Book 1 Chapter 477
477.
A Spirit Summoner.
It refers to one who summons spirits and wields their power from when they were alive.
People sometimes think of spirits as 'souls' themselves.
But spirits were not souls in the pure sense of the word.
'A spirit is like a memory imbued in mana.'
Every living being harbors mana.
That mana is trained, and depending on the nature of the vessel that holds it, it is divided into aura, magic power, and spirit power.
When a living being dies, its mana returns to nature.
And that mana then becomes imbued in another living being.
However, the mana held by someone who possessed immense power during their lifetime retains that person's lingering essence.
'And a spirit is precisely the act of reading the memory of that lingering essence and manifesting it with spirit power.'
The basic framework of necromancy is also the same.
It uses the thoughts of a corpse to revive it as an undead.
Using a corpse is because it contains more potent thoughts, as it was the physical body during life.
However, the Necromancer King could revive the dead by using only the soil from where a corpse was buried, even if the corpse itself was gone.
Tiara, the Iron-Blooded Mage, was also revived in this way.
Leo looked at Tiara.
The ancient memories shown by Lysinus's spirit power, and even Lysinus's voice he heard earlier.
'The awakening of spirit summoning.'
He could only think of it as the influence of Lysinus's power, acquired by conquering the Hero's World.
And that power was now telling him to save the elf before his eyes.
"Anyway. Then and now."
Leo let out a hollow laugh and approached Tiara.
The elf before his eyes was a strong individual, incomparable to the heroes of the Justice Guild.
Moreover, she had become an undead being who hated the world itself.
'Breaking her body and sending her back to where she belongs won't be easy.'
Leo drew his sword.
'Subdue her and save her soul, it says.'
A spirit summoner can sublimate the evil spirits residing in undead into true spirits.
The problem is that it's incredibly difficult.
'He always makes me do only difficult things, that damned lizard.'
Leo let out a laugh even as he grumbled.
"Well then."
Thud- thud-
"What kind of story do you have that fills you with such resentment? Shall I listen a bit?"
Kwagagagagagak-!
As Leo approached, the ground around Tiara instantly turned to iron.
Leo put strength into his sword.
Skk-!
He bisected the gigantic blade that was attacking him.
But Tiara's attack didn't end there.
Wooong-!
Countless red magic circles adorned the air.
Along with them, a red liquid poured down.
Leo's eyes narrowed.
'The smell of blood.'
The magic Tiara created was like a rain of blood.
This was why she was given the epithet, the Iron-Blooded Mage.
It was because she primarily used magic that used blood and iron as catalysts.
Therefore, she was the mage who displayed the most powerful force on the battlefield.
Even without separately preparing catalysts, the battlefield always overflowed with materials that could serve as her catalysts.
She would explode enemies using blood flowing from their corpses and tear them apart using the iron contained in their weapons.
It was, quite literally, a mass-slaughter magic that could shine brightest on the battlefield.
Hwaruru-ruk-
Flames of aura flickered on Leo's sword.
"Fiora."
Kwaaaaaaaaaa-!
Fiora's flames merged with the aura flames, emitting even more intense fire.
Kwagagagagagang-!
Sword strikes of flame adorned the sky.
Pububububububung-!
The net-like sword strikes pulverized all of the blood rain.
Along with it, a massive explosion, as if tearing the sky, shook the very ground.
From Leo's perspective, that wasn't the problem.
'This magic deviates from the essence of star magic.'
Star magic was magic Luna created to make flowers bloom.
It might not seem like much, but the flower-blooming magic Luna created was in the domain of 'creation of life'.
It was, in effect, magic that entered the realm of gods.
Recalling his friend who entered the realm of gods for the trivial reason of merely wanting to see some flowers, Leo lowered his stance.
Though ostracized in elf society due to her alien magic, she was also a hero praised as a benefactor among humans.
It was because she saved many humans from Tartaros.
It was also one of the reasons why the elves further ostracized the Iron-Blooded Mage.
'At that time, there was a racial war between humans and elves, wasn't there?'
Though a hero praised by humans, Iron-Blooded Magic was shunned even in human magic societies.
If this magic was used on a person who was not a demon, it would be punished.
Because it was too cruel.
Therefore, Iron-Blooded Magic was only permitted for use against demons.
'Certainly, among elves, it's at a level where it wouldn't be strange to be called heresy.'
From Leo's perspective, it felt like magic that directly negated Luna's will.
After all, star magic was imbued with Luna's warm heart, who loved flowers.
Gooooooh- Chwarurururuk-!
The magic Tiara unleashed created massive iron chains.
Red magic power was imbued in the chains.
Kwaaaaaaaaaa-!
The red magic power rotated, tearing apart everything it touched.
'Unless one contemplates how to make the opponent die more painfully, such magic cannot be created.'
Leo narrowed his eyes.
He could feel a murderous intent and cruelty so intense it could be believed to be black magic.
Hwaak-!
Leo, taking an aura step, approached Tiara.
Kwagagagak-!
The surrounding area was destroyed.
Leo evaded the bundles of chains trying to coil around him like snakes.
'It's not magic that creates chains and exerts physical force. It's overlaid with something akin to a curse.'
Analyzing the magic, Leo moved closer to Tiara.
Then he heard Tiara muttering softly.
"That can't be! They can't be as ugly as me!"
A voice filled with anguish was heard.
"I apologize, great Ancestor of the Nebula. Do not forgive me."
She was squeezing out her voice, apologizing to Luna.
"But. I couldn't forgive them, I hate them!"
Watching Tiara, who was clutching her head and revealing her malice, Leo thought.
'How would Luna have evaluated this magic?'
She would probably have been horrified.
