The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns

Chapter 446

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Chapter 446

The mental world was a space cut off from the outside.

The time and space within this place did not affect the outside.

Perhaps because of that—

“Die!!”

KWAANG!!!

Leon attacked as if tearing the space apart with a ridiculously massive wooden club.

“I’m so pissed off I should beat you a bit more.”

Another Leon swung a single wooden stick, drawing out an aura blade as massive as a pillar and wielding it.

And then—

“Cut it out already, you bastards!!”

Even Isna, who burned the world with a flame-clad fire sword.

The battle between the three unfolded on a scale never seen before.

The already devastated ruins had been ravaged to such an extent that even if they screamed, “That’s enough already, you bastards!!” it would be justified.

There was no distinction like who was the enemy or who was an ally.

They simply attacked whatever they saw.

They fought each other like friends who had spent decades together, or like sworn enemies, to the point that the mental world itself was breaking apart—but strangely, none of the three delivered a truly lethal attack.

In the end, the first to collapse was, unexpectedly, the Leon of the past.

“Huff… huff… damn it. If I hadn’t really been nothing but scraps…”

Despite possessing the greatest power, the Leon from the closed world—whose very foundation was nothing more than scraps—was the first to retire.

“You die too!!!”

“Yeah. No.”

“Kiiyaaaah!!!”

And then, the next to fall was Isna.

In the end, the final victor was the present-day Leon.

“Damn it. Can’t you just go down quietly?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to? The head of a household isn’t someone who can back down. Says the one who hasn’t even gotten married.”

At that, the past Leon, who was sprawled out flat on his back, let out a snicker.

“What, you’re still a spinster? You’re something else.”

“It all ended up like this because of you!!”

A furious Leon shouted toward the present Leon.

“Because of you, I got some weird marriage proposal and ended up in a political marriage—and then what? You said you had someone you loved and wanted to break it off?!”

“Uh… um…”

The present Leon avoided his gaze, and the Leon of the closed world shook his head with a snort.

“Wow. What a trash bastard.”

“N-no, that’s…”

“You’re not even human. Though honestly, it’s kind of funny to even feel romantic emotions looking at Isna.”

“Just shut up already!”

At least one thing was certain, the present Leon thought.

There had ultimately been no sort of romantic tension between the Leon Cascadia of the closed world and Isna.

If anything, they felt closer to siblings at a glance.

“You too, you bastard! You’re the one who peeked while someone was bathing!”

“Get your facts straight. I wasn’t interested in raw chicken—I just took a wrong turn while looking for Ursia.”

“R-raw… raw ch-ch-ch… raw chicken?!”

Ursia?

That’s a name I’ve never heard before, the present Leon thought.

Soon after, the two who had been lying flat on the ground sprang up at the same time, grabbing each other by the throat and rolling across the floor.

They had once hated each other endlessly.

But perhaps thanks to the truth—or because Isna had let something go—it felt like things had softened considerably.

“You two get along well.”

“Don’t spout nonsense, Leon Cascadia!”

Isna slammed her fist into the face of the Leon from the closed world, who was pinned beneath her, and spoke with a vicious expression.

“I still can’t forgive that. I can understand it, but forgiving it is a completely separate matter.”

“Yeah. That’s enough.”

Originally, he should have made a snide remark again.

But the Leon of the closed world only chuckled as if satisfied.

At that, just as Isna was about to punish him again, she suddenly paused.

“Hey. What are you…”

“What else? If I’ve achieved my purpose, then I should disappear now. I told you—I’m just scraps.”

It was only natural from the start.

The Leon of the closed world had already been extinguished, and the one speaking now was nothing more than a residual thought formed through power.

Just how much necromantic mana must have been poured in to implant such thoughts?

No one voiced that question.

Watching him slowly scatter from the tips of his feet, Isna remained silently still.

“Let me ask you just one last thing, Isna.”

He smiled.

