Chapter 479

479.

Leo returned to the Graveyard of Losers around sunset.

The massive Training Grounds were filled with orphan warriors gathering in small groups for dinner.

After checking the faces of the orphans, Leo approached Lil, who was dining with Crown Prince Jeremin by a bonfire.

“Ah, this is truly exquisite. It must have been made using some special recipe, right?”

“It’s just a regular military cooking method. I’m surprised it suits Prince Jeremin’s taste.”

“Being an excellent king is about the basics. Hahaha.”

“You will undoubtedly become an excellent king, Your Highness.”

As Lil smiled softly, Jeremin cleared his throat and said,

“Hem hem. To achieve that, I need to stabilize the country soon and find a remarkable partner to build a better nation together.”

“Surely, you will meet a wonderful person! Ah! S…s…”

While happily answering, Lil noticed Leo.

She hesitated while about to call out but then shouted.

“Big Brother!”

Watching Lil brightly smiling and calling him, Leo stopped in his tracks.

Not only Leo but also Jeremin, who didn’t care much about him, and even his knights noticed the greeting.

Even the orphan warriors stopped eating and looked up at Lil.

“Big Brother, where have you been?”

Her calling Leo “Big Brother” naturally shifted everyone’s gaze towards him.

‘So, you’ve decided to call me that in front of others?’

Certainly, calling Leo, his younger colleague, ‘master’ in front of others would seem strange.

Still, as his teacher, he couldn’t be addressed casually. It seems they’ve finally settled on that title.

– Still, it’s quite unique.

– Piaq.

– Calling a younger man ‘older brother’ gives a sense of submission, but ‘Big Brother’ isn’t particularly exciting.

Kirin and Fiora, along with Arti, showed unimpressed reactions.

– Why not? Isn’t it cute?

– I’ve noticed that Elshi has a very peculiar sense of aesthetics.

Elshi smiled, and Rael showed a curious reaction.

“Lil, are you addressing Leo… oh, in such an unusual way?”

Prince Jeremin asked uncomfortably as Lil nodded seriously.

“Yes. As you know, Big Brother Leo, although a year my junior, is someone deserving of respect for his skills and achievements. He’s even the Student Council President of Lumeran and recorded his name in the Hero Record!”

“Indeed, I consider Leo to be one of the most remarkable figures in history, but there are other terms of endearment, like ‘older brother’…”

Jeremin’s awkward words made Lil frown.

“There’s already a younger member who calls Big Brother Leo ‘older brother.’ They’re adorable. If I called him that, considering how much older I am and how unadorable, people would look at me strangely.”

“They’re already looking at you strangely.”

Sighing, Leo sat next to Lil.

He looked again at the orphans who resumed their meal.

“You’ve fully subdued these kids.”

“We’re not little kids! You! We’re not that much younger than you!”

Listening to a girl eating bread hurriedly not far away, Leo remarked.

Lil said sternly,

“Lu, you shouldn’t speak rudely to Big Brother.”

“Ugh! Okay. Squad Leader.”

“Make it short and energetic!”

“Alright!”

Lil glared, causing Lu to snap to attention and respond clearly.

“Hmm, very good. Now, continue eating.”

Watching Lil approvingly nod, Leo muttered,

“It’s like a military camp.”

“I thought it was important to establish ranks.”

“Good job.”

“No, while I’ve managed to subdue these kids, I haven’t been able to change their mindset.”

Lil’s gaze clouded over.

From the atmosphere, it seemed the orphans looked up to Lil due to her strength.

Through Lil, they aspired to become stronger.

There was only one reason:

‘To k*ll the enemy in the battlefield.’

These orphans were created by Grand Duke Artkan as orphan warriors.

‘In some ways, they’re similar to those who lived during the Era of Catastrophe 5000 years ago.’

5000 years ago, countless people, including his disciples, went through such tragedies.

Though deep-rooted emotions like Bihar’s were hard to overcome quickly,

‘They might carry it with them for life.’

“Big Brother.”

“Why?”

“Could I take care of these kids a little longer?”

“As part of our agreement, it’s about changing their hearts anyway.”

After glancing at Jeremin, Leo said,

“If you want more time, take it.”

“Alright!”

“And maybe use it to train as well?”

“Training? Sure!”

Lil’s eyes sparkled.

