Chapter 610

610.

Clomp-clomp.

“This is no ordinary palace.”

Leo mumbled to himself while walking through the hallways of the palace in Tuzen.

A powerful spiritual presence could be felt throughout the entire palace of Tuzen.

“Could this be a spirit’s dominion?”

Given Tuzen’s history alongside the Great Spirit of Fire, this place had become akin to the dominion of spirits.

– It seems like it’s completely taken root here.

As Elshi revealed her form, she perched on Leo’s left shoulder and spoke.

A spirit’s dominion.

Literally, it meant a territory invaded by spirits of a specific attribute.

This land had long been dominated by the Purifying Spirit.

‘Wasn’t this place a volcano?’

When the palace’s position was compared to a common volcano, it would be at the exact center of the crater.

‘This palace feels closer to being the palace of the Great Spirit of Fire rather than Tuzen’s.’

Judging by the spiritual resonance flowing in the atmosphere, this place had been a dominion of spirits for hundreds of years.

“The influence here is incredibly strong.”

– It must be. Ista was renowned decades ago as being more powerful than Undine.

Rael’s statement prompted a nod from Leo.

Great Spirits typically possess equal strength.

Though occasionally, a particularly powerful Great Spirit will emerge, it’s an extremely rare occurrence.

When Great Spirits possess equal strength, there’s no clear hierarchy.

However, the strongest Great Spirits do exist.

The gauge of a Great Spirit’s power:

That is the number of spirits under their command.

Simply put, the more and the stronger spirits under their command, the more potent their strength. This was a clear measure of a Great Spirit’s power.

‘Spirit Masters who have contracted with a Great Spirit are usually divided into two types.’

There are Spirit Masters who utilize the inherent power of the Great Spirit to its fullest extent, while others handle the vast army of spirits under their command. In Leo’s case, he fit the former category.

‘Lissinas excelled at both.’

Depending on the need, Lissinas would change the method of battle. There were times where the power of the Great Spirit was weaponized directly, while at other times, the overwhelming numbers of spirits were employed.

‘Although, during the Era of Catastrophe, the number of spirits greatly diminished, so using the inherent power of Great Spirits became more common.’

Thinking about Lissinas, Leo glanced down at his own hand.

According to Leo’s will, Lissinas’ pitch-black mana rippled.

The pitch-black mana that had embedded itself in Leo’s body as a reward for conquering Lissinas’ world sometimes moved without his consent.

‘It occasionally acts of its own accord.’

As Leo silently stared at the pitch-black mana, it remained unresponsive.

Leo clenched his fist and murmured.

“Still, why did Ista take Celia with her?”

When Ista took Celia, no hostile intent could be felt from her spiritual power.

-Ista is a spirit with a strong sense of vanity. The long-time favor Ista has shown to the royal family of Tuzen stems not only from their ancestors fighting alongside her, but also because they had the bloodline capable of maximizing her power.

Rael clicked her tongue at this.

Hearing this, Elshi’s eyes lit up in understanding.

– Ah, so by forming contracts with the royal family of Tuzen, Ista could be called the strongest Great Spirit.

To spirits, a Spirit Master is a being that amplifies their power. Depending on the Spirit Master’s ability, they can extract strength beyond limits.

– Yes, and the Tuzen royal family reveres Ista as a sacred being. They both draw out their power to the fullest and are a well-known noble family, making it a perfect condition for that vain leech.

Rael spoke harshly.

“But Celia doesn’t have the talent to be a Summoner, does she?”

The ancestor of the Zerdinger family received the power of the Phoenix. However, having the foundation in a familiar like the Phoenix doesn’t mean one has the talent to be a Summoner.

– That guy doesn’t care about those things. If someone highlights him, he’ll stick to them regardless of whether it’s right or not. He’s a poor beggar who jumps on any chance to be in the spotlight.

Rael spoke disdainfully. As the oldest among the existing Great Spirits, Rael was acutely aware of the other Great Spirits’ tendencies.

Hearing Rael’s words, Elshi tilted her head in confusion.

– If that’s so, wouldn’t Leo be more suitable? He’s already reached the rank of Hero and has a higher reputation as a Class One.

Hearing Elshi’s question, Rael clicked her tongue.

– I’m sure that when Ista felt Leo placing his hand on the city gate, she sensed the presence of me within his mana. And those foolish ones came as a bonus.

Chirp-chirp.

– Fool? Apologize!

– Aah! Rael’s condemning glare!

Fiora flapped her wings while chirping, and Kiran swung his arms in protest.

Arti tumbled on the ground, curling up.

– What does it matter that we’ve contracted with you?

– Huh?

Rael looked somewhat surprised at Elshi’s words.

Elshi tilted her head, apparently confused, prompting Kiran to explain.

