Chapter 255
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 255
Chapter Title: Child's Play
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The patting motion, just like a child playing in the dirt, was utterly out of place in this atmosphere.
Each time Grivi's hand—inheriting the name of the Earth Spirit—touched the ground, the earth trembled.
Thud... Thud...
The Hall of Spirits, one of the halls I'd experienced in Labyrinthos.
The spirits I'd spent so much time with there were twisted creations I'd made in my desperate bid to escape loneliness.
Including the four major elemental spirits known throughout the world—Gnome, Undine, Sylph, Salamander.
I couldn't form a contract with any of them.
Spirit contracts depend entirely on talent, and for someone like me with absolutely none, they were nothing but a pipe dream.
In the end, the only spirit I successfully contracted with was a twisted one—a haphazard lump of raw elements that couldn't even qualify as proper spirits.
Back then, with my pitifully weak spirit mana, it lacked any real will or form, and its influence as a spirit was feeble at best.
Even phenomena that the lowest-grade spirits like Gnomes could trigger effortlessly required near-total exhaustion on my part.
But as time wore on and I adapted, I gradually built up my spirit mana. Using the theories I'd pieced together my own way, I nurtured my first contracted Earth Spirit, Grivi, bit by bit.
The origin of the name Grivi wasn't anything special.
I'd just listed out a bunch of names and picked the one she liked best.
At first, Grivi was weaker than even the lowest-grade spirits, but unlike the others, she had a unique trait.
She grew in proportion to the amount of spirit mana I possessed.
And so, in that lonely, agonizing space, Grivi became my one and only family.
Since she'd been born from my hands, I treated her like a daughter, and she called me Father in return.
As we overcame countless trials together, Grivi grew endlessly stronger, eventually reaching a power that made even Spirit Kings look laughable.
But no matter how long Labyrinthos kept me confined, that time wasn't eternal.
When I reached the Pinnacle of Spirit Arts—Transcendence itself—I had to part ways with Grivi and all the other spirits I'd contracted and grown alongside.
It was a painful process, but I had no choice.
So the Grivi now sitting on the ground, playing in the dirt, was infinitely precious to me. She was the same as the spirit who'd been my pillar of strength... yet different.
She called me Father, but this Grivi wasn't the same one from Labyrinthos.
Those children had vanished along with Labyrinthos.
The power of the Hall of Spirits was useful, but it didn't sit right with me.
Still, I couldn't tell the Grivi playing in the dirt right now that she wasn't the Grivi I knew.
After all, I'd been the one to name her and bring her into existence.
In the end, she was a spirit I had to look after.
Pushing aside the bitterness, I waited silently.
Thud!!! Thud!!!
Each pat from those small, pale hands sent massive vibrations rippling through the earth.
"Uwaaaah!!!"
And the results weren't subtle.
The ground surged like a living wave, swallowing the assassin squad targeting me in an instant.
The entire mountain range here lay under Grivi's domain.
Such precise control was beyond even high-grade spirits.
Born as spirit royalty—that was the Grivi before us now.
Luna was puzzled by her, too. Grivi defied all norms in ego, structure, power—everything about a newborn spirit.
Thanks to Grivi's gleeful dirt-playing, the assassin squad was neutralized in moments, leaving the enemy side visibly rattled.
"Grivi, want to play hide-and-seek now?"
"With Father?"
"No. There are plenty of others on this mountain besides us."
"Oh..."
Grivi let out a short sigh, her face blank.
"Catch them all, and I'll give you a reward."
Grivi hopped up, scampered off on her tiny legs, and vanished into the forest depths.
"Her actions and expressions don't match at all."
"She's just not used to it yet. She's pure and kind-hearted. Give it time, and her expressions will liven up."
The Grivi I remembered from Labyrinthos had spent ages with me, approaching with bright smiles, begging to play.
Her innocence never faded, no matter how much time passed. In a way, she'd healed me.
Right after Grivi bounced off into the woods, screams began echoing from isolated spots throughout the forest.
It was a forest rigged with suppression traps, but they meant nothing to a spirit like Grivi.
The forces encircling this forest right now represented most of the powerhouses from the Eastern Continent and Koral.
No regular soldiers, but that alone made it an overwhelming force.
The Kingdom of Bata, said to have only one Master-level powerhouse left, could be swept away in no time by this lineup.
Not at full strength, but there were still around ten Master-level experts.
Plus the assassin squads painstakingly cultivated in the East, along with Expert-level fighters, mages, and sorcerers—all mobilized.
Moving this much manpower just to catch two people was a blow to the pride, honestly.
But with Koral's insistent demands, they had to put up a show and deploy the full might.
They'd even prepared secret weapons.
