Chapter 225
A storm of [Aura] surged toward Leo.
Fwoooosh—!
A sharp spear flew at his neck.
From behind, a sword slashed at a precise angle.
‘Not bad for an improvised combo.’
Leo chuckled as he watched Aina and Haviden bear down on him.
Their movements had noticeably sharpened.
‘Did Shasha grant them a blessing through her Summoned Beast?’
Step—step—!
“……!”
“……!”
Leo extended his arms and caught Aina and Haviden by their wrists.
Their eyes widened as they were suspended midair.
“In situations like this, it’s best to train for counters in advance.”
Fwack—! Slam—!
“Urgh?”
“Khk?!”
With brute force, Leo slammed the two into the ground.
The sheer force left them powerless as they crashed.
Having subdued them, Leo turned his head.
Fwoooosh—!
A powerful snipe spell swept past where Leo’s head had been.
It was Juen’s hidden attack.
Leo turned toward the opposite direction the spell had come from.
‘She’s been found out?’
Juen’s face turned pale.
She had suppressed every trace of her presence and mana, but Leo had still pinpointed her location.
‘What a complete monster…’
Startled, Juen ducked quickly.
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—!
She felt a sudden lightness above her as she sat in the tree.
She cautiously looked up.
The top of the tree was gone.
‘A snipe spell?!’
Clenching her teeth, Juen tried to relocate and hide again.
“If your position’s been revealed, don’t stay hidden—link up with your team. A lone mage is the easiest target.”
“……!”
The voice from behind made Juen whip around in shock.
‘When did he get behind me?!’
Crackle—!
Sparks erupted from Leo’s hand.
BZZZZZT!
“Aaagh!”
Juen screamed as lightning surged through her.
Just then—
Fwoosh—!
Luke charged at Leo.
Thump—!
Leo caught the swinging sword and countered with a punch.
Whump—!
“……!”
Luke hastily surrounded his arm with [Aura].
Smack—!
Leo’s punch connected, and Luke’s mind reeled.
He flew back and rolled across the ground.
‘Clumsy. Both his swordsmanship and Aura control.’
Leo turned his gaze from Luke back to Juen, who had already vanished again.
‘She’s got skill.’
Leo smiled faintly as Aina and Haviden staggered to their feet.
Now back at the rear of the party, Juen provoked him.
“You said we weren’t even worth drawing your sword for… but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“I’d say we’ve held up better than expected, Leo-senior.”
Haviden agreed with a smile.
“Maybe now’s a good time to draw your sword?”
Shasha, too, bit back at him.
Leo’s overwhelming strength was intimidating—but they felt like they could endure it.
Even Luke, whose arm had broken during the exchange, groaned and stood up.
Seeing the five burning with fighting spirit, Leo smirked.
“Is that so?”
Shiiing—!
The sound of Leo drawing his sword made the examinees tense up.
“Then I guess it’s time for me to get serious too.”
—
“W-What just happened?”
“The moment he drew his sword—”
Aina, Shasha, Haviden, Juen, and Luke.
When the five had united to fight Leo, the spectators had reached peak excitement.
The strongest second-year versus the top new candidates.
It was the main event of the entrance exam.
But the moment Leo drew his sword, the outcome was decided in an instant.
Most spectators didn’t even understand what had happened.
Ar crossed her arms in the stands.
“It’s over.”
Her blue eyes reflected the image of Leo on the screen.
‘That Black Rabbit keeps getting stronger.’
He was on a whole other level compared to when she saw him at the Azonia exam six months ago.
Of course, Ar herself had grown immensely too.
Driven by the single-minded desire to catch up to Leo, she had trained like crazy.
Yet once again, Leo proved his might had only grown.
She was covered in goosebumps.
The natural combat instincts of her beastkin blood kicked in.
Her tail stood rigid, her ears perked up.
Shaking with excitement, Ar trembled.
“Nnnngh—! Meeting Black Rabbit is the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me!”
Her eyes sparkled.
A goal to chase.
A reason to grow stronger.
For Ar, that was Leo.
