Chapter 644
Chapter Title: The Spirit of the Deep Sea
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644.
-The Spirit of the Deep Sea?
Ista, the size of Leo’s palm, widened his eyes.
Undine, the Spirit of the Deep Sea.
As the Great Spirit of Water, she had vied with Ista for the title of the strongest spirit of the current era.
At first, Ista was overwhelmingly stronger.
The measure that defined a Great Spirit's strength included not only their power but also the forces they commanded.
As such, it was only natural that Ista's forces, having existed for a much longer time, were stronger.
Back then, Ista had laid waste to Undine's domain.
-That's how they became mortal enemies.
As Laruel spoke with a look of disdain, Elsie looked on with curiosity.
-Why did you do something so terrible?
-A battle for supremacy, shall we say?
Ista muttered with a troubled face, and Laruel said,
-It's because she was being arrogant, wasn't it?
-Spirit of Radiance! How could you make such slanderous claims and tarnish my image in front of the Boss…
-If Lady Elsie says the word, your former subordinates would spill everything, wouldn't they?
At Laruel's words, Ista fell silent.
-Oh dear. I feel sorry for the Spirit of the Deep Sea.
-But the Spirit of the Deep Sea is just another spirit, after all.
Laruel said sharply.
-She torments other spirits, too.
-That's right! Boss! That spirit is a truly evil spirit!
At Laruel's words, Ista began to grovel.
Ever since being subdued by Elsie.
Ista had become Elsie's suck-up.
This was less about her being a Great Spirit of a much older generation and more about the overwhelming difference in power between them.
The Authority of Dominion, which allowed one to exercise control over lower spirits of the same attribute.
Elsie’s Authority of Dominion transcended that of other spirits.
It was an authority that could be exercised not just on spirits of lower attributes, but on spirits of all attributes.
It was even capable of stealing the subordinate spirits of other Great Spirits.
Having lost all his forces, Ista had no choice but to grovel before Elsie to survive.
-Undine's evil deeds are too vile to speak of! You, the great and noble Boss, must punish that wicked spirit! I, Ista, the Spirit of Purification, will become your sword and liberate the suffering water spirits from that vicious Spirit of the Deep Sea!
Ista declared vehemently.
The reason for his enthusiasm was simple.
‘If I’m going down, you’re coming with me.’
He was already ruined.
He had lost his base and had to live while walking on eggshells around his former subordinates.
It was infuriating.
Therefore, the Spirit of the Deep Sea, whom he hated more than anyone in the world, had to suffer the same fate.
-For a so-called Great Spirit of Fire, you’re resorting to a drag-you-down-with-me tactic.
-Stay out of it, old hag.
As Ista spoke, a commotion could be felt from the other side.
-Let go! I’ll just kill her! Let me kill her!
-That rage! Could you not release it upon me? Hah… haah…
It seemed Ati was stopping Laruel from charging out of the area where Leo's summoned beasts were gathered.
‘Elsie.’
-Yes, Leo.
‘I need to set aside a day to discipline these kids.’
-Mm… I’ll try my best.
Letting out a small sigh, Leo looked at Runba.
“A fire spirit? It looks peculiar.”
Runba stared at the fire spirit on Leo’s palm, a look of disbelief on his face.
It was the size of a low-grade spirit, small enough to fit in one's palm.
But it was different from the usually round and pudgy low-grade spirits.
This spirit, though small, had a bare torso that flaunted its clearly visible, well-defined muscles.
‘If the guys from The Power saw this, they’d accept him on the spot.’
Runba shook his head, thinking of Lumerne's physical training club, ‘The Power.’
‘Peculiar appearance or not, it’s a spirit Leo summoned, so… I should be on guard…’
-That is…!
Just then, Undine, who had been reacting with indifference from beyond his consciousness, showed a sharp response.
‘Huh? Lady Undine?’
Whoooosh-!
The streams of water swirling around Runba began to converge into one spot, and a beautiful girl emerged.
An upper body with ivory skin and the lower body of a fish.
She looked just like a mermaid from a storybook.
“What brings you here in person?”
Runba asked, his voice a little dazed.