Truth be told, even after hearing the reports on the target, they were confident of a quick takedown.
But...
What the hell was that?
How did things turn out like this?
What was that little girl dashing through the forest, stirring up trouble like it was a game?
The elder of the Nakmyeong Clan scowled, deep in thought.
Human? No. She looked like a young girl, but she was clearly something else entirely.
She resembled the spirits commonly known in the Central Continent, but even from what he knew, her appearance was off.
An inexplicable chill ran through him.
This wasn't normal. Could there be more unknowns they hadn't grasped?
Was that even realistic? Even stretching beyond common sense, it was bizarre. Humans wielding both magic and aura simultaneously was rare enough. Sure, magic swordsmen with the right constitution existed, but that aside, the power their target had shown went far beyond.
Undead assaults. And now spirit arts, the natural counter?
This wasn't some cheap play—it couldn't be real...
"Ah? Found you."
The girl who'd been scampering around exclaimed briefly, her clear eyes locking onto the elder.
"Cut her down."
At his command, two Master-level experts lunged forward.
They closed in instantly, swinging their blades with devastating trails, and the girl was sliced without resistance.
Infused with sword aura, no spirit could withstand it in one strike...
"Urgh..."
That was when it happened. Grivi, who'd collapsed, sprang right back up.
They'd clearly slashed her with sword aura, yet she showed no sign of damage.
"Wow... So shiny..."
Her words were childish, but her tone was flat—eerie in its monotony.
"Huh? Where's everyone hiding?"
An inexplicable dread gripped him.
Sword aura had no effect? Engaging that thing was a waste of time.
The elder made a snap decision.
"Everyone, ignore that monster and prioritize the targets. Move fast—some of you stay behind to distract it!"
Deal with the spirit summoner, and the spirit would be handled.
The elder and the powerhouses kicked off from the charred forest remnants with light steps, soaring forward.
Two presences were distinctly felt deeper in the woods.
"Execution formation."
At the elder's order, those stepping lightly unleashed their sword auras in unison.
Humans had two arms. Even if they blocked or dodged one attack, the follow-ups would pierce any opening.
"Leon. I've got somewhere to be for a bit."
"Go ahead."
The targets themselves were nonchalant. The girl, whose intel was still murky, wandered off like she couldn't care less.
These damn bastards were acting cocky to the end!
"This whole area is sealed by the barrier formation!! You have nowhere to run!!"
Screeeeech!!! Clang!!!!
He swung his sword, blazing with sword aura, at Leon. Leon casually parried with a red-auric blade from who-knows-where, emitting a bloody glow.
The initial strike was blocked, but with the suppression formation limiting aura and mana, he wouldn't have the reserves for follow-ups.
The elder poured power in, flicking Leon's sword away.
Even as his own blade bounced, Leon's face showed no disturbance—planting a seed of unease. But the elder pressed on, repositioning to thrust at Leon's heart.
"Die!"
The sword tip smoothly pierced toward Leon's heart, mere inches away.
Even the East's top powerhouses wouldn't react in time at this range.
The elder was certain of victory.
This serpentine thrust couldn't be dodged without prior preparation. His battle experience proved it.
That was when it happened.
An inexplicable chill swept over the elder.
His eyes flicked to Leon's face—and he realized Leon was calmly staring right at his sword tip.
Those weren't the eyes of someone startled.
Nor of one facing death.
It was the bored gaze of someone watching a lame trick.
Too late to pull back. The elder gritted his teeth.
Squelch!!!
The blade sank into his form.
But something was wrong. It didn't feel like stabbing flesh—like plunging into a dirt clod.
"What... is this..."
"You know high-grade spirit summoners can assimilate with elements, right?"
As the voice rang out, the elder, sensing doom, yanked desperately at his sword.
But before he could, he realized his body was flying through the air, swordless.
'How...'
He tumbled like a baseball, finally stopping amid ringing pain and tinnitus screeching in his ears.
Slowly lifting his head, vomiting blood, the elder rose through excruciating agony.
Only then did he see the others who'd formed the assault formation with him being flung back.
Leon's gaze settled on him.
"I told you earlier? No escape because it's sealed."
The boy flashed a chilling smile.
"Which means, in other words, none of you can run either, got it?"
It was the look of a predator gazing down at trapped prey.
The elder instinctively realized.
This guy wasn't threatened at all by the dozen-plus Master-level experts surrounding him.
Even under the suppression formation's effects.
Most Masters were crippled inside it, unable to use aura or mana.
But Leon's face showed no discomfort.
"Oh, so that's how it works? Pretty impressive, this suppression formation. Eastern Continent tech really is top-notch."
Leon waved his hand through the air a few times.
And then...
Boom!!!!!
Explosive aura erupted around him.