A bright smile he had never shown even once after his betrayal.

The traitor and monster, whose sky-colored eyes had once been filled only with hellish darkness and coldness, was finally smiling.

“What’s your favorite food right now?”

“What else. The chicken skewers sold in our territory.”

“Looks like our taste in food will never match for as long as we live.”

Though he said that, he scattered as if satisfied.

“You must survive.”

* * *

The power of the transcendent core, which had been resonating with the Void Enchanter, completely disappeared.

With the conversation with the prepared will coming to an end, I withdrew outside—and Isna opened her eyes a moment later.

“Leon. Finished talking?”

Luna asked as she nestled softly against my back.

The gentle sensation from behind gave me a strange sense of comfort.

You bastard from the previous round, Leon.

You’ve never felt this kind of thing, have you?

I’m going to grit my teeth and survive.

I’ll strip away even the truths you never knew and live long and healthy to the very end.

When I turned my head, I saw Lispa, whose exhaustion had yet to fully fade, and Isna, clutching her head and groaning.

“Let’s go. For now, screw everything—today we eat and drink until we burst.”

Honestly speaking, I feel like I’ve aged ten years.

Though, with aging gone, it’s nothing more than a figure of speech.

* * *

The moment we exited the rift leading to Cascadia, the first thing I saw was Melissa, gripping her sword with a tense presence, troops standing by.

“Leon!”

“You were on standby? Situation’s over. You can dismiss everyone.”

“It’s over?”

“Yeah. I’ll report the details inside.”

“Phew… Everyone, withdraw!”

At those words, the tense expressions of the knights and soldiers visibly relaxed.

They had suddenly been told a war had broken out and had been on edge—so hearing that the situation was over would naturally make them feel that way.

No one bothered to doubt it.

It seemed the hourglass form had already disappeared from the moment the Tyrant Ruum awakened.

Because of that, Melissa had assumed that either something had gone very wrong—or it had been resolved well.

“Elpiria?”

“At the mansion. Arsha’s looking after her instead. The ones beside Arsha seem to be taking good care of Elpiria too.”

Especially the golden monster, Radon, apparently being particularly enthusiastic.

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Well, cats do tend to co-parent often.

From what I heard, Radon would quietly watch Elpiria, and if it seemed like she might start crying, he’d rush over faster than anyone and gently rock the swaying crib she was lying in with his small padded paws.

And once Elpiria calmed down, he’d curl up beside her and keep watch.

What a good guy.

I wondered if I should buy him some catnip later—but thinking about it, that guy only looks like a cat; his essence is closer to a monster king.

Is this right?

That thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t dig into it.

Monster king or not, they’re all just crazy about trying to look good in front of Arsha.

“Auaa!!”

Elpiria, who had been blinking at the mobile, widened her eyes the moment she saw Luna and me, then flailed her tiny, barely functional limbs and burst into a bright smile.

At that sight, Luna and I glanced at each other once, then without either of us saying a word, began pushing each other aside in a competition to pick up Elpiria first.

However, the love of a mother with maternal instincts often transcends physical laws.

“Real mature.”

Melissa, who had followed behind, shook her head and looked at me as if I were pathetic.

Then she turned her gaze to Luna, who was smiling brightly as she held Elpiria in her arms.

“You, come with me. Report first.”

Reluctantly, I headed toward Melissa’s office.

Inside, Meryl and Rebecca were waiting.

Meryl had been injured, but it seemed she had already finished healing and looked quite fine.

After that, I reported the news about the integrated rift, about Isna, and—

about the Tyrant Ruum.

I deliberately refrained from mentioning the Outer God, out of concern that it might mentally affect Melissa.

After hearing the report, she spoke.

“That amber?”

“I stored it separately. Don’t worry. That thing doesn’t have any power right now.”

“Phew… So, if it weren’t for you, things would’ve turned into a disaster?”

“Probably.”

“I should give you a reward. Anything you want?”

