Chapter 299
Chapter Title: The Proxy Commander
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299
Leo stirred his spiritual power.
Woong-!
The spiritual power of Lisinas, dwelling within the Spirit Jewel, responded to Leo's.
Goooooooo-!
The immense spiritual power of Lisinas began to follow Leo's control.
Fwoosh!
Whoooosh-
Bubble, bubble.
Rumble-!
Flames soared, winds blew, water droplets formed, and the earth rose around Leo.
Soon, four spirits manifested before him.
The four Great Spirits, who had been slumbering in the jewel, wore bewildered expressions upon seeing Leo's face.
-Who are you?
Cylesta frowned at Leo, her summoner.
-How did you summon us?
Everyone stared in astonishment at Leo, who had summoned the Great Spirits.
During the Age of Calamity.
There was only one spiritmancer who had contracted with the Great Spirits.
Only Lisinas.
Moreover, it was a sealing contract, meaning no other spiritmancer could summon them until Lisinas released it.
Literally, Lisinas had an exclusive contract.
So, for some human boy to have summoned such Great Spirits was nothing short of astonishing.
And in this situation, the most bewildered of all were, of course, the Great Spirits themselves.
Leo looked at Cylesta and said.
“I am your contractor's proxy.”
-Proxy?
Ifta, the Great Spirit of Fire, crossed her arms.
“That's right. He granted me the right to use his mana.”
At Leo's answer, Erham, the Great Spirit of Water, looked suspicious.
-I've never heard of such a thing.
“He must not have told you yet. In any case, what's important is that I hold the contract seal between you and Lisinas.”
Leo showed them the back of his hand.
A contract sigil, proof of the pact between a spiritmancer and a spirit, was drawn there.
And the primary contractor was unmistakably Lisinas.
At those words, Darden, the Great Spirit of Earth who had been observing Leo, spoke.
-What is your relationship with Lisinas?
“…”
Leo closed his eyes at Darden's question.
-We're going to save the world.
The image of his friend, confidently smiling and extending a hand, was still vivid in his mind.
Recalling that unforgettable moment, Leo opened his eyes and spoke.
“Partners.”
Leo smiled.
“Partners who will save the world together.”
Seeing Leo smile in a way that was somehow identical to their contractor's, the Great Spirits decided to set aside their doubts.
-We'll find out about this situation later, I suppose.
Ifta chuckled and approached Ar-on.
-Hello, Ar-on.
“Ifta, let me explain the situation. Right now, in Gardsrone…”
-Yes, you don't need to explain. I understand.
Ifta said, sweeping back her red hair.
-The Giant King has invaded to bring down Gardsrone.
“That's right.”
-What about that perverted dwarf?
“He's holding off another Giant King.”
-What?
For a moment, Ifta looked baffled, unable to comprehend.
“It's complicated. For now, taking that bastard's head is the priority.”
Leo interjected.
“Right.”
Shing-
Ar-on drew Brave.
“I'll take on the Giant King.”
Ar-on took a deep breath and bent his knees.
“You keep the army in check.”
Paang-!
In an instant, Ar-on's body shot forward at an imperceptible speed.
Using Aura Step to run across the sky, Ar-on readjusted his grip on his sword.
There was a tremendous distance between Gardsrone's walls and the past version of Gyas.
But once Ar-on started running, that distance closed in an instant.
As he traversed the distance at near-divine speed, a golden aura erupted from Ar-on's body.
A flash of gold shone brilliantly.
Seeing this, Leo gripped the Jewel of Wind.
Whoooooosh-
The wind raged.
-I understand you're Lisinas's proxy.
Erham crossed her arms in front of Leo.
-I also understand the situation is urgent, so we'll gladly cooperate with you. The problem is you.
Erham looked at Leo doubtfully.
-You seem to be a young human. Can you handle our power properly? Forget the four of us, even one seems like it would be too much for you.
Erham's suspicion was natural.
Leo was only in his mid-teens.
Even if he possessed incredible talent and power.
And even if he'd obtained Lisinas's spiritual power to draw out the Great Spirits' strength, there were bound to be limits for a young boy.
‘Under normal circumstances, that is.’
