Chapter 634
Chapter Title: The Demon King's Hunt
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634.
Ain crossed his arms and watched the screen before him.
On the screen, the five students who had become gatekeepers were visible.
Seeing Leo simply sitting there, waiting for the 4th and 5th-years, Yura clicked her tongue in disbelief.
“Sometimes, he seems less like he has nerves of steel and more like he’s just plain crazy, you know?”
Ain sighed at Yura's muttering.
“It’s a necessary quality for a hero, though.”
When faced with a great trial.
There are some things that are impossible to solve if you’re in your right mind.
The ability to smile in a crisis, to dive headfirst into situations where a single mistake could mean death.
‘Well, some of them are a bit unhinged in their daily lives too. Just look at these two.’
Ain’s gaze briefly fell upon his two embarrassing juniors, Yura and Ren.
“That’s certainly a necessary trait.”
Yura nodded.
“But Senior Yura, aren’t there also people who are a bit unhinged in their daily lives?”
“Ah, yes, there are.”
Yura nodded at Ren’s words.
The two professors’ gazes briefly flickered toward Ain.
Meeting their eyes, Ain unhesitatingly grabbed both of them by the neck.
“You dare, to your senior!”
“What! What! You were thinking the same thing first!”
“Hmph. Resorting to violence right away. Just like you, Senior Ain, all muscle and no brain.”
Yura struggled, while Ren shot him a cold glare.
Watching the three boisterous professors, Artian covered her mouth and smiled gently.
“It seems there was never a quiet day when you three were students. How was it, Professor Halind?”
“They were an embarrassment wherever they went.”
Halind said bluntly.
“By the way, I wonder if it’s alright for Student Leo to be so unprepared.”
Currently, Leo was waiting for the 4th and 5th-years completely defenseless.
Moreover, the 4th and 5th-years were already scouting him with magic and summoning arts.
“Student Leo should be more than capable of blocking such reconnaissance.”
“He must be planning to simply overwhelm them with raw power.”
“That doesn’t seem like Student Leo.”
It was a well-known fact that Leo’s power surpassed that of a student, strong even when compared to those who had already entered the ranks of heroes.
The recent Hero Slayer incident during the winter break was a prime example.
Lis, Ulta, and Jamua were skilled enough that it wouldn't be strange for them to have already become heroes.
‘It’s true that those who have accomplished great deeds and earned the title of hero are strong. But having the title isn’t the sole measure of strength.’
In reality, there are many who, despite not being official heroes,
possess power equal to or greater than one.
What such individuals lack compared to heroes are great deeds.
‘Lis, Ulta, and Jamua. Even if the three of them joined forces, they couldn’t have defeated the Hero Slayer.’
That thing was literally a monster beyond all measure.
‘The same would be true even if Celia, Abad, and Chelsea lent their strength. Besides, the ones they fought weren’t the Hero Slayer, but Hero Hunters who had gained power through the World of the Legion.’
Recalling the report on the Hero Slayer, Halind looked at Leo.
‘Reina may have fought him by borrowing the power of the Spirit of Purification… but it likely wasn’t enough.’
Considering the circumstances, it was clear that Leo had defeated the Hero Slayer on his own.
‘If I were to gauge Leo’s power now… he would be comparable to Lord Kalian in his prime.’
Halind estimated Leo’s pure strength.
Of course, that was strictly in terms of ‘power.’
Literally, the sheer volume of his mana.
Leo’s experience and skill,
and considering his ability to apply all classes, it was impossible to know how strong he could become.
‘He might even possess power comparable to the Giant King or the Necro King.’
In the history of the Heroic Age, only five people were officially recorded as being able to face a Legion Commander, who had existed since the Age of Calamity, single-handedly.
The Heroes of Genesis.
Of course, unofficially there were Berchia and Bihar, but it was impossible even for Halind to know of those not recorded in history.
‘He was already complete in terms of mentality, skill, and experience from the very beginning.’
Recalling Leo’s first year, Halind shook his head.