At Runba's question, the corners of Undine's lips curled up.
“Because a mortal enemy I must punish stands before me.”
Chwaaaak-!
When Undine extended her hand, a trident made of water materialized.
Shnk-!
Gripping the trident in one hand, Undine aimed it at Leo.
“So you are the renowned Leo Flove?”
“And you must be Undine, the Spirit of the Deep Sea?”
Leo let out a smirk and looked at Runba.
“I didn't realize you had a pact with Senior Runba.”
To be honest, Leo was also surprised that Runba had summoned the Great Spirit of Water.
If Runba had made a pact with Undine, it surely would have been known by now.
At Leo’s words, Undine scoffed.
“Hmph. Runba Tess and I are not in a pact. He once helped me. To repay that debt, I simply promised to aid Runba Tess just once.”
“A temporary pact?”
“Indeed, you catch on quick.”
The corners of Undine's lips curled up.
“In that spirit, let me offer you a piece of advice. Leo Flove.”
Chwaaaak-
The surrounding water currents formed a throne.
Seated on that throne, Undine spoke.
“You would be wise to annul your pact with that lowly Great Spirit of Fire over there.”
Undine narrowed her eyes and glared at Ista.
“I don’t know for what reason, but that lowly spirit recently lost its domain. A pity. It was something I should have done myself. I suppose it’s divine punishment for the harm he caused me long ago.”
Undine openly mocked Ista.
“That lowly Great Spirit lost his domain and sought refuge with you, I imagine. But that pact is a mistaken one.”
“A mistaken pact?”
“Yes. The very act of making a pact with Ista means you have made an enemy of me, the Spirit of the Deep Sea.”
“Does annulling the pact change things?”
“It does. Moreover, I, Undine, hold you in very high regard. I am well aware that you are the pact-holder of the Three Great Mythical Beasts. And so, I make you an offer.”
“An offer?”
“Yes. Sever your pacts with those mythical beasts as well. If you do, I shall grant you the opportunity to serve me, the Spirit of the Deep Sea.”
Seated upon her throne, Undine’s lips curled into a smile.
“I’m not pleased that you’ve made pacts with other spirits and mythical beasts, but… for a pact-holder of your caliber, I suppose I must endure it.”
Chwaaaaaak-
The water throne Undine sat on rose high into the air.
Having created a pillar of water, Undine looked down at Leo and said,
“This is by no means a bad offer for you. I, Undine, am the literal ruler of the great oceans. Making a pact with me means you, too, will become a ruler of the oceans. Furthermore, I have never made a pact with anyone until now. It means the strongest Great Spirit will be with you. It will surely be of great help on the path you intend to walk. What do you say?”
-That wench is so arrogant! Leo! Chick! Let's turn her into grilled fish!
-Chirp! Chirp!
-Trying to steal Master's rough touch from me! Unforgivable! I'll roast her with electricity!
The agitated Kiruan, Piora, and Ati reacted fiercely.
As a result, Leo’s head began to throb.
-Everyone, shh.
At Elsie’s gentle voice, the three mythical beasts fell silent.
-Boss! Look! The nonsense that arrogant fool is spouting! She needs to be taught a lesson!
-Didn't you hear Lady Elsie tell you to be quiet!
-Gack!
Laruel, emerging from an opened space, flew at the speed of light and landed a dropkick squarely in Ista’s chest.
“The Spirit of Radiance?”
The color drained from Undine’s face.
Looking at Undine, Laruel crossed her arms and scoffed.
-You haven’t changed a bit, have you?
“Are you also Leo Flove’s pact-holder? Hahahaha! You acted all high and mighty, and now you’re sharing a pact-holder? How pathetic! Spirit of Radiance!”
-I’m tired of hearing that. This one already said it all.
Laruel firmly pressed her foot on the head of Ista, who was at her feet.
“Well. I suppose a conversation with you is necessary.”
“What did you say?”
Leo extended his palm and aimed it at Undine.
Zzzzzzzzt! Flash-! KABOOOM-!
A beam of light shot from Leo’s hand and sent Undine flying.
