Chapter 185
Chapter Title: The Successor's Proof
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*Fwoosh-*
Piora flapped her wings, launching herself into the air.
Lis, who had been stunned by the sudden appearance of the phoenix, snapped back to his senses at the sight.
He focused his mind and roused his aura.
*Fwoooosh-!*
Flames identical to those emanating from Piora wreathed Lis's sword.
“Piora.”
*Chirp-*
“Go wild, do whatever you want.”
*Peep- Peep-*
At his words, Piora beat her wings joyfully and soared high into the air.
*Fwoosh-!*
The power of the flames radiating from Piora intensified.
Leo was using his spiritual power to continuously draw out Piora’s latent abilities.
*Thud-!*
Piora, who had been climbing higher into the air, came to an abrupt stop.
*Whoosh-!*
Then, she descended toward Lis at an incredible speed.
*Whaaaaaam-!*
The space around Piora seemed to warp from the heat of her flames.
*‘Stay calm.’*
Lis watched her and took his stance.
*‘No matter how incredible a phoenix is, from what I saw earlier, it’s still young. This current form must be Leo drawing out its latent abilities.’*
Having competed with Ulta for the position of class representative for five years, Lis knew all too well how much spiritual power was consumed to draw out and maintain the latent abilities of a high-level magical beast.
*Whoosh-!*
*Peep!*
*Craaaaaasssssh-!*
With a great flap of her wings, Piora unleashed a massive wave of fire that swept across the entire dueling arena.
Lis, having deflected the attack with a swing of his sword, looked up at Piora, who had ascended once more, and muttered.
“This isn't something I can just moderately defend against.”
Lis glanced at his cousin with a slightly weary expression.
Meanwhile, the spectators were all in a state of shock.
“No way!”
“A phoenix! A phoenix! He’s just a first-year!”
“Forget being a first-year! Do you think you can just contract one of the three great magical beasts when you become an upperclassman?”
Not just the first-years, but even the upperclassmen were screaming in astonishment.
The reaction from the Summoning Department was particularly intense.
The professors, too, found it hard to believe what they were seeing.
Of course, one professor was shouting with glee.
“That’s right! You’re finally summoning your phoenix!”
Yura, seated in the professors' section of the stands, shot up from her seat and yelled.
For Yura, this was a long-awaited moment.
The sight of Leo revealing his phoenix in front of everyone!
*‘Now no one can deny that Leo belongs in the Summoning Department!’*
Just as Yura was reveling in her triumph.
“Sit down. You’re being disruptive.”
Ain, who had barely managed to compose himself, said with a frown.
Yura looked down at Ain with a smug expression.
“You see, Senior Ain? This is why Leo is a perfect fit for the Summoning Department!”
“The phoenix is indeed impressive. But do you think it’s easy to overwhelm Lis with martial arts?”
“It’s not as impressive as a phoenix.”
“My, my. You’re all spouting nonsense again.”
Ren approached, shaking his head as if they were hopeless.
“Student Leo is in the Magic Department. Student Leo’s Bible. To mages, it is a miraculous magic, an ideal. An unprecedented magic. Yes, it is a great magic on par with the star magic created by the Progenitor of the Nebula. To think you’d try to snatch such a talent just because he’s skilled in martial arts and can summon a phoenix. You have no shame.”
As the three of them gathered, their assistant professors—Claria, Carlo, and Anna—began to look anxious.
“Knight Department.”
“I told you, it’s Summoning!”
“Magic!”
As the three of them shouted, Halind, who was watching and grading the duel from a corner, spoke to Sera beside him.
“Sera. Bring those three to me. Now.”
At his command, Sera scurried over and fetched the three professors.
They were then forced to kneel before Halind with their hands raised.
Halind didn't even spare a glance for his former students, now junior colleagues, and instead focused on Leo standing in the arena.
Even Halind, who rarely showed any emotional turmoil, wore a weary expression as he looked at the student in his charge.
*‘Just where are that kid’s limits?’*
***
Lis let out a hollow laugh as he watched Piora flap her wings before him.
“To think he actually formed a contract with a phoenix.”
He couldn't believe it even seeing it with his own eyes.
Was there anyone in the history of Lumerne who had contracted one of the three great magical beasts as a first-year?
