Chapter 288
Everyone looked puzzled as they watched Katariu, surrounded by surging white flames.
‘Why was she summoned?’
But the most puzzled was Leo, who had summoned Katariu.
He had simply used his spiritual power to draw out Fiora’s power even more.
Yet Katariu appeared.
And in the form of a contracted summons.
Leo had never made a contract with Katariu.
Neither had Kyle.
A contract must have been made without his knowledge.
‘Is this… possible?’
Leo looked at Katariu with astonished eyes.
[I’ll ask again, human. Why do you have the emblem of my contract?]
Leo said to Katariu, “I don’t know either. I just used my spiritual power to draw out the power of my own contracted.”
[As another’s contractor?]
Katariu glanced at Leo’s sword.
Fwoooosh-!
The flames overflowing from the sword took the shape of a small bird.
Cheep-
[…]
Katariu looked at the round chick, about the size of an adult male’s fist, and appeared dumbfounded.
[A young Phoenix. But why is she so fat?]
“I don’t know.”
It was the aftereffect of indiscriminately eating snacks given to her by other students, but Leo was proud nevertheless.
‘It’s not my fault.’
Katariu looked at Fiora for a moment, then narrowed her eyes at Leo.
[You, are you All-Class?]
Katariu, quick to see through Leo’s ability, was engulfed in flames.
Thump-!
The flames formed into the figure of a woman with pure white hair and red eyes.
“Aside from that rude Kyle, there are other power users of All-Classes. Amazing.”
Katariu narrowed her eyes after examining Leo for a moment.
“I’ll ask. Is your family deeply connected to the Phoenix?”
Katariu seemed to recognize the Zerdinger blood flowing through Leo’s body.
“Yes.”
[Hmm. Indeed. Although it’s rare, it seems you possess a hereditary contract. The contract made by the last Phoenix King was passed down through your family and has awakened in you.]
Katariu was trying to figure out why Leo, who hadn’t made a contract, had summoned her.
Leo also considered the reason for his ability to summon Katariu.
‘I see… It’s because you obtained the Dragon Heart of Lysinas.’
Just before their final battle with Erebos.
Leo had received the Dragon Heart from a dying Lysinas and inherited her power.
The succession of power was by Lysinas’ will, not by force.
In the process, Lysinas’ contracts with spirits and summons were also inherited.
Lysinas’ sorcery power had vanished as soon as Kyle’s body had been consumed.
But the proof of succession was engraved on his soul, not that body.
‘Mel said that Lýsinas’ sorcery power inherited from the Hero’s World follows my control.’
The same went for the contracts.
It was clear that the contracts Lýsinas had made in this era recognized Leo as ‘Lýsinas.’
Leo looked down at his hand.
“By the way, for your age, you’re quite young to be making a contract with a Phoenix.”
Katariu appeared amused.
“And there’s even a Phoenix, supposedly so young, who I didn’t know existed. How remarkable.”
Cheep- Cheep-
Fiora flapped her wings as if amazed and circled around Katariu.
A warm glimmer appeared in Katariu’s eyes, which had been filled with arrogance.
Although Katariu was so harsh that she could basically be considered a savage, she was gentle toward her pledges and her kind.
“I have a special fondness for the talented.”
The last Phoenix King gracefully extended her foot to Leo.
“I will give you the honor of kissing my foot and paying homage, young Phoenix pledge. Of course, do remember to renew the contract afterward.”
Katariu tilted her head slightly.
“You may be talented, but I have no intention of maintaining a contract with a human. Especially not if it’s a contract I didn’t make.”
Cheep- Cheep!-
Fiora, who suddenly walked in front of Leo, cheeped as if telling him to hurry up.
Though she had not existed in Fiora’s time, she instinctively realized that Katariu was the Phoenix King and took her side.
“Whose side are you on?”
Leo sighed and knelt down.
Katariu made a proud expression while observing Leo in that position.
Huh?
Leo grabbed Fiora, who was on the ground, and rubbed her face against Katariu’s foot.
“Phuh?”
Cheep!?!?!? Cheep!?!?
Katariu struggled while Fiora screamed.
“What rudeness! Do you know who I am? Do you want to be turned to ashes?”
“Didn’t Lýsinas tell you not to harm people?”
