Chapter 369

369

‘The dirtiest paradise in this world.’

Leo walked through the Street of Pleasures, carefully observing the scenery of the street.

The gazes of the people around him were fixed on him.

In this street, Leo’s appearance was extremely alien.

The Street of Pleasures was dirty.

It wasn’t just that the street itself was dirty.

Every single thing that built this street, twisted desires and greed from the deepest recesses of people’s hearts, had constructed it.

Just as the old woman at the entrance had said, this was undoubtedly the very bottom of the world.

He recalled the Main Street from just moments before, which had been dazzling and splendid.

‘That was probably just for show, right?’

Even before being the world’s largest slum country, this nation was a place where things illegal in other countries were legal.

Such an Alehem was the ultimate playground for the powerful.

That dazzling street was surely the result of squeezing Alehem’s own people.

The atmosphere of the Street of Pleasures was much closer to Alehem’s true face.

‘Well, probably not the entire country to this extent.’

Just then, three large men blocked Leo’s path.

“What’re you looking at? Do we look interesting?”

“Just by looking, you seem like some noble’s son. What brings you to such a dilapidated place?”

“No, really, are you even a son? Seeing your pretty face, might you be a girl instead?”

“Could be. Let’s try to take a peek?”

The three men started snickering as they looked at Leo.

The soldiers, who resembled mercenaries, had a lost look in their eyes.

They were drenched in alcohol and drugs.

As Leo silently stared at the three, the leading giant furrowed his face.

“What’re you looking at, kid? Haven’t you seen someone at rock bottom before?!”

“Hey! Don’t scare him too much! He might start whining about calling his guards!”

“That would actually be pretty fun, too. But, come on. Once you’ve stepped foot in here, the little power you have outside means nothing!”

Seemingly irritated, they burst into laughter amongst themselves.

As he watched those mercenaries, Leo smirked faintly.

“I came to look for someone.”

“Who?”

“The owner of the Pleasure Castle.”

The moment he revealed the reason for his visit, a chilling silence enveloped the area.

The owner of Pleasure Castle.

The ruler of this street.

No, merely calling him the ruler of the street of pleasures might be an understatement.

He might as well be called the actual master of this Oasis City, Uargela.

To that extent, he was a being with immense influence over the city, even more so than the actual lord.

“What?! This kid…”

“You little brat! Do you even know who ‘That’ person is?! Are you asking about Him lightly because you smell of milk?! Do you even want to d*e?!”

The mercenaries who were intoxicated with drugs and alcohol instantly regained their senses.

With pale faces, they started screaming loudly.

As if unwilling to participate further in this conversation, Leo tilted his head as he watched.

‘This reaction just from mentioning His name?’

“Where can I meet Him?”

“Kid, you’re pushing it!”

“No one can meet Him!”

Feeling disinterested upon hearing their response, Leo displayed an indifferent expression.

“If you don’t know, I have no further business with you.”

“You brat!”

Incensed by Leo moving away nonchalantly, the mercenaries lunged at him.

Pang!

A dull thud resounded, and the mercenaries were flying through the air.

Crash!

“Gwahk!”

“Keek!”

“Ugh!”

The mercenaries, who collided with the ground, screamed in pain.

Elshi, perched on Leo’s shoulder, muttered.

-There’s a bunch of vile people here.

“Yeah, it’s that kind of neighborhood.”

Responding calmly, Leo started walking deeper into the street.

Tattered taverns lined up, but no matter how much he searched, there was no building worthy of being called a “castle.”

Leo narrowed his eyes.

“Elshi.”

-It’s as you’re thinking, Leo. The whole street is covered in a spirit’s illusion.

Upon hearing Elshi’s response, Leo pulled out the note that Tina had handed to him.

On it was only Tina’s name written alone.

“If this kind of power, then could that person be a Great Spirit?”

Even though he thought the person Tina introduced was quite a big deal, he never imagined the owner of the Pleasure Castle would be a Vow Keeper of a Great Spirit.

