Chapter 587

Crackling and spitting, the intense lightning aura flared brightly around Durán’s form.

Eiran let out a desperate shout the moment she noticed Durán’s movement.

“Hold on! Lord Durán! Striking right now puts everyone else at risk!”

“Guh!”

With a sharp grunt, Durán quickly pulled back his blade.

Fwoosh!

A massive wave of dark embers erupted and rushed forward.

Reacting instantly, Eiran raised her defensive shield, channeling her own aura to intercept the oncoming dark embers.

Much like sorcerers possess unique magical inclinations, warriors also possess distinct fighting methods.

For instance, Celia and Durán were frontline combatants who excelled at absolute offense.

They overwhelmed their adversaries directly with devastating aura techniques while ensuring their comrades remained safe behind them.

Conversely, Eiran was a warrior whose true mastery lay in absolute defense.

Under the current circumstances, where a massive disparity in strength existed between their comrades and the opposing force, Eiran’s defensive expertise became completely indispensable.

Whoosh!

“Ah!”

“Lady Eiran! Are you alright?”

Chen Xia swiftly materialized her water aura, deploying it to drive back the swirling dark embers surrounding Eiran.

Having been momentarily forced backward by the intensifying heat of the dark embers, Eiran managed a quick, determined nod.

“I am fine! I can keep going!”

Though she responded with immense bravery, her flesh was already marked with numerous burns of varying severity across her entire body.

At this moment, she served as one of the primary defensive bulwarks holding back the relentless dark embers.

Had she not been standing firm at the front, their entire group would have perished a long time ago.

“Eiran! You are pushing past your limits! Step away and recover!”

Right then, Dryana shouted over the din of battle, utilizing a massive shield that easily eclipsed her own physical stature to hold back the dark embers.

“No! I can still stand…”

“Stubbornness alone will not save us here! If you collapse, we all fall! You must fall back and tend to your wounds right now!”

Dryana, who stood as the other foundational defensive pillar alongside Eiran, bellowed her command.

Eiran bit her lower lip anxiously.

“But if I retreat, the entire burden will fall solely on you, Lady Dryana!”

“Do not insult me. Am I not the chosen successor of Lord Dweno, the legendary figure who served as the ultimate shield for the great heroes?”

Dryana offered a reassuring, proud grin.

“My physical endurance far outmatches yours! So stop worrying and fall back.”

“Eiran! Get to the back, quickly!”

“Oh, Eiran! You did wonderfully! Please, just rest for a moment!”

With tears welling in their eyes, the attending Seirun students rushed forward to support the faltering Eiran, guiding her toward the rear lines.

“…Can you truly hold out?”

Chen Xia questioned Dryana, her voice laced with concern.

Dryana offered a strained chuckle in response to Chen Xia’s query.

“Not in the slightest.”

As the primary shield bearer alongside Eiran, Dryana had absorbed just as much devastating impact.

The sole reason she remained upright was due to the natural, robust physiology that dwarves possessed over elves.

“Allow me to assist you, even if it is only a little.”

Possessing a versatile combat style that blended both offensive and defensive measures, Chen Xia was also quite capable of holding a defensive line.

However, Dryana gave a firm shake of her head upon hearing Chen Xia’s offer.

“Both you and Eiran are my treasured artistic models! It would be an absolute tragedy if either of you ended up with permanent scars!”

“To hear you joke like that means you still have a bit of energy left.”

Dryana merely smiled, tightening her grasp on her massive shield with renewed focus.

“Jokes aside, we are in an incredibly dire predicament.”

Flash! Boom! Rumble! Crash!

From a short distance away, a sequence of catastrophic detonations and violent tremors rippled through the battlefield.

It was the unmistakable sound of Lumern engaging Erebus directly at the absolute front line.

“If Lord Lumern had not arrived to intercept the enemy when he did… we would have been annihilated long ago.”

The primary threat that the academy students were currently straining to hold back was merely the residual heat and flames radiating from Erebus.

“This conflict is entirely unlike anything we have faced before.”

They had not even managed to set foot onto the actual center of the conflict.

Yet, simply enduring this preliminary stage was stretching them to their absolute limits.

“The most glaring vulnerability is that our collective teamwork is far from seamless.”

Chen Xia expressed her deep apprehension.

At present, the students from the four prominent hero academies were attempting to coordinate based on the tactical experience they gained fighting Erebus during their prior summer break.

Because of that shared history, their cooperation was not entirely disastrous.

Even so, it fell drastically short of what was required to turn the tide of this battle.

Dryana narrowed her eyes slightly.

“We desperately require Kyle’s presence.”

“Indeed.”

Currently, the overall tactical direction was being managed by Chloe, whose strategic brilliance was unmatched among the second-year pupils.

However, Chloe’s primary talent lay in analyzing the grand movements of an expansive battlefield and formulating large-scale maneuvers.

