Chapter 395

395.

– Who are you?

It was the first words spoken by Elshi after being summoned beyond the summoning array.

The young Great Spirit of Darkness wore an extremely perplexed expression.

It was only natural that he would feel this way.

Elshi, who had only been born not long ago, had never formed a single vow until now.

To be forcibly summoned by a vow he hadn’t even made—his shock was inevitable.

It was the same for Silrod, the heir to the Fairy King.

– M-Me? How did you kidnap me?

Silrod had a very frightened look on his face.

Five thousand years into the future.

As the sole remaining Familiar King, Silrod, the Fairy King, had experienced everything from the Era of Catastrophe to the age of change and was known as the undisputed strongest familiar.

But to Leo, this fearful Silrod was far more familiar than the awe-inspiring figure.

– I never made any contract with someone like you!

– M-Me too! Send me back!

Leo extended his hand toward Elshi and Silrod, who were darting around him like frantic moths.

Snap-!

“You need your strength.”

Leo said quietly.

“In order to restore the light of the night sky.”

-Stars?

“To cultivate the forests that once glimmered green again.”

-Forest?

Leo told the young spirit and fairy the kind of story that would captivate them.

“To do that, I need to fight this thing right now.”

-This thing?

-What in the world…?

Kooouuuuooouuoo!

Jormungand roared toward Leo, who had soared high into the sky.

Hummm-!

As if reacting to that roar, a massive surge of dark magic generated around Leo.

‘The Curse of Restraint.’

Leo’s eyes gleamed as he quickly formed the magical sigils to analyze and dispel the curse.

Pach-!

As Leo swiftly dispelled the curse, Albus looked on with astonishment.

-The Legion Commander’s curse, dispelled so quickly?

-Is the Legion Commander… that giant snake?

-D-Don’t tell me it’s the King of Gluttony Jormungand?!

Albus’s words shocked both Elshi and Silrod.

“I’ll explain later how you guys were summoned. For now…”

Leo sparked his spiritual energy.

In tune with his energy, Elshi and Silrod began to resonate.

“Focus on defeating that guy!”

With a harsh tug, Leo gripped Albus’s reins.

Fzzzzzzzzzz-!

In response, a swirl of pure white lightning enveloped them.

Jormungand, with jaws wide open, charged forward.

Kwaaaagggaaakk-!

Avoiding the attack, Albus surged forward like lightning.

Watching Leo and Albus quickly distance themselves, Jormungand bellowed out.

-You foolish worm! Do you really think you can escape me?

Kwaaaanggg-!

Jormungand swiftly pursued.

The pegasus is the fastest among all familiars.

And the White King is the fastest among those pegasi.

Speed so staggering that the term “nimble” seems appropriate.

But Jormungand pursued with a speed that didn’t match his colossal size.

Though swift, he couldn’t catch up to Albus.

Still, the distance began to slowly narrow.

Woooom-!

Dark magic swirled and aimed for Albus.

Dodging the dark magic, Albus took to the sky.

As if predicting Albus’s movement, Jormungand shortened the distance using the shortest possible path, inch by inch.

Jormungand’s nose twitched constantly.

‘I can smell it. The hateful scent of you moving!’

His heightened sense of smell not only chased Leo but also pointed him in the direction Leo would head toward.

It was an ability so uncanny it could be called prophecy.

King of Gluttony Jormungand.

Having overwhelming strength but not cunning like the other Legion Commanders, nor commanding any legion.

And yet the reason he was the most feared demon of the era.

Because of his unparalleled near-future prophecy-like sense of smell.

With that ability, Jormungand devoured everything that obstructed him.

The hero who sought to protect the world.

Jormungand was ready to devour this hero before him, just as he had done countless times before.

Crack-!

-I’ll devour you!

Simultaneously, as Jormungand opened his mouth wide, Leo sparked his aura.

Extrasensory Perception.

He honed all his senses sharply.

The skill of the hero who always stood at the forefront during the most critical moments.

His sharpened senses detected danger.

Whoosh-!

Startled, Jormungand’s eyes quivered at Leo’s unexpected movement.

-N-No! You’re showing off tricks! But it’s impossible to escape my vision! The mighty god has bestowed upon me this ability! In battle, I predict the future!

“I know. I suffered greatly because of that.”

Leo said coldly.

“But predicting the future in battle isn’t something only you can do.”

Leo knew.

Of another person who could foresee the future in battle.

‘Arnon.’

The hero’s extrasensory perception transcended even time.

Even Leo, who had learned extrasensory perception from Arnon, could never reach Arnon’s realm.

Even after Kyle received Arnon’s aura, the Hero of the Beginning remained beyond the hero’s domain.

However, there was a moment when Kyle had stepped into Arnon’s realm, if only for an instant.

‘The final battle.’

Leo’s eyes flickered.

His aura burned.

All his senses were finely honed.

Thump-thump-thump-

The sound of his heart pounding rapidly became audible.

When he heard it, everything in his vision began to slow down.

More precisely, Kyle’s cognition had transcended time.

‘There’s no way I can reach Arnon’s realm again.’

In Leo’s vision, Jormungand appeared moving slower than himself.

‘But…’

The bl**d vessels around Leo’s eyes burst.

Thump… thump… thump…

With that, Leo’s heartbeat began to gradually slow down.

‘It’s possible to outpace Jormungand, if only for an instant…’

Thump…

His heart stopped.

Or, rather, it felt like it stopped.

At that moment,

Jormungand’s shocked cry rang out.