“Alright! Once the exam’s over, I’m going to beat him up and roll around in a brawl!”
Eiran flinched at the comment.
“R-Roll around?”
“What are you imagining now?”
“N-No! I wasn’t imagining anything!”
Lunia shook her head in disbelief and turned her gaze to Leo.
‘Leo… what are you thinking?’
The power gap was undeniable from the start.
‘Is he trying to crush the spirit of promising juniors?’
Even with only a one- or two-year age difference, to those facing Leo, the despair must’ve felt overwhelming.
Like their spirits were being shattered.
‘This year’s first-years might end up as a forgotten generation.’
—
Stagger—
Aina struggled to her feet.
She was by far the most skilled among the group.
‘He’s a monster.’
But her eyes were full of despair.
She had to earn the man before her’s recognition.
Only then would she be worthy to carry out her revenge as the Sword Star’s rightful heir.
Yet Leo wasn’t even looking at her.
She needed to make him see her with her skill… but she lacked the confidence.
It was hopelessly one-sided.
FWOOSH—!
[Magic Power] surged in Leo’s hand.
“Urgh!”
Aina hurriedly deployed her [Aura Armor].
BOOM!
The explosion launched her without resistance.
“Ugh… He’s completely busted.”
Juen groaned on the ground, lifting her head.
“His swordsmanship, magic, summoning—he’s a monster in all of them…!”
In their eyes, Leo was a flawless powerhouse.
There was no opening.
That alone was enough to bring despair.
“Is that all? Then shall we wrap this up?”
Leo raised his hand calmly.
As Aina, Shasha, Haviden, and Juen prepared to accept defeat—
Rustle—
“I’m… I’m not done yet.”
Luke rose to his feet.
He was in the worst condition of them all.
Despite his inferior skills, Luke had continued to face Leo, refusing to back down.
Even when knocked down, he got up again and again to block Leo’s path.
Naturally, he was in the most miserable shape.
Every breath came with a gasping wheeze.
“I can still fight.”
Leo looked at Luke and spoke.
“You’ve already reached your limit. If you push any further, you might die of exhaustion.”
It was true.
His [Aura] had long been depleted. His body was battered. His stamina had hit rock bottom.
Only his willpower was keeping him on his feet.
“You’re all impressive.”
Leo spoke evenly.
“If you’re evaluated well for this fight, you might be admitted. Even if you fail, you’re good enough to pass next year. You just got unlucky.”
He was right. They all had the skill to pass.
His gentle encouragement brought comfort.
But Aina gritted her teeth.
To her, who had no interest in admission, such consolation was meaningless.
It only deepened her despair.
And Luke…
“You’re still not giving up?”
Leo stared at him.
Compared to the other four, Luke was clearly weaker.
But he was the most persistent.
“Why won’t you give up?”
“This might be my last chance.”
He’d felt overwhelming despair. Knew full well the gap between them.
No one understood how pointless his actions were better than Luke himself.
Even so, he refused to quit.
‘I’m different from the others. I probably won’t get into Lumene. Then I’ll never see Leo-senior again.’
To Luke, Leo was his idol.
Just a few years older, but with the kind of legendary accomplishments you’d only hear about in stories.
‘I want to know… how long I can last against someone like Leo.’
Luke gripped his sword and smiled.
“Isn’t ‘surpassing your limits’ Lumene’s motto?”
Leo’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of that smile.
He was surprised—greatly.
Because Luke reminded him of someone.
Someone who could laugh even while chasing an impossible goal.
“Do you want to be a hero?”
“…Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to help people.”
“Why do you want to help them?”
Luke’s face reddened at the question.
After hesitating, he answered.
“Well… because it’d be cool.”
The spectators watching all wore incredulous expressions.
He wanted to be a hero for a reason like that?
“Because it’d be cool?”
Leo laughed, and Luke lowered his head in embarrassment.
Saving people was such an idealistic, grand dream.
To chase that dream just because it seemed cool—it was absurd.
But Leo didn’t mock him.
He knew someone who had once fought the world’s destruction just because it was the right thing to do.
