Chapter 319
RUMBLEEEE—!
The Earth Greater Spirit, Titaum, raised its hand.
Leo immediately sprang into motion.
FWOOSH—! BOOOOOOM! RUMBLEEEE—!
The ground quaked violently under Titaum’s attack, shaking the entire island.
Students watching the duel between Leo and Walden from a distance staggered from the aftershock, their eyes wide in disbelief.
Leo, now outside Titaum’s attack range, narrowed his eyes.
‘When did he form a contract with a Greater Spirit?’
Staring at Walden, who stood atop Titaum and returned his gaze, Leo clenched his fists.
Among those who best understood Walden’s talent and potential at Lumene, Leo was at the top.
Purely in terms of strength, Walden was the strongest second-year—aside from Leo himself.
In combat prowess, he was on par with—or greater than—Lunia and Ar.
Innate strength and overwhelming talent… he was a Spirit User who truly lived up to the nickname “monster.”
Yet Walden rarely made his presence known.
He wasn’t very involved in class activities.
He didn’t get along with other students.
He was naturally taciturn, someone who preferred solitude.
But Leo understood what Walden aimed for—what he constantly had his eyes on.
The one who had reached the peak.
Walden had always watched Leo.
And to surpass Leo, he had trained with grueling persistence.
Silently, and alone.
He walked the path toward becoming the strongest.
Of all the second-years at Lumene, none had trained as much since enrollment as Walden.
‘All that insane effort to catch up to me… and he ends up with a Greater Spirit?’
Leo stretched his sword forward, eyes locked on Walden.
ROOOOAR—!
Flames engulfed Leo.
FWOOSH—
Wings of fire ignited behind his back.
FWIP—
Leo’s body soared into the air.
RUMBLE—!
Titaum lowered its head and extended a hand, and Walden climbed onto its palm.
THUD—!
From afar, students gazed up at Leo and Walden.
GULP—
A Phoenix and an Earth Greater Spirit faced off. Students swallowed hard.
Standing atop Titaum’s shoulder, Walden lifted his head.
Expressionless, he looked up at Leo who hovered above him.
Leo looked back and said,
“Didn’t expect you to form a contract with a Greater Spirit.”
He smiled faintly.
Walden responded,
“Every time I look at you, Leo Plov, I realize something.”
“What’s that?”
“The feeling of looking up at someone.”
“And are you just going to keep looking up?”
At that, Walden smirked.
“I once read a story about a fool.”
Spiritual energy surged from Walden’s body.
“A fool who tried to reach the sun, rose high into the sky, and ultimately fell to his death.”
RUMBLE—
The ground shook as if from an earthquake.
“Others mocked the fool in the story, but I didn’t.”
Walden raised his hand.
Titaum followed, lifting its massive arm.
“I have no interest in a life where I can’t even look others in the eye.”
Walden stretched his hand toward Leo.
“Even if I can’t reach it and fall in the end…”
RUMBLEEEE—!
“I will never stop reaching for my goal with everything I have!”
At Walden’s shout, Titaum swung its arm with staggering force.
Leo was launched skyward.
FWOOSH—!
As Leo raised his sword, flames swirled around it.
BOOOOOOM—!
Fire and Earth.
In terms of elemental advantage, Leo was at a severe disadvantage.
But Leo didn’t care.
He burned like the sun.
CRACK—!
The Phoenix’s flame surged from Leo’s sword, reducing Titaum’s arm to ashes.
RUMBLE—
The scorched arm lost form and collapsed to the ground.
FWOOSH—!
But in an instant, the arm regenerated.
CRACK—
When Titaum reached out, massive stone tendrils shot forth like a web.
Leo’s red eyes tracked the trajectory.
FWOOSH—!
He weaved through the stone tendrils at high speed, charging toward Walden.
Seeing that, Walden swung his arm.
CLAMP—!
Titaum’s hand snatched Leo from midair.
All the students’ eyes widened.
Then Titaum slammed its fist into the ground.
BOOM! CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!
“Uwaaaaah!”
“Seriously, no chill at all!”
Students watching the battle screamed and scattered.
FWOOSH—!
Despite the unimaginable impact, flames still burned from Titaum’s clenched fist.
Walden’s expression twisted as he felt his grip loosen from the overwhelming power.
Currently, Walden was using a Spirit Art skill: [Assimilation].
A high-level Spirit Art allowing complete control over a spirit by synchronizing with it.
Its downside? Any damage the spirit received was directly transferred to the user.
“Titaum. [Earth Wave].”
At Walden’s command, the ground began to ripple.
CRASH—!
He slammed Leo deep into the earth.
A thick cloud of dust rose.
The mist had already cleared from the area due to Piora’s flames and Titaum’s shifting terrain.
–As expected… worthy of the monster even the spirits whisper about.
Titaum muttered in awe.
“……”
–But it was reckless. Choosing to fight with a Phoenix, a bad elemental match.
“Titaum.”
–Hm?
“He’s coming.”
KABOOOOOM—!
Leo burst out from the depths of the earth, soaring into the sky.
–No!
Titaum cried out, and Walden immediately took a combat stance.
Blood trickled from Leo’s forehead where he’d been struck.
With a fierce grin, Leo said,
“Impressive.”