“You! So what about the terms of my oath with Lýsinas?”
Squawk! Squawk!
No matter what, this was the first time a crazy Phoenix contractor had rubbed the face of their summons onto the Phoenix King.
While Leo and the two Phoenixes made a fuss.
“Ah, Master Arron! What brought you here?”
“You’re safe, Velkia.”
“Of course I’m safe. But that aside…”
Velkia, who had returned, narrowed her eyes at Leo.
“Why is that troublesome Phoenix here, and why is he fighting you?”
“…I think there’s a complicated reason.”
Arron scratched his cheek while smiling awkwardly.
Then he muttered while watching Leo, who was grabbing Katariu by the collar, “You really are like Kyle.”
Arron smiled softly as he saw the boy he had just met, who reminded him of his friend in many ways.
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – Aine]
[Proofreader – Ash]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
Crash-!
“Choke?!”
Ar, who had been hit in the stomach by Arron’s powerful kick, rolled his eyes and fainted.
Thump-!
Ar, landing on the ground, bent her left knee and stretched out her right leg.
She spun around her left foot like a top.
Fwoooom-!
“Huh?”
“Bam?!”
The soldiers surrounding Ar lost their balance and fell to the ground under her lightning-quick attack.
Arr’s white ears perked up.
Crash-!
A huge battle axe crashed into the spot where Ar had been.
“What a great martial art.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“And Arron’s Transformation ability. What’s your identity?”
The huge bear-man retrieved the battle axe and glared.
Ar raised her claws and looked at the bear-man.
“A beautiful woman has many secrets.”
“Heh. I’d love to fight a little more, but I can’t let suspicious people run wild any longer.”
Rumbleeeeee-!
An unusual Aura and fighting spirit poured out from the bear-man’s body.
‘This beastman is strong.’
Arr’s expression tensed at the sight.
This was different from the idiots she had faced before.
As Ar went to rescue Eiran, blowing away those in front of her without hesitation, she felt the tension in the air.
That was when she encountered the bear beastman, who charged at her.
“Flame Explosion.”
A bright red spark flew out from the tip of the bear’s nose along with the sound of the chant.
Startled, Ar flew back.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-!
“Ack!”
The bear beastman, who had been struck directly by Lunia’s sorcery, flew away and crashed down.
“What are you doing?”
When Ar pushed her face right in front of the bear’s nose and protested, Lunia replied calmly, “It’s okay, he won’t die.”
Sizzleeeee-!
As Lunia pointed to the bear, now lying down and covered in red smoke, Ar bared her fangs.
“That’s not it! I almost got caught up in it too!”
“A surprise attack should be done when the opponent is off guard, right? When I got to your nose, I figured you wouldn’t be paying attention, so sorcery attacks would be effective. I thought your reflexes would be enough to dodge it.”
“If that’s what you were calculating.”
“Even if I got hit, I would have been fine because I’m strengthened by Transformation.”
“In the end, you were saying that you didn’t care if I got caught up in it!”
Ar grew agitated.
“Time is of the essence! If we just climb those stairs, we’ll be on the first floor!”
It had taken only an instant for the two of them to break through the underground prison after releasing their mana seals.
If Ar had fought the bear-man, who was a skilled fighter, a little while ago, she would have struggled.
But with Lunia’s sorcery, they swiftly overcame the last gatekeeper.
‘Eiran! Just hold on a little longer!’
This was when Lunia, who was frustrated, ascended the stairs to the first floor.
“You’re getting out of hand.”
“…!”
Despair washed over Lunia’s face as a dwarf appeared before her.
Ar also recognized the dwarf as Dweno and raised her tail.
The entrance to the underground prison was surrounded by a vast open space.
No one was there except Dweno.
Yet Lunia felt a profound sense of despair.
The person before her eyes was none other than the legendary hero himself.
No matter how much Lunia and Ar struggled, they could do nothing against him.
‘We need to escape first…!’
Just as Lunia quickly rolled her eyes and thought of an escape route…
Wheeeeeeing! Bang-!
A huge axe flew and slammed into the spot where Lunia thought she was vulnerable.
“You’d better not think about running away.”
Dweno, who had sensed Lunia’s movements accurately, blocked her path.
