Chapter 621
Chapter Title: Monstrous Transformation
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“How arrogant. Then again, uncontrollable confidence is a privilege of the young.”
Jorua nodded as he watched Leo point his sword and make his declaration.
His stiff expression had already regained its composure.
“Especially for an unprecedented hero like you. I believe you're more than qualified. But it wouldn't hurt to show you just how big the world is.”
Jorua smiled, looking at Leo.
“I will make you even more perfect than you are now—”
*Thwack-!*
Leo, who had appeared before Jorua in an instant, swept his leg.
Normally, he would have lost his balance and fallen.
But Leo's kick shattered Jorua's leg below the knee.
“No.”
Leo said nonchalantly.
*Thud-*
With his leg gone below the knee, Jorua unwittingly dropped to his knees, forced to look up at Leo.
“You don't deserve to stand and look down on anyone.”
Leo looked down at Jorua as if he were an insignificant bug.
“Bugs should crawl on the ground where they belong.”
*Stomp-!*
Leo then stomped on Jorua's head, crushing it.
Even though he had Reina's appearance, there was no hesitation in Leo's actions.
*Swoosh-!*
Jorua's body dissolved into dust, soon revealing a skeleton.
“Such a rough attack. Are you venting your anger?”
“Anger?”
Leo looked puzzled.
“It's far from such a romantic emotion.”
*Fwoosh-!*
Leo closed the distance to Jorua.
Flames erupted violently from Leo's sword.
Seeing the fiery aura licking at the air as if to devour him, Jorua deployed his magic.
*Crack-!*
A freezing spell swirled and enveloped Leo.
The flames died out, and Leo was trapped in ice.
*Hiss-!*
The rapidly dropping temperature created a thick layer of frost.
Jorua looked at the trapped Leo and said.
“You can't win by attacking so recklessly.”
Just as Jorua grinned.
*Crack-!*
A crack appeared in the ice.
Seeing this, Jorua's expression changed.
*‘What? There was no sign of him using magic or summoning.’*
*Shatter-*
Leo shattered the ice and stood on the ground with a composed look.
Leo glanced at the magic that had imprisoned him.
“Ice Prison. A stellar magic created by Seirun?”
“Yes. It's my own reinterpretation and enhancement of the Comet Sorcerer's unique magic. Do you still doubt my abilities?”
“Sloppy. The spell collapsed just from severing a single link in its mana.”
“What?”
Leo's indifferent gaze turned to Jorua.
“Is ruining what others have created your only talent?”
Jorua's face hardened.
“Let me kindly teach you.”
Leo grinned.
“Just how much the abilities you've stolen are rotting away because of you.”
***
“Hmph!”
Jamua held his breath.
A massive flame surged toward him.
*KABOOOOM-!*
The magic exploded.
Just as the citizens of the Flove domain screamed and fled.
“-!”
A beautiful song, unfitting for the urgent situation, could be heard.
*Whoooosh-!*
A powerful wind swept through the area.
But the wind soon seemed to gain a will of its own, gently wrapping around the citizens just before they were engulfed by the flames.
The wind gently saved the people from the fire.
Jamua watched in admiration.
“Impressive!”
The wind saved more than just the people on the brink of being caught in the explosion.
There were buildings that had collapsed due to the fierce battle.
And many were trapped beneath them.
The wind cleared away all the debris and rescued the people from the ruins.
Chelsea was literally controlling the winds in the area.
*‘When did she grow so much?’*
Jamua looked at Chelsea, amazed.
She wasn't this skilled back during the second-year winter break.
In the short time he hadn't seen her, she had grown unrecognizable.
*‘Is this Leo's influence?’*
Jamua recalled who was leading the Lumerne third-years now and grinned.
It was then.
*Groooaaar-!*
An ogre let out a roar and picked up a piece of building debris.
*Vwooom-!*
A dark red energy began to shimmer around the massive chunk of rock.
Seeing it, Jamua's eyes twitched.
*‘Aura?’*
Jamua's eyes twitched.
The power used by a monster.
It was clearly aura.
Demons, magical beasts, and monsters are all cursed creatures born from the land of Tartaros.
Demons are the inhabitants of Tartaros, and monsters are their malformed livestock.
And magical beasts are a higher form of life than monsters.
And the source of their power was demonic energy.
If humans process mana into aura, magical power, and spiritual power, the creatures of Tartaros process demonic energy.
Naturally, the power they emit is fundamentally different.
*‘But that ogre just used aura.’*
It wasn't the dark aura used by demons.
It was pure aura, the same kind he used.
It wasn't a power a monster should be able to use.
For a fleeting moment, Jamua felt a flicker of doubt, but his actions were swift.
A normal physical attack wouldn't reach Chelsea, who was currently controlling the surrounding winds.
But a thrown attack infused with aura was a different story.
*Fwip-!*
*Craaaash-!*
Just as Jamua leaped, the ogre hurled the aura-wreathed debris at Chelsea.
“Hraaaagh!”
Jamua, wrapping his body in aura, let out a shout.
*KABOOOOM-!*
Jamua blocked the attack but was pushed back.
*Creaak- Creak-*
The pressure from the massive debris crushed down on his entire body.
*Thud-!*
As he was being pushed back, Jamua dug his feet into the ground.
“Uraaaaaaah!”
Jamua then heaved the pile of debris upward.
*Whooooosh-*
The building debris shot into the sky at incredible speed and vanished without a trace.
Jamua snorted, rolled his shoulders, and said.
“It's been a while since I had a proper workout.”
Despite having blocked an attack that could tear through powerful defensive magic like paper with his bare body, Jamua was perfectly composed.
His armor was in tatters, but his sturdy body was unscathed.
Jamua looked at the ogre and licked his upper lip.