ROOOOAR—!
Phoenix flames swirled around Leo’s sword.
Walden moved to react.
But Leo was faster—he decapitated Titaum in an instant.
“Gh…”
Walden’s mind went blank for a moment.
RUMBLE—!
Titaum was reverse-summoned on the spot.
A massive heap of dirt crumbled down.
Walden, caught in the collapse, fell to the ground and was buried beneath it.
‘Walden… he really is a monster.’
Landing on the ground, Leo took a deep breath to endure the pain wracking his body.
‘Didn’t think he had such a trump card hidden.’
Of course, Walden couldn’t fully control Titaum.
He lacked the capacity to wield a Greater Spirit’s power perfectly.
But just the fact that he had summoned one at seventeen was a testament to his terrifying potential.
‘…An uncut gem this refined already?’
Clicking his tongue, Leo looked at the pile of rubble.
‘And… he’s not down yet.’
Though heavily damaged, Walden had not been judged as defeated.
Just as Leo tightened his grip on his sword—
“I’m going first!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m going first!”
Two familiar, bickering voices approached.
Leo planted his sword like a cane and looked up at the sky.
Duran, cloaked in lightning aura, and Eliza, riding a Wind Wyvern, were closing in at high speed.
Seeing them, other students’ faces lit up.
With Duran and Eliza joining, even Leo—wounded from fighting Walden—would have no choice but to retreat.
TAP! THUD!
Duran and Eliza landed in front of Leo.
As the two glared at each other, Leo chuckled.
“Going to team up?”
“Don’t be absurd, Leo Plov.”
Eliza pulled a whip from her side.
“My pride would never allow me to join hands with Duran Moira to defeat you.”
“Ho, for once you’re saying something right, Eliza Hergin. I’d rather defeat you first and then fight Leo Plov.”
“Oh, you’ll be the one to fall.”
Growling at each other, Duran and Eliza left the watching students internally screaming.
‘Hey! You’re supposed to be on the same side!’
‘Why are you fighting each other when Leo’s right there?!’
Just then—
RUMBLE—!
Walden emerged from the debris.
“My fight with Leo Plov isn’t over yet.”
Expressionless, he looked at Duran and Eliza.
“So both of you, back off.”
“The outcome’s already clear. You’re the one who should step aside, Walden Thaiden.”
“Hmph. I’ll crush you both too.”
Eliza and Duran scoffed coldly.
Leo burst into laughter.
‘These guys really don’t know how to give up.’
They, more than anyone, understood the power gap.
Yet they still pushed forward.
Heads held high, fearless in their challenge.
They should’ve backed off.
No, they were already mentally overwhelmed—but they kept fighting.
‘Teenage bravado is terrifying.’
Leo had learned how to never give up from his comrades.
How to find light in endless darkness—from Lysinas.
How to move toward that light—from Luna.
How to keep courage alive—from Arron.
And how to lean on a friend—from Dweno.
Not just Walden, Duran, and Eliza.
‘Celia, Chloe, Abad… and even Chen Xia.’
Though their ideals and goals differed, they all aimed at Leo.
Chasing desperately behind.
The great hero.
And the budding seeds of future heroes.
They didn’t start from the same line.
But from their perspective, by the time they realized it, Leo had already gone far ahead.
‘They’ll all become great heroes.’
Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
‘They’ll grow into comrades I’ll fight alongside.’
He believed the second-years of Lumene would one day be comrades he could trust with his back.
‘That’s why I’ve been trying to match their pace.’
He adjusted his stride.
So they wouldn’t fall into despair from the gap between them.
As a distant senior hero—
He made sure not to overwhelm them.
But recently, he wondered if this was truly right.
Toward peers who challenged him with everything they had—
Was showing only the face of Leo Plov… truly the right thing?
“Believe in the future you’ve chosen.”
Dweno’s advice echoed in his mind.
‘If you really have the potential to stand with me on the battlefield against Erebos…’
Leo opened his eyes.
‘Then I need to test that potential—’
Whether they could stand tall when faced with overwhelming despair.
‘—right now.’
Leo released his [Aura].
Duran, Eliza, and Walden all froze.
Until now, they had only seen Leo Plov—their peer.
But now, that was changing.
Leo’s eyes had shifted.
The three flinched.
“Stop bickering.”
If this were the Leo Plov who was simply the second-year student council president of Lumene Academy—
Then retreating here would be the proper call.
Even Leo Plov shouldn’t face Walden, Duran, and Eliza all at once.
But—
If he were Kyle…
“Come at me. All three of you.”
“Are you mocking us, Leo Plo—”
CRACK—!
“…!”
Eliza leapt back in a panic.
Duran instinctively swung his sword, twisting the trajectory of the [Aura].
But he couldn’t deflect it completely.
If Duran had been a second slower, or Eliza hadn’t moved—
They would’ve been eliminated.
Feeling the razor-sharp edge of the strike, Duran gripped his sword tighter.
‘…What the hell is this.’
Duran stared at Leo.
“I’m not mocking you.”
Leo spoke flatly.
“Prove it. Prove that you…”
A murderous aura and killing intent exploded from Leo’s body.
“…deserve to stand on the same stage as me.” (T/N: LET’S FKING GOOOOOO!)