Book 1 Chapter 169
169
The demon of Tartarus, who had been watching Leo, glared at Leo with cold eyes.
“Are you going to interfere with me again?”
“It seems so.”
Whoosh-
An aura of flame erupted from Leo’s body.
The demon, seeing Leo, extended a hand.
Ziiing-!
A blood-red magic circle appeared in the air.
Leo’s eyes twitched at the sight.
Instantly, his vision was blocked.
As darkness fell, Leo lowered his body.
‘A curse.’
A curse that blocked vision.
Leo sharpened his senses.
‘He cast a curse in a fleeting moment, without giving me time to react.’
Compared to his past life, Leo’s resistance to curses had diminished.
It couldn’t be helped.
If comparing potential, the current Leo was superior to Kyle of his past life.
It was clear that someday Leo would become strong enough to surpass the power of his past life.
But not now.
Even if his potential was superior, it was still insufficient compared to the immense power of his past life.
Because of that, if high-ranking demons of Tartarus deliberately used curses, Leo would inevitably fall victim to them.
But before a curse was cast.
Leo could tell what kind of curse it was, even in a very brief, fleeting moment.
That was the realm of 'experience,' unrelated to power.
That experience was also the driving force that enabled Leo to unleash power stronger than what he inherently possessed.
However, despite such experience, Leo was instantly afflicted by a curse.
‘Is he a demon specialized in curses? No, even if that's the case, this level is almost that of a Legion Commander?’
With his vision blocked, Leo unleashed his aura.
‘My other senses haven’t been taken away.’
Touch, smell, and hearing responded acutely.
In addition, Leo used his aura to stimulate the nerves throughout his body.
‘Hypersense.’
A technique of the hero Arion that maximizes the senses.
Hypersense was a technique that had an enormous impact not only in reconnaissance but also in combat.
Arion, who had trained Hypersense to an extreme degree, even reached a level where he could predict the future.
‘I haven't reached that level yet.’
Veins bulged on Leo’s temples.
Whoosh-
The presence of magic was felt all around him.
The trajectory of the attack was naturally drawn in Leo’s mind.
Whoosh-!
Leo twisted his neck to dodge the magic that flew, aiming for his head.
Clang-!
“No!”
The demon’s eyes snapped open.
To him, it felt as if Leo had ‘seen’ and dodged the recent attack.
Flash! Kwa-ga-ga-gang-!
Leo moved his body to dodge the dark-red magic beams flying from all directions.
Not only that.
He charged precisely in the direction of the demon.
‘Hasn't the curse taken effect?’
The demon, who had been watching Leo for a moment, quickly retreated from his spot.
‘For a mere first-year hero candidate brat to avoid a curse. I've truly gone too far.’
Though he mocked himself, the demon was calm.
‘Even if he's Pegasus’s contractor, if curses don't work on him, he must have something hidden.’
It would be a big problem if he were to fight recklessly and get caught.
He had staked everything on this attack on Lumen.
There was no longer any turning back.
‘Exercise extreme caution.’
Meanwhile, Leo, who had repelled the demon while his vision was blocked, recovered the sword that had pierced the demon's hand and turned his body.
‘He's quite cautious. He seems like a formidable high-ranking demon.’
Even for a Pegasus contractor, a first-year student would usually be prone to carelessness, but there was no such sign from him.
The demon’s eyes twitched as he saw Leo’s face.
‘This brat, his vision hasn't returned yet? Then how is he moving?’
No matter how much of a hero candidate, he was still an unpolished gem.
Therefore, it was expected that even if he had lost power, if a curse worked, he could be easily toyed with.
But as if mocking such expectations, the first-year student before him was perfectly responding to his attacks.
As if having his vision blocked was nothing.
‘Even the heroes who made their names in the hated Hero Records weren't like this!’
A long time ago.
As a demon who had buried countless heroes in the annals of history, he couldn't help but feel chills.
‘This brat, just what…!’
A conversation with Silatuna flashed through his trembling mind.
‘If you happen to meet Leo Flove, it's best not to be careless. He's a brat with a very unsettling feeling.’
‘Is that because he's an All-Class?’
‘Yes, it is.’
‘I don't understand. All-Class or not, he's just a first-year brat, isn't he? Even if I've lost power, I am a Legion Commander of Tartarus. To be told to be cautious of such a brat, not even Ris Jerdinger, wounds my pride.’
‘That's how special an All-Class is.’
‘Ha, when were you boasting about being a ruler of Tartarus, and now you're concerned about a first-year just because he resembles a Great Hero who disappeared 5000 years ago. Disappointing.’