Kyle could not hope to rival her in that specific domain.

Conversely, when it came to concentrated skirmishes aimed at bringing down a single, overwhelmingly powerful adversary, Kyle’s profound analytical perception and instantaneous tactical reflexes made him vastly superior.

“I cannot comprehend where that fellow could have wandered off to at a critical juncture like this.”

The moment Dryana voiced her irritation regarding Kyle’s absence.

“Aaaaaaaah!”

A panicked shriek pierced the air.

The remaining combatants quickly scanned their surroundings.

“The sound came from above.”

Following Chen Xia’s quiet observation, everyone raised their gaze toward the sky.

Right before he could violently impact the earth.

Kyle managed to cast Fly magic at the absolute last second, easing his descent to the ground.

“T-that was far too close! That insane Eliza! She used her acceleration abilities to literally hurl me all the way over here…”

“Where on earth have you been idling around while we struggled?!”

Chelsea bounded toward Kyle, aggressively grabbing him by his collar and giving him a fierce shake.

“My, my. Did you truly miss me that much?”

As Kyle offered his characteristically smooth and playful retort, Chelsea ground her teeth in sheer irritation.

“Is anyone going to object if I strike him?!”

“Step away, Chelsea Rwalyn.”

“For what reason??”

“Because I intend to strike him myself.”

Hearing Durán’s genuinely lethal tone, Chelsea promptly let go of Kyle’s collar.

“Hold on! Sister Chelsea! Do not cast me aside! I promise to hold my tongue!”

Observing that Durán appeared entirely serious about delivering a blow, Kyle’s complexion drained of color as he frantically begged Chelsea for protection.

“Setting that aside, what delayed you?”

Even Abad, who invariably preserved his calm demeanor regardless of the chaos around him, managed to pacify Durán before demanding an explanation from Kyle.

Kyle raised the stave gripped in his fingers, offering an explanation.

“My tardiness was due to the necessity of acquiring the essential instrument required to combat that monstrosity.”

The surrounding students widened their eyes in surprise upon seeing Kyle’s unshakeable assurance.

Whoosh!

At that precise moment, the dark embers surged forward like an unstoppable tidal wave.

Terrified cries echoed from the vanguard attempting to withstand the onslaught.

Witnessing the impending collapse, Chen Xia darted straight toward Kyle.

“Kyle! You must take over the tactical command immediately!”

“What? Are you certain it is appropriate for me to assume control…”

“There is no one else capable of this besides you, Kyle, so move quickly!”

Chen Xia grabbed Kyle and hurried toward the position where Chloe was stationed.

“Celia! Defend your left flank… Oh! Kyle!”

Chloe, who was currently orchestrating their allies’ movements from the center of a specialized magical array that provided a comprehensive overview of the entire engagement, looked visibly relieved upon Kyle’s arrival.

“Take this position!”

Chloe swiftly stepped out from the focal point of the magical array.

The moment Kyle took his place within the boundary, a multitude of projection screens materialized directly before his vision.

“Any command you utter from this point will be broadcasted to every ally on the field!”

Receiving her instruction, Kyle gave a somewhat dazed nod of comprehension.

Chloe immediately turned back to rejoin the frontline defense.

“I harbor doubts about whether I am truly suited for this responsibility,” Kyle murmured under his breath, his voice tight with apprehension, to which Chen Xia offered a firm reply.

“I am certain you will execute this task better than anyone else possibly could.”

Prompted by her confidence, Kyle directed his gaze toward one of the projection screens.

Displayed upon it was the silhouette of a lone man locked in a fierce, direct confrontation with the core entity of the Calamity Flame.

‘Lord Lumern.’

Rumble!

Lumern gazed intently at the raging manifestation of the Calamity Flame directly ahead of him and raised his blade.

Erebus had not assumed the proportions of a towering titan.

His physical form was roughly equivalent to Lumern’s own dimensions.

The ancient, primordial malice, completely enveloped in absolute darkness and heat, spread his limbs wide.

A brilliant arc of the Aura of Twilight, unleashed from Lumern’s weapon, cleanly severed Erebus’s head from his shoulders.

Fwoosh!

Erebus’s severed head was instantly launched high into the sky.

Lumern extended his open palm.

Flash!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Blinding javelins composed of pure radiance converged from every direction, piercing through Erebus’s form and ruthlessly tearing it apart.

His execution of martial prowess and sorcery was designed to completely eradicate the target.

Despite his specialization as a magic swordsman, he exhibited no imbalance toward either discipline.

He was single-handedly forcing Erebus backward through an overwhelming demonstration of blade techniques and magical arts, leaving absolutely no openings for the adversary to exploit.

However…

Whoosh!

The instantly reconstituted dark embers surged outward, fully engulfing Lumern.

