Chapter 370
Chapter Title: The Despairing Spirit of Light
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Leo gazed at the spirit before him.
It hadn't taken him long to reach the top of this Castle of Delights.
The illusions laid out here were clearly dangerous enough to take one's life.
But they had no effect on Leo.
*Thud— Thud—*
Leo approached Laruel.
Laruel watched him with a blank expression.
“How did you get here so quickly?”
Laruel's illusions couldn't be broken just because the one who entered them was powerful.
It was a 'test' that was fair to all, regardless of strength.
And he had passed this test with absurd ease.
Leo answered Laruel's question.
“Because I've experienced it all before.”
At Leo's response, Laruel's eyes twitched.
“You've... experienced it?”
“Yes. It's a bit much to say myself, but.”
A smirk playing on his lips, Leo began.
“Surpassing my own limits.”
Leo's red eyes stared directly at Laruel.
“Believing in myself until the very end.”
*Thud— Thud—*
“Summoning the courage to move forward in the face of endless despair.”
*Thud—*
“And pursuing possibility in the face of the impossible.”
Standing before Laruel, Leo spoke.
“I've done it all so much it's sickening. That's why mere illusions aren't enough to break me.”
“Don't be ridiculous. It's not as easy as you make it sound!”
Laruel shouted.
“There are those who have sacrificed themselves for thousands of years because they couldn't do it! Don't speak so lightly!”
“Are you talking about the Heroes of the Beginning?”
“...!”
Laruel's eyes widened.
Aside from Seirun, Leo had never met the Heroes of the Beginning.
But he knew the spirit in which they had left their mottos at the academies they founded.
Surpass your limits.
Believe in yourself.
Move forward.
Pursue possibility.
Future generations thought these mottos were the values the Heroes of the Beginning pursued.
But that wasn't the reality.
Lumerne believed he had ultimately failed to surpass his limits.
Seirun thought she had given up, unable to believe in herself to the end, and Azonia blamed himself for lacking the courage to move forward.
Demian, in the end, lost faith in his own potential and laid down his hammer.
The mottos of each hero academy were the things their founders believed they themselves had failed to achieve.
They were words left behind with the desperate wish that future heroes, unlike them, would surpass their limits, believe in themselves, move forward, and realize their potential.
*'Foolish bastards.'*
Leo sighed inwardly.
Leo could vaguely understand why the Heroes of the Beginning felt that way.
The only Hero of the Beginning Leo had met was Seirun.
But when Seirun realized Leo's identity, she couldn't even meet his gaze.
She had simply bowed her head in guilt, her shoulders trembling.
The Heroes of the Beginning had saved the world.
*'But they themselves didn't think so.'*
They had succeeded in defeating Erebos, but they had failed to subjugate him.
*'Because the calamitous flame with the power of immortality burns endlessly.'*
Watching the black flame flare up again and again, the Heroes of the Beginning had no choice but to imprison Erebos in their own world.
And to prevent his escape, they destroyed the Hero Record.
The Heroes of the Beginning believed they had failed by entrusting the world's fate to future generations.
*'If they hadn't surpassed their limits, they wouldn't have endured the loop that repeated for thousands of years. If they hadn't believed in themselves, they would have collapsed in that desperate situation. Without courage, they couldn't have chosen to sacrifice themselves. And it was because they pursued possibility that they were able to pass hope on to the future.'*
After meeting Seirun.
Leo found himself wanting to meet the other Heroes of the Beginning as soon as possible.
*'What in the world did they see while they were clearing our Hero Record?'*
The Great Heroes were no different.
How many times had they hit their limits?
How many times had they lost faith in themselves and despaired?
There were countless times they were terrified, countless times they doubted their potential.
They must have seen their own pathetic states countless times.
And yet, the Great Heroes saved the world.
*'Because they didn't give up.'*
The Heroes of the Beginning were the same.
To think they were so pessimistic about themselves despite achieving something so great.
*'I'll have to give them a piece of my mind if I get the chance.'*
Leo clicked his tongue before speaking to Laruel.
“So, what are you? How do you know the Heroes of the Beginning, and why are you testing the values they pursued?”
“My name is Laruel. I am the Great Spirit of Radiance, who governs light.”
“The Great Spirit of Radiance?”
Leo tilted his head.
“The spirit who contracted with the Dragon of the Beginning, Rodia?”
Countless contractors of Great Spirits have existed in the world.
But for the last 3000 years, no one had formed a contract with the Great Spirit of Light.
In truth, the Spirit of Light held a special place in history.
That specialty dated back to the distant past.
A truth acknowledged since the Age of Gods.
The Great Spirit of Light would only grant a contract to one who not only had the qualities of a spirit master but also the right to lead the world for generations.
The Great Spirit of Radiance, Luminus, who had contracted with Lisinas, had also chosen her as a contractor because he believed she was one who would lead the world.
As they only contracted with such noble individuals, the Great Spirits of Light were known only through their existence in history.
They rarely ever made an actual appearance.
Therefore, it wasn't impossible for one to go without a contractor for thousands of years.
But...
“I didn't realize there hadn't even been a generational change.”
“Because Rodia left me with a request.”
Laruel's eyes turned cold.
“To find a hero who could save the world.”
“I see. So that's why you created those illusions.”
He now understood why such powerful illusions had blocked his path.
“Was it a test?”
“...It used to be.”
A shadow fell over her pale golden eyes, which looked as if they could shine brilliantly at any moment.
Watching her, Leo crossed his arms.
