Chapter 287

“Let’s break out.”

At Ar’s words, Kal showed the cuffs on his wrist and replied.

“How can you break out when our mana is suppressed?”

Ar stood up.

“We have to break free and escape.”

“That’s not as easy as you make it sound.”

Kal revealed his anxiety.

Ar closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Saaaaaah!

Ar’s disposition suddenly changed.

Her nails grew longer, and her canines became sharper.

Ar’s hair stood on end as she opened her eyes.

Her blue cat-like pupils gleamed in the darkness.

Gooooooooo!

Mana surged around Ar’s body.

“Grrrrr!”

A low feline growl emanated from Ar’s throat.

Kal’s eyes widened in shock at the sight.

“What… What is that?”

Driana also looked startled, recognizing the transformation.

“Werecat? But there’s no full moon?”

Kiiiiiiiing! Pong!

The mana seal restraining Ar’s power exploded, sending shards flying in all directions.

“It’s my hasty actions that got her captured.”

Ar had suffered from overexerting her mana but paid it no mind.

“Therefore, I’ll save her by any means.”

Ki-gi-gi-gik!

Watching Ar forcefully bend the iron bars, Kal’s jaw dropped.

Meanwhile, Lunia spoke up.

“I’m going too.”

“Sorry, but I can’t bring someone sealed with a mana inhibitor.”

Currently, their party’s mana was sealed by inhibitors created by none other than Dwenno.

Breaking the seal from the inside with one’s own power was easier than breaking it externally.

Hearing Ar’s words, Lunia began to channel mana.

Whooshhh!

Strong flames erupted around Lunia’s entire body.

Poooom!

“Why would you think I can’t do something you can? Eiran is my friend. I’ll rescue her with my own hands.”

“Got it. Let’s go together.”

Lunia looked at Kal and Driana.

“You two, follow once we’ve subdued the guards.”

Ar cracked her finger joints while eyeing the prison door.

“Then, let’s go.”

“Right.”

“Urrraaaaa!”

Kwaaaang!

“What, wha-?”

“Breaking out! They’re trying to escape!”

With a powerful kick, Ar shattered the door just as the guards rushed in to subdue them.

“Out of the way! Out of the way!”

Ar hurled guards away while charging ahead with Lunia trailing closely behind.

Whooshhh! Kooong!

Flame magic swept through the prison’s interior.

Driana watched their retreat and asked Kal.

“Those two are pretty monstrous already, but what kind of monster is Leo Flove?”

Kal sighed deeply at Driana’s question.

“An unimaginable monster.”

Kal recalled Leo’s appearance.

‘What is Leo up to right now?’

*

Leo stared directly into Aron’s golden eyes.

He didn’t enjoy dueling with others.

Beastmen were a race that revered strength.

For that reason, many of the beastmen lived lives filled with struggle.

That racial tendency made the beastmen an exceptionally strong race.

However, Aron was the least beastman-like of all.

It wasn’t because Aron was a coward.

Aron simply disliked both harming himself and injuring others.

‘Too kind.’

Thinking about Aron, Leo gave a wry smile.

He was too kindly born.

The hero who fought solely for others.

That was the famed hero Aron.

‘Doesn’t seem evil.’

Aron’s intuition said as much.

‘But his intentions are unclear.’

Because this involved his disciple, Leo had no choice but to respond to the provocation.

Swoosh-

Aron drew his sword.

‘Brave.’

Looking at the sword, Leo also drew his own.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never dueled with Aron before.’

He had dueled numerous times with Luna and Dwenno, but never once with Aron.

That was because Aron, who disliked fighting, avoided spars with friends as well.

‘I was always the one to stop him.’

Kyle would be the one to stop Luna, the most warlike of the hunting party, when she charged at Aron.

‘Also, I didn’t push it because the outcome was obvious.’

Though Aron possessed a congenital talent for martial arts that was nothing short of genius.

Kyle, despite mastering all weapons at an expert level, well knew that no matter how much he struggled, he could not defeat Aron.

The one who had reached the ultimate limit of martial arts.

That was the illustrious hero Aron.

‘No wonder he’s revered as a martial deity in later generations.’

In Leo’s eyes, Aron was truly akin to a martial deity.

Leo drew his sword.

Swoosh-

‘That’s why it’s Aron.’

Whooshhh!

Flames of aura formed around Leo’s sword.

Aron tensed.

‘Even if I pour in my all, it should be fine.’

Kooongggg!

Leo swung his sword, causing a wall of flames to soar high into the sky.

Whooshh!

Aron deflected Leo’s sword strike with ease.

Though his own attack was easily nullified in such a manner, Leo paid it no mind and closed the distance between him and Aron.

Poof!

As Leo approached using an aura step, Aron raised his left hand, the one that wasn’t holding his sword.

Seeing this, Leo detonated the aura throughout his body, accelerating his movement.

Kwaaak!

By jumping and using Aron’s outstretched left hand as a pivot, Leo propelled himself upward.

Chang!

Instantly reaching behind Aron, Leo swung his sword.

Aron blocked Leo’s sword.

Aron didn’t know Leo.

On the contrary, Leo knew Aron extremely well.

Aron’s rhythm and quirks during battle.

And his vulnerabilities.

Having fought alongside Aron countless times on the battlefield, Leo knew Aron inside and out.

For that reason, the previous attack was a perfect strike aiming directly at Aron’s blind spot.

Aron’s rhythm was disrupted, and the timing was completely taken by Leo.

Yet Aron blocked Leo’s attack without much difficulty.

This wasn’t because Aron was overwhelmingly stronger than Leo.

‘Extrasensory perception.’

Aron’s technique of finely controlling aura to elevate all senses to an extreme level.