Lumern executed a rapid leap away, narrowly evading Erebus’s counterstrike.

-To continuously mimic the savior who survives. How utterly tedious. Twilight Knight.

Fwoosh!

The shattered form of Erebus instantaneously reformed into its complete shape.

-You have already pushed your vessel to its absolute threshold. For what purpose do you refuse to submit?

Erebus openly mocked him.

-Did you not abandon all hope of overcoming me an eternity ago?

“Indeed, I abandoned the notion of personally destroying you. Because such a feat lies beyond my individual capability.”

Lumern tightened his fingers around the hilt of his weapon.

“However, I have never once entertained the thought that all hope for tomorrow is lost.”

Staring directly into the ceaseless conflagration of the Calamity Flame, Lumern spoke with absolute conviction.

“Those young souls represent the tomorrow we await.”

After pursuing Erebus following his breakout from Liane’s library and arriving at this location, Lumern had observed the academy students firsthand.

And in that moment, he witnessed it.

A spark of potential he believed he lacked entirely.

‘Kyle was not the sole bearer of hope for the future.’

He understood then that his path, where he had gambled absolutely everything on the generation to come, was not a mistake.

-Your vision is just as clouded as the rest. Twilight Knight.

Erebus dismissively shook his head.

-Those useless creatures who flounder against a mere ember. Do you truly harbor faith that they can achieve what even you failed to accomplish?

“What they lack in maturity, they will forge through adversity.”

The edges of Lumern’s mouth curved upward into a confident smile.

“Those young warriors will stand directly before you in the very near future. And they shall strike you down alongside the Hero of Beginnings. Though you mocked the Hero of Beginnings for standing isolated.”

Lumern pointed the tip of his blade forward.

“He stands isolated no longer.”

-Then your intention is to obstruct my path here, even at the cost of your own demise, for the sake of those worthless insects.

Erebus raised his arm slowly.

-In truth, you have persevered remarkably well. Your stubbornness surpassed that of any champion I have encountered previously.

Whoosh.

A champion who possesses an unyielding spirit is a terrifying adversary.

The sheer dread of that unbending resolve had been made clear to him through the legendary Great Heroes.

And through Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings, that terror had been etched deeply into his very essence.

Furthermore, Erebus had perceived the distinct impression of Kyle’s presence the moment he first encountered Lumern.

Though he had been unable to break his spirit, Lumern’s unshakeable resolve to forge a path forward instilled a strange sense of anxiety within Erebus.

Because it was impossible to predict when Lumern, despite being bound by mortal constraints, might completely break through his limitations.

However…

-Are you content with this end? Twilight Knight.

At this exact instant.

The lingering impression of Kyle that had resided within Lumern completely evaporated.

Erebus’s form ascended rapidly into the open sky.

A cruel smirk crossed his features as he looked down at Lumern, who clearly intended to trigger a mutual destruction.

Lumern, having transferred all his hopes and burdens onto his pupils and peers, no longer posed an existential threat to Erebus.

An individual who has exhausted their purpose and welcomes demise without lingering attachments is no longer formidable.

-Nothing more than a fading ember.

And this marked the absolute boundary of Lumern’s capability.

Rumble!

The exact instant Erebus prepared to rain down devastating fire upon Lumern.

Fwoosh!

A figure forcefully tore through the swirling dark embers that dominated the landscape, bursting directly onto the central battlefield.

“The successor of Lord Arion?”

Lumern stared in sheer disbelief at Ar, who had boldly entered a domain of conflict he should not yet have been capable of navigating.

“Uryaaaaaaaah!”

Unleashing a roaring battle cry, Ar delivered a powerful kick squarely into Erebus.

Boom!

Pure white fire erupted from Ar’s foot, heavily reinforced by Arion’s Aura.

Crash!

Erebus was forcefully launched backward, crashing violently into the terrain below.

Ar, who had not only concentrated his entire physical strength into the strike but also enhanced it with the distinct properties of Lunia’s fire, descended rapidly toward the earth.

Whoosh!

Eliza deftly intercepted Ar mid-air, breaking his fall.

“Lord Lumern! We have arrived to support you!”

Celia sprinted directly to Lumern’s side.

“How did you manage…”

Lumern inquired, his expression entirely blank with shock.

They were still nothing more than developing candidates for heroism.

Though a magnificent destiny lay ahead of them, their current capabilities should have been entirely insufficient to participate in a clash of this magnitude.

He had believed they were still a critical stride away from being able to stand on this stage.

Even if it was merely a single stride.

That final stride at the absolute limit represents an immense, seemingly insurmountable gap.

Latent potential does not simply awaken on a whim.

‘What could have possibly transformed to permit these children to cross into this domain?’

Erebus, having endured the impact and been hurled away by Ar, slowly rose back to his feet.

‘I deemed them to be nothing more than worthless trash.’

