Book 1 Chapter 470

470.

Kwang-!

As Lyra swung her battle hammer, the ground for miles around shook.

The spirits, in sync with Lyra's emotions, were also expressing intense rage.

Leo watched them, impressed.

'Her assimilation rate with the contracted spirits is incredibly high.'

A spirit user is a being who fights by drawing out the power of their contracted spirits to its limit.

Contracting with a high-ranking spirit is useless if you can't fully unlock its potential.

And assimilation rate is considered the most crucial factor in drawing out a spirit's power.

Lyra understood her contracted spirits so well that her emotions could influence them.

'Usually, people try to get stronger by contracting with high-ranking spirits. I guess that's typical of Lyra. She's built a solid foundation.'

It's not easy to be diligent and put in meticulous effort in unseen places.

'No wonder they call her a monster.'

While Leo was admiring her.

"Hmph. The students representing Lumern have such coarse language."

Setian sighed.

"You need to be more aware of your position. Representing Lumern is by no means a trivial matter."

Setian's cold gaze fell upon Leo.

"Especially Leo Flove. You are a hero, and should be a role model for others…"

Kwang-!

"…!"

The aura emanating from Leo's sword aimed for Setian's throat.

Another knight from the Justice Guild beside him used his shield to block Leo's attack.

The sword strike erupted in the blink of an eye.

The shield, reinforced with aura, trembled violently.

"What power…"

The female knight's expression hardened as she looked at Leo.

"You're not in a position to be giving sermons right now, are you?"

*Stomp, stomp*

Leo walked towards the Justice Guild.

'The strongest fighter among them is that guy named Joren.'

Leo glanced at Joren, who was engaged in a fierce battle with Lyra.

And true to their Lumern origins, they weren't just any ordinary bunch.

'A skilled warrior who has seen countless battlefields. And the same goes for the rest of them.'

Members of the world-renowned Justice Guild, regardless of their warped values.

Leo's red eyes focused on the four Justice Guild members.

'Two knights, one summoner, one mage.'

An ideal party composition.

Leo's red gaze flashed.

The shield-wielding female knight flinched slightly.

"A ferocious killing intent. Not at all like a hero, Leo Flove."

The female knight composed herself and raised her spear.

"A hero should be a model of…"

"You've been spouting nonsense about being a role model since earlier."

Leo said, resting his sword on his shoulder.

"I've never really wanted to be a hero. Not in the past, and not now."

"What did you say?"

"I'm not the kind of person who fits the image of a hero that people talk about these days."

'If a hero is someone who transforms the world, guides it toward righteousness, and inspires dreams in countless people… then I am the least fitting person for that role.'

I have no intention of becoming one.

"The reason I entered Lumern was simply because I had something personal to confirm."

Leo let out a small chuckle.

"I never aimed to be a hero or strived to become one. It just… happened, I suppose?"

Seeing Leo shrug, the faces of the Justice Guild members turned grim.

"Isn't it ridiculous to ask someone like me to be a role model as a hero?"

"You… what do you even think a hero is!"

"Who cares? Was 'What is a hero?' even worth pondering deeply?"

The female knight's shoulders began to tremble.

She wasn't the only one.

Anger also showed on the faces of the other Justice Guild members.

"A person like you being a hero! Unacceptable!"

"Whether you accept it or not, I'm already a hero?"

"No! You are not a hero! You are absolutely not suited to be a hero! Your name being on the Hero Records through the gods' choice is clearly an error! That's right! That's why you have no epithet!"

Ignoring the hysterically shouting female knight, Leo said indifferently.

"Still, don't you think I'm much more suited to be a hero than the likes of you?"

"Nonsense."

Setian revealed his anger.

"You became a hero at such a young age, and you've become blind, haven't you? Someone like you, who has no concept of nobility, let alone aspirations or ambitions, cannot possibly be suited to be a hero! A hero is a special being! Only those who dedicate themselves to the world can become heroes!"

Leo chuckled at his outburst.

'Indeed, things I've never had.'

Risinas's nobility, who yearned for the light and sought to reclaim lost light.

Luna's somewhat eccentric but grand goal of filling the entire world with flowers.

Arion's warm ideal of creating a world where children have no worries.

Deweno's grand ambition to fill the world with beauty.

Unlike his friends, who each pursued their own paths, Kyle didn't have anything specific to pursue.

He simply went with the flow.

He entrusted himself to the currents of the world.

And the result was a great deed that saved the world. But Leo still had a question.

'Why was I born as Erebus's natural enemy, and why was I reincarnated with my memories?'

Is it chance, fate, or even necessity?

Why did the world choose me?

'Surely there were others more suited for this power than me.'

For example, someone like Risinas.

'Someone far more suited to save the world than someone like me.'

After a moment of contemplation, Leo chuckled.

'Why overthink it? The important thing is to pass on this world, which we saved together, to future generations. And…'

"That you guys are definitively wrong."

Leo looked at the heavily armored knight who was pressing in on him.

'Mithril.'

A radiant and pure light.

A suit of high-purity mithril armor.

Armor that grants both formidable defense and swift mobility.

