Chapter 292 - Return (5)
‘Heavy.’
Though it was a long-awaited reunion, the murderous strikes of the sword left Khan feeling incredulous. As he watched Leo wield his sword with a weight he hadn’t anticipated, Khan’s eyes gleamed with interest.
At his current specs, Khan was at level 39 according to the stat window. Although further growth hadn’t been reflected due to the system’s neglect, his body had strengthened once more after accepting Esperus’s blood.
He considered himself among the top superhumans in Midland, with few rivals he could count on one hand. Yet, Leo’s strikes were heavy enough to leave a significant impression on Khan.
‘Holy power, directly granted by the Goddess of Justice. There’s an inherent buff against demon-related foes. Even considering that…’
Leo had undoubtedly grown stronger.
Previously, Leo had seemed like an inexperienced youth, but now he had achieved remarkable growth. He was at a level that would place him high within the ranks of the Paladin Order, if not at the top.
At the very least—he was now on par with Leo at his peak in the game, before he was known as the Traitor Leonir, when he had claimed the title of the youngest commander of the Paladin Order!
‘I see…’
When Khan had first brought Leo into his group, he had anticipated that Leo would become a valuable asset several years later. He often worried that Leo might fall behind due to the grueling battles they faced together.
But Leo had exceeded expectations, achieving extraordinary growth. It wasn’t just his holy power that had grown; his sharpened aura was on a different level altogether.
‘The others must have too…’
Khan’s gaze unconsciously shifted to Maya Eldred. She watched the battle from a distance, retrieving the spear she had thrown at Cunning Claw while observing the fierce clash of sword and dark energy between Leo and Khan.
She had changed as well.
Previously, she had been among the stronger mercenaries, and during their reunion amidst the Greenskin uprising, she had reached a level where there was no room for further growth as a human warrior. The only paths left were acquiring aura or the sword aura that sword masters used to cut through anything.
‘Has she become a sword master…?’
Since she wielded a spear, should she be called a spear master? That sounds a bit off… Regardless, it was clear that her spear skills had broken through a barrier, reaching a new level. Piercing the tough hide of the beastman chieftain with a thrown spear was not a feat achievable with ordinary strength and skill.
『It’s like watching an insect evolve into a human.』
Even the Spirit of Resentment, who usually referred to everyone but Khan as insects, had upgraded their designation to humans.
Having confirmed this much, an undeniable desire burned within Khan’s heart.
‘I want to find out.’
By some coincidence, they had come together. These individuals who had never taken center stage in the world of Midland Quest—how far had they grown? Could he trust them with his back on the journey ahead?
***
‘Strong…! He’s on a different level from ordinary demon contractors-!’
The fingers covered in dark mist were as sharp and hard as a demon’s claws. Even the sword honed with the holy power bestowed by the Goddess of Justice couldn’t inflict a wound on them.
Grunt!
Leo’s legs staggered as they collided with the dark magic claws.
Third-rate swordsmen believe that upper body strength and balance are crucial for wielding a sword, but true swordsmen train their lower bodies to be as firm as the roots of an old tree. Leo, with the solid physique of a paladin and the skills of a first-rate swordsman, was no exception.
And yet, Leo staggered, unable to withstand the shock, like a drunk person?
Shudder…
His head filled with hatred and murderous intent began to calm with a sense of crisis. The shivers running down his spine told him that the opponent in front of him was of a different caliber from the demon contractors who recklessly wielded the overwhelming powers of demons.
This meant only one thing. He had made a contract with a higher-ranking demon.
‘A Scion of the Arch Demon…!’
Holy power flared up in Leo’s eyes. Because a benefactor of the Pantheon Church had fallen victim to the Scion of the Arch Demon and gone missing. As if responding to the paladin’s anger, the holy power within his body surged even more intensely.
The holy power enveloping his sword began to take the shape of flames. The power bestowed by the Goddess of Justice to his apostles to subdue demons, the White Flame.
