Chapter 238: The True Hero

The school auditorium was silent. Anxious, fearful and angry gazes mixed among the crowd but all were patiently waiting to hear what happened in the Sky God Dungeon. The parents had dark shadows on their faces so the students were quite worried about what was going to be revealed.

Castacia walked onto the podium with a composed expression and elegant strait. From just the looks of it, one wouldn't be able to tell she survived months in a dangerous dungeon with otherworldly monsters.

Behind her were all the former seventh year students and the remaining professors for the seventh-year classes. Standing among them was the student council as well as a few members from the disciplinary committee. This student council president, Celeste von Penston, was also among them, keenly observing the hall.

Off to the side of the stage were all the rest of the professors, ready to ask questions that the students submitted earlier this morning.

Castacia picked up the hexagonal prism crystal and tapped it a few times. That sound reverberated throughout the massive auditorium. The parents sitting in the front of the row of chairs looked anxiously at the professor.

Before she started speaking, Castacia glanced up, making sure the crowd could see her face—not a hint of stress could be seen on the surface. But there were students who knew Castacia could put up a strong front. She bonded with many of them and sometimes showed her soft side while this composed front was just an act.

Castacia wanted nothing but to crawl into her bed and lie there forever. She had endured months of running, hiding and fighting dangerous monsters. That was supposed to be the whole point of the exam but they chose the wrong dungeon to go through with it. As a result, several students and a teacher lost their lives.

She wasn't confident she could go on teaching in this state. Fortunately, the academy gave her a whole month off once she gets through today.

"I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you who came here today," she began, her voice clear and steady. "I know many of you are angry at the academy for the monster wave that brought so much destruction to our society and claimed countless lives. No apology can undo what was done… but I still wish to ask for your forgiveness."

She bowed her head, swallowing hard.

"Each and every one of you lost someone—a brother, a sister, an aunt or uncle, friends, a father, a mother, and… a child. All I can do now is share what I've learned. To spread awareness of the dangers that lie beyond our borders—dangers I have seen and survived, thanks to my students and colleagues."

She paused for a moment, then continued.

"While I was recovering at home, I received many letters—many of you asked what happened to the Year 7 Class A professor. I regret to inform you that we were unable to recover her remains. An immensely powerful monster ambushed us on the first world within the dungeon. We had no choice but to retreat and focus on growing stronger, in case we ever faced such a threat again. But… that decision led to even greater casualties—something we were later warned about."

The audience leaned forward in silence, hanging on her every word.

"Arnold von Berkley—you all knew him—was the one who informed us of what was happening outside the dungeon. If not for him, we would never have made it out alive."

Castacia could feel someone's piercing glare behind her, as if burning a hole into the back of her skull.

"He told us about a teleportation device. One capable of transporting you anywhere—so long as you know the exact coordinates."

Gasps and murmurs rose from the crowd.

"Yes, a teleportation device. Not magic, but a product of human ingenuity—technology that has been lost for centuries."

Hearing that a teleportation device still existed made the crowd murmur and stare with wide eyes. And it wasn't from magic but human intelligence and construction that built it, an art that has been lost for centuries. The stories of teleportation devices vary—one important story being that they could help nations communicate more effectively instead of relying on current-day transmitters that have a range limit. The radiowaves could flow through the teleportation gate towards the other end of it, making communication possible.

Of course, travelling to that nation was another convenient thing to do but as these devices would be precious to humanity, they would need to be installed at a distance that connected all or some nations together by calculating first how long the limit of transmitters are today.

One of the professors raised their hands. Castacia faced them, giving them permission to ask their question.

"—Many are wondering what this monster was that attacked you on the first world. Class A's professor was a brilliant magician so it's quite hard to understand her losing to what should be considered the safest floor of the dungeon."

She anticipated this question. Instead of answering, she looked back at Remri, her good friend who had supported her emotionally from the loss of their mutual friend.

Remri nodded and disappeared behind the curtains.

"Part of the reason of going into uncharted territories for this academy has always been to study the unknown creatures present in the dungeons—which is why we had a portable capsule ready that can transform into a cage. Similar to the magic bags that's so popular these days."

"I must warn you," she said gravely, scanning the faces before her. "What you're about to see is not a beast of claws and fangs. It is a creature that defies nature itself. This… is what we encountered."

With a deep mechanical groan, metal wheels scraped across the floor. The curtain rippled as the sound got closer.

From behind the curtain, Remri emerged—pushing a massive cylindrical glass container mounted on a reinforced platform, encased in metal braces and marked with glowing runes. Inside, suspended in a pale blue preservative fluid, floated a figure.

Gasps erupted the moment it came into view.

The upper body was humanoid in shape, tall and unnaturally thin, but its skin was a chalky, ashen white, like the lifeless surface of a long-dead moon. Its face was devoid of all features—no eyes, no nose, no mouth—only smooth flesh where expression should have been. No, there was a line across its face so that was probably its mouth. Unlike the spectators, Castacia saw those horrific rows of saw-like teeth when it attacked them. Where its legs should have been, thick white tentacles coiled and drifted lazily in the fluid, curling with unnatural grace. Some were adorned with barbed ends; others pulsed faintly with a bioluminescent glow beneath their translucent skin.