-Do you think you can find the way?

“Who do you think I am?”

With a wry smirk, Leo responded to Elshi’s question.

Ordinarily, it would’ve been impossible to even notice this kind of illusion.

But Leo had been friends with the strongest-ever summoner in history.

That powerful summoner didn’t care whether familiars or spirits—they treated them all alike.

“Compared to that guy’s spirit magic, this feels like child’s play.”

-Have you ever been affected by Lissinas’ spirit magic?

“Many times.”

Leo frowned as he recalled the times his friend had cast spirit magic on him when he was enraged.

And then he extended his hand into the air as if pulling back a curtain.

Crack!

The space at the tip of Leo’s finger began to warp.

Whoosh!

As Leo pulled his arm, the illusion melted away, revealing the real path.

Far in the distance, Leo could now see the radiant castle.

Leo’s eyes widened slightly upon sensing the spirit’s power emanating from the castle.

“Great Spirit of Light?”

While trapped in the illusion, he couldn’t have known the truth, but now it was crystal clear.

The Great Spirit dwelling here now was the Great Spirit of Light.

Among spirits, it possessed the most resplendent nature.

The Great Spirit of Light was truly the embodiment and representative of light.

Hence, it was surprising to see such a Great Spirit of Light residing in this dirty street.

-Oh my, a Great Spirit of Light?!

Elshi covered her mouth and gasped in delight.

And she seemed genuinely thrilled.

Elshi was born in the Era of Catastrophe.

A time when the gray sky blanketed the world, and the stars in the night sky were barely visible.

Because of that, Elshi developed a strong yearning for light.

And even after she transitioned to the present world through Leo, that longing remained.

Thinking that she might meet a Great Spirit of Light, Elshi was purely overjoyed.

Seeing Elshi’s reaction, Leo smirked.

“Do you like it that much?”

-Yes! I’ve always wanted to meet one!

“The Great Spirit of Light? I’m curious too about what kind of figure they are.”

The memories associated with the Great Spirit of Light were not entirely pleasant.

Five thousand years ago.

Luminous, the Great Spirit of Light, had been the Vow Keeper of Lissinas.

She was the first companion Lissinas and Leo had to lose.

After Lissinas’ d*ath.

After fighting and killing Erebus, even Kyle’s subsequent d*ath.

After five thousand long years, they had finally managed to keep that promise.

Leo pulled out the Precious Gem of Light from his coat.

The object that served as a medium for Elshi’s contract.

A treasure of the spirits of light left behind by Luminous for Leo.

After carefully tucking the Precious Gem away, Leo said,

“Well, shall we go?”

-Yes!

*

At the top of the Pleasure Castle.

The Mistress of the Street of Pleasures.

No, someone overlooking the entirety of Uargela.

Her eyes flinched.

“Unveiling the veil. Whose doing could this be?”

Upon seeing her displeasure, the woman standing beside her closed her eyes slightly and replied,

“It seems an outsider has arrived in the Street of Pleasures, Lady Rael.”

“An outsider?”

Even if it were an outsider, the situation was indeed perplexing.

Could there be someone in this country capable of penetrating and countering her power?

After pondering, Rael recalled something.

She had already heard about the dispatch of Hero Candidates from Lumeran to investigate irregularities in this country.

“So, the Hero Candidates, are they?”

The unpleasant expression on Rael’s face deepened even more.

She was not fond of the existence of a Hero.

“How should we handle this?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“The outsider who came here is named Leo Flove.”

“Leo Flove? The Hero Candidate that the Comet Wizard designated as the successor?”

“Yes. The Hero Candidate Lady Rael has waited for a long time… ”

“I’ve long stopped waiting for anyone.”

Rael’s cold words made the woman hesitate.

“And you believe the absurd story about the Comet Wizard reappearing in this land?”

“The Forefather of Constellations and the Hero of the Beginning have already appeared in this land. Why shouldn’t the Comet Wizard…?”

At the subordinate’s words, Rael smirked faintly.

