Chapter 328

"What? What's that?"

"A tidal wave?"

"Oh my god…!"

Shouts of shock erupted from the audience.

Reacting to this, the commentator, Runeba, shouted in excitement.

[Aaaaaaah! A tidal wave! Leo Plov just created a tidal wave using elemental summoning! Is he completely insane?!]

[What did you just say, Runeba Tess?]

[Guh! P-Professor Harrid… I mean, what I meant was…]

Thunk!

The broadcast cut off as Runeba, realizing he had let out an expletive-laced exclamation, slammed his head into the floor and prostrated. Harrid stood beside him with a cold expression, scolding him.

Hearing Runeba's commentary, Hark let out a dry laugh.

"Don't tell me he actually made a contract with the Elemental Lord of Water?"

"He didn't contract with the Elemental Lord of Water. If he had, he wouldn't have needed to go through the trouble of using the waters of Lake Lumeria to create a tidal wave. With the power of the Elemental Lord, he could have simply generated enough water himself."

Lily explained.

"Really? Then it's not as impressive as I thought."

"It's extremely impressive! In some ways, what he did is even harder than making a contract with the Elemental Lord of Water!"

Lily clenched her fists and waved them around excitedly as she continued.

"He momentarily established temporary contracts with countless water elementals in Lake Lumeria to create the tidal wave! That's insane elemental summoning! Ahh! I want to talk to Leo right now about elemental summoning in detail!"

"Our cute Lily is getting all excited."

Elena smiled.

"He's changed the battlefield… but why go through all the trouble of shifting the battlefield like that?"

Elena, who hadn't taken her eyes off the screen, asked.

Hark replied in a bored tone.

"He's probably about to summon a spirit beast that thrives in a flooded battlefield."

"A spirit beast that's powerful in water! Maybe he's summoning Pegasus?!"

Lily shouted in excitement.

"Do you think the Three Great Summons are someone's pet names?"

Hark shook his head.

Flash! BOOOOM!

A pure white bolt of lightning struck down.

When the light faded, a beast known as the phantom of purity appeared, leaving Hark utterly speechless.

Elena twirled a lock of her hair and said, "At this point… for the second years, Leo must be nothing short of a nightmare."

sep

Bubble bubble bubble…!

Carl flailed as he struggled in the water.

Before him, Eliza's spirit beast, Delphinus, Ruri, appeared.

Beep!

Carl frantically thrashed his arms and legs upon seeing Delphinus.

Beep!

Delphinus grabbed Carl's collar in its mouth and dragged him to the surface.

"Pwah! T-thanks."

Carl gasped as he surfaced. Delphinus let out a few cheerful chirps before diving back under.

Barely managing to stay above water, Carl quickly cast a spell to lift himself into the air and looked up at the sky.

There, he saw Leo riding a pure white steed.

Carl let out a hollow laugh.

…He actually summoned Pegasus?

When he first heard that Leo had contracted with fairies, a thought crossed Carl's mind—Could Leo have actually contracted with all three of the Great Summons?

An idea that, by all logic, should have been impossible.

But Leo has always exceeded logic.

Carl had planned under the assumption of the absolute worst-case scenario.

He's reshaped the battlefield entirely to his advantage.

In truth, Carl already knew that Leo wasn't affected by the terrain at all.

Leo could fight at full capacity on land, water, or in the sky.

The ones affected by the change were Chloe, Chen Xia, and the dormitory students attacking Glory's stronghold.

Carl turned to look at Glory's base.

The assault on the stronghold is now impossible.

The moment the battlefield turned into an ocean, Harmony and Noble students lost their footing.

Of course, there were students who could perform well underwater or were unaffected by water.

But those specialized for land combat were now at a severe disadvantage.

Unlike them, Glory still had the wall—a massive advantage.

And more importantly…

Celia and Duran.

Celia and Duran had the elemental advantage over Chloe and Chen Xia.

But the moment the battlefield became an ocean, the scales tipped in favor of Chloe and Chen Xia.

Chloe, who wielded ice magic, and Chen Xia, who possessed water-based aura.

Celia's power was halved in a water battle.

And Chloe had just gained an endless supply of water to freeze at will.

Not only that, but Chen Xia was among the strongest second years in underwater combat.

Leo single-handedly set up and manipulated this entire situation.

It was nothing short of astonishing.

You're incredible, Leo.

Always acting as if limits didn't exist.

Always doing the impossible like it was natural.

Carl knew this far too well, so he had anticipated even this most hopeless of situations.

Carl's eyes gleamed.

That's why… I prepared for this.

sep

Seeing the battlefield turned into a sea, Celia let out a hollow laugh.