‘If the world’s in danger, of course you save it, right?’
Leo had been part of that noble, ridiculous journey.
“Your name?”
“Luke Elda.”
“I’ll remember it.”
Luke’s eyes widened at Leo’s reply.
So did everyone else’s.
Leo raised his sword and pointed it at Luke.
VROOOOOOM—!
A surge of power far beyond anything before shook the air.
Luke went pale.
But he steadied his grip and readied his sword.
Leo’s eyes gleamed as he smirked.
CRACK—!
His strike fell on Luke.
Luke’s sword shattered—and he collapsed, unconscious.
Seeing his junior stand tall until the very end, Leo smiled faintly.
Crackle—
The world began to fracture.
“The exam’s over.”
Unconquered [Hero Records] could be closed from the outside.
Leo sheathed his sword and looked at the four others staring at him blankly.
“See you at school, juniors.”
He waved lightly.
‘He even timed the test ending?’
Aina clenched her teeth.
‘So he went easy on us after all!’
And even then, she hadn’t even come close to reaching him.
Her gaze turned to Luke, lying unconscious in front of Leo.
Anyone could see it.
That boy had earned Leo’s recognition.
‘Why?’
Just as the question formed, a bright light filled her vision.
“Hmph. He went easy on them.”
Harrid scoffed quietly.
“Indeed. He even anticipated the test’s closing time. Fufu! Truly the future of the Summoning Department!”
“Yura-senior, don’t be ridiculous. Leo is clearly the future of the Magic Department.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“It’s not rebellion—it’s the truth. If it’s too complex for you, I’ll dumb it down for your level—”
“So it *is* rebellion!”
Yura smiled wickedly and grabbed Len by the collar.
Harrid gestured coldly.
“Take care of them.”
Other professors rushed in to restrain the two.
While Lumene’s faculty staged this bizarre scene of kneeling with chairs, Harrid looked over the data on the five who fought Leo.
“What will you do? It’s true Leo went easy on them.”
“Yeah. But after crushing them that thoroughly, it’d be strange to say they didn’t give it their all.”
Harrid casually flipped to the last page.
Luke’s photo was there.
“Sedgen would probably love this kid.”
Never giving up was one of Sedgen’s highest values.
Of course, Harrid didn’t weigh it as heavily.
“What about this one?”
Ain asked.
If Aina, Shasha, Haviden, and Juen were obvious passes, Luke was a borderline case.
His ability to face Leo was mostly thanks to the others’ support.
“What do you think?”
“…He’s unrefined. His swordsmanship is sloppy, and his Aura control is poor compared to the others.”
Ain evaluated him coldly.
“But… he does have talent.”
At that, Harrid rested his chin on his hand.
He tapped the desk a few times and drew a triangle on Luke’s photo.
A mark for ‘hold’.
He stood and left the exam room.
Ain sighed with relief.
‘At least we avoided a total freshman wipeout.’
Only 53 examinees passed the test.
Out of thousands, only 53 survived.
But fortunately, 724 applicants were marked as ‘hold’.
‘The faculty meeting will separate the gems from the stones.’
And Sedgen would be present for that.
Watching the mixed reactions of the applicants, Ain sighed.
‘I hope they don’t shrink back before the second-years.’
—
Cracks spread across the [Hero’s World].
The examinees and second-years had all returned to reality.
Only Leo remained.
‘What’s going on?’
Confused, he looked around the still forest.
No monster presence.
It was as if the forest were holding its breath.
Leo frowned—then suddenly turned his head.
And came face to face with a massive blood-red eye floating in the air.
Leo felt his heart freeze.
The eye held almost no power.
So faint it might as well have been powerless.
But it had a clear will.
The moment Leo recognized the consciousness within that eye—
Fwoosh—!
A bright light overtook his vision.
He was suddenly back at the center of the exam grounds.
Leo stood frozen in place.
“Leo?”
Carr approached with a puzzled look.
“What’s wrong? Why are you sweating like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
Leo wiped the sweat from his chin.
That blood-red eye—
‘That was definitely… Erebos.’