Editor : Amethyst00



"A quick-witted brat, aren’t you."

The Death Knight let out a grating, metallic laugh as he readjusted his grip on the greatsword.

“My name is Kargol! A knight who serves the great Lich King!”

Pointing his massive blade at Leo, Kargol charged forward with terrifying speed.

Leo swung his aura head-on.

“And I am the one who will guide you to death! Hahahahahaha!”

Fwoosh—!

In an instant, Kargol’s form scattered into black smoke, reappearing behind Leo.

Spectralization!

Clang—!

The Death Knight’s greatsword slashed toward Leo’s waist, forcing him to block in haste.

A crushing pressure surged through his hands.

Thud—!

Leo’s body was flung away at brutal speed.

Crash! Crack! Rumble—thud!

His body slammed through two trees before finally coming to a halt. Broken trunks toppled around him as he rose, stretching out his sore limbs.

“You managed to raise an aura shield in that instant? Not bad.”

Kargol smirked and charged again.

Leo caught the strike aimed at splitting his skull in half.

Clang! Crrraash!

The oppressive force pressed down on Leo’s whole body. His feet sank deep into the earth.

The blood-red aura, shaped like a skeletal flame, raged wildly.

Leo grimaced, pouring strength into his arms to shake off the greatsword.

“Pointless struggling!”

Kargol pressed harder, the pressure overwhelming. Leo’s knees began to buckle.

“Hahahahaha! Come with me to the realm of death!”

["Leo! I’ll help you!"]

Kiran hurled himself at Kargol, aiming for an opening.

“How annoying.”

Wham!

["Keuk!"]

Kargol’s dark aura flared, blasting Kiran away.

Even as the so-called Fairy Prince, without his wings Kiran’s strength had its limits.

Leo spoke in a low voice.

“In the name of the Contract, I summon thee.”

“Heh? Summoning a beast now? Even if you’re bound to a fairy, no beast you call will matter before me!”

“Answer my call!”

A summoning circle spun to life at Leo’s feet.

Fwoooosh—!

Flames rose within the sigil, feeding on Leo’s spirit energy and burning fiercer.

Kargol’s crimson eyes widened.

“This power—!”

Behind Leo, crimson wings unfurled.

A magnificent firebird soared into the sky, then dived straight for Kargol.

“Phoenix!”

Fwoom—!

Fiora pierced Kargol’s chest clean through.

His body crumbled to dust.

Gracefully flapping its wings, Fiora perched upon Leo’s shoulder.

["Leo—you’re a Phoenix’s contractor?"]

“That’s right.”

["I-impossible!"]

Kiran, a fairly young fairy, had Leo as his first contractor.

And even that contract was not of his own will, but forcibly made because of his father, Sylord's Oath.

That’s why Kiran inwardly looked down on Leo and never truly acknowledged him.

But seeing him, at barely teenage years, contracted with a Phoenix, his opinion wavered.

["Well! If you’re my contractor, this much is expected! Now you finally suit me!"]

“So until now you thought I wasn’t worthy of being your contractor?”

["Of course! You’re human, your spiritual power is pathetic, and you’re rude and violent besides! How could someone like you suits me? Kugh?!"]

In mid-rant, Kiran found himself snatched in Leo’s fist.

“Fiora, eat him.”

["W-wait! Spare me!"]

Kiran paled, flailing desperately—

Fwoooosh—!

A wave of deathly crimson energy surged forth.

“Heh heh heh heh…”

With a chilling laugh, Kargol’s form re-manifested, glaring at Leo.

“Phoenix and a fairy? An insolent brat like you must not be allowed to live!”

Thud—!

He drove his sword into the ground.

A gush of dark blood spurted from the blade, soaking into the earth.

Leo’s face stiffened.

'Death Ground.'

A curse that spread over a wide area, endlessly summoning the undead.

Crack! Craaack!

From beneath the snow, white bones emerged.

Skeletons began pouring out in droves.

Clatter—clack—rattle!

The rattling sounded like a chorus of war cries.

“Army of death! Slay that brat!”

At Kargol’s command, the skeletal army rushed Leo.

Leo raised his sword before his face, withdrawing the flames of his aura.

“What’s this? Accepting your death gracefully?”

Kargol sneered.

“Am I insane?” Leo retorted dryly.

Vrrm—!

A gray aura gathered on his blade.

Kargol’s eyes twitched.

A different kind of aura?

Not Zerdinger’s aura—but Kyle’s.

'Zerdinger’s swordsmanship eats through aura too quickly. Flashy, powerful, but not sustainable.'

'Been a while since I used this one…'

Leo crouched low, bracing his left leg, then kicked off with his right.

Whrrrl—!

He began spinning in place, aura surging.

“Driven mad by fear of death?” Kargol mocked.

To anyone watching, Leo’s spinning seemed pointless.

But the rotation grew stronger—faster—

And then—

CRRRAAASH—!

A massive vortex roared into existence, whirling like a living top of aura.

'Kyle Style—Vortex.'

