Chapter 297: The End of the World (2)

A colossal tree had erupted from within the Hero Academy. Its lush green leaves spread wide enough to blot out the sky. Countless vines coiled around the academy walls, and the tree’s massive roots twisted and shattered the very foundation upon which the academy stood. The overwhelming tree seemed like an existence so vast and imposing that it defied belief, yet it had risen in the blink of an eye.

Even as they stared straight at it, Morris and Khalid could only gape in disbelief at the surreal sight before them.

“What the hell is this?”

“Dale, this is....”

Grinding my teeth, I looked up at the towering tree. That aura was familiar. As far as I knew, across this entire vast continent, only two beings possessed such a presence.

“The Prophet of Eternity,” I muttered. He had come, and it was probably to bring about the end of the world.

Iris pointed before her. “D-Dale! Look over there!”

Following her finger, I saw a massive root that had burst out of the ground, warping the earth itself. The root split open, scattering white petals like falling snow. From within that rupture, something stepped out.

“That’s...”

“A c-corpse!” Yurina shouted.

“No! I-it’s alive!” Iris cried out, her face pale.

The figure that staggered out from the split root, no, the human, looked around with empty, lifeless eyes, devoid of any trace of intelligence.

Yurina’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Huh? That person is...”

“You recognize him?” I asked.

“Y-yeah. I’ve seen that face before. It was in a book called Great Heroes Who Left Their Mark on History.”

I was surprised. “You saw him in a book?”

She replied, “Ares Leonhart. You know Bella Leonhart, right? She graduated recently. He’s from the same family.”

The Leonhart family was one of the most prestigious noble houses in the Empire, renowned for producing exceptional heroes.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard his name,” I said.

“That makes sense. Ares Leonhart was a hero who lived four hundred years ago,” Yurina said.

“Four hundred years?”

“Y-yeah. I know it sounds ridiculous, but he looks exactly like the portrait in the book,” she explained.

Iris nodded. “I’ve heard of him, too. If I remember correctly, Ares Leonhart was one of the first heroes ever granted the title of Master, four hundred years ago.”

My gaze met Laneige’s. She said, “D-Dale, this is....”

“Yeah. It’s probably the same situation as back then,” I replied.

It was the same with Seria Maram, the Archbishop of Frost. She had died ten years ago, yet had once returned alive. Though, calling it ‘alive’ was debatable. She had lost all reason, reduced to a puppet that moved only by command. While she had regained consciousness just before her final moments, it was hard to say she had truly come back to life. This meant that the figure stepping before us was most likely a puppet revived by the Prophet of Eternity.

I frowned as I watched Ares Leonhart stagger out of the root. Then, dozens of roots split open at once, and more figures emerged. They were all heroes from the past—some who had died decades ago; some, centuries ago.

“This is insane!”

The resurrected heroes began shuffling forward, staggering toward the Hero Academy.

“D-Dale! Those heroes, they’re heading toward the academy!” Yurina said.

I groaned. “Damn it.”

If they were puppets under the Prophet of Eternity’s control, there was no telling what kind of massacre they would unleash once inside. I shouted, “Stop them! Don’t let a single one get into the academy!”

“Got it!”

“Wait! Let me cast blessings first!” Iris clasped the pendant around her neck and traced a holy sign.

Her eyes shimmered with rainbow light, and an immense surge of divine power exploded outward, enveloping all of us. It was incredible. This level of holy power surpassed even that of Iris in my previous life.

As energy surged through my body, invigorated by her blessing, I turned back toward the approaching heroes. “Let’s go.”

“Yeah! We won’t let a single one through!” Yurina sprinted forward, tearing off the pendant around her neck. In a flash of radiant light, she returned to her true appearance.

Khalid was stunned by this development. “Huh? What the...?”

“Y-Yuren turned into a woman?” Morris muttered.

Despite their shock, we had no time to explain.

Yurina swung her sword. “Haah!”

Ares halted his staggering steps and instantly drew his sword in response. “Ah, ugh, w-who? Where... is this?”

He spoke in fragments, broken and incomplete. “All... must... die.”

With hollow, unfocused eyes, Ares glared at Yurina, then lashed out with savage force. The sword of the man once known as the Lion King surged forward with ferocious power.

Yurina blocked the strike, gritting her teeth as she was forced back. “This is....”

She had assumed he would be easy to subdue, given his vacant gaze and broken speech. But he was difficult and strong. His swordsmanship was wild and brutal, like a raging beast, yet behind it lay overwhelming power that showed why he had once been called the Lion King.

Panting, Laneige rushed forward behind Yurina, thrusting both hands out. “I-I’ll help too!”

