621.
“Gwa-oh-hah-g*n. Well, uncontainable confidence is a privilege of youth.”
Zorea nodded as he watched Leo declare while aiming his sword at himself.
The tense expression on his face had regained its composure.
“Especially for an unprecedented hero like you. I think you have every right to feel that way. But it wouldn’t hurt to remind you that the world is vast.”
Zorea smiled as he looked at Leo.
“I will make you a little more perfect than you are now…”
Thud-!
Leo had suddenly rushed in front of Zorea and tripped him.
Normally, this would cause someone to lose their balance and fall.
But Zorea’s knees shattered under Leo’s kick.
“No.”
Leo said calmly.
Thud-
With the area below his knees gone, Zorea found himself kneeling and looking up at Leo.
“You don’t deserve to stand and look at someone.”
Leo looked down at Zorea with eyes that resembled those of someone viewing a worthless bug.
“Bugs should crawl on the ground, just like bugs.”
Thud-!
Leo crushed Zorea’s head, exploding it.
Though he bore the appearance of Reina, there was no hesitation in his actions.
Swoosh-!
Zorea’s body turned to powder and soon became a pile of bones.
“Quite the aggressive attack. Is this anger-driven revenge?”
“Anger?”
Leo raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
“I’m far from such romantic emotions.”
Whoosh-!
Leo closed the distance with Zorea.
Flames exploded violently around Leo’s sword.
Seeing the blazing aura that seemed to be devouring him, Zorea unleashed his magic.
Crash-!
Frost magic swirled and enveloped Leo.
The flames extinguished, and Leo was trapped in ice.
Swoosh-!
The rapidly dropped temperature caused frost to cover the area.
Zorea looked at Leo, trapped in ice, and said, “You can’t win if you attack so recklessly.”
It was then that Zorea smiled slightly.
Crash-!
The ice cracked.
Zorea’s expression suddenly changed upon seeing this.
‘What’s going on? There were no signs of magic or summoning?’
Crash-!
Leo shattered the ice and stood casually as if nothing had happened.
Leo glanced at the magic that had contained him.
“Ice Binding. Is this the Magic of the Stars created by Seirun?”
“Correct. I’ve reinterpreted and enhanced the Comet Wizard’s unique magic. Even after all this, do you still doubt my abilities?”
“Rough. How pathetic that your magic collapses after severing just one link in your magical connection.”
“What?”
Leo’s indifferent gaze turned toward Zorea.
“Do you have no skill beyond ruining what others have created?”
Zorea’s face hardened.
“I’ll kindly teach you.”
Leo smiled.
“Just how rotten your stolen abilities are because of you.”
“Hmm!”
Jamua held her breath.
A massive flame surged toward her.
Boom-!
The magic erupted.
Screams echoed as the citizens of Flob fled.
“—!”
A beautiful song, completely out of place with the urgent situation, reached their ears.
Whoosh-!
A strong wind whipped through the surrounding area.
However, the wind soon seemed to have a will of its own, gently enveloping citizens who were on the verge of being engulfed in flames.
The wind smoothly rescued the people from the fire.
Jamua watched in awe.
“Impressive!”
But the wind didn’t just save people from the imminent explosion.
Buildings collapsed due to the fierce battle.
And many were buried underneath them.
The wind cleared away those wreckage and rescued the people trapped among the ruins.
Celia was literally commanding the winds in the area.
‘When did she grow this much?’
Jamua looked at Celia in amazement.
By the second-year winter break, she hadn’t been this capable.
She had grown unrecognizably during the time apart.
‘Is it Leo’s influence?’
Jamua thought of who was leading the third-years of Lumeran now and smiled slyly.
It was then.
Roar—!
An ogre let out a roar and picked up the rubble of a building.
Gooouuuuu—!
A massive boulder began to pulsate with a crimson aura.
Jamua’s eyes twitched at the sight.
‘Aura?’
Jamua’s eyes flickered.
The power used by monsters.
It was certainly aura.
Demons, monsters, and creatures originated from the cursed land of Tartarus.
Demons were the residents of Tartarus, while creatures were the malformed livestock they kept.
And monsters were the higher life forms of creatures.
Their source of power was magic.
While humans process mana into aura, magical power, or spirit, the beings of Tartarus use magic directly.
Naturally, the emitted power is fundamentally different.
‘But that ogre is using aura right now.’
It wasn’t the dark aura used by demons.
It was pure aura, like the one he used himself.
It wasn’t the power a creature would use.
For a split second, Jamua felt a glimpse of doubt, but his actions were quick.
Normal mass attacks wouldn’t reach Celia, who was currently commanding the wind.
But a thrown attack using aura was different.
Whoosh-!
Boom—!
As Jamua leaped, the ogre hurled the rubble wrapped in aura toward Celia.
“Grrraahhh!”
Jamua surrounded himself with aura and shouted.
Boom-!
Block the attack, Jamua was pushed back.
Ugh- Ugh—
The oppressive force from the massive wreckage pressed down on him.
Thud-!
Jamua, pushed back, dug his feet into the ground.
“Gyaaaahhh!”
He lifted the pile of rubble above him.
Whoosh—!
The debris shot into the sky at an incredible speed, vanishing without a trace.
Panting, Jamua loosened his shoulders.
“I’ve finally had a decent workout.”
Even having successfully blocked an attack that could tear a powerful defense spell like paper with his bare body, Jamua remained remarkably nonchalant.
His armor was in tatters, yet his robust body bore no marks.
Looking at the ogre, Jamua licked his upper lip.
Celia, watching this scene from behind, said, “Jamua-senpai.”
“Why do you call?”
