Chapter 319

Kwoooooom—!

The great earth elemental, Titaum, raised its massive hand.

Leo reacted instantly, leaping away.

Fwoosh—! Boom—! Kwooooom—!

Titaum's strike sent tremors across the entire island. The ground quaked violently, forcing the students watching from a distance to stumble as they struggled to maintain their footing.

Escaping the attack range, Leo narrowed his eyes.

When did he form a contract with an Elemental Lord?

He clenched and unclenched his fist as he stared at Walden, standing firm before Titaum, his sharp gaze locked onto Leo.

Among those at Lumene, no one understood Walden's talent and potential better than Leo.

By sheer skill alone—excluding Leo—Walden was undoubtedly the strongest second-year. His raw combat power rivaled, if not surpassed, that of Lunia and Aru. With his overwhelming natural talent, the title of "monster" suited him perfectly.

However, Walden rarely showed his presence. He avoided academic events, barely interacted with other students, and preferred solitude.

Still, Leo knew what Walden sought.

Walden had always watched him, always pursued him. To surpass him, he had pushed himself beyond his limits.

Alone, he had relentlessly walked the path to becoming the strongest. No second-year at Lumene had trained harder than Walden.

And the result of that madness… was a contract with an Elemental Lord.

Leo exhaled, gripping his sword as he met Walden's gaze.

A low rumble filled the air.

Flames burst to life around Leo's body, igniting into a pair of fiery wings.

Fwoosh—!

With a single flap, he soared skyward.

Boom—!

Below, Titaum lowered its head and extended its colossal hand. Walden stepped onto its palm.

Twhomp—!

Students watching from afar looked up in stunned silence.

Gulp—

A phoenix against the Elemental Lord of Earth. The tension in the air was suffocating.

Standing on Titaum's shoulder, Walden gazed up, his expression unreadable.

Leo smiled faintly. "I didn't expect you to form a contract with an Elemental Lord."

Walden remained silent for a moment before finally replying, "Every time I see you, Leo Plov, I realize something."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"The feeling of looking up at someone."

"Are you just going to keep looking up?"

Walden's lips curled into a smirk. "I once read a book about a fool."

Spiritual energy surged around him.

"A man who tried to fly too close to the sun, only to fall and die."

Rumble—!

The ground trembled as though an earthquake had struck.

"Other people ridiculed the protagonist, but I did not."

Walden raised his hand, and Titaum mirrored his movement.

"I have no interest in a life spent gazing upward, unable to even meet someone's eyes."

His voice sharpened.

"Even if I fail to reach and end up falling…"

Boom—!

"I won't stop reaching with everything I have toward my goal!"

With his resounding declaration, Titaum's massive arm swung forward at terrifying speed.

Leo shot higher into the sky.

Fwoosh—!

As he raised his sword, flames coiled around the blade.

Crash—!

Fire and earth collided. Elementally, Leo was at a complete disadvantage. But he paid it no mind.

His body flared like a miniature sun.

Whooosh—!

Phoenix flames surged, incinerating Titaum's arm into ashes.

Boom—!

The severed limb collapsed to the ground.

Fwoosh—!

But in an instant, Titaum regenerated its arm.

Crack—!

It extended massive rock-like tendrils, reaching out like an enormous spiderweb.

Leo's crimson eyes tracked their trajectories.

Fwoosh—!

Weaving through the barrage of stone whips, he dashed straight for Walden.

Walden, unfazed, swung his arm.

Thwomp—!

Titaum's massive hand clenched around Leo in an instant.

The spectators' eyes widened in shock.

Then…

Boom—! Kwooooom—!

With a deafening crash, Titaum slammed its fist—still holding Leo—into the ground.

"Ahhh!"

"There's no mercy in this fight!"

Terrified students watching from afar scrambled away in panic.

Fwoosh—!

Despite the overwhelming force of the impact, flames flickered within Titaum's clenched fist.

Walden, standing atop Titaum, grimaced as he felt the resistance pushing against his grip.

Currently, Walden was using Elemental Assimilation, a high-tier elemental art that fused his body with Titaum, allowing him to wield the Elemental Lord's power directly.

The drawback? Any damage the elemental sustained, the summoner felt as well.

"Titaum, Earth Wave."

At Walden's command, the ground rippled like water.

Boom—!

With immense force, he buried Leo deep underground. Dust exploded into the air.

By now, the mist had long since dissipated—scattered by Fiora's fire and Titaum's movements.

—Truly, he lives up to the rumors among elementals. A monster indeed.

Titaum murmured in awe.

Walden remained silent.

—But how reckless. To fight using the phoenix when it's at a disadvantage here.

"Titaum."

—Hmm?

"He's coming."

Kwooooom—!

From deep beneath the earth, Leo erupted skyward.

—Impossible!

Titaum gasped. Walden immediately shifted into a defensive stance.

Blood dripped from a wound on Leo's forehead. But despite the injury, his lips curled into a ferocious grin.

"Impressive."

A heavy hum filled the air.

Fwoosh—!

Leo's sword burned with phoenix flames as he raised it high. Walden moved, trying to react, but Leo was faster.

