Book 1 Chapter 762

762.

Lily looked at Elena with her eyes shining brightly.

"As expected, Senior Elena, you are the best in school!"

"Hmph. What 'best' when the current student council president is here?"

"Shouldn't my brother be an exception?"

"That's true."

"Then, Senior Elena, you are still the best, aren't you!"

Lily, smiling brightly, ran over to hug Elena.

It was a display of affection she sometimes showed when she couldn't contain her excitement, a trait reminiscent of a puppy.

"Don't come here."

"Huh?"

"I haven't completely defeated the enemy yet. We need to be vigilant."

"Ah! I was short-sighted!"

It was when Lily was hastily scanning her surroundings.

"What are you doing?"

*Thump-*!

"Eek?!"

Leo, who had approached from the side, tapped Elena on the shoulder, causing her to scream and collapse.

"Are you pretending to be tough in front of your junior?"

Leo clicked his tongue, looking at Elena trembling on the floor.

Elena, glaring fiercely, looked up at Leo.

Leo then grabbed Elena's wrist and helped her up.

"It hurts! It hurts!"

"You overloaded your magic circuits by moving and using magic excessively. It's similar to a muscle cramp, so stretching it like this will resolve it."

"Ow!"

Elena's magic circuits were so naturally strong that this was the first time she had experienced such an overload.

Leo, holding Elena's wrists, moved her arms back and forth as if she were a doll.

Each time, Elena's screams echoed.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Elena kicked out, trying to kick Leo.

However, she couldn't hit Leo, and only felt pain from her strained body.

Eventually, Elena, who was on the verge of collapse from the immense pain, slumped down.

"Lily."

"Yes, brother."

"Carry this one for me."

Leo handed Elena over to Lily as if he were handing over luggage.

"Senior, why didn't you just say it hurt?"

"Shut up."

"Still, brother did it to help you, so don't hate him too much."

"I'm going to punch that old man in the face someday!"

Elena reacted sharply to every word Lily said.

Despite Elena's ferocious growls, Lily didn't seem to care.

Rather, she found Elena's words puzzling.

"Why is brother an old man?"

"He acts like one."

"Hmm… I guess brother does have a dandy charisma."

"What dandy charisma? He's just an annoying old man."

"Huh? Isn't brother cool?"

"……"

Lily's eyes widened in a look of incomprehension.

Elena, who had been making a sullen face while being carried by Lily, suddenly bit Lily's neck.

"Ah! Senior! Why are you biting me!"

"Hmph!"

Elena snorted dismissively.

'They seem to get along well.'

Listening to their conversation, Leo approached the second saint.

The ice tendrils had stopped generating after being hit directly by Elena's "End of Days."

The second saint was also silent.

However, Leo could sense that this was the calm before the storm.

An unusual aura was emanating from the body of Ameriol, a demon of Styx.

Seeing this, Leo concentrated his magic on his fingertips.

The magic swirling at his fingertips soon took shape, transforming into a magic circle.

Ameriol's eyes, which had been silent, suddenly opened at the surge of magic.

*Kwa-ga-ga-!*

At the same time, hundreds of ice tendrils emerged from the ground.

*Tz-j-j-j-j-!*

Leo instantly created hundreds of magic shields to block the attack.

Easily blocking the ice tendrils, Leo smirked.

Ameriol, whose eyes had opened upon seeing Leo, spoke.

"You're a slave race, yet you have considerable skill."

"Weren't your attacks rather weak for a legion commander?"

The saint replied expressionlessly to Leo's words.

"I will forgive your insolence of placing me on the same level as those hideous monsters of Tartarus only once, so remember it."

"Then what should I call you?"

"Saint."

"Ah, now that you mention it, that demon fellow kept calling you 'Saint.' You must be her."

Leo nodded as if he understood.

Then, he put on a nonchalant expression.

"Why should I call you by such an undeserved title as 'Saint' when you're not holy at all? 'Legion Commander' would be just fine…"

*Bang-!*

Before Leo could finish speaking, a giant ice blade from the sky plummeted down onto the spot where Leo had been standing.

