[Amelia] The Level Zero Hero Chapter 238 (Patreon)

Kallistus Kal stood before the collapsed walls of Astral. All it took was a single strike, and the barrier that had protected the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom for centuries was destroyed.

Everyone— from the Kingdom of Kal’s forces to the citizens of the Astrad Kingdom— could only gape in awe at the sheer might of the [Hero King]. And yet, it had been a simple task for him. This unmatched feat hadn’t extracted even a small toll from him.

Kallistus Kal knew that if he so desired, he could destroy the entirety of Astral with only a single swing of his blade. In fact, he was more than certain he could destroy all of the Astrad Kingdom on his own with the powers bestowed upon him by the Fal-Deus.

However, he withheld himself. He didn’t choose to reveal his true strength right now. All he showed was but a mere fraction of what he was capable of. But it was enough to instill fear within the world itself.

Because that was all he was doing. It was all for show. 

Kallistus Kal raised his head as the smoke and dust cleared. All around him, he saw the terrified faces of the citizens of the Astrad Kingdom. They screamed and fled in terror as ranks of their soldiers moved to intercept him.

That’s right, Kallistus Kal told himself as he stepped forward. This is just for show.

Because his true motive— as well as his true body— laid elsewhere.

—--

“That’s exactly the reason why we need to intervene!” Arthur exclaimed as he stepped forward. He shook his head adamantly. “Amelia will not do anything— so we have to!”

Jax nodded alongside the former Lich King in agreement. “That’s right. Amelia’s too busy running her restaurant. Besides, we can’t rely on her for everything.”

But the Elder Dragon remained unphased, even when faced with the reality said by the two men. “There is nothing that can be done. All we can do is wait and watch.”

Arthur gritted his teeth when he heard that. He raised his head, glaring at Grat-ra’zun angrily. “Are you seriously going to just stand by and do nothing as millions die?”

Grat-ra’zun just shrugged in response. “Yes.”

—--

Kallistus Kal tore through the first ranks of the soldiers of the Astrad Kingdom with ease. Behind him, his troops rallied as he paved a path straight for the Astra Palace. He could hear Melissa’s voice blaring behind him, enhanced by magic for all to hear.

“People of the Astrad Kingdom: lay down your arms and surrender! If you do, you will be spared!” 

Her voice reverberated throughout the entirety of the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom, even though she stood at the back rank of the army. As one of Kallistus Kal’s most trusted archmages who had been with him since the very beginning, he did not want her to die here— not during the final battle.

Not when the [Hero King] was so close to his goal.

While he cared very little about the people of this world, there were some who he did not resent. Those like Melissa, Amon, Rakash, and Si-Vus— those who had been utmost loyal to Kallistus Kal. He did not wish them to suffer, even when he would return to his own world.

Which would be soon. 

The [Hero King]’s eyes flickered as he cut down soldier after soldier with his greatsword. Their splattering blood stained his shield and armor, but that was not what he noticed. He was used to seeing the faces of dead men by now.

Instead, he looked up as he heard a voice calling out to him.

“Kallistus Kal of the Kingdom of Kal!” a [Knight] cried out, charging forward atop a winged steed. 

He cut down the hail of arrows coming his way, before swooping down and felling a dozen of the [Hero King]’s soldiers in a single slash. He leapt off his pegasus and landed right before Kallistus himself, issuing a challenge.

“I am Jordan Cel! A Captain of the [Knight of the Astral Order]! And you will die by my hands today!”

Without another word, Jordan Cel charged forward as his blade flashed with a bright light. But the [Hero King] didn’t even waste another moment on the [Knight]. Kallistus Kal casually swung up and decapitated Jordan Cel like he was any other soldier, before moving onto the next rank of soldiers, killing them with ease.

After all, if he wanted to, he could already be at the Astra Palace, standing over the corpse of King Jalen. And yet, for the same reason as why he did not bring down the entire city, he withheld from doing this as well.