As far as Lis knew, Leo was the only one.
Lis gazed at the phoenix with a look of wonder.
The phoenix was the source of the Jerdinger family's power.
From Lis's perspective, his view of Piora was bound to be different.
At Lis’s gaze, Piora lifted her chin majestically.
*Chirp-*
And she cried out with as much dignity as she could muster.
Of course, to Lis, it sounded no different from a chick's peeping.
“I heard the cry of a phoenix is incredibly beautiful…”
“It is. It’s just that this one is still young. She chirps like a chick.”
At the word "chick," Piora pecked Leo's head in protest.
Ignoring Piora, Leo spoke.
“Shall we begin in earnest, then?”
“Are you saying the last attack wasn't in earnest?”
“Lis, you're being overly dramatic.”
“Hah.”
Leo was right.
Despite the formidable attack just moments ago, not even the hem of Lis's clothes was singed.
He had completely nullified the phoenix's flames.
*‘Summoning Piora isn’t enough to beat Lis.’*
At this point, Leo had merely obtained an offensive power equal to Lis's.
Just as Lis had predicted, there was a limit to how long Leo could draw out and maintain Piora’s abilities.
*‘Besides, it would be troublesome if Lis were to target me in this situation.’*
Piora could only be used for offense.
Of course, Leo also had the other two great magical beasts, the fairy and the pegasus.
But right now, he was already struggling just to summon Piora and enhance her abilities.
He was in no condition to summon Kiruan and Artie as well.
Furthermore, even if he had the capacity to summon them, Kiruan and Artie were not cards to be revealed carelessly.
*‘I can’t reveal any more of my cards.’*
All of Tartaros’s spies within Lumerne had already been rooted out.
But there was still the matter of public perception.
Leo was already a person of interest to Tartaros.
Only a few at the academy knew that Leo was the contractor of a phoenix.
Perhaps Tartaros was already aware of that fact as well.
But no one knew he was also the contractor of a fairy and a pegasus.
*‘I can’t draw any more of their attention.’*
The cards he could reveal here and now were Piora, whose existence was already known, and Elsie, whose true identity was known only to Leo and the Spirit King in this world.
Meanwhile, Lis also watched Leo with caution.
*‘I can’t afford to underestimate him.’*
He understood that the phoenix before him was still young.
If so, then even a phoenix, called the strongest of magical beasts, would have its limits if it was just a hatchling.
But Leo showed no openings.
One would expect him to feel rushed if there was a time limit.
But Leo showed no such signs.
This duel was simply to prove he was worthy of being the student council president, so in a way, the moment he summoned the phoenix, that fact might have already been proven.
*‘But if that was all, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of dueling me in front of everyone like this.’*
He would have just gathered people to announce he was the phoenix's contractor.
*‘Leo is genuinely trying to defeat me.’*
He could feel that determination.
And Leo's power was a threat to him.
*‘Haha. What a truly terrifying cousin.’*
Lis let out a dry laugh.
Of course, he had no intention of losing meekly.
*‘The deciding factor of this match will be how much of the phoenix’s power Leo can draw out.’*
If this turned into a battle of attrition, Lis was certain he would win.
*Grip-!*
But Lis gripped his sword and pointed it at Leo.
A first-year was risking everything to defeat him.
*‘It would look bad for a fifth-year to avoid a direct confrontation.’*
The corners of Lis’s mouth curled up.
*Fwoooosh-!*
Crimson flames began to swirl around his body.
The secret technique of the Jerdinger family.
*‘Prominence.’*
*Fwoosh-*
Flames began to rage around his sword.
Lis raised his blade.
*Whaaaaaaaam-!*
It was different from Celia’s Prominence.
*‘If Celia’s is a thrust, is this one a slash?’*
Seeing it, Leo spoke.
“Piora, get ready.”
*Chirp-!*
With his words, crimson flames began to form around Piora’s body.
Lis’s eyes widened at the sight.
*‘Prominence?’*
The same crimson aura as Lis’s.
But Leo had wrapped Piora in that crimson aura.
Combined with the flames Piora was already emitting, the blaze grew even more intense.
“This should be interesting.”
