Chapter 321
Chapter Title: Three Against One
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A room shrouded in darkness.
Creeak!
A window opened, and a small, silver-glowing being moved between the blackout curtains.
"Hoo hoo hoot! I've been waiting for this moment."
Having opened the window and infiltrated someone's room, Kiruan wore a meaningful expression.
It was none other than the office of Tina, the professor Leo had invited.
"A little breaking and entering while everyone's distracted by midterms! It's basic tactics."
Looking terribly smug, Kiruan flapped his wings, scattering silver dust everywhere.
"Now then, where could this one's wings be?"
Rubbing his palms together as he rummaged through Tina's room, Kiruan's eyes glinted when he discovered an orb.
"Found it! My wings!"
Kiruan shouted joyfully, flitting about in every direction.
"With this, the dignity of the Fairy Prince will soar! Just you watch! That obese phoenix! I'll make her kneel before my noble form!"
Clenching his fist, Kiruan imagined Piora submitting to him and reached for the orb.
Thwack-!
Something slammed down in front of Kiruan.
Kiruan realized it was a sharply glinting scalpel.
Stiffly, he followed the hand gripping the scalpel with his gaze and saw a golden gleam in someone's eyes.
"Oh my, what a cute little moth."
With her characteristic languid smile, Tina retrieved the scalpel she had slammed down.
"Who are you calling a moth! I'm a fairy!"
Kiruan snapped.
"Oh my, how fortunate."
Tina gave a very bright smile.
"As it happens, I was just practicing dissecting fairies."
Kiruan looked in the direction Tina was gazing.
He could see the inner room of the office.
It seemed she had just come from there.
And through the crack in the door, a model of a fairy was visible.
The model's body was riddled with objects identical to the scalpel Tina was holding.
Kiruan's face turned pale.
"I've wanted to dissect a fairy for a very long time, you see."
A blush colored Tina's face.
She spoke with a look of excitement.
"Don't worry. I'll stitch you back up beautifully."
"Gyaaaah! S-stay away! You witch!"
"Kyahahahahahahahaha!"
Terrified, Kiruan began to flee.
With a crazed smile, Tina wildly swung her scalpel through the air as she chased him.
The office was becoming a mess, but Tina didn't care.
Cornered, Kiruan pressed himself against the wall, trembling.
Just as Tina looked at him and raised her scalpel.
Fwoosh-!
Kiruan vanished.
***
"Waaaaah! I almost died!"
Summoned onto Leo's palm, Kiruan hugged himself and cried out.
"...What's with all the fuss?"
"I was almost caught and dissected by that weird elf!"
Leo looked exasperatedly at Kiruan, who was complaining with tear-filled eyes.
"I knew this would happen when you started pulling pranks on kids."
Sniffling, Kiruan grabbed Leo's sleeve and—honk!—blew his nose on it.
Leo swatted Kiruan with his palm as if catching a mosquito.
"Comfort me! Comfort me! You're my father's friend! You should comfort your friend's son when he's crying!"
"Stop it, unless you want another smack."
Kiruan pouted.
Looking at him, Leo said.
"Just get ready."
"Huh?"
Kiruan flapped his wings and lifted into the air.
He glanced around, his eyes widening before he let out a sound of admiration, crossed his arms, and lifted his chin.
"At last! A stage for this one to reveal himself to the world!"
Watching Kiruan cheer with a triumphant look, Leo sheathed his sword.
Then, he reached his hand toward the empty air.
Fwoosh-!
A scarlet spear materialized amidst crimson flames.
Thump-!
Gripping the spear, Leo looked at the grim-faced Woreden and Duran.
"Well then... shall we begin the real hunt?"
***
"He's taking on all three at once?"
Hark, who had looked half-asleep, suddenly had clear eyes.
"Our student council president has no end to his hidden depths~"
Elena, who crossed her legs and laughed innocently, also watched Leo with interest.
At those words, Aina, who had been silently watching Leo on the large magic screen, spoke up.
"This fight, what do you think will happen?"
As the first-year representative, Aina was also seated in the best spot.
Indeed, many approached her with goodwill and interest, knowing she was the great-granddaughter of Kalian, the former headmaster and the strongest hero of the previous generation.
They also had ulterior motives, wanting to get close to the one who had inherited the legacy of the Sword Saint as Kalian's successor.
But Aina had remained silent, like a doll.
Now, she had spoken for the first time.
In response to Aina's question, Elena twirled a strand of her hair.
"Why ask something so obvious?"
With a bewitching smile, Elena said.
"Leo will win, overwhelmingly."
"But the three seniors are formidable as well, aren't they?"
And that was true.
Woreden had summoned a Great Spirit.
Duran's swordsmanship was so incredibly fast it was hard to track with the naked eye.
Against second-years of such caliber, it seemed logically impossible for Leo, a fellow second-year, to win overwhelmingly, no matter how superior his strength.
At Aina's words, Hark rested his chin on his hand.
"When our graduated senior, Lis, passed the student council presidency to that guy Leo, it wasn't just because of his potential."