Leo smirked and stirred his spiritual power.
Woong-!
In an instant, Cylesta's body transformed into a gust of wind and settled on Leo's feet.
Seeing this, the Great Spirits' faces filled with shock.
-Spirit Armored?
A high-level spirit art that allows one to freely use a spirit's power by having it possess their body.
Spirit Armored itself is a technique that boasts the highest difficulty among high-level spirit arts.
Furthermore, the difficulty of Spirit Armored multiplies as the class of the possessing spirit increases.
Just being able to have a Great Spirit possess one's body would earn a spiritmancer a rank among the top ten in the world.
Moreover, to have one possess not the entire body but just a part of it was a level of skill that could be compared to Lisinas, the Great Spirits' own contractor.
Fwoosh-!
This time, Ifta transformed into a spear and settled in Leo's hand.
Rumble-!
Darden became armor and possessed Leo's body.
Finally, Erham took the form of a water shield.
The young dragon, Jers, standing on the castle wall, muttered blankly.
“Lord Lisinas?”
Leo, armed from head to toe with the Great Spirits, looked exactly like Lisinas entering a battle stance.
“I'm just imitating him.”
Leo replied to Jers's question with a bitter smile.
He then looked at his reflection in the water shield held in his hand.
‘I miss this look, too.’
“Who… are you?”
Jers asked in a trembling voice.
To Jers's question, Leo answered.
“The Hero of the Beginning.”
Leo became a gust of wind and followed after Ar-on.
***
Fwoosh-!
Black flames were burning.
The hero candidates, facing Erebos's thought-form head-on, were terrified.
Their opponent was none other than the primordial evil.
The Age of Calamity.
And during the Second Coming of Calamity.
The symbol of destruction that had nearly annihilated the world twice.
In the Age of Calamity, it was the five great Great Heroes.
During the Second Coming of Calamity, it was the five Heroes of Genesis who inherited the will of those Great Heroes and protected the world.
Tasks that even those considered the greatest in all of history had only barely accomplished.
The girls and boys facing this burden were far too young to bear it.
They had stepped forward bravely, but the thought-form of Erebos they faced was immensely powerful.
Lunia gritted her teeth.
‘They…’
Luna, Dweno, and Ar-on came to mind.
‘Did Leo… overcome this fear and face the impossible?’
Back when she fought Erebos in Luna's world, she had people to rely on.
There was Luna, her senior Harun from the same academy, and Elena, who was called the Queen of Lumerne.
And there was Leo.
But not now.
‘My role is the most important.’
In this party, Lunia was the one who could cast the most powerful magic.
At the forefront was Driana, the vanguard who served as a shield against Erebos's thought-form.
Behind her, Ar Tune, Eiran, and Verchia were the skirmishers, flexibly supporting Driana and launching attacks.
And behind them, Karl was the supporter.
Finally, Lunia was in the rear.
‘That monster that endlessly revived even against Lord Ar-on's attacks… can I defeat it?’
Lunia summoned her staff from a subspace, gritted her teeth, and gripped it tightly.
‘In the World of Heroes… can I, who gained nothing… really do this?’
Lunia's eyes wavered.
Ar Tune, who had already inherited Ar-on's power and claimed she was ahead of Leo, had shown improvement over the past ten days through her meeting with Ar-on.
Eiran, who met Verchia, had also learned how to handle fairy power from her.
As a result, she had reached a stage where she could use the basics of fairy magic, which she couldn't before.
From what she heard from Karl, Driana was caught by Dweno every day and made equipment with a tearful face.
And she kept hearing that Dweno was praising her skills.
Compared to them, she was stuck in place.
She still couldn't handle the essence of Dweno's flame, and from Catariou, she only received ridicule.
Lunia's body was trembling when…
“Why are you just standing there?”
Ar Tune stood before Lunia.
“Hmph, are you scared or something?”
Ar Tune asked Lunia tauntingly, with a smug look.
Although they didn't show it, as the year representatives of their respective academies, they had a strange sense of rivalry.
That's why Ar Tune thought provoking her like this would get a rise out of Lunia.
But Lunia answered with downcast eyes.
“I'm scared.”
