Chapter 326
Chapter Title: The Coming Tide
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Karl wore a tense expression as he watched Leo, whose own face had become devoid of emotion.
‘Leo.’
To Karl, Leo was the first friend he had made after entering Lumerne.
‘Meeting you was the greatest luck I've ever had.’
Karl had barely scraped his way into Lumerne Academy.
But he never thought he'd be able to last long there.
He knew his own limits all too well.
In reality, Karl's school life was a constant series of limitations.
On the outside, he acted nonchalant.
He acted sly and carefree.
But he always felt the bitter gap between himself and the other students.
Through it all, Leo was always by his side.
The class representative and an unprecedented All-Class student.
On top of that, the youngest student council president in Lumerne's history.
Having always watched Leo, who was constantly in the spotlight, Karl knew better than anyone.
How much Leo, who acted as if he had no limits, pushed himself beyond them.
Leo's relentless effort and drive had a huge impact on Karl.
Having watched Leo for so long, Karl knew.
‘It's not impossible for you guys to defeat Leo.’
Positioned in the rear, Karl took a deep breath and looked at Leo.
He recalled the memory of fighting the Erebos fragment that had replicated the Hero of the Beginning, Kyle, in Dweno's world.
“Ready to feel the difference?”
Abad raised his staff with his characteristic gentle smile.
“Sorry, Leo, but that difference... I've already felt it to my very core.”
Rumble-!
As Abad swung his staff, the ground around them began to shake.
Rumble-!
Boulders from beneath the earth rose into the air.
It wasn't psychokinesis.
He was controlling the wind to lift the stones.
Whoosh-!
A magic circle appeared in mid-air.
Abad's unique magic, Tempest, was activated.
Craaaash!
The massive boulders clumped together, forming a giant pillar.
The rocky pillar, accompanied by a gale, bore down on Leo.
Boom-!
A massive shockwave erupted from the point of impact, engulfing the surroundings.
Rumble! Whoosh-!
Cracks began to form on the rock pillar that had struck Leo.
Crack! Crunch! Fwoooosh-!
The rocks, shattered into fist-sized pebbles, swirled around Leo.
Leo looked at Abad and said with a smile.
“I don't need these, so you can have them back.”
Fwoosh-! Clatter-!
A barrage of flaming pebbles rained down on Abad.
Whoosh-!
Just then, Eliza, who had summoned a Wind Wyvern, quickly flew up into the sky with Abad.
Seeing this, Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘I see. So he's planning to focus solely on attacking as a rear-line dealer.’
The greatest advantage of an all-rounder is the ability to take on any position.
They can fight on the front lines like a battle mage, as Chelsea does, or act as an artillery unit, unleashing powerful spells from the rear, like Chloe.
Or they can move between both, supporting whichever position is needed.
While they are versatile, they still have their own inclinations.
‘Abad is closer to a traditional type, like Chloe.’
The advantage of a traditional type is their overwhelming magical power.
But their weakness is mobility.
Eliza is assisting Abad to compensate for that weakness.
‘Well, it's not like Eliza is only supporting Abad.’
Leo looked at Chelsea and Woreden standing before him.
Around them were two others who had received the blessings of phantom beasts.
A moment ago.
The situation was different from when they had faced Leo with a hastily formed team.
They had firmly decided that Leo was an enemy they must defeat together and had prepared accordingly.
There's a big difference between being prepared and not.
Spiritual power coiled around Leo's arm.
“What are you doing?”
Karl muttered with a flustered look, and Woreden answered.
“It's spirit arts.”
“Everyone, be careful! With that much spiritual power, something huge is definitely coming!”
At Karl's shout, everyone tensed up.
Leo gathered the spiritual power, now glowing blue, at his fingertips and slammed it into the ground.
Fwoosh-!
The spiritual power seeped into the ground and vanished.
“...”
“...”
Chelsea, who had been extremely tense, looked at Karl with a deflated expression.
“Nothing's happening.”
“...He's summoned something.”
Woreden narrowed his eyes.
“What did he summon?”
“I don't know. But we'd better take down Leo Flove quickly.”
Woreden armed himself with Spirit Armor.
Fwoosh-
The spirit of flames enveloped Woreden's body like armor.
