Book 1 Chapter 395

395.

"-Who are you?"

Those were the first words Elsy, summoned across the summoning circle, spoke.

The young Great Spirit of Darkness wore an extremely bewildered expression.

Naturally, that was to be expected.

Elsy, having only recently been born, had never formed a single pact before.

Being forcibly summoned by a pact she hadn't even made, it was natural for her to be astonished.

The same was true for Shiloh, the successor to the Fairy King.

"-How, how did you kidnap me?"

Shiloh wore a very frightened expression.

5000 years later.

The Fairy King Shiloh, renowned as the strongest phantom beast in name and reality, the only remaining Phantom Beast King who had experienced both the Age of Calamity and the Age of Genesis.

However, to Leo, this Shiloh was far more familiar than that dignified image.

"-I never made a contract with someone like you!"

"-Me, me neither! Let me go!"

Leo reached out to Elsy and Shiloh, who were flitting around him erratically like moths.

Grab-!

"I need your power."

Leo said softly.

"To reclaim the starlight of the night sky."

"-Stars?"

"To cultivate a forest that shines green once again."

"-A forest?"

Leo told a story that would entice the young spirit and fairy.

"To do that, you need to fight me and that thing right now."

"-That thing?"

"-What on earth…"

Kooooooooh!

Jörmungandr roared at Leo, who was soaring high into the sky.

Wooong-!

As if reacting to the roar, enormous dark magic emanated around Leo.

'Curse of Restraint.'

Leo's eyes gleamed.

Leo, who had analyzed the curse's pattern, quickly devised a counter-spell.

Patching-!

Albus looked on in surprise as Leo instantly dispelled the curse.

"-To dispel the Legion Commander's curse so quickly."

"-Legion Commander? Is that giant snake a Legion Commander?"

"-Surely not the Gluttony King Jörmungandr?!"

Elsy and Shiloh were startled by Albus's words.

"I'll explain in detail how you were summoned later. For now…"

Leo activated his spiritual power.

Elsy and Shiloh resonated with that spiritual power.

"Focus on defeating that guy!"

Leo roughly tugged on Albus's reins.

Pazzzzzzzzing-!

In response, pure white lightning raged.

Jörmungandr opened its maw wide and charged.

Kwagagagagagak-!

Albus dodged the attack and galloped forward as lightning.

Jörmungandr yelled as he watched Leo and Albus instantly move away from him.

"-Foolish wretch! Do you think you can escape from me!"

Kwagagagagang-!

Jörmungandr instantly gave chase.

Pegasus boasts the fastest speed among all phantom beasts.

And the Pure White King is the fastest among those Pegasi.

A terrifying speed befitting the word 'swiftness'.

But Jörmungandr pursued at a speed that belied its enormous size.

It was fast, but it couldn't match Albus's speed.

Despite that, the distance gradually narrowed.

Wooong-!

Dark magic swirled, targeting Albus.

Albus flew up, dodging the dark magic.

As if predicting Albus's movements, Jörmungandr cut across the shortest distance, gradually narrowing the gap with Albus.

Jörmungandr's nose twitched continuously.

'I smell it. The smell of your hateful movement!'

Its highly developed sense of smell not only pursued Leo but also indicated the direction Leo would head.

It was an ability that could truly be called prophecy.

Jörmungandr, the Gluttony King.

Possessing overwhelming power, but not as cunning as other legion commanders, nor did he possess a legion.

Yet, the reason he reigned as the most fearsome demon in this era.

It was thanks to his overwhelmingly developed sense of smell, close to future foresight.

With that ability, Jörmungandr devoured everything that stood in his way.

The hero devourer who swallowed countless heroes who tried to protect the world.

Jörmungandr tried to devour the hero before him, just as he had always done.

Thump-!

"-I'll chew you up and swallow you!"

Jörmungandr opened its mouth wide.

At the same time, Leo unleashed his aura.

Hyper-cognition.

All his senses were sharpened.

The hero's technique, always at the forefront in moments of greatest crisis.

His sharply honed senses detected danger.

Whoosh-!

Jörmungandr's eyes twitched at Leo's movement, which was beyond its prediction.

"-Villain! You play dirty tricks! But escaping my sight is impossible! The power the great god bestowed upon me! In battle, I predict the future!"

"I know. I've had a hell of a time because of that ability."

Leo said coldly.

"But predicting the future in battle isn't an ability only you possess."

Leo knew.

Another person who predicted the future in battle.

'Arion.'

The hero's hyper-cognition transcends even time.

Arion's unique domain, which even Leo, who learned hyper-cognition from Arion, could never reach.

Even after Arion passed his aura to Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings could not reach the Hero's domain within the realm of hyper-cognition.

However, there was a moment, if only for an instant, when Kyle stepped into Arion's domain.

'The final decisive battle.'

Leo's eyes flashed.

Aura combusted.

All his senses were sharply refined.

Thump-thump-thump-

The sound of his heart beating violently grew loud.

The moment he heard that sound, everything within his sight began to slow down.

More precisely, Kyle's perception began to transcend time.

'It's impossible for me now to step into Arion's domain again.'

In Leo's vision, Jörmungandr could be seen passing him.

'But…'

Veins bulged around Leo's eyes.

Thump-Thump-Thump-

Along with that, Leo's heartbeat slowly decelerated.

'To surpass Jörmungandr, even for an instant…'

Thump-

'It's possible.'

His heart stopped.

No, that's what it felt like.

At that moment.

Jörmungandr's startled cry was heard.