It was when Lunia gritted her teeth.
“Seiren Rep, get outta here.”
Ar took a step forward.
“I’ll stop Dweno!”
“It’s impossible to do such a thing alone!”
Ar grinned at Lunia’s urgent shout.
“Even with the two of us, we can’t handle Dweno.”
“…!”
“But I can create an opening for your escape.”
Ar took another step forward.
Dweno tilted his head as he looked at Ar.
“What a reckless kitten.”
“Arron would never have run away in this situation…”
“What are you talking about? He would have run away right away.”
“…”
Ar, who was about to defend her view of Arron, became dumbfounded before she could finish her sentence.
“Arron is not that kind of cowardly man…!”
“He is the most cowardly man of all.”
“Don’t insult Arron!”
Ar fluffed up her fur in excitement and groaned.
“That idiot…!”
Lunia covered her face as she looked at Ar.
“What a funny girl!”
Dweno’s eyes turned sharp as he laughed heartily.
‘Even though it’s not a full moon, you can still use your Transformation ability?”’
Glance-
Dweno looked up at the sky and saw Ar charging at him.
Ar seemed to be charging at Dweno without thought, but in fact, she was moving along a precise path.
‘She’s trying to hold me back so I can’t interfere with that elf girl.’
Dweno curled the corners of his mouth as he watched Ar’s sharp eyes observe his movements.
‘This elf girl was great, but this beast girl is great too.’
It was to the extent that he could almost call the growing feeling hope.
Thump-!
Ar’s movements changed quickly.
She maneuvered in a variety of ways, confusing Dweno’s eyes.
‘I need to create a gap, even if it’s just a little one!’
Ar broke out in a cold sweat.
She knew the gap between herself and Dweno without needing to hear it.
He wasn’t just a Great Hero because he wielded a divine weapon.
He was one of the strongest legends who stood at the forefront alongside Arron and the punitive force as a true warrior.
Whoosh-!
Ar’s fist aimed for Dweno’s face.
And just as she prepared for Dweno’s counterattack and tensed her body…
Boooooooom-!
Whoosh!-
“…!”
With a thunderous sound, a powerful wind pressure erupted, pushing away all the surrounding dust.
Ar’s eyes widened.
Surprisingly, Ar’s powerful fist landed right on Dweno’s cheek.
But Dweno didn’t move at all, like a rock.
Ar felt goosebumps all over her body as she watched Dweno not even blinking at the attack that contained all her strength.
Another nickname for Dweno, the Divine Blacksmith, flashed through her mind.
If the Brave Arron was a warrior who slaughtered and blocked enemies at the forefront,
Dweno, the Divine Blacksmith…
‘The shield that blocks any attack… the Absolute Shield…!’
The pillar of the Great Heroes who took on the most solid work in battle.
He didn’t flinch at all, even at Ar’s full-force strike.
“Excellent.”
Dweno, who praised Ar’s attack, grabbed her wrist.
Crash-!
“Cough!”
And he pinned Ar to the ground.
It was while Ar was writhing in pain.
Flutter-!
The flames of the Holy Fire flashed.
‘What is this spell?’
Dweno, who sensed familiarity in the sorcery spell, made a surprised expression.
Fwooooooooosh-!
The flames of the Phoenix enveloped Dweno.
Flutter-!
However, the golden flames that shot out from Dweno’s hand engulfed Lunia’s sorcery.
“Nice to meet you. You’re a natural flame user.”
Dweno smiled warmly and looked at Lunia through gritted teeth.
“Elves have a strong sense of kinship. Weren’t you going to rescue your captured friend?”
Lunia gritted her teeth and shouted, “I’m going to rescue her. But I want to take her with me as well.”
“That’s impossible. It’s true that you’re great. But by my standards, you’re just a bunch of babies. If you had given up one of them, there might have been a chance,” Dweno said coldly.
Dweno kicked Ar, who was at his feet, with his toes.
“I’ll catch you anyway, but if you give up now, it would be better for your friend, wouldn’t it?”
“Don’t make me laugh…!”
Flash-!
Fragments of light appeared around Lunia.
‘My flames won’t work on you, Dweno! So, since that’s the case…!’
She had to use the Sorcery of the Stars to deal with him.