He had never in his life met a student with nothing left to teach.
That was how unconventional a being Leo was.
However, that didn’t mean the 4th and 5th-years would be swept away so easily by Leo.
No, in fact, if he remained so exposed and defenseless, even someone like Leo would be in danger.
One defenseless individual versus a thoroughly prepared group.
No matter how overwhelming his power, Leo's current actions were too reckless.
But Leo was waiting for his opponents to come fully prepared.
Halind, who had been watching Leo in silence, spoke.
“He must be planning to show them clearly. What it is the 4th and 5th-years are lacking.”
***
Leo had been passing the time since arriving on the deserted island by tossing a palm-sized key into the air, then catching it on his upright index finger.
Yawning with a bored expression, Leo snatched the key out of the air and muttered to himself.
‘The weakness of the 4th and 5th-years. It’s their lack of a focal point.’
Leo didn't think the 4th and 5th-years were lacking in skill.
They, too, had gone through countless trials at Lumerne and survived until now.
But compared to the graduates, they were missing that last two percent.
‘Their unity is like a sandcastle.’
Leo clicked his tongue.
Lumerne, by default.
No, all hero academies fundamentally train their students to perform ‘giant killings.’
They teach them how to fight opponents who are overwhelmingly stronger than themselves.
Such training was a given.
A hero is a being who must overcome trials, and trials are, by definition, things that are difficult to handle with one’s own strength.
The most basic way to fight someone stronger than yourself is to join forces.
Therefore, heroes fundamentally grow stronger the more they work together.
Strengthening the bonds with those around them is also a virtue of a hero.
But the current 4th and 5th-years were weak in that regard.
‘That’s because the current 4th and 5th-years each have someone they can follow without having to think too hard.’
For the 4th-years, that person was Lil, and for the 5th-years, it was Elena.
Elena, in particular, was an absolute charismatic figure for the 5th-years.
Right from her admission, she not only took control of her entire year but also displayed a charisma that overwhelmed even the upperclassmen.
Lil, on the other hand, did not exhibit the same overwhelming charisma as Elena.
However, the current 4th-years were a class that had been evaluated as relatively lacking compared to other years.
In fact, during the Lumerne-Seirun match, Seirun had felt no significant threat from any of the current 4th-years except for Lil.
Lil had looked after her classmates, helping them with all her might, and had come this far with them to their fourth year.
‘Sometimes, they even show something like absolute loyalty to Lil. Is it because that kid Lil comes from a military family?’
It wasn't absolute obedience, but to the 4th-years, Lil was a commander they had to follow unconditionally.
‘When Lil and Elena are in command, they show greater unity than other years. But without them, they fall apart.’
In the sense of having an absolute leader, they were similar to Leo’s classmates, but there was a crucial difference.
‘I made sure my classmates could walk on their own.’
He was different from the dictatorial Elena or Lil, who had become the pillar for her classmates through gentle leadership.
Of course, this couldn’t be called their fault.
Leo was a seasoned Great Hero, while the two of them, no matter how outstanding, were still young.
‘Anyway, the professors want to make the 4th and 5th-years realize it. Their shortcomings. How much they’ve come to rely on Elena and Lil without even being aware of it.’
That’s why they were pitted against Leo.
‘When they face an overwhelmingly strong opponent that requires them to join forces. To see how disunited they are without Elena and Lil.’
Having accurately grasped the professors' intentions, Leo let out a smirk.
‘If that’s what the professors want, then I should play along.’
Leo extended his hand forward.
BOOM—!
A massive sphere of fire flying from the front exploded upon contact with Leo’s hand.
Fwoooosh! Crackle- crackle-
The surrounding area was scorched and set ablaze.
However, the spot where Leo was sitting remained untouched.
Leo smiled brightly at the 5th-year female student from the magic department who had fired the spell at him.
“Tch!”
The magic student clicked her tongue and vanished.
“A warp. You’ve come up with an interesting strategy.”
