Chapter 477

A spirit summoner was one who summoned the spirits of the dead and wielded the power they had in life.

People often thought of spirits as souls themselves. However, spirits were not souls in the purest sense.

Spirits are like memories imprinted within mana.

Every living being carried mana within them. Depending on how that mana was cultivated and the nature of its vessel, it was classified into aura, mana, or spiritual energy.

When life ended, mana was returned to nature. That mana would then be passed on to new life.

However, the mana of those who possessed great power in life retained traces of their presence.

And the act of reading those lingering memories and manifesting them through spiritual energy is spirit calling.

The fundamental principle of necromancy was the same. By using a corpse's residual will, it was revived as an undead. Corpses were used because they retained the strongest remnants of their former selves.

However, the Lich King could resurrect the dead even if their bodies had decayed, using only the soil where they had been buried.

The Iron-Blooded Mage Tiaru had been revived in such a manner.

Leo looked at Tiaru. The memories shown by Lysinas's spiritual energy and the voice of Lysinas he had heard earlier suggested that he might have just awakened as a spirit summoner.

He could only attribute it to the power of Lysinas, which he had obtained through his conquest of Hero World. And now, that power was telling him to save the elf before him.

"Seriously, that woman. Whether in the past or now." Leo let out a dry chuckle and stepped toward Tiaru.

The elf before him was incomparably stronger than the heroes of the Justice Guild. Moreover, she had become an undead who harbored hatred for the entire world.

Destroying her body and sending her back to where she belongs won't be easy either.

Leo drew his sword.

Subdue her and save her soul, huh.

A spirit summoner could elevate the lingering resentment of an undead into a purified spirit. The problem was that it was extremely difficult to do.

That damned lizard really loves giving me impossible tasks.

Even as he grumbled, Leo couldn't help but smile. "Well then."

Step— step—

"What happened to you that filled you with such hatred? Let's hear a little about it."

Kwagagagagagak—!

As Leo approached, the ground around Tiaru instantly transformed into iron.

Leo tightened his grip on his sword.

Sssk—!

He sliced apart the massive blades that came crashing down on him, but Tiaru's attack did not end there.

Wuuung—!

Countless crimson magic circles materialized in the air. With them, a deluge of red liquid rained down.

Leo narrowed his eyes.

The smell of blood.

The magic Tiaru had conjured was like a rain of blood. This was why she was known as the Iron-Blooded Mage. She primarily wielded magic that used blood and iron as catalysts.

Because of that, she was the most powerful mage on the battlefield. She never needed to prepare separate catalysts—there was always an abundance of materials to fuel her magic.

She used the blood spilled from her enemies' corpses to make them explode and the iron from their weapons to tear them apart. It was a large-scale massacre spell, perfectly suited for the battlefield.

Fwoooosh—

Flames of aura flickered from Leo's sword.

"Fiora."

Kwooooosh—!

Fiora's flames merged with the aura's fire, amplifying the blaze even further.

Kwagagagagagak—!

Blazing sword strikes danced through the air.

Pababababababang—!

Like a vast net, the sword strikes shredded through the blood rain. A massive explosion roared as if it would rip the sky apart.

For Leo, however, that wasn't the real issue.

This magic deviates from the essence of Stellar Magic.

Leo recalled a certain friend who had recklessly ventured into the realm of the divine just because they wanted to see flowers bloom.

Stellar Magic had been created by Luna as a foundation for the Magic of Blooming Flowers. It might not seem like much, but the Magic of Blooming Flowers that Luna created belonged to the realm of life creation. It was a spell that had stepped into the domain of the gods.

Tiaru's magic was the opposite. Though this led her to be rejected by elf society, she was revered as a hero among humans. having saved many from Tartaros. However, that only made the elves ostracize her even further.

Back then, there was a war between humans and elves.

She was celebrated as a hero among humans, but even in the human Magic Conference, the Iron-Blooded Mage's spells were shunned. Using that magic against humans rather than demons was punishable. It was simply too cruel.

Thus, Iron-Blooded Magic was only permitted for use against demons.

It's no surprise the elves branded her a heretic.

To Leo, her magic felt like a direct rejection of Luna's ideals. After all, Stellar Magic was infused with Luna's warmth and love for flowers.

Kooooooo— Chwaaarrrrk—!

Tiaru's magic formed enormous iron chains. Red mana surged within them.

Kwooooosh—!

The red mana spun violently, tearing apart everything the chains touched.

A magic like this could only be created by someone obsessed with making their enemies suffer as much as possible before death.

Leo narrowed his eyes. Even by dark magic standards, this spell radiated pure malice and cruelty.

Fwoosh—!

Leo stepped forward with Aura Step, closing the distance to Tiaru.

Kwagagak—!

The surrounding terrain was utterly destroyed. Leo dodged the swarm of chains that slithered toward him like serpents.

This isn't just a spell that creates physical chains. There's some kind of curse layered onto it as well.

As he analyzed the magic, Leo drew even closer to Tiaru. Then, he heard her muttering under her breath.

"That can't be true! They could never be as wretched as I am!" she screamed, he voice filled with anguish. "I beg your forgiveness, great Nebula Pioneer. Please, do not forgive me."

With a voice that sounded like she was squeezing out her very soul, she pleaded for Luna's forgiveness.

"But… I could never forgive them. I hate them!"

Gripping her head, Tiaru let out a furious cry of resentment.

