Book 1 Chapter 620
620.
*Thud*- *Roll, roll, roll*-
Zoroa’s head, which had been suspended in the air, rolled on the floor.
Leo stared at Zoroa with indifferent eyes.
“Well, now.”
Zoroa picked up his head and calmly put it back where it belonged.
“I thought it would waver a little, you know. Does this mean crude tricks don’t work?”
The form Zoroa was currently taking was none other than that of Reina, Leo’s mother.
Though the age was different from the current Reina, there was no deception in this appearance.
Because it was, literally, Reina from the past.
But there was no hesitation in Leo’s sword.
‘It’s possible not to hesitate.’
A person with strong mental fortitude would not show a trace of hesitation in their sword, even if facing an image of their mother.
One who has earned the title of hero is such a being.
‘But the disappearance of hesitation doesn’t mean the disappearance of a repulsive reaction.’
However, Leo’s sword held no emotion whatsoever.
It was a sword solely for striking down an opponent.
This was not merely a matter of strong mental fortitude.
‘This is a state of being, a level of mastery.’
As one who wields weaponry.
And as a hero who had overcome countless trials.
The level of mastery achieved by the boy before him was on a different plane from the heroes he had encountered until now.
And Zoroa knew well what made a hero strong.
‘Experience.’
What makes a hero strong is neither innate talent nor training and time.
Only trials.
Countless trials alone elevate a hero’s stature.
That is experience.
And Zoroa caught a glimpse of that experience in Leo’s single sword strike.
“You, are you really the guy who’s about to turn 17?”
Zoroa’s eyes sparkled with even more interest.
Leo, who had been silent to the question, narrowed his eyes.
“Indeed.”
“Huh?”
“So, you’ve taken on the form of the one whose power you stole.”
“……”
Zoroa let out a hollow laugh, watching Leo nod as if he understood.
“Am I not even worth considering?”
Leo was only analyzing and comprehending Zoroa’s abilities.
He showed not the slightest interest in the human before him.
Just an entity to be subdued.
Nothing more, nothing less.
“Huhu. Splendid.”
Zoroa drew his sword.
“You truly are the ultimate prey! Leo Flover!”
*Whoosh*-
Red flames surged from Zoroa’s sword.
Seeing this, Leo also conjured flames from his sword.
Leo mumbled inwardly, gazing at the all-too-familiar flames of Zerdringer.
‘Mother’s flames.’
*Whoosh*-!
Zoroa instantly closed the distance with Leo.
*Whoosh*-!
A sword swung, aiming for the neck.
Leo parried Zoroa’s sword directly.
*Clang*-! *Whoosh*-!
Swords clashed, spitting out flames.
*Growl*-!
Leo’s eyes twitched.
“How is it? Isn’t it magnificent? Your mother’s flames!”
Zoroa’s eyes filled with ecstasy.
“Your mother! Reina Zerdringer’s flames are special! More than any other flame I’ve seen!”
*CRAAASH*-!
The flames intensified.
Along with it, they began to encroach upon Leo’s flames.
“Reina Zerdringer’s flames ignite in response to a strong will! Their firepower rises endlessly!”
Reina’s flames began to swallow Leo’s flames even faster.
Judging himself to be at a disadvantage in terms of raw power, Leo roughly pushed his sword away.
*Clang*-!
A space opened between the swords.
In that fleeting moment.
*Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-k*-!
Dozens of exchanges of attack and defense occurred in the blink of an eye.
Zoroa defended against Leo’s sword.
In the process, Zoroa was unable to counterattack.
It was Leo who clearly held the upper hand in swordsmanship.
“Amazing! What incredible swordsmanship! How did you acquire such skill at such a young age?!”
Zoroa exclaimed in admiration.
He was completely overwhelmed by the swordsmanship.
“To have such talent and also put in effort! Truly admirable!”
Flames flickered around Zoroa’s body.
“But!”
*Thud*-!
Zoroa stomped his left foot on the ground.
Leo’s eyes twitched at the sight.
The surrounding air was sucked into Zoroa’s foot.
Leo, knowing the omen this signaled, summoned his magic.
*Kwakakakakang! Whoosh*-!
A massive explosion erupted around Zoroa.
The sucked-in air instantly combusted, blowing away the surrounding area.
The vast garden of Flover Manor was instantly incinerated, leaving no ashes behind.
“Hahahaha. In the face of overwhelming power, effort is meaningless.”
Zoroa looked at Leo.
*Hiss*-!
Zoroa’s eyes sparkled with a unique light upon seeing the water droplets encasing Leo’s body.
“Oh? A magic I’ve never seen before. Is it Star Magic?”
It was water armor.
A defensive magic Luna had created, anticipating a battle with Erebus.
It provided powerful resistance to fire magic.
However, Luna considered this magic a failure.
Because it was, in fact, powerless against Erebus’s flames.
“That magic, I covet it.”
Zoroa’s eyes gleamed.
“That attack just now.”
“Huh?”
“It was a little different from Zerdringer’s flames, wasn’t it?”
“Finally, showing interest in me?”
Zoroa grinned and said.
“Yes. It’s a power that cannot be manifested with Zerdringer’s flames alone. But I am different.”
“My true talent isn’t stealing others’ abilities! It’s being able to unleash power beyond the limits of any ability!”