One of the first-year girls in the audience whimpered and clutched her parent's arm. Everyone shared the same pale, wide-eyed expression. This thing wasn't just terrifying, it was massive—about as big as the average wild dragon.

One of the older professors who was known for his extensive knowledge on biology and ecosystems in dungeons, staggered back into their seat. "That's… that's not from any ecosystem we've ever documented."

"It's humanoid…" another whispered, repulsed yet unable to look away. "But that face…"

"This was on the first world of the dungeon? That floor is supposed to be entry-level—nothing above Elementary-tier threats! By the gods—were the monsters that almost leveled the empire also from the first world!?"

"T-That's ridiculous! What kind of monsters await us further in then!?"

"We should not explore the dungeon! Please do not place us in further danger!"

The crowd erupted, many of them being parents who lost children in that monster wave.

Noticing the dark expression on Castacia's face, the crowd fell silent slowly.

"…Professor Berthlaith? W-What's wrong?" a concerned colleague asked.

"…We have been beyond the first world—that is how we were able to come back home." She scanned the crowd again, "A teleportation device is on the fiftieth world in the dungeon."

"H-How did you even get that far?"

"By sticking together." She sounded more confident.

Someone suddenly approached the podium—a tall handsome young man with silver hair. "Wha—who's that?"

"Excuse me, we are busy here—" Remri attempted to block him but his icy cold stare made her freeze in place, walking casually past her.

"Castacia, we meet again."

"?" dumbfounded, Castacia couldn't form any words as he took the prism from her.

"Good morning to you all." he said in a cheery voice and scanned the auditorium casually after leaning on the lectern.

"Wasn't the professor supposed to be the only speaker?"

"Yeah, I wonder who that guy is."

"He looks a bit too old to be a student here, don't you think?"

"What is Al doing…?" Celeste looked just as dumbfounded as Castacia.

Instead of saying anything, he glanced at the humanoid monster for a second.

"Imagine thousands of those things descending onto our world—can you fathom the destruction they would cause?" no greeting or pleasantries, he said.

"W-What? There are more of these things!?"

"Why are all of you so surprised? What else do you think is on the other side of the Intermid Border?"

'There are… more of these things?' she glanced back at the corpse of the Thing, shivering uncontrollably when looking at its imposing form.

Had Class A's teacher not sacrificed herself, Castacia would've been the one to die since she was injured that day and couldn't run. Of course, the monster didn't stop even after killing her friend and chased after them. Fortunately, Hofir carried her on his back.

As a professor, she felt shameful for not being strong enough to protect her precious students.

She noticed that the rest of the crowd shared the same pale expression as her. They don't even know how strong this thing was but were scared by the mere sight of it.

"Castacia." The mysterious young man called out to her, "You should've seen more of them in the dungeon, right? Remember those high walls that covered every world in that dungeon? That's where all of them are."

She gulped.

"Imagine if they escaped into our world? Who would be to blame for that now that they know there is a way out?"

"Hey you, stop this!" Remri placed a hand on the trembling Castacia's shoulder and shouted at the man, "Interrupting a public briefing won't go unpunished!"

"Oh? Then try to punish me, Professor." He spread his arms, a smirk on his face, "Or better yet, bring Arthur here to do it for you since he is the only one with a chance—though small—to scratch me at least."

-"Uh, who is this guy anyway? He just came onto the stage and started babbling."

-"Doesn't he sound kind of pissed? I noticed that when he brought up our school idol."

-"He must be jealous of Arthur!"

Both Remri and Castacia looked at him in confusion.

"What? You don't recognize me?"

"—Al, what is the point of doing this?" the next moment, Celeste appeared in front of him, glaring up at him, "I understand your frustration but—"

"You don't understand anything." He said as if spitting in her face with disgust, "You don't know what death is like so shut your fucking mouth."

Celeste recoiled as though slapped, her expression crumpling into shock.

Arnold's stance remained relaxed but there was a tension in his shoulders. His fists weren't clenched, yet his fingers twitched as though they wanted to. He didn't raise his voice, but somehow it hit harder than if he had screamed.

"Had I not killed Madilith, every last one of you would've suffered like I did. But no—since the gods seem to hate only me, you probably would've been spared even that."

It was partly his fault for not seeking methods to remove Oriel's soul. While it was difficult to find Yokais, who can safely remove a soul from a body without harming the body itself, it was still the only method he knew of that could work. Of course, he wasn't aware that the Skeleton Merchant could also use a form of Soul Bending prior to his confrontation with Arthur so he didn't have any other options at the time.

But now that he met Mian Xi, she could serve as a companion in that inevitable fight to get his body back and kill Oriel once and for all.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"…Did he say he killed Madilith?"

"Is that true!?"

The students began to stir, voices rising in alarm and anger.