Leo also used this technique.

‘Even so, the original version is on a whole different level.’

For Leo, to activate extrasensory perception, he needed to sharpen his senses.

However, Aron was different.

So natural, it was as if breathing.

As if replacing one’s original senses, Aron activated extrasensory perception.

A state transcending technique.

To the point where his sixth sense had also become sharp, enabling him to move his body as if predicting the future.

‘No wonder he’s the strongest warrior.’

Leo also activated his extrasensory perception.

Together with striking down the sword aimed at subduing him, he saw Aron’s surprised expression.

Tuck!

Landing on the ground, Leo grinned at the slight stinging feeling on his cheek.

‘Monster, as always.’

Sixteen years since reincarnation.

During that time, Leo had strived to grow his physical vessel.

Kyle’s power had required a vessel, and Leo’s was too small.

Fortunately, this vessel was superior to his previous life’s vessel, thus his growth was unhindered.

‘But that doesn’t mean I’ve neglected technique.’

He had continuously honed his martial arts through practice and kept researching new spells.

Thoughtful consideration was given to making his summoned creatures more useful.

If he were to return to his body from the previous life, he would undoubtedly be stronger than the Kyle from his past life now.

However, despite all the efforts poured into swordsmanship, he could not surpass Aron.

‘Somewhat equal. No, maybe Aron is slightly higher.’

Leo tightened his grip on the sword.

Even now, Aron wasn’t at his prime, nor was he in his transformed state.

Still, he could not catch up to Aron in swordsmanship.

The ultimate pinnacle reached by a warrior.

Looking at the hero Aron, Leo tightened his grip on his sword.

‘It’s not like I intended to fight this guy only with swordsmanship anyway.’

“Magic swordsman?”

Aron’s face showed surprise.

‘Should be about the same age as Berkiya.’

Even Berkiya was an unparalleled expert compared to her peers.

When it came to swordsmanship, Leo’s skill easily surpassed Berkiya’s.

So what now with the added use of magic?

Whoosh!

Leo’s sword was wrapped with both aura flames and mana flames.

Gripping his sword tightly, Leo stood firm.

Tuck!

Whoosh

“Fiora.”

At Leo’s mumble, Fiora, who was curled up in his school uniform pocket, poked her head out with a “Brrriiiip!”

Though she looked like a chubby chick, her nature as a phoenix did not change.

Voooouum!

With Leo’s spirit power rising, the contract mark on the back of his hand illuminated.

Whooshhh!

The contract mark, having absorbed Leo’s spirit power, spewed flames.

It was Fiora’s flames.

Witnessing this, Aron’s eyes widened.

‘Also uses summoning magic?’

“Omnipotential?”

Aron’s face showed shock.

“Another omnipotential besides Kyle?”

It couldn’t be helped that it was surprising.

Aron knew better than anyone the special nature of omnipotential’s power.

Throughout history, there was only one omnipotential.

Kyle.

Yet now, another omnipotential appeared.

On top of it, a phoenix!

While Aron showed a look of disbelief,

Whoosh!

Fiora turned into flames and settled into Leo’s sword.

KWAaaaaa!

The flames on the sword enveloped the combined energy of aura and mana.

KWAaaaa!

From Leo’s sword, wings of a phoenix were formed.

It was the strongest technique in the arsenal of attacks Leo currently had.

“Let’s go.”

As Leo raised his sword, a golden aura surged from Aron’s sword.

Kooongggg!

Huge pillars of fire and golden aura clashed, engulfing the surroundings.

Whoosh!

The nearby forest caught on fire.

Leo controlled the flames, gathering them onto his sword.

Then, pointing the sword at himself while looking at Aron who remained standing unscathed, he grinned.

Aron’s clothes had a bit of soot on them.

“Terrifying power.”

Aron wiped the cold sweat from his brow.

“Considering that, you seem pretty intact though.”

Leo heightened the output of the flames on his sword.

“Let’s do this one more time.”

Kooonggg!

Seeing Leo spout flames, Aron felt a strange emotion.

Aron disliked fighting.

But he could feel his heart racing.

It wasn’t because he enjoyed the fight.

Rather, because he caught a shadow of someone in Leo’s figure.

‘Kyle.’

Though their appearances were completely different, the boy in front of him reminded him of his friend.

Seeing this Aron, Leo increased the power even more.

This would be his final attack.

‘This fight was not in vain.’

The technique he was using now was a fusion of three abilities using summoning magic as a base.

It was a new technique created after reincarnation.

That’s why there were aspects that needed refinement, and he had identified them through this battle.

‘Should be able to draw more power from Phoenix still.’

Leo felt the power of Phoenix from the back of his hand.

Giving more spirit power to the contract mark.

In that instant,

Whoosh!

White flames ignited.

Leo’s eyes flickered.

Aron also wore a shocked expression.

White flames were emanating from Leo’s hands.

‘What… is this?’

Leo’s face hardened.

Briip?

The confused reaction of Fiora nestled in the sword could be felt.

Clearly, this wasn’t Fiora’s flames.

It was impossible for Fiora to produce pure white flames.

But it was definitely phoenix flames.

And… the one white phoenix Leo could recall from memory was only one.

‘The royal lineage that disappeared at the end of the Era of Catastrophe.’

Just as that thought occurred,

Whooshhh!

From Leo’s hand, white flames shot up, revealing a bird with white feathers tinged with red.

“Katariu!”

Aron’s face showed astonishment at seeing the vowkeeper of his old friend Lissinas.

Leo also looked in disbelief at the vowkeeper who had responded to his summoning.

[… And just what are you, human?]

Katariu narrowed her eyes.

[Why do you have my contract mark? I’ve never contracted with someone like you.]