Chapter 470
Chapter Title: A Declaration of War
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470.
KRA-KOOOOM!
As Lil swung her battle hammer, the very ground shook.
The spirits, sympathizing with Lil's emotions, unleashed a powerful fury of their own.
Leo watched the scene, impressed.
'Her synchronization rate with her contracted spirits is incredibly high.'
A spirit user is someone who fights by drawing out the power of their contracted spirits to the absolute limit.
It's useless to contract with a high-ranking spirit if you can't draw out its full potential.
And the most crucial factor in drawing out a spirit's power is the synchronization rate.
Lil understood her contracted spirits so well that her own emotions could influence them.
'Most people try to get stronger by contracting with high-ranking spirits. But this is just like Lil. She's built a solid foundation.'
It's not easy to be so diligent, putting in meticulous effort even where it can't be seen.
'No wonder they call her a monster.'
While Leo was still marveling at her...
"Hmph. The students representing Lumerne certainly have foul mouths."
Setian sighed.
"You need to be more aware of your position. Representing Lumerne is no small matter."
Setian's cold gaze turned to Leo.
"Especially you, Leo Flove. As one who has attained the title of hero, you should be a model for others—"
KRA-KRAK-KRAK!
"...!"
The aura erupting from Leo's sword shot toward Setian's neck.
Another knight from the Justice Guild, who was standing nearby, blocked Leo's attack with a shield.
The sword strike had been unleashed in the blink of an eye.
The aura-clad shield trembled violently.
"What power..."
The female knight's expression hardened as she looked at Leo.
"You're not really in a position to be lecturing me, are you?"
*Step.*
Leo took a step toward the Justice Guild.
'Among them, the one with the most combat power is that guy, Joren.'
Leo glanced at Joren, who was clashing with Lil.
And as expected of someone from Lumerne, he was no mere riffraff.
'A master who has survived countless battlefields. And it's the same for these guys, too.'
Regardless of their insane values, they were members of the world-renowned Justice Guild.
Leo's red eyes swept over the four members of the Justice Guild.
'Two knight classes, one summoner, and one mage.'
An ideal party composition.
A glint appeared in Leo's red eyes.
Seeing it, the female knight holding the shield flinched slightly.
"Such ferocious bloodlust. You don't look much like a hero, Leo Flove."
The female knight composed herself and raised her spear.
"A hero should naturally be a model for—"
"You keep spouting that bullshit about being a model."
Leo said, resting his sword on his shoulder.
"I'm the kind of person who's never once thought about wanting to be a hero. Not back then, and not now."
"What did you say?"
"I'm not exactly the type of person who fits the modern definition of a hero."
'If a hero is someone who revolutionizes the world, guides it toward righteousness, and gives countless people dreams... then I'm less suited to be a hero than anyone.'
Not that he had any intention of becoming one.
"I only enrolled in Lumerne because I had something to check on personally."
Leo let out a smirk.
"I never aimed to be a hero or worked toward it. Yeah. It just sort of... happened?"
Seeing Leo shrug, the faces of the Justice Guild members hardened.
"Isn't it funny, you telling someone like me to be a model hero?"
"You... Just what do you think a hero is?!"
"How should I know? Was 'What is a hero?' ever something worth deep contemplation?"
The female knight's shoulders began to tremble.
She wasn't the only one.
Fury was etched on the faces of the other Justice Guild members.
"A person like you, a hero! It's unacceptable!"
"Whether you accept it or not, I'm already a hero, aren't I?"
"No! You are not a hero! You are absolutely not someone fit to be a hero! Your name being inscribed in the Hero Record by the gods' choice must have been an error! Yes! That's why you don't even have a title!"
Ignoring the hysterically shouting female knight, Leo spoke nonchalantly.
"Still, don't you think I'm a much better fit to be a hero than trash like you?"
"Nonsense."
Setian revealed his anger.
"Becoming a hero at such a young age must have made you blind. A brat like you, with no nobility, no goals, let alone ideals or ambition, could never be fit to be a hero! A hero is a special existence! Only those who would devote themselves to the world can become heroes!"
At that shout, Leo smirked again.
'He's right. Those are things I've never had.'
The nobility of Lisinas, who yearned for the light and sought to reclaim what was lost.
Luna's somewhat eccentric but grand goal of filling the world with flowers.
Ar-on's warm ideal of creating a world where children could live without worry.
Dweno's great ambition to fill the world with beauty.
Unlike his friends, who each had a path they pursued, Kyle had never really pursued anything.
He simply followed the natural order.
He entrusted himself to the flow of the world.
The result was the great achievement of saving the world, but still.
Leo still wondered.
'Why was I born as Erebos's natural enemy, and why was I reincarnated with my memories intact?'
Was it coincidence or fate?
He couldn't even tell if it was inevitable.
Why did the world choose him, of all people?
'There must have been others more suited for this power than me.'
Someone like Lisinas, for example.
'As a savior of the world, She's a much better fit than someone like me.'
After a moment of thought, Leo chuckled.
'Is there any need to overthink it? What's important is that I have to pass down this world, which I saved with my friends, to the next generation. And...'
"That you bastards are definitely wrong."
Leo looked at the heavily armored knight charging at him, exuding pressure.
'Mithril.'
A clear and pure light.
High-purity mithril full plate.
Armor that grants both powerful defense and swift mobility.
