Chapter 42: The Hero
Skele-Pride felt the brand-new power surging through his obsidian frame and prepared to challenge the Hero once more.
However, Leon's attention was no longer on him. Leon's gaze bypassed the reborn Pride, locking onto the far horizon.
Something was coming.
The earth began to tremble—not from the tremors of a duel, but from a pulse that was heavier, more rhythmic, and far more terrifying. At the edge of the horizon, a thin black line appeared. It expanded with impossible speed, a silent, dark tide sweeping across the world.
It was an army.
A legion composed of pure, bleached bone. Tens of thousands of Skeleton Soldiers, every single one of them possessing the strength of a Tier 3 elite. They marched with a terrifying, singular synchronization, their bone weapons gleaming with a cold, murderous pallor under the dim sky.
They halted at the edge of the gargantuan sinkhole, forming a silent, insurmountable Wall of Death.
From the front of the legion, a figure slowly emerged.
It was a skeleton, yet it was unlike any undead Leon had ever encountered. It lacked the frenzied, bloodthirsty aura of the others; instead, it carried a stillness that made one's heart stutter.
On paper, the creature was only Tier 4.
Yet, every cell in Leon's body screamed at him to do one thing: RUN.
His instincts screamed that this seemingly unremarkable skeleton was the true King of this nightmare.
The newcomer was Kaito. Standing beside him was the Arcane Adjutant, also radiating a Tier 4 presence.
The moment Kaito appeared, the atmospheric pressure on the battlefield shifted violently. The bone shards scattered across the crater began to swirl and converge.
Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Greed...
Wrapped in swirling black miasma, the other six Generals reassembled. Their auras began to climb, shattering the ceiling of Tier 4!
BOOM—!
Seven pillars of gargantuan pressure shot into the sky. Along with the recently evolved Pride, seven figures had now stepped into the domain of Tier 5!
What made Leon's heart stop completely was the Undead Lord standing at the head of the legion. Kaito's aura caught the wave of evolution, crossing the threshold with effortless grace.
He too had reached Tier 5.
Eight Tier 5 entities. An army of tens of thousands at Tier 3.
Once the Seven Generals had fully manifested, they turned into streaks of dark light and took their positions behind Kaito. They stood like loyal sentinels, bowing their heads to their Master.
Leon didn't hesitate. He blurred, retreating instantly to the side of Lilia and Reinhard.
"Get ready to run," he whispered, his voice taut.
However, Kaito did not order an immediate slaughter. Through the soul link, he issued a command to Skele-Lust, who had now evolved into a Tier 5 Lich.
"Make him mine."
Kaito wanted the Hero. A Tier 5 Hero's combat memories and tactical experience were resources too precious to simply incinerate.
The next second, Leon's body jerked violently. The world before his eyes distorted and melted.
He saw a child, nothing but skin and bones, stealing a piece of moldy bread from a bakery—only to be beaten to death by the shopkeeper while the crowd watched in silence. He saw fat, sneering nobles throwing innocent commoners into coliseums for sport, laughing as they were torn apart by beasts. He saw Imperial Generals slaughtering defenseless villages to pad their kill counts for promotion, stacking severed heads into macabre monuments.
Deception. Destruction. Greed. Folly. Pure, unadulterated Malice.
The ugliest facets of humanity flooded his mind like a tsunami, battering his sanity. A cold, majestic voice echoed in the depths of his soul.
"You see it now, don't you, Hero?"
"This is the true face of the humanity you serve."
"Even if they treat you like this... even if they are fundamentally unworthy of salvation... do you still intend to protect them?"
Leon gasped for air, sweat drenching his hair. His face flickered with a brief, agonizing moment of confusion and pain.
But he looked up. The confusion vanished, replaced by a resolve of cold steel.
"I'm human. I know these things better than anyone," Leon said. His voice was quiet, but it held the weight of an oath. "But since I chose to play the role of the Hero, I will fulfill the duties of a Hero until my very last breath!"
The moment the words fell, he performed an act no one expected. He reached into the void and pulled.
A magnificent blade manifested—wreathed in golden radiance and emitting a sanctified aura so intense that every undead present felt a physical repulsion.