“Can’t you just block it with a shield or something?”
“A shield is just cumbersome. If it gets smashed, the fragments might scatter and cause even greater damage.”
“No… Is it really that dangerous?”
“Heh.”
Jamua puffed out his chest and struck his own chest with his fist.
“I’ve overcome countless trials with just this body! This powerful physique is what made me who I am today! If you can’t trust your body, who can you trust!”
As Celia observed Jamua’s dynamically moving muscles, she shook her head.
“Celia LeWalyn! You too can gain such a strong body if you train!”
“I’d like to decline to that extent.”
“In the Department of Knights, you must be able to overcome trials with just your body!”
“But I’m in the Department of Magic.”
Celia and Jamua exchanged some light-hearted banter.
Meanwhile, all the bystanders had evacuated to safety.
While Jamua defended against the onslaught of magical attacks, Celia quickly helped the nearby people escape.
“By the way.”
Celia narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the surroundings.
“There are no signs of the Hero Hunters.”
The moment Celia and Jamua entered the city of the Flob territory after overcoming Lissinas’s magic, they encountered powerful magic that began to indiscriminately destroy the area around them.
However, there were no signs of people nearby.
The only thing present was one ogre.
‘Are they hiding? But they aren’t giving off any signs of that?’
As Celia quickly analyzed the situation through the wind, her expression turned grim.
Boom-! Boom-!
A gigantic ogre approached.
Gooouuuuuuuuuuuuu!
The roars of the ogre pierced their ears.
Celia, who had closed her ears and squinted her eyes, frowned as she looked at the ogre.
Then, she displayed a bewildered expression.
The ogre was crying.
“bl**d tears.”
Jamua narrowed his eyes.
“And Celia, look at its hands.”
“Huh?”
Celia glanced at the ogre’s hands.
Clutched in those hands were a massive greatsword and a staff.
“An ogre wielding a sword and a magical staff?”
Celia’s face displayed shock, while Jamua furrowed his brow.
“It’s not just that.”
Gooouuuuuuuuuuu—!
The red aura erupted from the ogre’s sword, and the staff shimmered with crimson magic.
Seeing this, Celia’s expression changed drastically.
Aura and magic.
This was not the power a monster would use.
“Indeed.”
Jamua let out a soft utterance.
“Are we witnessing a turning point of the times?”
The world had witnessed countless miracles.
Then…
“It is only natural to witness nightmares of that caliber as well.”
“Jamua-senpai, you don’t mean that ogre…”
“Yeah.”
Jamua clenched and unclenched his fists.
“It was originally a Hero Hunter.”
“…”
Celia’s face stiffened.
Monsters are inherently disastrous entities.
Especially, ogres are among the most threatening of such monsters.
Beasts that possess vitality and strength far beyond humans.
And they also possess cunning intelligence.
However, they are still merely more intelligent than regular monsters.
When compared to demons or magical beasts, they aren’t considered dangerous creatures.
Even a first-year student of Lumeran could handle an ogre.
But what if such an ogre’s overwhelming physical abilities were combined with human power?
Especially if that power belonged to a Hero Hunter, someone who hunts heroes?
‘No, in this case it’s more accurate to say that the Hero Hunter has acquired the strength of the ogre.’
Celia gazed at the ogre with trembling eyes.
This was not due to fear.
“Are you feeling sympathy?”
Celia flinched at Jamua’s words and replied.
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I, too, feel sympathy for that creature.”
No matter how strong a power one gains, what use is it if they devolve into a monster?
It’s not different from losing their very essence.
“Yet, it’s all self-inflicted.”
“Yes.”
Celia coldly nodded at Jamua’s words.
Sympathy is just sympathy.
The fact that the opponent is a foe to be defeated remains unchanged.
“I’ll take the lead, Celia LeWalyn.”
“Leave the rear to me.”
“Heh, that little one has become quite dependable!”
“Children grow up quickly.”
“Yet you’re still a little one in size!”
Jamua laughed heartily as he patted Celia’s head with his massive hand.
Watching Jamua, Celia smiled.
‘If it weren’t for the senpai title, I would have hit him back.’
Celia and Jamua weren’t the only ones facing the Hero Hunter transformed into a monster.
Boom-!
The ground trembled.
Abad watched the approaching Gigantes from a distance and said, “So that’s the Hero Hunter.”
“Right. It’s using magic,” Ris remarked, gazing at the Gigantes with a cold stare.
The Gigantes were already called the calamity of the battlefield simply by existing.
And now, this Gigantes was also using magic.
“This is going to be troublesome.”
A vicious glint flickered in Ris’s eyes.
*
Whoosh-!
“Ugh-! There are so many!”
Above the territory of Flob.
Celia, riding on Pegasus, stared down at the tumultuous scene below with a horrified expression.
Flying monsters were soaring in the skies beneath.
“It seems they’ve subdued the monsters using summoning magic.”
Ulta squinted at Paphnir, who summoned the monsters.
“Was it originally a human being? Hmm?”
Kieeeek-!
Just then, a monster’s scream echoed from above.
Celia and Ulta both looked up simultaneously.
There, a flying monster was plummeting toward them, bl**d pouring from its neck.
Thud-!
A silver flash cut through the air and completely decapitated the flying monster.
As the flying monster lost strength and fell, someone jumped toward Pegasus from behind it.
Whoosh-!
Celia gasped in shock at the sight of who barely clung to the wings of Pegasus.
“A-aunt?!”
“Why is Lady Reina here?”
Even Ulta, who usually didn’t get surprised easily, exhibited a bewildered expression.
Reina smiled at that.
“Hmm? It just happened to turn out like this.”
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
