This marks the first instance I am hearing that Professor Mel is actually the Dragon Lord.”

Chloe adopted a thoroughly perplexed demeanor.

“What did you just utter?”

Meterrar manifested a look of utter bewilderment at the second-years’ unconcerned and puzzled reactions.

“There is zero utility in listening to a renegade who bartered his spirit away to Tartarus.”

Abbad remarked with a smirk.

“We require no further explanations. Our sole objective is to crush him.”

Wareden projected his combat intent and tightly balled his hand into a fist.

Kugugugugung-!

The terrain rumbled under the influence of the formidable earth primordial with whom he held a pact.

“You are all incredibly dependable.”

Mel offered a warm smile to the sophomores before stepping forward to confront Meterrar directly.

“I have never cast you aside. You simply wandered down a corrupted path.”

Mel’s demeanor shifted to one of absolute frost.

“Even I cannot foresee the heights these youths will attain. However, one reality is absolute: it is pure hubris to dictate that these children will falter merely because you met with failure. And most critically—”

Mel paused momentarily, then shifted her gaze to the second-years, speaking clearly.

“I am not the entity who designated these youths as the stewards of the world’s destiny.”

“What are you implying?”

“The choice belonged to a magnificent entity residing far above my station.”

Mel gestured toward the heavens with her index finger, a subtle smile playing on her lips.

“Are you claiming it to be a deity?”

“Hmm… in a particular sense, the comparison is apt. For that entity is the one who bestowed our contemporary world upon us.”

“Preposterous.”

Meterrar’s expression warped in irritation.

Paying him no mind, Mel continued.

“On another note, it truly is a tragic spectacle.”

Mel let out a soft sigh and lifted her arm.

“Not only did the champion I once selected fall from grace to sell his allegiance to the Lich King… but he has been reduced to playing the part of a disposable pawn meant solely to delay us.”

“What?”

“The Lich King has no intention of conducting his primary assault on Lumern.”

Mel’s gaze sharpened.

The legions of the deceased, comprised of former heroes alongside endless hordes of fiends, were currently laying siege to Lumern.

This was undeniably the army of the Lich King.

‘Yet it represents a mere fraction.’

Mel had maintained her silence for an age, earning her moniker as the Silent Dragon, but she had never truly abandoned the realm to its fate.

Throughout that period of quietude, she had functioned as a massive counterweight against the forces of Tartarus.

Mel, having waged an endless, hidden war against the Lich King in the shadows, perceived the truth immediately.

‘This is nothing more than a diversionary maneuver designed to restrict my movements and anchor Lumern’s military might. The genuine objective… must be Lord Leo within Lumeria City.’

If that held true, Leo was in grave peril.

The Lich King was not an entity to orchestrate an offensive of this nature unless he was entirely assured of his triumph.

‘…It is not merely his domain that has been amplified via the shard of Erebus. His inherent power has grown significantly more formidable as well.’

Despite the absence of the Lich King’s primary form, shattering the severing malediction he had woven remained an arduous task.

Mel tightened her grip.

‘However, we now possess an unforeseen anomaly that completely eluded the Lich King’s calculations.’

Mel consolidated her resolve.

‘Lady Luna.’

Crack-!

The Lich King focused his gaze as the atmosphere splintered, mimicking the shattering of a looking glass.

“As anticipated, the prowess of the Mirror Queen proves ineffective against the contemporary ‘Surviving Hero’.”

Even with his domain bolstered by the residual energy of Erebus’s fragment, resurrecting the ancient vanguard commanders indefinitely remained beyond his capability.

He was restricted to reanimating a singular commander at any given time.

‘Furthermore, the entirety of the vanguard commanders would inevitably fracture away from my dominance.’

The resentment harbored by the deceased commanders was incredibly profound.

Consequently, it was certain that upon their revival, they would abandon all rationality, descend into a frenzy, and strike out at the living world.

The Lich King derived no satisfaction from such an outcome.

Regardless of his peerless strength, mounting an offensive outside the borders of Tartarus in an era populated by a multitude of champions was an act of self-destruction.

‘They would sustain immense casualties, but… our forces would likewise endure devastating losses.’

Operating under those parameters, he had chosen to restore the Mirror Queen, an entity who retained her cognitive faculties and had previously wrought total devastation upon the legendary heroes of old.

Naturally, the Lich King was fully aware that the Mirror Queen’s distinct capability would fail to ensnare the current Leo.

In the bygone era, the Mirror Queen had suffered a decisive and unceremonious defeat at the hands of Luna.

‘Moreover, the Surviving Hero has triumphed over an endless gauntlet of tribulations. It would be entirely aberrant if the Mirror Queen’s parlor tricks managed to severely compromise an individual who has brought about the downfall of a deity.’

Crack-crack-crack-!

Additional fractures rippled through the open air.

‘Nonetheless, he will unquestionably sustain emotional and psychological trauma.’

The illusions spun by the Mirror Queen were exceptionally insidious.

The moment one phantom is dispelled, another manifests to take its place.

While it lacked the power to completely shatter his psyche, it was entirely capable of delivering a profound psychological blow.

‘Even in a diminished state, can the Surviving Hero truly hope to impede my progress?’

Whether he could be entirely broken was irrelevant.

‘I have spent a considerable duration analyzing exactly how the Surviving Hero managed to vanquish Lord Erebus.’

Faced with an apocalyptic scenario, the Surviving Hero had overcome a deity through his efforts alone.

This was achieved neither by simply inheriting the collective power of his fellow champions, nor by his allies inflicting critical injuries upon Erebus beforehand.

‘Following extensive contemplation, I deduced that his psychological fortitude surpassed even the divine determination of a god.’

Avenue dictated that a fracture must be introduced into that very psychological fortitude.

The ultimate objective of the Lich King was to gradually erode Leo’s mental resilience.

‘It is my sincere hope that you experience profound torment, Surviving Hero.’

The Lich King allowed a dark grin to form on his features.

He then cast his gaze toward the civilian population of Lumeria City currently undergoing evacuation.

“There exist matters in this existence that lie beyond one’s ability to safeguard.”

Ziiiiiing-!

A massive summoning array materialized in the sky, and endless battalions of the unliving began to stream forth.

“I am eager to observe the body count that accumulates before you manage to overcome the Mirror Queen and extricate yourself.”