Whoosh!

The aura tornado plowed into the skeleton army.

Bone dust flew in every direction.

The skeletons approaching Leo were pulverized in an instant.

Breaking through the encirclement, Leo cut off the technique and sped forward with aura-steps.

“Raaaaagh!”

Kargol bellowed, giving chase, his skeletal army clattering after.

["That was amazing! With that move you could wipe them all out, so why retreat?"]

Kiran’s eyes sparkled, enthralled.

Even Fiora chirped in puzzlement.

["Peep? Peep?"]

“That technique has one fatal flaw.”

["What flaw?"]

“It’s powerful—but it makes me dizzy if I use it too long.”

At the anticlimactic answer, Kiran muttered flatly:

["Forget what I said. It is not amazing."]

["Peep!"]

“They said the same thing too,” Leo chuckled, remembering his past life.

“Stop running! Face me honorably like a true knight!”

Leo rolled his eyes at the shout behind him.

“You summon an entire army and talk about honor?”

Vrrrm—!

Flame aura burst from his foot, propelling him with explosive speed.

["So faaaaaast!"] Kiran shrieked in glee, clinging to Leo’s shoulder.

Even Fiora, back in chick form, chirped excitedly.

From all sides came the wails of the dead.

Skeletons burst from the ground to encircle him—

Leo muttered an incantation.

Kiran’s eyes widened at the runic words.

["Wait—Leo! You can use magic too?!"]

“And?”

["But you’re a knight! And a summoner!"]

“You've never seen an All-Class before?”

[An All-Class?! Like the legendary Kyle?!]

Being Sylord’s son, Kiran knew well the Great Heroes—of course including the forgotten hero, Kyle.

As Leo smiled at his shock, he finished the spell and ducked low while running.

“Earth Wave.”

The ground rippled outward from beneath him.

Skeletons staggered, unable to keep balance.

Leo surged into their midst and slashed.

Slice!

Even without aura, his blade hacked the skeletons apart with ease.

["That’s it? They’re weak!"]

“Skeletons are low-tier undead.”

On their own, no threat. The danger came when mixed with high-tier undead like Death Knights.

After a long dash, Leo landed, breathing deeply.

Kargol’s presence was gone.

'Looks like I shook him off.'

“Fiora, return.”

He sent the Phoenix back, then moved through the forest in thought.

'So there really was a Death Knight here…'

Such a high-level undead didn’t appear easily.

'Is there something in Fairy Forest that Tartaros is after?'

It was no coincidence that Sylord had sealed Kiran’s wings and triggered the former Fairy King’s magic.

Fwssh—!

Something shot toward Leo at incredible speed.

A silver blade gleamed in the sunlight, suddenly resting against his throat.

Leo glanced sideways.

An elf boy stood there, expression blank, sword at his neck.

“What’s this about?”

“Human. What business do you have in this forest?” the elf asked coolly.

“I was gathering herbs,” Leo answered flatly.

“Lies! How could a human enter this place? Moreover, a vile undead was found in this forest! You’re suspect!”

Leo frowned.

So he’s not one of Velkia’s elves. They already know about the Lumene students. Must be from outside. And that uniform…

The design resembled Eiran’s.

A student from Seiren, then.

“How about calm down first, will you?”

“Answer me! Who are you, and what were you doing here?”

Seeing the Seiren student refusing to listen, Leo sighed.

“I’m a student of Lumene. The villagers of Velkia asked me to gather herbs for them, that’s all.”

“Lumene?”

The elf looked slightly surprised, then narrowed his eyes.

"That makes even less sense. Do you think it’s believable that a Lumene student is here?"

“What unbelievable about it? It’s the truth.”

With an annoyed face, Leo grabbed the blade at his throat.

“You—!”

The Seiren student tried to slash him—

'What? It won’t budge?!'

His eyes widened as his sword didn’t even twitch in Leo’s grip.

“Take me to Velkia. Then you’ll see if I’m lying or not.”

Leo pushed the blade aside. The elf’s face twisted.

“You dare defy the command of a Seiren student?”

“What are you on about now?”

“Seiren students have the right to arrest criminals!”

“And I’m not a criminal.”

“Suspicious individuals may also be detained. As a proud student of Seiren, I hereby designate you a dangerous person!”

Leo sighed, hand on his hip.

“Can’t reason with you, huh.”

['Looks like he’s brain-dead.']

'Agreed.'

“And what happens once you label me ‘dangerous’? You planning to take me down?”

“Exactly!”

The elf declared pompously, sword raised.

Leo smiled coldly.

“I’ve been polite to you as a fellow student.”

“Hmph. Even if you’re from Lumene, do you think you can surpass me, a Seiren student?!”

Shouting arrogantly, the elf charged with sword aimed at Leo.

Leo clenched his fist.

“Then let’s see.”

Fwoom—! Clang—!

His aura-wreathed fist collided with the elf’s blade.

“Kh—?!”

“Let’s test the mettle of so-called skilled Seiren.”