Chapter 525

Book 1 Chapter 525

“Leo, take a look at this. This is a sculpture of Sir Kyle gripping a blade, which I sculpted with my own hands. Ever since the Age of Calamity concluded, I have faithfully produced one each year! I have spent every year focused on crafting these likenesses of Sir Kyle. This particular one depicts Sir Kyle channeling sorcery! And this other one captures him invoking summoning arts…”

Shin retrieved a figurine displayed on a section of the cabinetry and presented it to Kyle.

The statue, carved from precious gemstones, possessed a realism so striking it seemed ready to draw breath at any second.

Leo lifted a crimson statuette of Kyle, positioned in a swordsman’s stance.

A smirk tugged upward at the corner of his lips. It was the precise expression Luna frequently labeled as an ‘ominous grin.’

“This replicates the exact expression Sir Kyle wore when wiping out his foes! A commanding smile that appeared to look down upon all creation! Ah! Might you grant me the privilege of seeing that very smile directed at me?”

Kyaak-! Kyaak-! Shin uttered quiet gasps right beside him.

Reacting to that behavior, Leo’s countenance twisted in disgust, and he dropped the sculpture from his hand directly onto the floorboards without a second thought.

Clang-!

“My masterpiece!”

Shin, emitting a sharp shriek, dropped to his hands and knees, scooping up the shattered remnants while weeping heavily, tears streaming down like giant drops.

The grieving Shin abruptly snapped his head upward and bellowed.

“Indeed! Ruin is merely the dawn of a new era! This destruction signifies that Sir Kyle has returned to life as Leo! These very shards carry deep importance!”

Crunch! Grind! Grind—

Leo brought his boot down upon the remnants, crushing them relentlessly into fine grit across the floor.

The brand-new era had been reduced to ash.

Observing this, Leo directed a freezing glare at Shin, who remained prostrated on the ground in misery.

“I am well aware that divinities are a useless lot, but why on earth do you occupy yourself creating such garbage?”

“My productivity surges when I labor while crafting these.”

“Labor?”

“Forgive me for delaying my formal introduction.”

Shin rose to his feet, faced Leo, and offered a respectful bow.

“My true identity is Lian. I am tasked with serving as the custodian and chronicler of the Hero Record.”

“A custodian and chronicler? Does that imply you possess command over the Hero Record?”

“To be exact, it is a delegated authority. This registry system belongs to you… or rather, it belongs to the legendary champions.”

“Understood, is that the reason Luna managed to register Lunia within the Hero Record?”

“Luna? Has Luna Rubenance also returned to the living realm in this era?”

Lian’s eyelids fluttered wide.

An uncontainable fervor burned deep within his gaze.

“She briefly manifested in this current era as an ethereal presence not long ago.”

“Ah.”

Lian released a breath heavy with disappointment.

“Discerning from your response, you evidently recognize that you are the true master of the Hero Record.”

“I encountered Pivua once within the domain of champions.”

“Pivua? That explains it.”

Lian gave a nod of comprehension.

Leo fixed his gaze on Lian and inquired.

“By the way, wasn’t it due to the catastrophe 5000 years ago that divine beings were barred from dwelling on Earth?”

“Indeed, higher entities can no longer set foot upon Earth.”

“Then by what means do you remain here? If you have been overseeing the Hero Record, that implies you have resided on Earth for five millennia, correct?”

“Yes, my ability to persist on Earth is entirely due to the Hero Record.”

“Due to the Hero Record?”

“Yes. To clarify the mechanism, I believe it is necessary to first detail the origins of the Hero Record.”

Lian lightly struck his palms together.

Instantly, a seat and a desk materialized out of thin air with a sharp pop!

A typical sorcerer would have been struck with amazement by the display just witnessed.

It was not a commonplace manifestation drawn from a pocket dimension.

It felt as though the furniture had occupied that spot from the very beginning.

This was not a manipulation or distortion of spatial laws, but rather a fundamental rewriting of those rules.

Such an occurrence could never be accomplished through standard sorcery.

Yet Leo remained entirely unbothered.

‘Because this entity is an all-knowing and all-powerful deity.’

Naturally, divine beings cannot properly exercise their absolute power while on Earth.

The function of deities is ultimately constrained to that of a supervisor, or more accurately, a spectator.

Their supervision is limited to sustaining the fabric of the world so it avoids total ruin.

In simpler terms, they have been keeping Erebus suppressed.