Having used Laruel’s power, Leo looked at Runba.
“Hah~ Really. The Great Spirit of Light, and now the Great Spirit of Fire. I heard Great Spirits hate spirit users who cheat the most! I guess that was a lie too!”
Runba scratched his head vigorously.
Watching him, Leo let out a smirk.
“They don’t like it.”
“Then how did you make a pact?”
“I’m just that charming, aren’t I?”
“Haha.”
Runba burst into laughter.
“Well, is this a good thing for me? I was only planning on borrowing troops from the Spirit of the Deep Sea. But since she came herself… I should be able to buy some time until my guys are ready.”
“Will buying time change anything?”
“I’m not falling for that kind of provocation.”
Runba grinned.
“I’ll do my best to live up to your expectations. So you can look forward to it.”
Chwaaaaaak-!
To Runba’s left and right, massive gates made of water appeared.
The gates swung wide open, and water spirits began to emerge from within.
They were the water spirits under Undine’s command.
The army of the Spirit of the Deep Sea, known to be the mightiest among the Great Spirits.
‘This is far more overwhelming than with Ista.’
What was more surprising was Runba’s prowess in continuously summoning such a number of spirits.
And it wasn't just summoning.
He was strengthening the spirits with his own spiritual power.
‘So this is the second-strongest fifth-year after Elena.’
Moreover, the look in his eyes had changed.
The corners of Leo’s lips curled up.
‘I’d love to take you on myself, but…’
It was clear that the Undine he had just sent flying would be charging at him any moment.
“Elsie.”
At Leo’s call, his shadow began to grow immense.
And from it, fire spirits began to reveal themselves.
Seeing this, Runba wore a puzzled expression.
‘His summoning method is a bit peculiar.’
Runba would never have dreamed that the master of these spirits was not the Great Spirit of Fire, but the Great Spirit of Darkness.
-Water spirits…
-I expected we would have to fight… but to think we’d be fighting as subordinates of the Shadow Spirit, not the Spirit of Purification.
-Are you complaining?
-No, this is even better.
-It’s a chance to prove that the Shadow Spirit is the strongest.
The fire spirits grinned.
-…Why do they seem to have higher morale than when they were under me?
-That's why I told you and the Spirit of the Deep Sea, didn't I? To treat your subordinate spirits well.
Laruel might not have cared for the lower spirits of other attributes, but she took care of the light spirits.
-Old hag! This body is filled with sorrow!
-Who are you calling an old hag!
Laruel kicked Ista in the side.
From within the shadow, the fire spirit Alcia was the last to emerge, her hands cupped together to support Elsie.
-Lady Elsie, your orders.
Alcia asked politely, and Elsie smiled sweetly.
-If any of you are struggling, hide behind me.
-Ooooooooh!
The bodies of the fire spirits began to blaze intensely.
Leaving them behind, Leo walked in the direction Undine had been sent flying.
Before dealing with the fifth and fourth-years, he had to defeat Undine first.
Kwagagagagagagag-!
Just then, a massive tidal wave crashed toward him from the distance.
“Leo Flooooove! How dare you!”
Undine’s furious voice echoed.
Leo, with a bored expression, raised his palm.
Fwoooosh-!
Ista began to burn atop Leo’s hand.
Transforming into a blue flame, Ista soon took the shape of a spear.
-Did this kind of spirit art even exist?
At Ista's surprised voice, Leo smirked.
“It does now, doesn’t it?”
-Pact-holder, is this your spirit art?
“No.”
Leo took a javelin-throwing stance.
“I’m just imitating the strongest spirit user.”
Fwoosh-!
The spear of blue fire launched from Leo’s hand, drawing an arc as it flew toward the tidal wave.
Booooom! Shwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
A lukewarm rain began to fall from the sky.
Looking at the steam-filled surroundings, Leo said,
“If she doesn’t want to make a pact, I just have to make her want to.”
-It won’t be easy.
“Yeah. But I also learned how to persuade a disobedient spirit from the strongest spirit user.”
-What’s that method?
Laruel’s eyes gleamed.
At that, Leo smiled.
“Violence.”