A blizzard of pure white erupted, freezing the ground in an instant. Ares’s movements slowed visibly. Then, dozens of strands of spider silk wrapped tightly around him.

Elisha yanked on the threads and shouted to Yurina, “Now!”

Yurina charged forward. Her sword, wrapped in a radiant silver aura, sliced cleanly through the neck of the ancient hero who had once dominated the continent four hundred years ago. Ares collapsed, like a puppet with its strings cut. But there was no time to rest.

Another ancient hero rushed in right behind him, swinging a massive iron mace straight at Yurina. The clashes continued without pause. The battle raged on as we fought to prevent the resurrected heroes from entering the academy.

“Manifest!” With a wave of her hand, Camellia tore several of the ancient heroes apart.

“Tch, whatever’s going on, this sure sobers me up fast!” Khalid’s sword sent enemies flying, blood spraying through the air.

Amidst the chaos, Berald, Senior Sophia, and Camilla, the party members who had remained inside the academy, joined the battlefield.

“Brother! You were here?” Berald said.

“What the hell is going on?” asked Senior Sophia.

Camilla looked around. “Saintess! Where are you?”

“Damn it! Are these demons again?” Berald exclaimed.

“I don’t think they’re demons,” Senior Sophia replied.

“W-we can figure that out later! Just stop them from getting inside the academy!”

Following them, Professors Kane, Bianca, Bastion and several other faculty members rushed out after hearing the commotion.

“Brother! What’s happening?” Berald asked me.

“I’ll explain later! What’s the situation inside the academy?” I replied.

“The emergency alarm’s been triggered! The cadets are being gathered in the main hall!”

“What about Headmaster Ryu?”

“He’s opening the Warp Gate again, evacuating the cadets first!” Berald answered.

“Good.”

Perhaps because we had recently fought a war against the demons, the academy’s response was swift and organized. Moreover, at least, it didn’t look like any of these ancient heroes had appeared inside the academy. As long as we dealt with the ones outside, the interior would remain safe.

However, I didn’t know where the Prophet of Eternity was. No matter how much I scanned the area, I couldn’t spot anyone resembling him, and something else was odd. None of his followers were here either. Not a single one of the apostles who wore animal masks and wielded terrifying power was present.

Is this just a probing attack to gauge our strength? I wondered. No, if that were the case, he wouldn’t have gone so far as to grow a massive tree hundreds of meters tall right in front of the academy.

Lost in thought, I turned my head at the sound of another explosion. The battle with the resurrected heroes was still in full swing, and there was no room to focus on anything else. “Ignite.”

Just as the fight continued, Morris suddenly screamed and collapsed to the ground. “AAAGH!”

Khalid rushed to his side. “M-Morris!”

“Haah!Haah! I-I’m sorry, Fa...ther.”

“M-Morris! Are you alright?” Khalid grabbed him, panic in his voice.

Blood soaked his hands; Morris’s wounds were severe.

“Let me see the injury!” Iris rushed over and assessed his condition. “O’ Seven Gods, please watch over this wounded child.”

A soft white light enveloped Morris, and the bleeding gradually slowed.

Khalid asked, “I-is my son going to be alright?”

“I’ve stopped the bleeding for now, but the wound is too deep,” Iris replied.

“Then...!”

“Take him to the main hall. Headmaster Ryu will open a Warp Gate soon. Send him through with the other cadets,” I said, looking at Morris.

“T-thank you. But....” Khalid hesitated, glancing back at the ongoing battle.

I smirked. “We’ll handle things here.”

“Are you sure?” Khalid asked worryingly.

“Well, one drunken old man missing isn’t going to change the outcome,” I replied.

“What did you say, you brat?”

“Just go.”

Khalid hoisted Morris onto his back. “Thank you. I’ll be right back.”

“By then, we’ll already be done,” I said.

Losing a Master was definitely a blow to our strength, but it couldn’t be helped. I couldn’t ask a father to keep fighting while his son lay gravely injured. Besides, we already had the upper hand. Even if the ancient heroes retained some of their former strength, they were nothing more than mindless puppets. With the rest of the party and the professors joining in, the tide had already shifted in our favor. Khalid’s absence wouldn’t change that.

“Alright, let’s wrap this up,” I said.

As I stepped forward, watching the ancient heroes fall one by one, the bodies lying on the ground began to regenerate at an alarming speed. Ares, whose head had been severed, was no exception. His head reattached to his body, and he slowly staggered back to his feet.

A curse slipped from my lips. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

As if bringing back heroes who died centuries ago wasn’t enough. Now they’ve got regeneration too? What the hell kind of monster is the Prophet of Eternity?