"Foolish slave. Had you not committed an insolence, you could have at least left a corpse."

It was when Ameriol spoke in a chilling voice.

*Kakakak-*!

"……?"

Cracks began to appear on the giant ice blade.

*Pach-*!

The ice blade, shattered into pieces, scattered in all directions.

Along with it, Leo rose from the deep crater.

Leo, lightly floating using magic, landed on the ground.

"It doesn't seem like ordinary ice."

Ameriol looked incredulous as Leo smiled in amusement.

"What on earth did you do? The second saint is the Holy Sword carved with the Great Goddess's ice with all her might. There is nothing harder in this world. How did you destroy it?"

"Hmm. It seems you have a 'Giant King' type over there too."

Leo let out a snicker.

"But what about it?"

Leo pointed his sword at Ameriol.

"Mine is a sword discarded by the best blacksmith!"

"That seemingly crude sword?"

As Ameriol narrowed his eyes, Leo gave a chilling smile.

"You'll find out if you get cut by it."

*Whoosh-*!

Leo disappeared.

In an instant, Leo appeared before Ameriol and swung his sword to strike his neck.

"You're fast for a slave."

*Ka-ga-ga-!*

Leo's attack was blocked by a barrier that appeared before Ameriol.

"Did you think you could inflict even a scratch on the Saint's body, just because you're a slave?"

*Thwack-*!

"Yes."

Leo's sword, along with the barrier, severed Ameriol's neck.

Leo said with cold eyes.

"Do you think you're something, just because you're a legion commander?"

"You! I am the Saint of Styx, not a monster from Tartarus!"

"I know."

Leo looked at Ameriol's head soaring into the sky and replied nonchalantly, then kicked Ameriol's body.

*Thwack-*!

"I said that to annoy you."

With Leo's scornful kick, Ameriol's body was shattered into pieces.

Then, as Leo swung his sword, a grey aura erupted and pulverized Ameriol's head, which was floating in the air.

*Sap- Sap- Sap-*

Ice shards fell all around.

The ice shards soon gathered and returned to their original form.

"You…!"

Seeing Ameriol revealing his rage, Leo smirked.

"Even in your original state, it would be impossible for you to handle me, so wouldn't it be even harder when your power is divided into three?"

Ameriol's power was currently divided into three.

One was here, and the other two were being dealt with by Chloe and Luka, and Lunia and Woreden, respectively.

At Leo's words, an immense chill emanated from Ameriol's body.

"I, the second Saint! I will make you regret incurring Ameriol's wrath even in death!"

*Goo- goo- goo-!*

With a chillingly cold voice, Ameriol's body began to grow larger.

*Kakakakak-*

The surrounding temperature began to drop rapidly.

Moisture in the air was sucked into Ameriol.

Along with it, Ameriol's growth accelerated.

Finally, Ameriol, who had grown to an immeasurable size, shouted.

"Worship me! Foolish slaves! Your master! The Saint of Styx has returned!"

***

Lunia and Woreden looked bewildered as the saint they were fighting suddenly disappeared.

A moment later, Chen Xia and Chloe, who had been fighting nearby, also joined them.

"Lunia, weren't you fighting a strange woman?"

"Yes. But she suddenly disappeared. What about you two?"

"We were too."

As Chen Xia replied, Lunia fell into thought.

"Senior Lunia!"

Leah flew in from a distance using magic.

"Elena Zerone of Lumern and Lil Luche are fighting against a legion commander-class demon!"

At those words, the faces of the four became grave.

"We must hurry and join them…!"

Lunia said urgently.

"There's no need to join."

"Whaaa?"

Lisinas, who appeared from behind Leah, said while pulling Leah's soft cheeks.

"Leo Flove has joined them over there."

"Lisinas-sama."

Lunia bowed her head hastily.

When the other students tried to do the same, Lisinas shook his head.

"There's no need for stiff formality."

Lisinas, pinching Leah's cheeks, exclaimed.

'The texture is nice.'

