Book 1 Chapter 299

299

Leo awakened his spiritual power.

Wooong-!

The spiritual power of Lysiannas dwelling in the Spirit Orb reacted to Leo's spiritual power.

Gooooooh-!

The enormous spiritual power of Lysiannas began to obey Leo's control.

Hwarrreuk!

Hweeoooh-

Bogle bogle.

Kugugugugugung-!

Flames shot up around Leo, wind blew, water droplets formed, and the ground surged.

Soon, four spirits appeared before Leo.

The four Great Spirits, who had been dormant in the orb, looked at Leo's face with bewildered expressions.

-Who are you?

Silesta frowned, looking at Leo, her summoner.

-How did you summon us?

Everyone looked at Leo, who had summoned the Great Spirits, with astonished eyes.

During the Age of Calamity.

Only one spirit user had made a contract with the Great Spirits.

Only Lysiannas.

Moreover, since it was a sealed contract, other spirit users could not summon the Great Spirits until Lysiannas released the contract.

In other words, Lysiannas had an exclusive contract.

It was only natural to be surprised that some human boy had summoned such Great Spirits.

And in this situation, the most bewildered were, of course, the Great Spirits themselves.

Leo looked at Silesta and said,

"I am the proxy of your contractor."

-A proxy?

Iftha, the Great Spirit of Fire, crossed her arms.

"Yes, I obtained the authority to use mana from him."

At Leo's answer, Erham, the Great Spirit of Water, looked suspicious.

-I've never heard of such a thing.

"It must have been before he told you. Anyway, the important thing is that I have the contract seal between you and Lysiannas, isn't it?"

Leo showed the back of his hand.

A contract circle, proving the contract between a spirit user and a spirit, was drawn on it.

And the principal of the contract was clearly Lysiannas.

At that, Dardane, the Great Spirit of Earth, who had been observing Leo until now, spoke.

-What is your relationship with Lysiannas?

"……"

At Dardane's question, Leo closed his eyes.

-We will save the world.

The image of his friend, who still smiled proudly and held out his hand, vividly came to mind.

Recalling that unforgettable moment, Leo opened his eyes and said,

"Partners."

Leo smiled.

"Partners who will save the world together."

Seeing Leo smile in a way that strangely resembled their pledge-taker, the Great Spirits decided to put aside their doubts.

-We will understand this situation later.

Iftha chuckled with a "hoo-" and approached Arion.

-Hello, Arion.

"Iftha, I'll explain the situation. Right now, in Gadsron…"

-No, you don't need to explain. I understand.

Iftha brushed back her red hair and said,

-The Giant King has invaded to conquer Gadsron, hasn't he?

"That's right."

-What about that perverted dwarf?

"He's stopping another Giant King."

-What?

For a moment, Iftha, who didn't understand, looked bewildered.

"It's complicated to explain. For now, cutting that guy's head off is the priority."

Leo interjected in the conversation.

"Yes."

Swish-

Arion drew Brave.

"I'll take on the Giant King."

Arion took a deep breath and bent his knees.

"You keep the legions in check."

Bang-!

In an instant, Arion's body moved at an invisible speed.

Running through the sky using an Aura Step, Arion re-gripped his sword.

There was an enormous distance between the walls of Gadsron and the ancient Geas.

But that distance quickly narrowed as Arion began to run.

Golden aura surged from Arion's body as he traversed the distance at near-divine speed.

A golden flash shone brilliantly.

Seeing that, Leo gripped the Orb of Wind.

Hweeeeoooooo-

The wind howled.

-I understand you're Lysiannas's proxy.

Erham crossed her arms in front of Leo.

-We also understand the urgent situation, so we'll gladly cooperate with you. The problem is you.

Erham looked at Leo suspiciously.

-From what I see, you're still a young human. Can you handle our power well? Even one of us seems like it would be too much for you, let alone all four?

Erham's suspicion was natural.

Leo was only in his mid-teens.

Even with great talent and power.

Even if he had obtained Lysiannas's spiritual power to draw out the power of the Great Spirits, there had to be limits for a young boy.