Because this was a distraction. Not for the Astrad Kingdom, and not for the Sect of Abyssal Thorns. Instead, it was a distraction for the Voidgod.

And Kallistus Kal continued onward, cutting his way through the streets of Astral, leaving a coat of red on the cobbled road behind him.

—---

For the first time ever, Arthur felt like he understood Edlyn. He felt like he understood Noele. He felt like he understood Justyn. He felt like he understood literally anyone who ever had to deal with Amelia and her stubbornness. Because now, the former Lich King was dealing with the stubbornness of a dragon.

“Seriously?” Arthur gaped at Grat-ra’zun in shock. “You are fine with standing idly by as millions die?”

“Yes,” the Elder Dragon replied.

“Yes,” Jax agreed, next to Arthur.

The bartender blinked at his companion. “Wait, why are you siding with Grat-ra’zun?”

“Oh, I’m on your side,” the elf clarified as he raised his hands. “I want to fight Kallistus Kal. But I also would be completely fine with standing by as millions die.”

Arthur pursed his lips, glancing between the dragon and the elf. He wanted to argue against them. He wanted to approach this from a moral standpoint. But having heard all the same arguments used against Amelia, only to fall flat, he knew he had to find another approach.

His eyes flickered as he remembered something. A memory that was so distant, that it was not even truly his. And he got an idea. 

“I— you know what? I’m not even going to argue with that. It’s my fault for forgetting my audience. Jax, you’re a psychopath, and you know that.”

“Alright, rude,” Jax scoffed. “Sure, it’s true. But that doesn’t make it any less rude to say outloud.”

“And Grat-ra’zun—” Arthur continued, shooting a glare at the Elder Dragon. “I forgot you were a coward who couldn’t care less if the world burned around you.”

That made the Elder Dragon’s brows snap together. “I am not a coward—”

I mean, you didn’t even act when I attempted my conquest of the world. You were too scared to face me in battle,” Arthur goaded Grat-ra’zun even further. 

“Now that is not even factually true!” the dragon exclaimed, smoke huffing out of his nose. “I briefly battled you, and you were the one who fled! So you were the coward there!”

“That is not true,” the former Lich King argued with a glint in his eyes. “I retreated strategically, because I knew that I could only face you when I grew my undead army even further.”

Grat-ra’zun shook his head, snorting. “That is the definition of cowardice. There is no such thing as a strategic retreat either— you refused to face me unless you had the battle tipped in your favor. And in fact, you never ended up facing me again in the end!”

Hearing that, Arthur couldn’t help but smirk. That was exactly what he was hoping to hear from the Elder Dragon.

“You know what?” Arthur said as he stepped back, crossing his arms. “That’s fair. I agree with you there, I was a coward for refusing to face you back then.”

“Good, as long as we are in agreement—” Grat-ra’zun started satisfactorily.

And then Arthur cut him off with a smile on his face. “But since we agree I was a coward back then, you must agree with me that you’re a coward right now too, right?”

“...what?” The dragon paused, likely realizing his mistake.

But it was too late. Arthur had already outsmarted the Elder Dragon. Even though he was a mere bartender.

“I mean, you did retreat— whether it be strategically or not— from the [Hero King] because the battle was not tipped in your favor, right?” Arthur spoke as Jax raised a brow from the side, evidently amused. “And you don’t plan on facing him again. So by the same logic you used against me, you are a coward.”

“That’s…” Grat-ra’zun couldn’t only grit his teeth together in frustration.

Jax nodded in agreement to what Arthur was saying. “You know, I have always thought that dragons were prideful creatures that showed no fear in the face of adversity. But it appears that isn’t true.”

“Only a young and immature dragon places his pride over his survival!” the Elder Dragon practically roared. “I have only lived this long by choosing my battles wisely!”

