Book 1 Chapter 874
874.
“You brat?”
The demon’s eyes twitched.
“Who are you calling that to!”
Goooooh-
A massive surge of dark magic swept forth.
Seeing that, Eliza curled the corners of her lips.
“Seeing you get so riled up, it seems you really are an ill-mannered brat, aren't you?”
“Eek!”
The demon's face turned crimson.
Seeing that, Chelsea made a serious expression.
‘How childish.’
It was like a children's squabble.
However, the dark magic sweeping around was at an unusual level.
‘It's on par with the Legion Commander of Pain.’
Realizing that this demon had newly risen to the rank of Legion Commander, just like the Legion Commander of Pain, Chelsea looked at Eliza.
“Eliza, be careful. That guy is a new Legion Commander.”
“I know.”
“You're awfully composed, aren't you?”
“You said you fought a Legion Commander alone, didn't you?”
Eliza glanced back at Chelsea and said.
“There's no way I can't do what you've done, right?”
Eliza's face held a characteristic haughtiness.
Chelsea, seeing that, was impressed.
‘She truly is amazing.’
The Eliza Chelsea knew had never once shown weakness.
From her freshman year, she considered herself the best, appearing as someone who had never even doubted that fact.
Even after meeting Leo and having her belief in being the best challenged, Eliza remained unshaken.
With the sole conviction that she would one day catch up to Leo, she burned with a competitive spirit and pressed forward without hesitation.
She was different from Chelsea.
Chelsea had admired Leo from the moment they first met.
Even after thinking he might be an insurmountable presence, she wasn't particularly shocked.
Eliza was someone who never abandoned her faith in herself, even after Leo became an unassailable wall.
And now.
Even now, having reached a future possibility they might not have attained, Eliza harbored no doubt about herself whatsoever.
This was in stark contrast to Chelsea, who feared her own future.
Intense spiritual energy began to swirl from Eliza's body.
Pzzzt- Pzzzt-
Pure white lightning sparked around Eliza where her spiritual energy was exposed.
Simultaneously, Eliza's hair shot up into the sky.
Flash-!
A lightning bolt struck from the sky.
With it, Pegasus, Lu, appeared.
The demon, seeing that, snorted and raised a hand.
Ziiing-!
Then, a giant summoning circle appeared on the ground.
“Beast Summoner?”
Eliza narrowed her brows.
Kwagagagagang-!
Gwarrrrr!
Along with that, a colossal monster emerged from within the summoning circle.
“Gigantes!”
Chelsea tilted her head back with a startled expression.
“It's unbelievably huge!”
Gigantes was a top-tier demon beast representing Tartarus, boasting an enormous size.
However, the Gigantes summoned now had a size that was on a different level entirely.
Chelsea gasped in astonishment, seeing a Gigantes that looked 1.5 times larger than other specimens.
The demon riding on Gigantes' shoulder crossed his arms and looked down at Eliza and Chelsea, saying.
“My name is Gon! I am the Beast King who rules over Tartarus's demon beasts!”
“Tartarus has truly gone to the dogs. A little brat like you being the ruler of demon beasts.”
“Who are you calling a brat?! You old hag!”
Crack-
A vein popped out on Eliza's forehead.
Kugugugu-!
Gigantes lifted its foot.
Kwagagagagang-!
The colossal foot stomped the ground where Eliza and Chelsea had been.
The surrounding area was swept away as if an explosion had occurred.
The accumulated snow scattered densely, dispersing like smoke.
Whoosh-!
From within it, Eliza, riding Pegasus, soared up, followed by Chelsea using flight magic.
“I'll put a hole through that damned lump!”
Pzzzzzzzzzt-!
Pegasus's entire body was enveloped in pure white lightning.
Eliza literally became a streak of lightning, charging towards Gigantes.
Thud-!
Gwarrrrr!
Gigantes, with a massive hole in its chest, let out a scream.
Eliza, soaring high in the sky, looked down at the staggering Gigantes with a sneering face.
The Beast King, Gon, used dark magic to heal Gigantes.
Seeing Gon do that, Eliza said mockingly.
“Why don't you summon other demon beasts?”
Fundamentally, the fighting style of a spirit beast summoner and a demon beast summoner is the same.
Summoning various demon beasts and maximizing their potential abilities.
If he was called the Beast King, he should be able to control countless types of demon beasts from Tartarus.
Gon snorted at Eliza's words.
“I only summon Gigantes, no matter what!”
“That's foolish. You'll just become a target then.”
“What does that matter?! Gigantes is the biggest and coolest!”
“You have tastes that don't suit your appearance.”
“Mind your own business! Old hag!”
“This damned brat really…!”
A ferocious aura erupted from Eliza's body.
Chelsea, watching from a distance, made a serious expression.
‘It's so childish there's no tension at all.’
What was even more absurd was that such simple provocations were remarkably effective on both of them.
As Chelsea clicked her tongue at the battle of enormous egos.
Crrrunch! Crack!
A grotesque sound came from Gigantes' arm, and it suddenly began to change.
Eliza's expression changed upon seeing that.
“Death Worm?”
Gigantes, having transformed its arm into another high-level demon beast of Tartarus, a Death Worm, swung both arms at Eliza.
“Kuooooooo!”
Kwajijijijijik-!
The Death Worm, with its grinder-like mouth agape, roared, and a massive shockwave burst forth, splitting the sky.
Eliza quickly dodged the attack and glared at Gigantes.
