Chapter 665

Chapter 665

“Have we met before?“

Leo nodded, maintaining eye contact with Dweno, who was tracking his every movement.

“I recognize you. Your reputation precedes you, after all.“

“That is true. And I am well aware of my own renown.“

Resting his massive war hammer over his shoulder, Dweno scrutinized Leo with intense focus.

“What truly irritates me at this moment is your demeanor—acting as though we are old acquaintances.“

A shade of mistrust darkened Dweno’s expression.

“I have no recollection of anyone like you. Furthermore…“

Dweno shifted his skeptical gaze across the rest of the companions.

“For individuals who just navigated such a treacherous region, you all appear incredibly unfazed.“

“We look like absolute beggars—”

“Quiet, you.“

Chelsea grimaced, quickly clamping her hand over Iliana’s mouth.

“I have a strong suspicion that you are infiltrators dispatched by Tartarus.“

“That’s not true! We are actually—”

“Whether you speak the truth or not is for me to determine.“

Interrupting Areu mid-sentence, Dweno forcefully planted his war hammer onto the ground.

Rumble—!

“To begin, I will neutralize the most formidable threat among you.“

Dweno locked his eyes directly onto Leo.

Leo immediately channeled his aura to fortify the musculature around his fractured left shoulder.

The sudden surge of energy allowed him to secure the displaced bone and regain mobility.

His arm began to move with relative ease.

The underlying trauma remained, sending a wave of agonizing pain through his body, but he could not afford to dwell on it given the circumstances.

Whoosh—!

Observing the massive war hammer hurtling toward his face, Leo clicked his tongue and executed a powerful kick.

Boom—!

Leo’s foot collided squarely with Dweno’s weapon.

The sheer impact propelled Leo backward, sending him skidding across the ground.

His body traveled a significant distance through the air.

He hadn’t initiated the strike expecting to halt the hammer completely; it was a calculated move designed to absorb the momentum of the blow and utilize the resulting recoil to establish distance from Dweno.

Leo winced, feeling a sharp throbbing sensation in his leg.

‘I still haven’t grown accustomed to this absurd level of physical power.‘

In terms of raw strength, Dweno completely outmatched Kyle.

Steadying himself on the ground, Leo barked an order.

“Engage!“

The sudden command made the rest of the group hesitate.

“B-but that is Lord Dweno!“

“That very same Lord Dweno is currently trying to pulverize us! We need to neutralize his aggression before we can even attempt to reason with him!“

“But still! To restrain someone of Lord Dweno’s caliber, we would have to unleash our full power! What if we end up severely injuring him…“

“What?! Injuring him?“

Leo stared back, completely bewildered by the concern.

“That old man won’t sustain a single scratch from standard offenses!“

Crash—!

Leo slammed his open palm hard against the terrain.

Shatter—!

A dense thicket of metallic spikes erupted from the earth, converging rapidly on Dweno.

Crunch—!

However, the incoming steel protrusions were utterly pulverized as Dweno charged straight through them without breaking stride.

Witnessing this, Leo clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Hah!“

Seizing the moment, Iliana lunged at Dweno’s unprotected side with staggering swiftness.

“Ah! Did it connect?“

Clang—!

“What?“

Iliana faltered, astonished by how effortlessly her blade had reached its target.

Yet, her excitement vanished when she realized her weapon had stalled completely against Dweno’s shoulder.

It felt as though she had driven her blade into an immovable block of solid iron.

Her mouth fell open as she briefly locked eyes with the towering warrior.

Thwack—!

“Agh?!”

With a casual sweep of Dweno’s arm, Iliana was batted into the air before crashing heavily back down into the dirt.

Karl winced as he took in the sight of Iliana lying unconscious, frothing slightly at the mouth.

“He genuinely didn’t take any damage at all?”

Crackle—!

“Are you stepping up next?”

“Hmph. Our adversary is celebrated as the premier frontline warrior.”

Duran unsheathed his blade, his gaze locked onto Dweno.

“This serves as an ideal benchmark to test the potency of my own techniques.”

“Do you honestly believe I will stand by and let you pass?”

The mysterious woman who had initiated the initial ambush smirked playfully.

“What? Don’t you dare lay a finger on my apprentices!”

Artian, who had been pinned beneath the woman, roared with absolute fury and forced herself up.

