Book 1 Chapter 624

'The Great Spirit of Fire?'

-Yes. You too have the blood of the Tengken royal family flowing through you, don't you? If so, I can save you from this crisis!

Istar said confidently.

-I have been studying your bloodline for ages! If you are of Tengken descent, you can borrow my power without a contract!

The reason Istar thought of saving Reina was simple.

'I'm ruined!'

Istar immediately felt that his life as a spirit had become thoroughly complicated due to his encounter with Leo.

The dwelling he had worked on for ages had already been tragically destroyed.

To make matters worse, all his subordinate spirits had defected to Elsi.

Moreover, the lower spirits who had defected to Elsi harbored immense animosity towards him.

In that situation, Istar naturally couldn't help but recall his past actions.

'I told them to gather the dewdrops that receive sunlight the earliest!'

'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!'

Alshia, who was the first to break free from Istar's control, was the subordinate spirit who had served Istar the longest.

He would often torment even Alshia like this.

'I might be bullied by them my whole life!'

He even considered running away from Leo.

Although he had lost his base and subordinate spirits, the fact that he was a Great Spirit remained unchanged.

However, he had to give up the idea of escape soon.

'The fire spirits are actually the lesser evil. At least they wouldn't try to annihilate me. But the other Great Spirits are different.'

Istar had a very bad relationship with the other Great Spirits.

'Especially Undine, the spirit of the deep sea! That guy will definitely try to annihilate me!'

Istar had destroyed the base of the spirit of the deep sea long ago.

Since then, Undine had harbored a strong grudge against Istar.

@If Undine were to learn that he had lost not only his base but also all his subordinate spirits, he would undoubtedly seek revenge.

Istar shivered.

'In the end, for my safety right now, a pact with Leo Flov is essential!'

If it were any other summoner, they would be begging to form a contract with Istar.

Great Spirits were beings who deserved to be revered just for existing.

'But to Leo Flov, I am not worth that much!'

As a Great Spirit, he wouldn't be treated like a rock lying on the street.

However, he didn't think he would be treated with special favor either.

The very reason Istar had refused a pact with Leo was that he couldn't accept that he wasn't of great value to Leo.

'Leo Flov has not only Larel, the Great Spirit of Light, but also that mysterious spirit as his pact-holder.'

In addition to that, the Three Great Divine Beasts too.

In Istar's memory, the only summoner comparable to the current Leo Flov was Lichinas, the King of Wisdom.

'If I'm going to make a pact, I want to be treated with respect!'

As Istar desperately racked his brain on how to gain respect, Reina, who was in danger, caught his eye.

Istar also knew that Leo had come here to save his mother.

Coincidentally, Reina was of Tengken descent.

'If I lend her my power and rescue her, she'll treat me preferentially!'

At the very least, he might be able to escape the fate of being bullied by the subordinate spirits he once commanded.

-This is a deal, Reina Flov!

'A deal?'

-Yes! If you overcome this crisis with my power! Please speak well of me to Leo Flov later!

'What?'

-Please! Let me help you! My life as a spirit depends on this!

Reina also knew that the Tengken royal family had received the blessings of the Spirit of Purification.

And Leo was inheriting the legacy of Tengken this time.

So, forming a pact with the Spirit of Purification wouldn't be strange.

But why was he begging her to let him help?

'Why are all the summoners involved with Leo so strange?'

Shaking off the momentary doubt, Reina spoke to Istar.

'You mean… you can lend me your power?'

-Yes! Then it's possible to escape this crisis!

'Then can you give me the power to fight this guy?'

-You want to fight? With him?

'Yes. Lend me your power.'

-You know what that means, don't you? Are you prepared to risk your life?

For a moment, Istar's voice turned cold.

Leo, who had thoroughly toyed with Jorua, was simply an out-of-spec monster.

The fact that he possessed catastrophic power that had slaughtered countless heroes remained unchanged.

Naturally, the resolve to risk one's life was necessary to fight such a being.

However, the resolve Istar spoke of was different from the resolve to fight a strong opponent.

The power Istar first offered to lend was only enough to escape from Jorua.

But what Reina wanted was more than that.

Among the countless elements, fire was a particularly wild and dangerous power.

The essence of fire was its power to incinerate itself and annihilate its target.