– Hmm? I heard Great Spirits are very picky about their contracts. If you’ve contracted with the three great familiars or another Great Spirit, they tend to refuse the contract, right?

– Is that so?

– Yes, if you’ve contracted with the three great familiars or another Great Spirit, they will reject it.

– Is that true, Leo?

“That’s what I’ve understood.”

– Ah, so that’s why Ignit called Leo a womanizer back then.

Elshi nodded, seemingly understanding.

Looking at Elshi, Rael looked flustered and asked.

– Lady Elshi, aren’t you bothered by the idea of Lord Leo contracting with other Great Spirits?

In fact, when contracting with Leo, Rael was subtly quite observant of Elsi’s reactions.

– Yes, rather, I’m delighted at the thought of making new friends. Look at how much livelier it becomes since Rael contracted with Leo.

– Ah! How could one be so compassionate?

Rael clasped her hands together, looking profoundly moved.

‘Well, in Elsi’s case, she can’t help but lack the exclusive desire that other Great Spirits have today. She was born during the Era of Catastrophe after all.’

– Now that I think about it, didn’t Lissinas make pacts with all the Great Spirits 5000 years ago? Was it because the situation was urgent back then?

At the time, Luminescence, the Great Spirit of Light, was severely injured in a battle with the Legion Commander and the King of Gluttony Jormungand, and fell into a deep slumber to prevent extinction.

Elsi, the Great Spirit of Darkness, was extinguished in a battle with the Demon King.

Therefore, among the remaining Great Spirits, only the Great Spirits of the four elements were left, and they were all Lissinas’ Vow Keepers.

Leo calmly responded to the curious Elshi.

“They initially refused the contract too.”

As Leo casually spoke, Rael sighed.

– It seems the predecessors were the same. How did the King of Wisdom manage to contract with all of them? Were they moved by the predecessors?

“By persuasion with fists.”

– Huh?

“I beat them until they agreed.”

– …Lord Leo?

“No, Lissinas.”

Hearing the story that Lissinas, the famous Summoner among the Great Spirits, hit them when they refused to make a contract due to the world being in crisis, Rael couldn’t help but gape.

By the way, while Kyle and Luna, who have bad tempers, make fierce expressions when attacking someone, Lissinas did not. He smiled.

That’s why sometimes it felt even more terrifying.

“It’s disrespectful to have such pride when the world is in danger.”

Leo clicked his tongue as he spoke.

Of course, the Great Spirits weren’t rejecting the pledge solely out of pride. There was also the consideration that one Vow Keeper would find it hard to perfectly handle all four Great Spirits at once.

But that concern was completely erased after the battle.

– It’s hard to imagine.

Chirp…

Kiran and Fiora also struggled to believe it easily.

– Hiccup! What a wonderful pledgor who beats you up when necessary! I like it!

Arti liked it.

At that moment,

Clang-clang.

The sound of metal grinding was heard.

Leo looked straight ahead.

There, knights clad in armor glowing with a reddish hue were approaching Leo.

“Is it a spirit?”

They seemed to be spirits of fire clad in armor.

-The feeling isn’t welcoming.

At Elshi’s words, Leo smirked.

“Indeed.”

-Bossy.

Rael gritted her teeth.

“If this keeps up, I’ll have to show them one way or another.”

With that, Leo approached the spirits of fire.

“If I have the qualification as a contractee or not. Elsi.”

-Yes.

“You’re up.”

Bang-bang!

Leo grabbed the helmet of the knight before him and smashed it to the ground.

“Indeed, the suit itself seems to be imbued with the essence of a spirit.”

In the past, the Tuzen Knights were called the Knights of Fire Spirit.

And after Tuzen fell and lost Ista’s favor, they also lost that title.

‘The reason seems to be that they couldn’t use the gear imbued with the essence of spirits.’

The armor was undoubtedly from the old Tuzen Knights.

‘And it seems the Purifying Spirit made them.’

‘I wonder why Ista studied magic?’ Thinking about how Ista might be applying such techniques, Leo looked ahead.

Ahead, a door adorned with lavish fire patterns was visible.

Bang!

Leo kicked open the door and barged into the throne room.

Thud!

Stopping on the floor, Leo looked up.

“Here you are, discourteous one.”

On the throne sat a tall man with a disgruntled look.

“The Purifying Spirit, Ista, correct?”

“The one and only. Now, kneel and show respect. Perhaps then, I may forgive you a little for your insolence.”

As Ista arrogantly jutted his chin out, Leo smirked but was interrupted.

-Mother my?

‘What?’

-What an exceedingly rude spirit?

After revealing her form, Elsi stood beside Leo.

-Are you boldly looking with such disdain right now?

Elsi’s face was expressionless.

‘Is she mad?’

A sight never seen before.

No, back in 5000 years.

Elsi’s appearance reminded Leo of their first meeting, causing him to rarely wear a flustered expression.