“Great Heroes and the Heroes of the Cataclysm are different.”

“Huh?”

“If the Heroes of the Cataclysm were the same as Great Heroes, the world would’ve already collapsed long ago.”

“My thinking remains unchanged.”

As Rael gazed outside the window, she muttered,

“The light has long vanished from this world.”

Leo, walking towards the Pleasure Castle, stopped his steps.

Without warning, the people on the street had vanished without a trace.

“Leo, it’s an illusion.”

Elshi, narrowing her brows, spoke.

Leo had already realized that he had entered the domain of an illusion.

The problem was this illusion wasn’t merely a visual trick.

A bright light erupted in front of Leo.

“Interesting.”

Leo smirked upon seeing the figure who had revealed themselves.

The figure before him was none other than himself.

It was an illusion perfectly mirroring him, as if reflected in a mirror.

“Pretty adept in spirit magic, aren’t you?”

Illusions are the special skill of the Spirit of Light.

If it were a Great Spirit, creating realistic illusions would be a straightforward task.

But the illusion before him now was of an entirely different level of refinement.

“This must be the work of an exceedingly powerful Great Spirit with a Vow Keeper.”

Essentially, the power of Great Spirits is almost equal. However, the differences in combat ability exist.

That difference comes from their age and experience.

As a spirit lives longer and gathers more experience, it naturally becomes more capable in combat.

Creating realistic illusions is one thing, but crafting an illusion identical to the real person is another challenge.

Whoosh!

The illusion used the flames of Zerdinger.

Upon seeing this, Elshi offered,

– Should I step in?

Light and darkness are opposite properties.

Elshi, as a Shadow Spirit, could distort even the most refined illusion using her power.

Thud.

“No.”

Advancing a step forward, Leo spoke firmly.

The reason such a powerful illusion was blocking him was one – the master of this castle harbored hostility towards his kind.

An intent to drive him away, by any means.

To use Elshi would mean invoking the power of a Great Spirit.

‘There should’t be two different Great Spirits of Darkness in existence. It’s best to keep this hidden for now.’

Truthfully, the illusion before him wasn’t a significant obstacle to Leo.

“Even if it looks real, it’s still just an illusion.”

A slight smile playing on his lips, Leo allowed the flames from Zerdinger to leap up from his body.

Whoosh!

As his crimson eyes flickered,

KAAAAAANG!

A massive wave of fiery attack surged.

WHOOSH!

As he watched the flames rising in one part of the castle, Rael’s eyes flinched.

‘So fast?’

The Pleasure Castle was protected by five major illusions.

The first one concealed the castle’s physical form.

The second illusion was the one Leo had just shattered moments ago.

From the second illusion onward, these were hazardous illusions capable of killing any unwelcome visitor who tried to approach the Pleasure Castle.

Though they appeared as mere illusions, they were powerful enough that anyone who attempted to surpass their boundaries could not crack them.

‘They say he’s the greatest Hero Candidate in history.’

Rael admitted to herself that she had underestimated Leo.

‘It’s only natural. After all, he’s a student of Lumeran…’

Just as Rael thought that,

Flash!

Her expression changed as she saw another flash from the third illusion zone.

The third illusion, which tested one’s belief in oneself, had been breached instantly.

Rael’s mind couldn’t help but recall the words: “the successor of the Comet Wizard.”

‘It can’t be.’

As she negated the thought,

Flash!

The fourth illusion had been breached once again.

The fourth illusion required mental fortitude to overcome, to move forward regardless of circumstances.

For 3000 years, no one had breached the fourth illusion.

‘This kid…’

Rael’s mouth hung open.

‘What exactly is he…’

Only the final illusion remained.

As this fact dawned on her, she was shocked.

BOOM!

The door on the top floor opened violently.

Rael found herself staring into the bright red eyes of a boy with pure white hair.

“Do you know how strange humans are?”

Leo tilted his head as he looked at Rael.

“I didn’t expect a Great Spirit to do something like this without a Vow Keeper.”