Hark gazed at Leo on the screen.
"He passed it on because he expected Leo to catch up to him soon and grow even further beyond."
Hark narrowed his eyes.
"The second-years are certainly impressive. But if I were to fight that guy right now, even I couldn't guarantee a victory. That's how much of a monster Leo Flove is."
"Leo's probably still hiding an ace up his sleeve, you know?"
Hearing Hark and Elena's assessment, Aina's eyes widened, and she clenched her fists tightly.
"Ooh! Leo! That's amazing!"
A voice full of admiration rang out.
It was Ril, the third-year representative, who had returned with snacks, wearing a bright smile.
"Oh, Ril. I'll help myself."
Spotting her, Elena grinned and snatched the snacks Ril had bought.
"Senior Elena. Those are mine."
"Oh my, how admirable of you to yield for your senior."
Ril protested with a tearful face, but Elena simply stole the snacks with her signature queenly smile.
"What a thug. You really want to steal from your junior?"
Hark clicked his tongue at Elena before reaching out to Ril.
And he took the drink that Ril had kept cool using a spirit.
"Senior Hark. That's the drink I bought for myself..."
"Sorry, I need to wake up, and I'm thirsty."
Watching the school's top students steal snacks and drinks from their junior, Riina shook her head.
"As the headmistress, I'm truly ashamed that you lot are the best this school has to offer."
Hark and Elena paid her words no mind.
Having suddenly been robbed of her provisions by her eccentric seniors, Ril sat down with slumped shoulders.
Then she noticed Aina sitting beside her like a doll and gave a bright smile.
"Miss Aina, are you enjoying the show?"
"...Senior Ril, this fight... what are your thoughts?"
"Leo will win, of course. He must be hiding a trump card."
Ril also shrugged and predicted Leo's victory.
Hearing the words of her seniors, who were far more experienced and powerful than her, Aina hung her head low.
'Just... what do I have to do to earn his acknowledgment?'
Her fists tightened.
'That boy... why was he acknowledged?'
She hated making comparisons.
But a boy her age, far beneath her, had been acknowledged by Leo Flove.
Just as Aina clenched her teeth, her eyes darkening.
"A fairy?"
"Did he just summon a fairy?"
Astonished voices came from all around.
Aina looked up, startled.
On the screen, a fairy had been summoned onto Leo's palm.
Watching this, Aina's eyes widened as she looked at her seniors.
"Just as you said, Senior Leo was hiding a trump card. Did the three of you know he had a contract with a fairy?"
Aina was impressed, but the expressions on Elena, Hark, and Ril's faces were indescribably strange.
"No. Who could have possibly predicted something like that?"
"Yeah, that's just crossing the line. Way over the line."
"...Whenever I see Leo, I feel a sense of self-loathing."
Elena looked dumbfounded, and Hark just shook his head.
Finally, Ril's shoulders slumped.
Aina blinked.
'...So he's just plain broken.'
***
Leo gripped 'Lanchea' in his hand.
It was one of the Jerdinger family's heirlooms, delivered to Leo after he was recently acknowledged as a direct descendant.
"Kiruan."
At Leo's call, Kiruan stirred his magic.
Leo's body was healed as various defensive spells were cast upon him.
The three great phantom beasts are fundamentally powerful beings.
However, each has its own specialty.
The Phoenix, known as the Lord of Flames, specializes in offense.
The Pegasus, known as the Master of Lightning, is a phantom beast specializing in mobility.
Finally, the Fairy, known as the Phantasmal Being, specializes in defense and healing.
In other words, the fairy was a phantom beast specialized in combat support.
Swoosh-!
Leo lightly spun the Lanchea in his hand and looked at Duran and Woreden.
KABOOM-!
Flames erupted from Leo's body as he hovered in the air.
With that, he charged toward Duran.
KR-KR-KRAAAACK-!
"Keuk!"
Duran's eyes widened.
Woreden aimed for Leo's back and threw a punch.
BOOM-!
"...!"
Woreden's face twisted.
His eyes met with the fairy before him.
Seeing Kiruan wagging a finger as if to say 'not a chance,' Woreden poured out his spiritual power.
'His weakness is his mana capacity!'
Woreden's eyes narrowed.
'He's maximizing his mana efficiency to an extreme degree when using it. Without a single bit of waste!'
It was an incredible level of mana control.
A realm of experience that transcended mere talent.
'In other words, if he can't fight efficiently, he won't be able to prolong this battle!'
No matter how much he increased his mana consumption efficiency, there was a limit.
'And he's using the Phoenix and the Fairy at the same time!'
Even with high efficiency, a rapid drain of mana was inevitable.
'If we can just hold out...!'
Woreden put more strength into his fist.
Duran, too, emitted an even more intense aura.
"It seems you're trying to drain my mana."
Leo raised his spear.
Thwack-!
KR-R-R-RUMBLE-!
A wave of flames erupted with Leo at its center.
Duran and Woreden hastily retreated from the raging aura of fire.