The knight approached, holding a longsword and shield.

From behind, Setian's incantations could be heard, and the summoner summoned a water spirit.

Powerful magic swirled around Setian's staff.

*Whoosh!*

A pillar of water erupted from the ground and engulfed Leo.

The immense water pressure pressed down on Leo.

This attack alone would have torn apart an ordinary person, but it wasn't over.

*Crackle-!*

As Setian's magic was completed, the water binding Leo froze.

Trapped within the ice, Leo couldn't move at all.

Targeting Leo, a sword and spear imbued with aura flew towards him.

It was a fleeting moment.

They launched a flawless combo attack in that short span.

"I'll show you how vast the world is!"

Setian roared.

At that moment.

From within the ice, Leo curled the corner of his lips.

*Crack-!*

Cracks appeared on the ice.

*Shatter-!*

As the ice shattered, Leo was freed.

The aura-imbued spear and sword sliced through the air and crossed.

*Clang-!*

Leo, who had dodged the attacks by lowering his stance, threw the sword in his hand.

*Thwack-!*

"Gasp?!"

The sword, flying at an invisible speed, embedded itself in the summoner's shoulder.

And the sword proceeded to sever the summoner's shoulder.

Ignoring the summoner, who fell uselessly to the ground, Leo swung his fists at the two knights who were about to swing their swords at him.

*Sizzle-!*

The swords and spear that came into contact with Leo's fists were destroyed with absurd ease.

"No…!"

"What!"

Leo's punches, ignoring their shocked cries, landed on the female knight's shield and the other knight's mithril armor.

The female knight sneered.

"This is an Adamantium shield! Boasting invulnerable defense…"

*Crunch-!*

The Adamantium shield was destroyed with absurd ease.

"No…!"

*Crash-!*

Leo's fist directly smashed into the female knight's face.

The female knight, her face caved in, collapsed.

His other fist crumpled the mithril armor like paper and then tore it apart.

The knight, whose chest was gouged out, also coughed up blood and sprawled on the ground.

Leo, who had downed three guild members in an instant, approached Setian with a blank expression.

"Wh-what… what kind of trick did you use!"

Setian's lips trembled.

Three members of the world's top hero guild had fallen without a fight.

Seeing Setian's shock, Leo opened his palm.

"Just simple spirit magic."

"What?!"

"I tried to imitate a friend."

What Leo imitated was none other than Risinas's spirit magic.

"It's a matter of fundamentals, I suppose."

Leo calmly opened his palm.

Low-level spirits of water and wind appeared, crossing their arms as if saying, 'Ahem!'

"Most spirit users become powerless when they can no longer summon spirits."

Leo said, looking at the spirit user sprawled on the ground.

"You seemed to be a water spirit user. I asked my contracted spirit to interfere with your contract. Your assimilation rate was terrible, wasn't it?"

Although the spirit the summoner contracted with was a top-tier spirit, breaking the contract itself was simple.

"For the knights, even if they reinforce their weapons with aura, they become momentarily defenseless when their weapons are destroyed. So I used spirit magic to corrode their weapons."

"Mithril and Adamantium wouldn't corrode that easily…!"

"If you know the basics of alchemy, it's easy to change the properties of even the hardest minerals. Of course, this wouldn't work if the aura was hardened sufficiently."

*Stomp*

Leo reached Setian.

"Your magic is the same. I used spirits to destroy part of the casting array. That's why it didn't function properly. Your casting array was crude? Weren't you lacking in basic concept studies?"

"Are you insulting us! There's no way such a preposterous thing is possible! You used special powers, didn't you?! It's unfair! Why did the gods bestow special abilities upon someone like you! Why! Why! Why only ordinary abilities for me…!"

"Forget gods, you were just lazy. That's why you were defeated by such simple spirit magic that's nothing special."

Leo said irritably.

In reality, it wasn't simple spirit magic.

While simple in theory, it required overwhelming assimilation, an understanding of spirit magic, and experience.

It was spirit magic that literally surpassed common sense.

However, as Leo said, it wouldn't have worked if the fundamentals had been properly refined.

'It's a perfect technique to put those who only pursue the extraordinary and neglect the basics in their place.'

Those who chased only visible results will ultimately be tripped up by their weak foundations in crucial moments.

Even without Leo, they would have died during the process of achieving their great feats.

"You talk about becoming a hero without even knowing how vast the world is, at your age."

"You!"

*Crunch-!*

"Cough?!"

Leo kicked Setian in the chest.

Setian, spitting blood and falling, lost the light in his eyes.

"Seeing people like you sometimes makes me feel hollow."

Leo narrowed his eyes.

"After all, many who risked everything couldn't even enjoy this peace."

Leo took a deep breath and scratched his head.

"Well, I don't really regret it, since I saved it with that in mind."

Perhaps all those who saved the world felt the same.

Leo looked up at the sky.

He felt gazes from afar.

'Still, I should at least have the right to clean up.'

Leo grinned fiercely and raised his middle finger towards the empty air.

It was a declaration of war against the Justice Guild.

"I'll sweep you all away. You trash."