Zoroa’s eyes sparkled.
“These flames are no different! These flames are special! But Reina Zerdringer is not special!”
Zoroa’s gleaming face twisted slightly.
“I thought she was a special being. I thought she would be reborn as a more noble existence after losing her power. But upon losing her power, she degenerated into an ordinary human, common and widespread. It’s a very regrettable thing.”
Zoroa shook his head and smiled faintly.
“But it’s alright. Reina Zerdringer’s noble image can now be passed down to future generations by me. And not just Reina Zerdringer. All the special heroes existing in this world will be eternally passed down to future generations through me.”
“There’s no meaning to such foolishness.”
“No meaning? No! You’re wrong! I am the vessel!”
Zoroa spread his arms wide.
“Countless heroes live within me! I become countless heroes and am reborn as a more complete being!”
Zoroa’s eyes, as he clenched his fists, shone.
“Heroes cannot properly unleash their own potential! Only I can bring out the value of the power they cannot unleash! The potentials that met the wrong masters! They will fully blossom through me!”
Zoroa’s eyes, gleaming with greed, fixed on Leo.
“And the ability that will put an end to my powers is Leo Flover! Your All-Class ability!”
Zoroa pointed at Leo with a finger and smiled.
“The power to freely use the abilities of all classes! If I acquire that power, I will be reborn as a true All-Master! A perfect existence! In short! I will become a god! Therefore, Leo Flover!”
Zoroa spoke forcefully.
“Give me your power! That is the way for the world to be saved!”
Leo looked at Zoroa without saying a word.
And then he let out a hollow laugh.
Zoroa’s endless greed.
And the stench of a wraith, emanating from being resurrected by the power of the Lich King.
None of it was far from pure.
But Zoroa’s eyes, as he spoke of himself a moment ago, were utterly clear.
Surprisingly, not a hint of self-interest could be felt in those eyes.
He simply believed that what he was doing was absolutely right.
Murdering countless heroes to steal others’ powers.
Even after betraying the world and meeting his demise, becoming a slave to the Lich King.
He believed himself to be absolute good.
It was a conviction.
An absolute belief that if he were reborn as a perfect being, the world would be saved.
“If you’re going to go mad, go mad gracefully, but you’ve gone mad in a messy way.”
“Hmph… Even you, so close to perfection, ultimately don’t understand my grand purpose.”
Zoroa genuinely sighed.
Looking at Zoroa, Leo said.
“If you could truly save the world. I’d give you this trifling All-Class ability without hesitation.”
“Trifling…? Are you defiling that noble ability right now?”
Zoroa’s eyes twitched.
“A foolish wretch who was lucky enough to be born with that ability… and doesn’t even know how fortunate it is.”
Leo let out a sneer at those words.
‘Right. If it had been Lisina, or Luna… or Arion and Dweno who were born with this ability, history might have been different now.’
He thought of his friends, more heroic than himself.
There were certainly those more suited to the power of purity than he was.
To Leo, this ability was far from a blessing.
‘In the end, I had to suffer alone without rest.’
It was, rather, a curse.
A curse that left him alone after everyone else had gone.
But…
“It’s a wasted ability on a fool who feels superior because of stolen powers.”
“What did you say?”
“You claim that the abilities you stole met the wrong masters.”
Leo scoffed.
“Know your place. If you hadn’t forcibly taken them, the abilities you stole would have shone even brighter in their original masters’ hands.”
“How dare you speak so freely!”
“Then why can’t you utilize Torua’s ability?”
After reincarnating.
Among those Leo had seen living in this era, he considered Torua to be the most troublesome if he had to fight her.
Of course, there were many stronger than Torua.
But in the distant future.
If Torua had fully blossomed her potential.
‘I really don’t want to fight her.’
The reason was simple.
All the spells she used in combat were unique magic.
The unique magic created through countless research efforts were byproducts of Torua’s own love for magic research.
However, their efficiency could not be said to be good.
‘The magical world believes that unique magic is truly valuable when it exhibits abilities that ordinary magic doesn’t possess. But when the number of varieties increases, the story changes.’
Firstly, dispel magic becomes difficult.
Normally, one reads the magic wave generated upon activation and infers what kind of magic it is.
But unique magic is, as the name suggests, magic unique to that person.
It is impossible to predict because it is magic for which there is no information about its magical energy waves.
When facing a mage.
Not being able to predict their magic is truly dreadful.
“You stole Torua’s ability because you coveted it, didn’t you? But can you properly utilize Torua’s magical power?”
Torua’s ability was the result of effort, not talent.
One cannot use it just by stealing it.
“You say your true talent is bringing out the true power of others’ abilities? Don’t make me laugh.”
Leo knew all too well how to thoroughly crush this type of person.
That’s why Leo genuinely scoffed at Zoroa.
“It’s natural for a child who has just learned to walk not to be able to run. But sometimes, there are dim-witted adults who lament that such a child cannot run. And fools who mistake themselves for being superior to that child.”
Breaking the conviction that one is absolutely right.
“Do you think you’re something great? No.”
Zoroa’s face gradually hardened.
“You’re just trash who knows nothing but clinging to others’ abilities.”
Leo smiled faintly.
“I will prove that right now.”