Dweno’s complexion changed as he looked at the fragments of light that reminded him of the stars in the night sky.
‘This sorcery is…’
The fragments of starlight flew at Dweno.
“Hoo.”
Dweno took a deep breath.
“Wow!”
With an ear-piercing scream, Lunia’s sorcery spell was destroyed.
“It’s crude.”
Lunia’s face turned red with fear as she watched Dweno destroy her spell with his spirit alone.
‘This is… the power of a Great Hero… the one who saved the world.’
It was a strength that defied common sense.
“It would be better for your health to give up and be captured,” Dweno said coldly.
When the commotion outside died down, Carr and Driana cautiously made their way out.
Carr, having escaped to the first floor, was astonished by the scene before him.
Ar lay on the ground, her collar held by a dwarf.
Lunia gasped for breath, her back stepped on by the dwarf.
The dwarf, who had subdued the second-year bests of Seiren and Azonia as if they were children, bore no wounds.
“Did you escape from prison too?”
Dweno’s emotionless gaze shifted to Carr and Driana.
Fear filled the eyes of the two.
Dweno’s words carried a heavy sense of pressure.
A power that made them lose their will to fight.
They were unable to resist because their sorcery was suppressed and faced absolute fear.
Carr grabbed the crossbow he had taken while escaping the prison.
Driana was terrified and didn’t know what to do.
‘Normally, I would react like that girl.’
When faced with overwhelming despair, people collapse.
That’s only natural.
Dweno’s eyes narrowed.
He looked at the shabby human sorcerer boy.
‘But how can you think of fighting in this situation?’
Thump-!
At that moment, Ar, who had completely lost her strength, grabbed Dweno’s wrist.
Ar’s blue eyes flashed.
Rumble-!
Lunia, trampled by Dweno’s feet, also squeezed out the last drops of her sorcery power.
‘Are they just being ignorant or reckless?’
Do these kids not know their own strength?
He shook his head.
‘No, these kids seem to know my strength better than anyone else.’
At the first spirit realm, Lunia and Driana had surrendered without a hint of resistance.
It was the same when they had escaped.
The moment they encountered each other, the two girls had felt a deep sense of despair.
These boys and girls knew their own strength much better than Dweno had expected.
But they did not give up; they gathered their will to fight.
“It would be easier if you gave up. What foolish stubbornness.”
Dweno made a pitiful expression.
“I know one person who never… gives up.”
At that moment, Lunia, still beneath Dweno’s feet, spoke with difficulty.
Her eyes sparkled with determination.
“I don’t want to be embarrassed in front of that guy.”
Dweno looked down at Lunia, blankly.
Then he noticed Ar, who was holding his wrist.
‘The girls remind me of Arron and Luna…but…’
Dweno’s eyes narrowed.
‘His eyes resembled Kyle’s, and that sorcerer boy over there…’
It was when Dweno curled the corners of his mouth.
“I’ll leave it at that.”
A crooked voice pierced the air.
Lunia, Ar, Carr, and Driana opened their eyes wide and turned their heads.
Dweno realized that the human boy who had stepped forward was wearing the same clothes as Carr.
“A group of escapees? Looks like you came to rescue your friends.”
Leo stood in front of Dweno.
“Velkia returned to Godthron with Arron.”
Leo didn’t even blink at Dweno’s murderous voice.
“And it wouldn’t be pleasant for you, who loves beautiful things, to mess with these kids, right?”
“You talk as if you know me well.”
Dweno tilted his head and summoned his Mana.
Flutter-!
Golden flames flared up, ready to burn Leo to ashes.
“Leo!” Carr shouted urgently.
But Dweno’s flames didn’t scorch Leo.
“Is this enough of a test?”
“…Isn’t it scary?”
When Dweno asked with a hollow laugh, Leo shook his head.
“Not really.”
Leo spoke even amid Dweno’s flames.
“The nature of flames isn’t just destruction, right?”
Dweno narrowed his eyes at those words.
“You… who are you?”
“I’m Leo Plov.”
Leo introduced himself indifferently in response to Dweno’s question.
Dweno stared at Leo and pointed to the other members of the group.
“Then, who are these kids?”
Leo smiled at Dweno’s question.
“What you once hoped for.”