Aside from that single duty, they face strict prohibitions against executing authority on Earth.

Consequently, deities are simultaneously all-powerful and utterly useless.

Furthermore, having existed across boundless eons, they possess an intense craving to merely fulfill their personal whims.

That was the core reason Luna held such deep skepticism toward divine beings.

‘Virtuous deities like Pivua are incredibly uncommon.’

Leo cast a sidelong glance at Lian.

‘This particular deity is unhinged as well, though he seems to be unhinged in a somewhat polished manner. If I had to categorize him, he would fit as a virtuous deity.’

A virtuous deity. Meaning a benevolent entity.

To be fair, other deities do not fundamentally seek to harm the mortal plane.

At worst, they merely trigger mischief on Earth and orchestrate petty schemes.

‘Though, since they are higher beings, the magnitude of their pranks is massive, which makes it incredibly tedious.’

There are also those who are completely mad.

One only needs to observe the champions chronicled within the Hero Record.

While none of them appeared particularly stable, Leo recognized that Lian was a exceptionally compliant deity.

“A long, long epoch ago. There existed the ancient abomination and the five legendary champions.”

Lian arranged figurines shaped like the legendary champions onto the tips of his five left digits and a figurine representing Erebus on his right hand.

“The abomination let loose a roar. Kyao!”

“…”

Lian, having initiated a puppet display, carried out a clumsy, awkward presentation with an intensely solemn countenance.

Observing the spectacle, Leo thought to himself.

‘Reconsideration, he appears to be entirely mad.’

“However, the abomination suffered defeat at the hands of the legendary champions.”

Lian fluidly shifted his left digits, forcefully striking his right palm.

“How much longer must I endure this absurd theater?”

“Kindly tolerate it a moment more, this represents my preferred segment.”

Lian, who had been ruthlessly hammering the Erebus figurine with the champion puppets on his left hand, then savagely ripped the Erebus figurine to shreds with his left hand, tear-tear, tossing the remnants into the air.

Dark shreds of cloth drifted toward the ceiling and then cascaded downward.

“Is it not magnificent?”

Faced with the zealot’s eager, shining gaze, Leo answered callously.

“Sure.”

“Oh, goodness~”

Lian, who had pressed his palms against his cheeks in momentary euphoria, swiftly shifted his demeanor and spoke.

“Consequently, tranquility returned to the lands. The divine entities resolved to forge a chronicle network entirely separate from any existing archives, to eternally celebrate the triumphs of the legendary champions who achieved the impossible. And furthermore, to prepare against the resurgence of the abomination, which had not been entirely wiped out.”

“A chronicle network entirely separate from existing archives?”

“Precisely.”

Lian extended his arms wide.

“The Akashic Record. It is a chronicling mechanism that logs the universe itself. It is a network finalized by the collective pantheon who retreated to the celestial domain, combining their total omnipotence. This archive is the Akashic Record itself. Duplicates of this library exist within the celestial domain as well.”

“What does it truly signify to log the universe?”

Lian offered a subtle smirk to Leo, who voiced his skepticism.

“It signifies documenting every single occurrence that has transpired across the world precisely as it unfolded, starting from 5000 years past. From the minute stirrings of bugs in an obscure location to the specific draft of wind that brushed through that area… It accumulated a staggering ocean of data that even divine entities found impossible to oversee. The entities who fashioned the world long ago and delegated its oversight to us… even the Architect, whom we have never encountered, certainly could not have foreseen such a construct being developed.”

“I grasp that it is impressive. But what was the objective behind engineering such a mechanism?”

“Because what the deities desired to fashion was the ‘universe’ itself.”

“The universe itself?”

“Yes. To construct a domain, even if it is a restricted one. To tap into the power of genesis, even if only in minuscule portions.”

Lian drifted his eyelids shut and beamed with delight.

“To summon historical occurrences as ‘tangible reality’ within the current era.”

Upon hearing those words, Leo’s facial expression shifted intensely.

“The World of Heroes.”

“Precisely! Every bit of this served as the groundwork for establishing the Hero Record. The Akashic Record, in a manner of speaking, serves as the fundamental architecture that underpins the Hero Record.”

Lian rested his palm over his heart.