‘Think what you will. But don't forget the fact that that brat has made the impossible possible until now.’
The nine existing Legion Commanders.
Among them, the Monster Queen, Lich King, and Giant King, who had lived since before the Age of Calamity, were beings of a different caliber.
It wasn't simply because they had lived for a long time.
They were monsters who survived without being exterminated, even while other Legion Commanders present during the Age of Calamity were being subjugated by Great Heroes.
The Great King of Wisdom, Licinas, deciding to prioritize the subjugation of Erebus over the Three Great Legion Commanders was a gamble.
Licinas couldn't guarantee that the subjugation force would be intact after defeating all three Great Legion Commanders.
As a result, the gamble succeeded, but thanks to that, the Three Great Legion Commanders still reigned as terrifying beings, unsubdued even after 5000 years.
At the time, he had scoffed at Silatuna, but he couldn't understand why she had been so wary of Leo just because he was an All-Class.
But now he understood.
The first-year student before him was of a different caliber.
‘This guy must not be kept alive.’
He would clearly grow into a formidable enemy that would threaten all of Tartarus in the future.
‘No matter how quickly he responds to attacks, there must be a limit if his vision is blocked.’
“Leo Flove, consider it an honor to die by my hand, a Legion Commander.”
“Legion Commander?”
Leo’s eyes twitched.
Go-ooo-oooooh-!
Along with that, the surrounding shadows turned dark red and assailed Leo all at once.
His vision was blocked, but his hypersensitive senses, sharpened by Hypersense, naturally drew the attack’s power and trajectory in Leo’s mind.
‘This might be a bit difficult without seeing it.’
As he thought that, the curse blocking Leo’s vision was lifted.
As Leo’s vision refocused, the Legion Commander’s eyes twitched.
‘He broke it this fast?’
There were largely two ways to break a curse.
One was to break it with overwhelming resistance.
The other was to decipher the curse formula binding the body and then break it.
Either way,
it was not an easy method.
‘What in the world is this guy?’
The more he knew, the more surprising it was.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-!
Leo unleashed his aura.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gang-!
Attacks that came in ambiguous trajectories were knocked away with his flame aura, and other attacks were rapidly evaded by leaping.
His dynamic vision also rapidly improved due to Hypersense, so dodging attacks was not a difficult task.
Thud-
Seeing Leo land on the ground, the Legion Commander spoke.
“How did you break the curse?”
“Curses that interfere with the senses twist the mana flowing in the body, right? If you just realign the mana flow, it’s easily broken.”
Watching Leo curl the corner of his mouth, the Legion Commander narrowed his eyes.
“That method shouldn't allow you to break it so quickly, though? What trick did you use?”
“Trick? There's no such thing. I just brute-forced it from beginning to end.”
Leo tapped his head.
“I've broken many curses more complex than this.”
“Impossible! There is no demon who uses curses more powerful and complex than mine, Kigor’s!”
“Kigor? Curse King? Kigor, you say?”
The Curse King Kigor.
A Legion Commander who was exterminated by the Sword Saint Kalian decades ago.
“Are you claiming to be a Legion Commander who disappeared long ago? Tartarus has really gone too far.”
“Think as you please. You're going to die here anyway.”
At Kigor's words, Leo furrowed his brow.
‘His power is pathetic for a Legion Commander.’
If he were a true Legion Commander, merely facing him would inflict immense physical damage.
A Legion Commander, quite literally, was a disaster close to a tremor by their very existence.
A nightmare-like being that countless heroes who made their names in the Hero Records had to combine their strength to barely defeat.
‘But that sense is definitely Legion Commander level.’
Overwhelming combat experience with Tartarus.
These were attacks that Leo, who had fought Legion Commanders countless times, could respond to quickly, but others would likely have died without even proper retaliation.
‘If he’s the real Kigor, the Headmaster might have failed to fully exterminate him.’
Leo gripped his sword tighter.
‘Let's treat him as a Legion Commander.’
Leo lowered his stance.
Seeing Leo, Kigor curled the corner of his mouth.
“I will teach you the terror of a Legion Commander.”
Go-ooo-oooooh-!
A pitch-black space opened in the air.
Along with it, all sorts of grotesque monsters began pouring out from it.
Leo’s eyes twitched at the sight.
Legion Commanders possessed not only individual strength but also the more threatening authority to generate demons.
They devoured living beings and accumulated their energy to create demons.