‘My first training session with Master.’

Late into the night,

Lil stood at the Training Grounds.

In front of her stood Leo, with a white-haired girl by his side, and a small fairy and baby phoenix perched on her shoulders.

‘Master’s Familiars.’

It’s a well-known story that Leo is the Vow Keeper of Phoenix, Fairy, and Pegasus.

“Will today’s training be conducted with Master’s Familiars?”

– Huh? No, we’re just here to watch.

– Piaq. Piaq.

– Show your best, Lil.

Kirin, Fiora, and Arti each replied in turn.

After pulling out a bag of snacks, Arti handed them over to Kirin and Fiora, who immediately pounced on them.

Lil awkwardly watched their silly antics.

For creatures renowned as the Three Great Familiars, there was certainly a lack of dignity.

– Hey! That’s mine!

– Chirp! Chirp!

Arti’s overhead quarrel erupted as Kirin and Fiora tugged over a piece of snack.

Then Rael appeared, shrank to palm size, and struck both Kirin and Fiora’s heads.

– Chirp!

– What?

– Maintain the dignity of the Great Familiars. Don’t destroy the dreams of aspiring Summoners.

Rael said icily.

– Ha! The person with the least dreams or hopes is you! Auntie!

– Piaq! Piaq!

– Do you want to d*e?

Rael, expressionless, began lashing at Kirin and Fiora with a light whip.

Watching this, Arti opened her mouth wide, then sparkled with delight and shouted,

“Kirin! Call me Auntie too! Rael, hit me with the whip too!”

‘…Am I dreaming?’

As Lil mumbled, staring at the bizarre scene unfolding before her,

Swish!

Darkness arose from the ground and grabbed Kirin and Fiora.

Rael, enveloped in the darkness, groaned, “Ugh!” before obediently quieting down.

“Elshi! Include me in the binding play!”

– Yes, yes.

“Kyaa~”

As Elshi joyfully sank into a dark swamp, the scene calmed down.

Elshi smiled at Leo as he stood in front of Lil.

“Shocking, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“I figured you’d see these guys often, so I decided to show you their true nature first.”

Leo calmly said,

“It’s better to wake from illusions early.”

“Ha ha ha.”

Lil gave an awkward laugh and scratched her cheek.

Looking at such a Lil, Leo placed Elsi and Rael on his palms.

“Introduce yourselves. This is the Great Spirit of Darkness, Elsi. And this is the Great Spirit of Light, Rael.”

“Wha…the Great Spirit of Light, Rael?!”

Lil was astonished.

Since the time of the Dragon of the Cataclysm Rodia, it had been 3000 years since someone formed a pact with the Great Spirit of Light.

For Summoners, the Great Spirit of Light was a legend, a dream.

“But then, Master… isn’t the Great Spirit of Darkness supposed to be Ignit?”

Remembering the Great Spirit of Darkness she met last year, Lil was perplexed.

-Elshi is the senior of the heroes from the Era of Catastrophe 5000 years ago. Compared to that hermit, she deserves the respect.

Rael’s icy voice made Lil shiver.

-Is Rael also not a hermit in that sense?

Elshi’s curious statement was ignored by Rael.

“Elshi is a spirit reward from the Hero’s World conquest.”

“Wow! That’s possible?”

Lil clapped in amazement.

In observing Lil’s reaction, Leo asked,

“Lil, what do you think your weakness is?”

“Hmm… being too ordinary?”

“Let me question where you’re ordinary, but let’s move on.”

Leo crossed his arms.

“Your weakness is that you have none. Which also means you don’t have any standout strengths.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

“In that sense, you resemble me.”

As an all-class warrior, Leo can do anything well.

But like his friends, he hasn’t yet reached the ultimate levels.

“The training method for us types is extremely simple: expand your capacity.”

“Can a Spirit Master significantly increase their capacity in a short time?”

“There’s one way, but it’s painful.”

“What is it?”

“Handling the power of higher spirits.”

At hearing this completely unfamiliar concept, Lil was baffled.

In response, Leo said,

“I’ll cast Spirit Armored on you now.”

Spirit Armored.

A higher form of Spirit Magic, it involves invoking a spirit into the body to solidify it as an armor.

Lil can already use Spirit Armored.

But it’s only invoking her own bonded spirits.