Seeing this, Chelsea also readjusted her grip on her staff, lowered her stance, and unleashed the spell she had been preparing.
“Scorching Gale.”
Fwoooooosh-!
A fierce wind began to whip around Chelsea.
Seeing this, Leo narrowed his eyes.
‘Chelsea's unique magic.’
It's a field-type magic, like Chloe's unique magic, Ice World.
The difference is that Chloe's unique magic is a wide-area spell that freezes the entire vicinity.
It could attack enemies with powerful frost, slow their movements, and create a battlefield advantageous to her allies, pressuring the opponent.
But Chelsea's Scorching Gale is different.
By itself, it doesn't have much offensive power.
The troublesome part, however, is...
Whoosh-!
Chelsea charged swiftly toward Leo.
Leo summoned Lanchea and swung it.
His aim was to keep Chelsea at bay using the spear's long reach.
Swish-!
In that moment.
Chelsea's body moved erratically.
Like a fish swimming freely through water.
She dodged Leo's attack with movements unlike her usual ones.
“Wind Sword.”
A blade of wind formed at the tip of Chelsea's staff.
Clang-!
The wind sword and the flame-wreathed spear clashed.
Leo reached out to grab Chelsea.
Whoosh-!
But once again, Chelsea evaded with astonishing agility.
Fwoosh-!
As Leo tried to pursue Chelsea, the wind blew, obstructing him.
Scorching Gale was a spell that dramatically increased Chelsea's combat prowess in close quarters.
That wasn't all.
The one with control over the wind in the area...
Leo raised his head.
Eliza was controlling the wind using her Wind Wyvern and spirit arts.
A battlefield perfectly advantageous to them.
“Even for you, Leo, it won't be easy to beat this combination!”
Chelsea shouted triumphantly.
Fwoosh-!
Woreden, having closed the distance to Leo's face, threw a punch.
Craaaash-!
Leo blocked Woreden's fist with his hand.
Thud-!
Leo's feet dug into the ground.
Leo counterattacked by kicking Woreden in the abdomen.
Fwoosh! Boom-!
Woreden was sent flying and slammed into the ground.
Rumble-
Woreden brushed off the dust, got up, and cracked his neck a few times.
Crack- crack-
The light sound of bones popping could be heard.
“You okay?”
Karl asked with a weary face, and Woreden glanced at him.
“Don't worry about me, just focus on commanding. Your predictions are hitting the mark.”
“Got it.”
Karl looked at Leo.
‘The front line is definitely the biggest concern.’
Chelsea is a battle mage with overwhelming front-line combat abilities.
Woreden's close-quarters combat using Spirit Armor is also terrifyingly effective.
But even so, compared to Celia or Duran, who specialize in holding the front line, they are at a clear disadvantage.
Right now, they're barely managing to hold Leo down.
If they make even a small mistake and one of them falls, the front line will be wiped out.
And Eliza and Abad would immediately become Leo's targets.
‘Or I'd become the target. No, in the first place, if even just Chelsea is taken out by Leo, it's over.’
Chelsea, the King of Harmony.
For someone like Chelsea to face Leo on the front lines was an incredibly dangerous task.
Karl hurriedly touched his ear.
Hum-! A communication spell activated.
“Chelsea! Woreden! Leo's about to use magic! Get back!”
Kaboom-!
As he spoke, an explosion erupted around Leo.
“Abad! Now!”
Riding the Wind Wyvern, Abad raised his staff high.
Fwoooooosh-!
“Cutter Storm.”
As he unleashed the spell, a massive tornado formed and flew toward Leo.
Screeeech-!
A hair-raising sound echoed from the wind.
Within each layer of the vortex, sharp blades of wind spun.
It was a wind whose very existence was like a giant blade.
Whoosh!
Abad's Cutter Storm swallowed Leo whole.
“That was amazing.”
“As long as the wind is on our side, Chelsea and I can become even stronger.”
Abad smiled and winked at Eliza.
Just as Eliza scoffed.
Booom-!
“...!”
With a massive sonic boom, the Cutter Storm vanished.
“...The fact that he's completely unscathed is a shock.”
Abad gave a bitter smile.
“But you're doing well! Leo's weakness is his unavoidable mana capacity! If we hold out, we can win!”