“By being a coward, right,” Arthur said as he callously met Grat-ra’zun’s gaze. The dragon tried to open his mouth to speak, but the former Lich King shook his head. “I may have been a coward in the past, but right now, I am not a coward. Because I want to face the [Hero King], even if I know I might not win. I will still try.”

Stepping forward, Arthur clenched his fists and spoke resolutely.

“So I will not be a coward. And neither will Jax. Now the question is: what about you?”

Grat-ra’zun clenched his jaw together as he eyed the two men. After a moment, he scoffed and turned away. “If you think you can convince me to help you by attacking my pride, you are wrong—”

—--

Kallistus Kal reached the top of the steps leading up to the top of the Astra Palace, dragging his greatsword behind him. Behind him lay the corpse of a hundred men in plate armor. They had been the elite [Knights of the Astral Order] stationed to guard the entrance of the palace, famed for that high levels and their teamwork. And yet, they had all been felled like they were ordinary city guards.

The [Hero King] strode forward casually as he glanced back for a moment. His army was pouring towards the center of Astral quickly. Even though much of the soldiers of the Astrad Kingdom had stood strong against Melissa’s intimidation tactics and refused to surrender, their defiance didn’t matter against the sheer might of the forces of the Kingdom of Kal.

“Such pointless deaths…” Kallistus Kal whispered. “But necessary nonetheless.”

It was a contradiction. These deaths didn’t need to happen. And yet, the [Hero King] had to sacrifice them for his own desires. Because he knew that this was what the Fal-Deus wanted.

He knew that the Fa-Deus wished for him to bring destruction to Vacuos. To exact revenge.

So that was what Kallistus Kal did. Albeit, he did it slowly. To give the appearance that that was all he was doing. Because this was not what he wanted. He only had a single desire, and that was to return home.

“And I will… soon.”

The [Hero King] shook his head as he faced a figure standing at the gate of the Astra Palace. A lone [Knight] stood there, standing on shaky feet as he faced down Kallistus Kal. It looked like he wanted to flee— like he wanted to surrender.

Kallistus Kal gestured at the ground. “Throw down your arms if you want to live.”

“I—” the [Knight] started.

But a voice interrupted him from behind. “You should do as the [Hero King] says, Sir Wyn.”

The [Knight]— Wyn— spun around with wide eyes when he heard that. He came face to face with an older [Knight] who walked out of the entrance of the palace casually. Wyn’s eyes went wide as he stared at the older [Knight].

“But Sir…” Wyn tried to protest.

And the older [Knight] waved a hand dismissively. “You are a good man, Sir Wyn. Young and with lots of potential. It would be a shame for you to waste your life here. Meanwhile, I am old, and if I lose my life today, it matters not.”

As he spoke, he drew his weapon and faced Kallistus Kal, clearly prepared for battle. Wyn was trying to work his jaw.

“I know you,” the [Hero King] regarded his new opponent. “You are Rowland Donovan, [Knight of the Astral Order], and bodyguard to King Jalen himself.”

“I am honored.” Rowland smiled as he held up his longsword to his chest. “I did not think you would know my name, [Hero King].”

But Kallistus Kal ignored that comment. “If you are here, that means King Jalen is nearby. Lead me to him, and I will spare your life.”

“Unfortunately for you, I cannot do that. I swore an oath.” Rowland grinned as he stepped forward. He took on a combat stance as the [Hero King] sighed.

“Then you are no use to me,” Kallistus Kal said apathetically. 

He dashed forward, moving faster than either [Knight] could react. It happened in an instant. The [Hero King] was already swinging down with his broadsword and aiming for Rowland's neck. 

“Die—” he started.

But before he could make contact with the [Knight], space rippled right before him. A rift opened up, revealing the shadowed maw of a dragon. Kallistus Kal blinked as both Wyn and Rowland stared.

And Grat-ra’zun roared as he unleashed a powerful fireblast, engulfing the [Hero King] whole.

“BURN!”

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