'Normally, that is.'

Leo chuckled and awakened his spiritual power.

Wooong-!

In an instant, Silesta's body transformed into a streak of wind and settled on Leo's foot.

The faces of the Great Spirits were tinged with astonishment.

-Spirit Armored?

A high-level spirit art where a spirit possesses the body, allowing for free and unfettered use of the spirit's power.

Spirit Armored itself is a high-level spirit art boasting the highest difficulty.

Moreover, the difficulty of Spirit Armored doubles as the rank of the possessing spirit increases.

Being able to possess a Great Spirit alone would rank a spirit user among the top ten in the world.

Furthermore, possessing only a part of the body, not the whole, was comparable to Lysiannas, the contractor of the Great Spirits.

Hwarrreuk-!

This time, Iftha transformed into a spear and settled in Leo's hand.

Kugugugugung-!

Dardane became armor and possessed Leo's body.

Finally, Erham became a shield of water.

Zerus, the young dragon standing on the city wall, muttered blankly.

"Lord Lysiannas?"

Leo, fully armored by the Great Spirits, was Lysiannas himself in battle stance.

"I merely imitated him."

At Zerus's question, Leo smiled bitterly and replied.

And he looked at his reflection in the water shield held in his hand.

'How nostalgic, this form too.'

"Who… are you?"

Zerus asked with a trembling voice.

To Zerus's question, Leo replied,

"The Hero of Beginnings."

Leo became a streak of wind and followed behind Arion.

***

Hwarrreuk-!

Black flames were burning.

The hero candidates, facing Erebus's mental projection directly, were struck with fear.

Their opponent was none other than the primordial evil.

The Age of Calamity.

And during the Calamity's Rebirth.

The symbol of destruction that had almost annihilated the world twice.

During the Age of Calamity, the five great heroes protected the world.

During the Calamity's Rebirth, the five Heroes of Genesis, who carried on the will of those great heroes, saved the world.

Even those considered the greatest in long history had barely succeeded.

The girls and boys confronting it were too young to bear that burden.

They had bravely stepped forward, but the mental projection of Erebus they faced was overwhelmingly powerful.

Lunia gritted her teeth.

'They were…'

Luna, Dweno, and Arion came to mind.

'Did Leo… overcome this fear and face the impossible?'

When she had faced Erebus in Luna's world before, there was someone to rely on.

There was Luna, Harun, a senior from the same school, and Elena, who was called the Queen of Lumern.

And there was Leo.

But not now.

'My role is the most important.'

In this party, Lunia was the one who could cast the most powerful magic.

Dryana was the vanguard, serving as a shield against Erebus's mental projection at the front.

Behind her, Ar, Eiran, and Verkia were a skirmishing force, flexibly supporting Dryana and launching attacks.

And behind them, Carl was the supporter.

Finally, Lunia was in the rear.

'Can I defeat that monster… which resurrected endlessly even after Lord Arion's attacks?'

Summoning her staff from subspace, Lunia gritted her teeth and gripped it tightly.

'In the hero's world… can I, who gained nothing… succeed?'

Lunia's eyes wavered.

Ar, who had already spoken of inheriting Arion's power and Leo moving ahead, showed progress over the past ten days through his encounter with Arion.

Eiran, who met Verkia, also learned how to wield fairy power from Verkia.

As a result, she reached a level where she could use the basics of fairy magic that she hadn't been able to use before.

According to Carl, Dryana was caught by Dweno every day, making distressed faces and crafting armaments.

And she kept hearing that Dweno praised her skills.

Compared to them, she was treading water.

She still couldn't handle Dweno's essence of flame, and Kataru only ridiculed her.

It was when Lunia's body trembled.

"Why are you just standing there blankly?"

Ar stood in front of Lunia.

"Hmph, are you scared?"

Ar asked Lunia smugly, provoking her.

Though they didn't show it, as class representatives from different schools, they had a subtle sense of rivalry.

So Ar expected Lunia to flare up if provoked this way.

But Lunia's eyes, clouded, replied,

"I'm scared."