"You'll collapse before that happens."
Just as Leo's flames burned menacingly.
Pitter-patter-! Whoooosh!
Rain began to fall from the sky.
Leo looked up.
'Eliza.'
Leo narrowed his eyes.
'Did she use spirit arts to enhance Delphinus's ability? She struggled because she couldn't summon a spirit... and now that she can, she can wield spirit arts of this level?'
In terms of pure combat power, Woreden was overwhelmingly superior.
But in terms of overall sense, Eliza's summoning ability was nothing short of astonishing.
Crackle-!
Duran's lightning aura grew even stronger with Eliza's support.
Woreden also switched his spirit from an earth spirit to a water spirit.
Eliza had changed the entire battlefield to their advantage.
'Support of this level even while fighting Piora.'
Leo tightened his grip on his spear.
'As I thought, the one I need to take down first is Eliza.'
Leo's gaze shifted to Eliza, who was fighting Piora in the sky.
"This is no time to be looking away! Leo Flove!"
Woreden bellowed as he swung a spirit-infused fist at Leo.
Leo used Ar-on's Breath to generate his aura.
The explosively enhanced aura gathered in Leo's hand.
BOOM-! R-R-RUMBLE-!
For a moment, the shockwave stopped the raindrops from falling around the two of them.
As Woreden saw Leo block his attack with one hand and was about to put more power into his fist.
"Stay down."
Leo simply tightened his grip, lifted Woreden, and slammed him into the ground.
Kiruan used fairy magic, and tree roots shot up from the ground, wrapping around Woreden.
Thwack-!
"Kgh!"
While Woreden struggled, a golden flash erupted.
Crackle-!
Leo charged toward the lightning that was descending upon him.
Clang-!
He deflected Duran's sword with the tip of his spear.
The immense force left Duran's upper body exposed for a moment.
Now defenseless, Duran gritted his teeth and deployed his aura armor.
Thud-!
Leo planted his left foot into Duran's chest.
"Gah?"
Blood poured from Duran's mouth.
CRASH! SNAP! CRACKLE! WHOOSH! THUMP!
Duran was sent flying, crashing through trees before slamming into the forest floor.
Just as Duran, his face contorted, tried to get up.
Clack-!
Leo readjusted his grip on the Lanchea.
Flames swirled around it.
The most powerful weapon Leo possessed, aside from Dweno's armament.
Veins bulged on Leo's hand.
FWOOSH-!
Leo hurled the spear at Eliza.
***
"Kgh!"
Screeeeee!
"Stop making those chick-like sounds while attacking so fiercely!"
The sight of Piora charging ferociously while chirping like a baby chick was enough to fluster Eliza.
'Still, it's a relief that it's a young phoenix! It's still clumsy in battle!'
If Piora had been even slightly more skilled in combat, she wouldn't have been able to support Woreden and Duran while fighting it.
'If I can just hold out a little longer, we have a chance!'
Eliza, too, knew better than anyone that Leo's weakness was a prolonged fight.
'Even Leo Flove can't possibly subdue the three of us in an instant...'
The moment she thought that.
Screech-!
The wind wyvern Eliza was riding let out a startled cry.
In that instant.
Thwump-!
"Huh...?"
A flash of flame filled her vision.
'I'm... done for.'
The moment Eliza coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Beep-
The bracelet on Eliza's arm briefly flashed red, then went dark.
Fwoosh-!
Eliza's vision faded as she vanished from the spot.
***
As Eliza was judged 'dead,' the rain stopped.
Having retrieved Lanchea, Leo charged at Woreden, who had broken free from Kiruan's magic.
CRASH! K-KRAAACK! FWOOSH!
Flames soared.
The earth was overturned, and a tidal wave crashed down.
FLASH! KR-R-RUMBLE!
A golden bolt of lightning struck down.
A fierce battle unfolded.
The short, intense battle was decided in an instant.
Woreden, who had already summoned a Great Spirit and clashed with Leo several times, was the first to be judged dead.
Leo walked to the water's edge, approaching the limply floating Duran.
Splash- splash-
Seeing Leo, Duran struggled and gripped his sword.
'Was he always... this strong?'
But he had no idea what to do.
The gap was incomprehensible.
The back he thought he was barely keeping up with was now nowhere in sight.
The moment Leo used his full power.
The outcome was decided in, quite literally, an instant.
Leo walked up to the fallen Duran and looked down at him.
Meeting Leo's emotionless eyes, Duran gritted his teeth.
'What in the world am I supposed to do...?'
He couldn't see a path forward.
'Against this monster... how can anyone win?'
Whoosh-!
Leo's spear struck Duran without hesitation.
Flash-!
Judged dead, Duran vanished on the spot.
Leo returned to his base.
A student who had been watching the four-person battle from a distance swallowed dryly.
"...That was a total monster brawl."
The students trembled as they looked at the ravaged landscape, where the very terrain seemed to have been altered.
Nella also wore a look of despair.
"A Leo like that... just how are we supposed to beat him?"