Karl's voice came through the communication spell.
“Hmph, Karl. That's your problem.”
Eliza scoffed.
“We swallowed our pride to join forces.”
Eliza pulled on the Wind Wyvern's reins.
“Win by dragging it out? I don't want a cheap victory like that. Even if we lose, unless we face Leo Flove's power head-on... I won't be satisfied.”
To Eliza's growling words, Karl said.
“I don't think you'll have to worry about that.”
Rumble-!
A pillar of flame erupted from Leo's body.
Fwoosh-!
Karl broke out in a cold sweat.
“Here he comes.”
Whoosh-!
An aura of flame raged.
Chelsea retreated in fright, and Woreden became her shield.
At the same time.
“-!”
A tremendous roar escaped Leo's lips.
“Kuh?”
“Eek?”
Hearing Leo's voice, Woreden flinched back, and Chelsea trembled for a moment.
“Howling?”
Abad muttered in disbelief.
“Is there anything that man can't do?!”
“More than you think.”
“...!”
A reply to Eliza's shout came from above.
Fwoosh-
“I can't do everything, you know.”
In the instant their bodies froze due to the Howling.
Leo, who had approached at incredible speed, threw a kick.
The shimmering aura of flame on Leo's foot captivated Abad and Eliza's attention.
Bam-!
In that moment, Woreden flew in swiftly and blocked Leo's kick with his arm.
Fwoooooosh! Crash-
Unable to withstand the impact, Woreden plummeted to the ground and crashed.
Fwoosh-
Leo readjusted his grip on Lanchea.
“Come to think of it, both of you were judged dead by Lanchea, weren't you?”
“Yes, that spear... I hate the sight of it!”
Screeeech!
The Wind Wyvern let out a sharp cry and opened its maw wide.
A Wind Breath washed over Leo.
In the instant the two created distance.
Flutter-!
With the sound of flapping wings, dozens of small birds descended upon Leo.
Clatter-!
Their sharp, awl-like beaks looked as if they would pierce right through Leo.
“Reflection.”
Leo deployed a shield spell.
Th-th-th-thud-!
The beaks of the birds that flew in momentarily embedded themselves in Leo's magic shield.
“...Wind birds?”
Familiars made from sparrows using magic.
But wind birds have almost no attack power.
Leo turned his head.
Chelsea was standing there.
“They're my familiars.”
Chelsea grinned.
“The Scorching Gale spell gives them strength.”
The wind birds gathered around Chelsea.
“Don't worry, Leo Flove. We won't resort to a battle of attrition.”
Woreden stirred his spiritual power.
“We'll use our full power to take you down.”
Abad said, chanting numerous spells.
‘Excellent.’
Even though they've felt the wall, they charge forward without hesitation.
Even knowing the difference in power, they don't hold back, striving for a clear victory.
They are never afraid to move forward.
They squeeze out everything they have and point their blades at him.
“I don't really mind if you drag this out.”
Leo smiled and raised his palm.
“Because I'll win before that happens.”
Leo's hand swung down from above.
***
‘...Even for Leo, it's difficult to handle the powers of the Phoenix and the Fairy at the same time. He can fight with overwhelming power for a moment, but it won't last long. As long as we know about the Fairy, we have plenty of ways to counter it.’
Karl was lost in thought.
He predicted Leo's attack patterns and gave commands.
The four of them were able to perfectly synchronize their actions because Karl was watching Leo's movements from a distance and directing them.
Thanks to him, they were fighting on equal footing with Leo.
But...
‘Why... isn't he using his summoning arts?’
Leo has powerful phantom beasts, the Phoenix and the Fairy.
They are probably Leo's strongest cards.
But since the battle began, Leo hadn't used his summoning arts even once.
‘No, he used it once.’
For a fleeting moment.
He used spirit arts one time.
‘What in the world was that for...?’
Rumble-!
The moment Karl felt bewildered.
The very earth shook.
Swooooooooosh-!
With it came a strange sound.
‘...The sound of waves?’
Realizing the source of the sound, Karl whipped his head around.
And his jaw dropped.
“Hey... no matter how you look at it, this is...”
Karl, who had spoken in a lament, let out a scream.
“This is too much!”
Swooooosh!
A massive tidal wave swept over the battlefield.