Lunia, admitting it straightforwardly, gritted her teeth.

"You?"

"Of course, I, the descendant of the great hero Arion!"

Ar smiled brightly.

"Am scared."

Lunia's eyes widened.

Ar reached out and took Lunia's hand.

Ar's trembling was conveyed through their clasped hands.

"Until now, even when I was scared, I thought I wasn't, foolishly smiling, thinking that Lord Arion's descendant knew no fear."

Ar said, still without losing his smile.

"But I realized that wasn't courage, but turning away from fear. So!"

Ar snorted, "Heh-!"

"I'll play Lord Arion's role! You play Lady Luna's role!"

"……What are you talking about so suddenly?"

Forgetting the situation, Lunia asked, dumbfounded.

"I asked Lord Arion a while ago! How he could be so brave? And he said…"

'I am not brave. The reason I can be brave is because I have friends. When I can't move, Kyle's back moving forward leads me. Luna's runes push my hesitating back.'

'Then what gives Lord Arion the most courage?'

'Luna's runes.'

"So from now on, I'm Lord Arion! And you're Lady Luna!"

Ar's eyes sparkled.

"Because nothing gives a warrior more courage than a mage's runes!"

At Ar's words, Lunia couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.

She gains courage from Ar, who is asking her for courage.

'Right, this isn't the time to be gloomy.'

Lunia slapped her cheek-!

'Snap out of it! Lunia El Runda!'

"Alright. I'll try my best…"

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-!

A wolf's howl echoed throughout Gadsron.

Fear vanished from the hero candidates' hearts, replaced by courage.

"Lord Arion's Howling…!"

Eiran's eyes widened.

Ar, twitching her cat ears, looked excited.

And she said to Lunia,

"Yep. Lord Arion gave me courage. I guess I don't need you anymore."

"Do you want to die?! You damn cat!"

Seeing Ar's immediate change of attitude, Lunia, enraged, grabbed Ar by the collar.

"Um, fighting is good, but that guy is starting to move, you know?"

Then Carl said with a tense expression.

At the same time, a magic circle formed above Erebus's mental projection's head.

Wooong-!

"Star Magic?"

Lunia looked astonished.

Whoosh-!

Seeing that, Ar rushed forward at incredible speed.

"An opening!"

Aura formed on Ar's feet, transformed into a beast.

Bang-!

Ar, kicking off the air, became a bullet and kicked Erebus's mental projection in the abdomen.

Thwack-!

Erebus's mental projection's body crumpled and flew away.

"Where are you sending it?!"

Dryana hastily dodged and protested.

"Sorry!"

Kwagagagagang-!

As Ar apologized, Erebus's mental projection crashed into a building.

Ar stamped her foot, seeing Erebus's mental projection, which had destroyed several buildings and barely stopped.

"How about that!"

Whoosh-!

"Huh?"

"Don't let your guard down, you foolish cat. Our opponent is a monster imitating Master Kyle."

Verkia kicked Ar in the side, sending her flying, then drew Erquint and slashed at Erebus's mental projection.

But while retreating, she got tangled up with Eiran.

"Why are you here?"

"S-Sorry!"

Eiran apologized hastily.

"Hmm! Our coordination is terrible!"

Dryana looked troubled.

Meanwhile, Erebus's mental projection, having gotten back up, reached out a hand towards the group.

Zzzzzzzing-!

As a magic circle formed, Lunia hastily activated her magic power.

Chwijeojeojeojeojeong!

Hwarrrreuk-!

Giant ice shards shot up from the ground.

Lunia's fire magic melted those ice shards.

Crack!

But the ice shards pierced through the flames and threatened the party members.

'Its output is stronger than my magic.'

In terms of attributes, fire magic overwhelms ice-type magic.

However, even with Lunia's fire magic, the ice magic did not lose its power.

Looking at the magic, it was high-speed casting done instantaneously.

In Lunia's case, she had merely unleashed pre-cast magic.

The instantaneous magic output was equivalent to carefully prepared magic.

"Form a formation."