The knight approached, wielding a longsword and shield.
From the rear, Setian's chanting could be heard, and the summoner summoned a water spirit.
A powerful surge of mana swirled around Setian's staff.
FWOOOSH!
A pillar of water erupted from the ground and engulfed Leo.
Immense water pressure crushed down on Leo.
This attack alone would have been enough to make an ordinary person's body explode, but it wasn't over.
CR-CR-CRACKLE!
As Setian's spell completed, the water binding Leo froze solid.
Trapped in the ice, Leo was completely immobilized.
An aura-infused sword and spear flew toward the trapped Leo.
It was a fleeting moment.
In that brief instant, they had launched a flawless coordinated attack.
"I'll show you just how big the world is!"
Setian roared.
At that moment.
Inside the ice, the corners of Leo's mouth curled up.
*Crack-!*
A crack appeared in the ice.
KRRR-SHATTER!
The ice shattered, and Leo was freed.
The aura-infused spear and sword cut through the empty air and crossed paths.
CLANG-!
Having ducked to avoid the attack, Leo threw the sword in his hand.
*THWACK-!*
"Keuk?!"
The sword, flying at an imperceptible speed, embedded itself in the spirit user's shoulder.
And just like that, the sword tore the spirit user's arm clean off at the shoulder.
Ignoring the spirit user who was sent flying and crashed uselessly to the ground, Leo swiftly threw his fists at the two knights who were about to swing their swords at him.
*CRACK-!*
The sword and spear that touched Leo's hands shattered with absurd ease.
"No...!"
"What the—!"
Ignoring their cries of shock, Leo's fists struck the female knight's shield and the other knight's mithril armor.
The female knight scoffed.
"This is an adamantium shield! It boasts invincible defense—"
*CRUNCH-!*
The adamantium shield was destroyed with anticlimactic ease.
"No...!"
*BAM-!*
Leo's fist slammed directly into the female knight's face.
Her face caved in, the female knight collapsed.
His other fist crumpled the mithril armor like paper before tearing it to shreds.
The knight, his chest caved in, also vomited blood and collapsed to the ground.
Having taken down three guild members in an instant, Leo approached Setian with a blank expression.
"Wh-what... What kind of trick did you use?!"
Setian's lips trembled.
Three members of the world's greatest hero guild had been defeated without being able to put up a fight.
Looking at the horrified Setian, Leo opened his palm.
"It's just simple spirit arts."
"What?!"
"I tried imitating one of my friends."
What Leo had imitated was none other than Lisinas's spirit arts.
"A matter of fundamentals, I guess."
Leo calmly held out his palm.
Lesser spirits of water and wind appeared, crossing their arms as if to say, "Ahem!"
"Typical spirit users become useless once they can't summon their spirits."
Leo said, looking at the spirit user sprawled on the ground.
"He seemed to be a water spirit user. I had my contracted spirits interfere with his contract. His synchronization rate was pathetic, you know?"
The spirit user had contracted with a highest-grade spirit, but breaking the contract itself was simple.
"As for the knights, even if they reinforce their equipment with aura, they're left momentarily defenseless if it's destroyed. So I used spirit arts to corrode their gear."
"There's no way mithril and adamantium could corrode so easily...!"
"If you know the basics of alchemy, changing the properties of even the hardest minerals is simple. Though, this wouldn't have worked if they had refined their aura more solidly."
*Step.*
Leo reached Setian.
"Your magic was the same. I used spirits to destroy part of your spell formula. That's why it didn't work properly. Your formula was crude. Did you not study the basic concepts enough?"
"Are you insulting us?! There's no way something so absurd is possible! You used a special power, didn't you?! It's unfair! Why would the gods gift a special ability to someone like you?! Why! Why! Why did they give me only ordinary abilities...?!"
"Gods this, gods that. You were all just lazy. That's why you fell for such simple spirit arts, nothing special about them."
Leo said in annoyance.
In truth, it was not simple spirit arts.
It was simple in theory, but executing it required an overwhelming synchronization rate, a deep understanding of spirit arts, and experience.
It was, quite literally, spirit arts that transcended common sense.
However, just as Leo said, it was a method that wouldn't have worked if their fundamentals had been properly polished.
'It's the perfect technique to use against those who only pursue special things while neglecting the basics.'
Those who cling only to visible achievements will find their shoddy foundations holding them back at the crucial moment.
Even if it hadn't been Leo, they would have eventually died in the process of trying to achieve greatness.
"To think you'd prattle on about becoming a hero when you've reached your age without even knowing how big the world is."
"You bastard!"
*CRUNCH-!*
"Gah?!"
Leo kicked Setian in the chest.
As Setian collapsed, vomiting blood, the light faded from his eyes.
"Sometimes, when I see people like you, I feel a sense of futility."
Leo narrowed his eyes.
"To think that so many people who truly risked everything can't even enjoy this peace."
Leo let out a deep breath and scratched his head roughly.
"Well, I saved it knowing all that, so I don't particularly regret it."
All those who had saved the world probably felt the same.
Leo looked up at the sky.
He could feel a gaze watching him from afar.
'Still, I should at least have the right to do some cleaning.'
Leo grinned fiercely and raised his middle finger to the empty air.
It was a declaration of war against the Justice Guild.
"I'll wipe you all out. You pieces of trash."