She had a pretty good idea whose handiwork this was.

"Seriously… He's my cousin, but sometimes he goes way too far."

Every time she steadied herself and tried to close the gap, he widened it again.

The fire that had reignited in her was on the verge of being extinguished once more.

Whoooosh…

Celia gripped Flame Storm tightly.

The blade, which had regained its pristine form, pulsed with intense heat.

Even so… I won't break.

Fwoooosh—!

Her damp body dried in an instant.

I've always done this.

Celia's eyes burned brightly.

I've always walked my own path.

She had vowed to become a knight worthy of her great ancestors—one who would surpass them.

And that hasn't changed.

"You've finally come back to your senses, Celia."

Hovering above the water with a Fly spell, Chloe smiled.

Click.

The moment Chloe stepped onto the water, ice spread beneath her feet, forming a foothold.

The students from Harmony and Noble, who were still struggling in the water, flinched.

"Hey! Get out of the water, fast!"

"Chloe's magic is coming!"

Plop—

Chloe dipped the tip of her staff into the water and began chanting.

"Ice World."

CRAAAAACK—!

In an instant, the water surrounding Chloe froze solid.

The students who had been desperately trying to escape were caught in the ice and immediately received a death ruling.

Tap.

Chloe, her blue eyes gleaming, turned to Celia.

"You're next, Celia."

"…I've always wanted to fight you at full power."

Creak.

Celia adjusted her grip on her sword.

Fwoooosh—!

CRACK!

Hissssss—!

Ice and fire clashed, filling the battlefield with thick steam.

Crackle!

"Aaaaaahhh!"

"Hey! Duran, if you attack now, you'll hit your own teammates!"

"I don't care. Dodge on your own."

Duran, speaking coldly, unleashed his lightning aura.

FLASH! BOOOOM! Crackle!

"Eeeeek!"

"Everyone, fall back!"

Golden sparks danced wildly across the water's surface.

"I was almost fried alive…"

A male student barely escaped the range of Duran's attack, cold sweat dripping down his face.

"Seriously. I thought he wouldn't attack since his allies were around, but of course, Duran has no mercy."

Cough! "Ch-Chen Xia?!"

"There you are."

Crouching on the water, looking unimpressed, was Chen Xia.

Duran's blade shot toward her like a serpent.

A panicked knight student tried to dodge, but…

Trip!

Chen Xia casually hooked his leg and sent him falling.

"…Oops."

"Wh-what are you doing?!"

"I needed a shield."

"You monster!"

The student screamed as Chen Xia effortlessly tossed him forward.

Crackle!

At that moment…

Duran's attack suddenly shifted trajectory, avoiding the student and targeting Chen Xia instead.

Just as she prepared to dodge…

Grab.

Duran was already there, gripping Chen Xia's throat.

"You've run well until now."

Duran's golden eyes gleamed.

"But this is the end."

Rumble! Crackle—!

"Ggggghhh—?!"

Electricity surged through Chen Xia's body, and she screamed.

Zap! Sizzle—!

Her body went limp, her head drooping forward.

It seemed she had lost consciousness. The bracelet indicating her life flickered red.

"Damn, that was brutal."

"Oof… that must've hurt."

Murmurs of disbelief came from all around.

Duran scoffed.

"You guys don't get it, do you? Who do you think Chen Xia is? She's strong. If I let my guard down, I'd be the one going down."

"I got you."

"…!"

Grab!

"And you know what, Duran?"

Chen Xia, wearing an uncharacteristically sharp smile, tightened her grip.

"Shadows develop resistance to their own weaknesses. I was forced to endure something like electric torture since I was little, so I have a pretty high resistance to lightning aura."

Swoosh! Splash—!

Despite her small frame and innocent appearance, Chen Xia's combat style was nothing short of brutal and relentless.

She fought with the sheer will to bring her opponent down, paying no mind to her own injuries—purely a battle of attrition.

Letting Duran grab her had been intentional. It was all to drag him down into her battlefield—the water.

Damn it!

Duran gritted his teeth and gripped his sword, igniting his aura.

Whoosh! Boom—!

But Chen Xia was faster. Her fist struck Duran square in the gut.

Crash! Thud—!

Duran was sent hurtling straight to the bottom of the water.

Holding his breath, he glared upward at Chen Xia, who blocked his escape.

Hum—!

Chen Xia channeled her water aura.

Crush—!

A massive surge of water pressure slammed down on Duran.

This was the underwater battlefield.

And for Chen Xia, a master of water aura, this was home turf.

Stagger—!

Duran's knees buckled.