A True Holy Sword.
He had never been chosen by the sword; he wasn't a "True Hero" by destiny. But through a twist of fate, he had become the holder of the blade. And he would never allow the Holy Sword—humanity's final hope—to fall into the hands of the dead.
He gripped the sword, but he didn't lunge at Kaito. Instead, he slammed the flat of the blade into the dazed Reinhard and Lilia.
"GO!"
A gentle yet irresistible force enveloped the two, launching them like projectiles toward the distant horizon of Jade Territory.
Leon exhaled as he watched the two points of light vanish. That boy, Reinhard... his talent was extraordinary. He couldn't be allowed to die here.
Kaito's Soul Fire flickered with surprise.
Every undead under his command was a pinnacle of their tier. How had this human Hero managed to shatter the full-power illusion of a Tier 5 Lich through sheer willpower alone?
Lust herself was shocked. It was the first time her masterpiece had failed.
The next moment, Leon moved! He drew his replica sword once more, raising it high. The energy in his body poured into the blade without reservation.
"[Starfall's End]!"
Again?
But this time, Kaito's generals were ready.
BOOM!
Skele-Pride took the lead, turning into a bolt of black lightning as he met the charge head-on. Facing a warrior of the same tier, he showed no arrogance in his tactics.
CLANG!
The obsidian bone sword collided with Leon's replica Holy Sword. The tide of the battle reversed instantly. This time, Leon was utterly suppressed. Pride's attacks were a whirlwind of violence and precision, every strike carrying enough force to crush a mountain.
Leon relied on his superior battle instincts, barely holding on amidst the storm. He was top-tier even among Tier 5s, managing to trade blows with Pride for a staggering amount of time.
But everyone could see the end was inevitable.
Pride caught a microscopic flaw in Leon's breathing rhythm.
SQUELCH!
The bone sword tore through Leon's defenses and pierced his heart with surgical precision.
A lethal wound.
Yet, Leon did not stop. Throughout the fight, while he appeared to be on the defensive, he had been deliberately shifting the battle in one direction.
Toward Kaito.
The moment his heart was skewered, a terrifying light erupted from his eyes. His body didn't retreat; he lunged forward with a final, desperate burst of speed, turning into a streak of dying radiance aimed directly at the King of the Undead!
Capture the King to end the war!
"YOU SHALL NOT!"
Skele-Gluttony roared, his massive frame shifting to block Kaito. He was now a Tier 5 Aegis Guardian. A gargantuan shield woven from pure abyssal energy condensed before him—unbreakable!
Leon's body was already covered in spiderweb cracks, golden light bleeding from the fissures in his skin. He didn't slow down.
A split second before he would have collided with Gluttony's shield, his body detonated.
There was no sound.
A sphere of light, more brilliant and searing than any Starfall's End, expanded from the center of the battlefield. It was the final act of a Tier 5 powerhouse—sacrificing his entire life, soul, and power to release the most desperate and beautiful firework the world had ever seen.
Pride, who was closest, had half of his body vaporized by the energy instantly. Gluttony's barrier held for only a heartbeat before it shattered into nothingness.
The explosion ended.
The world fell silent.
The original plains were gone. In their place was a bottomless basin, its edges still glowing with molten heat. Kaito stood at the very edge, completely unharmed.
He let out a sigh.
Resurrecting a Tier 5 corpse was no longer possible. Under that level of self-destruction, not a single cell remained. Leon had been thoroughly erased from existence.
However, upon reaching Tier 5, Kaito had awakened a new Authority.
[Authority of Death's End]
Effect: Within the user's line of sight, all living beings in a designated area are forcibly converted into undead.
Limitation: Can only be used once per day and requires a significant casting time.
It was his first purely offensive active skill. Overall, he was satisfied.
"We are leaving."
Kaito turned, leading his undead legion away from the scorched battlefield. All the undead followed in his wake.
Only Skele-Pride lingered for a moment. He walked to the edge of the basin, looking down into the empty abyss. He sheathed his bone sword.
In a tone that sounded almost like a declaration to the land that witnessed the fall of a great warrior, he whispered:
"Skele-Pride."
Having stated his name to the void, he turned and followed his Master.
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