“So, does passing all your illusions qualify me as a contractor?”
“...Don't you think you're being a little too arrogant, Leo Flove?”
Laruel sneered.
“The illusions are only part of the test. There are many other trials besides them.”
“Is that so? What are these tests?”
“I never said I was going to test you.”
Laruel's body floated gently into the air.
Crossing her legs and sweeping back her white hair, tinged with a golden hue, Laruel narrowed her eyes.
“Over the past few thousand years, heroes far greater than a mere hero-in-training like you... heroes you couldn't even compare to have come seeking a contract with me. Fully prepared, at that.”
-A hero greater than Leo... That sounds like an impossible story.
“And what are you?”
-My name is Elsie.
“A dark-attribute spirit?”
-Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, Laruel, Spirit of Radiance.
Elsie lifted the hem of her skirt slightly and curtsied demurely.
Watching Elsie, Laruel narrowed her eyes.
“I dislike spirits of darkness. They're needlessly gloomy.”
-Spirits of darkness dislike spirits of light, too. You're all needlessly bright. Though I quite like that radiance.
Laruel thought Elsie was a strange spirit.
A Great Spirit possesses the authority of dominion, allowing them to reign over lesser spirits.
Even if they are not of the same element, a lesser spirit cannot dare to defy a Great Spirit.
But Elsie retorted without hesitation.
Only another Great Spirit could do that.
The current Great Spirit of Darkness that Laruel knew of was Ignit, the Spirit of the Abyss.
*'I've never heard anything about a generational change among the spirits of darkness.'*
Laruel lost interest in Elsie.
Seeing Laruel turn away, Elsie gave a small, bitter smile.
“It's unfair to deny me a test just because I showed up unannounced. I did pass one of them, didn't I?”
“You seem to covet the title of my contractor, don't you? How greedy. Aren't you already the contractor for the Three Great Phantom Beasts? Or what is it? Do you have some kind of desire to collect summoned beasts? Unfortunately for you, I gave up on this world a long time ago.”
Laruel's lips curled into a sneer.
“If you want the title of the Great Spirit of Light's contractor like all those other heroes, then wait for the next one.”
At Laruel's mockery, Leo and Elsie looked at each other.
Leo burst out laughing, while Elsie covered her mouth, stifling her own chuckles.
At their reaction, Laruel's eyes twitched.
“What's so funny?”
-How could one not laugh? The Great Spirit of Light, said to be nobler than any other spirit, acting as the ruler of this dark city and saying, 'I gave up on this world.'
At Elsie's words, Laruel's eyes filled with anger.
“Do you have any idea how I feel? How I feel after wandering for thousands of years in search of a contractor, seeing all the ugliness of the world?”
An unusual light emanated from Laruel's body.
Watching Laruel, Elsie's expression showed a hint of disappointment.
Elsie held a strong admiration for the light.
A yearning for the light born from being the darkest of beings, living through the darkest of ages.
Naturally, she revered the Great Spirit of Light, who was filled with the light she could never possess or even see.
The Age of Calamity. When Elsie first opened her eyes, the Great Spirit of Light did not exist.
That was why she had always longed to meet the Great Spirit of Light of the current era.
But Laruel was different from the Great Spirit of Light Elsie had imagined.
As the Great Spirit of Darkness, Elsie could sense the deep darkness that had taken root in Laruel's heart.
“Why would someone like the Great Spirit of Light give up on the world?”
Laruel shouted at Leo, who asked as if he couldn't understand.
“I've wandered for thousands of years! Searching for a hero who could save my contractor! A hero who could save the world! But these so-called heroes are so engrossed in their own achievements that they refuse to move forward!”
Laruel screamed in frustration.
“For 3000 years, I haven't seen a single proper hero! Only those filled with the desire to elevate themselves by becoming my contractor, rather than walking toward the light on their own! Do you have any idea how it feels to have watched those kinds of people for 3000 years, people who get drunk on petty arrogance just for getting their names in the Hero Record and boast they can do anything!”
Laruel's voice, venting her fury, trembled harshly.
As the Great Spirit of Light, she was trembling with rage at her own pathetic self for having to ultimately give up on the world... on her precious contractor.
“Yes! There were those who challenged the World of the Beginning! But! None of them were spirit masters who could contract with me! And even the great and noble heroes just end up repeating their failures!”
Continuous frustration traps one in darkness.
“And those worthy of contracting with me are too busy running away after seeing just a fraction of the darkness I've witnessed!”
Laruel cried out, utterly fed up.
“It's not just the heroes! Look at this country! The land where the Dragon of the Beginning was born has become so vile. Are these people even worth saving?!”
Knowing what future awaited the world only added to her pain.
“Don't speak so lightly! A human who lives for barely a hundred years! And a fledgling spirit! Do you have any idea what true despair is?!”
Having vented her pent-up emotions, Laruel hung her head low.
Looking at her, Leo and Elsie spoke at the same time.
“Wouldn't I know far better than you?”
-Wouldn't I know far better than you?
“What?”
“I get how you feel, but do you have any idea?”
Leo said nonchalantly.
“What it's like to watch a world be destroyed.”
“What are you...”
“Tsk, tsk. That Spirit of the Abyss or whatever I met before also acted like he'd seen all the world's ugliness. And now the Great Spirit of Light is doing it too? What's with kids these days?”
-Leo, you know you sound like a real old man right now, don't you?
Shaking her head, Elsie approached Laruel and spoke.
-Would you like to see it? The age I had to live through?