‘Chimera?’
A chimera demon beast made by synthesizing several demon beasts.
She thought that, but then the arm that had turned into a Death Worm returned to its original state.
Zzzt! Crack-!
This time, leathery wings sprouted from Gigantes' back.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Kwaaaaaaa!
After a few flaps, a storm raged around it.
With that, Gigantes' enormous body ascended into the sky.
‘It's not a chimera. It's synthesizing demon beasts moment by moment!’
The creature didn't just stop at flying; it began to charge at Eliza with incredible speed.
With its massive body combined with speed, it generated destructive power beyond imagination.
Eliza quickly pulled Pegasus's reins, escaping the attack range at an invisible speed.
Instantly, Gon's eyes glinted dangerously.
As he raised his hand, Gigantes raised its arm in sync with Gon's movement.
Whoosh-! Kwagagagagagagagang-!
“Eliza!”
Gigantes, having accurately struck the rapidly moving Eliza and Pegasus, raised its other hand.
Then, the hand transformed into the head of the demon beast, Fafnir.
Chomp-!
As the giant Fafnir opened its mouth, a breath attack was unleashed.
Flash! Kwagagagagagang-!
The place where Eliza had been literally vanished.
Chelsea's face hardened.
Even if childish, a Legion Commander is still a Legion Commander.
He was a being with terrifying combat power.
Just as Chelsea was about to intervene in the battle.
Wham-!
“Don't you interfere.”
Eliza, who had flown to Chelsea's side, said.
“Are you okay?”
“It hurts.”
“Then letting me help…”
“I said I don't need it.”
“No, but you said it hurts!”
“I'm used to pain.”
At Eliza's words, Chelsea made a strange expression.
‘Is there any reason for a Spirit Beast Summoner to be used to pain?’
A Spirit User, perhaps.
A Spirit Beast Summoner primarily entrusts combat to their spirit beasts and maximizes their combat power.
As such, if they fight properly, there's rarely a chance of getting hurt.
For Chelsea, knowing Eliza's skill, it was natural to question why she would be used to pain.
Chelsea's face grew even more perplexed as she looked at Eliza, finding her strange.
It was clear Eliza was enduring pain.
The problem was that the corners of Eliza's lips kept twitching.
For some reason, her expression seemed to be holding back laughter along with the pain.
“Eliza. Are you really okay? You didn't hit your head, did you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You… you're smiling even though you're in pain.”
As Chelsea genuinely worried, Eliza's face became serious.
“When did I ever smile?”
“Huh?”
‘Did I see it wrong?’
Though flustered, Chelsea sent Eliza a worried glance.
Leaving Chelsea behind, Eliza approached the Beast King.
And covered the corners of her mouth.
‘I've become unnecessarily accustomed to pain!’
It was a side effect of Leo's training.
One day, while being exposed to the essence of lightning to forcibly awaken her abilities.
When intense pain came, she habitually made a strange smile.
Remembering how Kali had been startled, asking why she was smiling, Eliza took a deep breath.
‘Still, I did gain something from that insane training.’
Eliza took out a whip.
“Lu.”
At Eliza's call, Lu's eyes flashed.
Rumble! Flash-
Pure white lightning struck Eliza from the sky.
“W-what?! Why is she attacking herself?!”
“What kind of weird old hag is she?!”
Chelsea was startled, and the Beast King also stared at Eliza with astonished eyes.
“Kuhuhuhuh…”
From Eliza's mouth, which had been emitting groans of pain from the lightning enveloping her entire body, a "giggle" flowed out.
“Ah… it's thrilling.”
At that sight, which even carried a demonic aura, the Beast King flinched.
A Spirit Beast Summoner is someone who enhances spirit beasts.
Furthermore, those who reach the pinnacle of spirit beast summoning can weaponize enhanced spirit beasts like spirits.
Leo and Lunia were prime examples.
But Eliza went even further.
‘Could I enhance myself with the power of a spirit beast?’
Of course, to do that, she had to endure the spirit beast's powerful energy throughout her entire body.
This was a type of spirit beast summoning that even Leo had deemed dangerous.
However, Eliza, exposed to the essence of lightning, had her spiritual energy's wavelength specialized for Pegasus.
She also gained the mental fortitude to withstand Pegasus's immense power.
Pure white lightning, raging throughout her body, inflicted pain all over.
But a strange sense of omnipotence and pleasure struck Eliza's entire body.
Originally, it would have been impossible to strengthen her body to this extent due to a lack of spiritual energy.
But now, it was her future self.
Eliza yanked-! the whip.
Pzzzzzzzt-!
Eliza, wrapped in terrifying pure white lightning, swung her whip.
Crack! Kwajizzzt!
“This crazy woman!”
The Beast King, seeing Eliza begin to tear apart his Gigantes with a whip, recoiled in horror.
“Die! Just die already! You damned brat!”
Eliza, enveloped in a strange excitement, charged at the Beast King like a berserker.
Each time, a tingling pain that seemed to paralyze her body relentlessly assaulted her.
She bit her lip and endured the pain.
“Ugh!”
Eliza, trembling from the pain striking her entire body, began to breathe roughly.
“Ugh… haa… ggh-!”
Crackle- Pzzzzzt-
The lightning raged even stronger.
“Hahaha… Ah… Ahahahahahahaha!”
The moment the pain threshold was crossed, Eliza began to burst into laughter, her eyes half-unfocused.