-You lost your aura long ago, didn't you? That means you have no means to protect yourself from @my flames. The moment you make even the slightest mistake in controlling the flames, my flames will burn you.

'I know.'

Reina said calmly.

'But right now, I need the power to fight this guy.'

Even if she gained Istar's power by risking danger, there was no certainty of victory.

But…

'I can at least contribute a little to those children.'

Reina thought of the hero candidates fighting for the Flov Territory.

Last summer.

@During the training camp held at the Flov Territory, Reina saw how Leo looked at the hero candidates.

A gaze that wished for their rapid growth.

Although fundamentally different, it resembled the gaze of parents looking at their children.

'He was a strange child from a young age.'

Leo had never cried since he was a baby and was strangely like an old man.

'Sometimes he looks at me, his mother, with a condescending gaze as if I were a much younger child. Other times, he looks at me with genuine pity.'

Reina grumbled.

'I don't know if he's my son or a friend.'

Still.

'He's my son, so I know.'

That Leo had a grander goal than she could ever imagine.

'And to achieve that goal, those children are essential.'

She couldn't stand by and watch the companions her son chose fall into danger.

'Crucially, I am their senior?'

Although she had lost her power and left the stage.

Although she was only a burden without Istar's power.

As a senior who had once walked the same path, she couldn't let the next generation be crushed.

Even if it meant sacrificing herself.

'To help the next generation move forward into the future. That is the duty of an adult.'

That is why, once again.

She was forcing herself onto the stage she had left long ago.

-If you make even the slightest mistake, it's a dog's death. Even if you survive by luck, you might suffer aftereffects. Are you really sure you won't regret it?

'If that happens, I will surely regret it. But…'

Reina's eyes blazed.

'If I run away from here… this guy will definitely attack the people of our territory.'

Jorua had cast aside any pretense of hypocrisy.

He would massacre the people of the Flov Territory to vent even a little of his anger.

And the hero candidates now did not have the power to stop it.

That was something that absolutely must not happen.

In the end, Reina would regret not fighting at this moment.

If so…

'I choose to fight and regret it.'

Istar fell silent at Reina's resolute will.

-Yes… your bloodline was such a bloodline. @It doesn't change even after generations. No matter how many forms it takes. Even if the name Tengken disappears. You are unchanging.

The nobility to sacrifice oneself for someone.

Such individuals have always been born from the Tengken bloodline.

-Yes. That's why I chose you.

He had not chosen them because they possessed the bloodline most suitable for his purifying flames.

He had chosen Tengken because of their conviction.

"Still laughing? You bitch…!"

At that moment, a dense killing intent erupted from Jorua's body.

"Let's see if you can keep laughing?"

As Jorua raised his hand with a vile smile.

Thump-!

"……?"

Reina's hand grasped Jorua's wrist, which was clutching her neck.

"Pointless resistance."

Jorua sneered as if it were pathetic.

Roar-!

"……!"

Blue flames erupted from Reina's hand.

"No!"

Jorua let out a cry of shock at the purifying flames that instantly turned his hand into ashes.

At that moment, a sword aura of flames scattered.

Jorua, who narrowly dodged the sword aura, stared at Reina, who was floating in the air covered in blue flames, with an unbelievable expression.

Small wings made of flames rose from the heels of Reina's feet.

Flames enveloped her body like light armor, and flames of a sword and spear blazed in each of her hands.

The owner of the flames was undoubtedly Istar.

However, it was Reina, not someone else, who was freely controlling those flames.

Looking at the flames burning by her will, Reina clenched her hand.

A sensation she had lost long ago resurfaced.

The goal of being a hero, which she could no longer achieve and had to let go of.

Another aspect of herself that she had to forget without even preparing her heart.

'If this ends now, I will never be able to go back.'

That's why she had to give her all.

'Exceeding my limits… will be the last time in this life.'

Fwoosh-!

Flames, more powerful than her prime, erupted from Reina's body.

Seeing that sight, Jorua asked with disbelief.

"Who… in the world are you?"

"Me?"

Reina's lips curled up.

A smile that was somewhat mischievous like a prankster… and at the same time, a terrifying yet captivating smile.

It was literally.

"A witch."

The smile of a witch, in itself.