To be sure, the latent capabilities of the heroic candidates he had crossed paths with this time were substantial enough to catch Erebus off guard.

Yet Erebus was well aware of the reality.

That latent potential is entirely distinct from actualized power.

Throughout the world, only an incredibly microscopic percentage of individuals ever successfully unlock the entirety of their latent gifts.

‘There exists a countless multitude of pathetic insects who hold gifts they do not deserve.’

For that precise reason, he had paid no heed to the young candidates.

Because it was glaringly obvious that they possessed no means to endure even the residual heat of the fire he unleashed.

Yet now, they had completely shattered Erebus’s calculations.

‘Their tactical patterns have undergone a sudden, radical shift.’

Erebus’s gaze sharpened significantly.

‘Has an individual possessing a level of strategic perception akin to that fool materialized here?’

Erebus’s eyes rapidly traversed the expanse of the battlefield.

And there, he detected an exceptionally unremarkable human youth situated among the heroic candidates.

An utterly minor, insignificant human being.

A pathetic mortal, existing far beneath the level of those Erebus dismissed as mere trash.

However…

‘He is actively drawing forth the latent capabilities of those around him.’

Erebus discerned with absolute clarity the exact nature of Kyle’s capability.

The Erebus of antiquity would have simply laughed it off.

He would have disregarded it entirely, operating under the assumption that the latent capacity of a mere mortal ultimately possessed strict boundaries regardless.

But now, he understood.

Precisely how catastrophic that capability truly was.

‘He must be terminated immediately.’

Erebus’s absolute intent to kill shifted focus, locking directly onto Kyle.

Thud.

Kyle clenched his teeth tightly, staring at the remnants of Dweno’s craftsmanship that had melted away into nothingness.

‘…You performed admirably.’

With that, yet another implement of his arsenal had been permanently lost.

The ancient divine artifacts were rapidly approaching the absolute end of their operational existence, entirely incapable of enduring the sheer strain of Kyle’s internal power combined with Erebus’s destructive heat.

Kyle instinctively reached into the folds of his mantle, only to freeze mid-motion.

‘…Ah, this particular mantle is merely a replication.’

The original mantle crafted through the cooperation of Lisinas and Luna featured an expansive dimensional storage space alongside its formidable protective wards.

Kyle had secured his primary armaments within that dimensional space a long time ago.

However, regardless of how flawlessly constructed this replica appeared, it remained a false artifact.

Every single enchantment woven into the fabric, save for its baseline defensive attributes, remained entirely inert.

Consequently, the dimensional storage capability had ceased to exist.

Only the original artisans possessed the skill required to restore an artifact of this magnitude to its pristine, functional state.

‘Am I left with no alternative but to employ my divine energy?’

Sensing the divine energy resting quietly within his physical vessel, Kyle weighed his options carefully.

Up to this point, he had successfully contained the Calamity Flame using exclusively the skills and techniques he acquired following his reincarnation.

However, the conflagration exhibited absolutely no indication of waning, regardless of how many times he severed and dispersed it.

Instead, the flames seemed to burn with an even more volatile intensity.

The explanation for this phenomenon was straightforward.

‘That fire does not constitute the primary entity.’

It was entirely evident that the conflagration would persist indefinitely unless he breached the domain of heroes and permanently sealed the rupture.

‘Furthermore… this represents the combined strength of multiple fragments.’

He had uncovered a critical piece of information during his engagement with the Calamity Flame.

The fire Erebus wielded at this moment was far greater than the capacity of a isolated fragment.

The longer the fire endured, the greater its fundamental destructive capacity expanded.

And the Calamity Flame followed that exact principle.

‘Multiple millennia have passed since the shattered pieces of Erebus, initially brought down by the Heroes of Genesis, began their resurgence.’

And throughout those countless millennia, the Calamity Flame had persisted in its burning within the domain of heroes.

Within that domain, there also existed a potent fuel source known as divine energy.

Under those conditions…

‘It would be entirely logical if he has consolidated the power equivalent to multiple fragments by now.’

Kyle squeezed his hand into a tight fist, his arm still buried within the folds of his mantle.

‘There is no other path. The time has come to unleash my divine energy.’

Just as Kyle, having arrived at a definitive choice, prepared to manifest his divine energy.

Clack!

“…!”

His fingers brushed against a solid object.

Subconsciously, Kyle drew out the item his hand had clamped onto from deep within the lining of the mantle.

It was an ordinary-looking longsword.

Yet, its edge possessed a sharpness that easily surpassed that of any legendary blade in existence.

And this specific weapon was one that Kyle recognized instantly.

The singular blade that Dweno, the legendary divine smith, had ever formally acknowledged as a true masterpiece and granted a distinct name.

The weapon that had remained by his side until his absolute final breath.

“Posteritas.”