Chelsea, watching from behind, spoke up.
“Jamua.”
“What is it?”
“Couldn't you have just blocked that with a shield or something?”
“Shields are just cumbersome. If I used one and it shattered, the flying fragments could cause even more damage.”
“Still… isn't that way too dangerous?”
“Hmph.”
Jamua laughed smugly and pounded his chest with his fist.
“I have overcome countless trials with this body alone! This powerful physique is what made me who I am today! If I can't trust my own body, who can I trust?”
Watching Jamua's dynamically flexing muscles, Chelsea shook her head.
“Chelsea Llewellyn! You too can obtain such a powerful body if you train!”
“I think I'll pass on becoming… that.”
“A knight-in-training should be able to overcome trials with their body alone!”
“I'm in the magic department.”
Chelsea and Jamua exchanged lighthearted banter.
All the civilians in the area had already been evacuated to safety.
While Jamua defended against the barrage of magic attacks, Chelsea had quickly evacuated everyone nearby.
“By the way.”
Chelsea's eyes narrowed as she scanned the surroundings.
“There's no sign of the Hero Hunters.”
As soon as Chelsea and Jamua overcame Lisinas's magic and entered the city in the Flove domain, they were met with powerful magic that had begun to indiscriminately destroy the area.
But there was no human presence to be felt in the vicinity.
All that was there was a single ogre.
*‘Are they hiding? But there's no sign of that, either.’*
Just as Chelsea, who had quickly analyzed the situation through the wind, frowned.
*Thud-! Thud-!*
The giant ogre walked forward.
*Groooaaaaaaaaaaar!*
An ear-splitting roar erupted from the ogre's mouth.
Chelsea, who had covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut at the roar, frowned and looked at the ogre.
And her expression turned to one of confusion.
The ogre was crying.
“Tears of blood.”
Jamua narrowed his eyes.
“And Chelsea. Look at its hands.”
“Huh?”
Chelsea looked at the ogre's hands.
They were now holding a massive greatsword and a staff.
“An ogre with a sword and a magic staff?”
As Chelsea looked bewildered, Jamua furrowed his brow.
“That's not all.”
*Vwoooooom-!*
A dark red aura shimmered from the ogre's sword, and a dark red magical power emanated from its staff.
Seeing that, Chelsea's expression changed.
Aura and magical power.
Powers a monster shouldn't be able to use.
“I see.”
Jamua let out a low groan.
“So this is a turning point for the era.”
The world has witnessed countless miracles.
In that case…
“It's only natural that we'd witness a nightmare of equal proportion.”
“Jamua, don't tell me that ogre…”
“Yes.”
Jamua clenched and unclenched his fists.
“It must have originally been a Hero Hunter.”
“…”
Chelsea's face hardened.
Monsters are catastrophic beings in their own right.
Ogres, in particular, are among the most threatening of such monsters.
Beasts with life force and physical strength that far surpass humans.
And they also possess cunning intelligence.
However, their intelligence is only remarkable for a monster.
Compared to demons or magical beasts, they aren't that threatening.
Even a first-year at Lumerne could handle an ogre.
But what if you added human power to an ogre's overwhelming physical abilities?
And what if that power belonged to a Hero Hunter, someone who hunts heroes?
*‘No, in this case, it's more accurate to say the Hero Hunter obtained the ogre's power.’*
Chelsea looked at the ogre with trembling eyes.
It wasn't out of fear.
“Do you pity it?”
Chelsea flinched at Jamua's words, then spoke.
“I'm sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. I pity it, too.”
What good is gaining such immense power if you're reduced to a monster?
It was no different from losing your very essence.
“Though it's ultimately what they deserve.”
“Yes.”
Chelsea nodded coolly at Jamua's words.
Pity is just pity.
The fact that it is an enemy to be subjugated remains unchanged.
“I'll take the front, Chelsea Llewellyn.”
“Leave the rear to me.”
“Heh heh. To think that little kid has become so dependable.”
“Kids grow up fast, you know.”
“Though you're still short as ever!”
Jamua laughed, "Hahaha!" and patted Chelsea's head with his giant hand.
Chelsea grinned back at Jamua.
*‘If he weren't my senior, I would've clocked him one.’*
***
Chelsea and Jamua weren't the only ones facing a Hero Hunter who had transformed into a magical beast.
*Thud-!*
The ground shook.
Abad watched the approaching Gigantes in the distance and said.
“So you're saying that's a Hero Hunter?”
“Yes. It was using magic.”
Lis looked at the Gigantes with cold eyes.
The magical beast Gigantes, a creature known as a disaster on the battlefield in its own right.
And now, such a Gigantes was using magic.
“This is going to be a headache.”
A murderous glint flashed in Lis's eyes.
***
*Whoooosh-*
“Ugh-! There are so many!”
High in the skies above the Flove domain.
Celia, riding on the back of a pegasus, looked down with a weary expression.
Flying magical beasts were soaring there.
“It seems they've tamed the magical beasts with summoning.”
Ulta narrowed his eyes and looked at the Fafnir that had summoned the beasts.
“So it was originally human? Huh?”
*Screeeeeech-!*
Just then, the scream of a monster came from above.
Celia and Ulta looked up at the same time.
A flying magical beast was plummeting toward them, blood gushing from its neck.
*Slice-!*
A silver flash glinted, completely severing the flying beast's neck.
From behind the falling beast, someone jumped toward the pegasus.
*Whoosh-!*
Celia's face filled with shock as she saw the person barely clinging to the pegasus's wing.
“A-Auntie?!”
“Why is Lady Reina here?”
Even Ulta, who was rarely surprised, looked stunned.
To which Reina just grinned.
“Hm? It just sort of happened?”