Chapter 477

477.

Spirit Magician.

It referred to someone who summoned spirits and wielded the power they possessed during their lifetime.

People sometimes think of spirits as pure ‘souls.’ However, spirits were not exactly pure souls in the truest sense.

“Spirits are akin to memories embedded within mana.”

Every living being inherently possesses mana. Through training, this mana is refined and divides into aura, magical power, or spiritual power depending on the nature of the vessel containing it. When life ends, the mana naturally returns to the environment, only to be reborn within another life.

But the mana held by those who possessed great power in life retains an afterimage of that person.

“And reading the memories of these remnants and bringing them forth with spiritual power is precisely what a spirit is.”

This is also the basic principle behind necromancy, which revives the dead by utilizing the lingering thoughts within corpses. Corpses are used because they carry stronger residual thoughts due to being the physical remains of the once-living. However, a Demon King could even resurrect the dead using just the dirt from where a body was buried, even if the corpse was gone.

The Iron bl**d Mage Tiar was also revived this way.

Leo looked at Tiar.

From the memories shown by Lissinas’s spiritual power, to the voice he heard earlier from Lissinas.

“The awakening of the Spirit Magic.”

There was no other explanation than the influence of Lissinas’s power obtained through the conquest of the Hero’s World.

Furthermore, this power seemed to be urging him to save the elf before him.

“Anyway, the past or present.”

Leo let out a bitter laugh as he approached Tiar.

The elf before him was a far stronger being than any of the heroes from the Justice Guild. Moreover, she had become a dead entity who harbored hatred for the world itself.

“And breaking her physical form and sending her back to where she belongs won’t be easy.”

Leo drew his sword.

“Subdue her and save her soul, huh.”

Spirit magicians could elevate the spirits within undead to a spiritual form.

The only issue? It was incredibly difficult.

“This d*mn lizard sure only gives me tough tasks.”

Despite his complaints, Leo smiled.

“Well, then.”

Trud-Trud-

“I wonder what kind of story brought you to harbor so much resentment?”

Crack-Gaga-Ga-Ga-Ga!

As Leo approached, the ground around Tiar immediately transformed into iron.

Leo tightened his grip on his sword.

SQUEAK!

He cleaved the massive blade rushing toward him into two parts.

But Tiar’s attack wasn’t over yet.

WOOM!

Countless red magical circles appeared in the sky.

From them poured a torrent of red liquid.

Leo’s eyes narrowed.

“The smell of bl**d.”

The magic Tiar created was akin to a rain of bl**d. This was why she earned the nickname “Iron bl**d Mage.” She mainly used magic that employed bl**d and iron as catalysts, which was why she was exceptionally powerful on the battlefield. She never ran out of materials since the battlefield always provided her with the necessary catalysts—enemy bodies.

Using the bl**d from the enemy corpses, she would detonate them and tear apart their weapons with the iron in them. It was truly a magic of mass slaughter, the brightest on the battlefield.

WHOOSH!

From Leo’s sword flared the flame of aura.

“Fiore!”

With a roar, Fiore’s flame merged with the aura flames, ejecting an even more intense blaze.

CRASH-GA-GA-GA-GA-GA-GA!

The sword strikes marked the sky.

POOF-POOF-POOF!

The sword strikes coming like a net obliterated the rain of bl**d. Along with it, a massive explosion that seemed to tear the sky apart shook the ground.

From Leo’s perspective, this wasn’t the problem.

“This magic doesn’t fully embody the essence of Star Magic.”

Star Magic was the magic Luna developed to make flowers bloom.

It might seem simple, but Luna’s flower bloom magic touched on the “creation of life,” venturing into a divine realm.

Leo lowered himself, reminiscing about his friend who stepped into this divine realm merely to see some flowers bloom.

Though rejected by the elven society for her unconventional magic, the human world celebrated her as a savior. This was partly because she had saved many humans from Tartarus.

It was also a reason why the elves alienated her even more.

“Back when there was a racial war between humans and elves, wasn’t it?”

The human world praised her, but even the human magical academy shied away from the Iron bl**d Magic. It was too cruel. There were penalties for using this magic on anyone other than demons, as it was sanctioned only against demons.

“It’s no surprise this magic would be called heresy among the elves.”

To Leo, it felt like a magic that directly contradicted Luna’s intentions.

After all, Star Magic was infused with Luna’s love for flowers and her warm heart.

WHOOSH-HISS!

The magic Tiar invoked created massive chains of iron.

The chains shimmered with red magical power.

KRAAASH!

The rotating red magical force slashed apart everything it touched.

“Unless someone ponders how to make d*ath most painful, they couldn’t have created such magic.”

Leo squinted his eyes.

The malice and cruelty in the magic was enough to pass it off as dark magic.

WHOOSH!

Leo stepped with an Aura Step and approached Tiar.

KRAK-GA-GA-GA!

The surrounding area was destroyed.

Leo easily dodged the chains attempting to coil around him like a snake.

“The magic isn’t just physical force but seems to have a curse-like element embedded within.”

While analyzing the magic, Leo moved closer to Tiar.

Then, he heard Tiar muttering softly.

“There’s no way! There’s no way They could be as hideous as I am!”

A voice filled with anguish resounded.

“I apologize, oh Great Ancestors of the Star Cloud. Please don’t forgive me.”

She squeezed out a voice in apology toward Luna.

“But… I couldn’t forgive them. I hate them!”

