Book 1 Chapter 319

319

Rumble-!

The Earth Great Spirit, Titaum, raised its hand.

Seeing that, Leo swiftly flung his body forward.

Whoosh-! Crash! Rumble-!

The ground shook and the entire island trembled from Titaum's attack.

Other students, who had been watching Leo and Wareden's battle from a distance with astonished eyes, stumbled from the aftershock.

Leo's eyes narrowed, having escaped Titaum's attack range.

‘When did he contract with a Great Spirit?’

Leo clenched and unclenched his fists, looking at Wareden who was staring at him with Titaum at his back.

Leo was one of the people in Lumerne who knew Wareden's talent and potential best.

Even just considering skill, he was the strongest among the second-years, excluding Leo himself.

In terms of combat power alone, he was on par with or even surpassed Lunia and Ar.

He was a spirit user whose innate strength and talent were exceptional… truly befitting the nickname "monster."

But Wareden didn't reveal his presence more than necessary.

His participation in academic schedules wasn't active either.

He didn't socialize well with other students.

Although he was naturally quiet and preferred to be alone.

Leo knew well what Wareden was aiming for and what he always had his eyes on.

The person who had reached the position he aimed for.

Wareden was always watching Leo.

And he put in a bloody effort to defeat Leo.

Silently, by himself.

He walked the path aiming for the strongest.

Wareden was the one among Lumerne's second-years who had trained the most since admission.

‘Is the result of his frantic efforts to catch up with me… a Great Spirit?’

Leo stretched out his sword, looking at Wareden who was watching him.

Roar-!

Flames enveloped Leo's body.

Flicker-

The form of fiery wings blazed behind Leo's back.

Whoosh-

Leo's body soared into the air.

Rumble-!

Titaum bowed its head and extended its hand, and Wareden climbed onto that hand.

Rumble-!

From a distance, students looked up at Leo and Wareden.

Gulp-

Students swallowed dryly at the situation where the Phoenix and the Earth Great Spirit were confronting each other.

Wareden, standing on Titaum's shoulder, raised his head.

And he looked up at Leo, who was looking down at him, with an expressionless face.

Looking at Wareden like that, Leo spoke.

"I never thought you'd actually contract with a Great Spirit, did I?"

Leo smiled faintly.

Seeing Leo like that, Wareden opened his mouth.

"Every time I see you, I realize something, Leo Plov."

"What is it?"

"The feeling of looking up at someone else."

"Will you just keep looking up?"

At that question, Wareden curled the corner of his mouth.

"When I was young, I read a book about a foolish person."

Spiritual power swirled from Wareden's body.

"It was the story of a foolish person who climbed high to reach the sun, only to fall and die in the end."

Rumble-!

The ground shook as if an earthquake had occurred.

"Other children laughed at the protagonist in the story, but I didn't."

Wareden raised his hand.

Accordingly, Titaum also raised its arm.

"A life of just looking up and not even being able to make eye contact, I have no interest in such a thing."

Wareden stretched out his hand towards Leo.

"Even if I ultimately fail to reach it and eventually fall…"

Rumble-!

"I will not stop… reaching out for my goal, staking everything I have!"

Simultaneously with Wareden's shout, Titaum's arm swung with immense speed.

Accordingly, Leo's body shot up into the sky.

Flicker-!

As Leo raised his sword, flames surged.

Crash-!

Fire and Earth.

Due to the elemental compatibility, Leo was at an absolute disadvantage.

But Leo didn't care.

Leo's body blazed brilliantly, like a burning sun.

Crash-!

The Phoenix flames extending from Leo's sword turned Titaum's arm to ashes.

Rumble-!

The arm, now ash, lost its form and fell to the ground.

Whoosh-!

But then, the arm was instantly restored.

Crash-

As Titaum extended its hand, massive rock-formed ropes shot out like spiderwebs.

Leo's red eyes quickly traced a trajectory.

Whoosh-!

He rapidly dodged numerous rock ropes and charged towards Wareden.

Seeing Leo like that, Wareden swung his arm.

Grab-!

Titaum's arm quickly seized Leo.

The moment all students' eyes widened.

Titaum slammed its fist straight into the ground.

Rumble! Crash!

"Aaaah!"

"Seriously, there's no moderation!"

Students watching the fight screamed in terror and fled.

Flicker-!

Despite receiving an unimaginably huge impact, flames blazed from Titaum's fist.

Wareden, who had slammed his fist into the ground, felt his grip loosen due to the immense force and distorted his face.

Currently, Wareden and Titaum were in 'Assimilation,' one of the spirit magic skills.

It was a high-level spirit magic that allowed one to assimilate with a spirit and control its power as desired.

The drawback was that the spirit user received all the damage taken by the spirit.

"Titaum, Earth Wave."

Simultaneously with Wareden's words, the ground began to undulate.

Crash-!

Wareden slammed Leo, whom he held in his grip, deep into the ground.

Thick dust clouds rose.

The fog had already cleared, dispersed by the intense flames unleashed by Piora and the earth controlled by Titaum.

-Indeed… you're a monster, renowned even among spirits.

Titaum admired.

"…"

-But it was reckless. To bring out a Phoenix, which has poor compatibility, and try to fight.

"Titaum."

-Hmm?

"He's coming."

Crash-!

Leo, who had been slammed deep into the ground, shot up into the sky.

-No!

Titaum was astonished, and Wareden took a combat stance.

Blood flowed from Leo's forehead, where he had sustained a head injury.

Leo, with a warlike smile, spoke.

"Excellent."

Roar-!

Phoenix flames swirled around Leo's sword.

Wareden frantically tried to move his body.