Never has anyone heard of using one’s own contracted spirit to empower someone else.

“Is that possible?”

“It is. However, your strength alone will dictate how long you can maintain it. It will be extremely painful since it’s forced.”

The orb of light that was Rael on Leo’s palm now hovered near.

“If you quit midway, it’ll be useless. Do you still want to try?”

“…Can it make me stronger quickly?”

“Yes.”

“Then I will.”

Lil clenched her fists and replied.

Seeing this, Leo grinned and approached Lil.

“Turn around.”

Lil showed her back to Leo.

“Shall we begin?”

As Leo’s hand touched Lil’s back, she trembled from the immense presence of the Great Spirit entering her body.

“Guh?!”

Grinding her teeth through the groan, Lil held on as

at the moment, Spirit Armored activated.

And,

“Ugh!”

The armor disintegrated as Lil dashed to a corner of the Training Ground, covering her mouth.

“Ugh!”

Her head spun and her stomach churned. The overwhelming power of the Great Spirit far exceeded her limits, leaving her exhausted in an instant.

“Gasping! Gasping! Gasping!”

Gasping for breath, Lil struggled to rise and stumbled immediately.

Her mind, as well as her body, was overburdened.

“Wanna quit?”

At Leo’s question, Lil turned her head and grinned and said,

“No.”

She shakily stood up on trembling legs.

“Please redo, Master.”

*

Clump-clump.

A man in a deeply drawn hood walked across the battlefield.

WHOOSH! BOOM!

The roar of a massive explosion echoed in the distance.

With each step of the man, the sound of metal scraping could be heard.

Eventually, the man reached the center of the battlefield.

There, undead heroes were fighting against a group of heroes.

The Justice Guild heroes, spotting the hooded knight, shouted,

“A new undead warrior.”

“How disgraceful, the dishonerer of the hero’s name must be exterminated.”

As the Justice Guild warriors voiced sternly, the knight unsheathed its greatsword.

SWING!

A chilling sound echoed as a pitch-black greatsword revealed itself, seemingly sucking souls into its blade.

Its polished blade was like a work of art.

“Am I the one to dishonor the name of a hero?”

With an almost amused tone, the knight gripped its sword tightly and murmured low.

“If it hadn’t been for the Hero Record’s power, could these scraps have ever been called heroes…?”

WHOOSH!

The knight swung the greatsword.

A black streak adorned the air.

The Justice Guild Heroes charging at the knight abruptly stopped moving.

“What is this?”

“Something seems off…”

PLOP!

Their heads instantly flew off.

In one swing, the bodies of those called heroes crumbled.

CLANG! CLANG!

The knight approached the undead heroes entangled in their attack.

“Modern heroes are mediocre. Not a single one to withstand even one strike?”

“Your strength is overwhelming, Knight of the Underworld.”

“Grand Duke Artkan.”

“You were once among the heroes shoulder-to-shoulder with the Cataclysm Heroes, weren’t you?”

“Once…?”

The Knight of the Underworld’s voice echoed loudly.

SWISH!

A sharp slash cut off Artkan’s head.

“Stop babbling nonsense, Grand Duke Artkan.”

“An improper statement.”

While his face rolled on the ground, Artkan remained intact.

Raising his own head with his body,

SWOOSH!

A fierce wind blew.

As the hood flew off,

No face existed under the helmet.

At this sight, Artkan said,

“Is it because of your lost face that you sever heroes’ heads, Knight of the Underworld?”

“It is true, the Underworld Knight dared to cut my head off.”

Tapping his throatless neck,

Tamus said,

“Most heroes in this era are graduates from that insignificant Guild’s academy, do they not?”

“That is correct.”

“In such a case, I must cut off their heads completely. It is only proper bl**d vengeance for those who defy my will.”

Tamus’ eerie voice resonated.

“If I were to find your lost face and the tomb of your heritage, would you consider integrating these into your ‘Legion’?”

“These fragile ones can’t be called heroes.”

Tamus’ menacing voice echoed.

“Only those I recognize are true heroes.”

“There is a hero I must introduce to you.”

Tamus’ gaze fell on Artkan.

“I have no interest in today’s pathetic heroes.”

“In a way, this hero is a senior of yours.”

“Ho? Who is it?”

“The Great Hero, Hero of Beginning, Kyle.”