“We must let the fleeing ones go! This bastard could be the leader of the demon contractors!”
Leo’s voice, imbued with holy power, echoed throughout the beastmen’s hideout. It was to call back his comrades, who were likely slaughtering the beastmen fleeing with Cunning Claw. Soon, he felt a massive flow of mana behind him.
The best firepower among their group. No longer the young prodigy of the Magic Tower, but now a magus in his own right, the Gray Mage Jan was preparing to cast a high-level spell from a distance.
‘I must hold him!’
That defined Leo’s role. To buy time until Jan could cast his spell. The role that a paladin like himself could perform best.
“Come─on─!”
Against the demon contractor with a build reminiscent of an orc, he pushed forward with his shield. His movements were the epitome of a tank, drawing the enemy’s attention with flashy maneuvers and taunts. However, his opponent was a battle-hardened veteran, well-versed in combat.
“What…!”
Bang──!!
The tremendous shock striking his shield sent Leo’s body reeling backward. By the time he realized what was happening, he had already been pushed several steps back. Realizing that it wasn’t an attack but merely the shock from using his shield as a springboard, he knew it was too late.
‘Damn…!’
The demon contractor was ignoring Leo and heading straight for the rear to take out the mage. Leo, realizing the critical nature of the attack, ground his teeth in frustration. Cunning bastard…!
But Jan always had a reliable guard with him. A man who seemed the most ordinary in the group, yet could be the most unpredictable variable.
“Uncle Ron!”
“Got it! What an ugly demon worshipper…!”
Ron grinned, gripping a hammer adorned with all sorts of jewels near the handle.
His hammer was the culmination of hundreds of modifications by the eccentrics of the Mage Tower, a masterpiece of magical and magical engineering. Forged with the ever-changing technology of the Mage Tower, beginning with the essence of iridescence, it was a legendary weapon.
“I’ll take an arm!”
With no hesitation, Ron swung his hammer at the demon contractor who wielded his claws like a bladed weapon. He channeled a small amount of mana, causing the jewels on the hammer’s handle to emit multicolored lights and activate the enchantments embedded in the hammer.
‘Path of Rebound.’
A whitish veil enveloped the hammer, then a spiral barrier wrapped around the demon’s claws. It absorbed the impact along a curved path, causing several jewels on the handle to crack.
And then.
Boom──!!
A sound like compressed air bursting out erupted between the claws and the hammer. The gray spell, ‘Jan’s Wheel’, reflected the opponent’s force back with several times the power, shredding the demon’s shoulder.
Puqwaaak!
The dark mist, which acted as the demon’s skin, dispersed momentarily before quickly reforming. But in that brief moment of dispersion, Ron’s eyes widened upon seeing the familiar gray skin. Gray skin…?!
“Interesting.”
While Ron hesitated, surprised by the familiar skin tone, a familiar voice whispered softly in his ear. Just as he realized the true identity of his opponent and was about to speak.
“Uncle! Step back!”
Jan’s spell was complete.
Holding his hands together to form a seal, Jan layered several small magic circles over the seal he created, ready to unleash his prepared spell.
Can a single mage stand against a calamity? Can a human reach beyond the realm of humanity solely through spells? Though historical records suggest it is possible, no mage of the current era had truly achieved that, leaving it an eternal enigma.
To answer that riddle, Jan, the youngest magus from the Tower, had his own solution.
‘Jan’s Mana Storm’
If one cannot defeat a great natural disaster, then one should harness nature itself. In a way, it was no different from using spells to interfere with the world.
This bold spell, ‘Jan’s Mana Storm’, was possible only because Jan possessed extraordinary sensitivity, allowing him to instinctively sense the void in the space when Khan opened Aecharis’s pouch.
Natural mana from all around began converging toward the magic circle Jan had formed. An amount of mana beyond what any individual could control seemed to dance atop the magic circle. Yet, the result was far from beautiful.
The gust conjured in Jan’s grasp quickly grew into a full-fledged storm.