The woman expressed genuine astonishment at the raw power Artian displayed while breaking free.

“She may be diminutive, but her strength is remarkable!”

“Who are you calling diminutive!”

Artian lunged at the woman, her expression twisted in rage.

Simultaneously, Duran channeled a localized tempest of lightning from his blade directly toward Dweno.

Flash! Zap—!

Dweno was entirely engulfed by the electrical discharge.

Whoosh—!

Nevertheless, he forged right through the electrical storm, swinging his heavy hammer back toward Leo.

Boom—!

Eliza rapidly summoned her mystical creatures to intercept the trajectory of Dweno’s advance.

Yet, Dweno paid no heed to the summoned entities, brushing past their offenses to maintain his pursuit of Leo.

Chelsea unleashed a gale of wind magic that enveloped Dweno, but he didn’t even flinch, keeping his focus entirely on closing the gap between himself and Leo.

Watching the unfolding chaos, Luke panicked.

“Why is his aggression solely directed at Senior Leo?”

“The reason is glaringly obvious!”

Karl agitatedly clawed at his own head.

“It implies he can easily shrug off our contributions! If he allows Leo any breathing room, a devastating counterstrike will be mobilized! Simply put, he views us as zero threat!”

Hearing that assessment, the expressions of the entire party darkened.

“Is there truly no method available to momentarily halt Lord Dweno?”

“If we advanced with the genuine intention of taking Lord Dweno’s life… it might yield a result.”

Karl grimaced at Driana’s grim evaluation.

Leo had instructed them to hold nothing back.

Even so, their opponent was the legendary savior who had preserved the realm.

As aspiring heroes themselves, it was psychologically taxing to channel lethal intent into their maneuvers.

“You stubborn old fool! Cease this madness at once!”

Rumble—!

“Hmph! It makes no difference to me whether you are an infiltrator or not! Your countenance irritates me! For some inexplicable reason, I feel compelled to strike you down! Stand your ground!”

Leo bellowed with tangible hostility, unleashing a massive wave of sword energy.

Dweno evaded the incoming strike, roaring back with a ferocity that suggested he intended to tear his opponent apart.

“How is Senior Leo capable of matching that intensity?”

As Aina whispered through clenched teeth, Karl could only offer a silent, ironic chuckle.

‘In their previous existences, wasn’t this exact dynamic a daily occurrence for Leo and Lord Dweno?’

Their current behavior wasn’t far removed from their historical interactions; only the stakes and scale had shifted.

“Regardless, we must find a way to intervene…”

As Chelsea fretted, Karl exhaled deeply.

“I preferred to avoid utilizing this particular tactic… but circumstances demand it.”

“Do you possess a hidden trump card?”

Karl gave a solemn nod to Driana’s inquiry.

“We must accept the risk of absolute failure, but…”

“Karl…”

“There are moments when a man must gamble everything.”

Karl marched forward, his steps heavy and deliberate.

While the rest of the group watched with baited breath, sensing the gravity of the moment, Karl retrieved an item from within his garments.

“Lord Dweno! Behold this masterpiece, capturing the likeness of the most exquisite individual in existence! Is it not magnificent?”

At that loud declaration, Dweno paused his pursuit of Leo and shifted his attention toward Karl.

His eyes twitched slightly as he observed the object held aloft.

The item Karl displayed was none other than one of the unique sculptures crafted by Driana.

After a brief, unamused stare, Dweno turned away and resumed his assault on Leo with complete indifference.

“Wait, what? This makes no sense. I was certain he would react strongly if I insulted his sensibilities with this…”

“What did you say?! How dare you mock the sublime nature of this creation?!”

Smack—!

“Gah?!”

In an instant, the cloaked woman who had been engaging Artian sprinted across the clearing and delivered a soaring kick to the center of Karl’s back.

“You are actively defiling the sanctity of creative expression! You dare call this a mockery?! Offer your sincerest apologies to the arts this instant! Apologize!”

Rustle—!

The impact caused the woman’s hood to slip back, exposing a pair of distinctly pointed ears.

“Get away from my companion!”

Whoosh—!

The elf nimbly evaded a retaliatory kick aimed at her spine by Artian.

“Are you unharmed, Karl?”

“I-I can manage. But that elf… her demeanor mirrors Lord Dweno’s traits.”

“What? They belong to entirely separate lineages.”