"…Arnold?" came a small, trembling voice, nearly drowned in the chaos. That small voice felt her heart sinking as she recalled screaming out to him when it was already too late.

Amid the expletives and anger, Arnold closed his eyes.

His fake smile vanished.

Then, slowly, he exhaled—and leaned forward on the lectern.

When he spoke again, it was quiet. But something in the room shifted, as though everyone could feel the temperature drop.

He could change the atmosphere this much through simple actions—that is what it means to have power that puts you at the peak of humanity. They didn't know he was the strongest human in existence but they could feel it.

"There was a powerful curse magic user in that dungeon." He held up three fingers, "An amalgamation of three beings, using Madilith as the conduit. She wasn't afflicted by the curse even though she was patient zero. She was the origin. And the curse didn't kill cleanly. No. It let death choose how. A boulder crushing you from above. A hawk dropping a turtle on your skull. Being dragged into the woods by goblins in the middle of the night, only to be raped and torn apart. Or slipping off a path you swore was safe. That curse wasn't just going to kill you—it was going to mock you as it toyed with your fate."

He chuckled—but it wasn't joy. It was the sound of something broken.

"And it would've followed you even here. Into this capital… A new plague! Corpses rising! Millions dying in a single night! And all of you none the wiser until it was too late!"

Then, softly—so soft it barely carried across the stage—he said with arms spread wide, "I foresaw all this. So I killed her."

He bowed his head. The lectern groaned under the pressure of his grip.

"And for that… I died."

A sharp, bitter laugh tore from his throat—sudden, loud, disturbing.

"Doesn't it make you laugh that the people who caused the monster wave, killed your hero too?! Ha… Hahahahahaha!"

He looked up, eyes wild.

"Your new 'Hero' Arthur… he thought he did something noble, right? Slaying the villain. But what he really did was kill the one person who saved your lives."

That was true—Castacia knew that. Had it not been for him, none of them would've been alive, not because Madilith was impossible to kill but because he was the only one who would've done it since all of them lacked the courage to do it.

Madilith was, like Arthur, a school idol.

While an oddball who was clumsy sometimes, she was admired by her juniors and liked by many—though said person would've been too oblivious to confirm this.

"Isn't that fucking hilarious?"

A large hand suddenly grabbed Arnold's shoulder, making him stop laughing.

"That's enough." It was the towering tigerkin, Hofir, "…I don't know how you're still alive but what you did was unforgiveable. Yet you seek pity from everyone here? Everyone in this hall who hates you?"

"Pity?" he shrugged the hand on his shoulder off and chuckled again, "I could care less about pity or forgiveness. Those things are useless to the powerful. What I want right now is Arthur in front of me so that I can kill him."

"!"

"What are all of you going to do about it?" he faced the crowd again, "Are you going to try to stop me!?"

Like a madman, he screamed with a smirk.

"You heard my intentions. I will take away that hero, committing heresy against the gods. I don't care if I'm pursued by the divine realm, expelled, exiled from this empire or even hated by all of you. You can do nothing to stop this because I am above you!" his spit flew and face turned red as veins pulsed under his temples, "I just want revenge from the foolish hero who thinks his goals are noble! All he will do in the future is placed you all in danger! Why am I not hailed as a hero for thinking of your lives!?"

This wasn't how it was meant to be… Castacia wanted Arthur's succession as the next Hero to be announced in a lighter but grand mood—not by some crazed… no, calling Arnold crazy isn't fair.

He died a dog's death in that dungeon and Melis knows what he had to endure just to survive. From the sound of it, he even endured horrors of death no undead has ever witnessed.

His proclamation to kill Arthur wasn't meant with any opposition, just a fearful and trembling audience.

Though he had only showed mild aggression, it was clear that no one could stop him if he decided to let out all that anger.

Castacia was standing behind him so she couldn't imagine what kind of expression he was making that could make thousands of people tremble like that.

"…I'm not here to fight any of you." Arnold relaxed his posture and glanced back at the monster corpse, "I am not against anyone bearing the mantle of Promethius' successor… if they can use that power responsibly and not get in my way. But Arthur showed me in that dungeon that he doesn't deserve the power."

Arnold's eyes scanned the crowd then landed on someone.

"Luke."

He raised a hand. White energy surged to life, spiraling up his arm before lashing out with speed that left most blinking in confusion.

"T-That's—!" Roderick's shout was drowned beneath a wave of startled gasps.

In a flash, the magic encircled a young boy and lifted him into the air.

"W-Whoa—ahh!" Luke flailed awkwardly as he floated toward the stage, his small limbs flapping helplessly. His cheeks turned red when he noticed hundreds of eyes on him.

Then—gracefully—he landed on his feet beside Arnold, the energy fading like mist.

"B-Big Brother?" the boy looked up at him with wide, uncertain eyes.

Arnold rested a hand on his younger brother's head, fingers gently tousling his blond hair. Then, with absolute clarity and conviction, he declared to the hall:

"This is your true Hero. Luke von Berkley— my brother."