Leo thought to himself, If Luna were here, how would she judge this magic? …She'd be appalled that something like this even exists.

Tap—

Leo closed the distance even further. At that moment, the Iron-Blooded Magic completely engulfed him.

Wuuung—!

A magic circle suddenly appeared on Leo's body. He instantly deciphered the spell's structure.

Clang—!

The magic formula Tiaru had deployed was shattered, breaking the spell, but the undead Iron-Blooded Mage remained unfazed and immediately prepared her next spell.

Before she could complete it, Leo seized the Iron-Blooded Mage by the throat.

Grab—!

Leo stirred the mana of the stars, suppressing the Iron-Blooded Mage's mana.

Kugagagagagak—!

The clash of immense mana shook the very ground. The impact of the mana collision brought overwhelming pain, but Leo ignored it and instead summoned spiritual energy.

No matter how powerful a spirit summoner was, touching an undead carelessly was dangerous. A single misstep could expose one entirely to the residual thoughts of the undead.

Moreover, this opponent was a hero. If he accepted the thoughts of such an existence directly, his mind could be destroyed.

"Aaaaaaah!"

Tiaru clutched her head and let out a scream of agony.

Watching her, Leo smirked. "I'm not disregarding the pain you went through, but I've had a pretty rough time myself. I can't afford to be swayed by someone else's suffering."

Thud—!

Leo forcefully pulled Tiaru in and knocked their foreheads together. "Sorry, but I need to take a look at your memories."

Fwoosh—!

A brilliant light burst forth between their touching foreheads. At the same time, Tiaru's memories flowed into him.

The very source of her hatred.

A young Tiaru in a Seiren academy uniform. She had lost her family, her loved ones, and her friends to Tartaros. Burning with vengeance, she created Iron-Blooded Magic and was cast out of elven society.

Yet, she did not stop. She wandered the continent, hunting down Tartaros. It was humans who accepted her. In their lands, she waged an endless battle against Tartaros.

But the constant fighting exhausted her.

In her final years, she settled in the northeast to live out her days in peace. The Iron-Blooded Mage withdrew into a small village, disappearing from history.

However, not long after, the village she had made her home was wiped out overnight. The culprits were the forces of the Queen of Monsters.

However, the northeast was not the Queen of Monsters' domain. It was the elves, who were hostile toward humans at the time, who had lured the Queen of Monsters' army to the northeast—to strike back at the humans who encroached on their lands, and to rid themselves of a troublesome figure.

She had lost everything to Tartaros and had been shunned by her own kin in her pursuit of vengeance.

In the end, all she had wanted was to rest in peace, yet in her very last moments, it was her own kin who cast her into tragedy once again.

Everything that had ever reached her heart had turned to ashes.

Her hatred had ultimately turned toward the elves.

But it seems she couldn't bring herself to take revenge on them.

Thus, Tiaru died with that hatred still inside her, and a thousand years later, she was resurrected by the Lich King—an undead consumed only by vengeance.

Tiaru's mind was screaming, telling her to eradicate all of elvenkind.

And yet, she hesitates.

She was suppressing her hatred by sheer force of will, resisting the very instincts of vengeance that had brought her back to life. The only reason she could do so was because she was a true hero who denied becoming a monster in her quest for revenge.

She had spent her entire life regretting that she had twisted the magic Luna had entrusted to her descendants. Iron-Blooded Magic was a rejection and a desecration of Luna's will.

If Luna were to witness this magic, she would never approve of it.

Even so… magic is an expression of one's heart, a form of emotional expression.

That was Luna's philosophy.

If Luna had seen Tiaru, she would have undoubtedly said, You must have suffered. You don't have to apologize.

She would have comforted her sincerely.

Even if, as a mage, her own magic had been denied and defiled. That, too, would have simply been proof of how much suffering the other had endured.

Rather than blame her, she would have embraced her.

That's just the kind of person she was.

She would have truly pitied the elf who had lived such an unfortunate life.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"

"It must have been painful," Leo said gently, his words imbued with spiritual energy.

Tiaru's movements halted. What Leo offered was not mere consolation. It was an understanding that only one who had endured endless suffering could offer.

"Don't blame yourself. Luna would never have condemned you."

Tiaru's body trembled.

"Don't torment yourself any longer. You've suffered enough."

Fwoosh—!

Lysinas's spiritual energy strengthened with each of Leo's words, pushing back the Lich King's corrupt black mana.

Fwooooosh—!

Suddenly, black flames erupted violently from Tiaru's body as if refusing to allow her salvation, as if determined to burn the redeemed soul to ashes.

Leo smirked coldly. So, the Lich King has truly gained access to the power of Erebos's fragments. But so what?

Fwoosh—!

Gray spiritual energy burst from Leo's hand. This time, he used his own spiritual energy, the only natural enemy of the accursed flames.

Fwoosh—!

The black flames vanished under Leo's power.

Shhh—

The undead's body crumbled into dust, as if shedding its outer shell. Where the undead had stood, now remained a single vacant-eyed spirit.

Clicking his tongue, Leo dusted off his hands. "The Lich King… That bastard is as disgusting as ever."

[Just who… are you?] Tiaru stuttered, staring up at Leo with trembling eyes.

As a hero's spirit, she instinctively understood that the being before her was a hero of a level she could never compare to.

Leo replied nonchalantly, "Me? I'm Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning."