Chapter 321
Creak—
In a room cloaked in darkness, a window creaked open.
Between the blackout curtains, a small silver-glowing being fluttered in.
–Hehehe! I’ve been waiting for this moment.
Kirran entered the room with a sly expression.
This was none other than the office of Professor Tina, who had been invited by Len.
–Stealing from an empty house while everyone’s distracted by midterms! It’s strategy 101!
Puffing himself up, Kirran flapped his wings and scattered silver dust throughout the room.
–Now, time to find my wings!
Rubbing his palms together, Kirran began rummaging through Tina’s things—until his eyes sparkled at the sight of a gem.
–Found it! My wings!
He flapped about gleefully.
–With this, the prestige of the Fairy Prince will soar! Just you wait, fat Phoenix! I’ll make you kneel before my noble radiance!
Just as he reached toward the gem with visions of Piora groveling in his mind—
‘Thunk!’
Something landed in front of him.
Kirran realized it was a scalpel—gleaming menacingly.
He slowly looked up along the hand gripping the scalpel and was met with golden eyes glinting in the dark.
“My, what a cute little moth.”
Tina, wearing her usual bored smile, retrieved the scalpel she’d just stabbed down.
–Who are you calling a moth?! I’m a fairy!
Kirran snapped back.
“Oh, perfect.”
Tina gave a beaming smile.
“I’ve been practicing dissecting fairies.”
Kirran followed her gaze toward the inner room.
She had just come from there.
Inside, through the crack in the door, Kirran could make out a fairy doll—
Its body filled with scalpels identical to the one Tina held.
Kirran’s face turned pale.
“I’ve wanted to dissect a fairy since I was little.”
Tina’s cheeks flushed with excitement as she said with glee,
“Don’t worry. I’ll stitch you back together real pretty.”
–KYAAAAAA! S-Stay away, you witch!
“KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Terrified, Kirran bolted.
Tina chased after him, wildly swinging scalpels with a mad grin on her face.
The office was completely trashed, but she didn’t care.
Cornered, Kirran clung to the wall, trembling.
Just as Tina raised her scalpel—
‘Poof—!’
Kirran vanished.
—
–WAAAHHH! I almost died!
Kirran reappeared on Leo’s palm, clutching himself and wailing.
“…What’s your problem?”
–That crazy elf almost caught me and dissected me!
As Kirran complained with teary eyes, Leo gave him a deadpan stare.
“I should’ve known when you went around pranking people.”
Kirran sniffled and grabbed Leo’s sleeve—then blew his nose hard into it.
Leo smacked him like a mosquito.
–Comfort me! You’re Dad’s friend’s son! If I’m crying, you should comfort me!
“Keep whining and you’ll get another smack.”
Kirran pouted.
Leo told him,
“Get ready.”
–Huh?
Kirran flapped into the air.
After scanning the area, he widened his eyes and crossed his arms triumphantly.
–So this is finally my debut before the world!
With a proud cheer, Kirran basked in the moment.
Leo sheathed his sword, then reached into the air.
‘FWOOSH—!’
With crimson flames, a scarlet spear appeared.
‘Clack—!’
Gripping the spear, Leo looked toward Walden and Duran, both tense with determination.
“Now then… shall we begin the real hunt?”
—
“He’s fighting all three at once?”
Hark’s sleepy eyes snapped wide open.
“Our student council president’s just full of surprises~”
Elena crossed her legs and looked at Leo with amused interest.
Then Aina, who had silently watched the giant magic screen, finally spoke.
“How do you think this fight will go?”
As first-year representative, Aina was seated front and center.
Being Kalian’s great-granddaughter made her the subject of great interest and attention.
Many approached her with genuine friendliness—or veiled ambition.
Some just wanted to cozy up to the Sword Star’s heir.
But Aina had remained silent.
This was the first time she spoke.
To her question, Elena twirled her hair and answered,
“Why even ask?”
With a captivating smile, she said,
“Leo will win—overwhelmingly.”
“But those three are incredibly strong as well.”
And they were.
Walden had summoned a Greater Spirit.
Leo’s battle with Duran had been too fast to follow.
No matter how exceptional Leo was, to win against them all overwhelmingly? That defied logic.
At her words, Hark rested his chin in his hand.
“Rhys didn’t pass on the student council position to Leo just because of his potential.”
He looked at Leo on the screen.
“He gave it to him because he knew Leo would catch up and surpass him faster than anyone.”
Hark’s eyes narrowed.
“The second-years are amazing. But even I wouldn’t be confident fighting Leo right now. That’s how much of a monster he is.”
“I bet Leo’s still holding something in reserve.”
Hark and Elena’s comments widened Aina’s eyes, and she clenched her fists tightly.
“Oooh! Leo! Incredible!”
A cheerful voice rang out.
Third-year representative Lill had returned with snacks and wore a bright smile.
“Oh my, Lill. Thanks for the snack.”
Elena smiled as she stole the snacks Lill brought.
“Miss Elena! That’s mine!”
“Oh, how generous, offering snacks to your senior. How lovely.”
Lill pouted, but Elena simply smiled like a queen and kept munching.
“You’re such a bully. Seriously, stealing from your juniors?”
Hark clicked his tongue and reached over, taking the drink Lill had brought.
“Mr. Hark! That was for me!”
“Sorry. I just woke up and my throat’s dry.”
As these top-tier upperclassmen raided Lill’s haul, Leena, the principal, shook her head.
“As principal, watching you clowns makes me embarrassed for the whole school.”
Neither Hark nor Elena cared.
Lill slumped back into her seat, defeated by her eccentric seniors.
Then she noticed Aina beside her and smiled.
“Are you enjoying the match, Miss Aina?”
“…Miss Lill, how do you think this fight will end?”
“Leo will win. He’s still hiding a trump card.”
Shrugging, Lill echoed the others.
Hearing this from all her more experienced, stronger seniors, Aina lowered her head.
‘What… must I do to earn his recognition?’
She clenched her fists.
‘Why… did ‘he’ get acknowledged?’
She hated comparing.
But a boy her age—someone she once saw as beneath her—had already been acknowledged by Leo Plov.
Gritting her teeth, Aina’s expression darkened.
Then—
“A fairy?”
“Did he just summon a ‘fairy’?!”
Gasps rang out.
Startled, Aina looked up.
On Leo’s palm, a fairy had appeared.
She stared wide-eyed at the screen, then looked to her seniors.
“Just like you said—he ‘was’ hiding a trump card. Did you know he had a contract with a fairy?”
While Aina asked in awe—
Elena, Hark, and Lill all had baffled expressions.
“…Who the hell would expect something like that?”
“Yeah. That’s just too far.”
“…Every time I see Leo, I feel worthless.”
Elena looked exasperated. Hark shook his head. Lill slumped again.
Aina blinked.
‘…He’s just broken, isn’t he.’
—
Leo gripped [Lancea].
It was one of the Zerdinger family heirlooms, recently passed down to Leo after he was formally recognized as a direct heir.
“Kirran.”
At his call, Kirran activated his magic.
Leo’s body began healing, and layers of protective magic wrapped around him.
The three great familiars were powerful by default.
But each had a specialty.
The Phoenix—king of flames—excelled in offense.
The Pegasus—lord of thunder—was unmatched in mobility.
And the Fairy—a being of illusion—specialized in healing and defense.
In other words, fairies were ideal for support.
Swish—
Leo spun Lancea lightly and faced Duran and Walden.
BOOM!
Flames burst from Leo midair.
He shot toward Duran.
CRASH—!
“Ghh!”
Duran’s eyes widened.
Walden swung at Leo’s back.
BOOM!
“……!”
Walden’s face twisted.
He met the fairy’s eyes.
Kirran wagged a finger smugly as Walden poured energy into his fist.
‘His weakness is Mana.’
Walden narrowed his eyes.
‘He’s maximizing efficiency—zero waste!’
An incredible level of [Mana] control.
No longer just talent—it was experience.
‘That also means he can’t sustain this fight if he gets inefficient!’
Even with high efficiency, there’s a limit.
‘And he’s using both Phoenix and Fairy right now!’
No matter how well-tuned, that kind of drain couldn’t last long.
‘Just hold out a little longer…!’
Walden clenched his fist harder.
Duran unleashed even more intense [Aura].
“Trying to burn through my Mana, are you.”
Leo raised his spear.
BOOM!
CRACKLE—!
A wave of fire erupted around him.
Duran and Walden retreated quickly from the swirling inferno.
“Then I’ll end it before that happens.”
Just as Leo’s flames roared—
Drip— drip— SHHHHH!
Rain began to fall.
Leo looked up.
‘Eliza?’
His eyes narrowed.
‘She used Spirit Art to enhance Delphinus? She was struggling with summons earlier—and now she’s pulling off this level of control?’
In pure power, Walden was greater.
But in overall skill, Eliza’s summoning abilities were just as astonishing.
CRACKLE—!
Duran’s lightning aura strengthened with Eliza’s support.
Walden also switched from an earth spirit to a water one.
Eliza had shifted the entire battlefield to their advantage.
‘Even while fighting Piora… she can support this much?’
Leo gripped his spear tighter.
‘Then the first to go has to be Eliza.’
He looked up at her fighting Piora in midair.
“You’re looking the wrong way, Leo Plov!”
Walden shouted and hurled a spirit-infused punch.
Leo invoked [Arron’s Breath] to surge his [Aura].
A sudden burst of strength gathered in his palm.
BOOM! RUMBLE—!
The pressure disrupted the rain around them.
Walden tried to force more power into his fist, but—
“Stay down.”
Leo twisted his hand and slammed Walden to the ground.
Then Kirran used fairy magic to bind Walden with roots that shot up from the ground.
GRAB—!
“Ghh!”
As Walden struggled, golden lightning flashed.
CRACKLE—!
Leo charged into the bolt with no hesitation.
CLANG—!
He parried Duran’s sword with his spear.
The impact briefly exposed Duran’s upper body.
He hastily activated [Aura Armor].
SMASH—!
Leo drove his left foot into Duran’s chest.
“Gah?!”
Blood spewed from Duran’s mouth.
CRASH! CRUNCH! SNAP! SPLASH!
Duran smashed through trees and crashed deep into the forest.
Grimacing, he tried to rise—
THUD—
Leo regripped [Lancea].
Flames swirled.
It was his strongest weapon, aside from Dweno’s.
His grip tightened.
FWOOSH—!
Leo hurled the spear at Eliza.
—
“Ghh!”
‘PIYAAAAAAK!’
“Don’t come at me with chick sounds when you’re fighting so fiercely!”
Despite her fierce attack, Eliza was thrown off by Piora’s shrill screech.
‘Good thing it’s still young—it’s not good at combat yet!’
If Piora were more experienced, Eliza wouldn’t have been able to support Duran and Walden.
‘If I hold out a little longer, we can win!’
Eliza knew Leo’s weakness was drawn-out battles.
‘Even he can’t take down all three of us in one blow—’
The moment she thought that—
‘WHIIINE—!’
Her Wind Wyvern let out a distressed cry.
Suddenly—
THUNK—!
“Wha…”
A flash of flame filled her vision.
‘I got… hit.’
Eliza vomited blood.
‘BEEP—’
The bracelet on her wrist flashed red—then went dark.
FWOOSH—!
Her vision faded, and she vanished from the field.
—
As Eliza was eliminated, the rain stopped.
Leo retrieved Lancea and charged toward Walden, now free of Kirran’s magic.
CRASH! BOOM! FWOOSH!
Flames erupted.
The earth split. Tidal waves crashed.
FLASH! BOOM!
Golden lightning rained down.
It was a fierce battle.
But the conclusion came quickly.
Having already summoned a Greater Spirit and fought Leo several times, Walden was the first to be eliminated.
Leo then walked toward Duran, who was floating powerlessly at the lakeside.
Step— step—
Duran, seeing him approach, clutched his sword and struggled to rise.
‘Is this… it?’
But he had no idea what to do.
The gap was unfathomable.
He couldn’t even see Leo’s back anymore.
When Leo went all out, the fight ended in a blink.
Leo stood over Duran and looked down.
His eyes held no emotion.
Duran clenched his teeth.
‘What do I even do…’
He couldn’t see a way forward.
‘How can I possibly defeat this monster?’
FWOOSH—!
Leo drove his spear into Duran without hesitation.
FLASH—!
Duran disappeared—eliminated.
Leo turned and walked back to base.
Far in the distance, a student who had watched the fight swallowed dryly.
“…That was just… a fight between monsters.”
The ground had been reshaped.
The terrain annihilated.
Trembling students looked on.
Nella, too, wore a hopeless expression.
“How are we supposed to beat someone like ‘that’ Leo…?”
(T/N: Just thought of adding an extra chapter just to complete Leo’s fight scene lol.)