In a single, decisive stroke, he severed Titaum's head.

"Kh…"

For a brief moment, Walden's vision blurred.

Kwoooom—!

Titaum was forcibly unsummoned, its massive form collapsing into a crumbling heap of earth. Caught in the debris, Walden fell, buried beneath the dirt.

Walden… he really is a monster.

Leo landed smoothly, exhaling as he braced against the pain surging through his body. I never expected him to have such a hidden trump card.

Of course, Walden hadn't fully controlled Titaum. He still lacked the ability to harness an Elemental Lord's full power. But summoning one at just seventeen? That alone proved the depths of his potential.

An unpolished gem, and he's already this powerful.

Clicking his tongue, Leo kept his gaze on the mound of dirt. And… he's not done yet.

Even after that devastating blow, Walden had not received a death ruling. Just as Leo tightened his grip on his sword…

"I'm first!"

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm first!"

A familiar argument rang out. Leo planted his sword into the ground like a cane and looked up.

Duran, crackling with golden lightning, and Eliza, riding her Wind Wyvern, were charging toward him at high speed.

Seeing them, the other students brightened. Even Leo, as overwhelming as he was, had taken considerable damage from fighting Walden. With two more elite fighters joining the fray, surely he would have to retreat.

Tack—! Tap—!

Duran and Eliza landed before him, standing side by side yet glaring daggers at each other.

Leo smirked. "You two planning to team up?"

"Don't kid yourself, Leo Plov," Eliza snapped, drawing her whip. "I refuse to lower myself to taking you down alongside Duran Moira."

"Oh? For once, you say something reasonable, Eliza Hergin," Duran sneered. "I'd rather take you down first before fighting Leo Plov."

"My, how amusing. It's you who will fall first."

Duran and Eliza bared their teeth at each other, completely ignoring the real enemy in front of them.

The surrounding students felt an overwhelming urge to scream. Hey! You're on the same side! Why are you fighting each other with Leo right there?!

As the Noble and Harmony students clutched their heads in despair, the earth trembled.

Kwoooom—!

Walden emerged from the wreckage, dust and dirt falling from his shoulders. "My fight with Leo Plov isn't over yet."

Expressionless, he turned his gaze toward Duran and Eliza. "So both of you… get lost."

"It seems the outcome is already decided," Eliza remarked coolly. "Shouldn't you be the one stepping back, Walden Tiden?"

"Hmph. Then I'll just take you down as well."

Duran and Eliza smirked coldly, unwilling to back down.

Leo chuckled. They really don't know how to give up.

The three of them knew the difference in strength, yet they still refused to surrender. They held their heads high, unshaken, throwing themselves into the fight despite the overwhelming odds. Even now, standing before the impossible, they wouldn't back down.

Teenage recklessness is terrifying.

Leo had learned how to never give up from his comrades.

Lysinas had shown him how to find light in endless darkness. Luna had taught him how to move toward that light. Aaron had instilled in him the courage to do so without fear. And Dweno had made him realize that he had comrades he could trust and rely on.

Not just Walden, Duran, and Eliza. Celia, Chloe, Abad… even Chen Xia.

They all had their own dreams and goals, yet they all chased after him. Struggling desperately to reach him. To them, Leo Plov was the hero they aspired to catch up to.

However, no matter how hard they ran, by the time they looked up, Leo was already far ahead.

They'll all become Great Heroes one day. They'll grow into comrades I can fight alongside.

Leo closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. The students of Lumene—someday, they would stand at his side, worthy of fighting together.

That's why I slowed my pace.

He had matched their strides, making sure they wouldn't feel hopeless. As a senior hero, he had held himself back for their sake.

Lately though, he had begun to wonder: Was this really the right thing to do? Against those throwing everything they had at him, was it right to keep showing only the side of him that was Leo Plov?

"Believe in the future you've chosen."

Dweno's words surfaced in his mind.

If they truly have the potential to stand on the battlefield against Erebos…

Leo opened his eyes.

Then it wouldn't hurt to test that possibility now.

His aura flared.

Duran, Eliza, and Walden all stiffened. Until now, Leo had only shown them what they could grasp—the power of the second-year student council president, Leo Plov.

But from this moment on, that changed.

His gaze sharpened.

The three instinctively tensed.

"Stop arguing."

If he were just Leo Plov, second-year of Lumene Academy, student council president—then retreating here would be the logical choice. Even for him, fighting Walden, Duran, and Eliza all at once would be reckless.

But… if he were Kyle.

"All three of you. Come at me at once."

"Are you looking down on us, Leo Plo…"

Kwooooom—!

"…!" Eliza barely dodged.

Duran instinctively swung his sword, redirecting the attack, but he couldn't fully deflect it. Had he been even a fraction slower, had Eliza not reacted in time—she would have been eliminated on the spot.

The sheer sharpness of the strike sent chills down Duran's spine.

…What is this?

His grip on his sword tightened as he locked eyes with Leo.

"This isn't mockery."

Leo said flatly, "Prove yourselves."

A suffocating pressure filled the battlefield as killing intent and fighting spirit surged from Leo's body.

"Prove that you… have what it takes to stand on the same stage as me."