'She would have been appalled, asking how such magic could exist.'
Tak-
Leo further closed the distance with Tiara.
Then the Iron-Blooded Magic completely enveloped Leo.
Wooong-!
Instantly, a magic circle appeared on Leo's body.
Leo deciphered the magic formula in an instant.
Chaenggeurang-!
The formula deployed by the Iron-Blooded Mage was destroyed, and the magic was dispelled.
But the Iron-Blooded Mage, being undead, did not panic and prepared her next magic.
Before that, Leo grabbed the Iron-Blooded Mage's neck.
Deopseok-!
Leo unleashed Star Magic, suppressing the Iron-Blooded Mage's magic power.
Kugagagagagang-!
The ground around them shook due to the clash of immense magic powers.
An immense pain assailed her due to the magic power collision.
However, Leo paid no mind and unleashed his spirit power.
No matter how powerful a spirit summoner, carelessly contacting the undead is dangerous.
If one makes a mistake, they could be directly exposed to the evil thoughts held by the undead.
Moreover, the opponent was a hero.
If one were to directly accept the evil thoughts emitted by such a being, their mind could be destroyed.
"Aaaaaaaah!"
Tiara clutched her head and screamed in agony.
Watching Tiara, Leo smiled.
"I'm not disregarding the suffering you've endured, but I've had a pretty tough time myself to be swayed by the suffering of others."
Peok-!
Leo forcibly pulled Tiara closer and bumped their foreheads together.
"Sorry, but I need to see your memories."
Hwaak-!
A bright light erupted between their touching foreheads.
Simultaneously, Tiara's memories were transmitted.
It was the source of her hatred.
Tiara as a young girl in the Seirune school uniform.
She lost her family, loved ones, and friends to Tartaros.
Consumed by vengeance, she created Iron-Blooded Magic and was exiled from elf society.
But even then, she didn't stop.
She wandered the continent, hunting Tartaros.
It was humans who accepted her.
She fought Tartaros endlessly in human territory.
But the continuous battles exhausted her.
In her later years, she settled in this northeast region to live out the rest of her life.
The Iron-Blooded Mage, who had retired to a small village, could have faded into the annals of history.
But not long after, the village where she had settled was destroyed overnight.
The culprits were the Monster Queen's Legion.
However, the northeastern continent was not the active zone of the Monster Queen's Legion.
It was none other than the elves, who were in hostile relations with humans at the time, who lured the demons.
To inflict harm upon the humans who encroached on their territory.
And to resolve a troublesome issue, they lured the Monster Queen's Legion to the northeast.
She lost everything to Tartaros and lived driven by revenge, even while being ostracized by her own kind.
In the end, she simply wanted to rest in peace.
But even in the very end, it was her own kind who plunged her into tragedy.
Everything she held dear turned to ashes.
Tiara's hatred, in the end, was directed at the elves.
'But it seems she couldn't bring herself to take revenge on her own kind.'
Thus, Tiara died harboring hatred.
And 1000 years later, she was revived as an undead by the Necromancer King, thinking only of revenge.
Tiara's heart was crying out.
To kill all the elves right now.
'Yet, this one is hesitating.'
She was suppressing her hatred with her own will.
She was resisting her instincts, which had been revived by vengeance.
That was possible because she was denying herself, who had risen to the position of a hero for revenge.
She regretted for her entire life that she had transformed the magic inherited from Luna into this, driven by vengeance.
Indeed, Iron-Blooded Magic was magic that negated and desecrated Luna's will.
If Luna were to see this magic, she would never look upon it favorably.
'Still…'
'Magic is like an expression of emotion, expressing one's heart.'
That was Luna's philosophy.
If Luna had seen Tiara, she would surely have said this:
'You must have gone through a lot. So, it's alright not to apologize.'
She would have sincerely comforted Tiara.
Even if her own magic was denied and desecrated as a mage.
Because that was proof of how much the other person had suffered.
Rather, she would have embraced the other person.
'Because she was that kind of person.'
She would have truly felt sorry for this elf who lived a tragic life.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"
"You must have suffered."
At Leo's words, imbued with spirit power, Tiara's movements stopped completely.
It was not just simple comfort.
It was an understanding that only one who had experienced endless pain could offer.
"Don't blame yourself. Luna would definitely not have blamed you."
Tiara's body trembled.
"Don't suffer anymore; you've suffered enough."
Hwaak-!
Lysinus's spirit power added strength to each and every one of Leo's words.
It pushed back the unholy black magic of the Necromancer King.
At that moment.
Hwarurururuk-!
Black flames fiercely erupted from Tiara's body.
As if it could not tolerate Tiara being saved.
It burned fiercely, as if to incinerate the saved soul into ashes.
'As expected, the Necromancer King was able to use the power of the fragment of Erebus.'
Leo smiled coldly.
'But what to do?'
Hwaak-!
Gray spirit power burst forth from Leo's hand.
It was none other than Leo's own spirit power.
The only natural enemy of the Flame of Calamity.
Pure Mana.
Hwaak-!
The black flames vanished under Leo's power.
Swaaaa-
The undead body turned to dust and flowed away.
As if shedding a shell.
In the spot where the undead disappeared, there was a spirit, now dazed, as if lost in thought.
Seeing this, Leo dusted his hands and clicked his tongue.
"The Necromancer King, that bastard, still does disgusting things."
[Who… are you?]
Tiara asked in a trembling voice.
As a hero's spirit, she instinctively realized.
That the being before her was a hero of a vastly higher caliber than herself.
"Me?"
To Tiara, who looked up at him with trembling eyes, Leo answered calmly.
"Kyle, the Hero of Beginnings."