*Thump-!*
*Crack-!*
As Leo gripped his sword with both hands, the flames raged even more fiercely.
Piora tucked her body in.
*Whoosh-!*
From top to bottom.
Leo swung his sword down.
A colossal blade of crimson flame flew toward Leo and Piora.
*Chiiirrrp!*
Piora spread her wings wide.
Crimson blades extending from both wings shot forth and collided with the incoming blade.
*Craaaaaaaaaasssssssssh-!*
A world of red flames unfolded.
“Ugh!”
“Th-the shockwave is this strong?”
The flames broke through the dueling arena’s barrier and washed over the spectator stands.
Of course, the Lumerne professors and students blocked the flames without much difficulty.
But the fact that the impact had breached the arena's shield magic and affected the stands to such an extent was astounding.
The flames finally subsided.
*Pop-!*
Piora reverted to her original form with a small puff of smoke and fell to the ground.
*Thud-! Tumble! Tumble!*
*Peep! Peep!*
Having lost her balance and crashed, Piora rolled on the ground a few times and chirped in frustration.
Lis’s eyes twitched as he looked at Leo.
“You still have… more?”
A spherical, black curtain had unfurled around Leo.
Of course, he was not visible.
The pitch-black darkness completely concealed Leo's form.
*‘…A spirit?’*
Lis narrowed his eyes.
Just then.
*Slither-*
The darkness writhed before being sucked into Leo’s shadow.
*‘To withstand the aftermath of that attack head-on. He really is a monster.’*
Even for a user of flame aura, it was astonishing that he had endured the clash of such intense heat with his bare body.
If he hadn't summoned Elsie by wringing out his remaining spiritual power, Leo wouldn't have been able to stand.
*‘I’ve already used up all my aura and mana. All that’s left is spiritual power. But it’s not enough to draw out Piora’s latent abilities.’*
Piora looked up at Leo and spread her wings as if she wanted to fight more, but this was the limit.
Elsie, being bound to Leo, could only use as much power as Leo’s spiritual power allowed.
*‘What kind of spirit is that? It’s definitely a dark-attribute spirit.’*
Meanwhile, Lis watched Leo’s shadow, not letting his guard down.
Leo had always far exceeded his expectations.
How many times had he surpassed them in this duel evaluation alone?
*‘I have to assume he has no limits and continue the fight.’*
Lis tightened his grip on his sword.
At that moment.
*Whoosh-!*
“…!”
Leo’s shadow shot toward Lis at an incredible speed.
*Craaaaaack-!*
Lis swung his sword, deflecting the trajectory of the shadow blade.
*‘Spirit Armored?’*
A spirit art technique.
A high-level spirit art where one wears a spirit like armor.
And Leo was using it.
*‘His spirit arts are at this level too?’*
He began to think there might truly be nothing Leo couldn't do.
He was worthy of being called a true ‘All-Class’ without reservation.
Leo raised his hand.
*Wooooom-!*
Darkness gathered around Leo.
As Lis watched him, about to readjust his grip on his sword.
*Crack-!*
A crack appeared on Lis’s sword.
Seeing this, both Leo and Lis paused.
*Shatter-!*
Lis’s sword finally gave way and broke.
“Hmph.”
Lis let out a soft sigh.
“I still have a long way to go.”
The sword he used today was a practice sword.
Of course, being one used by the heir of the Jerdinger family, it was a considerable masterpiece, but it was not the sword he used in actual combat.
So, it wasn't surprising that it couldn't withstand Lis's powerful aura.
Of course, a knight of Lis’s caliber wasn’t rendered helpless without a sword.
But this wasn't a real battle; it was a duel evaluation.
For a student using a weapon, the loss of that weapon was considered a defeat.
Lis clicked his tongue and smiled bitterly.
“I’ve lost, Leo.”
Murmurs of disbelief erupted from all sides.
Leo dismissed Elsie, picked up Piora, and placed her on his shoulder.
“This outcome… I can’t say I’m satisfied with it.”
“A win is a win, regardless.”
Lis walked over to Leo and patted him on the shoulder.
“You are more than qualified to be the student council president. You’ve proven that yourself.”
Lis smiled at Leo.
“Take my place and look after Lumerne, Leo.”