At Lunia's words, the hero candidates raised their weapons.

"Let's defeat that guy."

***

Kwagagagang-!

Flames swept the surroundings with Lunia's magic.

Ar and Verkia cut down the monsters summoned by Erebus's mental projection and approached.

But Erebus's mental projection easily defended against Ar and Verkia's close-range attacks.

"Carl! Give me a potion!"

At Dryana's urgent shout, Carl took a potion bottle from his pocket and threw it to Dryana.

Dryana poured the potion on her wound and charged again.

Wooowoowoowoowoowoo!

"Lunia! It's dangerous!"

Hweeoooooooh!

As a cutting wind, created by wind magic, blew, Eiran hastily protected Lunia.

"Eiran! Potion here!"

Carl threw a potion to the injured Eiran.

"Thank you! Lord Carl!"

'Thank you… I can't do anything else. Hahaha.'

Carl let out a weak laugh.

'What kind of party leader am I?'

Leo had entrusted Carl with being the party leader.

But in this situation, Carl could do nothing.

'What kind of supporter hopeful am I?'

Carl's eyes dimmed.

Against a monster that transcended Carl's common sense, the only support Carl could provide was giving potions.

He couldn't restrain the enemy. Nor could he deliver a surprise attack.

'Damn it…'

Carl gritted his teeth.

The limits were clear.

Carl was the one who knew that fact best.

'What kind of hero candidate am I?'

Overcoming limits was Lumern's motto.

However…

'A guy like me, even if I overcome one limit, will soon hit a new one. Even if I overcome that too, it's still just treading water compared to others.'

He was once again realizing his place, something he had consistently done since admission.

It was nothing new.

But he shuddered at his helplessness, unable to do anything in a life-or-death situation.

Carl's eyes turned to Erebus's mental projection.

'That monster… is a complete superior version of Leo.'

The Leo that Carl had seen had almost no weaknesses in combat.

A combat style that perfectly compensated for the shortcomings of each class with all-class abilities.

The adjective 'perfect' suited the Leo Carl knew very well.

If he had to pick a weakness, it was that he couldn't perform many mana-consuming attacks.

But the monster before him lacked even that weakness.

Indeed, the vanguard, who was blocking Erebus's mental projection, was being frantically tossed around by the endlessly unfolding unconventional attacks.

Carl gritted his teeth and glared at Erebus's mental projection, which was swinging its sword.

'If it were Leo… he would use summoned beasts.'

Wooong-! Erebus's mental projection, attacking Ar, used a summon.

'And if he dodged, he would check with his sword…'

Screech-!

"It's too unpredictable!"

Ar screamed.

As someone who had no experience fighting an all-rounder, Ar was overwhelmed by Erebus's mental projection's attacks.

"Oh?"

Carl let out an astonished gasp.

And he shouted urgently,

"Dryana! Don't approach! Magic is coming!"

"Hmm?!"

Dryana quickly backed away.

Along with that, an ice spike made of earth shot up from the spot where Dryana had been charging.

"Lunia! Don't cast magic! Lady Verkia will pass through the direction you're trying to cast magic!"

Carl shouted again.

"Huh?"

Lunia hastily withdrew her magic.

And Verkia passed in front of her.

Lunia looked at Carl with surprised eyes.

"Carl, do you… anticipate that monster's movements?"

"Uh… when I think of it as Leo, who's also an all-rounder, I guess so?"

"……And our tangled movements?"

"……I figured that out by observing too."

"Then you can command us?"

"……That's right."

As soon as Carl finished speaking, the angry voices of the party members rang out.

"Hey! Why are you only telling us now?!"

"Nyaaaaahk! I'm going to hit you later!"

"You should have said that sooner!"

"Why are you only saying it now?!"

"Uh… um…"

Carl, who had been pessimistic and cowering alone until now, cowered even more.

Lunia grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, pulled him up, and said,

"We're in a frenzy right now! So you command us!"

"What?!"

"You're the party leader! If you're the leader, lead like one!"

"A-Alright."

Carl replied, shrinking his neck.