“Let’s slaughter a pig. I’m craving pork belly and alcohol.”

“I don’t know if that’s enough, but a pig is no problem.”

“Then just treat the entire territory.”

“I’ll give you something fitting your merits later. There are too many eyes watching to settle it with just that.”

After a brief silence, she turned her head toward Isna.

“I’m glad you’re safe, unni.”

“Thank you.”

The two now spoke comfortably to each other.

“I’ll make sure you’re comfortable while you stay here, so get some rest. You’ve been through a lot because of that beast.”

At that, Isna let out a small laugh.

“A beast… yeah. A very savage beast you can’t tell what it’s thinking.”

These people really have no filter even with me standing right here.

“What are you saying, raw chicken.”

“H-hey… hey!!!”

Isna’s face turned bright red as she shouted.

Unlike her, who looked ready to beat me to death on the spot, Melissa seemed not to understand what that meant.

“Raw chicken? Why is unni Isna raw chicken?”

At that, Meryl flinched and whispered something into her ear.

And then—

“You crazy three-legged octopus bastard!”

A furious Melissa grabbed a thick book beside her and charged at me, bringing it down.

“You filthy bastard!!”

I dodged as naturally as flowing water and slipped away from the scene.

* * *

As planned, everyone gathered around the grill and tables I had set up outside for a worry-free meal.

Various dishes were laid out, and fragrant wines were set in place.

At a glance, it might look extravagant, but considering the prestige and wealth of the Duchy of Cascadia, it was actually quite modest.

If anything, the ones who welcomed gatherings like this more than us were the mansion’s servants.

Because at times like this, they could taste high-quality foods they normally couldn’t eat.

I stood in front of the sizzling grill, holding tongs, diligently grilling meat.

At one side of the table, I could see Isna, Meryl, and Rebecca.

On another side, the Cheon Ryeong and Hwa Reyong siblings, as well as Marian, the princess of succubi.

On yet another side, Melissa was wiping Arsha’s mouth with a napkin.

And at one table, four spirits sat in a row, eyes sparkling as they devoured meat.

Among them, the youngest spirit, Tiamet, had an appetite fitting her size.

And finally, I saw Luna and Lispa, engaged in a fierce fork battle over a single piece of meat.

In Luna’s one hand, she held a sign that read “No entry for thieving pigeons,” making it look like she was about to chase Lispa away at any moment.

There wasn’t any special reason I was grilling the meat myself.

Partly because there wasn’t really anyone to assign the task to, and partly because I thought grilling meat myself had its own kind of romance.

Where was Elpiria, you ask?

Babies sleep all day.

Normally, I would have held her, but since Elpiria was sensitive to smells, she might wake up—so I laid her down on the bed in the room.

Even so, I was prepared to rush over immediately if she started crying.

The savory smell of meat stimulated my senses.

This peaceful scene was also one of the moments of life I so dearly wished for.

-Damn it. I wish I could at least taste it.

Ignoring Lucifer’s grumbling, I skillfully flipped the meat with a sizzling sound.

And then—

-Nyaaaang!!!

At Radon’s urgent cry, my gaze snapped toward him.

He should have been beside Elpiria, yet he came running toward me in a panic.

“Radon? What is it?”

At my question, he hid behind my leg, watching the other side warily.

And the moment I turned my head—

I saw something unexpected.

“Ahahaha!! Kyaa!”

Something small, wrapped in a large blanket, was walking across the garden lawn.

At first, I couldn’t understand what it was.

Because the gap between common sense and the current situation was far too great.

That tiny thing, wrapped in a blanket and running wildly, slowly approached me.

Then, after flailing about, it bumped its head—thunk!—against my leg.

After a moment of silence, everyone’s gaze turned toward the blanket.

Then, the blanket slowly slipped off.

The first thing I saw were tear-filled, trembling eyes.

-Oh… my.

Lucifer’s voice echoed.

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