Tiar, clutching her head and revealing her hatred, prompted Leo to reflect.

“What would Luna have thought of this magic?”

She probably would have been shocked.

“She would’ve surely been astonished by the very existence of such a magic.”

As the distance between Leo and Tiar closed, the Iron bl**d Magic completely engulfed Leo.

WOOM!

An instant magical circle appeared on Leo’s body.

Leo quickly decoded the magical inscriptions.

CLANG!

The spell cast by the Iron bl**d Mage shattered, dispelling the magic.

But the undead Iron bl**d Mage showed no signs of surprise and prepared the next spell.

Before that, Leo grabbed Tiar’s neck.

CRACK!

Leo invoked the star power, suppressing the Iron bl**d Mage’s magical power with his own.

BOOM-GA-GA-GA!

The clash of tremendous magical powers caused the surrounding ground to tremble.

The agony from the magical conflict was immense, but Leo paid it no mind as he invoked his spiritual power.

Even the strongest spirit magicians should not casually touch undead, for they risk exposing themselves to its residual thoughts. If one absorbs the thoughts of a being of such significance, their mind could completely shatter.

“AAAAAAAAAAA!”

Tiar, clutching her head, let out an anguished scream.

At the sight, Leo smiled.

“I don’t disregard the pain you’ve experienced, but I’ve had enough of being dragged into others’ pain.”

POOF!

Leo forcibly pulled Tiar and collided foreheads.

WHAM!

A bright light exploded between their touching foreheads.

Simultaneously, Tiar’s memories were transmitted.

These were the roots of her hatred.

The young Tiar, dressed in the uniform of Sei-run, lost everyone—her family, precious friends, and companions—to Tartarus.

Driven by a burning desire for vengeance, she created the Iron bl**d Magic and was exiled by the elven society.

Yet, she didn’t stop.

Wandering the continent, she hunted Tartarus.

It was the humans who accepted her. They fought endless battles against Tartarus in the human realm.

But continuous battles ultimately drained her.

In her later years, she intended to spend her remaining life in peace, residing in this northeast region.

Here, the Iron bl**d Mage could have quietly faded into the annals of history.

But one day, the village where she settled was wiped out in a single day.

The culprit was the Demon Queen’s army.

However, the northeast region wasn’t the Demon Queen’s typical territory.

The elves, who were then hostile to the humans, had lured the Demon Queen’s army to the northeast, both as retaliation against humans encroaching on their land and as a way to eliminate a nuisance.

She lost everything to Tartarus and was rejected by her own race in the pursuit of vengeance.

Finally, all she wanted was peace.

But her own people were the ones who condemned her existence in tragedy.

In the end, everything precious to her heart turned into ashes.

Tiar’s hatred eventually targeted the elves.

“But she couldn’t bring herself to take revenge on her own kind, it seems.”

Thus, Tiar passed away harboring hatred.

A millennium later, at the hands of the Demon King, she was resurrected as a revenant consumed solely by vengeance.

Tiar’s heart cried out.

k*ll all the elves now, it urged.

“But even so, this girl hesitates.”

With sheer willpower, she suppressed her hatred.

She resisted the instinct of revenge that had revived her.

That was because she rejected the hero she had become solely for revenge.

She regretted transforming the magic Luna gave her into this.

Of course, the Iron bl**d Magic was a direct contradiction and mockery of Luna’s intentions.

If Luna ever saw this magic, she would have found it unforgivable.

“And yet…”

“Magic is an emotional expression of one’s mind.”

This was Luna’s principle.

If Luna had ever met Tiar, she would have surely said this.

“You must have suffered greatly. Therefore, it’s okay not to apologize.”

She would have truly consoled Tiar.

Even if the magic she poured her heart into was criticized and deemed sacrilegious.

Because that was precisely how distraught the person must’ve been.

She would have embraced them instead.

‘That’s why she’s who she is.’

Luna would’ve genuinely pitied this unfortunate elf.

“Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!”

“Sounds like you’ve suffered a lot.”

In response to Leo’s spiritually infused words, Tiar’s movements froze completely.

It was not just mere consolation but a true understanding that only those who endured endless agony could offer.

“Don’t blame yourself. Luna would’ve certainly not blamed you.”

Tiar’s body trembled.

“Don’t be sad any longer; you’ve suffered more than enough.”

WHOOSH!

With each of Leo’s words, Rissinas’s spiritual power grew stronger, pushing back the black magic of the Demon King.

In that moment,

WHOOSH!

From Tiar’s body erupted fierce black flames, as if refusing to allow her soul to be redeemed.

Burning the redeemed spirit to ashes.

“Seems like the Demon King’s gained the ability to utilize the Power of Erebus.”

Leo let out a cold laugh.

“What now?”

WHOOSH!

From Leo’s hand erupted his own gray spiritual power.

The sole nemesis of the Catastrophic Flame.

Pure mana.

WHOOSH!

The black flames disappeared under the force of Leo’s power.

SHATTER!

The dead entity’s body crumbled into powder.

As if shedding its skin.

In the place where the undead disappeared, a single spirit stood, now at peace.

Looking at the figure, Leo shook his head with a sigh.

“Necromancer, that b*stard’s still pulling dirty tricks.”

[Who… Who are you?]

Tiar asked with a trembling voice.

As a hero’s spirit, she instinctively realized the immense superiority this being had over herself.

“Me?”

To Tiar, who trembled and looked up at him, Leo responded casually.

“Hero of Beginning, Kyle.”