During the war with the beastmen, this storm had once wiped out a hundred elite beastmen in a single strike, ending the battle. No matter how formidable a demon contractor, before a natural disaster, they were merely mortal.
“Wait…!”
Ron, knowing full well the storm’s power, tried to stop Jan in a panic. There was a chance the demon contractor was the very person they had been waiting for. But the storm had already grown uncontrollable, moving toward the demon contractor to consume him.
Kwaaak!
As the storm engulfed the demon contractor with a deafening roar, Ron turned to Jan with a look of despair.
“…?”
Seeing Ron’s reaction, Jan began to sense something was wrong, just as a familiar voice emerged from the storm.
“Honestly, I’m really impressed. I never imagined you’d become this strong.”
A voice so familiar, so longed-for, resounded from within the storm.
Craaack!
A startled Jan hurriedly dispelled the storm. Amid the storm, an intact seven-colored barrier was revealed. It was the signature spell of the Gold Tower Master, ‘Estelle’s Absolute Protection’. In this world, there were only two individuals capable of casting Estelle’s Absolute Protection.
The Tower Master herself and the Barbarian holding the Essence of the Five-Colored Bird, Gordi Khan.
“Wha…?!”
Jan, who had been so startled he made an odd sound, blinked his eyes. Leo, who had followed the demon contractor with his shaking eyes, stumbled backward, his eyes trembling violently.
“To think you’ve grown this much in just a few months; it’s hard to believe.”
“Sir Khan…?”
Leo’s voice trembled as much as his eyes, calling out the name of the demon contractor wrapped in black mist, before he collapsed to his knees.
‘Well, yeah. It’s been a while since we last met; a little emotional reaction is expected.’
Khan’s face lit up with a pleased smile as he watched them genuinely rejoice over his return.
Seeing them so genuinely happy about his survival confirmed that his investment in these future named bosses had paid off. It made him think of his past failures in stock investments, but he dismissed it as a societal problem, not his own. This was the real deal. They had grown splendidly.
“This may not be the best place for a reunion, but with the beastmen gone, there’s no one to eavesdrop. This should be good enough.”
Khan dispelled the black mist and beamed, ready to share the joy of their reunion.
Crunch.
“You damned demon, how dare you…!”
Demon?
If it hadn’t been for Leo, radiating even more intense killing intent than before, things might have gone smoothly.
“Oh, if it’s about the dark mana, there’s a bit of a story behind that…”
“Shut up! The Great Hero is a noble soul who would never succumb to the likes of you! Do you think I would believe that he accepted demonic energy? He is different from those losers!”
“Lo-Losers…?”
Khan’s face turned to one of confusion, which only fueled Leo’s fury further.
“Surprised that your trick didn’t work, huh? You nameless demon, I don’t know how you got into Midland, but I swear on my name and faith, I will kill you!”
Um, okay.
While Khan was moved by Leo’s determination to fight to the death for him, he was also at a loss about how to handle the situation. The one who saved him was Maya, who had been watching as if she knew something from the beginning.
“Leonir. Our lord has not been deceived by demons or fallen into corruption. So step back.”
Her voice was calm, yet carried a sense of elevation.
There was also a subtle pressure in her tone that made Leo hesitate. It was clear he regarded Maya as a superior, which made Khan ask with a puzzled expression.
“… Come to think of it, you seemed to know something from the beginning. What’s going on, Maya?”
It was nearly impossible to identify Khan, who looked like a fierce demon contractor, but Maya Eldred had seemed to recognize him immediately.
And then…
With a thud, Maya knelt on one knee and delivered an unexpected bombshell.
“A servant of the God can always recognize their God. The holy power that started stirring within me recently revealed your identity to me, my lord.”
“What…?”
“Congratulations on ascending to godhood, my lord.”
‘… What the hell is she talking about?’
TL’s Corner:
I don’t know too bruh. I know as much as you, maybe lesser.