Seeing lower-level demons pouring out as if the gates of hell had opened, Leo unleashed his spiritual power.
Whoosh-!
A pure white summoning circle appeared, and simultaneously, Arti manifested.
“Arti. Deal with the demons.”
[Yes, Master!]
Pazzzzzzt-!
White sparks began to fly from Arti’s body.
Kwa-ji-ji-jiiik-!
As Arti charged, she began to trample the pouring demons.
“Foolish one! Are you using your most powerful attack method to deal with mere demons?!”
Kigor scoffed and charged towards Leo.
Go-ooo-oooooh! Squirm- Squirm-!
Multiple eyes began to sprout from his body, which was losing its human form.
Leo narrowed his eyes, looking at Kigor, who had become a gigantic human-shaped mass of flesh.
A form that could no longer be called human.
But as he discarded his mimicry, his dark magic surged further.
Go-ooo-oooooh-!
He raised an arm engulfed in dark-red dark magic.
True to a Legion Commander known as the Curse King, the arm, plastered with all sorts of curses, aimed at Leo.
A powerful mass of curses that could lead to death with just a graze.
When Leo tried to evade, all sorts of curses plastered the surroundings.
“You cannot escape! Even if you block it, you will die!”
Leo chuckled, looking at Kigor, who was letting out a triumphant scoff.
“Hey.”
“…!”
At that relaxed chuckle, Kigor sensed something was wrong.
“The Lich King probably said something.”
“What?”
“That you're frivolous for a Legion Commander.”
“How did you—!”
A long time ago.
Kigor’s eyes widened as he saw Leo uttering words the Lich King had spoken.
“How…!”
“I thought he would.”
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-!
A red summoning circle formed in front of Leo.
Seeing the flaming bird that appeared with it, Kigor’s face was filled with shock.
“Phoenix?”
“That guy, he's concerned about dignity even though he only handles corpses, isn’t he?”
Leo, recalling the Lich King and giving a twisted smile, unleashed his aura and magic.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-!
Jerdinger's Crimson Flame.
Lundar's Scorching Heat.
Flames made with the Phoenix's fire as a base enveloped Fiona.
Kwaaaaaaaak-!
Fiona, shining as if wrapped in the sun, flapped her wings.
“Did you think a mere Phoenix's flame could stop a Legion Commander?!”
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-!
Fiona’s flames incinerated the Legion Commander’s body, leaving only remnants.
Kigor’s body, writhing in pain, became even more bloated.
Leo frowned at the sight.
‘He's not dying from this?’
Go-ooo-oh! Bang-!
Kigor’s fist struck Leo.
Bang-!
Leo's body slammed into the door of the Hall of Heroes, hitting his back.
Bang-! Thump-thump-!
Leo’s body, which had flown into the Hall of Heroes, directly broke through the door and crashed into the wall.
Thud-thud-thud-!
Marble shards trickled down.
He felt his mind going distant, but Leo didn't care.
‘The curse was all burned away by Fiona’s flames.’
Flap-! Flap-!
Fiona, returned to the form of a red chick, urgently perched on Leo’s shoulder.
Chirp?
“I’m fine.”
Whoosh-!
Leo, pushing his embedded body out of the wall, landed on the floor.
His head rang.
The damage he sustained was only physical.
Even that was halved by instantly deploying his Aura Armor.
But even with that response, the impact was enormous.
‘Even if he lost power, a Legion Commander is still a Legion Commander, I guess.’
Leo shook his head to clear his mind.
Leo had already attended Lumen for more than a semester and used the Great Library countless times, but this was his first time entering the Hall of Heroes.
Other students might have been interested in the heroes' artifacts, but they weren't items that particularly interested Leo.
Leo raised his head and looked towards Kigor.
Even though he was reduced to ashes, Kigor was approaching a certain sword.
“Finally…! Finally!”
‘What in the world is that he’s so…?’
Leo’s eyes widened, which had been contorting as he watched Kigor approach a ‘worn sword’ with a look of ecstasy.
Outwardly, it was a chipped and rusty sword.
But even at a glance, it was evident that it contained an immense amount of ‘mana.’
Although it was an old sword, it seemed perfectly worthy of being called a hero’s artifact just by itself.
However, Leo was not surprised because the sword contained powerful mana.
It was because of the decoration engraved on the end of the sword’s hilt.
Despite the sword’s age, the decoration shone like new.
A decoration so beautiful that one might wonder if the craftsman who made the sword had put more care into the decoration than the sword itself.
And that sword was one Leo had seen before.
‘Dweyno’s Sword?’