But Leo blowing off Titaum's head was faster than that.

"Tsk."

Wareden felt his mind blur for a moment.

Rumble-!

Instantly, Titaum was unsummoned.

A massive mound of earth collapsed.

Mixed in with it, Wareden also fell to the ground and was buried among the earth mound.

‘That Wareden guy… he truly is a monster.’

Leo, who had landed on the ground, took a deep breath at the pain he felt in his body.

‘I never thought he'd be hiding such a trump card.’

Of course, he couldn't fully control Titaum.

His capabilities were still insufficient to fully draw out the Great Spirit's power.

But the very act of summoning a Great Spirit at the age of 17 was proof of Wareden's incredible potential.

‘…To think that an unrefined raw gem is already this formidable.’

He clicked his tongue and looked at the mound of earth.

‘Moreover… he hasn't fallen yet.’

Although he had taken an enormous hit, Wareden had not yet received a "death" verdict.

Just as Leo was gripping his sword tightly.

"I'm first!"

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm first!"

Familiar bickering voices were heard.

Leo stuck his sword into the ground like a staff and looked up at the sky.

Duran, cloaked in lightning aura, and Eliza, riding a Wind Wyvern, were approaching at tremendous speed.

Other students, seeing that sight, showed bright expressions.

Duran and Eliza's joining.

Even Leo, the best in the world, had taken considerable damage from the battle with Wareden.

They thought that in such a situation, even Leo would have no choice but to retreat if the two joined.

Thud-! Clatter-!

Duran and Eliza stood before Leo.

Jolt- Leo chuckled, looking at the two who were glaring at each other.

"Are you two going to team up?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Leo Plov."

Eliza pulled out a whip from her pocket.

"My pride won't allow me to team up with Duran Moira and defeat you."

"Hoho, for once you're saying something right, Eliza Hergin. Rather than team up with you, I'll defeat you and fight Leo Plov."

"Oh, you're the one who'll fall."

Students inwardly shrieked, watching Duran and Eliza growling at each other.

‘Hey! You guys are on the same side!’

‘Why are you fighting each other like you want to kill each other, with Leo right in front of you!’

It was then that the Noble and Harmony students clutched their heads.

Rumble-!

Wareden emerged, pushing aside the mound of earth.

"My fight with Leo Plov isn't over yet."

Wareden looked at Duran and Eliza with an expressionless face.

"So, both of you, get lost."

"It seems the victory has been decided, so you're the one who should retreat, Wareden Tyden."

"Hmph. I'll defeat you along with him."

Eliza and Duran coldly sneered.

Seeing that, Leo burst into laughter.

‘They're kids who don't know what giving up means.’

The three of them would know the difference in power best.

Even so, they struggle desperately.

They hold their heads high and challenge without fear.

They should be intimidated.

No, even if they are already intimidated, they continue their reckless challenge.

‘The spirit of teenagers is frightening.’

Leo learned how not to give up from his companions.

Lisinas taught him how to find light in endless darkness.

Luna taught him how to move towards that light, and Arion taught him how not to lose courage while doing so.

Finally, Dweyno made him realize that he had comrades he could trust and rely on.

It wasn't just Wareden, Duran, and Eliza.

‘Celia, Chloe, Abbad… and even Chen Xia.’

Though their ideals and destinations were different, their goal of targeting Leo remained unchanged.

They desperately chase after him.

Himself, a great hero.

Now, the budding heroes.

Their starting lines couldn't help but be different.

But from their perspective, if they started at the same line and then came to their senses, they would only have seen Leo's back, far ahead.

‘They will all grow into great heroes.’

Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

‘They will grow into comrades to fight alongside.’

He thought that his classmates at Lumerne would someday become comrades he could rely on to guard his back.

‘So I tried to walk at the same pace.’

He matched their eye level.

So they wouldn't despair and break at such a different eye level.

As a vastly senior hero.

He had been considerate of his juniors.

But recently, he wondered if it was okay to keep doing this.

To his classmates who clashed with him with all their hearts.

Was it truly the right thing to only show them the image of Leo Plov?

"It means to trust the future you've chosen."

Dweyno's advice came to mind.

‘If there's truly a possibility that you'll stand on the battlefield against Erebus as heroes.’

Leo opened his eyes.

‘That possibility…’

Whether they could rise when confronted with overwhelming despair or not.

‘Testing it now wouldn't be a bad idea.’

Leo unleashed his aura.

At that, Duran, Eliza, and Wareden, who had been wary of each other, paused.

Until now, he had only shown his classmates the image of Leo Plov.

But from now on, it was different.

Leo's eyes changed.

At that, the three of them flinched.

"Stop fighting."

If it were Leo Plov, the second-year student council president of Lumerne Academy.

It would be right to retreat from this place.

No matter how much he was Leo Plov, Wareden, Duran, Eliza.

Fighting these three people would be too reckless.

But…

If it was Kyle, the story was different.

"All three of you, come at me at once."

"Are you underestimating us? Leo Flo…"

Crash-!

"…!"

Eliza hastily flung herself away.

Duran instinctively extended his sword, diverting the aura's direction.

But he couldn't completely divert it.

If Duran had been even slightly late in deflecting the aura Leo unleashed.

If Eliza hadn't dodged.

They would have received a death verdict on the spot.

Duran put strength into his sword against the terrifyingly sharp sword energy.

‘…What is this?’

Duran looked at Leo.

"I'm not underestimating you."

Leo said with an expressionless face.

"Prove it yourselves. Whether you…"

Killing intent and fighting spirit poured from Leo's body.

"Are worthy to stand on the same stage as me."