-This is impossible! A creature that exceeds my cognition!

“That clever future prediction of yours doesn’t work on someone who can see a step ahead of you!”

-Do you really believe such an absurd monster exists?

“Isn’t it right in front of you?”

Leo mocked Jormungand.

“If I’m faster than you, you’ll never catch me.”

Leo’s crimson eyes flared.

“Flail away on the ground until you’re exhausted, oh Gluttony King.”

-Noooooooooooom!

Jormungand’s roar of fury reverberated.

Goom-goom-goom-GONG-!

Like the heavens splitting apart, Jormungand began to spin his massive body.

Whiiiirrrrrr-!

At the same time, dark magic began to surge around his body.

-I’ll sweep this entire area away!

Kwaaaaggg-a-ggg-a-AK-!

A colossal whirlwind of dark magic formed, centered on Jormungand—a literal obliteration of anything nearby.

Leo felt the air around him being sucked into Jormungand.

Summoning his spiritual energy, Leo gripped Albus’s reins once more.

Fzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz-!

The scarlet flames of Phoenix wrapped around Albus, who was cloaked in pure white lightning.

-The Flame of the Phoenix?

Albus was astonished at the sight.

The once snow-white wings of the Pegasus began to fiercely blaze, looking almost like the wings of a Phoenix itself.

Through Leo’s enhancement, Albus was enveloped by Zerdinger’s flames, just like how one reinforces a weapon with aura.

Albus now wielded Phoenix’s formidable flames.

-Good Lord!

Albus expressed shock.

“Did you say I can be rough with it?”

-Ugh?!

The flames burned the wings.

The Phoenix, a familiar that destroys evil by immolating itself, bestowed pain upon Albus.

“I’m sorry, but please endure it.”

-What an absurd vow keeper to have made a contract with!

Albus flapped his flame-covered wings.

“Still, it’s not over yet. Silrod! Enhancement Magic!”

-Yes, sir!

A fairy magical array shimmered on Albus’s pure white body.

Snap-!

Keeping his extrasensory perception active, Leo’s forehead veins burst as he gathered all his aura and spiritual energy.

-Amazing.

Silrod was astounded by the sight of Leo endlessly enhancing Albus.

But Leo wasn’t done yet.

“Elshi.”

Goooohhhooooh-!

At Leo’s call, dark mana erupted from Elshi’s body.

“Crush that thing.”

-Yes, sir.

Elshi extended her arms.

SCHHHT-!

-Huh?!

At that moment, Jormungand’s body froze.

Something restrained Jormungand.

-What nonsense are you doing?!

Jormungand twisted his body, trying to free himself from the force that bound him.

But despite his immense strength, Jormungand’s body didn’t budge.

-‘What sorcery is this!’

As Jormungand glared at his shadow, it began to warp.

Gnarl… gnarl… gnarl…

The shadow twisted as if someone was manipulating it at will.

Jormungand’s shadow began to coagulate into one point,

Causing his body to compress along with it.

-My shadow!

Realizing what was restricting him, Jormungand’s gaze turned toward the rider on the fire-breathing Pegasus high above.

‘Capable of handling the Pegasus, fairies, and even the Great Spirit of Darkness? What exactly are you!?’

Meanwhile,

Drip-!

bl**d flowed down from Leo’s eyes.

-Kyle! Are you alright?

Albus asked anxiously.

“I’m fine. It’s just that…”

Leo gripped the reins tightly,

“I’ve pushed myself slightly beyond my limits.”

Fzzzzzz-! Whooshhh-! Gooooh-!

Tracing a trajectory of lightning and flames, Leo and Albus charged forward.

Whoosh!

Amidst the enveloping darkness,

Leo charging towards the colossal Jormungand seemed like a small, feeble light.

The moment that thread-like light pierced through the darkness and impaled Jormungand,

Blazz-zing! Kwaaaaggg-a-ggg-a-AK-!

An overwhelming flash accompanied the creation of a massive crater.

Goom-goom-goom-GONG-!

A giant shockwave engulfed the surroundings.

Massive trees flattened toward the opposite side of the explosion before their roots were completely torn apart.

Truly an awe-inspiring destructive force.

The ultimate blow, extracting every ounce of potential from the Familiar King.

Amidst the flames and lightning soaring upwards,

Leo ascended into the sky.

-It’s astonishing.

“Yeah.”

Responding to Elshi’s murmur while tightening his grip on the reins,

-But it’s not over yet.

Albus replied soberly.

Goom-goom-goom-…

-Kehehehehehe…

A low chuckle echoed from the center of the explosion.

-KHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

A mad laughter erupted.

The warped body of Jormungand with eyes rolling back emerged from the explosion.

His body was scorched and melted, his face gruesomely twisted.

Even with the Legion Commander’s monstrous regenerative powers, the scars left behind by Pegasus’ lightning and the Phoenix’s flames inhibited his recovery.

But despite all this, Jormungand remained undeterred.

The strikes Leo had dealt, pushing himself to the brink,

Undoubtedly were massive attacks.

But they were nowhere near enough to fell Jormungand.

-No matter what you do, I’ll devour you and crush you!

Jormungand’s eyes flared.

With a gaze filled with hatred, he locked onto his target.

Nothing else mattered.

An unwavering intent to annihilate Leo by any means necessary.

“The first condition has been met.”

Jormungand, with his eyes rolling back, would relentlessly attack until Leo was dead.

“I’ll leave this to you, Lissinas.”