"-Impossible! Someone who transcends my perception!"

"That excellent future prediction. It won't work on someone who sees one step ahead of you!"

"-Do you think such an absurd monster exists!"

"It's right in front of your eyes, isn't it?"

Leo scoffed at Jörmungandr.

"Besides, if I'm faster than you, it's impossible for a creature like you to catch up."

Leo's crimson eyes gleamed.

"Struggle to catch up and crawl on the ground all you want, Gluttony King."

"-Noooooooooom!"

Jörmungandr's enraged roar echoed.

Kugugugugugung-!

As if coiling, Jörmungandr curled its body into a circle and began to spin.

Jiiiiing-!

Along with that, dark magic began to surge from its body.

"-I'll sweep this entire area away with you!"

Kwagagagagagagak-!

A massive tornado of dark magic generated around Jörmungandr.

A literal calamity that pulverized everything in its vicinity.

Leo felt the surrounding air being sucked into Jörmungandr.

Leo activated his spiritual power and tugged on Albus's reins.

Pazzzzzzzzzzzzzik-!

Crimson flames enveloped Albus, who was wreathed in pure white lightning.

"-Phoenix flames?"

Albus showed a startled expression.

The pure white wings of the Pegasus began to burn fiercely.

They were like the wings of a phoenix.

Jeldinger's flames enveloped Albus, whose power was amplified by Leo.

As if a weapon was being enchanted with aura.

Albus gained the mighty Phoenix flames.

"-My goodness!"

Albus showed an expression of shock.

"I said you could handle it roughly, didn't I?"

"-Ugh?!"

The flames burned its wings.

The Phoenix is a phantom beast that incinerates itself to annihilate evil enemies.

The Phoenix's flames caused Albus pain.

"I'm sorry, but bear with it."

"-I've made a contract with an absurd pact-holder!"

Albus flapped its flaming wings.

"It's not over yet. Shiloh! Enhancement magic!"

"-Yes, y-yes!"

A fairy magic circle appeared on Albus's white body.

Bulge-!

Maintaining hyper-cognition, Leo, who had gathered all his aura and spiritual power, had even more prominent veins bulging on his forehead.

"-Amazing."

Shiloh looked at Leo, who was endlessly enhancing Albus, with a shocked expression.

But Leo didn't stop there.

"Elsy."

Gooh-oh-oh-oh-!

At Leo's call, black mana spewed from Elsy's body.

"Crush him."

"-Yes."

Elsy spread her arms wide.

Splat-!

"-Gasp?!"

At that moment, Jörmungandr's body stopped.

Something restrained Jörmungandr's body.

"-What kind of ridiculous trick is this!"

Jörmungandr twisted its body to break free from the restrained power.

But despite its formidable strength, Jörmungandr's body didn't budge.

'That wretch! What on earth is it doing!'

Jörmungandr, who was glaring, instantly turned his gaze to his own shadow.

Crunch-crunch-crunch-

The shadow began to crumple.

As if someone was kneading the shadow at will.

Jörmungandr's shadow began to clump together in one spot.

Accordingly, Jörmungandr's body also clumped together.

'Shadow!'

Jörmungandr, realizing the identity of what was restraining him, turned his eyes to Leo, who was riding on the back of the flaming Pegasus.

'A Pegasus and a fairy! And even a Great Spirit of Darkness! What on earth is your true identity!'

Meanwhile.

Drip-!

Blood streamed from Leo's eyes.

"-Kyle! Are you alright?"

Albus asked urgently.

"I'm fine, just."

Leo tugged on the reins.

"Just pushed past my limits a little."

Pazzizzzzing! Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh! Goooooh-oh-oh-oh!

Leaving a trail of lightning and flames, Leo charged with Albus.

Swoosh!

As darkness deepened.

Leo, charging at the gigantic Jörmungandr, looked like a tiny, fragile light.

The moment that threadlike light pierced through the darkness and struck Jörmungandr.

Flash-! Kwagagagagagagagagang!

A terrifying flash simultaneously created a massive crater.

Kugugugugugugung-!

A massive shockwave enveloped the surroundings.

Giant trees fell away from the direction of the flash, then were uprooted entirely.

Terrifying destructive power.

A single strike, extracted by pushing the Phantom Beast King to its limits.

Amidst flames and lightning soaring into the sky.

Leo flew high above.

"-That's amazing."

"Yes."

Leo replied, tightening his grip on the reins at Elsy's mumble.

"-It's not over yet, though."

Albus said calmly.

Kugugugugugu-

"-Kukuhuhuhuhuhuhuh."

A low laugh was heard from the center of the explosion.

"-Kahahahahahahahaha!"

A mad laugh erupted.

Jörmungandr's body, with its eyes rolled back, rose.

His body was melted and fused, and his face was hideously distorted.

Despite the formidable regenerative power of a Legion Commander, the wounds left by the Pegasus's lightning and the Phoenix's flames hindered its recovery.

But despite that, Jörmungandr was intact.

The blow Leo had squeezed and wrung out.

It was indeed a tremendous attack.

But it was far from enough to defeat Jörmungandr.

"-No matter what it takes, I'll chew you up and swallow you whole!"

Jörmungandr's eyes flashed.

He glared at his target with hateful eyes.

Nothing else mattered.

It was an eye intent on annihilating Leo first, no matter what it took.

"I've met the first condition."

Jörmungandr, whose eyes had rolled back, would attack until Leo was dead.

"I'll leave it to you, Lysinas."