Lunia admitted it readily and gritted her teeth.
“What about you?”
“Of course, as the descendant of the great Brave Hero, Lord Ar-on, I!”
Ar Tune smiled brightly.
“Am scared.”
Lunia's eyes widened.
Ar Tune reached out and took Lunia's hand.
The trembling from Ar Tune's hand was transmitted to hers.
“Until now, even when I was scared, I would just laugh like an idiot and say I wasn't. I thought that a descendant of Lord Ar-on didn't know fear.”
Ar Tune continued, still smiling.
“But I realized that wasn't courage, it was just turning away from fear. So!”
Ar Tune snorted, huffing.
“I'll play Lord Ar-on's part! You play Lady Luna's!”
“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Forgetting the situation, Lunia asked, dumbfounded.
“I asked Lord Ar-on a while ago! How could he be so brave? And he said…”
‘I'm not brave. The reason I can be courageous is because of my friends. When I can't move, Kyle's back leading the way guides me. When I hesitate, Luna's runes push me forward.’
‘Then what gives you the most courage, Lord Ar-on?’
‘Luna's runes.’
“So from now on, I'm Lord Ar-on! And you're Lady Luna!”
Ar Tune's eyes sparkled.
“Because nothing gives a warrior more courage than a mage's runes!”
At Ar Tune's words, Lunia couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
She was gaining courage from Ar Tune, who was asking her for courage.
‘Right, this isn't the time to be depressed.’
Lunia slapped her cheeks. Slap-!
‘Get a grip! Lunia El Lundua!’
“Alright. I'll do my best…”
Awooooooooooooooo-!
A wolf's howl echoed throughout Gardsrone.
The fear in the hero candidates' hearts subsided, replaced by courage.
“Lord Ar-on's Howling…!”
Eiran's eyes widened.
Ar Tune, whose cat ears had been twitching, wore an excited expression.
And she said to Lunia.
“Yep. Lord Ar-on gave me courage. I don't think I need you anymore.”
“Do you have a death wish, you damn cat!”
Enraged by Ar Tune's immediate change of heart, Lunia grabbed her by the collar.
“Hey, fighting is fine and all, but that thing's starting to move.”
Just then, Karl spoke with a tense expression.
As he spoke, a magic circle formed above the head of Erebos's thought-form.
Whoosh-!
“Star Magic?”
Lunia wore a shocked expression.
Fwaah-!
Seeing that, Ar Tune charged forward at incredible speed.
“An opening!”
Aura gathered on the beastified Ar Tune's feet.
Paang-!
Kicking off the air, Ar Tune became a bullet and kicked the abdomen of Erebos's thought-form.
Thwack-!
The body of Erebos's thought-form bent and was sent flying.
“Where are you kicking it!”
Driana protested as she hurriedly dodged.
“Sorry!”
Kra-ka-ka-ka-boom-!
Just as Ar Tune apologized, Erebos's thought-form crashed into a building.
Looking at the thought-form, which had finally stopped after smashing through several buildings, Ar Tune stomped her foot.
“How'd you like that!”
Fwaah-!
“Huh?”
“Don't let your guard down, you stupid cat. Our opponent is a monster that imitates Master Kyle.”
Verchia kicked Ar Tune in the side, sending her flying, then drew Erquint and slashed at Erebos's thought-form.
But as she retreated, she got tangled up with Eiran.
“Why are you here?”
“S-Sorry!”
Eiran quickly apologized.
“Hmm! Our teamwork is terrible!”
Driana looked troubled.
Meanwhile, Erebos's thought-form, having righted itself, reached a hand toward the group.
Jiiiiing-!
As a magic circle formed, Lunia hurriedly stirred her mana.
Cra-cra-cra-crack!
Fwoooooosh-!
A giant shard of ice shot up from the ground.
Lunia's fire magic melted the ice shard.
Kwajik!
But the ice shard broke through the flames and threatened the party members.
‘Its output is stronger than my magic.’
Elementally, fire should overwhelm ice-type magic.
But even against Lunia's fire magic, the ice magic didn't lose its power.
Looking at the magic, it was a high-speed cast performed in an instant.