“From among the figures preserved within the Akashic Record, those deemed ‘champions’ were isolated and entered into the Hero Record. This allowed the descendants of Earth to follow the paths of antiquity and claim the abilities of bygone champions. Yet, the Hero Record demanded a filtering protocol, and there was no designated entity available to input data into the Hero Record. Additionally, a fountain of energy to sustain the Hero Record itself was required.”

“And that entity was you?”

“Yes. I serve as the custodian of the Hero Record and simultaneously function as a component of the Hero Record itself.”

“You yielded your own safety, didn’t you? Is there truly any purpose for an entity, a deity no less, to surrender their very identity to turn into a piece of the Hero Record?”

“Likely not for the rest of the pantheon. Seeing as I was the solitary volunteer.”

“For what reason?”

“…”

Lian unclosed his ash-colored eyes and gazed up toward Kyle.

“I loathed ash. It represents the shade of pointless cinders, consumed entirely by flame.”

Lian brushed through his strands of hair.

“For that reason, I loathed you as well. No, to be completely accurate, I mocked you. Chiefly, I took issue with you possessing ash-colored hair and ash-colored eyes. And I believed you, who endured without desiring a single thing, incapable of passing away, were utterly pointless. Thus, throughout the Age of Calamity, I remained certain of the world’s ruin. Every deity likely shared that sentiment… though I was closer to sneering. Nevertheless, despite abandoning all expectation, I still loathed absolute erasure.”

The erasure of the mortal realm also implied the erasure of the divine entities.

“Yet you ultimately refused to surrender and preserved the world. I was left with no option but to revere you.”

Lian grinned softly.

“For that reason, I desired that your legacy be transmitted across lineages forever. From my standpoint, having already discarded everything else, there existed no basis to mourn my own identity.”

“Anyone possessing strength equivalent to mine would have acted identically.”

Lian gestured negatively with his head.

“Kindly do not minimize an achievement which even all-knowing deities deemed unachievable. Kindly do not minimize the devotion of your allies who placed their faith in you until the absolute end.”

Lian stared directly at Leo with his ash-colored eyes.

“It was achievable solely because it was you. This stands as an absolute, immutable reality.”

“…”

Leo rubbed at his cheek.

‘A deity is truly a deity.’

Leo, who had silently noted that they could not be easily discounted, questioned him.

“Were you aware of my actual presence from the moment I underwent rebirth?”

“No. Owing to that wretched abomination, the Akashic Record suffered damage as well. It is generating glitches. Furthermore, because the Akashic Record is so colossal, not even divine entities can recall every entry by heart.”

Lian shook his head back and forth.

“Moreover, every entity is preoccupied with entering the specific champions they favor into the Hero Record. That is the reason your detection was delayed.”

“Are you not the sole individual who handles the logging of entries?”

“Yes. However, since even I cannot keep track of every champion, the deities assemble periodically to vote on which champions to input. But as you are aware, Leo, higher entities are a chaotic bunch, are they not?”

Lian scowled.

“Via these assemblies, even individuals lacking heroic traits get documented.”

Irritation bubbled across his features.

“What was the purpose behind releasing the Heroes of Genesis into the outer world?”

“Ah, that was intended to detect your presence, Leo, and trigger the champion labyrinth to guide you to this location… but due to the abomination’s interference, the mechanism malfunctioned, and the construct forged from my energy ended up escaping into the modern realm.”

“Predictably, all-powerful yet thoroughly useless.”

“Ah!”

“Why do you look pleased? That was hardly a compliment.”

“If it originates from you, Leo, even rejections are welcome. Nay, if you were to expectorate upon me—no, expectorate holy water upon me—I would gladly take it!”

“…”

“Leo, this hair! Ever since I pledged my reverence to you, I plucked out every single one of my native strands and replaced them! My eyes are no different! I gouged them out and fitted new ones! Ah! Seeing as I now possess crimson eyes, I ought to gouge one of them out as well! Which side should I extract? The left? The right?”

‘He is simply completely mad.’

His recovering opinion of Lian crashed straight back down to the absolute bottom.

Leo clicked his tongue and spoke.

“Since you have been managing the Hero Record, I possess a single inquiry.”

“Yes. Please issue your directive.”

“Regarding Berkia and Bihar.”

“So you have uncovered knowledge of them.”

Lian let out a mournful murmur.

“It may cause you distress.”

“Amending errors is precisely the obligation of a master.”

“In that case…”

Lian shut his eyes and exhaled deeply.

“I shall begin by explaining the reasons the Fairy Knight fell into that state.”