Smirking, Leo, still seated, drew his sword with his free hand and deflected an aura arrow flying toward his back.
Ting—! Fweeeee—!
The aura arrow, split into hundreds of fragments, ricocheted and shot up into the sky.
That wasn’t all.
All sorts of aura, magic, and summoning arts rained down on Leo from every direction.
“You came thoroughly prepared, not letting your guard down.”
Leo rose to his feet.
His red eyes flashed.
“Now then. As for what my dear seniors are lacking… this junior will carve it into your very bones.”
If the professors had heard him, they would have stopped him, saying that simply showing them would be enough, but alas, there was not a single professor here to say so.
In truth, even the professors didn’t know.
That Leo was capable of training students more harshly than any professor at Lumerne.
‘Hyper-Sense.’
Leo’s senses sharpened.
As Leo prepared to move, the long-range attackers all warped away simultaneously.
‘A large-scale warp gate magic circle. Are they planning to chip away at my stamina with hit-and-run tactics from a distance? I am indeed weak in a drawn-out fight. A well-laid plan.’
Leo lowered his stance.
‘Of course, that’s only if they can buy themselves time.’
Thwump—! Paang—!
He used an Aura Step, shooting forward like a bullet.
He ran in a straight line toward the location of the warp gate magic circle.
“He found the gate’s location!”
“How? There was no sign of him using any detection skills?!”
“How should I know!”
“Kuh! Vanguards, block Leo! Mages, prepare to move!”
The 4th and 5th-year knight students stood in Leo’s way.
Fwoooosh—!
Kra-ka-ka-kang!
Five swords barely managed to block Leo’s swing.
The faces of the knight students turned pale at the destructive power embedded in his sword.
In particular, the 5th-year male student directly in front of Leo had to meet his gaze.
‘Huh? Wait a minute. He looks like he’s actually going to beat me to death, doesn’t he?’
Leo had never openly caused friction with his school seniors.
And even after becoming the student council president and attaining the rank of hero, he had never acted arrogantly in front of his seniors.
While there were certainly those who disliked him, the majority of the upperclassmen acknowledged Leo because,
he always treated his seniors with the proper respect.
So for that same Leo to suddenly be radiating ferocious killing intent from his eyes, it was only natural for his senior to be flustered.
He was even on the student council and had occasionally exchanged lighthearted jokes with Leo in the council room.
And the Leo before him now was not the Leo he knew.
A ferocious aura that seemed capable of destroying everything in its path.
He was like a wild beast.
“Hey, hey, hey! Leo! It’s me! Me! Belgs! Your senior—.”
Smack—
Leo’s hand grabbed Belgs’s face and slammed it into the ground.
BOOM—!
A massive explosion of flames erupted from Leo’s hand.
Belgs, who had been trembling, was declared dead and warped away.
“My senior, you say?”
At Leo’s chilling voice, the 4th and 5th-years realized what nickname Leo went by among the 2nd and 3rd-years.
‘The Demon King.’
“Come at me ready to die.”
Leo said chillingly, radiating a ferocious aura.
“I won’t go easy on you just because you’re my seniors. I’ll tear you all to shreds.”
“L-Let’s retreat and regroup for now!”
“Why are his eyes so crazy?”
“You—you guys must have done something to Leo, right? Right?! I’ve been super nice to him since he was a first-year!”
“Is this the time for that?! Just run! Run!”
The knight students tasked with stopping Leo were completely overwhelmed by his aura, which was utterly different from usual.
“Graaaaaaah!”
Leo roared like a beast.
The Howling of the Beastkin.
Howling is a power that instills courage in allies while striking fear into enemies.
The knight students, caught off guard by the Howling, staggered.
Today, Leo had no strategy.
He would simply hunt his seniors with overwhelming power.
A red glow emanated from Leo’s eyes, and a continuous Howling erupted from his mouth.
Watching him, a female student muttered with a terrified expression.
“Th-This isn’t a Demon King, it’s a boss monster…”