In Lunia's case, she had merely released a spell she had pre-cast.
A situation where an instantaneous magic output was equal to a carefully prepared spell.
“Form up.”
At Lunia's words, the hero candidates raised their weapons.
“Let's take this thing down.”
***
Kra-ka-boom-!
Flames from Lunia's magic swept through the area.
Ar Tune and Verchia cut down the monsters summoned by Erebos's thought-form and closed in.
But Erebos's thought-form easily defended against their close-range attacks.
“Karl! Give me a potion!”
At Driana's urgent shout, Karl took a potion bottle from his coat and threw it to her.
Driana poured the potion on her sword wound and charged again.
Whoooosh-!
“Miss Lunia! Watch out!”
Swish-!
As a biting wind generated by wind magic blew in, Eiran hurriedly protected Lunia.
“Eiran! Here's a potion!”
Karl threw a potion to the injured Eiran.
“Thank you, Lord Karl!”
‘Thank me…? This is all I can do. Hahaha.’
Karl let out a weak laugh.
‘Some party leader I am.’
Leo had entrusted the role of party leader to Karl.
But in this situation, there was nothing Karl could do.
‘Some aspiring supporter.’
Karl's eyes sank.
Against a monster that transcended common sense, the only support Karl could offer was handing out the potions he had.
He couldn't keep the enemy in check. Nor could he land a surprise attack.
‘Damn it…’
Karl gritted his teeth.
His limits were clear.
Karl himself knew that fact best.
‘Some hero candidate.’
Overcoming one's limits is the lesson of Lumerne.
But…
‘A guy like me hits a new limit as soon as I overcome one. And even if I overcome that, compared to others, I'm just running in place.’
He was once again forced to recognize his own place, something he'd been doing consistently since enrolling.
It wasn't anything new.
But in a place where lives were on the line, the helplessness of being unable to do anything made him shudder.
Karl's gaze turned to Erebos's thought-form.
‘That monster… is a complete upgrade of Leo.’
The Leo that Karl had seen had almost no weaknesses in battle.
A fighting style that perfectly compensated for the weaknesses of each class with his All-Class abilities.
The adjective 'flawless' suited the Leo that Karl knew perfectly.
If he had to name a weakness, it was that Leo couldn't use many attacks that consumed a lot of mana.
But the monster before him didn't even have that weakness.
In fact, the vanguard blocking Erebos's thought-form was being relentlessly battered by its endless, unpredictable attacks.
Karl gritted his teeth and glared at the thought-form as it swung its sword.
‘If it were Leo… he'd use a summoned beast.’
Woong-! The thought-form attacking Ar Tune used a summon.
‘And if she dodges, he'll check her with his sword…’
Shink-!
“It's too unpredictable!”
Ar Tune screamed.
Having no experience fighting an All-Class, Ar Tune was overwhelmed by the thought-form's attacks.
“Huh?”
Karl let out a bewildered gasp.
And he urgently shouted.
“Driana! Don't approach! Magic is coming!”
“Hmm?!”
Driana hastily retreated.
At the same time, an awl made of earth shot up from the spot where Driana had been charging.
“Lunia! Don't cast your spell! Lady Verchia is about to pass through the direction you're aiming!”
Karl shouted again.
“Ah?”
Lunia quickly retracted her spell.
And just then, Verchia passed in front of her.
Lunia looked at Karl with surprised eyes.
“Karl, you… can you predict that monster's movements?”
“Uh… when I thought of it as Leo, who's also an All-Class, I could sort of predict it?”
“…What about our movements getting tangled?”
“…I figured that out by observing, too.”
“Then that means you can command us?”
“…I guess so.”
As soon as Karl finished speaking, the party members' angry voices erupted.
“Hey! Why are you only telling us now!”
“Nyaaaaaaah! I'm gonna hit you later!”
“You should have said that sooner!”
“Why are you only saying it now!”
“Uh… um…”
Karl, who had been cowering in self-pity until now, shrank even further.
Lunia grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, pulled him up, and said.
“We're overwhelmed right now! So you command us!”
“What?!”
“You're the party leader! So act like one and lead!”
“O-Okay.”
Karl answered, shrinking his neck.