“No, think about it. Just moments ago, she seemed perfectly composed, only to instantly fly into a rage. It matches exactly how Lord Dweno behaves whenever Driana presents her projects.”

The normally placid Dweno had historically lost his composure whenever Driana exhibited her artistic endeavors.

“In any case… that elf is far from ordinary.”

Artian flexed her fingers, her brow furrowing in concentration.

Meanwhile, Leo, who was still locked in combat with Dweno, observed the elf’s scuffle with Artian and murmured under his breath.

“…An elf entirely absent from my recollections.”

During the era of the great crisis, an individual possessing that caliber of martial prowess would certainly be known to him.

Yet, Leo could recall no elf who utilized that particular fighting style.

“It is only logical that you remain ignorant of her identity. She is an unheralded artist.”

“An artist?”

“Indeed.”

A look of profound warmth entered Dweno’s eyes as he watched the elf.

“A creator who captures the intrinsic splendor of this world.”

Upon hearing those words, Leo let out an involuntary chuckle.

“…You. What do you find so amusing?”

“Nothing. It’s simply that your current words make you feel like the person I once knew.”

“You speak in riddles.”

Vibrate—!

Dweno, narrowing his gaze, suddenly glanced over his shoulder.

In that direction, Areu was crouched low, completely enveloped in a brilliant golden radiance.

“…The Lycanthropic Awakening?”

Dweno’s eyes widened in recognition.

‘That particular technique poses a genuine hazard, even for someone of Dweno’s caliber.’

Regardless of how resilient Dweno’s defensive capabilities were, that impending strike could not be taken lightly.

Just as Leo realized this and shifted into a defensive stance—

Flash—!

“…?”

A flicker of confusion crossed Leo’s features.

Areu closed the distance instantaneously, arriving directly in front of Dweno’s face with a deafening howl.

“Haaaaaaah!”

Boom—!

Areu’s strike slammed squarely into Dweno.

Dweno intercepted the blow by crossing his forearms, but the sheer kinetic energy drove him backward across the field.

‘…He chose to absorb that directly?’

Dweno was not merely a defensive juggernaut.

He was a seasoned veteran of countless campaigns, possessing a tactical mind that rivaled Leo’s own.

He was far too competent to intentionally subject himself to a high-caliber assault without reason.

Yet, he had chosen to withstand Areu’s strike head-on.

“Why?”

Leo scrutinized Dweno as the latter rose, his expression filled with curiosity.

“It appears my initial assumptions were incorrect; you are clearly not infiltrators.”

Dweno calmly dusted off his attire.

“Accounts have reached my ears regarding a specific collective traveling alongside a beast-kin capable of manifesting the transformation at will.”

Dweno focused his gaze back onto Leo.

“Are you the legendary survivor, Kyle?”

‘Are you the legendary survivor, Kyle?’

It was the exact inquiry posed five millennia ago.

Hearing those words, Leo tightened his fist.

The Leo of the present could not offer an affirmative response.

‘As I suspected. The Dweno standing before me… represents a version from the timeline prior to our initial convergence.’

“…No, I am not.”

Hearing Leo’s denial, Dweno tilted his head in mild confusion.

“It is highly probable that this individual is not the rumored beast-kin you have heard of either.”

“Oh? How peculiar. Then again, an extraordinary phenomenon has already manifested in our midst.”

“An extraordinary phenomenon?”

“Indeed! The reality that a star-filled evening sky still graces this realm! Is that not a magnificent wonder?”

Busting into a hearty laugh, Dweno cast his eyes upward toward the firmament, mirroring Leo’s gaze.

The oppressive atmosphere of the ancient crisis loomed large.

However…

‘The stars still break through the darkness at night.’

It was highly probable that this specific territory marked the threshold where the simulated reality encroached upon the material world.

Furthermore…

‘The present Dweno retains absolutely no recollection of myself or Areu.’

In the cases of Areon and Luna, the recollections of the historical era had been clearly preserved.

Yet, Dweno possessed no such continuity.

Was this discrepancy purely a consequence of this being an earlier point in the timeline?

‘No, that explanation doesn’t fit.’

Leo methodically sorted through his hypotheses.

‘The domain of the Legion.’

Leo stared intently up at the ominous atmosphere.

‘The domain controlled by the Legion is steadily overlapping with the material realm, functioning in the exact manner of a historical trial ground.’