While Leah stood there, unable to do anything, with a sad expression.

*Goo- goo- goo- goo- goo-!*

The saint's form began to appear not far away.

The hero candidates, led by Lunia, opened their mouths.

"Is… is that getting too big?"

"Isn't it getting as big as the Giant King?"

Lisinas said, looking at the horrified hero candidates.

"The Giant King is bigger than that."

Even if it was smaller than the Giant King, they were intimidated by its overwhelming size.

"W-we have to go and help!"

Chloe said urgently.

Despite her words, Lisinas remained nonchalant.

"Leave it."

"Huh?"

"Demons who rely solely on their abilities always reveal their inexperience."

Lisinas sneered.

"Watch closely. That's just a bigger target."

***

Leo looked up at Ameriol with an incredulous expression.

He felt a black magic power far beyond anything he had felt before.

Moreover, a terrifying chill began to sweep through the surroundings.

It was enough to freeze one's body just standing there.

Overwhelming power.

Power befitting a legion commander.

'No, she said she was a saint.'

In fact, it didn't matter.

To Leo, both legion commanders and saints were merely demons that needed to be subjugated.

There were many giant monsters among the legion commanders of Tartarus.

Representative examples include the Giant King and the Monster Queen.

'Well, compared to them, this one is more aesthetically pleasing.'

The form of a hideous monster versus a beautiful form.

The latter looks cleaner.

And…

'It's also easier to deal with.'

The more experienced a demon is in combat, the more dangerous they are.

This is because they can perfectly understand and apply their abilities.

That's why the malice of seasoned demons is terrifying.

They hone their abilities to their maximum potential and make them deadly.

And Leo instantly saw that the demon before him, Ameriol, lacked combat experience.

During the Age of Calamity, when the legion commanders were defeated by the Great Heroes, Erebus created new legion commander-level demons.

The demons born in this way were all defeated by the Great Heroes.

The reason was simple.

Compared to the Great Heroes who had gained experience through the Age of Calamity, the newly created demons were no different from strong but stupid fools.

They were all easily defeated when they rushed in headlong, intoxicated by their own power.

Ameriol's behavior was similar to those newborn legion commanders.

By increasing their size, they can become stronger.

But that also means they have more openings for attack.

Moreover, this biting cold.

"A shard of Erebus… no, did you receive the blessing of Nyx?"

"You have a sharp eye for a mere human!"

The blessing of Nyx.

It felt similar to the blessing of Erebus.

Leo recalled Yormungandr, a legion commander who had once received Erebus's blessing.

At that time, Yormungandr had briefly possessed an immortal power like Erebus.

"Slave race! Feel fear of the goddess and kneel…"

"I see why you guys lost to the Tartarus folk."

Leo, who had risen to Ameriol's head, interrupted her.

Grey magic flickered in Leo's sword-wielding hand.

Compared to Yormungandr, Ameriol was pathetically weak.

No, there's no need to go as far as Yormungandr.

The Giant King, the Monster Queen, etc.

She was weaker than any legion commander.

This was because Ameriol was not a demon born for combat.

However, as a top-tier demon of legion commander class, she was naturally strong.

Furthermore, she had been reborn as an immortal being for a moment by receiving the grace of an evil god.

She was a monster that the surface races could not handle.

But Ameriol didn't know.

What Erebus and Tartarus did after Nyx was swallowed by Erebus and they disappeared into the annals of history due to their defeat.

What happened to the ultimate absolute evil that swallowed the six evil gods at the hands of a single human.

As a saint who had only waited for the voice of the gods underground, she had no way of knowing.

Ameriol looked incomprehensible as she saw the light bursting from the human's hand before her eyes.

'What is this magic?'

It was like the crystallization of the malice a human harbored towards an evil god.

Magic created by the first hero who endlessly contemplated how to forever erase the existence of evil gods from this world.

Magic created by the progenitor of the nebulae, a fusion of "End of Days" and "Innocent."

The power of judgment that defeated beings could not resist.

Leo unleashed that magic.

"Zero."