His bracelet, which had been glowing green, quickly turned orange.

Fine then.

Duran's eyes flashed.

I'll take you down… and then go fight Leo Plov.

Sizzle—!

Electric sparks burst from Duran's body.

sep

"Hiiik!"

Leo tugged on the reins, and Arty let out a panicked cry.

"What?"

—I've served the Lordren royal family for generations. The thought of obeying a new master in front of all these people…

"No one's going to recognize you as the Lordren Pegasus."

Even now, Arty was cloaked in pure white lightning.

At this moment, it was a war-ready Pegasus, veiled in electricity.

With its features obscured, the only one who might recognize it was Sasha, who already knew of the contract.

—That makes it all the better. Hehehehe…

Arty trembled with a perverse laugh.

Leo, irritated, yanked on the reins.

—Ahn~! Not so rough~

Arty purred flirtatiously.

Ignoring the ridiculous spirit beast, Leo, expressionless, charged toward the four enemies ahead.

Whoosh—!

Walden and Chelsea stepped forward to block his path.

Sizzle—!

Leo raised his hand, and Pegasus's lightning gathered at his fingertips.

His eyes glinted as he hurled the bolt at Chelsea.

Flash—! BOOOOM!

Walden immediately jumped in front of Chelsea.

Chelsea spread her mana and shouted.

"Wind Break!"

CRASH—!

One of Chelsea's signature spells, Wind Break, activated.

But instead of stopping there, she rapidly began high-speed chanting.

As a result, the Wind Break spell multiplied, forming hundreds of them.

Leo observed the shifting wind currents, then pulled on Arty's reins.

Swish! Whoosh—!

Dodging through the intricate net of wind barriers, Leo advanced.

Chelsea gritted her teeth.

Whoosh—!

At that moment, Wind Wyvern swooped in, blocking Leo's path.

"What an honor! To engage in aerial combat against Pegasus!"

Eliza shouted sharply, cracking her whip.

Snap—! Grab—!

Leo caught the whip mid-air.

"Guh…!"

Eliza clenched her teeth.

This wasn't an ordinary whip; it was imbued with the power of her spirit beast.

Yet Leo had caught it effortlessly.

—I wanted to get hit by that…

Arty muttered in disappointment, but Leo ignored it and yanked the whip hard.

"Eek?!"

"You always act so composed, but you do have a cute scream, huh?"

"Are you mocking me right now?!"

Eliza's face turned red with rage. Sparks practically flew from her eyes.

Leo smirked and spurred Arty forward, charging at Eliza.

BOOOOM!

Blown away from Wind Wyvern, Eliza plummeted toward the ground.

Chelsea quickly swooped in and caught her in a princess carry.

"Why the hell am I the one carrying you?!"

"Kgh! You think I like being held in this humiliating position by a tiny person like you?!"

"Who are you calling tiny?! I will drop you!"

Bicker bicker—!

Hearing the two argue, Leo raised his hand.

"You two get along well."

Sizzle—!

As he gathered Pegasus's lightning to strike them both…

Whoooosh—! ROOOAR!

A violent gust of wind surged around him.

…Abad?

Leo's eyes twitched.

Abad had cast Wind Prison.

It was a spell that trapped its target inside a barrier of wind, severing all external connections.

A powerful restraining spell.

Rumble—!

Leo looked up.

A massive rock was forming in the air.

The Elemental Lord of Earth.

It was Walden—the one who had suffered Leo's earlier attack.

Outside the Wind Prison, he was summoning Titaum.

ROOOAR—!

Leo glanced downward.

Underwater, Eliza was summoning Delphinus.

Finally, Leo turned to look at Carl.

"You predicted all of this, huh?"

Leo smirked and shifted his gaze to Chelsea.

Standing before him, Chelsea clutched her staff tightly, her face tense.

"So the plan is to summon the Elemental Lord of Earth, drop a massive weight on me, and crush me?"

"…That's right, Leo."

"The moment the Wind Prison is released, Eliza will trap me in the water to prevent me from escaping."

Leo's eyes flickered toward Abad.

"The problem is, Wind Prison is a powerful restraint, but it has a fatal flaw—the caster must stay inside the prison. The caster can't do anything while maintaining the spell, and they can't receive external support."

Leo smiled.

"So, you plan to stop me all by yourself?"

"…Yes."

Chelsea, sweating, answered.

"You do realize that's impossible, right?"

"The person I admire…"

Chelsea looked Leo straight in the eyes.

"…is someone who accomplishes the impossible."

Whoooosh—!

Chelsea's wind howled.

"Admiring you isn't enough anymore."

"……"